Buffalo Bisons

History

Mayor James D. Griffin and an investment group purchased the Jersey City A's of the Double-A class Eastern League for $55,000 in 1978, and the team began play as the Buffalo Bisons at War Memorial Stadium in 1979. This new franchise assumed the history of prior Buffalo Bisons teams that had played in the city from 1877 to 1970. Robert E. Rich Jr. purchased the Bisons for $100,000 in 1983, and upgraded the team to the Triple-A class American Association in 1985 after buying out the Wichita Aeros for $1 million. Rich Jr. grew the team's popularity and was known for his innovative promotional tie-ins, most notably an annual series of post-game concerts by The Beach Boys.

The Buffalo Bisons moved to the $42.4 million Pilot Field (now Sahlen Field) in downtown Buffalo in the 1988 season. In their first year at the venue after moving from War Memorial Stadium, the Bisons broke the all-time record for Minor League Baseball attendance by drawing 1,186,651 fans during the 1988 season. The team won two division titles and set subsequent attendance records on the heels of their unsuccessful 1993 Major League Baseball expansion bid. The team's 1991 single-season attendance of 1,240,951 remains a Minor League Baseball record.{{cite web

The Cleveland Indians replaced the Pittsburgh Pirates as Major League Baseball affiliate of the Buffalo Bisons prior to the 1995 season. The team won division titles in 1996 and 1997, and won the final American Association championship in 1997. Bartolo Colón threw the first no-hitter in franchise history on June 20, 1997 against the New Orleans Zephyrs.

In wake of the American Association disbanding following the 1997 season, the Bisons joined the International League in 1998. The team won the division and league championship in their first season, but lost the Triple-A World Series. The addition of regional rivalries allowed for the creation of the Thruway Cup, an annual competition between the Buffalo Bisons, Rochester Red Wings and Syracuse SkyChiefs. The Bisons went on to win division titles in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, and the league championship at home in 2004.

The New York Mets replaced the Cleveland Indians as Major League Baseball affiliate of the Buffalo Bisons prior to the 2009 season. This era was plagued with poor on-field performance and low attendance.

The Toronto Blue Jays replaced the New York Mets as Major League Baseball affiliate of the Buffalo Bisons prior to the 2013 season. To kick off this era, the Bisons scored 27 runs on 29 hits against the Syracuse Chiefs on April 18, 2013, setting records for the most runs and hits in an International League game since 1973. The Blue Jays used Sahlen Field as their home field in 2020 after the Bisons season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, investing $5 million in upgrading the venue.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball and the closure of the International League, the Bisons joined the newly formed Triple-A East in 2021. Due to renovations at Sahlen Field as well as use of the stadium by the Blue Jays, the Bisons began their 2021 season at Trenton Thunder Ballpark in Trenton, New Jersey. At their home games, they wore the uniforms of the Trenton Thunder and were referred to as such, while on the road they were still known as the Buffalo Bisons.

With the reinstatement of the historical league names in 2022, the Bisons were returned to the International League.

Roster

Alumni

Retired numbers

National Baseball Hall of Fame members

Main article: List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame

International League Hall of Fame members

Main article: International League Hall of Fame

Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame members

Main article: Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame

All 25 Seasons Team (2012)

Season-by-season records

Radio and television

Bisons Baseball Network produces all radio broadcasts of Buffalo Bisons games. Their flagship station since 2009 has been WWKB, a clear-channel station in Buffalo. Select games are simulcast on WGR in Buffalo and CJCL in Toronto. Games were previously carried by WUFO/WXRL (1983), WEBR (1984), WBEN (1985–1988) and WGR (1989–2008).

Live video streams of all Buffalo Bisons games have aired on the MiLB.TV subscription service since 2013, and free via the Bally Live app since 2023. Select games have been televised on WNYO since 2023. Games were previously televised on WNYB (1988–1989, 1996), Empire Sports Network (1991–1995, 1997–2004), Time Warner Cable SportsNet (2007–2016), Spectrum Sports (2017) and WNLO (2019–2022).

Pat Malacaro has served as the team's play-by-play announcer since 2018. Pete Weber served as play-by-play announcer from 1983 to 1995, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Nashville Predators. Jim Rosenhaus served as play-by-play announcer from 1996 to 2006, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Guardians. Ben Wagner served as play-by-play announcer from 2007 to 2017, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Baltimore Orioles, after serving 6 years as play-by-play announcer of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Duke McGuire has served as the team's color commentator since 1996, and previously worked as the team's in-stadium public address announcer from 1979 to 1995. John Murphy served as color commentator from 1985 to 1988, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Bills. Greg Brown served as color commentator from 1989 to 1993, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Weber, McGuire, Rosenhaus, and Brown were inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame for their broadcast work.

Culture

Mascots

Donald Palmer was an acrobatic batboy who performed for the Buffalo Bisons as "The Butcher" from 1979 to 1988.

Earl Howze, Jr. was a beer vendor who performed for the Buffalo Bisons as "The Earl of Bud" from 1979 to 1997. He was known for dancing to the song "Tequila" atop the venue's dugouts, with a routine similar to the one made famous by Paul Reubens in the 1985 film Pee-wee's Big Adventure. The Buffalo Bisons honored him at an August 2012 game, with every fan in attendance receiving a bobblehead of his likeness. Howze, Jr. also performed for the Buffalo Sabres at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

Tom Girot is a beer vendor who has performed for the Buffalo Bisons as "Conehead" since 1979. The Buffalo Bisons honored him at a July 2018 game, with a beer launched in his likeness called Conehead IPA by Resurgence Brewing Company. Girot has also performed for the Rochester Red Wings at Innovative Field and the Toronto Blue Jays at Sahlen Field.

Buster T. Bison has been the official mascot of the Buffalo Bisons since 1983. He was later joined by his cousin Chip in 1994, and his future wife Belle in 2006.

Tracey B. Wilson was an actress who performed for the Buffalo Bisons as the mime "Loud Mouth" from 1993 to 1999.

Buffalo Bisons games since 2011 have featured the Wing, Cheese & Carrot (WCC) mascot race between costumed representations of various local foods just prior to the sixth-inning.

Music

"Stampede" has been the official fight song of the Buffalo Bisons since their inaugural season at Sahlen Field in 1988.

Tina Turner's recording of "The Best" is played after every Buffalo Bisons home victory at Sahlen Field.

A parody of the Gary Glitter song "Rock and Roll Part 2" featuring lyrics referencing Irv Weinstein was played at Sahlen Field during the seventh-inning stretch of Buffalo Bisons games in the 1990s.

References

References

1. (November 20, 2012). "Buffalo Bisons unveil new team logo". [[MLB Advanced Media.
2. (March 10, 2020). "Personnel News: High Point, Buffalo".
3. Klebnikov, Sergei. (July 8, 2016). "Minor League Baseball's Most Valuable Teams – 15. Buffalo Bisons".
4. (July 14, 2017). "Buffalo's downtown ballpark: The house that Jimmy built". The Buffalo News.
5. "After 20 years, Bisons still a hit for Bob Rich Jr.".
6. (September 6, 1988). "A Major League Effort for Buffalo".
7. (8 September 1984). "The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on September 8, 1984 · 72".
8. GELLER, KATHRYN. (25 June 1989). "BEACH BOYS AND BISONS ARE A SUMMER TRADITION".
9. (August 20, 1988). "Buffalo Bisons Set Minor League Attendance Mark". [[Los Angeles Times]].
10. "Buffalo Bisons Franchise History (1878-2019)".
11. Harrington, Mike. (30 June 2003). "'SIMPLY THE BEST' THE BISONS HAVE ESTABLISHED A WINNING TRADITION SINCE HOOKING UP WITH THE CLEVELAND INDIANS IN 1995".
12. (20 June 2018). "A trip back in time to the Bartolo Colon no-hitter you never knew about {{!}} MLB.com".
13. "Triple-A still thriving after 1998 realignment".
14. Harrington, Mike. (2004-09-18). "BISONS SEAL THE DEAL THERE'S NO DOUBTING HERD AS THOMAS SHINES ON HILL".
15. "Bisons meet the Mets - Buffalo Business First".
16. (September 22, 2012). "Triple-A Buffalo switches affiliation to Blue Jays".
17. Bisbing, Brad. (April 18, 2013). "RECORDS fall in 27–9 Bisons win – Unforgettable team performance as Buffalo earns sweep". Buffalo Bisons.
18. Parker, John. (April 18, 2013). "Negrych cycles in Bisons' record rout". MLB.com.
19. Mayo, Jonathan. (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues".
20. (April 9, 2021). "Blue Jays' top minor league team temporarily moves home games from Buffalo to Trenton". [[USA Today]].
21. (9 April 2021). "Blue Jays' 2021 Triple-A Affiliate: The Trenton Buffalo Thunder Bisons". [[SB Nation]].
22. (March 16, 2022). "Historical League Names to Return in 2022".
23. [https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-67312660 "Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame."] Buffalo Bisons. Retrieved on August 19, 2018.
24. Jones, Rory. (April 3, 2023). "Minor League Baseball confirms Bally Live free streaming deal".
25. (April 7, 2023). "Bisons Baseball to air on MyTV Buffalo WNYO with 13-game schedule".
26. (April 22, 2019). "Bisons and Nexstar Broadcasting partner to air 10-game schedule on The CW-23". WNLO.
27. Ingersoll, Ali. (12 April 2018). "Meet Pat Malacaro: The new voice of the Buffalo Bisons".
28. (March 27, 2018). "Ben Wagner & Dan Shulman join Sportsnet's Blue Jays radio broadcast team". [[Sportsnet]].
29. Harrington, Mike. (March 27, 2018). "Bisons radio announcer Ben Wagner promoted to Blue Jays' booth; Pat Malacaro named replacement". buffalonews.com.
30. (2023-11-29). "Sportsnet's Ben Wagner out as voice of Blue Jays radio broadcasts".
31. Lucia, Joe. (2024-02-23). "Baltimore Orioles add Ben Wagner to broadcast team".
32. "Bisons Broadcast Team".
33. "Buffalo Bisons family mourns the passing of 'The Butcher' - Donald Palmer".
34. GRAHAM, TIM. (21 August 2007). "Whither the Earl of Bud? Local sports icon left town like a ghost in 1997".
35. Vogel, Charity. (24 June 2012). "Earl of Bud takes his act to Tennessee".
36. "Buffalo beer vendor Girot beloved by fans".
37. McShea, Keith. (21 June 2018). "Famed vendor 'Conehead' gets his own beer at Buffalo Bisons games".
38. "Nobody pours it on like beer vendor Tom 'Conehead' Girot at Rochester and Buffalo games".
39. (June 2021). "For the first time in 640 days, Conehead gets set to sell cold ones at Sahlen Field".
40. (24 October 2011). "So three mascots walk into a photo shoot …".
41. REPORTER, PAULA VOELL IS A. NEWS STAFF. (15 December 1994). "BEST BETS".
42. (May 7, 2006). "Bisons Introduce New Mascot, Belle".
43. CLAPP, KEVIN. (18 July 1996). "JUST ASKING".
44. "WCC Race".
45. Harrington, Mike. (30 June 2003). "'SIMPLY THE BEST' THE BISONS HAVE ESTABLISHED A WINNING TRADITION SINCE HOOKING UP WITH THE CLEVELAND INDIANS IN 1995".
46. (August 15, 2021). "The Bisons are back: Scenes from the opening week in Sahlen Field".
47. (June 2020). "Irv Weinstein".