Paul Pruitt saw writing on the wall two years ago when it came to the future of the Southern Minny Stars in Austin.

Saturday, August 07, 1999

Paul Pruitt saw writing on the wall two years ago when it came to the future of the Southern Minny Stars in Austin.

"I knew we would have our work cut out for us when we were getting only 500-600 and we had won the division and were in the playoffs," Pruitt said at press conference Friday afternoon announcing the team’s discontinuation of operations under the current ownership at the end of the season.

The Minny Stars, a struggling summer collegiate baseball team sitting in last place of the Northwoods League, played what would have mostly likely been their final home game at Marcusen Park Saturday night and will close its season today in Mankato.

There is still a chance the team will continue in Austin if a buyer found and willing take on the team’s estimated $127,000 debt – $100,000 of which is from the Stars’ initial franchise fee to join the Northwoods League following the demise of the independent Prairie League, the team’s previously affiliation, in 1997.

After official paperwork is filled out, the Northwoods League will assume control of team and could keep the team in Austin if another buyer is not found.

It is believed the Northwoods League is looking into relocating the team to Minot, N.D., which is near Burlington, N.D., the home of the Stars’ majority owner Chad Yale. Minot was also home to the Minot Mallards, another former member of the Prairie League.

Yale owns 52 percent of the team, while the rest is owned by Major Leaguers Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, John Smoltz and former Atlanta Braves catcher and Minnesota native Greg Olson, who acted as the spokesman for the pro players. About 16 owners from the Austin area made up the rest of the ownership group.

Pruitt said the Stars counted on drawing fans from the surrounding area, including Albert Lea, but it never happened as well as the team would have hoped. Pruitt also said the team’s success on the field had little to do with the reasoning behind the move that was made about a week ago.

"After four summers with this team I can say with confidence that the reason for failure is not a lack of support," Pruitt added. "Drawing from a population of only 20,000 or so we have been unable to find enough people who could come and see five or six games each over the season. We have not lacked support, we have lacked a sizable enough market. Drawing from a 50,000 or 60,000 population we might have made it."

The Stars’ average attendance this season was about 400, which was sixth best in the eight-team league, just behind Mankato.

Pruitt said the Stars were on pace to break even both years in the Northwoods League if they would have been able to play all of their games without outside interference.

The Stars had 24 percent of their games this season washed out because of weather. Four straight games were lost in July because of flooding and others were rained too late in the season to be made up.

Last year, a strong wind storm that damaged two light towers at Marcusen Park forced the Stars to alter their schedule.

Pruitt said the team also took on a debt of over $160,000, when the franchise changed hands in 1996.

"We never started at zero," he said. "We always carried a debt from the previous season."

"I can not come up with a single reason for the Stars’ ownership group to keep throwing good money into this team anymore," said Pruitt, a minority owner as well as marketing director of the ballclub. "I want to publicly thank the owners for all of the support they have given these last four years. We really wanted it to work here, not because it would make a fortune but because it was fun.

"I think, with a few exceptions, Austin has enjoyed having the Stars here and many people, myself included, will miss it," said Pruitt, who will be moving back to the Twin Cities.