2062.7 Flyers Owner Declares His Love of Charlotte and His Distaste for TTOE
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 12:06 pm
Charlotte Flyers team owner John Watson recently gathered the local sports media to make an announcement. This is a transcript of his statement.
Thank you for coming out tonight. As you know, I am John Watson, the proud owner of the Charlotte Flyers. I love this team. I love this city. I love this state. That is why we are here today. You are all aware that the team formerly known as the Rockville Pikemen has moved back to North Carolina for the upcoming season. That franchise has been in Manhattan, Hackensack, right here in Charlotte, then Rockville, and now Wilmington, back in our state. There are rumors going around about the possible relocation of other franchises as well. I won’t go into specifics, but as reporters, I’m sure you’ve heard things.
We are here today to announce that the Flyers are not going anywhere! As I said before, I love this team, city, and state. Baseball came alive here at the turn of the century when the Hackensack Bulls relocated to this fine city. However, after 33 seasons, 10 playoff appearances, and 1 glorious championship, the ownership of that franchise ignored the great citizens of our city and state to pursue the almighty dollar. The Carolina Kraken ripped through the hearts of fans like a mythical beast destroying its prey when they left for Rockville. That is why my family and I made it our mission to bring baseball back to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2040. And this is why it is so important to me that baseball not only remains in Charlotte, but that we are constantly working to get this team in the postseason where it belongs. We have 8 playoff appearances since the birth of this franchise 23 years ago, but we have not yet brought a title back to our fans. I want the fans to understand that I didn’t get into this business because of the money. I got into it because of the baseball, and because I feel that this place deserves to have a baseball team they can be proud of.
Now that the Rockville Pikemen have returned to our state, and have set up camp in Wilmington, I have an important statement to make. While we will always strive to win the BBA, the Johnson League, and the Atlantic Division, I pledge to make it a priority to win North Carolina every year. We will make it our mission to take down the transient franchise who temporarily resides in the Eastern part of our state, at least until they decide to move on again.
While they were in Rockville, we fared well against that team. As you would expect for an expansion team, we struggled out of the gate against them, losing 6 of our first 28 games. However, since that time, we have won 149 while losing 147. Since Nathan’s fist full season here, we are 49-37 against them. That was before they decided to come back and pull on the heartstrings of our great fans, who once had love for them. Let me tell you, that love no longer exists. There may be some fans in the Eastern part of our state who gravitate towards that ballclub, but here in Charlotte, and in so many wonderful cities, the heartbreak will not be forgotten. We will fight to make our fans proud, and to avenge the pain that was thrust upon them in the past.
We will no longer refer to them by the name they have written in pencil on their uniforms. No, we will simply refer to them as That Team Out East, or TTOE. The fans of our team do not need to hear the name of a team that thinks they can just move in and out of our great state whenever they feel like it. The Charlotte Flyers are here now, and will be here as long as I have anything to say about it. In fact, I will do everything in my power to make sure that this team remains in Charlotte long after I am gone. Long live the Charlotte Flyers!
@woods
Thank you for coming out tonight. As you know, I am John Watson, the proud owner of the Charlotte Flyers. I love this team. I love this city. I love this state. That is why we are here today. You are all aware that the team formerly known as the Rockville Pikemen has moved back to North Carolina for the upcoming season. That franchise has been in Manhattan, Hackensack, right here in Charlotte, then Rockville, and now Wilmington, back in our state. There are rumors going around about the possible relocation of other franchises as well. I won’t go into specifics, but as reporters, I’m sure you’ve heard things.
We are here today to announce that the Flyers are not going anywhere! As I said before, I love this team, city, and state. Baseball came alive here at the turn of the century when the Hackensack Bulls relocated to this fine city. However, after 33 seasons, 10 playoff appearances, and 1 glorious championship, the ownership of that franchise ignored the great citizens of our city and state to pursue the almighty dollar. The Carolina Kraken ripped through the hearts of fans like a mythical beast destroying its prey when they left for Rockville. That is why my family and I made it our mission to bring baseball back to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2040. And this is why it is so important to me that baseball not only remains in Charlotte, but that we are constantly working to get this team in the postseason where it belongs. We have 8 playoff appearances since the birth of this franchise 23 years ago, but we have not yet brought a title back to our fans. I want the fans to understand that I didn’t get into this business because of the money. I got into it because of the baseball, and because I feel that this place deserves to have a baseball team they can be proud of.
Now that the Rockville Pikemen have returned to our state, and have set up camp in Wilmington, I have an important statement to make. While we will always strive to win the BBA, the Johnson League, and the Atlantic Division, I pledge to make it a priority to win North Carolina every year. We will make it our mission to take down the transient franchise who temporarily resides in the Eastern part of our state, at least until they decide to move on again.
While they were in Rockville, we fared well against that team. As you would expect for an expansion team, we struggled out of the gate against them, losing 6 of our first 28 games. However, since that time, we have won 149 while losing 147. Since Nathan’s fist full season here, we are 49-37 against them. That was before they decided to come back and pull on the heartstrings of our great fans, who once had love for them. Let me tell you, that love no longer exists. There may be some fans in the Eastern part of our state who gravitate towards that ballclub, but here in Charlotte, and in so many wonderful cities, the heartbreak will not be forgotten. We will fight to make our fans proud, and to avenge the pain that was thrust upon them in the past.
We will no longer refer to them by the name they have written in pencil on their uniforms. No, we will simply refer to them as That Team Out East, or TTOE. The fans of our team do not need to hear the name of a team that thinks they can just move in and out of our great state whenever they feel like it. The Charlotte Flyers are here now, and will be here as long as I have anything to say about it. In fact, I will do everything in my power to make sure that this team remains in Charlotte long after I am gone. Long live the Charlotte Flyers!
@woods
