Across the Country, Minor League Towns Face Major League Threat

The Lexington Legends playing a road game against the Hagerstown Suns in Maryland in 2011. Under M.L.B.’s proposal, both teams could lose their major league affiliations.
"... But this opportunity of basic American fandom may soon vanish from dozens of communities across the country. M.L.B. is proposing to sever its parent-club ties with the Legends and 41 other minor league teams — from the Blue Jays of Bluefield, W.V., to the PaddleHeads of Missoula, Mont. It is all part of M.L.B.’s desire to overhaul the lower minor leagues and the way that promising ballplayers are developed. Under the proposal, the 42 newly independent teams would be welcome to join a lower-quality Dream League populated largely by undrafted and released players, a plan one minor league official called a 'death sentence' for the clubs. Loss of major-league affiliation would significantly diminish a team’s cachet and market value — a prospect so devastating that some affected team owners have been reluctant even to inform their employees. ..."
NY Times
A Major Overhaul - See the list of teams that would lose ties to their big-league parent clubs under M.L.B.’s proposal.
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Centennial Field in Burlington, Vt., opened in 1906 and is home to the Vermont Lake Monsters, a team on the so-called Hit List.