SOUTH BEND — It has been a difficult few years financially for the South Bend Silver Hawks. So what's being done to turn it around? And does that include selling or moving the team?
It has been two and a half months since the $7.3 million renovation at Coveleski Stadium wrapped up. But the season still wasn't great for the Silver Hawks. The team finished under 500 and attendance this year dropped about 17 percent.
"[The season] was okay,” said Silver Hawks president Joe Kernan. “April and May were terrible because of the rain and cold and we had some construction that was ongoing and didn't get completed until the 4th of July, but we've been pretty much complete since the 1st of July."
Financially, times have been difficult for the minor league team through the past several years. So aside from the renovation, what's being done to turn that around?
"I've been on the lookout for people I have thought might be potential investors," Kernan said.
When asked if he would sell the team, Kernan didn't say no, only that he is dedicated to keeping the Silver Hawks in South Bend and keeping the team financially viable.
"It's the only reason I got involved," Kernan said, "It's the reason most of the 53 investors I got, got involved in the team six years ago."
Kernan says for months ago someone did offer to buy the team, but they planned to move the Silver Hawks out of South Bend after the 2012 season. Kernan says the move was a deal breaker and the offer was turned down.
Right now he still believes the future looks good for the South Bend baseball team.
The owner of Berlin Packaging in Chicago, Andrew Berlin, showed interest in owning the team, according to his receptionist who talked to WSBT, but messages left for Berlin were never returned.
It is not uncommon for minor league teams to receive unsolicited offers from potential buyers.
