Al Lang Field, Tampa Bay
Rays
St.
Pete's Al Lang Field has been in the news a lot
lately, but for the wrong reasons: the Tampa Bay
Rays will train there one last time in 2008 before
shifting spring operations to Charlotte County in
2009, and the old ballpark is slated to be torn
down to make way for a new waterfront home of the
Rays. Now, Al Lang Field isn't the same venue it
was in the 1940s and 1950s when it was a landmark
in spring training, but it's still a great place
to catch a spring-training game. We hope the Rays
catch the spirit of the original Al Lang in their
designs for a new ballpark, For the rest of us, a
trip to Al Lang Field will be a mandatory event in
Spring Training 2008.
Trustmark Park, Mississippi
Braves
There's
nothing wrong with Trustmark Park, the home of the
Mississippi Braves (Class AA; Southern League).
The wraparound concourse, luxury
boxes, big scoreboard and varied concessions are
all standard issue for a new minor-league ballpark
these days. So why aren't we more excited about
the two-year-old ballpark? Because there's nothing
unique about it: except for a few Southern menu
items at the concessions, there's nothing to link
the ballpark to its surroundings. At a Mississippi
Braves game, you could be watching a game anywhere
-- and going local is one of the great joys of the
minor leagues. Dustin Mattison reports.
Alliance Bank Stadium,
Syracuse Chiefs
The
biggest news at Alliance Bank Stadium, the home of
the Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International
League): the current artificial turf will be
replaced by real grass. That's good news for
Syracuse baseball fans in terms of aesthetics, as
well as players who need to field on an old,
sometimes unpredictable surface. Otherwise,
Alliance Bank Stadium is a perfectly serviceable
ballpark: the Chiefs front office does things the
old-fashioned way (i.e., not much in terms of
between-innings shenanigans), but the ballpark is
a comfortable place to watch a game, and the food
is pretty good. Steve Kapsinow reports.
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Broadcasts
Virtually every MiLB team now streams broadcasts over the
Internet, which makes it easy to follow your favorite team when
you're on the road. In addition, you can catch MLB game broadcasts at
MLB.com or via XM Radio.
More
on Internet radio and TV broadcasts here!
McClatchy to
step down as Pirates CEO
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The
Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that Kevin
McClatchy is stepping down as CEO of the
Pittsburgh Pirates Chief Executive Officer at the
end of the 2007 season. After more than eleven
years as the day-to-day leader of the
organization, McClatchy and Pirates Chairman of
the Board, Bob Nutting, jointly announced the
decision today to allow the organization time to
conduct a thorough search for his successor. The
search process will begin immediately, but it was
too early in that process to discuss possible
candidates, according to a Pirates press release.
Lot near
ballpark eyed for project
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The
San Francisco port authority plans to transform a
14-acre parking lot next to
AT&T Park, the
home of the San Francisco Giants, into a 2
million-square-foot commercial and residential
development that would be the port's highest
paying tenant. A developer could be chosen by
year's end for a project that could include
offices, apartments, a hotel, shops and a park,
said Monique Moyer, executive director of the Port
of San Francisco. The agency's vision for the
Seawall site, presented in community meetings,
would include up to 600,000 square feet of
offices, 600 apartments, a 200-room hotel, 55,000
square feet of retail space, 1,500 parking spaces
and a performance venue with 2,000 seats. It
certainly would change the area around the
ballpark and give it even more of an urban feel.
Thunder set
record for ballpark marriage proposals
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Last
night there was yet another marriage proposal at
Mercer County Waterfront Park, the home of the
Trenton Thunder (Class AA; Eastern League). That
brings this season's total to 11, which is a new
franchise record. (It may also be a MiLB record;
let us know if any team has recorded more.) Three
years ago, the Thunder held a marriage ceremony on
the field before a game. Following the service,
the newlywed couple threw out the ceremonial first
pitch as their first act together as husband and
wife.
Today's video:
Kansas City pregame film
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This video from Dimension X Design was done for
the Kansas City Royals pregame show; it's a nice
mix of the present and the great history of the
Royals. Dimension X Design works with over 70
clients in all major sports to provide in-game
entertainment for teams on their video boards as
well as commercial production.
We've been really
pleased with the response to our call for videos:
we've already heard from several teams and
vendors, so we'll continue bringing them to you.
If you want to share your videos with the baseball
community, drop us a line at
editors@augustpublications.com.
FL commish: 'I
like where we stand'
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The
independent Frontier League is holding its
All-Star Game next week in Florence. That
Commissioner Bill Lee and the current owners of
the Florence Freedom managed to turn around what
was one of the most embarrassing stories in
minor-league baseball is remarkable: the team now
successful and the league is better than ever.
"There were several reasons we wanted to get the
All-Star Game in Florence as soon as we could,"
Frontier League Commissioner Bill Lee said during
a visit to Chillicothe this week. "One, because it
did start rough up there, no doubt about it. Very
publicly and very sadly. But once everything
worked out, now we want to thank the city of
Florence and northern Kentucky for staying with us
while we worked through that. And we wanted to
showcase the beautiful area they have there, the
beautiful stadium they have there, and let the
rest of the league see what happens when one of
our All-Star Games come in."
Brewers' pitch
to city's black community paying off
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It
seems everything is going right for the Milwaukee
Brewers this season, as the team's front office
appears to be making strides in its ability to
attract African-American fans to
Miller
Park. During the last home stand, there were
increasing numbers of African-Americans,
particularly younger fans, in the stands. Rick
Schlesinger, the team's executive vice president
for business operations, said the team has no hard
numbers but believes there are more
African-American fans coming to the ballpark this
season.
Diablos put
more fans in seats
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Wednesday's
record-setting attendance was another sign that
the El Paso Diablos (independent; American
Association) are seeing success with their bottom
line as well as on the field. The crowd of 11,206
at Cohen Stadium was a club record and broke the
American Association's record. It also helped
boost the Diablos per-game attendance to 4,387
through 26 home dates, second in the league and an
increase of more than 500 fans per game over the
2006 average. "We've done some different marketing
type things; we're focusing on group ticket sales
(to) little league groups, church groups and
corporations," said Diablos General Manager Matt
LaBranche. "The icing on the cake is the team is
really good this year. People love a winner and
that's been worth 200, 300 fans a night."
Ballpark Notes
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A
raucous 3rd of July crowd helped the Casper
Rockies (rookie; Pioneer League) break the
single game attendance record again Tuesday night
at Mike Lansing Field, as 3,342 fans filled
the ballpark to watch the Rockies firework
extravaganza. The previous attendance record of
3,141 was set last season on the 4th of
July....More than 9-million fans attended Minor
League Baseball games in June to push the
season total to 22,664,601, ahead of the sizzling
pace set in 2006 when the industry broke its
all-time attendance record for the third year in a
row. The June turnout of 9,050,759 was a large
increase over June of 2006 when 8.3-million fans
attended games of the affiliated leagues. This
year’s increase was across the board with all 14
domestic leagues recording increases in average
crowd size. The average crowd this year to date is
4,131 compared to 4,043 in games through June a
year ago, an increase of 2.2 percent. The
June-only average was 4,613. Fourth of July
celebrations across the country, popular with
baseball fans, got July off to a fast start as
well. Attendance at Wednesday’s holiday games
totaled 470,863, despite six rainouts, for an
average of 6,924 fans for the 68 games played. The
Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast
League) topped the list with a crowd of 17,213 and
the Pacific Coast League was dominant with
the smallest of seven crowds totaling 11,751.....Triple-A
Baseball and ESPN announced that the
20th Annual Triple-A All-Star Game will be
televised live on ESPN2 Wednesday, July 11 at 7:30
p.m. Eastern time. ESPN baseball analyst and
former Triple-A All-Star Eduardo Perez will
be joined in the booth by play-by-play commentator
Mark Neely. ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s
Spanish-language network, will also carry the
Triple-A All-Star Game live for the fourth
consecutive season. The 2007 Game, to be played at
Isotopes Park,
home of the Pacific Coast League’s Albuquerque
Isotopes, marks the 13th straight season Triple-A
Baseball’s mid-summer classic has been televised
live on ESPN2 (The first two Triple-A All-Star
Games were shown on ESPN in 1988-89). Launched in
October of 1993, ESPN2 is available in
approximately 94 million homes.... The Staten
Island Yankees (short season; NY-Penn League)
announced that their games on Friday, July 6th
against the Brooklyn Cyclones and Thursday, July
12th against the Auburn Doubledays are both sold
out. The two sellouts on July 6th and July 12th
will bring the season total to three sellouts thus
far. In addition, Old-Timers Day on Sunday, July
8th is sold out as well. The average attendance so
far this season is 5,068, which is a significant
increase over last year's average of 3,037....
Cats relocate series to El
Paso after water damage to home field
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LaGrave
Field, the home of the Fort Worth Cats
(independent; American Association), suffered so
much rain damage during recent storms in Texas
that the current homestand has been scrapped after
team owner Carl Bell decided to resurface the
playing field. Two games scheduled for July 3 and
4 will be made up later this month, while a
doubleheader scheduled for today will be moved to
Pensacola on Aug. 2. The upcoming weekend series
will be moved to El Paso. "Obviously this move was
made due to the record-setting rains that have
occurred in our area," said Cats owner Carl Bell.
"We regret that our fans won’t be able to attend
games at LaGrave Field this weekend, but we feel
at this time that these steps must be taken to
insure the safety of not only the Cats’ players
but also the visiting teams as well. We appreciate
the assistance the American Association and the El
Paso Diablos have given us in regards to moving
the games." Bell added the field repairs will
include a new drainage system. We haven't heard of
any other teams moving series because of water
damage, although several United League Baseball
games have been cancelled in recent days.
Ballpark Visit: Alexian
Field /
Schaumburg Flyers
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(discuss) Alexian
Field, the home of the Schaumburg Flyers
(independent; Northern League), may not be flashy,
but it has a lot of nice touches that make it a
pleasant place to watch a game. With field
dimension the same as those found in
Wrigley Field, a
manual scoreboard, good concessions, a popular
cheerleading squad, a safe environment for the
kids and plenty of berm seating, Alexian Field is
the perfect-sized ballpark
for this Chicago suburb. Marc Viquez details his
recent pleasurable visit to Alexian Field for a
Flyers game.
Next season, it's baseball
on grass in Syracuse
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Grass
will replace the worn AstroTurf at Alliance Bank
Stadium, the home of the Syracuse Chiefs (Class
AAA; International League). That was the unanimous
decision Tuesday of the Onondaga County
Legislature. The AstroTurf will be removed after
Labor Day, following the close of the season for
the stadium's major tenant, the Chiefs baseball
team. The grass field should be ready in time for
the start of the 2008 baseball season. The project
will cost $1.5 million, most of which the county
will bond for $1,125,000. The rest of the money
will come from a turf replacement fund paid for by
the Chiefs and revenue from the use of the parking
lot by University Hospital employees. This
article was submitted by a reader. To submit
something of interest to Ballpark Digest readers,
drop us a note at
editors@augustpublications.com.
Baffling
ballpark name dispute
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This
is a story that just won't die. The disagreement
between the Orem Owlz (rookie; Pioneer League) and
Utah Valley State College continues to occur, as
Owlz owner Jeff Katofsky said UVSC doesn't have
the authority to call it Brent Brown Ballpark
during the times the Pioneer League team is using
it. He wants it to be called Home of the Owlz and
has barred local media from using Brett Brown
Ballpark. Katofsky continues to insist MiLB
regulations prevent him from acknowledging the new
name, and as far as we can tell MilB officials are
consistent in their viewpoint that this is a false
issue. Given the bad press both MiLB and the Owlz
are receiving in the Utah papers, it's probably
time for someone to step in. RELATED STORIES:
Sparks fly over Owlz name;
Owlz owner, UVSC bicker over park name;
UVSC, Owlz playing ballpark name games;
UVSC announces ballpark donors
Official thinks pro ball can
hit homer in Utica
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Jay
Acton, commissioner of the New York State League,
thinks his four-team independent league will enjoy
community support at Utica's Murnane Field. It is
an interesting experiment to have four teams
sharing a single facility, one that we'll be
watching this season. If the league is a success,
look for a half-dozen or so "leagues" pop up in
the next few years; there's already a plan for one
in McHenry County, but it's based on a new $3
million facility. RELATED STORIES:
Pro baseball coming home to Murnane Field
Today's video:
Exposition Park, Pittsburgh
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Here's a lovely, nostalgic look back at the former
home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Exposition Park.
It was the site of the first World Series in 1903,
ensuring its place in history.
We've been really
pleased with the response to our call for videos:
we've already heard from several teams and
vendors, so we'll continue bringing them to you.
If you want to share your videos with the baseball
community, drop us a line at
editors@augustpublications.com.
Ballpark food also having a
first-place season
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The
food editor of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
drops by Miller
Park to check out the food offerings this
season. Regular readers of the site know we
updated our
Miller Park listing this season to reflect on
the many changes carried out by the Brewers front
office, but this article goes into a lot more
depth; alas, it doesn't really cover beer --
which, in Milwaukee, is considered by many as one
of the food groups.
Strike out for the ballparks
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Here's
a look at game experiences at Applebee's Park, the
home of the Lexington Legends (Low Class A; Sally
League), and
Louisville Slugger Field, home of the
Louisville Bats (Class AAA: International League).
We've hailed
Louisville Slugger Field as one of the best
minor-league experiences, and this article
suggests a Legends game at Applebee's Park is
close behind, if not equal.
Lugnuts game is great fun
for the whole family
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Here's
a look at a Lansing Lugnuts (Low Class A; Midwest
League) game at
Oldsmobile Park. The crew there has the
formula down pat: Comfort, along with family
promotions, is critical for the team's success in
the box office, because the Lugnuts aren't going
to draw customers based on the score or the
players. People go more for the experience, and a
chance to see high-quality -- if not major-league
-- baseball. Brad Tillery, the radio voice and
marketing assistant with the Lugnuts, said a study
showed 50 percent of the people leaving the park
after the game didn't know the score, but more
than 90 percent had a good time and said they
would come back.
CSX donation
could be new MU baseball home
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Rumors
of a new ballpark have come and gone for years
while Marshall University Thundering Herd baseball
has played "home" games far from campus at several
different locations, but most recently at
University Heights Field. Marshall plays its C-USA
home games at Appalachian Power Park in
Charleston. The current plan is for a new ballpark
close to campus on polluted land owned by CSX;
Marshall would get the land if it can clean up the
pollution. RELATED STORIES:
Campus ballpark may be in Herd's future;
Marshall planning new ballpark
Ballpark Notes
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The
Clearwater Threshers (High Class A: Florida
State League) set a single-game attendance record
of 8,906 Tuesday night at
Bright House Networks Field versus the Tampa
Yankees. The crowd surpassed the previous record
of 8,216 set on June 30, 2006. The Independence
Day Fireworks Extravaganza also set a single-day
ticket sales record. Tuesday's total ticket sales
were 4,181. Through 41 games this season,
Clearwater has notched an attendance of 106,150
and an average of 2,589....The Tulsa Drillers
(Class AA; Texas League) and the Colorado
Rockies announced that Mike Coolbaugh
has been named the Drillers interim hitting coach.
Cooolbaugh is familiar with Tulsa, having played
in seven games for the Drillers during the 1996
season. He also spent parts of two seasons in the
major leagues with Milwaukee and St. Louis. He is
the brother of former Drillers third baseman
Scott Coolbaugh (1988) who is currently
serving as hitting coach for the Frisco
RoughRiders (Class AA; Texas League)....Merritt
Paulson, the new owner of the Portland
Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) is
extending an invitation to Portland-area residents
to join the team as it celebrates the Grand
Reopening of PGE
Park when the team plays host to the
Tucson Sidewinders on Friday, July 20 at 7:05 p.m....Clark/Hunt/Smoot,
A Joint Venture, and the DC Sports and
Entertainment Commission are hosting a
"Topping Out" Celebration for the new
Washington Nationals Ballpark on Wednesday,
July 11, 2007. The celebration begins at Noon with
a barbecue lunch for the construction workers and
guests followed at 1 p.m. by congratulatory
remarks by DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and other special
guests....The Toledo Mud Hens announced
they have now sold over 500,000 tickets to Fifth Third Field
for the 2007 baseball season. The Mud Hens
surpassed the half million mark nearly a month
earlier than the 2006 season. This number is made
up of season tickets, group sales, and individual
game tickets that have been sold for the 2007
season The Mud Hens broke their attendance record
for the second straight year in 2006 with 569,380
fans. The record broke the 2005 attendance figure
by more than 12,000.....The Boston Red Sox
today announced that the team has entered into a
strategic alliance with the Chiba Lotte Marines
(Nippon Professional Baseball). The three-year
alliance, which extends through 2010, was
announced at a Wednesday afternoon press
conference in Chiba, Japan. The partnership
between the Marines and Red Sox will result in a
collaboration of scouting information, statistical
analysis, and other aspects that will assist the
Boston organization in its evaluation of players
in Japan and other Pacific Rim countries. There
will also be an on-field element as staff from
both organizations will attend and observe each
other's spring training and fall programs....Reno
Silver Sox (independent; Golden Baseball
League) General Manager Dwight Dortch has
resigned, effective immediately. Silver Sox
Assistant GM Curt Jaycee has been promoted
to general manager.....
Minor-league
baseball in Cape Girardeau?
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Cape
Girardeau, Mo., is turning into the newest hot
city for a baseball team, as two groups have
approached city officials about funding for a new
ballpark. Cape Girardeau isn't that large -- the
city has over 35,000 residents and the county has
over 68,000 -- but it does have the advantage of
geography and a little relative isolation (St.
Louis is 90 minutes away). Though the mayor is
openly lusting after a Cardinals affiliate, we're
guessing that won't happen: if Marion was too
afield for the Low Class A Midwest League, there's
no way George Spelius and crew would allow in a
Cape Girardeau team. Similarly, the Missouri city
is probably too far afield for the Low Class A
Sally League. We're guessing the future of
baseball in Cape Girardeau is with indy ball, and
we're guessing the American Association has
already approached city officials, though a
Northern League or Frontier League team would make
geographic sense as well.
Today's video:
My umps
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OK, we have a winner in the best video produced by
a baseball team this season. This
parody of the Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps" is "My
Umps," and it's about the boys in blue. Fantastic.
If you want to see it at a higher resolution,
go to this YouTube page. We've been really
pleased with the response to our call for videos:
we've already heard from several teams and
vendors, so we'll continue bringing them to you.
If you want to share your videos with the baseball
community, drop us a line at
editors@augustpublications.com.
Orioles, Braves to
offer all-you-can-eat tix
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With
the Los Angeles Dodgers apparently very successful
in offering an all-you-can-gorge ticket for the
Dodger Stadium
pavilion seating, other teams are following suit.
The Baltimore Orioles will be offering an
All-You-Can-Eat Left Field Club ticket at
Oriole Park at
Camden Yards for the remainder of the season
(except for prime games, of course). For $35 in
advance or $40 on the day of the game, fans
receive a seat in sections 280-288 of the Left
Field Club Level (a $25 value) and an
All-You-Can-East pass for the concession stands
located directly behind the sections. Menu items
include hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, nachos, ice
cream, soda and lemonade. Concession stands will
be open from the time gates open through the
seventh inning of the game. UPDATE: Not to
be outdone, the Atlanta Braves are offering two
all-you-can-gorge packages to
Turner Field.
The first package, available for $25, is an Upper
Reserved ticket along the first-base side giving
fans access to the All-Star Express concession
stand. Menu items featured for this package are
hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn and soft
drinks. A Lexus Pavilion package, available for
$60, features food from the popular Skip and
Pete's BBQ stand with a wide variety of menu
choices: BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, BBQ hot
wings, hot dogs, cole slaw, potato salad, corn
bread, peanuts, popcorn, soft drinks, Budweiser
and Bud Light.
City must do
its part to keep Defenders here
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The
local newspaper opines about the possibility of
the Connecticut Defenders (Class AA; Eastern
League) leaving Norwich: "The Connecticut
Defenders are in a make-or-break year. While the
team has a three-year lease on Dodd Stadium in the
Norwich business park, owner Lou DiBella has made
it clear he will not keep the team where it is not
wanted....This is an issue that deserves the
scrutiny of the highest elected officials in
Norwich. The City Council must decide whether it
wants to work with the Defenders at a deeper
level. If Norwich wants to keep the Defenders, it
needs to be a friendlier place to work with. The
other option is an empty stadium."
Life in a cage:
Baby sleeps, Mom cooks, Dad bats
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Reggie
Willits is having a pretty good year for the Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and he attributes his
success to living in a batting cage. Willits and
his wife Amber never planned to live in a cage. In
2003, they decided to build a 3,000-square-foot
house on five acres they own next to his family in
Fort Cobb, Okla. The batting cage happened to be
the first part of the house that they built. But
when the cage was finished, Reggie and Amber saw a
way to save money from his minor league salary.
They did not have to complete the house. They
could simply stay in the cage.
Grading the
South Coast League
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As
the independent South Coast League approaches
midseason, Scott Adamson of the Anderson Mail
grades out the best and the worst of the startup.
So far things seem to be off to a good start, with
five of the six teams in the league averaging over
1,014 fans a game, and Macon a solid hit. The only
bad spot has been Bradenton, and league officials
have already announced a move from that market
next season. We're guessing the league will look
long and hard at keeping that team in Florida --
for travel reasons you'd want a partner with
Charlotte County -- and talk of a Spartanburg team
is way premature, as there's no suitable venue in
that city for a pro team (although we'd guess a
renovated Duncan
Park Stadium would make a fine home for an SCL
team someday).
Is this seat
taken? Reds say yes
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Bradley
Hosler had a great seat for Sunday's Reds game.
Hosler liked the right-centerfield seat so much,
police say, he decided to keep it. Hosler, 20, was
charged with vandalism and theft after police said
he broke the seat -- Section 142, Row 3, Seat 4 --
and took it out of
Great
American Ball Park. Hosler, listed as 6-feet-8
in the police report, apparently broke the seat
portion of his chair and decided to take it home
as a souvenir. Police nabbed him just outside the
ballpark.
Almonte
released by Miners
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Left-handed
starter Danny Almonte has been released from the
Southern Illinois Miners (independent; Frontier
League), team manager Mike Pinto said Saturday.
Known for throwing the first perfect game in
Little League World Series history, the
20-year-old Almonte struggled to throw strikes for
the Miners and ended up with an 0-1 record and
5.28 ERA in 30 2-3 innings. He gave up 30 hits --
including four homers -- and walked 19 batters
while striking out just 17 in six games. Almonte
joined the Miners out of high school and Pinto
hopes he works his way back into professional ball
by taking the collegiate route.
Anti-Bonds
banners confiscated, marketing efforts hit
resistance
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When
Don Regole drove 120 miles from his Tucson home to
watch his beloved Arizona Diamondbacks face the
San Francisco Giants in Phoenix, he brought along
nine banners directed at Barry Bonds. The messages
had a consistent theme: The Giants outfielder had
cheated by using steroids, and that was bad for
the game. But Regole never got to display his
banners at Chase Field on April 27. When
Diamondbacks employees at the entrance to the
ballpark asked to view the signs in his backpack, Regole was told the posters weren't acceptable.
The reason: They were in poor taste. A month
later, after Regole had written the team to
complain, he got a letter from the Diamondbacks.
One sentence caught his attention: "As Mr. Bonds
approaches the home run record, we have been asked
by Major League Baseball to carefully screen the
signs that are brought into the ballpark by our
fans." Dealing with the Bonds issue will be a
touchy one for MLB. Bonds is a polarizing figure
because of his alleged steroid usage, and the
home-run record is a sacred one. It's pretty
obvious Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron never used
performance-enhancing drugs, and when Bonds breaks
the record many will place a mental asterisk next
to it.
Bottom-end
minor league gives second life and new country to
ball players
Posted July 3, 2007 (feedback)
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You
know, it gets a little tiresome when independent
outfits like the Can-Am Association and the South
Coast League are dubbed "botton-end" and
"last-chance" leagues by the media. While the
overall level of baseball may not be the greatest,
there's something to be said for the community
orientation of the indy leagues, and there's
nothing wrong with a guy like Eddie Lantigua
settling down and establishing some roots with the
Quebec Capitales. Lantigua recently became a
Canadian citizen and bought a house where he and
his wife are raising four children.
Revs relish
digital board
Posted July 3, 2007 (feedback)
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Each
night, the York Revolution (independent; Atlantic
League) play in Sovereign Bank Stadium, there is a
different promotion and, often, the game time is
different from the previous day. So how to rent a
run-of-the-mill billboard advertisement for a
month -- the going timeframe -- and get all that
changing information across to the public is a
logistical nightmare. Addressing that common issue
is what Lamar Outdoor Advertising had in mind when
it brought its digital billboard technology to
Route 30 northeast of York about a year ago. The
York Revolution plan to take advantage of the
board's advantages throughout July.
At Sal Maglie
Stadium, future ball stars get a chance
Posted July 3, 2007 (feedback)
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Another
case where a summer-collegiate team is giving new
life to a great old ballpark. The Niagara Falls
Power (New York Collegiate Baseball League) are
the latest tenants of Sal Maglie Stadium, built in
1939. So far the team has impressed a few
oldtimers who remember when the International
League and the NY-Penn League set up shop at the
ballpark.
Sparks fly over
Owlz name
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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The
battle between the Orem Owlz (rookie; Pioneer
League) and Utah Valley State College escalated
over the weekend after the team decided to involve
local media outlets. Owlz general manager Zachary
Fraser threatened to pull the press credentials of
reporters who do not refer to the ballpark as the
Home of the Owlz (as opposed to Brent Brown
Ballpark, the name used by UVSC after selling
naming rights to a local car dealer). As a result,
the Deseret Morning News and Daily Herald in Provo
have chosen not to cover home games. Readers of
the Morning News will get scores and game
summaries provided to the paper from other
sources. Readers still will see stories produced
by the Deseret Morning News about players and
coaches because they work for the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim, and the Owlz cannot block
access to them. It's a little hard to see how the
Owlz can sustain this: team management continues
to insist MiLB rules prohibit them from
recognizing the ballpark's new name, but MiLB
spokesperson Jim Ferguson continues to say on the
record this is not the case. At some point MiLB
and Pioneer League officials will need to become
involved. RELATED STORIES:
Owlz owner, UVSC bicker over park name;
UVSC, Owlz playing ballpark name games;
UVSC announces ballpark donors
Red Sox, Sea
Dogs extend affiliation through 2012
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Boston Red Sox and Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA;
Eastern League) have announced the extension of
their Player Development Contract (PDC) for an
additional four years. The extension keeps the Red
Sox Double-A affiliation in Portland through the
2012 season. Red Sox Vice President/Player
Personnel Ben Cherington and Sea Dogs’ President
and General Manager Charlie Eshbach made the
announcement Monday afternoon at Hadlock Field.
More on the current
state of affiliations here.
Today's video:
Happy Bob finds joy with the Suns
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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This amusing parody of a "male-enhancement
product" commercial tells why attending a
Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) game
could spice up one's life. It's a very,
very clever spot that should appeal to a prime
demographic. We've been really
pleased with the response to our call for videos:
we've already heard from several teams and
vendors, so we'll continue bringing them to you.
If you want to share your videos with the baseball
community, drop us a line at
editors@augustpublications.com.
SCL to leave
Bradenton
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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The
independent South Coast League has announced it
will relocate the Bradenton Juice franchise for
the 2008 season. The league was recently notified
by the Pirates that their proposal to lease
McKechnie Field, the spring-training home of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, was denied. With McKechnie
field no longer an option for hosting an SCL
franchise, league officials have made the decision
for relocation. “We were informed this week by the
Pirates that they have decided against entering
into a lease agreement for McKechnie field with
the SCL,” said league CEO Jamie Toole. “While we
are disappointed with the Pirates decision, we are
excited to explore opportunities for relocation of
this club for the 2008 season and beyond.” The
Bradenton Juice had called Robert C. Wynn Field on
the campus of Manatee Community College home; the
lack of beer sales, fireworks shows, and seating
generated immediate issues for the league to
overcome during the inaugural season, and some
Juice games were moved to other venues as a
result. Since the Charlotte County franchise is
drawing respectably (1,471 a game, good for second
in the league), we'll guess league officials will
work to find another Florida venue; Al Lang Field,
of course, would be the perfect place.
New Wrigley
infield, drainage system on hold
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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Player
salaries aren't the only expenditures on hold for
the Chicago Cubs as Tribune Co. prepares to sell
the team. A $1 million project to install a new
infield and drainage system at
Wrigley Field,
one of the park's biggest needs, could be
sacrificed for another season. The project had
been approved last year, with White Sox
groundskeeper Roger Bossard hired to design and
implement the work. Bossard is considered the
premier engineering professional in stadium-field
design and has designed and installed the playing
fields at U.S.
Cellular Field, Detroit's
Comerica Park,
Seattle's Safeco Field,
Milwaukee's
Miller Park and a redesign at Boston's
Fenway Park. RELATED STORIES:
Is it time to dig up dirt at Wrigley?
York ballpark
disarray keeps fans away
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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The
unfinished condition of Sovereign Bank
Stadium, home of the York Revolution (independent;
Atlantic League), is scaring away potential fans,
according to a local columnist. Construction
equipment is parked behind the right-field wall.
Ladders are propped up inside the
yet-to-be-completed second-floor luxury boxes, and
a hillbilly railing constructed of lumber rings
the big-money seats. Playground equipment is piled
behind the monster wall in left field, awaiting
installation. And the lawn seating hardly
qualifies as comfortable with fans sitting on wood
chips instead of grass.
Not
every experience has been bad, however.
Narrowly,
Charles decides ballpark is worth risk
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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In
signing the contract to build a ballpark for the
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (independent;
Atlantic League) last week, the Charles County
commissioners agreed that the government will
finance the team owner's share of the construction
costs under the county's low-interest bonds. The
commissioners voted, 3 to 2, to adopt the new
financing structure, under which the county
assumes the team owner's debt of about $8.5
million and receives annual payments for 15 years
from the company. The arrangement gives the owner
-- Maryland Baseball -- access to lower-interest
bonds than those available on the commercial
market. In exchange, Maryland Baseball will make a
one-time payment of $1 million to the county to
cover potential construction-cost overruns for the
$25.6 million ballpark, which is set to open in
May. RELATED STORIES:
Work set for next week at Charles County site
Intentional
walk at PNC Park -- or was it a strikeout?
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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In
the end, a protest of the Pittsburgh Pirates at
PNC Park against
the team's owners turned out to be a nonevent.
Organizers ended up attracting hundreds of
protesters, who dutifully got up and left the
ballpark in the sixth inning, and while they were
met with some hecklers, in the end most of the
crowd -- watching a Bucs victory, by the way --
didn't really notice. RELATED STORIES:
Protest of Pirates getting noticed
Pro baseball
coming home to Murnane Field
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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The
independent New York State League begins
operations tomorrow at Murnane Field, the former
home of the Utica Blue Sox (short season; NY-Penn
League). This league, launched by Jay Acton, has
an interesting structure: four teams will occupy
the ballpark, with games scheduled twice a day (a
free one in the afternoon, a paid one in the
evening). Many players showed interest in playing
in the league; we'll be watching to see how things
work out.
Fiddling on the
roof
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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Where
do foul balls go to die at the
Baseball Grounds
of Jacksonville? The roof. And the job of
collecting foul balls from the rooftop falls to
the director of stadium operations and two
Jacksonville Suns (Class AA; Southern League)
interns. The canopy's metal sheets creaked with
every step, and as the three men toted buckets for
the harvest, every waylaid ball looked like a
white cotton bud on a green field. Except the ones
that didn't. Someone from the office usually
collects the foul balls after home stands, but no
one had been up since May, and it showed. Some
balls were waterlogged, black with mold, or green
with what looked like moss. One looked perfect
apart from the swollen seam bursting with frayed
string.
This article was submitted by a reader. To submit
a story or item of interest for consideration,
send an email to
editors@augustpublications.com.
Baseball plans remain in
early innings
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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University
of Oregon GM Pat Kilkenny says there are no
specific plans to move ahead with bringing
baseball back to the university, but he's been
meeting with potential donors and Eugene Emeralds
(short season; Northwest League) officials about
funding plans for a new ballpark. Sharing a
ballpark with the Ems would make some financial
sense for Oregon; the seasons don't overlap.
Campus ballpark
may be in Herd's future
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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A
deal is not finalized, but legitimate discussions
between Marshall University officials and CSX, a
railroad company based along 5th avenue in
Huntington, are underway for a proposed ballpark.
CSX is willing to donate a seven-acre tract of
land located behind the 22nd St. Courtyard
Apartments, provided environmental issues are
settled. The property has suffered toxic
contamination over an extended time. Bottom line,
if Marshall can remediate -- in other words,
return the land to environmental health -- at a
reasonable cost, CSX will donate the land, said
Menis Ketchum, chairman of Marshall's Board of
Governors. No word on any pro leagues looking at
the development; there had been talk of the
independent Frontier League discussing a new
Huntington ballpark with state officials. RELATED STORIES:
Marshall planning new ballpark
Seat licenses
come with territory
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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The
University of South Carolina will be instituting
personal seat licenses (PSLs) to help cover the
cost of a new ballpark. Eric Hyman, USC’s
athletics director, says PSLs are necessary to
help cover the ever-escalating cost of the new
stadium. Ray Tanner, USC’s baseball coach, says it
is part of the cost of the Gamecock community
wanting a top-notch facility. “You’ve got a pretty
hefty price tag and there is a cost for
excellence,” said Hyman, who inherited the new
ballpark project two years ago when estimated
costs were $17 million. Those estimates have
soared to $28 million, and they most assuredly
will grow beyond $30 million when construction
bids go out next month.
Ballpark Notes
Posted July 2, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Great Lakes Loons (Low Class A; Midwest
League) twice set attendance records at the Dow
Diamond this weekend, finally ending up with a
crowd of 5,792 on Saturday night....With
Saturday’s attendance of 7,841, the Trenton
Thunder (Class AA; Eastern League) drew at
least 7,000 fans in each of the last five home
games, making it the first time since the 2003
season that the team has accomplished that feat.
In 2003 rehab assignments were part of this mix;
this season they weren't....Pete Mackanin
is the new manager of the Cincinnati Reds,
replacing Jerry Narron....Tickets.com,
the ticketing arm of MLB Advanced Media, signed a
multi-year agreement with the city of Peoria,
Ariz., to provide ticketing for all events at the
Peoria Sports Complex, including the
Seattle Mariners' and San Diego Padres'
spring-training games. Tickets.com also renewed
its contract with Mesa Sports Association for
events at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.,
including the Chicago Cubs' spring-training
games....Mike Hargrove stepped down as
manager of the Seattle Mariners....State
Farm Insurance signed a multi-year deal to be
the "Official Insurance Company of Major League
Baseball." The deal initially centers on State
Farm sponsorship of ESPN's "State Farm Home Run
Derby" and the "State Farm Mascot Home Run Derby"
at Major League Baseball All-Star Week....
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