Barnstormers adding bumper boats to ballpark; big blast beyond ball boundary
Posted April 4, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Geez, we may have to head out to see this. The Lancaster Barnstormers (independent; Atlantic League) are adding a bumper-boat pond to Clipper Magazine Stadium. Named "Home Run Harbor," the attraction features 10 bumper boats equipped with water cannons and a small waterfall during a five-minute ride. The 36,000 gallon pond is located beyond the right-center field fence, where an estimated 30 percent of Clipper Magazine Stadium home runs are hit. Each boat can accommodate adults and children six years of age or older. Younger children will be required to ride with an adult. Children shorter than the three-foot deep pool will also be required to wear a life jacket.

Bullfrogs announce upgrades to Joannes Stadium: new scoreboard, expansion
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The Green Bay Bullfrogs (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) announced the next phase of the Joannes Baseball Stadium Renovation Project. The renovation project started in fall 2006 when the Bullfrogs entered the Northwoods League and spent a quarter of a million dollars on a ballpark facelift. The next phase includes a professional-style 28-foot-high scoreboard in right-center field. A backlit custom-designed decorative truss prominently displays the team name "Green Bay Bullfrogs," while the team's primary logo provides the finishing touches.
    In addition, there are preliminary plans in place for the possible expansion of some perimeter fencing along the west side of Joannes Stadium to accommodate expansion of the Kids Zone, an additional concession area and the possible addition of bleacher seating for the upcoming season.

Yankees take concessions inhouse at new ballpark
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The New York Yankees have decided to manage the concessions at the new Yankee Stadium, dropping longtime concessionaire Centerplate. Concession income at the current Yankee Stadium is estimated at $70 million, and that's a pretty large chunk of money for the Yankees not to try and capture directly. For Centerplate, it's terrible news: though the firm will complete its current contract (which runs through the end of the year), the loss of Yankees income next season will surely impact the bottom line. Analyst Mark Churchill of Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis estimates the loss will impact the Centerplate bottom line by more than $20 million -- and given that the Spartanburg-based firm posted a loss of $1.9 million last year on revenues of $740.7 million, the additional revenue loss will be a challenge indeed.

Ballpark Notes
Posted April 4, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Longtime Nashua Pride (independent; Can-Am Association) public address and play-by-play announcer Ken Cail has accepted a radio play-by-play announcing position for the Lowell Spinners (short season; NY-Penn League). Cail, who was hired by the Pride in 1998, became the unmistakable voice of Holman Stadium as the team’s public address announcer and also called the play-by-play action during Pride away games on the internet broadcast. He will assume the duties as the Spinners full-time home and away announcer on WCAP radio in Lowell. Cail began his career in sports broadcasting at the age of 18, working as a producer for the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox, and New England Patriots on WBZ radio. In 1970 he earned his first baseball announcing job with the Manchester (N.H.) Yankees.

Overtime Sports signs deal for Biloxi-area ballpark
Posted April 3, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Overtime Sports, the firm that helped bring about Trustmark Park and the move of the Mississippi Braves (Class AA; Southern League) to Pearl, has signed an agreement with the city of D'Iberville, Miss., to bring a new ballpark to what city officials envision as a multimillion-dollar development. There aren't many specifics on the proposal -- in fact, the city signed an agreement with Tim Bennett's firm without having a location for a ballpark (either downtown or elsewhere in the city limits). A casino could be part of the plan as well. D'Iberville is located on the far eastern edge of Harrison County, with Jackson County serving as a buffer between it and the Alabama state line. Why is this important? Because if it weren't a county away -- a county more than 15 miles wide (and D'Iberville is located 32 miles away from the state border), there would be territorial issues with the Mobile BayBears (Class AA; Southern League). By our reading there are no territorial issues with putting a ballpark essentially into a suburb of Biloxi, an area eyed by professional baseball for the last several years (the Ryan-Saunders ownership group reportedly took a run at a new Biloxi ballpark at one point). Since this is squarely in the midst of Southern League territory, tongues can start wagging as to what team might be available for relo. The usual suspects: the Huntsville Stars and the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. Huntsville recently shook up its front office, bringing in veteran GM Buck Rogers, but we hear ownership continually turns down overtures to sell the team. The sale of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx has been delayed as an ownership group led by Reese Smith took awhile to close on financing from Regions Bank, though we've been told paperwork on the deal have been submitted to St. Pete.

Red Sox announce annual changes to Fenway Park
Posted April 3, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Another year, another set of changes to Fenway Park, as the Boston Red Sox ownership continues its extreme makeover of the oldest ballpark in use in the American League. The 2008 highlights include new seats and dedicated standing room areas, stairways, elevator, restrooms, color auxiliary scoreboards, and more ADA seating. "Every day Fenway Park creates opportunities for the Red Sox to build relationships with our fans," said Principal Owner John Henry. "We know that first impressions are lasting impressions. Whether it is a child's first game, an international traveler's introduction to baseball, or another day at the ballpark for a veteran fan, each visitor is special and we are committed to doing everything possible to ensure a superior experience." You can see a full list of the improvements here.

River Bandits unveil new signage at Modern Woodmen Park
Posted April 3, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Admittedly, we don't spend a lot of time covering signage at ballparks because, well, most teams take a rather utilitarian approach to their design. The Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League) are using the signage design as part of their branding: as you can see in the picture below, the Rascal mascot is integrated into all major signage at the ballpark, including general signs and specific place names. "These new signs are the first of their kind in minor league baseball, the first to completely integrate the team’s logo and image with the content of the signs," said team owner Dave Heller. "They are fun, playful, colorful, great looking, and of course very functional. We are proud of our team’s new identity and fully committed to providing the community with a great new team and a spectacular entertainment outlet." The graphics come from Pendulum Studio.

NY-Penn League seeks public participation in logo design
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Speaking of design: The short-season New York-Penn League is looking for public participation in a new logo design. Its current mark will be retired at the completion of the 2008 campaign. All serious artists are invited to submit their creative renditions to tbawmann@lowellspinners.com. Designs are due no later than June 1, 2008 and must be done in Vector Format using Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand. The winning logo will be voted on at a New York-Penn League General Managers’ meeting at a later date.

Goodyear to consider hotel-tax hike to pay for ballpark expansion
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The city of Goodyear will consider a 1 percentage point hike in the local hotel tax to pay for an expansion of a spring-training facility for the Cincinnati Reds. The increase would go to pay off bonds issued by the city; $33 million would be dedicated to an expansion of a facility opening next spring for the Cleveland Indians. There's no state money left for spring-training facilities in Arizona, so any city wishing to lure a tenant must raise money on its own. The Reds will train next spring in Sarasota; the issue is where the team will go after that, and Reds officials have made it plain they'd prefer to move to Goodyear, a suburb of Phoenix. The proposal seems to have enough support on the City Council for approval; it will, however, basically tap the city's ability to borrow money for years to come. More from the Arizona Republic.
    RELATED STORIES: Goodyear officials: Reds spring move not a done deal; Reds close to striking deal for Arizona move; Deadline approaching on Goodyear pitch to Reds; Sarasota County offers $17.6 million toward Ed Smith Stadium renovation; New Arizona spring-training venues on schedule; Reds eye move west; Sarasota delays decision on Ed Smith Stadium improvements; Reds ask about Lee County as possible spring-training home; Sarasota to woo Reds; Reds exploring spring move to Arizona; Orioles on their way to Dodgertown?; Community must face up to future of Ed Smith Stadium; New Dodgers/ChiSox training facility still up in the air

Today's video: Hagerstown Suns superstars
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The Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) play off the popular American Idol show with a mascot tryout for the Hagerstown Suns Superstar. Speaking of videos: it's that time of year again when teams are releasing videos and commercials for the upcoming season. Send them to us via email, and we'll post them here for the baseball world to see. For a variety of reasons we'd prefer you email us the actual video and not a link.

New for 2008: The East Texas Pump Jacks
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The new Kilgore team in the summer-collegiate  Texas Collegiate League will be the East Texas Pump Jacks, playing their home games at Driller Park. The team also unveiled two primary logos. The characters represented in the two Pump Jacks logos are a dinosaur and a donkey. Team officials explained that the inspiration for the dinosaur character came from the oil field, oil’s classification as a fossil fuel, and the popular theory that fossil fuels developed from the remains of now-extinct dinosaurs. The donkey character, on the other hand, has a more modern derivation. Pump jacks, seen all over the East Texas landscape bobbing up and down in place, are also affectionately known as nodding donkeys.

Preservationist group comes out against state takeover of Wrigley Field
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An influential preservationist group, Landmark Illinois, has placed Wrigley Field on its list of endangered historic places, as officials there expressed concern that a state takeover of the Friendly Confines would lead to an unacceptable altering of the facility. Indeed, leaders of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority say any state ownership of Wrigley Field would need to be accompanied by a relaxation of the landmark status currently applying to the ballpark. Part of the problem is that the authority says it can't modernize Wrigley Field without a change in the protected status, but preservationists say changes can be made -- so long as they don't compromise the current look of the ballpark. We've continued to hear potential Cubs ownership groups would be more comfortable actually owning the ballpark rather than working with the state, an arrangement designed to put as much money into Sam Zell's pocket as possible. More from the Sun-Times.
    RELATED STORIES: Cubs selling naming rights; Wrigley name will stay; Cubs would share the Cell if Wrigley is remodeled; Daley not sold on sale of Wrigley Field; The rape and pillage of Wrigley Field; Why Wrigley Field should retain landmark status; Tunney: Tribune Co. playing hardball with city; State: City must relax Wrigley Field landmark status if sold by Cubs; Zell's insistence on selling Cubs, park separately slowing sale; Cubs: Wrigley should pay for Wrigley Field naming rights; Cubs sale probably won't happen until after end of season; Tunney wary of Wrigley deal; Daley now open to idea of state ownership of Wrigley Field; Selling Cubbies priority for new owner; Trib closes buyout; sale of Cubs, Wrigley Field to follow; Wringing cash from Wrigley Field; Cubs, state confirm preliminary Wrigley talks; State looks to buy Wrigley Field

Last opener for Cooper Stadium today
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The last opening day for Cooper Stadium, the home of the Columbus Clippers, is today. The ballpark opened in 1932 as the home of the Columbus Red Birds, and over the years a lot of great players have spent time on the Coop's Diamond. Next season the Clippers will be playing in a new ballpark; we're hoping some elements of Cooper Stadium will be moved to the new facility.

K-Tribe bans smoking at the park
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This is certainly the wave of the future. A new policy for the 2008 season will make the reserved seating and general admission bleachers smoke free in Grainger Stadium, the home of the Kinston Indians (High Class A; Carolina League). The no-smoking rules are put into place after joint discussions by Kinston city officials and the K-Tribe front office.
    "The policy puts us in line with all of the other sports venues in Eastern North Carolina," said Massengill. "You can’t smoke in the stands at high school and college games, so we are just following what other stadiums are doing across the state."
    Smoking will still be allowed in certain areas of Grainger Stadium, but not in the reserved seats or general admission bleachers. This follows a general trend in ballparks. When we first launched this site, most ballparks allowed smoking in some areas or even in the seating bowls (which we duly noted in early ballpark reviews), but these days it's rare to find a ballpark where smoking is allowed in a small area far from the action.

Ballpark Notes
Posted April 3, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Carrie Adams and Rob Dadez have joined the staff of Minor League Baseball in the Licensing Department and Peter Martinez has been promoted to Assistant, Baseball Operations. Carrie, the new Assistant Director of Licensing, has been in baseball for nine years as Merchandise and Special Events Coordinator in Clearwater for the Philadelphia Phillies Florida Operations and the Clearwater Threshers (High Class A; Florida State League. She will be involved with all phases of the Licensing Department, including the planning and development of educational materials, newsletters and other communications with member clubs; coordination of quality control for licensed products; and administration of the annual club name/logo change process. Rob, a native of Michigan who grew up in North Carolina, will be involved in various details of licensing programs as Assistant, Licensing. He is a recent graduate of Saint Leo University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Management. Peter, who joined the staff as an intern in September 2007, will assist in various functions of the Baseball Operations department. He is also a graduate of Florida’s Saint Leo University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Business. He is from Anchorage, Alaska.....For the first time since 1982, and for only the second time in league history, the Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament will be held at a neutral site when this year’s event is staged at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio, the home of the Chillicothe Paints (independent; Frontier League). The tournament field will also be expanded to eight teams for the first time ever. The prior tournament field consisted of six teams in a double-elimination tournament. The new format will feature a bracket of two pools, with the winner of each double-elimination pool meeting in a one-game, winner take all championship game. The bracketing reflects the College World Series format as played in Omaha....The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) and Clear Channel Radio Manchester announced a one-year extension on their agreement that will keep WGIR 610-AM as the flagship station of the Fisher Cats Radio Network through 2010. The network also has expanded to five radio stations for the next three seasons with the addition of two Great Eastern Radio Stations -- WTSL 1400-AM in Hanover for all 142 games and the brand new WKNN 101.9-FM in Keene for select games -- joining the likes of Clear Channel stations WGIN 930-AM in Rochester and WGIP 1540-AM in Exeter.

Omaha, MECA reach agreement on new ballpark; NCAA on board
Posted April 2, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The city of Omaha and the management of Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) reached an agreement on a new ballpark for the College World Series, a development endorsed by the NCAA. The agreement clears the way for planning to begin on the finances of the $140 million project, which includes paying off debt on Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, the current home to the College World Series and the Omaha Royals (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). As you'll recall, the city and MECA, which manages the Qwest Event Center in downtown Omaha, broke off talks last week over a ballpark management plan when MECA officials accused Omaha politicians of changing the ground rules at the last minute. We surmised this was merely a negotiating tactic; we were right. The city backed off its more egregious demands and gave into MECA's proposal to add a new hotel to the area. The agreement is merely the first step in development of the ballpark; first the MECA board must approve the deal (though this will certainly happen), and then the hard part starts -- finding a way to pay for it. Right now the budget calls for almost $50 million in private contributions as well as leases from the O-Royals and Creighton University -- and neither are assured things. There's also the issue of selling Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium as part of the equation.
    RELATED STORIES: MECA, city break off talks on new Omaha ballpark; Letter: NCAA neutral on new Omaha ballpark; Parking issues at play at proposed Omaha ballpark; Rosenblatt defenders give Omaha mayor an earful; Omaha formally commits to 24,000-seat downtown ballpark; Should Omaha tell to NCAA to live with Johnny Rosenblatt?; Committee recommends new downtown Omaha ballpark; MECA formally opposes new ballpark on its land; Is Omaha ballpark plan falling apart?; O-Royals ready to bail on new downtown ballpark?; Downtown ballpark remains choice of Omaha officials, despite higher price tag; Nebraska Legislature enters Omaha ballpark fray; Lot C emerges as frontrunner for new Omaha ballpark site; Two sites emerge as frontrunners for new Omaha ballpark; Omaha ballpark panel picks architects to evaluate sites; Save Rosenblatt Committee wants representative on mayor's ballpark committee; NCAA's feelers out for CWS sites; Omaha mayor's public pitch for ballpark begins; More options introduced for new home of College World Series; Skeptics of Omaha ballpark proposal look for return on funding; Public to have say on Omaha ballpark proposal; Omaha restaurant owners vow opposition to ballpark tax; Omaha mayor unveils $117-million ballpark plan; Rosenblatt group sends petitions to NCAA; Omaha and the CWS: City bids for 20-year deal; Omaha Royals support plan for new ballpark; NCAA ties College World Series to new ballpark; Today's video: Kevin Costner: Save Rosenblatt Stadium; Costner: Save Rosenblatt Stadium; New downtown Omaha ballpark would be near Qwest; Rosenblatt fans try to draft Costner; Rosenblatt demolition among Omaha ballpark suggestions; Royals president says two baseball facilities can work; Petition drive aims to save Rosenblatt; Could Indy someday be host for CWS?; New Omaha ballpark could feature other pastimes; Coaches reminisce as talk turns to proposed downtown ballpark; Plan B: Fix up Rosenblatt; Omaha wants at least 10-year CWS extension before ballpark work; Mayor: NCAA shows interest in new Omaha ballpark; Omaha floats new ballpark for CWS, O-Royals

Chiefs to plant palm trees tomorrow
Posted April 2, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
It is a sure sign of spring: the Peoria Chiefs (Low Class A; Midwest League) will be installing their palm trees at O'Brien Field tomorrow. For the sixth straight year, Kelch Turf Farms and Landscaping out of Kickapoo will plant the trees in the left field and left-centerfield berms. The palm trees have become a staple of O'Brien Field. The Chiefs and O'Brien Field started the tradition of Palm Trees in Peoria when the stadium opened on May 24, 2002 with 20 trees both inside and outside the ballpark. The Chiefs switched to Queen Palms before the 2003 season as the Queens are better equipped to handle the changes in the Central Illinois climate. This season, as in 2004, the Queen Palms will only be planted inside the stadium, as trees more indigenous to Central Illinois have been planted outside the ballpark.

Royals near end of first phase of Kauffman Stadium renovations
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The first phase of renovations at Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals, is almost complete as the team prepares for the season opener next Tuesday. Two things will impact fans the most: the changes in parking because of construction work and the installation of a crown-shaped hi-def display in center field, replacing the old scoreboard. Other work planned for this season includes a new scoreboard on the left-field wall, the installation of bullpens in the corners, new staircases, and more premium seating. Here's a look at all the planned changes, many of which should be done by next season's opener.

This week's podcast: Two new ballparks open the season
Posted April 2, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
On this week's podcast: Two new ballparks open in DC and Allentown; spring training sets another attendance record; a report from the Los Angeles Coliseum; the collapse of the South Coast League; another futile effort to derail a new Charlotte ballpark; and news about what’s happening at August Publications. Publisher Kevin Reichard and Senior Editor Dave Wright review the hot topics in the baseball and ballpark worlds in the weekly Ballpark Digest podcast. We've added the ability to listen directly to Ballpark Digest podcasts from the front page of the site: just click on the audio button in the box directly below this -- no need to load a media player or other software. The Ballpark Digest podcast has proven to be a popular feature of the site: according to the Feedburner stats it's been heard 9,756 times via that service alone since Sept. 17, 2007. To directly subscribe to the feed using Firefox or Internet Explorer, go to this page and click on the "Subscribe Now" button. Comments are welcome. You can listen directly to the podcast on your own PC via this link (it's a standard MP3 file). More on Ballpark Digest podcasts here.

Today's video: Northwest Arkansas Naturals preseason commercial
Posted April 2, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
This is the preseason commercial for the brand-new Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Class AA; Texas League). There are some views of the new ballpark, Arvest Park, as well as lots of the furry, baseball-loving sasquatch mascot, "Strike." Speaking of videos: it's that time of year again when teams are releasing videos and commercials for the upcoming season. Send them to us via email, and we'll post them here for the baseball world to see. For a variety of reasons we'd prefer you email us the actual video and not a link.