Judge tosses most of Braman ballpark-funding suit
Posted July 18, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Circuit Court Judge Jeri Beth Cohen has tossed out much of auto magnate Norm Braman's lawsuit challenging the financing plan for a $3-billion public works project that includes funds for a new Florida Marlins ballpark, but has left untouched the core of Braman's suit: whether or not the public should vote on the plan. Braman says public officials are playing financial shell games in order to create $515 million in funds for the new Marlins ballpark on the Orange Bowl site, and he says the way money was reallocated should have led Miami and Miami-Dade County officials to seek a public referendum -- something we're guessing the Marlins and elected officials would prefer not to see. One troubling note raised by Marlins president David Samson: the court case may cause the delay of the opening of a new ballpark to 2012, assuming Braman is defeated. More from Sarah Talalay at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel; she's also blogging about the trial here.
    RELATED STORIES: Braman lawsuit against new Marlins ballpark can move forward: judge; Do Marlins have enough votes to finalize ballpark deal?; Dispute over spoils could derail new Fish pond; Fish fans: Will new ballpark lead to better team?; Will fans flock to new Fish pond?; City, county approves Marlins ballpark deal; Marlins ballpark inches closer to fruition; deal could be done by Thursday; Marlins ballpark plan hits parking snag; More specifics revealed on new Marlins ballpark proposal; Miami mayor swings for the fences with ballpark plan; Vote on new Marlins ballpark delayed; Braman makes pitch against new Fish pond; Marlins to seek state aid for new ballpark; New ballpark could be suite deal for commissioners; Plan for Marlins ballpark gets support from Miami-Dade; Marlins funding closer to reality; Marlins' ballpark plan gets new life; New Marlins ballpark funding plan proposed; Marlins: Ballpark woes led to trade; Marlins ballpark negotiations continue; Marlins' share key to ballpark deal; DuPuy: Marlins ballpark top priority; Ho hum: Marlins hand county yet another ballpark deadline; Marlins may get $50 million for new ballpark; DuPuy meets with Crist about new Fish ballpark, says MLB will make use of Dodgertown; Marlins about to bring ballpark deal in from the bullpen; Selig receptive to Orange Bowl site for new Marlins ballpark; UM exit from Orange Bowl paves way for new Marlins ballpark; Selig: Relocation an option if ballpark issue not settled; University of Miami might leave Orange Bowl by '08; Is there room for Marlins in South Florida?; Moss to seek changes in Marlins' name, spring training; Marlins' reaction to no state funding of ballpark: muted; State funding for Marlins ballpark dies when session ends; Senate leader: no deal with slots, Marlins ballpark; Slots, Marlins ballpark financing in tax-bill mix; Vote on Marlins ballpark financing again comes late in legislative session; New Marlins ballpark bill likely to strike out; State House endorses $60 million for Marlins ballpark in Miami; Marlins' pitch for ballpark cash apt to fall short; Dade lawmaker unsure about Marlins subsidy

No baseball in Silverdome: facility sold to local attorney
Posted July 18, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
There will be no independent baseball in the Pontiac Silverdome, as the city looked past an offer by a startup international baseball league to place a team there and instead has sold the former home of the Detroit Lions (NFL) to a local attorney, who plans on converting the facility to a hotel/conference center and perhaps launch horse racing there as well. The sale price: $20 million. More from Football Stadium Digest. Speaking of baseball and domes: there's a plan to convert the Metrodome into an open-air football stadium for the Minnesota Vikings once a new Twins ballpark opens.

It's official: Wrigley Field to be first MLB ballpark to host NHL hockey
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Chicago Black Hawks will host the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 1, 2009, at historic Wrigley Field, which will become the first MLB venue to host an NHL game. The 2008 New Year's Day game between Pittsburgh and Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium was a noteworthy event for the NHL, so a move to another venue was a natural. After the NHL was rebuffed in its efforts to schedule the game at Yankee Stadium, the league turned its attention to Chicago, first inquiring about Soldier Field and then looking at Wrigley Field. It was a hard sell: we've been told the league and the Black Hawks needed to come up with some additional financial guarantees in case of any turf damage, and the Red Wings were not pleased about losing a traditional New Year's Eve game. But it's now a done deal. More from the Globe and Mail.

Making baseball work in Thunder Bay is...well...work
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Northwoods League's Thunder Bay Border Cats have been successful in the past and produced players like Eric Wordekemper and Matt Mangini. But a change in ownership left the franchise poorly positioned for this season, adding to the challenge of bringing summer-collegiate baseball to a traditional hockey town. Dave Wright reports. For those readers with a careful eye, you'll know we have shut down our Northwoods League site and instead sending those readers to our college baseball site. It's not a slight against the Northwoods League, but decided to broaden our horizons and cover the entirety of college baseball rather than focus on a single summer league. We'll still be covering newsworthy items in the Northwoods League -- as Dave's story makes abundantly clear -- but we'll be adding coverage of summer-collegiate leagues like the Coastal Plain League, Cape Cod League, Central Illinois Collegiate League, Florida Summer Collegiate League, Alaska Baseball League, WCCBL, and more.

Richmond grows itchy as Braves decline to opt out of lease
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International League) have not yet opted out of their lease at The Diamond, but city officials are itchy to start planning for a post-Braves world. We're not entirely sure we'd opt out yet, either: while construction on new Gwinnett County ballpark is going smoothly in anticipation of an April 2009 opening, the Braves figure there's no reason to tempt fate and opt out of the Richmond lease. The city has set a deadline of Aug. 8 for proposals for ballpark development in The Diamond area, so they'd like to know the status of the Braves for next season. We're not entirely sure we will see a team move into Richmond for 2009: while the buzz centers on the Erie SeaWolves (Class AA; Eastern League) as a likely candidate to explore a move, we've been repeatedly told by MiLB officials that the decision on who lands the market will be a deliberative process and nothing like the feeding frenzy baseball experienced when the Greenville market opened up. More from Richmond Style Weekly.

New Indians/Reds facility foreseen as year-round center
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A new spring-training facility in Goodyear, Az., for the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds is planned to be much more than just the spring home for the two teams: city officials plan on utilizing it as a year-round resource, hosting a wide variety of events. Now, we all know many plan on using their ballparks year-round, only to see a lot of offseason days with nothing going on. And that may end up being the case in Goodyear. But for now we'll assume Goodyear residents will be able to go to arts and crafts shows to their hearts content. More from the Arizona Republic.

Bucks back in business at Riverfront Stadium
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Riverfront Stadium turned into underwater stadium for the Waterloo Bucks (summer collegiate; Northwoods League), forcing the team to hit the road after flooding closed the ballpark down in June. Last Friday the Bucks played their first game at Riverfront Stadium -- and managed to lure a new fan or two in, like Slumpbuster, a turtle found stranded in a dugout, left behind when the floodwater receded. Today Slumpbuster has a permanent home in the Riverfront Stadium press box, his tank a constant reminder that the team lost six weeks of home games. More from College Baseball Digest.

Ballpark Visit: Port Arthur Stadium / Thunder Bay Border Cats
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Port Arthur Stadium is a relatively remote outpost for summer-collegiate baseball. But this older ballpark (it opened in 1951) is worth the drive. It was once visited by Princess Elizabeth -- and if it's good enough for a future queen, it's good enough for you. More on the home of the Thunder Bay Border Cats (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) from Dave Wright.

Travs, Naturals swap interns, beer, wings
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Jacob Coleman, administrative intern with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, has been traded to the in-state rival Arkansas Travelers. Coleman has been pulled from his marketing and game day duties with the Naturals effective immediately and will join the front office of his new club in North Little Rock on Wednesday morning.
    Jared Schein will be joining the Naturals and will be an active member of the front office beginning with Wednesday's game against the Travelers, his former team.
    Coleman, a 22-year old resident of Little Rock, now has the opportunity to join a club closer to home. Coleman will live in the Travelers intern dormitory at Dickey Stephens Ballpark and spend his days maintaining the grounds of their ballpark. A state-of-the-art model leaf blower is awaiting Jacob's arrival at Dickey Stephens Ballpark, where he will begin his new role for the Travelers' weekend series against the Tulsa Drillers.
    "We certainly appreciate Jacob's service here in Northwest Arkansas and he will certainly be missed," said Naturals GM Eric Edelstein. "We're always looking for ways to improve our team. When you have the opportunity to add someone with the versatility that (Jared) has, you have to go for it."
    Reportedly negotiations between the two teams nearly broke down when Edelstein insisted that the Travs include one dozen premium ash bats along with Schein as part of the deal for Coleman. Travelers COO Bill Valentine would not allow it, citing that the influx of beetles in and around Arvest Ballpark would "probably destroy twelve perfectly good useable ash bats anyhow." The two teams were able to come to an agreement when the Travelers agreed to include in the swap two cases of Diamond Bear Beer in exchange for the Naturals sending two dozen chicken wings.

Revamped Israeli Baseball League unveils roadmap
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Israeli Baseball League, an independent outfit that suffered a rocky season in 2007, will resume operations with some exhibitions and a winter league before coming back in 2009. The current plan is for an exhibition series between Israeli all-stars and international players, a winter league of sorts, and then a four-team circuit next year. More from AP.

Will River Eels see the light of day?
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
We've always been a little skeptical about plans from a group of Massachusetts businessmen to launch the Plymouth River Eels in a privately financed ballpark, and developments suggest the plans for a $40 million ballpark/office complex have fallen through, as the group has failed to close on a $5.6 million land deal. Pierre Coll, who owns the 28 acres of land in Plymouth, says the group's option to buy the land has expired and that he's put the land back on the market. Meanwhile, the guys from Bay Colony Baseball say they're still working on a financing package. But given this nation's credit crunch -- which is a very real thing -- it's hard to see them attracting capital when they've been unable to do so in the last two years. More from the Boston Globe.

Municipal Stadium pitched as Little League regional center
Posted July 16, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Municipal Stadium, the former home of the Greenville Braves (Class AA; Southern League), has been leased by the city to the Greenville County Recreation District, who will propose the facility become the regional headquarters for Little League Baseball. The facility has been largely unused after the Greenville Drive (Low Class A; Sally League) moved to a new West End ballpark. The District will spend $4 million on a ballpark renovation and the addition of four other ballfields. More from the Greenville News.

Braman takes the stand in Marlins court case
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Auto dealer and former Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) owner Norm Braman took the stand in his suit against Miami, Miami-Dade County and the Florida Marlins over the funding plan for a proposed new ballpark on the Orange Bowl site. Braman's basic legal argument is that a $3-billion development project that indirectly funds the new Marlins ballpark is illegal and should have been subjected to a public referendum. Judging by the coverage in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Miami Herald, we're not sure Braman helped or hurt his chances for success. His basic premise -- that the county and city shifted funds from one basket to another to help pay for the new Marlins ballpark without explicitly raising taxes to fund it -- is correct. However, it's not clear whether the legal remedy is for the court to order a referendum on the issue, or whether voters will be forced to vote those in favor of the deal out of office. Budgets are shifted all the time in government.
    RELATED STORIES: Braman lawsuit against new Marlins ballpark can move forward: judge; Do Marlins have enough votes to finalize ballpark deal?; Dispute over spoils could derail new Fish pond; Fish fans: Will new ballpark lead to better team?; Will fans flock to new Fish pond?; City, county approves Marlins ballpark deal; Marlins ballpark inches closer to fruition; deal could be done by Thursday; Marlins ballpark plan hits parking snag; More specifics revealed on new Marlins ballpark proposal; Miami mayor swings for the fences with ballpark plan; Vote on new Marlins ballpark delayed; Braman makes pitch against new Fish pond; Marlins to seek state aid for new ballpark; New ballpark could be suite deal for commissioners; Plan for Marlins ballpark gets support from Miami-Dade; Marlins funding closer to reality; Marlins' ballpark plan gets new life; New Marlins ballpark funding plan proposed; Marlins: Ballpark woes led to trade; Marlins ballpark negotiations continue; Marlins' share key to ballpark deal; DuPuy: Marlins ballpark top priority; Ho hum: Marlins hand county yet another ballpark deadline; Marlins may get $50 million for new ballpark; DuPuy meets with Crist about new Fish ballpark, says MLB will make use of Dodgertown; Marlins about to bring ballpark deal in from the bullpen; Selig receptive to Orange Bowl site for new Marlins ballpark; UM exit from Orange Bowl paves way for new Marlins ballpark; Selig: Relocation an option if ballpark issue not settled; University of Miami might leave Orange Bowl by '08; Is there room for Marlins in South Florida?; Moss to seek changes in Marlins' name, spring training; Marlins' reaction to no state funding of ballpark: muted; State funding for Marlins ballpark dies when session ends; Senate leader: no deal with slots, Marlins ballpark; Slots, Marlins ballpark financing in tax-bill mix; Vote on Marlins ballpark financing again comes late in legislative session; New Marlins ballpark bill likely to strike out; State House endorses $60 million for Marlins ballpark in Miami; Marlins' pitch for ballpark cash apt to fall short; Dade lawmaker unsure about Marlins subsidy

Today's video: Texas League All-Star Game intro video
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
This is the 2008 Texas League All-Star Intro Video played prior to the teams running out to their positions, viewed only once at the game. That's a shame: it's a great piece of work. Produced by Jacob Neimeyer of the Springfield Cardinals, courtesy of the Springfield Cardinals. You can view the highest-res version here.
    We've love to share your videos with the rest of the baseball world. You can send the video to editors@augustpublications.com, but if you have a savvy media outfit drop us a line first so we can discuss getting the best-quality video on the Web. We're avoiding the use of YouTube as much as possible; videos on that service must be dumbed down to the point of losing a lot of quality. In this case, Jacob provided us a larger file -- 21MB -- that would be too large for YouTube, but is easily handled by Veoh. (You can compare the differences yourself: the Veoh version is here, and a YouTube version is here. It's a no-brainer.)

Knights getting some help from friends in ticket sales for new ballpark
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) are receiving a little help from their friends: a committee made up of member of the Charlotte Chamber and Charlotte Center City Partners will be helping to sell the most expensive seats in the team's new ballpark, slated to open in 2010. It's not unusual in Charlotte for volunteers to assist in ticket sales -- it happened for both the NFL and NBA teams -- but it is unusual these days in minor-league baseball. Speaking of the new Knights ballpark: construction is still on hold while some legal issues are cleared up, and the budgest is now expected to reach $50 million -- about double than what it was when the Knights first proposed an Uptown ballpark. More from the Charlotte Business Journal.

Today's video 2: Emily the Intern pushes River Bandits tix
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Emily the Intern describes her duties with the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League): making sure the hot tub is hot and the beer is cold, among other things. It's being used as a local TV spot by the team.
    Speaking of the River Bandits: Don't forget Ballpark Digest publisher Kevin Reichard will be appearing at Modern Woodmen Park on Thursday, July 17, in a meet-and-greet with season ticket holders and fans. It sounds like interest is strong for the event -- after all, it is Thirsty Thursday! -- and post-game cocktails have already been arranged. Call the River Bandits ticket line (563-3-BANDIT) for information.
    We've love to share your videos with the rest of the baseball world. You can send the video to editors@augustpublications.com, but if you have a savvy media outfit drop us a line first so we can discuss getting the best-quality video on the Web. We're avoiding the use of YouTube as much as possible; videos on that service must be dumbed down to the point of losing a lot of quality.

DEDC asks for permission to tear down Tiger Stadium before Aug. 1 conservancy deadline
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
File this under sleazy moves: the Detroit Economic Development Corp. asked the Detroit City Council for permission to totally tear down Tiger Stadium, a move that would seem to violate an agreement between the city and Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, giving the group a chance to raise $369,000 by Aug. 1 to save the playing field and the grandstand. It doesn't sound like the council was willing to grant permission, give that Aug. 1 is merely two weeks away. Baring any technical glitches, tomorrow's podcast will feature an interview with Gary Gillette, a member of the conservancy group. More from Crain's Detroit Business. Tiger Stadium is a prominent member of our Endangered Ballparks listings.
    RELATED STORIES: Will conservancy group meet June 1 deadline to save Tiger Stadium?; Tiger Stadium demolition OK'd; could baseball return?; Fans shell out $2 million for Tiger Stadium seats; Nonprofit submits plans for saving part of Tiger Stadium; Tiger Stadium auction a $192,729 home run; Online auction of Tiger Stadium memorabilia runs through October; A new vision for Tiger Stadium; Harwell heats up Tiger Stadium pitch; Harwell: I can save Tiger Stadium; Tiger Stadium to be torn down; Tiger Stadium demolition plan close to vote; Wreck the old park; praise the new one; Detroit City Council delays action on Tiger Stadium demolition; City: Revisit Tiger Stadium plans; Today's video: The final days of Tiger Stadium; Tiger Stadium plan hits a snag; Tiger Stadium's fate divisive; Tiger Stadium: Up for auction?; Tiger Stadium outta here by '08; Time running out for Tiger Stadium; Dave Wright: Time to let Tiger Stadium go; Razing memories of 95-year-old Tiger Stadium before demolition work begins; Final farewell planned for Tiger Stadium; Old house is hard to forget; Once a baseball cathedral, Tiger Stadium now sits in disrepair; Memories of Tiger Stadium; Tiger Stadium demolition delayed; Progress is in the ballpark; Developers didn't stand a chance with Tiger Stadium; Artifacts from Tiger Stadium to be auctioned off under city plan; Tiger Stadium to be razed: condos, retail to be built on historic site; Detroit should sell Tiger Stadium as is; Historical marker at Tiger Stadium stolen; Tiger Stadium would make fine vacation destination; 8 innings of words get us no closer to a Tiger Stadium fix; Documentary makes case for saving Tiger Stadium; Plenty of options for Tiger Stadium; Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick wants Tiger Stadium razed; Hope fades for Tiger Stadium; Detroit ignores calls to save Tiger Stadium; Save Tiger Stadium as scaled-down ballpark; City should tear down Tiger Stadium; Is it the final out for Tiger Stadium?

Goodyear officially approves Reds spring-training lease
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
This really isn't very newsworthy: The Goodyear (Az.) City Council officially approved a lease for the Cincinnati Reds at a new spring-training complex already under construction for the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe will move their spring operations to the new complex next month and return to Cactus League play in 2009; the Reds will move to the 10,000-seat ballpark in 2010. The Reds will pay $100,000 annually for the lease, but will receive a portion of ticket and merchandise sales.

Reno looks to add more retail to new-ballpark project
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The new ballpark site for the relocated Tucson Sidewinders (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) in Reno, Nev. may be subdivided to accommodate more retail. Not a surprise: as those of us who have been following the project from Day One knows, this is more a real-estate-development play than a pure sports play, with the ballpark designed to draw people into a moribund area. More from RGJ.com.

Salvi: Gary needs to move past anger over new ballpark
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Patrick Salvi, the new owner of the Gary-SouthShore RailCats (independent; Northern League), met with the Gary Chamber of Commerce Monday and warned that problems with the city -- like the lack of development near US Steel Yard -- is hampering his ability to market the team. One issue he raised: bad feelings about the $45 million project is preventing some locals from getting behind any development issues. It was a pretty candid talk from an owner, but he's probably saying things that needed to be said.

Nationals still withholding rent on Nationals Park
Posted July 15, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The biggest criticism of Nationals Park, it seems, is that it was designed more as a huge mall food court than a ballpark. No surprise: the Lerner family made their money in real estate. Now, it takes a certain combative nature to be a success in real estate, and the Lerners are showing that attitude in continuing to withhold ballpark rent payments to the District of Columbia -- some $3.5 million now -- saying the ballpark wasn't completed and demanding damages. Technically, they probably have some argument for relief: while all the revenue-producing parts of the ballpark were ready Opening Day, other portions, like team offices, were not. And the Lerners moved in and did business, so their arguments for damages are, on their face, pretty specious. The larger issue is what an incredibly stupid move this in from a PR viewpoint: the $611 million ballpark was built with tax dollars in one of the sweetest ballpark deals to come down the pike in years. So it seems a little ungrateful to take possession of a basically free ballpark and then refuse to pay rent, forcing local taxpayers to cover the bills while incurring collecting costs. Maybe this tin ear for PR is why the Nationals are such a lousy draw: the team is attracting only 29,700 fans a game, a pretty pathetic figure for a team in a new ballpark, and a figure laughably close to the 24,217 fans a game the team drew last season in RFK Stadium. In fact, the Nationals drew 33,651 fans a game their first season (2005) at RFK Stadium, so attendance since the team's move from Montreal has slumped -- and considerably lower under the Lerner management than what it was under MLB ownership. More from the Washington Post.

Solomon completes purchase of Fisher Cats
Posted July 14, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Art Solomon, the majority owner and managing partner of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League), has purchased the remaining interest of the franchise from minority owner Drew Weber, who founded the franchise. Solomon becomes the sole owner of the Fisher Cats, effective immediately.
    "This move reflects our confidence in the franchise's success in Manchester and demonstrates our continued commitment to this organization and to baseball fans throughout New England," said Solomon. "Our fans have been extremely supportive, and we've created strong partnerships with the business community, city and state government officials, and non-profit organizations."
    Weber is still owner and CEO of the Lowell Spinners (short season; NY-Penn League). He purchased the New Haven Ravens and orchestrated the move of the team to Manchester, with the team playing two seasons at Gill Stadium before moving to the new MerchantsAuto.com Stadium. In addition to owning the Fisher Cats, Solomon is the lead investor in the Columbus Catfish (Low Class A; Sally League), slated to move to Bowling Green, Ky., next season.

Tulsa ballpark fundraising already exceeds $30 million
Posted July 14, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Organizers have already raised more than $30 million toward a new $60-million ballpark for the Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League), slated to open for the 2010 season -- fulfilling that part of the ballpark financing equation, which calls for $25 million from a downtown assessment and $5 million from the Drillers. The ballpark will be owned by a public trust, where seven board members will include five giving $2 million or more toward the project. At least 23 individuals, families and foundations gave funds toward the new ballpark. This really was the final piece of the puzzle: with the donations in place, a new ballpark is now a certainty. More from Tulsa World.

In memoriam: Bobby Murcer
Posted July 14, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
In the end, Bobby Murcer couldn't win the final battle against brain cancer, as he passed away Saturday. Murcer, the former Yankee, Giant and Cub who became known to millions of fans as a broadcaster for the Bronx Bombers in recent years, fought an 19-month battle against a brain tumor and returned to the booth at the beginning of the season. Murcer had a solid career -- 252 career homers, .277 batting average -- but he always fought the battle against inflated expectations. He became a regular with a mediocre Yankees team in 1969 and was instantly compared to Mickey Mantle; both were from Oklahoma, and both were pegged as sure-fire successes. He managed New York City pretty well considering the circumstances, and he was well-liked in the baseball world for his gracious style. More from Newsday.

Arizona Winter League plans for third season announced
Posted July 14, 2008 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Arizona Winter League (AWL) is set to play its third season in the southwest, once again headquartered in Yuma, Arizona, from January 26-March 1, 2009. The six-team developmental league will be administered by the independent professional Golden Baseball League (GBL) and will be staffed with instructors and managers from the GBL
    Serving as a developmental league for pro players seeking professional contracts for 2008, or players already under contract that want to have a head start on their competition and be seen early by scouts, the AWL has had over 130 players from it rosters signed by professional teams. Last year over 80 players left the AWL with professional contracts. Players have gone to the Golden League, the Atlantic League, the Northern League, the American Association, the United League, the Frontier League, the Continental League, the New York State League, European Leagues, the Mexican League, and a number to major league organizations including the San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers. One alumni of the 2007 Arizona Winter League, Sergio Romo, is now pitching in the big leagues with San Francisco.
    Arizona Winter League games will be held at the Ray Kroc Complex and Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma and also in Blythe, Cal., and Palm Springs.