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!
Cuban applies
to buy Cubs
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The
ever-colorful Mark Cuban has thrown his hat into
an increasingly crowded ring of pursuers of the
Chicago Cubs and
Wrigley Field. The owner of the Dallas
Mavericks (NBA) confirmed Thursday night that
he has applied to Major League Baseball for a
possible purchase of the legendary franchise. But
Cuban declined to elaborate on what comes next or
how his pursuit of the Cubs might affect his
ownership and involvement with the Mavericks.
Cuban has successfully balanced the Mavericks and
numerous other diverse businesses, including HDNet. RELATED STORIES:
Roster of Cubs bidders expands
Signing off on
the last beam
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There
are 3,500 pieces of steel at the future home of
the Washington Nationals. But only one is covered
with artwork, notes and signatures -- the final
beam to be put in place by construction workers.
Scores of workers signed the beam yesterday. Most
were content to write their names, and some added
the names of their unions. But one had the nerve
to write "Go Pirates," in honor of a National
League opponent. Another left a message in Spanish
that said, "Making a Difference." Several others
wrote tributes to a co-worker who died in a
motorcycle accident last week. The event, known as
a topping ceremony, marked a milestone for the
$611 million ballpark near the Navy Yard and South
Capitol Street in Southeast Washington. The
project is on schedule to meet a tight deadline
and be ready for the start of the next baseball
season, in April.
Grasshoppers to host
2008 Sally League All-Star Game
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The
Greensboro Grasshoppers announced that the 2008
South Atlantic League All-Star Game will be held
at First Horizon Park. The All-Star Game will be
played Tuesday, June 17, featuring selected
players from each of the 16 teams in the league.
"We are obviously very excited to showcase First
Horizon Park and the city of Greensboro to the
rest of the league," said Grasshoppers President
Donald Moore. "It is going to be a spectacular
event and one that we are honored to host."
Festivities surrounding the 49th annual event will
begin Monday, June 16 and conclude on June 18. The
three-day extravaganza is presented by Natty
Greene’s Brewing Company, which will serve as the
party headquarters. The event will mark the first
time the Grasshoppers franchise and the third time
the city of Greensboro have hosted an All-Star
Game.
Harvard
baseball resolute
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More
on Bill Larsen's plan to build a new privately
financed $2.5-million, 4,000-seat ballpark in
Harvard, Ill., to house a summer-collegiate
league. Four teams would play in the facility.
Now, Harvard isn't exactly a metropolis -- the
population is estimated to be around 10,000, and
it's 20 miles from Crystal Lake (where the
independent Frontier League is setting up shop in
two years) and over 30 miles from Rockford. (Lots
of farmland, though.) The facility would also
include a parking lot, picnic area, petting zoo
and a "miracle field," a rubber miniature diamond
meant to facilitate play for children with
physical disabilities. It will be interesting to
see whether the ballpark actually happens
(Larsen's made a pitch to Harvard Economic
Development Commission and expects to have
approval in three months) and how a
summer-collegiate league would do under these
circumstances. The independent New York State
League is attempting something similar at Utica's
Murnane Field, but that business model has already
changed: instead of one game in the afternoon and
one night, there are nightly doubleheaders
beginning at 6 p.m., with the afternoon game
scrapped. RELATED STORIES:
Major boom for minor-league ball;
McHenry County College, Frontier League close to
agreement for new ballpark;
McHenry County pulls off a double play;
MCC ballpark for
Frontier League gets OK;
McHenry to vote on new ballpark; private group looks at area facility;
Plans for minor league team 'moving in right
direction'
Plan B looks to
rescue Cutters from being Brand X
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The
New Haven County Cutters (independent; Cam-Am
Association) have contracted with Plan B. Branding
to come up with a new identity for the team. It's
a worthwhile goal: our Michael Pastore happened to
be at the ballpark the same night the Plan B boys
were at Yale Field (look for an article in the
next few weeks), and his take is that the team's
identity needs some refining.
Miners have
struck gold with new ballpark
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The
Southern Illinois Miners (independent; Frontier
League) have emerged as one of the big success
stories of baseball this summer: the team is
shattering Frontier League attendance records
(5,255 fans per game en route to 260,000 for the
season) and a brand-new $17 million ballpark that
would be the envy of many bigger cities, let alone
a town of 17,200.
OSU has bigger
plans for Goss Stadium
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Oregon
State baseball coach Pat Casey announced that the
next stage of the $5.5-million Goss Stadium
expansion/improvement project has been given the
green light and will begin in September. The
project will extend the grandstand down both foul
lines and increase permanent capacity from 1,300
to about 3,000. An expanded clubhouse, academic
center, multi-purpose room with a view of the
field, umpire’s quarters and additional rest rooms
and concession stands will also be added.
Home-run record
might not play well in Brew City
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There's
a small chance Barry Bonds will be a position to
break Henry Aaron's home-run record in Milwaukee's
Miller Park,
as
Bonds enters a three-game weekend series at home
against the Los Angeles Dodgers with 751 homers,
four shy of tying Aaron. After this week, the
Giants visit Wrigley Field for four games against
the Chicago Cubs, then travel to Milwaukee to play
the Brewers three times.
It will be extremely awkward for Bonds to break
the record in Milwaukee. First, there's Aaron's
long association with Wisconsin as a member of the
Milwaukee Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers
(keeping in mind he started his career as a skinny
18-year-old with the original Northern League's
Eau Claire Bears). Then there's Bud Selig's close
friendship with Aaron and the commissioner's lack
of enthusiasm for being on hand when Bonds does
inevitably break the mark.
Broadcast
tandem a staple for Sky Sox
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Dan
Karcher’s silky smooth voice instantly made Tony
Ensor feel good on his first day as president and
general manager of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox
(Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) nearly three
years ago. ‘‘It was my first day here and when I
got off the plane and in the rental car, there was
the Sky Sox on the radio,’’ Ensor said. ‘‘I didn’t
even have to change the station. That was cool.’’
What was better, Ensor said of that late summer
day in 2004, was the broadcast team: Karcher and
longtime partner Dick Chase. This is their 18th
season broadcasting Sky Sox home games. Chase
rarely does road games with Karcher, who reached a
milestone Sunday by broadcasting his 2,500th Sky
Sox game.
Clark Griffith
'energetic and eager for tomorrow'
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Independent
Northern League commissioner Clark Griffith
laments his lost youth and his days with the
Minnesota Twins and Major League Baseball. We're
not quite sure Clark is totally accurate here (for
instance, he questions whether his father actually
liked baseball; we chatted with Calvin at a Helena
Brewers game shortly before his death, and there's
no way someone who didn't love baseball would be
sitting in the stands of
Kindrick Field on
a cold Montana night watching a rookie-level
Pioneer League game), but it's a good, candid
interview nevertheless.
Point Stadium
renovation nears completion
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The
renovation of Point Stadium, the former home of
professional baseball in Johnstown, Pa., is nearly
complete, said city council officials Wednesday
evening. City manager Curt Davis, said the new
turf is holding up well after a few baseball games
and a recent concert, where about 3,000 people
stood on its surface. The city is now in the
process of submitting proposals to host the
championship soccer games at the stadium. They
have also received requests from several local
schools to play major games there as well.
Changing face
of minor leagues
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The
Raleigh newspaper takes a look at the foreign-born
players with the Durham Bulls (Class AAA;
International League) and the Carolina Mudcats
(Class AA; Southern League). Seven of the Bulls'
23 players are foreign born, and by minor-league
standards that is a low percentage. According to
Major League Baseball, 46.2 percent of minor
leaguers at the start of the 2007 season were born
outside the U.S. In the majors, the percentage is
about 26 percent. In addition to the Bulls'
contingent, the Carolina Mudcats feature five
international players, and the Burlington Royals'
roster includes 10 foreign-born players. The vast
majority of these players hail from Venezuela and
the Dominican Republic, though the Bulls have two
players from South Korea.
Ballpark Notes
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The
Greensboro Grasshoppers (Low Class A; Sally
League) will host Super Splash Day on
Monday, July 16, during their 12:30 p.m. game
against the West Virginia Power.
Following the game, all fans in attendance are
invited to join the Hoppers as they attempt to
break the Guinness World Record for the "Largest
Water Pistol Fight." Squirt guns will be
provided to participants for the two-team
match-up, courtesy of HobbyTown USA. The current
record of 1,173 participants was set April 28th,
2005 Loyola Marymount University in Los
Angeles....THe fans have spoken: the Cleveland
Indians will retain the traditional
Sugardale all-beef hot dog as the official hot
dog at Jacobs
Field. The team held a contest allowing
fans to vote between the all-beef dog, a red hot
and a Polish sausage....The Texas Rangers
have removed all vestiges of Ameriquest
from Rangers
Ballpark in Arlington. The final part of
the re-branding was finished yesterday with the
installation of a sign with those inscribed words
is now in place at the Ballpark above the
home-plate entrance....The Milwaukee Brewers
announced that the team has already eclipsed
2,400,000 tickets sold for all Miller Parkhome games during the 2007 season. This marks
the second-highest total in team history. The
all-time attendance record in Brewers history was
established in 2001, the year Miller Park opened,
when the Brewers reached 2,811,041 tickets sold.
By surpassing the 2.4 million mark, the 2007
season signifies the sixth time in franchise
history that the Brewers have exceeded two million
tickets sold in a season. The Brewers first
reached the 2 million plateau in 1983 with
2,397,131 tickets....The Pittsburgh Pirates
will be retiring Paul Waner's #11
during a pregame ceremony at PNC Parkon
Saturday, July 21, the date in 1952 when Waner was
inducted into the National Baseball Hall of
Fame....Rick Down is out as hitting coach
of the New York Mets, but it's not clear
whether he's being replaced by Rickey Henderson
or Howard Johnson. Johnson is currently
first-base coach for the team and will assume many
of Down's responsibilities, and Henderson is
joining the coaching staff in an unspecified
role....Rick Schu is the new hitting coach
for the Arizona Diamondbacks, replacing
Kevin Seitzer....The San Francisco Giants
are expected to announce a contract extension
for GM Brian Sabean as early as
today....Longtime umpire Shag Crawford
passed away Wednesday at an assisted-living
facility in suburban Philadelphia. He was 90.
Roster of Cubs
bidders expands
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The
family that founded discount broker TD Ameritrade
Holding Corp. has joined the list of potential
bidders for the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Tribune
is reporting. Sources close to the situation said
the Ricketts family of Omaha and Chicago has
signed a non-disclosure agreement with Cubs owner
Tribune Co. and is readying the application Major
League Baseball requires of all parties wishing to
bid on one of its franchises. The Ricketts group
is being led by Thomas Ricketts, the 41-year-old
founder and chief executive of Chicago-based
Incapital Holdings LLC, an investment banking
firm. Many insiders say the leading contender to
land the team and Wrigley Field is a group led by
John Canning, who has ties to Commissioner Bud
Selig. However, the sale of the team will occur
under some slightly different circumstances than
most recent team sales: Tribune Co. is a publicly
traded company and has a fiduciary responsibility
to get the most possible for the assets, the
preference of Bud Selig be damned. You can expect
the sales price to approach a billion dollars.
Going back to baseball's
grass roots at the Northwoods League All-Star Game
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(discuss) Last
night was one of those gorgeous Minnesota evenings
that are the stuff of legend: 70 degrees at game
time with a clear sky and not a single mosquito in
sight. To make the night perfect: the Northwoods
League All-Star Game at Franklin Rogers Park in
Mankato. It was a great game, with pitchers
combining for 27 Ks. All in all, the pitchers
showcased their talents well, notching 27
strikeouts on the night. In a bit of fitting
drama, Mankato's Nate Hanson was named Star of
Stars after driving in the winning runs with a
based-loaded double in the bottom of the seventh.
Add to that some defensive gems and a
record-setting crowd, and you had a night to
remember. Here's our look at one of the more
special nights of the baseball season.
Freeway rivalry drives into California League
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The
rivalry between the San Bernardino and Rancho
Cucamonga franchises in the California League
began nearly 15 years ago, when the old San
Bernardino franchise moved to Rancho Cucamonga and
became the Quakes for the 1993 season. Another
franchise came into San Bernardino, which left two
franchises in the league mere minutes apart from
each other. But the rivalry didn't really get to
the next level until this year, when San
Bernardino's Inland Empire 66ers became a Dodgers
affiliate again, a proper adversary for the Rancho
Cucamonga Quakes, who have been an Angels
affiliate since 2001. It is the first time the
franchises have been Dodgers and Angels affiliates
simultaneously -- adding to the drama.
This story was submitted by a reader. To share
news with the baseball community, drop a line to
editors@augustpublications.com.
Nats topping-off ceremony rescheduled for today
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Officials
will try again to top off the new Washington
Nationals ballpark Thursday morning. Officials and
dignitaries were supposed to hold a topping-off
ceremony, which means putting the last steel beam
into place, on Wednesday but were rained out. Many
city officials signed the ceremonial final beam
for the $610 million ballpark, but shortly after
that the rains came, washing out the ceremony and
sending people scurrying for cover.
Culture war goes to ballpark
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Every
season a right-wing group attempts to make
ballpark promotions geared toward gays an issue,
and every year it falls on deaf ears. This season
the San Diego Padres held Pride Night, a gay
promotion at Petco Park, the same nigh as a cap
giveaway for kids. In this piece culture warrior
Bill O'Reilly slams the Padres for mixing the two
events, but it doesn't seem to have made much of
an impact past his audience.
Ballpark Notes
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(discuss) Cincinnati
Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Board of Directors
President Robert S. Castellini today named
Rick Walls executive director of the Reds
Hall of Fame and Museum. On Aug. 1 Walls will
replace Greg Rhodes, who resigned from that
position earlier this season. Rhodes will remain
with the Reds as team historian....Tommy
Lasorda, who managed the 1972 Albuquerque
Dukes to the Pacific Coast League title, is
the first inductee of the Albuquerque Baseball
Hall of Fame....Last night's Eastern League
All-Star Game was impacted in an unusual way:
it was called in the top of the third inning
because of fog....
Today's video:
Babe Ruth short
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As Barry Bonds closes in on the home-run record
held by Henry Aaron, this is a good time to remind
everyone who first made the home run cool; Babe
Ruth. He was the first great multimedia star of
baseball, and today it seems we've forgotten just
what a phenomena the Babe really was. In this 1932
short film, Babe teaches a girls team how to play
ball.
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.
Orem Owlz give
in on ballpark name
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One
of the local owners of the Orem Owlz (rookie;
Pioneer League) apologized to the Daily Herald
newspaper on Monday as the team backed away from
its earlier threat that news media must either
refer to the stadium in which it plays as "Home of
the Owlz" or lose all access to the team. In a
voice mail, Jason Taylor, a local part-owner of
the team, called the Herald "first of all to
apologize, and to see what we can do" to get news
coverage restored after a "bad situation." Taylor
was out of town and unavailable for an interview.
Two weeks ago, an attempt by primary owner Jeff
Katofsky and general manager Zachary Fraser to
dictate the content of news articles led the Daily
Herald and Deseret Morning News to curtail
coverage of the Pioneer League team and turn in
press credentials. The newspapers called the
stadium Brent Brown Ballpark after auto dealer
Brown paid Utah Valley State College $1 million
for naming rights over 10 years, but Fraser and
Katofsky objected to the name, claiming that it
put them in violation of Minor League Baseball
rules -- a claim directly countered by MiLB
officials.
This story was submitted by a reader. To share news with the baseball community,
drop a line to
editors@augustpublications.com. RELATED STORIES:Baffling ballpark
name dispute;
Sparks fly over Owlz name;
Owlz owner, UVSC bicker over park name;
UVSC, Owlz playing ballpark name games;
UVSC announces ballpark donors
Rangers
announce new all-you-can-eat offer
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The
Texas Rangers announced Sections 201-205 at
Rangers Ballpark
in Arlington will be designated as "All You
Can Eat" for the games against the Seattle
Mariners on Aug. 23-26. Tickets in the All You Can
Eat seats are $29 and include hot dogs, nachos,
peanuts, popcorn, and soft drinks with Lexus Club
Terrace seating. These all-you-can-eat inclusive
menu items will be available from the time gates
open at 5:30 until 9:30 p.m. Offer is subject to
limits per person, per visit to the concession
stand. Sections 201-205 in the Lexus Club Terrace
are normally priced at $23.
Balmy weather
may bench a baseball staple
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The
future of the ash tree is in doubt because of a
killer beetle and a warming climate, and with it,
the complicated relationship of the baseball
player to his bat. At a baseball bat factory
tucked into the lush tree country in northwestern
Pennsylvania, the operators have drawn up a
three-to-five-year emergency plan if the white ash
tree, which has been used for decades to make the
bat of choice, is compromised. In Michigan, the
authorities have begun collecting the seeds of ash
trees for storage in case the species is wiped
out, a possibility some experts now consider
inevitable. As early as this summer, federal
officials hope to set loose Asian wasps never seen
in this country with the purpose of attacking the
emerald ash borer, an Asian beetle accused of
killing 25 million ash trees in Michigan,
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Maryland since it was
spotted in the United States five years ago.
Minor-league
teams urge cable company to widen MASN
distribution
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Executives
from North Carolina's nine minor league baseball
teams have teamed up to urge Time Warner Cable to
include the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network on its
basic cable programming. In a letter dated July 9,
general managers and presidents from the nine
organizations jointly wrote to Time Warner Cable
CEO Glenn A. Britt that "the availability of a
Major League Baseball network on television is
essential to the continued health of our
franchises."
WSU announces
fundraising campaign for baseball
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In
what even Wichita State coach Gene Stephenson admitted might be "the final piece
to the puzzle," WSU athletic director Jim Schaus announced the "Building
Excellence for the Student-Athlete" fundraising campaign. The $5.5 million
campaign would update Eck Stadium, highlighted by an indoor practice facility to
be built in the parking lot just beyond the current ticket office on the
third-base side. The funds would also be used to put new artificial turf on the
infield, build new a new locker room, team room and coaching offices on the
third-base side, reconstruct dugouts that are lowered into the ground, add
roughly 100 seats behind the third-base dugout -- which would again become the
home dugout -- and move the ticket office into the current coaching offices on
the first-base side.
EKU officials
optimistic about timetable for new ballpark
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Eastern
Kentucky University officials are still hopefully that construction on a new
state-of the-art ballpark will begin next summer, just as they had originally
planned. The $2-million project is still in the development stage and the school
is actively pursuing fundraising opportunities for a venture that will
completely renovate and vastly improve the current baseball facilities. The
project, which was announced in late January, is designed to elevate EKU’s
baseball complex to the upper echelon of the Ohio Valley Conference. The new
park will be located at the current home of the Colonels, adjacent to Alumni
Coliseum, and will be developed around the existing facilities.
When Jersey
City was a pawn for the Dodgers
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When
Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley was looking
for a replacement for Ebbets Field, word leaked
out: The Dodgers would be coming to Jersey City.
That meant announcing that for the 1956 season,
the Dodgers would play seven games and one
exhibition at Roosevelt Stadium, a $1.5 million
minor-league ballpark built during the Great
Depression and known for a whipping wind off New
York Harbor. Here's a look at how the Dodgers
spent their time in Jersey City.
Park built in
10 days in 1952
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Here's
a look at Potter County Memorial Stadium/Amarillo
Dilla Villa, the home of the Amarillo Dillas
(independent; United League Baseball). When Gold
Sox Park burned down on July 2, 1952, workers from
Cliver Construction Company put in 16-hour days,
working July 4 and even on a Sunday, eventually
pouring 140 concrete pillars, putting in 1,000 new
steel chairs for the box seats and replacing the
plate that was melted into the ground. The
ballpark opened when the Dillas came back from a
scheduled 10-day road trip.
She's in charge
of the Tigers' turf
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Heather
Nabozny is one of 30 head groundskeepers in Major
League Baseball. They're all responsible for
mowing, sweeping, watering, raking, fertilizing,
and painting the fields on which each team plays.
Nearly everything at
Comerica Park
-- from the fans' seating section to the playing
surface -- is in the hands of Nabozny and her
full-time crew of six, which more than triples on
game days. According to the Sports Turf Managers
Association, she is the first female head
groundskeeper in the modern history of Major
League Baseball. On most days during the baseball
season, she arrives at the ballpark at 7 a.m.,
long before the coaches and players, to start the
crew watering and mowing the field, which consists
of a blend of three types of Kentucky bluegrass.
Making fans
feel at home
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You
never get a second chance to make a first
impression. With that in mind, the Tulsa Drillers
(Class AA; Texas League) put their best effort
forward in assigning 73-year-old Jack Darrough to
man Gate 7 at the County Fairgrounds during most
homestands. Darrough, a self-described baseball
fanatic, offers Drillers fans a friendly wave and
smile. He will be on hand Wednesday when the
Drillers begin an eight-game homestand, the first
four games against Arkansas, followed by four with
Springfield.
Drive to honor
Peaches in Duncan Park Stadium fundraiser
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The
Greenville Drive (Low Class A; Sally League) are honoring the Spartanburg
Peaches (Class B; Tri-State League) at the team's July 23 game. To commemorate
the town’s rich baseball history, the Drive will wear Spartanburg Peaches
uniforms and a 1950s-era jersey featuring the City of Spartanburg logo on the
right sleeve. During the game, a silent auction will be held where fans will be
able to bid for the historic Peaches jerseys worn by each of the Drive’s players
and coaches. Proceeds from the auction will go to benefit the renovation of
Duncan Park Stadium, home of Spartanburg
baseball for more than 80 years.
Duncan Park Stadium is a prominent member of our
Endangered Ballparks listings.
Attracting kids
to Yogi Berra Stadium key for Jackals
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Here's
a long look at the family-friendly promotions run by the New Jersey Jackals
(independent; Can-Am Association). The Jackals must be doing something right:
the team has drawn over 45,000 fans this season with more than half the home
schedule to go, virtually ensuring the team will surpass last season's
attendance total. This story was submitted by a reader. To share news with
the baseball community, drop a line to
editors@augustpublications.com.
Fun at the old
ballpark
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The
dozens who circled the Bosse Field bases on Monday
didn't count as runs in the scorebook; they were
merely memories for the scrapbook. As several of
the youngsters, on hand for the preceding
Evansville Otters (independent; Frontier League)
game, slid into home, dirt clung to sweat about as
quickly as the fans had taken to baseball. It was
many of the youths' first games. The second of two
weekday games with noon starts, Otters general
manager Deana Johnson said the game was designed
not only to give the players an earlier end to a
series, but also to attract day campers from
Evansville and the surrounding area. After
debuting a few seasons ago, the day games have
increased in popularity each year. Although
Monday's game drew a season-low crowd of 1,601, it
was a vociferous gathering that included 18 youth
groups on hand.
Ballpark Notes
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Some
attendance notes for today. The Lakewood
BlueClaws (Low Class A; Sally League) have
closed to within 14,871 fans of the 3-million mark
in franchise history, a number that is sure to
topple when Lakewood hosts a seven-game homestand
beginning Saturday night. The BlueClaws'
3-millionth fan will receive a bevy of prizes
including two season tickets to the 2008 BlueClaws
season (along with parking and Upstairs Club
passes), an authentic BlueClaws jersey with "3-
million" on the back, an autographed team bat and
ball, a $50 gift card to the ClawsCove, a $50 gift
certificate to the Upstairs Club, a ceremonial
first pitch on the field before that night's game,
and a half-inning on the radio.
Have some news to share with the baseball
community? Drop us a note at
editors@augustpublications.com.
Pirates in
search of a CEO
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With
Kevin McClatchy stepping down as CEO of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, many expect there to be a long
line of good contenders for the job. It's a pretty
good position: although the farm system isn't in good shape,
the business operations appear to be in order and
the team plays in a
great ballpark. Some early names thrown out
there include Jim Duquette, the vice president of
baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles;
Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg, owner of the
Altoona Curve (Class AA; Eastern League), State
College Spikes (short season; NY-Penn League) and
Myrtle Beach Pelicans (High Class A; Carolina
League); Gerry Hunsicker, the VP for baseball
operations for the Devil Rays; and former Brewers
president and CEO Ulice Payne, a native of
Ringgold High School in Pennsylvania. RELATED STORIES:
McClatchy to step down as Pirates CEO
Today's video:
Binghamton Mets rally film
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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This video is shown by the Binghamton Mets (Class
AA; Eastern League) in the middle of the ninth as
a rally tool.
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.
If they build
it, will you come?
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Brad
Wendt, chief executive officer of independent
United League Baseball, says he’s busy trying to
build an independent baseball empire. He has
visions of an 18-team league, up from the current
six teams. The league is still very much in its
start-up stage and unwilling to disclose financial
numbers. But attendance in the league’s largest
market -- Edinburg -- does not appear to be
meeting attendance expectations. The ULB is
composed of five Texas teams, including the
Coyotes and the ‘Wings, to go along with
Louisiana’s Alexandria Aces. If the master plan
succeeds, the upstart ULB could be one of the
largest, if not the largest, independent leagues
in the country within three years," Wendt said.
Realistically, there are only a few financial ways
to achieve that growth. Expanded into Wichita and
Topeka and bringing in Gary Wendt's Columbia team
is a good start. That leaves nine teams to
generate, which probably means trying to bring
some independent American Association teams into
the fold.
Ballpark was
designed with a twist to keep breezes at bay
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One
of the most overblown (har, har) stories in
All-Star history is the tale of Stu Miller being
blown off the mound during the 1961 game at
Candlestick Park -- he never fell off the mound,
but moved slightly in response to a gust -- but
designers of AT&T
Park took pains to cut down on the effects of
wind in the new facility. Before construction
began in 1997, designers decided to rotate the
ballpark by a quarter turn. Wind-tunnel studies
had suggested the initial orientation favored by
the architects would have been a windblown
disaster -- quite possibly twice as windy for fans
as Candlestick Park. Turning the new ballpark's
back to the wind cost fans the best views of the
city skyline, but the payoff turned out to be a
remarkably effective windshield -- for everyone
concerned. Those skirt-lifting, hat-stealing gusts
so typical of summer in San Francisco barely raise
eyebrows inside
AT&T
Park, particularly in the pricey and
best-protected seats nearest home plate. Speaking
of AT&T Park:
here's a look at the economic and development
activity surrounding the ballpark -- economic
activity that doesn't exist, according to some
with an axe to grind. The game, of course, is a
big showcase for the Giants and
AT&T
Park;
owner Peter Magowan says he's pretty pleased with
the state of both.
Could Terre
Haute support a minor-league baseball team?
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Independent
Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee met with
Indiana University and city officials two weeks
ago regarding placing a team in Terre Haute,
Indiana. It was the second meeting Lee has had
with interested minor league parties in Terre
Haute in a year. It is believed that the Frontier
League would be interested in moving one of its
existing franchises to Terre Haute, though Lee
would not confirm it. Potential owners -- none of
whom have been publicly identified -- are also
believed to be considering investment in a
franchise, contingent on an available facility.
Right now it sounds like the plan is to fix up
Sycamore Field as the home both for IU and a
Frontier League team.
A fitting
tribute to Paterson's Larry Doby
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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(discuss) Hinchliffe
Stadium is on our list of Endangered Ballparks;
the former home of Negro Leagues teams in
Paterson, N.J., is targeted by preservationists
who see it as an important tribute to that city's
history. It was also key in the personal history
of Larry Doby, the first African-American player
in the American League. Writes Lawrence Aaron:
"Paterson's Hinchliffe Stadium to its glory days
would be fitting tribute to baseball legend Larry
Doby, a man who brought so much positive attention
to this North Jersey city. It's going to take a
lot of effort to make that happen. Thursday marked
the 60th anniversary of Larry Doby's landmark
achievement as the first African-American in the
American League. Three generations of Dobys
attended the ceremony, which was held in the
city's Eastside Park on a well-maintained field
named in his honor. As great as that is, it would
be an equally meaningful tribute to restore
Hinchliffe, the stadium where he played
professionally in the Negro Leagues."
Royle focuses
on big picture
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Green
Bay Bullfrogs (summer collegiate; Northwood
League) owner Jeff Royle doesn't like talking
about financial projections. He'll say he hopes to
break even in this, the Bullfrogs' inaugural
season. He'll say he hopes to recoup his group's
initial seven-figure investment as soon as
possible, preferably in less than five years. But
when it comes to analyzing improved attendance and
predicting how those figures will hold up the next
five weeks -- and beyond -- Royle defers to an
axiom: The success of Northwoods League baseball
here is as good as the most recent gate.
The
Bullfrogs are averaging 1,002 fans a game --
less than the 1,200 that Royle projected -- but
sponsorship interest is high and attendance has
steadily risen since the season started.
Here's Dave Wright's take on Jeff Royle and the
Bullfrogs.
Nintendo
testing interactive fan network at Safeco Field
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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Nintendo
is making a pitch to turn its portable DS Lite
into a baseball staple, bringing interactive
technology to fans through a pilot program being
tested this season at
Safeco Field. The innovative program is called
the Nintendo Fan Network. For a fee, the network
uploads a program onto the user's DS Lite and
allows fans to order food and drinks, watch the
live television feed of the game, access stats and
scores and play trivia, all from the comfort of
their seat -- whether it's a premium seat behind
home plate or in the top row of the ballpark.
A swing and a
miss? IBL still facing difficulties
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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In
a country devoted to soccer and basketball, the
emergence of Israel's first professional baseball
league has been met by both enthusiasm and
criticism, with native Israelis generally
contributing to neither. The Israel Baseball
League, created by a confluence of North American
Jewish businessmen and fans, has fluctuated
between success and failure ever since opening
day. The inaugural game, played on June 24 between
the Modi'in Miracle and the Petah Tikva Pioneers,
drew an unexpected crowd of 3,112, but since then
attendance levels have dropped into the low
hundreds and sometimes even the double digits,
with many crowds consisting solely of family and
friends. Despite the low turnout, those involved
in the league are still optimistic for its future.
Marlins TV
ratings, attendance rebound from lows of 2006
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Florida Marlins are showing how a competitive team
featuring familiar players can draw more fans to
their TVs and to
Dolphin
Stadium. Through June, the Marlins had a 3.3
average rating per game in the Miami-Fort
Lauderdale market. That's up from 2.2 for the same
2006 period for games on FSN Florida and Sun
Sports, a 50 percent increase. The Marlins are
helping viewers stay tuned, with cameras in
dugouts during games and interviews in the
clubhouse with pitchers who leave games, team
spokesman P.J. Loyello said.
Redbirds
attendance up 40,000 over 2006
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League)
may not be on top of the win-loss column, but the
team is in the thick of the league attendance
race. Halfway through the season, the Redbirds are
in third place in attendance with a total of
367,186. The Redbirds average a little more than
8,000 fans per game. At this time last year,
attendance was at 327,906. Jason Potter, director
of marketing for the Redbirds, says the rise in
attendance numbers is partially due to season
ticket holders actually showing up to games at
AutoZone Park.
That is due to improved communication between the
team and ticket holders.
Minor-league
pitcher can't shut the door, can't open it either
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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Firefighters
in Montgomery were called to the ballpark after a
relief pitcher slammed the door. They were called
because Mobile BayBears (Class AA; Southern
League) pitcher Matt Elliott had locked himself in
the bathroom at Riverwalk Stadium and could not
get out to pitch the ninth inning against the
Montgomery Biscuits. Elliott was angry about
giving up the tying run on a sacrifice fly in the
bottom of the eighth and headed to the bathroom
behind the dugout at Riverwalk Stadium. "He
slammed the door and he broke the locking
mechanism that is set inside of a steel frame in
the side of a concrete wall," said Greg Rauch,
general manager of the Biscuits.
Blue Rocks
belong in Eastern League
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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Kevin
Tresolini argues that the Wilmington Blue Rocks
(High Class A; Carolina League) belong in the
Class AA Eastern League and not the Carolina
League based on the market size and the ability of
the team to consistently draw fans. No doubt
Wilmington could support a Class AA team, but
politically that may be hard: the Phillies would
need to approve any Class AA team moving in
(technically, the Blue Rocks wouldn't move out;
the Carolina League franchise would be sold and
moved and an existing Eastern League franchise
moved in), although with the Connecticut Defenders
having a hard time in Norwich you never know what
will happen in that circuit.
Valley is long
shot for getting affiliated baseball team
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Rio Grande Valley will be home to three
independent baseball teams next season, but don’t
expect deep South Texas to lure an affiliated
minor league franchise in the near future, Texas
League Commissioner Tom Kayser said. There is
virtually no chance at the present time because
Major League Baseball is not in the market for new
minor league teams, Kayser said. Only MLB
expansion will open opportunities for locations
looking to be home to the next affiliated ball
club, he added.
MLB punishes
ESPN for releasing All-Star names early
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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This
seems a little extreme. ESPN won't be able to
allowed to broadcast its "Baseball Tonight" show
live from the All-Star Game in San Francisco on
Tuesday night. Major League Baseball limited
ESPN's access this week after the cable network
broke an embargo and announced the All-Star
rosters before the end of a selection show on TBS.
ESPN reported the NL starters, including San
Francisco slugger Barry Bonds, before the show on
TBS aired, using a vote list mistakenly released
on The Associated Press wire. The AP sent an
advisory after that transmission, saying the list
was embargoed until after the TBS show. ESPN also
revealed the entire rosters shortly after they
were announced on TBS but before the end of the
TBS show in violation of baseball's embargo.
Diamond in the
rough
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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We
wish we had more time to devote to ballparks like
Veterans Field in Tekamah, Nebraska. It's not a
minor-league park, but it's been a central part of
the community when it opened 75 years ago:
volunteers maintain the field and stands, and
another local citizen donated a Hammond organ so
there would be live music during the game. We wish
we had enough time to highlight hometown ballparks
like this;
let us know if you'd like to see more stories like
this.
Players, others
sickened after ballpark meal
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Nashua health department is investigating what
made more than a dozen Nashua Pride (independent;
Can-Am Association) players, team officials and
reporters sick after eating at Holman Stadium. The
first person to get sick felt symptoms of food
poisoning on June 28. On average, those affected
were ill for four to five days with nausea,
diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever. A week later,
most had regained full health, said spokesman Nick
Travalini, who was among those stricken.
Are stadiums
worth the high price?
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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Dave
Zirin argues that Washington, D.C. is overpaying for a new Washington Nationals
ballpark and therefore any public funding of a new sports facility is bad. He's
absolutely right when speaking in the specific -- the funding plan for the new
ballpark is a very bad one for D.C. taxpayers -- but he's off on some other
assertions. For starters, the D.C. plan isn't typical at all of recent ballpark
funding plans: the New York Yankees and New York Mets are paying for their own
ballparks (a fact curiously omitted here), the St. Louis Cardinals paid almost
the entire cost of their new ballpark and the Minnesota Twins are picking up at
least $130 million for their new ballpark (more likely significantly more when
all the costs are tallied). The whole issue of public subsidies for businesses
of all sorts -- whether it be tax dollars for a new ballpark or tax-increment
financing for a downtown hotel development -- is a complicated one well worth
debating, but articles like this with some silly assertions (like the one
stating the only way to see the inside of the Superdome is via a New Orleans
Saints ticket; this past weekend a large and popular local music festival was
held there, for instance) don't really add to the debate.
Ballpark Notes
Posted July 9, 2007 (feedback)
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The
2007 Triple-A All-Star Fiesta got off to a
tremendous start as 20,000 total fans turned out
for the All-Star Fan Fest at the
Albuquerque Convention Center on Saturday and
Sunday combined. Fans came out in droves to
get autographs from seven former Albuquerque
Dukes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and
Los Angeles Dodgers legends, including
Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Bill Russell
and Mike Marshall, as well as participate
in scores of interactive games. Kids
especially enjoyed the wiffle ball replica of Isotopes Park,
which allowed them to hit a home run at The Lab,
as well as the tried-and-true speed pitch and
batting cages. In addition to the autographs
and games, the Fan Fest featured live music from
local bands, and a card show from local
memorabilia shops....Yesterday Colorado Springs
Sky Sox (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League)
broadcaster Dan Karcher called his 2,500th
Sky Sox game. Karcher has been with the Sky Sox
for 18 seasons and has seen the club win two PCL
Championship in 1992 and 1995....The Harrisburg
Senators (Class AA; Eastern League) are
closing in on five million fans. Since baseball
returned to City Island in 1987, close to five
million fans have attended games at Commerce
Bank Park during the regular season. Although
the exact date for reaching five million fans is
still uncertain, the Senators believe it will
happen during the home stand scheduled for July
19th through July 25th. One fan will be selected
at the end of the special game and that fan will
win a $2,250 prize package, which will include
2008 box season tickets with parking. The winner
will also get Senators’ tickets to use this
season, autographed items, a picnic with friends
next year, Washington Nationals tickets
with parking at RFK
Stadium and much more....Despite a 4-13 start,
the Tri-City ValleyCats (short season;
NY-Penn League) sold out four of their first eight
openings for a 4,226 average, compared with last
years 3,490 average.
Regular readers will remember a pretty slick video
used by the team for promotional purposes;
some improvements to the ballpark also helped.
Have some news to share with the baseball
community? Drop us a note at
editors@augustpublications.com.
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