Recent
Visits |
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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The
Fine Print |
Obligatory legal information:
This site is copyright 1998-2007 Kevin Reichard/August
Publications. All rights
reserved. My wife is a lawyer, so she will come and chop off
your hand in a legal fashion if you rip off this site
in any form. All logos are the property of their respective
owners. |
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! |
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Archives: May
6-12, 2007
Yankees, Mets won't sell seat licenses; ballpark
funds in place
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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New York's two Major League Baseball teams won't
sell licenses to fans who want to buy season
tickets at their new ballparks because they have
already secured financing and don't want the fan
backlash. Yankees President Randy Levine and Mets
Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon said in
separate interviews that their clubs won't join at
least 17 other major U.S. sports franchises in
selling personal seat licenses when their new
ballparks open in 2009. The licenses require fans
to pay a one-time fee for the right to buy season
tickets. The two New York teams raised a combined
$1.6 billion in taxable and tax-free municipal
bonds that will be repaid with ballpark revenue.
This is a smart move by both teams: they're
already being criticized by fans anticipating
hikes in ticket prices, and adding a PSL fee to
the mix would surely alienate a large part of both
team's fan base.
Here's a
look at the new Yankee Stadium;
here's a look
at Citi Field.
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Whole new ballgame;
Willets Point's last man standing defiantly;
Naming rights are all about the money;
Boro buzzes with talk of new Mets ballpark;
Mets break ground on new ballpark;
New Mets ballpark to be called CitiField;
Yankees, Mets bond sales set, both teams rated
junk;
Bronx group goes to court vs. new Yankee Stadium;
New York City receives IRS approval on ballpark
bonds;
New York Agency approves ballpark financing for
Yankees, Mets;
MTA pressed to create shortcut to Shea;
Is Steinbrenner house, which Ruth built, poor?;
NY City Council easily passes Yankees, Mets
ballpark bonding bills;
Squeeze play on Mets ballpark;
Mets: Forget about naming new park after Jackie
Robinson;
New Mets ballpark deal is stalled;
Squeeze play on the Mets;
Strike one for new Mets ballpark;
Mets park's name will fetch millions;
Mets unveil plans for new ballpark;
Yankees, Mets closer to new ballparks;
City goes to bat for Yankees, Mets ballparks;
State agency approves plans for Yankees, Mets
ballparks;
Ebbets' echoes in Queens;
At Mets' park, you'll think you're
in...Pittsburgh?;
State agency approves plans for Yankees, Mets
ballparks;
Mets to go old school in new park
Frontier, Northern League merger talks underway?
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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According to Rockford RiverHawks owner Dave
Ciarrachi, the independent Northern and Frontier
leagues have had preliminary discussions about
merging and he hopes some action could be taken in
the next 12 to 24 months. Northern League
Commissioner Clark Griffith and Frontier League
Commissioner Bill Lee didn't comment for the
Rockford Register Star story, which extensively
looked at what each league would need to do in
order to merge (the Frontier League would probably
raise the maximum age of a player; the Northern
League may have to make some concessions with
travel money). A merger also doesn't address one
of the big issues with the Northern League: the
Fargo-Moorhead, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary
franchises would still be located quite a ways
from the nearest team in the league -- Kansas City
is some 600 miles from Fargo.
In a blink, hitter's eye examined at Busch Stadium
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Darryl
Hamilton walked around the field Wednesday taking
snapshots. Major League Baseball's senior
specialist of on-field operations wasn't picturing
a change in MLB's stance on instant replay, but
said there will be adjustments to the hitter's
background at
Busch Stadium. The black hitter's eye in
center field doubles as a high-tech electronic
billboard that switches to ads between innings.
Problem is, you can see the white writing of
"Edward Jones" through the black during at-bats,
akin to house blinds allowing a sliver of
sunshine.
A's sign contracts for land in Fremont to build
new ballpark
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Oakland A's have signed contracts to buy a crucial
swath of land for a proposed ballpark and retail,
housing and hotel development in Fremont, the team
said Thursday. Lew Wolff, the A's managing
partner, called the deal a "critical milestone''
in the team's plan to migrate 25 miles down the
Nimitz Freeway. With the land in hand, he said, he
will soon submit an application to the city for a
roughly 32,000-seat ballpark, surrounded by
housing and high-end commercial development. Once
Wolff does that, Fremont can start a permit
approval process that the A's hope ends with a new
ballpark being opened within five years. Wolff did
not disclose the purchase price for the land, 181
acres on two parcels west of Interstate 880 off
Auto Mall Parkway. In all, the A's now control 226
acres in Fremont, the Bay Area's
fourth-most-populous city with 210,000 people.
More from the Tri-Valley Herald.
RELATED STORIES:
Entitlements key in funding Cisco Field;
Study: A's ballpark worth $109 million to economy;
Toxic hazard
creates bump in road to new A's ballpark;
A's tout Cisco Field in ticket mailer;
Will global warming swamp AT&T Park, new A's
ballpark?;
A's owner not sweating lack of BART at Fremont
ballpark site;
A's owner raises more questions than answers;
Wolff seeks tax rebate for new ballpark village;
Oakland A's owner buys office park near proposed
Fremont ballpark;
Fremont, A's continue talks for new ballpark;
If Selig's coming, A's must be going;
Wolff ready to go public on ballpark;
Cisco blending tech and baseball;
Records show evolving talks between A's, Fremont;
Are the A's worth it to Fremont's neighbors?;
More meetings with A's slated after new year;
Fremont kicks off negotiations with the A's;
A's detail Fremont
plans down to the letter;
San Jose still ponders illusory ballpark;
Transit teams try to solve Cisco Field
'challenges';
A's Fremont ballpark must field host of hurdles;
A's plan $400 million to $500 million ballpark
village in Fremont;
New A's ballpark would boast heavy Cisco tech;
The next big thing: the San Jose A's?;
A's ready to pull trigger on new Fremont ballpark;
Oakland City Council grants A's extension;
A's could move away;
A's owner Wolff buys prospective ballpark land in
Fremont;
Fremont looking more and more like future home of
Oakland A's;
A's not ready to slide out of Oakland yet;
A's pass on longer lease for McAfee Coliseum;
Owner gives up on moving A's to San Jose;
A's to decide ballpark fate by end of season;
Fremont's attempt to lure A's running into
obstacles;
'Let's plan for A's move,' Coliseum agency told;
San Jose voters jeer ballpark plan;
Wolff wants to keep A's in Bay Area;
A's, Fremont near deal;
A's must stay, Oakland mayor candidates say;
A's close to deal for Fremont ballpark, officials
say;
Rumors trail A's search for new ballpark;
A's owner in Fremont for meetings;
Wolff says there's land for new A's ballpark in
Fremont;
A's officials confirm interest in new Fremont
ballpark;
A's take long look at Fremont ballpark site;
The San Jose A's of Fremont?;
San Jose will buy land for A's ballpark;
Will smaller mean better for the A's?;
A's committed to intimate 34,000 park in '06;
A's owner's new plan for ballpark;
Talks for new A's ballpark sputter;
Soccer stadium throws curve at San Jose baseball
plan;
A's ownership group wants to buy MLS expansion
team for San Jose;
Athletics denied 3-year Coliseum lease extension;
A's ballpark: 'Baseball Village' in the vision
stage;
Planning ahead to get A's to San Jose;
San Jose buys first parcel of land for ballpark;
Land acquisition for San Jose ballpark may cost
$100 million;
San Jose goes to bat for ballpark property;
Fremont will consider a pitch for A's;
Wolff on the hunt for more A's fans, new ballpark;
Oakland ballpark village plan designed to win
allies, public funds;
Wolff's vision of ballpark raises questions;
Wolff unveils plans for 35,000-seat ballpark near
Coliseum;
A's owner to offer specific ballpark plan to keep
team in Oakland;
Have A's settled on new ballpark site?;
Smallball suits Lew Wolff just fine;
A's think small with stadium plans;
Fremont politicians make a pitch for A's;
A's say Coliseum lot isn't feasible;
Athletics announce committee
to plan new Oakland ballpark;
Another San Jose site eyed
for baseball;
The time has come for new
A's ballpark;
No specifics on new Oakland
ballpark, but plans in the works;
San Jose quits discussions
on cannery;
Wolff about to take over;
Going to bat for A's is big
opportunity for San Jose mayor;
Wolff: A's ballpark already
in works;
Deal near for San Jose
cannery site;
For A's, way to San Jose
paved with uncertainty;
San Jose baseball crusader
makes his pitch;
A's sale could happen
quickly;
Sale of A's to heighten San
Jose intrigue;
BART to the ballpark, what a
vision;
Another San Jose pitch for
baseball;
San Jose mayor makes his
pitch;
Q&A with A's new owner Lew
Wolff
Miami Stadium: Field of broken dreams
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Cuban
millionaire José Manuel Alemán believed that building a new ballpark in 1950s
Miami would lure major-league baseball to the city. And he was willing to stake
his personal fortune on it. Alemán was dead wrong. Billed as the most
''significant ballpark built since Yankee Stadium,'' Miami Stadium never lived
up to its hype following Opening Day in 1949. Today, 60 years since the original
plan for the state-of-the-art ballpark was unveiled, the tragic history of the
ballpark and its father-and-son owners is being revived in a documentary,
White Elephant: What's There to Save?. It premieres Saturday night at Little
Havana's Tower Theater in Miami.
Union rejects Mitchell's request for medical
records
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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The
baseball players' union rebuffed a request from Sen. George Mitchell's staff to
submit anonymous medical records to his steroids probe, according to several
lawyers familiar with the negotiations. Mitchell's staff, which has been
investigating steroids in baseball for more than a year, has been seeking
medical records for several months. The union has not agreed to a request for
anonymous records because players fear Mitchell's staff would use information in
them -- such as age, height, weight and blood type -- to connect the records to
specific players, the lawyers said, speaking on condition of anonymity because
they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the talks. Meanwhile, there's other
disturbing news on the drug front: major league
baseball players are continuing to pop
amphetamines and other banned stimulants despite
the introduction of testing last year,
according to a report from the World Anti-Doping
Agency.
RELATED STORIES:
Sosa and Palmeiro cited in
steroid investigation
Dragons stay in touch with fans on waiting list
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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In
February 2000, as Fifth Third Field was nearing
its completion on First Street and the Dayton Dragons (Low Class A; Midwest
League) seemed more a reality than ever, the team sold its final season ticket package. Then one day, the Dragons employee
assigned in the makeshift office across from the ballpark to take ticket orders
suggested establishing a waiting list for season tickets. That list goes strong
today. But because about 95 percent of their 5,000 season-ticket accounts renew
each season, not many extra fans or businesses can purchase tickets each year.
The logjam of interest --
there are 6,634 names on the waiting list -- has created a very desirable problem for the Dragons, who
have sold out 514 straight home games.
Latin food at Yankee Stadium. Now, how about that!
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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In
our
Complete Guide to Big League Ballparks we noted the relative lack of Latin
food offerings at Yankee Stadium, a
curious omission for a New York City team. That shortcoming has been addressed
this season, as the normal concession items -- hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken
fingers, fries, pork fried rice, peanuts and even sushi and baked ziti -- has
some spicy new additions. They read like the day’s specials at a Washington
Heights restaurant: ground beef or cheese empanadas; chicken in salsa with sweet
plantains, rice and beans; Cuban sandwiches with plantain chips; and papas
rellenas, or fried stuffed potatoes.
Minor-league ballpark debate continues in Grand
Prairie
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Opposition
to a proposed minor-league ballpark in Grand Prairie, Texas got a little more
vocal recently, when a group against the park gave the city council a 5,000-name
petition as a show of strength. But ballpark proponents think the petition is
misleading and have mounted a phone bank counter-offensive. Katy Hubener, the
spokesperson for “Citizens Against the Ballpark and For Property Tax Relief,”
brought the stack of petitions to the city council on May 1. She told the
council that her group planned to collect more leading up to election day and
later confirmed that it had sent out a mail flier with a petition component.
Tomorrow voters will to go to the polls to vote on a proposal to fund a new
ballpark for an independent American Association team via a one-eight-cent sales
tax.
RELATED STORIES:
In Grand Prairie election,
it's what's outside that matters;
Rangers donate to anti-ballpark group;
Tax plan to fund Grand Prairie ballpark is debated;
Rangers oppose Grand Prairie ballpark;
Grand Prairie to hold "name the team" contest;
Plans for new Grand Prairie ballpark unveiled;
American Association expands to Grand Prairie
Act of patriotism? Fans forced to stand still
during anthem at Yankee Stadium
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Lots
of Yankees news today. The most patriotic moments at
Yankee Stadium can also be the most
confining. Seconds before "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" are
played, police officers, security guards and ushers turn their backs to the
American flag in center field, stare at fans moving through the stands and ask
them to stop. Across the ballpark's lower section, ushers stand every 20 feet to
block the main aisle with chains. Some say the move is unduly restrictive and
that the Yankees should stop the practice, but we're unlikely to see anything
more than complaints unless a fan is actually arrested or detained for moving
around.
Stingers to fly away from Spartanburg to Forest
City after this summer season
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Fifty-six
more games -- and the Spartanburg Stingers (summer
collegiate; Coastal Plain League) will be no more.
The Stingers next year will find a permanent home
in Forest City, N.C., complete with a new name, a
new ballpark and new faces filling the stands.
It's a loss to Spartanburg's 80-year-old
Duncan Park
Stadium, which has seen all levels of baseball
grace its diamond over time. The Stingers played
there for four years. But with the stadium now
closed, the team will play the 2007 season at
Wofford College,
including 28 home games and 28 away. The Stingers,
city leaders and the college were able to broker a
one-year lease to make that happen. Forest City is
planning up to $2 million in renovations to its
American Legion field -- which, from now on, will
be known as the McNair Municipal Stadium, as much
of the funding for the renovation came from a gift
from Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans
(NFL). A return of the Stingers was seen as part
of the potential
Duncan Park Stadium renovations, but a group
working toward its renovation says it's been in
contact with other leagues, and we're guessing
they've received some encouragement from the
independent South Coast League.
Pro ball returns to city
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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The
independent Northern League finally dug its cleats into Saskatoon Thursday after
years of whispered talk and sidelong glances. The preseason clash between the
Calgary Vipers and Edmonton Cracker-Cats, which finished with a 5-5 tie, drew a
crowd in the 2,500 to 3,000 range. Cracker-Cats' general manager Al Coates
surveyed the scene and an old ballpark he said wasn't as bad as he'd thought,
and proclaimed himself ready to return next season. The Cracker-Cats are being
kicked out of their park for two weeks next season when the world junior
baseball championships hit Edmonton in late July. Coates said there's a good
chance they'll make Saskatoon their home base during that span.
RELATED STORIES:
Pitching in to sell pro
ball
Nationals' transition extends off field
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Last
July, when Major League Baseball was officially
turning over the Washington Nationals to the
family of Bethesda real estate giant Theodore N.
Lerner, the incoming president of the club, Stan
Kasten, was going over the plan he thought would
best serve the building of the team. It involved
slashing payroll in the upcoming offseason,
stripping the roster before it was completely
restructured. He wanted his new owners to
understand the public's most likely reaction. As
the Lerners approach the 10-month anniversary of
their official takeover, the adjustments are
ongoing both on and off the field. The Lerners
have gone from owning businesses whose operations
were essentially out of the public spotlight to
taking on a franchise that Ted Lerner's son Mark
-- one of the Nationals' four principal owners --
called "a public trust."
Saints on your speed dial?
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Can't
make Mascot Mania day at the St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association)
baseball game next week? Just whip out your BlackBerry and you'll be transported
to Midway Stadium. The minor-league Saints,
known for some of the zaniest promotions in sports, now hope to be on the
leading edge of technology by partnering with B2 Networks to sign up fans to
view games online or via their cell phones for $6.95 a month. The Saints plan to
webcast the complete Midway experience, pig included. But how many people care
enough about the game to pay $6.95 a month to watch it out of the park? The move
comes after the Saints drastically scaled back their TV broadcasts this season.
Then again, maybe there are a lot of fans ready to pay for game broadcasts. The
Boise Hawks (short season; Northwest League) are offering the chance to listen
to game broadcasts via cell phone for $5 for a game.
Pelicans at play
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Speaking
of the American Association: the circuit began its season last night. We noted a
crowd of over 3,000 for the Pensacola Pelicans season opener -- a pretty good
crowd for that market and venue. The team gets some good support from the local
newspaper; here a columnist describes the many reasons why fans should go to a
Pelicans game -- free stuff is great, but we're not sure about the Chicken
Dance.
The way it was in ’43 at the old ballparks
Posted May 11, 2007 (feedback)
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Here's
a first-person account of hawking beer and hot dogs at Municipal Stadium for
Cleveland Indians games in 1943. The author, Arnold Miller, was 12 at the time,
and even though hawkers were supposed to be 18 years old to sell beer, wartime
meant there was a shortage of young men available, so even the 12-year-olds got
a shot at beer sales. With a good crowd a hawker could make $15 a game -- which
was pretty good money in those days.
Entitlements key in funding Cisco Field
Posted May 10, 2007 (feedback)
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Land
entitlements and tax increment financing will be
key in paying for Cisco Field, the proposed
and its massive surrounding development, Lew Wolff
said the day after releasing an economic report on
the proposed ballpark village. Entitlements from
the city of Fremont -- such as making the
industrial land by the Pacific Commons shopping
center more valuable by rezoning it to housing and
commercial uses -- "can be a type of currency,"
Wolff said Wednesday in a conference call with
reporters. When reached for comment
Wednesday, several city officials said they were
still studying the report, which was not released
to them until after 7 p.m. Tuesday. Really, all of
this is a trial balloon; the city and the A's
can't even begin real negotiations until a
development application or formal plan is
presented to officials, and that's a few months
away at the earliest, according to Wolff.
RELATED STORIES:
Study: A's ballpark worth $109 million to economy;
Toxic hazard
creates bump in road to new A's ballpark;
A's tout Cisco Field in ticket mailer;
Will global warming swamp AT&T Park, new A's
ballpark?;
A's owner not sweating lack of BART at Fremont
ballpark site;
A's owner raises more questions than answers;
Wolff seeks tax rebate for new ballpark village;
Oakland A's owner buys office park near proposed
Fremont ballpark;
Fremont, A's continue talks for new ballpark;
If Selig's coming, A's must be going;
Wolff ready to go public on ballpark;
Cisco blending tech and baseball;
Records show evolving talks between A's, Fremont;
Are the A's worth it to Fremont's neighbors?;
More meetings with A's slated after new year;
Fremont kicks off negotiations with the A's;
A's detail Fremont
plans down to the letter;
San Jose still ponders illusory ballpark;
Transit teams try to solve Cisco Field
'challenges';
A's Fremont ballpark must field host of hurdles;
A's plan $400 million to $500 million ballpark
village in Fremont;
New A's ballpark would boast heavy Cisco tech;
The next big thing: the San Jose A's?;
A's ready to pull trigger on new Fremont ballpark;
Oakland City Council grants A's extension;
A's could move away;
A's owner Wolff buys prospective ballpark land in
Fremont;
Fremont looking more and more like future home of
Oakland A's;
A's not ready to slide out of Oakland yet;
A's pass on longer lease for McAfee Coliseum;
Owner gives up on moving A's to San Jose;
A's to decide ballpark fate by end of season;
Fremont's attempt to lure A's running into
obstacles;
'Let's plan for A's move,' Coliseum agency told;
San Jose voters jeer ballpark plan;
Wolff wants to keep A's in Bay Area;
A's, Fremont near deal;
A's must stay, Oakland mayor candidates say;
A's close to deal for Fremont ballpark, officials
say;
Rumors trail A's search for new ballpark;
A's owner in Fremont for meetings;
Wolff says there's land for new A's ballpark in
Fremont;
A's officials confirm interest in new Fremont
ballpark;
A's take long look at Fremont ballpark site;
The San Jose A's of Fremont?;
San Jose will buy land for A's ballpark;
Will smaller mean better for the A's?;
A's committed to intimate 34,000 park in '06;
A's owner's new plan for ballpark;
Talks for new A's ballpark sputter;
Soccer stadium throws curve at San Jose baseball
plan;
A's ownership group wants to buy MLS expansion
team for San Jose;
Athletics denied 3-year Coliseum lease extension;
A's ballpark: 'Baseball Village' in the vision
stage;
Planning ahead to get A's to San Jose;
San Jose buys first parcel of land for ballpark;
Land acquisition for San Jose ballpark may cost
$100 million;
San Jose goes to bat for ballpark property;
Fremont will consider a pitch for A's;
Wolff on the hunt for more A's fans, new ballpark;
Oakland ballpark village plan designed to win
allies, public funds;
Wolff's vision of ballpark raises questions;
Wolff unveils plans for 35,000-seat ballpark near
Coliseum;
A's owner to offer specific ballpark plan to keep
team in Oakland;
Have A's settled on new ballpark site?;
Smallball suits Lew Wolff just fine;
A's think small with stadium plans;
Fremont politicians make a pitch for A's;
A's say Coliseum lot isn't feasible;
Athletics announce committee
to plan new Oakland ballpark;
Another San Jose site eyed
for baseball;
The time has come for new
A's ballpark;
No specifics on new Oakland
ballpark, but plans in the works;
San Jose quits discussions
on cannery;
Wolff about to take over;
Going to bat for A's is big
opportunity for San Jose mayor;
Wolff: A's ballpark already
in works;
Deal near for San Jose
cannery site;
For A's, way to San Jose
paved with uncertainty;
San Jose baseball crusader
makes his pitch;
A's sale could happen
quickly;
Sale of A's to heighten San
Jose intrigue;
BART to the ballpark, what a
vision;
Another San Jose pitch for
baseball;
San Jose mayor makes his
pitch;
Q&A with A's new owner Lew
Wolff
Ballpark battle beginning in Fort Collins?
Posted May 10, 2007 (feedback)
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story)
(discuss)
No
wonder
Kurt
Colicchio, the owner of the Fort Collins Foxes
(summer collegiate; Mountain Collegiate Baseball
League), was in a hurry to announce a new
ballpark: there's a competing plan for a downtown
$3-million, 4,000-seat ballpark that could
conceivably bring minor-league baseball (in the
form of the independent American Association, we
suspect) to the city. Mike Jensen, a former first
baseman for the U.S. national team, is now a
downtown developer, and he's pushing the notion of
a downtown ballpark. Both Colicchio and Jensen say
there's room in the market for one ballpark, and
whoever gets a plan in place first will likely
freeze out the competition. A Fort Collins team
wouldn't be located in the smallest city in the
American Association -- that honor would still
belong to the St. Joe Blacksnakes -- and it would
make a good travel partner with a new Brighton
ballpark in the works.
RELATED STORIES:
Foxes still seeking location for their new 'Den'
Let's play fantasy ballpark in Tampa Bay
Posted May 10, 2007 (feedback)
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story)
(discuss)
Now
that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays ownership has raised the issue of a new ballpark,
it's time for the media to take that issue and run with it. This article
addresses the issue of a new ballpark and under what circumstances would
necessary before voters approved any sort of funding or financing: the D-Rays
would need to come to the table with a reasonable financial request, continue
working toward a winning team (which is happening) and request a suitable
location. We'd add another condition: that the team continue its record of good
customer service, evidenced in recent years with a cleaning and upgrading of
Tropicana Field as well as little things like free parking. In terms of
location: downtown St. Pete nearer the waterfront would be a great location --
say, on the current Al Lang Field site --
but Hillsborough County
may also be a possibility. Still, the likelihood of something happening is
small: the city still owed over $100 million on the ballpark, and the D-Rays
have a firm lease running though 2027.
Owner Stuart Sternberg is giving some mixed signals about whether the team needs
a ballpark, however.
RELATED STORIES:
Talk of a new D-Rays
ballpark begins
Manatees
fire media director
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In
late November, Scott Pinner came to the Brevard County Manatees (High Class A;
Florida State League) with talent, experience and an ambition to thrive as the
team's director of media relations. Less than six months later, he departed at
the insistence of his employer. The North Merritt Island resident was fired on
Wednesday morning in what Manatees president Charlie Baumann said was
professionally "one of the most difficult things I've had to do."
Brewers won't enact clubhouse beer ban
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Several
teams are considering a ban on beer in the clubhouse, but the Milwaukee Brewers
won't be joining them. The Brewers said Wednesday they will continue to allow
beer in their
Miller Park
clubhouse during home and away games. Pitcher Chris Capuano, the Brewers'
representative to the players association, told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
that the decision was consistent with the way the club treats its players. Also
undoubtedly a factor: Miller Brewing supplies the beer for free to the clubhouse
and is a major sponsor of the team.
The White Sox say they won't ban beer, either.
New statue outside Wrigley? Take it to the
Banks
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Few
people would argue Ernie Banks remains the Chicago
Cubs' most renowned living legend, viewed
nationally as an ardent ambassador for the Cubs
and Major League Baseball in general. A movement
is afoot to have the Cubs organization erect a
statue of the affable Hall of Famer, who is 76.
Cubs President John McDonough says plans are
in the works for a Banks statue outside
Wrigley Field,
though no formal timetable is in place -- it will
probably have to wait until the sale of the team
is completed.
In Grand Prairie election, it's what's
outside that matters
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Voters
in Grand Prairie, Texas will go to the polls
Saturday to vote on whether to use the proceeds of
a one-eighth-cent sales tax to fund a new ballpark
for an independent American Association team. O.K.
Carter says voter turnout is expected to be pretty
high, with expectations growing every day. One
factor: some locals aren't pleased that the Texas
Rangers are lobbying against the public funding.
RELATED STORIES:
Rangers donate to anti-ballpark group;
Tax plan to fund Grand Prairie ballpark is debated;
Rangers oppose Grand Prairie ballpark;
Grand Prairie to hold "name the team" contest;
Plans for new Grand Prairie ballpark unveiled;
American Association expands to Grand Prairie
Diamondbacks' new marketing strategy: Less is
more money
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Three
years ago, the Arizona Diamondbacks organization
was in a slump. The team lost 111 games and still
was nursing a financial hangover from the pricey
veteran roster that delivered a World Series
victory in 2001. Since then, they've revamped
their plans both on and off the field. Faced with
flat sponsorship revenue, the team has stepped up
efforts to recruit and retain corporate sponsors
through such means as dressing up the ballpark and
schmoozing with company executives. That new
approach was on display Friday at the team's
inaugural business-to-business summit that allowed
chief executives and other corporate
decision-makers to mingle with team executives and
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who
delivered a keynote speech.
Sports team investing 101
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Whether
a baseball team is a good investment is up to the
people buying and running the teams, but there's
no doubt the profit margins can be pretty good.
Still, this article from Esquire makes it sound
like you can just walk up and buy the team of your
choice -- and we all know that's not true.
Pirates stick to business blueprint
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Pittsburgh
Pirates owner Bob Nutting says the team will stick
with the current payroll level -- around $38.6
million, which does not included bonuses, deferred
payments, buyouts and such -- even though $50
million is budgeted. The Pirates are already
losing ground in their division, nine games behind
the Brewers. Now, you can look at this several
ways. The Pirates are trying to win by building a
system, the same way the Brewers, Indians and the
Diamondbacks did. Buying talent is always a
crapshoot, and generally speaking it's very hard
to build a team around bought talent
unless you're the Mets or the Red Sox. Meanwhile,
Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner says the
team will break the bank open to sign free agents
when the team moves into a new ballpark next
season.
The battle for Harlingen Field
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The
Harlingen school district and the Rio Grande
Valley WhiteWings (independent; United League
Baseball) are battling over control of the
Harlingen Field. Both sides scheduled games at the
same time tonight and Saturday. The Hawks need the
ballpark for Game 1 and, possibly, Game 3 of their
area-round playoff series against Sharyland.
Meanwhile, the Wings need the field for the final
game of their three-game series versus Amarillo
and when they host Alexandria. Neither side sounds
like they're backing down, and their leases with
the city don't give either any preferential
treatment.
Home of the Braves?
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The
Boston Phoenix asks the brave question: did the
right team leave town when the National League's
Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee? Oldtimers in
Boston who remember the Braves say so, but we're
not so sure: the Red Sox have emerged as the
darling of New England, and the Braves were pretty
successful playing in Milwaukee. (Indeed, with a
better management, the team probably could have
done well enough in County Stadium to survive.)
The Braves aren't as forgotten as this article
would indicate; both the Brewers and the Atlanta
Braves pay homage to the Boston Braves/Bees in
their current ballparks.
Ballpark Notes
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KWKH
(1130 AM) will be the new radio home for the
Shreveport Sports (independent; American
Association) in 2007. Starting with the Thursday
night season opener at Fort Worth, KWKH will air
80 Shreveport Sports games this season. Games not
carried on KWKH will be aired on the internet at
shreveportsports.com. For the fifth
consecutive year, Dave Nitz will be calling
the play-by-play of Sports baseball. Nitz, who
also broadcast for Louisiana Tech, is in his 19th
year of broadcasting baseball in Shreveport,
starting with the Captains in 1986....
Talk of a new D-Rays ballpark begins
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There
was a time, D-Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said,
when talk of a new ballpark for his Tampa Bay
Devil Rays was not permitted at
Tropicana Field.
Of all the items on his to-do list -- and there
were many -- a replacement for
Tropicana Field
was at the bottom when Sternberg took control of
the franchise in October 2005. Since then
Sternberg pumped nearly $18 million in stadium
renovations, signed off on the relocation of the
team's spring training site to Port Charlotte and
approved moving next week's three-game series with
the Texas Rangers from
Tropicana Field
to
The
Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports.
Now, it's OK to talk about a new ballpark around
Sternberg, as he and the front office has
concluded Tropicana
Field has a shelf life of only five more
years. To say the D-Rays have put a ton of work
into improving
Tropicana Field is an understatement -- for
what it is, it's not bad -- but surely the team
would draw better in a new state-of-the-art
retractable-roof ballpark.
More from the St. Petersburg Times and
The New York Times.
Sosa and Palmeiro cited in steroid
investigation
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The
New York Times is reporting that the medical
records of Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro have
been requested by investigators working with
George Mitchell on his look at possible steroid
abuse in Major League Baseball. The investigators
in the inquiry have also asked the Baltimore
Orioles to send medical files to Jason Grimsley,
David Segui and Fernando Tatis, a baseball
official said. The players will then be asked to
authorize their release to Mitchell, although they
are believed to be unlikely to do so. Other
players under Mitchell’s scrutiny have not been
publicly identified, although people who have been
briefed on the development said that the full list
included players expected and unexpected, and that
it excluded some players who might have been
expected to be on the list of steroid suspects.
Stars' owner: Attendance a concern
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Despite
small crowds, owner Miles Prentice says he has no
plans to move the Huntsville Stars (Class AA;
Southern League). Only 918 fans were at Joe Davis
Stadium on Tuesday night for the Huntsville
Stars-Mobile BayBears game. Sprinkled among them
were four members of the team's ownership group,
including Prentice. The meager numbers -- nine of
the 17 home dates have had triple-digit attendance
figures -- are "absolutely" a concern for
Prentice, who bought the club in the fall of 2001
from a group of local owners. Rumors about the
availability of the Stars have been swirling for
at least two years, and attendance figures like
these certainly won't quiet them down.
Recasting hockey in Toledo:
changing collars from blue to white
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In two years, you can
expect to see a different version of the Toledo
Storm (ECHL), as the team moves from the scruffy
Sports
Arena to a new downtown venue designed and ran by
the same folks behind
Fifth Third Field, the home of the Toledo Mud
Hens -- arguably one of the most successful teams
in minor-league baseball. Dave Wright sits down
with Mud Hens GM Joe Napoli to discuss how Toledo
hockey will change with the move downtown -- and
his plan to put forward a more upscale offering.
Mixing minor-league hockey with minor-league
baseball is always a challenge, so it will be
interesting to see how the Mud Hens do.
Study: A's ballpark worth $109 million to
economy
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Oakland
A's managing owner Lew Wolff released the first projections Tuesday night on the
economic value of his proposed Cisco Field and adjoining ballpark village,
saying the development would "generate very significant incremental benefits to
the city of Fremont and Alameda County." The study commissioned by the A's and
produced by San Francisco-based Economics Research Associates concludes the
ballpark and associated development would inject $109 million annually
countywide into the economy. The total "economic output," which also calculates
the value of dollars as they recirculate in the economy, would be $191 million.
The report, hand-delivered at a Fremont City Council meeting, did not break out
figures for Fremont alone. It's in the southwest part of the city that Wolff
wants to build a 32,000-seat ballpark, 2,900 townhomes, a 100-room hotel and
550,000 square feet of new retail space.
More from the Oakland Tribune.
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Records show evolving talks between A's, Fremont;
Are the A's worth it to Fremont's neighbors?;
More meetings with A's slated after new year;
Fremont kicks off negotiations with the A's;
A's detail Fremont
plans down to the letter;
San Jose still ponders illusory ballpark;
Transit teams try to solve Cisco Field
'challenges';
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A's plan $400 million to $500 million ballpark
village in Fremont;
New A's ballpark would boast heavy Cisco tech;
The next big thing: the San Jose A's?;
A's ready to pull trigger on new Fremont ballpark;
Oakland City Council grants A's extension;
A's could move away;
A's owner Wolff buys prospective ballpark land in
Fremont;
Fremont looking more and more like future home of
Oakland A's;
A's not ready to slide out of Oakland yet;
A's pass on longer lease for McAfee Coliseum;
Owner gives up on moving A's to San Jose;
A's to decide ballpark fate by end of season;
Fremont's attempt to lure A's running into
obstacles;
'Let's plan for A's move,' Coliseum agency told;
San Jose voters jeer ballpark plan;
Wolff wants to keep A's in Bay Area;
A's, Fremont near deal;
A's must stay, Oakland mayor candidates say;
A's close to deal for Fremont ballpark, officials
say;
Rumors trail A's search for new ballpark;
A's owner in Fremont for meetings;
Wolff says there's land for new A's ballpark in
Fremont;
A's officials confirm interest in new Fremont
ballpark;
A's take long look at Fremont ballpark site;
The San Jose A's of Fremont?;
San Jose will buy land for A's ballpark;
Will smaller mean better for the A's?;
A's committed to intimate 34,000 park in '06;
A's owner's new plan for ballpark;
Talks for new A's ballpark sputter;
Soccer stadium throws curve at San Jose baseball
plan;
A's ownership group wants to buy MLS expansion
team for San Jose;
Athletics denied 3-year Coliseum lease extension;
A's ballpark: 'Baseball Village' in the vision
stage;
Planning ahead to get A's to San Jose;
San Jose buys first parcel of land for ballpark;
Land acquisition for San Jose ballpark may cost
$100 million;
San Jose goes to bat for ballpark property;
Fremont will consider a pitch for A's;
Wolff on the hunt for more A's fans, new ballpark;
Oakland ballpark village plan designed to win
allies, public funds;
Wolff's vision of ballpark raises questions;
Wolff unveils plans for 35,000-seat ballpark near
Coliseum;
A's owner to offer specific ballpark plan to keep
team in Oakland;
Have A's settled on new ballpark site?;
Smallball suits Lew Wolff just fine;
A's think small with stadium plans;
Fremont politicians make a pitch for A's;
A's say Coliseum lot isn't feasible;
Athletics announce committee
to plan new Oakland ballpark;
Another San Jose site eyed
for baseball;
The time has come for new
A's ballpark;
No specifics on new Oakland
ballpark, but plans in the works;
San Jose quits discussions
on cannery;
Wolff about to take over;
Going to bat for A's is big
opportunity for San Jose mayor;
Wolff: A's ballpark already
in works;
Deal near for San Jose
cannery site;
For A's, way to San Jose
paved with uncertainty;
San Jose baseball crusader
makes his pitch;
A's sale could happen
quickly;
Sale of A's to heighten San
Jose intrigue;
BART to the ballpark, what a
vision;
Another San Jose pitch for
baseball;
San Jose mayor makes his
pitch;
Q&A with A's new owner Lew
Wolff
Schools agree to role in land swap for
baseball
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The
Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board Tuesday
approved its part of a land swap that enable a new
ballpark for the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA;
International League) uptown and boost development
in the Second Ward area. The board voted 6-3 to
give up the district's headquarters in Second Ward
in exchange for offices in the nearby
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center and $13.8
million to acquire additional space. The board's
three Republicans, Kaye McGarry, Ken Gjertsen and
Larry Gauvreau, opposed the deal, all giving
different reasons. The land swap eventually will
lead to the Knights building a privately financed
ballpark, if all goes right.
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still in play for reshaping Charlotte;
Could new Charlotte
ballpark be delayed by lawsuit?;
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ballpark advances;
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Mecklenburg County set for baseball deal role;
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Uptown park for Knights makes sense;
Charlotte council gets update on baseball plan;
Chamber: poll shows overwhelming support for
Knights ballpark;
Backers urge: Make noise for Charlotte ballpark;
A slow curve in Charlotte;
Charlotte ballpark land swap seen as feasible;
Charlotte Knights select Barton Malow to oversee
ballpark construction;
Hard days for Knights;
Knights see more fans, but lag league;
Knights select Odell Associates, HOK to design new
ballpark;
Knights meet with potential architects;
Competing plans for baseball parks in Charlotte;
The big pitch for uptown baseball in Charlotte;
Charlotte turns to funding plans for ballpark;
Will Charlotte ballpark be magnet for growth?;
Third Ward residents object to new Knights
ballpark;
Uptown baseball in Charlotte may cost city $5
million;
Charlotte ballpark plan now turns to question of
real estate;
Arts package heads the agenda for city funding,
but baseball is now up to bat with a new plan;
Uptown ballpark plan has some rally-killers;
Deal in works for uptown Charlotte ballpark
Milwaukee kicks ass on, off the field
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The
Milwaukee Brewers lead the way in unusual
promotions this season, as the team offered free
prostate examinations before last night's game at
Miller Park. The offer: fans signing up for the
exam received two free tickets to a future Brewers
game. Now, we all know how important a healthy
prostate is, and we commend the team for this
promotion (made all the sweeter with a 6-4 win
over the hapless Washington Nationals). Still, you
can all insert your own jokes about this combo --
you really do need to suffer a little to be a
Brewers fan, etc.
Plans for ballpark in Grand Prairie
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More
on the proposal to use a one-eighth sales tax to
fund a new ballpark for an independent American
Association team. The matter will be before voters
this weekend. Proponents say cheaper
family-oriented entertainment will be welcome in
the Dallas suburb; opponents say the 6,000-seat
ballpark is a waste of money. It does seem like a
pretty sweetheart deal, with the sales tax funding
all ballpark construction.
RELATED STORIES:
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Grand Prairie to hold "name the team" contest;
Plans for new Grand Prairie ballpark unveiled;
American Association expands to Grand Prairie
Foxes still seeking location for their new
'Den'
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Kurt
Colicchio, owner of the Fort Collins Foxes (summer
collegiate; Mountain Collegiate Baseball League),
has financing and a builder in place for a new
ballpark for his team. Now, all he needs is a
site. Colicchio said Tuesday at a news conference
to announce plans for a new ballpark that, while
he wants to have a ballpark in place for the 2008
season, he has yet to secure land necessary for
the project. The ballpark will have a seating
capacity of 2,000, with 750 of those bleacher
seats and the remaining on grassy areas for beach
chairs and blankets. Colicchio said the cost of
the ballpark alone would be about $120,000. He
estimated the cost of the land would be $60,000
and up.
Oakland now offers tickets via cell
Posted May 9, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Oakland A's are the latest team to offer paperless
tickets via cellphone in conjunction with MLB AM's
ticket service, tickets.com. When the ticket is
purchased, it's then sent via multimedia text
message. Team officials say it could cut down on
lines at the ticket office -- and whether that's a
problem at
McAfee Coliseum is up for some debate -- but
it also takes the paper out of the equation, and
you can't scalp a paperless ticket.
Baseball in Brighton or anyone for the Bright
'n Shinies?
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Amid
choruses of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," bags of
peanuts and the Brighton High School baseball
team, city leaders announced plans last week to
bring an independent American Association team to
the area by 2009. The city is teaming up with
Venture Sports and Fran Zeuli, a Denver resident
and cable television executive who wants to own
the team, to form an independent squad of
professional baseball players. No one at
Wednesday’s unveiling attached a cost to the
project. American Association Commissioner Miles
Wolff said similar ballparks in other parts of the
country cost between $15 million and $20 million.
It sounds like Zeuli and crew will have the Denver
suburbs to themselves; there apparently has been
little work done on a proposed Commerce City
ballpark in recent months.
RELATED STORIES:
Baseball may be hit in Brighton by '09
Pitching in to sell pro ball
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In
a less lucid moment, Calgary Vipers ( independent;
Northern League) pitcher Phil Sobkow pictured
himself as a baseball magnate in Saskatoon --
running an independent Northern League team, in a beautiful new
ballpark. But Sobkow, who starts on the mound
Thursday during an Northern League exhibition game
against the Edmonton Cracker-Cats at Saskatoon's
Cairns Field, quickly adds he's not the man
destined to bring pro baseball back into
Saskatchewan. Saskatoon and the Northern League
are making tentative first steps toward what may
or may not be a long-term relationship with
Thursday's date, which starts at 7:05 p.m.
Organizers expect a crowd of 3,000 to 4,000.
Beer and baseball have a long history
together
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The
death of Josh Hancock last week while driving
under the influence has caused MLB to reevaluate
their policies regarding beer in the clubhouse --
the Yankees and the Cubs have now stopped the
practice, while the D-Backs are re-evaluating it
-- and it sounds like MLB will open the issue with
the players' association. It's probably a good
idea to drop the practice entirely, although with
the number of teams already banning beer (the
Padres did so 20 years ago, the Marlins two years
ago), it may be a moot point by the end of the
season.
RELATED STORIES:
Cops: Hancock drunk at time of accident;
Drinking starts in the clubhouse;
In memoriam: Josh Hancock
New food options a hit
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The
Trenton Thunder (Class AA; Eastern League) are
serving up a major-league menu at Mercer
Waterfront Park with a lineup that expands each
year. The team's combination of traditional foods,
healthy choices and local favorites means a
selection that is not typical ballpark food and is
tops among minor-league ballparks, says Thunder
spokesman Dan Loney. Those options include Thunder
concession stands that sell fruit cups, Caesar and
chef salads, hot dogs, fries, roast beef or
chicken sandwiches and nachos. A "Kidcession"
stand lets kids buy popcorn, a hot dog, juice,
soda, milk or a soft pretzel for $1 per item.
Familiar local eateries also have set up shop at
the ballpark, giving the menu even more of a
regional flavor. Those include crab fries from
Chickie's & Pete's, a Philadelphia ballpark
tradition that has an outlet in Bordentown.
Free statues for alderman called a foul
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This
seems like overkill. North Little Rock’s mayor and
aldermen can’t keep $160 crystal statuettes bought
with public money to commemorate the city’s new
ballpark unless the city is repaid, a city
attorney’s opinion states. Mayor Patrick Hays used
$3,817.50 from a $25,000 contingency fund within
the mayor’s budget to buy the gifts as mementos of
the April 12 opening of the $40.4 million
Dickey-Stephens Park on Broadway.
Ballpark Notes
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Mike
Wagenheim will be the voice of the Battle Creek Bombers (summer
collegiate; Northwoods League) on WBFN Sports Radio 1400 AM during the
team's inaugural season in 2007.
Wagenheim, who previously served as the director of broadcasting and radio
play-by-play for the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (Low Class A; Midwest
League) the past two seasons, will call all sixty-eight Bombers regular season
games on WBFN, The Fan. The Bombers begin their first season of play on May 31
at Brainerd, with the home opener slated for June 6....The Charlotte County
Redfish (independent; South Coast League) and
Clear Channel Radio Punta Gorda have signed
a radio deal that will broadcast all 90 games of
the 2007 Inaugural Season of Redfish Baseball on
WKII 1070 AM. Every broadcast will begin with a
pre-game show starting 15 minutes before the first
pitch. The first pitch will be thrown out at 7:05
p.m. every night except on Sundays, when game time
is set for 6:05 p.m.
Saints looking at new ballpark sites in St.
Paul
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That
the St. Paul Saints (independent; American
Association) are looking at replacement sites for
Midway Stadium
isn't news; the team has been on such a quest for
years. Now, however, there's been some movement on
the issue, with multiple plans in the mix. First,
a developer has been talking with the team about a
new ballpark on the Mississippi River waterfront
between the High Bridge (Smith Avenue) and
downtown St. Paul, as part of a mixed-use
development where a ballpark would replace
apartments in the mix. (The apartment occupancy
rate in St. Paul doesn't exactly lend itself to
new units at this time, apparently.) The front
office is also working on a pitch to the
University of Minnesota for a shared ballpark on
the St. Paul campus; team officials sound like
they prefer this plan, but we've heard from
University of Minnesota sources that they're not
particularly eager to move a ballpark to the St.
Paul campus (the farm school, as we locals like to
call it; it houses the U's agricultural programs)
when there's already a rough plan for a new
ballpark on the Minneapolis campus near the
Gophers' current home,
Siebert Field.
Out of the mix is talk of a new downtown St. Paul
ballpark for the Saints; apparently discussions
with architects and planners over a new stadium
for the Minnesota Thunder soccer team have
progressed to the point where the city is
comfortable in moving forward with that plan,
perhaps on the old Gillette site. Neither Saints
plan would involve city dollars.
Group sues New York City over ban on metal
bats
Posted May 8, 2007 (feedback)
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"Don't
Take My Bat Away," a
newly formed group representing bat makers,
baseball groups, coaches and parents, is suing
the City of New York to halt a ban on the use
of metal and non-wood composite bats in city high
schools. The New York City council overrode Mayor
Michael Bloomberg's veto of the ban two
weeks ago, and the group is filing suit in the
U.S. Southern District in Manhattan, seeking a
preliminary and permanent injunction preventing
enforcement of the ban, saying "there is no fair,
just or reasonable connection between the Bat
Ordinance and the health and welfare of New York
City high-school baseball
players." The suit also says the law is
"unconstitutional and unlawful" and that it
"arbitrarily and unjustifiably prohibits the use
of bats that are preferred by the vast majority of
high school players, coaches and teams."
We're not quite sure where the right to use a
metal bat is enumerated in the U.S. Constitution,
which is why we suspect this lawsuit will go
nowhere. There has been a move toward wood bats;
North Dakota has moved to requiring high schools
use them (with
some coaches loving the results),
five Illinois conferences are testing their use
for possible statewide adoption
(and
coaches sound pleased with those results),
some Massachusetts conferences have adopted their
use (with
the Boston Globe calling for a total ban on metal
bats) and New Jersey is looking at a
similar ban on metal bats. Really, this is a
business story, not a safety story. Because of
patents and the high cost of production, there are
only a handful of metal-bat producers and no
others are likely to enter the field. But all it
takes is a wood supply and a lathe to enter the
wood-bat field, negating the market advantages
enjoyed by the likes of Easton. Yes, metal-bat
manufacturers have done a lot to make their
products safer in recent years, but they're
fighting a multilayered fight: in the end, most
fans would rather hear the crack of the wood
rather than the ping of the metal, and fighting
that aesthetic fight will be much more difficult.
We're had the chance to discuss this with college
and high-school officials over the last month, and
there's a lot more support for wood bats than
you'd think.
More from Newsday.
RELATED STORIES:
New York City passes ban on metal bats;
A swing toward wooden bats;
USA Baseball: Metal
bats are as safe as wooden bats;
New York City moves
toward ban on metal high-school bats
New
Glendale spring-training park delayed
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An
architect is on deck, but Glendale (Az.) still must slam home numerous
agreements before breaking ground on a spring-training complex this summer. The
city still needs to sign agreements with the Chicago White Sox and the Los
Angeles Dodgers, which plan to train here in 2009. While the deal with the
Dodgers is a lock, a deal with the White Sox is more complicated; with the team
unwilling to buy out of its current contract to train at Tucson Electric Park,
it could be several years before the White Sox actually make the move north. The
city also needs a financial agreement with the Arizona Sports and Tourism
Authority, which has tentatively earmarked up to two-thirds of funding for the
$80.7 million project, and HKS, the architecture firm slated to design the
facility. Despite these delays, officials say they're on schedule to open in
spring 2009.
Ballpark Visit: Memorial
Stadium / Fort Wayne Wizards
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There's
nothing much distinctive about Memorial Stadium,
the home of the Fort Wayne Wizards (Low Class A;
Midwest League): it doesn't have a signature
ballpark element, nor is it an attraction on its
own. Mike Nutter, the energetic general manager of
the Wizards, seems to understand this. From a
small but efficient merchandise shop just inside
the main door to an usher who actually retrieved a
foul ball and handed it to a kid, one gets killed
with little kindnesses. No one thing stands out
alone but add it all up and you walk away with the
feeling people were actually glad you came to
visit -- deficiencies in the ballpark not
withstanding.
Fan
sues Mets for broken back sustained at Shea Stadium
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A
New York Mets fan has filed suit, contending a drunken, 300-pound man fell on
her during the home opener at Shea Stadium
and broke her back. Ellen Massey, a 58-year-old Manhattan lawyer, sued the team,
ballpark concessionaire Aramark, the union that represents the security guards
at the ballpark and "John Doe," the unidentified man who toppled on her. Massey
had surgery for spinal injuries and was hospitalized for about two weeks, said
her lawyer, Stephen Kaufman. Doctors put rods and screws in her back and will
have to operate on her again, he said.
Minor League Baseball sets April attendance
record
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Minor
League Baseball teams drew 5,905,069 fans during
the month of April, the highest total in the
106-year history of the industry. The total
represented an increase of 121,928 fans (2.1
percent) over the 2006 total, when the Minor
Leagues set their all-time record season total of
41,710,357.
The record April total was achieved despite unseasonable snow
storms in the Northeast and Midwest during the
opening weekend. The snowy conditions were offset
by good weather in the West, where the Pacific
Coast and California Leagues showed healthy
increases, and somewhat drier weather than usual
in the South. Also, the season opened one day
earlier in April this season, giving many teams
one more playing date.
The PCL recorded the highest increase, drawing 134,832 more
fans than last year, a boost of 14.4 percent. The
California League was up 19.4 percent with 47,619
higher attendance. Other domestic leagues
reporting increases were the Florida State and
South Atlantic. The Mexican League, which began
play in late March, was up by 131,542 fans or 12.8
percent.
The leagues hardest hit by weather were those geographically
in the northern tier of states-the International,
Eastern and Midwest. Collectively, they lost 82
playing dates through postponements.
Among individual teams, the top-draws were the Monterrey
Sultans (Mexican) with an average of 10,687;
followed by the Round Rock Express (PCL) at 9,050
and the Sacramento River Cats (PCL) with 8,582.
The Frisco Rough Riders (Texas) led all Double-A
teams with an average of 7,782, while the Dayton
Dragons (Midwest) paced the Single-A teams with
8,222.
Rangers donate to anti-ballpark group
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A
week after Texas Rangers president Jeff Cogen
spoke out against a plan to fund a new ballpark in
Grand Prairie with a one-eighth-cent sales tax,
the baseball club put its money where its mouth
is. Financial records for a political action
committee formed to oppose the ballpark
proposition show a $15,000 donation from Hicks
Sports Group. The funds paid for consulting fees
and a direct-mail piece sent to Grand Prairie
households by the PAC, called Citizens Against the
Ballpark and For Property Tax Relief. The
referendum, scheduled for next week, calls for a
new ballpark for an independent American
Association team.
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American Association expands to Grand Prairie
Modesto's incomplete treasure
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Ten
years after its opening, the renovated John
Thurman Field, home of the Modesto Nuts (High
Class A; California League), is still a work in
progress. This year's additions include a new
scoreboard, the resurfacing and laser-leveling of
the infield, the installation of the new outfield
fence and the moving of the visitors' bullpen to
the warning track down the left-field line. Coming
next year will be a meeting center, likely to be
constructed where the visitors' bullpen used to
be. Plans are for a fully equipped hall that would
accommodate meetings and banquets of up to 200
people, with windows that provide a view of the
field and outdoor porch seating for game-night
gatherings. In addition, team ownership would like
additional VIP boxes, but first needs to determine
what to do with all the video production equipment
that currently dominates -- and crowds -- the
existing press box. There is no work space for
visiting print media in the current press box
configuration.
The sounds of Music
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The
gates leading into Luther Williams Field were unlocked, and the sprinklers on
the field were in full watering mode. The ballpark hasn't been home to a
professional baseball team since the summer of 2003. But it's been cleaned and
painted, and it was filled with baseball players once again Monday afternoon.
The Macon Music (independent; South Coast League), which has been inhabiting
office space at the stadium for almost a year now, opened camp Monday with
morning and afternoon practice sessions in preparation for opening day -- in
fact, May 17 is the opening day for the entire league, and we'll be there.
New baseball era recalls a storied past
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Today
the Anderson Joes (independent; South Coast League) start their inaugural spring
training in earnest. Yesterday was a day for administrative tasks, but as you
read this more than 25 young men will begin pitching, catching and preparing for
a summer of professional baseball with the Electric City serving as home base.
This article covers the history of baseball in Anderson, beginning with teams in
the Negro Textile Mills organization and later both the Carolina Colored League
and Negro Business League, followed some time later by a team in the Tri-State
and Sally Leagues.
New team to play at Sal Maglie
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Cal
Kern, general manager of the newly formed Niagara Power (summer collegiate; New
York Collegiate Baseball League, thinks his team will provide plenty during its
inaugural season, both in and above Sal Maglie Stadium. The team, which opens
its regular-season schedule May 8 against the Webster Yankees, will follow the
contest with a fireworks display, but with an unproven pitching staff and some
big bats in the lineup, Kern hopes the team can put up big numbers.
Big crowds at Hohokam mean big revenue for Mesa
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Official
figures released Monday by Mesa confirm the
175,891 fans who jammed Hohokam Park this year was
the fourth highest attendance in Cactus League and
Grapefruit League history. The Cubs drew an
average of 10,993 to 16 home games this spring at
Hohokam, with half of them sellouts. The stadium
seats about 12,600 fans, but several games
exceeded that, including the March 29 game against
the Arizona Diamondbacks that drew 12,917 fans.
The big crowds translated into big money, with
total revenues hitting nearly $5.6 million, a 1.1
million boost from 2006, when the Cubs played 14
home games because of a rainout and a shorter home
schedule. The city's share was $973,140, the Mesa
HoHoKams' share was $890,890 and the Cubs' share
was $2,445,982.
New league needs good sales pitch
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The
Mohawk Valley needed a good reason to get excited about a new professional
baseball league playing at Donovan Stadium this summer, and now they have it:
Native Utican Dave Cash, three-time Major League all-star, will manage the Utica
team. That can be a good draw. Cash was a standout athlete at Thomas R. Proctor
High School and went on to enjoy a successful professional baseball career. But
team operators shouldn't make the same mistake their predecessors made when it
comes to filling -- or not filling -- the ballpark. They won't turn Cash into
cash without a good marketing plan. The plan (having four teams share the same
ballpark) is an interesting experiment; we're eager to see how it turns out.
Omaha floats new ballpark for CWS, O-Royals
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Omaha
Mayor Mike Fahey is actively pursuing the option
of building a $50-million-plus ballpark in the
so-called NoDo area between the Creighton
University campus and the Qwest Center Omaha in
the northern side of downtown Omaha, replacing
Rosenblatt Stadium
as the home of the College World Series and the
Omaha Royals (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). A
tentative decision to build a 9,000-seat ballpark
with the ability to expand to 25,000 seats for the
CWS could come by the first pitch of this year's
series. The NCAA's baseball committee will be in
Omaha when the series opens June 15. The O-Royals
have pushed the idea of building a new ballpark
for the Triple-A team
and possibly Creighton University while
leaving Rosenblatt
Stadium intact for the College World Series,
but Fahey says there's no way the city will own
and maintain two ballparks; it also sounds like a
gentle push from the NCAA led to the change of
plans within Omaha city government. Omaha Royals
President Alan Stein said Sunday he has no opinion
on the possibility of a new ballpark,
saying the team has not been involved in any
discussions to date. Neighbors of
Rosenblatt Stadium
say
they don't want the College World Series to move.
Baseball fans want 'Devil Ray' to stay
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A
thoroughly unscientific online poll conducted by
the local business journal indicates many fans are
against a plan to drop the Devil from the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The team has until the end
of the month to inform MLB about changes in the
team's name and colors for next season, and there
have been reports floating around for several
months that the team will perform the relatively
tame step of dropping Devil from the team
name and adopting new colors. The respondents
hated the idea and pointed out the best way to
bring fans to
Tropicana Field is to start winning. The team
has been respectable this season -- in fourth
place in the American League East as of today,
just three games under .500 -- and the new owners
have done a lot to spruce up
Tropicana Field
and improve community relations.
ANC Sports, Mitsubishi to install new Nats
scoreboard system
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ANC
Sports Enterprises and Mitsubishi Electric Diamond
Vision Systems have been selected by the
Washington Nationals to create and install a
state-of-the-art high-definition scoreboard and
video display system for the team’s new ballpark,
scheduled to debut Opening Day of the 2008 season.
ANC Sports will spearhead the installation, content creation
and operation for the stadium’s Diamond Vision
light-emitting diode (LED) display and rotational
signage systems.
The new Nationals Park will feature a 47- by 101-foot
high-definition video screen, more than 700 feet
of animated fascia, and an LED display covering
over 2,600 square feet of the outfield wall.
Operated through ANC’s 3D VisionSOFT (patent
pending) control system, the displays will feature
uncompressed images providing the clearest video
possible for Nationals’ fans.
Highlighted by a right-center field high-definition video
screen with over four million LEDs, the new
ballpark will feature more than 9,000 square feet
of Diamond Vision signage. The stadium will
animate four different locations of fascia,
including the main level, the club level, and
above the home and visitors bullpens.
Additionally, two side-by-side 51-foot long LED
video screens will be built into the right-center
field outfield wall.
In addition to the LED display system, ANC will provide the
Nationals with over 60 feet of field level
rotational signage along both baselines, at
“on-deck” locations and behind home plate.
Plans for minor-league team in the hole in Lee's Summit
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If
a new ballpark is built at Longview Community College in Lee's Summit in
suburban Kansas City, it won't be until 2009, according to developer David Gale.
Reading between the lines, it's clear things haven't really moved past a wish
list; college officials say they won't put a dime into the facility but expect
to retain ownership of the proposed 4,000-seat, $8-million facility. City
officials say they might provide some financial incentives, but at the end of
the day Gale and crew would be building a ballpark on their own dime to house an
independent Frontier League team.
RELATED STORY:
Lee's Summit
considers new ballpark;
Longview
looking at minor-league ballpark
A's Wolff to give progress report on new ballpark
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Lew
Wolff will give the City Council a progress report
Tuesday on his proposal to build a ballpark
village in Fremont, city officials said. Will the
A's co-owner file the much-anticipated development
application? Or perhaps deliver an economic report
touting the development's benefits? City officials
say they don't know. "We are not sure specifically
what (Wolff) is going to address," Fremont
Economic Development Director Daren Fields said.
When reached by phone in his Los Angeles office
Friday, Wolff also didn't reveal much about what
he will tell council members.
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A's pass on longer lease for McAfee Coliseum;
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A's to decide ballpark fate by end of season;
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say;
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Fremont;
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ballpark;
A's take long look at Fremont ballpark site;
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team for San Jose;
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stage;
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Land acquisition for San Jose ballpark may cost
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allies, public funds;
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team in Oakland;
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Athletics announce committee
to plan new Oakland ballpark;
Another San Jose site eyed
for baseball;
The time has come for new
A's ballpark;
No specifics on new Oakland
ballpark, but plans in the works;
San Jose quits discussions
on cannery;
Wolff about to take over;
Going to bat for A's is big
opportunity for San Jose mayor;
Wolff: A's ballpark already
in works;
Deal near for San Jose
cannery site;
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paved with uncertainty;
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makes his pitch;
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quickly;
Sale of A's to heighten San
Jose intrigue;
BART to the ballpark, what a
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Another San Jose pitch for
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San Jose mayor makes his
pitch;
Q&A with A's new owner Lew
Wolff
Controversial 10 years ago, ballpark a boon to Somerset
County
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Its
feasibility once fueled one of the biggest local controversies of the 1990s, but
today few are left debating the sensibility of Commerce Bank Ballpark, the home
of the Somerset Patriots (independent; Atlantic League). Somerset Ballpark
opened June 7, 1999, with a final price tag of $17.7 million, none of which was
financed by taxpayers. According to Freeholder Director Bob Zaborowski,
Somerset County makes about a $1.1 million debt payment on the ballpark every
year but earns about $1.3 million in revenue. The leftover money is saved to
cover future maintenance costs.
More on owner Steve Kalafer. (Thanks to John Cerone.)
Marlins' reaction to no state funding of
ballpark: muted
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The
front office of the Florida Marlins didn't have
much to say about the Florida Legislative session
ended last Friday without any state funding of a
new Miami ballpark. The only reaction came through
a rather low-key press release (which we're
posting in its entirety): ""We are very
disappointed that the Florida State Legislature
was unable to assist Miami-Dade County, the City
of Miami and the Florida Marlins in their desire
to spur economic development through the
construction of a new baseball-only
retractable-roof facility in Miami. Starting
immediately, we will all begin the process of
moving forward to attempt to secure the future of
baseball in South Florida." In theory, the state
Senate could tackle the issue during a special
session slated for June 12. As we've repeatedly
pointed out, the decision by the state Senate not
to divert $60 million in sales-tax revenues to a
new Miami ballpark doesn't kill the project, but
it does make it more difficult for Miami-Dade
County officials and the Fish to make a deal
unless the Marlins come up with some more cast --
and we're not entirely sure the team has the
capability to do so at the present time. Really,
it's time for MLB to put its foot down and direct
Jeffrey Loria to find a local partner with some
deeper pockets -- preferably one with the
credibility in the local Hispanic community.
More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
and
the Miami Herald.
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Dennis to be married on field before '07
WhiteWings opener
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You
don't see many marriages on the field with
ballplayers involved, so this one is notable.
Field Manager Eddie Dennis is going to be married
at Harlingen Field's home plate before the Rio
Grande Valley WhiteWings take the field in the
2007 independent United League Baseball season
opener against the Amarillo Dillas on Tuesday.
Dennis will marry Julie Corliss of Tampa, Fla.,
with Cameron County Justice of the Peace Sallie
Gonzalez performing the ceremony. The
WhiteWings-Dillas game is scheduled to start at
7:05 p.m, in the first of a three-game series.
Baseball’s steroid panel asks active players
to appear
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The
chairman of the special commission set up to
examine the use of performance-enhancing drugs in
Major League Baseball said for the first time
yesterday that he had asked a number of active
players to appear before the commission, a move
that represents a major turning point in the
yearlong investigation. The former Senator George
J. Mitchell of Maine, who is overseeing a team of
lawyers and investigators working on the case,
declined to say how many players had been sent
letters requesting their appearance.
Is plan a financial squeeze play?
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Texas
developer Hines Interests was in court opposite a
team of lawyers for Hennepin County last week,
arguing over the land for
the new
Minnesota Twins ballpark. The company insisted
that the property, which Hines has a financial
interest in, is worth considerably more than the
county says it is. But a day earlier, another
group representing Hines was pursuing a much
different agenda: privately briefing a key county
official on their redevelopment plan surrounding
the stadium that would likely need millions of
dollars in public subsidies. Basically, what Hines
says should happen is the creation of a new
transit center next to the ballpark, and Hines
would then develop other parcels of land in the
area. No surprise: Hines and Land Partners II have
said for years their plan was to use the Twins
ballpark as a catalyst for development (local firm
HGA did the original design; EE&K Architects is
drawing up new ones). What's changed, though, is
Hines' rather cheeky proposal that Hennepin County
officials spend millions on the development at a
time when they're in court fighting over land
valuations. Local elected officials say they're
not interested in putting up millions of dollars
to benefit Hines.
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Pohlads step up to plate to help county save deal;
Possible fix for Twins ballpark impasse arises;
Are Twins working to end ballpark impasse?;
Building a ballpark may hinge on having the Twins
pay more;
County officials, landowners of Twins ballpark
site remain in a holding pattern;
County looking at two new sites for Twins ballpark;
Official says changing site of Twins ballpark
would mean delays;
A great ballpark divide;
Twins postpone ballpark unveiling;
Hennepin County, Twins say they'll look for a new
ballpark site;
Draft environmental review for Twins ballpark
unveiled;
Judge rules Twins ballpark has public purpose;
sides still apart on price;
Community leaders eager to see Twins ballpark
design;
Twins ballpark likely to sport modern look;
Ballpark site owners put squeeze on Twins;
New year brings new ballpark tax for Hennepin
County shoppers;
Ballpark players ironing out use, development
agreements;
Twins release more details on new ballpark;
New Twins ballpark bypasses standard reviews;
Ballpark's link to downtown Minneapolis
inadequate, group says;
Ballpark should be held to high standards;
Twins formally announce design team for new
ballpark;
Firms lined up early for stadium work;
Eminent-domain effort begins for Twins ballpark
land;
Designing the experience around the Twins ballpark;
Ideas for Twins ballpark, some from left field;
A freeze frame for Twins;
Experts blow hot, cold on ways to heat new Twins
ballpark;
Appraisal delay puts Twins new ballpark off
schedule;
Twins pick ballpark designers;
As Twins chase playoffs, ballpark preparations
push on;
Twins ballpark on track to open in 2010;
Hennepin County Board approves ballpark sales tax;
It's official: Twins to switch broadcast rights to
KSTP-AM;
Twins to switch broadcast partner after 46 seasons;
Twins seek partners for naming rights,
sponsorships;
Twins searching for trademark ballpark design;
Hennepin County OKs spending plan for Twins
ballpark;
Naming rights options scary;
More than a ballpark in Minneapolis
Tax plan to fund Grand Prairie ballpark is debated
Posted May 7, 2007 (feedback)
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Grand
Prairie voters will decide May 12 on three
propositions that would reuse a half-cent sales
tax scheduled to end Sept. 30. Two of the proposed
uses – a new senior center and a state-of-the-art
police and fire facility -- have met with little
opposition. Not so for the third proposition,
which would use a one-eighth-cent sales tax to
fund a ballpark for a new independent American
Association team in Grand Prairie's entertainment
district near Belt Line Road and Interstate 30.
The residents quoted in this article were by and
large against the proposal.
RELATED STORIES:
Rangers oppose Grand Prairie ballpark;
Grand Prairie to hold "name the team" contest;
Plans for new Grand Prairie ballpark unveiled;
American Association expands to Grand Prairie
Sticking with the ballclub
Posted May 7, 2007 (feedback)
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Attendance
is down for Baltimore Orioles games at Oriole
Park at Camden Yards -- down to an embarrassing 22,853 fans a game -- but
the Orioles remain a powerful force in the sports-marketing field, say experts.
The launch of the new Mid-Atlantic Sports Network -- of which the Orioles are
majority owner -- and a new radio deal with WHFS-FM in Baltimore gives the team
and its advertisers greater exposure to the Major League Baseball franchise's
fans throughout the region, sports marketers say. TV ratings are up from last
year, and WHFS has the ability to cross-promote the O's and the club's
advertisers on its four sister stations in the area.
Nostalgia helps Braves get fans to the ballpark
Posted May 7, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Atlanta Braves are using a creative new
advertising campaign to woo fans to
Turner Field
and renew enthusiasm after last year's
disappointing season. This season's
advertising and marketing is built around evoking
emotion for the Braves and telling stories about
the nostalgic experience of going to the ball
game. For example, one radio spot features a
father talking about bringing his children to the
game. The advertising campaign, which will run
throughout the season, was developed by the
Braves' agency of record, Atlanta-based Blue Sky
Agency. It includes radio, print, TV, online and
billboard advertising.
Will Clemens pitch for the local team? Sure hope so
Posted May 7, 2007 (feedback)
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When
Roger Clemens signed last season with the Houston
Astros, he prepped for his time at
Minute Maid
Park with stops at several minor-league
affiliates. The folks in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and
Trenton would love to see this happen
after he signed a deal to pitch this season with
the New York Yankees, but after the Clemens
press conference yesterday there was only talk of
him participating in training at the Tampa base --
maybe pitching a game with the Tampa Yankees at
Legends Field
-- and nothing else.
Neighbors oppose BC ballpark plan
Posted May 7, 2007 (feedback)
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More
than 60 Brighton residents came out last week
against Boston College's proposal to build a
2,000-seat ballpark near their homes on former
Archdiocese of Boston property. BC's nascent
plans, which are to be filed with the BRA next
month, call for adding baseball, softball, and two
multipurpose fields on the Brighton Campus, as the
college calls the newly acquired site. Also
planned are a 14,000-square-foot sports support
facility and a 200-space garage, according to Jack
Dunn, Boston College director of public affairs.
Dunn said the baseball stadium, which would hold
1,500 more seats than BC's field near Chestnut
Hill Reservoir, would still be one of the smallest
facilities in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which
BC joined two years ago.
Ballpark Notes
Posted May 7, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Fort Worth Cats (independent; American
Association) announced their games will be
broadcast on the radio this season by Fox
Sports Radio KHFX/1460 AM. All 96 regular
season games will be broadcast on KHFX beginning
with the opener on May 10 against Shreveport at
LaGrave Field. Emil Moffatt will once again
be the play-by-play announcer. This is his second
season as the play-by-play voice of the Cats and
his sixth season overall broadcasting Cats’ games.
Moffatt recently was promoted to Asst. Vice
President for Communications with the
organization. The Cats will also have more than
half their home games broadcast on cable
television this season. Fort Worth Community Cable
is set to broadcast 12 Cats games in 2007, while
Time Warner Cable will broadcast 14 games this
season....The Battle Creek Bombers (summer
collegiate; Northwoods League) inked a deal Friday
to broadcast all 68 games on WBFN 1400 AM,
an all-sports station in Battle Creek....The
Trenton Thunder (Class AA; Eastern League)
will host a special "Connection Beyond Gallery
Event in the Yankee Club and Conference Center
at Waterfront Park in Trenton, NJ on June 28, 2007
at 7:00 p.m. The Connection Beyond Gallery is a
two-hour event connecting guests with messages of
strength, hope and love from those who passed on
with a Question and Answer period to follow. This
is the first time an event of this kind has been
held at Waterfront Park....The River City
Rascals (independent; Frontier League) have
announced that Josh Anderson will be
promoted to lead broadcaster for the 2007 River
City Rascals baseball season. Anderson will step
in as the Director of Broadcasting and Media
Relations. Currently a senior at Lindenwood
University in St. Charles, Anderson is scheduled
to graduate in May....
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