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 |
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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: Sept.
10-16, 2007
Ryan steps down
as Twins GM; Smith named successor
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Terry
Ryan, who established the current model for
turning a midmarket team with limited resources
into a winning franchise, stepped down as GM of
the Minnesota Twins yesterday. Longtime assistant
GM Bill Smith was named his successor. Working
under some very limiting circumstances -- the
Twins have never been big players in the
free-agent market and the team's payroll is
limited, to say the least -- Ryan turned to the
farm system as a way to revitalize the franchise.
That approach requires some discipline, to say the
least: it takes years to develop a prospect, and a
team can spend a decade developing a player before
losing him to free agency. Ryan was a dogged
overseer of the farm system: we remember comparing
notes with him on Joe Mauer when the phenom played
for the Quad City
River
Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League), as Ryan
spent a lot of time on the road getting a
first-hand view of his players. (That travel also
endeared him to the Twins' minor-league
affiliates: farm teams love an appearance by the
major-league GMs, and Ryan was certainly a
constant presence.) True, Ryan's philosophy was
forced by the hand he was dealt -- really, he had
no option but to build up the farm system -- but
he added an uncanny ability to spot diamonds in
the rough, no doubt enhanced by the time he spent
with the farm teams. Look at some of the deals he
made -- Jason Bartlett for Brian Buchanan; David
Ortiz for Dave Hollins; a few nobodies for Luis
Castillo; Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof
Bonser for A.J. Pierzynski; plucking Johan Santana
from the Astros' farm system -- and the players
developed under his watchful eye: Joe Mauer,
Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, Torii Hunter,
Brad Radke, to name a few. He wasn't perfect
(Twins fans wailed about his reluctance to add
free agents in the midst of a pennant battle) and
his teams never made a big impact in the playoffs.
But in terms of creating the model of a successful
franchise, his approach can be seen in the front
offices of the Milwaukee Brewers (who apply the
formula most successfully), the Cincinnati Reds,
the New York Yankees (surprisingly), the Seattle
Mariners, the Colorado Rockies and more. (Indeed,
better treatment of minor-league affiliates may
be Ryan's lasting legacy as far as many readers of
this site are concerned.) He does leave the team
at an awkward time: the franchise will face some
serious challenges signing soon-to-be free agents
Santana and Hunter, and there's a chance Ryan's
successor, Smith, could end up losing both because
of financial considerations. Ryan's turned down
offers to serve as general manager of other teams,
and we have no doubt he's sincere in his
statements about wanting to serve as an advisor to
the team: it's clear Ryan's happiest scouting out
talent, and we suspect he'll be found
touring the minors again next season. (Photo by
Jim Robins.)
LaVelle E. Neal III has a rambling, yet touching
tribute to Ryan.
Pride to return
in 2008 -- maybe
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Nashua
Pride (independent; Can-Am Association) owner John
Stabile and Nashua Mayor Bernie Streeter announced
a plan to keep the Pride in Nashua for future
seasons. Stabile is hoping to sell a 50 percent
interest of the team -- priced at $800,000 -- to
local residents, regional companies and fans; if
that happens he'll keep the team going. Now,
selling $800,000 in limited partnerships is not
exactly an easy sell: besides access to the
owner's box, all an investor will get is the
satisfaction of knowing they helped keep the team
in Nashua. The plan is to woo 32 investors at
$25,000 a share, or many more at $5,000 a share.
Stabile would retain 50 percent ownership of the
team and control over the day-to-day operations of
the team.
More from the Manchester Union Leader.
Family of teen
hurt at Sky Sox game sues team
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The
family of a 13-year-old Boy Scout who suffered
brain damage after getting knocked over by the
Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Class AAA; Pacific Coast
League) mascot has filed a lawsuit against the
team. Tyler Follon’s parents, Elizabeth and Eric
Follon, are seeking an undetermined amount of
damages from the minor league baseball team and
HEC Services Worldwide, a company based in China
that made the mock sumo wrestling suit Tyler was
wearing when he was injured. Tyler went to the
game at Security Service Field on June 10, 2005.
He and a 12-year-old boy were chosen to don the
oversized stuffed suits with headgear for a mock
bout. The lawsuit, filed in late May in the 4th
Judicial District, states the mascot pushed Tyler
off the safety mat, and he hit his head on the
infield dirt. Team officials failed to recognize
that Tyler "had been seriously injured" and pulled
him off the field, set him "upright in the stands
and failed to call or obtain proper emergency
care," according to the complaint.
Nats want
prime-time '08 opener
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The
Washington Nationals are pushing the idea of
opening their new ballpark next season on a
national stage, asking Major League Baseball
officials to grant them a prime-time game on a
Sunday night to be broadcast on ESPN, according to
sources who have been briefed on the club's plans.
The proposal calls for a single game between the
Nationals and an opponent to be determined, most
likely one from the National League East, on the
Sunday before the full major league schedule
begins. MLB officials, who distributed a draft
schedule to clubs earlier this week, are weighing
that idea along with other moving parts in the
schedule -- such as a proposed series between
Boston and Oakland in Tokyo. The schedule could
change in coming weeks and months.
Say goodbye to
RFK Stadium
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The
Washington Nationals end the season -- and their
tenure at RFK Stadium
-- with a 10-game homestand. The Nats haven't been
a huge success this season, either on the field
(though they did improve after a horrendous start)
or at the box office. Part of the issue was
RFK Stadium, which
was treated by the team as a temporary home.
Understandably so -- who wants to put money into a
temporary venue? We're not sure if the last two
seasons were a trustworthy referendum on the state
of baseball in D.C., but we did find
RFK Stadium charming
in a retro kinds way.
More from the Washington Post.
Augusta
ballpark study might start soon
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The
study to determine the feasibility of building a
new ballpark for the Augusta GreenJackets (Low
Class A; Sally League) on the Savannah River in
downtown Augusta could begin as early as next
week, members of the Downtown Stadium Exploratory
Committee said this week. The study will be
conducted in three- to six-week phases, the first
of which likely would be done by mid-October. The
study will include whether a ballpark can be built
on the proposed site -- adjacent to the Georgia
Golf Hall of Fame's Botanical Gardens between 11th
and 13th streets -- as well as other questions,
such as cost, funding and parking.
Project costs
stay in the ballpark
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As
spending hikes go, it's an infield single -- the
price tag for Coca-Cola Park, the new home of the
Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA; International
League) has risen 2 percent, Lehigh County
Commissioners were told Thursday. The cost of the
county's minor-league ballpark is now $49.4
million, county Administration Director Tom Muller
told commissioners as he reviewed capital projects
in the $400 million, no-tax-increase, 2008 budget.
An unexpected need for 70,000 tons of imported
fill for the east Allentown site resulted in the
$1 million increase, he said. But the
administration covered the expense by using
$600,000 in hotel tax funds that had built up over
the years and $400,000 in bond proceeds, Muller
said.
League makes
first pitch to councillors over Lynx Stadium
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The
Ottawa city council, if nothing else, is listening
to Miles Wolff's pitch to bring an independent
Can-Am Association team to play at Lynx Stadium
starting next summer. The big question is,
according to Wolff, is how quickly the team can
sign a lease. But the answer isn't
straightforward, as Wolff and several others found
Thursday when a group of about 10 people met with
about a dozen councillors in four separate
meetings at city hall. A big issue is the current
lawsuit filed by the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA;
International League) against the city for the
loss of parking at the ballpark; the Lynx are
suing the city for $10 million and the city is
threatening a $2 million penalty should the Lynx
break their lease, which expires in 2009.
Technically, the Lynx have not notified the city
of the team's intentions -- though it will
certainly end up in Allentown next spring -- so
that issue is up in the air. Wolff is trying to
broker a deal where his league can assume the
league and the Lynx will drop their lawsuit. Then
there's a proposal to turn the ballpark into a
multiuse venue, which would preclude baseball from
being played there for at least two years. In a
smart move, Wolff says Baseball Canada would move
their operations to the ballpark and use it as a
showcase for the national team.
RELATED STORIES:
Developer hopes to help settle dispute between
Lynx, city;
Spirit gives up ghost in Lynn;
Ottawa to land Nashua Pride?;
Shuttle off to Lynx Stadium?;
Honestly, you can't really blame him;
Wolff: Don't close down Lynx Stadium
Focus on
management, not sale of Yankees
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A
local newspaper calls for the
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA;
International League) to continue under the
ownership of Lackawanna County and Luzerne County
and the management of Mandalay Baseball
Properties. The issue: Luzerne County is
threatening to sue Lackawanna County over the
agreement to sell the team -- a deal made by
Lackawanna County officials without the
participation of Luzerne County officials, even
the two jointly own the SWB Yankees -- and that
could end up mucking up everything.
RELATED STORIES:
Commissioners postpone decision on baseball suit;
Yankees set to break attendance record;
Law firms hired in Yankees flap;
Mandalay eyes expansion;
Value of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees questioned;
Sale of Harrisburg franchise raises questions
about Yanks;
Luzerne County
officials finally out of the bullpen;
County rejects Triple-A agreement;
Potential sale of SWB Yankees approved;
Luzerne County explores options on baseball deals;
Blaum wants 1986 ballpark contract honored;
Potential sale of the SWB Yankees approved;
Lackawanna
County minority commissioner wants stadium authority to pay off county;
Yanks filling seats in Moosic;
Once again, it’s all
about the Yankees;
New for 2007: PNC Field;
Work on Lackawanna County
Stadium progresses;
New for 2007: the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees;
End of Astroturf at Lackawanna County Stadium;
Here to stay, keep baseball fifty-fifty;
Red Barons will stay, Mandalay vows;
Moosic councilman presses county on amusement tax;
New grass field, fixing leaks are ballpark
priorities;
Hard-nosed Mandalay known for investments in
minor-league teams;
Will Moosic get a new ballpark?;
Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, California management
firm heading to Moosic;
Mets representatives expected to tour Lackawanna
County Stadium today;
Proposal would combine front offices of Barons and
Pens;
It's official: Yankees leaving Columbus; move to
Scranton a done deal?;
Authority will consider giving Cordaro power;
Yankees to SWB?
Baseball union
throws support to concession workers
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We've
lately covered the labor unrest at Oriole Park at
Camden Yards, but there's another ballpark facing
unhappy workers:
Rogers Centre, the home of the Toronto Blue
Jays. Actor Danny Glover spoke to the workers the
other day, and yesterday The high-profile union
representing major league baseball players has
thrown its support behind the drive to unionize
concession workers at the Rogers Centre. Donald
Fehr, executive director of the Major League
Baseball Players Association, has written a letter
of support for the union drive being conducted by
UNITE HERE, which represents 50,000 hotel, food
service, garment and manufacturing workers in
Canada.
Moss works on
South Atlantic League Hall of Fame
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After
John H. Moss retires at the end of the year as
president of the Low Class A South Atlantic
League, he'll move on to his next project: the
establishment of a Sally League Hall of Fame. Moss
was in Columbus to see the Catfish take on the
West Virginia Power in the league championship
series, and he threw out the first pitch at the
last game of his tenure. When you look at the
teams of the Western Carolina League in 1960 and
the league today, the difference is astounding.
Interestingly, some of the ballparks from that
1960 season, like Salisbury's, still stand.
Foxhounds will
be back
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Will
the independent South Coast League be back next
season? We've heard nothing that would have us
believe otherwise, but apparently the talk in
Aiken is that the Aiken Foxhounds would not be
returning. Foxhounds general manager Bradley Bell
says the team will definitely be back, and he's
already out selling for the 2008 season. The
Foxhounds averaged 1,005 fans per game, almost
right on the goal the club had set for the year,
and Bell says a small improvement could make a big
difference.
Would
minor-league baseball play in Bloomington/Normal?
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A
group of community leaders has been studying the
idea of bringing a minor league baseball team to
the Bloomington/Normal (Ill.) area and are ready
to hear what residents think. The committee has
talked to Heartland Community College about a
possible partnership for a baseball field; the
local group is looking for an investor to buy the
team and also upgrade the ballpark. (The issue of
sports facilities in Bloomington is a nasty one;
the city had
a bad experience with a local arena suffering
larger-than-expected losses, so don't expect
any public funding.) The group has talked with the
independent Frontier League, but a more realistic
goal would be a summer-collegiate team.
Ballpark lease
renewed for Wizards '08 season
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The
Memorial Coliseum board of trustees approved a
one-year lease extension Thursday for the Fort
Wayne Wizards (Low Class A; Midwest League) to
play the 2008 season at
Memorial
Stadium. Team officials want to begin the 2009
season playing in a new downtown ballpark. The
lease extension included no changes from the
current lease, which was set to expire at the end
of the month, and didn’t include a rent increase.
The Wizards will pay about $208,872 to the
Coliseum to use
Memorial
Stadium next year.
Ballpark Notes
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The
independent Northern League announced the
Kansas City T-Bones was named the 2007
Organization of the Year as voted on by the
league's managers, radio announcers, and local
media. Celebrating their fifth season in Kansas
City, the T-Bones took home the organization of
the year honors for the second time in four years.
While falling just two games short of qualifying
for the post-season on the field, off the field
the T-Bones increased their total attendance for
the fifth straight season. They are the only
franchise in the history of Kansas City
professional sports to increase attendance numbers
each year of existence. The 2007 season was the
first time in team history they averaged more than
6,000 fans per game.
Finales set for Yankee
Stadium, Shea Stadium
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Yankee
Stadium is set to host its final
regular-season game on Sept. 21, 2008, with New
York playing Baltimore.
Shea Stadium
will hold its regular-season wrapup a week later,
on Sept. 28 against Florida. The Yankees and Mets
recently received schedule drafts for the 2008
season from the commissioner's office. The Yankees
also will host the All-Star game. Both New York
teams are moving into new ballparks in 2009, with
the old ballparks slated for demolition soon after
the final games.
Yankee Stadium
opened in 1923 and was extensively renovated in
the mid-1970s. The
new $1
billion ballpark is built across the street
and will keep the same name.
Shea Stadium
opened in 1964. The $800 million
Citi Field
is being built in the parking lot beyond
Shea Stadium's
center-field wall. Below is a shot of
Citi Field
taken on Sept. 8 by reader Gary Dunaier; thanks to
him for its use.
RELATED STORIES:
Progress report: New York's new ballparks;
The stadium chase;
Yankees, Mets won't
sell seat licenses; ballpark funds in place;
Whole new ballgame;
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
Ilitch set on Comerica Park
seating expansion
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Expressing
glee over his baseball team, which last year
played in the World Series and this year will draw
more than three million customers, Tigers owner
Mike Ilitch said Wednesday he hoped to increase
seating at
Comerica Park as part of an annual plan aimed
at "enhancing" the eight-year-old ballpark. Ilitch
said the Tigers will consider incremental ways in
which attendance might be increased at Comerica.
It is one of the smallest ballparks in the majors
with a capacity of 41,070. One possibility:
trimming the dugouts to add more premium seating.
Council postpones vote on
Reno ballpark
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The
Reno City Council postponed until Sept. 20 votes
on documents creating a new downtown ballpark for
the relocated Tucson Sidewinders (Class AAA;
Pacific Coast League). The delay gives city staff
more time to prepare an analysis of public safety
concerns in moving the downtown fire station to
Keystone Avenue to make room for the ballpark.
City officials have proposed moving the fire
department to city owned properties on Keystone
Avenue. But City Manager Charles McNeely said
other options might be available, including
finding a place for the station in the proposed
ballpark district. City officials are in a race
against time to approve the stadium deal. All of
the agreements must be signed before Oct. 1 or
county car rental fees approved by the state for a
ballpark project will be lost. A vote by the
Washoe County commission for the use of those fees
is scheduled Sept. 25. Meanwhile,
SK Baseball LLC completed its purchase of the
Sidewinders from Jay Zucker on Wednesday,
clearing the way for a move. Zucker will receive
$15 million, or $13.5 million if the team does not
move. PCL officials say they expect a relocation
request (a formality, really) to be filed at
league offices shortly.
RELATED STORIES:
Reno council OKs downtown ballpark deal;
Baseball owners could get tax break;
Two sites OK'd for Reno ballpark;
Two Reno ballpark sites to go before city planners;
PCL approves Sidewinders sale; Reno gets site;
Reno officials want 8-acre site near Evans Avenue
for ballpark;
Reno City Council to consider plan to build new
ballpark;
It's all over but the blaming;
Sidewinders sold; expected to be in Reno in '09;
Announcement on Reno's Triple-A team delayed;
Washoe County approves PCL ballpark;
Reno is closer to Triple-A baseball;
Guinn OKs bonds for marina;
State tourism panel aids Sparks marina project;
Sparks Council OKs proposal for 92 acres of marina
project;
Officials still hold hope for Triple-A franchise
in Reno;
Sparks still in hunt for Triple-A team
Brighton council approves
ballot measure
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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Brighton
(Col.) city officials touted a proposed ballpark
for an independent American Association team as a
site that could host concerts, car shows and even
high school graduations, adding a new profile to
what was at first a simple facility. It’s this
multi-faceted quality that has become a major
selling point for a proposed sales tax increase to
fund the facility, which will go before the voters
on the ballot in November. The new complex would
contain 3,500 to 4,000 seats, 12 suites, a team
locker, training facilities, youth play areas, a
stage, a parking lot, a scoreboard and other
features. The facility would be ready to host a
team for the 2009 baseball season. No site has
been chosen, but downtown Brighton is a
possibility.
RELATED STORIES:
Residents will be asked to help fund minor-league
ballpark;
Brighton, Castle Rock join in baseball team search;
Baseball cost: fair or foul?;
Investors pitch baseball idea for The Ranch;
Commissioners back study of ballpark at The Ranch;
Another baseball contender in Fort Collins: the
American Association;
Ballpark battle beginning in Fort Collins?;
Foxes still seeking location for their new 'Den';
Minor-league baseball for Castle Rock, Col.?
Pirates hire
Frank Coonelly as team president
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It's
official: The Pittsburgh Pirates today officially
announced that the hiring of Frank Coonelly as the
team's new president. The anticipated announcement
was made by Pirates Chairman of the Board Bob
Nutting. "This is a tremendous step forward in the
transition of our organization. After an extensive
search process, it became clear to me that Frank
is by far the best and most qualified choice to
become the day-to-day leader of this
organization," said Nutting. "Frank brings a
tremendous amount of baseball experience to this
role. This experience will be a critical asset for
us moving forward, including in the short term in
the selecting of our new General Manager and
assembling our baseball operations team." Coonelly
previously served as Senior Vice President and
General Counsel in the Office of the Commissioner
of Baseball for nine years. In this role he worked
closely with general managers and baseball
operations personnel from every team in Major
League Baseball.
RELATED STORIES:
Coonelly tapped as next Bucs president: Greenberg;
Coonelly could be Pirates' next president;
Littlefield fired as Pirates GM
Developer hopes
to help settle dispute between Lynx, city
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Local
businessman David Butler is trying to broker a
deal between the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA;
International League) and the city of Ottawa in
the hopes of securing a deal for himself with the
baseball team's old digs. Butler, who last week
announced ambitious plans to cap the city-owned
facility with a permanent roof, add up to 15,000
more seats, and convert the ballpark to a concert
and indoor sporting facility, said he is trying to
help "broker" a deal between the two parties,
currently involved in a legal dispute over alleged
unfulfilled promises on parking. At the same time,
he has reached out to the independent Can-Am
Association, hoping a mutually beneficial
arrangement can be reached. Butler says a team can
play at the refurbished facility, noting that the
high point of the dome will be 220 feet; Can-Am
Association Commissioner Miles Wolff says he's not
sure that enough room, and besides it would take
two year for the renovations to be completed.
Wolff will meet with Ottawa city councillors today
to again bring forward his proposal to bring a
Can-Am team to Ottawa, but he's competing
against a pretty ambitious plan.
RELATED STORIES:
Spirit gives up ghost in Lynn;
Ottawa to land Nashua Pride?;
Shuttle off to Lynx Stadium?;
Honestly, you can't really blame him;
Wolff: Don't close down Lynx Stadium
Harbor Yard ballpark needs
repairs
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The
decade-old
Ballpark at Harbor Yard has sprung a leak --
many of them, in fact -- and needs extensive
repairs. The city on Friday will launch the repair
process by seeking bids from contractors at the
ballpark. George Estrada, the city's director of
public facilities, said this morning the ballpark
will require a rehabilitation project costing
$800,000 to correct "water mitigation issues" that
have troubled the structure since it was
constructed 10 years ago on what used to be south
Main Street, just south of Interstate 95. On
Friday, prospective contractors will be given a
tour of the home of the Bridgeport Bluefish
(independent; Atlantic League) to get a direct
perspective on the kind of repairs the city is
asking them to make.
The next big flip: Ballpark
seats?
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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More
on entrepreneur Lou Weisbach and his unusual
approach to facility financing. Here's his plan:
Fans contract with teams to own their seats for a
set period -- from five years to ten years to
perpetuity -- at a fixed price, paying in a lump
sum annually. The teams, in turn, get a reliable
source of cash flow to pay down debt or fund new
projects. The thing is, who is more likely to make
this sort of investment if we're talking about a
premium over face value: Joe Six-Pack or a ticket
vendor who can easily flip the tickets at a huge
market for hot events? We did some asking around,
and our readers who work with MLB teams don't seem
especially thrilled with the notion of giving up
this much power over tickets (which, as they'll
remind you, is merely a license to attend a game,
and nothing more tangible than that), especially
when MLB is moving toward more multiple pricing
plans and more of a presence in the
secondary-ticket market, where they can gain more
revenue by reselling the ticket.
RELATED STORIES:
'Seat rights' plan pitched at ballpark;
Morgan Stanley buys stake in stadium finance firm
Oklahoma senator tries to
strike Billings ballpark funding
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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The
U.S. Senate on Wednesday turned back an attempt to
strike $500,000 in federal funding to help build
the replacement for
Cobb Field in
Billings. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., offered an
amendment to strip the earmark, along with a few
others, from a transportation spending bill. The
Senate voted 63-32 to reject Coburn’s amendment,
keeping the money in the bill. This sounds like
some nasty politics at play: the earmark was
originally requested by Sen. Conrad Burns before
he was voted out of office; now that two Democrats
represent Montana in the Senate, a Republican
senator tries to strip out almost all the Montana
earmarks from the bill.
Cobb Field,
the home of the Billings Mustangs (rookie; Pioneer
League), is currently being demolished and a
new ballpark
is slated to open next year.
More from Congressional Quarterly, which
botches the coverage: the Mustangs aren't owned by
the Cincinnati Reds.
RELATED STORIES:
Last baseball game in Cobb Field is in the books;
Tonight's the last night for Cobb Field;
An extra inning to raise funds for new Billings
ballpark;
Billings looks at cutbacks to new ballpark;
Tight schedule for Billings' new ballpark;
Council awards ballpark contracts;
City looks to cut cost
of ballpark;
Ballpark bids throw curve to officials;
City OKs ballpark bond bids;
Park plans head for home;
City, Mustangs watching ballpark plans;
Old-time ballplayers join groundbreaking for new
Billings ballpark;
Billings ballpark design allows future amenities;
Plan for new baseball park has sunken, realigned
field;
Planning for new Cobb Field gets on fast track;
Cobb Field planning kicks into high gear;
Billings voters approve new Mustangs ballpark;
Donors pitch $210K more toward new ballpark;
Join local teams in support for new ballpark;
Three groups, family pledge $200K for maintenance
of new Cobb Field;
New vote on an old park;
Two more pitch in on new Cobb Field;
Musburger urges support for Cobb Field replacement;
Baseball fan boosts Billings ballpark campaign;
Gaming operator donates $1 million toward Billings
ballpark;
Cobb backers unveil campaign;
Lots to learn about new plan for Cobb Field;
Bond issue for Cobb Field replacement on ballot;
Burns backs federal aid for Cobb Field;
Potential gift could pare price of Cobb Field;
Funding dominates Cobb discussion;
Billings needs ballpark to be proud of, not field
of dreams;
Panel details ways to cut Billings ballpark costs;
Cobb Field panel pursues closer look at costs;
Billings panel asks for Cobb Field tax measure;
Forums planned on Cobb Field proposal;
Poll finds support for bonds for Cobb Field;
Council vote sets stage for Cobb debate;
Cobb Field replacement could cost $12 million;
HNTB selected for Cobb Field renovation;
Cobb proposals narrowed to 2;
Six proposals vie to study Cobb Field
Mediator will try to find a
ballpark land solution
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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Rick
Solum, a former Hennepin County district judge,
will be the next person to try to settle how much
the site of the new Minnesota Twins ballpark is
worth. Hennepin County and lawyers for the
stadium's landowners agreed Wednesday to have
Solum preside over a mediation hearing on Sept. 28
to try to bring the sides together. Solum is a
shareholder with the Dorsey & Whitney law firm; he
specializes in alternate dispute resolution and
complex financial situations, so this is right up
his alley. The hearing is the latest attempt to
keep the issue from going to trial next year;
despite the rhetoric from some of the attorneys,
it's pretty clear both sides would rather find a
middle ground.
RELATED STORIES:
Hennepin County makes insulting offer to Twins
ballpark landowners;
Landowners make settlement offer in Twins ballpark
dispute;
Twins finally hold groundbreaking for new ballpark;
Landowners to appeal valuation of Twins ballpark
parcel;
A new dispute on ballpark
land figures;
Twins ballpark site worth $23.8 million, says
condemnation panel;
Greed circles the plate at Twins ballpark site;
Hennepin County, land owners remain far apart on
value of ballpark site;
Taxpayers' costs
for Twins ballpark may be going up;
Ballpark land was low-balled;
Ballpark designers seek green label, but say
effort alone counts;
Twins ballpark parcel worth $65.375 million, say
owners;
Twins ballpark
draws development interest;
Pohlads lining up land near ballpark;
Hennepin
County takes control of ballpark land, reaches agreement with railroad;
Twins, Hennepin
County sign ballpark agreement; now the fun begins;
County: Twins' extra donation for ballpark is
confidential;
Twins
unveil ballpark plans;
Hennepin County, Twins reach land agreement; vote
slated for today;
Twins ballpark meeting is delayed;
Ballpark impasse solution may be near on Twins
ballpark;
Twins moving ahead
with ballpark plans;
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
Area losing Spirit baseball
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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With
the North Shore Spirit (independent; Can-Am
Association) poised to shut down operations after
the league championship series, a big issue is
what owner Nick Lopardo will do with the millions
in improvements he made to
Fraser
Field.
According to the team's lease, the Spirit owns the
modular clubhouse, team offices, concession
stands, and restrooms that it put up to
accommodate the team and staff. The team also owns
1,200 field box seats installed about 60 feet from
the dugouts and the video scoreboard in the
outfield. We've heard the tentative plan is for
Lopardo to donate everything to local
universities, but he may run into an issue: the
city says anything attached to the ballpark,
including the seats and the scoreboard, must stay
in the ballpark. We're guessing negotiations will
yield a compromise where the seats stay and
everything else goes.
RELATED STORIES:
Spirit gives up ghost in Lynn;
Wolff: Don't close down Lynx Stadium
Is a third N.Y. baseball
team feasible?
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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Short
answer: economically, yes; politically, no.
There's just no way the owners of the New York
Mets and the New York Yankees would allow another
MLB team into the New York/New Jersey market,
especially when they've borrowed a couple of
billion dollars to build new ballparks. Here the
author huffs and puffs about the 1922 anti-trust
exemption being the
big barrier to another team moving in, but the
reality is considerably more complex.
Wranglers cease operations
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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After
four seasons in the Texas Collegiate Baseball
League, the Weatherford Wranglers are taking their
bats and balls and going home. The Wranglers'
owners announced Monday they are folding the team,
saying they are exercising a termination clause in
their agreement with the summer wooden-bat league.
Last month, Gerald Haddock, the league chairman
and chief executive officer, sued seven of the
nine teams in the league, including the Wranglers,
after they told him they did not intend to
continue playing in 2008. He asked a court to
block any effort by the teams to form a new league
using the same concepts as the TCL. Haddock places
the value of the TCL at more than $3 million.
Ump tells lout to not shout,
so he's out
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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There
were so few fans at
Dolphin Stadium
for Wednesday's game, a season-ticket holder got
thrown out for heckling the umpire too loudly. In
the fifth inning of the Florida Marlins' 5-4
victory over the Washington Nationals, home plate
umpire Paul Schreiber gave the thumb to an unnamed
man seated behind the plate who had been verbally
abusive throughout the contest. There were no more
than about 400 fans in attendance at the game's
peak.
Ballpark condo developer
gets extra innings
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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Although
aldermen rejected a ballpark-hugging condominium
development last week, the developer is still
pushing the project and received a 60-day
extension from the planning board last night. Line
Drive Lofts LLC had been originally scheduled to
bring its six-story, 36-unit project before the
planning board last night. But the board granted
Line Drive's request for an extension, pushing the
regulatory hearing to Nov. 8. Line Drive first
appeared before the planning board in June. But
the project stalled when aldermen refused several
requests made by Line Drive, including turning
over air-rights for condo balconies, which would
jut out over Merchantsauto.com Stadium property.
The ballpark is home to the New Hampshire Fisher
Cats (Class AA; Eastern League).
Ballpark Notes
Posted Sept. 13, 2007 (feedback)
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The
voice of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (short
season; Northwest League) has signed off. Pat
Lafferty, who has been the Volcanoes'
play-by-play broadcaster on KYKN radio (1430 AM)
since the franchise arrived in 1997, announced his
retirement this week. KYKN will be broadcasting
Seattle Mariners games next season, leaving the
Volcanoes without a radio affiliate. But Volcanoes
games are expected to be carried on radio next
year....
Hennepin County makes
insulting offer to Twins ballpark landowners
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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It
probably would have been better if Hennepin County
had made no offer at all. Hennepin County offered
$19.3 million, plus incidental costs, on Tuesday
for the land on which the
new Minnesota Twins ballpark
is being built, but it
drew a cool reception from the landowners. No
surprise: a three-member panel of arbitrators
pegged the land's value at $23.8 million, with a
dissenting arbitrator saying the land was worth
$33 million. The landowners have already countered
with a $33.18 million offer -- under the
circumstances, not exactly an unfair proposal that
could at the very least serve as the starting
point for serious negotiations. In the end, it's
pretty clear the nonbinding arbitration was a
worthless exercise and, unless Hennepin County
officials step up with a more realistic offer,
merely served as a practice run for a trial next
year.
RELATED STORIES:
Landowners make settlement offer in Twins ballpark
dispute;
Twins finally hold groundbreaking for new ballpark;
Landowners to appeal valuation of Twins ballpark
parcel;
A new dispute on ballpark
land figures;
Twins ballpark site worth $23.8 million, says
condemnation panel;
Greed circles the plate at Twins ballpark site;
Hennepin County, land owners remain far apart on
value of ballpark site;
Taxpayers' costs
for Twins ballpark may be going up;
Ballpark land was low-balled;
Ballpark designers seek green label, but say
effort alone counts;
Twins ballpark parcel worth $65.375 million, say
owners;
Twins ballpark
draws development interest;
Pohlads lining up land near ballpark;
Hennepin
County takes control of ballpark land, reaches agreement with railroad;
Twins, Hennepin
County sign ballpark agreement; now the fun begins;
County: Twins' extra donation for ballpark is
confidential;
Twins
unveil ballpark plans;
Hennepin County, Twins reach land agreement; vote
slated for today;
Twins ballpark meeting is delayed;
Ballpark impasse solution may be near on Twins
ballpark;
Twins moving ahead
with ballpark plans;
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
This week's podcast: Getting
off the new-ballpark express; bigger houses on the
prairie; and yet another new use for Tiger Stadium
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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Dave
Wright and Kevin Reichard discuss the hot topics in the baseball
and ballpark worlds in the weekly Ballpark Digest
podcast. This week's topics:
two opposing stories of city governments and
ballparks; upgrading the facilities in the Pioneer
League; yet another life for Tiger Stadium; and a
final warning about the impending Ballpark Digest
awards. To directly
subscribe to the feed using Firefox or Internet
Explorer,
go to this page and click on the "Subscribe Now"
button. You
can listen directly to the podcast
via this link
(it's a standard MP3 file), or
you can subscribe
via iTunes, Feedburner or your personalized Google
home
page. (We're finding out from the stats that
subscribing via Google is proving to be a very
popular option.)
Comments are welcome.
More information on Ballpark Digest podcasts here.
Commissioners postpone
decision on baseball suit
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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Luzerne
County Commissioners scheduled and then canceled a
Tuesday afternoon press conference to announce a
planned lawsuit involving the
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA;
International League), the team co-owned with
Lackawanna County. Luzerne County’s legal team
recommended holding off, said county Public
Information Officer Kathy Bozinski. The county’s
consideration of a lawsuit was prompted by
Lackawanna County officials’ approval of documents
that could affect the future of the franchise --
including its sale -- without input or approval
from Luzerne County, Luzerne County commissioners
have said. Mandalay Baseball Properties has an
option to buy the team for $13 million.
More from the Scanton Times-Tribune.
RELATED STORIES:
Yankees set to break attendance record;
Law firms hired in Yankees flap;
Mandalay eyes expansion;
Value of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees questioned;
Sale of Harrisburg franchise raises questions
about Yanks;
Luzerne County
officials finally out of the bullpen;
County rejects Triple-A agreement;
Potential sale of SWB Yankees approved;
Luzerne County explores options on baseball deals;
Blaum wants 1986 ballpark contract honored;
Potential sale of the SWB Yankees approved;
Lackawanna
County minority commissioner wants stadium authority to pay off county;
Yanks filling seats in Moosic;
Once again, it’s all
about the Yankees;
New for 2007: PNC Field;
Work on Lackawanna County
Stadium progresses;
New for 2007: the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees;
End of Astroturf at Lackawanna County Stadium;
Here to stay, keep baseball fifty-fifty;
Red Barons will stay, Mandalay vows;
Moosic councilman presses county on amusement tax;
New grass field, fixing leaks are ballpark
priorities;
Hard-nosed Mandalay known for investments in
minor-league teams;
Will Moosic get a new ballpark?;
Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, California management
firm heading to Moosic;
Mets representatives expected to tour Lackawanna
County Stadium today;
Proposal would combine front offices of Barons and
Pens;
It's official: Yankees leaving Columbus; move to
Scranton a done deal?;
Authority will consider giving Cordaro power;
Yankees to SWB?
Coonelly tapped as next Bucs
president: Greenberg
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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Frank
Coonelly, a top labor lawyer in the commissioner's
office, has been selected by the Pittsburgh
Pirates to become their next team president,
according to the only other known finalist for the
job. Chuck Greenberg, a Pittsburgh-based lawyer
whose group owns three successful minor league
clubs, was told by Pirates controlling owner Bob
Nutting that Coonelly was the choice. "As a
Pittsburgh guy and a Pirates fan, I would have
loved being part of turning the franchise around
and seeing the Pirates win championships again,"
said Greenberg, whose group owns the Altoona Curve
(Class AA; Eastern League), the Myrtle Beach
Pelicans (High Class A; Carolina League) and the
State College Spikes (short season; NY-Penn
League). "But I wish Frank Coonelly only the
best."
RELATED STORIES:
Coonelly could be Pirates' next president;
Littlefield fired as Pirates GM
Dodgers to set
new paid attendance record
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have set a
new paid attendance record, passing last season's
mark of 3,758,545 fans. Ticket sales for the 2007
season are now just over 3,760,000, with 12 home
games still remaining in the regular season.
Through 69 games this season, the Dodgers are
averaging 47,432 fans, the best mark in the
National League. There have been 11 sellouts and
25 games with crowds of more than 50,000 fans. On
July 3 of this season, the Dodgers became the
first franchise in history to reach 175 million in
cumulative attendance.
Future of Pride remains in
doubt
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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We
could see an unusual development in the
independent Can-Am
Association: both teams in
the championship
series -- the Nashua Pride and the North Shore
Spirit -- could be gone before the beginning of
next season. Spirit owner Nick Lopardo reportedly has
already thrown in the towel, and Pride owner John
Stabile doesn't sound too enthusiastic about
coming back for another year of financial losses,
either. One option is for former Chris English to
come back and run the team for a year until he can
move it to a new Leominster ballpark (although
that effort seems to be fatally stalled); another
is to move the franchise to Ottawa next season
should Lynx Stadium be available. After thinking
about it, we're not so sure Miles Wolff and crew
should be all that eager to move to Lynx Stadium:
we're not sure that large a ballpark makes good
business sense, and there's something to be said
for letting the market go fallow a year or to.
Let's face it: the current front office of the
Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA; International League) did
a pretty decent job of promoting the team and
couldn't get the fans to come to the ballpark, and
there's just no way a Can-Am Association team
could begin to even halfway fill a 10,00-seat
ballpark. Ottawa may end up being a great market
for the Can-Am Association in the future, but Lynx
Stadium in its present form isn't the answer.
More from the Nashua Telegraph.
RELATED STORIES:
Spirit gives up ghost in Lynn;
Ottawa to land Nashua Pride?;
Shuttle off to Lynx Stadium?;
Honestly, you can't really blame him;
Wolff: Don't close down Lynx Stadium
Cubs surpass 3M
fans at Wrigley Field, fastest in franchise
history
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Chicago Cubs set a club record on Tuesday by
reaching three millions fans at
Wrigley Field
faster than any other season in franchise history.
Today's contest is the 75th home date of 2007,
surpassing the previous record of 77 home dates to
three million fans in 2004 and 2006. The afternoon
make-up game vs. the St. Louis Cardinals drew
40,358 fans and brought the season total to
3,007,555 fans at
Wrigley Field. The Cubs have now
surpassed three million fans in home attendance in
each of the last four seasons starting in 2004
when the club reached the mark for the first time
and drew the current single-season club record of
3,170,184 fans at
Wrigley Field.
Diamond Jaxx
honored by Southern League
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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The
Class AA Southern League announced that the West
Tenn Diamond Jaxx have won the Award of Excellence
based upon an attendance increase of nearly 19
percent over 2006. West Tenn welcomed 17,865 more
fans to Pringles Park in 2007 than in the previous
year, a testament to the efforts made by General
Manager Jeff Parker and the rest of the Diamond
Jaxx staff to revitalize the team’s presence in
the community. Owned by Robert Lozinak since
October 2002, the Diamond Jaxx spent their 10th
season in the Southern League in 2007.
City councilman
puts Senators in loss column
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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City
Councilman Dan Miller tonight took another swing
at the Harrisburg Senators (Class AA; Eastern
League) profitability -- or lack of it. Miller,
saying he had analyzed 11 years of audited
financial statements, reported that the
Harrisburg-owned team piled up financial losses
totalling $3.6 million since 1996. Mayor Stephen
R. Reed had reported that the team scored a total
of $2.7 million in profits for through 2006.
Miller, a CPA, had made similar allegations, but
he said this was the first time he had access to
all the audited financial reports, which he said
confirmed his earlier estimates. The city is in
the process of selling the H-Sens, and this
discussion shouldn't impact the sale, but it will
impact where the proceeds of the sale go.
Slumping
Marlins reach a low point
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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With
the worst record in the National League, the
Florida Marlins have also lost their connection
with the local sports community. The announced
attendance Monday at
Dolphin Stadium was 12,345,
but the crowd was estimated at about 1,000 and
after a 40-minute rain delay in the seventh, there
were probably 200 fans left in a stadium that
seats more than 67,000 for baseball. Now, we've
all been in ballparks in September where the
crowds have been disappointing, and the weather
certainly didn't help any. But there should be
more than 1,000 hardcore baseball fans in Miami.
"Joes for Joe" appeal to Bud
Selig
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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Yeah,
it's a PR stunt, but a pretty good one,
nevertheless. The Anderson Joes (independent;
South Coast League) have made an appeal to MLB
baseball commissioner Bud Selig to reinstate
Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Jackson was banned from baseball by Commissioner Judge
Kennesaw Mountain Landis for allegedly conspiring
to throw the 1919 World Series in the
well-documented "Black Sox" scandal.
The Joes, named in honor of the South Carolina legend,
recently celebrated the 99th anniversary of the
famous "shoeless" game Jackson played in Anderson
on August 4, 1908. As part of the evening’s
festivities, Anderson Joes players and coaches
removed their shoes to pose for a photograph with
other celebrated "Joes" of the community including
"Shoeless" Joe’s great-great grand nephew, Joe
Jackson, his son Joseph Jackson, as well as Joe
Thompson, acclaimed author of Growing Up With
Shoeless Joe.
Anderson Joes community relations director Diana Vossbrinck
followed up the event by sending Commissioner
Selig a framed copy of the "Joes for Joe"
photograph, along with a team-signed shirt, and a
letter asking for Jackson’s reinstatement.
Vossbrinck is also the executive director of Hall
YES! a grass-roots movement aimed at Jackson’s
reinstatement and eventual induction into the
National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown,
N.Y. There have been other attempts to clear
Shoeless Joe's name; none of them seem to even
muster a reply from Selig.
Hicks' Rangers reign goes
deep
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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Tom
Hicks is now the longest-tenured owner of the
Texas Rangers, beating out the George Bush
ownership group (from whom he bought the team).
Hicks has had a mixed record as owner: for a
period he was a free spender whose approach to
negotiations was to bid against himself (see Alex
Rodriguez's contract negotiations for proof of
that), but lately he's been vilified for not
spending enough. The truth is probably somewhere
in between: when Hicks was throwing around the
bucks he spent little time focusing on the team's
farm system, but of late that appears to have
changed.
Former Pilots cherish
memories
Posted Sept. 12, 2007 (feedback)
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Julio
Franco and Desi Relaford patrolled the same patch
of Peninsula dirt 12 years apart. The two
ballplayers -- shortstops for the Carolina
League's Peninsula Pilots in 1980 and 1992,
respectively -- made all-star teams and won league
championships at War Memorial Stadium. Fifteen
years after the franchise left Hampton and
relocated to Wilmington, Del., Franco and Relaford
are the last two players in pro baseball who can
trace their minor-league roots to the Pilots.
More Riverfront Stadium work
is under design
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Renovation
work continues on
Riverfront Stadium, the home of
the Waterloo Bucks (summer collegiate; Northwoods
League). Waterloo City Council members approved a
$12,500 contract with Struxture Architects to
design "phase IV" of the ongoing renovation. The
easternmost concessions area will be remodeled,
while the serving windows will be moved to the
other side to face the parking lots. That area
under the bleachers will be sealed and eventually
could become part of the new locker rooms.The city
completed a $410,000 restroom, concessions stand
and entrance project last spring. Another $138,000
was spent replacing the grandstands roof, and
another $41,000 went into a decorative fence.
City agrees to cut fees for
baseball team
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City
officials have agreed to settle a contract dispute
with the owner of the Bellingham Bells (summer
collegiate; WCCBL) by waiving use fees this year
at Joe Martin Field and allowing the team to pay
less in future years. City Council members voted
unanimously to approve the settlement with Grand
Slam Management Monday night after discussing the
issue in closed-door executive session. Grand Slam
had sued the city for breach of contract, arguing
that renovations forced them to use a
less-desirable field. An agreement had been made
on that issue in 2006, when the company dropped
its lawsuit. Work continued on the ballpark after
that, however, and Grand Slam continued to
complain about the issue. The city will decrease
Grand Slam’s use fees from the current $10,000
contract to $9,000 for 2008 and 2009, plus
inflation in future years.
Ballpark Notes
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Independent
United League Baseball announced the hiring
of Venustiano (Tuffy) Martinez as the new
general manager of the Edinburg Coyotes following
the resignation of Associate General Manager Brett
Lindhal. Martinez is a Port Isabel native who has
spent the past 13 years teaching and coaching in
the Rio Grande Valley. This includes time in the
Port Isabel, Sharyland, Hidalgo and Los Fresnos
School Districts before becoming the Athletic
Director for the Santa Rosa Independent School
District. In addition to his service as a teacher,
Tuffy spent five years as the Director of the
Verizon Wireless Sports Park in Mission,
Texas....The Harrisburg Senators (Class AA;
Eastern League) announced that the team’s auction
to raise funds for the Lebanon VA Hospital at the
end of the season was a huge success. More than
$4,500 was raised to benefit the local hospital,
which supplies services to military veterans. The
medical center consists of a main campus in
Lebanon plus Community Based Clinics in Camp Hill,
York, Reading, Lancaster, and Pottsville, PA,
serving the veterans of 13 counties in south
central Pennsylvania. Prior to and during
the Senators’ game on August 30th, more than 100
donated items were auctioned off through a silent
auction. Most of the items were autographed and
the event included sports, entertainment and
celebrity items....Elliott Strankman is
returning as manager of the Green Bay Bullfrogs
(summer collegiate; Northwoods League)....Mississippi
Braves General Manager Steve DeSalvo
has been named the Class AA Southern League
Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, as voted
upon by his peers. It is the third such award in
the Southern League for DeSalvo, who was honored
in 1990 and 1998 when the Braves called
Greenville, S.C. home. DeSalvo, who just completed
his 21st season as the franchise's general
manager, joined Art Clarkson (4), Peter Bragan,
Jr. and Joe Kremer as the only executives to win
the award at least three times....The Amarillo
Dillas (independent; United League Baseball)
announced today that Buddy Biancalana has
officially resigned as their field manager.
Biancalana is leaving the managing ranks of
professional baseball to pursue, as he termed
other opportunities to closer to home.
A new vision for Tiger
Stadium
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Two
rival groups trying to save portions of Tiger
Stadium, including one headed by Hall of Fame
broadcaster Ernie Harwell, have teamed up to
increase the odds that some parts of the historic
ballpark will be preserved. Harwell and his
attorney, Gary Spicer, said Monday that they have
accepted invitations to join the board of the Old
Tiger Stadium Conservancy, a Corktown group
working to save a corner of the Corner as a
community center and memorial. Harwell had pushed
a plan to restore the ballpark to its original
Navin Field configuration, but the conservancy was
looking to save 1,000 or so seats. Their combined
effort now aims at saving about 3,000 seats, both
dugouts and locker rooms, and the playing field
itself. Most of the more ambitious parts of the
Harwell-Spicer effort would happen only in the
future if money allowed. We did some asking
around, and one issue with either plan is the lack
of discussions with any possible tenants of a
scaled-down ballpark. At 3,000 seats, who do they
expect to play there? Local high schools and
college teams. Preserve room for 5,000 and you've
got the chance of landing a summer-collegiate
team; preserve room for 8,000 and you have a shot
at a minor-league team.
More from the Detroit News.
Tiger
Stadium is a prominent member of our Endangered
Ballparks listings.
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Reading mayor opposes
building new ballpark
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Aging
FirstEnergy Stadium should not be demolished in
favor of a new ballpark, but should undergo about
$26 million in renovations, Reading Mayor Tom McMahon said
Monday. McMahon said he reached that conclusion
after seeing the results of a study started in
April after he suggested that a new ballpark for
the Reading Phillies be built downtown to spur
development along the Schuylkill River. The study
results he presented to City Council on Monday did
not recommend either option. But McMahon said the
results show a new ballpark could cost as much as
$67 million without providing substantial
financial returns. According to the study, the
renovated ballpark would bring the city about $5
million in revenue over 30 years, while a new
stadium would generate about $5.5 million over the
same time. Team president Chuck Domino says the
preference of the Reading Phillies (Class AA;
Eastern League) is to renovate the ballpark.
Group prepares new
Rosenblatt Stadium plan
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Members
of a group trying to keep the College World Series
at Omaha's
Rosenblatt Stadium said Monday they are
working on a new plan that would renovate the
ballpark instead of building a new one. Omaha City
Councilman Garry Gernandt said the group is
working on a plan with an unnamed local architect
that he hopes will be ready for the NCAA within 35
days. Gernandt wouldn't say who the architect is.
The group believes renovating
Rosenblatt Stadium
is a better option than a new ballpark north of
downtown Omaha -- a plan Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey
backs.
More from the Omaha World-Herald.
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Omaha floats new ballpark for CWS, O-Royals
Raptors to propose Lindquist
Field expansion
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The
Ogden Raptors (rookie; Pioneer League) front
office is waiting for the green light to swing
away on a proposed Lindquist Field expansion. With
the Pioneer League season ending last Friday, the
stadium project could be approved by a city
council vote by Sept. 18 after a summer of waiting
for bonding to be put in place, Raptors team
President Dave Baggott said. The financing will be
through lease revenue bonding, which doesn't use
tax dollars, Baggott said. The city's go-ahead
would fund replacing the bleachers on the
third-base side with chair-back seats all the way
to the outfield wall, a new spectator deck above
the left-field fence and more concessions stands,
restroom facilities and storage. It might also
complete the outfield wall, removing the
chain-link fence that currently forms part of it.
Japan in plans for ’08 MLB
opener
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Major
League Baseball has put the pieces in place for
the Red Sox to start next season in Japan. Now the
question is: Do the Red Sox want to go? According
to an Associated Press report, the first draft of
the schedule released by Major League Baseball to
teams has the Red Sox opening up the North
American portion of their 2008 regular season in
Oakland after a series in Japan. Red Sox officials
say they're not committed to the trip, however.
The plan formulated by MLB would have the Red Sox
and Athletics meet at the Tokyo Dome in Japan,
before heading back to Oakland.
In Greensboro, baseball's
best days are here
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Everyone
assumes that a baseball team has a guaranteed gold
mine when they open a new ballpark, and for many
teams they do see the balance on the bottom line
change when the gates open. But the better
organizations combine the new ballpark with a lot
of creativity and hustle, which is the Greensboro
Grasshoppers (Low Class A; Sally League) is such a
great success story: they do have a great
ballpark, but they still promote well and bring
great entertainment to the ballpark.
A's ballpark village plan
moves school away from the landfill
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The
elementary school in the Oakland A's Fremont
ballpark village proposal would be located next to
or within a planned residential neighborhood,
rather than beside the Tri-Cities Landfill where
it originally was penciled to go. "We're
definitely going to move it somewhere else," A's
co-owner Keith Wolff said Monday at a Chamber of
Commerce luncheon attended by the entire Fremont
City Council and four members of the school board.
Wolff, who shared the stage with his father and
fellow co-owner, Lew Wolff, also said that at the
request of city leaders, the A's will propose
taller residential buildings fronting the stadium
-- three to four stories -- to make the
neighborhood more densely populated. Speaking to
an audience of nearly 200, Keith Wolff pitched the
ballclub as a loyal community member whose
ballpark would enhance, but not overwhelm, its
surroundings along Auto Mall Parkway just west of
Interstate 880. A double-sided center-field
scoreboard would allow shoppers to watch the game
in an adjacent park and possibly serve as an
outdoor movie venue, Keith Wolff said. And raised
bleacher seats would be designed to give passing
motorists a view of the field on non-game days.
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Fremont looking more and more like future home of
Oakland A's
Roberts delivers ballpark
pitch
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The
soon-to-be home of the Philadelphia Phillies' top
minor-league team gained a seal of approval from
one of the parent club's greatest legends. Hall of
Fame pitcher Robin Roberts stopped by Coca-Cola
Park, peered at the construction site and
envisioned grand things for its completion as the
new home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA;
International League).
Ballpark Notes
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The
La Crosse Loggers today will announce the
hiring of Sacramento City College (Calif.) head
coach Andy McKay as their manager for 2008,
according to the La Crosse Tribune has learned.
McKay becomes the Loggers’ fourth manager in six
seasons. He replaces Rick Boyer, who had a
61-75 record in 2006-07. Boyer resigned Aug. 23
after two seasons. McKay is in his ninth season as
the Panthers’ coach and has a record of 303-112-2
with five conference titles and one California
state junior college championship....Some charity
news to report. On June 23, the Fayetteville
SwampDogs (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain
League) and the Blood and Cancer Clinic partnered
to put on "StriKing Out Cancer Night" at J.P.
Riddle Stadium. The SwampDogs wore pink jerseys,
which were auctioned off following the game. In
addition, fans were able to pledge money per
strike out on that night. In the end, the
SwampDogs raised $3,869 dollars for the Karen
Chandler Trust Fund. SwampDogs owner/coach
Darrell Handelsman presented the check to
Goldy on the Oldies 106.9 Karen Chandler Trust
Fund radiothon on Saturday. The Hagerstown Suns
and HMS Technologies announced Alisha
Commer as the 2007 recipient of the "Son or
Daughter of a Serviceman Overseas Scholarship
Fund." The scholarship was developed as a way to
provide college financial assistance to an area
high-school student whose parent has served
overseas in the armed forces. As part of the Suns
"Serviceman Overseas" promotion, HMS Technologies
donated $5 into the scholarship fund for each run
the Suns scored during the 2007 season. This
season the Suns scored 635 runs for a total
donation of $3,175. HMS Technologies rounded the
total up to an even $3,200....The River City
Rascals (independent; Frontier League)
announced the promotion of Chris Franklin
to Assistant General Manager. Franklin, 26, joined
Rascals owner Steve Malliet in the
transition from the Joliet JackHammers to River
City in 2006 and was previously working as the
Director of Ticket Sales during the 2007
season....South Atlantic League President
John H. Moss will visit Golden Park
for the SAL Championship Series game three between
the Columbus Catfish and West Virginia Power on
Thursday, September 10 at 7 p.m. It will be the
last visit to Columbus for Moss as president
before he steps down on December 31, 2007 and
thereafter assumes the position of President
Emeritus. Moss will throw out the ceremonial first
pitch prior to Thursday’s game. The longest
tenured league president in Minor League
Baseball and the only president in the history
of the SAL, is in his 50th and final year as
president of the SAL....Matt Walbeck is
returning as manager of the Erie SeaWolves
(Class AA; Eastern League); Chris Hoiles is
returning as manager of the York Revolution
(independent; Atlantic League). Larry Parrish
is not returning as manager of the
Great Lakes Loons (Low Class A; Midwest
League)....The Jacksonville Suns announced
that Director of Ticket Operations Karlie Evatt
has been named the Southern League Woman of
Excellence, as voted upon by the league's
general managers. Evatt also is the Southern
League's nominee for the Rawlings Woman Executive
of the Year Award, which is presented by Minor
League Baseball at the Winter Meetings.
Evatt, who majored in Sports Management while
attending the University of Georgia, has exhibited
tremendous customer service skills since joining
the Suns as an intern in 2002. She assumed her
current role in time for the unveiling of the
Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in 2003, and the
Suns have boasted the highest annual attendance in
the Southern League ever since.
A stadium district foul
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More
on the battle over a proposed office tower next to
Coors Field,
which the Denver Metropolitan Major League
Baseball Stadium District thinks will impact the
views from the ballpark. Bill and Paula Leake want
a zoning change that would allow a 140-foot-high
tower just outside of
Coors Field;
the stadium district opposes the zoning change,
saying a proposed tower would block the views of
the Rockies from some seats at
Coors Field.
Strip out the useless rhetoric about the denial of
a zoning change being an unlawful taking of the
Leakes' land (there is a reason why zoning
ordinances exist), and you've got a genuine
disagreement over the extent of growth in one of
the most scenic cities in the country. Whether
you're pro-development or pro-environment, the
views are one of the big reasons fans go to
Colorado Rockies games at
Coors Field,
and attempting to preserve those views doesn't
make you anti-progress.
Cougars ballpark expansion
delayed again
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The
multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation of
Elfstrom Stadium,
the home of the Kane County Cougars (Low Class A;
Midwest League), has been postponed again, and
fans of the baseball team will have to wait
another 20 months for completion of work that
Forest Preserve District officials had hoped would
be done by next spring. Construction of the
publicly owned
Elfstrom Stadium's
upper-deck suites, a concourse overhang and
expanded customer service areas and team offices
probably won't begin until next September and will
not be completed at least until the start of the
minor-league team's 2009 season, Kane County
Forest Preserve District President John Hoscheit
said Friday. It was the second time officials have
postponed remodeling and expanding the ballpark.
Ole Miss asks Oxford to help
pay for ballpark expansion
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The
University of Mississippi has asked the city of
Oxford to borrow $3 million to help with
renovations at the Rebels' ballpark or continue
providing $200,000 a year from local tourism
funds. The city of Oxford this year is making the
final payment on a 1988 bond issue that financed
work at Oxford-University Stadium. That money came
from a 2 percent food and beverage tax approved by
the Legislature. Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete
Boone has asked the city to continue the financial
help through another bond issue or annual $200,000
payments from the tourism tax for the next 15
years. Initially, university officials thought the
stadium renovations would cost around $12 million
but the bids came in closer to $19 million. Boone
said the expansion plans were revised and the cost
is now around $17 million.
Last baseball game in Cobb
Field is in the books
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With
the Billings Mustangs (rookie; Pioneer League)
down 7-0 in the sixth inning, the nearly 3,800
fans who packed
Cobb Field
Friday evening started to trickle out of the
ballpark. Even though it was the last game after
nearly 60 years of baseball in the old ballpark,
there was steady stream of fans leaving when the
Great Falls White Sox extended their lead to 9-0
in the seventh. With two outs, a stand-up double
by the Mustangs' Tyler Hauschild got fans'
attention, and the remaining 2,000 or so rocked
the house with cheers. When a single by Jose
Gualdron drove home Billings' only run, people
were on their feet -- and they were thunderous.
The Mustangs will play in a
new ballpark
next season; demolition of
Cobb Field
has already begun.
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If you raze it, it is done
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The
fear expressed here is that if Lynx Stadium, the
soon-to-be former home of the Ottawa Lynx (Class
AAA; International League), is altered, then
there's not much future for baseball in the area.
That may or may not be true. We can see the Can-Am
Association wanting to use Lynx Stadium next
season: it gives them a replacement for a
traveling team and it gives the city a tenant. But
we're not so sure Lynx Stadium really is the best
long-term home for a Can-Am team: the capacity of
10,000-plus is way too high, and we're guessing a
smart operator would be asking the city for some
renovations after a couple of years. So before the
city even considers passing up on a $40-million
plan to dome the stadium and turn it into an
entertainment/soccer facility, it had best make
sure there's a solid long-term offer from the
Can-Am Association.
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Coonelly could be Pirates'
next president
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Frank
Coonelly, Major League Baseball's chief labor
counsel, has emerged as the top candidate to
become the Pittsburgh Pirates' president. Coonelly,
who coordinates the arbitration process, would
oversee the Pirates' day-to-day operations - the
job held by Kevin McClatchy since 1996. McClatchy,
once the Pirates' primary owner, announced in July
he would resign as chief executive officer at the
end of the season. If Coonelly takes over, one of
his first responsibilities would be deciding the
fate of manager Jim Tracy, who was hired in 2005
by former Pirates general manager Dave
Littlefield. The Pirates had a 129-184 record in
slightly less than two seasons under Tracy going
into Saturday night's game against the Cubs.
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NYSEG's role varies for
B-Mets and O-Tigers
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Here's
a look at NYSEG Stadium, the home of the
Binghamton Mets (Class AA: Eastern League), and
Damaschke Field, the home of the Oneonta Tigers
(short season; NY-Penn League). NYSEG is heavily
involved with both ballparks: it obviously holds
the naming rights to the home of the B-Mets, and
it was responsible for some upgrades to Damaschke
Field this past offseason. We visited both two
weeks ago; we'll have photos and summaries up
shortly.
Fan will
represent new Tigers attendance record
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One
lucky fan entering
Comerica Park
tonight will be chosen to represent all Tigers
fans for setting a new, single-season attendance
record for the club.
The Tigers' current single-season attendance mark of
2,704,794, was set during the club's World
Championship season in 1984 at Tiger Stadium. On
Monday night, the Tigers will pass that total at
Comerica Park
to establish a new record. A fan entering the
ballpark on Monday will be chosen to represent all
fans and the new, single-season attendance total.
As a way of saying thank you to Detroit fans, the randomly
selected guest on Monday will receive two, 27-game
season tickets for 2008, On-Deck Circle tickets
for the game against the Blue Jays, an opportunity
to throw out one of the game's ceremonial first
pitches and a gift basket full of Tigers items.
River Cats
adding new concert site
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It's
little more than grass and picnic tables now, but
the Sacramento River Cats (Class AAA; Pacific
Coast League) want to transform a 1.5-acre plot
next to Raley
Field in West Sacramento into a
state-of-the-art outdoor event hot spot unlike any
other in the region. The team will announce today
its plan to privately finance a facility flexible
enough to host everything from concerts and
theater productions to volleyball games and high
school graduations. Alan Ledford, president of
Raley Field, said the plan is in its earliest
stages and he wouldn't comment on construction
costs or naming rights. The facility should be
completed by March 2009.
They'll have a ball at
AirHogs event in Grand Prairie
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Construction
workers are starting to put the pillars in the
ground for the new minor league ballpark voters
OK'd for the Grand Prairie AirHogs (independent;
American Association). Greg Lynch, vice president
of sales for the AirHogs, said construction is
right on schedule. The 6,000-seat ballpark is
adjacent to Lone Star Park and slated to open next
season.
Heart of Indians baseball
beats from the cheap seats
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We
listed some superfans, including Cleveland's John
Adams, the other day and wondered where they were
in other ballparks.
Adams, a lifelong Indians fan, figures he has
taken the drum, part of a $25 set, to all but 34
of the more than 2,500 home games the Indians have
played since Aug. 24, 1973. The drum, christened
Big Chief Boom-Boom by the Indians announcer Herb
Score not long after its debut at Municipal
Stadium, has helped Adams meet a lot of other
dignitaries, including senators and a Pakistani
government official.
Newark to honor local
hall-of-famers
Posted Sept. 10, 2007 (feedback)
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story)
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Essex
County will permanently honor players with ties to
Newark in the National Baseball Hall of Fame with
a local hall of fame at Bears and Eagles
Riverfront Stadium, the home of the Newark Bears
(independent; Atlantic League). Some of the
honorees have tenuous ties to Newark -- Walter
Johnson didn't end up in the Hall of Fame because
once managed the Newark Bears -- but there are
some impressive names on the list: Yogi Berra, Ray
Dandridge, Leon Day, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Tris
Speaker and Effa Manley, the only woman elected to
the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the co-owner and
business manager for the Newark Eagles of the
Negro Leagues from 1936 to 1948. This article
was submitted by a reader. To share a story with
the baseball community, drop a note to
editors@augustpublications.com.
Anheuser-Busch may add to
mix at Ballpark Village
Posted Sept. 10, 2007 (feedback)
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story)
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Brewing
giant Anheuser-Busch is considering a presence at
Ballpark Village, the $387 million mixed-use
development planned by the St. Louis Cardinals for
the six square blocks immediately north of
Busch Stadium
downtown. A source familiar with the discussions
said Anheuser-Busch is contemplating a visitor
center there that would feature its famous
Clydesdale horses and provide transportation to
its headquarters in Soulard for its free brewery
tours.
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