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Archives: May 27-June 2, 2007

Triple-A baseball for Washoe County draws mixed reactions
Posted June 1, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The question posed here: whether Reno is a large enough market to support a Class AAA Pacific Coast League team. Reno's past experiences with pro baseball haven't been overwhelming: a Class A California League team did OK at Moana Stadium and an independent Western Baseball League team failed as well. The Reno Silver Sox (independent; Golden Baseball League) drew well last season but was obviously the second-class tenant at the University of Nevada-Reno ballpark. And there are many in baseball thinking Reno is more of a Class A market than a Class AAA market. Still, we're willing to give the Pacific Coast League boys the benefit of the doubt: they've done the market research.
    RELATED STORIES: 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

Minor-league baseball for Castle Rock, Col.?
Posted June 1, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Hank Lacey, a city councilman in Castle Rock, Col., says his Town Council will hear a detailed briefing next Tuesday about a proposal to locate a independent American Association team there. The proposal is for a 4,000-5,000 ballpark located on 20 acres. Castle Rock would likely be asked to spend $8-15 million and provide the necessary land. The fast-growing (77 percent growth since 2000) Castle Rock is located on the far south side of Denver, with an estimated population of 35,745. Efforts to bring an American Association team to Brighton are still in the works; we're assuming the efforts to bring a team to Commerce City are dead now.

Sale of Beavers to Paulson approved
Posted June 1, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
This was a very, very quick approval process: the Portland Beavers (Class AAA: Pacific Coast League) today announced the finalization of the sale of the team to Shortstop, LLC, led by majority owner Merritt Paulson. On May 22, the teams and their former ownership group, Portland Baseball Investment Group, announced that an agreement was reached to sell the franchises to Paulson and Shortstop, LLC. The transfer was subject to a standard approval and finalization process, and today’s announcement completes the transaction. Paulson, 34, will assume the positions of president and general manager of the Beavers immediately. Paulson and his wife, Heather, are in the process of moving to Portland. While Paulson owns a majority of the teams, his father, Henry M. Paulson, also has a percentage of ownership, due to his small minority interest in Shortstop, LLC. Henry Paulson’s interests do not involve any managerial or operational responsibilities in connection with Shortstop, LLC, and Merritt is the majority owner. Henry Paulson is currently serving as the Secretary of the Treasury for the United States.
    RELATED STORIES: Paulson to buy Portland Beavers

Indians, Goodyear reach agreement on spring-training home
Posted June 1, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Not that there was any doubt, but the Cleveland Indians and the city of Goodyear formally reached an agreement to have the Indians move their spring-training operations to a new complex within the city. The accord between the city and the Indians outlines the team's $100,000-a-year leasing fee over the next 20 years, with two five-year renewal options. The accord also dictates how profits will be divided between the team and Goodyear. Eighty percent of ticket sales will go to the team with Goodyear pocketing the remaining 20 percent. Goodyear has agreed to pay the Indians half of all in-park advertising, concession sales and parking revenues, while the Indians will pay half of all novelty sales to the city.
    RELATED STORIES: Goodyear approves ballpark design contract; Cactus League aims to reclaim fan base; Goodyear inks deal on spring-training facility; Goodyear eyes noted ballpark designer; Indians fan thrilled by new facility plans; $80 mil for baseball taps out sports authority; White Sox to delay Phoenix move?; Arizona commission to fund both proposed spring-training facilities; Glendale offers spring-training plan; Parties expect Dodgers, Sox deal to pan out; Leaving Tucson will be tricky for White Sox; County not eager to match baseball largess; State panel shouldn't fund White Sox move from Tucson; Goodyear ballpark plan hits funding snag; Pima County trying to avert loss of White Sox for spring training; Dodgers, White Sox reach deal with Glendale; A new Glendale ballpark -- in Phoenix; Goodyear prepares to make its pitch for ballpark funds; What could the future hold for Dodgertown?; Glendale wants to bring Dodgers' spring training to Valley; Goodyear sees spring-training complex as path to development; Goodyear finds support for spring-training plan; It's official: Indians agree to Grapefruit League move; Indians, Dodgers close to deal to move spring training to Arizona; Clock ticks on Disney-Indians deal; Cleveland says no to Cape Coral's springtime offer; Arizona move still a possibility

Renovations continue at Yakima County Stadium
Posted June 1, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Yakima Bears (short season; Northwest League) have been putting the 750 thousand dollars they got from the state to good use. Major improvements have taken place at Yakima County Stadium. Thursday the installation of the new lights was completed. They also improved the outfield wall. Even more improvements are slated for next year, as the team is getting another $600,000. "A new entrance to the stadium, an enhanced greeting area down the right field line, and just some more comfort amenities for the fans to give County Stadium a little more feel." said Bears G.M. K.L. Wombacher. The Bears open their home season on June 24.

Pohlads lining up land near ballpark
Posted June 1, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Yeah, them and a lot of other folks. The Pohlad family, which owns the Minnesota Twins, is negotiating to buy an old warehouse across the street from the new ballpark site in downtown Minneapolis. While it is newsworthy, it's not as ominous as what's implied here: the value of property certainly has gone up since the ballpark deal was announced, and the Pohlads did the same thing when the Metrodome was built. It would have been a story if the Pohlads had secretly bought up properties near the ballpark site before the ballpark deal went through. Hines, which controls parcels next to the ballpark, is discussing development on those sites as well. Though this article doesn't discuss it, there has been a general flurry of real-estate development in the area -- three large projects are underway near Washington Avenue, while a fourth is slated to receive final city approval this summer -- and we're seeing rents in the area go up as well. (In fact, it's virtually certain we'll be moving out of the ballpark area; we need more space, but rents are more reasonable closer to the center of downtown.)

Grasshoppers expecting millionth fan this weekend
Posted June 1, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Greensboro Grasshoppers (Low Class A; Sally League) on pace to host their one millionth guest at First Horizon Park on Sunday, June 3rd against the West Virginia Power. After welcoming 835,601 fans over two impressive seasons in 2005 and 2006, the Hoppers entered this season just 164,399 fans shy of the milestone and wasted no time closing in. The Hoppers plan to shower the special fan during the game with gifts including a Grasshoppers jersey, a team autographed bat and baseball, $50 in Babe’s Bucks, a $100 gift card to Ruth’s Chris’ and two round-trip tickets on Continental Airlines to anywhere in the continental United States. In 24 games this season at First Horizon Park, the Hoppers have been averaging a league-leading 6,366 fans, which is an increase over last season but up nearly 1,000 fans per night from the inaugural season in 2005.

Ballpark Notes
Posted June 1, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Sioux Falls Canaries (independent; American Association) and local businesses teamed up to raise over $14,000 for the Megan’s Fund for Children’s Books on Thursday night at Sioux Falls Stadium. The evening was set to honor Dan Christopherson, the former Canaries public address announcer, who passed away on February 21, 2007. The Canaries honored Dan with a pre-game ceremony which included inducting him into the Canaries Hall of Fame and re-naming the Sioux Falls Stadium Press Box the Dan Christopherson Press Box. During the sixth inning, the Canaries presented a check for $14,022.05 to Dawn and Tucker Christopherson, the wife and son of Dan. Additional donations continued to come in after the check was presented.

Summer-collegiate season opens
Posted May 31, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The summer-collegiate season began last night, with the Coastal Plain League opening play last night and the Northwoods League swinging into action tonight, the Texas Collegiate League opening next Tuesday, the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League beginning play next Thursday and the Cape Cod League next Friday. The summer collegiate leagues are a fantastic phenomena in the baseball world: they're great showcases for the stars of tomorrow, and as a course of doing business they help preserve great old ballparks, like Duluth's Wade Stadium or Wausau's Athletic Park, that perhaps wouldn't be around otherwise. This season sees some interesting changes in the summer leagues. In the Texas Collegiate League, you have the Brazos Valley Bombers beginning play at a old Bryan ballpark that formerly hosted minor-league ball, and Graham moved to Wichita Falls' Hoskins Field. In the WCCBL, the Spokane RiverHawks will be playing at Gonzaga University's new Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field, while the Corvallis Knights will play at Oregon State University’s 2,000-seat Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. We have a special affinity for the Northwoods League: it's in our backyard, and we've taken a lot of joy into watching the league grow and blossom in recent years -- plus, we have a site (NWLfan.com) devoted to the circuit. In the Northwoods League, three new venues are in place. The league expanded to Green Bay and Battle Creek, giving new life to Joannes Stadium and C.O. Brown Stadium, while the St. Cloud River Bats are moving next door to Joe Faber Field. Take a look at NWLfan.com -- we've beefed up the site with more reporting and alumni news.

Good chance for American baseball games next year in China
Posted May 31, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
If Major League Baseball announces plans to play spring training games next year in China, there'll be an overflow of teams ready to cross the Pacific. "I think there is an excellent chance we will have some games next spring, and there are lots of teams who are interested in coming," MLB president Bob DuPuy said Thursday in the Chinese capital. "There is certainly no shortage of teams who are interested in being the first to play in China." DuPuy, on his first visit to the country, is heading a high-level mission to inspect the baseball facilities for the 2008 Olympics -- and to see if China is a place where baseball might begin to grow.

Reds: We're interested in Vero Beach
Posted May 30, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Someone's been paying attention to what we've been saying about the potential of the Cincinnati Reds possibly shifting spring-training operations to Vero Beach: Cincinnati's Director of Florida Operations Jeff Maultsby says his organization would be interested in exploring a move to Dodgertown after the Dodgers leave should efforts to bring a new spring-training complex to Sarasota fail. Most think the chances are pretty good the efforts will fail: there's a $10 million gap between the cost of a new spring-training complex and what the state, city and Reds are willing to pay. Now, the Reds could probably get by without a totally new complex -- a renovation of Ed Smith Stadium and the construction of new office space would probably placate the team, from what we've heard -- and it could be Maultsby is talking up Dodgertown in order to put a little heat on Sarasota officials. Whoever moves into Holman Stadium would probably request a lot of changes, but the Dodgertown complex is pretty well set up for ongoing baseball operations, and if there's a franchise with enough history to overcome the long history of the Dodgers in the area, it's the Reds.

Fans, players delighted to finally see baseball in Southern Illinois
Posted May 30, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The standing-room-only crowd at Rent One Park rose to its feet to greet the Southern Illinois Miners (independent; Frontier League) as they rode pickup trucks onto the field 10 minutes prior to the first minor-league baseball game in the region in nearly 60 years. Fans lined up at the ballpark's gates long before the 7:05 scheduled first pitch. The center field picnic area filled up by about 5:30 p.m. Officially, the new era of minor-league baseball began at 7:24 p.m., much to the delight of players and fans alike. And it ended with a 9-6 win over the Evansville Otters. More from The Southern.

Northwest Arkansas Naturals unveil logo
Posted May 30, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Representatives of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Class AA; Texas League), in front of more than 100 at the Tyson Park Pavilion in Springdale, unveiled the team’s logo. It was designed around a theme of natural waterfalls in the area. The logo was designed by graphic designer James Skiles of Phoenix Design Works in New York City. Phoenix Design currently has five logos in use in Major League Baseball, but the Naturals was the first for a minor-league franchise. This story was submitted by a reader. To share a story with Ballpark Digest readers, drop a note to editors@augustpublications.com.

Here, it's root, root, root for beer permit
Posted May 30, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Newark Bears (independent; Atlantic League) switched concessionaires at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium and found out there was one nasty side effect: the new concessionaire is still waiting for a liquor license, explained Joe Montefusco, a spokesman for the team. The matter is in the hands of city and Essex County officials, he said, adding, "We don’t know when it’s coming." Until it does, the Bears, still struggling to fill seats, will have to rely on the understanding of fans navigating a time-honored summer ritual without a time-honored refreshment. The ballpark does not allow fans to bring in their own beer. This story was submitted by a reader. To share a story with Ballpark Digest readers, drop a note to editors@augustpublications.com.

Blue Jays, CBC officially announce broadcast deal
Posted May 30, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
It's been rumored for several weeks, and yesterday the Toronto Blue Jays and the Canadian Broadcast Corp. (CBC) formally announced a two-year broadcast deal, with eight games broadcast in 2007 and then between 20 to 30 games during the 2008 season. The Jays have a deal with TSN that expires at the end of the season.

O'Brien Field fails to attract growth
Posted May 30, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
There's been little growth around O'Brien Field, the home of the Peoria Chiefs (Low Class A; Midwest League), as expected development near the ballpark has failed to become a reality. However, local officials hope the approval of a tax increment financing district for the city's warehouse district will prompt redevelopment around O'Brien Field. Under this TIF district -- expanding south of Downtown around O'Brien Field and to the riverfront -- property taxes on new development will be diverted toward public infrastructure improvement within the area.

League in limbo as UH waits on turf
Posted May 30, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League still anticipates using Les Murakami Stadium by its June 15 season opener despite University of Hawai'i athletic director Herman Frazier saying the facility will not be available for lease until further notice. Frazier said yesterday the campus baseball ballpark won't be leased to outside entities until the school learns the construction schedule for the installation of a new playing surface. He said he hopes to learn within 30 days from the May 17 press conference of the construction schedule. That puts the time frame pretty close to the summer league's opening date. The league had played its first two seasons at Aloha Stadium. But Kam said Stadium Authority chairman Kevin Chong Kee told him that the Aloha Stadium's configuration would not be switched from football to baseball, leaving the six-team summer league to find another venue.

The finishing touches: Long-awaited ballpark will host first crowd tonight
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
This week's ballpark opening: Rent One Park, the new home of the Southern Illinois Miners (independent; Frontier League). As is the case with every new ballpark, construction will be happening until the gates open, and chances are pretty good there will be a few crews out tomorrow to continue putting the finishing touches on the ballpark, which seats 4,000. The game starts at 7:05 p.m., with gates opening at 5:10. More from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Vero Beach to woo Cubs?
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
File this under extremely wishful thinking. Some in Vero Beach think the city should pitch the Chicago Cubs on the prospect of moving to Dodgertown when the team's lease at Hohokam Park expires in 2012. The Cubs are a mainstay of the Cactus League, annually among the top draws (and revenue producers) in the Arizona circuit. We can't fault Vero Beach officials for thinking big when it comes for a replacement for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but let's be realistic: the Cubs aren't going to move to a small Florida city without direct air service from Chicago (the Vero Beach airport can't handle anything bigger than a Gulfstream V, and the nearest airport with scheduled service is Melbourne), Holman Stadium would need to be rebuilt to accommodate 15,000 fans, and the Cubs would need to receive an incredibly sweet deal. The more realistic target for Vero Beach officials is Cincinnati, whose deal for a new Sarasota spring ballpark is on life support.

York ballpark might be incomplete at opening
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Fans might expect to see a complete and sparkling new ballpark when Sovereign Bank Stadium opens its gates June 15 for the York Revolution (independent; Atlantic League) franchise home opener. It won't quite work out that way. Sovereign Bank Stadium's skyboxes, second-floor function rooms, third-base concessions, picnic concessions, outfield concessions, outfield restrooms, clubhouses and team offices are not expected to be completed until July or August, according to stadium project manager Blanda Nace.
    RELATED STORIES: Local fans anxious to see Revolution take the field; First game at new York ballpark set for June 15

Barons to honor Bragans at Rickwood Classic
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
On Wednesday afternoon, when the Jacksonville Suns take on the Birmingham Barons (both Class AA; Southern League) at the annual Rickwood Classic in Birmingham, Ala., the Barons organization will honor the Bragan family for its contribution to minor-league baseball. Suns Chairman of the Board Peter Bragan, Sr. and team President Peter Bragan, Jr. will travel to America's Oldest Ballpark, Rickwood Field, along with Mary Frances Bragan, Nancy Bragan and a sizeable group of family members, to be recognized at the Barons and Suns game. Bragan, Sr., originally from Birmingham, purchased the Jacksonville Suns in 1984 and, along with Bragan, Jr., has turned a desolate franchise into the top team in the Southern League and one of the most successful and well-respected organizations in Minor League Baseball.  As part of the Rickwood Classic, the Suns and Barons will both wear throwback uniforms. The Suns will don the pinstripe uniforms of the 1967 Jacksonville Suns, a team that featured Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw and Jerry Koosman, while the Barons will wear the gold road uniforms of the 1964 Birmingham Barons to honor their former affiliation with the Kansas City Athletics.

Nationals' ballpark art project at a standstill
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Plans to decorate the new Washington Nationals' new ballpark with crafts, sculpture and bronze figures are in limbo after the D.C. Council eliminated money in next year’s budget for a public arts project. In the proposed fiscal 2008 capital improvement plan submitted by Mayor Adrian Fenty, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities was budgeted for $850,000 to spend on various ballpark art-related projects -- sculptures, mosaics, murals, paving designs, custom benches and artistic gates among them. The art was to be purchased with general obligation bonds, permanently owned by the commission and leased to the team at no cost, which put the works outside the strict $611-million ballpark construction cap, or so advocates maintained. But in its deliberation of the budget, which passed May 15, the council zeroed out the money, effectively closing the door on publicly financed artwork.
    RELATED STORIES: Nationals' transition extends off field; National crisis: Capital franchise in turmoil; Ballpark brings hope but no guarantee; Nationals ballpark 'on time, on budget' for 2008 opening; Future distinctly on rise for Nationals; District not over park cap; New Nats ballpark to feature cherry blossoms beyond left-field fence; As ballpark rises, battles over land continue; For Nats' home, a rapid ascent; Nats ballpark cost tops cap, council members say; Nats owners to pay $20 million for ballpark upgrades; With new Nats ballpark, name of the game is money; D.C. Council approves ballpark parking garages; The D.C. ballpark parking debate; Severe penalties await city if parking garages aren't provided, Gandhi warns; Ballpark garages proposal rejected; Fenty promotes aboveground parking to end fight over new Nats ballpark; New Nats ballpark construction on schedule for 2008 opening; Cropp pushes for decision on parking at DC ballpark; Mayor proposes lifting cap for DC ballpark parking; DC ballpark to be first LEED-certified ballpark in country; Legislation would revive condo and garage development at new DC ballpark; New focus at D.C. ballpark: parking; D.C. parking issue threatens budget; Development plan near new Nats ballpark falls flat; Garage plan at new D.C. ballpark at risk

Rendell funnels $47M into minor-league fields
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Minor-league and independent baseball certainly have a friend in Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who has granted $47 million to communities building or renovating ballparks. And with six parks built here in the past five years, the sport that is an integral part of the American fabric has become central to a debate over the use of taxpayer dollars for private enterprise. Public money has been used to build or renovate nearly every minor league venue in the state since 1993, records show. State grants range from $400,000 awarded for First Energy Stadium, the home of the Reading Phillies (Class AA; Eastern League), to more than $14 million for Coca-Cola Park, a Lehigh County-owned ballpark in Allentown that will be the 2008 home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (Class AAA; International League).

Hoppers set attendance record
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
A Memorial Day crowd of 5,298 at First Horizon Park put the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Low Class A; Sally League) current eight-game homestand in the franchise record books. The Hoppers welcomed 53,205 fans to First Horizon Park during the homestand and increased their season attendance to 152,781. The previous eight-game homestand record of 50,942 was set during the opening eight-game stretch of 2006, which spanned from Thursday, April 6 to Thursday, April 13. The Hoppers will host a total of four eight-game homestands during the course of the 2007 season. The first of the season garnered an attendance of 34,668 during the April 9 through April 16 series, but was plagued with two rainouts.

Minneola looks at spending millions
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The city of Minneola, Fl. is looking at spending $25 million on a new ballpark, as the city council looks at capital expenditures over the next few years. Council member Joe Teri said the ballpark could cost up to $25 million. But he said at least 80 percent of that could be financed by the state, county and private investors. A ballpark at that price in the Orlando suburbs could easily house a Class AA Southern League team or a High Class A Florida State League team.

Suns go highbrow with Nora Roberts bobblehead
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League), the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Turn The Page Bookstore announced on Friday that for the first time ever, a limited-edition bobblehead of a world-renown best-selling author will be given away at a professional baseball game. Recently named to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential in the World List, Nora Roberts is arguably Washington County's most famous citizen. She is also a die-hard baseball fan.
    The highlight of this summer will be a July 6th Hagerstown Suns baseball game, as Washington County's own Nora Roberts will be in attendance. The Suns and the CVB will be honoring the world-famous best-selling author with her very own bobblehead (Roberts and her bobblehead are shown in the accompanying photo). The Washington County Commissioners will be declaring July 6th as Nora Roberts Day, and Washington County's own international celebrity will be throwing out the first pitch, before the Suns game against Delmarva. Nora Roberts bobbleheads sponsored by the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Turn The Page Bookstore will be given away to the first 1,000 fans.
    "I'm thrilled to have this first-ever bobblehead be done in my likeness," Nora Roberts said. "I love baseball, and I've enjoyed being a part of Hagerstown Suns games during the past two seasons. The upcoming July 6th game will be a real treat for me."

It's state's turn at bat for Waldorf ballpark
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Local and state officials said at the end of last week that they are cautiously optimistic that the Maryland General Assembly will approve an extra $1.7 million to help pay for construction of a ballpark in Waldorf for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (independent; Atlantic League). On Wednesday, the Charles County commissioners voted unanimously to approve a $19 million ballpark construction bid from multinational development firm Skanska. Under a financing agreement approved last year, the county, state and baseball team owner will each pay roughly one-third of the $25.65 million project cost.
    RELATED STORIES: Charles County approves bid for new AtL ballpark

Fans steer clear on the ballpark
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Cincinnati Reds are owners of the worst record in the National League. Their place in baseball's attendance standings isn't much better. Through the first 28 home games, or approximately one-third of their home schedule, the Reds are on pace to draw fewer than 1.9 million fans to Great American Ball Park. That would be the smallest attendance figure in the park's brief five-year history. Only seven teams in Major League Baseball have drawn fewer fans, on an average-per-game basis, than the Reds have this season at 23,219. The average NL attendance through Sunday's games was 31,658, with the overall major league attendance at 30,482.

He's a ballpark legend who still knows how to hustle
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Ballpark vendors these days aren't nearly as colorful as those from the past. Just witness the story of Walter Tysk, who hawked beer and goodies at original St. Paul Saints and and Minneapolis Millers (American Association) games at the old Lexington Ball Park at Lexington and University in St. Paul and Nicollet Park in Minneapolis. "We'd salt 'em down good with peanuts, potato chips and popcorn," Tysk recalls, "and when they got all thirsty, we'd water 'em up with beer. Sold a lot of Hamm's, Schmidt's and Grain Belt that way."

How baseball moved its 24-hour channel into scoring position
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Major League Baseball plotted for two decades to create a 24-hour channel, and last month it got its way after months of tortuous negotiations with DirecTV and cable operators. The channel first envisioned by the former commissioner Peter Ueberroth is to start in early 2009 with nearly 47 million cable and satellite customers, with its first major programming being the World Baseball Classic. The channel will begin its life with more subscribers than any other cable network before it, partly because of a strategy that used Extra Innings, the package of out-of-market games loved by fans who have relocated from their home teams, as negotiating leverage to build up the nascent channel.

Summertime sights, sounds return with debut of new baseball team
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Baseball returns to Sal Maglie Stadium this summer when the Niagara Falls Power (summer collegiate; NYCBL) begins play on June 2. The NYCBL is following the same pattern pioneered by the Northwoods League and the Coastal Plain League: move into older ballparks that have abandoned by the minors and set up operations.

College baseball nearing the end of ‘free agency'
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
We've posted several items on this in the past, but it doesn't hurt to revisit the topic. The NCAA is overhauling its transfer rule; previously players didn't need to sit out a year when transferring between schools, but the rules will change to conform to other NCAA sports, which do require players to sit out a year before they can play for their new school. Some schools openly recruit and thrive on transfers; these will be the losers in the deal.

Ballpark Notes
Posted May 29, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The independent Golden Baseball League announced a partnership with TRZ Sports Services and have joined the Teamline Direct service for their 2007 season. Listeners now have the option of accessing the live audio play-by-play of ALL Golden Baseball League games from anywhere, via their cellphones, using this unique portable service.  Listeners will dial 216-502-3200, and enter a specific code for each team, to access the game audio. The fee to listen is only $5 for the entire game....