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Archives: Jan. 8-Jan. 14, 2005

Archives: Jan. 8-Jan. 14, 2005

Stingers sold to Larry H. Miller; Drammis to pursue Portland?
Posted January 14, 2005

Larry H. Miller, the owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, has agreed to purchase the Salt Lake Stingers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) from Hillary Drammis. The announcement at Franklin Covey Field, home of the Stingers, was made after the two parties signed a letter of intent to enter into a purchase and sale agreement. Terms of the agreement were not made public — although some place the purchase price as approaching $20 million, which seems a little high in our view — and the finalization of the sale is pending approval by the Pacific Coast League and Minor League Baseball.
   Drammis’s father, Joe Buzas, moved the franchise to Utah in 1994 from Portland. She became owner of the team when Buzas died in March 2003. She has been rumored to be interested in a purchase of the Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) (see our item below).

Triple Play withdraws offer to buy Baysox, Keys and Shorebirds
Posted January 13, 2005

Triple Play Partners, LLC announced today it has terminated its agreement to buy the controlling interest in the Bowie Baysox (Class AA; Eastern League), Frederick Keys (Class A; Carolina League) and Delmarva Shorebirds (Class A; Sally League) from Comcast-Spectacor. All three MiLB teams are affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles and were part of a transaction originally announced in July.
    "It is with great regret that I make this announcement," said Triple Play Partners President David Pearlman. "We have been tirelessly working to close this transaction having already successfully obtained the approval of each of the respective Leagues with our application currently awaiting final approval of the National Association and Major League Baseball. In recent weeks, we discovered several significant business issues including a major economic change to the Frederick Stadium lease beginning next season. After bringing them to the attention of Comcast-Spectacor and unsuccessfully attempting to resolve them, we were left with no choice but to terminate the agreement to purchase a controlling interest in the teams. Steve Horowitz and I, along with our partners, have invested a huge amount of time and money to bring this acquisition to a close. We are deeply disappointed that we will not be operating these franchises. We are determined to keep our ownership dreams alive and will be aggressively seeking other opportunities in the industry."
    Triple Play Partners, LLC was formed in early 2004 as a family entertainment company based in Lexington, Massachusetts. The company is headed by its founder and President, David Pearlman, and his partner, Steve Horowitz. For more than three decades Pearlman has been a highly successful, well-respected interpreneur and entrepreneur in radio. He is the former senior vice-president of Infinity Radio and was the Co-Founder and Co-COO of American Radio Systems (ARS). Steve Horowitz has been a leader in sports and media for more than 20 years. His career includes executive positions with ProServ Television (now Clear Channel Entertainment) and the NFL Quarterback Club.

Update on Reno, Portland PCL baseball
Posted January 13, 2005

Six months ago it seemed like Reno was a lock to land a Class AAA Pacific Coast League franchise after the city lined up state approval for ballpark funding via a rental-car tax. Now there’s some doubt as to whether a new ballpark will be built after all. A local group seeking baseball is still looking for an investor to buy a PCL franchise and fill in some funding gaps; the potential investor is expected to make a decision by Feb. 1 on their involvement. (The opening for a new ballpark has already been pushed back to 2007, even if a new investor comes on board tomorrow.) Meanwhile, the ownership of the Portland Beavers is still under negotiation. We hear the current owner of a PCL franchise (whose family was once involved with Portland baseball) is interested in selling their team (which was placed on the market independently of any interest in buying the Portland franchise) and buying the Beavers; we also hear a purchase could be complicated by the involvement of yet another current PCL club owner. As you’ll recall, the PCL took control of the Portland Beavers franchise before the start of the 2004 season.

York School District once again rejects ballpark
Posted January 13, 2005

The notion of building a ballpark for the independent Atlantic League at York’s Small Athletic Field just won’t die, apparently, although the York School Board may have finally put it to rest last night when the entire board rejected any consideration of it. In a non-binding consensus vote — the board cannot take formal votes at committee meetings — the nine board members agreed to never again bring it up.

MLB seeks owner for Nationals by Opening Day
Posted January 13, 2005

MLB officials expect to start due diligence on potential owners of the Washington Nationals in a week or so, with a new ownership group in place by Opening Day. MLB will be starting with 10 or so groups before winnowing them down and then launching a bidding war for the team. Meanwhile, D.C. officials continue to prepare RFK Stadium for the upcoming season.

Leominster landfill site back in play for ballpark
Posted January 13, 2005

Private investors are scheduled to meet with Leominster officials after expressing interest in financing a ballpark at the city’s former landfill. Chris English, the owner of the Nashua Pride (independent; Atlantic League), had once proposed building a 5,500-seat ballpark on the site, and city officials had kept open a line of communication with the league.

San Jose baseball crusader makes his pitch
Posted January 13, 2005

Larry Stone, who has worked for years to bring an MLB team to San Jose, made a pitch to the area Rotary Club to get businesses more involved in luring the Athletics. Of course, the situation isn’t nearly as simplistic as having businesses pledge to buy some season tickets or spend some marketing dollars; there are territorial issues with the Giants (which potential new owner Lew Wolff says he will honor) and the matter of determining who pays for a new ballpark. And then there’s Las Vegas looming in the background. If we had to bet, we’d bet Wolff negotiates for six months with Oakland officials over a new ballpark on the Network Associates Coliseum site; when that falls through he’ll announce a move to Las Vegas.

Frame Park isn’t the place for ballpark
Posted January 13, 2005

Laurel Walker, suburban columnist for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, says Frame Park in Waukesha is not the place for a new ballpark for either the independent Northern League or Frontier League. She’s probably right: the area is small, and a ballpark doesn’t fit in with how city leaders envisioned.

Ex-Florence Freedom owner admits to fraud in $3M loan
Posted January 13, 2005

Charles M. "Chuck" Hildebrant, a former part owner of the Florence Freedom (independent; Frontier League), pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to bank fraud, election fraud and filing a false tax return. He is expected to be sentenced before Judge Michael H. Watson at 9 a.m. April 13.

Angels thrown for a Los
Posted January 13, 2005

It’s one thing for the Anaheim Angels to declare themselves the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; it’s another thing for the rest of the world to follow. So far editors are undecided about using the new name; mlb.com using ANA to denote the team on schedules, while ESPN continues to call the team the Anaheim Angels. AP says it will wait for the start of training camp to make a decision on usage.

D.C. ballpark property owner files suit
Posted January 13, 2005

Owners of a solid waste transfer station located where the District of Columbia wants to build an MLB ballpark  filed a $2 million federal lawsuit this week that says D.C. officials sought to drive down property values and make it easier for the city to acquire the land by blocking minor renovation permits. Whether this is a serious complaint or just the beginning of negotiations remains to be seen.

Baseball Notes
Posted January 13, 2005

Mike Harkey is the new pitching coach for the Mobile BayBears (Class AA; Southern League). The former major leaguer spent 2004 with the Lake Elsinore Storm (Class A; California League) and 2003 with the Fort Wayne Wizards (Class A; Midwest League)….Andy Walker, whose instructional resume since leaving UConn in 1988 includes serving as hitting coach for the New Jersey Jackals‘ back-to-back Northern League championships in 2001-2002 and teaching widely throughout Europe, replaces new manager Mike Church as hitting coach for the New Haven County Cutters (independent; Can-Am League)….The Cedar Rapids Kernels (Class A; Midwest League) made some staff appointments: Josh Boots will serve as Entertainment Manager and Seth Dohrn will serve as Stadium Operations Manager….Tom Runnells returns for a second season as manager of the Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League)….

Mets get to work on Shea overhaul
Posted January 12, 2005

The roster isn’t the only thing being renovated by the New York Mets this offseason: the team is also working on changes to longtime home Shea Stadium. A new high-definition Diamondvision screen will be installed, about 1,300 field level seats are being replaced and elevated to improve sightlines, and two 150-foot long video boards along the press level near the foul poles will be added.

On track in D.C.
Posted January 12, 2005

Renovation of RFK Stadium for the Washington Nationals continues: the field is torn up and the left-field deck must be moved along two rusty tracks along the ballpark’s interior edge. I must admit I’m a little excited for RFK Stadium to be in use again; while it’s not a classic ballpark, it was built in 1962 and has all the good and bad qualities of facilities from that era.

A’s sale could happen quickly
Posted January 12, 2005

Lew Wolff is meeting with MLB’s ownership committee today as he continues his quest to buy the Oakland Athletics from Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann. The sale now has a more ambitious timeline: Wolff could consummate the deal by Opening Day if MLB approves it. Given Wolff’s financial track record and personal history — he went to college with Bud Selig — approval is a lock. Now, where the teams ends up with Wolff as owner is another issue: San Jose residents were jazzed about the purchase yesterday, but there’s always the specter of the team moving to Las Vegas should a new ballpark in Oakland not be forthcoming. A move to Las Vegas may be the most elegant solution to a vexing problem for the A’s: getting approval for a San Jose move would be difficult at best (MLB owners take territorial rights very seriously), the Giants built SBC Park with the economic assumption they’d be the only team in the Bay Area in the future, and MLB officials are clearly enamored with the Las Vegas market.

Canaries to hold Randy Moss nights
Posted January 12, 2005

With their tongue firmly in cheek, the Sioux Falls Canaries (independent; Northern League) announced two Randy Moss Nights for the 2005 season. The dates are set for Saturday, June 11 and Tuesday, Aug. 9, which coincidently are the dates of the only two full moons to be experienced during the Canaries 2005 home schedule. The team will let anyone in free during those two dates who is wearing a Randy Moss jersey or sporting an Afro, real or wig.

Assessor at a loss as to why Giants’ park is worth $100 million less
Posted January 12, 2005

San Francisco Giants officials are seeking some tax relief and are arguing that SBC Park is worth $100 million less now than when it first opened, down to $210 million. The San Francisco city assessor (Class AA; Eastern League) is at a loss to explain the drop; team officials are apparently contending that the ballpark’s value — while originally based on the actual cost of building it — should instead be based on annual stadium revenue from tickets, hot dogs and the like.

Sox awakening to spring: Fla. park will gain seats
Posted January 12, 2005

City of Palms Park, the spring home of the Boston Red Sox, will be expanded in time for 2006 spring training, as 310 new seats will be added. Most of the new seats will carry some hefty prices: $36 to $44 for prime perches behind home plate or near the dugouts. In addition, a picnic area will be turned into a grassy berm, with $12 lawn-seating tickets added to the menu in 2006.

K.C. going, going downtown?
Posted January 12, 2005

More thoughts on the possible move of the Kansas City Royals to downtown. The argument here is a familiar one when areas are debating a downtown vs. suburban location: it will be harder for the suburbanites to make their way to downtown Kansas City and take in a game. Part of the problem in Kansas City is that those said suburbanites aren’t making their way to Kauffman Stadium, either.

Commerce Bank Park getting turf transplant
Posted January 12, 2005

Flooding in Harrisburg last fall caused some problems to Commerce Bank Park, the home of the Harrisburg Senators (Class AA; Eastern League), but the biggest problem involved the field turf, which didn’t survive. A new turf costing $800,000 to $900,000 is now being installed by the Sports Construction Group. In addition, $28 million in renovation to the ballpark will continue on schedule; next month engineers from HOK will be on hand to take a look.

Council OKs artificial turf at Smith-Wills
Posted January 12, 2005

Speaking of turf: the Jackson City Council approved spending $768,000 on new Sprinturf artificial turf for Smith-Wills Stadium, the home of the Jackson Senators (independent; Central League). Interestingly, the expenditure was partially caused by the move of the Mississippi Braves (Class AA; Southern League) to nearby Pearl: the city wants to see the facility used for more than Senators games.

The mechanics of a baseball broadcast
Posted January 12, 2005

Jim Kaat of the New York Yankees broadcast staff explains the mechanics of television broadcasting for the readers of Popular Mechanics magazine. A broadcast on the scale of most Yankees MSG Network broadcasts — which includes a pregame show and a ton of replays — is a fairly complicated endeavor.

Sea Dogs seek to add 405 seats
Posted January 12, 2005

The Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA; Eastern League) are seeking to add 405 pub-style seats to Hadlock Field in a new right-field section and are currently seeking city permission to do so. The addition of 405 seats would increase Hadlock Field’s capacity to 7,380 and make it the fourth-largest park in the Eastern League. Speaking of the Sea Dogs: The team’s Hot Stove Caravan Tour will kick off on Monday, January 24 and run through Friday, January 28. The weeklong traveling event will tour the state visiting service organizations, schools, hospitals, and the media. Check out the Sea Dogs Web site for a full itinerary.

New baseball park to be part of Meriam Park plans in Chico
Posted January 12, 2005

Local developers want the Chico Outlaws (independent; Golden Baseball League) as the tenant of a new 5,300-seat ballpark at the center of a new 250-acre subdivision. Three- and four-story commercial buildings, some with arcades and rooftop terraces for residences on the upper floors, will ring the outfield. At the end of the 305-foot right field line, one of the buildings would be incorporated into the outfield wall. Chico had been eyed by the Class A California League, but the lack of a suitable facility kept affiliated ball out of town; there’s a great-sounding facility that will go to a startup independent league instead.

Alex Box moving down the road
Posted January 12, 2005

Louisiana State University won’t be renovating Alex Box Stadium after all; instead, the university is building a new ballpark 2,000 feet south of the current ballpark and across Gourrier Lane from the LSU Golf Course clubhouse. Construction begins August 2006 with the new ballpark opening in February 2008. The old ballpark does have some history: it was built in 1938 and once serves as the spring home of the New York Giants. Building a new Alex Box is projected to cost $23 million. Renovating the existing ballpark would have cost about $15 million, but would have disrupted several baseball seasons. One of the biggest stories in the ballpark world in 2005 will be the explosion of new and renovated college facilities: expect the University of Minnesota, Penn State University and the University of South Florida to embark on new facilities this year.

Lackawanna County Stadium Board fires GM
Posted January 11, 2005

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (Class AAA; International League) GM Tom Van Schaack was fired Monday, less than one year after he was hired to replace longtime GM Rick Muntean. Van Schaack was dismissed by a 3-2 vote of the new Republican controlled Lackawanna County Stadium Authority. The action took place just 10 minutes after new Republican members James Moran and Tony Lomma were seated at Monday’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting. It was fairly nasty: a sheriff’s deputy confiscated Van Schaack’s office key immediately after the meeting. The soft-spoken Van Schaack, whose work history includes a stint as assistant GM of the Syracuse SkyChiefs (Class AAA; International League) and director of marketing for the Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International League), was the victim of political shenanigans by Republican members of the board, who merely want their own toadie in place as GM. This ownership situation has the potential to be a huge mess both for the International League and MiLB; we hope they’re monitoring the situation closely. More from the Citizens Voice.

Troy ballpark strikes out
Posted January 11, 2005

After heavy lobbying from citizens opposing a new ballpark, the Troy (Mich.) City Council voted 4-3 to deny permission to General Sports and Entertainment to build a new 5,500-seat ballpark on city-owned land. Under the proposal, General Sports would privately finance the ballpark and give it to the city; the city would then put in $2 million in infrastructure improvements. Cited by opponents: increased noise and light pollution, hidden costs and potentially diminished property values. More from the Daily Oakland Press.

Pro Player Stadium now Dolphins Stadium
Posted January 11, 2005

More indication of the necessity of a new ballpark for the Florida Marlins: the NFL’s Miami Dolphins announced a new name for Pro Player Stadium — Dolphins Stadium — and an ambitious redevelopment plan that includes a new roof (which may or may not be retractable), scoreboard, suite remodeling and entertainment district outside the ballpark. Many of the changes will begin immediately, though the roof addition will happen after the Marlins leave. The Marlins’ lease at Dolphins Stadium ends after the 2010 season, and both sides say there will be no renewal of the pact past then. The Marlins are still pursuing a new ballpark in Miami, though late last year team officials met with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman about a new facility in Sin City. More from the Miami Herald.

Former owner of Florence Freedom enters guilty plea
Posted January 11, 2005

Chuck Hildebrant, a former owner of the Florence Freedom (indepe