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Archives: Sept. 2-8, 2007

Archives: Sept. 2-8, 2007

Spirit gives up ghost in Lynn
Posted Sept. 7, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Yesterday we alluded to this happening, and now it’s almost official: owner Nick Lopardo will shut down the North Shore Spirit (independent; Can-Am Association) at the end of the season (the team is still in the Can-Am playoffs). Lopardo almost shut things down at the end of last season — even announcing that was his plan — but he was persuaded to hang in there one more year. Lopardo did things the right way in Lynn: he put millions into Fraser Field and set up a very respectable business. But after five year he apparently decided enough was enough: attendance once again hovered at 2,300 fans per game this season and, given the additional financial burdens of indy ball (player salaries, workers’ comp), it wasn’t enough. Can-Am Association President Miles Wolff says he expects the team to be folded, not relocated. This puts the league lineup at nine teams, but that includes the Grays traveling team and the Nashua Pride, whose owner, John Stabile, has hinted he may fold operations as well. With Ottawa a huge question mark for 2008, the most likely outcome is that the league goes with eight teams next season unless Wolff can find someone to set up operations in Lynn or another market — but there’s not exactly a lot of open markets in the Can-Am Association footprint.

Tonight’s the last night for Cobb Field
Posted Sept. 7, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Billings Mustangs (rookie; Pioneer League) have always prided themselves on offering no-frills, no-gimmicks baseball, and they plan to stick with that formula for their final night at Cobb Field tonight. "We’re going to go about our business as usual," Mustangs General Manager Gary Roller said Thursday. "We’ve given them baseball for the last 55 years, and that’s what we’ll give them at the last game." Thursday night’s game was rained out, forcing a doubleheader against the Great Falls White Sox today, starting at 4:05 p.m. There will be a few low-key events for the second game, which is expected to begin around 7 p.m. Les Barnes, who played on the first Mustangs team, will go to home plate to present a lineup card to the current manager, Ronnie Ortegan, and a color guard will take down the flag at the end of the game. The flag will be framed and displayed at the new ballpark, which is slated to open next season. Cobb Field was always one of our favorite ballparks in the minors: it was a window to a world of baseball that’s largely disappeared, and it’s a shame to lose such a classic. Let’s hope the new ballpark has some of the personality we experienced for years at Cobb Field. Local fans sound as regretful as we are. More from Mike Scherting.

Littlefield fired as Pirates GM
Posted Sept. 7, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that General Manager Dave Littlefield has been relieved of his duties effective immediately. Pirates Senior Director of Player Development Brian Graham will serve as interim General Manager until a permanent replacement is found. Pirates Chairman of the Board, Bob Nutting, announced his decision today after a thorough review of the organization since taking control of the organization in January.
    "After eight months of listening and analyzing the situation, it has become clear that this decision was necessary to move our organization forward," said Nutting. "While there are many bright spots for us to build from, I am not satisfied with the overall performance and progress that has been made. I’m committed to building a successful organization and this is an important step in that process."
    This move will not impact the timing of the search process for the Pirates new president, according to Nutting.
    Littlefield, 47, was named the club’s General Manager on July 13, 2001, thus becoming the 11th General Manager in the history of the Pirates.

Bulls announce Goodmon Field
Posted Sept. 7, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Last night the Durham Bulls (Class AAA; International League) unveiled the new Goodmon Field sign in center field at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Durham Mayor Bill Bell read a resolution explaining the decision to name the field after Durham Bulls owner and President/CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company Jim Goodmon saying, "Mr. Goodmon has been at the forefront of improving the Durham community as a business leader, community advocate and caring individual." Goodmon was a driving force for construction of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park that was built in 1995 and expanded for Triple-A baseball in 1998. Today, Capitol Broadcasting is developing the surrounding American Tobacco Campus.

Indian River County still in talks with team to replace Dodgers
Posted Sept. 7, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Indian River County administrator Joe Baird confirmed he is still in negotiations with a major league baseball team that could replace the Los Angeles Dodgers for spring training in Vero Beach’s Dodgertown. The Dodgers are expected to soon break ground on a two-team facility with the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, Ariz., and will likely end their 60-year stay in Vero Beach after the 2008 spring training. Baird says he is getting close to an agreement with "a team," though he cannot name the team because of an agreement he signed.

Oriole Park crews get raise
Posted Sept. 7, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Under pressure to raise wages for part-time janitorial workers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Maryland Stadium Authority voted yesterday to pay them the state’s new $11.30-an-hour "living wage," starting next spring. The 5-2 decision came after the men and women who clean the state-owned Orioles ballpark on game days postponed a hunger strike this week to give the agency time to come up with a binding living-wage agreement. The hunger strike, which was to have started Monday, was called off yesterday.

Panel delays vote on center, ballpark
Posted Sept. 7, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Members of the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission raised concerns about traffic around McHenry County College before again delaying a vote early Thursday on a proposed college expansion that would include a 6,500-seat ballpark for an independent Frontier League team. Traffic, of course, is always a big complaint when a new ballpark proposed, but we’re guessing the issue can be finessed so the mean streets of Crystal Lake aren’t impacted too much.

Ballpark Notes
Posted Sept. 7, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Greensboro Grasshoppers announced the selection of President and General Manager Donald Moore as the 2007 South Atlantic League General Manager of the Year. Under Moore’s direction, the Hoppers have consistently ranked among the top 25 teams in Minor League Baseball for attendance. More notably, the Hoppers recently earned the distinguished honor of becoming the first Class A team in the history of Minor League Baseball to draw over 400,000 fans and grow its attendance for three straight years in a new ballpark….For the sixth year in a row, the Brockton Rox’s Campanelli Stadium has been named the best playing field in a vote of the independent Can-Am Association’s ten field managers and media representatives. The Rox led the Can-Am in attendance again as 169,999 fans in 51 openings came through the turnstiles at the six-year facility, an average of 3,333 per game….

Three more enter race for MiLB president
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
There’s now a full slate of candidates for the Presidential Search Committee to interview as Minor League Baseball begins the process of ordaining a replacement for Mike Moore, who is retiring as president. Pat O’Connor, currently MiLB vice president and COO, threw his hat in the ring early. He’s now joined by Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) president and general manager Dave Chase, who has long expressed interest in the post. Also scheduled to be considered: Phil Evans and Jeremy Kapstein. Evans was formerly president of the NBA Developmental League (2001-2007) after spending time with the Continental Basketball League and currently heads Evans Sports Group in Greenville, S.C. The D-League has not been a huge success, so that experience may not translate into MiLB. Kapstein is a former agent now working for the Boston Red Sox. With these announcements, there will surely be some tongues wagging. O’Connor probably wouldn’t shake up things too much — he certainly has had a strong hand in how MiLB has been run in recent years, and many owners speak respectfully of him — but the energetic Chase would probably be more likely to propose change, looking at core issues like league alignments. With the weighted voting system, Class AAA owners have an important say in who is selected. We’ve heard there was talk between Chase and MiLB officials on him overseeing a proposed new minor-league museum in Durham; his entering the race presumably means these discussions didn’t lead to an agreement.

New for 2008: Arvest Ballpark
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Class AA; Texas League) will be playing next season in Arvest Ballpark, as the team sold naming rights to Arvest Bank Group. Terms of the 10-year deal (with an option for another decade) were not announced (under their lease, the Naturals retain all revenue from naming rights and are not forced to disclose the terms), but we’re guessing the bank is paying a minimum of $100,000 a year. Arvest Bank Group is a regional chain with ties to Bentonville-based Wal-Mart. The deal also includes a suite for Arvest, signage and advertising, as well as exclusive right to place ATMs in the new ballpark. More from the Morning News. More on how the team is being received in Springdale, Ark.

Marlins about to bring ballpark deal in from the bullpen
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Here’s a commentary discussing a potential new ballpark for the Florida Marlins at the Orange Bowl site. Some of the objections are just silly — there’s no doubt the Marlins would draw better at a retractable-roof baseball-only ballpark, no matter where it’s located — but there are some solid objections as well. For example, we just don’t think it’s likely you can build a retractable-roof hurricane-ready ballpark for only $422 million; the city and Miami-Dade County would be wise to get an updated cost estimate before proceeding with any deal. There’s a lot of doubt whether a new ballpark would raise property values in the Orange Bowl area, but so far that’s not used as a big selling point to the public.

Nashville mayoral candidates support downtown ballpark
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Good news for the Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) as they continue their quest for a new ballpark: both mayoral candidates, Bob Clement and Karl Dean, generally support a new downtown ballpark for the team. Of course, the devil’s always in the details, and it’s not unlike a politician to pander six days before an election. Still, given that the Sounds almost put together a deal despite the opposition from the soon-to-be-former-mayor, support from both candidates is certainly encouraging.

When it comes to salaries, UO swinging a big bat
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
If you want a solid sign that the game of college baseball has changed forever, check out the contract signed by George Horton to relaunch the baseball program at the University of Oregon: the minimum he’ll make is $400,000 annually, with a base salary of $150,000 and another $250,000 in television and radio money and a contract with Nike. With incentives, Horton could earn another $285,000 a year. The incentives include $50,000 for a College World Series appearance, $20,000 for a Pacific-10 Conference title and other rewards for graduating players, producing All-Americans or winning coach of the year honors. That makes him the highest-paid coach in the Pac-10. Horton has a clear track record — he’s won consistently at Cal State-Fullerton — and the team will need to attract fans to generate revenue. Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny said he’d had preliminary talks with the Eugene Emeralds (short season; Northwest League) about sharing a 5,000-seat ballpark complete with luxury suites and other amenities to maximize revenue.

Life, liberty and your preferred bat? Maybe not
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Here’s a follow-up to the recent court case upholding the New York City Council’s decision to mandate the use of wood bats in the NYC public schools. Basically, the court held the council could do whatever it wanted and did not need to prove metal bats were less safe that wood bats; no one has the right to use a metal bat. We expect the decision to be upheld should it be appealed; the courts traditionally side with schools when it comes to students guidelines. We do prefer to see wood bats, but our objections to metal bats are based on aesthetics: we’re not sure metal bats are less safe (safety objections seem to be based on anecdotes, not any statistical studies), but baseball with a ping just isn’t the same. As we’re not reliant on advertising from bat manufacturers — like other baseball publications are, in a big way — we can express that opinion openly.

CL panel, MCC burn midnight oil
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The final decision on a new ballpark for an independent Frontier League team at McHenry Community College has been pushed back to Sept. 19, although the delay isn’t expected to impact a planned Memorial Day 2009 opening for the facility. After hours of questions and debate dragged on until about 1 a.m. today, the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission again ran out of time as it examined a controversial expansion proposal from McHenry County College. Local residents fear the expansion of McHenry Community College could negatively impact the local environment.

Ottawa to land Nashua Pride?
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
This could end up being a rough offseason for the independent Can-Am Association. For starters, it sounds like Nashua Pride owner John Stabile is ready to throw in the towel and either sell the team or move it, though he’s had no discussions with Ottawa officials about Lynx Stadium. There are the usual rumblings about the North Shore Spirit folding up shop or being sold: owner Nick Lopardo almost shut things down at the end of last season and, although attendance this season was up by 8,000, an average of 2,299 per game may not be enough to sustain a team, especially with the added costs of independent ball (player salaries, workers’ comp). The league’s interest in expanding north of the border makes a lot of sense given the recent strength of the Canadian economy and the loonie, but owners may be forced to spring for new ballparks in Ottawa and Montreal. More on the loss of the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA; International League).

Ballpark Notes
Posted Sept. 6, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Pacific Coast League is again celebrating a new attendance milestone, eclipsing the 7.4-million fan mark for the second consecutive season during the recently completed 2007 regular season. The PCL averaged over 6,600 fans per game for the third straight year, accumulating a total of 7,420,095 fans in 1,120 openings, surpassing the previous attendance record of 7,413,505 fans set during the 2006 regular season. For the eighth season in a row, Sacramento paced the PCL and all of Minor League Baseball with a total season attendance of 710,235. They were followed closely in League standings by Round Rock who took over the second position this year with 662,575 fans, while Memphis claimed the PCL’s third-highest count at 677,706. Meanwhile, Iowa and Albuquerque rounded out the top-5 as they did a year ago. They, along with Oklahoma and Fresno, surpassed 500,000 total fans. In addition to topping the 500,000 mark Fresno also boasted the highest increase in per-game average from last season, as nearly 400 more Grizzlies fans filled Chukchansi Park each game in 2007. Colorado Springs experienced a league-best percentage increase of 8.4 percent while Tacoma followed with a 7-percent increase….The Chicago White Sox have hired creative agency Energy BBDO (Chicago) to serve as the organization’s advertising agency of record. Energy BBDO handles numerous brands for clients including Bayer, Beam Global Spirits & Wines, Inc., Dial and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., among others….For the seventh consecutive season, the Lakewood BlueClaws have drawn more fans to their ballpark than any other professional team in the South Atlantic League and the state of New Jersey. On the strength of 6,900 fans for the season-ending Labor Day matinee, and a season-high 9,104 on Sunday night, the BlueClaws finished the year with a final attendance of 442,256 in 2007….The Spokane Indians (short season; Northwest League) may have finished the season with a 6-3 loss to the Yakima Bears but they were definitely winners at the gate, pulling 5,864 fans to break their average attendance record and short-season total attendance franchise record. The total number of fans that passed through the gates of Avista Stadium this year was 192,021 which sets the Indians’ record for total short-season attendance. That also works out to 5,053 fans per game, the highest season average in Spokane’s 104-year history…. The Houston Astros have begun their interviews as they seek a new general manager. Interviewed yesterday were Jim Beattie (former GM of the Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles), Ed Wade (former Phillies GM) and Muzzy Jackson (former assistant GM for the Reds). Ruben Amaro Jr., Dave Gottfried, Ricky Bennett and Bob Watson are also scheduled to be interviewed. To share a story or press release with the baseball community, send an email to editors@augustpublications.com.

Portland to keep Beavers moniker
Posted Sept. 5, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) announced that the team will not change its historic nickname. In recent months, the Beavers began a formal exploration into the possibility of a name change in an effort to create a stronger identity. The team conducted an extensive series of polls and surveys, ultimately presenting fans with a list of name-change options for input. In the end, the majority of fans expressed opinions in favor of keeping the familiar Beavers moniker. "We said from the beginning this was a decision that couldn’t be made without the input of the community and our fans," said Merritt Paulson, owner of the Beavers. "There’s no question that there is a great deal of history with the