The Columbia Blowfish (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League) are negotiating for a new ballpark in suburban Lexington County, keeping the team in the greater Columbia market.
We’re talking about a modest facility: between 3,500 and 4,500 seats, with a berm that could accommodate more, for a total capacity of 5,000. But it would keep the Blowfish in the area, and it more than likely means any effort to bring affiliated ball to the city is dead. Bill Shanahan and the other Blowfish owners are also involved in affiliated ball, most notably as the owner of the Mobile Bay Bears (Class AA; Southern League), and it’s highly unlikely Shanahan would move ahead with a new ballpark if there’s the chance affiliated ball would be returning.
At a press conference this morning, Shanahan said the team is in early discussions with the mayors of Lexington and Cayce. Time is of the essence: on Tuesday the Columbia City Council voted to sell the Capital City Stadium site to an out-of-state developer with close ties to Wal-Mart.
RELATED STORIES: Columbia sells Capital City Stadium site; Looking back at Cap City Stadium; Class A ball returning to Columbia?; Columbia sells Capital City Stadium; Wal-Mart on the way; Future of Columbia baseball in play
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