A male worker was killed this morning at the construction site of a new St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) ballpark when a concrete section of the Gillette building collapsed. The accident happened around 8 a.m., and Johnny Valek, 61, of Plymouth was operating a crane, clearing debris from the site. From the Pioneer Press; […]
Tag Archives | american association
Tritz is American Association Executive of the Year
Sioux City Explorers General Manager Shane Tritz is the 2013 American Association Executive of the Year, as decided by a vote of a league field managers and media representatives. This is the first time in team history that a member of the Sioux City Explorers organization has received the award. “We are thrilled to have […]
Doing the Harlem Shake in St. Paul
You don’t see this too often: Check out this video of St. Paul Saints and Sioux City Explorers players combining on the Harlem Shake during yesterday’s season ender at Midway Stadium. The independent American Association teams combined to perform the popular dance at the end of the second inning. Nothing profound; just fun. —- Share […]
Canaries poised to break attendance record
We expect to be running lots of stories about teams setting attendance records in coming days, so here’s a start: the Sioux Falls Canaries (independent; American Association) are only 2,688 fans from a record, with four home games remaining. The current team record is 150,837 fans attending Canaries games in 2008. This year, 148,150 fans […]
Design deadlines slip on new Saints ballpark
A hard deadline of Aug. 23 for design work on a new St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) ballpark has slipped and isn’t expected to be met for months. The contract with Ryan Companies called for design work and a firm estimate of the maximum construction cost to be met on Aug. 23. That deadline, […]
Future of Cohen Stadium in play with departure of Diablos
Cohen Stadium, home to two incarnations of the El Paso Diablos, may end up staying intact as the City Council reviews redevelopment plans for the surrounding area. The independent American Association Diablos wrapped up their season and history this weekend, as the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will be relocating next season to […]
Diablos close out El Paso tenure
The second incarnation of the El Paso Diablos (independent; American Association) came to an end yesterday, as the team wrapped up its season and history at Cohen Stadium. The original Diablos and flamboyant owner Jim Paul are still remembered fondly in some Minor League Baseball circles: an aggressive promoter whose approach to giveaways and promote […]
Future of Cardinal Stadium: Bleak
It’s all but certain that Cardinal Stadium, former home of the Louisville Redbirds (Class AAA; American Association), will be torn down sometime next year. The issue: the place is basically falling down and there’s no economically viable reuse for the old facility, which also housed University of Louisville football. That’s a dangerous combo for an […]
Saints, city make up $8.8M ballpark funding shortfall
The St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) formally increased their contribution to a new Lowertown ballpark by another $1 million and agreed to take over daily maintenance of the facility, helping to close a $8.8-million funding gap. The gap arose after cleanup costs at the former Gillette/Diamond Products plant — former manufacturing home of Dippity-Do! […]
Saints add $1M to new ballpark funding
With a projected $9 million funding gap that needs to be addressed, the St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) upped their contribution to a new Lowertown ballpark by $1 million — but the city may want more. The issue: the cost of preparing the site for construction has risen sharply since the original budget was […]
Price tag for new Saints ballpark could rise $9M
The cost of a new St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) ballpark could rise another $9 million after further testing revealed more environmental issues than anticipated. The increased cost has nothing to do with the actual ballpark, and the city would be on the hook for the clean-up costs no matter what was built on […]
Cardinal Stadium should be torn down: Engineers
Though Cardinal Stadium, former home of the Louisville Redbirds (Class AAA; American Association), is rapidly deteriorating and should be town down soon, according to an engineering report. The facility, known as Fairgrounds Stadium when it opened in 1957, was home to pro baseball in Louisville between 1982 and 1999, when the team moved to Louisville […]
Testing at new Saints ballpark site yields unexpected contamination
City officials knew that the site of a new St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) ballpark was polluted, but further testing indicates far more contamination on the site than originally anticipated. Before it hosted a manufacturing plant, the Lowertown site hosted a coal gasification plant, where coal was converted to coal gas, which could then […]