He calls a mean game, recites a post-game haiku and manages his team’s broadcast and video deals. For his work behind the mic and behind the scenes, Jay Burnham, the Voice of the Trenton Thunder, is the 2011 Broadcaster of the Year in the annual awards from Ballpark Digest. In the minors, a broadcaster wears […]
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2011 Organization of the Year: Dayton Dragons
When a team sets a national record for most consecutive sellouts, year-end recognitions are to be expected. So it’s no surprise that the winner of the 2011 Organization of the Year from Ballpark Digest is the Dayton Dragons (Low Class A; Midwest League), the most successful team in Minor League Baseball. The Dragons set a […]
2011 Executives of the Year: Martie Cordaro and Alan Stein
Building a new ballpark and successfully rebranding a franchise are always huge accomplishments; the fact that Martie Cordaro and Alan Stein managed to do both despite some pretty steep odds wins them recognition as Baseball’s Executives of the Year from Ballpark Digest. In some ways professional baseball was an afterthought when the city of Omaha […]
2011 Logo of the Year: Joliet Slammers
It was an edgy design that embraced, rather than ignored, Joliet’s penal history. In the end, a distinctive logo and look helped catapult the Joliet Slammers (independent; Frontier League) to a successful inaugural season and garnered recognition from Ballpark Digest for 2011 Logo of the Year. Setting up operations at Silver Cross Field was going […]
2011 Renovation of the Year: Warner Park / Madison Mallards
It’s awards season at Ballpark Digest! This was the Year of the Renovation in the ballpark world, so we’re kicking things off with an award for best ballpark renovation under $10 million. A blueprint for any city seeking to improve their ballpark can be found in Madison, where Warner Park is the clear choice for […]
Logo of the Year: Richmond Flying Squirrels
The debut season of the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) was an immensely successful one, with the team leading the circuit in attendance and registering one of the biggest attendance hikes in all of baseball. Anchoring that rise: a unique look to the team, led by one of the most distinctive logos in […]
Executives of the Year: Dannemiller, Kern, Venuto
In a bad economy, it’s easier to tell the truly great employees from the mediocre ones: they’re the ones who manage to grow revenue and per caps at a time when almost everyone else is suffering. Just ask the three recipients of our year-end award for Ballpark Digest Executive of the Year: Katie Dannemiller, Liz […]
Deadline for Ballpark Digest Award nominees extended to end of business today
Each year Ballpark Digest honors the best and brightest in the baseball world with the annual Ballpark Digest Awards. We rely on nominations from the baseball community, and after a few frenzied emails from folks pushing yesterday’s deadline, we’re extending the nomination deadline to the end of business today. We want your input regarding the […]
Organization of the Year: Winston-Salem Dash
To say that 2009 was a terrible year for the Winston-Salem Dash is an understatement: a new ballpark sat uncompleted as the team slogged through a miserable lame-duck season at Wake Forest Baseball Park, drawing just 901 fans a game. To say there was a huge streak of cynicism among local fans is an understatement. […]
Renovation of the Year: Metro Bank Park
In the past, Metro Bank Park occupied a prime piece of real estate on Harrisburg’s City Island, but the ballpark didn’t measure up to the location. To make things worse, it was prone to flooding. Instead of giving up on the old place, the city of Harrisburg and the Harrisburg Senators embarked on an ambitious […]
Ballpark of the Year: Target Field
It is a ballpark like no other, one with so many hometown touches you expect to find Garrison Keillor handing out hot dish and egg coffee at the front gates. But it’s also a thoroughly modern facility, a ballpark winning praise for its many green features and unique design. The most urban ballpark in the […]
Announcing the 2010 Ballpark Digest Awards
It’s that time of year again: we’re busy compiling the annual Ballpark Digest Awards. Each year Ballpark Digest honors the best and brightest in the baseball world. Later this week we’ll be announcing our ballparks of the year, both new and renovated, as well as organization of the year; for now we want your input […]
2009 BPD Ballpark of the Year: Huntington Park
This was a banner year for new ballparks in the minor and major leagues. But at the end of the day, there was one new facility that stood head and shoulders above the rest: Huntington Park, the new home of the Columbus Clippers. Indeed, Huntington Park is one of the best ballparks to open in […]