With the Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) posting a losing record and failing to attract large crowds to NBT Bank Stadium, there’s some dissatisfaction with baseball in the city. Post-Standard columnist Bud Poliquin lays out an indictment of how the Chiefs are run. Some of his complaints, having to do with the quality of […]
Tag Archives | class aaa
SWB RailRiders tally best attendance since 2008
The power of a basically new ballpark: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Class AAA; International League) drew 435,839 fans to PNC Field this season, the best year at the gate since 2008. In addition to the baseball attendance, a franchise-record 61 special events beyond baseball boosted the season-long attendance figure to 462,052. With the ability to host […]
Final home game tonight for Tucson Padres
Tucson’s latest run at Triple-A baseball ends tonight, as the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) play their final game at Kino Stadium before a departure to El Paso. This time the departure is a little different; the T-Padres were always a short-term plant at Kino Stadium, so while there was hope the team […]
Proposed Colorado Springs ballpark in trouble?
A tepid response from Colorado Economic Development Commission officials on state funding of a new Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark s raising issues about the proposal’s future. As you’ll recall, the city’s requested $82 million in sales-tax incentives from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to help […]
Key to new Sounds ballpark: Significant contribution from team owners
As the dust settles on the proposal to locate a new Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark in Sulphur Dell, one key is emerging: it will take a serious commitment from team owners to make it work. It’s not that there’s a gap in an financial plan — heck, there’s no financial plan […]
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 […]
Charlotte set for final games at Knights Stadium
With the team scheduled for an Uptown move in 2014, the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) are set for one final homestand at Knights Stadium. Now, Knights Stadium has never been one of our favorite facilities, but we expect some tears to be shed at the ballpark’s final days. There’s little doubt the facility […]
Nashville mayor: No financing plan yet for Sulphur Dell ballpark
Though the Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and the city agree Sulphur Dell is the best place for a new ballpark, there’s no financing plan in place, according to Mayor Karl Dean. Plans for a new Sounds ballpark were all but dead after Sounds owner Frank Ward rejected the idea of a Sulphur […]
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 […]
Unusual nuptuals: Pair gets hitched between innings in Sacramento
Ballpark weddings happen all the time, but the Sacramento River Cats (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) built a game promo around a between-innings ceremony. Now. it’s not totally unusual to be married on a game day — a search of the archives yielded a few instances of a couple getting married before the game and […]
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 […]
New life for Eugene’s Civic Stadium?
Eugene’s Civic Stadium, facing a death sentence more than once over the years, may find new life as a professional soccer venue. The former home to Eugene Emeralds franchises in the Pacific Coast League and Northwest League, Civic Stadium has sat empty since the Ems moved to PK Park. The local school board owns the […]
Nashville: Bring baseball back to Sulphur Dell
Planning for a new Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark has shifted from the riverfront to the old Sulphur Dell site, as Mayor Karl Dean is now pushing a mixed-use development. The Sounds has pursued a riverfront site for years as a replacement for Greer Stadium, though there was always sentimental support of […]