Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach is asking the state for $82 million in sales-tax incentives to help fund a variety of projects, including a new $60.7 million ballpark for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). The application, filed yesterday with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, would be […]
Tag Archives | class aaa
Latest run at Tucson pro baseball winding down
Maybe there are some cities unsuited for pro baseball. That would include Tucson, where the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are 26 home games from a move to El Paso. Granted, the Tucson Padres were never slated to spend more than three or four seasons at Kino Stadium after the franchise was relocated […]
Storm Chasers set 45th-anniversary blowout
Another impressive milestone to mark: the Omaha Storm Chasers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the team’s affiliation with the Kansas City Royals. The affiliation between the two teams is the longest-running arrangement in Triple-A baseball. Fittingly, the fete to mark the achievement is set for the 45th game of […]
IronPigs to brighten fan’s day with funeral giveaway
We’ve seen teams give away tombstones and funerals before, but the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA; International League) are going the extra six feet by giving away a full funeral to a “lucky” fan. “The best fans in Minor League Baseball deserve the opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime giveaway,” said IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes. […]
Storm Chasers set to welcome millionth fan to Werner Park
It’s a great success story: the Omaha Storm Chasers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are set to welcome the millionth fan to Werner Park during an upcoming homestand. The Storm Chasers are expected to welcome that millionth fan in the first series of the seven-game homestand, which starts tomorrow night with dreaded rival Iowa Cubs […]
Finalists announced for new El Paso team name
We have the five finalists for the team name of the new El Paso franchise joining the Triple-A Pacific Coast League next season. The five finalists are: Aardvarks Buckaroos Chihuahuas Desert Gators Sun Dogs “It was not easy to determine this list of finalist name ideas from the thousands of names submitted by El Paso […]
Increased spending approved for new El Paso ballpark
A new budget for a Triple-A ballpark in El Paso was approved last night by the City Council, pushing the total cost of the project to $60.8 million, with team owners picking up the additional costs. The original cost of the ballparl was $52.8 million, and the El Paso City Council had already approved issuing […]
Franchise owners offer $12.1M toward new El Paso ballpark
To close a funding gap in construction of a new downtown El Paso ballpark, team owners MountainStar Sports have offered to pay $12.1 million to cover the overages. Under the proposal, the city would borrow $60.8 million toward the new ballpark instead of the original $52.8 million. (Why is the city borrowing more? Municipalities typically […]
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 […]
Rosenblatt Stadium memorial site unveiled
The makeover of Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium is complete, as the grounds of former home to the College World Series and pro baseball have been revamped by the neighboring Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. The ballpark grandstand is long gone, taken down last summer, with the press box going last. Thanks to some contributions from the […]
Las Vegas: We want to keep 51s
After years of ignoring the issue, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman wants to see the owners of the Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) fix up Cashman Field — but came up short of offering city assistance. The new owners of the 51s — Howard Hughes Corporation and Play Ball Owners Group — […]
Your first good meltdown of the season: Marty Brown
OK, we’re not talking Phillip Wellman or Wally Backman here. But Marty Brown, manager of the Buffalo Bisons (Class AAA; International League), gives fans a show at Harbor Park. The Bisons were in town to play the hometown Norfolk Tides, and the event is pretty simple: the umps clearly blew a call on runner interference, […]
Ottawa approves outlines of ballpark spending; specifics to be decided
With the Ottawa market apparantly up for grabs, an Ottawa city committee approved a plan to spend at least $10 million on improvements to Ottawa Stadium to attract an affiliated team. With the city now openly talking of seeking targets other than a Double-A team — the potential of a Single-A team was mentioned at […]