Lee County and the Washington Nationals will continue to discuss a move of the team to City of Palms Park for spring training, as officials look at whether the county can afford requested upgrades. The Nats have already presented a wish list of changes they’d like to see at City of Palms Park, and many […]
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Nats: We’re still interested in Fort Myers — if spring complex is upgraded
Washington Nationals front-office personnel told Lee County reps the team was interested in moving spring-training operations to City of Palms Park — if the ballpark was upgraded, to the tune of $45 million or more. With the Nats unwilling to commit to Viera’s Space Coast Stadium and openly seeking a new spring home, a move […]
Election loss could impact future of Twins, Nats in Fort Myers
The defeat of Ray Judah, a big supporter of spring training in Fort Myers, could impact the future of Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals spring training in Lee County. Judah was running for reelection on the Lee County Board of Commissioners, but came in third in Tuesday’s Republican primary behind a candidate who strongly criticized […]
PETA cites Citizens Bank Park, Hammond Stadium for veggie offerings
The best vegetarian ballpark food can be found at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Hammond Stadium, home of the Fort Myers Miracle, according to PETA’s annual rankings. The advocacy group has released rankings of veggie offerings at ballparks for 11 years now. “Tasty vegetarian food is sweeping the nation, and that […]
FSL teams recovering from Tropical Storm Debby
Some Florida State League teams expect to resume play tonight after Tropical Storm Debby wiped out most of yesterday’s schedule — but field conditions may not be perfect. In fact, teams will be using every minute possible to prepare fields for safe play. At Hammond Stadium, the Fort Myers Miracle scrapped plans to pay two seven-inning […]
Twins sign 30-year spring-training lease extension
The Minnesota Twins and Lee County agreed on a 30-year lease extension to keep the team in Fort Myers, but the rest of the agreement — covering improvements and funding — is not yet public. It’s an unusual situation, to be sure. And there are plenty of contingencies at play, so it’s not nearly important […]
Lee County: Twins spring-training improvements hinge on state grant
Any improvements to spring-training facilities for the Minnesota Twins will need to be funded largely by state funds and the Twins, as Lee County officials say they won’t raise taxes to cover new funding. After spending months saying they’d take care of the Twins after spending $80 million on a new spring facility for the […]
Twins present spring-training wish list to Lee County
Player dorms, more seats at Hammond Stadium and infrastructure improvements are on the Minnesota Twins’ wish list for the team’s Lee County spring-training complex. Opening in 1991, Hammond Stadium and the Lee County Sports Complex are showing their age; once the complex was the state of the art for spring training but now come up […]
Lee County commissioner: “50-50” chance Nats will move spring ops to Fort Myers
A Lee County commissioner pegged the odds at “50-50” about the chances of the Washington Nationals moving spring-training operations to Fort Myers after the two sides met today. Lee County (Fl.) Commissioner Frank Mann, who did not attend a meeting between Lee County officials and two Nats reps but did discuss it with them afterwards, […]
Lee County to seek state ballpark-improvement grant
Already aiming to fund improvements at Hammond Stadium, the spring home of the Minnesota Twins, Lee County is seeking state assistance as it also works to free up money for the Washington Nationals. in discussions of the future of spring training in Fort Myers, Lee County commissioners have steadfastly held that any additional tourism-tax revenues not […]
Twins set spring attendance record — in Florida
As spring training winds down, we’ll be looking at the winners and losers of 2011. The first big winner of 2011: the Minnesota Twins, who set a Florida spring-training attendance record at Hammond Stadium. The Twins drew 129,453 fans to 16 games at Hammond Stadium this spring. It’s a record for fans attending spring Twins […]
Hammond Stadium / Fort Myers Miracle / Minnesota Twins
Hammond Stadium may be best known as the spring home of the Minnesota Twins, but it’s also home to the Fort Myers Miracle of the Florida State League. Located on the southern edge of Fort Myers, the ballpark is clearly geared to the Twins and spring training, but the Miracle team draws well (at least […]