Not exactly a surprise: New York media outlets are reporting Major League Baseball will be announcing that the 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. It’s been expected for months that the Mets would land the 2013 game. MLB awards the game alternately between the league; the […]
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Nationals Park: Catalyst for development
Four years after opening, Nationals Park is finally attracting the kind of development envisioned by ballpark proponents, drawing restaurants, retail and residential to a struggling area of D.C. A review of all the development in the area of the home of the Washington Nationals shows some solid progress at work. Gone is a concrete plant on […]
Dodger Stadium development plan outlined
Ignore all the crazy talk about the Los Angeles Dodgers looking at a new downtown ballpark: Not only is the team committed to Dodger Stadium, but the outline of a long-term development plan of Chavez Ravine is in place. When Guggenheim Baseball Management bought the Dodgers, Dodger Stadium, the 15 acres underneath the ballpark, 260 acres […]
New Dodgers owners: We need to upgrade fan experience
The new owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers met the press and made one concrete promise: to improve the fan experience at Dodger Stadium. Not exactly a groundbreaking or unexpected promise regarding Dodger Stadium: any new owner of the team would make the same pledge. But this one may may actually have some heft behind it. […]
Padres looking at moving in Petco Park fences
Another team looking to pump the ballpark juice: The San Diego Padres are considering whether to move in the fences at Petco Park to make the place more batter-friendly. Right now Petco Park is a spacious ballpark, reaching 400 feet in both power alleys. As a result, pitchers tend to do well at the ballpark: […]
Lost in the shuffle: Tiger Stadium and Crosley Field
As it ends up, 1912 was a pretty good year for Major League Ballparks: Besides Fenway Park, fans also were treated to two other new diamond palaces: Crosley Field and Tiger Stadium. Crosley Field, shown above, was actually the first of the three to open; on April 11, 1912, the Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs, 10-6, […]
Fenway Park at 100: The essence of baseball
Today’s Red Sox/Yankees game marks the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park — the first Major League Baseball facility to reach the century mark and an enduring part of the American Experience. Nostalgia is a powerful force in our society these days; everything, it seems, is an echo of the past in some manner. Whether it […]
America’s most famous tax cheat at the ballpark
On Tax Day, it’s appropriate to remember America’s most notorious tax cheat, Al Capone, was a baseball fan at heart; here he is with Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett during a White Sox/Cubs game at Comiskey Park. The game was a September 9, 1931 exhibition fundraiser long before the start of interleague play. Capone, far right, was there […]
Springsteen adds Nationals Park to concert lineup
Good news for those in the DC area: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be playing Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals, as part of their summer tour. The concert, announced via Twitter, is scheduled for Sept. 14. There were rumors that Springsteen would be playing a ballpark or two this summer — like Fenway Park — […]
Moores puts San Diego Padres back on the market
Following Jeff Moorad’s failed attempt to buy the team, San Diego Padres owner John Moores has hired investment bankers to advise him on another sale of the franchise. Unless something goes dramatically wrong with the sale this time, the delay will end up paying off for Moores: the team is undoubtedly worth more after a […]
Red Sox mark Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary with ballpark events
Fenway Park hits the century mark this month, and the Boston Red Sox are planning a series of events to mark the momentous occasion. The festivities actually began yesterday, when the Harvard University baseball team commemorated an exhibition game between the Red Sox and Harvard on April 9, 1912 by taking batting practice and working […]
Kauffman Stadium naming-rights deal falls through
A naming-rights deal for Kauffman Stadium fell through after the Kansas City Royals and US Bank couldn’t agree on the terms of an agreement. But they were close — close enough that the team had penciled in an announcement for last week, according to the Kansas City Business Journal. The big lure in a naming-rights […]
City, Cubs finalizing terms of Wrigley Field renovations
In a surprising assertion, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says his city is close to a deal with the Chicago Cubs to help fund renovations to Wrigley Field. Cubs owner Tom Ricketts has repeatedly called for city or state help in renovating the Chicago landmark, which will be 100 years old in 2014. He’s pitched a […]