T-Bones prep a welcome to team’s three-millionth fan
Important milestone for the Kansas City T-Bones (independent; American Association): the team will welcome its three-millionth fan during an upcoming series at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Heading into the July 18-23 homestand against Winnipeg and Grand Prairie, 154,195 people have attended games in 2014, which brings the total of fans who have seen games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark […]
Kingfish to play what-if: Kenosha Sockets
We love these promos: the Kenosha Kingfish (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) will throw a what-if promotion tonight and play as the Kenosha Sockets. In February 2013 a “Name Your Team Contest” was launched, and over a two-month period, more than 750 name ideas were submitted by the proud citizens of Kenosha. Six names were then […]
Montgomery to host 2015 SL All-Star Game
The Montgomery Biscuits will host the 2015 Southern League All-Star Game at Riverwalk Stadium on Tuesday, June 23. This will mark the second time the Biscuits have hosted the All-Star Game, with Riverwalk Stadium being the site of the 2006 contest. It will be held in conjunction with the city of Montgomery and the Southern […]
Some Ballpark Digest history
More limited posting today, as we’re in Minneapolis for the All-Star Game festivities. One thing to note, though: we hit an important milestone yesterday. We reached the 8.3-million mark for page views this year. Why is that important? We’ve now recorded as many page views in 2014 as we did in all of 2011. We […]
Remembering the 1965 All-Star Game at The Met
Limited posting today, as we’re off to Minneapolis for the MLB All-Star Game. To set the stage for the game, here’s a look at the first time the event was held in Minnesota: the 1965 All-Star Game at Metropolitan Stadium. In the early 1960s, the Minneapolis-St. Paul area was in the midst of unprecendented growth: […]
Hartford pulls public bonding for Rock Cats ballpark
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra pulled his request for $60 million in public bonding for a new New Britain Rock Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark and will instead seek a developer to finance the project. The withdrawal, coming in a letter to the City Council, came after intense crticism from taxpayers and politicians of all […]
Astrodome demolition proposed by Texans, rodeo
The Houston Astrodome would be torn down to make way for green space and a unique park under a proposal from the NFL’s Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The iconic Astrodome, the first covered ballpark in Major League Baseball, has been mostly unoccupied since the Houston Astros moved to Minute Maid […]
Stow wins Dodgers lawsuit; McCourt found not liable
Bryan Stow, the victim of a vicious beating in the Dodger Stadium parking lot in 2011, won a $18-million verdict against the Los Angeles Dodgers and his attackers, but former owner Frank McCourt was found to be not liable by the same Los Angeles jury. The Dodgers are responsible for $13.9 million of the total […]
Wrigley Field upgrades approved by Chicago Commission on Landmarks
At the end of the day, the vote wasn’t close, as the Chicago Commission on Landmarks unanimously approved the new Wrigley Field renovation plan despite objections from neighbors and rooftop-bleacher owners. The newest $575-million plan Wrigley Field renovation plan calls for new exterior signage and a realignment of the triangle area at Clark and Addison; […]
Dreyfuss family to visit Blowfish game Saturday
Nice bit of history being played out in Columbia, where the family of Barney Dreyfuss — the Hall of Fame MLB owner who donated the funds for Capital City Stadium — will be on hand for the Columbia Blowfish (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain league) game in that very ballpark. Dreyfuss, a visionary owner who also […]
Biloxi ballpark bids busting budget
Well, you can expect some value engineering on a proposed new Class AA Southern League Biloxi ballpark, as the lowest bid on the project came in some $5 million more than the city’s budgeted amount. The lowest bid of $32.37 million for the ballpark came in more than $5 million over budget. The total project […]
York Revolution welcomes 2-millionth fan
Another attendance milestone to report: the York Revolution (independent; Atlantic League) welcomed the two-millionth fan in team history to Santander Stadium. The milestone comes in the eighth season of operation for the franchise at Santander Stadium. Based on current attendance trends, the organization expects to draw at least 4,300 fans per game for their 70 […]
Final days of Knights Stadium
With the property sold and a business plan in place, all that’s left is to tear down Knights Stadium, former home of the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) in coming months. Cato Corp., a Charlotte-based clothing retailer, has indeed closed on the purchase of the now-empty Fort Mill, S.C. ballpark site for $841,284. The […]