The Week That Was: July 6
The Dayton Dragons sale, remembering Lou Gehrig’s riveting “Luckiest Man” speech, and a tarp accident in Cedar Rapids were the top stories this week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. Here are the top stories of this week, in order of popularity: Dayton Dragons sale announcedMLB to honor Lou Gehrig this weekendSeveral Kernels […]
Knights poised to break all-time attendance record tonight
Well, this is certainly an accomplishment: The Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) should break their all-time attendance mark for a single season — in just 45 games at BB&T Ballpark. When the record is reached, the Knights will reward one lucky fan with a special prize pack at tonight’s game. The record of 429,132 fans […]
Great ballpark crowds greet Independence Day games
Record crowds in Albuquerque and Winston-Salem, a record-setting homestand in Colorado Springs, over 6,000 fans braving the cresting Mississippi River in Davenport, and sellouts in Omaha, Richmond and Birmingham were among the attendance highlights on the Fourth of July. Really, there’s nothing more American than a night at the ballpark, followed by fireworks. (We spent […]
Spring rains bring July flooding to Modern Woodmen Park
This has been one of the wettest seasons on record, and all that rain is causing some serious Mississippi River flooding — with Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League), prepped for the water. In and of itself, Modern Woodmen Park is very protected from the rising […]
San Angelo Colts file for bankruptcy protection against creditors
The San Angelo Colts (independent; United League Baseball) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday, preventing a bank from foreclosing on the Foster Field mortgage. 1st Community Federal Credit Union had initiated foreclosure on Foster Field, with the team missing payments on a $384,000 mortgage. The ballpark was privately financed 14 years ago. From the […]
Fundraising continues for Hamtramck Stadium restoration
Though Tiger Stadium dominates discussion of Detroit’s endangered ballparks, there’s another old ballpark also worthy of attention: Hamtramck Stadium, former home to the Detroit Stars of the Negro National League. We’ve written about Hamtramck Stadium before; in 2012 it received a designation on the National Register of Historic Places. Built by businessman John Roesink in 1930 as […]
MiLB teams to celebrate Independence Day with Stars & Stripes caps
It’s turned into a great tradition: Minor League Baseball teams will be selling Stars & Stripes caps this Independence Day weekend to raise funds for a worthy cause: Welcome Back Veterans. It’s the fifth consecutive year for the promotion, where 113 teams will wear the specialty New Era caps as part of fundraising and awareness […]
ThunderBolts, Crestwood upgrading Standard Bank Stadium scoreboard
Good news for Windy City ThunderBolts (independent; Frontier League) fans: the team and the Village of Crestwood are funding a new scoreboard/videoboard, which should be fully operational by July 21. The 13-foot-high, 22-foot-long HD videoboard will have full video capabilities, including instant replay. This structure will be the first major improvement to the stadium since […]
Syracuse has fans lining up for Chiefs tattoo promo
Every team should do this: the Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) had folks lining up six hours before gametime for a free team tattoo giving them general-admission privileges for life. Other teams have done this — in fact, we were at a Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League) contest when the […]
MLB to honor Lou Gehrig this weekend
Another MLB-wide promotion worth noting: The New York Yankees will honor the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech today, followed by recognition from all other teams on Friday. Gehrig delivered his farewell to baseball on July 4, 1939, between games of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators at Yankee Stadium. He was suffering […]
Oakland Athletics lease extension due for approval tomorrow
As expected, a 10-year lease extension for the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum is expected to be initially approved tomorrow, giving both the team and the city flexibility in working out a new-ballpark agreement. After years of debate and talks between the team and other municipalities, it now looks like A’s ownership is on a […]
Another potential legal threat to new Braves ballpark fizzling?
Though there have been threats of legal action against government spending on a new Atlanta Braves ballpark, none have actually commenced — and the latest effort appears to be a long shot as well. Citizens for Governmental Transparency — the group that made a huge fuss when reps were denied the chance to testify against […]
Dayton Dragons sale announced
Another sale from the Mandalay Baseball Properties portfolio: the Dayton Dragons (Low Class A; Midwest League) have been sold to Palisades Arcadia Baseball LLC, a group that includes veteran MiLB operator Michael Savit. The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approvals of the Midwest League, the offices of Minor League Baseball, and […]