Where have you gone, Stanley Coveleski?
Here’s the downside of naming-rights sales: Many references to Stanley Coveleski at Four Winds Field at Stanley Coveleski Stadium, home of the South Bend Silver Hawks (Class A; Midwest League), are gone. Stanley Coveleski, of course, was the former major leaguer who retired to South Bend after a Hall of Fame career and was a […]
Dress code at Cards’ Ballpark Village drawing attention
A dress code at the Ballpark Village bars set to open this season next to Busch Stadium have drawn all sorts of negative attention for potentially being discriminatory against African-Americans. The dress code applies to the eight bars in the complex, with some additional rules applying to the Budweiser Brewhouse. Some of the dress codes […]
New for 2014: Budweiser Champions Club at Modern Woodmen Park
Nice naming-rights deal to announce: the large group suite at Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League), will be known as the Budweiser Champions Club. We honored this space as the Best Ballpark Improvement Under $1 Million in the 2013 Ballpark Digest Awards. The River Bandits took […]
Artifacts discovered at Sulphur Dell site
As the Sulphur Dell area once hosted a graveyard, it’s no surprise that historic artifacts were indeed found at the construction site of a new Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark there. It was actually expected: archaeologists have been working at the site alongside the construction crew to monitor the possible unearthing of […]
Whte Sox, investors seek to buy Winston-Salem Dash
The Chicago White Sox and other outside investors are seeking to buy a majority share of the Winston-Salem Dash (High Class A; Carolina League), subject to a new BB&T Ballpark lease. According to team president Geoff Lassiter, the White Sox — the Dash’s current parent — and other investors would buy into the team for […]
RailRiders unveil 2014 improvements
A year after opening a renovated PNC Field, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Class AAA; International League) are unveiling more improvements for the 2014 season. “Standing pat is not an option for us,” said RailRiders president/GM Rob Crain. “As an organization, we are always looking for ways we can provide an even better experience for our guests […]
Montreal preps for return of MLB; Carter to be honored
The return of Major League Baseball to Montreal in the form of Blue Jays/Mets exhibitions should be an emotional one this weekend, with the late Gary Carter — who starred for both the Expos and the Mets — to be honored. About 75,000 tickets have been sold for the two weekend exhibitions games. (Organizers are […]
New plan for Tiger Stadium site: youth baseball, mixed-use development
With the first proposed plan for the Tiger Stadium site that makes any sense, the city of Detroit is seeking bids for a mixed-use development that would maintain the historic playing field for youth baseball. A major player is already involved: Detroit PAL, a nonprofit youth sports organization, has committed to building a 10,000-square-foot headquarters […]
Akron RubberDucks unveil new extreme concessions for 2014
The makeover of the Akron RubberDucks (Class AA; Eastern League) continues, with the addition of a unique pineapple bowl and surprisingly popular beer shakes. The new Extreme Menu entrée is: the Pineapple TeriyAKRON Bowl. Half a pineapple is hollowed out to create a bowl. It is then stuffed with a stir fry of grilled white-meat […]
Storm Chasers unveil 2014 upgrades to Werner Park
Last season was a great one for the Omaha Storm Chasers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), and the team is planning on more fan-experience enhancements for 2014. “Although Werner Park is still a relatively new facility, we have a commitment to never stay complacent and always think about each way we can make it the […]
Revolution to accept Bitcoins this season
Currency of the future or unregulated nightmare? Either way, the York Revolution (independent; Atlantic League) is poised to become the first professional baseball team to accept Bitcoins, a controversial online digital currency. The organization has partnered with Crypto Coin Consulting, an online currency consulting group, to launch the program. The company is a startup launched […]
Rouillard new Voice of the Yakima Valley Pippins
Another personnel move to note: Ryan Rouillard is the new voice of the Yakima Valley Pippins (summer collegiate; West Coast League), with games to be broadcast on ESPN 1460 Yakima. All 60 games regular-season games, plus the 2014 WCL All-Star Game from Klamath Falls, Ore., will be broadcast live on Yakima’s ESPN affiliate, including streaming […]
Timber Rattlers sell naming rights to club level
Another naming-rights deal for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low Class A; Midwest League): The club level at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium is now The Fox Club, presented by Fox Communities Credit Union. “Fox Communities Credit Union is a great supporter of this community and has been a great partner of ours since […]