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Archives: Feb. 12-Feb. 18, 2005

Archives: Feb. 12-Feb. 18, 2005

Sky Sox announce renovations to renamed Security Service Field
Posted February 18, 2005

The Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Class AAA; Pacific Coast league) announced some major changes to Sky Sox Stadium. First, the ballpark will be renamed Security Service Field after signing a 12-year naming-rights deal with Security Service Federal Credit Union. Also, the team announced plans for $4 million in improvements to the ballpark, including a state-of-the-art home clubhouse area with underground batting/pitching cages, new umpire facilities, enclosed and upgraded luxury suite level, creation of an enclosed and decorative main gate area, 2,536 new box seats with cup holders in the stadium’s lower bowl and the creation of a new entranceway from the parking lot featuring two large covered porte-cochere gathering areas. You can read about all the improvements here. More from the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Moreno fends off critics with big-picture plan
Posted February 18, 2005

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim owner Arte Moreno is thinking big, much bigger than just landing a better local TV contract: he’s looking at developing his own cable network. On the one hand, the Dodgers failed to make much impact in L.A. with a similar move a few years ago and Victory Sports (owned by the Minnesota Twins) was an abject failure, but other cable ventures — like NESN and YES — have been huge successes. Moreno would need some partners — like the Lakers, Clippers, Kings or Ducks — to succeed. More from the Los Angeles Times, which reports Moreno is thinking about moving the team from Anaheim; he can break the lease at Anaheim Stadium with a $12-million buyout. Calling Oscar Goodman!

Jackson mayor urges Jaxx to stay
Posted February 18, 2005

Jackson (Tn.) Mayor Charles Farmer is trying to make up with the management of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Class AA; Southern League) in an attempt to keep the team at Pringles Park. Farmer sent out an email to local business leaders and media that read in part: "”As you know, the proposed move of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx to Mauldin, S.C., was not approved. I believe this gives us an opportunity to again make baseball work here, just as it did in the early years. I now hope that the owners of the Diamond Jaxx will rescind their previous Notice of Termination and join us in making their operation here successful. This would require renewed efforts on all our parts." West Tenn management says it will respond at some point. The city is still looking at buying the team for $11.3 million per the terms of its lease with the Jaxx; the deadline for that is March 13.

MiLB to experiment rule change in 2005
Posted February 18, 2005

MiLB will experiment with a rule change designed to speed up the game. The experimental rule requires a batter to keep one foot in the batter’s box throughout an at-bat, unless certain exceptions apply, in which case the batter must remain within the dirt area surrounding home plate. An umpire will be able to award an automatic strike or strikes, without the pitcher having to deliver a pitch, if a batter intentionally leaves the batter’s box and delays play. A similar rule applies in National Collegiate Athletic Association play.

Minor-league baseball team scouts Oakland
Posted February 18, 2005

After being rebuffed in efforts to build a new ballpark in Troy, Mich., General Sports and Entertainment is talking with several cities in the I-75 corridor — including Auburn Hills — about building a 4,500-seat ballpark for an independent-league team. Dana Schmitt, executive vice president of General Sports, says the firm is working to make a decision in 30 days about where to build the ballpark in Oakland County.

A small problem with Richmond ballpark plan
Posted February 18, 2005

Columnist John Markon has a small problem with the new ballpark plan from the Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International League): he thinks the ballpark is too small at 7,500 seats. He’s right: technically, it won’t meet Class AAA specs, which call for 10,000 fixed seats. However, the team is trying to shoehorn a ballpark and other development into a limited space, and the ballpark will hold 10,000 when you take berm seating into account. Plus, there’s the old issue of supply and demand: the Braves don’t sell many season tickets to The Diamond because its large capacity (12,000+) doesn’t allow many sellouts; less capacity would change that. Meanwhile, the developer brought in by the Braves has not yet performed any market-research studies to determine whether a new new mixed-use development would fly in Richmond; Global Research says it will wait to see if there’s the political will on the city council to back a deal before it spends $2 million on research.

Taxpayers shouldn’t pay to upgrade Sarasota’s ballpark
Posted February 18, 2005

Columnist Rod Thomson trots out an old argument: state taxpayers shouldn’t pay for a renovation of Ed Smith Stadium for use by the Cincinnati Reds in the spring and the Sarasota Reds (Class A; Florida State League) during the regular season. Perhaps, but if you’ve ever spent time in Florida or Arizona in March for spring training, it’s hard to buy Thomson’s argument that few of those tourists are there just for baseball.

Barnstormer fans to choose skybox locations
Posted February 18, 2005

Firms leasing skyboxes at Clipper Magazine Stadium, the home of the Lancaster Barnstormers (independent; Atlantic League), will choose their skyboxes on Saturday. During the morning, fans that reserved one of the 22 skyboxes will have the opportunity to tour the suite level of the stadium with Barnstormers President Jon Danos, General Manager Joe Pinto and Forrest Brewer, superintendent of the stadium construction project. Following the tour, skybox locations will be selected based on priority number. All 22 skyboxes for the inaugural season at Clipper Magazine Stadium have long been sold out.

Freedom adds stadium touches to lure patrons
Posted February 18, 2005

As we reported, new Florence Freedom (independent; Frontier League) owner Clint Brown has arranged for finishing work at Champion Window Field to be completed. That includes a new video scoreboard, an improved children’s play area, a picnic area and beer garden, and a competed fan shop.

Stadiums "can only do so much"
Posted February 18, 2005

Business Week talks with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, whose background as owner of the Wynkoop Brewery in the LoDo area of Denver catapulted him to public office. Hickenlooper was a pioneer in LoDo, committing a brewpub to an area of town that was decidedly run down. Then Coors Field came along, and the entire district was reborn. The key to the continued success of the area: making sure fans return even when there are no games going on.

No more ‘two-dog nights’ at the park
Posted February 18, 2005

Columbia (S.C.) baseball fans looked forward to seeing Bruno the Wonder Dog, the three-legged pooch living at Capital City Stadium. With the move of the Capital City Bombers (Class A; Sally League) to Greenville (S.C.): Bruno and his adopted younger sister, Sophie, are moving to Greenville with the team, but he won’t be living at the ballpark.

Cutters to offer tryouts on team for NHLers
Posted February 18, 2005

OK, this is fairly clever. With their 2004-05 season wiped out because of the league’s labor problems, the New Haven County Cutters (independent; Can-Am League) invited NHL players to trade in their skates and hockey sticks for a baseball glove and bat and try out with the team. The Cutters believe their invitation also will be comforting in that NHL All-Star Brian Leetch, a onetime high-school baseball player in Connecticut, is an investor in the second-year team.

Power to unveil five mascots
Posted February 18, 2005

The West Virginia Power (Class A; Sally League) will unveil five new mascots this season, four representing state energy sources and one a throwback to the original Charleston Charlies. Just a hunch, but we’re guessing the new Charley won’t have a cigar hanging out of his mouth like the old Charlie did.

Orem Owlz sign radio deal
Posted February 18, 2005

The Orem Owlz (rookie; Pioneer League) announced that Orem-based KSRR 1400 AM (K-STAR) will be the new flagship station for OWLZ radio broadcasts. All 76 regular-season games as well as the playoffs will be broadcast on K-STAR, marking the first time since 2002 that the franchise will have a full broadcast schedule. In addition to radio broadcasts, Owlz baseball will continue to simulcast games over the Internet.

Baseball Notes
Posted February 18, 2005

The Lexington Legends (Class A; Sally League) named Ben Heiple as Sports Turf Manager and Erin Sherrill as Assistant Sports Turf
Manager. Heiple and Sherrill will oversee all field maintenance for Applebee’s Park. Heiple begins his third season with Lexington. During Heiple’s stint with
the Legends, the field at Applebee’s Park has been honored with an honorable mention for the 2003 STMA award and placed 2nd for Field of the Year in the Sally League in 2003. Sherrill brings plenty of experience to the Legends. She worked on the grounds crew for the Lexington Legends during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Sherrill spent the 2003 season working as the assistant groundskeeper for the Chattanooga Lookouts (Class AA: Southern League) before returning to the Bluegrass State….Timothy O’Reilly is the new director of media and community relations for the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League). O’Reilly, 24, joins the Knights staff after spending two seasons with the Springfield Spirit of the National Women’s Basketball League, where he served as general manager during the 2004 season. Before joining  the Spirit in 2002, O’Reilly worked with the New York Rangers in the public-relations department….

Marion ballpark included in governor’s budget
Posted February 17, 2005

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposed budget includes partial funding for a new ballpark in Marion. Blagojevich’s budget also would kick in $3 million toward construction of a minor league baseball stadium in Marion. The money would go to the city, which has been working with East Alton lawyer and investor John Simmons on bringing a team to Marion. It’s not as much as the city requested — $7.5 million — but it’s a good start, and the city is looking at a sales tax to fund the rest. More from The Southern.

Bats announce improvements to Louisville Slugger Field
Posted February 17, 2005

The Louisville Bats (Class AAA; International League) are spending $150,000 on improvements to Louisville Slugger Field. The biggest improvement is a landscaping of the left-field berm: The slope of the berm will be decreased, resulting in a flatter, safer and more comfortable area for families to watch the games. Two new rows of seating will be added, with 125 new chairback seats to be installed at the top of the berm. New fescue grass also will be installed as well.

Baseball looking to recapture imaginations
Posted February 17, 2005

Fantasy baseball was the original fantasy sport, but in recent years fantasy football far exceeded fantasy baseball among sports fans. MLB says it wants to see fantasy baseball come back, and MLB last month announced a five-year, $50-million deal with its players’ association giving the league exclusive rights to, among other things, license official fantasy leagues. Most of the major sites, including ESPN.com, Yahoo Sports and Sportsline.com, have reached agreements to offer official fantasy products, and AOL Sports will direct a large market of fans toward MLB’s products. The dark side of this, however, is baseball’s attitude toward stats: it regards statistics as being trademarked items subject to licensing, which may be a legal stretch. That’s why in the recent PBA MLB assumed control of minor-league stats as well, much to the chagrin of many team owners. You’ll more than likely see MLB’s fingers inching slowly toward other MiLB functions as well; MLB Advanced Media is making a move to host MiLB Web sites, and future online radio broadcasts may be subject to MLB Advanced Media oversight if we’re hearing things correctly. As one MiLB team owner told us, Big Brother is coming.

Spring training facilities across S. Florida back in playing shape after hurricanes
Posted February 17, 2005
Despite damage from hurricanes last summer and fall, spring-training facilities in south Florida appear to be in fine shape as teams begin practice. At Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium, seven of the stadium’s eight light poles fell during Hurricane Frances, causing the majority of the $3.2 million in damage the facility sustained. Other repairs: rebuilding of a clubhouse and replacement of a scoreboard would have to be replaced. Speaking of spring training: don’t forget to check out our coverage of spring training on Spring Training Online.

Gov. Bush: Tax cuts for sports?
Posted February 17, 2005

After signaling support for partial state financing of a new ballpark for the Florida Marlins, Gov. Jeb Bush has backed off, wondering if the state has any business providing tax incentives to sports teams. "You’re subsidizing really rich people for their business," Bush said, adding he wants to keep an open mind. I’m guessing one could go through the list of all tax incentives granted by the state and determine they are subsidizing really rich people for their businesses; the real issue is whether the state has enough money to fund $60 million for a new ballpark and $75 million for a NASCAR museum in Daytona Beach. Meanwhile, the Stuart News comes out against state funding of a Miami Marlins ballpark, saying local taxpayers should foot the bill.

Cubs, city near deal on Wrigley expansion
Posted February 17, 2005

More on the deal between the city and the Chicago Cubs over an expansion of the Wrigley Field bleachers for the 2006 season.  Under the proposed accord, the Cubs would add 1,790 seats to the bleachers, purchasing 8 feet of sidewalk bordering Waveland and Sheffield Avenues to make way for the expansion. The team also would buy land just west of Wrigley from the city. A new five-story building containing a museum, a multilevel restaurant and a parking garage for about 400 cars would be built on the site. In return, the Cubs would pay $2.2 million for that property and another $900,000 for the sidewalk area and would fund neighborhood improvements. Among them would be the conversion of a parking lot at Blaine School into a campus park at a cost of at least $250,000, and the installation of a $400,000 traffic signal system at Clark Street and Waveland Avenue.

Stockton ballpark, arena construction slowed by rain delay
Posted February 17, 2005

We’ve reported on rain delaying the construction of a new ballpark for the Stockton Ports (Class A; California League), forcing the team to delay a season opened by a week. The delay is really just a minor inconvenience: the more important story is that the ballpark is already a success, as season-ticket sales are up 300 percent over last season.

Construction resumes on Florence Freedom ballpark
Posted February 17, 2005

This is good news for Florence/Cincy baseball fans: work has resumed on Champion Window Field, the home of the Florence Freedom (independent; Frontier League), as JTF Construction Inc. is completing the team offices and the gift shop, and work on a new highway marquee and scoreboard will begin in March. Also this spring, landscaping will begin, and the entire complex — located off Interstate 71/75 in Florence — will be repainted. The team went through bankruptcy last fall before a local businessman took over operations.

New in 2005: The Calgary Vipers
Posted February 17, 2005

The newest team in the independent Northern League is the Calgary Vipers, as new owner Jeff Gidney announces the team name and other team news: Peter Young (formerly with the Winnipeg Goldeyes) is president and CEO, while the team’s first pick in the expansion draft was Greg Morrison, a Canadian who formerly played with Winnipeg and the Duluth-Superior Dukes.

Thank goodness it’s fried day
Posted February 17, 2005

As MLB spring training launches, MiLB teams prepare for their season starts as well. The West Michigan Whitecaps (Class A; Midwest League) conducted its annual taste test of new food and beverage items Tuesday at the GFS Marketplace corporate headquarters’ test kitchen. The spread included seven different vendors offering samples of everything from pork drumsticks to barbecue beef brisket and large chunks of frozen key lime pie dipped in a hard-shell chocolate covering. For the record: not a fan of the deep-fried Oreo.

SWM Devil Rays strike radio deal
Posted February 17, 2005

The Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (Class A; Midwest League) announced today that News/Talk 930 WBCK in Battle Creek will be the flagship station for the Devil Rays broadcasts in 2005. The two-year agreement begins with Southwest Michigan’s April 7 opener against West Michigan. As you’ll recall, in recent seasons the team lacked an on-air partner and broadcast games only over the Internet.

Jays are learning to live with a taste of humble pie
Posted February 17, 2005

At a recent meeting with season-ticket holders, Toronto Blue Jays brass got to hear what loyal fans thought of the operation. Interestingly, fans didn’t want to talk about letting Carlos Delgado go or whether the pitching staff is up to snuff: they wanted to hear about whether the team was going to place drink holders in the expensive seats.

What a long strange trip it’s been in Greenville
Posted February 17, 2005

Attorney Jim Hennigan summarizes the recent battle for the Greenville territory and look at what the Capital City Bombers (Class A; Sally League) need to accomplish before the season starts. Municipal Stadium sounds like Whoville after the Grinch visited on Christmas Eve: In one concession area, the G-Braves literally took the kitchen sink, leaving only boltholes in its place. At the same time, Bombers officials will need move fast on new-ballpark plans if they want to see construction start in time for a 2006 launch. And the dust is still settling on the two franchises, West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Class AA; Southern League) and Hagerstown Suns (Class A; Sally League), that also sought the territory: the Diamond Jaxx are still seeking a new home and word is Mandalay Sports is talking to another municipalities about building a new home for the Suns.

Rickwood Classic to be held June 2
Posted February 17, 2005

Mark your calendars: the 10th annual Rickwood Classic will be held June 2. The game at historic Rickwood Stadium, the former home of the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League). The Barons players will be donning an "All-Star" mix of uniforms from the previous nine Classics that will include replica uniforms from each Classic. The Montgomery Biscuits will be wearing the uniforms of the Montgomery Climbers, that city’s team from the early 1900s that faced off against the Barons in the inaugural game at Rickwood on August 18, 1910.

As ushers go, Ed was in a class by himself