Archives: Feb. 19-Feb. 25, 2005
Miami gives Marlins ballpark the nod
Posted February 25, 2005
With little dissent, the Miami city commission approved a tentative funding plan to provide the Florida Marlins a retractable-roof ballpark next to the Orange Bowl, with the county expected to give a similar approval next week. The real issue facing the Marlins, however, is whether the state will come up with $60 million in sales-tax rebates, similar to tax breaks given to other pro-sporting facilities in the state. The latest ballpark proposal calls for a $420-million, 38,000-seat ballpark that would open in time for the 2008 season. The Marlins have pledged $192 million (as well as any cost overruns), Miami-Dade County would pitch in $138 million, and the city of Miami would give $28 million, plus land near the stadium. Parking revenues would contribute $32 million. That leaves a $30 million gap.
Portland delays 2005 lease for Beavers
Posted February 25, 2005
The Portland City Commission has delayed approving an extension of the PGE Park lease for the Portland Beavers (Class AAA: Pacific Coast League) because the new owners of the team has not been revealed to councilmembers. The city has been in negotiations with Art Savage, owner of the Sacramento River Cats (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), about the lease; Savage would not be part of the new ownership group but would manage the front office under a management contract. As you’ll recall, the PCL owns the team but is trying to sell it to a ownership syndicate put together by Greg Torborg. "I need to hear back from the PCL that they’re not attempting to deal with their friends," say city commission member Sam Adams, as commission members question why there’s no Portland presence in the ownership group and how open the sale of the team really was (it wasn’t; Savage held an exclusive to buy the team for many months), particularly when Hillary Buzas-Drammis, whose father once owned a previous incarnation of the Beavers, was interested in owning the team. (Other potential ownership groups, including one put together by a local businessman and former Beaver, were rebuffed in their attempts to buy the team as well; apparently the league never held any sort of bidding process to get the highest price for the franchise.) Terms of the proposed 2005 lease: the city would receive $1 million, including $500,000 in rent, $133,000 for the past-due rent and 6 percent of ticket sales for all park events (which includes Portland Timbers pro soccer). Adams is the reason the commissioned delayed a vote until next Wednesday: he wants to see a 2004 financial report and a 2005 budget for the team, and he wants to know the criteria by which Savage’s group was selected to manage the team. Meanwhile, the team has hired John Cunningham, former GM of the Idaho Steelheads minor-league hockey team, as president and GM.
Lease deadline looms for Jaxx
Posted February 25, 2005
If the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Class AA; Southern League) wants to stay in Jackson after this season, they must rescind their Notice of Termination by the end of business today. Jackson Mayor Charles Farmer wants to see Lozniak Baseball Properties and the Diamond Jaxx stay in town, but he’s still working on a plan to buy the team for $11.3 million in case reconciliation efforts fall short. If the Diamond Jaxx ownership decides to move the team, there are a few cities — like Baton Rouge and Biloxi — on the lookout for a Southern League team. Meanwhile, the Jackson Sun newspaper won its legal request to have the Diamond Jaxx’ financial records released to the public. The Diamond Jaxx submitted the information to the city to prove its claim of financial losses, triggering a termination of the Pringles Park lease. The city has five days to comply.
Angelos, baseball closing on deal
Posted February 25, 2005
Peter Angelos, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, and MLB are close to an agreement that will guarantee a minimum in annual local revenues and future resale value and a dominant equity stake in a new regional sports TV network airing both the Orioles and Nationals. If the Orioles’ annual local revenues fall below $130 million a year or if Angelos decided to sell the team and failed to get at least $360 million, MLB would make up the difference.
Sand Gnats to unveil Grayson renovation plan Monday
Posted February 25, 2005
The Savannah Sand Gnats (Class A; Sally League), owner John Simmonds, Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson and Chatham County Commission Chair Pete Liakakis will announce a renovation of Grayson Stadium’s concourse at a press event on Monday. The team will unveil its plans for reworking the concession stands, unveil the ballpark’s new color scheme and talk about the repairs occurring outside the ballpark.
Cell’s launching pad bad news for hurlers
Posted February 25, 2005
The design of a ballpark should, in theory, help influence the makeup of a major-league team. So it’s a mystery to many why the Chicago White Sox and GM Kenny Williams went small in the offseason, abandoning the team’s sluggers (Carlos Lee, Magglio Ordonez) and bringing in some base stealers. The mystery lies in the fact that US Cellular Field was was the easiest park in the major leagues to hit a home run in last season as long balls jumped nearly 25 percent from 2003. The 272 homers were 39 more than cozy Wrigley Field and even more than Coors Field in Denver. (Imagine what those numbers would have been had Ordonez and Frank Thomas been healthy all season.)
Arizona making pitch to host Reds’ spring training
Posted February 25, 2005
Pretty convenient timing for the Cincinnati Reds as they attempt to persuade local and state officials to renovate Ed Smith Stadium. Arizona created a commission to figure out how to lure two more teams from the Grapefruit League to the Cactus League; one of the teams in the state’s sights is Cincinnati. A move to Arizona may not sit well with Reds fans, however; it’s a 975-mile drive from Cincy to Sarasota, as opposed to a 1,857-mile drive from Cincinnati to Phoenix. Sarasota County officials seem dead set against renovating Ed Smith, so look for the Reds to be in play; instead of luring the Reds, Arizona officials may be smarter to convince Houston to have the Reds take over the lease at Osceola County Stadium, freeing the Astros for a move west. More from the Sun-Sentinel.
Troy baseball is on deck
Posted February 25, 2005
Despite being turned down earlier this month by the Troy (Mich.) City Council, developer Andy Appleby says Troy still is among the top contenders for a new minor-league ballpark, and he’s got a new site in mind, as well as four other possibilities. The Troy proposal was hotly contested: many thought the deal — where General Sports and Entertainment offered to build and finance the ballpark — was a great one, but lobbying by the Detroit Tigers helped kill the deal. Many in Troy were not aware the Tigers worked to kill the proposal; they weren’t happy when informed of that fact, so a new proposal may have a happier ending for Appleby.
State investigating actions of engineers on Miller Park job
Posted February 25, 2005
Wisconsin state officials are investigating the actions of professional engineers who were involved in the construction of Miller Park, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Since the groundbreaking on Nov. 9, 1996, the stadium has been plagued by problems that include a fatal crane accident in July 1999, and ongoing problems with the radial, retractable roof, the signature piece of the $393.2 million stadium.
Wilder "cautiously optimistic" about Braves ballpark proposal
Posted February 25, 2005
Richmond (Va.) Mayor Douglas Wilder met with Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International league) GM Bruce Baldwin and the Washington-based developers about the $330-million development project that includes a new ballpark for the Braves. It sounds like both sides made some concessions: the Braves agreed to fund studies of the impact of the development (tax revenues, traffic impact, etc.) and Wilder came out saying he was cautiously optimistic about the future of the project.
Tribe might break .500 but may not break even
Posted February 25, 2005
The Cleveland Indians are expecting some big things out in 2005: they dipped into the free-agent market by signing Kevin Millwood and might make a run in the weaker American League Central. However, the team expects to lose money if attendance is below 1.95 million at Jacobs Field.
Scorpions open season on the road
Posted February 25, 2005
Normally we don’t run a lot of stories about schedules, but the hook here is that teams in the independent Golden Baseball League shifted schedules because the Tijuana team dropped out, replaced by a traveling team. One more interesting thing about the Yuma Scorpions schedule: the team will play three doubleheaders at Desert Sun Stadium.
Tropicana Field to get a marquee along I-275
Posted February 25, 2005
It’s one thing to know a ballpark is next to the freeway, but it’s another to know what events are upcoming. For the first time the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will be able to advertise upcoming games on a electronic billboard next to I-275. It will be 26 feet high and 60 feet wide, about the size of six parking spaces. It’s scheduled to go up by late April, pending city approval.
The ‘mystique’ that is the PCL
Posted February 25, 2005
Or, rather, was the Pacific Coast League. This article is about the original PCL, limited to the West Coast and included teams like the Seattle Rainiers, the original Portland Beavers, the Los Angeles Angels, the Hollywood Stars, the San Francisco Seals and the original San Diego Padres. There’s a small homage to the original Padres at Petco Park.
More on naming rights in West Virginia
Posted February 25, 2005
The West Virginia Gazette points out that despite funding by the state of West Virginia, the terms of the naming-rights deal between the West Virginia Power (Class A; Sally League) and Appalachian Power Co. to name the new ballpark Appalachian Power Park remains secret. There’s a fine line here: with public funding, full disclosure is always necessary, but in many of these cases it’s the buyer of the naming rights, not the baseball team, that wants to keep the terms out of the paper. Appalachian Power, as a public utility, probably should step up and release the terms of the deal. The rumored figure is $125,000 per year — not a bad figure for either side. Nick Scala has more on the new ballpark.
Slowes, Shea selected as radio broadcasters
Posted February 25, 2005
Charlie Slowes, former play-by-play voice of the Washington Bullets, and David Shea, the radio voice of the Boston Bruins, were named by the Washington Nationals yesterday as the team’s radio announcers. Slowes, in Washington from 1986 to 1997, has spent the last seven seasons as the play-by-play announcer for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Beyond his tenure in Boston, Shea worked the Minnesota Timberwolves’ debut season in 1989 and boasts more than 20 years in sports broadcasting encompassing minor league baseball, college hockey, college basketball and pro soccer. The team’s first choice, Elliott Price (the voice of the team in Montreal), could not resolve immigration and visa issues.
Sea Dogs to postpone expansion plans at Hadlock Field
Posted February 24, 2005
The Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA; Eastern League) scrapped plans to add 390 seats to Hadlock Field after city officials refused to sign off on the project, saying ballpark neighbors were not properly notified of the deal. "The delays have become insurmountable," said Sea Dogs President and GM Charlie Eshbach. "With the season starting in just over six weeks, and further delays now a given, it has made it impossible for us to get this project done for this year." The plan was scheduled to go before the Portland Planning Board on Tuesday, but the hearing had to be postponed after officials realized they had not given proper notification to ballpark neighbors. Fifty to 60 direct abutters were notified of the hearing, but the city should have mailed notices to several hundred residents and property owners within 500 feet of the stadium. It doesn’t sound like there’s any opposition to the project; the Sea Dogs are paying the price because the city didn’t know enough to follow its own rules.
Baseball talk takes public hit from Wynn
Posted February 24, 2005
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman may be optimistic about the chances of landing a MLB team for his city, but the local gaming industry — whose support is essential to any large project in Sin City — doesn’t sound as enthused. Legend Steve Wynn, whose eponymous casino places him once again as a major player in the Vegas gambling scene, says there’s no chance Vegas will ever host an MLB team because local casino owners aren’t for the move. Goodman argues MLB should commit a team to Vegas before the city build a ballpark; Don Logan, GM of the Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), says the city needs to build a ballpark for his team to show they’re serious about baseball.
Tax district for Bowling Green baseball looks likely
Posted February 24, 2005
Plans for a special state tax district to help pay for a ballpark in downtown Bowling Green are moving toward the state Senate, and prospects look good for passage, according to a local legislator sponsoring the proposal. The district would funnel to the ballpark developer any increase in state personal income, property or sales tax resulting from that development within a specified area, up to 50 percent of the project’s cost. At least one Class A Sally League team — and perhaps two — is seriously looking at moving to Bowling Green and working on the development deal.
Arizona swings for two more teams
Posted February 24, 2005
Gov. Janet Napolitano created the Arizona Baseball and Softball Commission, which was charged with creating opportunities to expand the Cactus League by two teams. State officials say the Cleveland Indians and the Houston Astros are the two teams in their sights, but they may be wasting their time with the Astros — who have a long-term deal in Kissimmee after officials there renovated Osceola County Stadium — and perhaps should instead be looking at talks with the Baltimore Orioles, whose deal with Fort Lauderdale expires at the end of spring training. The issue is coming up with funding for more facilities — a state facilities fund used for other new spring-training facilities is tapped dry — but Goodyear voters already approved a local tax to build a new facility, and a local Indian tribe is also interested.
Legends owners look to buy more teams
Posted February 24, 2005
The owners of the Lexington Legends (Class A; Sally League) and the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (Class A; Midwest League) say they are on the prowl to acquire more minor-league teams. COO Alan Stein says his group is talking with three other teams and wants to own six or seven teams by the 2007 season. All would be high Class A, Class AA or Class AAA teams. This presents an interesting scenario if you’re trying to sell a team: Ryan-Saunders Baseball has also expressed a public desire to acquire more teams, as has entrepreneur David Pearlman and Triple Play Partners, whose purchase of three teams from Comcast fell through earlier this year.
Madison County OKs $1 million for Jackson baseball park
Posted February 24, 2005
Madison County (Tn.) officials passed a resolution to contribute up to $1 million from the county’s hotel/motel tax proceeds to help build a proposed $11 million baseball/softball complex next to Pringles Park, the home of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Class AA; Southern League). The number isn’t an absolute: it will vary depending on the amount of increased tax proceeds generated by the complex. A citizens group spearheading the project is expected to ask the city for $3 million in capital funds already set aside for building softball fields. And the group will announce how much they have collected in private contributions so far and ask the city to finance the remaining amount, which is projected at about $6 million. If financing falls into place, the complex — which could house up to 20 tournaments a year — could open in 2006.