Archives: April 9-15, 2005
Twins back Minneapolis ballpark location
Posted April 15, 2005
The Minnesota Twins are changing course and are now backing a downtown Minneapolis location for a new ballpark. In the past the Twins management said they were agnostic about the location — preferring to see whether St. Paul or Hennepin County could pull off financing a new facility — but now the Twins, Hennepin County and the city of Minneapolis are all backing a location behind Target Center on the western edge of downtown, dubbed Twinsville by supporters. (You can see renderings of the new ballpark here.) We also hear the ballpark may end up being the greenest in the majors, with radiant heat installed under the grandstand (with the energy supplied by a garbage burner next to the ballpark) and some electricity generated from wind vanes. Politically, Hennepin County has the best shot at developing the ballpark: St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly is on the outs with both political parties after announcing he’s running for reelection as an independent (the DFLers loathe him, the Republicans don’t trust him), and the St. Paul legislative delegation has had little input regarding a new ballpark. Another sign St. Paul won’t be pursing the Twins: we hear in recent weeks city officials have been gung-ho about developing a new ballpark for the St. Paul Saints (independent; Northern League), without the participation of the University of Minnesota.
Downtown Columbus ballpark on deck
Posted April 15, 2005
Franklin County officials are ready to recommend a new downtown ballpark for the Columbus Clippers (Class AAA; International League), with two task forces changed with determining the best location and find alternate uses for the team’s current home, Cooper Stadium. The current preferred site is a plot of land in the city’s Arena District; the estimated price tag is $55 million. Cooper Stadium was built in 1932 and renovated in 1976, the year before professional baseball returned to Columbus. Its luxury boxes are decked out in the era’s wood paneling and shag carpets, but its structural defects are worse, and county officials say it would cost more to retrofit the ballpark than build a new one.
Baseball capital
Posted April 15, 2005
The Washington Nationals opened their new home field at RFK Stadium with a 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks before a sellout crowd. The return of baseball to D.C. after a 34-year absence was marked by much pomp and circumstance, including a first pitch delivered from the mound by President George W. Bush, a former owner of the Texas Rangers, using a baseball from the last Senators game in 1971. (Brian Schneider, who caught that first pitch, likes RFK Stadium as well.) For those keeping score at home, the first pitch thrown by Nationals ace Livan Hernandez was a strike. Many former Senators were on hand, including Frank Howard, Mickey Vernon, Chuck Hinton, Roy Sievers and Eddie Brinkman. RFK Stadium will be home for the Nationals until 2008, when a new ballpark in Southeast D.C. is expected to be completed. Thomas Boswell reports that the old field was rocking — probably more than it ever did for the Senators — and is now the new place for D.C.’s power brokers to see and be seen, More from the Washington Times and the Baltimore Sun. Here’s an account of the game from a reporter sitting in one of three white seats in the ballpark — so marked because that’s where Frank Howard hit the longest homers in ballpark history. Meanwhile, the D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission hopes to close a deal on a naming-rights deal for RFK Stadium by next week.
Gainesville mulls new ballpark for FSL team
Posted April 15, 2005
Gainesville (Fl.) officials are looking at raising local lodging taxes in order to build a new ballpark for a relocated Florida State League team. Main Street Baseball, which also owns the Columbus Catfish (Class A; Sally League), has been negotiating with city officials for a new ballpark located next to Santa Fe Community College. The proposed ballpark would have seating for 3,000 and space for 2,000 more and would contain some unique amenities, including a kids’ petting zoo of sorts in association with the community college. Main Street Baseball would buy an existing FSL team and move it to Gainesville.
New ballpark, new energy for the Power
Posted April 15, 2005
Last night was opening night for Appalachian Power Park, the new home of the West Virginia Power (Class A; Sally League). A standing-room-only crowd of 5,354 was on hand to see the Power defeat the Hagerstown Suns. It appears as through the new ballpark will end up being a hitters’ ballpark (as opposed to the team’s former home, Watt Powell Field, which was definitely a pitchers’ park), with a 359-foot power alley in right and not too much foul ground. More on the opening-day festivities from the Daily Mail.
House panel chief throws Marlins a familiar curve
Posted April 15, 2005
This is barely news: Rep. Fred Brummer (R-Apopka), already a passionate opponent of state a new ballpark said he read an economic analysis paid for by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and came away unimpressed. Of course, it’s hard to imagine what sort of economic analysis could have possibly swayed Brummer: he’s looking for evidence that a new ballpark would generate new spending and not merely relocate existing spending.
Eastern League openers a split
Posted April 15, 2005
Two Connecticut Eastern League teams played their home openers last night: the New Britain Rock Cats sold out a loss to Harrisburg, while 2,743 fans showed up to see the Norwich Navigators defeat Reading 7-2. For the Navigators, the crowd must have been encouraging: the crowd was 1,000 more than opening night a year ago, and the cold weather surely deterred other fans from attending the game. New owner Lou DiBella brought in a few attractions, including a parachutist and a lady daredevil. More from the Norwich Bulletin.
Lawn almighty in Lancaster
Posted April 15, 2005
The Lancaster Barnstormers (independent; Atlantic League) started laying down sod at Clipper Magazine Stadium yesterday and provided an update on ballpark construction. About 80 percent of 6,000 seats are in place, and the entire infield and foul territory has been sodded. Workers will begin installing strips of 4-foot-by-75-foot sod in the outfield this morning. In addition, there are other signs about the impending season opener: some advertising signs are up.
Push is on for ballpark projects
Posted April 15, 2005
Now that the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) have opened up a new ballpark, the surrounding neighborhood is undergoing changes as well. The first riverside townhouses are expected to be ready by October, and market demand will drive the schedule for building two proposed condo towers next to Fisher Cats Ballpark. Developer Eric Chinburg expects the two condo towers to be completed by 2007; he’s on the hook for increased property taxes no matter what, so he has an inventive to develop.
Is Giants ticket base softening?
Posted April 15, 2005
When the San Francisco Giants financed SBC Park, they did so under two assumptions: a) the team would sell out games well into the future, with Barry Bonds as a draw; and b) the A’s would eventually leave the Bay Area, leaving the market solely to the Giants. Now it looks like both assumptions are on shaky ground: the Giants failed to sell out weekend games for the first time in the six-year history of the ballpark, and the new A’s ownership is putting a fairly spirited effort up toward construction of a new Oakland ballpark.
Dave Rosenfield: a major player in minor leagues
Posted April 15, 2005
Dave Rosenfield has been in baseball since 1956, first as GM of the Bakersfield Boosters (Class A; California League) and since 1963 as GM of the Norfolk Tides (Class AAA: International League) when the team was the Tidewater Tides and playing in the Sally League. He’s also drawn up the International League schedule by hand for the last 36 years. He’s a tough character — he once required infants heading into the park to have their own tickets — but associates say he’s loyal and soft at heart.
Take ’em out to the ball game in Sacramento
Posted April 15, 2005
One of the most popular Pacific Coast League venues is Raley Field, the home of the Sacramento River Cats. This article details a visit to the ballpark, including the varied food offerings (no, you can’t bring your own food into the ballpark) and what the kids can do when they’re bored by the game.
Coors Field solution: Designated Pitcher rule
Posted April 15, 2005
Here’s an interesting proposal to address some of the problems posed by Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies: allow visiting teams and the Rockies to add an additional pitcher to the major-league roster when they play in Denver. San Francisco Giants manager Felipe Alou actually likes the idea: one of his first managerial jobs came with the Denver Bears (Class AAA; American Association) and burned through his pitching staff regularly.
Pacific Coast League announces 2005 HOF inductees
Posted April 15, 2005
The Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame, the League’s highest honor, added seven more all-time greats today. This year’s class, led by former presidents "Pants" Rowland and Bill Cutler, represent over 75 years of the League’s storied history. Others named include outfielders Joe Brovia and John Frederick and pitchers Elmer Jacobs, Ray Prim, and Jack Salveson.
Love-hate relationship: Wells needs to adapt to new digs
Posted April 15, 2005
Here’s a hint for Theo Epstein: signing a free-agent pitcher who has loudly professed his hate for your home field might not be a good idea. David Wells has said repeatedly how much he hates Fenway Park, but his career numbers there really don’t back up the hatred — after starting out 1-8 at Fenway in his career he turned things around with a 7-2, 3.71 ERA record since — and the Red Sox are hoping that he will continue that success. Wells relies on pinpoint control to win, and he’ll need it at Fenway Park.
Baseball in her blood, GM job in her sights
Posted April 15, 2005
Fans of the Hickory Crawdads (Class A; Sally League) already know Mindy Campos, who joined the staff two years ago and has performed many tasks at L.P. Frans Stadium. Her goal is to be a team GM, but she still has a ways to go: she still needs to graduate from high school and attend college at UNC-Wilmington.
Baseball Notes
Posted April 15, 2005
The Jackson Senators (independent; Central League) announced ESPN Radio 1240 will broadcast all the Sens action during the 2005 season. It was also announced that Reid Vance has joined the Senators staff as Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. Vance will broadcast all 94 regular season games plus any pre or post-season games of the 2005 season. He graduated from Mississippi College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and is expected to complete course work towards his Masters of Science in Communications this fall. He has more than nine years of play-by-play experience in college and high school sports and has won 17 Mississippi Association of Broadcasters awards for sports, public affairs and commercial production….The St. Paul Saints (independent; Northern League) are scheduling a 5:30 a.m. game on Mother’s Day, May 8, to allow fans to spend the entire day with their mothers. The game will be the earliest scheduled game in baseball history; fans will be allowed to sleep in the parking lot the night before the game….
Senate panel backs tax subsidy for Marlins ballpark
Posted April 14, 2005
Despite predictions that a Florida Marlins ballpark deal was dead in the water, a bill granting a $60-million state sales-tax rebate to build a new Miami ballpark cleared its first hurdle in the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. The measure, which passed by a 6-2 vote, was approved along with other measures seeking to to build a new stadium for the Orlando Magic, a NASCAR Hall of Fame and funding for new and renovated spring-training facilities. Despite the approval, there is significant opposition to the measure across party lines, despite the inclusion of multiple projects in multiple districts; Gov. Jeb Bush appears to be straddling the fence. More from the Sun-Sentinel, which also reports on a personal appeal from MLB President Bob DuPuy to the state Senate.
RFK’s field may be named for military
Posted April 14, 2005
As the Washington Nationals prepare for their first home game — and the first regular-season game at RFK Stadium since 1971 — D.C. officials are close to a deal to rename the park Armed Forces Field at RFK Stadium. Officials hoped to wrap up an agreement by the time the Nats take the field at 7:05 tonight for their first home game, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. President Bush is scheduled to throw out the first pitch before a crowd of 46,000. Under the new deal, the city will rename the ballpark free of charge to honor America’s armed forces; the Department of Defense will pay for marketing and advertising at the park, but at a lesser rate than the $3 million the National Guard was willing to pay under a previous aborted agreement. As you might expect from anything new in D.C., there will be a protest outside the ballpark, calling for increased school funding and decreased sports spending. More from the Washington Post. More from the Toronto Sun reporting on the lack of a baseball culture in the District and the Baltimore Sun reporting on the workers making RFK suitable for baseball. Former MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ran the hand-operated scoreboard for the original Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium as a kid in the 1940s; he’ll be on hand as well.
The last inning: A whole new ballgame in Southeast DC
Posted April 14, 2005
There’s one big political issue facing D.C. officials as they work toward a new ballpark in Southeast D.C. for a new Washington Nationals ballpark: the displacement of gay-oriented businesses in the area. Southeast D.C. has evolved into a gay mecca with a series of bars, bathhouses and nude-dancing venues. Many gay activists in the area are fighting the ballpark and any redevelopment plans, but politically it may be an uphill battle: as some of the businesses feature sexually explicit activity, it will be hard to muster a lot of public sympathy for their cause. (And let’s not discount the homophobia inevitably associated with the issue as well.) Still, this article is an excellent summary of the politics of the situation. More from the Washington Times.
Community groups lament ballpark talk
Posted April 14, 2005
Another community story and how a ballpark affects people not necessarily devoted to baseball. The city of San Jose cut back on spending in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods because of a decision by state leaders to divert some city property taxes to the state budget. Neighborhood leaders went ahead with the shift, but now some are upset that funding has not been restored and the city is moving ahead with a purchase of 10 properties as a potential home for professional baseball. (Not all neighborhood leaders are upset about a potential ballpark: some see it as a way to upgrade the area.) The cost for the 13.9-acre area could be up to $40 million.
Stars have home but no lease
Posted April 14, 2005
The Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) technically have no lease for the use of Joe W. Davis Stadium since the end of the 2003 season, merely working off the same terms as signed by the previous ownership. Miles Prentice, the team’s principal owner, denied that the delay means the Stars are for sale or will be moved to a new city, but we’ve heard that the team has targeted by other cities and ownership groups as a potential sale or relocation candidate. In the mix for a Class AA Southern League franchise: Baton Rouge and Biloxi.
Businesses near PGE Park have only a field of dreams
Posted April 14, 2005
Business owners near PGE Park, the home of the Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), are wistful about the opening of the Washington Nationals in D.C. and lament the fact the Montreal Expos had a shot at playing this season in Portland. Now, whether that was really going to happen is debatable, but there’s no doubt businesses like The Bullpen could have raised the price of a Hamm’s Beer from the current $1.25. Fans may in for some further heartache when it comes to the Bevos: the agreement enabling an ownership change announced last month is undergoing some serious scrutiny and has been held up by MiLB officials, who worry that some changes under the deal — including a change in concessionaire from Aramark to Centerplate — might expose the Pacific Coast League to legal exposure.
Conroe says no to CBL ballpark
Posted April 14, 2005
The Conroe (Texas) City Council passed on a proposal by Southern Independent Baseball LLC to place an independent Central Baseball League team in a new $15 million ballpark. The idea was for the developer to use sales-tax revenue generated by a 200-acre development to fund the ballpark, but the city decided to use those tax revenues on other city needs instead.
Charleston baseball enters era of Power
Posted April 14, 2005
Tonight is opening night for Appalachian Power Park, the new home of the West Virginia Power (Class A; Sally League). The franchise has come quite a ways in the last two years: the Charleston Alley Cats went from playing in Watt Powell Field with out-of-town ownership to a team with a new moniker and new ballpark with local ownership. This article covers the long history of the franchise, while this one makes more comparisons between Appalachian Power Park and Watt Powell. More from the Charleston Daily Mail, including a look at the ballpark’s luxury boxes.
New Navigators owner ensures "Knock-Out" season
Posted April 14, 2005
Boxing promoter and entertainment entrepreneur Lou DiBella was unveiled yesterday as the owner of the Norwich Navigators (Class AA; Eastern League), just in time for this year’s season opener. As far as immediate changes, the team is instituting Gator Aid Bands: The new Navigator "Fan Van" will be visible throughout Southern and Eastern Connecticut, distributing orange Gator Aid Bands as part of a season-long promotion to generate support for the Navigators. Those wearing aid bands will also be eligible for deals at the ballpark as well. More on the future of the team; DiBella has pulled no punches in saying he’ll move the team if a renegotiated lease and better community support is not forthcoming.
Hens fans to have built-in party pavilion
Posted April 14, 2005
Despite having consistently large crowds, the Toledo Mud Hens (Class AAA; International League) are adding a new feature to Fifth Third Field: the "Coop A Cabana," a party space designed for fans buying standing-room-only tickets. Initially only drinks will be available in the area, but food will be added down the line. If popular, it may also be rented out to groups as well.