Archives: June 25-July 1, 2005
Will baseball be very, very good to the Valley with a AAA team?
Posted July 1, 2005
The Lehigh Valley has a pretty dismal record in supporting professional sports over the last 50 years, but Joe Finley and Craig Stein are planning on changing that record when they move the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA; International League) into a new ballpark in Allentown, Pa. for the 2008 season. Whether or not a team will be an economic catalyst remains to be seem: economics always argue baseball isn’t a net plus for an area, but there are certainly documented cases — like in Lancaster — where a ballpark has been a catalyst for other economic development. Meanwhile, officials with the International League and the Baltimore Orioles say they have no problem with the move of the Lynx — even though the Orioles were looking closely at buying the Lynx themselves — and admit the proximity to Baltimore would make for smoother league operations. The management of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons are a little more measured in their enthusiasm, noting the proximity of an Allentown team could negatively impact attendance. (Their biggest concern should be retaining the AAA affiliation for the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been displeased with the playing and training conditions for the Red Barons the past few years.) One issue raised by International League officials: minor-league rules call for a Class AAA ballpark to have 10,000 seats, which means the Allentown capacity will need to be raised or the team must request a waiver. Meanwhile, the state Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the financial package needed to build the ballpark. The measure would allow Lehigh County commissioners to boost the county’s hotel room tax from 3.5 percent to 4 percent, generating about $210,000 a year, to pay for the debt service on the $34.3 million ballpark. More from the Ottawa Citizen.
Traverse City group buys Richmond Roosters
Posted July 1, 2005
The Traverse City Beach Bums announced the purchase of the Richmond Roosters’ membership in the independent Frontier League. The sale will be finalized in mid-September, at the close of the 2005 season. The Richmond Roosters have been a key team in the Frontier League since joining in 1995. They were the first team to win back-to-back league championships, first in 2001 and then again in 2002. Roosters ownership issued a statement criticizing city government for their poor treatment of the team; you can read it here.
State College name choice narrowed to five
Posted July 1, 2005
The list of potential names for the short-season NY-Penn League team moving to State College next season has been narrowed to five: Anglers, Coalys, Furnace, Haymakers and Spikes. The final voting starts tomorrow and runs for 10 days at www.statecollegebaseball.com. The team will begin play in June of 2006 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, the new baseball stadium now under construction on the Penn State campus across Porter Road from Beaver Stadium, and will be owned and operated by the Altoona Curve (Class AA; Eastern League).
Five named to Sally League Hall of Fame
Posted July 1, 2005
The Class A South Atlantic League inducted their 2005 Hall Of Fame class at their annual All-Star luncheon on Tuesday afternoon. Lexington Legends President and CEO Alan Stein was included in the five-member class.
Stein realized a lifelong dream when he brought Minor League Baseball to Central Kentucky and set a baseball standard with the completion of Applebee’s Park in 2001. In addition to his role as founder of the Legends, Stein also serves as Chief Operating Officer for Ivy Walls Management Company, LLC.
"I’m humbled and honored to be a part of the South Atlantic Hall Of Fame," Stein said. "There are so many magical names in the hall like Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron and of course League President John Moss that have made this league into what it is, and to be associated with them is really special."
Stein is joined by former big leaguer Bobby Bonds, former umpire Drew Coble, broadcaster Bob Hager and former owner Jack Farnsworth in the five-member class.
Problems at RFK typical of District
Posted July 1, 2005
There have been some well-documented problems with RFK Stadium, the home of the Washington Nationals, but to blame it all on the larger problems facing the District of Columbia is a little unfair. MLB took its time deciding to move the Montreal Expos to D.C. and didn’t give the District a whole lot of time to prepare the facility for use; you can’t just wipe away a decade of disuse in a few months. And using the ballpark as an excuse to take a political shot at D.C. is unfair, but typical for the Moonie-owned Washington Times.
Ottawa Lynx to move to Allentown
Posted June 30, 2005
Legislative sources in Pennsylvania say the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA; International League) franchise is slated to move into a new ballpark in Allentown, Pa. for the 2008 season. There have been rumors about the ultimate destination of the team, which has been less than successful in Ottawa in recent years (this season the team ranks last in the International League in average attendance, drawing 2,310 per game). Readers of Ballpark Digest have seen us hint at a Pennsylvania destination for the Lynx; there were negotiations between Lynx owner Ray Pecor and Harrisburg officials as well.
The move also has ramification for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons as well. The men bringing the Lynx to Allentown, Craig Stein and Joe Finley, have ties to the Phillies — Stein owns the Reading Phillies (Class AA; Eastern League) — and it’s no secret Phillies management has been unhappy about the playing conditions at Lackawanna County Stadium. Don’t be surprised if Allentown ends up being the Class AAA affiliate for the Phillies in the future, and don’t be surprised if Harrisburg officials make a play for the Red Barons.
NLR working on game plan for tax vote
Posted June 30, 2005
Now that North Little Rock and the Arkansas Travelers (Class AA; Texas League) have reached agreement on a 20-year lease for the team to play at a new riverfront ballpark, Supporters of a proposed temporary 1 percent sales tax to help pay for the project in North Little Rock were busy Wednesday developing a campaign strategy to sell the tax increase to voters. City officials say the sales tax will raise $32 million in two years and will cover the construction cost of the ballpark. From that total, $5 million will be designated for improvements to the Hays Senior Citizens Center. The election is set for Aug. 9.
Washington’s team is political football
Posted June 30, 2005
More on the tempest in a teapot concerning comments from congressman warning MLB not to sell the Washington Nationals to a group that includes George Soros, funder of many left-wing causes. This whole flap was caused by a few rabid House Republicans feverishly working to make headlines; when you have the likes of Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) saying they’d hold fundraisers at Nationals games even if Soros owned the team, you know there’s really no controversy. Speaking the Nats: the team is missing out on some important revenue as 25,000 fans have purchased tickets this season and failed to show up to games.
Far-flung league trying to catch Valley’s eye
Posted June 30, 2005
The Golden Baseball League is finding the Phoenix market a tough one to crack, with the Surprise and Mesa franchises averaging about 1,000 fans a game. League officials say things will pick up now that school is out, but there’s a reason why the D-Backs put a roof on Bank One Ballpark: last night both Mesa and Surprise had around announced attendances of 500, as temperatures were over 100 degrees at the starts of the games. (Today’s projected high in Phoenix: 111 degrees.) For the season, the league has attracted 155,732 fans for 119 games, averaging 1,309 fans a game (less than the 1,800 fans a game the league says it needs to break even). The league is undergoing some growing pains as well: the general manager and assistant general manager of the Surprise Fighting Falcons were let go and not replaced; their duties were assumed by the front office of the nearby Mesa Miners. (Fans at Miners games, however, report having a great time.)
Leominster councilors delay ballpark study
Posted June 30, 2005
Leominster (Mass.) city councilors have delayed a study that Mayor Dean Mazzarella said was meant to encourage minor league baseball officials to help build a ballpark at the old dump on Mechanic Street. Councilors held off on passing a $9,400 request to hire an engineering firm to draft a site plan for the 30-acre former landfill. Chris English, the former owner of the Nashua Pride (independent; Atlantic League) had once proposed a ballpark for site; most recently city officials were talking with Atlantic League officials as well.
Baseball Notes
Posted June 30, 2005
The Class A South Atlantic League announced yesterday that Greensboro’s First Horizon Park will host the 2008 South Atlantic League All-Star Game and festivities. The All-Star game will showcase future players of Major League Baseball while they develop their skills in the 16-team South Atlantic League. First Horizon Park opened April 3, 2005 when the stadium hosted the Florida Marlins in an exhibition game against their single-A affiliate, the Greensboro Grasshoppers. The new park, with a seating capacity of 7,599, is located in downtown Greensboro.
State, city ready to present new funding plan for Lehigh Valley ballpark
Posted June 29, 2005
State and local officials struck a deal with Joe Finley and Craig Stein on funding for a new ballpark in Allentown, Pa. The deal calls for a $17-million contribution from the state (up from the original $12 million), a lease where an affiliated team pays $700,000 yearly for 29 years, and local funding from a 0.5 percentage point increase in the local hotel tax. The hotel tax increase would generate about $210,000 a year in new revenue toward the ballpark, and any cash collected beyond that amount would be used to help Lehigh County tourism. The deal is different from a funding plan rejected last fall that called for a larger hike in the hotel tax. The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote today on the hotel tax hike and the full Senate could take up the proposal as early as tomorrow, though it will probably face some opposition from local hoteliers opposing any hike in the hotel tax. If funding is completed, the ballpark could open in 2008.
Rendell’s balk stalls ballpark renovations
Posted June 29, 2005
Planned renovations to Commerce Bank Park, the home of the Harrisburg Senators (Class AA; Eastern League), could be delayed to 2007 because city officials say they cannot get a firm commitment from Gov. Ed Rendell about specific funding. Mayor Stephen Reed says he needs a state commitment of no less than $16.9 million by mid-July for the renovation to take place this offseason. Harrisburg is ready to go: plans are completed and city bonds have been issued. The remodeling has larger ramifications for the baseball world: part of the rationale for the remodeling has been to attract a Class AAA International League team — say, Ottawa — for the 2006 season.
Travelers, North Little Rock agree to 50-50 split
Posted June 29, 2005
The Arkansas Travelers (Class AA; Texas League and North Little Rock officials on Tuesday reached a revenue-sharing agreement that was necessary for the construction of a riverfront home for the team. The Travelers will control all sales at the park and operate the facility and the city will own it. For rent, the Travelers will pay the city 50 percent of its profit — operating revenue, minus operating expenses. The 7,000-seat ballpark will open in 2007 should the city pass a one-cent, two-year sales tax to fund the city’s part of the deal. The team currently plays at venerable Ray Winder Field. More from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.