Archives: July 30-August 5, 2005
A’s front office reiterates desire for new ballpark near Coliseum
Posted August 5, 2005
Oakland Athletics managing partner Lewis Wolff once again stressed his desire to see a new ballpark for his team built on or near the team’s current home, McAfee Coliseum. Wolff and leaders of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority are preparing for an important meeting next week to discuss the team’s new ballpark plans and could be followed by a news conference Aug. 12 at which Wolff plans to make an announcement. We hear the real issue now is land: Wolff is prepared to privately finance a 35,000-seat ballpark with condos in the outfield and small, six-person suites at field level) (see the related stories for more details) if he can get free land, and there is certainly enough land surrounding the McAfee Coliseum for something to work.
Keeping good ship PGE Park on course
Posted August 5, 2005
Ken Puckett has been running PGE Park, the home of the Portland Beavers (Class AAA: Pacific Coast League), for the last 13 years; he’s now vice president of operations. He’s been through it all: the heady times when Portland Family Entertainment bought the Beavers and oversaw renovations to PGE Park — and subsequently losing their shirts in the process — and the uneasy state of affairs when the PCL took control of the team. Speaking of that period: it’s not quite done, as apparently the league missed a July 31 deadline to close the sale of the team to Abe Alizadeh. Apparently not all sides (including creditor TIAA-CREF) are settled on the terms of the sale.
It’s official: Cards to leave KMOX for KTRS
Posted August 5, 2005
It’s official: the St. Louis Cardinals are dumping their broadcast partner of 52 years, KMOX, in favor of an eight-year deal with KTRS. The switch came down to simple economics: KTRS offers more money than KMOX and parent company Infinity Broadcasting were willing to guarantee. In addition, Cardinals officials announced they are buying a 50 percent stake in the station and will structure much of its programming around the team, anchored by the game broadcasts, and showcase the station inside the still-to-be-built Ballpark Village complex.
The power of Kinston’s Delmont Miller
Posted August 5, 2005
Here’s an interesting promotion: the Kinston Indians (Class A; Carolina League) built a promotion around Delmont Miller, who has run the scoreboard at Grainger Stadium for the last 19 years. Fans who brought in a coupon bearing Miller’s likeness could buy a reserved seat for $3. Miller apparently has a high profile at Indians games, meeting with fans during walks through the concourse and singing the National Anthem. The Indians ended up with a crowd of 1,652.
Park board votes no on collegiate baseball in Sedalia
Posted August 5, 2005
The Sedalia (Mo.) Park Board declined proposed from the MINK League and the startup Central Plains Baseball League to place a team in Liberty Park Stadium. The issue: Park Board didn’t know whether the aging bathrooms and electrical wiring at the ballpark could withstand 700 or 800 fans a night. (That sort of attendance would be an accomplishment in and of itself.) The Park Board is going to more closely look at the ballpark this coming year and invited both leagues to return with proposals for 2007.
Nationals ballpark to be completed in ’08, say D.C. officials
Posted August 4, 2005
A new ballpark for the Washington Nationals will be completed for the 2008 season despite skepticism from groups bidding on the team, according to D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission Chairman Mark Tuohey. Some of the bidders are preparing a financial model assuming the team stays at RFK Stadium for 2008 and possibly 2009. Work proceeds on the project: architects HOK Sport+Venue+Event and Devroaux & Purnell are preparing preliminary models (it will feature a northeast orientation, which will provide views of the Capitol dome over the left-field wall) In addition, the commission will select a manager in the next three weeks to oversee the ballpark construction. The biggest hurdle will be acquiring the 33 parcels of land; offers will go out later this month and if the District cannot acquire the land via friendly purchase it will use eminent domain to buy the land. Meanwhile, business is still strong at RFK Stadium despite the recent implosion by the Washington Nationals: Thomas Boswell opines it’s better to have bad baseball than no baseball at all.
Mandalay to study development plan in Bowling Green
Posted August 4, 2005
Mandalay Baseball Properties has asked Bowling Green officials permission to launch a feasibility study regarding baseball as part of a larger development in the Kentucky city. (We predicted this last month.) As part of the deal, the city and Mandalay signed an agreement giving Mandalay first dibs on a ballpark projects in the city. Mandalay officials laid out a plan for a "private-public" partnership for a $60-million ballpark and is looking at moving a Class AA team — not the Hagerstown Suns (Class A; Sally League) into the city. Whether Bowling Green can support a Class AA team is highly debatable; you need to go out quite a ways to find 100,000 residents in the area, as Bowing Green proper has a population of only 50,000 or so, and the entire population is all of Warren County is a titch under 100,000. There is a funding mechanism in place for a ballpark and associated development on five square blocks of downtown space (approved by the Kentucky General Assembly), and presumably Mandalay would tap into this revenue source. The legislation established an Incremental Taxing District to allow 50 percent of the cost of a project to be recovered through the district revenues over 20 years. It allows for 50 percent of the increases in property income and sales taxes to be rebated to a developer.
Cards ready to dump KMOX as flagship station
Posted August 4, 2005
It seems odd to discuss radio broadcasts for the St. Louis Cardinals and not automatically type in KMOX, but apparently the Cards are about to break their 52-year relationship with KMOX and move broadcasts to KTRS in 2006, the same time the team moves into a new ballpark. Infinity Broadcasting is putting the squeeze on the Cards; the current proposal calls for $2 million less in guaranteed payments for rights and then a revenue-sharing deal past that. The Cards say the structure of the deal doesn’t give Infinity enough motivation to sell ads past a certain point; hence the look at the switch. One downside: KTRS’s signal doesn’t reach as far at night as the KMOX signal, which could cut down on the regional popularity of the team.
Will special session be called to pass Twins ballpark legislations? Odds seem to be dropping
Posted August 4, 2005
Brian McClung, a spokesman for Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, now says there’s only a 40 percent chance the governor will call a special session to address a boatload of issues left unresolved when the Minnesota Legislature adjourned last month after a contentious budget battle. Those odds seem lower than they were last month, when the governor and legislative leaders said they were confident about a special session being called. A proposal from Hennepin County called for a 0.15 percent county-wide sales-tax increase to help pay for a new downtown Minneapolis ballpark; the state must approve the request to raise the tax but will not directly contribute any money to the project. Quite bluntly, you must wonder how badly Republican Pawlenty wants to help Hennepin County DFLers build a new ballpark: more than once he has expressed support for a new Twins ballpark only to work behind the scenes to defeat it, leading some former conservative political allies to now distrust him.
Port Charlotte to go after spring training?
Posted August 4, 2005
Port Charlotte, Fla. has been without spring training since the Texas Rangers moved to Arizona, leaving Charlotte Sports Park empty. There’s a proposal to renovate Charlotte Sports Park into more than just a baseball facility, adding six ponds, a 15-meter pool, a recreation center, a gym, an "adventure" theme playground and a "splash park" to six baseball fields. While plans don’t call for major-league training facilities, the design can be changed to accommodate either an MLB team in the spring or a Florida State League team. Will someone bite? Full details at Spring Training Online.
Toledo Mud Hens to venture into pro hockey ownership?
Posted August 4, 2005
The buzz in Toledo is that the ownership of the Toledo Mud Hens (Class AAA; International League) is getting set to venture into the ownership of a pro hockey franchise by buying the Toledo Storm of the ECHL. Toledo residents have been struggling with the future of pro hockey in the area, and right now there’s a move to bring a new hockey arena downtown — a move that could immensely benefit from Mud Hens management of a team. You can find the complete story at Arena Digest.
NLR ballpark drive gets 2 $10,000 gifts
Posted August 4, 2005
The Stephens Group and Fifty for the Future have each contributed $10,000 to the campaign for a temporary sales tax increase to build a ballpark in downtown North Little Rock. The ballpark would replace Ray Winder Field as the home of the Arkansas Travelers. On Tuesday, North Little Rock voters will decide on a two-year, 1 percent city sales tax in a special election. If approved, revenue from the tax will be used to build a ballpark that will cost an estimated $28 million.
Clipper neighbors tally score
Posted August 4, 2005
About 100 neighbors of Clipper Magazine Stadium, the home of the Lancaster Barnstormers (independent; Atlantic League), were on hand to meet with team officials and raise any concerns they had about the ballpark and its effect on the surrounding neighborhood. As you might imagine, most of the comments concerns fireworks. The Barnstormers have some curfews in place, and the residents were actually pretty reasonable in their concerns, asking for quieter fireworks but not demanding an end to them.
Braves’ thirst quenchers
Posted August 4, 2005
Here’s a look at the concessions at Trustmark Park, the new home of the Mississippi Braves (Class AA; Southern League). Management at the ballpark says they stress Mississippi products in putting together the concession menus. As you might expect from fans attending a game in the South, ice cream is a top seller at the ballpark, along with the other staples of ballpark food — nachos, hot dogs, pop, et al. The concession folks did face some serious hurdles this season: the ballpark was built on a fast track, so a lot of work had to be done quickly.
Baseball and bratwurst, Petco-style
Posted August 4, 2005
Speaking of concessions: here’s a look at the concessions at Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. Not much new here: the author is disappointed in the $8 bratwurst (and let’s be realistic: a brat must be fairly spectacular to warrant such a high price tag), and in general he didn’t seem to like the frenetic Petco Park experience.