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Archives: Jan. 15-21, 2006

Archives: Jan. 15-21, 2006

State agency approves plans for Yankees, Mets ballparks
Posted January 19, 2006
The board of the Empire State Development Corp. approved preliminary plans for new ballparks for the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. The new Mets ballpark would be comprised of seven levels with 42,500 seats and standing room for 1,600, with 50 to 60 suites. The cost of the project is estimated at $600 million, with $444.4 million for the ballpark itself and the remainder for infrastructure such as parking. The new Yankees ballpark will include five levels with about 53,000 seats, standing room for 1,000 and 60 suites. The total project cost is estimated at $1.2 billion, including four new parking garages and new parkland. The ballpark itself would cost $800 million. Next up is a period for public comment, then final approval by the development corporation. After that, the matter will go to the Public Authorities Control Board. State approval is needed because infrastructure work will be paid by New York taxpayers. More from the Gotham Gazette.

Marlins, Hialeah to talk about new ballpark
Posted January 19, 2006
The Florida Marlins and Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina will meet next week to discuss the possibility of building a ballpark in the city, Robaina confirmed Wednesday night. Robaina said Marlins representatives arranged the meeting. He mentioned three possible sites for a ballpark: Hialeah Park racetrack and an area west of Interstate 75, which are both privately owned; and Amelia Earhart Park, which is Miami-Dade property. Hialeah is Florida’s fifth-largest city (who knew?) and some see a new ballpark as a boost to the area, but others oppose any taxpayer support for a ballpark.

Big pitch: Charlotte ballpark, Major League Baseball?
Posted January 19, 2006
Representatives from baseball’s Florida Marlins will visit Charlotte in the coming weeks as they consider relocating the team to a proposed uptown ballpark, a real estate lawyer told Mecklenburg County commissioners Wednesday night. Whether the plan is realistic is another matter. Jerry Reese has been pitching a 38,000-seat ballpark as a centerpiece for what he calls The Brooklyn Renaissance Project, an ambitious plan that would redevelop an entire quadrant of uptown Charlotte. The plan has generated little traction in Charlotte, but throwing a MLB team into the mix — instead of the original target, the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) — apparently was the magic pixie dust needed to make county officials pay attention. Reese says the entire project will cost $600 million to $700 million, but that may be low: a retractable-roof ballpark will cost $450 million at the least, and the redevelopment of 15 square blocks with housing and office space won’t be cheap, either.

Medlar Field on schedule for May 31 completion date
Posted January 19, 2006
Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, scheduled to be the home of the Spike College Spikes (short season; NY-Penn League) this season and Penn State next season, is 60 percent completed and should be open in time for the Spikes season. On the playing field, the top soil is in place. The sod will be laid in the spring. The outfield wall will rise to 18.55 feet behind right field, a height established to match the year Penn State was founded.

Nats ballpark concessions, consensus elusive
Posted January 19, 2006
As D.C. Council chairwoman Linda Cropp works to build a compromise lease for a new Washington Nationals ballpark, she’s finding many are hardening in their positions, with only one publicly admitting she’s willing to make any changes to the proposal as it stands. Several council members yesterday said the cap on the District’s contribution for the proposed $667-million ballpark in Southeast is the major sticking point: some are willing to raise that cap, while former Mayor Marion Barry talks of scrapping the entire deal and starting anew. Given MLB’s stance in seeking an arbitrator to settle the issue, that simply won’t happen now.

Tweaked bill intended to reap major-league payoff for Norfolk
Posted January 19, 2006
A bill in the Virginia House of Delegates would require the state government to forward state taxes generated at a major-league sports facility to the city to pay off the arena or ballpark debt. That would include income, sales and corporate taxes. Though it could be used by any Virginia city, the bill is geared to help Norfolk land the Florida Marlins or another MLB team. The revenues from the tax rebate could pay for a third of the costs of a ballpark.

SkyChiefs determined to make peace with county
Posted January 19, 2006
Though a second mediation session between the Syracuse SkyChiefs (Class AAA; International League) and Onondaga County over Alliance Bank Stadium didn’t yield a final agreement, the two sides will meet again in a few weeks. SkyChiefs general manager John Simone says the team wants to settle the financial issues between the two sides and move on. The dispute centers on which side is going to pay for certain items at Alliance, such as utilities, maintenance projects, and repairs and renovations. The county owns the $29.3 million stadium, and the SkyChiefs are the primary tenant.

Judge urges Angels, Anaheim to settle
Posted January 19, 2006
Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Polos is urging the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the city of Anaheim to settle their lawsuit and has directed the two sides to mediation. Polos also said he would consider rejecting the city’s claim that the team’s marketing and merchandising practices are in violation of the stadium lease. If he did, the city still could argue that the team name does not properly include Anaheim.

Angels close to purchase of Spanish-language station
Posted January 19, 2006
The Angels are close to an agreement to buy a 50,000-watt radio station that is expected to air the team’s Spanish-language broadcasts this season, according to the Los Angeles Times. As the Angels seek to expand their audience through Southern California and generate additional revenue from broadcasting, the deal could represent a step toward the team’s owning a radio and television outlet within three years. The radio station, 830 AM, airs Spanish-language programming. The Angels, in search of an outlet for their Spanish broadcasts, would buy 830 AM and air their games there.

Michigan Baseball Foundation signs purchase agreement for D-Rays
Posted January 19, 2006
The Michigan Baseball Foundation formally signed a purchase agreement to buy the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (Class A; Midwest League) and will move the team to a new ballpark in Midland, Mich. next season. Three Rivers Corporation in Midland has been hired to be the general contractor for the ballpark, using designs generated by HOK Sport+Venue+Entertainment. The purchase must be approved by MLB, MiLB and the Midwest League, but don’t expect any bumps: Midwest League president George Spelius says Midland is a good geographic fit for the league.

Jackson County, Royals to finalize lease for Kauffman Stadium
Posted January 19, 2006
Jackson County Legislators expect to have a new lease agreement with the Kansas City Royals in their hands by Thursday, and called a special meeting on Friday to discuss it. The lease would require Jackson County citizens to pass a 3/8 cent sales tax to raise about $400 million for renovations at Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums. The teams will contribute an additional $100 million, and the state will add $50 million.

MLB "guardedly optimistic" Cuba will be cleared for World Baseball Classic
Posted January 19, 2006
MLB COO Bob DuPuy says baseball officials are "guardedly optimistic" about the chances of the Bush administration allowing the Cuban national team to participate in the World Baseball Classic this March. The administration initially withheld permission on the basis of the embargo against Cuba, but international baseball officials warned they’d pull their support of the tourney if Cubans were not allowed to participate. From what we hear it would not surprise anyone in baseball or government if the administration changed course.

Phils hope bigger ballpark will lure pitching
Posted January 19, 2006
The Philadelphia Phillies are moving the fences back at Citizens Bank Park in order to create a more pitcher-family ballpark. While the foul pole will remain 329 feet from home plate, the left-field fence is being angled back five feet, leaving the left-center field power alley at a listed 374 feet. The wall is being raised to 10.5 feet from 8 feet. Moving the fence has caused the removal of 196 seats, or two rows from Sections 141 to 146, and the team is estimating there will be up to 20 fewer homers hit at Citizens Bank Park this season. Last season, 201 homers were hit at Citizens Bank Park, the fifth-highest total in the majors, and the Phillies were one of three teams (with the Reds and Blue Jays) that allowed 100 homers or more at home.

Petco reconfiguration in progress
Posted January 19, 2006
While the Phillies are moving fences back, the San Diego Padres are moving them in The section of the Petco Park outfield that came to be known as "Death Valley" won’t be quite so unforgiving this season. A construction crew on Tuesday continued work toward razing the fence in right-center field as part of a winter project that will shave nine feet off the imposing distance from home plate. The new fence, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-March, will run in a straight line from center to right field, eliminating the elbow that jutted out to 411 feet. The longest distance in the ballpark will now be 402 feet, to both the left-center and right-center gaps. The Padres don’t expect many more homers to be hit in that area, actually, but it should cut down on the griping from Padres players.

Baseball’s return now in hands of Macon council
Posted January 19, 2006
The city of Macon and the independent South Coast League have worked out a tentative lease agreement to bring professional baseball back to the city in 2007. The proposed lease agreement, which has been referred to the Macon City Council’s Public Properties Committee, must be approved by the full council. That approval would clear the start-up independent league to begin play at Luther Williams Field next year. If the deal passes, the league would pay the city $10,000 upon signing the contract, and $9,000 for the subsequent two years. There also would be a $10,000 security deposit should the league fold in midseason or fail to make any other payments. The league would get all revenues it generates for the first two seasons from advertising, ticket sales and concessions, including alcohol. During the third season, 3 percent of the gross would be paid back to the city.

You can be honest and strike out
Posted January 19, 2006
After Florida Marlins officials visited Portland to assess the area for a possible move, Mayor Tom Potter reiterated his statements about not wanting any public funding of a new ballpark. This earned him a rebuke from Oregon Stadium Campaign organizer Drew Mahalic, who posted a response on the group’s website suggesting that Potter a) didn’t know what he was talking about, b) hadn’t given the group a chance to brief him before the Marlins’ visit and c) was dead wrong when he suggested that Portlanders aren’t interested in bringing a ballclub to town. The larger issue: Potter as a rule opposes any large public funding projects and is working to divert city funds into smaller, community-based public-private partnerships.

Area fans offer support for college baseball league
Posted January 19, 2006
A sampling of former Elmira Pioneers (independent; Can-Am Association) fans yields some support for a new New York Collegiate Baseball League team playing at Dunn Field this season. The new team — also the Elmira Pioneers — is being put together by former Pios GM Tom Sullivan. The college league, which would have 13 teams with the addition of Elmira, gives players who haven’t signed a professional contract the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level, gain experience with wooden bats, and play in front of pro scouts. More on the proposed team here.

BayBears, South Alabama enter partnership
Posted January 19, 2006
The Mobile BayBears (Class AA; Southern League) and the University of South Alabama have announced they are joining forces to provide year-round entertainment to the Mobile and surrounding communities. Effective immediately, the Mobile BayBears staff will be involved with South Alabama’s efforts in group sales, community activities and promotions. The BayBear and Jaguar staffs will now collaborate on everything from national anthem singers to halftime entertainment at South Alabama basketball games.

Bright House Networks Field to host Big East baseball championships
Posted January 19, 2006
The Big East Conference, in conjunction with the Clearwater Threshers (Class A; Florida State League), announced that the 2006 Big East Conference Baseball Championship is scheduled at Bright House Networks Field for May 23-28. The Big East increased its baseball membership to 12 teams in 2006 with the addition of the University of Cincinnati, University of Louisville and University of South Florida. The league’s top eight teams based on regular-season finish in the conference standings will qualify for the double-elimination event.

The Net is not the end-all in the news
Posted January 19, 2006
The Jackson Sun, obviously stung by the fact we’ve scooped them every step of the way regarding the sale of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Class A; Southern League), takes a shot at us because we reported on two articles quoting Seth Bernstein saying he was buying the Diamond Jaxx and moving them to Orlando. No great mystery on the source of the information: we passed along links to stories from a New York newspaper and an Orlando TV station both reporting the same thing. We also were openly skeptical about the veracity of the reports. But the fact that two legitimate news outlets were reporting the same thing (independently one of another, to boot) certainly merits a mention, and this was nothing remotely close to gossip: two news organizations quoted the same guy about his intent to buy the Jaxx and move the team. Too bad the Sun needs to stoop to inaccuracy and innuendo to smear a competitor. UPDATE: The newspaper is issuing a correction and clarification tomorrow.

Baseball Notes
Posted January 19, 2006
Bob Socci, the radio voice of the Albuquerque Isotopes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) since the team’s inception in 2003, has joined the Norfolk Tides (Class AAA; International League) in the same capacity as play-by-play broadcaster. The ‘Topes are currently in the final stages of determining a new person to serve as broadcaster during the 2006 season. Both teams are owned by Ken Young. Socci is also the lead broadcaster of the United States Naval Academy’s football and men’s basketball teams….Jay Yennaco has been named the pitching coach of the Nashua Pride (independent; Can-Am Association) for the 2006 season. He played for the Pride in both 2002 and 2004 after graduating from Pinkerton Academy. Yennaco was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the third round of the 1995 draft. Before joining Nashua, the right-handed pitcher also played for the Pawtucket Red Sox (Class AAA; International League) and spent time with the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League)….The Kansas City Royals have finalized their minor-league coaching and training staffs for the 2006 season. Six of the seven affiliate managers will return for the 2006 season, including Royals Hall of Fame second baseman Frank White at the Wichita Wranglers (Class AA; Texas League). Jeff Carter moves over from the Twins organization to take the reins at the High Desert Mavericks (Class A; California League). Mike Jirschele, now entering his 17th season as a coach in the Royals minor-league system, will return for his fourth season in his second stint as manager of the club’s top affiliate, the Omaha Royals (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), where he’ll be joined by former Royal Tom Burgmeier as pitching coach. Jim Gabella and Brian Rupp will return to the Burlington Bees (Class A; Midwest League) and the Idaho Falls Chukars (rookie; Pioneer League), respectively, for their third seasons. Lloyd Simmons, the winningest coach in junior college baseball history, will manage the Arizona rookie club for the fourth straight season, while Julio Bruno returns for his sixth year as skipper of Salcedo, the club’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. Have a personnel move or team news you want to share with the baseball community? Send it to editors@augustpublications.com.