Archives: March 26-April 1, 2006
Showdown for proposed Yankee Stadium
Posted March 28, 2006
The plan to build a new Yankee Stadium on city parkland faces a critical vote today. If the City Council Land Use committee approves the plan, it will goes to the full council, which is expected to vote on it April 5. The plan for an $800 million ballpark has drawn intense opposition from Bronx residents who say it will take away essential parkland in an area with high rates of asthma. If the council approves the ballpark, the grassroots opposition group Save Our Parks is prepared to sue.
Pensacola council passes park plan
Posted March 28, 2006
The Pensacola City Council moved forward Monday with a bold vision for the downtown waterfront, voting 9-1 in favor of plans for the proposed $70 million Community Maritime Park. The city and the nonprofit Community Maritime Park Associates Inc. will transform nearly 30 acres south of Main Street across from City Hall into what is being touted as an opportunity to reinvigorate downtown. The project will feature a new ballpark for the Pensacola Pelicans (independent; American Association); a maritime museum; a conference center; office and retail space; and open public space.
Kansas City stadium backers spending big time
Posted March 28, 2006
Stadium backers have outspent their various opponents $1.3 million to $501, according to campaign financial reports filed Monday. This is a ratio of 2,613 to 1. Strategists for the renovation and rolling roof ballot measures believe all their spending on television ads has generated momentum. Opponents, meanwhile, said they were getting their word out, just in a different way: they’re using Websites to get the word out. Whether that’s effective remains to be seen. The Chiefs and Royals have been the largest contributors to the stadium election by far, giving $800,000 and $600,000, respectively. The next largest total donations are for $50,000, given by both the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Heavy Constructors Association, a group of construction contractors.
Bottoms up: Some new teams join the party
Posted March 28, 2006
We continue our weekly look at the world of college baseball with profiles of some powerhouses from the Colonial Athletic Conference. The CAA? That’s right: both Old Dominion and James Madison are making some waves in the rankings. Glen Strandberg sums up last weekend’s action.
Moving away from tradition
Posted March 28, 2006
Here’s another report confirming what we’ve reported the last year: there is much talk in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization about moving out of venerable Dodgertown for spring training and closer to the team’s fan base. It’s not a casual decision: Dodgertown is one of the most historic spring-training venues, along with Pirate City and Tiger Town, but attendance at Vero Beach has been flat over the last 10 years as the traditional spring-training attendees — old Brooklyn Dodger fans form the East Coast — die off. The Dodgers do owe quite a bit on a lease negotiated when News Corp. bought the team: two local bond issues originally totaling $17.6 million are still outstanding, but in theory another team could move in. We can’t see it: the whole place just drips Dodger blue, and not just Holman Stadium.
Baseball complex proponents envision many pluses for Casa Grande
Posted March 28, 2006
Los Caballeros de Casa Grande is a group of 20 businessmen and others pushing for a new spring-training complex in Casa Grande, located south of Phoenix. They say their analysis shows that increasing the sales tax by eight-tenths of a cent would bring in more than enough money to finance the complex, leaving other city money untouched. Casa Grande has a history with spring training: Francisco Casa Grande was the longtime spring home of the San Francisco Giants, and the city attempted to bring in the expansion Colorado Rockies in 1993. Two things could doom Casa Grande’s attempts to bring back spring baseball: Florida officials are working to keep their Grapefruit League teams (and, realistically, the only teams in play are Los Angeles, Cleveland and Baltimore), and Goodyear’s City Council is expected to tell the city staff to finalize negotiations with two major league teams, which were not named by that city.
Tradition and economics in Florida
Posted March 28, 2006
The Sarasota newspaper comes out for a state proposal to fund five spring-training facilities in Sarasota, Bradenton, Fort Lauderdale, Winter Haven and St. Petersburg. Five communities already receive sales-tax rebates to fund spring-training facilities. Cities applying for the state money would undergo evaluation, in which preference would be given to those that secure extended leases, have a lengthy tradition of spring training and provide local matching dollars. If some cities already receive the funds, it makes sense to extend them to other cities, especially if they want to keep the teams.
Sanford rejects South Coast League bid
Posted March 28, 2006
A bid by the independent South Coast League to place a team at Sanford Memorial Stadium was rejected by Sanford City Commission city officials last night. The collegiate league’s Sanford River Rats (summer collegiate; Florida Summer Collegiate League) have played their home games at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium since 2004. The South Coast League would require the ballpark for at least 50 home games and said both teams could coexist, but commissioners were hesitant to throw out an existing tenant.
Nationwide to oversee Clippers’ stadium construction
Posted March 28, 2006
The developers of Nationwide Arena have been chosen to oversee construction of Franklin County’s new minor-league ballpark for the Columbus Clippers (Class AAA; International League) right next door. County commissioners said this morning that they want Nationwide Realty Investors to head the $55 million stadium project. The new home for the county-owned Clippers will be built at Neil Avenue and Nationwide Boulevard. Officials said they’ll begin negotiations immediately on an agreement. Nationwide has indicated it would do the work for Franklin County in exchange for some type of corporate sponsorship at the new ballpark, they said.
After Abramoff, Nats fear it’s out with the Hill crowd
Posted March 28, 2006
The Washington Nationals were a big hit on Capitol Hill last year. The return of a professional baseball team to the city after 33 years provided a new venue for lobbyists to entertain members of Congress and their staff at RFK Stadium, just 20 blocks east of the Capitol. But with the start of the new season a week away, Nationals executives fear their popularity among the federal elite might decline. They are concerned that a significant piece of their business could be affected in the aftermath of the Jack Abramoff bribery and corruption scandal, which is leading many lobbyists and elected officials to reconsider how and where they do business.
Fort Wayne’s baseball future may be downtown
Posted March 28, 2006
The discussion and debate over a downtown Fort Wayne baseball stadium continues, as a city committee debates the type of facility, whether it can be used for more than one thing, and the location. The answer to location may be the Belmont Beverage building across from the Grand Wayne Center. The city already owns the building and could demolish it to make way for the ballpark. The committee is also trying to figure out how the ballpark could be used year-round. Some suggestions are to have a year-round restaurant, some conference space, and hold concerts on nights when the Fort Wayne Wizards (Class A; Midwest League) don’t play.
Nuxhall to work Reds’ opener?
Posted March 28, 2006
Joe Nuxhall finds out today if he’ll return to the Cincinnati Reds radio booth for Opening Day. Nuxhall, 77, was forced into retirement after the 2004 season. He missed his first Opening Day broadcast last year after calling 38 consecutive openers. Nuxhall meets today with Reds chief operating officer John Allen to discuss his 20-game schedule. Nuxhall says nobody has asked him to participate in Monday’s broadcast — but longtime partner Marty Brennaman says Nux will work with him and Steve Stewart on Monday. Bringing Nux back would be a classy move on the part of the new Reds ownership.
Expansion team dreams of field
Posted March 28, 2006
Craig Duswalt is GM of a potential independent Golden Baseball League expansion team that has no players, no name and, for the moment, no place to play. His job is to find 20 acres in Santa Clarita to change all that. The issue: there’s not a lot of land suitable for a ballpark, especially at the price level for the GBL. The original target for opening day was May 2007. Because it takes most of a year to get organized, that date may push to 2008.
Grass should soon be greener at Riley Park
Posted March 28, 2006
Riley Park is ready for a makeover after serving as home to the Charleston RiverDogs (Class A; Sally League) since 1997. A new videoboard will replace the old matrix board in right field, and fans will have an easier time keeping up with balls and strikes thanks to an improved scoreboard in left field. Even the grass at Riley Park should be greener, as the RiverDogs have hired former major-league grounds-keeper Mike Williams to head up their grounds crew. The city of Charleston, The Citadel and the RiverDogs teamed up to spend almost $300,000 on the new videoboard and scoreboard from Daktronics.
Devil Rays to be easier on fans’ wallets
Posted March 28, 2006
The new owners of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays said Monday the price of hot dogs, popcorn, bottled water and other items at Tropicana Field will be reduced by 25 cents this season, while coffee has been reduced by 50 cents, as have hamburgers. There also is a menu shakeup. In response to fan requests for healthier fare, the Rays will add items such as fruit cups, apples and milk to the children’s menu. The D-Rays are also pulling 32-ounce beers from the menu; the commissioner’s office requested no team sell a beer larger than 24 ounces. The D-Rays have experienced a 10 percent rise in season-ticket sales; look for more of a boost if the team gets off to a good start.
Tourists playing ‘beat the clock’
Posted March 28, 2006
With the season opener just nine days away, the Asheville Tourists (Class A; Sally League) and the city of Asheville are scrambling to get McCormick Field ready for the 2006 baseball season. Construction work on the field and outside the playing surface has already caused the postponement of a game scheduled for Wednesday between UNC Asheville and Western Carolina. Palace Sports & Entertainment is the group that bought the Tourists last year for $6 million and is making several improvements to McCormick Field. Those improvements include building a VIP terrace down the right-field line, a picnic area down the left-field line and installing a new scoreboard, projects that Bauer said will cost the team about $600,000.
River Cats CEO Savage leads downtown arena push
Posted March 28, 2006
Working mostly out of the public view, Art Savage, the chief executive of the Sacramento River Cats (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), has emerged as the leader of a new movement toward construction of a downtown arena that would become the region’s major arts and sports venue. It is a movement that already has included enough stops and starts to qualify it as an early-stage saga. Savage has quite a bit of arena experience — he worked for the Gund family as they planned and began building Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and San Jose’s HP Pavilion — and worked out some innovative financing for Raley Field, the home of the River Cats.
Congress may take up Nationals’ TV impasse
Posted March 28, 2006
Congress could hold hearings on the impasse preventing the Washington area’s largest cable provider from carrying Washington Nationals games, Rep. Tom Davis said Sunday. The Virginia Republican, the chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, spoke to a crowd in front of RFK Stadium, where elected officials from across the region gathered to denounce Comcast’s refusal to carry the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the regional network created by Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos and Major League Baseball. The commissioner’s office created a huge mess in attempting to appease Angelos; the commissioner’s office should step in and clean up the huge mess.
Fresno Grizzlies announce "Way Back Wednesdays" promotion slate
Posted March 28, 2006
The Fresno Grizzlies (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) announce their new weekday promotion, "Way Back Wednesday," which will pay tribute to the history of baseball in the Central Valley. The Grizzlies will take the field wearing a throwback uniform from one of Fresno’s first baseball teams, the Fresno Raisin Eaters. The Raisin Eaters were in Fresno in 1906 for one season in the Pacific Coast League. "The PCL is always proud to celebrate its legendary and historical past," said PCL Vice President George King. "The PCL’s history is rich and distinct. Our pride in having Fresno be a special part of it has never shriveled." "Way Back Wednesday" will be held on all Wednesday home games except for April 19, May 24 and August 5.
Red Sox logo to appear on Massachusetts lottery tickets
Posted March 28, 2006
Oscar Goodman, take heed: The Boston Red Sox logo will soon appear on instant lottery tickets after an agreement was reached between the Massachusetts Lottery and its contractor. The Red Sox will be the first team to have the honor since Major League Baseball allowed the use of its logos on instant lottery tickets. The deal was made with Scientific Games Ventures, which supplies the instant tickets for the Massachusetts Lottery. The Red Sox won’t receive any revenues, but for a sport that claims to be sensitive about a link with gambling and refuses to entertain notions of a Las Vegas team, the deal seems to be highly hypocritical.