Archives: April 16-22, 2006

Archives: April 16-22, 2006

Florida spring-training funding bill may get vote today
Posted April 21, 2006
Tax incentives to help Winter Haven, Sarasota and other cities keep their spring-training baseball teams could face a critical vote in the Florida House as early as today. The bill’s survival likely will depend on whether other sports teams are able to catch a ride on the ballpark-funding bandwagon. The bill would give up to $15 million in sales tax revenues over 30 years to help fund new stadiums or improvements in five spring training cities: Winter Haven, Sarasota, Bradenton, St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale. A representative from Port St. Lucie is seeking to add St. Lucie and Tradition Field to the bill, even though renovations to that ballpark are already completed. Even if the bill clears the Legislature, it may not be a done deal. Earlier this month, Gov. Jeb Bush described the bill’s outlook as "cloudy," meaning he could veto it.

County money just part of Indians spring site’s need
Posted April 21, 2006
Funding committed Wednesday by the Polk County Commission for a new spring-training facility in Winter Haven is only a small part of what will be needed if the Cleveland Indians commit to stay in town. Polk County would contribute $8 million toward a $50-million facility, with the state providing $15 million should a sales-tax rebate pass. That leaves a little more than half of the cost of the facility still up in the air, but the city is expected to pass some sort of funding measure should the state measure pass. The city wants to overhaul the Chain of Lakes complex into a destination mixed-use development.

Goodyear’s Cactus League radar is pointed directly at Dodgers
Posted April 21, 2006
More on the possibility of the Los Angeles Dodgers moving spring-training operations to Arizona. Both Goodyear and Glendale have approached the Dodgers about a move from venerable Dodgertown in Vero Beach. Despite the tradition, a move makes sense — the Dodgers draw fewer than 5,000 fans a game at spring training, and Holman Stadium is a charming, antiquated facility. There are two big issues: the Dodgers would need to repay Vero Beach for renovations to Dodgertown, and the Dodgers would need to find another team to make the move to Arizona: MLB virtually requires team move in tandem for scheduling purposes. With momentum increasing on a new facility in Winter Haven, the chances of the Indians moving lessen every day. The Orioles have been quiet about their plans, though renovations funds for Fort Lauderdale are part of a state proposal referenced above. A remote possibility would bet the Houston Astros, but that would require them getting out of an Osceola County Stadium lease. The Chicago White Sox have expressed an interest to move to the Phoenix area (at one point they floated a proposal to share Scottsdale Stadium with the Giants or have Scottsdale build a new facility; the high price of land in that part of Phoenix nipped that proposal in the bud).

Forums planned on Cobb Field proposal
Posted April 21, 2006
Billings is hosting a series of community forums to help the public learn more about a proposal to rebuild Cobb Field, the home of the Billings Mustangs (rookie; Pioneer League). The City Council is considering a plan to place a bond issue for about $12 million on the November ballot. If voters approve the bond issue, the aging ballpark would be replaced after the 2007 season. Patrick Zohn of Gateway Consulting Group of Cleveland will provide information on the proposal and will listen to comments during seven public meetings scheduled for April 25 through May 2. Zohn authored a $60,000 Cobb Field feasibility study that the City Council received last fall. Zohn was also hired to conduct the public education campaign for the new ballpark.

Forbes: Net worth of MLB teams grows again
Posted April 21, 2006
Baseball owners continue to slam the ball out of the park. Team values increased an average of 15 percent for the second consecutive year, to $376 million, in the Forbes 2006 survey of Major League Baseball’s 30 franchises. Overall operating income increased to $360 million ($12.1 million per team) from $132 million ($4.4 million per team) the previous year, as revenue increased faster than player salaries. The biggest winner was the Washington Nationals, whose value rose 42 percent; a new ballpark was the chief reason for the increase. One cloud on the horizon: the Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City increased in value by 20 percent, but much of that was due to baseball’s revenue-sharing system — and the Yankees are expected to pay much less than this year’s $77 million when construction on a new Yankee Stadium begins.

Progress is made on Braves sale
Posted April 21, 2006
Time Warner, seeking a buyer for the Atlanta Braves, has made significant progress in negotiations with both Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Colorado-based Liberty Media, people familiar with the talks said Thursday. Blank and Time Warner have closed the gap that earlier divided them on financial terms, putting a possible deal within striking range. But Time Warner could opt to instead include the team as part of a larger transaction being negotiated with Liberty Media. Blank is a founder of Home Depot, and Liberty Media is a wide-ranging cable and media firm with existing ties to Time Warner; it also holds stakes in the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Blank would need to finance a deal; Liberty would Time Warner stock it already owns to help fund a deal.

Lerner adds two more to group bidding for Nats
Posted April 21, 2006
The family of Washington area developer Theodore Lerner has added two prominent African Americans to its bid to buy the Washington Nationals, according to several sources. Rodney E. Slater, 51, a secretary of transportation under President Clinton and a partner with the law firm of Patton Boggs LLP, and B. Doyle Mitchell Jr., 44, president and chief executive of Industrial Bank NA, have joined several other minority partners in the Lerner effort, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Both commissioner Bud Selig and D.C. elected officials have said minority participation in any group landing the Nats is a requirement. The league is believed to be nearing a decision on the Nationals’ sale. MLB President Robert DuPuy told Congress on April 7 that he expected Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig to decide on the new owner within two weeks. However, Selig and DuPuy have now scheduled meetings next week with the Lerners and with another front-running group led by local businessmen Fred Malek and Jeffrey Zients, according to sources familiar with the sale process.

Indiana State students present report on bringing minor-league baseball to Terre Haute
Posted April 21, 2006
A team of Indiana State University students have studied the feasibility of minor-league baseball in Terre Haute and come to the conclusion that it could financially work if there is significant support from private and civic sources. Terre Haute has been without pro baseball since the Terre Haute Huts folded in 1956. Their proposal calls for using ISU’s Sycamore Field as their home field. They found the costs for upgrading that facility, buying a franchise and paying the operating expenses and fees for a team in the independent Frontier League would be $6.35 million for the first year and $1.5 million for each following season. If the team came from the Midwest League — which is comprised of farm clubs affiliated with major league teams — the first-year price tag would jump to $15 million and the annual expenses afterward would be $3.2 million. Terre Haute itself only has 59,614 residents, so the entire Wabash Valley would need to support a team.

Mets’ ballpark figure is $266 million
Posted April 21, 2006
The Bloomberg administration’s deal with the Mets for a new ballpark will cost the city and state a combined $266 million, while providing the team with $298 million in savings from the use of tax-exempt bonds, a new report released yesterday revealed. The IBO’s analysis shows the new Mets stadium will cost the city $177 million. By comparison, the Yankees’ deal will cost $155 million. The City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the two deals, but several members of the Queens delegation are threatening to postpone the vote on the Mets.

Skeptics ask why, not when
Posted April 21, 2006
The folks in San Antonio sound a little irritated at how things are going down in their pursuit of the Florida Marlins: despite putting up what they think is a solid offer ($200 million toward a $300-million ballpark, although no one realistically thinks a new MLB ballpark can be built for so little, no matter how much Nelson Wolff argues otherwise). The Fish have been upfront about wanting to keep the team in South Florida: owner Jeffrey Loria has roots there and it has the potential to be a great market. More from USA Today.

Grasshoppers continue to attract fans at new ballpark
Posted April 21, 2006
Such a problem to have: At 6,367 fans a game, the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Class A; Sally League) rank second among the 60 full-season Class A teams nationwide in attendance. They trail only the Dayton Dragons (Class A; Midwest League), who have sold out all 434 home games in franchise history and who stand at 7,874 per game in 2006. Among all 120 active minor-league clubs, Greensboro is 13th at the gate. The Grasshoppers’ attendance is 20 percent ahead of where it was after eight home games in 2005, First Horizon’s inaugural campaign. Concessions revenue is up 10 percent. In the most recent home game, when it attracted 10,137, the Grasshoppers did $35,400 in walk-up ticket sales — three times the per-game budgeted figure and nearly $8,000 more than the previous club record.

Sheppard to return to Yankees mike tonight
Posted April 21, 2006
The voice known to millions of New Yorkers as the voice of the Yankees will return tonight to the mile after missing the opening series at Yankee Stadium due to complications with an artificial hip. Bob Sheppard doesn’t like to give his age, but a former Yankee official confirmed that Oct. 12, 1910, is correct. That would make him 95, although it doesn’t show: Before the injury he was in good enough shape to wait in the back row of the Yankee Stadium press box and spring to the elevator for the final out in an attempt to beat traffic.

Baseball receives mixed grades on a diversity report card
Posted April 21, 2006
The University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics said yesterday that 3 percent of pitchers, 1 percent of catchers and 11 percent of infielders were black last year, based on 40-man rosters listed in 2005 media guides. That compares with 26 percent of outfielders. In 1983, 6.6 percent of pitchers were black, the study said. The institute issues regular report cards for college and professional sports to evaluate hiring and on-field opportunities for women and racial minorities. Major League Baseball received an overall C-plus in gender and racial diversity on and off the field – the same grade it received last year. The sport’s B-plus for racial diversity was slightly higher than in the previous year, while baseball fell from a C to a D-plus for gender diversity.

Good job from Spirit; let’s see more
Posted April 21, 2006
The North Shore Spirit (independent; Can-Am Association) hit a home run Tuesday night when they hosted the first round of the Beanpot baseball tournament. Here’s hoping they take the cue from the surprisingly large number of fans who showed up, with very little notice, and do more with the baseball community. The Spirit are making a concerted effort to expand their fan base, and that would seem to be the right thing to do. They’ve tapped into the Boston radio market now that 1510 The Zone is broadcasting their games. And they’re hoping the exposure will help people from outside the immediate Lynn area find their way to Fraser Field this summer.

Fremont better than Las Vegas for A’s fans
Posted April 21, 2006
Well, duh. The thesis here is that Oakland probably won’t be the site of a new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics, and if they’re not going to stay at McAfee Coliseum, they’re better off in Fremont than in Las Vegas. If you’re an A’s fan in the East Bay, of course you would prefer the team not move to Las Vegas.

All aboard the Barons special
Posted April 21, 2006
Streetcars from the Electric City Trolley Museum’s collection could be carrying museum passengers between downtown Scranton and Lackawanna County Stadium, the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (Class AAA; International League) as early as June, with dedicated baseball excursions to Red Barons games starting later in the summer, county officials said Thursday.  Trolleys currently take riders on a 10-mile round trip, between the museum’s station near the Steamtown National Historic Site and a spot near the Lackawanna County Visitors Center in Moosic. A new, 2,000-foot extension will carry the line to a new station and trolley restoration facility, adjacent to the ballpark off Montage Mountain Road. The new tracks and trolley barn are part of a $2 million project bankrolled by capital funds from the county and the state.

Bellingham Civic construction on schedule
Posted April 21, 2006
Construction to renovate and remodel Bellingham’s Civic Athletic Complex is on schedule or ahead of proposed timelines according to city officials. The $6.9 million project, which broke ground in February, is expected to give a much-needed facelift to Civic Stadium, Joe Martin Field and the parking lot near the two facilities. Work on Joe Martin Field has been accelerated and the city would like to have much of the plaza area and middle grandstand seating finished by June before the start of the Bellingham Bells (summer collegiate; West Coast Collegiate Baseball League) season. The Bells filed a lawsuit against the city of Bellingham on April 12 for breach of contract because of the renovations being made to the baseball park.

Ballpark Notes
Posted April 21, 2006
Jacques Doucet will become the new voice of the Capitales de Quebec (independent; Can-Am Association) during the home radio broadcasts on INFO 800. For 33 years Doucet was the voice of the Montreal Expos, a gig that ended abruptly with the transfer of the Montreal team to Washington. Doucet is a member of the Quebec Hall of Fame since 2002, the Expos Hall of Fame since 2003, and the Baseball Canada Hall of Fame since 2004….

Polk County commits $23 million to sports facilities, including new Indians spring complex
Posted April 20, 2006
Working off the official agenda, the Polk County Commission approved spending $23 million in tourist tax funds to three sports complexes, including a new spring-training complex for the Cleveland Indians to replace Chain of Lakes Park. Wednesday’s vote by the County Commission follows approval of the package by the Polk County Tourist Development Council. The new Winter Haven complex will provide a new home for the Cleveland Indians or any other major league team that may decide to train there. That project will involve a four-way financial partnership involving between $35 million and $52.5 million. The partnership would include Polk County, which has committed $8 million; Winter Haven; the state and the baseball team or teams. A bill making its way through the Florida Legislature could make $500 million available to Florida cities for spring-training facilities. The Indians would need to make a long-term commitment to the complex. Los Angeles is the team most likely to take off for Arizona; here’s a look at their status from the Vero Beach newspaper.

If Springdale ballpark built team will follow, planners are told
Posted April 20, 2006
More specifics on the proposed ballpark in Springdale, Arkansas. Springdale Chamber of Commerce President Perry Webb says he’s got a commitment from a Class AA team to move to Springdale should the tax referendum funding the project be approved by voters; it’s widely believed the team in question is the Wichita Wranglers (Class AA; Texas League), who currently play at venerable Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Ballpark designs will be presented to the Springdale City Council on May 23, at which time aldermen will be asked to set a special city election for July 11. Voters will be asked to extend Springdale’s 1 percent sales tax dedicated to the city’s $105 million street improvement project. Mayor Jerre Van Hoose has said he expected the street improvement sales tax to expire in 2012, but extending the tax for two to three years could raise $25 million to $30 million to build a ballpark.

Development OK’d for potential Marlins ballpark site in Hialeah
Posted April 20, 2006
Hialeah and the Florida Marlins got a boost Wednesday when Miami-Dade County Commissioners agreed to allow development on a swath of land in the western portion of the city. The property, which includes 1,140 acres between Florida’s Turnpike on the west, Northwest 97th Avenue on the east, Northwest 170th Street on the north and Northwest 154th Street on the south, had been located outside the "Urban Development Boundary," meaning building could not occur there. Commissioners voted 12-1 to move the property, which includes an old landfill and is zoned for industrial and office space, into the development boundary.  The Marlins began meeting with Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina in January about the possibility of building a ballpark in the city, and the western site was among the potential locations. Robaina said he would not support raising city taxes or putting a referendum on the ballot. He has maintained that the city would provide the land, if the Marlins and Miami-Dade County put up money for the ballpark. Much to the chagrin of San Antonio baseball proponents, Marlins President David Samson once again says the team’s preference is to stay in South Florida. The San Antonio Express-News finally figured out the Alamo City was a pawn in the Marlins’ efforts to make a deal in South Florida. More from the Miami Herald.

Legal order blindsides Edinburg: exactly who will control ballpark?
Posted April 20, 2006
Things are heating up in Edinburg, where Edinburg Coyotes (independent; United League Baseball) and the Edinburg Roadrunners (independent; American Association) continue to duke it out over Edinburg Baseball Stadium. Attorneys for Edinburg Baseball Club L.L.C., the Roadrunners’ legal entity, blindsided the City of Edinburg on Wednesday with a temporary restraining order against the city, an order that could lead to the Coyotes’ eviction from Edinburg Baseball Stadium. Attorneys for both sides were unsure if Wednesday’s order will result in an immediate eviction of the Coyotes similar to the one Edinburg baseball fans witnessed April 4 when the Roadrunners were forced out. A decision one way or the other likely will come by May 2, when both sides appear in court to hear the Roadrunners’ application for temporary injunction. We have heard the United Baseball League has scouted out Victoria as a fall-back location should the legal proceedings tie up the ballpark. Let’s be realistic: this is all about the Benjamins. The American Association has done nothing to field a team in Edinburg, and the most likely end result is some sort of financial settlement.

Twins put on heat in ballpark pitch
Posted April 20, 2006
Flanked by fans wearing baseball caps and jerseys, the Minnesota Twins launched a detailed sales pitch Wednesday for a $522 million ballpark in downtown Minneapolis before a standing-room-only crowd at the State Office Building and a sometimes skeptical House Taxes Committee. The ballpark would be mostly funded by a 0.15 percent sales tax in Hennepin County and replace Metrodome as the team’s home; the local tax needs state approval, although no state funding is involved. In other words, politicians can vote for a popular project without having to actually vote for the tax increase. More hearings are scheduled for today and tonight. Laura Billings weighs in on the gender split on the Hennepin