Archives: May 28-June 3, 2006
Knights select Odell Associates, HOK to design new ballpark
Posted June 2, 2006
The Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) announced the selection of Odell Associates and HOK Sport to design a new ballpark in uptown Charlotte. The partnerships are contingent on associated land swap approvals from the City of Charlotte, the County of Mecklenburg and the private sector.
"We are pleased to be able to enter into detailed discussions with ODELL/HOK Sport for a new proposed baseball stadium in uptown Charlotte," said team president and majority owner Don Beaver. "We believe our selection team has recommended an experienced and professional group to lead the Knights to our ultimate goal of building a new stadium in uptown Charlotte. We were very fortunate to have an outstanding list of very accomplished and professional architectural firms to select from but in the end, we were able to tie in local and national expertise to help deliver a ‘state of the art’ facility for both the Community and the Knights.”
Odell Associates began working with the Charlotte Knights in 1988 with the design of Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, S.C.. HOK has extensive experience working with over 70 minor league parks and 24 major league teams. More from the Charlotte Business Journal and the Pittsburgh Business Journal, detailing a bid from L. Robert Kimball Associates and the DLR Group.
Rogers to buy into Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment?
Posted June 2, 2006
The Toronto Star is reporting a shakeup in the ownership of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, with Toronto Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers coming and merging his team with MLSE’s sports empire, which includes the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Air Canada Centre, and an expansion MLS team, Toronto FC. A merger of interests would create a powerhouse in downtown Toronto: Air Canada Centre and Rogers Stadium are quite close to each other, so the marketing synergies would be obvious. More, including a denial from MLSE officials, from the CBC.
Medlar Field at Lubrano Park open for business
Posted June 2, 2006
The new Medlar Field at Lubrano Park was completed on schedule, as the facility received its certificates of occupancy and officially opened yesterday, which was the original scheduled date of completion. The State College Spikes (short season; NY-Penn League) organization has moved into its offices in the ballpark, and they will be followed in a few weeks by the Penn State baseball staff, which tentatively is scheduled to move in on June 15, just five days prior to the first game at the new facility. The State College Spikes are offering now free tours of the stadium to the public from today leading up to their season opener on June 20. Tours are being offered from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday only, June 3. Fans will be able to see the ins and outs of the entire $31.4-million facility.
Baseball’s Rockies seek revival on two levels
Posted June 2, 2006
No copies of Playboy or Penthouse are in the clubhouse of baseball’s Colorado Rockies. There’s not even a Maxim. The only reading materials are daily newspapers, sports and car magazines and the Bible. The Colorado Rockies are looking to rebuild in an unusual way: they quietly have become an organization guided by Christianity — open to other religious beliefs but embracing a Christian-based code of conduct they believe will bring them focus and success. Now, the Rockies aren’t the first team to stress "character" as desired personality trait (the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry did the same thing in the 1960s and 1970s), but the Rockies may be the first to explicitly admit to equating character with Christianity.
Taking their faith out to the ballgame
Posted June 2, 2006
Speaking of Christianity: the Buffalo Bisons (Class AAA; International League) are joining the growing number of major- and minor-league teams putting on a "Faith Night" this season. Upwards of 1,000 members of 30 area churches are expected to take their faith out to the ballgame when the Buffalo Bisons square off against the Durham Bulls. They’ll listen to a Christian rock band, hear a testimonial from a Christian ballplayer and, of course, watch the baseball action on the field. Now, marketing to Christians isn’t new — the first game we attended at Metropolitan Stadium was on a Lutheran church-night event sponsored by the Twins — but the extent of the event is fairly new.
Sports and salvation on Faith Night at the stadium
Posted June 2, 2006
Speaking of Christianity II: the New York Times looks at the phenomenon across all sports, not just baseball. Third Coast Sports, a company in Nashville that says it specializes in church marketing and event planning for sports teams, has scheduled 70 this year in 44 cities, and many teams produce Faith Nights on their own. They are about to become even bigger. This summer, the religious promotions will hit Major League Baseball. The Atlanta Braves are planning three Faith Days this season, the Arizona Diamondbacks one. The Florida Marlins have tentatively scheduled a Faith Night for September.
Online voting underway for Triple-A All-Star Game
Posted June 2, 2006
With less than six weeks to go until the 19th annual Triple-A All-Star Game in Toledo, Ohio, the online fan voting is now underway, marking the first time Minor League Baseball fans have had an opportunity to vote online for an All-Star event. The voting began yesterday and will run through Friday, June 23. The results of the fan balloting will account for 1/3 of the total vote along with ballots cast by members of the media (1/3) and each club’s field manager, coaches, and general manager (1/3). The ballots can now be accessed from several websites: Minor League Baseball, the International League and the Pacific Coast League, as well as the websites of all 30 Triple-A teams. The Triple-A All-Star Game matches the best players from the International League against the top players from the Pacific Coast League.
After years of futility, Tigers again are on prowl
Posted June 2, 2006
More on the resurgence of the Detroit Tigers: the roar is back! Actually, we are happy to see a franchise so down on its luck do better among fans. But we’re also big believers in karma, and our theory is that the five years of frustration after the move to Comerica Park came because the team ownership turned its back on Tiger Stadium, one of the great old ballparks of baseball.
Detroit should sell Tiger Stadium as is
Posted June 2, 2006
Steven Thomas is the owner of Detroit Athletic Co., a memorabilia store west of Tiger Stadium, and an adjunct scholar with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, weighs in on the future of the grand old ballpark. The Navin Field Consortium (of which Thomas is a member) proposed converting Tiger Stadium to its original 1912 configuration when the park opened as Navin Field. The proposal was made privately to the Detroit Tigers with the suggestion that they follow the latest major league trend by locating one of their minor league affiliates nearby — in this case at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. The consortium also proposed that the ballpark renovation be privately financed without subsidies from the city of Detroit or the Detroit Tigers. The only expense would be a market rate for rent.
County still sees red operating Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium
Posted June 2, 2006
The cost of operating Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium, the home of the Kannapolis Intimidators (Class A; Sally league) drew scant attention during county budget discussions Tuesday night. The $7.5 million ballpark, built a decade ago in Kannapolis, continues to be a sore that won’t heal. Rowan County owns 75 percent with the city of Kannapolis owning 25 percent. Under a revised lease approved last year, Smith Family Baseball, the owner of the Intimidators franchise pays the county $75,000 a year. The projected cost of operations for the county, including repairs for the coming year, is $133,280.
Baseball’s growing ‘blackout’ becoming a cause of concern
Posted June 2, 2006
With only 8 percent of MLB players of African-American heritage — the lowest since MLB was fully integrated in 1959 — and MLB teams failing to attract African-American fans to the ballpark, some players are taking the lead in bringing baseball back to the African-American community. The Minnesota Twins’ Torii Hunter and several African-American are contributing $10,000 apiece to launch an urban Little League program, the Torii Hunter Project, inviting players of all races and nationalities to contribute. It is designed to sway inner-city youth toward baseball, providing equipment and transportation and upgrading facilities.
Lessons learned on baseball traffic
Posted June 2, 2006
It took the management of the Rockford RiverHawks (independent; Frontier League) to make some adjustments in their parking scheme to ensure smooth flow to their new ballpark. One big problem on the Wednesday opener: the team didn’t expect a large crowd, so there were only two people at the gate collecting parking fees. Last night traffic moved a lot smoother when the team put four fee collectors at the front gate.
Potter is blocked over PGE Park pay
Posted June 2, 2006
Portland Mayor Tom Potter intended to push back a City Council vote Wednesday on a long-debated city subsidy to boost wages for worker at PGE Park, the home of the Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), but commissioners fought the delay. All three commissioners plan to support an $150,000 annual subsidy to the ballpark to ensure wages of $10.28 an hour for hot dog vendors, ticket takers and other seasonal ballpark employees. By the way: The sale of the Portland Beavers remains on hold; we have heard there has been a dispute over outstanding payments to creditors, with a potential buyer unwilling to totally pay debts to outside vendors.
Teams woo the wealthy with amenities, access
Posted June 2, 2006
Boston’s four major sports teams have gone from serving the Average Joe Six-Pack to gearing offerings for the more affluent. No surprise — all major-league teams are now doing so — but it creates some divisions at the ballpark. While you or I are chomping on Fenway Frank at Fenway Park, the hoi polloi are dining on crab cakes with lemongrass remoulade while seat warmers keep them extra toasty on chilly nights. The Red Sox earlier this year unveiled the EMC Club at Fenway Park, where, for $275 a game, members have their cars parked by valets, sit on cushioned seats, and dine at a restaurant with white tablecloths. Upstairs, fans can watch the game from the new State Street Pavilion, which features a casual restaurant and bar overlooking the field.
Cheap seats a hit with frugal Cardinals fans
Posted June 2, 2006
Here’s a pretty cool promotion from the St. Louis Cardinals that should be emulated by more teams. The Cards offer the First Pitch Tickets promotion in conjunction with a local radio station. Outside Busch Stadium every morning of a home game "the 550 line" forms. On days of home games, the box office on Eighth Street opens at 9 a.m. Each of the first 125 people in line is allowed to buy one voucher for $11. The voucher guarantees the holder two tickets to that day’s game. The location of the seat is totally random; some are great, and some are standing-room only. But they cost only $5.50.
Edinburg tops Dillas to remain unbeaten
Posted June 2, 2006
This is probably the last thing the new independent United League Baseball needs. The Edinburg Coyotes are off to a 15-0 record this season despite playing 12 of those 15 games on the road. Having one team run away in the standings may be good news for Edinburg fans, but bad news for the other league teams: most in independent baseball say it’s hard to draw when one team runs away with the title. You’re also seeing the same thing in the American Association, where a fast start by the Lincoln Saltdogs has put quite a bit of distance between that team and Sioux Falls and Sioux City in the standings, making it harder for the unprofitable Siouxs to draw.
Heritage hindsight
Posted June 2, 2006
Heritage Park, the former home of the Albany-Colonie Yankees (Class AA; Eastern League), was assumed to be a catalyst for further economic growth when it was built in the 1980s. But the Yankees soon left town, and independent baseball never really caught on at the facility. The irony is that after the ballpark was torn down, it did become a catalyst for future economic growth. Indeed, in just seven years, Heritage Park’s appraised value has doubled, from $2.5 million to $5.4 million, and the county has scrapped plans to put a nursing home on the site and is instead courting commercial development.