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Archives: June 11-17, 2006

Archives: June 11-17, 2006

Alizadeh completes purchase of Portland Beavers
Posted June 17, 2006
The Pacific Coast League (PCL), the Portland Beavers and Portland Timbers today announced that the sale of the professional baseball and soccer franchises to Portland Baseball Investment Group, LLC (PBIG), has been completed, ending one of the most drawn-out sagas in the business of minor-league baseball.
    In March 2005, the PCL, which assumed operation of the franchises prior to the 2004 season, announced that an agreement was reached to sell the teams to PBIG. Today’s announcement finalizes all aspects of the ownership transfer. It was a complicated deal to settle claims from all investors; the sale had been held up when creditors, the PCL and Alizadeh disgreed over specific settlement with debtors.
    PBIG consists of top-level business executives; chief among those investors are majority owner Abe Alizadeh, a real-estate developer and restaurateur who owns and operates a number of T.G.I. Friday’s locations in Oregon, and Portland native and minority investor Jack Cain.
    Alizadeh is the general partner of Sacramento, Calif.-based Kobra Properties with a diverse portfolio in commercial and industrial real estate, restaurants, and now, professional sports. The Alizadeh family owns and operates 55 Jack in the Box restaurants and several T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants in California and Oregon, including the Portland metro area. Alizadeh serves as the president of the Jack in the Box Association of Franchises, Inc., and is chairman of the board of the National Franchisee Purchasing Cooperative, Inc. More from the Oregonian.

Artifacts from Tiger Stadium to be auctioned off under city plan
Posted June 17, 2006
The baseball temple known as Tiger Stadium could be leveled by next February, and a massive fire-sale of all its artifacts and contents is eyed for this fall. Detroit officials on Friday spelled out more details of a still-conceptual plan to raze the landmark at Michigan and Trumbull in favor of a $40 million to $70 million mixed-use development of condos and shops that would leave the playing field intact. The city said it hopes the project would be complete by spring 2009, 10 years after the Tigers left for Comerica Park. So far, though, officials have no developer or architects. Seats, signs and other artifacts would be removed around September and should be up for sale to the public by October; in a cruel twist, the proceeds from the sale would be used to tear down the ballpark.

Codey questions Xanadu’s future
Posted June 17, 2006
Former New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey, now president of the state Senate, is questioning the future of the Xanadu retail project in the Meadowlands, partly because Mills Corp. and Mack-Cali have failed to close on a deal for a new ballpark with Steve Kalafer, owner of the Bergen Cliff Hawks (independent; Atlantic League). The project was approved in early 2003, but only four tenants are in place, and the opening date has been pushed back to no sooner than mid-2008. Mills Corp. says it’s living up to the terms of its deal by building a ballpark and seeking a tenant via bids; state and local officials say the original deal was for Kalafer and the Cliff Hawks to occupy the ballpark, even though that apparently was not contractually laid out.

Nats sale targeted for July finalization
Posted June 17, 2006
Major League Baseball officials say they remain hopeful the sale of the Washington Nationals would be completed by early next month, thus officially allowing the Lerner family to take control of the team. Officials are working feverishly to complete the $450 million sale before the end of June, but the process is likely to seep into early July. A completion before the All-Star break is likely. The finalization of the sale will allow the 29 teams that bought the franchise — then the struggling Montreal Expos — for $120 million in 2002 to recoup some their investment. According to people familiar with the sale, each of the 29 teams will receive just less than $3.5 million each from the $450 million. That would still leave about $350 million — just less than half of which will be used toward fees and debt associated with the team’s sale — and the remaining money (believed to be close to $200 million) will be placed into a "war chest" in the event of a labor dispute or strike.

D.C. mayor offers proposal to end ballpark parking controversy
Posted June 17, 2006
Mayor Anthony Williams is asking the D.C. Council for permission to sell city land at the new Washington Nationals ballpark site to a developer who would build more than 900 parking spaces — both above ground and below ground, a possible solution to a controversy that has dogged the project in recent weeks. The proposal, sent by Williams to the council late Friday afternoon, also includes housing and retail. The Nationals want plenty of above-ground parking surrounding the ballpark; the city would prefer below-grade parking to allow development above.

Curve Baseball LP a well-organized ownership group
Posted June 17, 2006
The roots of professional baseball coming to State College go back to April 2, 2002. At 1:49 a.m., a group of investors formed by Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg completed its purchase of the Altoona Curve (Class AA; Eastern League) from Bob Lozinak and Tate DeWeese. At 10 a.m., Greenberg, Todd Parnell and assistant general manager Rick Janac met in a Blair County Ballpark suite with Penn State athletics director Tim Curley and former director of major gifts Pete Liske to discuss a new ballpark for Penn State. Tuesday, Curve Baseball will open Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, a $31.4 million ballpark built with state, private and university money, when the State College Spikes play the Williamsport Crosscutters (both short season; NY-Penn League). More from Centredaily.com.

Medlar Field offers a scenic blend
Posted June 17, 2006
The next new ballpark to open in the minors this season: Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, the $31.4 million home of the State College Spikes (short season; NY-Penn League). It sounds like the ballpark, designed by L. Robert Kimball and Associates and the DLR Group of Kansas City, will be a great addition to the baseball world. The red brick matches the Jordan Center and the pale stones resemble the ones found at Beaver Stadium. Kimball designed the football program’s East Area locker room facility, and the baseball programs recruiting needs were a major factor in Medlar Field’s design. The look is completed with the view of Mount Nittany in the background.

Twins’ ballpark push tab: under a hundred grand
Posted June 17, 2006
The Minnesota Twins spent $95,500 lobbying state legislators to support a proposal for a new ballpark in downtown Minneapolis’s Warehouse District, ultimately spending $6 million over the last decade to push for a new home. This year’s total was surprisingly low, though AP makes it sound like the Twins broke the banks on the effort. The Twins weren’t even close to the top lobbying spending at the Minnesota State Legislature this past session: Education Minnesota, the teachers’ union, ended up spending almost a million dollars. Speaking of the new Twins ballpark:  The Minneapolis City Council has selected former councilwoman Joan Campbell as its representative for the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, Twins officials said. The authority will oversee the construction and operation of a new Minnesota Twins ballpark in the Warehouse District.

Leesburg may rekindle baseball legacy
Posted June 17, 2006
You wouldn’t expect this, but Leesburg — located in central Florida, between Orlando and Ocala — has quite the baseball history. The city is hosting a Florida Collegiate Summer League fame on June 4, and the league is hoping to place a team there next season. The game will be played at Pat Thomas Stadium, originally known as Baseball Island of Venetian Gardens. The WPA-era ballpark opened in 1937 as the home of the Leesburg Gondoliers of the Florida State League: the ballpark was built on an island, and visitors needed to walk across a bridge to get there. Alas, the waterways surrounded the ballpark were filled in during the 1950s.

Fort Collins’ minor-league teams have varied fiscal success
Posted June 17, 2006
It would appear Fort Collins, Col., is a good area for minor-league sports, with the Colorado Eagles (CHL) continually selling out games. The Fort Collins Foxes (summer collegiate; Mountain Collegiate Baseball League) aren’t as successful, drawing 350 fans a game to Colorado State University’s Ram Baseball Field. The low attendance can be partially explained by the lack of lights at Ram Baseball Field, forcing the team to begin games at 1 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. Owner Kurt Colicchio says the team lost money last season; only one team in the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League actually made money. It sounds like the MCBL might have a lot of potential, but a little more aggressive approach (like spending some money to put in lighting at Ram Baseball Field) may be in order. You can’t succeed at the summer-collegiate level without a little chutzpah.

Tiger Stadium to be razed: condos, retail to be built on historic site
Posted June 16, 2006
The final days of Tiger Stadium are approaching fast and if city officials get their way, stores and condos will replace the one-time home of baseball legends Ty Cobb and Al Kaline. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick intends to demolish the 94-year-old ballpark soon to make way for a mixed-use development of 150 condos atop 40-50 retail shops on the 8.5-acre site. This isn’t so much a plan as an intention: the city must seek bids for the plan that would maintain the original entrance of the ballpark as a gateway and leave the baseball diamond as a park for Little League games and festivals. Many Detroiters say the mayor and the owners of the Detroit Tigers are embarrassed by the continued presence of Tiger Stadium and are not willing to entertain any offers for preservation, including one plan that would scale the ballpark down to its original Navin Field configuration for a minor-league baseball team. Whether the plan comes to fruition remains to be seen: The city has yet to secure developers, and the mayor has announced more than one grand development plan in the last year that never came to bear. George Jackson, president of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., says that if the issue came to a vote, Detroit residents would overwhelmingly vote to demolish the ballpark. We beg to disagree. More from the Detroit Free Press. Nolan Finley says it’s time to tear down the classic ballpark and move on.

Developer wants to open way for other teams
Posted June 16, 2006
Mills Corp. said Thursday it will seek bids from prospective minor-league teams for a baseball park at its Xanadu retail and entertainment complex — a move adamantly opposed by local elected officials, the chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority’s baseball subcommittee and the owner of the Bergen Cliff Hawks (independent; Atlantic League). There’s a lot of bluster from all involved here, but the real issue is exactly what Mills Corp. is contractually obligated to do as part of its Xanadu redevelopment. Since there’s no deal with the Cliff Hawks and nothing specific in the Mills/New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority designating the Cliff Hawks as the lease holder for the new ballpark, it could be argued Mills is entirely within its rights (and, more importantly, its fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders) to seek proposals from other teams. More from the Newark Star-Ledger.

Selig: Baseball is committed to stopping drug abuse
Posted June 16, 2006
In an open letter to baseball fans, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig says baseball is committed to stopping drug abuse but is constrained because there’s a lack of a test for human growth hormone (HGH). In response, MLB is funding a study of HGH and how to detect it. Critics have charged the funding for this program is woefully inadequate, but in the letter Selig says MLB is willing to increase funding to launch other studies and research in the field. HGH is the dirty little secret of professional sports: many allege athletes in other sports use HGH as well, but the current blood tests are limited. The issue, as always, is whether MLB really wants to know whether its players use HGH. Selig says yes, but actions speak louder than words, and it takes more than just a vague pledge of additional funding to placate critics. Baseball has a chance to take a leadership role on this subject, but Selig’s letter was anything but proactive.

Wilmington on minor-league baseball watch again
Posted June 16, 2006
Ken Jacobsen, a minority investor in the Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks (Class A; Carolina League), wants to bring baseball back to Wilmington, N.C. He wants to do it all — buy an existing Class A Carolina League franchise and build a $25-$35 million ballpark — using private investments. Pro baseball hasn’t fared well in Wilmington in recent years, with both the Wilmington Waves (Class A; Sally League) and the Port City Roosters (Class AA; Southern League) both moving after failing to win support for new ballparks and playing temporarily at Brooks Field on the campus of UNC-Wilmington. We know of one Sally League owner eyeing Wilmington in recent months, and we’re guessing there’s another team that might be acquired for the right price should the owner decide to go the independent-baseball route. A local columnist thinks Jacobsen is for real, but local residents are skeptical.

Nader wants accurate study of D.C. ballpark cleanup costs
Posted June 16, 2006
Ballpark gadfly Ralph Nader is calling for a more accurate study of the costs of environmental cleanup at the site of the Washington Nationals’ new ballpark on the Anacostia River, saying it’s needed to provide an accurate accounting of the project’s true costs. Nader made his request in a letter to Mayor Anthony Williams. The city has authorized spending $3 million on cleaning up unexpected environmental problems when 53 unreported oil tanks were found under the soil. This is grandstanding of the worst kind: the site needed to be cleaned up no matter what was built there (and given development patterns in D.C., the area would have been gentrified sooner than later), so to say this was a hidden cost of the ballpark is breathtakingly hypocritical coming from an avowed environmentalist.

Flyers to allow online voters to guide team in second half of season
Posted June 16, 2006
We first reported on this in 2002, so you can ignore anyone telling you this is some kind of scoop. LivePlanet, formed by film stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, is teaming up with MSN Originals to Webcast Fan Club, where the Schaumburg Flyers (independent; Northern League) will allow Internet voters to determine batting lineups, fielding positions and the pitching roster for the second half of the club’s season. To say this could be ripe for abuse is an understatement: if I were a Joliet Jackhammers fan and my team were hosting the Flyers, I’d sure as heck work my butt off to make the weakest pitcher on the team tabbed as the starter and find every way possible to cripple my opponent. The Northern League received a huge black eye last season when the Kansas City T-Bones attempted to let XBox players call the shots during a game. We’re really amazed league officials and other owners allowed this travesty — it makes a joke of the game on the field.

UNC Charlotte to renovate ballpark for 2007 season
Posted June 16, 2006
The University of North Carolina Charlotte is renovating its current ballpark (Tom and Lib Phillips Field) and renaming the new ballpark Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium after Mariam Cannon Hayes, who donated $5.9 million toward the facility. The renovations, designed by Overcash Demmitt Architects, include an flag-pole-lined entrance from behind home plate, seating accommodations for over 1,000 people (including over 500 chair-back seats), a press box with radio and TV booths, major league-style in-ground dugouts, hospitality suites, concessions and restrooms. The ballpark will be equipped for television broadcasts and will be surrounded by brick columns and wrought iron fencing. Two aspects of the current ballpark — hillside seating and the picnic area along the right-field foul line — will be retained.

 

DuPuy meets with Marlins officials about new ballpark
Posted June 16, 2006
Major League Baseball COO Bob DuPuy was in South Florida on Thursday to meet with Marlins officials about the team’s ballpark efforts, according to a Miami Herald. Not much is happening on the Marlins ballpark front: a proposal to build a new ballpark in Hialeah is still an iffy proposition, as there’s a funding gap of at least $100 million (and probably more now that steel and concrete prices continue to rise) between what government officials can pay, what the Fish are offering and what the ballpark will actually cost. Miami-Dade County tax collector Ian Yorty has said it will be a while before it can be determined how much revenue can be raised from a property tax on a proposed Hialeah industrial park.

Ports’ suit: right down the foul line
Posted June 16, 2006
The grand jury report blasting Stockton officials for a lack of oversight on construction of Banner Island Ballpark for the Stockton Ports (Class A; California League) also suggests the Ports got a good deal on the lease, and columnist Michael Fitzgerald says the Ports are therefore wrong to sue the city over the ballpark. Fitzgerald may be nitpicking: it’s pretty clear the city didn’t keep up on its end of the deal when it came to the final product, as city officials scrapped plans for a second deck with luxury seating. (Plans were changed when city officials decided to make a play for a Class AAA Pacific Coast League team.) In addition, the city hasn’t sold naming rights, and Banner Island Ballpark was not completed on time. None of these facts are in dispute, so really the only question is over damages. Fitzgerald says the Ports are making money, so they should be happy. But that’s not the way contracts work in the real world, and some sort of settlement will be necessary. We’re guessing this gets settled out of court: the team probably doesn’t want to see its financial records made public in a lawsuit (and we’re guessing the folks in St. Pete don’t want to see that, either), and the city would probably want to cut its losses.

Instincts have made Finley a major dealer in the minors
Posted June 16, 2006
Joe Finley’s had a pretty good run in minor-league baseball: he’s been successful with two New Jersey franchises — the Trenton Thunder (Class AA; Eastern League) and the Lakewood BlueClaws (Class A; Sally League) — and he’s on the verge of his biggest deal: bringing a Class AAA International League team to a new ballpark in Allentown, Pa. He als was elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Minor League Baseball at the group’s annual spring meeting. (Thanks to John Cerone.)

Theme nights and giveaways
Posted June 16, 2006
The Philadelphia Inquirer lists the best giveaways of the minor-league season. You’ve read about most of them here, like the "Love Boat" giveaway from the St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association), the Bode Miller guaranteed loss night presented by the Hagerstown Suns (Class A; Sally League) and the plunger giveaway night presented by the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League).

Lake Elsinore Storm to give away Tom Cruise bobble-couch
Posted June 16, 2006
Here’s one promotion that should have been on the preceding list. One June 30 the Lake Elsinore Storm (Class A; California League) are giving away a Tom Cruise bobble-couch to the first 1,500 fans at the ballpark. As you’ll recall, Tom Cruise displayed his love for Katie Holmes by jumping down on a couch during the taping of a Oprah Winfrey interview. In addition, the Storm has planned several Tom Cruise-themed events and activities throughout the night. In tribute to the recent silent birth of TomKat baby Suri, there will be a completely "Silent Inning," where no batters will be announced, no music played, and the fans will be encouraged to "be silent and make all physical movements slow and understandable." Other planned activities will include a couch-jumping contest, a Scientology information and sign-up booth, as well as a look back at Cruise’s career in film and tabloids.

Sounds to give away TiVos on Father’s Day
Posted June 16, 2006
Here’s another promotion that should have been on the preceding list. The Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will salute fathers in the crowd on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium by distributing vouchers for a free TiVo unit to all dads that attend the team’s 6 p.m. game against the Oklahoma RedHawks. In addition, several fans will receive a TiVo unit along with a free service plan throughout the game as part of the promotion.

Royals respond to credentials flap
Posted June 16, 2006
The Kansas City Royals, responding to a rising tide of criticism, said Thursday the credentials of two radio reporters were revoked because of "decorum" and not because they asked difficult questions. "It is being widely reported that the Kansas City Royals revoked the 2006 season credentials of two radio reporters last week for asking tough questions. The Royals have never stated this as fact," said an unsigned blog on the team Web site. It’s probably not the best of idea to address a controversy on an unsigned blog; this won’t go away because of that.

Aces starter pulls double duty as exec
Posted June 16, 2006
Buddy Bengel wears two hats in the baseball world. He’s a pitcher for the Alexandria Aces (independent; United League Baseball), compiling a decent r