Archives: Oct. 8-14, 2006
New Nats ballpark construction on schedule for 2008 opening
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
District of Columbia officials declared construction of the new Washington Nationals ballpark near the Anacostia River in Southeast is moving expeditiously, even as city leaders and the team are running out of time to build parking garages. At the construction site, the lower seating level of the 41,000-seat ballpark is visibly taking shape. Workers from the construction team of Clark, Hunt and Smoot companies had set most of the 2,400 concrete piles 50 feet into the ground to provide the structural foundation. More from the Washington Times, the Washington Post and AP.
Northwoods League expands to Green Bay, Battle Creek
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
The summer-collegiate Northwoods League officially expanded to Green Bay’s Joannes Field and Battle Creek’s C.O. Brown Stadium for the 2007 season, bringing the league to 14 teams. Royle Publications, a publisher and printer in Wisconsin with plenty of Titletown ties, will own and operate the Green Bay team. No word on the owners of the Battle Creek team; league officials say they’ll run the team if they must, but there are meetings set up next week in New York with interested investors who have experience owning and operating Class AA Eastern League teams. One interesting twist: the league has looked at transporting players via van on the Lake Express ferry service between Milwaukee and Muskegon across Lake Michigan. The folks in Battle Creek are pretty pleased with the idea of a team replacing the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (Low Class A; Midwest League) next season. More from the La Crosse Tribune.
A’s expect short-term Coliseum lease deal
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
A lease extension to keep the Athletics in Oakland until they find a site on which to build a new ballpark should be approved today by the team’s landlord. The extension would guarantee $2.8 million to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority and include incentives aimed at keeping the team in Alameda County. If the authority approves it, the deal will keep the A’s as a tenant at McAfee Coliseum through the 2010 baseball season. It also gives the team three, one-year options that could extend the As stay in Oakland through 2013. Should the team stay until 2013, the authority will make an additional $3 million in rent payments. In return, the A’s will keep control of concessions for all events at McAfee Coliseum, including Oakland Raiders games. The deal allows the A’s to cancel the lease without penalties if the team leaves to use another baseball facility in Alameda County. More from the Contra Costa Times. More on the potential move of the team to a new ballpark in nearby Fremont.
Snappers, fairgrounds deal proposed
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
A new ballpark for the Beloit Snappers (Low Class A; Midwest League) has reached the proposal stage, as a plan has been presented to the Rock County Board. Bill Watson of Mulder Dairy Farms is offering three pieces of land totaling 346 acres located near the Highway 11/Interstate-90 ramp in return for the 421 acres of Rock County farm land on the north side of Janesville. In addition to a new ballpark, the land would be used for a new Rock County fairgrounds, according to the proposal. Local contributors have already offered $7 million toward a new ballpark for the Snappers, who play in antiquated Pohlman Field. More from the Janesville Gazette.
Experts blow hot, cold on ways to heat new Twins ballpark
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
With the Detroit Tigers poised to host the Oakland A’s in the ALCS on a night when temperatures are expected to be on the chilly side, the question in Minnesota is how a new Twins ballpark would address fan comfort on a similarly chilly night in downtown Minneapolis. As there’s no roof planned, the new ballpark is expected to address the issue in some manner. Many in the Twin Cities advocate piping hot water from an adjoining garbage burner to generate ambient heat throughout the seating area; there are some engineering issues involved (indeed, early in the design process HOK architects told the Twins it wasn’t possible, but the Twins persisted in pushing the question), but it’s a relatively straightforward process. Piping in hot water would also be a factor in the Twins seeking LEED certification for the new ballpark. One other possibility is the installation of heated seats, but the Twins don’t seem interested in that technology.
Board reports weighing new ballpark proposals
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
The Sonoma-Marin Fair may invite other offers for a minor league ballpark after a proposal from a New York investor fell through. The fair has been approached by "numerous parties" interested in pursuing a baseball deal, board member Brian Sobel said Wednesday. "I can’t identify them, but I can tell you they are legitimate," Sobel said. "They are people who are in the business currently or who have the expertise to put together a viable plan." Merritt Paulson had proposed bringing in a High Class A California League team to a new ballpark on the fairgrounds; Paulson would have privately financed the ballpark if the fair had provided the land.
In memoriam: Cory Lidle
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle was killed Wednesday when the small aircraft he was in crashed into an apartment building on the east side of Manhattan. The National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday that one of the two men in the plane, which was owned by the Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, had indicated he intended to fly up the East River, turn around and head south again. The statement was the first official indication that the crash, which killed Lidle, 34, and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, 26, may have been part of a botched, low-altitude U-turn. Lidle ended the season with the Yankees after coming over in a midseason trade with the Philadelphia Phillies; he also played for the Mets, Tampa Bay, Oakland, Toronto and Cincinnati.
Two more pitch in on new Cobb Field
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
Two Billings-based businesses turned a double play worth $1 million Wednesday with the announcement of $500,000 donations each to replace Cobb Field, the home of the Billings Mustangs (rookie; Pioneer League). First Interstate Bank and Wendy’s of Montana presented ceremonial checks made out to "The citizens of Billings." The pledges reduce the bonding needed to build the new baseball park to $10.5 million. The donations come on the heels of a $1 million pledge by Jon Dehler, a local businessman, on Oct. 3. Billings voters have been asked to approve general obligation bonding up to $12.5 million to replace Cobb Field. The issue is on the Nov. 7 ballot.
ChiSox adding club level to U.S. Cellular Field
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
The Chicago White Sox are converting the press box on the mezzanine level of U.S. Cellular Field into a new club lounge featuring 220 premium seats, with a lounge and restaurant-type food service. The new seating area will retain the movable windows of the press box. The seats will cost $250 each and will be available only in a full season-ticket plan. The press box will move to the second-tier mezzanine level on the fourth floor of the stadium along the first-base side. The radio and TV broadcast booths on the third level, above the current press box, will remain in their present site.
Ballpark could add up to tax home run
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
For local schools and government, State College Spikes (short season; NY-Penn League) baseball could yield a significant amount in annual revenue. But the Centre County tax office won’t know how much until Penn State identifies the details of lease agreements at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. County officials aren’t sure exactly who owns the ballpark itself, which sits on Penn State property. The university, which considers itself tax exempt, did not have an immediate response to Exarchos’ statements or the overall issue. Under an in-lieu-of-tax agreement with the county, Penn State is required to collect special payments from commercial ventures that lease university property. The payments, which Penn State sends to the county, are based on local tax rates.
A new ballpark isn’t always a blueprint for success
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
Evan Weiner builds up a straw man and then (predictably) proceeds to knock it down. The premise here is that building a winning baseball team isn’t predicated on a team playing in a new ballpark, noting that five of the eight teams in the playoffs play in older ballparks (Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Shea Stadium, McAfee Coliseum and Metrodome). Four of the five are slated for replacement between now and 2010, with only Dodger Stadium slated to remain. He’s absolutely right that smart management fuels winning ballclubs; what he fails to note is that in Minnesota and New York there are wealthy owners willing to subsidize money-losing operations, and he’s also a little wrong to suggest that the Yankees and Mets win because of smart management — they win purely because they have the financial wherewithal to buy the better players.
Making sense of new Baton Rouge ballpark
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
There’s been talk of a new Baton Rouge ballpark and Class AA team for a few years now; Nolan Ryan as well as at least two other baseball ownership outfits have checked out the market and talked some with locals. The model being used by Baton Rouge leaders is Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the Durham Bulls (Class AAA; International League), where Bulls officials say $500 million in local investment can be traced to the construction of the ballpark. One looming issue: whether a minor-league team can share a renovated Alex Box Stadium with LSU. We’re guessing not.
Council to vote on Dodd Stadium improvements
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
The Norwich City Council will vote Monday to spend $84,000 left from a city bond for upgrades to Dodd Stadium, the home of the Connecticut Defenders (Class AA; Eastern League). The city’s lease with the Connecticut Defenders had called for the city to tear out and replant the grass in the playing field, but that project has been postponed for a year to accommodate ESPN’s filming at Dodd of "The Bronx is Burning," an eight-part mini-series on the New York Yankees and the summer of 1977. Team officials, however, asked the city to address the poor drainage along the outfield and foul territory warning track before winter. Among the improvements: improvement of the existing lighting system and replacement of carpeting in clubhouses.
Sneak peek at the Travs’ new home
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
Hundreds of people packed into Dickey-Stephens Park, the new home of the Arkansas Travelers (Class AA; Texas League), Thursday night giving a feel for what the new ballpark will look like on game day. There’s still plenty of construction to be done, but the ballpark is taking shape. Travelers General Manager Bill Valentine was one of the first in line to sign his name to a beam in the ballpark. He says there are a lot of new features at the ballpark including a wide open promenade with plenty of room for fans to move about.
Struever mulling ballpark-area changes in Nashville
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
The mixed-use development slated to accompany the Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) planned downtown ballpark may get a makeover. Baltimore firm Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse is making plans for a mixed-use project near the proposed ballpark at the former site of the Nashville Thermal Transfer Plant. At a luncheon Thursday, Struever’s local development director, Michael Hayes, said his company is considering lowering the number of condominiums around the ballpark while beefing up the amount of office space. Hayes emphasized that the potential changes have not gained city approval and are still preliminary.
Ballpark takes over management of grill
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
The West Virginia Power (Low Class A; Sally league) and the Power Alley Grill are now on the same team. The 6-month-old restaurant was opened under the guidance of chef Robert Wong. Now the restaurant will be under the ballpark’s management, said Power General Manager Andy Milovich. The change in management wasn’t unexpected, Milovich said. Because the ballpark needed to open the restaurant in such a short time, Wong was brought into help, he said. His help and management were only temporary and most patrons didn’t even realize that the Power Alley Grill wasn’t under ballpark management, he said.
Ballpark Notes
Posted Oct. 13, 2006
The Rochester Honkers (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) announced that Jake Poepl and Reggie Grams have joined the front office for the 2007 season. Poepl, 27, has been the voice of the Rochester Honkers since 2005, calling all home and road games on AM 1520, The Ticket. Poepl’s off-season duties will focus on sales, marketing, promotions and media relations. During the season, he will continue to be the voice of the Honkers calling all home and road games. Grams, 22, joins the Honkers after spending a summer with the Brainerd Blue Thunder (summer collegiate; Northwoods League). He was responsible for game day operations, concession management and group sales….The Long Island Ducks (independent; Atlantic League) announced that general manager Michael Hirsch has resigned to pursue career opportunities outside the sports industry. The team also announced the elevation of assistant general manager Michael Pfaff to interim general manager and the appointment of Doug Cohen to the position of assistant general manager/Senior VP of Sales….Steve Yaros, GM of the Delmarva Shorebirds (Low Class A; Sally League), has left to join the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) as vice president of marketing….There are a few changes in the Los Angeles Dodgers front office. Roy Smith, vice president of scouting and player development, resigned on Friday to pursue other opportunities. And last week farm director Terry Collins resigned to sign a three-year deal to manage the Orix Buffaloes in Japan….
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A’s would have to ditch tarps in World Series
Posted Oct. 11, 2006
Though the Oakland Athletics didn’t show a lot of World Series flash last night in a 5-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, A’s President Michael Crowley said Tuesday that baseball’s commissioner, Bud Selig, told the team to remove the coverings should the team make it to the World Series. The tarps were put in place at the start of this season, and removing them would increase McAfee Coliseum’s capacity to about 47,000 should the A’s get past Detroit and face either the New York Mets or St. Louis Cardinals, Crowley said. That figure includes standing-room-only and would be roughly 11,400 more than the crowd expected inside McAfee Coliseum for each game of the sold-out American League championship series against Detroit.
A’s could move away
Posted Oct. 11, 2006
As the Oakland Athletics entertain the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, columnist Mark Purdy contemplates the potential for the A’s to move to a new ballpark in Fremont. The argument here is the San Francisco Giants should be concerned about the team’s move to Fremont, which will make it a de facto Silicon Valley team (in fact, the hot rumor is that the team will be renamed the San Jose A’s, even though San Jose proper is Giants territory and the team won’t be playing in San Jose); the smarter course for the Giants would have been to come sort of financial deal with the A’s and allow them to play in San Jose. Oakland officials, meanwhile, downplay the possibility of the A’s moving, even though there’s no effort among city leaders to keep the team. The Mercury News, on the other hand, comes out in favor of a Fremont ballpark.
Buyers balk at A’s tickets
Posted Oct. 11, 2006
Boo hoo. A flood of A’s tickets on Craigslist, StubHub.com and elsewhere left online sellers, ticket brokers and stadium scalpers grumbling Tuesday, some of them nonplussed by the weak demand for a major sporting event. Online brokers said they could barely unload many lower-priced tickets at face value. At McAfee Coliseum before the game, scalpers made half-hearted attempts to sell tickets at exorbitant prices before retreating to face value or lower and pleading for offers.
Ballpark plans strike out, but some hold hope
Posted Oct. 11, 2006
A baseball investor and the Sonoma-Marin Fair have parted ways after negotiations to build a minor-league ballpark at the fairgrounds fell apart. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of baseball in or near Petaluma, some said. Fair officials say they could have lost $260,000 a year on the ballpark — a figure that’s a little hard to swallow, considering Merritt Paulson said he’s build the ballpark and buy a High Class A California League team. Paulson says he’ll continue to look for land in the Petaluma area; other elected officials are urging the fair board to rethink their decision to drop the baseball plan.
Angels release spring-training schedule
Posted Oct. 11, 2006
It’s never too early to plan your spring-training trips. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are first out of the gate with a tentative 2007 schedule, with games beginning March 1 and ending on April 1. For those keeping track at home, that means pitchers and catchers should begin reporting on Feb. 15 or so. We also have partial schedules for several other teams; check out the schedule pages on Spring Training Online for more details.
White Sox have new start time: 7-Eleven
Posted Oct. 11, 2006
The Chicago White Sox are changing the start time for evening games at U.S. Cellular Field to 7:11 as part of a sponsorship deal with convenience-store chain 7-Eleven; the firm is paying an average of a half-million dollars a year to be the name behind the time. The shift to 7:11 at U.S. Cellular Field was not envisioned when the team and 7-Eleven were working on the details of a sponsorship deal that would have kept the starting times at 7:05 and 7:35. But team executives said that 7-Eleven wanted a new wrinkle to the more traditional sponsorship they were working on, which includes 25,000 giveaway coupons at each game. Why the need for such a large sponsorship deal? 7-Eleven purchased the White Hen chain of convenience stores..
Musburger urges support for Cobb Field replacement
Posted Oct. 11, 2006
National sportscaster and Billings native Brent Musburger endorsed the project to rebuild Cobb Field, the home of the Billings Mustangs (rookie; Pioneer League) when he spoke to the annual meeting of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce Tuesday. When friends from his Billings childhood called to invite him, Musburger said he didn’t initially know the issue was on the November ballot. However, in negotiating his trip to Billings, he heard about the ballot initiative to raise $12.5 million in bonds to build another ballpark for the Billings Mustangs and the American Legion Royals and Scarlets.
New Marion Frontier League team makes personnel announcements
Posted Oct. 11, 2006
The Southern Illinois Baseball Group (SIBG), owners of the new independent Frontier League team slated to play in Marion, introduced its inaugural leadership team to the area and its fans yesterday. Included in that group were Erik Haag and Tim Arseneau, the team’s first general manager. Haag, who has eighteen years experience in the professional sports industry, has been hired by the Simmons family to oversee their sports businesses, including the startup of the new team in Marion and a basketball training aid company, Perfect Jumper. Prior to his new role with the Simmons, Haag was Executive Vice President of Palisades Baseball, overseeing all three of Palisades’ minor league franchises. Throughout his career Haag has overseen four startup teams, including the Marion franchise.
The team’s inaugural GM, Tim Arseneau, comes to the area from South Bend, where he served as the general manager of the South Bend Silver Hawks (Low Class A; Midwest League). Arseneau brings eleven years of experience in Minor League Baseball, including management stints with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (short season; NY-Penn League), the West Virginia Power (Low Class A; Sally League), the Clearwater Thrashers (High Class A; Florida State League) and the Madison Black Wolf (independent; Northern League).