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Archives: Sept. 24-30, 2007

Archives: Sept. 24-30, 2007

DuPuy meets with Crist about new Fish ballpark, says MLB will make use of Dodgertown
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist met with MLB COO Bob DuPuiy to promote the state’s sports and was told Dodgertown will be preserved and the Marlins should stay in South Florida. Major League Baseball will seek a way to keep using Dodgertown, the beloved 59-year-old spring training site in Vero Beach, Fla., that the Los Angeles Dodgers plan to leave next year, said Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer.  He said baseball is considering ideas for the park, or another team may move there. Indian River County officials are telling locals that they are in negotiations with a single MLB team to move spring operations to Dodgertown in 2009 once the Dodgers move to Arizona; we’re a little skeptical about the seriousness of the negotiations, though Dodgertown would serve as a nice backup facility should the Reds or the Orioles fail in their attempts to land new spring-training facilities.

Scoreboard will be dominant at new Allentown park
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA; International League) unveiled plans for what they call the new ballpark’s "signature piece," a 9 1/2-story high scoreboard that will feature one of the largest video boards in minor-league baseball. Topping the 95-foot board will be a giant Coca-Cola bottle which will spout fireworks after IronPigs’ home runs. The centerpiece of the scoreboard is the 20×50-foot LED high-definition video board. At 1,000 square feet, it will be nearly double the size of the 15×35-foot board (525 square feet) at Reading’s FirstEnergy Stadium, and more than triple the size of the board at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s PNC Field (15×22, 330 square feet). In addition to videos such as player introductions and promotions, the board will have the capability to use feeds from the team’s own cameras as well as tap into the feed from Service Electric broadcasts to run replays and highlights. The photo below is taking from the grandstand; the new scoreboard framing is to the right.

Metro and parking problems at new Nationals ballpark
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Washington Nationals and D.C. officials are working to get past transportation snags that could make getting to the new ballpark troublesome. The $611 million ballpark itself is on schedule to open in April, but problems with parking and public transit could keep fans from getting there. Officials say the renovation of the Navy yard Metro station is behind schedule and a fight between developers over land near the ballpark could add to delays.  

Pro baseball back in Dubuque?
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Joe Chlapaty, a minority investor in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and a graduate of the University of Dubuque, says he’s interested in bringing pro baseball back to the city to a new privately financed ballpark in the Port of Dubuque area. The target for Chlapaty would be the Beloit Snappers (Low Class A: Midwest League); the talk in minor-league circles is that the ownership group led by Dennis Connerton is ready to throw in the towel after unsuccessful efforts to land a new ballpark in the Beloit market. This isn’t the first time in recent years someone has eyed the Dubuque market: Michael Gartner, then owner of the Michigan Battle Cats (Low Class A; Midwest League), made a plea for a publicly funded ballpark, but voters rejected the plan via referendum. More from the Telegraph Herald.

The Detroit Tigers are roaring again
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Detroit Tigers have become a hot ticket, not to mention a real turnaround story in a town hungry for comebacks. The team’s resurrection isn’t just on the field, either. Not only is attendance up, but almost every patch of advertising space in the stadium is sold out. Owner Michael Ilitch says he made money for the first time last year since he bought the franchise in 1992. One reason is that making it to the World Series last year helped double season ticket sales, to more than 19,000 seats. Still, says Ilitch in a rare interview: "Building baseball was tough for me. It’s an expensive sport. You lose a lot of money."

UA Athletics skittish about skyboxes, Naturals
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
We’re not sure to what extent the University of Arkansas is worried about the impending presence of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Class AA; Texas League); the team’s entry into the local market will surely have some sort of impact, but it’s a little too early to make any sort of definitive judgment, and the local business publication may be jumping to conclusions. Here’s the deal: UA does a pretty good job of selling luxury suites at Baum Stadium, Reynolds Razorback Stadium and Bud Walton Arena, and the concern is that folks would rather buy luxury suites at Naturals games. To some degree it may be an either/or decision for a smaller business, but it sounds like the larger companies are looking to lease suites at multiple venues.

‘Go Cubs Go’ — An anthem reborn at Wrigley Field
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The late Steve Goodman occupies a special place in the hearts of Cubs fans, penning the immortal "Go Cubs Go," played at Wrigley Field after a Cubs win. Goodman, a Northwest Side native who began regularly attending Cub games when he was 8, recorded "Go Cubs Go" in advance of the 1984 season, just months before he died of leukemia at 36. Among the backup vocalists on the refrain are former players Gary Matthews, Thad Bosley, Jay Johnstone, Jody Davis and Keith Moreland — dubbed "The Chicago Cubs Chorus" on the label. He also wrote a song Dallas Green hated: "A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request," about dropping a "routine fly" at the "ivy-covered burial ground." Goodman knew he was ill in 1981 when he wrote "Dying Cub Fan," a wry, bluesy salute to perpetual failure at Clark and Addison, though he always insisted it wasn’t autobiographical.

Is PNC Field debt-free? Sides disagree
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The original debt incurred to pay for the construction of PNC Field, the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) is now gone. And that means the ballpark, which helped bring minor-league baseball back to Northeastern Pennsylvania, officially belongs to the stadium authority. County officials stood behind home plate Wednesday and burned a poster-size copy of the July 10 letter that asked for the last bond payment. They viewed it as the equivalent of burning a paid-off mortgage. But that doesn’t mean the stadium authority is debt-free: he authority owes Lackawanna County $13 million, money the county has advanced since 2002 to cover debt payments, health insurance premiums and the construction of a new clubhouse and left-field party deck. Critics say it hasn’t been determined how the stadium authority will repay the county.

Keys enjoy ‘great year’ under new ownership
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Frederick Keys (High Class A; Class-A team, an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, welcomed an attendance spike this year that team officials are attributing to field upgrades, including new sand-based sod and new ownership. They said the new sod drew more major league players rehabilitating from injuries, which in turn attracted more fans. And investments from the team’s new owner are also fostering the growth, they say. Maryland Baseball Holding LLC, led by Ken Young, purchased the Keys in November from Comcast-Spectacor, with the intent to contribute to a $5.1 million renovation package for Harry Grove Stadium. With help from the state and city of Frederick, new reserve seating and field upgrades were complete before the season.

Wuerfel Park to sport Sport Turf
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Wuerfel Sports Development President/CEO, John Wuerfel, announced today the company has signed with GeneralSports Venue of Rochester (Mich.) to install GameDay XPe turf at Wuerfel Park, home of the Traverse City Beach Bums (independent; Frontier League). "We knew before the end of the regular season we were going to make the move to a sports turf field." said Wuerfel, "We just had to find the right product and the right company for our park." Work began on the field on September 11th when the red infield and warning tracks were bulldozed up and briefly stockpiled before being trucked to their new homes. The red was donated to two area high schools, Glen Lake and Leelanau St. Mary’s. The playing field has been lowered eight inches and compacted. Six inches of packed gravel will be hauled in to serve as a base and the GameDay XPe turf will bring the field back up to its original height.

A’s played last KC game 40 years ago
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Forty years ago tonight, a young Jim Hunter — the fans called him Catfish –was in the zone. Bottom of the ninth, two outs. The frustrated White Sox had managed just three hits and no runs. Was it heat? A change-up? Whatever: Chicago first baseman Tom McCraw liked what he saw and took a hack at Hunter’s offering. Pop-up, foul territory. The game, second of a doubleheader at Municipal Stadium, 22nd and Brooklyn, was over. So was the tenure of the Kansas City Athletics, as owner Charlie O’Finley moved the team to Oakland the following season.

Ballpark Notes
Posted Sept. 27, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Tony Arnerich is returning as manager of the St. Cloud River Bats (summer collegiate; Northwoods League). A former player with the Bats, Arnerich stepped into a bad situation with the R-Bats in 2006 and led the team to the Northwoods League crown this season….Matt Hoffmaster (Client Relationship Manager/Merchandise) and Adam Lanzendorfer (Client Relationship Manager) have accepted full-time positions on the front-office staff of the Reading Phillies (Class AA; Eastern League). Both were interns with the club this past season. Hoffmaster graduated from Slippery Rock University with a B.S. in Sport Management this year. He interned with the Reading Phillies during his sophomore, junior and senior years at Slippery Rock. Lanzendorfer graduated from Lock Haven University in 2006 with a B.S. in Sport Administration. With the R-Phils he’ll be involved in sponsorship sales, the Learning with Baseball school program and the team’s speakers bureau….Brian Murphy will not return as the manager of the Battle Creek Bombers (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) next season. Murphy, who is in his third season as an assistant coach at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI, led the Bombers in their inaugural season in 2007….Ripper Hatch joins the Sacramento River Cats (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) as Vice President of Ticket Sales. In this role, Hatch will oversee all functions related to the sale of tickets for River Cats baseball and all other events at Raley Field. As a result of the addition of Hatch, longtime River Cats’ executive staff member Andy Fiske‘s role will change to Vice President of Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, Fiske will oversee all marketing, advertising and promotions for the River Cats and Raley Field

Champaign-Urbana baseball franchise in works
Posted Sept. 26, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Matt Perry, chief executive officer of Denver-based National Sports Services, is working to bring an independent Frontier League team to Champaign-Urbana’s Illinois Field, the home of the University of Illinois. The venture is tied to plans by Perry’s group for an extensive renovation of Illinois Field by the time the proposed team begins play, most likely in 2009. Steven Edelson, managing director of Northbrook-based International Facilities Group, would be the principal owner of the franchise. IFG has been involved in the development of numerous sports stadiums and arenas, including U.S. Cellular Field and the United Center in Chicago. the renovation would include a new seating bowl with seating capacity of 3,000 to 4,000; group suites; administrative office space; a new clubhouse or expansion of the current one; hospitality areas; additional restrooms; new ticket windows and additional food and concessions facilities; and a kids play area. The big issue: beer cannot be sold at the facility, and it would take an act by the state legislature to overturn that law. The folks in Bloomington-Normal who want to bring an independent Frontier League team to Heartland Community College say this boosts their chances of succeeding. More from the Springfield Journal-Register. More from the Belleville News-Democrat.

Come opening day, no mud for these ‘Pigs
Posted Sept. 26, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
As Coca-Cola Park, the future home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA; International League), takes shape around him in an operatic cacophony of pneumatic hammers, power saws and bulldozers, Bill Butler has grass on his mind: Kentucky bluegrass, to be exact, enough to cover 80,000 square feet of infield and outfield. Butler’s worked for a number of minor-league teams as groundskeeper — the Bowie Baysox (Class AA; Eastern League), Myrtle Beach Pelicans (High Class A; Carolina League) and Lakewood BlueClaws (Low Class A; Sally League) — and should have a fun time building the field from scratch. Speaking of Coca-Cola Park: we toured the ballpark recently and will be posting an account shortly. Meanwhile, the photo below should give you a little appetite for seeing the new ballpark when it opens next season. Here’s the grandstand; if you look at field level you can see the unique dugout suites planned for behind home plate.