Archives: Oct. 1-7, 2007
Royals hold groundbreaking for Kauffman Stadium renovations
Posted Oct. 4, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Kansas City Royals held a bash yesterday to formally mark the beginning of renovations at Kauffman Stadium, which will run through the start of the 2009 season. The centerpiece of this 2007-2008 renovations: a new scoreboard from Daktronics that officials say will be the largest in any sporting venue — the color display will be 106 feet by 85 feet and a new crown will be larger than the current crown scoreboard. (To see how the current crown scoreboard looks, see the account of our most recent visit to Kauffman Stadium.) Other changes slated for this offseason include more premium seating behind the plate and near the dugouts; the removal of circular ramps, and better access to the field-level concourse with cutouts in the stands. The total cost of the renovation is $250 million; the Royals are paying $25 million and are responsible for any cost overruns. More from the Kansas City Star.
Ypsilanti ballpark moves closer to reality
Posted Oct. 4, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
A group of Ypsilanti (Mich.) residents eyeing the stalled Water Street Project for a minor-league ballpark are taking steps to see the idea turn into reality. A committee has created a rough sketch of the plan for a privately financed ballpark and a surrounding community. Using about 16 acres, the stadium would seat 6,000 to 7,500 people and would feature an outdoor market in front of the entrance. Light residential and commercial use would be located north of the ballpark, with storefronts along Michigan Avenue and loft apartments overlooking the ballpark. A proposed hotel would be located to the south of the ballpark, again featuring rooms with a view of the ball game.
Taxpayers footing bill for Yankees’ lavish spending, group says
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The New York Yankees submitted lavish expenses to the city as planning costs for their new ballpark, a watchdog group said. The group, Good Jobs New York, accused Yankees officials of turning in to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation receipts for 2005 for expenses including crystal baseballs, post-season bar tabs, wool baseball caps and gifts for corporate clients. The group’s project director, Bettina Damiani, called on the city comptroller to conduct an audit to make sure Yankees officials weren’t submitting receipts unrelated to planning for the new ballpark. Under the original deal, the Yankees were allowed to deduct up to $5 million a year on planning costs for the new ballpark for five years for rent payments to the city. Yankees spokeswoman Alice McGillion said Wednesday that invoices to which Good Jobs referred were never for rent credits. A more acerbic take comes from the New York Post.
Sounds’ suit says bank wrongly took funds
Posted Oct. 4, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) franchise is suing First Tennessee Bank, claiming the bank had no right to yank more than $200,000 from its account in a dispute over the team’s failed bid for a downtown ballpark. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Davidson County Circuit Court, asks that the team be awarded at least $1 million in punitive damages and at least $250,000 in compensatory damages. The Sounds claim the bank wrongfully took $212,000 from the team’s First Tennessee checking account July 5. The bank had been hired as an adviser to help obtain financing for a new baseball stadium on the downtown riverfront, and it was demanding legal fees and a fee for putting together financing, the complaint said. Meanwhile, we continue to hear that suburban Franklin is interested in hosting a new Sounds ballpark.
Jocketty steps down as Cardinals GM
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Bill DeWitt Jr., chairman of the board and general partner of the St. Louis Cardinals, announced that the team is parting ways with senior vice president and general manager Walt Jocketty. "Walt will be remembered as the Cardinals’ GM during one of the most successful and memorable periods in team history, and we will always be extremely grateful for his contributions to our many triumphs over the past 13 seasons," DeWitt said. "It is now time to move forward with an undivided vision and purpose that is consistent with the St. Louis Cardinals philosophy of building and operating the best top-to-bottom organization in baseball." DeWitt today named John Mozeliak as interim general manager. Mozeliak recently completed his fifth season as the Cardinals assistant general manager. The Cards say they’ll be interviewing candidates for the position. What will be interesting is if Tony LaRussa sticks around as well. Rumors have him — and possibly Jocketty — heading to the Pacific Northwest to run the Seattle Mariners.
Cracker-Cats, Vipers ponder shift to GBL
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The independent Northern League opens meetings today in Minneapolis amid rumors its two Alberta franchises want out. The Edmonton Cracker-Cats and Calgary Vipers are seriously considering a jump to the California-based Golden League for next season, according to the Edmonton Sun. Vipers ownership expressed an interest in making the move at the end of the season, and Cracker-Cats owner Dan Orlich is apparently willing to follow suit. "I would be shocked and he (Orlich) would be making the mistake of his life," said Northern League Commissioner Clark Griffith. "But are we going to operate a league where people threaten us all the time? Absolutely not. Let’s see what he does. I’ll see him in the morning." We’re not quite sure what the two Alberta leagues would gain by a switch, past a change in scenery: their $50,000/year travel stipend was waived by the league earlier this year, and it’s not as though northern California is that much closer than Winnipeg or Fargo-Moorhead, unless the Canadian owners think the GBL is likely to expand in the future into Oregon, Washington State or British Columbia.
Renovation work on Duncan Park Stadium to begin
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Spartanburg School District 7 and city leaders will have a memorandum of understanding finalized soon that will allow work to begin on the field at historic Duncan Park Stadium so student athletes can use it next spring. The district and city will likely share the estimated $3 million it will cost to completely renovate the ballpark. The city will use hospitality taxes to finance its portion. Some fundraising to finance the renovations would be done, as well. Architect Donnie Love, who specializes in historic preservation for McMillan Smith and Partners, plans to preserve the historic characteristics of the ballpark while bringing it back to top condition. The stadium will have to be completely renovated, with extensive work planned for the plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems, and heating and air conditioning. Also planned are new siding, new locker rooms and shower facilities, reconstructing the dugouts and changes to the building code. That the venerable old facility — which opened in 1926 and was the longtime home of minor-league baseball in Spartanburg — will be rebuilt is a tribute to the many volunteers who refused to let an old ballpark die.
Price not set for likely shuttle from RFK
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Washington Nationals fans likely will be able to park near RFK Stadium and take a shuttle to the team’s new ballpark next year, but it’s still unclear how much they will be charged. The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, which has oversight of the RFK Stadium lots, will allow fans to park near RFK Stadium but has asked the team to pay as much as $5 a spot for the rights on game days. The sports commission has offered to provide 1,000 spaces for free, while charging the team $5 a space for 2,500 additional spaces. The team, however, has argued against the $5 a space charge because it likely already will incur costs by operating the shuttle service. The Nationals and the city have been scrambling to identify thousands of parking spaces in anticipation of Opening Day.
Proposed sale a great opportunity for Jaxx
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The local newspaper says the sale of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Class AA; Southern League) is a great opportunity for Jackson, Tenn. to retain baseball. We agree that it’s a great opportunity, but it will be a great opportunity for whatever city lands the Diamond Jaxx in 2009 or beyond, because we’re convinced the team will be on the move. As well it should be: the team is well-run and did all the right things this past season and still suffered at the box office. You can do all the right things and fail; that seems to be what happened at Pringles Park.
Aviators grounded?
Posted Oct. 4, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The future of the Coastal Bend Aviators (independent; American Association) under the current ownership looks bleak, though no formal announcement has been made as to whether the team will play at Robstown’s Fairgrounds Field next season. Nueces County still is trying to collect $20,000 from the American Association baseball team for rent this past season. The club has laid off employees, and the main Aviators phone number was disconnected Wednesday. Calls to General Manager Bob Flanagan’s cell phone went to a message that it was not receiving calls. The team’s manager, John Harris, said he has not been told anything about the club’s future. According to league commissioner Miles Wolff, owner Horn Chen is deciding whether to field a team next season — but the phone disconnection certainly is a sign of where he’s headed.
Under new owner, the Bowie Baysox pull them in
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The Bowie Baysox (Class AA; Eastern League) may not have had the most successful of seasons on the field, but an eclectic variety of promotions — including a bad breath competition — drew more than a quarter-million fans to Prince George’s Stadium this year. The Baysox, despite finishing fourth in the Eastern League’s Southern Division with a record of 72-68, drew 287,000 fans this season, up almost 2,000 from 2006, meeting expectations for the Class AA team.
Despite bank sale, Patriots park name likely to remain same
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The name is expected to remain the same at Commerce Bank Ballpark, home of the Somerset Patriots (independent; Atlantic League), as ownership said its Bridgewater ballpark will keep its identity for the foreseeable future, even though Commerce Bank was sold Tuesday to Toronto-based TD Bank Financial Group. Commerce Bank agreed to pay the team $3.55 million within the next 15 years for the right to display its name and brand on the 6,100-seat ballpark.
Playoffs launch; TBS officials should be pleased
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This is the first season where TBS is broadcasting postseason games, and officials there should be pleased as punch with the launch of the playoffs last night, especially when it came to the markets represented. Going by 2006 Census figures, five of the six largest U.S. cities have teams in the playoffs; going by TV DMAs all eight teams are in the top 18 markets, with the top five spots directly represented. If TBS can’t make ratings hay out of those kinds of numbers there’s something seriously wrong with baseball and the type of fans attracted to the game. One thing we didn’t see a lot of on yesterday’s TBS broadcasts: the "superfans" who bring color and life to the ballpark. This Christian Science Monitor article details superfans Ronnie "Woo Woo" Wickers (Wrigley Field), Freddy Schuman (Yankee Stadium), Charlie Gifford (Fenway Park) and John Adams (Jacobs Field), drummer extraordinaire, who will be throwing out the first pitch at the Indians/Yankees matchup. Can’t say we were altogether thrilled with the TBS broadcasts in general: it would have been nice to see more baseball people in general (and no, we don’t count Dick Stockton as a baseball person) and heard some more stories about the players and the game.
Oxford agrees to $200K annually for Ole Miss ballpark expansion
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The city of Oxford has agreed to provide $200,000 annually to the University of Mississippi to help with renovations at the Rebels’ ballpark. The city has been making payments on a 1988 bond issue that financed work at Oxford-University Stadium. That money came from the city’s 2 percent food and beverage tax approved by the Legislature. Oxford will make the final payment on the bond issue this year. The city had previously agreed to continue the support for the baseball park. However, Ole Miss Athletic Director Pete Boone recently asked the city to consider borrowing $3 million in a lump sum so the university could get the money sooner.
Schools vote for override of NCAA baseball rules
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Thirty NCAA Division I schools have submitted votes requesting an override of a portion of the recent legislation affecting college baseball, the total necessary to force the Division I Board of Directors to review the rule, according to The NCAA News. The override campaign has been championed by Mississippi State coach Ron Polk. A longtime critic of the NCAA, Polk mailed an 18-page letter to 1,421 influential people last month with the hope of educating them about the impact of the new rules. At the Board of Directors’ Nov. 1 meeting, the board can do one of three things: accept the override and rescind the legislation; take no additional action; or revise the proposal.
Lexington scraps plan for VBL team
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Jim Crothers was so close to putting a Valley Baseball League team in Lexington that he gave his unborn squad a name and a Web site. But Crothers’ dream and the VBL’s plan of adding a 12th team will have to wait at least another year because the field the franchise hoped to use won’t have lights this summer. Crothers, who would have been president of the Rockbridge Rapids, said Wednesday that he and his ownership group this month withdrew a proposal to join the VBL because Washington & Lee University decided not to install lights at Captain Smith Field. VBL officials and owners say they’ve been hearing requests from Major League Baseball, which helps fund the VBL, to add more teams so scouts could watch more players in a concentrated area.
Ballpark Notes
Posted Oct. 4, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Melissa McCants, a native Charlestonian who possesses 13 years of professional baseball administrative experience – all with Charleston clubs – has been promoted to Director of Special Events for the Charleston RiverDogs (Low Class A; Sally League). She previously served as the RiverDogs’ assistant director of special events while operating a multi-city, web-based company that consolidates deals, events and classifieds. McCants replaces Mimi Wilborn who, with her husband, is moving to Augusta, Ga…..
Rays to unveil new name, logo, unis next month
Posted Oct. 3, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays will announce their new name (Tampa Bay Rays, though this has been a foregone conclusion for some months now, as we first reported earlier this year), colors (predominantly blue), logo (see above) and uniforms (see below) at Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 5:30 p.m. Rays players and manager Joe Maddon will be joined by former players Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff and Dave Martinez to model the new uniforms and there will be live entertainment, a fireworks show, and activities for fans of all ages. As you’ll recall, the new ownership of the Devil Rays undertook a review of the team name and look last year after taking control of the team. We were never fans of the original D-Rays look, especially the funky logo; it was not distinct enough and hard to read from a distance. The new Rays look addresses that shortcoming with greatly simplified graphics; as you can see from the uniforms below the Rays logo dominates in a uni with more of a classic look. We’re not sure we like the new cap logo: it’s simplified to the point of being bland, and perhaps a more classic look (like the intertwined logo used by San Diego or St. Louis) would have made the new cap design stand out more. Still, the new look is an improvement over the existing design. UPDATE: Yeah, we know the same guy who did the San Diego uniform design is working with the Rays (as well as designs for some minor-league teams), but that doesn’t mean he hit a homer with this design. And we do like the blue.
Big-name players check Augusta ballpark potential
Posted Oct. 3, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Jim Jacoby, the visionary and president of the Atlantic Station development in Atlanta, and former Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening, seen as a pioneer in "smart growth" land planning, met with members of the committee planning a new downtown ballpark for the Augusta GreenJackets (Low Class A; Sally League) and other leaders Tuesday. Both are potential investors and advisers in the ballpark project, which would be funded by a public-private venture with Ripken Baseball, owners of the team. The current proposal calls for a $20 million to $25 million mixed-use ballpark to be built on a 17-acre site between 11th and 13th streets on the Savannah River. The 5,000- to 6,000-seat ballpark would replace 12-year-old Lake Olmstead Stadium, but the proposal is in its preliminary stages.
Wolff ‘hopeful,’ if not optimistic about 2008 Ottawa team
Posted Oct. 3, 2007 (feedback) (submit story) (discuss)
Can-Am Association Commissioner Miles Wolff didn’t sound too optimistic about landing a lease at Lynx Stadium next season after meeting with Ottawa city officials, including Mayor Larry O’Brien. The bi