The move of the Casper Ghosts (rookie; Pioneer League) is one step closer after the Grand Junction (Col.) City Council approves a lease agreement for the team to play at Suplizio Field.
A formal announcement of the move is slated for today. The team is basically gone; there are reports email sent to the old Casper Ghosts front office is already bouncing. The move was in the works even before Dick and Charlie Monfort bought the team this past January; they were meeting with architects and management firms about a move in 2010. And now that an $8.3-million renovation for Suplizio Field is on track to be done before the 2012 season, the team will have a ready-made, albeit large (12,000-seat) shine new home, to be shared with the Junior College World Series.
Baseball has always been a hard sell in Casper; previous owners had done some smart things and failed to make it work. By contrast, the economy is strong west of Denver in the West Slope region because of anticipated oil-shale production. It’s expected that the Monforts would bring in an outside management firm to run the team in Grand Junction.
One obstacle remains: a $200,000 buyout of the team’s lease at Mike Lansing Field.
RELATED STORIES: Upgrades on tap for Grand Junction’s Suplizio Field; MiLB to follow?; Rockies owners buy Casper Ghosts
—-
Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.
Subscribers to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter see features before they’re posted to the site. You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!