As we were planning the brackets for the MLB round of Best of the Ballparks voting, we saw something missing: any connection to the past. So we decided to introduce voting for the Best of the Ballparks focused on former MLB facilities. (more…)
Tag Archives | american league
Oriole Park in line to host 2016 ASG?
American League teams are jockeying to host the 2016 MLB All-Star Game, and judging by comments from Commissioner Bud Selig, the Baltimore Orioles have a good chance of hosting the event at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. After the Minnesota Twins and Target Field host this year’s All-Star Game, only two active American League ballparks […]
Advertising exec: Keep MLB at Turner Field once Braves depart
Well, this is certainly outside-the-box thinking: an Atlanta ad exec says MLB should be coerced into placing a team in Turner Field once the Atlanta Braves move to a new Cobb County ballpark. Mike McDonald says there’s enough of a fan base in Atlanta to support two MLB teams, and he says the Atlanta Surge […]
In memoriam: Lee MacPhail
Lee MacPhail, who had a huge impact on the game of baseball as a front-office executive and president of the American League, passed away last Thursday. He was 95. MacPhail began his baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and then moved to the New York Yankees, joining his father, Larry MacPhail, in […]
Miggy or Mike? Let the debate begin
What if the American League decided on MVPs like voters choose presidents? Here’s a presidential-style debate over the merits of Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera and the Angels’ Mike Trout when it comes to the Most Valuable Player award. (Editor’s note: Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, the voice of the Lansing Lugnuts, is writing for Ballpark Digest this offseason. Here’s […]
In memoriam: Max Soriano
Max Soriano, who partnered with brother Dewey Soriano to bring the Seattle Pilots to the American League, has passed away. He was 86. Dewey Soriano was a longtime baseball entrepreneur in the Pacific Northwest. When the opportunity came to own an expansion franchise in 1969, he and Max put up $2 million for a 35 […]
MLB preps for interleague play in 2013
Plans are coming into place for Major League Baseball to feature permanent interleague play when the Houston Astros join the American League, leaving MLB with a 15-15 split in the two leagues. Scheduling is the biggest change when it comes to interleague play, and not every fan is going to like the changes, as it […]
MLB eyes realignment for 2012
Major League Baseball is examining several different realignment options for the 2012 season, including a move to two 15-team leagues and the potential elimination of divisions as a method for determining playoff teams. The options, first reported in USA Today and ESPN.com, could be something as simple as one team moving from the National League […]
Cleveland’s League Park once again target for restoration
The remaining pieces of League Park, once the home of the Cleveland Indians, would be restored in the next several years, as the Cleveland City Council approves spending $387,000 on architectural plans. The ballpark, originally designed by Osborn Engineering for the 1910 MLB season, is now down to a brick wall down the right-field line […]
Vegas mayor: We’re ready to build ballpark for American League team
Mayor Oscar Goodman says his city has launched talks regarding a new 45,000-seat roofed ballpark in downtown Las Vegas, adding that an American League team is involved. Two guesses as to what team he’s alluding to, but be warned: Goodman’s enthusiasm sometimes outpaces reality. During his weekly press conference today, Goodman discussed the early stages […]
League Histories
Want to know more about teams and leagues of the past? This is the place for you. Here’s a listing of affiliated, independent and summer-collegiate leagues, organized by type. Enjoy! MAJOR LEAGUESAmerican LeagueNational League AFFILIATED LEAGUES Appalachian League California League Carolina League Eastern League Florida State League International League Midwest League New York-Pennsylvania League Northwest […]
Seven-foot-tall Bud to invade Miller Park
Bud Selig, the man who brought baseball back to Milwaukee, will be honored with a statue at Miller Park. Before Bud the Commissioner there was Bud the Businessman, the used-car dealer who plucked the pitiful Seattle Pilots out of bankruptcy court, arranged to have new logos hastily sewn on used uniforms, and set up shop […]
Angel Stadium / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
There was a lot made about the Disneyfication of Angel Stadium in 1998, when then-Angels owner Disney Corp. hired Populous and cutting-edge architect Robert A.M. Stern to remodel the aging facility. Though hailed as a success — the former mixed-use facility was finally reconfigured to a baseball-only venue — one thing is crystal-clear now that […]