A new Triple-A ballpark in Escondido (Cal.) is one step closer to reality after the city and a group led by San Diego Padres owner Jeff Moorad signed a 47-page Memoradum of Understanding for a new ballpark slated to open in 2013. Check it out, as well as our list of highlights. The City Council […]
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Escondido council fills vacancy in advance of ballpark vote
The Escondido (Cal.) City Council appointed a partial ballpark supporter to fill an open seat, strengthening the possibility that the city may approve $50 million in funding for a new Triple-A ballpark for a San Diego Padres farm team. Michael Morasco, a self-described fiscal conservative, was selected to fill the rest of Sam Abed‘s council […]
Crunch time for new Escondido ballpark
After some encouraging signs from city officials on funding for a new Triple-A ballpark for a San Diego Padres farm team in Escondido, Cal., the potential team ownership sweetens the pot further by promising to work hard on procuring events other than baseball to draw visitors to the city. The Escondido City Council is slated […]
Development and ballparks: today’s good and bad news
A development expected to help pay off debt on Camelback Ranch-Glendale is going into foreclosure as the developers enters bankruptcy, while the St. Louis Cardinals are finally ready to go ahead with the long-awaited Ballpark Village. Two tales of the sometimes awkward marriage between ballpark financing and development. First, the good news. The St. Louis […]
First game at Salt River Fields slated for Feb. 26
The first game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the new spring home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, will be held Feb. 26, as the facility is unveiled to the public. As you might expect, the Diamondbacks and the Rockies will square off in this first game; the Diamondbacks will be the […]
Padres raise ante in Escondido ballpark negotiations
Jeff Moorad and crew have agreed to several financial concessions regarding a new Triple-A ballpark in Escondido, Cal., but there’s a good chance the city will be seeking more before they go ahead with a $50-million facility. The basics of the deal are the same — the city would borrow money to build the ballpark […]
Escondido ballpark vote delayed again; new council will decide
The current Escondido (Cal.) City Council will punt on a Nov. 30 vote on a new Triple-A ballpark and instead let the next City Council — which will be seated Dec. 1 and could contain two opponents of ballpark funding, if a recount affirms their election — decide on Dec. 15. The recount is the […]
Padres make it official: Beavers to Tucson in 2011
It’s the worst-kept secret in Minor League Baseball, one we reported a few weeks ago: the San Diego Padres will place the Portland Beavers in Tucson Electric Park for 2011 and possibly beyond, according to a press release issued by the club. An ownership group, led by the Padres’ Jeff Moorad, are in the process […]
New Cubs spring facility approved by Mesa voters
Despite the anti-tax sentiment carrying the day in most of America, Mesa voters yesterday voted to spend almost $100 million on a new Chicago Cubs spring-training facility, funded by higher hotel taxes and a selloff of city land. The approval came via two ballot issues. The first, which passed with 63 percent of the vote, […]
Mesa to vote on new Cubs complex today
Mesa (Az.) voters will go to the polls today to decide on the fate of a new Chicago Cubs spring-training complex, as two questions on the ballot will authorize the city to go ahead with the plan and its funding. Voters must approve a referendum question to raise the city hotel tax by two percentage […]
Thinking big in Escondido
The city of Escondido (Cal.) certainly is thinking big when it comes to a new home for the wandering Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League): What began as a $50 million ballpark has now expanded to a $180-million, 150-acre Sports Entertainment District, which could tie up every penny of city development money for years. […]
Bevos to Tucson for 2011
With so much uncertainty surrounding a proposed new ballpark in Escondido and concern about wear and tear at The Diamond, the home of the Lake Elsinore Storm (High Class A; California League), the decision apparently has been made to relocate the Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) temporarily to Tucson Electric Park for the […]
Kasten: Nats definitely looking for new spring home
In his final remarks as president of the Washington Nationals, Stan Kasten held out the possibility that the team would relocate spring-training operations from Viera to another Florida site — or perhaps even Arizona. The team’s lease at Space Coast Stadium and the Carl Barger training complex doesn’t expire until 2017, but the team can […]