There’s no chance it will happen, but Ted Turner wants to see the Turner Field site preserved as green space after it is demolished in 2017. Interestingly enough, Turner’s first reaction wasn’t to keep the ballpark and former Olympic stadium intact; rather, his inclination was to come down against retail development in favor of green […]
Archive | At the Ballpark
Decision on Civic Stadium: Commerce vs. community
At the end of the day, the fate of Eugene’s Civic Stadium will come down to a simple decision: commerce versus community. There are four bids for the former home to Pacific Coast League and Northwest League ball in the form of Eugene Emeralds franchises. Two, from Fred Meyer ($5 million and the Y ($4.5 […]
Richmond’s newest ballpark brew: Chin Music
Every great ballpark has a special brew, and you can add the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) to the list with the unveiling of a new ballpark lager: Chin Music. The new beer is being brewed by the Center of the Universe Brewing Company (COTU) and will hit the market on March 1, […]
Personnel moves in Augusta, Connecticut
Some team moves to report: Tom Denlinger is the new GM of the Augusta GreenJackets (Low Class A; Sally League), and the Connecticut Tigers (short season A; NY-Penn League) announced several promotions. Denlinger comes to the GreenJackets from the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League). Next season will mark Denlinger’s 13th season in minor […]
Ten Million Thanks to Ballpark Digest readers
On Friday Ballpark Digest hit an important milestone for the second year in a row: we reached 10 million page views in a single year. Now, there are lots of Websites who hit that number in a day; back when I was executive editor at internet.com, we did 13 million or so page views a […]
Charlie Eshbach crowned 2013’s King of Baseball
Today’s big news at the Winter Meetings: Minor League Baseball crowned Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA; Eastern League) President Charlie Eshbach the 2013 King of Baseball. The King of Baseball is a long-standing tradition in which Minor League Baseball salutes a veteran from the professional baseball world for long-time dedication and service. Eshbach celebrated his […]
Personnel moves in Stockton, Yakima
Taylor McCarthy is the new Director of Marketing for the Stockton Ports (High Class A; California League), while Noel Zanchelli is the first Director of Operations for the new Yakima team in the summer-collegiate West Coast League. LLC President Pat Filippone made the announcement about McCarthy. “We are excited for Taylor to join our front […]
Crosley Field replica on tap for The Ripken Experience
Interesting way to develop a youth-baseball complex: the new 90-foot baseball diamond for the 2014 season at The Ripken Experience – Myrtle Beach complex will be a replica of Crosley Field. Crosley Field, of course, was the long-time home of the Cincinnati Reds. “As The Ripken Experience continues to host the top young talent from […]
Four bids received for Eugene’s Civic Stadium
The Eugene School Board received four bids for Civic Stadium, the former home to Pacific Coast League and Northwest League baseball, with the highest offer calling for the historic facility to be razed. Civic Stadium has sat empty since the Eugene Emeralds (short season A; Northwest League) moved to PK Park. The local school board […]
Personnel moves in West Virginia, Staten Island, Colorado Springs, Holyoke
We have personnel news to report today from the West Virginia Power (Low Class A; Sally League), the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), the Staten Island Yankees (short season A; NY-Penn League) and the Holyoke Blue Sox (summer collegiate; NECBL). In Charleston, Will Bell, Adam Marco and Jordan Pence have been […]
The ultimate Christmas gift: your own $30M backyard ballpark
Well, we know what we want for Christmas: the holiday gift guide from the Robb Report features a custom $30-million stadium that can be converted between baseball, football, soccer or pretty much any sport. The premise from this Populous offer: that with the right amount of money, stadium technology can create pretty much any sporting […]
Final days of Metrodome, Candlestick Park at hand
Two former Major League Baseball venues have dates with the wrecking ball early next year, as the Metrodome and Candlestick Park are set to come down after the 2013 NFL season. The San Francisco Giants played at Candlestick Park between 1960 and 2000. It was originally built for baseball, with a nice open design. It […]
New P-Nats ballpark delayed to 2016
It’s official: opening of a new Potomac Nationals (High Class A; Carolina League) ballpark will be pushed back to 2016 after a naming-rights deal took longer than anticipated to close. Owner Art Silber was hoping to wrap up the naming-rights deal in time for a 2015 opening, but negotiation delays for the $15-million deal caused […]