Some changes in the broadcast booth for the Reading Phillies (Class AA; Eastern League): play-by-play voice Anthony Oppermann is returning, while Brian Seltzer is leaving the team to join Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic as Sixers Post-Game Show host. “We wish Brian well in his future endeavors with the Sixers and welcome Anthony back with open […]
Archive | At the Ballpark
Travelers make front-office changes for 2013
Paul Allen is the interim general manager of the Arkansas Travelers (Class AA; Texas League), as Pete Laven is no longer with the team. Also let go by the Travs: David Kay, assistant general manager for tickets, as reported by Arkansas Business. Laven had been general manager of the Travelers since 2007, replacing Bill Valentine […]
Drive announce front-office appointments
The Greenville Drive (Low Class A; Sally League) announced four appointments to the team’s front office for the 2013 season and beyond. Kyle Krebs has been hired as the Vice President of Ticket Sales. Eric Anastasi joins the organization as Facilities Manager. Cameron White has been named Media Relations Manager, while Levi Palmer has been […]
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 […]
Now Available: The Baseball Thesaurus
Sluggers deposit a Ballantine Blast in the nosebleeds. The top of the lineup sets the table for the heart of the order. Corner infielders guard the line. A lumberjack with a bad wheel staggers down the line while a glovesman flashes leather. Where did these phrases come from? Baseball is a sport with its own […]
Blue Rocks, Loons announce staff changes
The Wilmington Blue Rocks (High Class A; Carolina League) and Great Lakes Loons (Low Class A; Midwest League) announced staff additions and promotions. Brian Radle is the new director of advertising sales for the Blue Rocks. Radle comes to Wilmington with seven years of professional baseball experience with three different franchises in the Atlantic League. […]
Wilmington voters overwhelmingly reject ballpark plan
At the end of the day, it wasn’t close: Wilmington (N.C.) voters overwhelmingly rejected a hike in local property taxes to pay for a new ballpark for a High Class A Carolina League team. The final margin: 70 percent against, 30 percent for. Not a surprise: polls from both sides had shown overwhelming opposition to […]
Richmond, Giardina cited by MiLB
Northwest and Arizona League President Bob Richmond and Rochester Red Wings Controller Darlene Giardina, respectively, are this year’s winners of the Warren Giles and the Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year Awards. Richmond and Giardina will be honored during the Baseball Winter Meetings at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., from December […]
Bakersfield Blaze unveil plans for new ballpark
The new owners of the Bakersfield Blaze (High Class A; California League) announced plans for a new ballpark to replace Sam Lynn Ballpark as part of a larger development, Bakersfield Commons. The 3,500-seat ballpark would anchor the northern part of the development on a 15-acre site, which was announced two years ago but put on […]
Jackson takes down Pringles signs at ballpark — for now
The home of the Jackson Generals (Class AA; Southern League) will go without a name for now, as the team and Kellogg’s negotiates a naming-rights extension for Pringles Park. Kellogg’s now owns Pringles after buying the brand from Proctor & Gamble, which has had naming rights to the ballpark for the past 15 years. It […]
Dehler misses naming-rights payment for Mustangs home
This seems be a case of the meh: Jon Dehler missed a July 1 naming-rights payment for Dehler Park, home of the Billings Mustangs (rookie; Pioneer League), but city officials aren’t concerned. Dehler missed a $50,000 payment, but says he’ll make it next week to keep current. Normally this would raise some level of concern […]
Hahn new GM of Chicago White Sox
Rick Hahn, a Chicago native who has been with the Chicago White Sox since October 2000 and helped build the 2005 World Series Champion and 2008 postseason teams, is the team’s new senior vice president/general manager, and longtime senior vice president/general manager Kenny Williams was promoted to executive vice president. Howard Pizer also was named […]
66ers offer broadcast job to Bob Costas
Nice gimmick: the Inland Empire 66ers (High Class A; California League) have offered their broadcast position to Bob Costas, who expressed interest in working an entire season in Minor League Baseball. In a recent interview with sports columnist Joe Posnanski, Costas stated that he still had a dream of calling an entire season of minor […]