The inability of the short-season Northwest League to commit a team to a new ballpark has led Milwaukie (Ore.) officials to drop work on funding for such a new facility. The league and the city were facing a July 31 deadline for a team. Last week the league informed the city that a team commitment […]
Archive | At the Ballpark
Thank you for the best. month. ever.
Thanks to everyone for making July the best month ever on Ballpark Digest: We exceeded 900,000 page views for the month, and we hit new marks both in total page views and average page views per day. Everyone and their uncle are launching websites these days: there’s an abundance of riches when it comes to […]
York County leaning toward demolition of Knights Stadium?
York County is coming closer to a decision on the future of Knights Stadium, home of the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) — and the ballpark’s future is not looking too bright. It’s really a two-part decision: if the ballpark is to stay, what future use could it serve? An easy decision would be […]
Israel preps for WBC
The United States, Japan and the Latin American countries will receive the most attention in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, but some of the better stories will come from the lesser-known teams — as exemplified by Shlomo Lipetz. Lipetz is a legend in Israeli baseball circles, a 33-year-old member of the Israeli National Baseball team and a […]
Butte’s Alumni Field coming down
Alumni Field, the quaint former home of the Butte Copper Kings (rookie; Pioneer League), is coming down, as owner Montana Tech decides to upgrade the adjoining football field with artificial turf. It really wasn’t much of a ballpark, even by rookie-ball standards: a small grandstand and even smaller concession stand/gift shop, some kids’ play features […]
The Week That Was: July 29
The sad demise of the London Rippers, ballpark changes for 2013 and potential ballpark deals in Hagerstown and Oakland. The most popular stories on Ballpark Digest this past week, as measured by page views. Developer: I can build new A’s ballpark with private financing Rippers pull out of Frontier League; to be replaced by road […]
Opposition to El Paso ballpark surfaces
It wouldn’t be a real ballpark if there wasn’t real opposition, as petitions opposing public funding of a new downtown El Paso ballpark are now being circulated. In fact, we can’t recall any effort for a new ballpark where opponents didn’t organize on some level, whether it be citizens groups going to court to oppose […]
New Tiger Stadium site plan emerging: parades and baseball
So much for the elusive big-box retailer Detroit officials were hoping to lure: a new plan for the old Tiger Stadium site calls for the playing field to remain intact after being sold to a float manufacturer for under $900,000. The proposed plan calls for the city to sell the site to the nonprofit Parade […]
Vi Ripken kidnapped, released
Vi Ripken, the mother of Bill Ripken and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., was kidnapped yesterday and released today, sans ransom note or any clue as to exactly why she was targeted. The 74-year-old Vi, married to the late Cal Ripken Sr. until his death in 1999, spent a day in her car after a […]
Rosenblatt Stadium demolition begins today
With the seating removed and the grandstand emptied, the demolition of Rosenblatt Stadium, former home to the College World Series and the Omaha Royals (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), began today. We’re talking the serious demolition here: the two freestanding buildings and the grandstand will come down, as well as the outfield bleachers sections. Johnny […]
Still no final numbers for Wilmington ballpark; talks continue
Wilmington (N.C.) officials say they’re dedicated to a new-ballpark budget under $40 million, but talks between the city and Mandalay Baseball Properties continue over the parameters of a deal. The two sides are working on a proposal for a public funded new facility to be managed by Mandalay and occupied by the relocating Lynchburg Hillcats […]
Organizers to make another run for baseball in 2020 Olympics
International organizing groups for baseball and softball are joining forces to bring the two sports back to the Olympic Games in 2020. Baseball and softball were dropped from the Olympics after the 2008 games in Beijing. The relatively high expense of a venue and the lack of any big-name stars on the field were the […]
In memoriam: Bob Blum
Former Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) broadcaster and front-office member Bob Blum has passed away. He was 91. Blum worked for the 51s — the Las Vegas Stars at the beginning of his tenure — for almost 30 years, and was the team’s broadcaster from 1985 to 2005 and 2008 to 2010. “Blumer […]