Former Minnesota Twins farmhand and Twin Cities news anchor Mike Pomeranz is joining the San Diego Padres broadcast team, according to KARE 11 officials. Pomeranz has been a news anchor at KARE 11, the Minneapolis-St. Paul NBC affiliate, for the past six years, moonlighting as a studio host and reporter for Twins broadcasts on Fox […]
Archive | At the Ballpark
New for 2013: Estadio Sonora
A noteworthy ballpark south of the border designed to host the Caribbean Series, the Hermosillo Naranjeros and potentially some MLB exhibitions or World Baseball Classic games: Estadio Sonora. The new 15,000-seat ballpark will replace Hector Espino Stadium as home of pro baseball in the Mexican city. It’s a city that’s supported baseball: the Arizona Diamondbacks have […]
Vispoli, Boesch trade spots in broadcast booths
Alex Vispoli is the new voice of the Frisco RoughRiders (Class AA; Texas League), with Brian Boesch moving from Frisco to replace him as the voice of the Winston-Salem Dash (High Class A; Carolina League). In addition to serving as the team’s liaison to the media, Boesch (pronounced “BUSH”) will broadcast all 140 Dash games […]
Al Lang Field: Fresh spring life for an old ballpark
No reason not to head to Al Lang Field in the coming month. Beginning today and continuing through March 18, there will be a host of college, independent, international and MLB split-squad teams playing at one of the more scenic ballparks in Florida. The games will be played under three different programs: the annual Big […]
Lane Field to be commemorated in new hotel complex
Lane Field, the former home of the minor-league San Diego Padres, would be memorialized under the terms of a hotel-development project on the old ballpark site. Lane Field was home to the Pacific Coast League Padres from 1936 to 1957, before it was replaced by Westgate Park. It occupied a pretty scenic waterfront location on […]
End of days for Moana Stadium
It looks like the end of the road for Moana Stadium, with the former home to professional baseball in Reno slated for demolition to make way for soccer fields. We’re not talking about a huge loss here: the facility is in very rough shape and has been closed by the city for safety concerns. Under […]
The Week That Was: Feb. 12
The top stories on Ballpark Digest this week, as measured by page views: spring-training arrivals and potential new MLB homes; franchise shifts in Hagerstown, Ottawa and Wilmington; and more on hockey at the ballpark. Lee County pitches Nats on spring-training move Blue Jays considering grass field at Rogers Centre Braves reveal new alt home uniforms […]
Why aren’t more MiLB teams changing hands?
Despite a healthy number of Minor League Baseball teams on the market, we’re not seeing many franchise sales these days. Why are things moving so slowly? We asked around — to owners, potential owners and brokers — to see why potentially attractive franchises openly and discreetly on the market were still for sale. Some of […]
Hagerstown looking at new ballpark to keep Suns
Hagerstown isn’t giving up the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) without a fight, as city officials tap the expertise of the Maryland Stadium Authority for tips on a new or renovated ballpark. The Suns play at Municipal Stadium, a facility that’s certainly seen better days, but one that’s done OK in the past. […]
El Paso group seeking downtown ballpark, T-Padres
An El Paso investment group is looking at building a privately financed ballpark in downtown El Paso and buying the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) for relocation. The group, as outlined in today’s El Paso Times, would be taking advantage of Escondido, Cal., to close on funding for a new ballpark after the […]
Chiefs extend Alliance Bank Stadium lease; will look at buying ballpark
The Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) negotiated a new lease for Alliance Bank Stadium that gives them an option to buy for $3.05 million — a deal that seems destined to happen. Onondaga County had put management of the ballpark, as well as its downtown arena, up for bid and attracted five offers. At […]
Economic impact of Frozen Fenway: $28.8M
Here’s another argument for northern MLB and MiLB teams to construct hockey rinks in the dead of winter: the economic impact of Frozen Fenway, the winter extravaganza in Boston, was a cool $28.8 million. The Red Sox installed an ice sheet on the Fenway Park field and scheduled various high school and college hockey games […]
Yet another proposal for Tiger Stadium site: youth baseball
While Detroit searches for that elusive big-box retailer to pitch the city on a new development, yet another proposal for the Tiger Stadium site emerges: a youth baseball facility. After the Detroit Tigers moved from venerable Tiger Stadium to Comerica Park, the ballpark at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull sat empty for almost a […]