Showing flexibility as the city begins serious discussions on a new ballpark, Ripken Baseball Vice President Jeff Eiseman says a new proposed Augusta GreenJackets (Low Class A; Sally League) ballpark doesn’t need to be located on a downtown riverfront location. “In an ideal world, the Golf & Gardens would work, and could work, but there […]
Archive | At the Ballpark
Champaign to study ballpark issues
Elected officials in Champaign are forming a committee to study potential ballpark and baseball funding issue in the Illinois city, and indications are that they’d be looking at an affiliated team after exploring indy ball in the past. Mayor Don Gerard says he’ll appoint an exploratory committee to look at baseball and ballpark-financing issues, including […]
Improbable pair to appear at Monday Thunder game
If you asked us to come up with a highly unlikely pairing of celebrities to appear at a Minor League Baseball game, there’s no way we’d come up with Elizabeth Gilbert and Harold Reynolds, who will be at Waterfront Park, the home of the Trenton Thunder (Class AA; Eastern League), Monday night. It’s not surprising […]
This year’s Spinners world record: most fans flossing
The Lowell Spinners (short season A; NY-Penn League) will go for yet another World Record on June 29, when the team partners with the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) for “Floss Night,” featuring thousands of fans flossing their teeth simultaneously, using Glide floss picks donated to the MDS by Procter and Gamble. It’s the latest attempt […]
Blue Wahoos hit milestone: 1,000 season-tickets sold
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Class AA; Southern League) hit another milestone in season-ticket sales, closing on the 1,000th sale for the 2012 season. George Taylor of Pensacola purchased the 1,000th ticket. “I was in Montgomery when the (Montgomery Biscuits) came to town and it was a lot of fun,” Taylor said. “The games were a […]
Racing proposal at Cooper Stadium draws opposition
A proposal to convert Cooper Stadium, the former home of the Columbus Clippers (Class AAA; International League), to a racetrack is drawing continued opposition from neighborhood groups, who fear it will negatively impact land values. The ballpark has been empty since the Clippers moved to downtown’s Huntington Park, but Arshot Investment Corp. has been working […]
Lee County to move forward with City of Palms Park aquatic conversion
Lee County will move to the next stage of negotiations with the National Swimming Corp. to covert City of Palms Park, the former spring-training home of the Boston Red Sox, to a natatorium after county commissioners realized pro baseball was not in the facility’s future. The proposal has the company paying $18.2 million to convert […]
Cocoa Expo poised for return to business
Cocoa Expo, the former spring-training home of the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and regular-season home of the Cocoa Astros (High Class A; Florida State League), could reopen after a new owner rescues it from bankruptcy. The facility, which in recent years has served as a youth-baseball facility and eyed as the potential home of a summer-collegiate […]
Mets, Atlantic League submit bids for new Nassau ballpark
The New York Mets and the independent Atlantic League were the only two entities to submit bids to build a new ballpark in Nassau as part of the redevelopment of Nassau Coliseum. It’s the second battle between the Atlantic League and affiliated in recent months (the indy circuit also submitted a bid for Harry Grove […]
Bush Stadium could anchor new Indy tech/housing development
In one of the more interesting ballpark-redevelopment efforts to come down the pike in recent years, Indianapolis officials are proposing a renovation of Bush Stadium, the former home of the Indianapolis Indians (Class AAA; International League), into apartments as an attraction for new bioscience firms in the neighborhood. We alluded to the proposal last weekend, […]
We moved!
Sorry about the scaled-back coverage lately on Ballpark Digest, but there’s been some big changes here: World Headquarters is now located in Madison, Wis., with the move taking place this week. Anyone who has moved a large household knows the hassle involved. Add to that the complications of moving a business as well, and you […]
New plan for old Bush Stadium: apartments
Still in a state of disrepair, Indianapolis’s Bush Stadium has been the subject of many redevelopment plans over the years, most of which would preserve the grandstand — but the latest plan would certainly be a most unique take on ballpark preservation. The plan, which will be officially announced this week, calls for 100 loft-style […]
Escondido moving forward with business park on proposed ballpark property
The prospects for a proposed new ballpark in Escondido for the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are growing dimmer by the day, as the city is moving forward with planning of a clean-tech-oriented business park on the ballpark site. At the end of the day, having a clean-tech business hub on the 27 […]