You can add another high-profile concert to the ballpark schedule this summer: the Flaming Lips and local heroes Garbage are headlining Pondamonium at Madison’s Warner Park. The concert, hosted by the Madison Mallards (summer collegiate; Northwoods League), features two bands known to put on a good show. The re-formed Garbage is the biggest musical act […]
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The Week That Was: June 3
Retro bullpen carts, NCAA tournament baseball and ballpark delays all made news this week. The top stories on Ballpark Digest for the past week, as measured by page views. Retro bullpen cart a hit in Sugar Land Wolff meets with Knauss, has clear message: A’s not for sale NCAA baseball tourney field announced Marlins, county […]
Thanks
Ballpark Digest had its second-best month ever in terms of page views in May, and we want to thank each and every one of you for supporting this website. As we approach our 10th anniversary — how time flies! — it’s very rewarding to run a website still growing. May 2011 marks the 21st consecutive […]
The Week That Was: May 27
Success in Pensacola, Dodger Stadium problems, fence dimensions and affiliated ball in Ottawa: The most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. Blue Wahoos: Success means ballpark upgrades Freedom Baseball League begins play New Astros uniforms: Bring back the orange! Charges dropped in Dodger Stadium beating Marlins: No […]
Three groups approved to negotiate purchase of Padres
Three groups, including one led by former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, have been approved to further negotiate a purchase of the San Diego Padres from John Moores. Moores had a deal to sell the Padres to Jeff Moorad for $530 million, but the deal collapsed after former agent Moorad failed to garner enough […]
Marlins: No plans to move in ballpark fences
Though the craze seems to be for MLB teams to move in their fences, Miami Marlins management say they see no need to change the dimensions at newly opened Marlins Park. Over the last 20 years most new ballparks have opened with some fairly spacious outfield dimensions. The thinking was straightforward: fair dimensions mean fair […]
The Week That Was: May 20
Tearing down ballparks, Chicago politics of all sorts and the future of the Oakland Athletics made the list of the most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. WSJ: Tear down Wrigley Field now! Upper deck of PNC Field coming down this week Logos released for NAL’s Sonoma […]
Seat-squatting NYPD cop/Mets fan arrested
An off-duty New York Police Department cop was arrested for refusing to move after squatting in Citi Field seats during Wednesday’s Reds/Mets game. The officer, Eduardo Cornejo, did indeed have a ticket to the New York Mets game but moved up to better seats when he saw their availability. When security asked him to return […]
Mets owners to develop land near Citi Field
The owners of the New York Mets must not be too broke: they’re reportedly on tap as part of an investment group developing 20 acres adjacent to Citi Field. The 20 acres at Willets Point is currently home to scrapyards and auto-repair shops. It’s been a target of development efforts for years; its proximity to […]
Ballparks and economic development: Still a contentious issue
Are we seeing more evidence that ballpark construction is indeed an economic catalyst? Two recent case studies in Toledo and Washington provide some compelling arguments for the proposition. Today The Atlantic looks at Fifth Third Field, the home of the Toledo Mud Hens (Class AAA; International League), and how it’s providing some $50 million in […]
Tampa planning Ybor City baseball museum
A museum honoring Tampa baseball history could be installed in Al Lopez’s childhood home under a plan pushed by the Ybor City Museum Society. Al Lopez, for those too young to remember, was the first Tampa native to play in the majors, joining the Brooklyn Robins (later the Dodgers) in 1930 and spending productive seasons with […]
Ballpark services for the truly lazy: Paying someone to wait in line for you
Forget about having food delivered to your seats: at AT&T Park you can pay someone to wait in line for you and fetch items so you don’t miss a pitch. Now, we all know that several MLB and MiLB teams in conjunction with Aramark have implemented or are rolling out ordering service via smartphone, where you […]
The Week That Was: May 13
New indy leagues and affiliated ballparks, updates to Dodger Stadium and Wrigley Field, and the fate of the Portland market all made headlines this week at Ballpark Digest. Here are the most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views: Five potential ballpark sites under discussion in Wilmington Dodger […]