Unusual promo: the Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA; Eastern League) are honoring the inevitability of death and taxes tonight by giving away a tombstone — on Tax Day — courtesy of a local funeral home. Fans entering the ballpark will be welcomed by Uncle Sam himself as he takes a break one of his busiest […]
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The Week That Was: April 15
Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium anniversaries, naming rights and indy-league comings and goings made news this week in the baseball world. Here are the most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured in page views. Red Sox mark Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary with ballpark events Fielders launch shocker: no 2012 season […]
Drillers cool down ONEOK Field with ballpark improvements
The Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League) are hoping to move past a ONEOK Field sophomore slump with some new ballpark features, including a splash pad, and some clever promotions. The clever promotions begin Sunday (no offense to Myron Noodleman, who was there last night at the season opener) with a grow your own bat […]
Nitz returns as Voice of the Explorers
One of our favorite broadcasters returns: Dave Nitz is back as the voice of the Sioux City Explorers (independent; American Association) for the 2012 season. The 2012 season will mark Nitz’s 31st year in baseball broadcasting, his fourth as the Voice of the X’s. A radio broadcast veteran, Nitz has been calling collegiate and professional […]
In Lynchburg, sadness over potential loss of Hillcats
While Wilmington (N.C.) is giddy over the potential arrival of a team, fans of the Lynchburg Hillcats (High Class A; Carolina League) are dreading the team’s potential departure. It’s the flip side to the happy story when a new team arrives in a new market: the market losing the team, creating a loss for local […]
Mets retooling: closer fences, more hospitality
The New York Mets have had an absolutely horrendous offseason, focused more on financials than fielders. But everything is new on Opening Day, and the Mets start with a clean slate. With budget issues, lawsuits and clawbacks related to team ownership investments with Bernie Madoff, Mets fans spent more time looking for team news on […]
T-Pods, Curve go bottoms-up with new beer system
The Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and the Altoona Curve (Class AA; Eastern League) are the latest teams to implement the flashy Bottoms Up beer system and promote its use — surprise! — on Thirsty Thursday. We’ve written about this unique beer dispenser before, when we first learned about it and then during […]
The Week That Was: April 1
No April Fools here: attendance expectations in Wilmington, indy-team comings and goings, and the sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers are this week’s top stories on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. What should Wilmington expect for new-ballpark attendance? Diamond Sports walks away from North American League management Wild Things to bring new team […]
H-Sens on roll entering 2012 season
Good news for Harrisburg Senators (Class AA; Eastern League) management: For the first time ever, the H-Sens have surpassed 100,000 tickets sold prior to the home opener. The Senators reached the milestone earlier this week, two weeks prior to the April 12 home opener. This is the third season in the new and improved Metro […]
What’s on tap for Ballpark Digest
We have some travel and some changes on tap for Ballpark Digest in coming weeks, as we prep for the upcoming baseball season. We’ve been working on changes to Ballpark Digest and will be implementing them sometime over the next month, probably over the course of a weekend. Most of the changes are under the […]
Your essential app for 2012: MLB At Bat
Spending a lot of time on a sickbed last week, one thing helped me get through a bad time: MLB At Bat 2012, revamped for the coming season. Relaunched by MLB Advanced Media with a new pricing scheme for the 2012 season, it’s an essential application for any baseball fan. If you used it in […]
Tebow to the Storm?
Clever: The Lake Elsinore Storm (High Class A; California League) have landed squarely in the news, offering to trade its Rally Cop to the Denver Broncos for the suddenly expendable Tim Tebow. “We’re not sure about Tim’s baseball past,” said Storm Vice President/General Manager Chris Jones, “but we are sure he could bring some of […]
Captains unveil whale of a ballpark fish sandwich
The Lake County Captains (Low Class A; Midwest League) unveiled a whale of a sandwich for the 2012 season, as the Moby Dick features five quarter-pound fish filets and six ounces of clam strips, among other ingredients. The Moby Dick features a 15-inch sesame-seed hoagie roll, five quarter-pound fish filets, eight slices of cheese, six […]