Frank Burke bought the Lookouts in the mid nineties but felt the team had to have a new stadium to stay in Chattanooga. In the fall of 1998, Burke announced that he and his ownership group would build a privately funded ballpark if the team could sell 1,800 season tickets. The 1800th ticket was sold […]
Author Archive | Kevin Reichard
McCormick Field / Asheville Tourists
McCormick Field, the longtime home of the Asheville Tourists, is both a classic ballpark of the Sally League and an example of a ballpark reconstruction done right. Located on the edge of downtown Asheville, McCormick Field has been the psychic center of baseball in Asheville since opening in 1924. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 1924; rebuilt […]
McCrary Park / Asheboro Copperheads
McCrary Park was built in 1946 by McCrary Mills and served as the home for the highly successful McCrary Eagles, the Mill’s industrial league team for 1946-1957. The park would go on to serve as the home for Asheboro Post 45 following the revival of the program in the late 1950s; today the park is […]
Angel Stadium / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
There was a lot made about the Disneyfication of Angel Stadium in 1998, when then-Angels owner Disney Corp. hired Populous and cutting-edge architect Robert A.M. Stern to remodel the aging facility. Though hailed as a success — the former mixed-use facility was finally reconfigured to a baseball-only venue — one thing is crystal-clear now that […]
Knute Nelson Memorial Field / Alexandria Beetles
The smallest market in the college wood-bat Northwoods League at 10,000 residents, Alexandria may have the most passionate fans in the league as well. The team regularly draws over 1,000 fans a game. In other words, about 1 in 10 Alexandria residents attends every Beetles game — a pretty remarkable statistic, and one most minor-league […]
Drip, drip, drip: criticism of Mets, Citibank deal continues
Complaints continue to roll in about Citibank receiving U.S. bailout and then reaffirming its commitment to spend $400 million on Mets naming-rights deal.Complaints continue to roll in about Citibank receiving U.S. bailout and then reaffirming its commitment to spend $400 million on Mets naming-rights deal. Now, it’s not to the point where either corporation is […]
Marlins ballpark delayed until 2012
The Florida Marlins say legal challenges forced them to delay the opening of their new ballpark. Legal challenges to funding of a new Florida Marlins ballpark has forced the team to delay its opening for a year, to 2012. The decision came after team officials met with Hunt/Moss regarding construction timelines. That’s not a surprise: […]
Concerns raised over Omaha CWS ballpark design
Though final plans have not been unveiled, some neighbors of the new downtown Omaha College World Series ballpark worry it will lack the promised street-level retail needed to spur neighborhood development.Some neighbors of the new downtown Omaha College World Series ballpark worry it will lack the promised street-level retail needed to spur neighborhood development, and […]
Task force to evaluate Portland ballpark proposal
Mayor-elect Sam Adams puts together an 18-member group to study the potential move of the Portland Beavers to a new ballpark.Mayor-elect Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard are putting together an 18-member task force to study public financing of a plan to build a new ballpark for the Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) […]
Will Citibank naming-rights deal backfire on Mets?
Some pundits are already calling the new home of the New York Mets "Bailout Field."This is probably not the publicity the Wilpon family wanted to see as the New York Mets ramped up to their replacement for Shea Stadium: Their biggest financial partner is in the midst of a public debate over the appropriateness of […]
Pullman Park to host baseball once again
The former home of professional baseball in Butler, Pa. will be the home of a new summer-collegiate team in 2009, headed by Leo Trich.The former home of professional baseball in Butler, Pa. will be the home of a new summer-collegiate team in 2009, headed by Leo Trich. The ballpark has been totally renovated in recent […]
Scottsdale to woo D-Backs for spring home
Scottsdale officials say they’ll woo the front office of the Arizona Diamondbacks regarding a move of the team’s spring-training facility.Scottsdale officials say they’ll contact the front office of the Arizona Diamondbacks regarding a move of the team’s spring-training facilities. But whether the city has anything to offer remains to be seen. Scottsdale is already home […]
Flannery new president/GM of Hagerstown Suns
Robert Flannery brings experience as a GM and sales manager at the Class A and Class AA levels. Robert Flannery is the new president and general manager of the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League), according to team owner Mandalay Baseball Properties. Flannery brings an extensive and broad background in sports administration and marketing […]