As expected, D.G. Elmore exercised his option to buy back the Bakersfield Blaze (High Class A; California League) from Gene Voiland and Chad Hathaway, though the future of the team is still up in the air. Elmore, owner of the Elmore Sports Group, sold the franchise to Voiland and Hathaway in March 2012, and the pair […]
Tag Archives | bakersfield blaze
New Bakersfield ballpark plans collapse
Financing for a proposed new ballpark for the Bakersfield Blaze (High Class A; California League) fell through, leading team owners to call a halt to development efforts. The plan called for the Blaze owners, Gene Voiland and Chad Hathaway, to work with a developer on Bakersfield Commons, a 255-acre retail, office and residential project at […]
New Bakersfield ballpark receives preliminary approval
A proposed new ballpark for the Bakersfield Blaze (High Class A; California League) has received preliminary approval from the local Board of Zoning Adjustment, as the project heads for a 2014 opening. The new ballpark, to be financed privately by new team ownership, will be located at the Bakersfield Commons development, at Coffee and Brimhall […]
Bakersfield Blaze unveil plans for new ballpark
The new owners of the Bakersfield Blaze (High Class A; California League) announced plans for a new ballpark to replace Sam Lynn Ballpark as part of a larger development, Bakersfield Commons. The 3,500-seat ballpark would anchor the northern part of the development on a 15-acre site, which was announced two years ago but put on […]
Is Bakersfield on cusp of new ballpark?
The sale of the Bakersfield Blaze (High Class A; California League) is in final stages of MLB approval — which means speculation about the team’s next phase, a new ballpark, is close to beginning. It’s an open secret in MiLB circles that the sale of the team included plans for a new privately financed ballpark, […]
Bakersfield Blaze sold
After years of failed efforts at a new ballpark, Elmore Sports Group has sold the Bakersfield Blaze (High Class A; California League) to two local investors, whose next challenge will be funding a Sam Lynn Ballpark replacement. Chad Hathaway and Gene Voiland are buying the team for an undisclosed price. The sale has been in the […]
Court ruling clarifies San Jose, Escondido ballpark statuses
With the California Supreme Court ruling yesterday that the state can indeed eliminate city and county redevelopment agencies, the fate of new ballparks in Escondido and the Bay Area became clearer. The California Supreme Court not only ruled that the state can eliminate redevelopment agencies — and recapture locally generated revenues in the process — […]
Conditions are ripe for Cal-Carolina switch
A move of two teams from the California League to the Carolina League, once given up for dead, is surprisingly viable, as there may be an alignment of teams and markets — and the specifics will surprise you. First off: we’ve seen two viable markets emerge in the Carolina League footprint, along with viable owners. […]
Reds, Blaze make shotgun wedding official
As the last two standing at High Class A, the Cincinnati Reds and the Bakersfield Blaze (California League) were meant to be — but that didn’t stop them from issuing a celebratory press release anyway. Plus, the Blaze has a new general manager: Elizabeth Martin. The player-development contract runs for two years, through 2012. “The […]
Booted from Myrtle Beach, Atlanta turns to Lynchburg
Atlanta will have a new High Class A affiliate for the next four years — the Lynchburg Hillcats, on their third parent in three years — after the Braves were dumped as a parent by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a move that also leaves Cincinnati in a bad situation. The Braves were informed by the […]
Sam Lynn Ballpark / Bakersfield Blaze
Sam Lynn Ballpark is best known for the fact it was built facing west, so that the sun sets directly in center field, creating a hazard for the batters. The team erected a 120 foot high wall in center and planted large trees behind the entire outfield fence. In the past, games were halted when […]
California League
The California League began life as a joint operation between Major League Baaeball and the Pacific Coast League to bring a lower classification of baseball to the Pacific Coast. When baseball reorganized after the 1962 season it was repositioned as a High Class A league. Class C / 1941-1942, 1946-1962 High Class A / 1963-present […]