More details are emerging about the deal struck between the New Britain Rock Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) and Hartford for a new $60-million downtown ballpark. The 25-year lease (with three five-year options) calls for an initial $500,000 annual lease payment by the Rock Cats for the first 15 years of the lease (as opposed […]
Tag Archives | birmingham barons
Hoover Met may see new life as temporary Alabama home
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium may see a new tenant in 2015 as the University of Alabama is negotiating a temporary lease while Sewell Thomas Stadium is renovated. The Sewell Thomas Stadium renovation is set to begin next week (barring the Crimson Tide hosting an NCAA Regional, of course), and it was originally thought that the Crimson […]
Barons set another attendance record
Wow: April 14 and we’re already discussing attendance records, as the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) broke an attendance record dating back to the Michael Jordan era. The Barons welcomed a record total of 35,604 fans through the Regions Field gates during the series for an average of 7,121 fans per game. The attendance […]
Barons draw largest-ever crowd to Regions Field
Talk about starting the season off with a bang: the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) drew the largest crowd ever to Regions Field, as parent Chicago White Sox came in for an exhibition. The announced attendance of 8,513 marked the largest in Regions Field history, while the sellout was the seventh at the downtown Birmingham […]
Barons unveil two new alt caps
A fashion note for tonight: the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) unveiled two new caps for the 2014 season. Joining the traditional black Barons cap emblazoned with the classic Old English B logo will be a new alternate in-game cap and New Era’s new Diamond Era batting practice cap. The new alternate cap will […]
Barons, White Sox extend PDC through 2018
The Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) and the Chicago White Sox have extended their player-development contract (PDC) through the 2018 season. The new agreement ensures the Barons will continue to operate as the Double-A affiliate of the White Sox for 32 consecutive seasons. The 2014 season will mark the team’s 28th year as the […]
Rickwood Classic set for June 25
One of the best events in all of Minor League Baseball is now on the schedule, as the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) and Friends of Rickwood have scheduled the annual Rickwood Classic for June 25. The Rickwood Classic is the Barons’ annual return to historic Rickwood Field for a single game. This year’s […]
2013 Ballpark of the Year: PNC Field
Another 2013 Ballpark Digest Award to announce: We’ve named PNC Field, home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Class AAA; International League), as our Best New Ballpark of the Year. Building a new ballpark on the base of an old one is an enormous challenge: what made sense in the 1980s may not make sense for a […]
Birmingham reveals plans for new Negro Leagues museum
As promised, Birmingham is moving forward with a Negro Leagues museum adjoining Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League), according to city officials. The $2 million project, which has already received $400,000 in city funding, is slated to open in 2014. Organizers will need to privately raise the remainder of the […]
Touring Rickwood Field
Yeah, we know we’re a few weeks out of the Rickwood Classic, but you can still see what makes Birmingham’s Rickwood Field so awesome in videos from Tennessee Smokies (Class AA; Southern League) broadcaster Mick Gillispie. We’ve attended the Rickwood Classic in the past and had a ball, so we’d highly recommend the event for […]
City commits additional spending on Hoover Met; concerts now target
Seeking to diversify the offerings at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, the local city council pledged $352,000 in additional facility improvements, including a big electrical-system upgraded needed to attract big-time musical tours. All in all, the city has authorized $1.5 million in ballpark upgrades since the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) moved to a new downtown […]
Rickwood Classic set for tomorrow
This is one of the essential events of the baseball season: the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) are hosting the annual Rickwood Classic tomorrow at historic Rickwood Field. We’ve attended the Rickwood Classic in the past and had a ball, so we’d highly recommend the event for anyone who loves baseball in general and […]
Alabama debates Sewell-Thomas Stadium upgrades
The University of Alabama is preparing plans for a $30-million expansion of Sewell-Thomas Stadium, as the college-baseball arms race continues to accelerate. The plans aren’t final and still need to be presented to the board of trustees. If approved, work could be done for the 2016 NCAA season. From the Tuscaloosa News: UA has started […]