Hard to say how realistic this is, but a developer says he can build a privately financed ballpark for the Oakland Athletics at the current Coliseum site — provided Lew Wolff wants to keep the team in Oakland, that is. Developer Rick Tripp told the Press-Democrat he can tap into foreign and domestic investors to […]
Tag Archives | bud selig
Pete Rose, hot girlfriend to hit reality TV this fall
This surely won’t be creepy: a new reality show starring all-time hits leader Pete Rose will follow him and his thirtysomething fiancee — a former Playboy model, to boot — as they attempt to figure out that crazy little thing called love. There are a host of issues to be covered in TLC’s Pete Rose […]
Can Bud Selig warm relationship between Cubs, politicians?
We’re not entirely sure Bud Selig will be able to patch things up between the Ricketts and Chicago politicians, but he reportedly will take a crack at lobbying for public money toward Wrigley Field renovations — holding an All-Star Game as an enticement. The Chicago Cubs ownership, led by Tom Ricketts, wants to spend $500 […]
The Week That Was: July 15
Tampa Bay attendance woes, MLB TV contracts, a new El Paso ballpark and spring training made news this week. The most popular stories of the past seven days on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. Selig: Rays attendance is “inexcusable” NBC vying for piece of MLB media-rights pie? El Paso: Let’s sell Cohen Stadium […]
Selig: Rays attendance is “inexcusable”
Taking a shot aimed more toward apathetic fans than the forces preventing a new ballpark, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said the Tampa Bay Rays attendance — or lack thereof — is “inexcusable.” Speaking at his annual press conference during All-Star festivities, the commissioner noted the Rays were 29th in MLB attendance (20,582 fans a game) […]
Twins waiting for word on 2014 All-Star Game
With the 2012 All-Star Game in the books and the 2013 game slated for Citi Field, the fate of the 2014 match — eyed by the Minnesota Twins for Target Field — will be a continuing font of discussion. We won’t see MLB Commissioner Bud Selig make a decision about 2014 for several months, though […]
Looking back at 10 years of baseball
Ballpark Digest turned 10 years old this week. To see how much things have changed — or not — we went back to the first set of stories published on the site. The headlines may surprise you. This question pops up a lot, so here’s the short version as to the origins of Ballpark Digest. […]
Robinson new MLB EVP of baseball development
Frank Robinson is Major League Baseball’s new executive vice president of baseball development, Commissioner Bud Selig announced today. Robinson, who most recently served as Special Assistant to the Commissioner and has been a member of the Commissioner’s Special Committee for On-Field Matters since its inception, has held a variety of significant positions with MLB and […]
MLB: Attendance could hit 80M this season
Attendance at Major League Baseball games is up some 8.1 percent this season, and there’s an outside chance the sport could set an all-time record for attendance. Right now MLB teams are on a pace to draw the most fans since 2008, with the chance of reaching 80 million for the first time in history. […]
Wolff meets with Knauss, has clear message: A’s not for sale
A meeting between Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff and Clorox CEO Don Knauss reaffirmed the status quo: Wolff’s focus is on moving the team to a new San Jose ballpark. Knauss was among the Oakland business leaders who raised the possibility of buying the A’s to keep them in the city — a possibility quickly shot […]
Giants: Nothing would tempt us to give up Silicon Valley territory
San Francisco Giants ownership made one thing abundantly clear at this week’s MLB owners meetings: they have no intention of ever giving up their territorial rights to Silicon Valley. The background: Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff wants to build a new downtown San Jose ballpark but is being blocked by the Giants ownership, who retain […]
Selig: Rivalry series may survive interleague play
The two annual rivalry series may survive a scheduling reconfiguration in 2013 because of their popularity with fans, according to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Right now there are two three-game rivalry interleague series — Yankees/Mets, Cubs/White Sox, Twins/Brewers, Rays/Marlins, A’s/Giants, Angels/Dodgers, etc. — that are popular in terms of box-office appeal and ratings, particularly in larger cities where […]
More Oakland ownership options for Athletics
Local business leaders want to retain the Oakland Athletics and say they’ll look at buying the team rather than losing it to another market. Though Lew Wolff has clearly stated the team is not for sale, that’s not stopped potential suitors from stepping up, with the intention of keeping the team in Oakland. We’ve already […]