With Oakland and Milwaukee potentially relocating and tourism taxes coming up short, Cactus League officials are working to identify new sources of revenue to pay down spring-training-ballpark debt. While it’s highly unlikely either team will leave the greater Phoenix area — Oakland is negotiating a move to HoHoKam Park once the Cubbies depart and the […]
Tag Archives | chicago cubs
Cubs: We’ll drop Boise affiliation without new ballpark
As Boise discusses a new downtown ballpark, the Chicago Cubs became a player in the ballpark debate by proclaiming the team would walk away from Idaho if a new facility isn’t in the works by September. During a public forum last week Bill Buckner, a resident of Boise now working for the Cubs, said his […]
Cubs adding group patio to Wrigley Field
There will be very few bleacher bums in a new right-field Wrigley Field patio in 2012, as the Chicago Cubs emulate nearby roof seating with a new group area that adds signage and capacity. The new Budweiser Patio combines group seating with LED signage, complete with the capability to display pertinent game information such as […]
Oakland negotiating move to Mesa’s HoHoKam Park
The Oakland Athletics have entered into an exclusive negotiating period with the city of Mesa for a move to HoHoKam Park in 2015, once the Chicago Cubs shift to a new facility. The Athletics currently play spring matches at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and train at nearby Papago Park. Neither set of facilities approaches state of […]
Twins to pitch for 2014 All-Star Game
The Minnesota Twins plan on pitching for the 2014 All-Star Game and will spend more than a million dollars on improvements to Target Field this offseason. The improvements will mostly be on the unglamorous side — improved WiFi, new carpeting, more photos and team displays — but they will include a new broze statue of […]
Theo: Don’t expect miracles at Wrigley Field
In his initial press conference as president of the Chicago Cubs, Theo Epstein downplayed expectations for an immediate turnaround and instead stressed continued success via a solid foundation. Indeed, today’s press conference was less about 2012 and more about establishing a good farm system and promoting a “Cubs Way” of how players approach their craft. […]
Cubs, Mesa finally ready to sign lease for new spring-training complex
It’s official: the city of Mesa and the Chicago Cubs are signing a 30-year lease for the team to train at a new complex slated to open in 2014, but there’s still plenty of design work to be done. The Mesa City Council is expected to sign off on the lease during Monday’s meeting. It […]
Ricketts: Everything’s on the table for open GM position
Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts plans on talking to a range of candidates for the team’s general-manager position, but in a Fox Business Network interview he didn’t commit to any specific names floating around out there, including Boston’s Theo Epstein. In an interview with Neil Cavuto, Ricketts sidestepped any talks of specific candidates for the […]
Measuring the 2011 financial winners and losers in MLB
How well did MLB teams spend their money this season? Here’s a look at how well or how poorly teams did with their payrolls this season in an attempt to translate dollars into wins — and why the Houston Astros, even with a low payroll, overpaid their players this season. With the 2011 season completed, […]
Regents approve Sun Devils move to new Cubs training facility
The Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team will be sharing a new Mesa spring-training facility with the Chicago Cubs starting in 2014, as the move was approved by the Arizona Board of Regents last night. The move will cost the athletic department $2 million for the construction of a team clubhouse. In return, according to […]
Old Style to be part of Wrigley taps through 2013
Old Style, on tap at Wrigley Field since 1950, will remain available to Chicago Cubs fans for the next two years under a deal between the team and brand owner Pabst Brewing Company. It wasn’t that long ago — 30 years or less — when Chicago wasn’t the corporate-swill town it is today; we remember […]
Ricketts: Boise’s Memorial Stadium is substandard
Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts may have done the Boise Hawks (short season A; Northwest League) a huge favor by coming to the Treasure Valley and ripping Memorial Stadium as being a substandard facility. Ricketts was in town to review the Hawks operations and speak to the Boise Chamber of Commerce. He was pretty pointed […]
Cubs courting Sun Devils as ballpark partner
The Chicago Cubs are pitching Arizona State University officials on sharing the team’s new Mesa spring-training facility in a move that could see the Sun Devils leave venerable Packard Stadium. It’s fairly unusual for an MLB team to court a college program to share a spring-training facility, but this isn’t a normal circumstance. The Sun […]