An Ottawa council committee today voted to direct staff to negotiate an Ottawa Stadium lease with the independent Can-Am League for the 2015 season. Staff had recommended the city move forward with the Can-Am League over a competing bid from Mandalay Baseball Properties, seeking to bring a Class AA Eastern League team to Ottawa. The […]
Tag Archives | class aa
Big 12 baseball tourney shifting to Tulsa in 2015
Big hit for Oklahoma City: The Big 12 is moving its annual baseball tournament from Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark to Tulsa’s ONEOK Field for 2015. The tournament will return to Oklahoma City for 2016; the 2017 and 2018 tourneys are up for bid. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Class AAA; Pacific Coast […]
Ottawa: We’ll take indy Can-Am over affiliated ball
Ottawa has decided to go with the independent Can-Am League as a tenant for Ottawa Stadium instead of a Double-A team owned by Mandalay Baseball Properties, as a $40-million price tag was deemed to be too much. A report from the city examined RFPs from Mandalay and the Can-Am League. The city had already committed […]
Young: New ballpark will spark downtown Biloxi growth
Experienced MiLB operator Ken Young is meeting tomorrow with the Biloxi City Council about his plans to bring a Class AA Southern League team to a new downtown ballpark. Young, with ownership stakes in the Albuquerque Isotopes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), Norfolk Tides (Class AAA; International League), Bowie BaySox (Class AA; Eastern League) and […]
RockHounds set another attendance record
The Midland RockHounds (Class AA; Texas League) set an all-time attendance record this season, on the heels of an amazing stretch that saw attendance increases in seven of the last eight years. The team drew 317,233 fans this season, good for sixth in the Texas League but 12th among all Class AA teams. —- Share […]
Aeros notch best attendance since 2009
New ownership makes a difference: the Akron Aeros (Class AA; Eastern League) finished the 2013 home schedule with 295,459 fans in 70 openings — the first attendance increase since 2011 and the most fans at Canal Park since the total of 316,836 in 2009. The Aeros ended up with a per-game average of 4,220. “The […]
Flying Squirrels claim Eastern League attendance title
Full-season leagues wrapped up their seasons yesterday. In the Double-A Eastern League, the Richmond Flying Squirrels claimed the circuit’s attendance title for the first time since 2010. The MiLB regular season isn’t done yet — the Pioneer League ends next weekend — but the full-season leagues are entering the playoffs. In Richmond, where the postseason […]
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 […]
Diablos close out El Paso tenure
The second incarnation of the El Paso Diablos (independent; American Association) came to an end yesterday, as the team wrapped up its season and history at Cohen Stadium. The original Diablos and flamboyant owner Jim Paul are still remembered fondly in some Minor League Baseball circles: an aggressive promoter whose approach to giveaways and promote […]
Fightin Phils to give away Jaguar, complete with cassette deck
The Reading Fightin Phils (Class AA; Eastern League) are holding an unusual promo: the team is giving away a 1991 Jaguar owned by first baseman Jim Murphy. The raffle will benefit Baseballtown Charities and its Baer Park Rehabilitation Project. Instead of driving the car back to his home state of Washington after the end of […]
Consultant: Biloxi ballpark site would be a winner
This is quite the endorsement: Charles Johnson IV of Johnson Consulting calls a proposed Biloxi ballpark a sure winner, with average baseball attendance and above-average event attendance. The recipient of a $25,000 contract from the city, Johnson pegs the ballpark’s economic impact at $34 million annually (with the average game/event attendee spending $70 during each […]
Biloxi: Let’s slow down new-ballpark plan
The Biloxi City Council took a step back from funding a new Class AA Southern League ballpark and decided to analyze whether the investment makes economic sense. The Council had previously agreed to spend $21 million on the new $35-million ballpark for a relocated Southern League team, to be owned by veteran MiLB operator Ken […]
Shocker: Only one legitimate response to Ottawa baseball RFP
Ottawa officials wanting a bidding war for an Ottawa Stadium lease are probably disappointed that only one bid, from Mandalay Baseball Properties, has been submitted. Ken Grey brings word on the state of bids for the ballpark: A source close to the negotiations says Mandalay Sports Entertainment and Professional Sports Catering have the Minor League […]