The Biloxi City Council moved ahead with a plan to borrow $21 million toward the cost of a new ballpark, but the wheels are far from turning on any actual construction. The city council put what’s normally at the end of the process at the beginning, deciding to set up a funding plan now and […]
Tag Archives | class aa
Dowling returns as Rock Cats president; Restall new GM
Bill Dowling, who spent 16 years as co-owner and CEO of the New Britain Rock Cats (Class AA; Eastern League), has returned to the team’s front office as president, with Tim Restall the new GM. They replace John Willi, who will remain as a consultant with the team. Willi was named president/GM when the Solomon […]
New ballpark pays off: Barons pace Southern League in attendance
A month into the season and the Birmingham Barons are pacing the Class AA Southern League in attendance, drawing 5,219 fans a game at their new home, Regions Field. Last season the Barons drew 204,269 fans to Regions Park, the team’s former home in Hoover, for an average of 3,847 fans per game. This year’s […]
New Richmond ballpark: On or off?
Despite the effort by Richmond business leaders to see the economic impact of a downtown ballpark, there are some worries that planning for the new Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark has stalled. Hopes were raised after 150 Richmond business leaders, part of Greater Richmond Chamber’s InterCity program, traveled to Denver to see […]
Edelstein to Aces as EVP/COO; Cole rises to Naturals GM
Eric Edelstein is the new executive vice president/chief operating officer of the Reno Aces (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League); replacing him as GM of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Class AA; Texas League) for the rest of the season is Justin Cole. Coke is currently assistant GM and director of sales for the Naturals. Edelstein has […]
Success rolls on in Tulsa
As the Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League) open their fourth season at ONEOK Field, things have never been better for the Hubbards, as the team may once again set an attendance record. Attendance records are made to be broken, and it’s no coincidence that the three previous best seasons for the Drillers have been […]
MiLB: Baseball game is affordable family fun in 2013
With the average cost for a family of four to attend an MiLB game this season totaling $62.52 in 2013, Minor League Baseball continues to be affordable family entertainment. “When stacked up against other professional sports leagues and family entertainment options, Minor League Baseball proves year after year that it provides the most bang for […]
Ottawa revamps ballpark funding plan
Realizing the original lease proposal for a Class AA Eastern League team was totally unrealistic, Ottawa city officials are looking at raising more money locally for Ottawa Stadium upgrades. The original deal, hammered out by the city and Beacon Sports, called for a team to invest millions to upgrade the ballpark to Double-A standards, with […]
Mayor to pitch Blue Jays on charms of Ottawa Stadium
With the prospects of pro baseball returning to Ottawa dimming daily, Mayor Jim Watson is heading to Toronto to meet with Blue Jays officials about their interest in putting a team in Canada’s capital. Watson has led an effort to bring a team to Ottawa Stadium and brokered a deal with Beacon Sports on a […]
Barons to open new ballpark tonight
It will be a new era of baseball tonight in Alabama, as the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) will open up a new downtown ballpark after a 25-year stint in the suburbs. The new ballpark, Regions Field, is the merger of two visions: one, from city officials who wanted to see pro baseball return […]
Progress made on new Richmond ballpark: McEacharn
It sounds like the city of Richmond and the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) are making serious progress on a new-ballpark plan, though some major decisions are still in the offing. When Lou DiBella and crew moved the team from Norwich, the assumption was that a new-ballpark plan could be worked out rather […]
SeaWolves, city spar over new batting tunnel
It may not sound like a big deal to fans, but something like this is increasingly important to teams and leagues: the Erie SeaWolves (Class AA; Eastern League) and the city are sparring over what league president Joe McEacharn calls “unacceptable.” The issue: when the city renovated Erie Insurance Arena, it removed the exiting batting […]
Barons announce first Opening Day sellout in over 20 years
What can’t a new ballpark do? The Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) have sold out Opening Day for the first time in more than 20 years, as fans are flocking to Regions Field. The team previously played at Regions Park, a rather spacious (10,000+ capacity) venue that was always a challenge to fill. Not […]