The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Class AA; Texas League) will take the field Friday night as the Thunder Chickens, a finalist for team name after a move from Wichita. It’s “What Might Have Been” night at Arvest Ballpark, as the team dons unis and caps as the Thunder Chickens, one of the finalists for the team nickname […]
Tag Archives | class aa
Beacon makes it official: No Ottawa EL team in 2013
Ottawa officials and Beacon Sports confirmed what we reported earlier this week: there will be no Class AA Eastern League team moving to Ottawa Stadium in 2013. The pair finally acknowledged what baseball insiders have known for weeks: that no one was seriously interested in buying the Binghamton Mets (Class AA; Eastern League) and moving […]
Reading Phillies to fly in Eastern League All-Stars
Talk about pampered players: the Reading Phillies will be fly Eastern League All-Stars into Reading Regional Airport via private flights for the league’s All-Star Classic events. “The partnership with Reading Air will allow us to provide first-class treatment to the Eastern League All-Stars that need to fly in from the Eastern League cities farthest from […]
Another run at affiliated ball in Biloxi area
The irrepressible Tim Bennett is back with another proposal for affiliated baseball in the Biloxi area, this time in the neighboring town of Gulfport. He’s floating a proposal for a new ballpark — presumably for a Class AA Southern League team (at one time Bennett was in talks to buy that circuit’s Jackson Generals when the […]
Fisher Cats, Blue Jays extend PDC
As expected, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) and Toronto Blue Jays extended their PDC through 2014, as hopes of a Jays Double-A team in Ottawa fade to black. Toronto has been New Hampshire’s Major League parent club since the Fisher Cats began play in Manchester in 2004. “We are very pleased […]
Blue Wahoos: Success means ballpark upgrades
The early success of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Class AA; Southern League) means their home, Blue Wahoos Park, will receive some ballpark upgrades in coming weeks. The big item: a new auxiliary scoreboard to be finished by the June 13 homestand. The new board will be installed on the façade of the press box and […]
Blue Jays expected to re-up with New Hampshire
The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to extend their PDC with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League), as hopes for an Ottawa Eastern League team fade fast. Kevin Gray reports on the love between the Jays and the Fisher Cats. No surprise here: the Fisher Cats front office is one of the […]
One benefit of new Birmingham ballpark: driving down open industrial space
Here’s one benefit to a new Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) ballpark no one saw coming: the downtown industrial real-estate occupancy rate went way up. In fact, the vacancy rate is down to a current 11.9 percent from 16.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, reports the Birmingham Business Journal. Causing the huge […]
After kerfuffle, Birmingham ballpark design team unchanged
After an apparent move to change the lineup of the design team for a new downtown Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) ballpark, nothing will actually change — for now. No one is really talking about why Mayor William Bell and his staff decided to remove Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio and Hoskins Architecture from the […]
Birmingham mulls changes in ballpark design team
We sense a little Schadenfreude in the air: Birmingham Mayor William Bell is seeking to eliminate two local architects from the design team for a new downtown Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) ballpark. The Birmingham News is reporting the mayor’s office is working to remove Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio and Hoskins Architecture from the […]
Blue Wahoos a hit in Pensacola
Talk about a strong start: the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Class AA; Southern League) have sold out seven of the team’s first 10 home games, pacing the Southern League in attendance. A sellout crowd of 5,038 last night at Blue Wahoos Park pushed the season average to 4,823, giving the Blue Wahoos an edge over the […]
Ottawa continues push for Double-A ball
Organizers in Ottawa continue their drive to show support for a Class AA Eastern League team moving to Ottawa Stadium with a new promo aimed toward businesses and nonprofits. Champions for Ottawa Baseball will today announce a program that goes past an existing season-ticket sales push in an attempt to bring in some corporate money. The […]
Springfield marks Cards’ success with unique giveaway
Nice giveaway: the Springfield Cardinals (Class AA; Texas League) are commemorating the World Series win by parent St. Louis Cardinals with a ring giveaway tonight and a display of the Championship Trophy this weekend. It’s a nice replica of the real ring awarded to the Cards at the beginning of the season, and we’re guessing […]