A Port Huron, Mich. council member is pushing a 4,500-capacity ballpark for an independent Frontier League team, but right now there’s no funding plan on the table. Jim Fisher says a new ballpark on the shores of the St. Clair River would add to the quality of life in the lakeshore city. Minor-league sports have […]
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Windy City fetes millionth fan
The Windy City ThunderBolts (independent; Frontier League) honored the millionth fan in team history, Karen Kenny of Tinley Park, with a grand time at Standard Bank Stadium. Kenny was given a crown, sash, flowers, and a plaque, and her group of 14 were treated to free food and drink in te team’s Party Box; she also […]
River City Wizards for a night
The River City Rascals (independent; Frontier League) will be the River City Wizards on Sept. 1, as the team honors longtime St. Louis coach Lonnie Maclin with an Ozzie Smith promotion. Smith is a longtime friend of Maclin, who played in twelve games for the Cardinals in 1993. Maclin suffered a stroke back in January […]
American Association down two for 2012 and beyond
The growth of the independent American Association is slowing, as two teams expected to join the league in 2012 and 2013 — teams in Schaumburg and Montgomery County — will likely be playing elsewhere. The American Association had been a player in Schaumburg’s decision to grant Alan Oremus the lease to Alexian Field last offseason […]
The Schaumburg Mallers? Not so fast
The new Schaumburg team in independent baseball still doesn’t have a name, even though there’s been a winner in a name-the-team contest: the Schaumburg Mallers. The contest was a a drawing among all entering a name. Besides winner Steve Larek, an additional 65 winners were selected to receive other prizes, such as a pair of […]
Frontier League
The Frontier League goes back to 1993 as an early independent league; after some early struggles and uncertainty in some markets, it’s now an established league with little franchise turnover and a unique emphasis on young player development. Independent / 1993-present Current TeamsEvansville OttersFlorence FreedomGateway GrizzliesLake Erie CrushersJoliet SlammersNormal CornBeltersRiver City RascalsRockford RiverHawksSouthern Illinois MinersTraverse […]
Windy City closes in on millionth fan
The Windy City ThunderBolts (independent; Frontier League) will be hitting an impressive milestone sometime next month when the one-millionth fan in team history will walk through the Standard Bank Stadium turnstiles. The team joined the Frontier League in 1999 as the Cook County Cheetahs, playing at Hawkinson Ford Field; today the ThunderBolts play at the […]
Slammers work hard to regain community trust
The Joliet JackHammers almost salted the territory after failing to pay bills the past few seasons, but the Joliet Slammers (independent; Frontier League) are working hard to regain community trust — and succeeding. The JackHammers folded after owing $400,000 to vendors and $200,000 to the city for rent at Silver Cross Field — a deficit […]
Financing elusive for new McHenry County ballpark
After several years of work on financing for a new $18-million McHenry County K-Nines (independent; Frontier League) ballpark, team owners have returned bonding money to the county, as the project has stalled. The plan was to build the new ballpark as part of a development that includes a gravel pit and possibly the new grounds […]
Bandits take second Battle of the Sexes from RiverHawks
There seems to be a pattern emerging: A four-run sixth inning propelled the Chicago Bandits, a women’s pro softball team, to a 4-2 comeback victory over the Rockford RiverHawks (independent; Frontier League) in the second annual Battle of the Sexes fast-pitch exhibition Tuesday night. The RiverHawks were no-hit until the final inning of last season’s […]
Crushers announce All-Star plans
The Lake Erie Crushers are hosting the 2011 Frontier League All-Star Game at All Pro Freight Stadium on July 13, but the festivities kick off the night before with the Frontier League Fan Fest and Home Run Derby. The 2011 Frontier League Fan Fest will begin July 12 at 5:30 p.m. with All Star autographs […]
Champaign to study ballpark issues
Elected officials in Champaign are forming a committee to study potential ballpark and baseball funding issue in the Illinois city, and indications are that they’d be looking at an affiliated team after exploring indy ball in the past. Mayor Don Gerard says he’ll appoint an exploratory committee to look at baseball and ballpark-financing issues, including […]
Slammers unveil mascot: J.L. Bird
The Joliet Slammers (independent; Frontier League) unveiled a second mascot that keeps with the jailbird theme for the team: J.L. Bird. “He can be a little mischievous,” Slammers Director of Marketing Sarah H. Eichenberger said. “But we’ve been assured that he’s perfectly friendly.” The new mascot made his debut Sunday night as he ran wild […]