The Potter County Commissioners unanimously awarded a lease for Potter County Memorial Stadium to Southern Independent Baseball, freeing the way for the independent American Association to set up shop there in 2011. The move wasn’t surprising: SIB principal Scott Berry has been an owner in good standing in the AA for several years, and the […]
Archive | Independent Baseball
New naming rights deal on horizon in Winnipeg?
With the CanWest media empire dead, it sound like we could see a new name for one of our favorite ballparks, CanWest Global Park, the home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes (independent; American Association). CanWest Global Media Corp. has held naming rights to the ballpark since it opened. However, the bankrupt firm has been sold to […]
American Association frontrunner to land Amarillo lease
Potter County (Texas) will exclusively negotiate with Southern Independent Baseball for a lease at Potter County Stadium — the former Amarillo Dilla Villa — as the independent American Association is poised to move into Amarillo for the 2011 season. Southern Independent Baseball is headed by Scott Berry, who also own the Shreveport-Bossier Captains in the […]
Crum new GM in Traverse City
The Traverse City Beach Bums (independent; Frontier League) have a new general manager for the 2011 season: Jeremy Crum, promoted from his position as AGM. “Jeremy has grown with us since our inception, working his way up from an intern in 2006,” said Beach Bums Managing Member/COO John Wuerfel. “As a family owned and operated […]
Griffith works to preserve Northern League
It sounds like independent Northern League Commissioner Clark Griffith was working the phones fast and furiously this past week, seeking to augment the four teams remaining in the circuit with expansion teams and maybe even some refugees from the independent Frontier League. A quiet week was actually pretty good news for Griffith: it mean that […]
The next big thing: Artificial turf
Forget about the old days of AstroTurf, the artificial turf with practically no padding, the stuff that killed careers — or certainly impacted them, as Andre Dawson can attest. Today’s artificial turf is making a resurgence in indy and college ballparks, as the product has improved significantly in recent years. It wasn’t that long ago […]
Four bids submitted for Amarillo ballpark lease
Four bids were received by Potter County for a lease at Amarillo National Bank Dilla Villa (Potter County Stadium), with some familiar faces in the mix — like the Amarillo Dillas and the American Association — as well as some unfamiliar players. The Amarillo Dillas bid did strike us as odd. This whole mess was […]
First look: Proposed St. Paul Saints ballpark
The St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) will be taking another run at state funding for a new downtown ballpark, this time with a design of sorts in hand and a game plan that includes lots of support from the local business community. Gone is Mike Veeck‘s vision of a ballpark oriented to the west […]
Griffith new EVP for Pensacola Pelicans
The Pensacola Pelicans (independent; American Association) have a new Executive Vice President, Operations: Jonathan Griffith, formerly Vice President/General Manager for the Potomac Nationals (High Class A; Carolina League). “Jonathan has a proven track record of success everywhere he’s been and we think he is the perfect fit for the Pensacola Pelicans,” said Pelicans owner Quint […]
Amarillo can support downtown ballpark: CSL
A new downtown Amarillo ballpark is financially feasible and capable of hosting events other than professional baseball throughout the year, according to a study presented to the City Council by Conventions Sports & Leisure. The report estimated that a market the size of Amarillo could support an independent-league team and draw between 3,700 and 4,200 […]
MacInnes joins Golden League during transitional time
Brian MacInnes is the new president of Diamond Sports and Entertainment, which owns the independent Golden Baseball League; he joins the circuit at a time when it’s facing great challenges for the 2011 season and beyond. MacInnes, a C.P.A., comes to Diamond Sports from Deloitte & Touche, one of the Big Four accounting firms, where […]
Rockford, Joliet to Frontier League?
The future of the independent Northern League is in doubt, as the Rockford RiverHawks are set to bolt to the independent Frontier League for the 2011 season and the future of the Joliet JackHammers is in doubt, potentially leaving the Schaumburg Flyers out in the cold. The Northern League, a pioneer in the resurgence of independent […]
The Corn Crib / Normal Cornbelters
It is the corniest ballpark in the independent leagues — which is saying a whole lot. While the Frontier League‘s Normal CornBelters made waves in America’s Heartland because of the team’s unusual marketing strategies and product placement, the real story is how team ownership and ballpark architects managed to create a mid-range ballpark on an […]