Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts addressed the ongoing silence between the team and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, saying any disagreements won’t matter in the long run. The team hasn’t made any headway on efforts to secure public financing of improvements to Wrigley Field since the political activities of family patriarch Joe Ricketts regarding a perceived smear […]
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The beat of October baseball: Enjoying the postseason
Today is a historic day, with two Game Fives scheduled in the Major League Baseball playoffs. Jesse Goldberg-Strassler explains what makes the postseason so special — and why it’s time to rock. Summer baseball is the jazz of the sports world. Similar to jazz, summer baseball occurs in the background, secondary to the fan’s experience. […]
JetBlue Park receives LEED certification
JetBlue Park, which opened this year as the spring home of the Boston Red Sox, has received LEED certification from the Green Building Certification Institute. The certification came as a result of decisions made early in the design process of the facility by the long-standing public-private partnership between Lee County and the Boston Red Sox […]
Montreal honors Carter with street, ballpark namings
With the Washington Nationals in the playoffs, the Montreal Expos have been in the news as well — and the city added to that by announcing honors for one of the team’s biggest stars, Gary Carter. A street next to Jarry Park, where Carter began his Expos career, will be named in honor of the […]
More development coming to Nationals Park area
Earlier this season we noted the increased development activity around Nationals Park, and another big project was announced yesterday: a 650,000-sf mixed-use complex. Skanska USA Commercial Development and Grosvenor Americas (GA) announced the beginning of planning on the development, which will be located between M and N Street, fronted by First Street, just steps from […]
Spat between Cubs, Mayor Rahm continues
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says there’s been no contact between his office and the Chicago Cubs for the past five months, after the two sides disagreed over the political activities of Joe Ricketts. Ricketts is the family patriarch; the trust he set up owns the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. After Emanuel went out on […]
Mets: New fences suit us just fine
Though the team’s 2012 season wasn’t a totally successful one, New York Mets officials say they’re pleased with the decision to bring in the fences at Citi Field. At first glance, moving in the fences didn’t immediately benefit the team: out of the 46 homers that would have stayed in the park last season, 25 […]
An historic day in an historic city: Nats host playoffs
It’s been 79 years since the District of Columbia hosted playoff baseball, as the Washington Nationals host the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series — but local fans are upset at how MLB is handling the game. Washington last hosted a playoff fame on Oct. 7, 1933, when the New York Giants […]
Repairs on tap for Space Coast Stadium
The Washington Nationals and the Brevard County Manatees (High Class A; Florida State League) will see some improvements to Space Coast Stadium in 2013, but they won’t be as extensive as the Nats requested. The $325,000 in improvements from Brevard County will address some very basic infrastructure needs, mostly relating to water damage, leaks and […]
Glendale: We need to rework spring-training leases
The upcoming mayoral election in Glendale, Az., has some importance for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, as candidate Jerry Weiers wants to renegotiate the teams’ leases for the Camelback Ranch complex. The issue: Glendale is collapsing under the weight of sports-facility debt, relating both to the spring-training complex and Jobing.com Arena, the […]
Dodgers building an empire in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles Dodgers ownership is looking at expanding its empire by acquiring AEG, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings, as well as Staples Center and MLS franchises/facilities. AEG, part of Philip Anschutz’s business empire that also includes railroads, media, petroleum businesses and travel firms (Xanterra is the Yellowstone National Park concessionaire), includes Los Angeles’s […]
Digital Domain pulls out of ballpark naming deal
Digital Domain Park, the spring home of the New York Mets and the regular-season home of the St. Lucie Mets (High Class A; Florida State League), will have a new name after a bankruptcy filing from the naming-rights holder. Digital Domain, a special-effects firm in Port St. Lucie, is canceling its $100,000-per-year naming-rights deal for […]
Twins pitching ballpark changes for 2013
The Minnesota Twins are expected to seek changes to Target Field for 2013, including an upgrade of the right-field bleachers and possibly a return of trees to the center-field batter’s eye area. When Target Field opened, 14 black spruce trees were planted in the batter’s eye area, but Twins position players complained they were a […]