Max Soriano, who partnered with brother Dewey Soriano to bring the Seattle Pilots to the American League, has passed away. He was 86. Dewey Soriano was a longtime baseball entrepreneur in the Pacific Northwest. When the opportunity came to own an expansion franchise in 1969, he and Max put up $2 million for a 35 […]
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MLBAM expands paperless offerings on iPhones
With the introduction of a new operating system for iPhones, MLB Advanced Media has expanded support for paperless tickets with Apple’s Passport applications. Under the new system — which will be offered for the rest of the season by the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox — a ticket […]
Fox, Turner retain MLB broadcast rights; NBC shut out
Fox Sports and Turner Sports are retaining rights to broadcast MLB games in 2014 and beyond, with Fox using an expanded portfolio of games as the cornerstone of Fox Sports One, a sports network to be built off the existing Speed Channel. The New York Times is reporting the deal, but doesn’t have any information on […]
State bonds approved for Cards’ Ballpark Village; construction begins in November
The Ballpark Village development from the St. Louis Cardinals, to be located next to Busch Stadium, is a go after the Missouri Development Finance Board approved $17 million in tax incentives. The board’s vote, taken this morning, was 11-1. Construction will begin in November, as the rest of the financing of the $89-million project is all […]
Rangers planning $10M in ballpark upgrades
The Texas Rangers are planning $10 million in ballpark upgrades at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for 2013, including new seating closer to the field and enhanced concessions behind home plate. The backstop would be moved closer to the field and a row of premium seating added. In addition, concessions behind home plate would be enhanced and expanded. […]
Entertainment complex pitched for Turner Field area
Frequently empty parking lots north of Turner Field could be developed as a 55-acre entertainment complex, as Invest Atlanta solicits developers about their interest in a potential project. There’s a lot of land surrounding Turner Field, and it’s not doing a whole lot to bring fans to Atlanta Braves games or generate much in way […]
First spring-training schedule posted
Our sister site, Spring Training Online, has posted the first tentative schedule for 2013: the home slate for the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. You can view the schedule here. Spring training will be a slightly longer affair in 2013: games will be starting a little earlier and run through the end of March. You […]
Old Seattle Pilots photos uncovered
One of the tragedies of the digital age is the loss of old photo archives. A recently discovered cache of negatives from the Post-Intelligencer shows the Seattle Pilots, an underdocumented team, in action. The Post-Intelligencer archives yielded two sets of photos from 1969 detailing a very interesting time in Seattle history: spring training for the […]
New fences a success for Mets; other teams may follow
Despite the team’s 65-74 record, the decision by the New York Mets to move in the fences this season at Citi Field is being deemed a success — and other teams may follow suit. For Mets GM Sandy Alderson, moving in the fences was a matter of making the ballpark play fairer, not to give […]
Rain halts action at Rogers Centre
For the second time this season fans at a covered ballpark were hit with halted play, as Toronto Blue Jays action at Rogers Centre was stopped when rain poured through the open roof. The Blue Jays were hosting the Baltimore Orioles when rain hit the area in the sixth inning. Normally it’s no big deal […]
Nats: We’re still interested in Fort Myers — if spring complex is upgraded
Washington Nationals front-office personnel told Lee County reps the team was interested in moving spring-training operations to City of Palms Park — if the ballpark was upgraded, to the tune of $45 million or more. With the Nats unwilling to commit to Viera’s Space Coast Stadium and openly seeking a new spring home, a move […]
San Jose ballpark land deal under formal review
The transfer of land destined for a new San Jose ballpark is officially being reviewed by California Controller John Chiang to determine whether it was done legally. California municipalities were warned in early 2011 that assets of city and county redevelopment agencies would be transferred to the state in order to balance the budget. For the […]
Cromartie laying the groundwork for MLB’s return to Montreal
It’s an effort that won’t pay off any time soon, but former Expo Warren Cromartie says he’s meeting with local business owners to bring Major League Baseball back to Montreal. MLB teams don’t move very often — in the last 30 years, the only team to move was the Montreal Expos, ironically — so obviously an […]