Sydney Cricket Ground has been transformed into a Major League Baseball venue, as the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers prepare to open the season on March 22 in Australia. Several games are on the agenda, beginning with a Thursday night (7 p.m. Sydney, 4 a.m. ET) game when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on […]
Archive | Major-League Baseball
Wrigley Field at 100: George Will on baseball’s grandest frame
Wrigley Field turns 100 years old this season, and a host of books are arriving on the scene to commemorate the occasion. Jesse Goldberg-Strassler reviews George Will’s A Nice Little Place on the North Side. Use either your imagination, or a handy search engine, and envision Georges Seurat‘s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of […]
FAA to Nationals: Drop the drone
Weird story out of spring training: the Washington Nationals were ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to stop using a drone camera to photograph practices at the team’s Viera complex. The Nationals were using a drone to take photos of practices, presumably for marketing. Now, in this case, when we’re talking drone, we’re not […]
Local business leaders moving forward with Oakland port ballpark plan
A group of local businessmen are working with the Port of Oakland on a set of surveys and land appraisals to determine the feasibility of an Oakland Athletics ballpark on a waterfront site. Two sites have emerged as the possible future home of the A’s: a redeveloped Coliseum complex that could possibly house a new […]
Mesa launches HoHoKam Park renovations for A’s
The city of Mesa has begun renovations to HoHoKam Park and Fitch Park in anticipation of Oakland Athletics spring training in 2015. This is the last spring training for the A’s at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and Papago Park, as the team agreed to a new HoHoKam Park and Fitch Park lease beginning in 2015. HoHoKam […]
Could A’s end up in Candlestick? Here are some unrealistic scenarios
With Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff saying his team could end up playing in a temporary facility after the team’s Coliseum lease ends in two years, speculation ensues as to an actual location. For a threat to be taken seriously, it needs to be credible. And it doesn’t seem credible that the A’s ownership would […]
PBC moves forward with Astros, Nationals spring-training camp
Although Palm Beach County commissioners voted to move ahead with planning on a spring-training complex for the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals, several funding pieces need to fall into place before the first shovel of dirt is turned. The commissioners voted to move forward with a deal with the two teams for a complex that […]
Advertising exec: Keep MLB at Turner Field once Braves depart
Well, this is certainly outside-the-box thinking: an Atlanta ad exec says MLB should be coerced into placing a team in Turner Field once the Atlanta Braves move to a new Cobb County ballpark. Mike McDonald says there’s enough of a fan base in Atlanta to support two MLB teams, and he says the Atlanta Surge […]
Outdoor NHL hockey at Target Field?
It’s no secret that the Minnesota Twins would love to host an outdoor NHL game at Target Field, and with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman touring the ballpark yesterday, it may be in the cards. Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold took Bettman out today to visit Target Field and TCF Bank Stadium, the outdoor home of […]
Astros, Nats now teaming up for new spring facility
With the Toronto Blue Jays deciding to stay put in Dunedin, the Houston Astros will partner with the Washington Nationals on a new spring-training facility in Palm Beach County. The first proposal from the Astros met with resistance from Palm Beach Gardens residents because it was cited too closely to a school and protected wetlands. […]
New Jays broadcaster rebounds from tragedy
It’s a unique and touching story: former MLB catcher Joe Siddall landed a gig as Toronto Blue Jays radio color analyst a month after losing his 14-year-old son, Kevin, to cancer. A month ago Kevin Siddall succumbed to non-Hodgkins lymphoma just seven months after a diagnosis. Joe Siddell, who spent time with the Montreal Expos, […]
Giants’ Baer: We’d share AT&T Park with Athletics
San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer says his organization would be willing to share AT&T Park temporarily with the Oakland Athletics — provided a new ballpark was under construction. Of course, that new ballpark couldn’t be located in San Jose, where the Giants have stuck to their claims of territorial rights. But otherwise, […]
White Sox revive ’83 uniforms for 2014: Winning Ugly
The Chicago White Sox are bringing back the team’s 1983 uniforms as an alternate for the 2014 season, including a new tri-color cap featuring the familiar “batterman” logo. The jerseys will feature the iconic red, navy blue and primary white pullover jersey with the block “S-O-X” across the chest, and a vintage patch on the […]