Baseball romantics and market researchers say conditions are right for Major League Baseball to return to Montreal — but others argue it’s a waste of time to bring back Expos 2.0. Hardcore baseball fans have fond memories of the Montreal Expos because the team, its players and its ballparks never fit within the stifling conformity […]
Archive | Major-League Baseball
Appeals court puts San Jose antitrust lawsuit on fast track
San Jose won the right to fast-track an appeal of its lawsuit against Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig over the lack of permission for the Oakland A’s to move there. Viewed by many observers to be a very weak argument, San Jose lawyers said MLB illegally colluded to keep the Athletics from building […]
Stow attackers plead guilty UPDATED!
The two men who viciously attacked San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow in the Dodger Stadium parking lot pleaded guilty to charges today during a scheduled court appearance. The pair pleaded guilty at a court appearance today. From AP: They were immediately sentenced by an angry judge who called them cowards and the sort of […]
No public money for new Angels ballpark: Tustin mayor
If Arte Moreno wants a new Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ballpark in Tustin, he’ll need to move ahead with no public funding, according to Mayor Al Murray. Moreno and Murray met last week to discuss the potential of a new ballpark at the city’s decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station, a site attractive because of […]
Henry: Fenway Park will need replacing someday, but I won’t be the one to tear it down
Fenway Park, that 102-year-old symbol of all that is right in baseball, will need replacing someday, says owner John Henry, but he won’t be the one to tear the place down. “Structurally there is an expiration date,” Henry said while making an appearance at Red Sox spring training in Fort Myers. “Someone at some point […]
Moreno: Angels committed to Anaheim, but checking out alternatives
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim owner Arte Moreno says he’s serious about investing hundreds of millions into Angel Stadium and surrounding development, but the city’s reluctance to commit has him talking new ballpark with other communities. Moreno and the Angels have presented a plan where the team would fund $150 million in Angel Stadium improvements […]
Yanks, Marlins add spring series at Panama’s Rod Carew Stadium
Bringing MLB to Panama for the first time since 1947, the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins have scheduled a two-game series at Panama City’s Rod Carew Stadium on March 15-16. Dubbed the “Legends Series,” the games were pushed by former Yankee great and Panama native Mariano Rivera, the game’s all-time saves leader. Rivera […]
Cubs, Mesa dedicate new spring-training ballpark
Nice milestone in Mesa, as the city and the Chicago Cubs this morning dedicated Cubs Park, a new spring-training complex and a rebuilt and enhanced Riverview Park on a 146-acre site. During a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Cubs Park, Cubs board members Tom and Laura Ricketts, front office executives Crane Kenney and Theo Epstein and Hall […]
New ‘Stros/Jays spring complex has wider impact
The fate of a new Houston Astros/Toronto Blue Jays spring-training complex has a wide impact: it could affect the future of spring training for the Cards, Mets and Marlins on the Treasure Coast. With the Washington Nationals ownership determined to leave Viera and Space Coast Stadium (a move that seems to have stalled recently), a […]
A-Rod drops lawsuits, accepts 2014 suspension
Well, there’s one distraction out of the way as baseball and the New York Yankees approach spring training: Alex Rodriguez will drop his lawsuits against MLB and the players union, accepting his year-long suspension. After an independent arbitrator determined a year-long suspension (including the playoffs) would be enough for usage of performance-enhancing drugs in the […]
In memoriam: Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner, the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer who gained wider fame as a New York Mets broadcaster for more than 50 years, passed away today. He was 91. Kiner first gained fame with the Pirates as a home-run hitter whose favorite target in Forbes Field became known as Kiner’s Korner, notching 51 round-trippers in […]
Spring training begins as Diamondbacks pitchers, catchers report
If you’re staring out at a yard full of snow, take heart: spring training officially began yesterday, as Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers and catchers reported to camp yesterday. Yes, we’re dealing with snow and below-average temperatures here at Ballpark Digest headquarters, with no end in sight. (Well, technically, that’s not true: We’ll be in Phoenix at […]
New for 2014: Globe Life Park
We have a naming-rights deal in Texas: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington will be known as Globe Life Park in Arlington, as the Rangers and Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company come to an agreement. The name change of the park is effective immediately. Based in McKinney, Texas, Globe Life And Accident Insurance Company has been […]