Let’s say Tom Ricketts and family decide to complete depart from Chicago Cubs history and seek a naming-rights deal for Wrigley Field. How much are naming rights worth? The answer: $15-20 million a year, according our old college classmate David Kaplan at CSNChicago. That sounds about right: the Cubs are a national team with a […]
Archive | Major-League Baseball
GM meetings: limiting September callups, instant-replay changes
Two topics are emerging as the most important of the annual MLB GM meetings: limiting September callups and an expansion of instant replay. You wouldn’t think that the number of September callups in uniform would be a big deal, but the topic is important both for MLB GMs looking to evaluate talent and MiLB GMs […]
U.S. Cellular withdraws from Chicago, will keep White Sox naming rights
Even though U.S. Cellular is selling its Chicago-area customer contracts to Sprint, the telecom giant will keep its Chicago headquarters and not drop naming rights to U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. U.S. Cellular is in the midst of a 20-year, $88-million naming rights deal signed in 2003. Now, companies have been […]
Funding for Twins spring-training renovations approved
After months of negotiations, Lee County agreed to a $42.5-million renovation of the Minnesota Twins’ spring-training complex that calls for new fan amenities at Hammond Stadium and upgraded training facilities for players. The complex hasn’t seen major changes since 1991, when the Twins moved in after spending most of the team’s history training in Orlando. […]
MLB to players: Don’t take deer antler velvet supplements
Say goodbye to the Steroid Era in baseball; apparently the big fear in the commissioner’s office is that Major League Baseball is about to enter the Deer Antler Velvet Era when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs. To wit: MLB officials have warned players not to consume a diet supplement based on the velvet from deer […]
Matt Hicks new Voice of the Texas Rangers
Matt Hicks sheds the interim tag from his title after the Texas Rangers promote him to be the voice of the franchise for 2013 and beyond, as the team announced its broadcast team for next season. Hicks served as the replacement for Dave Barnett after medical conditions forced him off the air. Play-by-play announcer Steve […]
Texas Rangers begin ballpark upgrades
You’ve been reading about them on this site, but now the actual work begins as the Texas Rangers implement some $12 million in upgrades to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The plan moved forward after Arlington approved a plan allowing the team to pay for the upgrades on a tax-exempt basis. The work will include the […]
Lee County to vote on Twins training upgrades Nov. 6
It’s not a done deal, but it’s close: Lee County is poised to approve $41.6 million in upgrades to Hammond Stadium and the Lee County Sports Complex, the spring home of the Minnesota Twins. The deal could keep the Twins in Fort Myers for the next 50 years, conceivably through 2065 (assuming the lease extension […]
New protective headgear for pitchers may be tested in MiLB next season
After a few troubling incidents this season where pitchers were injured after taking line drives to the head, MLB will examine protective headgear this offseason and perhaps test some possible solutions next season in Minor League Baseball. The problem received national attention when Doug Fister was struck in the head by the line drive while […]
New Houston Astros logo, wordmark leaked
The new logo/wordmark for the Houston Astros was inadvertently leaked by vendors over the weekend, showing a revamped look that’s basically a variation of the team’s original cap logo and wordmark. The images, posted by sportslogos.net, show a new Astros logo that is an update of the original 1965 Astros cap logo; the white-on-orange was […]
Foster: We won’t allow Rays to talk new ballpark in Tampa
St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster shot down a proposal by the Tampa Bay Rays to explore new-ballpark sites in Tampa, arguing that if the Rays are allowed to shop around, they could end up leaving the region. Now, the Rays ownership have shown absolutely no interest in leaving Tampa Bay, and there are no cities […]
Kissimmee pitching two-team complex for spring training
With the Houston Astros likely leaving Osceola County Stadium when the team’s lease ends in 2015, Kissimmee officials are working on a new spring-training complex that could house the ‘Stros and possibly the Washington Nationals. It’s all speculative and far from final, but Kissimmee Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Executive Director Shelley Maccini reported this week […]
Twins, Lee County close to agreement on Hammond Stadium upgrades
The Minnesota Twins and Lee County are close to announcing a $45-million plan to upgrade Hammond Stadium, the team’s spring home, as part of a 30-year lease extension. The plan calls for the state to pay $15 million toward the project under the terms of a Florida fund set up to retain spring training, the […]