St. Petersburg officials have offered to release the Tampa Bay Rays from a lease clause forbidding discussions of new ballpark with others, but on one condition: talks be limited to a St. Pete location. The Rays are operating under a Tropicana Field lease that prevents them from talking with other cities about relocation while the […]
Archive | Major-League Baseball
MLB to test two new instant-replay systems
Major League Baseball will test two new instant-replay systems at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field before the end of the season to determine their viability for 2013 and beyond. Expanding instant replay to include fair/foul calls and clean catches on the playing field is on the agenda; MLB Commissioner Bud Seig says a system that […]
Is batting practice necessary?
It’s a cherished baseball tradition, but many players and coaches now say that batting practice is a waste of time and can actually do more harm than good by reinforcing bad habits. The pregame batting practice has been part of baseball since the 1880s, when players come to practice their swings before the game. It’s […]
Jackson County: Royals ballpark money should be spent on ballpark
Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders wants to see a long-term plan for improvements at Kauffman Stadium, arguing that state and city money for improvements isn’t being spent on the facility. His argument is a little esoteric, so follow along carefully. There are two pots of money used for Kauffman Stadium improvements. The larger, a three-eighth-cent sales […]
Ballpark pitch will be heard by St. Pete — but officials will not respond
St. Petersburg will hear a pitch from a developer for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, but the City Council won’t be allowed to speak and there will be no direct communication with any Rays employees. Developer Darryl LeClair had requested the chance to lay out his proposal for a new Rays ballpark on a 12-acre […]
McKechnie Field renovations expanded
The price tag for renovations at McKechnie Field, the spring home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, has grown by $2.5 million or so after the team added some new improvements to the mix. However, Bradenton’s contribution to the project — $7.5 million — remains the same. The team has indicated it will pick up the additional […]
Owners approve sale of Padres to Fowler/O’Malley group
No surprise: Major League Baseball today approved the sale of the San Diego Padres to a group led by Ron Fowler and Peter O’Malley, ending John Moores’ tenure as team owner. The vote this morning was seen as a formality by many in baseball; a new owner doesn’t get this far if the skids weren’t […]
Election loss could impact future of Twins, Nats in Fort Myers
The defeat of Ray Judah, a big supporter of spring training in Fort Myers, could impact the future of Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals spring training in Lee County. Judah was running for reelection on the Lee County Board of Commissioners, but came in third in Tuesday’s Republican primary behind a candidate who strongly criticized […]
MLB owners expected to approve Padres sale tomorrow
Unless something goes dramatically wrong overnight, 29 MLB owners are expected to approve the sale of the San Diego Padres to a group led by Peter O’Malley and Ron Fowler tomorrow. The MLB owners are meeting in Denver. Today the MLB Finance Committee and Executive Council heard a presentation from the proposed new ownership group, and […]
Cards’ Ballpark Village plan to receive state scrutiny next week
The $100-million Ballpark Village project pushed by the St. Louis Cardinals will be discussed by the Missouri Development Finance Board next week. The Cardinals are seeking $17 million in state and local tax credits for the project, which is set to feature a St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, a live music venue and […]
Still generating cash: the Montreal Expos
Never let it be said we passed on a good opportunity to display a Montreal Expos logo: despite the demise of the team many years ago, the ‘Spos logo is still a big seller. It’s not necessarily baseball fans who keep the Expos logo and colors on the tops of some best-seller lists, but rather […]
Twins shift broadcasting to team-affiliated station
As many predicted, the Minnesota Twins are shifting team broadcasts from ESPN 1500 to FM 96.3 K-TWIN, a radio station also owned by the Pohlad family, beginning with the 2013 season. The agreement calls for FM 96.3 K-TWIN, part of Northern Lights Broadcasting, to broadcast all regular and post-season games and at least 25 spring-training games. […]
In memoriam: Johnny Pesky
He was an integral part of the Boston lineup, hitting over .300 as a member of the Red Sox and serving the team faithfully after retirement. Johnny Pesky passed away yesterday at the age of 92. His baseball career spanned over 60 years, beginning in Portland where he broke in . And even though he […]