Once written off as an expensive alternative for a ballpark site, the Howard Terminal waterfront site in downtown Oakland is being pushed as a prime location for a new Oakland A’s facility thanks to changing circumstances. What’s different? The site’s owner, the Port of Oakland, has decided the 51-acre terminal isn’t crucial for maritime operations; there’s plenty […]
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LA brings in Janet Marie Smith to oversee Dodger Stadium renovations
Janet Marie Smith, perhaps the most successful ballpark executive in the last 20 years, will attempt to work her magic at Dodger Stadium, as the team names her Senior VP of Planning and Development. The most important task for her: overseeing renovations to Dodger Stadium, a project promised by the new Los Angeles Dodgers ownership even before […]
MLB committee meets with Oakland, San Jose officials about future of A’s
The blue-chip committee appointed by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig was in the Bay Area last week to meet with Oakland and San Jose reps about the status of their ballpark bids and the future of the Oakland Athletics. Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff wants to move the A’s to a new downtown San Jose ballpark, […]
Lee County to Nats: We really, really love you
Lee County still wants to see the Washington Nationals as a tenant at City of Palms Park, but with little money for upgrades, county and Fort Myers officials are embarking on a new strategy: convince the Nats front office they are loved. It’s a common strategy: when you don’t have the money to address a […]
Rays: We’ll talk new ballpark with Hillsborough County
Tampa Bay Rays ownership says they’ll sit down with Hillsborough County to discuss a new ballpark — even as St. Petersburg officials hint at legal action to keep the team at Tropicana Field. Yesterday Hillsborough County commissioners voted 5-2 to invite the Rays ownership, as well as reps from St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, for […]
New Marlins ballpark a failure? Hardly
We’ve seen a raft of articles declaring Marlins Park a failure, but we’re not so sure; the new Miami ballpark has led to a 49 percent increase in per-game attendance from old ballpark to new — the third-best this century. It’s easy to blast the Miami Marlins front office for ineptitude, especially after the trading […]
Ballpark proposal goes awry when girlfriend goes on beer run
Greg Altringer thought he had things perfectly set up at Wrigley Field by arranging for a marriage proposal on the center-field scoreboard crawl — but the plan went bad when this girlfriend missed it because she was on a beer run. Altringer, of Great Falls, Mont., arranged with the Cubs to run the scoreboard message: […]
Hillsborough County: Nothing legally bars us from talking new ballpark with Rays
Despite the insistence from St. Petersburg officials that the Tampa Bay Rays are barred from talking new ballpark with anyone else, Hillsborough County legal staff says they can enter talks whenever they want. The legal decision really comes down to some basic contract law: since Hillsborough County (which includes Tampa) isn’t a party to the […]
New Yankee Stadium less intimidating? ESPN thinks so
The old Yankee Stadium was regarded by opposing players as one of the toughest places to compete. Today, it seems, the new Yankee Stadium is less than intimidating. In the old ballpark, fans could affect the outcome of a game, even when they lacked the ability to throw batteries from the right-field seats. Some well-placed […]
AT&T Park, Marlins Park, Phoenix to hold 2013 WBC games
U.S. venues for the 2013 World Baseball Classic were announced today, with the final two rounds set for AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, with prior rounds scheduled for Miami and Phoenix. The decision to hold the semifinals and final at AT&T Park is logical: the past two classics featured final rounds at […]
Acquiring Ichiro brilliant financial move for Yankees
Acquiring Ichiro Suzuki for the remainder of the 2012 season may have helped the New York Yankees on the field, but the Japanese star should help the team’s bottom line for the rest of the season — unless something goes dramatically wrong. The Wall Street Journal looked at the financial impact of the Ichiro trade, […]
In memoriam: Louise Nippert
Louise Nippert, a part-owner of the Cincinnati Reds since 1966 and widow of Louis Nippert, passed away yesterday. She was 100 years old. The Nipperts joined 12 other Cincinnati investors to purchase the Reds and began a 46-year ownership interest in the club that is the longest in franchise history. The Nipperts received the team’s […]
McKechnie Field upgrades set for 2013
Upgrades to McKechnie Field, spring home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and regular-season home of the Bradenton Marauders (High Class A; Florida State League), are set for next season. The upgrades include the addition of a wraparound concourse, outfield tiki bar, upgraded seating and more. (You can see the full details at our sister site, Spring […]