The new owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers took control of the franchise and Dodger Stadium today, ending Frank McCourt’s tumultuous term as owner of the flagship franchise. The sale became final today after Guggenheim Baseball wired a final payment to McCourt. A press conference is expected tomorrow, with Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten serving […]
Archive | Major-League Baseball
MLB looking to alter interleague play to curtail rivalries: report
A scheduling reconfiguration in 2013 made necessary by the move of the Houston Astros to the American League could change the two annual rivalry series so popular at the box office. ESPNNewYork.com is reporting the shift, part of the move to permanent interleague play in 2013 when there are 15 teams in each league. Right […]
Marlins face not-so-unusual problem: dead turf in a covered ballpark
The problem dates back to the original Astrodome, where AstroTurf was invented to solve this issue: the Miami Marlins find it hard keeping grass alive in a covered ballpark. It’s been a wet April in Miami — undoubtedly due to global warming, if you ask Tim McCarver — and so the roof has been closed […]
Angels eying return to Los Angeles?
Is Arte Moreno looking at a move of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim back into L.A. proper? Apparently so. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Angels owner Moreno has been engaged in some early discussions with AEG about the potential of building a new ballpark in downtown Los Angeles. Timing is of the […]
If Nats leave Viera, will other teams follow?
With talks continuing between the Washington Nationals and Lee County about a spring-training move, folks are inevitably wondering if the Cardinals, Mets or Marlins will follow. It’s a natural question: the Cards and Marlins have a clause in their leases for Roger Dean Stadium the right to talk away for greener pastures if fewer than […]
Lee County commissioner: “50-50” chance Nats will move spring ops to Fort Myers
A Lee County commissioner pegged the odds at “50-50” about the chances of the Washington Nationals moving spring-training operations to Fort Myers after the two sides met today. Lee County (Fl.) Commissioner Frank Mann, who did not attend a meeting between Lee County officials and two Nats reps but did discuss it with them afterwards, […]
Lee County, Nats to meet about spring training
Reps from the Washington Nationals and Lee County will meet today to discuss the team shifting spring-training operations to Fort Myers’ City of Palms Park. We don’t expect anything big to come from the discussions; the two are just a third into a 90-day exclusive negotiating period. Both sides have made their goals public: the […]
Padres looking at moving in Petco Park fences
Another team looking to pump the ballpark juice: The San Diego Padres are considering whether to move in the fences at Petco Park to make the place more batter-friendly. Right now Petco Park is a spacious ballpark, reaching 400 feet in both power alleys. As a result, pitchers tend to do well at the ballpark: […]
Cubs funding request: $500M in Wrigley Field improvements
A total of $500 million would be spent on Wrigley Field improvements if public funding comes through: $300M for the ballpark itself, $200M for a new triangle building next door. Crain’s Chicago Business is reporting some of the details of the plan. Public funding isn’t part of the so-called triangle building next door to Wrigley, […]
Lee County to seek state ballpark-improvement grant
Already aiming to fund improvements at Hammond Stadium, the spring home of the Minnesota Twins, Lee County is seeking state assistance as it also works to free up money for the Washington Nationals. in discussions of the future of spring training in Fort Myers, Lee County commissioners have steadfastly held that any additional tourism-tax revenues not […]
Mother Nature delays Mets’ green initiative
A day late after the New York Mets’ Earth Day game was rained out, the team is launching a new series of green initiatives with Citi Field partners. Much of this isn’t glamorous stuff, though it should be noticed by fans, such as Action Carting Environmental Services recycling receptacles located throughout Citi Field, helping the Mets achieve […]
Wrigleyville bomber sentenced
A would-be terrorist targeting fans at a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field with a bomb placed in a trash can has pleaded guilty to charges and will be spending at least 20 years in prison. Sami Samir Hassoun, 24, pleaded guilty in federal court “to attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and trying […]
Lost in the shuffle: Tiger Stadium and Crosley Field
As it ends up, 1912 was a pretty good year for Major League Ballparks: Besides Fenway Park, fans also were treated to two other new diamond palaces: Crosley Field and Tiger Stadium. Crosley Field, shown above, was actually the first of the three to open; on April 11, 1912, the Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs, 10-6, […]