The Houston Astros will be moving to the American League West as Major League Baseball tackles the issue of realignment, according to a report from Fox Sports Arizona. Jack Magruder, a very reliable reporter, is writing that two sources told him the Arizona Diamondbacks would not be asked to move from the National League West […]
Archive | Major-League Baseball
Marlins shut down upper deck at Sun Life Stadium
Makes sense when you play in the largest facility in Major League Baseball: The Florida Marlins are shutting down the upper deck at Sun Life Stadium for the rest of the regular season save a few special events. The cost of manning operations in the upper level outweighs the number of fans actually buying tickets […]
Consultant: Ballpark safety needs to be reevaluated
In the wake of Shannon Stone’s tragic fall at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and a nearly disastrous fall last night during the All-Star Home Run Derby, a safety consultant is calling for higher railings at ballparks across the country. There’s no uniform building code for ballparks; team determine things like railing heights in conjunction with […]
Sheriff Joe calls off chain gang at the All-Star Game
No surprise Sheriff Joe would be elbowing his way into the spotlight during the All-Star Game, but it sounds like cooler heads prevailed over the craziness as Arpaio scrapped plans to have a chain gang picking up trash outside Chase Field Tuesday night. Arpaio, for the uninitiated, is the controversial Maricopa County sheriff whose law-enforcement […]
Prepping Chase Field for the All-Star Game
Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has always been an underrated ballpark, in our view. Now fans across the country will be exposed to its many charms during the All-Star Game this week. When it opened in 1998, Chase Field — then Bank One Ballpark — was a fairly subtle facility with a […]
Montreal capable of supporting MLB — if there’s an owner with deep pockets
Montreal is financially healthy enough to support Major League Baseball, according to a study from the Conference Board of Canada, but it would take an owner with deep pockets and a new ballpark for success — and neither are likely to emerge any time soon. Overall, Montreal has emerged as a wealthy international city, with […]
Rangers will keep throwing balls into stands; teams reevaluate safety at ballparks
Despite the death of Shannon Stone at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington as he attempted to snare a ball thrown to the stands, Texas Rangers players will continue the practice; meanwhile, many teams are inspecting ballparks for potential trouble spots. “I’m certainly not going to suggest to our players that we don’t give baseballs away,” Nolan […]
Development arrives at Target Field area
One of the lures for state funding of Target Field was the potential for development in the North Loop area of downtown Minneapolis. While Target Field has certainly revitalized the downtown bar scene, it’s now potentially fueling tens of millions in additional real-estate investment. Hines Interests had options on land surrounding the home of the […]
Fan falls to death at Rangers Ballpark
A 30-year-old Texas Rangers fan fell to his death during last night’s game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, as he attempted to snare a ball thrown into the stands by outfielder Josh Hamilton. The fan, Shannon Stone, was a firefighter in Brownwood, Texas. He was sitting in the front row of the left-field lower reserved […]
Bankruptcy court denies Dodgers document request — for now
Delaware bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross denied a request by Los Angeles Dodgers attorneys to have Major League Baseball produce a wide-ranging set of documents designed to show Bud Selig treated Frank McCourt differently than other MLB owners. Not a complete surprise. The Los Angeles Dodgers are seeing bankruptcy protection and have arranged $150 million in […]
Giants’ cable partner on lookout for World Championship Baby
Interesting promotion from CSN Bay Area: the cable home of the San Francisco Giants is counting down to the birth of a local baby born exactly nine months after the team won the 2010 World Series on Nov. 1 at 7:45 p.m. It’s a pretty clever contest: the cable outfit is asking Bay Area moms-to-be […]
Angels accessibility lawsuit granted class-action status
A lawsuit brought against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by a wheelchair user denied access to the Club Level at Angel Stadium has been granted class certification, giving momentum to the argument that there should be more accessible seating at the ballpark. This is probably something all ballpark operators should heed, as it held […]
Dodgers: Selig was unfair toward team ownership
In a signal that Frank McCourt’s lawyers are planning on playing hardball during bankruptcy proceedings, they’re asking Major League Baseball to hand over a raft of documents about how Commissioner Bud Selig has treated other teams during troubled financial times — information MLB lawyers will surely fight to keep private. McCourt’s attorneys are obviously attempting […]