New owners usually mean ballpark changes, and that was especially true this past season, when the St. Louis Cardinals took over the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and immediately committed to significantly enhancing the fan experience. The extensive improvements earned AutoZone Park Ballpark Digest’s Best Ballpark Renovation (Over $6M/Under $20M) for 2015. (more…)
Some great games on the docket for CBS Sports Network in 2015, as the network will televise 10 marquee Minor League Baseball regular-season games for the second season. (more…)
Many Minor League Baseball teams are offering fans the opportunity to take in a game before Opening Day on April 9 by including preseason exhibition games in their schedules. Headlined by five games that pit Minor League teams against their Major League parent clubs, these contests are discussed in this week’s Promotions Watch. (more…)
The Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will have a new primary logo in 2015, adopting a look based on the iconic St. Louis Cardinals logo. (more…)
New ownership means lots of change for the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), as $6.5 million in upgrades to AutoZone Park were unveiled by the team today. (more…)
As scheduled: the St. Louis Cardinals have closed on their purchase of the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), with the city taking control of AutoZone Park. The Memphis Redbirds Baseball Foundation is now out of the baseball game with the sale of both assets, and Fundamental Advisors LP, the Foundation’s sole bondholder, retired […]
Shelby County has agreed to Memphis’s purchase of AutoZone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), the final step toward a deal that also sees the St. Louis Cardinals buying the franchise. The city and county each paid $4.25 million in 1998 for the land beneath the ballpark. The approval from […]
The Memphis City Council has approved the purchase of AutoZone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), after agreeing to issue $24 million in bonds. The bonds will cover both the purchase of the ballpark and improvements. The purchase of the ballpark from the facility’s bondholder, Fundamental Advisors, also clears the […]
Big day for the future of AutoZone Park, as the City Council is set to decide on a public purchase of the home of the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). The proposal calls for the city to buy the ballpark for $14.5 million and allocate another $4.5 million toward future improvements. Also as […]
A sale of AutoZone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), to the city has been pushed back to Monday after objections from City Council members. The main objection: the pace of the deal. After years of having the ballpark and the team on the market, the city and the St. […]
The city of Memphis is set to pay $20 million for AutoZone Park, the home of the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), and spend $5 million more on upgrades, along with $15 million from the St. Louis Cardinals. Those are the terms of the deal, which will be debated by the Memphis City […]
Despite a long-term lease being part of a deal for Memphis to buy AutoZone Park, a local columnist warns that the St. Louis Cardinals could move the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) someday. Of course, this is an oblique threat: it sounds like the city and the Cards will sign a long-term, 17-year […]
A surprise decision on a new Atlanta Braves ballpark, the debut of a Richmond ballpark plan, and the sale of the Memphis Redbirds made headlines. The top stories on Ballpark Digest this past week, as measured by page views. Braves to leave Turner Field, will build new Cobb County ballparkTurner Field to be torn down […]
