Bob Richmond is retiring as president of the short-season-A Northwest League at the end of the calendar year, according to the league directors. For 30 years, Richmond has overseen the growth of the Northwest League as it developed into one of Minor League Baseball’s most diverse and profitable entities. “For 30 years, I have been […]
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Debate continues: Can Portland support two short-season teams?
With Milwaukie (OR) officials in talk to bring a second short-season Northwest League team to greater Portland, the debate continues: should MiLB territorial rules be put aside to allow for two area teams? Of course, some of the debate is silly: since there’s no MLB team looking to move, saying Portland cities should step aside […]
The Week That Was: May 27
Success in Pensacola, Dodger Stadium problems, fence dimensions and affiliated ball in Ottawa: The most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. Blue Wahoos: Success means ballpark upgrades Freedom Baseball League begins play New Astros uniforms: Bring back the orange! Charges dropped in Dodger Stadium beating Marlins: No […]
MiLB national merchandising program generated $52M in 2011
Minor League Baseball last year generated $52.2 million in sales of licensed merchandise, the third largest since the national merchandising program began in 1991, representing a 2.2 percent increase compared to 2010. “Minor League Baseball merchandise continues to remain extremely popular with our millions of fans, thanks to the efforts of our clubs and licensees,” […]
MiLB attendance up 11.2 percent in April
Good weather, new Mexican League teams and some popular franchise shifts accounted for an 11.2 percent attendance increase among Minor League Baseball teams in April. MiLB clubs attracted 6,401,632 fans through the end of April, an 11.2 percent increase over the same time period last year. The total number of fans is the second highest […]
Is Bakersfield on cusp of new ballpark?
The sale of the Bakersfield Blaze (High Class A; California League) is in final stages of MLB approval — which means speculation about the team’s next phase, a new ballpark, is close to beginning. It’s an open secret in MiLB circles that the sale of the team included plans for a new privately financed ballpark, […]
Wilmington ballpark dead on arrival?
Any potential for a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark is apparently dead in the water, as a political squabble between the city and New Hanover County over a totally unrelated item leads county officials to walk away from talks. It’s quite surreal, actually. City and county officials disagreed over whether the city should annex a new […]
O’Conner, San Diego make news in slow Winter Meetings
During an unusually slow Winter Meetings, two events made headlines: Pat O’Conner was re-elected unanimously as Minor League Baseball president and San Diego was awarded the 2014 event. We’re talking slow in terms of activity among owners: normally there’s plenty of chatter about teams on the market and potential buyers, but this year the talk […]
Gebhard, Jirschele receive Bender, Coolbaugh awards
Arizona Diamondbacks Vice President & Special Assistant to the General Manager Bob Gebhard and Omaha Storm Chasers manager Mike Jirschele are the recipients of the Sheldon “Chief” Bender and Mike Coolbaugh awards, respectively. Gebhard and Jirschele will be honored on December 8 at the annual Banquet during the Baseball Winter Meetings at the Hilton Anatole […]
Tennessee, Lake Elsinore snare MiLB organizational honors
The Tennessee Smokies (Class AA; Southern League) snared the 2011 John H. Johnson President’s Award, while the Lake Elsinore Storm (High Class A; California League) won this year’s Larry MacPhail Award, as MiLB unveiled yearly honors. The Smokies and Storm will receive their major awards at the Baseball Winter Meetings Annual Banquet on Thursday, December […]
Richmond: Yes, we really do intend on building a new ballpark
A day after comments from Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) President Lou DiBella suggested frustration with the lack of progress on a new ballpark, Mayor Dwight C. Jones reiterated the city’s commitment to a new facility. DiBella suggested the team would look for a new home because it looked like a new ballpark […]
MiLB Promotional Seminar moving to Reno
Minor League Baseball’s annual promotional seminar is moving next season to Reno, Nevada, as hordes of baseball folks will be descending on “The Biggest Little City in the World” from October 2-5, 2012. The two-and-a-half day MiLB Promotional Seminar allows sports professionals to discuss and exchange ideas about topics such as marketing, gameday and non-gameday […]
Ah, the power of cheese
There’s apparently some serious mojo behind the Kraft Singles/Minor League Baseball promotion this season: wrapper redemptions have increased 13 percent from this time last season, with a 15 percent increase in the weekly average number of wrappers redeemed as compared to last year. To date, there have been 241 Tuesday Minor League Baseball games played. […]