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 […]
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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. […]
MiLB licensing sales up 12 percent in 2010
Despite the recession, last year was a good one for MiLB merchandise sales, as Minor League Baseball announced its national Licensing Program experienced a 12 percent increase in the sales of licensed merchandise last year over 2009. The program, established in 1991, consists of the 160 clubs in the domestic-based leagues. “Minor League Baseball is […]
The Week That Was: May 1
The ongoing battle between Frank McCourt and Bud Selig, a naming-rights sale in Oakland and a full accounting of team names in Minor League Baseball made headlines this week. The top stories on Ballpark Digest this past 10 days or so, as measured in page views. Yankees sued over authorship of iconic logo McCourt response […]
MiLB: Heaviest use of Vero Beach baseball facilities since 1940s
Here’s one reason why spring training is unlikely to return to the former Dodgertown in Vero Beach: Between youth tournaments, swimming meets and other events, Vero Beach Sports Village is the busiest it’s been since the 1940s, when the Brooklyn Dodgers hosted 26 teams there during spring training. It’s a vindication of sort for Minor […]
Valcke: Baseball can work in Ottawa
Despite a poor record of Triple-A and independent baseball succeeding in Canada’s capital, Tom Valcke says that Ottawa Stadium is a gem and should not be renovated as a concert venue — rather, it should be pitched as an MiLB short-season-A home while continuing to host the Ottawa Fat Cats. Valcke is a well-known and well-respected […]
The Week That Was: Feb. 20
The Florida Marlins hit a new-ballpark landmark, high stakes for a new Las Vegas ballpark, and teams in Adelanto, Davenport and Bowling Green engage the promotional tools. The most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. First seats installed in new Marlins ballpark Stakes high for 51s in […]
New Pensacola team already has 500 season tickets in the bank
Nice to have this sort of financial commitment from the community before the team even has a name: the Pensacola Southern League team slated to begin play in 2012 has already received 500 season-ticket commitments, complete with nonrefundable deposits. “It is gratifying to see the excitement for Double A baseball in our area,” said team […]