After reviewing the Ottawa City Council deliberations over a lease at Ottawa Stadium — with the decision to go with the indy Can-Am League over an affiliated bid — it’s pretty clear there was little commitment to spend money on serious ballpark upgrades. You can view the Ottawa Sun story about the ballpark deliberations here, […]
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Biloxi ballpark vote set for Tuesday
A final vote on a new Biloxi ballpark for a Class AA Southern League team is set for Tuesday morning, following a public hearing on the financing plan. The $36-million financing plan is pretty simple: the city will use $15 million from a state grant stemming from BP monies, and the remaining $21 million will […]
Housecleaning in Syracuse: Simone, board out
John Simone’s bid to take over the Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) was rejected by the team’s board, and the resulting reorg will see him leaving the team and a new board installed. In the end, no one outside Syracuse sought a deal to manage the Chiefs in the wake of a $500,000 loss […]
SWB RailRiders, Lowell, Quad Cities, Lehigh Valley bring home Golden Bobbleheads
News from the MiLB Promotional Seminar in Louisville, as the annual Golden Bobblehead (GHB) Awards for the best promotions in Minor League Baseball were awarded. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Class AAA; International League) took home the Golden Bobblehead for Best Non-Game Day Event and the Best Overall Promotion for their NBC’s The Office Wrap Party promotion. […]
Chiefs behind on ballpark rent to Onondaga County
When it rains, it pours: Besides posting a half-million-dollar loss for 2013, the Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) are $64,000 behind on rent for NBT Bank Stadium. The Chiefs paid rent for the first three months of 2013 to Onondaga County and then missed the remaining payments. The yearly rent at NBT Bank Stadium […]
Mobley: Chiefs financial situation “needs a little attention”
International League President Randy Mobley is working with the Syracuse Chiefs board of directors to address financial issues faced by the team, which includes a half-million-dollar loss this past season. The Chiefs board met Tuesday to review the books — which included the aforementioned $505,146 loss — and to discuss ways to attract more revenue […]
Oklahoma City to host 2014 MiLB Promotional Seminar
The 2014 Minor League Baseball Promotional Seminar will take place in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Sept. 30-Oct. 2, at the Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center Hotel. The Oklahoma City RedHawks (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will be the host club for the 37th annual seminar. “Oklahoma City has all of the attributes necessary to host […]
Macon officials hold off on MiLB feasibility study
If pro baseball is to return to Macon, Ga., it won’t be any time soon, as the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority delayed a decision on a feasibility study for a new ballpark. The pitch from Macon Mayor Robert Reichert would have the county pay for a feasibility study. But, given that other aspects of […]
More bad news out of Syracuse: Chiefs post $500K loss in 2013
The turmoil with the Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) should continue after the team posted a $505,146 loss through the end of the 2013 season. This offseason has already seen the resignation of Tex Simone as the team’s executive vice president and chief operating officer earlier this month, following media reports calling for changes […]
Macon officials: We want to bring back MiLB
A decade after the loss of affiliated baseball, Macon (Ga.) area officials are debating whether to fund a feasibility study for a new MiLB ballpark in the city. There’s been talk of pro baseball in the greater Macon area since the loss of the Macon Braves (Low Class A; Sally League) in 2002, mostly in […]
New site pitched for Fredericksburg ballpark
The Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) and Diamond Nation have shifted the potential site of a new Fredericksburg (Va.) ballpark — but not far. The new location, where Kalahari Resorts once envisioned a facility as part of Celebrate Virginia, is near the original proposed ballpark site, along Interstate 95. The land originally sought […]
Ottawa: We’ll take indy Can-Am over affiliated ball
Ottawa has decided to go with the independent Can-Am League as a tenant for Ottawa Stadium instead of a Double-A team owned by Mandalay Baseball Properties, as a $40-million price tag was deemed to be too much. A report from the city examined RFPs from Mandalay and the Can-Am League. The city had already committed […]
New Charlotte Knights ballpark rendering posted
It just seems like yesterday saw the end of the 2013 season, and here we are looking forward to the 2014 season with this spiffy rendering of the new Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) ballpark. The first game at BB&T Ballpark is set for April 11, 2014. The team spent 24 seasons at Knights […]