As Washoe County struggles to find some money for the Reno Aces (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), the local airport authority is clear on one thing: Don’t raise car-rental taxes to pay for the ballpark. Aces ownership has been open about asking Washoe County to come up with $1.5 million annually to pay down debt […]
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Manatees bring back game broadcasts
Let’s hope this is a trend: the Brevard County Manatees (High Class A; Florida State League) are broadcasting all home games, as well as road games at Daytona and St. Lucie. These games will be streamed online for free at ManateesBaseball.com. Handling the play-by-play duties for the Manatees will be Dave Walkovic. Walkovic was born […]
Minor upgrades pitched for Pohlman Field
Beloit is looking at allocating $100,000 toward minor improvements to Pohlman Field, the home of the Beloit Snappers (Low Class A; Midwest League), but the long-term future of baseball in southern Wisconsin remains fuzzy. The proposal: The city will spend $80,000 on new outfield turf and another $20,000 on new concrete and asphalt in the […]
Hillsboro approves bonding for new Hops ballpark
Hillsboro officials approved $12.5 million in bonds backed by the city’s general fund to build a new ballpark for the Hillsboro Hops (short season A; Northwest League). You don’t often see cities issuing ballpark bonds backed by nothing but “full faith and credit,” as the term goes, rather than dedicated revenue streams like sales taxes; […]
New for 2013: Hillsboro Hops
The name of the newest team in the short-season A Northwest League has been unveiled: the Hillsboro Hops. The name of the former Yakima Bears was announced today. “The name ‘Hops’ recognizes Hillsboro’s proud agricultural heritage and the fact that Oregon is the second largest hop producing state in the United States,” said K.L. Wombacher, […]
Missoula ballpark backers: We won’t make good on pledges
Three of the community leaders signing a pledge to back Ogren Park at Allegiance Field, home of the Missoula Osprey (rookie; Pioneer League), say they were coerced into backing the deal and are refusing to pay. When nonprofit Play Ball Missoula began fundraising for Ogren Park at Allegiance Field, local business leaders were asked to […]
Akron lease approved; Babby buys Aeros
A 25-year lease for Canal Park that calls for $3.5 million in ballpark improvements was approved by the City Council after Ken Babby officially took control of the Akron Aeros (Class AA; Eastern League) yesterday. The lease calls for a new scoreboard and the addition of new group and picnic areas. The city will float […]
MountainStar Sports takes control of Tucson Padres
With all the requisite paperwork and permissions complete, MountainStar Sports Group has taken control of the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), paving the way for a move to El Paso in 2014. Realistically, the sale of the team was close to final when MountainStar Sports Group signed a Franchise Purchase Agreement on Sept. […]
Fifth Third Field to host outdoor ECHL hockey
Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens (Class AAA; International League), is hosting outdoor hockey in 2014 in the form of a Toledo Walleye (ECHL) game. The negotiations to set up the game probably weren’t too grueling: the same nonprofit owns both the Walleye and the Mud Hens, with Joe Napoli heading both […]
Jacksonville to host 2013 Southern League ASG
The Jacksonville Suns are hosting the 2013 Southern League All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 17 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The festivities begin with an awards luncheon for the 2013 All-Stars, followed by the 2013 Fan Fest located at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. After the Fan Fest, fans are invited to enjoy the […]
Aces owners: Refinance ballpark debt or we’ll move team
The owners of the Reno Aces (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) say they want to refinance debt on Aces Ballpark before some big payments are due in 2014 — and are threatening to pull the team if Washoe County won’t cooperate. Some big names in the real-estate development world own the Aces and the privately […]
Jacksonville unveils Bragan Field
The city of Jacksonville made it official: the playing field at the Baseball Grounds will be known as Bragan Field, with temporary signs at the ballpark unveiled. The field is named for longtime Jacksonville Suns (Class AA; Southern League) owner Peter Bragan Sr. Bragan, who passed away on July 7 at the age of 89, […]
TinCaps’ success makes for happy taxpayers
The success of the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Low Class A; Midwest League) means local taxpayers won’t need to kick in for contributions toward the long-term maintenance account at Parkview Field. The team’s lease calls for the city to pay $230,000 annually into the maintenance fund, but two sources of revenue can offset that contribution: naming-rights […]