A lawsuit filed to halt a new El Paso ballpark on the grounds city officials violated the Voting Rights Act is being challenged by city attorneys as not being within the legal purview of the federal government. The lawsuit says ballpark planning should be shut down because city officials — including city manager Linda Wilson […]
Archive | Minor-League Baseball
Loons go green with new sustainability goals
The Great Lakes Loons (Low Class A; Midwest League) are partnering with Dow Chemical Company and Dow Corning Corporation to reduce total energy use, water use and waste at Dow Diamond by 50 percent by the year 2020. Over the last several months, Loons organizational leaders have spent time learning from corporate sustainability leaders at […]
Will new 51s lease yield new Las Vegas ballpark?
Lease negotiations for Cashman Field held bigger stakes than just an assured home for the Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League): they also may have committed the city to a new ballpark down the line. Representatives of Howard Hughes Corp. and Steven Mack — the potential buyers of the 51s from Derek Stevens […]
Reno airport authority: Don’t expect us to bail out Aces ballpark
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 […]
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 […]
Lexington Legends to unveil new look next week
With the move to a new MLB parent in the form of the Kansas City Royals, the Lexington Legends (Low Class A; Sally League) will introduce a new look on Thursday, October 25. The Legends’ Big L will be among those descending from the 410-foot-tall Lexington Financial Center Thursday, October 25, and his attire for […]
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark / Oklahoma City Dodgers
Let’s begin with the bricks: 480,000 of them were used in the construction in the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). Small wonder, then, that the stadium is nicknamed The Brick. FAST FACTS Opened: April 16, 1998 Capacity: 13,066 seats Dimensions: 325L, 400C, 325R Surface: Grass Owner: […]
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. […]