The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA; International League) will host the 2013 Triple-A championship match at Coca-Cola Park on September 17, 2013, in a game slated to be nationally televised by the NBC Sports Network. “This truly is a historic day for our franchise, our loyal and enthusiastic fans and the entire Lehigh Valley community,” said IronPigs […]
Archive | Minor-League Baseball
Sky Sox, Keys hit attendance marks
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and the Frederick Keys (High Class A; Carolina League) both hit attendance milestones over the weekend. On Sunday, the Sky Sox welcomed 10-year-old Granger Kinne of Divide, CO through the front gates of Security Service Field as the six-millionth fan to attend a regular season […]
Buffalo remembers Offermann Stadium
Offermann Stadium, the former home of the Buffalo Bisons (Class AAA; International League), was honored Saturday when local residents put up a commemorative plaque marking the ballpark site. Built at a time when Buffalo wasn’t too far from being a major-league city, Offermann Stadium was a classic old ballpark, an intimate place serving as a […]
Will El Paso ballpark spur downtown development? Insiders of mixed mind
One rationale for building a $50-million ballpark in downtown El Paso for the relocating Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League): to spur economic development. Will it work? The city is moving ahead with a plan to build a new ballpark at the current City Hall location and finding a new home for local government […]
Trolley Frogs, Blast, Porcupines highlight potential new SWB Yankees names
After culling through 2,700 submissions for a new team name, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) have settled on six finalists — and no, Red Barons is not on the list. In conjunction with a move to a renovated PNC Field for the 2013 season, the team is going through a rebranding exercise. After […]
Winchester: We’re not optimistic about landing Suns
With Hagerstown moving ahead on a bonding plan on a new downtown ballpark for the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A: Sally League), Winchester (Va.) officials aren’t optimistic about landing the team. With the proposal already a long shot, Winchester officials now say they pretty have given up on the chance to land the Suns, a […]
Didn’t take long: Opposition rises to Shockoe Bottom ballpark site
We predicted this would happen when Shockoe Bottom was revived as a Richmond ballpark site: local proponents of a slave-trading museum don’t see baseball as an appropriate use of the historic site. Former Mayor Doug Wilder pushed Shockoe Bottom as the site of a ballpark for the Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International League), but it was opposed […]
Northwest Arkansas to host 2013 Texas League All-Star Game
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are hosting the 2013 Texas League All-Star Game at Arvest Ballpark on June 25, 2013. The Naturals have released four versions of the All-Star logo. All of the logos are set upon either a blue or white background and have the phrase “All-Star Game” spelled out in large white letters. Directly behind […]
Dunedin celebrates championship in 8-bit fashion
To commemorate the team’s first-half championship, the front office of the Dunedin Blue Jays (High Class A; Florida State League) created the most awesome video ever — in 8-bit Nintendo graphics, no less. Really, we have nothing to offer save awe and admiration. See for yourself: (Hat tip: Jesse Goldberg-Strassler.) —- Share your news with […]
Hagerstown takes first steps toward ballpark bonding
The Hagerstown City Council took a preliminary step toward a bonding proposal for a new downtown Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A: Sally League), with final approval set for this fall. It’s not close to a done deal, as the city still needs to come to a lease agreement with the Suns, but the wheels are […]
Hillsboro approves naming-rights deal with Bears
No surprise: the Hillsboro (Ore.) City Council unanimously approved a naming-rights deal with the relocating Yakima Bears (short season A; Northwest League), where the team has 60 days to launch marketing. The proposal, negotiated separately from the lease that is bringing the Bears to the Portland suburb next season, calls for the team ownership to sell naming […]
MilB attendance still up in 2012
Despite taking a hit on the weather front and losing 100 games to weather, Minor League Baseball announced today that its 176 clubs in 15 leagues drew 9,221,023 fans in July, bringing the season total to 31,567,709. “It is encouraging that our attendance remains ahead of last year, despite losing more than 100 games to […]
Hillsboro set to approve naming-rights deal
A proposed naming-rights contract with the relocating Yakima Bears (short season A; Northwest League) could yield Hillsboro at least $150,000 annually, if appoved by the city council tonight. The proposal, negotiated separately from the lease that is bringing the Bears to the Portland suburb next season, calls for the team ownership to sell naming rights […]