Minor League Baseball will remain at historic Centennial Field on the University of Vermont campus, as the Vermont Lake Monsters (short season A; NY-Penn League) signed a new 20-year lease. Under the terms of the lease, the Lake Monsters will pay UVM $1 dollar per year for the use of the facility. Under the prior […]
Archive | Minor-League Baseball
Winchester rejects ballpark; Suns to discuss Municipal Stadium lease extension
With the Winchester (Va.) City Council walking away from a new ballpark deal for the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League), the team will explore its options staying in Hagerstown. Those options include a two-year lease extension for Municipal Stadium, the team’s current home, as well as discussions about a new downtown ballpark. Winchester, […]
Economics of new Charlotte ballpark iffy: Mayor
Mayor Anthony Foxx threw some cold water on city funding of a new Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) ballpark, saying any contribution to the project would be a hard sell. UNC-Charlotte professor John Connaughton told the Charlotte City Council two weeks ago that a new uptown ballpark would create 490 jobs annually (along with […]
Scrappers, Indians renew affiliation
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers (short season A; NY-Penn League) and the Cleveland Indians extended their player-development contract (PDC) for two more years, through 2014. The Scrappers have been affiliated with the Indians since the team’s inaugural season in 1999. “We are thrilled to continue our great relationship with the Indians and look forward to working together […]
Winchester seeks lease changes for proposed Suns ballpark
After some heated criticism from local residents, Winchester (Va.) officials are looking to amend a proposed lease for the relocating Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) to boost revenues. The proposed lease called for the city to receive only a percentage of Suns revenue: 15 percent of the team’s gross revenues and 10 percent […]
Ottawa ballpark will sport artificial turf — per request of parent team?
A Class AA Eastern League team in Ottawa will reportedly play on artificial turf based on the request of its future parent team — though there’s no team there yet and no parent team on tap. Gerald Sheehan, chief financial officer for Beacon Sport — the investment firm working on a plan to buy an […]
Escondido revives ballpark plan for one last pitch
Escondido officials are working to revive a $50-million plan for a new ballpark for the relocating Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) by wooing foreign investors. The North County Times is reporting the move, which was also recently tried unsuccessfully by Oakland officials to attract capital for a downtown Oakland A’s ballpark. It calls […]
High Desert Mavs unveil new logos for 2012
The High Desert Mavericks (High Class A; California League) unveiled new logos and colors for the 2012 season. “After 21 seasons in the Victor Valley, we felt it was a great time to introduce new logos which reflected both the Mavericks team identity and our strong connections to the High Desert community,” said General Manager […]
Economics of new Charlotte ballpark questioned
Though an economist spoke favorably of an uptown Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) ballpark, it didn’t take long for other economists to question his findings. UNC-Charlotte professor John Connaughton told the Charlotte City Council last week that a new uptown ballpark would create 490 jobs annually (along with a couple-hundred construction jobs) and bring […]
Memphis looking at buying AutoZone Park
The city of Memphis is reviewing a pitch to buy AutoZone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), from the nonprofit foundation that owns it. The Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting that the city’s Housing and Community Development department has a proposal to buy the ballpark from the Memphis Redbirds Baseball […]
Could SWB ballpark shift to downtown Scranton?
More swirls of intrigue regarding the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League), as Lackawanna County officials unconvincingly shoot down rumors that PNC Field would be replaced by a downtown Scranton ballpark. Why do we say unconvincingly? Because the rationale is blatantly false: they say $40 million isn’t enough money to build a downtown ballpark. Which […]
SWB Yankees adopt Empire State moniker for 2012
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) will play under the Empire State Yankees name for the upcoming season, causing a ruckus among Lackawanna County officials. The team will play its entire schedule on road while PNC Field is renovated for the 2013 season, including 37 of their home games at Rochester’s Frontier Field, seven […]
BlueClaws to cap crowds at 8K this season
The Lakewood BlueClaws (Low Class A; Sally League) are capping crowds at FirstEnergy Park this season at 8,000 fans, in a shrewd marketing move for the team. Lakewood is a solid draw: the team has had five seasons in which they have exceeded 8,000-person crowds on at least 14 occasions. The team has also led […]