Ben Cheney was positioned in his familiar seat, his smiling face watching the proceedings on the field. But everything else about Cheney Stadium was different last night, as the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) unveiled a renovated ballpark before a large crowd. You may know the story of Cheney: the Pacific Northwest lumber […]
Archive | Minor-League Baseball
Moorad: Leaving Padres in Tucson a possibility
San Diego Padres owner Jeff Moorad says there’s a good chances the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will end up staying in Tucson if a new ballpark in Escondido doesn’t happen — a proposition that still looks pretty iffy. In town for the T-Pods season opener, Moorad admitted there were numerous hurdles facing […]
FirstEnergy Stadium renovations: thumbs up
After an opening night that saw fans cram FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Reading Phillies (Class AA; Eastern League), one thing is clear: the ballpark renovations are a hit with the R-Phils fans. Fans were lining up well in advance of the 4 p.m. opening of the gates, eager to see how the $10 million […]
Loons pull out the stops for Mother’s Day
It’s not unusual for a baseball team to throw a Mother’s Day promotion with a free flower or two but the Great Lakes Loons (Low Class A; Midwest League) are pulling out the stops with massage therapy, brunch and more. “Since Mother’s Day falls on a Loons home game this year, we wanted to do […]
TinCaps welcome millionth fan to Parkview Field
A significant milestone was reached at Parkview Field, home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Low Class A; Midwest League): During last night’s IPFW/Purdue collegiate baseball game, the millionth official guest of the ballpark went though the turnstiles. The million fans include those attending TinCaps games, collegiate games, concerts and other special events. Since April 2009 […]
River Bandits prep for Mississippi River flooding
If it’s spring, it’s time for Mississippi River flooding. And that means the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League) are preparing Modern Woodmen Park for access to the ballpark while the waters invade the parking lot. Improvements made to Modern Woodmen Park over the last five or six years, such as the […]
Kraft ticket promo returns to Minor League Baseball
Nice way for a family to save money at the ballpark: the Kraft Singles promotion with Minor League Baseball (MiLB) returns for 2011, as participating teams will offer two-for-one tickets in exchange for any Kraft Singles package wrapper redeemed at the box office. This season’s program features several elements, both in and out of the […]
PCL unveils 2011 Hall of Fame class
The Pacific Coast League announced its 2011 inductions to the PCL Hall of Fame: Former San Francisco Seal Joe Marty, former Sacramento Solon/Mission Red/Portland Beaver John Monroe and former Portland Beaver Elmer Smith. Joseph Anton Marty, born on September 1st, 1913 in Sacramento, California, made his professional baseball debut with the PCL’s San Francisco Seals […]
Never mind the magnet — here’s the refrigerator
As the Minor League Baseball season opens tonight, we’re seeing a lot of teams giving away refrigerator-magnet schedules in the next day or two. The Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League) are going a different direction by giving away a complete refrigerator. This is the third straight year the River Bandits have […]
Altoona Curve introduce reversible rally cap
The Altoona Curve (Class AA; Eastern League) may have accomplished a first in Minor League Baseball with a regular-season reversible cap featuring a team logo on one side and Al Tuna, the team’s rally mascot, on the other. Here’s a full illustration of the cap: Click on the image for a larger version. When the […]
Rainiers ownership change finalized
Talk about timing: 11 days before a renovated Cheney Stadium opens for business, businessman Mikal Thomsen and the Baseball Club of Tacoma take control of the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), as the purchase is now final. The Thomsen group is local. Thomsen is not a sporting neophyte — he’s part of the […]
Pensacola to launch name-the-team contest
Of course. The new Pensacola team in the Class AA Southern League — the relocating Carolina Mudcats — is launching a name-the-team contest in anticipation of a 2012 opener. The same owner, Quint Studer, owned the Pensacola Pelicans (independent; American Association), but the team won’t keep the Pelicans moniker, obviously. The organization is teaming up […]
Flavor Flav to throw out first pitch for LumberKings
We thought it a bit odd when we saw the news about Flavor Flav — that’s right, formerly of Public Enemy but perhaps best known for his Flavor of Love series on MTV — opening a fried-chicken restaurant in Clinton, Iowa, but here’s even odder news: he’s throwing out the first pitch at the Clinton […]