Last night’s election in Escondido (Cal.) was a mixed bag for ballpark proponents, as a vocal opponent of the proposed Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark was voted in over the former mayor, a staunch advocate of the project. Former councilman Ed Gallo, an opponent of public funding for the ballpark, won a […]
Archive | Minor-League Baseball
South Bend poised to spend almost $10M on The Cove
The South Bend Redevelopment Commission today approved spending almost $10 million on renovations to Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium (The Cove), the home of the South Bend Silver Hawks (Low Class A; Midwest League). Under the plan, the following renovations would be made by July 4, 2011: A new centerfield entrance, ticket office and concessions area. […]
Lake County Captains unveil logo overhaul
The Lake County Captains (Low Class A; Midwest League) unveiled a new logo, colors and team identity today, dropping the cartoonish riverboat captain and embracing a more modern design. The new primary logo solidifies the Captains nautical theme and the organization’s ties to Lake County. The primary colors in the new scheme will be navy […]
Holding the line in 2011
We’re beginning to see teams announce schedules and pricing for the 2011 season, and a trend is emerging: most teams, we think, will try to hold the line on pricing, sticking to 2010 ticket prices whenever possible — or lowering them in some cases. Take, for example, the Lowell Spinners (short season A; NY-Penn League). […]
Tuesday elections could determine fate of Bevos
Tuesday’s election for Mayor and City Council in Escondido (Cal.) could go a long ways in determining the fate of the Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) in 2012 in beyond, as most candidates oppose spending public money on a new ballpark. We already know there will be a new mayor in the North […]
Birmingham formally approves downtown ballpark; next up, the Barons
A vote by the Birmingham City Council approving a new downtown ballpark may have been an important step in the process, but the real work is just beginning: finalizing the financials and coming to a lease agreement with the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League). The Barons are key to the ballpark actually being built; […]
West Chester: We need serious ballpark proposal before proceeding
West Chester (Pa.) officials sound enthusiastic about the prospect of a new MiLB ballpark, but the Borough Council is running into a huge obstacle: there’s no actual ballpark proposal on the table and no official documentation that land for the project is actually for sale at an affordable price. The ballpark, which could potentially house […]
Willi joins DSF Sports & Entertainment
John Willi, the award-winning general manager of the New Britain Rock Cats (Class AA; Eastern League), is jumping ship to DSF Sports & Entertainment, owner of two teams and more to come. He’s the firm’s new vice president and will be based in Bowling Green. DSF Sports & Entertainment owns and operates the New Hampshire […]
Nuts garner awards, release All-Star Game logo
It’s been a good October for the Modesto Nuts (High Class A; California League): the team garnered multiple Cal League awards, and the team released a logo in anticipation of hosting 2011 California League/Carolina League All-Star Game. First: The Nuts was named the California League’s Organization of the Year, as announced by California League President […]
Pfander to Akron, Leite to New Hampshire, Olerud to Potomac
A host of personnel changes in front offices to report today: Jim Pfander is the new executive VP/COO of the Akron Aeros (Class AA; Eastern League), Matt Leite is the new media relations manager for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) and Josh Olerud is the new general manager of the Potomac […]
Cook joins revamped Barons front office
Big changes in the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) front office this offseason, as John Cook leaves Minor League Baseball to join the staff as Director of Sales. Cook previouslt was Senior Vice President of Business Ops at St. Pete; previously he was general manager of the Clearwater Threshers (High Class A; Florida State […]
Omaha: Your center of the baseball universe come April
It’s a tale of two ballparks in Omaha, where two new facilities — TD Ameritrade Field and a new Sarpy County ballpark for the Omaha Royals (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) — are slated to open next April. Here’s a report on the construction progress for each. In general, both are on schedule for an […]
First look: Proposed Orlando ballpark
Armando Gutierrez Jr. continues his attempt to bring affiliated ball back to Orlando, this time with a little taste of what a new Orlando Yankees (High Class A; Florida State League) ballpark would look like. Gutierrez’s plan relies on receiving free land from Orange County at the corner of the Beeline (OK, the BeachLine) and […]