Is a perceived uptick in the economy leading to more discussions of new ballparks? Those in the baseball industry know times are tough out there, as teams focus more on incremental upgrades rather than new facilities. Now, we're not going to get into a philosophical discussion of the best time to tackle a public project, […]
Archive | Minor-League Baseball
Alice Cooper to rock Lake County
With no big ballpark concert tour this summer, teams scrambled to put together their own concerts. The Lake County Captains appear to have scored with Alice Cooper, hot after an American Idol appearance this month. With no big ballpark concert tour this summer, teams scrambled to put together their own concerts. The Lake County Captains […]
It’s irresistable: Strasburg biggest story of year in baseball
He's not yet thrown a pitch in the majors, but he has towns clamoring for appearances and filled the stands in two minor-league stops this season. Tonight Stephen Strasburg makes his MLB debut with the Nats; we'll be watching via streaming media, and we guess you will be, too. He's not yet thrown a pitch […]
Rock Cats set attendance record
The New Britain Rock Cats set a franchise record for attendance over a three-day weekend series.The New Britain Rock Cats (Class AA; Eastern League set a new three-game weekend attendance record this weekend when 22,004 patrons passed through the New Britain Stadium turnstiles to watch the Rock Cats do baseball battle with the Binghamton Mets. […]
Hot Rods snare Carlton for autograph signing
If you're in the Bowling Green area, this might be an opportunity too good to pass on: Steve Carlton, who doesn't make many autograph appearances, will be at Saturday's Hot Rods game for signings. If you're in the Bowling Green area, this might be an opportunity too good to pass on: Steve Carlton, who doesn't […]
The burden of history: Today’s Rickwood Classic
This year's Rickwood Classic is in the books, as one of the largest crowds ever to see the new Barons in the old ballpark was on hand. Rickwood Field is 100 years old this summer. Carrying the weight of 100 years of baseball history — never mind the 100 years of social and civil-rights history […]
Thoughts on the Rickwood Classic and baseball in America / 3
This year's Rickwood Classic is now in the books, as the 100th anniversary of the opening of Rickwood Field is commemorated by a Birmingham Barons game. Page 3: Rickwood Field history, conclusions. HISTORY Rickwood Field opened on August 18, 1910, as the home of the original Birmingham Barons Team owner Rick Woodward wanted an opulent […]
The Rickwood Classic and baseball in America
Carrying the weight of 100 years of baseball history — never mind the 100 years of social and civil-rights history as well — is an awfully heavy load for any ballpark. But Birmingham’s Rickwood Field was equal to the task during the 15th annual Rickwood Classic Wednesday, as fans celebrated the upcoming 100th anniversary of […]
New Hagerstown owners unveiled
We've discovered the buyers of the Hagerstown Suns, as well as their intentions on the future of the Sally League franchise. Meanwhile, other affiliated teams are hitting the market. Though it's not been officially announced, we've been told who is buying the Hagerstown Suns from Mandalay Baseball: Bruce Quinn, the COO and GM of Polo […]
Ballpark Visit: Regions Park, the home of the Birmingham Barons
We visit Regions Park, the home of the Birmingham Barons. This is a big, big place lacking many of the amenities found in more modern ballparks. But it's also a very busy place — over 400,000 fans attend Barons games and the SEC baseball tourney — and one gets the sense it's built more to […]
Ballpark Visit: Regions Park / Birmingham Barons / 2
We visit Regions Park, the home of the Birmingham Barons. Page 2: Cruising the Ballpark. CRUISING THE BALLPARK As noted, the ballpark was built when Birmingham had allusions of securing a Triple-A team, so it's big. It seats over 10,000, but a crowd of over 13,000 was accommodated for the recent SEC Baseball Tournament championship […]
Regions Park / Birmingham Barons
Regions Park is a big ballpark. Really big. Built to Triple-A specs at a time when Triple-A specs actually meant something, Regions Park is the very huge home of the Birmingham Barons. Too big, really, for the Barons. (But not too big for the SEC Baseball Tournament, which ended last week drawing 9,957 fans a […]
Mandalay buying Oklahoma City, selling Hagerstown
The minor-league giant is reportedly making some changes in its portfolio, returning to the Pacific Coast League via the Oklahoma City RedHawks, a transaction partially funded by an inpending sale of the Sally League Suns. Mandalay Sports Entertainment is in the process of buying the Oklahoma City Redhawks (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and is […]