Ivcic new Voice of the SwampDogs
Mike Ivcic is the new Voice of the Fayetteville SwampDogs (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League), coming to J.P. Riddle Stadium from Dayton, Ohio, where he has spent the last three seasons as the play-by-play voice for the University of Dayton baseball and volleyball teams. He also hosted the live, post-game call-in show for University of […]
Bacon, bacon, bacon at The Diamond
More news out of Richmond: the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) landed Kevin Bacon to appear at The Diamond tomorrow night during what’s sure to be a delicious promotion: Tribune to Bacon Night. “Kevin is a busy guy, so we’re thrilled that he was able to find time in his schedule to make […]
Parker Field: the past and future of Richmond baseball?
A key component in the development of a new ballpark for the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) to replace The Diamond is in the works, as the city is looking at moving a fleet-operations maintenance facility from the Parker Field site to make way for a new facility. Parker Field opened in 1934 […]
Commissioner: Reds should cover ballpark debt with their billions in profits
Since the Cincinnati Reds are generating billions — billions! — of profits from Great American Ball Park, it’s about time the team steps up to cover debt service on the facility, instead of taxpayers, according to a Hamilton County Commissioner. Of course, the owners of the Reds aren’t making billions off the operations of the […]
Stow beating suspect in custody
A suspect in the beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium was apprehended by the Los Angeles Police Department, as a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team raided an East Hollywood apartment early this morning. The suspect, sporting a bald head and tattoos on his neck and arms, was taken into […]
Future of City of Palms Park still under debate
Though many in Fort Myers would like to see another MLB team train at City of Palms Park, that’s not happening any time soon, and Lee County is struggling to find a future use for the ballpark — with an outdoor pool again at the top of the list. It’s no secret Fort Myers and […]
Pensacola team name to be unveiled Monday
Mark it on your calendars: the name of the new Pensacola team in the Class AA Southern League will be unveiled Monday, as the team will hold a ceremony at a local elementary school to mark the occasion. The six finalists are Aviators, Blue Wahoos, Loggerheads, Mullets, Redbones and Salty Dogs. The team is playing […]
Crane bid for Astros raises red flags for MLB
Though a group led by Jim Crane has agreed to pay Drayton McLane $680 million for the Houston Astros, MLB approval of the sale isn’t a given, as some issues within baseball and in court may cause MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to give the deal close scrutiny. Crane has been an active bidder for MLB […]
Funding plan emerging for new Clark County ballpark
The Yakima Bears (short season; Northwest League) would be asked to pay 30 percent of the cost of a new $23-million ballpark at Clark College, as Clark County officials float the idea of a new countywide amusement tax to pay for the rest. The 5 percent tax would apply to all amusement firms in the […]
In memoriam: Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Killebrew, a gentle slugger who put the Minnesota Twins on the map and later served as an effective ambassador for the game of baseball, passed away this morning in a Phoenix hospice after battling esophageal cancer. He was 74. Killebrew, signed out of Payette High School in rural Idaho by scout Ossie Bluege, made […]
Ah, the power of cheese
There’s apparently some serious mojo behind the Kraft Singles/Minor League Baseball promotion this season: wrapper redemptions have increased 13 percent from this time last season, with a 15 percent increase in the weekly average number of wrappers redeemed as compared to last year. To date, there have been 241 Tuesday Minor League Baseball games played. […]
Could Rays declare bankruptcy to escape Trop lease?
Though there’s been no indication by the Tampa Bay Rays ownership that bankruptcy is an option, the City of St. Petersburg is wary enough of the potential lease-ending legal move that it’s looking at hiring bankruptcy counsel to counter any possible action by the team. Declaring bankruptcy to avoid a lease isn’t exactly unknown in […]
We’re number one!
On the Internet, the numbers don’t lie: according to popular website-ranking service Quantcast, the combination of Ballpark Digest and Arena Digest is the most popular destination when it comes to sports-business coverage. According to Quantcast, the US rank of 55,816 for the Arena Digest/Ballpark Digest combo tops the Sports Business Daily Quantcast ranking of 57,310. […]