Cubs notch lowest attendance since 2002
The Chicago Cubs have been a box-office machine in recent years, but yesterday Wrigley Field saw its smallest crowd in nine years, with only 26,292 showing up for a matinee against the Arizona Diamondbacks on a chilly, windy Monday. Harbinger or aberration? Of course, many teams would be happy with announcing 26,292 fans in the […]
Saints: Time to anoint the pig
If it’s spring, it’s time for the St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) to run a contest to name to team’s porcine mascot for the 2011 season. The Saints employ a pig every season to bring balls to the umpire at Midway Stadium games, a nice little touch that inevitably draws the attention of 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 […]
Riverhawks leave NAL; new Riverhawks enter Frontier League
The Rockford Riverhawks have officially left the North American League and will go dark; meanwhile, a new group has acquired the lease to Road Ranger Stadium and other assets and will play in the independent Frontier League under the Rockford Riverhawks name. A little complicated, but let us explain. The transaction was similar to what […]
Waliewski: Split duties as Slammers prez, broadcaster
Bill Waliewski will serve two roles this season with the Joliet Slammers (independent; Frontier League): Besides serving as team president, he’s be the color analyst on WJOL game broadcasts, joining Mark Vasko in the broadcast booth. We can’t remember a situation where a team president served double duty as a broadcaster, but the Slammers are […]
Marlins still working on a naming-rights deal for new ballpark
The Florida Marlins missed a soft deadline Friday of having a naming-rights agreement in place for the team’s new ballpark a year before opening, but team president David Samson says a deal should be done within a month. It sounds like the team is heavy in discussions with potential partners, so thoughts that the place […]
Volunteers maintaining Tiger Stadium field
The city of Detroit and the Detroit Tigers may not give a darn, but a group of volunteers cleaned up and will maintain the old Tiger Stadium playing field — and as a bonus uncovered the Tiger Stadium home plate left behind when the team moved to Comerica Park. A group, Navin Field Grounds Crew, […]
Ottawa: Ballpark should be converted to concert venue
Ottawa Stadium, the former home to International League and Can-Am League teams, should be converted to a multiuse concert and event venue, under a city-staff recommendation due for debate this week. The ballpark, formerly home to the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA; International League) and two Can-Am League teams, is currently leased to a local semi-pro […]
The Week That Was: April 3
The opening of the Major League Baseball season, the end of the Spring Training season and some potential shifts in the independent-baseball world made headlines this last week. The top stories on Ballpark Digest for the past seven days, as measured in page views. From the Frontier League to Cubs PA announcer Moreno: Time to […]
Ramapo ballpark decision expected Monday
The battle over a new Ramapo (N.Y.) ballpark for the Rockland Boulders (independent; Can-Am League) could see some sort of resolution Monday, after a court hearing last week where opponents will argue the project is being funded by the city in defiance of a referendum that prohibited city money used for construction. New York Supreme […]
Giants fan severely beaten in Dodger Stadium parking lot; suspects sought
Some ugliness arising from MLB‘s Opening Day: A San Francisco Giants fan was severely beaten by Los Angeles Dodgers fans in the Dodger Stadium parking lot; he’s in critical condition and police are searching for his attackers. The incident began after the Dodgers‘ 2-1 win over the Giants, with fans returning to their cars. A […]
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 […]