Surprise Stadium / Kansas City Royals / Texas Rangers
It’s a little off the beaten track, but Billy Parker Field at Surprise Stadium, the spring home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, is a top-notch place to see a spring-training ballgame: The sightlines are gorgeous, the concourses are wide, and the ballpark design is striking. FAST FACTS Capacity: 10,714Architect: PopulousYear Opened: 2003Dimensions: […]
The Week That Was: Feb. 27
Spring training was the big news of the week in the baseball world, whether it was news about potential new venues, the opening of practices, or visits to familiar haunts. The most popular stories on Ballpark Digest for the past week, as measured by page views. Nats, Astros eying new Osceola County spring-training complex Tempe […]
Mallards unveil new logos for 2011
Coinciding with the extreme makeover of Warner Park for the 2011 season, the Madison Mallards (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) unveiled new logos at an event today in Wisconsin. The new logos feature a slightly more menacing Maynard Mallard, replacing the original logo created when the team joined the Northwoods League more than 10 years ago. […]
Escondido ballpark vote put off indefinitely
A vote on a proposed new ballpark in Escondido, Cal. has been delayed indefinitely by the City Council, as a final agreement between the city and team owner Jeff Moorad still needs to finalized, while the potential funding source remains in limbo. The vote has been delayed before, the last time to next week. Now […]
Selig shoots down Fox loan to Dodgers
Seeking working capital, Frank McCourt negotiated a $200-million loan from Fox Sports, using the Los Angeles Dodgers’ broadcast deal as collateral — a risky deal that was ultimately shot down by Commissioner Bud Selig. More money woes from the MLB world. The deal was simple: Fox would lend the Dodgers $200 million. If the loan […]
Birmingham reviewing alternate ballpark sites
Though Mayor William Bell says a proposed downtown Birmingham ballpark site is still in Railroad Park, city officials will begin reviewing other potential ballpark sites, including some city-owned parcels that could bring down the cost of the project. One such parcel is land near the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. Indeed, city officials have already asked […]
Mets’ financial woes worse than thought
The New York Mets required a cash infusion of $25 million from MLB lines of credit last November after the team faced a cash-flow crisis and had tapped out its other sources of capital, leaving many to wonder how long Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz can keep control of the ailing franchise. That the Mets […]
Flying Squirrels unveil new mascot: Zinger
The Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) unveiled their new acorn-inspired mascot Zinger, as the inflatable acorn will join the face of the franchise, Nutzy, in all aspects of fan entertainment and community involvement going forward. The name Zinger was chosen by fans in overwhelming fashion from five finalists in an online vote conducted […]
Thunder switch broadcasts to WTSR-FM
The Trenton Thunder (Class AA; Eastern League) and The College of New Jersey announced a partnership that makes WTSR, 91.3 FM the new flagship station of the Trenton Thunder Radio Network, with Jay Burnham returning as the Voice of the Thunder. The College of New Jersey’s student radio station, WTSR, will broadcast all 142 Trenton […]
Lucier Scholarship winner off to strong college career
Last May the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League) awarded Amanda Stahle, a Bettendorf High School senior, the first-ever Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship, established in honor of the former River Bandits front-office employee. It was money well-spent: she enters final semester of her freshman year with a 3.69 GPA and a spot […]
Mr. Moon: Asheville’s mystery man
The newest member of the Asheville Tourists (Low Class A; Sally League), Mr. Moon, apparently will remain somewhat of a mystery man, as a name-the-mascot contest ended up with no resolution to the first name of the rib-lovin’ mascot. For the past two weeks, the South Atlantic League team has conducted on-line voting to help […]
Wild Things add presenting sponsor to tenth-anniversary season
The Washington Wild Things (independent; Frontier League) have a new presenting sponsor for their 10th-anniversary season — National Gold & Silver Refinery — as well as a commemorative 10th-season logo. “We are proud to welcome National Gold & Silver Refinery as a new partner for the Wild Things organization, and are especially pleased that they […]
Fisher Cats shift concessions to Advantage Food
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA: Eastern League) announced Advantage Food and Beverage as the team’s new food service partner for Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. In addition, the Fisher Cats have hired Matt Person as the team’s new Vice President of Business Operations, replacing Tim Restall, who will now serve as President of Advantage […]