Four bids submitted for Amarillo ballpark lease
Four bids were received by Potter County for a lease at Amarillo National Bank Dilla Villa (Potter County Stadium), with some familiar faces in the mix — like the Amarillo Dillas and the American Association — as well as some unfamiliar players. The Amarillo Dillas bid did strike us as odd. This whole mess was […]
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 […]
Future of Christensen Stadium assured: ballpark to be leased to Midland College
The former home of the Midland Angels and the Midland Rockhounds (Class AA; Texas League) will be around for at least 30 more years, as Midland (Texas) officials and Midland College are poised to sign a new lease that gives the college control of Christensen Stadium for $1 a year. The ballpark was home to […]
No economic impact for ballparks? Tell that to Giants fans
Want to argue that ballparks make no economic impact in a community? The area around AT&T Park, once a wasteland, is now a hopping, healthy area, in large part because of the impact of the home of the San Francisco Giants. And with the World Series starting there Wednesday, the impact — both financially and […]
The Week That Was: October 24
Here are the top stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. Readers were interested in a visit to the Corn Crib, the scheduled 2011 improvements to Fenway Park, and first looks at proposed new ballparks in St. Paul and Orlando. The Corn Crib / Normal CornBelters Red Sox outline […]
World Series launches Wednesday
The schedule for this year’s World Series has been released, and it begins Wednesday when the San Francisco Giants host the upstart Texas Rangers at beautiful AT&T Park. Gametime for Wedneday’s game is 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Cliff Lee is expected to start for the Rangers, with Tim Lincecum slated for the Giants. Here’s the rest […]
First look: Proposed St. Paul Saints ballpark
The St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) will be taking another run at state funding for a new downtown ballpark, this time with a design of sorts in hand and a game plan that includes lots of support from the local business community. Gone is Mike Veeck‘s vision of a ballpark oriented to the west […]
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 […]
How much financial information is enough for a ballclub to disclose?
Some in Winston-Salem want to see the Winston-Salem Dash (High Class A; Carolina League) disclose additional information about team finances as part of BB&T Ballpark financial oversight. But if the team is meeting the conditions of its lease, should that information made public? A lesson for all teams. The issue: when Winston-Salem taxpayers stepped in […]
Big East/Big Ten tourney expands, contracts
The annual Big East/Big Ten Challenge will be scaled back to 24 games in 2011 but will be played at a wider variety of venues, including Bright House Field and Dunedin Stadium. Last year the tournament was expanded to 30 games, but this year it’s being cut back to 24 games. The 2011 Challenge will […]
Red Sox outline 2011 improvements to Fenway Park
The ten-year makeover of Fenway Park will be completed for the 2011 season, as the Boston Red Sox will install three high-def videoboard and scoring displays, repair and waterproof the right-field lower seating bowl, and once again expand concessions in anticipation of the ballpark’s 100th anniversary in 1912. Though many of the improvements over the […]
Griffith new EVP for Pensacola Pelicans
The Pensacola Pelicans (independent; American Association) have a new Executive Vice President, Operations: Jonathan Griffith, formerly Vice President/General Manager for the Potomac Nationals (High Class A; Carolina League). “Jonathan has a proven track record of success everywhere he’s been and we think he is the perfect fit for the Pensacola Pelicans,” said Pelicans owner Quint […]