Next up in your MLB ballpark: in-ballpark food delivery from a smartphone
The Philadelphia Phillies, MLBAM and Aramark yesterday unveiled a system at Citizens Bank Park allowing fans to order concessions from their seats and have them delivered in about 10 minutes or so. The ability to order concessions will be available throughout the end of the season. To use it, a fan calls up the At […]
JackHammers owe $200K in back rent, bounced check to Famous Chicken
It’s one thing to owe the city of Joliet more than $200,000 in back rent — which the team admits is the case — but the Joliet JackHammers (independent; Northern League) may have committed a more egregious sin: bouncing a check to the Famous Chicken after an appearance. To the Chicken! That the team owes […]
Cleveland, Columbus extend PDC to 2014
No, the deal wasn’t slated to end, but the Cleveland Indians and Columbus Clippers (Class AAA; International League) decided they wanted to keep the dance going, extending their player development deal by two more years, to 2014. The two-year extension comes two days after the Columbus Clippers captured the Triple-A Championship after Tuesday night’s 12-6 […]
Lackawanna County: In a ballpark bind and mad
After years of neglect, Moosic’s PNC Field is falling apart. But Lackawanna County officials, lacking the funds to fix the ballpark and increasingly unwilling to sell the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League), find themselves with no attractive choice to address the future of baseball in the area. Commissioners yesterday discussed the future of the […]
Twins set attendance record in first Target Field season
You don’t think there was some pent-up demand for outdoor baseball in Minnesota? The Twins set a season attendance record at Target Field yesterday, despite playing at a very small venue by MLB standards. “We are thrilled to have achieved this record during our Inaugural Season at Target Field,” said Dave St. Peter, Twins President. […]
Suns, Nats extend PDC for two more years
No surprise: the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) and the Washington Nationals extended their player-development deal by two more years, through 2012; it also means Oakland will be sending players to Iowa. The renewal was never in doubt; the complicating factor was the impending sale of the team, which is now complete. “Our […]
Summer-collegiate ball coming to Old Orchard Ballpark
Baseball could be returning to Old Orchard Beach Ballpark in 2011, as the City Council last night voted to allow the city manager to negotiate a lease with the Lowell All Americans (summer collegiate; NECBL). If all goes well a lease could be in place in October. The return of regularly scheduled baseball to the […]
Nats switch short-season affiliate to Auburn
The Washington Nationals changed their affiliation lineup on the short-season level by moving from the Vermont Lake Monsters to the Auburn Doubledays for the 2011-2012 seasons. “We are delighted to add Auburn to the Nationals’ family,” said Nationals President Stan Kasten. “This agreement again narrows the footprint of our Minor League system, and starting next […]
Rochester probably will run MuckDogs in ’11; team on the block
The Rochester Red Wings (Class AAA; International League) will probably run the Batavia MuckDogs (short season A; NY-Penn League) again next season, and team officials confirm what we’ve heard: that the MuckDogs are now very much for sale. Running the MuckDogs hasn’t been the most financially lucrative move for the Red Wings: the team lost […]
Birmingham City Council: We support ballpark tax, but we want team first
The Birmingham City Council today passed a resolution expressing support for a doubling of the city’s hotel tax rate to pay for a new downtown ballpark — but in the process added a crucial condition to the deal. The condition: that the hotel tax wouldn’t kick in and construction wouldn’t begin on the ballpark unless […]
New for 2012: The Loudoun Hounds
The name of the new independent Atlantic League team in Loudoun County, Virginia, has a name and a logo: The Loudoun Hounds. The team name and logo reflects the equestrian traditions intrinsic in the history of Loudoun County and the wider region. “Today, I am proud to unleash the Hounds,” announced Bob Farren, President and […]
Phillies: Not so fast on the new West Chester ballpark
Officials with the Philadelphia Phillies tell us they made no commitment to bringing a minor-league team to West Chester, Pa., as a press conference today to announce the project showed plenty of holes in the plan for a new $40-million ballpark. The press conference today had been billed as a presentation for a fait accompli […]
Kane County switches affiliation to Royals
In perhaps the biggest surprise of the affiliation season, the Kane County Cougars (Low Class A; Midwest League) have shifted affiliations from the Oakland A’s to the Kansas City Royals, under a two-year player-development deal announced today, leaving Oakland and Burlington as the last two Low Class A teams standing. This will be the fourth […]