Kirk pitches Frederick on AtL ballpark lease; will settle for Keys
Atlantic League mogul Peter Kirk has pitched Frederick (Md.) officials on taking over the lease at Harry Grove Stadium for an independent-league team — but will settle for buying the Frederick Keys (High Class A; Carolina League) as a consolation prize. Kirk certainly is one of the more interesting people in baseball, and he’s seizing […]
Cal drops baseball
In a surprise move, the University of California-Berkeley is dropping collegiate baseball, as the school is eliminating five programs to save $4 million annually in athletic-department costs. The decision was a surprise, to say the least; Evans Diamond has seen a lot of good players pass through the gates over the years, such as Andy […]
Rendell: Clock is ticking on new SWB ballpark financing
The offer of $20 million in state money for a new Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) ballpark definitely has some deadlines attached, as Penn. Gov. Ed Rendell warns dueling Lackawanna and Luzerne counties they need to end their spat in the new few weeks. As we reported yesterday, Rendell is growing impatient with the […]
ULB bounces second Amarillo check — but no funds wired this time
Reunion Sports Group, the outfit behind the independent United League Baseball, bounced a second check for back rent at the Amarillo Dilla Villa — but this time there’s no wiring of funds to cover the shortfall, leaving Potter County officials wondering what to do. The league had agreed to lease the Amarillo Dilla Villa for […]
Westfield approves site for sports complex, complete with new ballpark
Westfield, Indiana wants to see itself as the Family Sports Capital of America and is embarking on what could be a billion-dollar sports complex, complete with a 5,000-seat minor-league ballpark. It is an ambitious project, to say the least, encompassing some 300 acres and potentially costing a billion dollars by the time all is said […]
Rays rip fans for not showing up during pennant race
The Tampa Bay Rays are in the midst of a great pennant race, but players were outspoken in their disappointment when a crowd of only 12,446 fans showed up to Tropicana Field on a night when the Rays could have clinched a divisional title. They didn’t, dropping a 4-0 game to the Baltimore Orioles. Still, […]
Counties continue spat; SWB Yankees likely to be sold this week
It’s increasingly likely that the New York Yankees and Mandalay Baseball will exercise their option to buy the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) before a Friday deadline, but that’s not stopping the owners of the team, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, from squabbling over the proceeds. You know the drill. Lackawanna and Luzerne counties jointly […]
ULB bounces check for Amarillo rent, but immediately corrects it
The drama over the future of United League Baseball in Amarillo was heightened when the beleaguered indy circuit bounced a check to Potter County for Amarillo Dilla Villa back rent, but the league quickly wired funds to cover it. Potter County ordered ULB to make up $100,000 in back rent for the home of the […]
Rockies schedule exhibition in Tulsa
The Colorado Rockies will be making an additional stop during Spring Training 2011: the MLB parent has scheduled an exhibition game against farm team Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League) at ONEOK Field on March 30. It will be the second-ever appearance for the Rockies in Tulsa, but their first at ONEOK Field. Colorado faced […]
Shocker: Handelsman to return as SwampDogs manager
We’re stunned — just stunned! — to see that Darrell Handelsman is returning to manage the Fayetteville SwampDogs (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League) in 2011, but the team sent out a press release proclaiming that very fact, just in case there were any doubts. Of course, as an owner of the team and the face […]
Awards gala added to SBC agenda
New this year at the Summer Ball Conference in Madison, Wisconsin: an Awards Gala will recognize achievements by summer-collegiate baseball teams across the country. The six awards, sponsored by Baseball America, will be Highest Percentage Growth in Attendance, Best Promotion, Best Community Project or Activity, Best Ticket Sales Campaign, Best Marketing Campaign, and Best Non-Traditional […]
OC Flyers pitch woo at Fullerton for new ballpark by threatening to leave
It is an interesting new-ballpark bargaining strategy, to be sure: threaten to leave the market before serious negotiations begin. But that’s exactly what the press release sent out by the Orange County Flyers (independent; Golden Baseball League) lays out. The OC Flyers haven’t been the biggest of successes in the indy circuit, though the team […]
P-Nats, Prince William County working on new ballpark plan
After making several runs at a new ballpark in several years, the Potomac Nationals (High Class A; Carolina League) is in discussions with Prince William County on yet another new ballpark plan. Let’s face it: Pfitzner Stadium is one of the worst facilities in minor-league baseball and needs replacing. And although Prince William County is […]