MLB teams retrench on Total Media Domination
With the St. Louis Cardinals abandoning its own radio station for regional giant KMOX and the Minnesota Twins bypassing a Pohlad-owned station to re-sign with its current radio partner, the MLB trend toward teams owning media outlets appears to be stalled. The Cardinals put together a deal with KMOX much like the Twins have with […]
Quad Cities, Cards re-up PDC for two more years
The Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League) and the St. Louis Cardinals will remain partners for two more years, as the pair agreed to an extension of their player-development contract through 2012. There was no real danger of the pair splitting, even though the agreement came late in the affiliation process. Quad […]
High Desert, Seattle extend PDC
The Seattle Mariners and High Desert Mavericks (High Class A; California League) will remain partners for two more years, as the pair agreed to an extension of the team’s player-development contract through 2012. Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager Jack Zduriencik announced today the extension of the PDC. “We are very pleased to […]
Birmingham OKs initial ballpark funding plan
A Birmingham City Council committee today gave preliminary approval to a plan presented by Mayor William Bell that would more than double the city’s hotel tax rate to partially pay for a new ballpark — and move a planned baseball museum away from historic Rickwood Field. The plan would hike the city’s hotel rate from […]
O-Royals cut team name potentials to 24
The rebranding and a name-the-team contest for the Omaha Royals (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) continues, as the team releases a list of 24 names it says it is considering for use in the 2011 season and beyond. More than 1,400 names were submitted by fans from August 21-September 6. The team will still be […]
New turf goes down this week in Sarpy County
Another milestone in the construction of a new Sarpy County (Neb.) ballpark for the Omaha Royals (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League): the ballpark’s new turf will be laid down Wednesday, in an afternoon ceremony. The event will take place between 2 and 3; no, it’s not open to the public. The team’s new groundskeeper will […]
New Loudoun County team to announce name, logo Sept. 21
Mark it on your calendars: the new independent Atlantic League team slated to play at a new Loudoun County ballpark will announce its team name and logo on Sept. 21. The event will be highlighted by Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, the former Washington Senator who will help introduce the name, logo and uniform for […]
Rainiers win; are rewarded with PCL playoffs on the road
The Tacoma Rainiers have been division champs for two straight years, and last night the team advanced to the PCL Championship Series against the Memphis Redbirds after defeating the Sacramento River Cats in the first round of the playoffs. Too bad the famous statue of Ben Cheney isn’t enjoying the winning streak: Cheney Stadium is […]
BlueClaws, Phillies extend PDC
In a move that was mostly a formality, the Lakewood BlueClaws (Low Class A; Sally League) and the Philadelphia Phillies extended their player-development contract for two more years, through 2012. “The BlueClaws, their staff, the Township of Lakewood and their great fans have provided the Phillies and our young players a tremendous environment over the […]
Hot Rods, Tampa Bay extend PDC
It was a good 2010 for the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Low Class A; Midwest League), as the team set an attendance record, and it just got better: the team signed a two-year extension of its player-development deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. “We want to thank all of our fans as well as our […]
Birmingham to discuss downtown ballpark Monday
In a rapidly developing bit of business, the Birmingham City Council will hear a pitch to raise the city’s lodging tax to build a new ballpark in downtown Birmingham’s Railroad Park complex for the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) and possibly the SEC tournament. Though the idea of the Barons actually playing in Birmingham […]
2010 Affiliated Attendance by Total
Here are the complete attendance figures of affiliated baseball teams as listed by total attendance, with a comparison of 2009 attendance figures. All stats come directly from league websites and last year’s Ballpark Digest attendance rankings. TEAM LGE TOTAL GMS AV 2009 +/- 1 Sacramento River Cats PCL 657,910 72 9,137 657,095 0.00 2 […]
2010 Affiliated Attendance by League
Here are the complete attendance figures of affiliated baseball teams, as listed by league, with a comparison of 2009 attendance figures. All stats come directly from league websites and last year’s Ballpark Digest attendance rankings. TEAM LGE TOTAL GMS AV 2009 +/- 1 Greeneville Astros AppL 47,321 34 1,391 49,293 -0.04 2 Pulaski Mariners […]