Cubs implicated in Blagojevich scandal
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested this morning on federal corruption charges, and one of the charges concerns an alleged offer to arrange state aid for the Cubs if team owner Sam Zell fired the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune. Meanwhile, a bankruptcy filing yesterday by the Tribune Co., which owns the Cubs and […]
New McHenry County ballpark receives initial approval
The real decision will come from the Woodstock City Council, perhaps as soon as Dec. 16The Woodstock Plan Commission gave initial approval to plan for a new independent Frontier League ballpark late last week, with the City Council next up. The proposal didn’t pass without some criticism, however. While commissioners loved the idea of a […]
Cubs should be sold by spring training: Kenney
Crane Kenney says Tribune Co. will hold onto very small percentage of team.Chicago Cubs chairman Crane Kenney says the sale of the team, Wrigley Field and a share of a cable sports network should be completed by the beginning of spring training and shot down speculation the Tribune Co. and Sam Zell would retain up […]
New USC ballpark to begin life as Carolina Stadium
The University of South Carolina failed to sell naming rights to its new ballpark, so a temporary name will be used.The University of South Carolina has failed to sell naming rights to its new ballpark, so a temporary name will be used: Carolina Stadium. It’s the latest setback for a star-crossed facility originally slated to […]
Prim sought additional city financing for new W-S ballpark
The search for capital came to the front step of City Hall, but officials declined to finance $16 million in new ballpark spending.It’s been a rough month for Winston-Salem Dash (High Class A; Carolina League) owner Billy Prim, as he’s dealt with the need to raise capital at a time when the credit markets have […]
Giants receive deadline to finalize ballpark development
The San Francisco Giants received a third deadline to come up with a development plan for an entertainment district next to AT&T Park.
Final financing approved for new Drillers ballpark
The Tulsa Community Foundation will finance and build the ballpark.The Tulsa Community Foundation will finance and build a new ballpark for the Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League), as the Tulsa Stadium Trust approves a construction plan calling for the ballpark to open in the 2010 season. The foundation arranged financing for the $39.2 million […]
Joe Faber Field / St. Cloud River Bats
Year Opened: 1998; renovated in 2007 Capacity: 3,000 Renovation Price: $1 million Dimensions: 315L, 401LC, 380C, 375RC, 325R Playing Surface: Grass Website: riverbats.com Phone: 320/240-9798 League: Northwoods League Parking: Free. The parking lot appears huge until a large crowd descends; if you think a lot of people will be at the ballpark come early and […]
Ed Smith Stadium / Baltimore Orioles
Ed Smith Stadium has seen a lot of change in recent years. First, the Cincinnati Reds and Sarasota Reds bailed at the end of the 2009 season. Then the Baltimore Orioles shifted spring-training operations to Sarasota for 2010, signing a 30-year contract to play at a renovated facility. This offseason more extensive changes will take […]
Carson Park / Eau Claire Express
Carson Park, currently the home of the Eau Claire Express of the Northwoods League, is one of the more historical parks in the Upper Midwest. It was home to the Eau Claire Bears of the original Northern League, and some future major leaguers spent time there, including future Hall-of-Famer Henry Aaron. A statue honoring Aaron […]
The week that was: Dec. 6
The top news stories of the week: Comings and goings in Altoona; new marks; changes in Oakland ballpark plans.Here are the top stories on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views, for the week of Dec. 1-6, 2008: New for 2009: The Winston-Salem Dash Lozinak family goes full circle, buys back Curve Atlantic League eyes […]
Egan new GM of Altoona Curve
Original voice of the Curve is back as GM under new owners.The Lozinak Family, which announced their purchase of the Altoona Curve (Class AA; Eastern League) on Monday, today named Rob Egan as the next general manager of the franchise. Egan, 39, will begin his duties later this month as the club transitions toward the […]
Elfstrom Stadium renovations on schedule
The new upper deck at the home of the Kane County Cougars is in place, ready for April opening.Work continues on the addition of a second deck to Elfstrom Stadium, the home of the Kane County Cougars (Low Class A; Midwest League), and the team expects it to be fully finished before the April opening. […]