Portland task force skittish on new Bevos ballpark
A task force charged with evaluating Portland Beavers owner Merritt Paulson’s request for $85 million in funding for new and renovated Portland sports facilities is skeptical want to know if Paulson and his family (which includes Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson) will personally guarantee repayment of the bonds — not an unreasonable request, but one Paulson […]
Yankees, Mets seek tax-exempt bonds to complete ballparks
The New York City teams will apply for $452 million in bonding from the city to complete Yankee Stadium and CIti FIeld, both slated to open in 2009.The New York Yankees and the New York Mets say they’ll seek $452 million in tax-exempt bonds from the city of New York’s Economic Development Corp. to complete […]
Proposed Burnsville ballpark on life support
A proposed ballpark in Burnsville, Minn. is on life support after the landowners informed the city a deal to sell the land was off. A press rep for the Metro Millers says the ownership group is working on a ballpark proposal.A proposed ballpark in Burnsville, Minn. is on life support after the landowners informed the […]
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 […]