Texas League
Texas League history Unclassified 1888-1890 Class D 1902-1903, 1906 Class C 1904-1905, 1907-1910 Class B 1911-1920 Class A 1921-1935 Class A1 1936-1942 Class AA 1946-present There have been several leagues in Texas throughout the years, including the Texas Association (1925-1926) and the Texas Valley League (1927-1928). This is the direct lineage of the Texas League […]
Texas Association
Texas Association history Class D 1923-1926 Teams (in alphabetical order) Austin Rangers, 1923-1924 Austin Senators, 1925-1926 Corsicana Oilers, 1923-1926 Mexia Gushers, 1923-1926 Marlin Bathers, 1923-1925 Palestine Pals, 1925-1926 Sherman Twins, 1923 Temple Surgeons, 1924-1926 Terrell Terrors, 1925-1926 Waco Indians, 1923-1924
Tar Heel League
Tar Heel League history Class D 1953-1954 In 1953 this league was formed by the merger of the North Carolina State League and the Western Carolina League. Teams (in alphabetical order) Forest City Owls, 1953-1954 Hickory Rebels, 1953-1954 High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms, 1953 Lexington Indians, 1953 Lincolnton Cardinals, 1953 Marion Marauders, 1953-1954 Mooresville Moors, 1953 Salisbury […]
Future Ballpark: Bowling Green Hot Rods / 2009
The future home of the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Low Class A; Sally League).Opening: April 2009 Capacity: 4,000 Suites: 10 Cost: $28 million (raised from establishment of TIF district in downtown Bowling Green) Owner: City of Bowling Green Architect: DLR Group Tenant: Bowling Green Hot Rods (Low Class A; Sally League)
Future Ballpark: Renovated Dodger Stadium / Los Angeles Dodgers / 2012
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced a multi-faceted ballpark improvement plan that will bring the most modern amenities to Dodger fans while preserving the tradition of the historic venue, first opened in 1962. The improvements, anticipated to be completed by Opening Day of the 2012 season, are designed to protect Dodger Stadium’s place as the home […]
Future Ballpark: Huntington Park / Columbus Clippers / 2009
The future home of the Columbus Clippers.Opening: April 2009 Capacity: 10,000 (7,600 seats, 1,200 specialty seats, 1,200 lawn/SRO spots) Number of Suites: 32, with 42 loge boxes Owner: Franklin County Architect: 360 Architecture Location: Columbus’s Arena District, on the northwest corner of Nationwide Boulevard and Neil Avenue
Future Ballpark: LSU / 2009
New LSU ballparkOpening: February 2009 Capacity: 8,786 seats (including 3,878 under the grandstand roof) Suites: 19 (including Athletic Director’s suite) Cost: $25 million Owner: LSU Architect: Grace & Hebert Architects; DLR Group Tenant: LSU Tigers
Indian River County, Vero Beach make final offer to O’s for Dodgertown
Officials with Vero Beach and Indian River County say they’ve made their absolute final offer to the Baltimore Orioles regarding the team’s potential spring-training move into Dodgertown. (Of course, they’ve said this before, so it’s hard to say if this is really the final, final offer.) The final offer calls for $13 million in improvements […]
Organization of the Year: Joseph Finley and Craig Stein
OK, so technically the pair of Joseph Finley and Craig Stein doesn’t comprise a single organization; they jointly own two teams and separately own two others. Still, 2008 was a banner year for the various Finley/Stein entities. The inaugural season for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA; International League) was by any measure a resounding […]
State funding on tap for Blair County Ballpark renovations
The state of Pennsylvania will pay $1.3 million toward improvements to Blair County Ballpark, the home of the Altoona Curve (Class AA; Eastern League).The state of Pennsylvania will pay $1.3 million toward improvements to Blair County Ballpark, the home of the Altoona Curve (Class AA; Eastern League). The biggest change: a new grass playing surface […]
Lifetime Achievement: San Antonio’s Roy Acuff
This year’s winner of the Ballpark Digest Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Roy Acuff, the longtime voice of the San Antonio Missions (Class AA; Texas League). The Dean of Texas League Broadcasters, Acuff has been the Voice of the Missions for 20 seasons, but he goes even farther back in the Texas League; in 1974 […]
Initial response to sale of the Sounds positive
The news that the Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are being sold to a New York real-estate outfit — at a price of around $20 million or so, we’ve been told — seems to have gone over well in the Music City, where former owner Al Gordon may have worn out his welcome […]
Best Promotions of 2008: St. Paul Saints, Fresno Grizzlies
In a year of great promotions, two stood out as we were contemplating the Best Promotion of 2008: the St. Paul Saints’ Bobblefoot Giveaway on National Tap Dance Day, and Totally Rad ’80s Night from the Fresno Grizzlies. The Saints honored “tappers” during National Tap Dance Day by giving away a bobblefoot to the first […]