Selig visits Oakland on farewell tour
Bud Selig was at O.co Coliseum last night on his Farewell to Major League Baseball tour and expressed regret he was leaving office without a final solution to the Oakland Athletics ballpark situation. He was blunt in an assessment of his performance regarding the A’s, where there’s been a lack of concrete new-ballpark developments in […]
LeClair: Rays had better move fast if they want Carillon Business Park ballpark
It’s a site that generated zero enthusiasm from the Tampa Bay Rays, but developer Darryl LeClair wants team ownership to know that they need to move really quickly if they want to build a new ballpark at Carillon Business Park in St. Petersburg. The Carillon Business Park is on the northern edge of St. Petersburg, […]
Birmingham set to approve Negro Southern League museum funding
Birmingham officials are expected to approve a museum honoring the Negro Southern League, to be built near Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League). The museum, which has a price tag of $2.8 million, will be run by the Public Athletic, Cultural and Entertainment Facilities Board of the City of Birmingham, […]
More Astrodome seats may be sold by Harris County
More Houston Astrodome seats may be sold to fans, as Harris County continues to clear the Astrodome decks while another renovation plan is worked out. The first sale of Astrodome memorabilia — seats, field equipment, groundskeeper astronaut helmets — yielded a profit of approximately $650,000 for the county, and with roughly 4,000 seats still in […]
River Cats prep for Raley Field upgrades
The Sacramento River Cats (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are planning some serious upgrades to Raley Field this offseason, adding an enclosed 5,000-square-foot club with a bar and patio. The 5,000-square-foot club, overlooking left field and open to all season-ticket holders, already has a naming-rights partner and will be called the Western Health Advantage Legacy […]
Price tag for new Fredericksburg baseball complex: $61M
The price tag on a baseball complex that includes a new ballpark for the relocating Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) in Fredericksburg, Va., is now $61 million, and the city may look at a special tax district to cover the cost of the project. Diamond Nation has proposed a complex that includes a […]
New spring training plan expected from Astros, Nats in coming weeks
A new spring-training plan from the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals is expected in coming weeks, as the pair makes a run at a new site in West Palm Beach. We have the full details on our sister site, Spring Training Online. Basically, the pair are looking at the former site of a garbage […]
Macomb County, General Sports announce new Utica (MI) summer-collegiate ballpark
Macomb County (Michigan) and General Sports and Entertainment are collaborating on a new summer-collegiate league ballpark as part of a retail/condo development. The announcedment from General Sports and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel did not specify the league, but later county officials said the goal was to set up a three-team summer-collegiate circuit, with all […]
Savannah asking citizens to weigh in on new Sand Gnats ballpark
Savannah residents are being asked to weigh in on a new Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League) ballpark, as city officials want to determine public sentiment toward the project. The poll is part of a $55,000 ballpark feasibility study performed by CH Johnson Consulting. Sand Gnats owner Jason Freier of Hardball Capital has […]
Mississippi State unveils $40M Dudy Noble Field plan
Dudy Noble Field would be remade under a $40-million rebuilding plan unveiled by Mississippi State officials. The Jackson, Miss., design team of Wier Boerner Allin Architecture and national sports-architecture design firm Populous, in consultation with MSU alum Janet Marie Smith, has produced the proposed Dudy Noble Field Master Plan concept. Populous has designed 20 of […]
Rockies game postponed after water-main break
This is something you don’t see often: Saturday night’s Cincinnati Reds/Colorado Rockies game was postponed after a mainline break stopped the flow of city water to Coors Field. The issue: a water break outside the ballpark at 20th and Blake terminated the supply of water to Coors Field, rendering the restrooms and concession stands inoperable. […]
Financial issues facing Cactus League cities
Cities that were relying on Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority for new spring-training complexes in the Cactus League may face some serious issues, as ASTA officials put off scheduled payments and warn of further shortfalls. The issue is simple: the two main sources of tax revenue for ASTA — a 1 percent hotel tax and […]
He’s back! Another epic meltdown for Joe Mikulik
It wouldn’t be a successful season if we didn’t see a telecast-worthy meltdown from Joe Mikulik, and the longtime MiLB skipper didn’t disappoint Sunday. Mikulik made a name for himself after a few epic meltdowns were captured by TV cameras (you can see previous ones here and here). The first two were done when he […]