Blue Jays set for Montreal return in spring training 2015: report
A Montreal radio station is reporting the Toronto Blue Jays are set for a return to Olympic Stadium in 2015 for an exhibition series against the Cincinnati Reds. The return to the former home of the Montreal Expos was seen by many as being inevitable after the Jays and New York Mets drew 96,350 fans […]
Man City/Liverpool match preview of Yankee Stadium soccer
Next year will see MLS soccer played at Yankee Stadium with the arrival of New York City FC. A recent match there between two European giants was a preview of how the facility will work for pro soccer. We have the full details at our sister site, Soccer Stadium Digest. Money quote from Jon Bruning: […]
New Fredericksburg ballpark over budget; owners exploring options
A new Fredericksburg (Va.) ballpark for the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) is over budget after the first round of estimates, with a funding gap between $12 million and $18 million currently being examined. Reps from Diamond Nation, which has been working on the privately financed ballpark plan with Suns owner Bruce Quinn, […]
Spikes, Cards announce affiliation extension through 2016
We expect many of these in coming weeks: The State College Spikes (short season A; NY-Penn League) and the St. Louis Cardinals announced a two-year extension of their player development contract (PDC) through 2016. “On behalf of our ownership group and management team, we are thrilled to announce the continuation of our outstanding relationship with […]
Judges skeptical of San Jose’s claims against MLB
It sounds like San Jose’s day in court did not go very well, as a three-judge federal panel sounded very skeptical of claims that the city would be harmed if the Oakland Athletics were not allowed to move to the Silicon Valley. San Jose has pursued a questionable legal strategy in attempting to overturn Bud […]
2014 Summer Collegiate Attendance by League
We conclude our coverage of summer-collegiate attendance with listings by league, as virtually every summer-collegiate league recorded an increased attendance for 2014 when compared to 2013. This list represents some history: the Northwoods League is the first summer-collegiate league to attract more than a million fans in a season. Part of that is a function […]
2014 Summer Collegiate Attendance by Total
At the end of the day, it does matter how many fannies are put in the seats. In that spirit, we present our ranking of 2014 summer-collegiate attendance, with teams sorted by total attendance. The Northwoods League dominates this ranking, with eight of the top 12 teams. Part of that is a function of the […]
Mired in bankruptcy, Colts will end home season early
Operating under bankruptcy protection, the San Angelo Colts (independent; United League Baseball) will end its home season this Friday and switch eight remaining games to other ULB venues. The move, as well as recent court decisions, put the future of the team in doubt. 1st Community Federal Credit Union of San Angelo, a lienholder on […]
World records to be challenged in Troy, Charleston
Two Minor League Baseball teams are challenging world records this week: the Tri-City ValleyCats (short season A; NY-Penn League) is going after pirate eye patches, while the Charleston RiverDogs (Low Class A; Sally League) are pushing kazoos. Tomorrow night — August 13 — is Pirate Night at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, and the ValleyCats will […]
2014 Summer Collegiate Attendance by Average
Seems like just yesterday the baseball season began, but this past weekend saw the conclusion of the 2014 summer-collegiate season. Here’s our annual attendance roundup, with teams ranked by average. Because of the small number of games in many leagues, the attendance can vary greatly year to year, so you’re going to see more fluctuations […]
How MLB got its groove back after the 1994 strike
Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the 1994 players’ strike, and since then MLB went from seriously bad times in 1995 to a huge spike in revenues, attendance and public awareness. Here’s how it happened. Irving Rein, Ben Shields and Adam Grossman lay out a pretty compelling timeline of how MLB owners regrouped after the […]
Biloxi ballpark construction finally underway
Talk about starting off in a deep hole: construction of a new Biloxi ballpark for the relocating Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) is finally starting this week, with the city still looking for ways to cut costs. The construction is starting off modestly — just a crane and working installing some test piles — […]
Paul McCartney to play last event at Candlestick Park
The final event for Candlestick Park, which opened in 1960 as the home of the San Francisco Giants, is scheduled for this week when Paul McCartney fittingly closes the places out with a concert. Why is it fitting McCartney close the place? The last Beatles concert took place on Aug. 29,1966 at Candlestick Park. Most […]