Astros, Nats renew efforts on Palm Beach County spring training complex
Well, that didn’t take long: Houston Astros owner Jim Crane and Washington Nationals general partner Art Fuccillo met this morning with Palm Beach County officials about financing a new spring-training complex. Crane has long targeted Palm Beach County as the site of a new Astros spring-training complex, first with the Toronto Blue Jays and now […]
Deal reached on Flying Squirrels ballpark funding
Work on a new Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark in Shockoe Bottom will continue, as the City Council voted to spend $10.6 million in the current budget cycle on land acquisition. The Council had threatened to strip all ballpark funding from the budget, but negotiations led by Mayor Dwight Jones led to […]
Winter Park moves forward with new downtown Manatees ballpark
The Winter Park (Fl.) City Commission voted to move forward with a new downtown Brevard County Manatees (High Class A; Florida State League) ballpark. The vote was 4-1. The proposal calls for tearing down Alfond Stadium at Harper-Shepherd Field, owned by Rollins College and home to the Tars as well as the Winter Park Diamond […]
Four bidders emerge on new Braves ballpark construction project
The numbers haven’t been crunched, but we have four bids in for construction of a new Atlanta Braves ballpark, scheduled to open for the 2017 season. The four construction groups submitting bids, in alphabetical order: American Builders, a consortium that includes Mortenson Construction (Minneapolis), Barton Malow (Southfield, Mich.), Brasfield & Gorrie and New South Construction […]
Katz looking to unload Mets ownership?
Saul Katz, who controls the New York Mets ownership with the Wilpon family, may be looking to sell his share of the team, according to a published report. The issue is actually pretty simple, according to the report: Katz is tired of spending millions to prop up the team. From The New York Times: The […]
Snow. Denver. May.
We were in Denver for the Colorado Rockies’ chilly season opening series, but the weather was positively balmy compared to the conditions at Coors Field today, as evidenced by this photo taken from the Rooftop. Luckily, the Rockies are on a road trip and won’t be back in town until Friday. By then the temps […]
Palm Beach County receives funding boost from state for spring training
The chances of the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals landing a new spring-training site in Palm Beach County increased last week when the Florida Legislature passed a new funding bill for pro sports facilities. HB 7095, which passed both the House and the Senate and is likely to be signed by Gov. Rick Scott, would […]
Professional Sports Catering acquired by Levy Restaurants
Some news on the corporate front: Levy Restaurants announced today the acquisition of Professional Sports Catering (PSC). Helmed by founder Tom Dickson, PSC will continue to focus exclusively on mid-sized baseball stadiums, an area that they have had tremendous success in over the past eight seasons. “PSC has a true passion for the minor league […]
Renovated Bradner Stadium set to host baseball this season
Bradner Stadium, longtime home to NY-Penn League baseball in Olean, will welcome back baseball when the Olean Oilers (summer collegiate; NYCBL) play this season at the renovated facility. The renovated Bradner Stadium is a community effort, with lot of volunteers and the Oilers involved. What was a community eyesore has been transformed into a modest […]
New Kokomo ballpark on tap for 2015
Kokomo (Ind.) is moving ahead with a new downtown ballpark, and though there are no plans yet for summer-collegiate or independent ball, history would indicate interest in the near future. Though it’s being designed for high-school, Legion and town ball, Kokomo Municipal Stadium is clearly destined for bigger things: the $11.5 million project (which also […]
Year after RailRiders debut, SWB counties still in legal fight
Dueling lawsuits over the proceeds of the sale of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Class AAA; International League) are still active in the legal system, but little progress has been made in either. As you’ll recall, Lackawanna County and Luzerne Countyare fighting over the proceeds of the sale of the RailRiders to SWB Yankees LLC, a partnership […]
Biloxi scraps ballpark construction plan; seeks new project manager
With the clock ticking, Biloxi officials have severed a contract with Yates Construction and are seeking a new project manager for a new Southern League ballpark, due to open in 2015. The issue: instead of bidding out the ballpark construction bit by bit — a process allowing the ballpark to be designed on the fly, […]
Dayton hits historic milestone: 1,000 consecutive sellouts
The folks at Fifth Third Field run a veritable machine: the Dayton Dragons (Low Class A; Midwest League) notched their 1,000th consecutive sellout Saturday. The team has long held the North American record for consecutive sold-out games, a record set on July 9, 2011 when the Dragons recorded their 815th straight sellout, surpassing the previous […]