Biloxi ballpark vote set for Tuesday
A final vote on a new Biloxi ballpark for a Class AA Southern League team is set for Tuesday morning, following a public hearing on the financing plan. The $36-million financing plan is pretty simple: the city will use $15 million from a state grant stemming from BP monies, and the remaining $21 million will […]
Blue Crabs announce staff promotions
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (independent; Atlantic League) announced the promotions of Courtney Knichel, Sean Maher and Matthew Ammerman in the team’s front office. Knichel is one of the Blue Crabs original staff members beginning prior to the inaugural season in 2008. She has spent the past six seasons as the team’s Marketing Manager. The […]
Crane: We could have relocated PCL team here by 2016
Astros owner Jim Crane says Triple-A ball could be in the Houston area by 2016, and announced that planning a new spring-training home to be shared with the Toronto Blue Jays is in the final stages. The Astros have been working with an area developer on a plan that would include a new Triple-A ballpark; […]
Ottawa to negotiate ballpark lease with Can-Am League
An Ottawa council committee today voted to direct staff to negotiate an Ottawa Stadium lease with the independent Can-Am League for the 2015 season. Staff had recommended the city move forward with the Can-Am League over a competing bid from Mandalay Baseball Properties, seeking to bring a Class AA Eastern League team to Ottawa. The […]
Storm Chasers, Rafters announce staff additions/promotions
Some personnel news to convey: the Omaha Storm Chasers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) promoted Andrea Stava to assistant GM, while the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) promoted Liz Kern and John Fanta. In addition, the Storm Chasers hired Sean Olson as the team’s new director of ticket sales. “The front office of […]
Atlantic League schedules released; same lineup as ’13
Several independent Atlantic League teams released schedules for the 2014 season, with a league lineup remaining unchanged for the coming year. The league lineup: Bridgeport Bluefish, Camden Riversharks, Lancaster Barnstormers, Long Island Ducks, Somerset Patriots, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, Sugar Land Skeeters and York Revolution. Left off the schedule: the Loudoun Hounds, who are facing […]
Housecleaning in Syracuse: Simone, board out
John Simone’s bid to take over the Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) was rejected by the team’s board, and the resulting reorg will see him leaving the team and a new board installed. In the end, no one outside Syracuse sought a deal to manage the Chiefs in the wake of a $500,000 loss […]
Futures League lands Worcester ballpark lease
After the demise of a Can-Am League team and a season-long hiatus from organized baseball, Worcester and Holy Cross have signed a deal to bring a summer-collegiate Futures Collegiate Baseball League team to Fitton Field. As you’ll recall, pro baseball in the form of the Worcester Tornadoes flamed out spectacularly in 2011, with the team […]
Ballpark of the future: location-based services, tracking, proximity marketing
Major League Baseball execs laid out their vision of the ballpark of the future, complete with the ability to track your movements across the ballpark and beam messages directly to your iPhone via proximity marketing. The demo installation at Citi Field was shared with the tech press during the final days of the season, combining […]
Broken Field of Dreams in Iowa
Since the 1989 release of Field of Dreams, there have been various efforts to monetize the Iowa cornfield used as a film set. The latest attempt, which includes 24 playing fields, an indy team and a $70M budget, appears to be in trouble as well. Ever since the world saw Kevin Costner greet the likes […]
Million thanks to Ballpark Digest readers
Around noon yesterday something happened at Ballpark Digest that had never happened before: the site surpassed a million page views in a month. Now, in this age of Internet publishing, it’s certainly not unique for a single website to generate these sorts of numbers, and in fact both Spring Training Online and New West (two […]
SWB RailRiders, Lowell, Quad Cities, Lehigh Valley bring home Golden Bobbleheads
News from the MiLB Promotional Seminar in Louisville, as the annual Golden Bobblehead (GHB) Awards for the best promotions in Minor League Baseball were awarded. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Class AAA; International League) took home the Golden Bobblehead for Best Non-Game Day Event and the Best Overall Promotion for their NBC’s The Office Wrap Party promotion. […]
Chiefs behind on ballpark rent to Onondaga County
When it rains, it pours: Besides posting a half-million-dollar loss for 2013, the Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) are $64,000 behind on rent for NBT Bank Stadium. The Chiefs paid rent for the first three months of 2013 to Onondaga County and then missed the remaining payments. The yearly rent at NBT Bank Stadium […]