Contractor chosen for Kenosha ballpark renovation
Camosy Construction of Kenosha will oversee the renovation of Simmons Field, as the 83-year-old ballpark is prepped to host summer-collegiate Northwoods League action beginning in 2014. Out of four bidders, Camosy Construction was awarded the project after submitting the low bid for the City of Kenosha Public Works project. The project is a complete renovation, […]
Neumann leaves Mandalay, joins Brailsford & Dunlavey
Rich Neumann, who was President, Baseball Development at Mandalay Baseball Properties, has joined consulting firm Brailsford & Dunlavey as Vice President for major accounts. Neumann spearheaded Mandalay’s efforts to develop new markets, Most recently he was often in the news for working on a new-ballpark plan for Wilmington (N.C.) — an effort resounding rejected by […]
Green understimates own strength, shatters glass at Citi Field
It is a viral video making the rounds: an errant first pitch by Omaha Storm Chasers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) owner Gary Green ended up breaking protective glass behind home plate at Citi Field. Green is a hardcore New York Mets fan from way back: he was around for some of the biggest games […]
Add Cicero to list of Cubs suitors
What the heck. Add Cicero to the list of Chicagoland cities willing to host the Cubbies should team ownership decide to stop printing money at Wrigley Field. Now, no one really expects the Cubs to leave one of the most profitable venues in all of sports — a historic ballpark that works quite admirably both […]
Williamsport sells naming rights to Bowman Field
The buyer and the new name haven’t been disclosed, but the city of Williamsport has sold naming rights to Historic Bowman Field, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters (short season A; NY-Penn League). The new name will be “______ Park at Bowman Field.” The sale price: $150,000 over five years. The new name won’t be officially […]
Bulls, Durham extend DBAP lease through 2033
Not that they were going anywhere, but the Durham Bulls (Class AAA; International League) extended their Durham Bulls Athletic Park lease through 2033, with two five-year options as well. The lease was not set to expire until 2015, but by coming to a lease agreement it allows the city and the Bulls to address one […]
New ballpark pays off: Barons pace Southern League in attendance
A month into the season and the Birmingham Barons are pacing the Class AA Southern League in attendance, drawing 5,219 fans a game at their new home, Regions Field. Last season the Barons drew 204,269 fans to Regions Park, the team’s former home in Hoover, for an average of 3,847 fans per game. This year’s […]
New Richmond ballpark: On or off?
Despite the effort by Richmond business leaders to see the economic impact of a downtown ballpark, there are some worries that planning for the new Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark has stalled. Hopes were raised after 150 Richmond business leaders, part of Greater Richmond Chamber’s InterCity program, traveled to Denver to see […]
It’s official: Kings, Ducks to face off at Dodger Stadium
The NHL made it official: the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks will face off at Dodger Stadium as part of a sponsored series of hockey games to be played outdoors at ballparks and stadiums. The game is set for Jan. 25, 2014. The announcement follows the disclosure last week that the Chicago Blackhawks […]
Medford preps ballpark for arrival of Rogues
The upgrading of Harry & David Field to accommodate summer-collegiate ball is almost complete, as the Medford Rogues (West Coast League) prep for a May 31 ballpark opening. Harry & David Field was built to host youth and Legion baseball, not summer-collegiate ball, so serious upgrades to the ballpark were needed to accommodate the Rogues. […]
Seats, turf going in at new Hops ballpark
More milestones reached at the new home of the Hillsboro Hops (short season A; Northwest League): seating and synthetic turf are being installed this week and beyond. The photo above was taken last week and shows the beginning of seat installation on the third-base side of the seating bowl. Also started: installation of the synthetic […]
Wilson steps down as WCL prez
Ken Wilson has stepped down as president of the summer-collegiate West Coast League, but will remain with the circuit as a consultant through the end of the season. According to a published report. current WCL Vice President Eddie Poplawski will run the league on a daily basis until a successor is announced. Under Wilson, the […]
It’s survey time — and we want to hear from you!
We’re planning out the next couple years of Ballpark Digest, and we want to hear from you about some potential offerings in the hopper. First off: things couldn’t be better; thanks for asking. We are looking at some new publishing initiatives, and we want to hear from you. As an incentive, we’ll throw in 10 […]