Upgrades approved for Dutchess Stadium
Dutchess Stadium, home of the Hudson Valley Renegades (short season A; NY-Penn League), will receive some $1 million in renovations and upgrades after county approval. The outlay was approved by the Dutchess County Legislature on a 21-3 vote. Most of the money will go to infrastructure, such as upgrades to the ballpark’s electrical system. In […]
Steel going up at new Knights ballpark
Construction of the new Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) ballpark reached another milestone: the first steel girders went up in recent days. From the Charlotte Observer: Knights vice president Dan Rajkowski on Tuesday called the raising of steel beams a “monumental event for us.”… The first steel beams have been put up in what […]
Hinchliffe Stadium receives landmark status, but recovery far from assured
Hinchliffe Stadium, former home to Negro Leagues baseball in Paterson, N.J., has received national historic landmark status, but it’s unclear whether it will do anything to help restore the run-down facility. Facilities cited by the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior receive a designation letter, a plaque, and technical preservation advice. […]
Citi Field ban on Shabbat hot-dog sales upheld
A purveyor of kosher food at Citi Field doesn’t have the right to sell on the Shabbat after the New York Mets ordered a halt to food sales for religious reasons, according to a appeals court decision. The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request from Kosher Sports Inc. to order the Mets […]
Grass goes down at new Birmingham Barons ballpark
Boy, is this a sight for sore eyes as snow drifts to the ground outside Ballpark Digest offices: the grass is going down at Regions Field, the new home of the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League). Regions Field is set to open on April 10. This photo tell us two things: meeting that deadline […]
Owner scraps North County Cannons for 2013
Jim Hoynes says he’s folding the North County Cannons (independent; American West Baseball League) after failing to come to a lease agreement with Cal State San Marcos. The team was to debut in 2013 along with the rest of the AWBL. “It was the best thing to do right now,” Hoynes told the Union-Tribune. “It’s still […]
New Morgantown ballpark advances
A new ballpark for West Virginia University and potentially a short-season-A team easily passed another hurdle after the West Virginia Senate unanimously approved the creation of a TIF district needed for financing. The proposal must now pass the House and be signed by the governor. Given the ease it passed the Senate, there doesn’t seem […]
Burk new Voice of the Hops
There will a familiar voice in the Hillsboro Hops (short season A; Northwest League) broadcast booth this season, as Rich Burk, a former Bevos broadcaster, is the team’s first play-by-play announcer. All 76 of their regular season games plus playoffs will be broadcast on Fox Sports Radio AM620 Portland. Burk brings more than two decades […]
Blue Jays officials: we’re looking for new spring home
We’ve mentioned this a few times, but Toronto Blue Jays officials are now saying on the record they’re on the hunt for a new spring-training home after their Dunedin lease expires in 2017. While staying in Dunedin is a possibility (though a long shot; the city may not have the land needed for a modern […]
Rangers: Let the wine floweth freely at ballpark
The Texas Rangers are seeking to make changes to liquor laws in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington to allow more sales of wine and hard liquor at concession stands. The issue: while beer can be easily found at ballpark concession stands, wine and hard liquor is not. That relates to the Arlington liquor laws and how […]
GreenJackets ballpark proposal shot down by county
A proposal to extend a TiF district to include a new Augusta GreenJackets (Low Class A; Sally League) ballpark hit an expected snag after the Aiken County (S.C.) Council voted 4-2 to turn down the financing application. The ballpark would be part of a larger development that would include a 200-room hotel, convention center and […]
Crane: Triple-A ball could be coming to Houston area
Jim Crane says the Houston Astros could be part of a move to place a Triple-A Pacific Coast League team in The Woodlands, an affluent Houston suburb, reversing the decision made by Drayton McLane, Jr. to oppose any such moves. “Something closer (to Houston) could certainly enhance the brand,” Crane told the Houston Chronicle. Right […]
Suchon new voice of ‘Topes
Josh Suchon is the new voice of the Albuquerque Isotopes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), becoming the third play-by-play announcer in team history. Suchon (pronounced “sue-shawn”) was the co-host of Dodgers Talk radio show on the Dodgers Radio Network from 2008-2011 and has called Los Angeles Dodgers spring-training games on Prime Ticket television and the […]