Hamilton calls last game; will return for a single sign-off
Milo Hamilton, one of the great broadcasters in baseball, called his last game for the Houston Astros last night, culminating a 67-year career in baseball. The 85-year-old Hamilton has been behind the Astros mike for the last 28 years, the last stint in a career that began broadcasting minor-league games in the Quad Cities and included stops […]
Can-Am League expands to Trois-Rivières for 2013
A new Trois-Rivières (Quebec) team in the independent Can-Am League was unveiled yesterday, as an ownership group that includes former major leaguer Eric Gagne met with the press. The ownership group includes Emmanuel Turcotte, Michel Côté, Miles Wolff, Marc-Andre Bergeron, the aforementioned Gagne and team president Jean-François Picard, according to the The Press. Trois-Rivières hosted a series in the […]
Mike Veeck: The most Descartian owner in baseball
Our household eagerly awaits the arrival of Garden & Gun Magazine every other month, and that pleasure was enhanced by a major feature on Mike Veeck by Pat Jordan in the October-November issue. You can read the full article here. If you know Mike — and I suspect most of our readers do, on some […]
MountainStar Sports buys Tucson Padres
MountainStar Sports Group, which has a deal to bring affiliated baseball to a new downtown El Paso ballpark, says it has signed a Franchise Purchase Agreement for the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). It’s been a hectic few weeks for the four investors comprising MountainStar: the El Paso City Council narrowly passed a downtown-ballpark […]
Jamie McCourt: I want chunk of Dodger proceeds
Jamie McCourt is back in court, arguing that Frank McCourt’s sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion after a valuation of $300 million in divorce proceedings represented fraud — and she wants her share. Jamie McCourt’s lawyers are seeking to overturn the divorce settlement that saw her walk away with $131 million, with […]
Concerns raised over Hillsboro ballpark financing — but are they warranted?
More concerns are arising over Hillsboro’s decision to possibly back funding of a new ballpark with general funds, but given the size of the Oregon city, we’re not so sure the concern is warranted. Usually cities back bonds with dedicated revenue streams, like property taxes, sales-tax revenues or rental-car-tax proceeds. The advantage: bonds backed by […]
Venues, dates announced for WBC ’13
We have some more information on venues and timing of the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the tourney held during spring training, with games set for Chase Field, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and Marlins Park. Our sister site, Spring Training Online, has all the details. The new info there: date and overseas venues in […]
Poll results won’t be public: Wilmington chamber
Results of polling on a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark for an Atlanta Braves farm team won’t be released to the public by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. The stated reason: the polling was done to refine a message urging voters to approve a property-tax hike ($50 annually on a house worth $200,000) to pay for […]
Joliet Slammers sale imminent
A sale of the Joliet Slammers (independent; Frontier League) is close to fruition, with changes to the Silver Cross Field memo of understanding expected to be approved Monday night by the city council. The city council doesn’t have a direct say in the sale of the Slammers, but does have an indirect one: if the […]
Angels to Burlington, A’s to Beloit
The final two slots in the Low Class A affiliate dance were filled today, with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim going to the Burlington Bees and the Oakland A’s going to the Beloit Snappers. The Angels come to Burlington after spending the past 20 years in Cedar Rapids. “The Angels have long viewed Scouting […]
What drives Lew Wolff? Insights into his ballpark quest
With a roadmap to a new Oakland Athletics ballpark seemingly a year away, there’s one factor fueling Lew Wolff’s desire to see a new ballpark opened by 2016: his age. Tyler Kepner had a nice article on Wolff’s quest for a new San Jose ballpark, an issue that’s not yielded an easy solution for MLB […]
Developer set to introduce Rays ballpark plan Friday
Developer Darryl LeClair is set to unveil his new-ballpark plan for the Tampa Bays Rays Friday at a special St. Petersburg City Council meeting, and it’s safe to say no one has a clue about what he’ll propose. LeClair has briefed city and council officials about the outlines of his plan, but it doesn’t sound like […]
Holman Stadium turns 75
Here’s your little piece of history for the day: Holman Stadium, where Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella broke the minor-league color line with the Nashua Dodgers, is now 75 years old. Tom King has a nice look back at the historic facility, now home to the Nashua Silver Knights (summer collegiate; FCBL). King dwells on […]