Diamondbacks: We want more control over future of Chase Field
The Arizona Diamondbacks could gain greater control of Chase Field if the ballpark is transferred from the Maricopa County Stadium District to the city of Phoenix, as the team looks at major renovations down the road. The issue: the ballpark, funded with a special Maricopa County tax that expired in 1997, is controlled by the […]
Florida State League announces 2012 Hall of Fame class
Al Lang, Bob Tewksbury, Ken Carson and Sonny Hirsch are among the 13 members of the 2012 Class of Inductees to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, to be honored this November. The 2012 Class is listed below with a short biography. Pitchers Jeff Suppan — Jeff was signed by the Boston Red Sox in […]
Japanese players: We’re ready to skip WBC
Japanese professional baseball players are threatening to boycott the 2013 World Baseball Classic because of a revenue deal giving two-thirds of the proceeds to MLB and players union, and only 13 percent to them. The split is unfair, they say, because the event is popular in Asia and derives a lot of the $18 million […]
Negotiations fail to yield agreement on Wilmington ballpark lease
Talks between Wilmington (N.C.) officials and Mandalay Baseball Properties on a lease for a proposed downtown ballpark have failed to result in a lease agreement, but negotiations will continue. The two sides are discussing a deal for a new ballpark for the relocating Lynchburg Hillcats (High Class A; Carolina League), with the team owned by the Atlanta Braves and the […]
Toole pulls two teams from Midwest Collegiate League
The summer-collegiate Midwest Collegiate League is down by two teams after Jamie Toole pulled his franchises, the Will County CrackerJacks and the Illinois Lincolns, from the circuit effective immediately. Finances and a disagreement over the future of the league were the reasons he pulled the teams, Toole told us via email this morning. It’s been a hard […]
Futures League strikes sponsorship deal with Code Beverages
The summer-collegiate Futures Collegiate Baseball League has entered into a sponsorship agreement with Code Beverages to become the official energy drink of the league for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. “This partnership with Code Beverages continues to prove that the Futures League has quickly become one of the premier summer collegiate leagues in the country,” […]
Webb makes MiLB history: first female league president
Lori Webb is the new president of the Class AA Southern League — the first woman to be chosen for a league presidency in the history of Minor League Baseball. Her appointment is effective Aug. 1. Webb becomes the sixth president in the Southern League’s modern era. She joins Sam C. Smith (1964-71), Billy Hitchcock (1971-80), […]
Phoenixville committee to study ballpark feasibility
A study to determine the feasibility of an affiliated short-season or independent team in Phoenixville (Pa.) as part of a larger development of the former Phoenix Steel Co. site will begin shortly. The review, which will be conducted by the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC), will be used by the Phoenixville Baseball Committee to help determine the […]
Reds enjoying great year on field, at box office
A first-place team has good crowds filling Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds, as the team is on pace to come close to setting a franchise record for GABP attendance. At the current pace, the Reds would draw 2,340,576 fans this season, just a little less than the Great American Ball Park record of […]
Forgotten Ebbets Field plans surface; will be displayed in NYC
Rare blueprints of Ebbets Field, the former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, were uncovered by a researcher in the Brooklyn Buildings Department and will be displayed at the city’s Municipal Archives Visitors Center. The blueprints have gone through quite the odyssey after being filed with the city in 1912 or so. They were basically forgotten, but […]
Cooper Stadium sale expected next week
The sale of Cooper Stadium, the former home of the Columbus Clippers (Class AAA; International League), to a developer seeking to convert it to a racetrack/car complex is expected to close next week. Cooper Stadium, which opened in 1932, has sat empty since the Clippers move to a new downtown ballpark, Huntington Park, in 2009. […]
Kuhn rejoins Miracle front office
John Kuhn, whose baseball travels included gigs in Kalamazoo, Sioux Falls and Pittsfield, has rejoined the team where he began his front-office career, the Fort Myers Miracle (High Class A; Florida State League). He’s the team’s new Senior Director of Business Development. Kuhn is an original member of the Miracle front office from 1992-95. “It’s […]
St. Paul approves Saints funding deal; next up, state funds
As expected, the St. Paul City Council today approved a $27-million funding package for a new Lowertown St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) ballpark, as both sides await word on a matching state grant. The package calls for the city to pay $17 million toward the new ballpark project ($8.5 million in bonds, repaid over […]