Pacific Coast League expected to decide El Paso bid for baseball this week
The Pacific Coast League is expected to decide this week whether to allow the sale of the Tucson Padres to a group seeking to move the franchise to a new downtown El Paso ballpark. The principals behind MountainStar Sports Group made their pitch to PCL officials less than two weeks ago, laying out their plans for […]
Fenway Park added to National Register of Historic Places
Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, a move that bestows both recognition and potential tax breaks to the venerable ballpark. “Recognizing the incredible history of this ballpark through the National Register designation is a great way to bring the national parks and the […]
PETA cites Citizens Bank Park, Hammond Stadium for veggie offerings
The best vegetarian ballpark food can be found at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Hammond Stadium, home of the Fort Myers Miracle, according to PETA’s annual rankings. The advocacy group has released rankings of veggie offerings at ballparks for 11 years now. “Tasty vegetarian food is sweeping the nation, and that […]
NBC vying for piece of MLB media-rights pie?
With the exclusive-bargaining window closed for its current media partners, Major League Baseball is reportedly fielding an offer from NBC Sports to join the broadcasting fold. Right now there are three MLB broadcast partners: Fox, paying $257.1 million for Saturday, All-Star and World Series games; ESPN, paying $306 million for Sunday night games; and Turner, […]
RockHounds ready to welcome 7-millionth fan
Another milestone to note: the Midland RockHounds (Class AA; Texas League) are on the verge of welcoming the 7-millionth fan in team history to Citibank Ballpark. Going into tonight’s game, the RockHounds franchise has drawn 6,997,841 fans to Christensen Stadium and Citibank Ballpark the past 41 years. From affiliations with the Cubs, the Angels and the […]
Crain new prez/GM of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
We hinted at this a few weeks ago: Rob Crain, current AGM of the Omaha Storm Chasers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), is the new president/GM of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League). Here’s where we laid the hint about Rob; we’re guessing his high-energy approach will go over well as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre fans prepare for […]
Aces to play what-if, taking field as Ghost Riders
The Reno Aces (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will take the field as the Reno Ghost Riders as the franchise promotes a past finalist for the team name. It’s an interesting trend in Minor League Baseball: teams revisiting their branding exercises and summoning a contender for a promotion. Earlier this season the Northwest Arkansas Naturals […]
Wilmington, Mandalay still discussing lease
Wilmington (N.C.) and Mandalay Baseball Properties are still discussing a lease for a new ballpark, even as the city is preparing to put a proposal before voters in a fall referendum. There are many issues outstanding in the lease negotiations, which should last through next week, if not longer: the coat of the ballpark, how […]
Giants, Flying Squirrels extend affiliation
The Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) and the San Francisco Giants extended their player-development contract through the 2014 season. Giants’ Vice President of Baseball Operations Bobby Evans and Flying Squirrels’ Vice President & COO Todd “Parney” Parnell announced the extension during a special pregame ceremony prior to Saturday’s game. “Our ownership group and […]
Sacramento: Forget NBA, let’s woo MLB
Fresh off a failed attempt to build a new arena for the Sacramento Kings (NBA), Mayor Kevin Johnson says the city should be looking at building a downtown ballpark for a Major League Baseball team. Johnson, the former NBA star turned politician, been discussing MLB with former Pittsburgh Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy (publisher of the local newspaper) and […]
Groundbreaking for new Cubs complex set for Wednesday
The Chicago Cubs and the city of Mesa have scheduled a groundbreaking for a new spring-training complex that is most definitely still a work in progress. The complex is set to open in 2014, but there are many issues outstanding: whether Arizona State will be a tenant, the exact design (the above rendering is more […]
El Paso: Let’s sell Cohen Stadium to Tigua tribe
The El Paso Diablos (independent; American Association) could live on if the city sells Cohen Stadium to the Tigua tribe, which owns and operates the team. The issue: a deal to bring a Class AAA Pacific Coast League team to a new downtown ballpark contains a noncomplete clause, prohibiting the city from doing business with […]
Savannah officials: let’s look at arena/ballpark complex
Savannah officials are warming to a new downtown ballpark for the Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League), but remain committed to an arena as part of the project. The issue: in 2006 approved a sales tax for a new downtown arena. One proposal has the proceeds of that local sales tax diverted to […]