Hanging on: Former home to baseball in Winnipeg
The former home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes (independent; American Association) and the Winnipeg Whips (Class AAA; International League) will remain open — for now. Canad Inns Stadium, better known as home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL), was slated to be torn down this fall after the Bombers moved to a new stadium on the […]
Atlantic City exhibition games scrapped; still in running for 2013 pro ball
A plan for independent Atlantic League exhibition games at Surf Stadium has been scrapped due to ballpark issues, but Atlantic City remains in the running to land a 2013 team. Former Surf manager Mario Perrucci pulled the plug on the Labor Day exhibition games, saying he wasn’t confident ballpark improvements would be completed in time to see a […]
Rox ready for shift to collegiate ball
The Brockton Rox (Futures Collegiate Baseball League) are honoring three notables — Ed Nottle, Van Schley and Jack Yunits — at Friday’s Opening Night at Campanelli Stadium. As part of Opening Night, the Brockton Rox will hold their first-ever Hall of Fame induction ceremony prior to first pitch. Nottle spent nearly seven full seasons with the […]
Gopher ballpark vote set for Thursday
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents is expected to approve a $7.134 million replacement for Siebert Field at Thursday’s meeting. The project has already passed muster by the regents’ facilities committee, and work of a sort has already begun: with one support for the center-field batters eye literally rotting away and falling down, University […]
Columbia sells Capital City Stadium site
Capital City Stadium, the 1945 ballpark originally built by Hall of Famer Barney Dreyfuss, has been sold by Columbia (SC) to a developer and will likely be torn down to make way for a Wal-Mart. The ballpark, longtime home to Minor League Baseball in Columbia, was built by Dreyfuss in 1945 as the home for one of […]
Hillsboro approves offer sheet with Yakima Bears
The Yakima Bears (short season A; Northwest League) will be relocating to Hillsboro (OR), as the city approved an offer sheet that calls for a new $15.2-million ballpark for the 2013 season. Hillsboro and Milwaukie had been engaged in a race of sorts to bring affiliated baseball back to the greater Portland area. The Bears […]
Lasorda hospitalized after heart attack
Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda is hospitalized in New York after suffering what the team called a “mild” heart attack while attending the 2012 amateur draft. The 84-year-old Hall of Famer is recovering in stable condition at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Doctors inserted a stent to correct a blocked artery in Lasorda’s […]
One night only: Northwest Arkansas Thunder Chickens
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Class AA; Texas League) will take the field Friday night as the Thunder Chickens, a finalist for team name after a move from Wichita. It’s “What Might Have Been” night at Arvest Ballpark, as the team dons unis and caps as the Thunder Chickens, one of the finalists for the team nickname […]
Print wars: STL, NYC newspapers spar over Santana no-hitter
Nothing more entertaining than an old-fashioned newspaper war, as St. Louis and New York City dailies fight over the legitimacy of Johan Santana’s no-hitter Friday night. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch started the kerfuffle by publishing a rather provocative headline in Saturday’s sports section, appending an asterisk to the headline (shown here). The explanation: a missed […]
Pacifics pack Albert Park in opener
It was a good opener for the San Rafael Pacifics (independent; North American League), as the team sold out Albert Park. Of course, it doesn’t take much to sell out a thousand-seat venue, and the team worked awfully hard to pull off the sellout. The real key to success will be how the team draws […]
Updated: Duck Pond, Madison Mallards
We’ve updated our look at Warner Park (aka “The Duck Pond”), as the Madison Mallards (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) unveil upgrades for the 2012 season. You can read about the changes here. The short of it: the team added a berm in left field (complete with coin-operated viewer, as shown above) and new Duck Blind […]
Oilers return to Olean
After 60 years, the Olean (N.Y.) Oilers (summer collegiate; NYCBL) are back on the field, not as an MiLB affiliate but as a summer-collegiate squad. The original Olean Oilers played in the the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York (PONY) League from 1939 to 1951 and 1955 to 1956, and in the New York-Pennsylvania League from 1957 to 1958. […]
Casper Cutthroats open season; will it be a short tenure?
The Casper Cutthroats (summer collegiate; Mountain Collegiate Baseball League) made their debut last night at Mike Lansing Field to a big crowd — which may attract MiLB interest. As you’ll recall, Mike Lansing Field was available this summer after the Casper Ghosts (rookie; Pioneer League) were purchased by the Monfort brothers (owners of the Colorado Rockies) […]