Majority of Charlotte council members supports Knights ballpark
A majority of Charlotte City Council members now support a proposed Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) ballpark plan, with a vote scheduled for June 11. Seven of the 11 council members expressed support for a new funding plan that capped the city’s contribution at $7.25 million, all coming from tourism funds. A plan to […]
Hall of Fame League scrapped for 2012?
The Hall of Fame League, a Texas/Louisiana summer-collegiate circuit announced this spring, reportedly isn’t launching this summer. The league, projected to field teams in Fort Worth, Granbury, Mineral Wells, Tyler, Weatherford and Shreveport, hasn’t made a formal announcement about the league’s status, but players and coaches reportedly have been told the league won’t exist this summer. according to […]
NCAA baseball tourney field announced
The 64-team field for the 2012 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tourney has been unveiled, with play scheduled to begin this Friday. The national top eight seeds are Florida (42-18), UCLA (42-14), Florida State (43-15), Baylor (44-14), Oregon (42-17), North Carolina (44-14), LSU (43-16) and South Carolina (40-17). All eight seeds will be hosting first-round […]
Record crowd views ACC tourney game in Greensboro
History made at Greenboro’s NewBridge Bank Park: the largest crowd to see a college baseball game in North Carolina — some 10,229 fans — were on hand Saturday for the ACC tourney. It was also the largest crowd to see an Atlantic Coast Conference tourmament game. Georgia Tech won all four games in Greensboro and became […]
Wolff meets with Knauss, has clear message: A’s not for sale
A meeting between Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff and Clorox CEO Don Knauss reaffirmed the status quo: Wolff’s focus is on moving the team to a new San Jose ballpark. Knauss was among the Oakland business leaders who raised the possibility of buying the A’s to keep them in the city — a possibility quickly shot […]
Retro bullpen cart a hit in Sugar Land
It’s proven to be a scene-stealer: the retro bullpen cart employed by the Sugar Land Skeeters (independent; Atlantic League) has proven to be a big hit with fans. All in all, Constellation Field has been a success this year, as Peter Kirk and crew have brought their fan-friendly operations to Texas. One big piece of […]
The Week That Was: May 27
Success in Pensacola, Dodger Stadium problems, fence dimensions and affiliated ball in Ottawa: The most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. Blue Wahoos: Success means ballpark upgrades Freedom Baseball League begins play New Astros uniforms: Bring back the orange! Charges dropped in Dodger Stadium beating Marlins: No […]
Three groups approved to negotiate purchase of Padres
Three groups, including one led by former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, have been approved to further negotiate a purchase of the San Diego Padres from John Moores. Moores had a deal to sell the Padres to Jeff Moorad for $530 million, but the deal collapsed after former agent Moorad failed to garner enough […]
Marlins Park receives LEED Gold Certification
Marlins Park, the new home of the Miami Marlins, has received a major award: it’s the first retractable-roof facility in the world to receive LEED Gold Certification. LEED-NC (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction) is a rating system that was designed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to guide and distinguish […]
SwampDogs to launch season as planned; three remain hospitalized
Three members of the Fayetteville SwampDogs (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League) front office remain hospitalized after a ballpark explosion, and the team is prepping for the scheduled season launch on Tuesday. Team owner/GM/coach Darrell Handelsman, SwampDogs operations manager Mark Wilderman and intern Jonathan Wilson-Daughtner are still listed in serious condition at UNC Hospital after a propane explosion Thursday at J.P. Riddle […]
Wedge: Let’s look at moving in Safeco Field fences
This wasn’t an issue when the Seattle Mariners won 116 games under Lou Piniella in 2001, but apparently the Safeco Field dimensions are a problem for Eric Wedge in 2012. Talk about moving in the fences came up again this week after two long drives that could have been homers at other parks ended up […]
Pro baseball returns to Schaumburg
The Schaumburg Boomers (independent; Frontier League) kicked off their home schedule last night with a 5-2 victory over the Florence Freedom before 6,067 fans. As you’ll recall, there was no pro baseball in Schaumburg last year after the Schaumburg Flyers (independent; Northern League) were evicted and folded under a sea of debt. Now, we’re going to […]
Beacon makes it official: No Ottawa EL team in 2013
Ottawa officials and Beacon Sports confirmed what we reported earlier this week: there will be no Class AA Eastern League team moving to Ottawa Stadium in 2013. The pair finally acknowledged what baseball insiders have known for weeks: that no one was seriously interested in buying the Binghamton Mets (Class AA; Eastern League) and moving […]