Work continues on new WVU ballpark
WVU athletic director Oiiver Luck says work continues on a new ballpark for the Mountaineers and potentially a minor-league baseball team. The plan, proposed by Luck and developer Mon-View LLC, calls for the establishment of a tax-increment-financing (TIF) district in Morgantown, with the proceedings funding a new ballpark at the proposed University Town Center complex. Two counties have already signed off […]
Siebert Field is falling down
It probably won’t cost as much to demolish Siebert Field as University of Minnesota officials anticipate: the place is falling down on its own, literally rotting away. That was evidenced yesterday when Golden Gopher athletic officials discovered part of the batters eye was down, battered by heavy winds overnight. The support post was literally rotted […]
Fate of Astrodome again under debate in Houston
It’s a topic that pops up every few years, as Houston decides what to do with the economically obsolete Astrodome, the indoor ballpark once hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. There had been plans floating around for domed ballparks in the 1950s and 1960s — most notably Buckminster Fuller‘s proposal for a covered […]
Blue Wahoos: Success means ballpark upgrades
The early success of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Class AA; Southern League) means their home, Blue Wahoos Park, will receive some ballpark upgrades in coming weeks. The big item: a new auxiliary scoreboard to be finished by the June 13 homestand. The new board will be installed on the façade of the press box and […]
AWBL logo unveiled
The startup independent American West Baseball League, launched by Godfather Media, has unveiled its logo in anticipation of a 2013 debut. “I am very pleased with the outcome of the logo it has been done with class, shows professionalism and immediately lets the public know who we are as a league,” said Michael Cummings, Godfather […]
Marlins: No plans to move in ballpark fences
Though the craze seems to be for MLB teams to move in their fences, Miami Marlins management say they see no need to change the dimensions at newly opened Marlins Park. Over the last 20 years most new ballparks have opened with some fairly spacious outfield dimensions. The thinking was straightforward: fair dimensions mean fair […]
St. Paul: We’ll request economic-development funds for new Saints ballpark
It’s more than a little premature, but St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has informed the state his city will request $27 million for a new St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) ballpark. Why premature? The state hasn’t even put together the criteria for how the money will be allocated. The Minnesota Legislature, in making the […]
Moyer sets mark, pitching in 50 ballparks
Colorado’s Jamie Moyer, whose debut came in 1986, has now pitched in 50 Major League Baseball ballparks — a record in baseball’s modern era. Rudy Seanez, a well-traveled reliever, has the second-most number: 47 ballparks. The 49-year-old Moyer hit the 50-ballpark mark Monday night after starting for the Rockies at Marlins Park, the new home […]
New Ballpark Village plan on tap for Cards
The St. Louis Cardinals are making another run at a Ballpark Village development next to Busch Stadium, calling for a a 100,000-square-foot retail and entertainment complex. It’s a yearly occurrence, it seems: a Ballpark Village was in the original plans for Busch Stadium, but the Cards and Cordish Co. could never quite pull the trigger on […]
AirHogs attract record crowd for home opener
Nice news out of Texas, where the Grand Prairie AirHogs (independent; American Association) drew a record crowd of 7,101 fans to QuikTrip Park for the 2012 season opener. It was an occasion to celebrate: the crowd watched the 2011 American Association champions receive their championship rings. Former AirHog ace Jason Jennings, who won the decisive Game […]
MiLB national merchandising program generated $52M in 2011
Minor League Baseball last year generated $52.2 million in sales of licensed merchandise, the third largest since the national merchandising program began in 1991, representing a 2.2 percent increase compared to 2010. “Minor League Baseball merchandise continues to remain extremely popular with our millions of fans, thanks to the efforts of our clubs and licensees,” […]
New owners, old problems: another beating at Dodger Stadium
Though there are new owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, old problems persist at Dodger Stadium, as police deal with a fan being assaulted as he left the parking lot. The case is different than the beating of Bryan Stow last season, when Dodgers and Giants fan clashed after the season opener. Yesterday it was […]
Freedom Baseball League begins play
Independent baseball is going to be a hard sell in the Arizona desert, and the first game for the Freedom Baseball League drew a small crowd at Scottsdale Stadium. An announced of 637 was on hand at Scottsdale Stadium to see the Copper State Prospectors defeat the Arizona Centennials, 5-3. It’s a little hard to get any […]