Pecos League makes debut in Santa Fe
The lack of beer didn’t seem to matter to the hundreds of fans showing up for the debut of independent Pecos League baseball in Santa Fe, where the Fuego launched a home opener yesterday. We don’t cover the Pecos League much: the six-team circuit has been a struggling entity that’s played in some pretty marginal cities (i.e. […]
Milwaukie ballpark-planning vote set for next week
A big deadline is on tap for the effort to bring pro baseball back to Portland: On May 15 the Milwaukie City Council will decide whether to move forward with a $300,000 ballpark feasibility study. Milwaukie and Hillsboro, two Portland (Ore.) suburbs, are both seeking to build a new ballpark for a short-season-A Northwest League […]
Dodger Stadium development plan outlined
Ignore all the crazy talk about the Los Angeles Dodgers looking at a new downtown ballpark: Not only is the team committed to Dodger Stadium, but the outline of a long-term development plan of Chavez Ravine is in place. When Guggenheim Baseball Management bought the Dodgers, Dodger Stadium, the 15 acres underneath the ballpark, 260 acres […]
Godfather Media launches new indy league
Fresh from a divorce with the North American League, Godfather Media — owner of the Yuma Panthers and Orange County Flyers — is launching its own indy circuit, the American West Baseball League. The American West Baseball League, or AWBL, will be run both as a summer independent league and a fall and winter instructional league, according to […]
Group takes another run at saving Eugene’s Civic Stadium
A group seeking to preserve Civic Stadium, the former home to PCL and NWL baseball in Eugene, Oregon, has a new game plan to save the WPA-era facility. The local school district owns the ballpark and has been seeking a use for it ever since the Eugene Emeralds (short season A; Northwest League) moved to […]
Five potential ballpark sites under discussion in Wilmington
Five potential ballpark sites in Wilmington (N.C.) for an Atlanta Braves farm team will be presented to the public at meetings tonight and tomorrow night. The five sites include what many in the city consider to be the leader: a riverfront site near PPD, a site mentioned as the frontrunner since talk of a new […]
MiLB attendance up 11.2 percent in April
Good weather, new Mexican League teams and some popular franchise shifts accounted for an 11.2 percent attendance increase among Minor League Baseball teams in April. MiLB clubs attracted 6,401,632 fans through the end of April, an 11.2 percent increase over the same time period last year. The total number of fans is the second highest […]
Jose meets the press in Worcester
Jose Canseco, the newest member of the Worcester Tornadoes (independent; Can-Am League), met the local press yesterday and was by all accounts charming and accommodating. The 47-year-old took batting practice at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field yesterday as well, as the Tornadoes prep for the 2012 season. “Guys, don’t take this as a joke […]
Riley, McKee, Murray to be honored by South Atlantic League
Pretty strong trio of inductees in the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012: Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Bill Murray and Carolyn McKee. The list of inductees was announced today by league president Eric Krupa. They’ll be honored at the 53 Annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game, scheduled for June 19, 2012, at Joseph P. Riley, […]
Wisconsin Woodchucks sold
The Wisconsin Woodchucks (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) have been sold by Clark Eckhoff to Wisconsin native Mark Macdonald. “Mark Macdonald will be a great asset to the Woodchucks, and our community,” Eckhoff said in a press release. “He is very civic minded which is important for further success of the Woodchucks. Mark is a Wisconsin […]
Saints ballpark funding alive — but just barely
State funding for a new St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) ballpark is still alive, but will be a long shot as the Minnesota Legislature finalizes its bonding plan for the 2012 session. Gov. Mark Dayton had included $27 million in state money in his initial bonding request to the Legislature, but neither chamber included […]
Two new ballparks emerging in Champaign?
University of Illinois officials are debating the merits of a renovated Illinois Field, but city officials say their pursuit of a Low Class A Midwest League team won’t allow any cooperation on a new facility. Illinois Field, the home of the Illini baseball team, has been surpassed on the facilities front by other Big Ten […]
Another attempt to tame Portland market: Hillsboro proposes new ballpark
Another attempt to bring pro baseball back to the Portland (Ore.) market: Hillsboro officials are pitching a $14-million ballpark for a short-season Northwest League team. The proposed ballpark would come at an existing baseball complex in the city: Field Four at Gordon Faber Recreation Complex. We’re talking a basic ballpark here, but one that would […]