BayBears, Blue Wahoos unveil Bay to Bay Series
The beginning of a nice rivalry: The Mobile BayBears and Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Class AA; Southern League) are launching a Bay to Bay Series, with events at both team homes this season. Fans can expect several rivalry themed promotions at both ballparks this year, including BayBears fans versus Blue Wahoos fans in-game contests, promotions and […]
Pacific Coast League unveils 2012 Hall of Fame class
The Pacific Coast League announced that George “Duffy” Lewis, Mike Marshall and Kid Mohler will be inducted into the PCL Hall of Fame as the three members of the Class of 2012. George Edward “Duffy” Lewis, born on April 18, 1888, in San Francisco, Cal., sandwiched seven years in the Pacific Coast League around a […]
Heritage Field opens on old Yankee Stadium site
It took a little longer than anticipated, but the promised public park and ballfields at the site of the old Yankee Stadium has opened, mostly to rave reviews from the players on the field. When New York City worked out a deal for the new Yankee Stadium, a provision called for the old ballpark site […]
Atlantic League returning to Atlantic City?
Atlantic City is looking at a new name for the old Sandcastle — Surf Stadium — in anticipation of youth tournaments, exhibition games and a return of independent Atlantic League baseball. It’s not a coincidence that the new name of the ballpark is the same as the former Atlantic League team in town, the Atlantic […]
New ballpark on deck in Savannah?
A new ballpark may be in the works in Savannah, where city officials are looking to divert $22 million raised for a downtown arena to a new ballpark for the Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League). The preliminary plan calls for money raised via special purpose local option sales tax to be spent […]
Business leaders to push for new Wilmington ballpark
A new group of Wilmington (N.C.) business leaders is pushing for construction of a downtown ballpark for an Atlanta Braves farm team. The business leaders have formed the Wilmington Ballpark Coalition in an It will be headed by Jim Hundley, Jr., CEO of T2 Healthcare, which makes medical devices. “We’ve seen the great things that […]
New for 2012: TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark
We have a new naming-rights deal for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (High Class A; Carolina League), as ticketing firm TicketReturn.Com inks a one-year deal with the team. The new name for the ballpark: TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. TicketReturn.com has partnered with the Pelicans since 2006 to provide behind-the-scenes “Powered By” software services for the […]
Immigration funds eyed for new Rays ballpark
Following Oakland’s lead, Tampa officials are looking at putting together a ballpark deal based on foreign investments based on the federal EB-5 visa program — a long shot at best. EB-5 is essentially a program that allowed a foreign citizen to “buy” U.S. citizenship by investing a million dollars into a U.S. corporation. It’s been […]
In Lynchburg, sadness over potential loss of Hillcats
While Wilmington (N.C.) is giddy over the potential arrival of a team, fans of the Lynchburg Hillcats (High Class A; Carolina League) are dreading the team’s potential departure. It’s the flip side to the happy story when a new team arrives in a new market: the market losing the team, creating a loss for local […]
Kauffman Stadium naming-rights deal falls through
A naming-rights deal for Kauffman Stadium fell through after the Kansas City Royals and US Bank couldn’t agree on the terms of an agreement. But they were close — close enough that the team had penciled in an announcement for last week, according to the Kansas City Business Journal. The big lure in a naming-rights […]
More ballpark changes in South Bend
After unveiling $8 million in improvements to Covaleski Stadium last season, the South Bend Silver Hawks (Low Class A; Midwest League) are pushing out more ballpark fun this season. New owner Andrew Berlin says he’s spend $2 million on additional ballpark improvements this season and wants to see the city do even more in the […]
Athletics: No go for O.co
Because they weren’t a financial party to the naming-rights deal, the Oakland Athletics are using Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as their ballpark name this season, not O.co Coliseum. The naming-rights deal between Overstock and the NFL’s Oakland Raiders for a reported million dollars annually didn’t bring in the Athletics as a partner. The lease calls for […]
New for 2012: Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
After a public outcry against a casino’s name on the ballpark, the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) revised the naming-rights deal with Chickasaw Nation. The new name: Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The original announcement for Newcastle Field at Bricktown had naming rights purchased by a casino owned by the Chickasaw Nation. The new […]