New Intimidators lease: $1, plus ballpark maintenance
The Kannapolis Intimidators (Low Class A; Sally League) are set to sign a new lease for Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium for $1 per year, with the team picking up maintenance costs. The five-year lease calls for the city to pick up maintenance costs for the first three years, shifting to Smith Family Baseball for the final […]
Diamond Sports walks away from North American League management
Diamond Sports and Entertainment, which founded the independent Golden Baseball League and formed the North American League via merger, has walked away from the circuit as league management. Kevin Outcalt, the league commissioner who was part of the original Golden Baseball League, left the organization on March 7, according to a press release issued by […]
St. Paul close to acquiring land for new Saints ballpark
The city of St. Paul is on the verge of buying the land for a new St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) ballpark in Lowertown, removing one big roadblock to obtaining state funding. The Saints and the city have proposed a $54-million, 7,000-seat ballpark in downtown St. Paul at the Diamond Products site, off Broadway […]
Dodgers sale enters final stretch
Major League Baseball owners approved three groups bidding for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dodger Stadium, with owner Frank McCourt hoping for a billion-plus sale price. It’s been a couple of busy months for McCourt’s legal team, as he works to sell the Dodger assets before the end of the month. During the process several […]
Oscar Tavares becomes Internet meme — but not under his name
Oscar Tavares, a star last season with the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League), inadvertently became an Internet meme over the weekend because of how he was labeled during a St. Louis Cardinals spring-training game broadcast. Tavares, who had a strong season for the River Bandits in 2011 (.386, 8 home runs […]
Fisher Cats Foundation closing in on $2M milestone
Nice work by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) and its Fisher Cats Foundation, which is closing in on $2 million in giving since the foundation’s inception in 2006. The team and Foundation have now provided more than $1.87 million in monetary and in-kind donations to over 2,500 non-profit and charitable organizations. […]
What’s on tap for Ballpark Digest
We have some travel and some changes on tap for Ballpark Digest in coming weeks, as we prep for the upcoming baseball season. We’ve been working on changes to Ballpark Digest and will be implementing them sometime over the next month, probably over the course of a weekend. Most of the changes are under the […]
Kobayashi to make appearances in Schaumburg, Gary
Competitive-eating legend Takeru Kobayashi will once again take on the locals at ballparks this season, appearing at Schaumburg Boomers (independent; Frontier League) and Gary SouthShore RailCats (independent; American Association) games. Kobayashi is a legend in the competitive-eating world, winning six straight Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest titles and holding the unofficial world record for […]
Blue Wahoos make mark by paying rent upfront
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Class AA; Southern League) had a pleasant surprise for city officials: the team paid its entire 2012 rent — $175,000 — in advance. The team was slated to pay the Pensacola CMPA with a rent check of $35,000 at its March meeting, per the team’s lease, Instead, Blue Wahoos President Bruce […]
Freedom Baseball League names GM
Kirk Jewell, formerly with Phoenix International Raceway and the Arizona Diamondbacks, is the new GM of the independent Freedom Baseball League, which also announced additional venues for its inaugural season. Jewell will be GM of all four teams in the start-up circuit, which is centered in the Phoenix area. The league will consist of four […]
In memoriam: Bill Cutler
Bill Cutler, former MiLB team owner and president of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, passed away peacefully at his Mesa, Az. home after a long illness. He was 92. Cutler was a popular figure as president of the PCL from 1979 to 1997, the final touch to a 50-year career in baseball. “What a special […]
What should Wilmington expect for new-ballpark attendance?
Mandalay Baseball Properties is projecting 350,000 fans showing up to Class A games at a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark. How realistic is this projection? As you’ll recall, Mandalay is working with the Atlanta Braves on a plan to bring in a High Class A Carolina League team to a new waterfront ballpark in Wilmington. Last […]
The unimaginable emerges: The sale of naming rights to Dodger Stadium
It’s akin to a heresy: one of the bidders for the Los Angeles Dodgers asked about the potential of selling naming rights to Dodger Stadium after the team and ballpark are sold by Frank McCourt. Dodger Stadium is one of the great historic venues of baseball, opening in 1962. To say the name isn’t totally […]