SWB Yankees adopt Empire State moniker for 2012
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) will play under the Empire State Yankees name for the upcoming season, causing a ruckus among Lackawanna County officials. The team will play its entire schedule on road while PNC Field is renovated for the 2013 season, including 37 of their home games at Rochester’s Frontier Field, seven […]
Oakland: One last gasp at keeping A’s
Oakland will take one last run at keeping the Athletics by paying $3.5 million on an attempt to persuade private investors to upgrade facilities at the Coliseum sports complex. The city will pay $1.6 million to JRDV Architects, Forest City Enterprises and HKS Sports and Entertainment to determine the long-term feasibility of the complex, which […]
Smokies offer dollar ducats for Opening Night
To celebrate the team’s President’s Award last season, the Tennessee Smokies (Class AA; Southern League) are offering dollar tickets for Opening Night. For the next 160 hours, the team is offering the “President’s Award Ticket Special,” In appreciation of the Smokies being named the Minor League Organization of the Year in 2011. Fans can purchase […]
Indy’s Bush Stadium begins conversion to apartments
Indianapolis’s Bush Stadium is on the way to becoming home to apartments and commercial space, with construction underway. The redevelopment includes plans to turn the stadium into the 131-unit Stadium Lofts apartment complex with the shell and the historic façade of the stadium maintained in its original form. A new 132-unit apartment complex, Stadium Flats, […]
Gammons: Nats present spring-training wish list to Lee County
The Washington Nationals reportedly have given Lee County officials a wish list for a renovation of City of Palms Park and could move spring operations there in 2014, according to Peter Gammons. Here’s Gammons’ tweet: “Nats gave Lee County their plans to reconstruct Boston’s former downtown Fort Myers park, likely there in 2014 if county […]
Pima County: Three spring games add $500K to Tucson bottom line
Three spring-training games at Kino Stadium, a former spring-training base in Tucson, will add a half-million dollars to the local economy, according to Pima County officials. Of course, that’s predicated on the three games doing well at the box office. One of the three games will divert part of the proceeds to charity, but the […]
BlueClaws to cap crowds at 8K this season
The Lakewood BlueClaws (Low Class A; Sally League) are capping crowds at FirstEnergy Park this season at 8,000 fans, in a shrewd marketing move for the team. Lakewood is a solid draw: the team has had five seasons in which they have exceeded 8,000-person crowds on at least 14 occasions. The team has also led […]
Hagerstown pitches downtown ballpark
Facing the potential loss of the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League), Hagerstown officials are pitching a new downtown ballpark as a way to keep baseball in town. The Suns are negotiating with Winchester (Va.) officials for a new ballpark in that city, though no final agreement on a lease or funding plan has […]
Yakima County: We’ll discuss ballpark upgrades
After almost losing the Yakima Bears (short season A; Northwest League) to the Portland area, Yakima County officials say they’re willing to discuss paying for upgrades to Yakima County Stadium. The Bears had entered into discussions with Clark County in suburban Portland before commissioners there failed to pass an amusement tax to partially pay for […]
Dunn Field spruced up for 2012
Dunn Field, former home to affiliated and independent baseball in Elmira and now home to the Elmira Pioneers (summer collegiate; Perfect Game League), has been upgraded for the 2012 season. New co-owner Don Lewis was on hand at the historic ballpark — which opened in 1939 — to unveil roughly $40,000 in renovations: a paint […]
Marlins open new ballpark for test run
The first game played at Marlins Ballpark is now in the books, as the Miami Marlins opened a new chapter in team history by hosting two high-school teams last night. The Marlins will play tonight and tomorrow night in two games against college foes and have two exhibition games scheduled against the New York Yankees […]
Mets lose $71M in ’11, loses key court case today
Lots of bad news for New York Mets ownership: the team lost $70 million last season, and this morning a judge ruled they must repay $83 million in profits from the fraudulent Ponzi scheme run by Bernie Madoff. The judgement today from Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff is a response to bids for summary judgement […]
MLB: No, there’s been no decision on Oakland A’s to San Jose
A report saying Major League Baseball would deny a move by the Oakland Athletics to San Jose is incorrect, according to MLB officials. A story in the New York Daily News reported that MLB would prevent the A’s from moving due to opposition from San Francisco Giants ownership; San Jose is part of the Giants’ […]