Kings suing Frontier League over dropped team sale
Owners of the defunct Kalamazoo Kings are suing the Frontier League over rejection of a possible sale that led to the eventual demise of the team and removal from the indy circuit. The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, names the Frontier League and commissioner Bill Lee […]
Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park renovations to be unveiled this week
The new athletic facilities at Texas A&M University’s Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park will be unveiled at the Aggie baseball team’s first game on February 17 against Illinois-Chicago. The $24-million project, spearheaded by a $7 million pledge from Blue Bell Creameries in nearby Brenham, Texas, has been two years in the making. Blue Bell […]
Pioneer League back to Casper?
Representatives from an unnamed rookie Pioneer League team are visiting Mike Lansing Field, former home of the Casper Ghosts, to discuss a possible move for 2013. The Ghosts moved to Grand Junction, Col. this offseason after the team was purchased last year by the Monfort brothers, the owners of the Colorado Rockies. The visit is […]
End of days for Moana Stadium
It looks like the end of the road for Moana Stadium, with the former home to professional baseball in Reno slated for demolition to make way for soccer fields. We’re not talking about a huge loss here: the facility is in very rough shape and has been closed by the city for safety concerns. Under […]
Proposed Wilmington lease: Mandalay will pay 12 percent of debt service
In first discussions about a lease for a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark, Mayor Bill Saffo has floated the idea that Mandalay Baseball Properties would pay 12 percent of the overall debt service associated with the Class A facility. Wilmington has entered into exclusive negotiations with Mandalay and the Atlanta Braves over the finances of the […]
The Week That Was: Feb. 12
The top stories on Ballpark Digest this week, as measured by page views: spring-training arrivals and potential new MLB homes; franchise shifts in Hagerstown, Ottawa and Wilmington; and more on hockey at the ballpark. Lee County pitches Nats on spring-training move Blue Jays considering grass field at Rogers Centre Braves reveal new alt home uniforms […]
It’s Truck Day — and the first day of workouts
We have a weird situation this year in spring training: it’s Truck Day for the Boston Red Sox and the reporting date for the Seattle Mariners. In other words: baseball season has officially begun. Normally we don’t see Truck Day for most MLB teams so close to a reporting date. But this is a weird […]
NECBL goes with 10 teams for 2012
With the loss of Old Orchard Beach and North Shore teams, the summer-collegiate New England Collegiate Baseball League will enter its 19th season with ten teams. The ten members are: Danbury Westerners, Holyoke Blue Sox, Keene Swamp Bats, Laconia Muskrats, Mystic Schooners, New Bedford Bay Sox, Newport Gulls, North Adams SteepleCats, Sanford Mainers and Vermont […]
Do-it-yourself protesting with Maynard Mallard bobblehead
Lots of Madison Mallards (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) news today: the team released plans for a protesting Maynard G. Mallard bobblehead, suitable for the political message of your choice. The reference, of course, is to the protests over the course of Wisconsin state government after Gov. Scott Walker led a move to limit the collective […]
Blue Jays GM: We’re not shifting affiliation to Ottawa
Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says his team has no plans to shift Double-A affiliation to a new Ottawa team — but the statement means less than you think, considering he’s contractually obligated to say this. National Post baseball writer John Lott caught up with Anthopoulos after it was announced a Double-A Eastern League […]
It’s official: Eastern League to Ottawa in 2013
The reports were true: Conditional upon various baseball approvals, we should see the move of a Class AA Eastern League team to Ottawa Stadium for the 2013 season. Boston-based Beacon Sports has been negotiating a 10-year lease for Ottawa Stadium, the former home of the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA; International League). The ballpark would be […]
New for 2012: Illinois Lincolns
We have a new team in the summer-collegiate Midwest Collegiate League: The Illinois Lincolns of Will County, playing out of Wayne King Jr. Field on the campus of Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Illinois. The Lincolns become the seventh club of an expected eight-team circuit for 2012. The Lincolns join the Chicago Zephyrs, DeKalb Liners, […]
Boomers unveil new mascot in time for Valentine’s Day: Coop
The Schaumburg Boomers (independent; Frontier League) unveiled mascot Coop, a male prairie chicken with his own Booming Dance — a mating strut to pitch the woo toward the lady chickens. “We’re so happy to have Coop as part of our family and as the official face of the Boomers,” Boomers President/GM Andy Viano said. “It’s […]