Salvi buys Schaumburg lease, will own new team
Pat Salvi, owner of the Gary SouthShore RailCats (independent; American Association), has bought the Alexian FIeld lease from Alan Oremus and has appointed Andy Viano as team president of the as-yet-unnamed Schaumburg team. The future of the Schaumburg team, originally slated to play in the American Association, has been in doubt in several weeks; there […]
Choosing Canada’s favorite ballpark
Baseball Canada is running an interesting contest to choose the country’s favorite ballpark. The finalists: London’s Labatt Park and Thunder Bay’s Port Arthur Stadium. We’re very familiar with Port Arthur Stadium, having attended a slew of Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks (independent; Northern League) and Thunder Bay Border Cats (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) games over the […]
Port Arthur Stadium / Thunder Bay Border Cats
There are some ballparks that are just plain likable, in spite of some deficiencies. Port Arthur Stadium, tucked into a corner of Thunder Bay, is one of those places. It’s not a very large facility, and it’s not very fancy. In fact, it’s a pretty basic ballpark and the Thunder Bay Border Cats don’t do […]
Giants’ payroll manager allegedly embezzles millions from team
Robin O’Connor, the payroll manager for the San Francisco Giants for the past four years, has been charged with allegedly embezzling $1,513,836.28 from the team payroll between June 2010 and June 2011. O’Connor, an $80,000-per-year employee, was outed after applying for a house loan and forging a letter from the Giants’ HR manager to explain large […]
2011 Broadcaster of the Year: Jay Burnham, Voice of the Trenton Thunder
He calls a mean game, recites a post-game haiku and manages his team’s broadcast and video deals. For his work behind the mic and behind the scenes, Jay Burnham, the Voice of the Trenton Thunder, is the 2011 Broadcaster of the Year in the annual awards from Ballpark Digest. In the minors, a broadcaster wears […]
Triple-A Championship moves to Durham in 2012
We have a new site for the Triple-A Championship Game pitting the International League champ against the Pacific Coast League champ: Durham Bulls Athletic Park will host the 2012 match. The game is scheduled for Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Sept. 18, 2012, and will be broadcast live on Versus. It is the first time a […]
River Bandits unveil Sky Deck Lounge
We caught a look at this under construction, and we’ll be eager to see the finished product: the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League) unveiled a new enclosed Sky Deck Lounge at Modern Woodmen Park. The team took an open picnic area at the third-base end of the third-floor suite level and […]
Schlough interim prez of San Jose Giants
Bill Schlough, a technology specialist with the San Francisco Giants, is the interim president of the San Jose Giants (High Class A; California League) and will split his time between the two teams. Schlough replaces Jim Weyermann, who resigned in July. He’ll serve as president until a permanent replacement is named. Schlough was senior vice […]
New for 2012: DuPage County Hounds
The newest team in the summer-collegiate Midwest Collegiate League: the DuPage County Hounds, who will be playing out of the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex. The team’s first home game is slated for Friday, June 1 at 7 p.m. The Hounds released their new team name, logos and website. The team’s main logo features […]
ValleyCats set attendance record — again
Another year, another attendance record for the Tri-City ValleyCats (short season A; NY-Penn League), who set a record both for total attendance and per-game tallies during a season-ending homestand last night. The team set an attendance record for the eighth consecutive season. The team ended the home season with a pair of games against the […]
County scales back commitment to Portland-area ballpark
A 2012 opening for a new Clark College ballpark for the relocating Yakima Bears (short season A; Northwest League) is in serious doubt after Clark County officials scaled back their financial commitment to the plan. At a work session last week, the county commissioners walked away from a funding plan where the Bears would pay […]
World Championship Baby honored by Giants cable home
We have a winner in the Search for the World Championship Baby: the child presumably conceived in a celebration of the San Francisco Giants 2010 World Series victory. The search, undertaken by broadcast partner Comcast SportsNet, uncovered Brooklynn Olivia Bird of Folsom, California as the winner of “The Search for the World Championship Baby” contest. […]
Captains poised to welcome three-millionth fan
The three-millionth fan in Lake County Captains (Low Class A; Midwest League) history is expected to cross the turnstiles at Classic Park before Wednesday night’s game. The Captains’ first season was 2003 after moving from Columbus, Ga. The team hit the one million mark in 2005 and the two millionth fan was honored in 2008. […]