Atlantic League lands Long Island ballpark
It’s official: the independent Atlantic League has landed the rights to manage and place a team at a new Long Island ballpark as part of a Nassau County Coliseum development, a project expected to cost $50 million if approved by voters in August, according to an announcement this morning from Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano. Atlantic […]
Decision on Nassau County ballpark due today
The decision on who manages a new Nassau County ballpark is due today, and a local media outlet is hinting that the independent Atlantic League will land the deal over a bid from the New York Mets owners. Nassau County is planning to issue $400 million in bonds to build a new arena and ballpark […]
City marks 65th birthday of Danville Stadium
Danville Stadium, the former home to professional ball and now the home of the Danville Dans (summer collegiate; Prospect League), marked its 65th anniversary yesterday with a big crowd and other festivities. There were 4,163 fans on hand for the Dans game, where former players and pro alumni were invited to turn out. The press […]
Yuma, Lake County swap pitchers, positional players
Last night’s Yuma Scorpions / Lake County Fielders (independent; North American League) game was an odd one: position players were sent to the pitchers mound and pitchers played in the field. Not quite sure how this plays into the integrity of the league, as Yuma won 8-3, with it being apparent NAL pitchers hit better […]
Indy Indians attract 9-millionth fan to Victory Field
The Indianapolis Indians (Class AAA; International League) hit a milestone last night when the 9-million fan in Victory Field history — almost 15 years now — crossed the turnstiles. A crowd of 12,514 fans were on hand last night to see the Indians defeat the Louisville Bats. Overall, 9,000,365 fans have attended 1,060 games at […]
Dragons break consecutive-sellout record
History was made last night at Fifth Third Field, as the Dayton Dragons (Low Class A; Midwest League) notched their 815th consecutive sellout and broke a professional-sports record held by the Portland Trail Blazers. A crowd of 8,688 was on hand to see the team snare the record. It’s truly amazing that a team playing […]
Prepping Chase Field for the All-Star Game
Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has always been an underrated ballpark, in our view. Now fans across the country will be exposed to its many charms during the All-Star Game this week. When it opened in 1998, Chase Field — then Bank One Ballpark — was a fairly subtle facility with a […]
Montreal capable of supporting MLB — if there’s an owner with deep pockets
Montreal is financially healthy enough to support Major League Baseball, according to a study from the Conference Board of Canada, but it would take an owner with deep pockets and a new ballpark for success — and neither are likely to emerge any time soon. Overall, Montreal has emerged as a wealthy international city, with […]
Rangers will keep throwing balls into stands; teams reevaluate safety at ballparks
Despite the death of Shannon Stone at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington as he attempted to snare a ball thrown to the stands, Texas Rangers players will continue the practice; meanwhile, many teams are inspecting ballparks for potential trouble spots. “I’m certainly not going to suggest to our players that we don’t give baseballs away,” Nolan […]
O’Conner: We’re working to return pro ball to Kinston
The Kinston Indians (High Class A; Carolina League) may be moving to Zebulon after the end of the season, but MiLB President Pat O’Conner and team owner Cam McRae say they’re working to bring in a replacement team, perhaps as early as next season. Kinston is one of the those markets you want to love […]
Development arrives at Target Field area
One of the lures for state funding of Target Field was the potential for development in the North Loop area of downtown Minneapolis. While Target Field has certainly revitalized the downtown bar scene, it’s now potentially fueling tens of millions in additional real-estate investment. Hines Interests had options on land surrounding the home of the […]
Fan falls to death at Rangers Ballpark
A 30-year-old Texas Rangers fan fell to his death during last night’s game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, as he attempted to snare a ball thrown into the stands by outfielder Josh Hamilton. The fan, Shannon Stone, was a firefighter in Brownwood, Texas. He was sitting in the front row of the left-field lower reserved […]
Bankruptcy court denies Dodgers document request — for now
Delaware bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross denied a request by Los Angeles Dodgers attorneys to have Major League Baseball produce a wide-ranging set of documents designed to show Bud Selig treated Frank McCourt differently than other MLB owners. Not a complete surprise. The Los Angeles Dodgers are seeing bankruptcy protection and have arranged $150 million in […]