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 […]
As Harper skips Potomac, Silber works on ballpark solution
The Washington Nationals say the decision to promote Bryce Harper to Class AA Harrisburg Senators and not to High Class A Potomac Nationals (Carolina League) had nothing to do with the condition of Pfitzner Stadium — a ballpark desperately in need of replacement. P-Nats owner Art Silber and Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William […]
Dragons poised to shatter sellout record
Barring something totally unexpected this Saturday, the Dayton Dragons (Low Class A; Midwest League) will set the record for consecutive sellouts by a professional sports team, with all 7,230 seats filled at Fifth Third Field for the 815th straight time. The streak would break the sellout record set by the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers between […]
RedHawks celebrate real-life home runs
Here’s an inspirational promotion: the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Clsss AAA; Pacific Coast League) is partnering with a local health-service sponsor on a “Home Run for Life” event on July 8, recognizing people in the local community who, with the help of their families, physicians and health-care professionals, have overcome a significant medical event in their […]
Ohio State switches to artificial turf
Ohio State is switching from grass to artificial turf at Bill Davis Stadium, a transformation that should be completed in time for fall practices. The reason for the switch to AstroTurf GameDay Grass: more reliability. The entire field will be turf save the pitching mound; the basepaths and batters boxes will be turf as well. […]
Boston Pops ballpark tour scrapped
Poor ticket sales and a lack of corporate sponsors has caused ESI Concerts to scrap a summer ballpark tour featuring Kenny Loggins and the Boston Pops Orchestra. The 10-city Minor League Ballparks tour was slated to run this summer, stretching from Birmingham, Alabama, to Buffalo, New York, August 16-30. Full refunds, including service charges, can […]
Giants’ cable partner on lookout for World Championship Baby
Interesting promotion from CSN Bay Area: the cable home of the San Francisco Giants is counting down to the birth of a local baby born exactly nine months after the team won the 2010 World Series on Nov. 1 at 7:45 p.m. It’s a pretty clever contest: the cable outfit is asking Bay Area moms-to-be […]
Spinners pull off Human Home Run
David Smith Jr. was successfully launched from the second-base area over the home-run fence, as the Lowell Spinners (short season A; NY-Penn League) played host to the first-ever Human Home Run during last night’s doubleheader at LeLacheur Park. Here’s a video of the flight, courtesy of the local Fox affiliate: Human Home Run a hit […]
Angels accessibility lawsuit granted class-action status
A lawsuit brought against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by a wheelchair user denied access to the Club Level at Angel Stadium has been granted class certification, giving momentum to the argument that there should be more accessible seating at the ballpark. This is probably something all ballpark operators should heed, as it held […]
SwampDogs set new attendance mark
The Fayetteville SwampDogs set a franchise attendance record at J.P. Riddle Stadium, as 6,049 fans turned out to watch their hometown team take on the Wilson Tobs — the first time the SwampDogs have ever reached the 6,000-fan plateau. “SwampDogs fans proved once again they’re the best fans in summer collegiate baseball,” said SwampDogs head coach […]
Covaleski Stadium renovations complete
Renovations to Covaleski Stadium, home of the South Bend Silver Hawks (Low Class A; Midwest League), are now complete, as the ballpark now features a wraparound concourse and lots of new fan-friendly amenities. The renovations, which ended up costing around $8 million, added a new center-field entrance, a new scoreboard and audio system, a new […]
R-Phils embrace the craziness, honoring Crazy Hot Dog Vendor
The Reading Phillies (Class AA; Eastern League) are honoring one of the most unique mascots in all of baseball, the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor, as players will wear rather gaudy Crazy Hot Dog Vendor jerseys on July 10 and one lucky fan will win a 550-pound life-size Crazy Hot Dog Vendor statue. The first 2,500 […]