The independent Freedom Baseball League, which has had games cancelled this season because of rent owed on ballparks, will be back next season, says organizer Joe Sperle. You’ve got to give Sperle credit for hard work in the face of overwhelming odda. Baseball in the Valley of the Sun is a hard sell in the […]
Tag Archives | phoenix
Diamondbacks: We want more control over future of Chase Field
The Arizona Diamondbacks could gain greater control of Chase Field if the ballpark is transferred from the Maricopa County Stadium District to the city of Phoenix, as the team looks at major renovations down the road. The issue: the ballpark, funded with a special Maricopa County tax that expired in 1997, is controlled by the […]
Freedom Baseball League shackled by economic realities
The independent Freedom Baseball League was locked out of Phoenix Municipal Stadium today because of missed rent payments — something that reportedly has also taken place in three other Arizona communities. According to this report, the league — four teams playing out of the greater Phoenix area — missed rent payments recently in Prescott, Peoria, […]
Freedom Baseball League begins play
Independent baseball is going to be a hard sell in the Arizona desert, and the first game for the Freedom Baseball League drew a small crowd at Scottsdale Stadium. An announced of 637 was on hand at Scottsdale Stadium to see the Copper State Prospectors defeat the Arizona Centennials, 5-3. It’s a little hard to get any […]
Milwaukee, Phoenix extend Maryvale Baseball Park lease for three years
The Milwaukee Brewers and the city of Phoenix are extending the team’s spring-training lease at Maryvale Baseball Park for three years and will negotiate a new, longer agreement. The three-year lease extension calls for $1.5 million in improvements immediately, and the two sides will discuss more improvements in further lease negotiations. The improvements will be […]
Oakland negotiating move to Mesa’s HoHoKam Park
The Oakland Athletics have entered into an exclusive negotiating period with the city of Mesa for a move to HoHoKam Park in 2015, once the Chicago Cubs shift to a new facility. The Athletics currently play spring matches at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and train at nearby Papago Park. Neither set of facilities approaches state of […]
Athletics, city close to Phoenix Muni lease extension
The Oakland Athletics will train at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and Papago Park Baseball Facility through 2025 under a proposed lease expected to be approved today by the Phoenix City Council. The lease adds 10 years to the current lease, slated to end in 2015. The Athletics train at the Muni and Papago Park and run […]
Wolff seeking upgrades to Phoenix Muni
Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff has been discussing with the city upgrades to Phoenix Municipal Stadium that would cost $30 million or so — “chump change” for what’s being spent on spring-training facilities in the area. That Phoenix Municipal Stadium needs some spiffing up is probably true: the latest upgrades nicely added a level of […]
Tempe Diablo Stadium / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
It is the most scenic ballpark in the Cactus League, bar none. With buttes beyond the left-field fence, a striking Spanish-style exterior and a relatively remote location that paradoxically offers easy freeway access, Tempe Diablo Stadium is a gem, a must-visit for anyone hitting Phoenix in March. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 1968; renovated several times […]
Feeding frenzy expected for Cubs spring facility work
When the city of Mesa releases a “request for qualifications” notice in coming weeks, we’ll see a feeding frenzy as architectural and construction firms jockey for position — and we hear the process is expected to be wide open. Discussions of the new facility were fast and frequent at the Winter Meetings, as lots of […]
D-Backs spiffing up Chase Field for 2011
The Arizona Diamondbacks are making further improvements to Chase Field for a 2011 season that will see Phoenix hosting the MLB All-Star Game. For starters: the team has repainted the retractable roof, likely to be closed during the All-Star Game and much of the season. Second, the team is installing new high-def two large new […]
New Cubs spring facility approved by Mesa voters
Despite the anti-tax sentiment carrying the day in most of America, Mesa voters yesterday voted to spend almost $100 million on a new Chicago Cubs spring-training facility, funded by higher hotel taxes and a selloff of city land. The approval came via two ballot issues. The first, which passed with 63 percent of the vote, […]
Mesa to vote on new Cubs complex today
Mesa (Az.) voters will go to the polls today to decide on the fate of a new Chicago Cubs spring-training complex, as two questions on the ballot will authorize the city to go ahead with the plan and its funding. Voters must approve a referendum question to raise the city hotel tax by two percentage […]