As the Boise Hawks (short season A; Northwest League) prepare for the 2012 season, there’s been little talk of a new downtown ballpark, with the future of pro ball in the city on hold. Memorial Stadium is a very basic ballpark in an era where fans and players expect a whole lot more; as Hawks […]
Tag Archives | short season a
Lake Monsters unveil Centennial Field improvements
With a long-term commitment from the University of Vermont in place, the Vermont Lake Monsters (short season A: NY-Penn League) announced the 2012 improvements to Centennial Field. The most noticeable upgrade: a new 27-foot by 16-foot videoboard and new scoreboard in left field provided by Total Sports Entertainment. The videoboard will give all fans a new […]
In memoriam: Warner Fusselle
The Voice of the Brooklyn Cyclones (short season A; NY-Penn League) and the man descriibing the action on This Week In Baseball, Warner Fusselle, has passed away. He was 68. Fusselle passed away on Sunday evening from an apparent heart attack, just a week before what would have been his 12th Opening Day as the radio play-by-play […]
Kirk: If Spikes want to win, they can control their destiny
If the State College Spikes (short season; NY-Penn League) want to ensure winning teams, argues Peter Kirk, there’s a simple solution: make the leap to independent ball. Our story on the front office of the Spikes showing extreme frustration with parent Pittsburgh Pirates stirred a lot of discussion about the proper role of farm teams […]
Debate continues: Can Portland support two short-season teams?
With Milwaukie (OR) officials in talk to bring a second short-season Northwest League team to greater Portland, the debate continues: should MiLB territorial rules be put aside to allow for two area teams? Of course, some of the debate is silly: since there’s no MLB team looking to move, saying Portland cities should step aside […]
Milwaukie, Northwest League discussing team, ballpark
Despite the impending move of the Yakima Bears to Hillsboro, Milwaukie officials say they’re in negotiations with the short-season A Northwest League to bring another team to the Portland (OR) area. The viability of two teams in the greater Portland market has been a point of discussion in recent weeks as both Hillsboro and Milwaukie […]
Yakima: Bears didn’t seem interested in staying
Yakima (Wash.) officials are assessing the probable loss of the Yakima Bears (short season A; Northwest League) and the possibility that affiliated ball could be lost indefinitely. We’re not talking a small market here: There are 242,000 people in Yakima County, and population is on the rise. And while the Bears certainly were profitable (the […]
Hillsboro approves offer sheet with Yakima Bears
The Yakima Bears (short season A; Northwest League) will be relocating to Hillsboro (OR), as the city approved an offer sheet that calls for a new $15.2-million ballpark for the 2013 season. Hillsboro and Milwaukie had been engaged in a race of sorts to bring affiliated baseball back to the greater Portland area. The Bears […]
Spikes: We’re ready to dump Pirates
Tired of fielding losing squads, management of the State College Spikes (short season A; NY-Penn League) say they’re ready to dump their affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. You normally don’t see such frank talk when it comes to player-development contracts and affiliation deals, but Spikes GM Jason Dambach was pretty blunt about his unhappiness with the […]
Hillsboro set to vote on new ballpark; Milwaukie will delay decision
In the ever-changing status of affiliated baseball in Portland, Hillsboro is set to vote on a new ballpark for the relocating Yakima Bears (short season A; Northwest League), with Milwaukie shooting for 2014. A few weeks ago it was Hillsboro retrenching and Milwaukie moving forward in the race to bring pro baseball back to the […]
Monongalia County approves WVU ballpark
Monongalia County approved a tax-increment financing (TIF) district for Morgantown, paving the way for a new West Virginia University ballpark that could also house a short-season team. The district applies to University Town Center, a development from Mon-View LLC. A new $20-million ballpark for the Mountaineers would be in the mix, with most of the […]
Milwaukie ballpark-planning vote set for next week
A big deadline is on tap for the effort to bring pro baseball back to Portland: On May 15 the Milwaukie City Council will decide whether to move forward with a $300,000 ballpark feasibility study. Milwaukie and Hillsboro, two Portland (Ore.) suburbs, are both seeking to build a new ballpark for a short-season-A Northwest League […]
Another attempt to tame Portland market: Hillsboro proposes new ballpark
Another attempt to bring pro baseball back to the Portland (Ore.) market: Hillsboro officials are pitching a $14-million ballpark for a short-season Northwest League team. The proposed ballpark would come at an existing baseball complex in the city: Field Four at Gordon Faber Recreation Complex. We’re talking a basic ballpark here, but one that would […]