The Washington Nationals reportedly have given Lee County officials a wish list for a renovation of City of Palms Park and could move spring operations there in 2014, according to Peter Gammons. Here’s Gammons’ tweet: “Nats gave Lee County their plans to reconstruct Boston’s former downtown Fort Myers park, likely there in 2014 if county […]
Tag Archives | spring training
Spring-training games launch today
We have our first game of Spring Training 2012 today, as the Philadelphia Phillies host the Florida State Seminoles at 1:05 p.m. at Bright House Field. Let the games begin! Speaking of spring training: We’ll be in Florida next week and Arizona later in the month. Here’s the schedule for our upcoming Florida trip: March […]
The Week That Was: Feb. 12
The top stories on Ballpark Digest this week, as measured by page views: spring-training arrivals and potential new MLB homes; franchise shifts in Hagerstown, Ottawa and Wilmington; and more on hockey at the ballpark. Lee County pitches Nats on spring-training move Blue Jays considering grass field at Rogers Centre Braves reveal new alt home uniforms […]
It’s Truck Day — and the first day of workouts
We have a weird situation this year in spring training: it’s Truck Day for the Boston Red Sox and the reporting date for the Seattle Mariners. In other words: baseball season has officially begun. Normally we don’t see Truck Day for most MLB teams so close to a reporting date. But this is a weird […]
Another sign of spring: changes at Digital Domain Park
With reporting dates fast approaching, we have another sign of the times: the New York Mets released some photos of changes to its spring-training home, Digital Domain Park. The two big changes to Digital Domain Park this spring: the installation of a new high-definition scoreboard in left field and a picnic area/party deck down the […]
Approval for McKechnie Field renovations expected this week
An $8-million renovation plan for McKechnie Field, home to the Bradenton Marauders (High Class A; Florida State League) and spring home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, could be approved this week by city and county governments. The redesign of the classic ballpark calls for a reconfiguration of the seating bowl, with two distinctive seating areas replaced […]
How best to use old spring-training facilities: Soccer
Spring training may be totally gone from Tucson, but it looks like the city found a great use for former MLB training facilities: professional MLS soccer will bring six teams to the Kino Stadium complex. Six MLS teams will be training in Tucson this spring, with four of them set to participate in the Desert Diamond […]
Blink and you’ll miss it: the 2012 baseball season has already begun
Fans pining for the day when pitchers and catchers report for spring training should note that their passion may be a little misplaced: the 2012 season opened over the weekend, with college squads already scrimmaging. The college kids don’t waste a lot of time getting into action; as you can see here, the University of […]
Don’t look now, but spring training is around the corner
Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but spring training is around the corner. Time to make your plans, as tickets are going fast at some spring-training ballparks. At least, that’s the report from Scottsdale, where Salt River Fields general manager David Dunne reports that opening day and some weekend games for the Arizona Diamondbacks and […]
Clearwater mulling $2.9M upgrade to Phils’ spring complex
Clearwater (Fla.) officials will decide this week whether to spend $2.9 million on upgrades to the Carpenter Complex, where the Philadelphia Phillies train each spring. The upgrades and new construction are mostly behind the scenes and for the benefit of players and coaches, not fans attending workouts. (The team works out in the complex and […]
O’Malley: Don’t expect spring training to return to Vero Beach
Peter O’Malley says that the business focus for the former Dodgertown complex in Vero Beach will remain on youth tournaments and visiting teams, not professional baseball. O’Malley invested in Vero Beach Sports Village (VBSV), formerly known as Dodgertown. O’Malley will be one of five equal partners in VBSV management: MiLB will retain a share, while the […]
McKechnie Field renovation in the works
McKechnie Field, spring home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and regular-season home of the Bradenton Marauders (High Class A; Florida State League), would receive $9 million in improvements under a plan before the city and county. The redesign of the classic ballpark calls for a reconfiguration of the seating bowl, with two distinctive seating areas replaced […]
Cubs, Mesa finally ready to sign lease for new spring-training complex
It’s official: the city of Mesa and the Chicago Cubs are signing a 30-year lease for the team to train at a new complex slated to open in 2014, but there’s still plenty of design work to be done. The Mesa City Council is expected to sign off on the lease during Monday’s meeting. It […]