Last night’s Pacific Coast League game in El Paso’s Southwest University Park was postponed after the equipment for the visiting Tacoma Rainiers was lost by an airline. The players arrived with no issues, but the visiting team’s luggage, equipment and uniforms did not. The El Paso Chihuahuas rescheduled the game for a noon Saturday start; […]
Tag Archives | tacoma rainiers
Rainiers eye more ballpark improvements for 2013
With a slight attendance dip last season and a disappointing number of walk-up sales, the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are looking at ballpark improvements to attract the impulsive. The team just ended a second season at a renovated Cheney Stadium: after setting an attendance record in 2011, the numbers were down last […]
Sky Sox scrap game because of fire conditions
Minor League Baseball is affected by wildfires raging through Colorado, as tonight’s game between the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) has been postponed. The specific cause, as stated by the Sky Sox: the game has been indefinitely postponed because of smoke and poor air quality caused by the […]
2011 Renovation of the Year: Cheney Stadium
We’re back with our second round of Ballpark Digest awards for 2011. Today, we have another renovation award: Best Renovation ($20M+) for Cheney Stadium, home of the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). To say that the renovation notable is an understatement. Making changes to something considered an institution in the local community is […]
Storm Chaser throws, loses, regains no-hitter
Unusual game last night in Memphis: Omaha’s Luis Mendoza threw a no-hitter last night against the Redbirds, lost it after a scoring change, then regained the no-hitter after yet another scoring change — but he could lose it again, pending potential league review. Mendoza went all nine innings in a complete-game no-hitter, with the Omaha […]
Rainiers unveil renovated Cheney Stadium
Ben Cheney was positioned in his familiar seat, his smiling face watching the proceedings on the field. But everything else about Cheney Stadium was different last night, as the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) unveiled a renovated ballpark before a large crowd. You may know the story of Cheney: the Pacific Northwest lumber […]
Rainiers ownership change finalized
Talk about timing: 11 days before a renovated Cheney Stadium opens for business, businessman Mikal Thomsen and the Baseball Club of Tacoma take control of the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), as the purchase is now final. The Thomsen group is local. Thomsen is not a sporting neophyte — he’s part of the […]
Rainiers on the block
When Cheney Stadium opens in April after an extreme makeover, the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) may be close to having new owners with ties to the Seattle Mariners, as a local group led by Mikal Thomsen is looking to buy the team from Bob and Kirby Schlegel and minority investor Nick Lachey. […]
Cheney Stadium renovation deadline extended
Changes to the renovation plan at venerable Cheney Stadium, home of the Tacoma Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are pushing back the completion date, but construction manager Mortenson says work should be completed in plenty of time for the season opener. The renovation, which began right after the regular season and forced the Rainiers […]
The Week That Was: September 18
Here are the top stories published on Ballpark Digest the past week. Plus, a look at the numbers generated by Ballpark Digest users after the transition to the new publishing system; quite honestly, we’re pretty amazed at the response. First off: some numbers for you Web types to chew on. Since we moved to the […]
Rainiers win; are rewarded with PCL playoffs on the road
The Tacoma Rainiers have been division champs for two straight years, and last night the team advanced to the PCL Championship Series against the Memphis Redbirds after defeating the Sacramento River Cats in the first round of the playoffs. Too bad the famous statue of Ben Cheney isn’t enjoying the winning streak: Cheney Stadium is […]
Tacoma, Seattle extend PDC
No surprise here: the Tacoma Rainiers and the Seattle Mariners announced an extension to their player-development deal through 2014. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Mariners, especially as we open a newly renovated Cheney Stadium in 2011,” said Rainiers President Aaron Artman. “They have been terrific partners, since ownership purchased the […]
Cheney Stadium / Tacoma Rainiers
Cheney Stadium began as a labor of love for a local businessman, Ben Cheney, who wanted a showcase for baseball in Tacoma. Today Cheney (pronounced chee-ney) Stadium is still a beloved part of the fabric of life in Tacoma, largely unchanged from the original designed laid out by Ben Cheney in the early 1960s. FAST […]