With the final bureaucratic hurdles cleared and a budget of $60.8 million finalized, it’s time to turn to the most interesting part of a new El Paso Triple-A ballpark: the design. You may know the backstory: El Paso businesspeople, in the form of MountainStar Sports Group, bought the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) […]
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Can Tucson bring back pro baseball?
With the impending departure of the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), local officials are debating what can be done to bring back minor-league baseball or spring training to the city. Current T-Padres GM Mike Feder is optimistic about a possible return of Minor League Baseball to Tucson: “The only way of getting baseball […]
Latest run at Tucson pro baseball winding down
Maybe there are some cities unsuited for pro baseball. That would include Tucson, where the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are 26 home games from a move to El Paso. Granted, the Tucson Padres were never slated to spend more than three or four seasons at Kino Stadium after the franchise was relocated […]
Finalists announced for new El Paso team name
We have the five finalists for the team name of the new El Paso franchise joining the Triple-A Pacific Coast League next season. The five finalists are: Aardvarks Buckaroos Chihuahuas Desert Gators Sun Dogs “It was not easy to determine this list of finalist name ideas from the thousands of names submitted by El Paso […]
Increased spending approved for new El Paso ballpark
A new budget for a Triple-A ballpark in El Paso was approved last night by the City Council, pushing the total cost of the project to $60.8 million, with team owners picking up the additional costs. The original cost of the ballparl was $52.8 million, and the El Paso City Council had already approved issuing […]
Franchise owners offer $12.1M toward new El Paso ballpark
To close a funding gap in construction of a new downtown El Paso ballpark, team owners MountainStar Sports have offered to pay $12.1 million to cover the overages. Under the proposal, the city would borrow $60.8 million toward the new ballpark instead of the original $52.8 million. (Why is the city borrowing more? Municipalities typically […]
El Paso breaks ground on new Triple-A ballpark
A host of Minor League Baseball dignitaries combined with local politicos to officially mark the ceremonial beginning of construction on a Class AAA Pacific Coast League ballpark in El Paso. Attendees included City, County, State and national dignitaries, representatives of both El Paso and other nearby communities including Ciudad Juárez; leadership from Minor League Baseball, […]
El Paso approves new-ballpark financing plan
After city officials withdrew a request to add $10 million to the project budget, the El Paso City Council passed a plan to issue $52.8 million in bonds for a new downtown ballpark for a Pacific Coast League team. City officials had presented a plan to increase the ballpark budget by $10 million after diverting […]
Prepping for 2014: Taylor GM for new El Paso team
The as-yet-unnamed Class AAA Pacific Coast League team in El Paso now has a general manager, as industry vet Brad Taylor was named to the post today. Taylor is a familiar face in baseball circles. He most recently served as general manager and then president of the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Low Class A; Sally […]
Construction begins on new El Paso ballpark
With City Hall imploded and its debris almost gone, construction has begun on a new downtown El Paso ballpark for the relocating Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). Debris from City Hall is still being removed (that chore should be completed by the end of the week), but in the meantime crews are installing […]
El Paso City Hall goes down, making way for new ballpark
El Paso’s City Hall was imploded yesterday by a series of detonations, as the city takes down a landmark of sorts to make way for a new Triple-A ballpark. The 34-year-old building took about 10 second to collapse after the charges were detonated. A crowd of 100 or so was on hand to see the […]
Judge to hear bonding plan for El Paso; last big hurdle for new ballpark
Final state approval for a new downtown El Paso ballpark could come as soon as tomorrow, as a judge is set to review the bonding proposal for what’s planned as the home of a Class AAA Pacific Coast League team. Bonding requests in Texas must receive judicial approval, so El Paso will be in the […]
Fed judge spanks El Paso ballpark opponents; petitions to be considered today
It appears there’s little gas left in the tank for new-ballpark opponents in El Paso, as a federal judge fines the group $5,000 for basically wasting the court’s time in trying to move a lawsuit from state to federal court. In addition, it doesn’t look like there’s much chance two petitions challenging the ballpark funding […]