In first discussions about a lease for a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark, Mayor Bill Saffo has floated the idea that Mandalay Baseball Properties would pay 12 percent of the overall debt service associated with the Class A facility. Wilmington has entered into exclusive negotiations with Mandalay and the Atlanta Braves over the finances of the […]
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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 […]
Atlanta Braves have tentative deal to buy Hillcats
As many expected: the Atlanta Braves have a conditional deal to buy the Lynchburg Hillcats (High Class A; Carolina League), in anticipation of moving the team to Wilmington, N.C. The sale was announced today by GM Paul Sunwall. The deal is conditional on a new ballpark being built in Wilmington, N.C., as part of a […]
New Wilmington ballpark would be part of hotel, marina complex
More details on a proposed downtown Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark: it would be part of a hotel/marina/restaurant complex already under construction on the waterfront. Developer Chuck Schoninger envisions the ballpark, which would house an Atlanta Braves minor-league team, as a core part of a restaurant/marina/hotel complex. Work on the marina portion of the complex is already […]
Wilmington to move forward with ballpark talks
The Wilmington (N.C.) City Council voted to move forward with negotiations on a new downtown ballpark for an Atlanta Braves farm team during its Tuesday night meeting. Per the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) unanimously passed, the city will exclusively negotiate a new ballpark development plan with Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves over the […]
Wilmington to discuss new Braves ballpark tomorrow night
A proposed Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark will be on the agenda for the City Council tomorrow night, though there will be no vote on the plan. Specifically, according to the city Website, the council will discuss: Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with Mandalay Baseball Properties, LLC (MBP) and the Atlanta […]
Wilmington looks at development deal with Braves, Mandalay
The off-again, on-again Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark project is back on, as the city is reviewing a potential memorandum of understanding for a ballpark development with the Atlanta Braves and Mandalay Baseball Properties. The potential economic deal was announced at a press conference today. The proposal is for a 6,000-seat, $35-million to $40-million ballpark near the […]
Hagerstown Suns in play
If extensive improvements aren’t funded at Municipal Stadium, it looks like the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) will end up moving — but a final destination is far from set. The Suns ownership, virtually since taking over the team, has been lobbying for improvements to the ballpark. Indeed, a $10-million improvement plan for […]
Wilmington ballpark dead on arrival?
Any potential for a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark is apparently dead in the water, as a political squabble between the city and New Hanover County over a totally unrelated item leads county officials to walk away from talks. It’s quite surreal, actually. City and county officials disagreed over whether the city should annex a new […]
Another new effort for Wilmington minor-league baseball?
Former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox has reached out to city officials in Wilmington, N.C. and discussed what it would take to build a new ballpark in the Port City. Cox, now an assistant to Braves GM Frank Wren, has a tie to Wilmington: his granddaughter attends UNC-Wilmington. The meeting, as reported by the StarNews, […]
Conditions are ripe for Cal-Carolina switch
A move of two teams from the California League to the Carolina League, once given up for dead, is surprisingly viable, as there may be an alignment of teams and markets — and the specifics will surprise you. First off: we’ve seen two viable markets emerge in the Carolina League footprint, along with viable owners. […]
Blue Rocks highlight healthy kids with new promotion
The Wilmington Blue Rocks (High Class A; Carolina League) are addressing the troublesome issue of childhood obesity with a Happy Healthy Kids promotion for the 2011 season. Every kid taking a healthy-eating pledge will receive one ticket and a healthy snack pack for a select Blue Rocks game, as well as a fitness activity before […]