Scorpions Sold to Godfather Media (UPDATED)

It’s been announced (see press release below) that the indy pro Yuma Scorpions (North American League) have been sold to publicly-traded Godfather Media, Inc.  This may sound like exciting news, and maybe it is, but we see a few red flags here, particularly for potential investors.

BlueClaws Announce First Wave of 2012 Promotions

PRESS RELEASE – The first wave of the 2012 BlueClaws promotional schedule has been announced by the team. The schedule includes many returning dates and promotions as well as several new items, with additional promotions to be released in the coming weeks.

Couzens to Join TinCaps Broadcast Team

PRESS RELEASE – The Fort Wayne TinCaps are proud to announce the hiring of Mike Couzens as Manager of Broadcasting and Media Relations. Couzens, who began his Minor League Baseball career with the Triple A-Syracuse Chiefs, most recently worked for the Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League.

Texas Collegiate League Expands to The Woodlands

The Woodlands (TX), a long-time target for baseball entrepreneurs looking for a great market to put a team, finally has a franchise.  Ramiro Lozano of Spring has secured a franchise in the Texas Collegiate League, which will begin play in 2012.  The team’s new home will be the baseball field at The Woodlands Christian Academy, which will be improved with new stadium seating.

City to Engage in New Ballpark Talks?

To date, the City of Charlotte (NC) has been absent from talks between the Triple-A Charlotte Knights (International League) and Mecklenburg County over a new $55 million downtown stadium for the club, but that may be changing, as the city council might take up the issue as early as Feb. 16.  Read more here.

Crawdads Unveil 20th Anniversary Logo

PRESS RELEASE – The Crawdads would like to thank everyone who packed Rock Barn Golf and Spa on Monday night to help kick off the 20th Anniversary Season with the annual Hot Stove Banquet.

Curve Ballpark Officially Renamed, Logo Unveiled

PRESS RELEASE – The Altoona Curve and Peoples Natural Gas today announced a partnership that will rename the Logan Township ballpark in which the Curve play and potentially help spur economic development with the use of green energy.

Wilmington to Take Next Steps for Affiliated Ball

The mayor of Wilmington (NC) announced today that the city council will decide next week whether to begin negotiations with Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves to explore a public/private partnership to build a new minor league baseball stadium.  Read more here.

Abilene Prairie Dogs to Return in 2012

The indy pro North American League is expected to announce Thursday that the 2012 version of the Abilene Prairie Dogs will begin play this summer at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field.  Read more here.  Abilene hosted the the Texas-Louisiana League’s Prairie Dogs from 1995-1999.

Spinners Challenge 7 New York Teams to Super Bowl Bet

PRESS RELEASE – Four years ago the Lowell Spinners couldn’t believe their luck when their New York-Penn league brethren wanted to back the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII against the undefeated New England Patriots. The Spinners came up on the short side of that wager and are seeking retribution in a challenge to the sevenNew Yorkbased NYPL teams in this year’s Super Bowl re-match.

AppleSox Introduce Barden as Team’s New Radio Voice

PRESS RELEASE – The Wenatchee AppleSox are pleased to announce the addition of Jonathan Barden as the newest member of the team’s front office. In addition to serving as the AppleSox radio broadcaster, Barden will work year round for the team as communications director and sponsor sales.

Huskies, Duluth Seek State Funding for Ballpark Renovations

Last January, the Duluth (MN) City Council voted to seek $3 million from the Minnesota Legislature to renovate historic Wade Stadium, home of the  summer collegiate Duluth Huskies (Northwoods League).  They received nothing last year, but area lawmakers and the Huskies are gunning for $8.1 million in state bonding this year.  Read more here.  View renderings and cost estimates here.

High Schools to Play First Game at Skeeters Ballpark

PRESS RELEASE – The first ever baseball game to be played at Constellation Field will feature two Sugar Land High School teams, Fort Bend Independent School District’s William P. Clements High School and John Foster Dulles High School, on Saturday, April 21.

Oakland Abandons Waterfront Site for A’s Park

The State of California’s dismantling of local redevelopment agencies has forced the City of Oakland to ditch a proposed plan for a new waterfront ballpark for the Oakland A’s.  Local officials will now target the Coliseum site to try and save the club.  That said, the A’s already have one foot out the door, awaiting approval from MLB to finally move the team to San Jose.  Read more here.

New Ballpark on Deck for U. San Diego

The University of San Diego is raising funds for a new $13 million ballpark for the Toreros baseball team.  Fowler Park, as it will be known, is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2013 season.  Read more here.  View gallery here.

I-95 Site a No Go for P-Nats Ballpark

The ballpark saga for the Single-A Potomac Nationals (Carolina League) continues, as owner Art Silber has indicated that a selected site along I-95 in Prince William County will not work for environmental reasons.  He now prefers a site along the I-66 corridor.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Birmingham Business Community Showing Support

The City of Birmingham and the Double-A Birmingham Barons (Southern League) won’t break ground on the new $64 million downtown baseball park until Feb. 2, but  the team has already received commitments from the business community for half of the facility’s 26 luxury suites, and interest in the club-level seating is also high.  Read more here.

South Korean Retailer Bidding for Dodgers

A group led by South Korean retailer E-Land is one of the short-listed bidders for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  As previously reported, the estimated price tag for the storied franchise is between $1.2 to $1.5 billion.  Read more here.

Aces Awarded All-Star Game, Release Logo

PRESS RELEASE – The Reno Aces Baseball Club has been awarded the 2013 Triple-A All-Star Game, it was announced in a press conference held this morning at Aces Ballpark.

So, Let’s Talk About Ballpark Naming Rights

As the Double-A Altoona Curve (Eastern League) prepare to formally unveil the team’s ballpark naming rights deal with Peoples Natural Gas, the Altoona Mirror has tried to pin down the possible financial take for the club by talking with industry experts.  We generally agree with the stated six-figure annual payments spread over 10 to 15 years for deals at this level, but ballpark naming rights

New Logo and Character for Baseballtown

PRESS RELEASE – After ten years, the iconic look of Baseballtown is changing. In conjunction with the Reading Phillies, Baseballtown Charities has announced a re-branding of the organization, including a newly designed logo and character. The re-branding will help better represent the organization’s spirit and identity, while also making a transition to a bold, new era.

IBL Pushes Back Launch Until 2013, Far-Flung Pacific Northwest an Apparent Target

The upstart Interstate Baseball League, formerly Gulf Coast Baseball League, has pushed back its inaugural launch until 2013.  In other exciting league news, the IBL has apparently had contact with a former friend of the failed Southwestern States League, as the Pacific Northwest seems to be on the radar for expansion:

Giants Name Orum President and CEO

PRESS RELEASE – The Board of Directors of the San Jose Giants announced today that Daniel Orum has been named president and CEO of the San Jose Giants. Orum replaces interim president Bill Schlough, who has returned to his full-time position as senior vice president and chief information officer for the San Francisco Giants after splitting his time between the two organizations since

Hagerstown Considers Funding Ballpark Study

The City of Hagerstown (MD) and Washington County are considering funding a feasbility of study for renovating Municipal Stadium, home of the Single-A Hagerstown Suns (South Atlantic League), or building a new park elsewhere.  As you know, the Suns have been talking with Winchester (VA) about relocating to a potential new park there, which has obviously lit a fire under Hagerstown.  Read more here.

New Chiefs Lease to Include Option to Buy

The new lease on deck for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs (International League) to use Alliance Bank Stadium. would include an option to buy the 15-year-old ballpark for $3.05 million, if approved by Onondaga County at a meeting on Feb. 7.  The original cost to build the stadium was $29.5 million.  Read more and view news clip here.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: Copeland Park (LaCrosse, WI)

Digital Ballparks visits Copeland Park, home of the summer collegiate LaCrosse Loggers (Northwoods League).  Read more and view photos here.

American Association Exploring Joplin

Charlie Meyer, president of the indy pro Lincoln Saltdogs (American Association), was in Joplin (MO) on Wednesday to take a close look at Joe Becker Stadium as a potential location for a new  franchise.  Everyone agrees that the facility would have to be renovated to be workable.  Meyer serves as the American Association’s expansion director.  Read more here.

Neighborhood Revitalization Renovation on Deck for Cleveland’s League Park

Wake up, Detroit!  The Cleveland City Council has approved spending $5 million to restore League Park (1891-1946), the former home of the Cleveland Spiders, featuring legendary pitcher Cy Young, and the Cleveland Indians.  Plans include restoring the ticket house and bleacher wall, creating a Major League-size diamond in the same place as the original, and constructing a community

Redbirds Unveil 2012 Promo Schedule

PRESS RELEASE – The Memphis Redbirds released the confirmed promotions for the 2012 season today. The schedule includes 12 firework shows, nine giveaways and five different entertainment appearances, along with Mother’s Day: Pink in the Park, sponsored by DeVry University on May 13 and Faith and Family Night on June 16.

Colts Name Riggs New Broadcaster

PRESS RELEASE – The San Angelo Colts have named David Riggs as their Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the 2012 season. Riggs will broadcast every Colts game on the radio this summer. Riggs was chosen to replace Ira Liebman, who became the Event Marketing Manager for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Liebman

Boomers to Unveil New Video Scoreboard on Opening Day

The indy pro Schaumburg Boomers (Frontier League) plan to unveil a new 450-square-feet Daktronics HD video scoreboard during the team’s inaugural opening day on May 25.  Read more here.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: Principal Park (Des Moines, IA)

LittleBallparks.com visits Principal Park, home of the Triple-A Iowa Cubs (Pacific Coast League).  View photos here.

Mayor, Potential AA Team Owners: One-Week Delay Not a Concern

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson is saying that a one-week delay from Feb. 7 to Feb. 16 for city staff to report on the future of minor league baseball at Ottawa Stadium will not harm chances for Double-A ball in the capital city.  The potential Double-A team owners apparently agree.  In an effort to keep the pressure on, Ken “The Bulldog” Gray has continued to chomp at the city’s heels clamoring

Florida Ballparks: Havens for the Homeless?

There is apparently a little-known law on the books in Florida that requires publicly-funded professional sports stadiums to operate as homeless shelters on nights when no official events are taking place.  The law has pretty much been ignored, but a couple of legislators are sponsoring bills to force operators to repay public funds if they are unable to prove they have been making room for the

Champaign Mayor Finally Appoints Ballpark Exploratory Committee

Champaign (IL) Mayor Don Gerard has finally appointed an exploratory committee to determine the feasbility of building a new minor league ballpark, after announcing the idea last summer.  The group, led by software executive Tony Johnston, will begin discussions on Monday, Jan. 30.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

City of Palms Park Needs New Roof

The Boston Red Sox have departed City of Palms Park for the new JetBlue Park at Fenway South as the team’s Spring Training home, which is one reason some folks in Lee County are not too keen on the idea of spending $300,000 for a new roof needed to maintain the 20-year-old trade in.  Read more and view news clip here.

Chanticleers Getting New Digs

The State of South Carolina has given approval to a $10.2 million renovation of Coastal Carolina University’s baseball and softball complexes.  Construction is expected to be completed in time for the 2014 season.  Read more here.  View renderings here.

Marlins Choose Three Shops for Exterior Plaza

The Miami Marlins announced today that La Baguette, Holiday Bakery and YoBlendz have been selected as food vendors to take up residence in the exterior West Plaza at the new Marlins Park.  The three new shops will be accessible year-round.  Interestingly, the plaza, which is designed to be a gathering area for fans before and after games, will be covered when the ballpark’s retractable

Sweets Launch Hat Club for 2012 Season

PRESS RELEASE – With the start of the 2012 season of Walla Walla Sweets baseball just around the corner the team is introducing a fun new option for fans. Lou’s Lid Alliance will be the official hat club of the Sweets, and will feature a new custom, fitted cap every three months. Each unique hat will be available only through membership in the club.

Dirt Dawgs Hire New Marketing and Events Manager

PRESS RELEASE – The Wachusett Dirt Dawgs today announce the appointment of Matthew “Matt” Berthiaume as the team’s Manager of Marketing and Events.