Council Prez Wants Referendum on Ballpark Site

Richmond (VA) City Council President Charles R. Samuels said Monday night he will introduce legislation at next week’s council meeting to call for a November referendum on the best site for a replacement for The Diamond, home of the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels (Eastern League).  Read more here.

Atlantic League Expansion to The Woodlands Pondered

Houston Press blogger John Royal takes a look at possible expansion of the indy pro Atlantic League in the Houston area, particularly The Woodlands.  Read more here.  Thank to John Cerone for the link.

Commuting to the New Hillsboro Ballpark

Tonight is the inaugural home opener for Hillsboro Ballpark, home of the Single-A Hillsboro Hops (Northwest League).  If you are going, you might want to pay close attention to this rundown for getting to and from the stadium from The Oregonian’s Joseph Rose.  Read more here.

Columnist: Build Saints Ballpark at Ford Plant Site

In light of the $8.8 million rise in cost for soil cleanup at the Lowertown site for the new ballpark for the indy pro St. Paul Saints (American Association), Pioneer Press columnist Joe Soucheray is suggesting that the location for the facility be moved to the old Ford assembly plant site that is currently being cleared for future redevelopment.  We don’t agree with the idea, and it’s

DuPage County Wants to Lure Cubs

DuPage County (IL) Board Chairman Dan Cronin says he’s given the go ahead to the county’s economic development board to begin scouting for potential stadium sites for a possible new stadium for the Chicago Cubs.  Read more here.

MLB Coming to Sydney (AUS) Cricket Ground

Major League Baseball is coming to Sydney, Australia, as the Los Angeles Dodgers will play a two-game  opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Sydney Cricket Ground in March 2014.  Read more here.  Thanks to Graham Knight for the posting the story on Facebook.

Referendum, Location Change, Hotel, and Miniature Golf Possible for Proposed Biloxi Ballpark

The proposed $21 million baseball stadium project in downtown Biloxi (MS) could include a hotel, restaurants and shops, and even a miniature golf course.  Read more here.  Meanwhile, a few groups are calling for a referendum on the project, and two city council members want to see the ballpark built in a different location.  Read more here.

No Skylands Park for Revived Northern League

As the revived indy pro Northern League works to add more markets beyond recently announced Elkhart County (IN), it appears vacant Skylands Park in Sussex County (NJ) will not be part of the league re-launch in 2014.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Revived Northern League: New Stadium and ‘Elkhart County Miracle’ Announced

Craig Wallin, who unsuccessfully tried to bring professional baseball to Elkhart County (IN) in 2010, announced on Friday his plans to build a new multi-million dollar stadium and launch the Elkhart County Miracle in 2014 as part of the revived indy pro Northern League.  Wallin said the financing is in place and the project is a “sure thing.”  Dan Evans, commissioner of the circuit, joined Wallin

Ocala (FL) Might Vote On Sales Tax for New Ballpark

The city of Ocala (FL), which has been in discussions with the New York Yankees about bringing a minor league baseball team to the area, is considering asking voters to approve a half-cent sales tax for a stadium in the fall.  Read more here.

Pacific Association Targets Santa Maria

Representatives from the indy pro Pacific Association have made a pitch to bring a baseball franchise to Elks Field in Santa Maria (CA).  The Recreation and Parks Commission will hold a public hearing on the matter on Tuesday, June 11 at 4 p.m. at City Hall.  Read more and watch news report here.  View Google street view of Elks Field here.

Mayor Wants 51s to Stay Downtown

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman says she is in favor of the new owners of the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s (Pacific Coast League) renovating Cashman Field or rebuilding the stadium in its current location, but the group’s current plan is to abandon their downtown location in favor of a new suburban ballpark in the nearby Summerlin.  Read more here.

More Teams for Houston Suburbs?

Opening Day Partners (OPD) Chairman Frank Kirk said the indy pro Atlantic League is looking to add up to two new minor league baseball teams around Houston to begin building a four-team western division for the circuit.  OPD owns and operates the league’s Sugar Land Skeeters 25 miles southwest of Houston.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Worcester Could Join Ranks of New Developmental League

Founder and CEO of the indy pro Atlantic League Frank Boulton said he is interested in bringing professional baseball back to Worcester (MA) as part of a new developmental league he plans to announce in mid-June.  He emphasized that the new league will not be associated with the Atlantic League.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Northwoods League Coming to Kalamazoo

You knew this was eventually going to happen.  The Kalamazoo (MI) City Commission on Monday approved a contract with Kalamazoo Baseball LLC to bring a summer collegiate Northwoods League franchise to Homer Stryker Field in 2014.  The team will pay $35,000 per year to lease the ballpark.  Read more here.

Council to Hold Closed-Door Meeting to Discuss Ballpark Proposal

The Fredericksburg (VA) City Council will hold a closed meeting next Tuesday night to discuss a potential deal to build a multi-purpose stadium and bring minor league baseball to the city.  City officials are rumored to be in relocation discussions with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns (South Atlantic League).  Read more here.

Biloxi Ballpark Site Called the Best

Tim Bennett, owner of Overtime Sports charged with bringing pro ball to Biloxi (MS), considers the site chosen for the new minor league stadium on U.S. 90, across from the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, among the best in the country.  Read more here.

Perfect Game League Expands to Saugerties (NY)

The summer collegiate Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) is expanding to Saugerties (NY) and will begin play at a newly lighted Cantine Memorial Field starting in 2014.  Saugerties Parks and Recreation Superintendent Greg Chorvas had this to say about negotiating a deal with the PGCBL:

Las Vegas 51s Sold, New Stadium on Deck

The Summerlin Las Vegas Baseball Club LLC, a joint venture of the Howard Hughes Corp. and Play Ball Owners Group, announced Monday that they have completed the purchase of the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s (Pacific Coast league) and plan to move the club from downtown to a new stadium to be built in the Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin.  Read more here.  View press release here.

Some Oppose New Ballpark in Summerlin

It is no surprise here, but some residents of Summerlin (NV) are not happy with a proposal to build a new ballpark there for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s (Pacific Coast League).  Read more and view news report here.

Pro Baseball Returns to Montreal With Aigles, Capitales

PRESS RELEASE – As part of the Can-Am League’s preseason exhibition schedule, the Quebec Capitales and Trois-Rivieres Aigles will meet in the first-ever Quebec Baseball Classic on Saturday, May 11 at Montreal’s Ahuntsic Park at 7:30 p.m.

Mother’s Day Is Joplin’s Time to Shine

Mike Beatty from The Joplin Globe makes a pitch for fans to turn out in force at century-old Joe Becker Stadium on Mother’s Day, May 12, to watch the indy pro American Association’s Kansas City T-Bones and Wichita Wingnuts play an exhibition game.  Locals hope to show the league that Joplin is capable of supporting a franchise.  Read more here.

West Coast League Expands to Yakima

PRESS RELEASE – The West Coast League will expand in 2014 as Pacific Baseball Ventures, LLC (PBV), the ownership group of the Walla Walla Sweets, announced today that they have been awarded a West Coast League membership in Yakima, Washington. The soon-to-be-named Yakima team will begin WCL play in time for the 2014 season. The Sweets will continue to play in Walla

Talking Lawsuit in San Jose

As the four-year impasse drags on over the proposed move by the Oakland A’s to a new ballpark in downtown San Jose, frustrated business leaders eager to tap an anticipated fan spending windfall have begun exploring the idea of suing Major League Baseball and the San Francisco Giants for holding it up.  Read more here.  Thanks to Joe Mock for the link.

AWBL Makes Pitch in Bisbee, Cummings Out at Embark Holdings

Sean Smock, commissioner of the developing indy pro American West Baseball League and former general manager of the former Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders (Pacific Coast League) and indy pro Tucson Toros (Golden Baseball League), pitched the idea last Thursday to make historic Warren Ballpark the home of the new Bisbee (AZ) Copper Kings.  Bisbee would join the Fullerton (CA) Flyers, the Las Cruces (NM)

Atlantic League Coming to Fort Worth?

Opening Day Partners chairman Peter Kirk has confirmed his ownership group is in talks with Fort Worth about putting an indy pro Atlantic League franchise at LaGrave Field, the current home of the indy pro Fort Worth Cats (United League).  Kirk classified the ballpark as half-finished by Atlantic League standards and would need to be upgraded to make it work.  Read more here.  Thanks to Karl for the link.

Suns Send Relocation Overtures to Fredericksburg

As Fredericksburg (VA) explores building a new baseball stadium and hosting a team, the Single-A Hagarstown Suns (South Atlantic League) have expressed an interest in being at the discussion table if invited.  Read more here.

Ottawa Mayor to Meet with Blue Jays, Eastern League

Ottawa Mayor Mayor Jim Watson is heading to Toronto to talk baseball with Toronto Blue Jays officials on Friday hoping to secure a new professional baseball team and a Blue Jays affiliation for the capital city.  Watson also plans to meet with officials from the Double-A Eastern League.  Read more here and here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the links.

Bismarck (ND) on Deck for Northwoods League

This really isn’t new news, as the summer collegiate Northwoods League has had Bismarck (ND) on its expansion radar for years, but with $1.5 million in renovations approved for Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, things are now heating up.  The catch here will be finding an owner willing to pony up the $1 million franchise fee plus start-up costs.  Municipal Ballpark served as the home of the indy pro

Briefing Today on Virgnia Beach Application for Atlantic League Membership (UPDATED!)

A group that wants to bring professional baseball to Virginia Beach (VA) plans to announce Monday the results of its application to join the indy pro Atlantic League as an expansion team.  Read more here. UPDATE: Virginia Beach group granted conditional approval for an ABL expansion franchise.  Read more here.

Councilman: Loudoun Ballpark Approval No Obstacle for Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg (VA) Councilman Matt Kelly said this past week’s approval by Loudoun County (VA) officials to build a stadium for an independent professional baseball team poses no obstacle to bringing pro baseball to Fredericksburg.  Read more here.

NYPL to Send Franchise to Morgantown

PRESS RELEASE – The New York-Penn League announced its intention to relocate one of its existing franchises to Morgantown, West Virginia. The Class A Short-Season professional baseball league plays a 76-game season from mid-June through early-September. This abbreviated schedule allows a league franchise to share a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility with the West Virginia

Ravaudage Development Out of Running for New Winter Park Baseball Stadium

Locating a new baseball stadium at the Ravaudage development in Winter Park (FL) for Rollins College and potentially the Single-A Brevard County Manatees (Florida State League) is a no go.  Rollins development director Mike Miller called the financing plan for the development “very convoluted and difficult.”  The college will now regroup

Montreal Baseball Project Announces Feasibility Study for MLB’s Return

Montreal Baseball Project President and Founder Warren Cromartie announced last week that MBP, in collaboration with the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Ernst & Young and BCF LLP, has launched a feasibility and survey study to examine the possibility of bringing a Major League Baseball franchise back to Montreal.  Read more here and here.

Arizona Fall League’s Desert Dogs Franchise Moving to Camelback Ranch

PRESS RELEASE – The Arizona Fall League, Major League Baseball’s annual graduate school for the game’s top prospects, announces the relocation of its Desert Dogs franchise to Camelback Ranch-Glendale, the spring training home of the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 2013.

T-Bones and Wingnuts Will Play Exhibition in Joplin, Expansion Talks Continue

The indy pro American Association’s Kansas City T-Bones and Wichita Wingnuts will play an exhibition game in Joplin (MO) on May 12 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Joe Becker Stadium.  The game also could help determine interest for bringing a team to the market.  The league’s director of expansion visited Joplin back in January, but from our 10,000 foot view, the market is a tough sell.  Joe Becker

Wolff Shrugs Off Controller’s Report

California State Controller John Chiang filed a report on Thursday finding that San Jose inappropriately transferred properties, cash and other assets from its former redevelopment agency before it and hundreds of other agencies were exterminated by Gov. Jerry Brown, but Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff is not concerned nor deterred from his campaign to move his team to San Jose.  Read more here.

West Coast League Could Be Flexing Its Muscles into Redding, Chico

While it’s not surprising news to us, it appears that expansion into Redding (CA) and Chico (CA) is on the horizon for the summer collegiate West Coast League.  As we have viewed the WCL’s future for some time, this potential move into California is a necessary next step for the league to truly capture the West Coast and solidify its place as one of the top three summer collegiate circuits  in the country.  Read more here.

Houston Astros Likely to Depart Kissimmee

The Houston Astros are reportedly leaning heavily toward leaving Kissimmee (FL) after their lease expires in 2016 and relocating their spring-training operations to a new stadium in another Florida city.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Skylands Deal to Close Next Thursday, Patriots Chairman Rejects Idea of ABL2 Feeder Circuit

As real estate investment firm 17 Mile LLC looks to close next Friday on a deal to acquire Skylands Park, Steve Kalafer, chairman of the indy pro Somerset Patriots (Atlantic League), firmly dismissed any notion of an ABL feeder team coming Sussex County.  More broadly, according to the New Jersey Herald, Kalafer issued a statement late Thursday saying “there is no value at this