Book About Skylands Park, New Jersey Cardinals Released

Rob Hilliard has released a book called The Circus is in Town — A Baseball Odyssey, a 790-page manuscript chronicling every detail of the deal to build Skylands Park in Frankford Township (NJ) and the relocation of the Hamilton Redbirds (Single-A, New York-Penn League) to the new stadium as the renamed New Jersey Cardinals.  The book also traces his lifelong love of baseball from his childhood days to his cameo appearance as a sports writer in the 2013 movie 42 about Jackie Robinson.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

ESPN Releases Digital Documentary on Shuckers Season Entitled ‘Home’

PRESS RELEASE –  On Monday, The Worldwide Leader In Sports, ESPN, released a new groundbreaking digital documentary on the Biloxi Shuckers epic road trip and journey to MGM Park. The piece takes sports fans around the world “on the road” with the Shuckers, as the club claimed a first half championship in the Southern League and won its Inaugural Game at MGM Park on June 6. The feature can be found

Okotoks Dawgs Ballpark Plays Starring Role in Upcoming Sci-Fi Blockbuster

Hollywood actors, including Matthew McConaughey and John Lithgow, descended on Okotoks (AB) more than a year ago to film scenes for the new sci-fi flick Interstellar hitting theaters Friday, Nov. 7.  Read more here.  The “stellar” spring-training-like baseball complex owned and operated by the summer collegiate Okotoks Dawgs (Western Major Baseball League) plays a role in the film.  In fact, Tourmaline Field, the youth baseball facility next to Seaman Stadium, makes a starring appearance in trailer #2 below:

Speaking of the Dawgs and their complex, there is a lot

First a Bobblehead, Then a Mascot, Now a Book for Once-Homeless ‘Hank’

On the heels of the sold out “BobbleHank” giveaway and the introduction of a new Hank mascot, a new book will be released tomorrow to recap the adventures of Hank, baseball’s most celebrated canine.  Hank, The Ballpark Pup, written by Karen Winnick, will go on sale on Thursday, September 18.  Read more here.  Read Hank’s background story here.

“Battered Bastards” Worth a Look

If you haven’t already done so, we recommend you check out the Netflix original documentary, The Battered Bastards of Baseball, about the short-lived (1973-1977) independent Single-A Portland Mavericks (Northwest League) launched by former minor-league player and television actor Bing Russell, father of movie star Kurt Russell.  We finally got around to watching it, and it’s definitely worth checking out.  Read more here.  Read reviews on Rotten Tomatoes here.  Go to the film on Netflix here.

 

Riversharks and Syfy Host Screening of ‘Sharknado’ Before Premiere of ‘The Second One’

PRESS RELEASE – Did you miss out on the instant-cult classic Sharknado last summer, or are you just looking to refresh your memory before Sharknado 2: The Second One premieres on July 30 at 9/8c on Syfy? Well, the Camden Riversharks have you covered!

Celebrities, Fans Turn Out for 25th Anniversary Celebration of ‘Field of Dreams’ Movie

We unfortunately had to miss the big 25th anniversary celebration of the Field of Dreams movie in Dyersville (IA) last weekend because of travel, but you don’t have to feel left out if you missed it too.  Read more, see photos, and watch videos here.

Big 25th Anniversary Celebration Scheduled for ‘Field of Dreams’ Movie Site this Weekend

Kevin Costner and other cast members from the Field of Dreams movie, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, and sportscaster Bob Costas will descend on the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville (IA) this weekend for the 25th anniversary celebration of the iconic film.  Festivities begin this evening (Friday) with a showing of the movie outdoors on the actual field.  Read more and view schedule of events here.

A Q&A with ‘The Pecos League’ Stars

Before “The Pecos League” six-part series on Fox Sports 1 made its debut Tuesday night, FoxSports.com talked with John Sullivan and Sam DiMatteo of the Trinidad Triggers — two of the show’s reality “stars.”  One of our favorite quotes:  “Even minor-league players get treated like dirt in some aspects, and we’re even lower than that.”  Read more here.  Learn more about the series here.

‘The Pecos League’ Six-Part Series on Fox Sports 1

PRESS RELEASE – FOX Sports Originals gives viewers a front row seat to the wild, tough, and rewarding life in the lowest level of professional baseball with “The Pecos League.” The series will air for six consecutive Tuesdays starting May 13 at 9:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1.

Spinners, Scrappers to Play in Annual ‘Futures at Fenway’ at Fenway Park, ‘Field of Dreams’ Movie to be Shown

PRESS RELEASE – The Lowell Spinners, Class-A affiliate of the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, announced they will participate in the 9^th annual “Futures at Fenway,” Sunday, July 13 at Fenway Park.

Joe Mock Interviews George Will About His New Wrigley Field Book

While working on an article on Wrigley Field’s long history for USA Today Sports Weekly, Joe Mock from BaseballParks.com interviewed political commentator, Pulitzer Prize winner, and baseball fan George Will, who just released a book on The Friendly Confines entitled A Nice Little Place on the North Side.  Read full interview here.  Read more about Will’s book here.

T-Bones Celebrate ‘The Sandlot’ Anniversary

The Sandlot writer, director and narrator David Mickey Evans was at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home of the indy pro Kansas City T-Bones (American Association), Friday night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the popular film.  We love the “You’re Killin’ Me Smalls” t-shirts.  Read more and watch news report here.  Watch Evans interview here.

Click to watch video

Sioux City Explorers Involved in Film Project

PRESS RELEASE – The Sioux City Explorers announced today that they are involved with a project to bring a portion of an independent film production to Lewis and Clark Park.

Woman Shooter Who Inspired ‘The Natural’ Story Dies

Ruth Ann Steinhagen, a crazed Chicago Cubs fan who inspired the storyline in the 1952 novel and 1984 movie “The Natural,” after she shot Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus, has died at 83.  In both depictions, Roy Hobbs, the fictional version of Waitkus portrayed in the film by Robert Redford, is lured to a hotel room by a woman, played by Barbara Hershey, who shoots him.  Read more here.

’42’ Movie Gives Lift to Engel Stadium Restoration

MiLB reporter Benjamin Hill takes a look how the filming of 42, the new biopic about the life of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford, helped to advance efforts to restore historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga (TN).  Read more here.  The movie opens April 12.  View 42 trailer here.

Timber Rattlers: Renovations Update

If you are interested in checking out the progress of the renovations going on at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium, the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Midwest League) have released Episode Twelve of the the 2013 Stadium Renovations Update.  View video here.

Murray, Veeck Take Part in RiverDogs’ 2012 Holiday Greetings Video

The Single-A Charleston RiverDogs (South Atlantic League) have released their 2012 holiday greetings featuring actor Bill Murray, Mike Veeck, and the rest of the club’s staff and family members.  View video here.

Disappointed Hyder Leaves Broadcast Booth to Write Book

Broadcaster Steve Hyder has resigned his No. 2 post in the broadcast booth for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox (International League) to write a book about his tenure with the team.  He desired to be the Paw Sox’s lead play-by-play guy after Dan Hoard left the club for a job with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals last year, but the team hired someone else.  Hyder says he was “insulted” by the

Great Parks Calendar: Battle of the Ballparks Continues

Baseball America has been holding a head-to-head Battle of the Ballparks on Facebook to determine which stadiums make it into the publication’s annual Great Parks Calendar.  Nine ballparks have already been chosen.  Fans have until Friday, Oct. 26, to select the final three.  Vote here.  Order calendar here.

Former Canaries Staffer Publishes Book About Working for Team

PRESS RELEASE – In conjunction with their 20th-anniversary season, the Sioux Falls Pheasants are excited to announce that former Canaries intern and assistant general manager Becky Moen will hold a book signing at the game on Saturday. Gates will open at 5:05 p.m. with the game slated to begin at 6:05 p.m.

New Cape Cod League Documentary in the Works

Keith Chirgwin, an audio editor who has worked on Academy, Emmy, Peabody and Grammy award-winning projects, and his friend Scott Smith, a researcher and writer, are working on a new documentary about the summer collegiate Cape Cod League that will be shopped to the major cable sports channels and hopefully picked up as a docu-series.  Read more here.

Filming of ’42’ Movie Moves on to Macon

Filming of 42, a new movie about the life of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford has moved on to historic Luther Williams Field in Macon (GA).  Read more here.  Filming began at historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga (TN) in May.  Read more here.

Striking Out Moneyball

PRESS RELEASE – Two University of Dayton researchers have struck out a central theory about college versus high school players popularized by Moneyball, the influential 2003 book about Major League Baseball player evaluation.

Filming Begins on “42” Movie

Filming began Monday at historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga (TN) on 42, a new movie about the life of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford.  Read more and view photos here.

Nottle Resigns, Movie in the Works

Long-time minor league field manager “Singing Ed” Nottle, 73, has resigned from his most recent gig with the indy pro Edinburg Roadrunners (North American League) over health issues.  Interestingly, a screenplay called “The 26th Man — the Life Story of Singing Ed Nottle” has been written by Hollywood screenwriter Eugene Corr.  We don’t know how much truth there is to this,

New Book About Bill Veeck Hits the Shelves

There’s a new book out about baseball’s Bill Veeck that some of you might be interested in checking out.  The 432-page, $28 biography is called Bill Veeck, Baseball’s Greatest Maverick by author Paul Dickson.  Read more here and here.

Grisham Turns to Baseball

For those who enjoy John Grisham novels and baseball too might want to check out the litigator-turned-author’s newest book is called “Calico Joe,” set in the backdrop of Major League Baseball.  Read more here.  Go to Grisham’s website here.

IronPigs Documentary to Premier on April 4

PRESS RELEASE – PBS39’s brand-new hour-long documentary, IronPigs: Fan-tastic, featuring never-before-seen interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of the club’s remarkable 2011 season, will debut on April 4 at Coca-Cola Park in an exclusive viewing to the general public at 7 p.m.

Extras, Extras, ’42’ Baseball Movie Needs You!

If you’ve ever wanted to appear in a baseball movie as a baseball player or other extra, now is your chance.  42, a new movie about the life of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford will be shot at historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga (TN) in May.  The casting team is looking for Caucasian baseball players between the ages of 25 and 38.  They will also

DigitalBallparks.com Releases New Book

DigitalBallparks.com has just released a huge new coffee table book entitled 500 BALLPARKS: From Wooden Seats to Retro Classics.  This 400-page monster, which is loaded with photographs and stories, is shipping now in time for the holidays.  You can order it by clicking here.  No, we have no financial interest in this project.  We just dig ballparks, and Eric Pastore does great work.

William Dutch Named Chiefs New President, Report to Shareholders Released

The Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs (International League) have named William Dutch as the team’s new president.  The Chiefs also released the club’s 2011 Annual Report to Shareholders.  Interestingly, as we were perusing the Chiefs’ website, we came across a secondary logo that we like.  It’s probably been around for a year or two since the team’s branding was

‘Field of Dreams’ Movie Site Sold

The “Field of Dreams” movie site in Dyersville (IA) has been sold to a group of investors led by a couple from the Chicago area.  The original asking price for the farm was $5.4 million.  The group plans to build a premier baseball and softball tournament complex on the 193-acre site called “All-Star Ballpark Heaven.”  Read more here.

New Book Covers Fenway’s Inaugural Championship Season

As the holiday season fast approaches, it’s time to start thinking about gifts for the true baseball fan in your life.  Author Glenn Stout makes Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox (duh!), the main character in his new book, Fenway 1912: The Birth of a Ballpark, a Championship Season, and Fenway’s Remarkable First Year.  Read more here.  Buy here on Amazon.  Thanks to John Cerone for the book news.

Making the Case for Reading

The City of Reading (PA) was left off the “Our Best Sports Cities, from 1-271,” rankings published by the Sporting News earlier this month, and Mike McGovern from the Reading Eagle newspaper isn’t happy about it.  We have to agree with him.  How can you possibly create a legitimate list of the best sports cities in America without taking into consideration the existence of minor league teams?  Read more here.

New Report: The Future of MLB in Montreal

The Conference Board of Canada has released this briefing that explores the feasibility of Major League Baseball returning to Montreal.  While market conditions are good for the city, an unlevel playing field (no hard salary cap) and the need for a new stadium make it unlikely that MLB will return t0 Montreal any time soon.  Read more here.  Read a perspective from Ottawa here.

Showtime’s ‘The Franchise’ Featuring World Series Champs Debuts This Week

The new Showtime documentary series “The Franchise” featuring MLB’s San Francisco Giants premieres on Wednesday.  Apparently it wasn’t easy to get the Giants to sign on to the project, but they did, and it worked.  Read more here.

Silver Knights Featured in New Documentary

PRESS RELEASE – The Silver Knights are featured in a new documentary that will be coming out in the year 2012.  Fields of Vision and Eye Candy Cinema, two award-winning, full service film production companies based in Boston, will be producing the film.  The production companies have already produced films on the Cape Cod league and the Alaska League.  Go to www.touchingthegame.com for more

Book Signing at JFK Museum

PRESS RELEASE – On Saturday, June 18, Jane Mitchell, on-air reporter/producer at Channel 4 in San Diego, will host a book signing/fundraiser for the Cape Cod Baseball League at the JFK Hyannis Museum starting at noon.

Civic Stadium Documentary in the Works

Rick Pettigrew is making a documentary about historic Civic Stadium, former home of the Single-a Eugene (OR) Emeralds.  Pettigrew has created a trailer but needs $50,000 to complete the project.  As you know, Civic Stadium is at risk of being demolished.  Read more here.  Watch trailer here.  Donate here.