Rumble at the Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach

The third annual “Rumble at The Ballpark” welcomed 80 wrestlers to The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach this past weekend.  There were 13 weight classes in the high school division, while the college-age division featured three brackets.  All champions brought home a commemorative baseball bat.  Read more view photo here.  Visit Facebook page here.

A Look Back at the Triple-A Maine Guides

This small coastal town is a summer vacation destination, known across New England and Quebec for its amusement park, pier and plentiful bars. For most of the year, it’s a quiet place, populated with fewer than 10,000 people living across approximately eight square miles.  Read more and view photos here.  Visit ballpark website here.

Operations Manager Looks to Keep Once-Neglected Ballpark Busy

Guy Fontaine, operations manager of The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME), home of the Old Orchard Beach Surge (Independent Professional, Empire League), sees a lot of potential when he looks at the facility. Read more here.

Start-Up ECBL Eyes OOB

The owner of a fledgling East Coat Baseball League based in Canada is interested in bringing a team to Old Orchard Beach (ME) to play next summer at The Ballpark, after the summer collegiate Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide (Futures Collegiate Baseball League) were sold and moved to Bristol (CT).  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

In Memoriam: Lucien ‘The Voice of The Ballpark’ Huot

Lucien Huot, known as “The Voice of The Ballpark,” passed away on New Year’s Day at 82.  Huot was instrumental in revitalizing The Ballpark and bringing baseball back to Old Orchard Beach (ME).

Success at The Ballpark in Season Two, More Revenue Needed

The summer collegiate Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide (Futures Collegiate Baseball League) completed their second season at The Ballpark under new ownership and in a new league.  While the volunteers who revived the former Triple-A stadium from the dead appear to be pleased with the team’s positive evolution, including better promotions and increased attendance, there is a need

A Look at the Mainers, Raging Tide

MaineToday.com staff writer Glenn Jordan takes a look at Maine’s two summer collegiate clubs, the Sanford Mainers (New England Collegiate Baseball League) and Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide (Futures Collegiate Baseball League).  The Mainers play at Goodall Park, which has undergone a few recent

The Ballpark at OOB to Get New Team

It was one and done for the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Raging Tide this past season at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME), but it appears the revived facility won’t be without a baseball tenant for long.  The second-year Futures Collegiate Baseball League is knocking at the door and could have a final lease deal approved by the town council as early as Dec. 20.  Read more here.

Old Orchard Beach Team Headed to Pittsfield?

After one season at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME), it appears the summer collegiate Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide (NECBL) might be headed to Pittsfield (MA).  A group in Pittsfield is reportedly in negotiations to buy the team.  This would appear to finalize the demise of the indy pro Pittsfield Colonials (Can-Am League).  Read more here and here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the links.

Council Approves Alcohol Sales at The Ballpark

The Old Orchard Beach (ME) Town Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to allow alcohol sales at The Ballpark, the resuscitated home of the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s first-year Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide.  Read more here.

More on The Ballpark at OOB

We’ve posted quite a few stories about the revival of The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME) and the new Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide summer collegiate team from the NECBL, so why not one more?  Steve Buckley from the Boston Herald takes a look at the stadium, the Triple-A Maine Guides, and the Raging Tide.  Read more here.

Raging Tide Owner Pleased with Move to OOB

Raging Tide owner Doug Ayotte is still very happy about his team’s move from Lowell (MA) to Old Orchard Beach (ME), despite drawing a mere 317 fans per game through the first three games at The Ballpark.  Ayotte believes integrating the team into the community is key, and he expects attendance to grow as the team gets a foothold and the summer tourists arrive.  Read more here.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: The Ballpark (Old Orchard Beach, ME)

Ballpark Reviews visits The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME), former home of the Triple-A Maine Guides and now, after an incredible transformation, the new home for the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide.  View photos here.  View photos of the neglected stadium here.

The Ballpark, Raging Tide Prepare for Inaugural Home Opener

The New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Old Orchard Beach (ME) Raging Tide (formerly Lowell All-Americans) are preparing for their inaugural home opener at The Ballpark on June 11.  Now, if you ever visited The Ballpark like we did before a band of community volunteers saved the neglected and deteriorating stadium from the wrecking ball, you’ll understand how truly amazing it is

Inching Toward More Formal Ballpark Management in OOB

Dedicated volunteers began reviving The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME) three years ago, which fell into severe disrepair after years of neglect.  Now back in business with tournaments scheduled and a new summer collegiate club, the Raging Tide, beginning play this season, the former Triple-A stadium will see slightly more formal managment.

Raging Tide Launch New Website

The New England Collegiate Baseball League’s inaugural Old Orchard Beach (ME) Raging Tide have launch their new website at www.ragingtide.com.  The franchise relocated from Lowell (MA) during the off-season and will begin play at The Ballpark in 2011.

The Ballpark Operating in the Black

According to a financial report submitted by the Ballpark Commission to the Old Orchard Beach (ME) Town Council, The Ballpark has made about $6,100 in profits.  This amount does not include $10,000 that will be received from the NECBL’s Raging Tide for using the stadium starting this season.  Read more here.

It’s the ‘Raging Tide’

The new NECBL team in Old Orchard Beach (ME) will be known as the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide.  The club’s new mascot will be a floppy-eared dog named Dune Doggy.  The unveiling took place at The Ballpark on Sunday.  A new team website will be up and running next week at www.ragingtide.com.  Read more here and watch the WCSH6 news clip of the unveiling here.

Lease Details Finalized, Approved in Old Orchard Beach

The Old Orchard Beach (ME) Town Council approved a lease deal on Tuesday night that would bring the NECBL’s soon-t0-be-renamed Lowell (MA) All-Americans to The Ballpark for the 2011 season.  Under the terms of the agreement, the All-Americans will pay a $10,000 user fee, a $2,000 security deposit, and 10 percent

All-Americans Will Move to Old Orchard Beach

The New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Lowell (MA) All-Americans will call The Ballpark home for the 2011 season.  The Old Orchard Beach (ME) town council unanimously accepted a deal to bring the team to the coastal resort community.  The deal is expected to be formalized in writing at the council meeting on Oct. 5.  The team will pay an annual fee of $10,000 to use the park.  Up next:

Paper Endorses NECBL Move to The Ballpark

The Journal Tribune from York County (ME) has endorsed a plan to bring the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Lowell (MA) All-Americans to The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME).  There is really nothing new in the editorial, but we find it funny that the paper refers to the former Triple-A Maine Guides as “semi-professional” and the capacity of The Ballpark at a mere “1,000.”  Read more here.

All-Americans Negotating (Poor?) Deal in Old Orchard Beach

The New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Lowell All-Americans are negotiating a deal to play at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME) starting in 2011.  We think a $10,000 lease payment, in addition to paying 75 percent of concessions, 10 percent of tickets sales, and 10 percent of beer sales, is really not a great deal for a summer collegiate club.  As we have reported many

Low Turnout for Rox, Caps Exhibition Games at OOB

The two exhibition games played by the Can-Am League’s Brockton Rox and Quebec Capitales at the revived former Triple-A stadium for the Maine Guides in Old Orchard Beach (ME) were poorly attended.  Reports are that the attendance for both games was around 200 fans each night.  As pondered by Chris Carminucci

Rox Top Caps in Game #2, ‘Oil Can’ Puts on a Clinic at OOB

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The Can-Am League’s Brockton Rox and Quebec Capitales closed out their two game exhibition series a The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME) with a 6-1 win for the Rox on Sunday.  Before the game, former MLB pitcher Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd put on a pitching clinic.  View “Oil Can” news clip here.

Caps Top Rox in Game 1, ‘Oil Can’ Boyd & Game 2 Tonight at OOB

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The Can-Am League’s Quebec Capitales defeated the Brockton Rox last night in an exhibition game played at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME).  It was the first professional baseball game played at the park since the former Triple-A home of the Maine Guides was saved and revived by community volunteers.  The teams face off for second game tonight, but

First Event at The Ballpark in OOB Wraps Up

The first event at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME) since the former Triple-A  facility was saved and revived by volunteers ended successfully on Thursday with Briarcliffe of Long Island capturing the United States Collegiate Athletic Association tournament title.  Looking ahead, the stadium will host the Can-Am League’s

The Ballpark is Back!

The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME) made its official re-debut on Sunday after years of neglect, as the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association’s National Tournament for small and community colleges kicked off with a parade and home run derby.  Tournament games begin today.  We applaud the volunteers who saved the park from the wrecking ball and made this a reality!  Read more here.

The Ballpark Readies for Big Re-Debut Next Week

Work on The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME), the former home of the Triple-A Maine Guides, continues as volunteers prepare the facility for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association national tournament on May 10-14.  This is the first major event for stadium since volunteers saved the facility from certain doom after it fell into gross disrepair.  We visited The Ballpark some years ago, and the revival is nothing short of miraculous.  Read more here.

The Ballpark Back in Business

WCSH 6 in Portland (ME) provided a nice news story on the return of The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME), former home of the Triple-A Maine Guides.  The facility will host the United States Collegiate Athletic Association’s tournament for small colleges in May.  Volunteers also hope a summer collegiate team will eventually make The Ballpark home.  The NECBL makes sense.  View news clip here.

Commission to Manage OOB Ballpark

The Old Orchard Beach (ME) Town Council approved a plan to form a commission to operate The Ballpark, the former home of the Triple-A Maine Guides.  As you know, the facility was saved from the wrecking ball by a strong group of citizens who successfully brought the stadium back to life and stomped out efforts to open the property up to developers.  Read more here.

Management of OOB Ballpark to be Considered

At a public hearing scheduled for this evening, the City of Old Orchard Beach, ME will consider whether or not to create a ballpark commission to manage the former home of the the Triple-A Maine Guides.  Over the past couple of years, hundreds of volunteers have worked to revive The Ballpark and keep it from the wrecking ball.  Read more here.

Ballpark Commission Expected to be Formed in OOB

The Old Orchard Beach (ME) Town Council has voted to cease oversight of The Ballpark by the Conservation Commission.  The council will consider a proposal on March 2 to create a council-appointed Ballpark Commission to oversee and manage the revived former home for the Triple-A Maine Guides.  Read more here.

In Search of a Management Structure in OOB

Now that revived ballpark in Old Orchard Beach, ME is nearing its renaissance debut, volunteers and the city are working to determine the management structure that will handle the venue’s operations and events managment.  Read more and view news clip here.

The Ballpark at OOB Needs Operational, Events Management

It has taken an incredible amount of time and volunteerism to save The Ballpark at Old Orchard Beach, the former home of the Triple-A Maine Guides, from the wrecking ball. Volunteers are now scrambling to be ready to host the United States Collegiate Athletic Association’s national tournament for small colleges in 90 days.  More money needs to be raised, and organizers and the city must now determine how to best manage the park and its events.  Read more here.

Baseball to Return to The Ballpark at Old Orchard Beach

The Ballpark at Old Orchard Beach, ME, the revived former home of the Triple-A Maine Guides, will host the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association’s national baseball tournament for small colleges.  As has been reported, The Ballpark has gone through a sort of renaissance since volunteers stepped up to the plate to save the sadly neglected and deteriorating facility.  Read more here.

‘Woofstock’ an Apparent Success at The Ballpark

Over the weekend, Woofstock kicked off the reopening of The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach, ME.  Organizers and volunteers who helped save the facility from the wrecking ball hope that Woofstock is just one of a number of events the old facility will host in the future.  View video here.

‘The Ballpark’ Lives!

Severely neglected after the Triple-A Maine Guides ditched The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach, ME for Pennsylvania, the ballfield has undergone a renaissance of sorts at the hands of local volunteers, who were able to stifle efforts to level the ballpark in favor of new development.  The facility will host its first event on Oct. 25 called Woofstock, a canine-oriented celebration.  Read more here.