January 21, 2004
Vol. 2, No. 3
http://www.ballparkdigest.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

- EDITOR'S NOTE
- BIG NEWS OF THE WEEK
- WHAT'S NEW ON BALLPARK DIGEST

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EDITOR'S NOTE

You wouldn't think there would be a significant number
of fans willing to head out on a cold February morning
to talk baseball with Al Newman and Bert Blyleven,
especially in La Crosse, Wis., where Brewers fans
outnumber Twins fans by a significant margin. But 75
or so fans showed up to the offices of the La Crosse
Loggers of the Northwoods League for a visit from the
Twins Winter Caravan -- pretty impressive for a 9 a.m.
stop. Third-base coach Al Newman, who suffered a brain
hemorrhage last September and missed the rest of the
season, looks to be in fine form and has shed more
than a few pounds.

Outfielders Michael Ryan and Michael Restovich (who
grew up in nearby Rochester, Minn.) were also on hand
to sign autographs.

But the real draw was Bert Blyleven, who currently
does color commentary on Twins TV broadcasts. He's a
pretty engaging broadcaster and speaker, and he was
certainly in his element among the La Crosse baseball
fans, telling stories, sharing memories and predicting
how the Twins would fare this season against the likes
of the White Sox and the Royals. It's a shame Blyleven
is not in National Baseball Hall of Fame, because he
certainly belongs there. First, his numbers are as
good as other inductees: he ranks fifth all-time in
strikeouts and ninth in shutouts. While his record of
287-250 isn't overly impressive, he pitched on losing
teams for most of his career, and his record during
his first stint with the Twins is pretty indicative of
the poor run support he received. From 1971 through
1975, Blyleven went 16-15, 17-17, 20-17, 17-17 and
15-10, and his ERA in those five seasons was 2.81,
2.73, 2.52, 2.66 and 3.00, respectively -- not a bad
five-year run when pitching in a notorious hitters'
park like Metropolitan Stadium. (When you play the
statistical game and adjust his numbers for the
ballpark, they're even better and make him one of the
top pitchers in the league in that period.) And he
certainly was a clutch pitcher: in the postseason
Blyleven went 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 47 1/3 innings.
It's a shame he came up short in the last round of HOF
voting: while Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley
certainly belong, so does Bert.

But on a cold winter morning in La Crosse, none of
that mattered, as Bert and a coterie of admirers were
simultaneously counting down the minutes to Opening
Day. As it should be.

--Kevin Reichard
kreichard@...

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BIG NEWS OF THE WEEK

Minneapolis, St. Paul spar over ballpark plans
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_21_1_04

St. Paul officials seem surprised that their warm and
fuzzy presentation for a new Minnesota Twins ballpark
was criticized both by Minneapolis officials and by
the state committee charged with making a ballpark
recommendation to Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Most of the
criticisms were spot-on: Minneapolis is indeed far
ahead in terms of land acquisition and site planning.

Criticizing your opponent is just part of the civic
debate: you can simultaneously push your own plan
while also pointing out shortcomings in a competing
plan.

The Pioneer Press article is also a little
disingenuous in implying that the criticism came only
from Minneapolis interests -- as the Star Tribune
reports, a lot of the criticism came from members of
the committee as well.

Spring Training Online: Naming rights to new
Clearwater ballpark sold
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_21_2_04

Naming rights to the new ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.,
have been sold to a local firm, Bright House Networks.
The new spring-training home of the Philadelphia
Phillies and the home of the Clearwater Threshers
(Class A; Florida State League) will be known as
Bright House Networks Field. One little bit of
distressing news for Phillies fans: legendary voice
Harry Kalas has not even begun negotiations to return
as team broadcaster in 2004.

Allentown makes ballpark pitch

http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_21_3_04

Officials in Allentown laid out their plans for a new
ballpark for the Allentown Ambassadors (independent;
Northeast League). The key to the project: procuring a
$12 million state grant. The city has already sold
naming rights to Service Electric, which will pay $3
million over 30 years to name the park John Walson Sr.
Stadium in honor of the company's founder.

The plan is for a 4,500- to 6,500-seat, multipurpose
stadium on the former incinerator site between Martin
Luther King Jr. Drive and Basin Street. Also vying for
state funds: a Lehigh Valley group seeking to finish a
ballpark in Williams Township and a Bethlehem group
seeking funds for a ballpark housing a NY-Penn League
team.

Edmonton Trappers to open season in Yuma
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_21_4_04

No fighting the weather this season: the Edmonton
Trappers (Class AAA; International League) will play
their first eight home games at Yuma's Ray Kroc
Memorial Baseball Complex from April 6-16. During that
time, the Trappers will use Desert Sun Stadium, Ray
Kroc Baseball Complex practice field No. 1, the
clubhouse, batting cages, public address system and
parking facilities. The cost to the Trappers: up to
$10,000, depending on the specifics.

Beheaded, bobbleheaded in Fort Worth
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_20_1_04

Here is a promotion that should be emulated by many
teams in the future: the Fort Worth Cats (independent;
Central League) held an auction on eBay for the rights
to put a fan's head on a bobblehead to be given away
to 1,500 fanes at a 2004 games. David Spurlin of
Richardson, Texas was the winning bidder in auction on
ebay.com with a bid of $5,200. The Cats offered a fan
the opportunity to be on a bobblehead, which will be
distributed to 1,500 fans for a home game during the
2004 season. Spurlin, the CEO of Microwave
Transmission Systems, indicated that he will have his
19-year-old son depicted on the bobblehead. The head
will be highlighted by a Fort Worth Cats uniform and a
bat or ball. Spurlin will receive a Cats’ uniform,
have the right to throw out the first pitch and lead
the fans in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." The Cats
Bobblehead Auction received 66 total bids from 34
different bidders.

Richmond Diamond renovation faces a year's delay
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_20_2_04

Because the Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International
League) have not yet signed a lease, renovations at
The Diamond will be delayed a year, according to
Richmond Metropolitan Authority officials.
Construction planning will take nine months, and the
city does not want to embark on anything without a
signed lease from the team, which has been delayed
because of management changes at the Atlanta Braves.
The city is still debating whether to renovate The
Diamond or build a new ballpark, but they need a
commitment from the Braves before embarking on either
course.

Brewers put team up for sale
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_18_1_04

The Bud Selig era may be ending in Milwaukee, as Wendy
Selig-Prieb announces that the team is officially on
the market. The move was initiated by the team's board
of directors, who have faced a firestorm of public
controversy this offseason by cutting payroll and
seemingly lacking a plan to field a winning team and
attract fans at an almost-new ballpark. As the team
has what Selig-Prieb calls an iron-clad lease for
Miller Park, a new owner will not be able to swoop in
and make any financial demands from the community.
There are also some big disadvantages to buying the
Brewers: the team has limited broadcast revenues (with
little hope of gaining more) and a losing record. But
there are pluses to buying the Brewers: almost anyone
is going to look better than Bud Selig, and at Miller
Park is still considered a major asset. Experts say
the purchase price should fall in the $180-$200
million range, which would also include assuming $110
million of debt accumulated by the present regime.
Whether local ownership steps up remains to be seen:
no local ownership appeared when Sen. Herb Kohl
attempted to sell the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks last year,
forcing him to hold onto the team.

Meanwhile, a sale should spur interest in the team:
there's a palpable dislike of Bud Selig among Brewers
fans, and with him and his family out of the picture
it may be easier to market the team. (Local fans seem
to have mixed feelings.)

Caesars may try to bring Expos to Vegas
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_18_2_04

Caesars Entertainment, the gambling corporation that
owns many large properties on the Las Vegas Strip
(Caesar's, Bally's, Paris), has held preliminary talks
with potential business partners and MLB officials
about placing a team in a new ballpark that would be
located just off the Strip behind the Paris casino.
Caesars' officials stressed that the talks were "very"
preliminary, while Clark County officials say that
they would look at any proposals. One huge issue:
whether the casinos would be willing to shut down
sports-book betting on baseball games.

Peter O'Malley back to Dodgers?
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_18_3_04

With the bid by developer Frank McCourt to buy the Los
Angeles Dodgers in trouble, developer and
philanthropist Eli Broad is once again making a bid
($430 million) to buy the team from News Corp. If
Broad is successful -- and the chances are slim -- he
would bring back Peter O'Malley to run the team and be
an investor. There are a lot of fond memories of the
Dodgers when the team was run by O'Malley: the Dodgers
won five World Championships in Los Angeles, Dodger
Stadium was immaculate and the staff received free ice
cream every day the team was on first place. (Note to
GMs and owners: never underestimate the power of free
ice cream as a motivator.) The future of Dodger
Stadium would also be safe with O'Malley's
participation, but T.J. Simer warns that Eli Broad may
not be the potential hero the Dodgers need.

New Pittsfield mayor makes pitch to Bouton
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_16_1_04

Jim Bouton says he'll seriously consider an invitation
by Pittsfield Mayor James Ruberto to renovate
Wahconah Field and bring in an independent league team
for the 2005 season. Bouton, whose earlier failed
efforts to bring pro baseball to Wahconah ended up
with the best-selling Foul Ball, says he will discuss
the matter with his partners. Ruberto had earlier
stated that he would prefer to see an affiliated team
play at Wahconah, but now admits that he was
discouraged from pursuing this by minor-league
officials.

New deadline for determining fate of Expos: All-Star
Break
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_16_2_04

In yet another sign that MLB doesn't have an exit
strategy, MLB owners announced that they hope to pick
the future home of the Montreal Expos by the All-Star
Game, with Commissioner Bud Selig adding that he
expects the team to be relocated for the 2005 season,
although the team would not be moved unless a new
facility was in the works. The owners also declined to
pare the list of potential new homes. The
ever-reliable Jack Todd questions whether the owners
will truly be ready by the All-Star break. You would
expect this to be hailed as good news in Portland,
where ballpark-funding efforts have slowed to a crawl,
but they've got their own issues there: a state tax on
players and front-office personnel will most likely be
at the $100 million level, not the $150 million that
ballpark advocates planned on when the tax was
approved by the state legislature. This opens up an
even greater gap for ballpark advocates to close
before a new MLB park in Portland becomes a reality,
and city officials continue to turn away a potential
guarantor for a new ballpark: the Grand Ronde Tribe,
who would guarantee a ballpark in exchange for the
rights to a new downtown casino.

The Washington Times noted that Baltimore Orioles
owner Peter Angelos had been elected to the owner's
Executive Council, a group of owners that serves as
Selig's inner circle. As Angelos staunchly opposes a
Washington, D.C., team, his placement in the council
can't be a good thing for D.C. baseball advocates.
Meanwhile, no action was taken on the proposed
purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers by real-estate
developer Frank McCourt; MLB officials will be meeting
with McCourt later this month to discuss the deal,
which has been criticized for relying too heavily on
loans.

Hammons: Things on schedule in Springfield
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_15_1_04

Developer John Q. Hammons says that he's still on
schedule to acquire a Class AA team for the 2005
season to play in his new Springfield ballpark. Some
of the details, however, seem a little questionable:
Hammons says that four major-league organizations have
contacted him to pitch moving their affiliates (three
Class AA teams, one Class AAA team) to Springfield.
Not quite sure MLB teams have the power to do this,
but that's an issue for Mike Moore to address.

Authority member confident Navigators will stay in
Norwich
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_15_2_04

The uncertain future of the Norwich Navigators (Class
AA; Eastern League) was addressed by a member of the
Norwich Baseball Stadium Authority, who is confident
that the authority can address the team's concerns
about Dodd Stadium. The San Francisco Giants, parent
team of the Navs, have also expressed concern about
the facilities at Dodd, which should be partially
addressed after the authority builds a storage
facility and adds batting cages. But attendance has
slumped steadily since hitting a peak in 1995 (last
year's attendance was 158,622, second to last in the
Eastern League), and the Navs have three years
remaining on their lease. Meanwhile, negotiations
continue regarding the sale of the team to DiBella
Entertainment.

Ballpark needs city to commit, Sounds say
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/bnotw.htm#jan_15_3_04

The Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League)
need to see a firm commitment from the city before the
team's proposal for a new downtown ballpark can move
forward. The team is also taking exception to a report
prepared for the city that says that is moderate to
high risk associated with the project; Chris Dunlavey,
the Sounds' project manager for the proposed ballpark,
says that the report is based on circular logic that
unfairly minimizes revenues from development
associated with the ballpark -- revenues that will be
used by the Sounds to pay for the ballpark.

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WHAT'S NEW ON BALLPARK DIGEST

Reviewing the Twins' ballpark proposals
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/news/handicapping_twins_ballpark_proposals.htm

January. 15 was the deadline for municipalities and
individuals to submit proposals to a state screening
committee regarding a new Minnesota Twins ballpark. In
the end, there were many proposals, but only two met
the committee's criteria: a proposal by Hennepin
County for a new downtown Minneapolis ballpark and a
proposal from St. Paul for a new downtown St. Paul
ballpark. Neither proposal was perfect, and committee
members say they won't hesitate to take the best from
all the plans before making a final recommendation to
Gov. Tim Pawlenty. We review the best and the most
unusual of the proposals, including a call for fans to
be transported to games via pods.


Twins unveil new-ballpark renderings
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/news/twins_unveil_ballpark_plans_1.htm

The Minnesota Twins unveiled their wish list for a new
42,000-seat ballpark, avoiding the issue of whether to
place it in St. Paul or Minneapolis and only generally
addressing funding issues. The preliminary drawings by
HOK Sport+ show a light and airy design (definitely
not a cookie-cutter retro steel-and-brick look) that
owes much to limestone-clad buildings in both
downtowns and the glass facades of Xcel Energy Center.
We analyze the Twins' presentation and display several
ballpark renderings.

Take It to the Bank: Fearless Predictions for 2004
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/features/predictions_2004.htm

Another year, another set of predictions made by the
Ballpark Digest staff. We preview what should be the
biggest stories in major- and minor-league baseball
during the upcoming year, including the league to
watch in 2004 and where some of your favorite teams
may be headed.

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WHAT'S NEW ON SPRING TRAINING ONLINE

Reporting dates posted
http://www.springtrainingonline.com/features/reporting_dates.htm

Now that schedules are finalized, we've posted the
reporting dates for pitchers and catchers, as well as
position players, and the first workouts for all
major-league clubs.


Master schedules now online

After several requests, we've aggregated all the
spring training schedules into two master schedules:
the Cactus League master schedule
(http://www.springtrainingonline.com/features/master_schedule_cactus.htm)
and the Grapefruit League master schedule

(http://www.springtrainingonline.com/features/master_schedule.htm).
Now you can look at all the game played on a single
day and decide your final destination! In addition,
we've updated our team schedules with the best
available information.

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