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Saying Goodbye to Rosenblatt Stadium

David B — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:49:19 +0000

College World Series Statue

As the season gets ready to kick off in ballparks large and small around the country, we begin the final curtain call for one of baseball’s most influential stadiums, Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. Rosenblatt Stadium has been the home of the College World Series for 61 years, as well as being the home of the AAA Omaha Royals / Golden Spikes / Royals again. Starting in 2011, the College World Series will have its own brand new home in downtown Omaha, and the O-Royals move to suburban Papillon, Nebraska in a new $25 million facility.

Baseball America had a nice cover story recently called Rosenblatt Remembered, telling the story of the park from those who are a part of its lore. Ballpark Digest is chronicling nicely how the Royals will say goodbye, with special uniform patches, and a last-game event sponsored by AT&T.

I’ve only made one trip to Omaha, and I have to tell you, it’s a bit of a blur. I was on assignment in Des Moines, IA, and I found myself with a free afternoon. I had a rental car, and Omaha was only2 1/2 hours away, so off I went – due West to Omaha, with no real sense of how to get to the ballpark once I reached Nebraska. Fortunately, once you cross the border into Nebraska, it’s pretty much on the left.. hard to miss.

2010 Rosenblatt Sleeve Patch

For a minor league game, it’s not a great park… with the expansion, it’s too big for the small gathering of baseball faithful I found there on a random Tuesday. You just always have a sense it’s meant for something more. The energy and the crowds of the CWS almost haunt the space. But it has a nice open feel, there’s plenty of parking, and lots of good seats generally available with room to relax.

It’s a closed concourse, meaning you generally cannot see the field from the walking areas behind the plate and down the baselines. I specifically remember two things about the food choices. First, there was an old Asian woman manning a cart selling mini egg rolls that were surprisingly good, considering my expectations for chinese ballpark food in Omaha. Secondly, there was an “International” stand along the 3rd base line, generally offering Mexican fare. I ordered a taco, but received the equivalent of Hormel chili on pita bread. Not a classic combination.

There’s so much history here – the walls are teeming with it. If you’re local, I would recommend going back one last time to say goodbye. Not many ballparks last 60+ years anymore, and this one has served us well.

The Lansing Lugnuts Know What It’s All About

David B — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:02:51 +0000

The Minor Leagues know they have to be different to stand out in a crowded entertainment market. The need to appeal to families, sure, but they also need to continue to surprise and delight us, and give us new reasons to come out to the ballpark for another season of fun and frivolity.

On Facebook, the Lugnuts have spent the winter trying to inject some of that fun spirit, while teasing out what will be new and different at Co0ley Law School Stadium (formerly Oldsmobile Park). They have a team page, and they also have a very active mascot page that fans can interact with.

While some may scoff at the gluttony of an All-You-Can-Eat-Night, here at Ticket to the game, we embrace it, because it usually comes with some great unique food options. The Lugnuts have been slowly leaking some of those new food options on their fan page for the last 2 months are so, in anticiaption of Opening Night Eat-A-Palooza. $15 gets you a ticket and a smorgasbord. Let’s Take a Look at some of the new fare they’re rolling out:

George Costanza's Ice Cream at the US Open

Philly Cheesesteak Nachos: Sure, anybody can have regular nachos, or even super Nachos… but how about dropping a cheesesteak on top of the whole thing? Sounds good to me.
Sweet Station family size Ice Cream Sundae: I get the idea that ice cream is grweat on a hot summer day, but a family size sundae is sure to make ther whole clan look like George Costanza at the US Open… Pass.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza: I’ve got a kid, so I’ve been to CiCi’s. No it’s not great pizza, as I am classically trained in NY pizza, but it’s edible if you stick to what they do well and it’s cheap. The buffalo chicken, and the white spinach pizza are the best CiCi’s has to offer, so I’m interested to see if the Lugnuts can make a good one.
Big Bone Smoked Turkey Legs: Smoked Turkey Legs are the bastion of state fairs and the Renaissance Faire. Never been a big fan… never gonna be a big fan.
The “Spare Tire” Giant Pork Tenderloin Sandwich: How do you argue with that? Not a word wasted in that name. Serve it up!

If you get out to Lansing this year, make sure you try some of these, and let us all know what your favorites were.

Twins garage sale a success / disaster, depending on who you ask

David B — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:37:58 +0000

The Minnesota Twins announced a garage sale to help them clean out the closets of the Metrodome, and get them ready for starting fresh at Target Field in 2010. The promotion of the sale was a rousing success, as thousands of Twins faithful lined up around the dome hours before the sale was supposed to start.

While it seemed that many people were able to find a little something, like a bobblehead or a promotional bat, many of the special and unique items were apparently “held back” for a memorabilia dealer with a friend in the organization. According to the comments on the mlb.com article, there was a large box containing a number of championship flags and stadium banners, that were not “first come, first served” as advertised.

So, that particular failure comes from the fact that the deal wasn’t completed before the garage sale, but during… of course some premium items are going to a dealer to get them a better price, but you don’t have to be so public about it. There were other mistakes though, that could have been avoided.

Once you realized there would be a line around the stadium waiting to get in, maybe you could have called in some extra cashiers… only 4 were on hand.
The sale was confined to a small corner of the Metrodome, as a college football game was also taking place there that day. If the sale were held on the Metrodome floor on a non-game day, they could have been much more accomodating to the folks waiting outside, and given more people an opportunity to preview the items before they were gone.
Anything you were going to hold back should never have seen the light of day on the public sale. Just incredibly bad form.

So, what’s the right way to do this kind of a sale? You want to open it up to the public, and you know that these garage sale prices aere cheaper than the items will be when they resurface on eBay, but do you just put them up for auction in the first place, and reduce the secondary market? When the Yankees and Mets have done this, prices have been so sky high that the “average joe fan” is shut out. Do you put limits on how much someone can buy?

I’m not sure, but I commend the Twins for trying to do the right thing, but just failing a bit on the execution.

Offseason Rumblings: Richmond gets a new tenant, and perhaps the 6 worst name choices ever

Amanda — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:09:54 +0000

Richmond, VA - The Diamond

The Diamond in Richmond, Virginia has a new tenant for 2010, after spending 2009 vacant with the loss of the Braves to Gwinnett, Georgia. The Eastern League has approved the relocation of the Connecticut Defenders to Richmond, a long-speculated rumor that came to fruition in late September.

Of Course, every new relocation usually comes with a “Name the Team” contest, and this one is a doozy. Originally, five potential names were announced: Rock Hoppers, Rhinos, Flatheads (it’s a fish), Flying Squirrels, and Hambones. Hope was held out that a wild-card 6th choice, provided by CNBC would bring some sanity to the process. No such luck, as Hush Puppies is the sixth choice.

Richmond immediately becomes one of the largest markets in the AA Eastern League, and there was significant competition amongst a number of Eastern League teams, including Harrisburg and Binghamton wanting to relocate.

The Defenders were last in the league with 203,005 in total attendance, less than half the annual turnstile clicks as league leaders Reading, PA and Portland, ME. This, despite the fact that the Giants franchise produced a team high 85 wins, and featured the top two pitching prospects in the system with Madison Bumgarner (9-1 1.93 ERA) and Tim Alderson (9-2 3.88 ERA).

The Defenders, and Norwich Navigators before them, spent 15 years in Dodd Stadium. The outgoing owners say they remain committed to seeing organized ball return to Norwich, but for now, there are no suitors.

Save Yankee Stadium Gate 2

David B — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:44:18 +0000

Initial Heritage Park Plan

When the new Yankee Stadium was built, there were plans in place about how the grounds of Old Yankee Stadium were to be utilized to create an area known as Heritage Park. this would include retaining the original playing surface, as well as adding additional softball fields, a soccer/football field and some tennis courts to the surrounding area.

Unfortunately, there has been some neighborhood objection to this plan, and the new “current plan” calls for a bastardization of the original playing surface that would leave no recognizable artifact of the original Yankee Stadium.

Along comes the “Save Gate 2” plan. By saving one of the most endearing images of Yankee Stadium’s artifice, this group hopes to preserve Gate 2, and have it act as an entrance to Heritage Park that will save the sense of history.

Ticket To The Game endorses the “Save Gate 2″ plan, as it meets community demands and preserves a bit of stadium history going back more than 80 years. For Brooklyn Dodger fans who know there is literally nothing left of where Ebbets Field used to be, they should be sympathetic to this idea, even if it is for the Yankees.

Regionally-specific ballpark food all part of a heinous master plan by “Big Concessions”

kings33 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:21:59 +0000

One of the things I always look for in the new parks I visit is the way they integrate their local specialties into the concessions menu. It’s always felt very local and organic – the way a certain institution ingratiates itself into the ballpark fare.

That was until I saw this. Now it feels as cold, corporate and calculated as anything else that happens in big business. Anybody know if Harry M Stevens has a similar sheet?

Sometimes, you really don’t want to know how the sausage is made, literally.

Bond sale for new Marlins stadium comes up short – team picks up $6M shortfall

kings33 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:10:03 +0000

Miami is getting closer to breaking ground on a new park for the Florida Marlins, according to MiamiHerald.com. Last night, the sale of bonds to finance construction came up ovber $6 million short of the goal, and the Marlins agreed to pick up the difference.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for later this week, and the park is expected to open in 2012 with 37,000 seats and a retractable roof.

Another stadium advertising gimmick

kings33 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:57:52 +0000

Ads on the steps of Turner Field

You know, I’ve gotten used to the rotating signs behind the catchers with ads for Lumber Liquidators, and the greenscreen ads that are only visible on television. I saw something this week that I think finally took it all a bit too far.

Watching the Braves games this weekend, and behind the catcher, on the stadium steps, they’ve added advertising asking fans to vote 25x for Braves all-stars on mlb.com.

I guess it’s not so bad for all-star voting, but you know if they show a boost in participation, they’re going to start selling that space too. So, who are the target advertisers to promote their wares on steps? theladders.com?

The view of batter/pitcher is cluttered enough with a constant crawl, the scoreboard widget and the behind the plate ads… Do we really need steps advertsing too?

Has ballpark food gone too far?

kings33 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:34:34 +0000

This blogger for lehighvalleylive.com seems to think so. Personally, I think more choice is better, but stadium officials should do their job in editing those choices to create a menu that reflects where you are in the world. Sushi in Seattle? Makes perfect sense. Sushi in Sheboygan?… not so much.

What do you think?

Charlotte Knights Stadium Fiasco Takes a New Turn

kings33 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:14:30 +0000

The Charlotte Knights have been negotiating for years to move from their Fort Mill, SC home to a downtown ballpark proposed in Charlotte’s center city. It appears the town of Fort Mill is getting a little tired of playing the bridesmaid, and is now refusing to continue year-to-year leasing of the current facility to the Knights.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the stadium authority is now pressing for a new 3 year lease agreement with the team, which would potentially delay any consideration of a downtown move until the middle of the next decade.

the holdup at this point has been a single lawyer, Jerry Reese, who has filed motion after injunction against the city of Charlotte over the placement of the new stadium on the site of some land acquired in a convoluted land-swap agreement a few years ago. While his arguments have some merit in regards to the original intent for land use in the swap, the ulterior motive has clearly been an effort to put the stadium on land owned and controlled by Mr. Reese a few miles north of the proposed site as the anchor to a larger development project.

Mr. Reese has been a proponent of a major league park, but by most accounts, the city and surrounding region remain 10-20 years premature to being a viable MLB location.