Now shipping: Homer: The
Small-Town Baseball Odyssey
NEW!
Posted May 8, 2008 (feedback)
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We're
excited to announce our latest book, Homer: The
Small-Town Baseball Odyssey. Jeff Karzen
details the inspirational story of the tiny
Michigan high school that fashioned a
national-record winning streak and captured
multiple state titles. But the tale is about more
than just prep baseball. It’s an amazing story of
how high-school athletes established a winning
tradition and performed with grace and class –
despite the small-town politics that almost led to
the removal of a dedicated and admired coach.
Football has Friday Night Lights;
basketball has Hoosiers; baseball
has Homer. This is a great story of
persevering under some pretty difficult
circumstances, and author Karzen -- who watched
the winning streak unfold as a sports writer with
the Battle Creek daily newspaper -- weaves a
narrative you're not likely to forget. We have
copies in the office and will begin shipping it
today. It's a
perfect Father's Day gift.
Order this book today and we'll throw in free
shipping! UPDATE: The first reviews are
in! Tony Paul of the Detroit News
calls Homer "fascinating stuff by a
top-notch journalist." We couldn't agree more.
UPDATE 2: Author Jeff Karzen will be
hosting a book-release party at Cascarelli's in
downtown Homer this Saturday from noon to 4. Drop
by if you're in the area. If you can't, you can
find the book at Fireside Books in nearby
Marshall, Mich.
Sounds
ballpark legislation still alive NEW!
Posted May 8, 2008 (feedback)
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Legislation
that would establish a tax-increment financing for a new Nashville Sounds (Class
AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark is still alive in the current Tennessee
legislative session. The Sounds basically did an end run around the city of
Nashville to request the legislation -- a move that mightily pissed off Mayor
Karl Dean and other Metro members, who said the Sounds should have presented the
city with a comprehensive ballpark plan, including funding sources, before going
to the Legislature -- and it's currently in a House budget subcommittee, though
onlookers doubt it has enough support to pass out of there. With
Nashville lobbyists explicitly opposing the measure, we imagine the onlookers
are right. This might be the last chance the current owners of the Sounds have
to make any sort of ballpark deal: giving the metaphorical finger to city
government -- representing financial partners the team desperately needs to make
a deal -- probably doesn't fall under the header of best business practices.
More from
Nashville City Paper.
RELATED STORIES:
Sounds propose
state sales-tax rebate to pay for new ballpark
Now shipping: Cradle of the
Game: Baseball and Ballparks in North Carolina
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Posted May 8, 2008 (feedback)
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If
you're interested at all in ballparks past and
present you'll want to check out Cradle of
the Game: Baseball and Ballparks in North Carolina.
Mark Cryan, the former Burlington Indians (rookie;
Appalachian League) GM who scouted the backroads
of the state while setting up the
summer-collegiate Coastal Plain League, shares his
extensive knowledge of the Tar Heel State's
ballpark and baseball history. North Carolina
probably features more baseball per capita than
any other state, represented at every level of
ball (Triple-A, Double-A, High-A, Low-A, rookie,
summer collegiate), and Mark tells the story of
the state's baseball history through its
ballparks, past and present, from Asheville to
Zebulon and all points in between. It's part
travelogue, part history, and part great
storytelling, complete with an introduction by
Miles Wolff.
Order this book today and we'll throw in free
shipping! You
can now buy the title via Amazon.com,
which already sold out our initial shipment. If
you live in the state, you can pick up the book at
Quail Ridge Books and Music (Raleigh), Borders
Raleigh, the North Carolina Baseball Museum, and
Greensboro Grasshoppers games.
Centerplate
reports $11.2 million loss; will look at options and eliminate dividends NEW!
Posted May 8, 2008 (feedback)
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Concessionaire
Centerplate reported a net loss of $11.2 million, or $0.53 per share,
compared to a net loss of $8.0 million, or $0.36 per share, in the first quarter
of 2007. The reason for the increased loss was pretty clear: operating income
was down as revenue from new venues like Prudential Center couldn't offset
losses in existing businesses, especially on the convention center site, while
interest expenses rose. UBS Investment Bank is being brought in to look at the
company's existing stock setup, but a sale of the company isn't out of the
question as the stock price remains stuck under $5 a share.
New Topeka
ballpark moving forward; Wolff visits market NEW!
Posted May 8, 2008 (feedback)
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American
Association commissioner Miles Wolff was on hand
yesterday in Topeka to tour potential ballpark
sites, including a downtown site that seems to be
the preference of many in the decision-making
chain, and check out the market. Topeka's one of
those markets that certainly should be big enough
to support pro baseball -- in 2004, the
five-county area was home to almost 228,000
people, according to the
Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce -- but its
location (fairly far from any affiliated league),
proximity to Kansas City and lack of a suitable
venue has kept away interest. But now that the
independent American Association is in the region
(Lincoln and Wichita, specifically), a market like
Topeka makes a lot of sense as both a regional
play and a bridge for the northern and southern
teams. The meeting between Wolff, deputy mayor
Randy Speaker and consultant Doug Stewart was
meant to bring Wolff up to date on what's going on
with the ballpark plans. Many things are still up
in the air -- like location and funding sources --
but it's safe to say this is the closest Topeka
has come to professional baseball in a long time,
as everyone involved is working toward a May 2010
opening. Speaking of ballpark plans: We've added
Topeka to our list of upcoming ballparks (you can
find the list in the left-hand column of this
page). We've
posted a rendering of the proposed facility, as
well as three different configurations.
More from the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Thompson: We
don't want to lose Wrigley name
NEW!
Posted May 8, 2008 (feedback)
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Former
Governor Jim Thompson, who's heading efforts for the state of Illinois to buy
Wrigley Field in
his role as chairman of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, says the ISFA
would prefer to buy the historic ballpark as is, unencumbered by any new
naming-rights deal. He added something we've heard as well: no one is interested
in buying naming rights and being the firm that displaced the Wrigley name from
Wrigley Field.
Thompson is still working on a financial plan that would allow the IFSA to buy
Wrigley Field
without the use of taxpayer dollars, but so far the only feasible proposals
include some sort of tax relief from the city of Chicago and a willingness by
the city to relax its historic-preservation rules -- two things currently
opposed by Mayor Richard Daley and key members of the city council. Information
about the team's financials are being distributed to six potential buyers, but
there's been a remarkable lack of activity on the sales front, as many are
wondering if owner Sam Zell isn't pushing his luck by try to squeeze out too
much for the Chicago Cubs, the ballpark and related assets; the credit issues
affecting Zell will probably also affect potential buyers, and we're hearing the
price for all the assets may not reach a billion dollars given the commercial
credit squeeze.
More from AP and
the Chicago Tribune.
RELATED STORIES:
Could Cubs sale go into 2009?;
Preservationist group comes out against state takeover of Wrigley Field;
Cubs selling naming
rights; Wrigley name will stay;
Cubs would share the
Cell if Wrigley is remodeled;
Daley not sold on sale of Wrigley Field;
The rape and pillage of Wrigley Field;
Why Wrigley Field should retain landmark status;
Tunney:
Tribune Co. playing hardball with city;
State: City
must relax Wrigley Field landmark status if sold by Cubs;
Zell's
insistence on selling Cubs, park separately slowing sale;
Cubs: Wrigley should
pay for Wrigley Field naming rights;
Cubs sale probably won't happen until after end of season;
Tunney wary of Wrigley
deal;
Daley now open to idea of state ownership of Wrigley Field;
A
lawsuit filed by Miami auto dealer and former
Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) owner Norman Braman challenging the
$3-billion public-works plan that will yield,
among other things, funding for a new Florida
Marlins ballpark can proceed, as the judge held it
legitimately concerned public aid to a private
client. The deal, which is very complicated,
diverts some land and revenue streams to help
build the Marlins ballpark. Support for the new
ballpark has been tenuous, to say the least, and
with a judge allowing the lawsuit to go forward it
will be interesting to see how county and city
officials react -- especially when you consider Braman has a knack for winning lawsuits that
question public spending on sports facilities.