Somewhere, Charles Comiskey is rolling over in his grave. The Chicago White Sox announced that their ballpark will change its name to Guaranteed Rate Field. The team signed a 13-year naming rights deal with Guaranteed Rate, a retail mortgage lender. Financial terms were not disclosed.The company replaces U.S. Cellular as the ballpark’s naming rights holder. The South Side ballpark was known as U.S. Cellular Field from 2003 to 2016.
On Monday, less than two weeks after The Times first reported the Angels and the city of Anaheim had revived talks on a new stadium lease, the team lost a bid to prevent a large-scale development adjacent to the parking lot controlled by the team. The Anaheim Planning Commission dismissed the Angels’ objections and unanimously voted in favor of a 15-acre complex of shops, restaurants, offices, residences and a hotel. The Anaheim City Council has the final say on the project and is expected to vote on it within the next two months.
Maricopa County officials took significant steps Wednesday to sell the downtown Phoenix ballpark that has been the only home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The county’s Stadium District Board of Directors unanimously voted to sign a letter of intent, opening the door for Integral Group, LLC, to negotiate to buy Chase Field for a minimum price of $60 million. “We are here today to protect the taxpayer,” board chairman Clint Hickman said during the public meeting. “This is the best of what private business can offer.”
The Astros have confirmed conceptual plans for a proposed renovation of center field at Minute Maid Park following the 2016 season. Construction on the new center field area would begin immediately following the conclusion of the 2016 season and would be ready for fans to enjoy by the start of the 2017 season. The renovation will include improved seating options, new food and beverage options, the addition of escalators to improve fan access and revisions to the playing field, including the removal of Tal’s Hill.
2016 has been rich with stories about wealthy baseball teams attempting to get (or successfully getting) new stadiums that taxpayers have to pay for. But the latest development in the fight between the Arizona Diamondbacks and their landlords, Maricopa County, Arizona, shows that the tide might finally be turning. Maricopa County has denied the Diamondbacks’ requests for $65 million to fund ballpark upgrades and repairs over the next 12 years. The denial is based on their lease agreement, which sets requirements for repairs. The repairs that the Diamondbacks are requesting don’t meet the requirements specified in the lease, with the county asserting that they’re all cosmetic.
Arlington is one step closer to getting a new $1 billion air-conditioned stadium for the Texas Rangers. The Arlington City Council voted Tuesday night in favor of putting the stadium on the ballot in November. The vote was conducted during a “first reading” of the proposal. The plan has the Rangers moving into a new stadium by 2021 and extending the club’s commitment to the city through 2054. Half of the stadium would be paid for by the city. The Rangers would pay for the other half.
Imediately after this thrill ride of a Cubs season ends, some heavy-duty construction will commence again at Wrigley Field that will make the Friendly Confines that much friendlier — and more expensive — to fans with season tickets behind home plate. As part of the 1060 Project, an overhaul to the stadium and the area surrounding the venerable ballpark, the Cubs revealed plans for the first of four “premier experiences” and launched a priority list for those interested in plopping down a $500 deposit to secure their spot for the right to some exclusive amenities.
The Athletics’ search for a new ballpark will be confined to Oakland, and Major League Baseball will put off any expansion talks until it solves its two outstanding stadium issues. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday the exact site is up to the team’s owners, but he made clear the sport has no intention to allow a move outside the city. ”I am committed to Oakland as a major league site,” he told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday. ”I think that if we were to leave Oakland, I think 10 years from now we would be more likely than not looking backwards saying we made a mistake.”
Major League Baseball’s 87th All-Star Game comes to San Diego this week. It is, without question, the biggest national sporting event to hit the self-proclaimed America’s Finest City since … well, since San Diego’s last Super Bowl. That was Super Bowl XXXVII in late January 2003, Tampa Bay’s victory over Oakland. It could be considered last as in most recent, or it could be considered last as in final, forever. That helps explain the Chargers’ stadium envy. The point?
Joe Michnuk and Tim Meloche stood behind the fence at Tiger Stadium Monday to bid a final goodbye to the field they loved and helped restore over the last six years. Michnuk, 57, and Meloche, 54, are members of the Navin Field Grounds Crew, a volunteer team that helped maintain the classic diamond since May of 2010, after the stadium’s 2009 demolition. The nostalgic stadium was home to Tiger greats such as Ty Cobb, Al Kaline and Lou Whitaker. A crew of around 30 volunteers led by Tom Derry refused to let the old Tiger Stadium site, which was filled with trash and weeds close to 6 feet tall, go to waste.