When Maryland State Senator Paul Corderman was starting to tackle the process of obtaining money to build a new downtown ballpark in his native Hagerstown, he knew it would be a long, long uphill battle. And he figured that he probably wouldn’t be successful. He committed, though, to playing “the ultimate long game.” Not only ...
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As an assignment for USA TODAY, I spent a couple of days in Toronto to take a close look at the renovations completed over the past two offseasons. The results are phenomenal — including new concession items like the Hot Maple & Bacon Hot Dog and the Signature Poutine Hot Dog. Read all about the ...
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I was asked by USA TODAY Sports to participate in a project to rank the 30 ballparks in Major League Baseball. I was one of eight panelists who provided a ranking from 1 to 30. Those responses were tabulated and a final ranking was released on USATODAY.com. This article was picked up by a number ...
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Widely regarded as the best of MLB’s 23 spring-training complexes, Salt River Fields might never have been built if it weren’t for the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. They provided the land on their reservation, and paid for the construction. But how did the relationship between the tribal council and the two MLB teams ...
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It’s time for our annual summary of the ballpark news of the year! Check out the 2023 edition here!
When it came time to write my 100th article for USA TODAY Sports, my editor and I decided on an interesting topic. Since I’m the “sports facilities beat writer” for USA TODAY publications, we thought writing a piece on the best venue in each pro sport would be a fun undertaking — both for me ...
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This autumn marks the 30th season of the Arizona Fall League, the premier developmental league for MLB prospects. For USA TODAY, we took a close look at the people and parks that make this such a special place to spend some of your time during the fall each year. Check it out!
While TV network executives might not be thrilled with the matchup, the 2023 World Series should be a good one! As we do every year, we break down the two ballparks being used. Which one is more of a hitters’ park? What architects designed them? What non-baseball events have been held in them? And more! ...
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We’ve been presenting our Ballpark of the Year award since the year 2000 … except for last year when there weren’t really any new, fully finished parks. So we pushed the unfinished parks from last year (Glacier Range Riders and Lake Country DockHounds) to 2023, when a completely rebuilt park opened for the New Jersey ...
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The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a special category for places like Hinchliffe Stadium. They call them “National Treasures.” It’s easy to see why. This ballpark has a fascinating, unparalleled backstory: it was built just up the hill from one of the most scenic and historic waterfalls in the country (you can see its ...
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