Latest news with #BlairField
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Long Beach moves forward with plans to bring minor league baseball to Blair Field
Long Beach City Council members took another steps towards bringing minor league baseball back to the city on Tuesday, unanimously voting to move forward with a plan that would allow another team to call Blair Field home. Upon approving the plan, city leaders will now work with Cal State Long Beach administration and officials for the new team, which is temporarily being referred to as the Long Beach Baseball Club. The team will play their home games at Blair Field at Recreation Park, home of CSULB's baseball team, during the spring season. "Overall, the general framework for this proposed partnership emphasizes the shared goals of revitalizing Blair Field, enhancing community access, and generating economic benefits for the surrounding neighborhoods," said the recommendation drafted prior to Tuesday's vote. Among those improvements made to the field include locker room renovations, outfield enhancements and making sure that the facility was preserved long-term with constant maintenance. City leaders will also look to improve the fan experience through "branding, sponsorships, and modernized amenities." Blair Field opened in 1956 and last underwent renovation in 2009, when the stadium's lighting was modernized and a new electronic scoreboard was installed, according to the City of Long Beach's website. It would be the first minor league team to call Long Beach home since 2009 when their last professional team, the Long Beach Armada, suspended operations. Prior to that, the Long Beach Breakers also played for the city from 2001 to 2003. Once finalized, the Long Beach Baseball Club would be the Pioneer Baseball League's 13th team. The PBL is one of four MLB Partner Leagues across the United States, operating entirely on the West Coast. CBS News Los Angeles has reached out to city officials for a statement on the decision but has not yet heard back.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minor league baseball could be coming to Long Beach
Could the fourth time be the charm for minor league baseball in Long Beach? On Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council is scheduled to consider whether to order city staff to work toward an agreement with the ownership group for a 'new professional baseball team' that would play at Blair Field, the city's storied ballpark. The ownership group includes Paul Freedman, one of the co-founders of the Oakland Ballers, a successful independent league team launched last year amid the departure of the Oakland Athletics. The new team would open play next season and participate as an expansion team in the Pioneer League, the same league in which the Ballers play. The league includes teams in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. 'I got into this industry because of love for baseball and the community, and love for Oakland,' Freedman said. 'I see a tremendous amount of parallels between the city of Oakland and the city of Long Beach, and I think the kind of community-oriented baseball that is working in Oakland can work in Long Beach as well.' In minor leagues affiliated with major league organizations, those organizations sign and pay players, then assign them to a minor league team. In an independent league, the teams sign and pay players, most of whom hope to play well enough to earn a contract from a major league organization. Read more: Shaikin: How to revitalize baseball's All-Star Game? Bat flips Independent leagues also serve as labs for the major leagues: The 'swing-off' that decided this week's All-Star Game has been a rule in the Pioneer League since 2021. Three independent minor league teams have come and gone in Long Beach over the last 30 years: the Barracuda (renamed the Riptide) in 1995-96, the Breakers (2001-02) and the Armada (2005-09). Freedman said he believed the struggles reflected instability in the various leagues in which the teams played more than an inability of Long Beach to support a team. 'It's a city with a huge baseball tradition,' Freedman said. 'It's a diverse city on the rise. It's hosting the Olympics. I think now it's time to have a team to represent the town. 'I think baseball has worked in Long Beach, and I think Long Beach is in an even better condition now to embrace a new kind of baseball.' The Long Beach State baseball team, proudly known as the Dirtbags, attracted more fans last season than any of the other nine Big West Conference teams based in California. The Dirtbags are the primary tenant of Blair Field, and the motion before the city council would require city staff to work with Long Beach State on a 'collaborative partnership agreement.' A city spokesman did not return a call seeking comment. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
