Latest news with #PioneerLeague
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The California League is abandoning Modesto. How pro baseball might stick around
The California League might be ending its long run in Modesto, but professional baseball appears poised to remain. The independent Pioneer League is in talks to place a team at John Thurman Field, the current home of the Modesto Nuts. In a closed session Tuesday, the Modesto City Council discussed the potential terms of a lease under negotiation between the city manager and Pioneer League President Michael Shapiro. The council took no action Tuesday, and neither Shapiro nor a city spokesperson immediately returned messages seeking comment. Modesto's California League history dates to 1946 — John Thurman Field opened in 1955 — but the Nuts are down to their final three homestands. After negotiations for a renovated stadium and a new lease collapsed, the team was sold last December and will move to San Bernardino next season, part of a California League shuffle that includes the Dodgers' affiliate moving into a new ballpark in Ontario. A Modesto team would give the league two new teams next year and 14 in all; leagues prefer an even number of teams for scheduling purposes. The other new team would play in Long Beach, in what would be the city's first entry in an independent league since 2009. Read more: Minor league baseball could be returning to Long Beach On Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council unanimously approved pursuing an agreement with an expansion Pioneer League team that would share historic Blair Field with the Long Beach State baseball program. 'A team in Long Beach is a chance to show what makes Long Beach great: our diversity, our passion and our community spirit,' Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. Paul Freedman, the co-founder of the Pioneer League's Oakland Ballers, would be one of the owners of the Long Beach team. In a Times story last year about the Ballers and how they were filling the baseball void created in Oakland by the departure of the Athletics, Freedman already had his eye on Long Beach. 'I think Long Beach should have a Pioneer League team,' Freedman said then. 'Long Beach has its own unique identity. If I'm from Long Beach, I don't want to be told I have to be a Dodger or Angel fan.' 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.
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.
Los Angeles Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
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. 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.
Associated Press
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Kelsie Whitmore is trying to make history in the Mexican Baseball League
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two-way player Kelsie Whitmore was invited for a tryout with the Aguila de Veracruz, where she will try to become the first woman to play in the Mexican Baseball League, the club announced Thursday. The 26-year-old Whitmore is a pitcher and an outfielder who was the first female player in an MLB partnered league while suiting up for the Staten Island FerryHawks in the Atlantic League in 2022. Aguila de Veracruz did not reveal details about the invitation and just unveiled pictures of their practice with the American player on it. 'Whitmore has playing experience in the Atlantic League and the Pioneer League,' the Mexican club said on social media. The American player traveled with the team to Nayarit, in the Mexican Pacific Coast, where the team will play a three-game preseason series against the Puebla Pericos. Veracruz opens the regular season on April 18 when they take on Puebla. With the FerryHawks, Whitmore became the first woman to play in the Atlantic League. Last season, Whitmore played with the Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer League, becoming the first women to play for that league. ___
New York Times
05-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Oakland Ballers add Too $hort and Billie Joe Armstrong to ownership group
Last summer, the Oakland Ballers — a Pioneer League baseball team that played its inaugural season in 2024 — welcomed more than 2,200 fans into its ownership group through a community investment round that raised $1.234 million. On Tuesday, the Ballers announced they opened a second community investment round, intending to raise $2 million. New investors will join an ownership group that now includes Bay Area music legends Too $hort and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. Advertisement 'We're delighted that Too $hort and Billie Joe Armstrong will be joining our ownership group, along with thousands of Oakland fan owners. These two local legends were real supporters in our first season, and it's great to now have them on board in a more formal capacity,' Ballers co-founder Paul Freedman said in a statement. The minimum requirement to participate in the round is $510, a nod to Oakland's area code. As part of the initial investment round, the Ballers became the first U.S. professional franchise to add a fan owner to its board of directors. Fan owners elected Jorge Leon of the Oakland 68s to the board in December. He will serve a two-year term. The Ballers are gearing up for a second season at Raimondi Park in West Oakland. As they fill out their roster for the 2025 season, the team will hold open tryouts on March 8. Oakland made the Pioneer League playoffs in their inaugural campaign. The 2025 season kicks off on May 20. 'Oakland has produced some of the best athletes and sports fans in the world and the Ballers' commitment to feeding that competitive fire is exciting for me as an Oakland native,' Too $hort said in a statement. 'I'm proud to be joining the Ballers ownership group, and excited for the impact we're going to have on the community and the overall sports landscape in the Bay Area and beyond!' Oakland natives Bryan Carmel and Freedman founded the Ballers in response to the Athletics' announcement that they would leave Oakland for Las Vegas. Through a $1.6 million donation to the city, the Ballers refurbished Raimondi Park, a historic public park in West Oakland where Curt Flood, among others, played youth baseball. The Ballers drew 92,046 fans in 48 home games in 2024. The Ballers are among an increasing number of professional franchises that have offered their fans opportunities to invest in their teams through community investment rounds. Another Oakland-based sports franchise, the Oakland Roots and Soul Soccer Club, recently closed its second community investment round after raising more than $540,000. In total, the Roots and Soul have raised more than $3.5 million in their two investment rounds. Advertisement The Roots will play their 2025 home schedule at the Oakland Coliseum, recently vacated by the Athletics. Opening night is March 22 and Too $hort will perform at the game's halftime. 'Sports in the Bay Area have been transforming over the last couple of years. We've had some emotional goodbyes to teams we grew up with, but recently there has been a major shift,' Armstrong said in a statement. 'The Oakland Ballers and the Oakland Roots and Soul represent everything I love and grew up on in the Bay Area. The welcoming atmosphere, DIY attitude and the people behind it make me proud to be an investor and support the next generation of teams kids in the Bay will be proud of.' Thank you @billiejoe of @GreenDay for supporting us and other local sports groups in Oakland, loved having you! — Oakland Ballers (@OaklandBallers) July 7, 2024 (Top photo of Raimondi Park: Penny Collins / NurPhoto via Associated Press)
