New on the site

We're delighted that Kurt Smith, creator of the wonderful Ballpark E-Guide series, has again graced our pages with a thought-provoking essay. His newest article describes his thought process when deciding on his favoritte park ... December 2011 saw more visitors to our site than any December in history; our total visitor count for 2011 was up 15.2% over 2010; since we moved to our current server, we've had 2,753,276 visitors.

LED board, patio coming to Wrigley

The Cubs are coming another step closer to the modernization of Wrigley Field's bleacher area (left). A 70-foot-wide LED video screen will be installed above the wall in right field, and on top of it will be a patio area that can be booked by groups.

Joe on
the go

My schedule for the first part of the 2012 season is coming together. I'll be at spring training games in AZ on March 3-5 (including a presentation in Surprise on the 5th) and in FL on March 28 - April 2 (including the new Red Sox spring-training complex and the opening of the new Marlins Stadium). I'll visit the new Southern League park in Pensacola on May 12.

360 presents Milwaukie renderings

After plans for a new ballpark in Vancouver, WA fell through, it appeared it might be a long time before the Portland metro area would again have pro baseball. Then in stepped Milwaukie, OR with tentative plans to build a park for a Northwest League team. 360 Architecture provided the designs. Image courtesy of 360 Architecture

Big League ballpark notes

It's interesting to see the way ballparks are used for events other than baseball, like Roger Waters' "The Wall" concert at Yankee Stadium ... Bud Selig claims that resolving the years-long issue of where a new park will be built for the A's is "really on the front burner." The problem for the A's, though, is that the Giants' opposition to San Jose being the site for the new park could create a major roadblock. Also, expect a fight from activists in San Jose ... All of the events surrounding the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park were quite successful -- except the pounding taken by the turf on the field. Much or all of it will have to be replaced ... Expanding the plaza on the north side of Target Field (left) should reduce the logjam that occurs when fans arrive at or depart from Twins games.