BOB:  Marlins stadium is proceeding, Barry Bonds isn’t

Marlins stadium update

In what is expected to be an ongoing series, Florida Marlins president David Samson updated the public on the current state of the Marlins’ prospective ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl. The focus is currently on how the stadium will look, and Samson has been working with the designer, HOK Sports, on elements such as the seating area, how the suites are going to look and what the clubhouses will look like.

Samson says the final drawings are still months away. The Marlins are also requesting fan input, and you can send your suggestions to David Samson at the email address in the article.

Bonds asks for grievance from Players Association

Barry Bonds still doesn’t have a job, and apparently he’s now considering having the Players Association file a grievance on his behalf. The union has contacted the commissioner’s office seeking information on why Bonds has yet to be extended a contract. The union is looking into both general concerns as well as player-specific ones. MLB has said that they have no reason to believe that there’s any sort of collusion to keep Bonds from getting a job.

It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this. On the one hand, Barry Bonds does come with his perceived baggage, but the guy proved last year that he could still play. I find it hard to believe that a team down the stretch won’t try to pull him in to give their team a boost. If it doesn’t happen, then you definitely have to wonder what the deal is.

Nationals Park dilemma

Nationals Park is just over a month old, and with the Nationals mired in last place, there are already concerns that the ballpark isn’t going to hit its goals with regard to revenue. Season tickets are up from last year but they’re well down from the Nationals’ inaugural season back in 2005, and it looks as if the Nationals’ draw this year will be the worst ever for a new stadium.

Washington Nationals owner Stan Kasten doesn’t appear to concerned. One reason for the ticket glut is that both the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards made the playoffs, so there’s competition for sports fans’ dollars. Another factor is that the amount that lobbyists are permitted to give to lawmakers is well below the price of some of the nicer seats at the park. The final nail is the overall economy, which has baseball fans everywhere tightening their belts.

Yankees top four million tickets sold

The Yankees have already sold four million tickets this year as Yankee Stadium continues its final season. With this haul, the Yankees become the only team ever to have four different four-million-ticket seasons; the Blue Jays crossed the mark three times, from 1991-1993. The only National League team to top the mark is Colorado, in their inaugural season in 1993.

Buzzy Bavasi passes away at age 93

Longtime Los Angeles Dodgers executive Buzzy Bavasi passed away last week at the age of 93. Bavasi just about did it all in his career. His time with the Dodgers was one of the franchise’s best, and his reign from 1951 through 1968 saw the team win eight National League pennants and four World Series. He was also instrumental in moving the team to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958.

Also on Bavasi’s resume was a stint with the then-expansion San Diego Padres, and he also served as the California Angels executive vice president from 1977 through 1984. For a great read on Buzzy Bavasi, I highly recommened the interview with him at SABR’s Business of Baseball committee website.