Baseball in Fort Wayne

Archive for January, 2007

Note: This is the second in a series of my thoughts on the Harrison Square project. They are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any other individual or entity.

The objections are many. But I have yet to hear any that are not based upon misconceptions or falsities.

• HS is not going to be funded through property taxes. If it were, I would probably be against it.
• HS is more than a ballpark. That’s a fact.
• The Wizards have been an outstanding community partner during their tenure. To think otherwise is pure and utter ignorance.
• A ballpark has limited use. This is probably the best argument I have heard and I can tend to side with it. But what would NOT have limited use?

Aside from that, the idea is to encourage more activity downtown. Most such activity will occur during warmer months. The Wizards will play 41 regular season home games this summer. When the Wizards qualify for the postseason, a few more games will also be played. In 2006, Memorial Stadium welcomed 253,564 baseball fans; placing them fifth of 14 teams in the Midwest League. I can think of no other use for the area (which would probably happen with or without a ballpark) that would draw similar crowds. I suspect that an improved park with greater amenities – combined with the outstanding on and off field work of the Wizards staff – will increase that number considerably.

Tomorrow: Let’s look at the possibilities that are available.

[tags]Harrison Square, baseball, Fort Wayne, Wizards, minor leagues, ball parks, Midwest League[/tags]

Note: This is the first in a series of my thoughts on the Harrison Square project. They are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any other individual or entity.

Growing up in Auburn, I have mainly stuck to the north side of Fort Wayne. It’s where I am most comfortable due to the familiarity. Then, I interned at the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne while in college. I realized that downtown Fort Wayne was not the monster I thought it was (though I did get a traffic ticket because I got very confused during five-o-clock rush hour on my way home, but that’s a different story).

Today, I have a much better comfort level with the area. That said, I still wonder what reasons there are to travel downtown after 5PM during the week . . . unless it is to pass through. Sure, the Embassy Theatre and some limited night life spots are there. But other than that, it’s pretty eerie for me to drive through . . . because it just doesn’t seem like a vibrant area.

Harrison Square would change all that.

When I refer to Harrison Square, I am referring to the project in totality . . . not just a ball park, as is often inferred. What HS represents is an outstanding opportunity to transform Fort Wayne to a desirable entertainment destination that has plenty of reasons to inhabit.

Tomorrow: Part 2

[tags]Harrison Square, baseball, Fort Wayne, FWCVB, minor leagues, ball parks[/tags]

Given the 2007 Hall of Fame inductees announcement today, it seems appropriate to talk about one of northeast Indiana’s significant contributions to the Hall.

Ford Christopher Frick (1894-1978) was a Noble County native who later attended Fort Wayne’s International Business College and lived there while he joined the staff of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette as an office boy and police reporter.

Frick later went to DePauw University where he played baseball and ran track. After graduation in 1915, and following a stint as a school teacher, he turned to journalism and broadcasting in New York. There, he befriended (and became a ghostwriter for) Babe Ruth.

On November 8, 1934, Frick was elected president of the National League. One early act as president was to endorse an idea of a national baseball museum and suggested that it also include a Hall of Fame to honor the game’s greats. Cooperstown, N.Y., took Frick’s suggestion and established the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1939.

In 1951, he succeeded Happy Chandler as commissioner of baseball. As baseball’s third commissioner, Frick guided the sport through unprecedented expansion and transition. Teams grew from eight to 10 in each league, national television contracts were refined and the free-agent draft was implemented. As commissioner, Frick also helped to popularize night baseball and oversaw league expansion to the West Coast.

Frick also sought to broaden the international scope of baseball. He assisted groups in Japan, Latin and Central America, Holland, Italy and Africa to introduce many individuals to the game. After serving fourteen years as commissioner, Frick retired in November 1965. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970.

Note: This post was largely adapted from “Ford C. Frick was reared on Noble County’s sandlots” by Terry Householder of the News-Sun.

Other References:
Ford Frick Wiki | Baseball HOF Bio Page

[tags]Ford Frick, Hall of Fame, Baseball, Fort Wayne, Journal Gazette, International Baseball College[/tags]

San Diego Padres ace and former Fort Wayne Wizards player, Jake Peavy, arrested and charged with disorderly conduct Thursday at the Mobile Regional Airport and was released on a $350 bond.

According to Padres general manager, Kevin Towers:

Peavy was headed for a goodwill tour of the Dominican Republic with other major league players when he double-parked to drop off his bags and was told by airport police to move his car. “The airport police told him he couldn’t park his car there and he said, ‘Write me up a ticket and I’ll pay for it,’” Towers said. “He was arrested.” [Source: ESPN.com]

Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation has opened bids for the demolition of Lakeside Apartments to make way for the new Carrington Field. Parks Director Al Moll said he hopes to have the demolition complete by February. Even so, the field likely will not be ready for play until next year.

Carrington Field, currently located across from Memorial Coliseum and home to the Fort Wayne Baseball Federation, will be relocated to six acres on Coliseum Boulevard, at the northwest corner of Lakeside Golf Course.

[Source: FortWayne.com/News-Sentinel]

The Cleveland Indians continue to add Fort Wayne links to their organization. Skipper Eric Wedge is a Fort Wayne native, and earlier this off season, they traded for former Fort Wayne Wizards star second baseman, Josh Barfield.

Today, they signed former Fort Wayne Wizards infielder, Luis Rivas, to a minor league deal.

Hailing from La Guira, Venezuela, Luis Rivas was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He starred with the Wizards at shortstop in 1997 and was considered the number one prospect of the Twins organization at the time.

That year, he was named a starter on the Midwest League All-Star team and earned the league’s Best Defensive Shortstop and Infield Arm Awards for the season. He broke onto the Major League level with the Twins in 2000 and played 565 games with them over six seasons.

In January of 2006, he signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but he spent the year at Triple-A Durham, where he hit just.218 with two homers and 28 RBIs over 69 games. A fractured right ring finger forced him to miss an extended amount of time.

(Photo courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards)