Notable ballpark news that's NOT happening

Plus, a sauer(kraut) start to promos in 2023 [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( January 05, 2023 After no small amount of painstaking research, I was able to definitively determine that it is socially acceptable to wish someone a Happy New Year so long as this wish is communicated within the first week of the new year in question. This edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter, the first of 2023 and 36th overall, will arrive in your inbox on Jan. 5. Therefore, I am well within the bounds of decency of decorum as I state the following: Happy New Year! Enough with the pleasantries already. Let’s talk about Minor League Baseball.   [Wichita's Riverfront Stadium]( Wichita’s Riverfront Stadium was one of six new Minor League ballparks that opened in 2021. 2023: NEW YEAR, NO NEW MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARKS No new Minor League ballparks opened in 2022, and none will open in 2023. The last time that we went two seasons without a new Minor League ballpark opening was … at least 40 years ago. Believe you me, it’s a tricky thing to keep track of.  I once put together a spreadsheet of Minor League ballpark openings that went back to 1987, listing a new stadium in each and every season. (This spreadsheet has sadly been lost, so you’ll have to take my word for it.) Since then, I have been able to ascertain that new ballparks also debuted in 1986 (Fair Grounds Field, Shreveport, La.); 1985 (The Diamond, Richmond, Va.); and 1984 (The Ballpark, Old Orchard Beach, Maine). This is what makes this question so deceptively tricky: One has to not only account for all current ballparks, but also for those no longer hosting Minor League teams as well as those that may not host any teams at all, that may no longer even exist!  If you think you have a definitive answer as to when was the last time we went two consecutive seasons without a Minor League ballpark opening, please email me: benjamin.hill@mlb.commailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com. [Beloit's ABC Supply Stadium]( Beloit’s ABC Supply Stadium opened in 2021. While there were no new ballparks in 2022, I visited four that were new to me (Sugar Land, Tex.; Beloit, Wis.; St. Paul, Min.; Wichita, Kan.). 2023 will be the first season of my career in which I enter the year already having been everywhere. Therefore, my season travels will be focused on locales that I haven’t been to in a decade or more. Man, time really flies when you’re covering the entirety of the Minor League landscape!  In future editions of this newsletter, I’ll elaborate on which ballparks I’m overdue to visit, as well as new Minor League ballparks to look forward to in the coming years. But for now, let me once again turn the floor over to you:  Have you scheduled any ballpark road trips for the 2023 Minor League season? If so, what ballparks that you’ve never been to before are you hoping to visit? Once again, that email address is benjamin.hill@mlb.com.   [Sauerkraut Balls, anyone?]( AKRON DROPS SAUERKRAUT BALLS TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR Last season, the Akron RubberDucks [suited up as the Jojos]( and thereby brought greater prominence to a popular Northeast Ohio potato side dish. The RubberDucks will once again celebrate a regional delicacy in 2023, as on the morning of New Year’s Day the Double-A Cleveland affiliate announced that they will play as the Sauerkraut Balls on Aug. 18.  [In the press release]( the RubberDucks explain that a sauerkraut ball is a “small, breaded and deep-fried sphere of sauerkraut and ground pork ... most commonly seen on tables on New Year’s Day,” hence the unorthodox timing of their announcement.  The press release does mention that sauerkraut balls are commonly dunked in a variety of dipping sauces, but declines to specify any sauce by name. One might assume that the sauerkraut ball in the logo is happily splashing in a pool of marinara, but a [sauerkraut ball-centric public radio segment]( I found online only mentions cocktail sauce and mustard as options. That same article also says ham and beef are the two most popular meat fillings, declining to mention pork at all. Clearly, I (and probably many of you) have much to learn about sauerkraut balls. The next eight months will be a journey of discovery for all of us.     HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TRIVIA! This week’s question was submitted by reader Rick Eskil, who asks, “What former Major League ballpark was used to upgrade a stadium in another city that now hosts a Minor League team?”  (The answer, as always, is at the bottom of the email. But take your time getting there. No rush.)   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson hosts Ghosts of the Minors]( This is Josh Jackson, swinging into the inboxes of all of you in newsletter land. I host "The Show Before the Show" podcast’s Ghosts of the Minors segment, in which I challenge you to spot the real historic Minor League club disguised among two fakes.  In the last episode, we toughened up the Toledo Iron Men. This week, I ask you which of these teams tried to thieve its way through the Minors of yesteryear:  - The Fort Pierce Blackbeards - The Omaha Robin Hoods - The Columbus Magpies  For the answer, [tune in next time]( won’t you?   QUESTIONS OF MINOR CONCERN Last week’s question: (submitted by Mikel Petty): If your spouse/significant other isn't as much of a baseball fan as you are, how do you persuade him/her to go to the games with you?  "I would say that she/he would be with me, that being outside is good any time and that he/she can count on me to do something they like to do, in the future, without complaining." -- Darlene Cornfield  "I'm lucky enough that my wife likes Minor League Baseball, but if she's not totally sold on going to a game that week I wait for the next good theme night or Friday Fireworks. The 'bring your dog to the game' night was a huge hit with her because we got to bring our brand-new puppy." -- Joel Starkey  "Wine. I promise my wife I will buy her wine. We are fortunate that they sell wine from local vineyards at The Diamond (Richmond Flying Squirrels)." -- Eric Murto  Next week’s question: I wrote it at the top of this newsletter, and now I’ll write it again:  Have you scheduled any ballpark road trips for the 2023 Minor League season? If so, what ballparks that you've never visited before are you hoping to visit?  Send your responses (and suggestions for future questions) to benjamin.hill@mlb.com   [San Antonio was on a mission]( THE 2022 SEASON: ONE FINAL SPIN Two cycles in four days? Inside-the-park home runs in consecutive games? Twenty-six victories against a single opponent? A game that took just 102 minutes to play? Seventeen runs ... in a single inning?  For information about these stupendous feats, and much, much more, check out my colleague Gerard Gilberto’s rollicking overview of 2022’s most impressive franchise records. And here’s hoping there’s much more where that came from in 2023!  [READ MiLB.com’s 2022 FRANCHISE RECORD ROUND-UP HERE](   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE TRIVIA ANSWER! Seattle’s Sick’s Stadium (home of the Seattle Pilots in 1969) was sold in 1978 to the owner of the Vancouver Canadians for $60,000. Its parts were used to refurbish Nat Bailey Stadium, where the Canadians of the High-A Northwest League now play. (Thanks again to Rick Eskil for submitting this week’s question. Submit one of your own: benjamin.hill@mlb.com.)   [IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER, TELL THEM TO SUBSCRIBE HERE](   Contact [Benjamin Hill](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com) [Twitter]( Online]( © 2023 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. [Visit MLB.com](. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Subscription required. Blackout and other restrictions may apply. Please review our [Privacy Policy](. You ({EMAIL}) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from [MiLB.com](. Please add info@mail.milblists.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from [MiLB.com]( please [unsubscribe]( or log in and [manage your email subscriptions](. Postal Address: [MiLB.com]( c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.