The closing of The Castle this year could also signal the end of the Fort Wayne Wizard.
Moving the city’s professional baseball team downtown could also mean a change in its mascot and its nickname.
Jason Freier, CEO of Hardball Capital, the Wizards’ owner, said several people have suggested a name change to him as the team prepares to move into a new stadium.
Why would you want to change nicknames with a new stadium?...wrote the radio announcer of the team no longer called the Appleton Foxes who no longer play at Goodland Field.
Remember, the condos that are supposed to be part of the new stadium project?Go figure. No guarantees. A lot of details on the project at the link.The message to the City Council last week was crystal clear: The downtown Harrison Square condominiums will be built.
But while developers can promise to construct the building, there is no guarantee people will buy condominiums, live in them and make downtown Fort Wayne the place to be.
As of last week, only five of The Harrison’s 62 condominiums had been bought, and a host of factors – both national and local – makes it difficult to fill the luxury-living complex. The building has not begun construction and must be substantially complete by June 1, 2009, according to the contract with the city.
And, look! Actual on-field notebook.
Ray Stokes lasted three at-bats as a Fort Wayne Wizard in 2007. Actually, it wasn't even a full three at-bats.
Stokes broke his wrist in a July 15 game while checking his swing. It was his first and only appearance as a Wizard after a promotion from Class-A short season Eugene (Oregon).
“I don't even think the plane cooled down yet,” Wizards manager Doug Dascenzo said.
Stokes began his second stint as a Wizard when he was promoted on Thursday from extended spring training in Arizona. He was in Friday night's lineup as the designated hitter and went 1-for-3 and scored a run.
“I was a little nervous,” Stokes admitted.
Also, Stevie Delabar was released by the Padres and a few other players were moved to the DL as part of the player moves.
1 comment:
Minor League teams change names a lot. I suspect it's c/c new owners believe they can build a better brand & identity from scratch than retool an existing one. When Generals Sports bought the team many years ago, they did retool it with a new mascot and logo. However, the Wizards name has never had any local affinity to the area. As contentious as the Harrison Square project has been, renaming and re-branding the team with a local flavor is a way of winning back a little fan support that might have been lost in the storm. It won't recapture everyone's hearts of course, but it's a step in the right direction.
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