The wrecking ball is finally swinging in Scranton.

Two months after the demolition of PNC Field was originally scheduled to begin, and a month after an April 1 deadline set by the International League came and went, the Yankees' $43.3 million renovation of PNC Field will officially kick off during a ceremonial groundbreaking scheduled for today. The event comes four days after an agreement was reached in the frequently delayed $14.6 million sale of the franchise by Lackawanna County (Pa.) Multipurpose Stadium Authority to SWB Yankees LLC—the entity made up of the New York Yankees and Mandalay Baseball Properties that has been operating the team since 2007.

The deal has been lauded by local officials as a significant upgrade on the original agreement reached five years ago when Mandalay took over operations of the team. And while there still seems to be plenty of hand-wringing in Scranton about new ownership pulling the team out of town someday, the new agreement puts more financial responsibility on the Yankees and Mandalay. Proceeds of the sale are being put toward the ballpark renovation—which is why construction could not begin until an agreement was reached. SWB Yankees LLC agreed to a 30-year lease at $900,000 annually—up $150,000 from the original agreement in order to pay for design changes—and will contribute to ballpark maintenance and improvements.   

"We are proud of our growing partnership with the New York Yankees and committed to creating a great experience for our team’s fans in northeastern Pennsylvania,” Mandalay Baseball chairman Peter Guber said in a release. “We believe that this venue will be among the finest field of dreams in professional minor league baseball and an important jewel in Mandalay’s professional sports assets and experiences.”

There is reason to believe Guber. The area embraced the Yankees when they came to town in 2007. Scranton ranked fourth in the International League in average attendance (8,802) in its first year as a Yankees affiliate, a 41 percent increase from the previous season. The team held strong in 2008 with a 7,147 average, good for eighth in the IL, but attendance nosedived the following three seasons, as fans were turned off by rising ticket prices, a perceived corporate management style by Mandalay and a series of structural problems at PNC Field. In 2011, the team finished second-to-last in the 14-team IL with a 4,586 average.

The Yankees have plenty of work to do over the next 11 months beyond having the new ballpark ready for Opening Day 2013. They will need to reunite with the community after the team's season-long road trip this season. Part of that process will be hiring a new face of the franchise to replace Kristen Rose, who stepped down as president last week.

“This is truly a great day for Lackawanna County because baseball is back,” county commissioner Patrick O’Malley said in the release.  “The negotiations were long and thought out, but they were vital for the proper evaluation of this project.”

It took nearly two years, but the sale of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees was finally completed this morning.

The Lackawanna County (Pa.) Multipurpose Stadium Authority signed off on the $14.6 million sale of the team to SWB Yankees LLC—the entity made up of Mandalay Baseball Properties and the New York Yankees that currently operates the team—ending a process that began in November 2010. The proceeds of the transaction will be put toward the $43.3 million renovation of PNC FIeld—the price went up $3.3 million since the original agreement—and demolition work may begin as soon as tomorrow. There certainly is reason to rush, as construction was originally scheduled to begin in March and the International League had set an April 1 deadline for work to start in order for the project to be completed by Opening Day next season. The Yankees are playing their entire 144-game schedule on the road this season; a scenario that the International League will not allow again next season, IL president Randy Mobley previously said.

Ewing Cole principal Craig Schmitt, who is overseeing the project, had said at the Winter Meetings last December that a 12-month schedule for construction would be a bit of a rush but doable. At a public hearing last night,construction manager Greg Butz called the new schedule "challenging," but added, "It can definitely be done," according to the Citizen's Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.). 

Though an agreement has been reached, the sale still needs to be approved by the International League, Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball. Mobley has previously said that he did not expect any problems to arise during the approval process, but he could not be sure until the paperwork has been filed. So that means construction will begin before any cash changes hands.

So with everything moving ahead so quickly now, why did the deal take so long to complete?

At a public hearing last night, local officials lauded a new agreement as far more beneficial for taxpayers and the future of local minor league baseball than the deal that was struck in late 2010. The Yankees will pay $750,000 annually over the 30-year lease that could extend to 50 years. Notable changes to the agreement include ownership agreeing to contribute to the costs of ballpark maintenance and future repairs as well as covering any cost overrun during construction. 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees president Kristen Rose has resigned after nearly four years on the job.

Rose will remain with Mandalay Baseball Properties, which operates the International League franchise and is in the process of purchasing it with the New York Yankees, as an executive vice president. According to a team press release published by the Scranton Times-Tribune, Rose is leaving to be closer to her family.

"I remain optimistic about the future of baseball in Scranton Wilkes-Barre, especially with the reconstructed stadium coming on-line," Rose said in the press release. "Although I will miss being a part of the next chapter, I am excited about my new venture and continuing my relationship with Mandalay Baseball Properties.”

Rose joined Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in December 2008 following the team's second season as a Yankees affiliate and she has had to navigate some challenging waters as the face of the franchise. Attendance at PNC Park has sagged dramatically after the Yankees' debut, as problems with the aging ballpark and Mandalay's sometimes corporate approach has alienated some of the fanbase. The team created a local uproar this spring when it changed its name to the "Empire State Yankees" as it prepared for a season-long road trip.

Brighter days do appear to be ahead for the franchise, as their stadium is scheduled to undergo a $40 million renovation and be ready for Opening Day 2013. However, construction that was expected to start early this spring has yet to begin due to a delay in completing the sale of the team from Lackawanna County to SWB Yankees LLC—the entity made of Mandalay Baseball and the New York Yankees that currently operates the team. A self-imposed April 1 deadline for the start of construction came and went without a deal. In the meantime, the Yankees are playing their entire 144-game schedule on the road—including a series starting tonight at the home of the short-season Batavia Muckdogs (New York-Penn League).

One of the first steps to building a new ballpark in Wilmington, N.C., did not come without a bit of controversy.

The Wilmington city council dropped its plan to hire Ripken Design as project manager for the proposed $40 million facility after Mandalay Baseball and the Atlanta Braves—who have formed an ownership group that plans to bring a Carolina League franchise to the city—complained that Ripken could have a conflict of interest. The city council voted last night to instead hire National Sports Service to study the cost, benefits and potential location of a new ballpark.

Ripken Design is part of Ripken Baseball, the company run by Cal Ripken Jr. that also owns or operates three minor league franchises: the Aberdeen IronBirds (New York-Penn), Augusta GreenJackets (South Atlantic) and Charlotte Stone Crabs (Florida State). Mandalay and the Braves were concerned that they could end up competing with Ripken Baseball for the Wilmington market, or other ones, and they were not comfortable sharing information with a competitor.

National Sports Services, based in Topeka, Kan., was second to Ripken Design on the list of 10 groups proposed by city staff. The company is operated by Bill Davidson, who serves as CEO of the Harrisburg Senators (Eastern) and was previously part of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Southern) ownership group. 

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Even Carolina Mudcats general manager Joe Kremer, who has spent 22 years working in minor league baseball, had never experienced anything quite like the incident after Tuesday night's Carolina League game against the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

A man was arrested for sneaking into the visiting clubhouse at Five County Stadium and allegedly secretly videotaping Wilmington players as they changed and showered following the game. A team maintenance worker confronted 32-year-old LaDarryl Strong in the clubhouse and several employees prevented him from fleeing the ballpark until police arrived. Strong, who told police that he works with special needs children in the Lenoir County (N.C.) school system, was arrested and charged with felony secret peeping, first-degree trespass, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has been released on bond.

"I do commend my staff for doing their job and quick thinking. It was a very unfortunate incident," Kremer said.

Police searched Strong's house and removed 20 computers. Kremer said that Strong told police while being arrested that he had videotaped other locker rooms. Kremer said that there is no indication Strong had previously done this in Carolina.

"We absolutely expect to find other crimes on the videos," Zebulon police chief Tim Hayworth told WRAL.com and described the stadium incident as a "very bold" crime that a first-time offender would never attempt.

Kremer said Strong managed to sneak into the fenced-in clubhouse area behind the ballpark when the team opened the back gates for the Blue Rocks' team bus. Posed as a maintenance worker wearing blue plastic gloves, Strong walked into the visiting locker room while the clubhouse attendant was in the laundry room and was able to videotape players for several minutes without being noticed. When confronted, Strong told Mudcats staff that he was looking for a team schedule.

The Mudcats will not make any significant changes to their security procedures but will have an employee stationed outside the clubhouses, Kremer said, noting that the area is usually busy with staff after games. Kremer said he spoke with Wilmington manager Vance Wilson and Royals farm director Scott Sharp, who he said were both understanding and appreciative of the Mudcats' work to apprehend Strong.

(updated) Hopes for Carolina League baseball coming to Wilmington, N.C., took a significant step forward when the Atlanta Braves and Mandalay Baseball Properties announced this morning at al press conference that they have a plan in place to privately finance and build a new ballpark.

In February, Mandalay and the Braves formed a joint ownership group and reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Lynchburg Hillcats and move the franchise to Wilmington. The deal was contingent on the group building a new ballpark on the riverfront in downtown Wilmington, and in the following months local leaders and residents raised concerns about using public money to build the park.

The group’s announcement is an effort to get over the biggest hurdle in bringing minor league baseball to back to Wilmington. The city had a Southern League franchise in 1995-96, and a South Atlantic League franchise in 2001, but both quickly moved to greener pastures when their stadium plans fell through. The teams played at UNC Wilmington’s ballpark, which is not a viable long-term alternative.

The project would still require public money. Braves executive vice president of business operations Mike Plant, who represented the team at the press conference in Wilmington, said the private-public partnership creates greater flexibility and protects the city against hazards like cost overrun.

“It is still a private-public partnership that is driven by the public sector and still requires everyone having an investment in the project, including the city,” Plant said in a telephone interview after the press conference. “This now gives us an opportunity to put the whole development team together and put another viable option in front of the city council.”

The Braves and Mandalay will present the plan to the council in mid-May, Plant said, adding that they may propose several options for the council to consider. Plant believes the new financing model creates the best opportunity to have the ballpark completed in time for the 2014 season.

One benefit to private financing is that it will create the opportunity for lower annual payments on the construction debt, Plant said. Through private financing, the ownership group will be able to secure a 30-year loan, whereas the city is only allowed to take on 20 years of debt.

“This is a private initiative now, but it’s a public-private partnership,” Mandalay president of baseball development Rich Neumann said at the press conference.

The Braves own all of their minor league affiliates except at the high Class A level, and Plant points to the organization’s experience in building ballparks through a private-public financing model as a reason why he believes this project can get done.

“There is strong interest in the community (for the project),” Plant said. “Yes, there is an opposition group, but there always is opposition. The majority of people want to see this happen, and the city leadership is extremely supportive. They see the value . . .

“And one thing I keep reiterating to people is this is Braves country. We want to be here.”

The Oklahoma City RedHawks (Pacific Coast) kicked off their season last night as their ballpark changed names for the second time in less than 48 hours.

The Triple-A franchise, in its second year since being purchased by Mandalay Baseball Properties, announced on Wednesday that it had sold the stadium's naming rights to the local Chickasaw Nation tribe. The new name for the park was going to be Newcastle Field at Bricktown, incorporating the name of one the tribe's casinos, which is in the Oklahoma City suburb of Newcastle.

However, some local officials objected to the ballpark being named after a casino, while others resented the city-owned park being named for another town. So the team changed course yesterday and announced that the ballpark will instead be called Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. 

Having the name of one the state's historic tribes, not one of its casinos, on the ballpark was much more appealing to local officials, the Oklahoman reported yesterday.

“Out of consideration for the expressed concerns of Oklahoma City citizens, we have decided to revisit the name,” Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby said in a statement.

• In other ballpark news, the International League's Empire State Yankees (their name this year instead of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) kicked off their 144-game road trip last night in Lehigh Valley as local officials in Pennsylvania continue to work on completing the sale of the team to SWB Yankees LLC. An April 1 deadline had been set for the sale to be complete, so that construction could begin in time for the proposed $40 million ballpark to be ready by Opening Day 2013. Local officials announced today that even though no deal has been reached, the two sides are close enough that contractors can begin preparing for the demolition of PNC Field.

The Yankees are playing their home games at six different ballparks this season while PNC Field gets a facelift. Rochester, N.Y., will serve as the team's base, and they will play 37 of their 82 home games at the Red Wings ballpark.

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After weeks of spoiling much of the country with spring-like conditions, Mother Nature returned to early-March form for the start of the minor league season last night.

Cold and rainy conditions made a great night not to be at the ballpark in places like low Class A Asheville and Triple-A Norfolk–where rainouts spoiled Opening Day for two Orioles' four affiliates. In all, six games were rained out, including five in the South Atlantic League, while several played on in cold conditions–temperatures dipped into 50s at Triple-A Durham.

The conditions dampened a key date on the minor league calendar. Along with the Fourth of July, Opening Day is as close to a sure thing as you get in the minor leagues, as the start of the season typically leads to full houses. Losing that revenue can prove costly for a team's bottom line, particularly smaller-market teams at the lower levels whose seasons can be more heavily impacted by one bad night than their Triple-A brethren.

The night was not lost everywhere. The Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos attracted 5,038 for its debut as the Southern League's newest franchise. The price was right in Brevard County (Florida State), where free admission attracted 4,637 fans, and San Antonio (Texas), whose $1 concessions helped the Missions top the TL with 7,032 fans.

And, of course, it would not be the minor leagues without some unique promotions beyond staples like "Thirsty Thursdays" and "Magnet Schedule Giveaways." Ryan Howard may not be on the Phillies Opening Day roster, but he was a still a hit in Reading, as the R-Phils passed out a double-bobblehead of the first baseman and another favorite son–the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor. Fellow Eastern League affiliate Binghamton welcomed fans to the ballpark with a free tailgate party.

Several teams kicked off the season with free concerts, including the Iowa Cubs (Pacific Coast), Jackson Generals (Southern) and Dunedin Blue Jays (Florida State)–which rolled out a band called the Black Honkeys (no joke). The Quad Cities River Bandits (Midwest) threw a parade and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Midwest) offered fans a choice of five bobbleheads.

See below for a breakdown of every team's promotions and attendance from last night's game. It should be noted that while promotions can impact a team's performance at the gate, it is not the only factor–the ballpark, concessions, weather, and the arrival of young phenoms certainly play a role (though the Syracuse Chiefs hardly made the most of Bryce Harper's Triple-A debut last night).