Swing Lands New Ownership
Deal is still contingent on league, Minor League Baseball approval
A future owner of the Swing of the Quad Cities said major changes are in store at John O'Donnell Stadium and that he expects the team to improve upon recent unimpressive attendance figures.
The ownership group Main Street Baseball, which currently operates the Columbus Catfish (South Atlantic League) and is headed by Dave Heller and Bob Herrefeldt, reached a purchase agreement for The Swing from Seventh Inning Stretch, which has owned the club since 1998. The sale must get approval from various levels of Minor League Baseball before it is completed. Terms of the deal were not revealed, but the Quad Cities Times reported that the team sold for a typical Midwest League team price--around $7 million.
Seventh Inning Stretch, run by team president Kevin Krause, leaves Quad Cities after a contentious relationship with the Davenport City Council. Krause said the group put $2 million into stadium renovations and was unsatisfied with the assistance from the council. Krause also said the terms of the stadium lease with Davenport made it difficult to turn a profit--Main Street Baseball has negotiated a new 25-year lease for roughly $100,000 less annually.
The new lease reduces the club's annual payment from $490,000 over 15 years to $273,000 for the first two years of a 25-year lease and $385,000 for the remaining years.
"The political climate here wasn't conducive to operate a franchise," Krause said. "The prospective company has no ties to the community and they were offered a lease at least $100,000 better than our arrangement . . . We put a substantial amount of money into the ballpark and did not get corresponding assistance."
Heller said they expect to take advantage of a scenic ballpark and supportive community to make The Swing a success. Last season, Quad Cities ranked 10th in attendance in the 14-team low Class A Midwest League after drawing 146,688 fans.
"We're confident that a new ownership group and a new general manager and new approach can re-invigorate the market," Heller said. "There are going to be quite a few changes, both short-term and long-term. Over the next few years, we will be investing hundreds of thousands into the ballpark and fans will notice the changes immediately."
Heller is a political consultant in Washington, D.C., who got into minor league baseball after purchasing the Catfish in 2002. Herrefeldt was a vice president of the Sacramento River Cats and played a role in the team's growth into one of the top franchises in minor league baseball since relocating to Northern California in 2000.
Heller said the team is in the final stages of hiring a general manager who "is an impressive person with a long history in baseball."
Deal is still contingent on league, Minor League Baseball approval
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PrintA future owner of the Swing of the Quad Cities said major changes are in store at John O'Donnell Stadium and that he expects the team to improve upon recent unimpressive attendance figures.
The ownership group Main Street Baseball, which currently operates the Columbus Catfish (South Atlantic League) and is headed by Dave Heller and Bob Herrefeldt, reached a purchase agreement for The Swing from Seventh Inning Stretch, which has owned the club since 1998. The sale must get approval from various levels of Minor League Baseball before it is completed. Terms of the deal were not revealed, but the Quad Cities Times reported that the team sold for a typical Midwest League team price--around $7 million.
Seventh Inning Stretch, run by team president Kevin Krause, leaves Quad Cities after a contentious relationship with the Davenport City Council. Krause said the group put $2 million into stadium renovations and was unsatisfied with the assistance from the council. Krause also said the terms of the stadium lease with Davenport made it difficult to turn a profit--Main Street Baseball has negotiated a new 25-year lease for roughly $100,000 less annually.
The new lease reduces the club's annual payment from $490,000 over 15 years to $273,000 for the first two years of a 25-year lease and $385,000 for the remaining years.
"The political climate here wasn't conducive to operate a franchise," Krause said. "The prospective company has no ties to the community and they were offered a lease at least $100,000 better than our arrangement . . . We put a substantial amount of money into the ballpark and did not get corresponding assistance."
Heller said they expect to take advantage of a scenic ballpark and supportive community to make The Swing a success. Last season, Quad Cities ranked 10th in attendance in the 14-team low Class A Midwest League after drawing 146,688 fans.
"We're confident that a new ownership group and a new general manager and new approach can re-invigorate the market," Heller said. "There are going to be quite a few changes, both short-term and long-term. Over the next few years, we will be investing hundreds of thousands into the ballpark and fans will notice the changes immediately."
Heller is a political consultant in Washington, D.C., who got into minor league baseball after purchasing the Catfish in 2002. Herrefeldt was a vice president of the Sacramento River Cats and played a role in the team's growth into one of the top franchises in minor league baseball since relocating to Northern California in 2000.
Heller said the team is in the final stages of hiring a general manager who "is an impressive person with a long history in baseball."
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