Tonight, the Savannah Sand Gnats, the Single-A affiliate of the NY Mets, will host a Lindsay Lohan Drunk Driving Awareness Night at Grayson Stadium as the Sand Gnats will take on the Greensboro Grasshoppers at 7:05 p.m. in the finale of a four-game series.

In an odd twist, the Drunk Driving Awareness Night will coincide with a Thirsty Thursday promotion of half-priced beer and Coke and $1 Papa John’s Pizza slices presented by Connect Savannah, Rock 106.1 and Papa John’s Pizza. 

The Sand Gnats, however, are encouraging all fans in attendance to learn from the redheaded actress’ mistakes and plan for safe transportation home from the game.

Hook Towing will have a wrecked car from a drunk driving accident on display on the plaza in front of the main gate. Savannah Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) will also be at the game with its blood alcohol testing van.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League player Donnie Sadler has been suspended for 50 games, effective today, for testing positive for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Sadler is currently with Triple-A Tucson on the Pacific Coast League.

King represents the 18th minor league drug violation, along with 2 major league violations bringing the total to 21 for all of 2007. By comparison, 16 minor league players had been suspended for being in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program at this point last year.

To view historical information on drug violations within MLB, and Minor League baseball, check The Biz of Baseball's Drug Violations page

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Minor League player Thomas A. King, who most recently had played at Single-A Augusta (South Atlantic League) in the San Francisco Giants organization, has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. King’s suspension would take effect immediately upon signing with another Major League organization.

King represents the 18th minor league drug violation, along with 2 major league violations bringing the total to 20 for all of 2007. By comparison, 16 minor league players had been suspened fobeing in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program at this point last year.

To view historical information on drug violations within MLB, and Minor League baseball, check The Biz of Baseball's Drug Violations page

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Milwaukee Brewers Minor League player Angel Salome has been suspended for 50 games, effective today, for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Salome is currently with Single-A Brevard County of the Florida State League.

To view historical information on drug violations within MLB, and Minor League baseball, check The Biz of Baseball's Drug Violations page

Mike Coolbaugh, the first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League was killed Sunday evening when he was struck in the right side of the head by a hard hit line-drive foul ball in the top of the ninth. The game with the Arkansas Travelers was immediately suspended.

The Drillers website states that, "With the Travelers leading 7-3 and Matt Miller at first base with no outs, Tino Sanchez hit a line drive that struck Coolbaugh in the head. He was knocked unconscious and was administered CPR on the field."

The AP reports :

Sgt. Terry Kuykendall, spokesman for North Little Rock police, said Coolbaugh was still alive when he was put in an ambulance for the trip to the hospital, but stopped breathing as the ambulance arrived at the facility.

"They tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at 9:47 p.m.," Kuykendall said.

Coolbaugh played 44 games in the major leagues over two seasons, his last appearance with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002. The Drillers' web site said Coolbaugh joined the Tulsa team's staff on July 3.

 The Drillers are a AA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

The Boston Red Sox and Portland Sea Dogs today announced the extension of their Player Development Contact (PDC) for an additional four years. The extension keeps the Red Sox Double-A affiliation in Portland through the 2012 season. Red Sox Vice President/Player Personnel Ben Cherington and Sea Dogs’ President and General Manager Charlie Eshbach made the announcement in a Monday afternoon press conference at Hadlock Field.

“We are thrilled to extend our PDC with the Portland Sea Dogs through the 2012 season," Cherington said.

"The most important ingredient in an affiliate is the people involved, and we are very fortunate to work with some of the best people in Minor League Baseball here in Portland. Dan Burke, Charlie Eshbach, and the entire Sea Dogs’ staff have consistently gone the extra mile to provide support to our players and staff over the last 4 ½ years. This support translates to performance on the field over the course of a long minor league season.

"The planned clubhouse improvements will make Portland an upper echelon Double-A facility, benefiting our players and staff for years to come."

(Select Read More to see more details on the extended agreement between the Red Sox and Porland) 

A dispute over a naming rights deal for a stadium that the Utah Valley State College owns has created a major league dispute with the Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League, who play at the college-owned stadium.

At issue is the renaming of the stadium to “Brent Brown Stadium”, as part of a 10-year naming rights agreement with Brent Brown, a local car dealer, who has committed $1 million over the life of the agreement. The minor league Orem Owlz, who play at the stadium, say that during the Pioneer League season that the stadium must be named "Home of the Owlz."

Looking into the Owlz's assertion that the naming deal cannot occur during the Pioneer League season is Minor League Baseball, who sent a letter stating that changing of the name might break with Major League Rule 54, which states that renaming of a stadium is considered a “Regulated Transaction” and therefore must be approved by the Pioneer League and Minor League Baseball. MiLB further states that the agreement is also “subject to the review of the Baseball Office of the Commissioner.” (read the letter from Minor League Baseball to the Owlz - PDF).

The dispute has spilled over into the media, where the Owlz threatened to pull the credentials of anyone in news outlets that did not refer to the stadium as "Home of the Owlz". That has caused the Provo Daily Herald and the Deseret Morning News to decide not to cover the minor league team for the remainder of the season by asking reporters to turn in their credentials so they can be turned in to the Owlz front office.

"I don't take well to blackmail," said Randy Wright, executive editor of the Daily Herald said to the Deseret Morning News.

"This is a dispute between the Owlz and UVSC that has nothing to do with us," Wright continued in the Daily Herald. "The Owlz are trying to punish the media for referring to the stadium by its proper name -- Brent Brown Ballpark."

"We won't trade our independence for access to athletic teams or any other news source. We simply don't let our subjects dictate how we report on them."

"What we won't do is send credentialed writers and photographers to Owlz home games while the Owlz's threat is hanging over us," said Dave Schneider, the Morning News' sports editor.

In response, Jeff Katofsky, one of the owners of the Owlz replied, "If you chose to ban yourselves from the Home of the Owlz and deprive your readers of the happenings at the most beautiful and entertaining summer events in Utah Valley, that is your choice," Katofsky wrote by email. "However, I think you are better journalists and businessmen than that."

In the midst of this, Owlz employees tried to cover up a sign over the stadium's press box recognizing Brent and Kim Brown, but a UVSC vice president said college officials made them stop.

While Minor League Baseball sent a letter asking for clarification, upon review, they are backing Utah Valley State College.

"Rule 54 would apply if the college was involved in the ownership of the team, it would all be part of a thing that would need to come to our office," MiLB spokesman, Jim Ferguson, said to the Deseret Morning News. "But they are not involved in the ownership. As I understand they (the Owlz) just rent the ballpark."

The Owlz owners are sticking to their claim that the name should remain “Home of the Owlz” during the Pioneer League season as they consider UVSC partners. The minor league team has paid for upgrades to the facility, and entered a yearlong contract in which the Owlz would collect a fee if they helped line up a naming rights donor.

The naming rights deal with Brent Brown was secured by UVSC without assistance from the Owlz.

The Morning News is seeking copies of the lease agreement through an official government records request.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Philadelphia Phillies Minor League player Matt Childers has been suspended for 50 games, effective today, for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Childers is currently with Triple-A Ottawa of the International League.

The exact nature of the violation (a positive for performance-enhancing drugs, or a positive for a drug of abuse) was not announced.

Childers' violation brings the total of minor league drug violations to fifteen so far this season. By comparison, that total was not reached until July 20th of last season. The total for all minor league violations last season was twenty four. 

To view all historical information on drug violations within MLB, and Minor League baseball, check The Biz of Baseball's Drug Violations page 

The Pacific Coast League Tucson Sidewinders won the PCL championship a year ago, but now the team has been sold, and appears to be headed to Reno, NV after the 2008 season.

Jay Zucker, the owner of the Sidewinders, made the announcement of the sale yesterday at Tucson Electric Park.

“We bought the Sidewinders with the intention to increase the quality of life in Tucson, and I think we succeeded,” Zucker said. “We had our fair share of financial struggles, and unfortunately, the time came for us to sell.”

As reported by the Arizona Daily Star:

Under the proposed deal, Zucker and two minority owners will be paid $13.5 million for the team by SK Baseball LLC. The group, headed by Jerry and Stuart Katzoff and joined by shopping mall mogul Herb Simon, has a deal in the works to move a team to Reno.

As further reported:

The proposed Reno stadium will have 6,500 fixed seats and a total capacity of 10,000, counting skyboxes, party units, club seats and lawn seating, according to a pre-development and finance agreement issued in May among Washoe County, Nev., SK Baseball and Nevada Land.

 

The pre-development agreement states that Washoe County would use rental-car taxes and revenue bonds to pay for the stadium. The county has been collecting a 2 percent tax since adopting the tax on Jan. 13, 2004. Since then, owners and developers have tried to lure a baseball team to Reno.

 

The agreement would dedicate the balance of the state's Baseball Fund — $3 million — toward the project by July 1. The agreement also would commit all future rental-car revenues each year, expected to be about $1.36 million annually.

 

The county selected HOK Architects of Kansas City, Mo., to prepare a preliminary design for the ballpark. The stadium is expected to be completed by March 2009, according to a May 15 Washoe County report.