Minor League Sports Update: Blue Rocks Lease Extended to 2030 / Delaware Thunder Hockey Bring 20 Game Losing Streak to Friday’s Match w/ Elmira
Has anyone been to a Blue Rocks game lately? Our minor league baseball team has been off my radar screen since the kids went off to college. How’s the experience? Anyway, it looks like they plan on sticking around for a while.
WILMINGTON – Two years after worries that Delaware might lose its longtime Minor League Baseball team amid a nationwide restructuring, the city can breathe easier after the Blue Rocks extended their lease for another seven years.
The new lease at Judy Johnson Field at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium in Wilmington’s Riverfront runs through the 2030 season, with an extension option, allaying the fears made real in other markets where MiLB teams chose or were forced to move markets. The Blue Rocks prior lease was set to expire at the end of the 2023 season that starts in April. Finalized before the New Year, the new agreement has been formally approved by Major League Baseball, which manages the MiLB, officials announced this week.
Tough to follow the Rocks when the local media almost totally ignore them.
Glad to hear they plan to stick around, though. As you experienced, the games are mainly a “take-the-kids” affair, with multiple community groups recognized every night, along with frequent giveaways and weekly fireworks.
They still maintain some attraction for semi-serious baseball fans, especially since the MILB realignment that put them in the same league as the Phillies’ equivalent team, which comes to town a couple of weeks each season.
It seems to remain something of a shoestring operation overall, in that the stadium — while still comfy enough == hasn’t received anything like an upgrade in years.
There is plenty of space to put a hockey rink near Frawley Stadium. When I launched the very successful FB group called “Bring a Minor League Hockey Team to Delaware” I didn’t mean to fucking Harrington.
Talk about being monkey-pawed.
BTW – I just did a very rigorous 2 minute internet search for “monkey pawed” and I’m pretty sure I just coined that. So, feel free to use it widely. And you’re welcome.