September 1979

During the previous summer, John Forney, a local advertising executive and play-by-play radio announcer of University of Alabama football, asked Clarkson to investigate bringing baseball back to Birmingham.

Clarkson announces that he will be bringing baseball back to Birmingham. In honor of the city's baseball history, the team will be named the Barons. Clarkson will be a part owner of the team as well as the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager. Clarkson, along with Jack Levin, Dr. Robert Levin, Pete Ross, Segal Drummond, Larry Drummond, Bob Scranton and Bill Baxley, paid $150,000.00 for 60% controlling interest of the Montgomery Rebels so they could move the team to Birmingham. "We will not be begging for support from the angle Birmingham owes us something. It doesn't. The city is not up for judgment. It's reputation is not at stake as a sports city. That reputation is secure. It's up to us to prove ourselves. I have no doubt we will," Clarkson said.

Clarkson left a promising insurance-real estate career in Los Angeles in 1974 to run the season ticket drive of the Southern California Sun of the World Football League. John Bassett to notice of Clarkson and hired him to work for his Memphis Southmen of the WFL in 1975. Clarkson went on to become the General Manager for the Southern League's Memphis Chicks in 1978 and 1979. Clarkson was fired for his trying to start his own baseball franchise in Birmingham. In 1979, Clarkson became the General Manager of the American Association's Wichita team. Clarkson was also fired from Wichita for the same reason Memphis gave, however.

There will be a working arrangement with Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers. The Tigers were partners with the original Birmingham Barons in 1957-1961.

The Directors of the Southern League will meet in Tampa this weekend for the formality of giving their stamp of approval to the franchise. The Barons have a tentative agreement with the Birmingham Park & Recreation Board for use of Rickwood Field.

Fifteen minutes before the start of a game against the Knoxville Blue Jays, the lights went out on about 10,000 fans. After the Alabama Power Company worked on the situation for nearly an hour, the game was postponed until the 16th.

"This has got to be one of the most disappointing nights of my life. I think we could have had as many as 11,000 fans, but aside from the game revenue lost, the concessions that had been prepared are lost. There's no way that can be recovered," Clarkson said. Team revenue lost would surpass $20,000.

An Alabama Power Company spokesman later said fuses had blown out at a substation.

In commenting on the championship, Majtyka said, "The only thing that didn't fall right into place was losing the second-half championship. We have some very talented players, but very few blue-chip major-league prospects. But what we did have was a group of players who had a winning attitude. That's what made us winners. We got clutch hits, we ran the bases, we played good defense and we believed we could win."

Mark DeJohn, a Barons assistant coach, has been named interim manager. DeJohn was scheduled to begin his managerial career in July at Bristol when the rookie league team opens its season. "It's good that Mark was with the team and will be able to step right in. He's a good baseball man, and I'm sure he will do a fine job. I know our fans will like him," Clarkson said.

"We (Franchi and Detroit's General Manager, Bill Lajoie) had not even planned to make a change at this time, but it was something we were considering. And we had every intention of sending him on to Bristol. But after talking with Mark Saturday, we felt there were some frustrations and anxieties expressed concerning the (Detroit) organization that made it apparent to us it would be better for him to start in another organization," Franchi said.

"There isn't much to say. I am extremely disappointed at not being able to continue in Birmingham. I enjoyed Birmingham very much, the city, the fans and the organization. Art Clarkson treated me well," DeJohn said.

It is announced that Jerry Grote would move up from the Class A Lakeland franchise and become the Barons next manager. Grote is in his first year as a manager.

"When Art first made the request (for Grote), I said, 'No way, I'm not going to disrupt another team.' But Art has been so patient through all of this. I talked to Bill Lajoie and we decided to make the move," Franchi said.

"There have been a lot of rumors, a lot of guessing, going on. For the good of the franchise, we felt it was better to go ahead and make our intentions known at this time. Now, we won't have to deal with speculations and rumors that have a negative effect on the club and its' fans, but concentrate on the positive aspects of wrapping up things this season and getting ready for next year. This has been a very trying time for me and for all of us in this office. The decision was difficult. It's tough to  say goodbye and realize we will no longer be a part of that family. But the bottom line is to be competitive and to win. For the last two years we have not been competitive and we have not won," Clarkson said.

"We have sent a letter to the Mayor's office requesting an audience to talk about a new park. The alternative is to repair and patch up Rickwood Field to the standards it should be brought to. We are not threatening to leave the city. It's my home, and I plan to stay here," Clarkson said.

Sources say that Clarkson has already met with officials from Hoover, Pelham and Trussville, but has not yet met with Birmingham's Mayor Richard Arrington.

"I've got to believe there is somebody in the Birmingham area who would like to make $50 million over a five year period. We've had great cooperation from the Park and Recreation Board. They've done everything in their power, and everything their budget would allow. And we're not asking the city of Birmingham to finance the Birmingham Barons (as they recently did for the USFL's Birmingham Stallions). We've made money for the city of Birmingham, and for the state of Alabama," Clarkson said.

Nina Miglionico, President of the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board, thinks some of the other cities surrounding Birmingham should start pulling their share of the load. "I think they should go to Hoover. I'm not being cute. I'm serious. The city of Birmingham represents a third of the people in Jefferson County, yet we already fund the zoo, the botanical garden and Legion Field, and people all over the county and state benefit. I think it's high time the other two-thirds share in the funding. I think one of the cities should fund the (proposed theme park) water world, and one of them the baseball park. It would be a good thing for Bessemer or Hoover. I'm all for it," Miglionico said.

"We'll still have the same name. We'll still use the red, black and white for our uniforms and we're still the Barons. But we think there'll be some differences on the field. We're excited about the White Sox. They have had a top minor league organization for the past several years. We think we made quite a move up," Clarkson said.

"Our parking problems won't exist at either Fair Park or Legion Field, but we have two other areas of concern. That's accessibility and fans' perception of the area where the stadium is located," Clarkson said.

Bob Bailey, currently managing the Peninsula team in the Class A Carolina League, will become the Barons manager. After his retirement as a player in 1978, Bailey coached in the minor league system for the Montreal Expos, Houston Astros and the White Sox. 

"Bob's a great guy. It's a good thing for Tom and we all know Bob will do a great job here," Clarkson said.

"Our objective is always to win, no matter where we are. But we're in Birmingham to develop players also, and a very real part of that development is teaching players to win," Petrocelli said.

Clarkson disagrees with Bell's version of the events, saying that he was asked to work through the Mayor's office, which he did. He also said that no one from the City Council has contacted him about negotiations. "It was very poorly handled. I felt I was a pawn in the situation. I think we're committed to the city of Hoover if they can work out a plan. We're in serious negotiations. Has anything been finalized? No, it has not," Clarkson said.

However, soon after the proposal was made public, City Council President Bell said the council would kill plans for a new stadium. He also said that Clarkson had been threatening to move to Hoover and that the suburb might be the best place for Clarkson.

Clarkson disagreed with Arrington and Bell, saying that his first choice was always Birmingham, and that he started soliciting proposals from other suburbs six months after he had approached Birmingham officials. "I never threatened anybody publicly or privately. Why should I deal with these people when every time they bad-mouth me in public. I have tied to stay out of controversy with the City of Birmingham. I have paid all my bills to them. No matter how important or unimportant you think a business is in the city, if they are contributing to the city taxes, you never tell them to leave town," Clarkson said.

First, the council agreed to purchase seventy acres of land from USR (the real estate division of USX) and Harbert Properties. The land is in Jefferson county and Shelby county, which means that USR and Harbert will petition the city to annex the land before the purchase can be made. If the annexation is successful, USR and Harbert will also donate an additional forty acres to the city of Hoover for municipal development.

Second, the Hoover Park and Recreation Board will lease the stadium to the Barons for ten years, with a five year option.

Third, Harbert International, Inc. will oversee the stadium's construction.

The stadium will be known as Hoover Stadium, and could be built in three phases. Phase one will cost around $10 million with a seating capacity of 10,000, including the twelve skyboxes. A second phase would add an additional 5,000 seats while phase three would increase seating to 23,000.

If the stadium isn't completed by March 15, 1988, the Barons have the option to void the lease.

"This is just a tremendous thrill. It was just hard to think we had a chance when we were dong so poorly in the second half, but we started hitting the ball in the last regular season game against Columbus, and it just carried right on through," Petrocelli said.

Clarkson was equally surprised in the team's level of play in the post-season. "It's hard to compare teams. I'm a fan of individuals, and there were some great guys on our 1983 team and some great ones here. I will say that this one will always be special because there were those who had written us off when things weren't going so good in the second half. But the players and the coaches never believed it for a minute. We did what we had to do to win it, and it's going to be a thrill to run that Southern League pennant up the flag pole next year in Hoover. One thing for sure. This is the perfect way to end the final season for old Rickwood Field. It's just one more great memory to file away," Clarkson said.

"I enjoyed Rico, but it's obvious the White Sox weren't pleased with the results they got in Birmingham," Clarkson said.

"Some people think winning is everything. But I think developing talent and winning go hand in hand. Winning will come if you develop your people properly," Berry said.

"Ken is an outstanding baseball man, and he and I saw eye-to-eye on a lot of things around here last season that we didn't like. I think he will be very good at motivating players, and it was quite evident that was a problem here last season. The bottom line is that he knows how to win," Clarkson said.

"I have no comment on that at this time. Right now, we just have nothing definite to report. There's smoke, but there's nothing there yet. We could have something in two days, or two weeks, or never. It just may never happen. But whatever happens, you can be sure of two things. One, I'll still be the General Manager. And two, the team will still be in Birmingham," Clarkson said.

Beyond the surprising fact the Barons are for sale is that the suitors are Japanese. The actual negotiations are being held with an American representative for the Japanese group. Clarkson and other stockholders have met with the group many times.

Before the sale could be finalized, the Southern League would have to give them permission to purchase the club.

Kuehnert, the major stockholder, will serve as the team's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We expect no major changes. Art Clarkson will remain as General Manager, and we have the greatest confidence in the current management. We spent a lot of time looking at franchises across the country and when we came here we fell in love with Hoover and the Birmingham area. We like the city, we like the stadium, we like the relationship with the White Sox. We felt this was the place for us," Kuehnert said.

"I think this is in the best interest of baseball in Birmingham and the Barons. It's going to be great for the fans. Suntory represents a financial interest with the resources to do so much more than we ever could. So, it's a happy time for me. But it's also sad. The Barons have been my life in the past ten years. Kathy (Clarkson's wife) and I have agonized over this. We've cried over it. Now it's a decision that has been made, and one thing we won't do is second-guess it," Clarkson said.

The purchase price was not announced, but it is believed to have been around $3.6 million.

Clarkson also made a point to say that he would not be involved with the local World League of American Football franchise nor is he a candidate to replace Jimmy Bragan as President of the Southern League, as has been rumored of late. 

"If they would let UAB have a (football) team and allow me to market it, we'd put people in Legion Field. About five years down the road we'd have some kind of anniversary celebration for Legion Field, then tear it down and build a domed stadium," Clarkson said.

The altercation had been building for weeks. "I had taken enough of the verbal things (from Ventura). Finally, we squared off on the bus, but I thought we had that taken care of by the time we got home. When I got off the bus I heard some screaming and they came at me with baseball bats. I started running. Somebody got the bats away from them, but Magallanes sneaked around behind the bus, got another bat and hit me in the back of the head," Trafton said.

The Barons have placed Trafton on the disabled list and he will not play in the playoffs. "I told them I could play in a couple of days, but they basically told me my season is over and to go on home. I'm not too happy right now. When I needed support from them, I didn't get it," Trafton said.

Kuehnert thinks the Barons chances are excellent. "We feel we have to be one of the top choices in the country. We have the facility, we have the financing, and we have the track record in Double-A. But we're taking nothing for granted. We're going to be working very hard for this, from now until the time the two new Triple-A franchises are awarded," Kuehnert said.

The requirements are high, including a park of 10,000 or more seats, quality ownership, location, market size, a season ticket base of at least 2,500, a franchise fee that could run as high as $5 million and additional territorial compensation for the Southern League. "We feel we are in good shape in all areas. The only negative could be geographic, that is, if they wanted two teams on the East Coast or two on the West, or just wanted to stay out of the South all together," Kuehnert said. Last year, however, the Barons only sold 1,100 season tickets.

The new Triple-A teams could begin play as early as 1992. A formal presentation will be give by the Barons in November with a decision by the committee by next September.

After some discussion between the Barons and Knights, Charlotte Knights President Spencer Stolpen then approaches the league with a new joint offer. "If the directors don't accept this offer, they are going to have some big-time trouble on their hands. Spencer Stolpen is a lawyer. You can take that where you want to take it. But I'll tell you, he (Stolpen) was hot. I think we're both angrier today after thinking about it overnight. We spent all day (discussing the payment), and the Texas League spend a half an hour (with Tulsa's request to move up). And they asked no indemnity at all. I can't see why our league couldn't have been as fair," Kuehnert said.

Bragan discounted Kuehnert's suggestions of possible legal action. "I certainly didn't read that into my talk with Spencer Stolpen. Our discussions have been amiable, and I'm disappointed that Marty Kuehnert has chosen to inject the possibility of any kind of legal action. I just can't see it happening," Bragan said.

Bragan will write a letter to the Triple-A Expansion Committee informing them that the indemnity issue has been resolved and at what coast to each team.

Franklin said the White Sox won't allow the Barons to send Jackson to play in the outfield. "He'll be our designated hitter, that's all," Franklin said.

"I have enjoyed my four days here. The main thing is that being here with these guys and being in my home town has been great. I wish there was a way to thank everybody," Jackson said.

Although the presence of Jackson caused high demand for tickets, the Barons failed to win a single game during those four days.

Rumors are that Suntory International is preparing to remove Kuehnert as Barons CEO.

In a related story, Art Clarkson's investment team was turned down by the Jefferson Parish Metropolitan Baseball Commission, who chose the Denver franchise over Clarkson's group, who had agreed to purchase the Double-A Charlotte Knights franchise and move it to New Orleans. Clarkson's group was passed over because of a stipulation in their bid demanding a new stadium be built in New Orleans before 1993.

The brawl started when a Barons pitcher hit a Carolina batter in retaliation to the previous inning when a Carolina pitcher hit a Baron batter. 

The Barons had the last laugh, however, as they won 10-4.

In college, Francona led the University of Arizona to the 1980 national championship. He then went on to play eight years in the major leagues, with Montreal, the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland.

Francona began his coaching career with the Rookie Sarasota White Sox of the Gulf Coast League in 1991. In 1992, he was named to his first managing position by the Class-A South Bend White Sox. Following that season, Francona was a coach for the Grand Canyon franchise of the Arizona Fall League.

Tennessee manager Rocket Wheeler said that players trade bats all the time "but if you're going to use it you better know all about it. I've never seen it before, ever. You suspect guys, but you never see a guy caught."

"Although I believe that baseball can and will play an important role as our nation goes through its healing process, I do not believe it is proper for us to play our championship series," Mincher said.

The Barons former manager, Nick Capra, was promoted to the Triple-A franchise in Charlotte after leading the Barons to back-to-back playoff berths in 2000 and 2001.

Backman expects the Barons style of play to resemble his own when he played second base for the Major League Baseball's 1996 world champion New York Mets. "I'll expect our team to play exceptionally hard. They'll take out guys at second base, and we'll live with the problems that may cause. It's aggressive play," Backman said.

"We were suspect coming in (to the season). But one thing we had was great chemistry. We had twenty-four guys pulling together. SoMetimes, that's more important than individual talent," Backman said.

Backman was a candidate to become manager of the White Sox but was not selected. The White Sox instead chose Ozzie Guillen to replace Jerry Manuel. The move was considered an insult to Backman, who is five years older than Guillen and has actually been a manager in the minor leagues. Backman had great success in Birmingham, leading the Barons to playoff appearances both years and winning the Southern League title his first year as manager.

With his background, Backman should be quickly hired by another organization. "I have some choices. I just want to make the right decision," Backman said. 

One option Backman has would be to join the staff of Terry Francona, a former Barons manager from 1993 to 1995. Francona was recently hired as manager of the Boston Red Sox.

"I'm really thrilled about coming to Birmingham, and I think it will be a very exciting time. The fans will see right away that we have some good young talent that will fit in with the winning tradition that Birmingham and the Barons are used to," Shines said.

The sale was conducted in secrecy and a purchase price has not been revealed. "We did not put the team on the market," said Dave Elmore, president of the previous ownership, Elmore Sports Group. Elmore learned of Don Logan's interest from the City of Hoover's director of operations, Alan Pate. "Mr. Logan mentioned a couple of years ago that if the Birmingham Barons ever were for sale, he'd be interested," Pate said. However, Don Logan said his interest in the Barons goes even further back, "Actually, I've been interested in the Barons since Suntory (a Japanese company that purchased the Barons in 1991)."

The Logan family has significant roots in Birmingham and they plan on continuing the tradition of fun, family oriented entertainment that the Birmingham area has come to expect from the Barons. "My sons, Jeff and Stan, and I share a deep pride in our Birmingham roots and a great love for the game of baseball. So we’re extremely pleased to have this opportunity to become part of the long and illustrious tradition of the Birmingham Barons. Our goal is to continue to provide a rich baseball experience in a family-friendly way to the loyal fans of the Birmingham Barons. To achieve this, we’ll work closely with the City of Hoover and our many friends there and all over the Birmingham area, as well as Minor League Baseball and the Chicago White Sox, our parent club. We look forward to many seasons of exciting games and even more fun for our fans," said Don Logan.

Don Logan moved his family to Birmingham in 1970 as he began his twenty-one year career with Southern Progress and since then the family has grown to become a major part of the area. Don has served the Birmingham area in many ways over the years as he has acted as a director of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Co-Chair of the Civil Rights Institute and a trustee of Samford University. He has also been active as a member of the President’s Council at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and serves on the Board of the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Currently, Don is the Chairman of Time Warner’s Media and Communications Group and has been in that position since July of 2002. He and his wife Sandra live in New York City but also maintain their residence locally in Birmingham.

Jeff and Stan both grew up in Birmingham and each graduated from area high schools; Jeff from Berry High School and Stan from Mountain Brook High School. After each graduated from Auburn University, they spent time living and working in Birmingham; Jeff in the financial banking industry for twelve years and Stan in a law practice for four years. Jeff currently resides in Birmingham with his family and Stan and his wife live in Atlanta.

Since leaving the Barons, Cron has led the Single-A Winston-Salem team to the Carolina League playoffs for two straight years.

The Barons have been to the Southern League playoffs a record six straight years. Cron will have the opportunity to help the Barons break their tie with the Montgomery Rebels, who set the mark in the 1970's.

The trouble began in the bottom of the sixth inning when Jacksonville's Spike Lundberg threw a pitch over Barons' Corey Smith's head. Smith pointed his bat at Lundberg and the two traded words before both dugouts emptied. The game resumed a short time later. Two factors may have led to the initial trouble, the Suns were ahead by eight runs and Lundberg had hit Birmingham's Michael Myers the last time he faced the Barons two weeks ago.

At the end of the inning, Smith returned to the field and exchanged insults with Lundberg, which prompted the second bench-clearing brawl. Witnesses report that Cron was hit in the face by a Jacksonville player.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Lundberg threw a tight pitch to Birmingham's Robert Valido. This got the two team's dugouts hurling insults across the field at each other.

In the top of the eighth inning, Jacksonville's Matt Kemp came to bat against Barons' reliever Eduardo Sierra. After two tight pitches, the benches emptied for the third and final brawl of the game.

Cron was livid that the player who punched him remained in the game. "I've been in the game a long time and I've never seen anything like this. It was out of hand. Nobody was in control. So I took my guys off the field," Cron said.

Much of the blame for the events is placed at the replacement umpires for not taking control quickly enough. Replacement umpires have been working minor league games since the start of the season after the Association of Minor League Umpires went on strike. Wilder plans to lodge a complaint about the officiating with the league office. "I'm calling as soon as I can. This has gotten out of control," Wilder said.

Santana has been with the White Sox organization for eight years, performing various duties during that time. In 1986, Santana was the starting shortstop for the World Series champion New York Mets. While with the Mets, he was a team-mate of Wally Backman, who managed the Barons in 2002 and 2003. During his career, Santana played for St. Louis, Cleveland, the Mets and the Yankees.

Santana retired as a player in 1990 and went on to work for Boston, Kansas City and the White Sox organizations.

In anticipation of the team's 21st season in Hoover in 2008, and following a series of extensive improvements to Regions Park, the organization commissioned an overhaul of the logo and uniforms that had been a staple of one of the most celebrated and historic franchises in all of Minor League Baseball.

"We have made every effort to honor our past, while modernizing and energizing the Barons brand as we move into the future," said General Manager Jonathan Nelson. "The addition of red in our color scheme is a nod to the Barons' uniforms of the 1980's and early 1990's, while our new, gray, road uniforms are strikingly similar to those of the Birmingham Black Barons, a uniform we also wore at the Rickwood Classic in 1999."

This marks the first new uniform for the Barons since 1993, and the first adjustment to the club's primary logo since 1988. "Our goal was to re-brand ourselves, to really re-energize our brand in this community," Nelson said. The Barons made slight changes to their traditional script logo.

"There's so much history involved with the team. That really demanded a certain look and a certain feel for the team. We didn't want to get too far out or too wacky," said John Hartwell, whose design studio undertook the project for the Barons.

Nelson said the Barons wanted to uphold the team's integrity with the redesign, but also develop something more attractive. "You have a lot of other minor league teams that have a lot flashier logos or color schemes than we have. But we didn't want to go too far out of the box," Nelson said.

The new uniform design is the first since Michael Jordan played with the Barons in 1994. The team will continue selling Jordan's number 45 jersey in the traditional style. "It continues to be one of the most popular items we sell," Nelson said.

Subero began his coaching career in 1999 with the Gulf Coast League Rangers before assuming the managerial duties the following season. He then skippered the Clinton LumberKings (Midwest League) for three seasons before leading Bakersfield for two seasons.

"I am looking forward to managing the Barons in 2008 as we anticipate having a fun and competitive team made up of several White Sox prospects. The White Sox and the Barons have had a great player development partnership for many years and we look forward to another great season of Barons baseball at Regions Park. I'm excited to work with my fellow coaches and I'm eager to get to know the fans in Birmingham as well," Subero said.

A left-handed-hitting middle infielder, he began his pro career in 1987 as a 10th-Round draft pick by Cleveland out of Texas A&M University. He would appear in three games with the parent club Indians in 1991, his only Major League service time, before signing with the Chicago White Sox the following season as a free agent. Prior to the 1993 campaign, Magallanes was traded to the Texas Rangers and spent two seasons in their organization. He played his final decade as a pro in the Mexican League from 1995-2005, save a brief 16-game stint in the Arizona Diamondbacks system in 2004.

"Over the years we have been fortunate enough to have great Barons field managers who develop our players into major leaguers, win championships and make positive contributions to the Birmingham community," said Barons General Manager Jonathan Nelson.

"This just makes sense on a lot of levels. Most people aren't aware of the rich history of baseball in Jackson and West Tennessee. It dates all the way back to 1903. We're excited about the new branding initiative and the overwhelming fan support just at the mention of renaming the team. We've set some attendance records for the season just since the announcement and we haven't even revealed the new brand yet," said General Manager Tom Hanson.

Birmingham Mayor William Bell and Barons owner Don Logan, who signed the agreement at a UAB pep rally, said a final agreement could be complete within five days. The City Council would be involved at that point. If a final agreement is reached, construction could begin as early as January or February.

Bell said signing a permanent tenant was critical to the project. "Now we have the framework in which we can go forward. We are finalizing a lot of things for the actual agreement which will have to go before the City Council," Bell said.

Logan has been open for years to returning the Barons to Birmingham, but only if it made good business sense. "The whole trend has been to develop downtown stadiums both for major league and minor league. It's also seen as a catalyst for growth in and around the (new Railroad) park. It's just a great place to be," Logan said.

The new stadium would actually hold less fans than Regions Park where the Barons have played since 1988. Regions Park holds 10,000 while the proposed ballpark would hold 8,500. Logan says the proposed configuration is common for the newer ballparks and the team wants a stadium that appeals to a cross-section of fans. The stadium is projected to cost around $39 to $48 million. Land costs have been estimated to run from $4 to $10 million. The stadium would be funded by increasing the city's lodging tax 3.5 percentage points which was approved by the City Council late last month.

Bell said the stadium would be the anchor for a redevelopment area called Parkside, which would extend from Railroad Park across Interstate 65 to the former Trinity Steel Industrial site.

Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos expressed disappointment when told of the signing. "I'm truly disappointed they didn't contact me or anyone from the city of Hoover staff of their intention. We've had a good working relation ship for 20 years. We have a great, safe stadium and we are disappointed they are going to be leaving," Petelos said.

The Barons' lease with the city of Hoover expires in December. Logan hopes the city of Hoover will work with the Barons to make a smooth transition while the new stadium is being built. There is a five-year renewal option.

However, Petelos said Hoover is not interested in a short-term lease with the Barons.

Bell understands the Barons situation and hopes to have the new ballpark ready within 18 months. "We realize they are under some time constraints. The sooner we can get started the better," Bell said.

The Barons announce the hiring of Bobby Magallanes as manager for the 2011 season. Bobby is the younger brother of former Barons manager Ever Magallanes, who lead the club for the last two seasons.

Bobby led the Class AA Arkansas Travelers to the 2008 Texas League Championship and owns a career managerial record of 448-531 over seven seasons.

Bobby, began his coaching career in 2002 with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's rookie-level Arizona League affiliate in Tempe. In 2004, he was named manager of the Angels' Class-A affiliate in Cedar Rapids and enjoyed a three-year campaign with the Kernels, posting a 205-214 record. For the past three seasons, he has managed Arkansas to a 178-242 record.

A right-handed-hitting infielder, he began his pro career as a 50th-Round selection in 1989 draft by Seattle out of Cerritos College in California. In eight minor-league seasons with eight teams, Magallanes played in 545 games with a .249 (451-for-1814) batting average, 106 doubles, 2 triples, 46 home runs, 209 RBI and 451 runs.

The Barons announce the hiring of Julio Vinas as manager for the 2013 season. Last season, Julio was manager of the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators.

Vinas was drafted in 1991 and enjoyed an 11-year Major League playing career with four different clubs, including the Chicato White Sox. In 1995, he was a catcher with the Birmingham Barons.

His coaching career began in the Orioles organization in 2001 as the Field Coach with the Gulf Coast Orioles. From 2002-04 Vinas served as a Roving Hitting Instructor for the Orioles before spending six seasons as their Minor League Hitting Coordinator from 2005-10. His first managerial opportunity came in 2011 when he returned to the White Sox organization as the Manager of the Class A Winston-Salem Dash.

"It's been a great experience. I've said from Day One, this is a special group of guys and that's how it played out all year. They never gave in, kept battling. It was a really incredible year. The celebration after was well worth it for them. They really deserved it," said Barons manager Julio Vinas.

The Barons announce the hiring of Ryan Newman as manager for the 2016 season. For the past two seasons, Newman was manager of the Triple A Charlotte Knights.

Prior to Charlotte, Newman was the manager of Class-A Winston-Salem Dash in 2013. His past managerial experience has taken him to Short Season Great Falls from 2011-12 and Short Season Bristol from 2009-10. He guided Great Falls to a Pioneer League Championship in 2011. Before joining the White Sox organization, he spent time coaching in the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations. 

Newman was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 37th round of the 2000 free-agent draft, but did not sign. He later enjoyed a three-year Minor League playing career in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Newman is the son of former Major League catcher Jeff Newman, who spent a total of nine-years with the Oakland A's and Boston Red Sox.