Triple-A Baseball All-Star Game Events Start Saturday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Coming up next week the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham is playing host to the annual Triple-A All-Star Game for all of Minor League Baseball. Since announcing this last year, the event has blossomed into an epic occasion.

Players from every team in the minor league will be in Durham to play the Wednesday night game, as well as to participate in the events that kick off this prestigious event starting Saturday night.

"This is a major coup for Durham," said Shelly Green, President and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB). "We expect more than 30,000 fans to attend the festivities over the five-day period.  Not only will these visitors spend a lot of money in Durham…about $3.3 million…but they are sure to have a great time as the Durham Bulls certainly know how to pull off spectacular events,” she added.

In addition to promotion of the game and pre-game festivities to visitors and residents alike, DCVB will assist the Bulls in hosting the visiting teams and officials with Minor League Baseball's governing organization.  One amenity DCVB offers is a concierge-like service at the host hotel where friendly and knowledgeable Durham Wayfinders are stationed with iPads at key times to help the players, staff and dignitaries find everything they need in Durham. 

To enhance fan excitement about the game, The Durham Bulls have released three sets of tickets to the game on Wednesday that will be given away on the Durham, NC Facebook fan page. Those interested in winning should like the page to see all the details and chances to win.

The schedule of events follows:

Saturday, July 12

• All-Star Fan Fest - 11am-2pm at Durham Bulls Athletic Park
• All-Star Block Party - 6pm-10pm on Blackwell St. adjacent the DBAP
• Free admission to both All-Star Fan Fest & Block Party (food & beverage available for purchase)
• Share your Fan Fest & Block Party experiences using #AllStarFanFest and #AllStarBlock party on social media.

Monday, July 14

• Triple-A Home Run Derby - 6:35pm at Durham Bulls Athletic Park
• Buy Tickets for the Triple-A Home Run Derby online
• Share your Home Run Derby experiences using #TripleAHRDerby on social media.

Tuesday, July 15

• All-Star Workout Day - 2pm-5pm at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (open to public)
• IL & PCL All-Star Autograph Session - Approximately 2:45pm-4:00pm

Wednesday, July 16

• 2014 Cree Triple-A All-Star Game - 7:07pm at Durham Bulls Athletic Park
• Buy Tickets for the 2014 Cree Triple-A All-Star Game online
• Share your All-Star Game experiences using #ASGDurham on social media.

Understanding the power of social media, the Bulls are urging attendees to use the hashtags indicated above to ensure that the events get fan engagement at the global level. Fans are encouraged to join the conversation and share the energy at the events.

Durham is exciting year 'round. Stay up to date on all that is happening here with the Durham Event Calendar, and plan a trip to Durham online.

Bulls Baseball Season

Craving peanuts and cracker jacks? Enjoy a rousing chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch in Durham. Fortunately, the Durham Bulls have already hit a home run this season with the newly renovated Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Find out more about the Durham Bulls...

Durham Bulls Say, May the Fourth Be With You

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... there was a baseball team that played America's favorite sport in the Bull City for thousands of fans from near and from far. Or perhaps it wasn't a long time ago, and the Durham Bulls aren't too far away. 

Durham's favorite Triple-A baseball team will celebrate the spirit of Star Wars while wishing their young and old intergalactic fans, "May the Fourth be with you!" on Sunday, May 4, 2014. Fans will be able to take photos and interact with their favorite Star Wars characters and watch Bulls players wear R2-D2 themed jerseys, which have already garnered national acclaim.

This annual family-friendly event, is one of several popular family-focused events at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park this season, and comes on the heels of a $20 million upgrade. Both the theme night and the upgrade speak to the demand and value for family-friendly events in Durham.

The 10,000-seat Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Downtown Durham is already well-known for delivering a grand-slam ballpark experience in the heart of the American Tobacco District, and now the upgrades have the park looking better than ever. Groups will have more room to stretch in terrace seating areas, announcers will rev up the crowd with an improved sound system, seats will be more comfortable, and additional LED video signs will allow fans to feel even closer to the action or to team mascot Wool E. Bull.

In addition to the ballpark, Durham has plenty of activities for families, such as the award-winning Museum of Life + Science, and trips to DPAC- Durham Performing Arts Center. With such great entertainment, the family won't be bored. Learn more about the Durham Bulls 2014 season or find a kids itinerary in Durham.

Fourth of July Fire Works at DBAP

The Durham Bulls return home to the DBAP in Durham on Saturday, June 29 to begin a stretch of six home games in seven days, featuring visits from the Columbus Clippers and Norfolk Tides. The Bulls’ annual Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza, two other fireworks shows and Swing for the Cure Night highlight the event calendar.

The Bulls kick off the homestand with the first of four games against the Columbus Clippers, Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, on Saturday, June 29 at 7:05pm.  Sport Durst Automotive Group presents the annual Swing for the Cure Night, where the Bulls will wear special pink jerseys that will be available in an in-game auction to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Fans can also support the cause by purchasing a special $12 package that includes a game ticket, pink hat, pink bracelet and a $2 donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  The package can be purchased online here using the offer code KOMEN or at the DBAP box office. Immediately following the game will be the first Saturday night fireworks show of the season.

On both Saturday and Sunday, young Bulls fans will be t
reated to a visit from Foofa of Nick Jr.’s wildly popular children’s show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” thanks to the Goddard School.  Foofa will be available for photos during both of the weekend games.  Sunday’s 5:05pm game, presented by Big Green Egg, will also feature Pepsi Kids Run the Bases postgame.

The series with Cleveland’s top affiliate continues on Monday with a 7:05pm start. Tuesday’s 7:05pm game is another AAA Membership Card Night. At every Tuesday home game in 2013, fans who show their AAA Membership Card can buy one Terrace Reserved ticket and get one, courtesy of AAA Carolinas.  The Bulls then travel to Fort Mill, SC for a one-game road trip against the Charlotte Knights.

On Thursday, July 4, the Bulls welcome the division rival Norfolk Tides for a two game series.  Immediately following the 6:05pm game on the 4th of July presented by PNC, the Bulls will host the City of Durham’s official Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza, the most dazzling pyrotechnics spectacular in the region.

The Bulls close out Independence Week with a 7:05pm game, presented by Carolina Packers, against the Baltimore Orioles’ top affiliate on Friday, July 5.  Another huge patriotic fireworks display will follow that game, with the Carolina Packers annual Hot Dog Eating Contest preceding fireworks.

The Durham Bulls return home to the DBAP on Saturday, June 29 to begin a stretch of six home games in seven days, featuring visits from the Columbus Clippers and Norfolk Tides. Tickets for all home games are available at online, by phone at 919.956.BULL, or at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park box office.

Learn about all the fun to be had in Durham online with the Durham Event Calendar.

New 20-year Agreement Lets Durham Bulls Continue to Call DBAP Home

It looks like the summertime refrain "Play Balll" will be heard for another couple of decades as the Durham Bulls renewed their agreement to use the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for another 20 years.

City Manager Tom Bonfield recommended yesterday that the City of Durham continue its long-term relationship with the Durham Bulls by extending the team’s lease of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP), which also restructures each party’s financial obligations. The new agreement, good until 2033, with two additional five-year options for renewal, is projected to save the City about $7.4 million over the life of the lease.

“This new proposed lease agreement is a win-win for the City, the Durham Bulls and most of all, the fans,” Bonfield said. “The DBAP and the Bulls Baseball Club have become synonymous with the success and resurgence of downtown Durham. During the season, the team attracts approximately 500,000 people to downtown with a vibrancy that extends well beyond the boundaries of the ballpark itself.”

“The Durham Bulls Baseball Club and Capitol Broadcasting Company are proud to build on the public-private partnership with the City of Durham that has led to one of the country’s most successful downtown renewals,” said George Habel, Durham Bull’s vice president. “In addition, improvements will help the ballpark remain a premier attraction in a highly competitive market. And the City will no longer bear the responsibility of day-to-day maintenance, moving those chores instead to the Bulls.”

Under the new proposed agreement, operating costs and expenses, which cost the city yearly over $200,000 more than revenues, now becomes the responsibility of the Bulls Club. Additionally, the Bulls will be responsible for maintenance and repair costs up to $200,000 as well as all utility costs.

About $6 million worth of deferred maintenance remains to be done by the City, in addition to nearly $8 million worth of improvements requested by the Bulls. The Bulls will contribute $2 million to the improvements and will be responsible for any cost overruns.

“This new financial model will help pay for debt service and other capital improvements, eliminate the need to use general funds to support the ballparks’ day-to-day operations, and reduce the City’s obligation for future capital repairs and upgrades,” Bonfield said. The current lease agreement was scheduled to end in 2015.

City Council will vote on the proposed agreement, along with a professional services agreement for preconstruction and construction services for DBAP repairs and renovations, at its May 6 meeting at 7 p.m.

For more information about places to visit in Durham, click here.

Durham Bulls Athletic Park To Host 2013 ACC Baseball Championship

One of the ways Durham is known is as the City of Champions.  So then it would only seem fitting to be host to the ACC Baseball Championship in 2013 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.


The round-robin, pool-play tournament will showcase the top eight ACC teams and will feature three games on May 22-25 (Wednesday through Saturday). The championship game between the two pool winners will be played on Sunday afternoon.

The ACC Baseball Championship annually features many of the nation's top-ranked teams. The ACC placed seven teams in the 2010 NCAA Tournament field, and a total of 15 ACC teams have reached the College World Series over the past six seasons. The 2012 season marked the ninth straight year that at least six ACC teams had been selected for NCAA postseason play and the 11th consecutive year that at least five conference teams were chosen.

Located in Downtown Durham with a seating capacity of 10,000, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP) serves as home to the Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A affiliate and has been the host venue for the ACC Baseball Championship on five prior occasions (1996, 1998, 1999, 2009 and 2011).

Passes for this tournament are available now online here.  Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.  To get more information about planning a visit to Durham for this sports spectacle, have a look at Durham online.

Scotty McCreery to Headline National Championship Game

Along with baseball, folks usually mention apple pie, but country music fits right in there with the list of things, too.  Fortunately, for those who love baseball and country music, there is an upcoming event that is tailor-made. Apple pie fans may have to go to one of Durham's fine restaurants to satisfy their craving, however.

The Durham Bulls today announce Scotty McCreery will headline festivities at the 2012 Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game at the DBAP on Tuesday, September 18. The country music superstar will throw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch and perform “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th Inning Stretch.

McCreery, a native of Garner, NC, was crowned the winner of the tenth season of American Idol in 2011. He has since become one of country music’s brightest young stars, selling over a million copies of his debut album Clear as Day.  Now enrolled at North Carolina State University, McCreery is an avid baseball fan, having played on the Garner High School baseball team.

The 2012 Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game is a one-game, winner-take-all showdown between the champions of the International and Pacific Coast Leagues. Durham is the first International League city to host Minor League Baseball’s premier event, which will be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network. 

Tickets for the 2012 Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on September 18th are available online, by phone at 919.956.BULL, or in person at the DBAP ticket office.

Durham is where great things happen.  Learn more about it online.

2009 World Series MVP Plays for Durham Bulls

So not only are the Durham Bulls the most famous Triple A baseball team in the world and the subject of the most famous sports movie of all time, Bull Durham, but now they have the 2009 World Series MVP playing for them?

Yes.  Yes they do.

And where a titan roams, so does his competition.  In other words, there is some epic baseball at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park to be had by fans.  Read on.  Go.  Chances like this don't stroll across home plate often.

The Bulls report that the Boston Red Sox have confirmed that pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is scheduled to start for their Pawtucket affiliate on Thursday, May 17th at the DBAP.  “Dice-K” is slated to face off against countryman Hideki Matsui, who is scheduled to make his debut for the Bulls tonight.  Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance for the 7:05pm game, as a capacity crowd is expected.

The 31 year old Matsuzaka has made four Minor League rehab starts since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of last year.   In his last start with Triple-A Pawtucket, the Tokyo native allowed five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.  Matsuzaka owns a 49-30 career Major League record with a 4.25 ERA.  He was part of the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox, where he helped the team sweep the Colorado Rockies in four games, earning the victory in game three.  

Hideki Matsui is scheduled to arrive in Durham today and, barring setbacks, make his Bulls debut in tonight’s series opener against the PawSox.  Matsui owns a .214 (3-14) lifetime ML average against Matsuzaka, with 2 RBI, 0 HR, a .421 OBP and 1 strikeout.

Tickets for all Bulls regular season home games and the 2012 Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game are available online, by phone at 919.956.BULL or in person at the DBAP ticket office.

Redesign the Durham Bulls' Blue Monster Wall

Durham has a monster.  It's not a scary monster at all. It's blue.  It's got a fresh coat of paint.  It's also a wall, and it needs to be redesigned.

The Durham Bulls have announced a contest to redesign the famed Blue Monster Outfield Wall at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.  The 32-foot-high wall in left field was completely refurbished in the off-season and now sports a clean coat of navy blue paint.  Beginning today, Bulls fans will have the opportunity to submit their own designs for the wall’s artwork via the team’s Facebook page.  Fans will then be able to vote for selected finalists, with the winning design becoming the inspiration for the Blue Monster’s new look.

Since being built in 1995, the DBAP’s Blue Monster has been adorned with several different paint jobs, ranging from the words “The Blue Monster” to a pair of menacing eyes on the wall.  Before the 2012 season, the outfield wall was deconstructed and rebuilt with a new weatherproof wood surface and a fresh coat of paint.  The “clean” paint job (see attached photo) will be presented to fans as a finalist in the design contest.

When visiting the Bulls’ Facebook page, fans can click on the “Design the Monster” tab which will take them directly to the contest.  A blank template of the Blue Monster (attached) will be available to print and download, and fans are encouraged to use the template to create their design before submitting it as a .jpg file.  Only designs that utilize the white areas of the template will be considered; any submissions that contain alterations to existing signage will not be considered as finalist material.  Submissions will be accepted through May 2.  The best concepts will then be put to a fan vote.

Oh Say Can You Sing? Bull to Host National Anthem Auditions

If you can sing, then the Durham Bulls would like to hear you.  Literally.

The Durham Bulls will hold auditions for National Anthem singers for the 2012 season on Saturday, March 10th from 10:00am until 12:00pm at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Participants may enter through the front gates and register upon arrival to perform on a first come, first serve basis. Singers may leave at the completion of their audition and will be contacted later as the Bulls choose those who will perform at limited, select dates during the 2012 season.

National Anthem performers will have one minute and thirty seconds to perform the Star Spangled Banner.  Lyrics must be memorized and performed in a "traditional style".

For additional information on singing the National Anthem at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park or if you have a group interested in performing, please contact Andrew Bryda at 919.687.6545 or by email.
                                                                                                                                                                    
The Durham Bulls open 2012 International League play at home on Thursday, April 5th when they host the Gwinnett Braves. Season ticket and mini-plan packages are now available on the Durham Bulls website or by calling 919.956.BULL.

Durham Bulls Fan Fest 2012 Kicks Off New Baseball Season

Among the many ways Durham, NC is known is by the ever-inspiring moniker City of Champions, and the hometown Durham Bulls are a great contributor to that reputation.  So every year as Winter's (wimpy, this year) grip loosens and the sun's rays warm the earth a bit, thoughts turn to baseball.

As Spring Training camps open for Major League teams, a new baseball season has arrived in Durham and the Triangle.   To kick off the season, the Durham Bulls will host Fan Fest 2012 on Friday, March 2nd and Saturday, March 3rd from 11:00am to 2:00pm at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The annual event serves as the opening day of ticket sales, giving fans their first opportunity to purchase individual game tickets. 

During Fan Fest 2012, fans will have exclusive access to one of the most celebrated ballparks in Minor League Baseball when they can take batting practice and play catch on the field at the DBAP. The Bulls box office will be open during the event, selling tickets for individual games including Opening Day on April 5th and the 4th of July fireworks extravaganza. By purchasing at least one ticket to a 2012 regular season Bulls game at Fan Fest, fans will get a free lunch at the concession stands.

A special Pepsi Ticket Package will be available at Fan Fest 2012, including four tickets to any regular season Bulls game, four Bulls caps and four six-packs of Pepsi for only $48.

Other events scheduled for Fan Fest 2012 include:

• Wool E. Bull posing for pictures and signing autographs
• Up to 50% off selected Bulls merchandise in the Ballpark Corner Store, including select fitted caps
• Full range of inflatables for young Bulls fans to enjoy
• Select-a-Seat event highlighting available season ticket and mini-plan seat locations

The Durham Bulls open 2012 International League play at home on Thursday, April 5th when they host the Gwinnett Braves. Season ticket and mini-plan packages are now available on the Durham Bulls website or by calling 919.956.BULL.

Durham Bulls Release 2012 Schedule

The Durham Bulls today announced the release of their 2012 schedule. For the first time since 2009 the Bulls will begin their season at home on Thursday, April 5^th against division-rival Gwinnett Braves at 7:05 PM.

Capping the 2012 season is the Triple-A National Championship game to be held at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Tuesday, September 18^th at 7:05 PM. It will mark the first time in almost 30 years the Triple-A Championship will be held east of the Mississippi River.

“Even though this past week we fell a little short of our expectations for this season we are really excited about the schedule and National Championship game next season,” Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling said, “It’s a great schedule for the fans which hopefully will feature a league-record sixth straight division title.”

The schedule has several favorable features, including:

• A family-friendly, 64% of home dates in April on weekends
• Both Pawtucket (Boston Red Sox) and Scranton Wilkes-Barre (New York Yankees) visit the DBAP with games on $1 Thursdays and Friday night fireworks.
• A July 4^th matchup with the Norfolk Tides
• 11 of the final 16 games at home against divisional opponents.

The Bulls are currently taking registrations for 2012 season ticket information here. For more information, call the season ticket office at (919) 956-BULL.