Columbus Council backs mayor’s move on Minor League Baseball’s return to Golden Park

Tim Chitwood
·2 min read

In a last-minute addition to Columbus Council’s agenda Tuesday night, Mayor Skip Henderson asked councilors to support bringing a Minor League Baseball team back to Golden Park.

Council voted unanimously to approve the resolution as its 5:30 p.m. meeting began.

The historic baseball stadium at 100 Fourth Street has not had a farm team associated with Major League Baseball since the Columbus Catfish left in 2008. The ballpark currently is home to the Columbus Chatt-a-Hoots, who are in the Sunbelt Baseball League that offers a summer season for college athletes hoping to play professionally.

The Chatt-a-Hoots this summer are to be joined by another Sunbelt League team, the Chattahoochee Monsters, who relocated here from Oxford, Alabama.

Sandra Adams celebrates her catch of a foul ball in the fifth inning of a doubleheader between the Chatt-a-Hoots and the Alpharetta Aviators Saturday afternoon, July 3, 2021. The Hoots lost both games.
Sandra Adams celebrates her catch of a foul ball in the fifth inning of a doubleheader between the Chatt-a-Hoots and the Alpharetta Aviators Saturday afternoon, July 3, 2021. The Hoots lost both games.

The resolution the mayor added to the meeting agenda said council “wishes to explore the possibility of bringing a minor league MLB baseball team back to Columbus,” and resolves to offer its “enthusiastic support” of that effort. It authorizes the mayor and staff “to continue discussions with Diamond Baseball Holdings and other parties to explore opportunities to relocate a minor league team to Golden Park.”

The website for Diamond Baseball Holdings, founded in 2021, says it is “committed to elevating fan experiences, creating ‘centers of energy,’ fostering dynamic engagements for brands and highlighting the evolution of the Minor League Baseball environment. It is grounded in a deep-rooted appreciation for traditions, community and the sport of baseball.”

Among the teams Diamond Holdings owns and operates are the Rome, Georgia Braves; the Pearl, Mississippi Braves; the Midland, Texas Rockhounds; the San Jose, California Giants; and the Wichita, Kansas, Wind Surge, the website says.

Golden Park was built in the 1920s and named for T.E. Golden of Golden’s Foundry, who chaired the city’s recreation board.

Here are some of the teams that have been based there over the years:

  • The Columbus Foxes, named for former Atlanta player Jim Fox, the team manager, played at Golden Park 1926-1932.

  • The Columbus Red Birds, affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals, played there 1936-1955.

  • The Columbus Yankees, affiliated with the New York Yankees, 1964-1966.

  • The Columbus Astros, affiliated with the Houston Astros, 1970-1988; renamed the Mudcats 1989-1990.

  • The Columbus RedStixx, affiliated with the Cleveland Indians, 1991-2002.

  • The South Georgia Waves, associated with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2003.

  • The Columbus Catfish, associated with the Dodgers, 2004-2006; then with the Tampa Bay Rays, 2007-2008.

Fans gather to watch the Columbus Chatt-a-hoots home opener against the Waleska Wild Things on June 5, 2021, at Golden Park in Columbus, Ga.
Fans gather to watch the Columbus Chatt-a-hoots home opener against the Waleska Wild Things on June 5, 2021, at Golden Park in Columbus, Ga.