The name Blair County Ballpark will exist no more as the Altoona Curve franchise has reached an agreement with Peoples Natural Gas to buy the naming rights to the Lakemont facility.
Sources confirmed the deal to the Mirror on Monday. There will be an official announcement on Jan. 31. Officials from neither the Curve nor the sponsor would disclose the ballpark's new name.
"That's one of those things we're talking about, trying to decide even as we speak," Peoples spokesman Barry Kukovich said. "We're going back and forth."
Curve General Manager Rob Egan said the agreement with Peoples is "really about much more than naming rights to the ballpark" and added those details will be revealed next week.
"Peoples Natural Gas is very interested in the long-term success and vitality of the community and its attractions," Egan said. "This partnership and its potential for economic development in our area should be welcome news."
Some Curve fans, however, expressed skepticism about the name change.
"I ain't too crazy about it," Ed Leipold of Altoona said. "I think they ought to just keep it Blair County Ballpark. I know everything is money now, but it started here as Blair County Ballpark, that's the way it should stay."
"Wow," John Austin, Curve Booster Club treasurer, said when told of the news.
Asked what he thinks about the possible name of Peoples Natural Gas Field or Park, Austin said, "It's not a great vibe, no. Right now, it doesn't have a big ring to it."
Blair County Ballpark has maintained its original name since opening in 1999. It's unclear exactly why owner Bob Lozinak has decided to sell the naming rights with the team about to enter its 14th season in April, although it's expected to be a big financial boost for the franchise.
The club initially tried to sell naming rights to the ballpark but a sponsor never materialized. The base asking price was $1 million over 10 years, former GM Sal Baglieri said in March 1999.
Naming rights to parts of the stadium have been part of the landscape.
"I wouldn't know any other reason why they would want to change the name," Austin said. "But apparently it's a financial move that the Lozinaks must have to make, and if that's what they have to do to maintain minor league baseball, then I guess that's what they have to do."
Specific dollar figures and the number of years the deal will be in place were not available Monday.
Peoples Natural Gas - formerly called Dominion Peoples - is a Pittsburgh-based company that, according to its website, provides services to more than 359,000 customers in 16 western Pennsylvania counties. Blair is the easternmost county in its service area.
"In February of 2010, we were sold to a private investment firm, and our purpose has once again become western Pennsylvania and nothing but western Pennsylvania," Kukovich said.
"When you take a look at Blair County, you're talking almost 10 percent of our customer base. Cambria County [is] almost another 10 percent of our customer base, Westmoreland County 20 percent. So even though we're in 16 counties, you can look at the math and see just how important these three counties are to us."
Kukovich wouldn't discuss details of the agreement but had nothing but glowing words about the Curve.
"We've been associated with them for the past two years and sponsoring different events there, and we think this is just a wonderful organization and institution for Blair County and for Altoona," he said. "Supporting that, we think, is part of our desire for economic development throughout the region and for a county as important as Blair is."
Of the 12 teams in the Eastern League, four others play in a ballpark named after a corporate sponsor: Reading (FirstEnergy), Harrisburg (Metro Bank), Binghamton (NYSEG, for New York State Electric & Gas) and New Hampshire (Northeast Delta Dental).
"I guess we do live in the day and age when stadiums, ballparks, fields, auditoriums, whatever, at some point are probably going to get some type of corporate name put to them," Curve Booster Club President John Prosperi said.
"My initial reaction is I'm kind of sad to see the name Blair County Ballpark go away, just because it certainly added the local flavor to the ballpark. It always seemed like an appropriate name."
Mirror Staff Writer Cory Giger can be reached at 949-7031 and @CoryGiger on Twitter.
