Lansing mayor Virg Bernero told me Wednesday before he leaves office, with another four year term about to begin, the Oldsmobile Park name will change.  No more General Motors money is coming in-- it was $100,000 per year for the 15 years the stadium has existed.  Bernero says there are no new prospects to take over the naming rights and he is inviting anyone to step forward and negotiate a new deal.  Bernero says a final decision on a name change will be made jointly by the City and the Lansing Lugnuts.  The park will remain Oldsmobile Park until a new deal is struck and the Mayor told me the City will not just give the name away for revenue that is considerably beneath what the City has received over the past years.

The Mayor says he doesn't know much about sports-- he's too busy running the business side of the City but he is keenly aware that  Oldsmobile Park contributes to the success of downtown and he attends Lugnuts games.  I'll bet it's tougher to sell these naming rights than what the Mayor believes although it will be interesting to see if the City goes out and actively tries to sell it to prospective businesses.  I'm not so sure the name will change any time soon.  The economy plays a role in this-- as it is the Lugnuts just hope to remain a viable financially stable organization in the years to come after the same owner, Tom Dickson, has owned the franchise since it began in 1995.