The Charlotte Knights have been working for several years toward a new downtown ballpark. After visiting Knights Stadium, it’s easy for me to see why: Although Knights Stadium is a newer ballpark (opening in 1990), it’s not very nice and not very convenient. Located 14 miles south of Charlotte in Fort Mill, S.C., it seems […]
Archive | Visits
Jack Russell Memorial Stadium
A look back at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium, the former home of the Philadelphia Phillies and Clearwater Phillies. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 1955 Former Capacity: 6,942 Dimensions: 340L, 400C, 340R Surface: Grass Address/Directions: 800 Phillies Drive, Clearwater. Take Hwy. 19 north of St. Petersburg to Drew Street, where you’ll head west approximately four miles until you […]
Fifth Third Field / Toledo Mud Hens / Page 2
Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens / page 2So, when the chance came to build a build with all the bells and whistles downtown, the city (which oversees the non-profit organization that runs the team) jumped in feet first. The result is a slightly larger version of Dayton’s ballpark, the Class A […]
Fifth Third Field / Toledo Mud Hens
Fifth Third Field is an impressive edifice that seemed to have been carved out of stone. The fact that it has helped turned Toledo’s warehouse district into the place to be during the summer is one of the more impressive feats of the young 21st century. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 2002 Capacity: 8,943 fixed seats; […]
Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium / Kannapolis Intimidators
Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium, home of the Kannapolis Intimidators, has been a bright spot in a community that’s seen more than its share of setbacks in recent years. Now, with the local economy on the verge of a return thanks to biotech firms moving into the area, the Intimidators can potentially reap the profits of their […]
Dell Diamond / Round Rock Express
ll you really need to know about the Dell Diamond is this: it feels like it’s in the middle of a former pasture. Whether the site was a pasture in the past or not is fairly irrelevant; the more important point is that the home of the Round Rock Express benefits from a bucolic setting. […]
Coca-Cola Park / Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Coca-Cola Park is surely one of the best new minor-league ballparks to come down the pike in recent years, a place where every fan — ranging from the big-buck corporate types in the dugout suites to the families setting up camp on the left-field berm — can have a fulfilling game-day experience. FAST FACTS Year […]
AutoZone Park / Memphis Redbirds
If anyone needs a model for a successful urban minor-league stadium, they need look no farther than AutoZone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds. AutoZone is renowned in minor-league baseball circles as being one of the best ballparks in use, and nothing during a recent visit dissuades us of that notion. FAST FACTS Year Built: […]
Banner Island Ballpark / Stockton Ports
Banner Island Ballpark is the centerpiece of Stockton’s urban revitalization, a lovely waterfront ballpark that serves well as home to Single-A baseball. The ballpark design is basic: a single level of seating with a concourse wrapping the entire ballpark. Though the effect comes off a little sparse — the 4,200 fixed seats are between the […]
NBT Bank Stadium / Syracuse Chiefs
While it lacks some of the frills found at other International League parks, NBT Bank Stadium does the basics pretty well. The entire park has comfortable chair-style seating with ample leg room. No bleachers anywhere. The concourse divides the lower 100 and 200 levels from the suites and general-admission upper level. The concourse also features […]
The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville / Jacksonville Suns
Boy, $34 million doesn’t buy a lot anymore when it comes to ballparks. Case in point: the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, the new $34-million home of the Jacksonville Suns. True, there’s nothing really wrong with the Baseball Grounds: when you’re settled in your new seat, the Baseball Grounds is a pleasant enough place to watch […]
Victory Field / Indianapolis Indians
Victory Field is one of the most lauded ballparks built in the last 20 years; go to the Indy Indians’ Web site and you’ll see kudos from the likes of Bob Costas, who hails the minor-league ballpark as one of the best ever built. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 1996 Capacity: 14,200 Largest crowd: 16,168 (July 22, […]
Melaleuca Field / Idaho Falls Chukars
At a time when it seems the minimum cost for a new pro-level ballpark is $12 million, the Idaho Falls Chukars have accomplished the seemingly impossible: open an impressive new ballpark for $5.6 million without cutting corners or scaling back expectations. In a world where minor-league facilities are now starting to look the same in […]