Ballpark junkies have always know summer-collegiate leagues were the place to see old ballparks — some renovated, many not — still in use. The emergence of the Prospect League this summer puts a slew of old and new ballparks in action.
Ballpark junkies have always know summer-collegiate leagues were the place to see old ballparks — some renovated, many not — still in use. The emergence of the Prospect League this summer puts a slew of old and new ballparks in action.
The Prospect League was formed with a major expansion of the Central Illinois Collegiate League into western Pennsylvania. Bryan Wickline, long associated with the independent Frontier League's Chillicothe Paints, is the president of the circuit. Some former Frontier League owners, like Leo Trich Jr., are also involved, and many former Frontier League ballparks are represented in the league.
A quick look at attendance figures to date shows the established CICL teams — like the Danville Dans, Quincy Gems, and Springfield Sliders — are doing well on the attendance front. A team can break even in the Prospect League drawing 500 or so days a game if the per caps are OK, and more than half the teams are above that level.
Here's a look at some of the old ballparks in the circuit. We've visited some of them — and yes, we are still moving ballpark visits from the old site to the new (sorry!!) — and we're going to try to hit more of them later this month and next. This isn't an account of all the ballparks in the league, but the ones we feel are most noteworthy.
We've covered the renovation of Clemens Field, the home of the Hannibal Cavemen , several times in the past; Larry Owens, Bob Hemond and crew have done a great job renovating the WPA-era ballpark and basically revamping everything.
QU Stadium, home of the Quincy Gems, opened in 1938 and too was a WPA project. built with stone from local quarries.
The Springfield Sliders play at Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Field, a 1928-era facility formerly hosting a slew of minor-league teams.
Danville Stadium was built by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 and hosted minor-league baseball for decades.
The Butler Blue Sox play in a renovated Pullman Stadium, built in 1934 and the home to several Yankees farm teams for 20 years. It was totally renovated in 2006.
The Richmond RiverRats play at McBride Stadium, which opened in 1936.
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