The Carolina League doesn’t compete anymore in classic Carolina League ballparks (for the most part, anyway), but at least some of the great old ballparks are still in play; the Burlington Royals compete in the rookie-level Appalachian League, so you can drop by every summer and see professional ballplayers in action. FAST FACTS Year Opened: […]
Author Archive | Kevin Reichard
Bright House Field / Philadelphia Phillies / Clearwater Threshers
When you replace a classic Florida State League ballpark, your new home had better be damned impressive. Ballparks fans shed a tear when the Phillies decided to replace Jack Russell Stadium with a new ballpark, but the replacement — Bright House Networks Field — is such a great facility, you’ll find yourself rarely yearning for […]
The Ballpark at Harbor Yard / Bridgeport Bluefish
The Ballpark at Harbor Yard is a comfortable enough venue to watch the Bluefish take on the Atlantic League, which often includes a former major leaguer or two. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 1998 Capacity: 5,300 + 200 standing room Original Price: $19 million Dimensions: 325L, 405C, 405R Playing Surface: Grass Website: bridgeportbluefish.com Phone: 203/345-4800 League: […]
Chase Field / Arizona Diamondbacks
There is simply no escaping an air-conditioned existence if you spend any time in Phoenix in the summer: the desert atmosphere so welcome for spring training in March becomes rather tiresome by the beginning of June, when it’s just too damn hot to be outside. At the end of the day, air conditioning is perhaps […]
NYSEG Stadium / Binghamton Mets
NYSEG Stadium may not be the flashiest facility in the minors, but may be the most family-friendly facility we’ve run across in a long time. It’s a ballpark where kids can run the bases in the middle of the fifth — and not after the game, as many teams do on a weekly basis — […]
AT&T Field / Chattanooga Lookouts
Frank Burke bought the Lookouts in the mid nineties but felt the team had to have a new stadium to stay in Chattanooga. In the fall of 1998, Burke announced that he and his ownership group would build a privately funded ballpark if the team could sell 1,800 season tickets. The 1800th ticket was sold […]
McCormick Field / Asheville Tourists
McCormick Field, the longtime home of the Asheville Tourists, is both a classic ballpark of the Sally League and an example of a ballpark reconstruction done right. Located on the edge of downtown Asheville, McCormick Field has been the psychic center of baseball in Asheville since opening in 1924. FAST FACTS Year Opened: 1924; rebuilt […]
McCrary Park / Asheboro Copperheads
McCrary Park was built in 1946 by McCrary Mills and served as the home for the highly successful McCrary Eagles, the Mill’s industrial league team for 1946-1957. The park would go on to serve as the home for Asheboro Post 45 following the revival of the program in the late 1950s; today the park is […]
Angel Stadium / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
There was a lot made about the Disneyfication of Angel Stadium in 1998, when then-Angels owner Disney Corp. hired Populous and cutting-edge architect Robert A.M. Stern to remodel the aging facility. Though hailed as a success — the former mixed-use facility was finally reconfigured to a baseball-only venue — one thing is crystal-clear now that […]
Knute Nelson Memorial Field / Alexandria Beetles
The smallest market in the college wood-bat Northwoods League at 10,000 residents, Alexandria may have the most passionate fans in the league as well. The team regularly draws over 1,000 fans a game. In other words, about 1 in 10 Alexandria residents attends every Beetles game — a pretty remarkable statistic, and one most minor-league […]
Drip, drip, drip: criticism of Mets, Citibank deal continues
Complaints continue to roll in about Citibank receiving U.S. bailout and then reaffirming its commitment to spend $400 million on Mets naming-rights deal.Complaints continue to roll in about Citibank receiving U.S. bailout and then reaffirming its commitment to spend $400 million on Mets naming-rights deal. Now, it’s not to the point where either corporation is […]
Marlins ballpark delayed until 2012
The Florida Marlins say legal challenges forced them to delay the opening of their new ballpark. Legal challenges to funding of a new Florida Marlins ballpark has forced the team to delay its opening for a year, to 2012. The decision came after team officials met with Hunt/Moss regarding construction timelines. That’s not a surprise: […]
Concerns raised over Omaha CWS ballpark design
Though final plans have not been unveiled, some neighbors of the new downtown Omaha College World Series ballpark worry it will lack the promised street-level retail needed to spur neighborhood development.Some neighbors of the new downtown Omaha College World Series ballpark worry it will lack the promised street-level retail needed to spur neighborhood development, and […]