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 […]
Tag Archives | high class a
Charlotte County Sports Park / Tampa Bay Rays / Charlotte Stone Crabs
Longtime spring-training aficionados may be able to recognize Charlotte County Sports Park as the former spring home of the Texas Rangers, remodeled to serve as the spring home of the Tampa Bay Rays and the regular-season home of the Charlotte Stone Crabs. Maybe. FAST FACTS Opened: 1988; renovated in 2009 Cost: $5 million original construction; […]
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 […]
Hammond Stadium / Fort Myers Miracle / Minnesota Twins
Hammond Stadium may be best known as the spring home of the Minnesota Twins, but it’s also home to the Fort Myers Miracle of the Florida State League. Located on the southern edge of Fort Myers, the ballpark is clearly geared to the Twins and spring training, but the Miracle team draws well (at least […]
Dunedin Stadium / Dunedin Blue Jays / Toronto Blue Jays
Tucked away in the corner of a Tampa/St. Pete suburb, Dunedin Stadium (formerly known as Knology Park) is a facility designed for spring-training needs, not to serve the audience of a Class A Florida State League team. As a result, there’s not a lot of excitement surrounding a Dunedin Blue Jays game: the team is […]
Jackie Robinson Ballpark / Daytona Cubs
You don’t get any more Floridian than Jackie Robinson Ballpark, home of the Daytona Cubs of the Florida State League. Much of Florida’s baseball history intersects on this small island outside of downtown Daytona Beach, while one of the most important events in baseball history took place there as well. FAST FACTS Year Built: […]
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 […]
Wake Forest Baseball Park / Wake Forest University
Baseball fans in North Carolina talk reverently about old-time Carolina League ballparks. Ironically, there aren’t many old-time Carolina League ballparks still in use as professional-baseball venues; Kinston is about it, really. Wake Forest Baseball Park, the former Ernie Shore Field and home of the Winston-Salem Warthogs, is now home to the Wake Forest University Demon […]
California League
The California League began life as a joint operation between Major League Baaeball and the Pacific Coast League to bring a lower classification of baseball to the Pacific Coast. When baseball reorganized after the 1962 season it was repositioned as a High Class A league. Class C / 1941-1942, 1946-1962 High Class A / 1963-present […]