We visit Metro Bank Park, the newly renovated home of the Harrisburg Senators. Page 3: Touring the Ballpark. TOURING THE BALLPARK Another area where attention to detail can be noted: the outfield concourse. Metro Bank Park features a wraparound concourse (mostly; it dips to the ground level in the right-field corner) and manages to do […]
Archive | Visits
Ballpark Visit: Metro Bank Park / Harrisburg Senators / 2
We visit Metro Bank Park, the newly renovated home of the Harrisburg Senators. Page 2: Rolling on the River. ROLLING ON THE RIVER There’s a long history of baseball in Pennsylvania’s capitol, going way back to the days of the original Interstate Association/Eastern League in 1883 and a Harrisburg entry in that circuit, playing as […]
Metro Bank Park / Harrisburg Senators
Talk about an extreme makeover: the baseball experience in Harrisburg is totally different than it was two years ago, and to term the change at Metro Bank Park a renovation is to downplay how dramatically everything at the old Riverside Stadium is different. Metro Bank Park is, basically, a brand-new ballpark with a brand-new-ballpark price […]
The Rickwood Classic and baseball in America
Carrying the weight of 100 years of baseball history — never mind the 100 years of social and civil-rights history as well — is an awfully heavy load for any ballpark. But Birmingham’s Rickwood Field was equal to the task during the 15th annual Rickwood Classic Wednesday, as fans celebrated the upcoming 100th anniversary of […]
Ballpark Visit: Regions Park / Birmingham Barons / 2
We visit Regions Park, the home of the Birmingham Barons. Page 2: Cruising the Ballpark. CRUISING THE BALLPARK As noted, the ballpark was built when Birmingham had allusions of securing a Triple-A team, so it's big. It seats over 10,000, but a crowd of over 13,000 was accommodated for the recent SEC Baseball Tournament championship […]
Regions Park / Birmingham Barons
Regions Park is a big ballpark. Really big. Built to Triple-A specs at a time when Triple-A specs actually meant something, Regions Park is the very huge home of the Birmingham Barons. Too big, really, for the Barons. (But not too big for the SEC Baseball Tournament, which ended last week drawing 9,957 fans a […]
Ballpark Visit: Alliant Energy Field / Clinton LumberKings / 3
We visit Alliant Enery Field, home of the Clinton LumberKings. Page 3: Summary, Concessions, For the KidsSUMMARY There are very few ballpark renovations carried out as successfully as the overhaul of Alliant Energy Field in 2005-2006: the essential nature of the WPA-era ballpark remains intact, while the LumberKings are better able to serve fans today […]
Ballpark Visit: Alliant Energy Field / Clinton LumberKings / 2
We visit Alliant Energy Field, the historic home of the Clinton LumberKings. Page 2: Celebrating the atmosphere of a historic ballpark.This is a pretty old ballpark; true, it’s not been that long since Alliant Energy Field was known as Riverview Stadium, its name since its construction under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), […]
Ashford University Field / Clinton LumberKings
Ashford University Field is living proof of one prime rule for ballparks: Never, ever tear down an old facility. There are precious few ballparks out there that so successfully combine the old and the new as Ashford University Field, and any community trying to figure out what to do with a historic, old facility should […]
Ballpark Visit: Community Field / Burlington Bees / 2
We visit Community Field, the longtime home of the Burlington Bees. Page 2: Visiting a classic ballpark, updated for modern times.There’s a long tradition of baseball in this southern Iowa city: Professional baseball was first played there in 1889 with the debut of the Burlington Babies, with the Burlington Bees first hitting the field in […]
Community Field / Burlington Bees
There is nothing ostentatious about Community Field, the home of the Burlington Bees. Yes, there are some theater-style seats behind home plate — but not too many. There’s a single suite on the second level of the grandstand, but there’s no private entrance or even an elevator leading up there — you need to walk […]
Ballpark Visit: State Mutual Stadium / 3
We visit State Mutual Stadium, the home of the Rome Brave. Page 3: CONCESSIONS There are, of course, the aforementioned tater tots, one of the underrated classics of American cuisine. No, we're not being ironic or meta; we really love tater tots as a healthier and tastier alternative to the fried French fry. More […]
Ballpark Visit: State Mutual Stadium / 2
We visit State Mutual Stadium, the home of the Rome Brave. Page 2: No Article Text