Best Minor League Park

[pittunited]

Harbor Park, home of the Norfolk Tides, is definitely worth checking out.

[slapshot]

I've visited (and umpired at) a few of the Minor League stadiums near me.

McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, RI. Pawtucket Red Sox, AAA. Nice cozy place. I went there before the extensive renovations. The sight lines were great, but you get a view of Pawtucket (not so great).

Alumni Field, Lowell, MA. Lowell Spnners, A (NY-Penn) Home of the Spinners their first 2 seasons. Glorified high school field. It's a great field to umpire at, because it has a full working scoreboard, the walls are still standing, well maintained. OK for baseball, because nothing else was around. Only seated about 3,500 tops, now it holds 1,500 (the tore down the stands).

LeLacheur Park, Lowell, MA. Beautiful new stadium for the Spinners, holds 4500+. Wide concourses, comfortable seats, even the bleachers with chair-backs. Every seat has an awesome, close-up view of the field and the Merrimack River. Designed by the Camden Yards architects.

Hadlock Field, Portland, ME. Portland Sea Dogs, AA. I went this past year, after renovations were done to make it look more like Fenway. A huge 37-foot wall in left field was built. It's very bare and boring, and hides a view of the highway. They have a lighthouse that comes up after every home homerun. It rose a lot that day, Portland scored something like 24 runs. Good seating, very cozy. Good view of a football field beyond right field too.

Cashman Field, Las Vegas. Las Vegas 51s, AAA. I was bored one day, so I took in a game. Not bad temp wise (about 80 degrees). Pretty good sight lines, but the stadium is very bland. It's built below street level, so if you are near the Old Strip in Vegas, you can't even really see the stadium lights from the road. They do have misters on all the time, so fans can cool off in the hot summer sun. The mascot was pretty cool, a big googly alien. And I sat right by another fan from Boston too, it was interesting talking to him.

Holman Stadium, Nashua, NH. Nashua Pride. This is the field where Jackie Robinson made his pro debut. I went there for a football game. It's very spacious, and the rows are very wide. People brought in lawn chairs to sit on the risers. I think it would be great for a baseball game (no cover though), but for football the seats only go as far down as the 40.

I hope to go see the Fisher Cats once this summer at Gill Stadium in Manchester, NH, until they move to a new stadium across town.

[habsfannova]

I went to Grant Field (Now Knology Park, or something to that effect) in Dunedin for a Spring Training game. Terrific atmosphere, a bit old.

Hey, SyPhi, didn't the Goldeneyes used to play at CannadInns?

[CrookedThumb]

The new stadium in Clearwater, FL, Bright House Field, looks really nice. However it's in a bad location.

[slapshot]

I can't believe I almost forgot this one...

Boardwalk and Baseball, Orlando, FL, KC Royals Spring Training home. My high school band was competing in the Florida Citrus Bowl festival in Orlando around New Year's of 1999. Our field competition was held at Boardwalk and Baseball. Definitely the biggest minor league stadium I have been to. Artificial infield, natural grass outfield. Weird experience, my first time on fake turf. It seemed very spacious, the huge Royals scoreboard looming over center field. We arrived there very early, and it was so foggy you couldn't see more than 50 yards any direction. It was cool seeing the fog lift and this giant scoreboard come out of nowhere. Also, they had a big amusement park next door (hence the "Boardwalk" name) with a big roller coaster screaming by.

I don't know if anyone uses this anymore. The Altanta Braves moved their ST home to Orlando on the DisneyWorld grounds I think. And the amusement park closed, so the stadium had no other attraction to tie in with it. I'm not sure when KC left that stadium.

[RyanB06]

Cashman Field, Las Vegas. Las Vegas 51s, AAA. I was bored one day, so I took in a game. Not bad temp wise (about 80 degrees). Pretty good sight lines, but the stadium is very bland. It's built below street level, so if you are near the Old Strip in Vegas, you can't even really see the stadium lights from the road. They do have misters on all the time, so fans can cool off in the hot summer sun. The mascot was pretty cool, a big googly alien. And I sat right by another fan from Boston too, it was interesting talking to him.

I forgot about this one; I've been here, too. I went with a bunch of my buddies a couple of years ago. Pretty basic minor-league park, though they do sell Dodger Dogs.

I think the mascot's name was Cosmo, IIRC.

[Phil]

Hey, SyPhi, didn't the Goldeneyes used to play at CannadInns?

First off, it's Goldeyes (unlike the James Bond movie of a similar name).

Yes, they did play in then-Winnipeg Stadium until CanWest Global Park was built for the Pan-Am Games in Wpg (1998). Their first season was 1992 or 1993, so that would have been 5 seasons.

Sweet atmosphere, sold out virtually every game for the 5 or 6 seasons since (seated between 6,000-7,000, but they recently expanded, so I don't know what they're up to now). Nothing like taking in a game with a bag of hot mini-donuts on a warm summer evening.

[pflava]

Someone mentioned it earlier..........AutoZone Park in Memphis. I don't see how a minor league park could possibly be any better. Beautiful design, right in the heart of downtown.

[bosox]

I've heard Harbor Yard in Bridgeport is nice, but I've never seen a game there.

It is nice, but the area really sucks. Its around that whole I-95 construction mess (anyone who lived/lives in CT might known about it), and I think it isn't even in the best of sections....

Other than that it is a beautiful ballpark. The only other minor league one i've been to is Citibank Park for the Long Island Ducks, and its ok, not the best, but its pretty nice.

[random]

I just saw a game a Campbell's Field in Camden, NJ and its awesome. My personal favorite is Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick, MD. however, i have also had the misfortune of seeing a game at the WORST stadium in all of minor league baseball....Prince William County Stadium in Manassas, VA.....its just awful

[JQK]

Riverfront Stadium

Newark, New Jersey

[gbasalmon]

I'm gonna have to go homer here and vote for Dunn Tire Park in Buffalo. It's really easy to get to from the 190 and the Metro Rail, and probably should be a major league park by now. Eh, they probably would have moved by now anyway. But then again, Buffalonians might support a major league team better than they do the Bisons, who I've heard don't draw that well right now. Of course, that could be because the team that should be playing in Buffalo is across Lake Erie right now...

[khalldog]

My vote would be for Dell Diamond in Round Rock. That might change when Whataburger Field opens in Corpus Christi next year.

BTW - Baseball and Boardwalk was torn down for the Posner Park development condos, hotels and retail space/office. It had been abandoned for over 10 years.

[clannhoran]

We've got a few nice ones in the Chicago area.

Silver Cross Field - Joliet Jackhammers

http://www.jolietjackhammers.com/stadium.html

Hawkinson Ford Field - Windy City Thunderbolts

http://www.wcthunderbolts.com/

Alexian Field - Schaumburg Flyers

http://www.flyersbaseball.com/general/alex...field/index.htm

Elfstrom Stadium - Kane County Cougars

http://www.kccougars.com/

All of them better than U.S. Cellular Field (Comiskey Park II), also known as "the Cell" or "the Joan", in honor of Joan Cusack, who does the U.S. Cellular commercials.

[stimpy]

McCoy stadium hoem of teh 2004 AAA all star game

[Notch Novelty]

Dunn Tire Park - they improve it every year

[the_cynic]

There's so many, how are we really going to get a true idea?

[Joshawaggie]

There's so many, how are we really going to get a true idea?

thats what i thought too, its basically just a 'what is your favorite minor league park you have been too' thread. How many famous minor league parks are there, sure a few maybe, but this is hard to say which is the best.

[-kj]

ROAD TRIP!

[Joshawaggie]

booyah! I'm in... who is payin