Dehler Park

Billings Mustangs, Pioneer League

7/10

                                          The entrance to the park is very straightforward. In fact, the only sign saying
"Dehler Park" that I saw was on top of the scoreboard.

                          The park has a nice backdrop of the rolling hills leading out of Billings.

                             The park is centrally located only about 10 blocks north of downtown.

I headed to Dehler Park, my 5th in the Pioneer League, in September 2013, just in time for the first game of the final homestand of the season for the Billings Mustangs, against the Missoula Osprey. I drove all day from Grand Junction to make it(nearly running out of gas 30 minutes away due to my own incompetence), and drove to Edmonton the next day. The park itself is new as of 2008, replacing venerable Cobb Field. Of note, Dehler park holds almost 1,000 people less than Cobb, checking in at an eyelash over 3,000. The name comes from a local businessman, who bought the rights.

On the plus side, the field is not quite downtown, but not in a parking lot 12 miles outside of town either. It was a 30 minute walk from my hotel, which I would have done, if I'd arrived early enough. There's a fair bit of on street parking and with the crowd being around 1,500 or so, traffic wasn't really an issue, even right before game time. The ambience was around average, of note an elderly lady wandered the park with a small megaphone, leading cheers twice during the game. It wasn't a baseball heavy experience, but on the other hand, it wasn't a three ring circus like some places. A man in my section attempted to explain the rules to two women from Sweden, to no avail. The concourse is very wide, which allows for a good flow of the crowd when the game ends, room for lines for food or drinks and even allows lots of room for wheelchairs.

The only real drawback I found were the large, thick posts used to hold up the screen. Most places are able to keep the obstructions to a minimum, but I found myself having a hard time seeing just what was going on. A move a few seats over around mid-game helped this out.

The concessions were above average, even though my Cheesesteak turned into a slice of Cheesecake. I guess that'll happen with a bigger selection. When it showed up, it was a hot dog bun, with a slice of white processed cheese and some ok steak. They did, however, have local beers on tap at a halfway decent price, which is a huge plus for me. I'm a bit of a beer snob and will usually only grab a local brew. They actually had a ton of staff on and while only so many seemed to be actively doing anything, the line moved steadily.

Billings itself is the "Metropolis" of Montana, checking in at around 115,000 people, it reminds me a fair bit of Regina, which makes a little sense. I would have liked to have gotten in in the mid-afternoon, to poke around a bit before the game.

Overall, I found Dehler to be somewhat generic, but at the same time, a little frugal. It looks like the City of Billings did their homework and built the ballpark they needed, as well as one they wanted too. There simply never was(at least to my knowledge)  a debate about building a new park vs. losing the team, as besides Billings being one of the better markets in Pioneer League territory, they've always had a good stadium to play in. It's is a little bland, but it's entirely appropriate field for Rookie level baseball, which is what Montana does best. Maybe in time, it can take on a bit more character, but for now, it's a strong 7/10.

Update 2016:  I have not been back for a 2nd game here. The Mustangs are still a Reds affiliate, one of the longest active affiliations in the minors, going back to the 1970s. Under the new ratings system, this place gets average scores for facility and atmosphere, with a token half point for the variety of food items available. I may end up back here this summer.

Linescore
2009-09-05
                                           123     456      789   R H E
Missoula Osprey(ARI)            000    600      000    6 6 0
Billings Mustangs(CIN)           120    000      100    4 10 0  
Temp: 84F  Time: 2:41 Att: 2,143