Nat Bailey Stadium

Vancouver Canadians, Northwest League

10/10

 A large crowd outside just before 1st pitch, waiting to get in, pick up tickets, or come up with a new plan for the afternoon, as the game sold out.

 The first pitch of the Vancouver Canadians taking on the visiting Boise Hawks.

A great sell out crowd on a Friday Afternoon.

Firstly, this park is now known officially as Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. But I went there before this change and most people still use the old name, so we will stick with that.

I went to my first ever Pro baseball game when I was 8 years old in 1992. It was here, at "The Nat", to watch the then AAA Vancouver Canadians battle the Edmonton Trappers. This was in the midst of the Blue Jays first championship season and baseball enjoyed a higher stature in Canada than it does now. I'd love to say I enjoyed it and was hooked, but it was a slow game, with the final being either 1-0, or 2-1 and runs not coming in until the 6th or 7th inning. Eventually we left early and I jokingly taunted my Aunt and Cousin that it was their fault, knowing full well it was mine.

I went back in 2000, having turned 16, to watch the now Short Season A Vancouver Canadians take on the now defunct Portland Rockies with my Stepfather, Brother and some friends. It was the first season of the Canadians having moved down 4 rungs on the Minor League hierarchy, but as my Stepfather heard from a local die-hard, the difference in the quality of play was only so much. The team went from a poorly drawing AAA team in a small old ballpark to an NWL team in a big city, with a gem of an old park and a strong following locally. I attempted to go back in 2013, but discovered the game I wanted, the last Saturday night home game of the year, had completely sold out.

I finally got back to Nat Bailey Stadium in August 2014 and have to say that I LOVED it. There's just so much to like.

The park is a 1950s era grandstand that is very basic, featuring lots of painted concrete and wooden benches, outside of the box seats. My ticket behind the aisle cost 12.50 Canadian, which is higher than most low minor parks, but for Canada is very cheap. The park has the main concourse under the seats, but a smaller one to move people to their seats in view of the field and a teeny one at the top of the grandstand. There is a videoboard, but the main scoreboard is hand operated, which is always a nice touch.

Parking was free on the street a few blocks away, as the stadium is located in the middle of Queen Elizabeth Park. Parking right next to the stadium was 7 dollars and had bad entrance and exits, so if you're able, I'd suggest parking on the street, it saves time in the long run.

I went back solo for a Friday afternoon "Nooner at the Nat"(which actually started at 1, but we'll spot them that) against the Boise Hawks, who I hadn't seen play since my visit to Boise. The game sold out, but not every seat was filled. Still, about 4,000 people or so showed up and from die-hards to casual fans, most people were into the game...which was a good thing, as the Canadians took it on the chin, losing 10-3. I read a review from ballparkreviews.com about how the atmosphere at minor-league games in Canada is usually better and having been to a few different parks now, I totally agree. People who go to ballgames in Canada want to watch at least some baseball, pure and simple.

Another reason I enjoyed Nat Bailey was the food, it was fantastic. I was in the mood for a burger, but with the line at the main concession looking quite long, I went to the shortest line "Sushi and Asahi Beer". It's a great pairing and me, my Asahi and my Sushi had a good time(despite me spilling the sushi trying to break apart the chopsticks). I also got an ice cream helmet. Also of note, the team uses the tiny concourse at the top of the grandstand to have a few beer stands, which kept a lot of people from walking past my seat during the game, and kept the beer people and the food people from all being in the main concession area. I can't think of another older park that did that as well.

The location in a park isn't terribly scenic, but is pleasant enough for the park's purposes. Between the well maintained gem of a park, good layout and use of space, plus good food and atmosphere, it doesn't get much better than a game at "The Nat" and it now ranks among my favourites. I thought it was a strong 10/10 as of right now, it's my favourite in the low minors.

Update 2016: I enjoyed this one so much that I went back and typed a lengthy update almost right afterwards. There's little to add, except for the fact that the C's have put in a party deck in left field, which has boosted capacity somewhat. The Canadians are the leading draw in the NWL, averaging just over 6,000 a game. That's 21st in MiLB period, with only the Midwest League Dayton Dragons drawing better in the low minors. It's pretty remarkable how their numbers have jumped in the last few years. I found the 2014 line score with little issue, but the other two will take a lot more digging. I will save them for the next update.

Linescore
2014-08-22
                                                123     456    789    R  H E
Boise Hawks(CHC)                     231   003     001    10 11 2
Vancouver Canadians(TOR)        000    010    002     3 12 2