Principal Park

 Iowa Cubs, International League

7/10

The crowd files in through a side gate. The gate behind home plate wasn't being used.

The park is still relatively empty with the Des Moines skyline visible over the third base side.

The field is prepared with the Iowa state capitol visible to the right of the batter's eye.

Bonus Shot: Had to get at least one photo of baseball being played. You can see the capitol lit up in the background.

I trundled into Des Moines, Iowa's largest city and state capital coming off a game the night before in Kansas City. The very hot, humid weather followed me. The Cubs had a Saturday night home game against the St. Paul Saints, who since I'd seen them around 6 years prior, had moved into the affiliated ranks, becoming the Minnesota Twins AAA affiliate.

This park opened in the early 1990s and is yet another Populous design. The Cubs have had the affiliation since before it was built. It's located in the heart of Des Moines, at the intersection of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. There is a front and back tier of seats, with an aisle between them, plus the concourse under the seats. It looks something like a bigger version of the several 5,000 seat Populous parks I'd been to before. There are some outfield seats, in metal bleachers in right, or a club in left, plus numerous suites. It was a somewhat smaller crowd for a Saturday night, a little over half full. The atmosphere was very standard for Triple A.

I ended up driving after the game, so did not take a ton of notes. Concession was not remarkable either way. This was likely a very top of the line park when it opened, but now it's pretty average. Still, I'm glad I got this one in. 7/10.

Linescore

2025-06-07

                                   123   456  789  RHE

St. Paul Saints(MIN)  100   031   010  660

Iowa Cubs(CHC)        000  101   010  362 

Time: 2:52  Temp: 89F  Att: 6,508 

Turner Field

Atlanta Braves, National League

7/10

Did not get a good shot of the outside here either. Sorry.

Batting Practice prior to game time.

I more or less crashed the gates here, I was ready I guess.

I rolled into "Hotlanta" in June 2012, after seeing an abbreviated day game in Jacksonville the night before and riding out a Tropical Depression in Lake City, FL. The interstate to Atlanta was rumoured to be closing and not wanting to take any chances, I made a dash north. The weather cleared near Valdosta and from then on it was a warm, clear, but humid day. After a trip to the Atlanta Cyclorama, I headed for Turner Field, to watch the Braves battle the Diamondbacks.

The big plus for Turner field, at least to me, is the fact that it was built to be the Olympic Stadium for the 1996 summer games, which took place here. After the games, rather than having just another white elephant in town, the stadium was partially demolished to become the new home of the Braves. The fact that anyone could show any foresight in this situation, as Atlanta already had the Georgia Dome, is kind of remarkable. But, the finished product is markedly average, with nothing too crazy standing out about it.  Egress from the parking lots across the road was disastrous, with a 20-25 thousand person crowd still turning into an hour, just to get out of the lot. People roamed the parking lots on large tricycles with coolers on them, selling water.

The atmosphere here was also nothing remarkable. Fans were mildly interested in the proceedings. On the concession side of things, I had a Chik-fil-a sandwich(or two) from a stand on the concourse, where I think the proprietors just bought them at a location and hauled them down. I don't remember a whole lot else in this regard.

The biggest shock of all regarding this place is that 2016 will be it's last season hosting the Braves. The powers that be had demanded renovations to Turner to keep the Braves around and after making no progress with a city that is already building the Falcons and a new MLS team a stadium. The Braves decided to move to the outskirts of Atlanta, 15 miles northwest of downtown. The new park is technically in suburban Smyrna, but will apparently get an Atlanta address prior to opening. The main complaints were evidently a bit of a dodgy neighbourhood and the park being about 2/3rds of a mile from any subway station. Still, the park only lasting for 19 seasons prior to closing is a bit of a letdown, especially given it's unique history. I honestly had not considered one more visit in the final year, however, if I do my cross country loop trip this summer, maybe it will have to get a stop.

Update 2023: The Braves moved on to SunTrust Park after the 16 season and I've since gone to a game there as well. This place got an extensive renovation and reopened for Football season in 2017 as Center Parc Stadium for Georgia State football. I'm glad it's still seeing use, but it's still mildly disappointing that the Braves left after only 20 years.

Linescore

2012-06-26

                         123   456  789  R H E

Arizona             001   000   000  1 8 0

Atlanta              140   000   21x  8 17 0

Time: 3:01  Temp: 88F  Att: 23,513

Raley Field

Sacramento River Cats, Pacific Coast League

7/10

It does have a decent facade though....

Opening night in 2019 versus Tacoma.

A better camera meant a much clearer shot across the field in 2019.

Firstly, indulge me,this is another ballpark that seemingly everyone likes, BUT me. It will be added to the growing list of candidates for "California Retreads" a journey of redemption starring low rated parks in Fresno, Visalia and Rancho Cucamonga. That could even come to fruition this summer. At any rate...

We rolled into town on a Saturday night after I had spent the day as designated driver for my ladyfriend, who took in some wine tasting in the Napa Valley and apparently, so did everyone else. Fireworks night saw the ballpark at 1,500 over capacity as just under 16,000 took in the Rivercats, then an Oakland affiliate, take on Oklahoma City, who were then with Houston.

This ballpark is considered relatively successful, in the early 2000s, the Vancouver Canadians, the last of three Canadian teams in the PCL, moved south, to bring the league back to a market it has even more history in, Sacramento. Attendance is usually the best in the entire league as Sacramento is such a sports town, having gone to great length to save the NBA Kings a few years ago.

Still, I really didn't like this park for a few reasons. Firstly, the large crowd made parking a bit of a chore, plus lines for everything, including food, were awful. Lines for everything stretched to at least 20 people, which made getting something to eat difficult. The "gentleman" sitting next to me insisted on throwing peanuts with someone in his group, when I asked them to be careful, this was apparently  an invitation to be a knob for the rest of the game. Still, that could have happened anywhere. The team was wearing R2-D2 themed Star Wars jerseys, plus it was fireworks night. This led to the atmosphere having little to nothing to do with the game, which was frustrating.

The only thing that wasn't a minus about this one was the park itself, which seemed quite serviceable and had a relatively decent layout, the concourse was quite wide and it has a nice entrance and decent seats/sightlines.

Still, an issue with food service and a pretty awful atmosphere hurt the score badly. I think I caught it on a bad night and as of right now, I'm headed back next month to take in a pre-season tuneup between the Rivercats and Giants. I can't imagine the score staying so low.

Update 2023: The preseason game against the Giants sold out in no time, but I did make it back here later. Five years after my first visist, in 2019, we were on our spring roadtrip and it just so happened that we'd be in town for opening night. We went over there and after being given other people's tickets in addition to our own, then giving the other tickets back, we headed inside to watch the River Cats, now affiliated with San Francisco, take on the Tacoma Rainiers. This was the first game, of the first year of metal detectors in the high minors, so ingress was a bit slow, but with a crowd literally half the size of my first trip here(which was actually over capacity), there was room to spread out. 

Firstly, the park really presented as the jewel it is. It's a large, modern facility with a decent backdrop of the "Ziggurat" and the Tower Bridge. It was easily a cut above other parks at this level in the past, but now, with a few more newer ones visited, it's right about the standard. The food was not too bad, but somewhat expensive if memory serves. The atmosphere was not bad for the very first day, it was a little annoying, but nothing close to my previous trip here. On the whole, I'd probably give a half point for facility, which would still bump this place up to a 7. I'm glad I got back here to see it again in the end.

For 2020, this place took on a different sponsor and is now known as "Sutter Health Park".

Linescores

2014-08-16                                      123   456   789   R H E

Oklahoma City RedHawks(HOU)    110  000   005  7 11 0

Sacramento River Cats(OAK)          200  000   000   2 3 1 

Time: 2:57 Temp: 89F Att: 15,618

2019-04-04                             123   456   789  10  11   R H E

Tacoma Rainiers(SEA)           000   200   010   0    1     4 10 1

Sacramento River Cats(SF)    000  001   002   0    2     5 13 0

Time: 4:00 Temp: 62F  Att: 8,820

Gesa Stadium

Tri-City Dust Devils (Northwest League)

7/10

This place does have a relatively bland exterior.

The main redeeming quality of the stadium itself is that it faces south, allowing a view of the surrounding hills.

Still, that southern orientation meant that this massive sunshade had to be built to block the setting sun from baking the seating area. It works well.

I first swung through here as part of my 2nd 3-day NWL loop in 2008. It was a near 100 degree night as the Dust Devils took on the Everett Aquasox. My pictures from this night are all bad, so my pictures of a game in 2015 against the Spokane Indians are featured.

The 2008 game saw hot temperatures in the middle of July and Everett pound Tri-City mercilessly. The Dust Devils, then a Colorado affiliate, fielded a young Charlie Blackmon, who would eventually become their starter in center field. In 2015, I arrived mid-afternoon from Boise which gave me enough time to go for a pre-game run along the Columbia River in Richland. It ended up being a cold, windy night, with scattered showers, emphasizing that September had indeed arrived.

This place is located in Pasco, in a (still) developing area right off of I-182, in the middle of a large parking lot that is mostly used for a large youth sports complex. It was built in the mid 90's, to lure minor-league baseball back to the area. They ended up with a team in the independent Western league for 6 seasons, then took on the Portland Rockies NWL franchise when the PCL Beavers moved back to Portland for their third tenancy.

It is a very basic layout however, almost a little too basic. Lots of concrete and lots of aluminum. Not quite as bad as Yakima, but in a similar vein. It is certainly adequate for this level of baseball, but is nothing remarkable either, I actually took a point off for the stadium, my old review of this park was 6/10. The saving grace are the concessions, as the team has a few independent food stands on the concourse. I ended up getting a burrito which was not too bad.

The staples were cheap as it was a discount night(on a Friday no less). I ended up giving the concessions the thumbs up, pulling this one up to a 7/10, making it one of 3 places where this happened on my last few days in the Northwest.

This place is hardly a must, but it's more or less your only option in the Southeast of the state, so to be shy to catch a game(or two) here either. 7/10

Update 2020: I have not been back to this park since 2015, but have been through the area a few times. The Dust Devils are one of two teams apparently on the chopping block in the NWL( Salem-Keizer is the other), as MiLB's re-organization would bring the NWL down to 6 teams. I'm certainly pulling for every team, including this one, but it appears quite a few teams will be out when all is said and done.


Linescores
2008-07-13
                                               123    456    789    R H E
Everett Aquasox(SEA)               000   201    014    8 10 1
Tri-City Dust Devils(COL)           000   000    000    0   7  2
Temp: 96F  Time: 3:00  Att: 1,550

2015-09-04
                                             123     456    789    R H E
Spokane Indians(TEX)             000     000    000    0 3  2
Tri-City Dust Devils(SD)           203    001    20x     8 11  1

Temp: 68F Time: 2:34 Att: 2,570

Tempe Diablo Stadium

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Spring Training)

7/10

The crowd files in prior to the Angels taking on the Brewers in 2012.

A large crowd takes in the game on a nice afternoon.

Albert Pujols swings for the fences against the Rangers in what I believe was his first spring training with the Angels. These two teams battled to the final out.

Tempe Diablo Stadium is one of the older parks in the Cactus League. Case in point: The Seattle Pilots held their only spring training ever here in 1969. I went here for a game against the Brewers in 2011 and against the Rangers in 2012. The stadium was renovated after the other Seattle team, the Mariners, left for Peoria in 1993. The next year, the Angels moved here from Palm Springs  and haven't looked back. They are here, just east of downtown Phoenix until 2025, at least.

This is a relatively basic place, concessions and the stadium itself are markedly average and the atmosphere was not too bad, given the proximity to Los Angeles, but nothing too memorable either. The 2nd time I went, it was a matchup against Texas where both teams appeared poised to battle for the AL West crown in 2012(They kind of did, but Oakland beat Texas by 1 game and the Angels by 5).  I did not get a good shot from the home plate area, but the backdrop features a large hill by the left field pole and I-10 in the background.

I need to get back here sometime soon, as I apparently remember little, but in the meantime, unless you're an Angel fan, or Tempe is your best bet on any given day, I wouldn't be in any particular hurry, given the other options in the east valley.

Update 2020:  It's been 8 years since I made it out here, cannot believe it's been that long. I will keep it in mind the next time I do the Cactus League. I don't believe much has changed, but the next visit will tell the story.


Linescores
2011-03-24                  
                                  123   456   789   R  H  E
Milwaukee                   440   021   000  11 13  0
Los Angeles(AL)          002   003   021   8  13  3
Temp: 68F Time: 3:13  Att: 7,906


2012-03-25
                                  123   456   789  RHE
Texas                          000   000   023  582
Los Angeles(AL)           110   000   022  690
Temp: 79F  Time: 3:00  Att: 9,613

Newman Outdoor Field

Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks, American Association

7/10

 

The exterior? Red bricks. The field is sponsored by "Newman Outdoor" a local billboard firm.

A late May evening saw a smaller crowd for the opening week of the season in Fargo.

This is a very good facility for this league, especially compared to some of the lesser ones.

I ended up coming into Fargo from rural Wisconsin, where I'd stopped after seeing a White Sox game the day before. I was winding down my 2017 trip and this was the last new park I was going to get to see. It's located in North Dakota's largest city, just across the state line from Minnesota. The park is nestled on the campus of North Dakota State University, which presented as more of an ag school than anything. The park is used for college baseball earlier in the spring.

The field is a redbrick facade with a wide, wraparound concrete concourse with a view of the field.It's not very remarkable, but for this level, its a more than adequate park. Food options were pretty tame, I went into the left field corner and ordered something a little better, but don't remember what it was. Maybe do the reviews a little more promptly? The game was a little one sided for the visitors as a recent NDSU grad threw 7 scoreless innings for Sioux City in his one and only pro start. The atmosphere was somewhat flat, as it was the first Tuesday night home game of the season and closer to 60 degrees than baseball weather.

This place is entitled to it's 7, but not much else. I'd for sure be willing to go back, but it's kind of an outpost for most people. For me, it's on the way south and east, so I'm sure I'll see it again soon enough.


Linescore
2017-05-30
                                                     123  456   789    R H E
Sioux City Explorers                       000  105  010  7 12 1
Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks            000   000  000  0 5  0
Time: 3:04 Temp: 63F Att: 2,051

Citizen's Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies, National League

7/10

A very busy sky at the entrance to the ballpark.

A decent crowd takes in the Phillies and Reds on a Saturday afternoon.

Looking back in you can see the upper deck is sparsely populated, but the lower bowl is nearly full.

This is as close as I could get to the standard, "behind home plate" shot.

I headed out to onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike from Pittsburgh for the few hours over to Philadelphia for the Reds/Phillies. I ended up having some issues with my debit card and paying the tolls on the turnpike, so I arrived in the 2nd inning. This is another retro-modern park, located in the middle of the "Sports Complex". I paid to park in the lot directly next to the football stadium across the street. The arena hosting the 76ers and Flyers is off in another corner.

It was a muggy, overcast, spring afternoon in Philly, with a decent, but not huge crowd out to see the Fightin' Phils. The Phinatic was out and had a steady entourage of wellwishers following him around the entire day.

The park itself however, I would describe as "adequate". It's a much needed upgrade over Veteran's Stadium, with a decent view of the downtown skyline. Besides the large Liberty Bell light display in right centre field, there's nothing really unique about it. The food is also(surprisingly) average, although it's always tough to judge that in just one visit. I had the "Crab Fries", which were also very popular in Pittsburgh the night before. I'm honestly not sure why, I found them pretty average. The atmosphere, for all the lore of the rabid, borderline toxic Philadelphia sports fan, was enthusiastic, but par for the course too. The game was very back and forth. Michael Saunders hit one of very few homeruns as a Phillie and Tommy Joseph hit a walk off single in the bottom of the 9th.

Overall, this is hardly a bad ballpark, but I'd put a return trip to Pittsburgh ahead of coming back here. 7/10.


Linescores
                        123   456   789   RHE
Cincinatti           200  001    000   390
Philadelphia       110  100    001   470
Temp: 73F  Time: 2:47  Att: 30,100

Chukchansi Park

Fresno Grizzlies, Pacific Coast League

7/10

The front entrance to the park after the game.

The small crowd didn't do the park justice.

Another small crowd watches Fresno play a getaway game against Reno.

We went to Fresno in the midst of our 2014 loop of the Western States. It was our first 2 week roadie together, which meant less parks overall, but it worth it. This meant we were coming from a baseball-free night in Las Vegas the night before, headed into Fresno to watch the Grizzlies, the San Francisco AAA team at the time, take on the Oklahoma City RedHawks, who were Houston's.

It was a Wednesday night, which saw a sparse crowd, officially in the area of 3,000. Considering they would draw 10,000 for the game on Saturday, the park was very slow, the seating bowl was nearly deserted. The park is located in downtown Fresno, which is a little shady, with not much else even open after the game.

I caught this park on a bad night. Without many people, it just appeared slow, even though this wasn't an average crowd. The food wasn't particularly memorable and the facility itself looked to be maybe a little above average for the PCL. They were advertising the upcoming "Taco Throwdown" where local taco trucks would park in the left field corner, with a winner being crowned before the end of the game. The product on the field was good, with a late inning comeback by Fresno fought off by the RedHawks. I plan to swing back through here as part of a "California Retreads" roadtrip, to give some misinterpreted California ballparks(I'm up to 4) a second chance. Until then, this one's markedly average.


Update 2015: The Grizzlies got caught up in the massive affiliation shuffle in the PCL and are now the AAA stop for the Houston Astros.

Update 2019: Fresno is now the affiliate for the Washington Nationals, starting this season. I made it back in 2016 for a getaway game against Reno. The noon start time meant this crowd was possibly even smaller than the first time. I remember Socrates Brito,  A Diamondback prospect who eventually had a cup of coffee with the Blue Jays having a good day and the box score confirms that my memory is correct. I will have to go out of my way to go here a third time on a night where people might actually be present. Until then, this one is still a 7.



Linescores: 
2014-08-13
                                                          123   456    789   RHE
Oklahoma City RedHawks(HOU)                                     4
 Fresno Grizzlies(SF)                                                     3

The boxscore on MiLB.com no longer loads and I wasn't able to find an alternative. I'll dig more next time.

2016-05-05
                                            123   456    789   RHE
Reno Aces(ARI)                     000   120    000   390
Fresno Grizzlies(HOU)             000    000   101   271
Temp: 63F Time: 2:59 Att: 2,830

Charlotte Sports Park

Tampa Bay Rays, Spring Training
Charlotte Stone Crabs, Florida State League

7/10

The relatively simple entrance to the park.

A Colombian conference at the mound.

Looking in on the refurbished stadium bowl.

I crossed Florida after a day game at Port St. Lucie, to take in a night game at Port Charlotte, featuring the Tampa Bay Rays and Colombian national team. I got hung up in the exodus from that first game of the day and traffic was somewhat unhelpful, so I arrived around the second inning or so. The evening's contest saw a pre-tournament game for the Colombian entry in the upcoming World Baseball Classic and thanks to some Rays pitchers being loaned over and a ninth inning rally, they ended up coming back and beating the Rays.

This was originally the site for Spring Training for the Texas Rangers, from 1987-2002, prior to that team pulling up stakes and heading west to Surprise Stadium. After this, the team hosted one season of the Independent South Coast League in 2007, before renovations lured the Rays to set up Spring Training and a Florida State League team here in 2009.

The park is a pretty average place, which shows it's age only in its design. It's clean and well maintined. Zaxby's chicken sandwiches appear to be the menu item of choice, because they were sold out by the time I showed up. I remember the food here being markedly average. The only thing that stands out here is the atmosphere. The Rays are the Rays, so despite being the 2nd closest MLB team to their hometown for Spring Training, they don't draw so well. But, with ticket prices substantially lower than anywhere else in Florida, actual people show up for these games, which makes the atmosphere pretty authentic. When I went on my walk to get pictures of the stands from the outfield, a woman asked the Rays' bullpen coach a question, calling him by his first name and received a prompt "Yes, ma'am.", then an answer. Bullpen coach Stan Boroski explained how the Colombian team only wanted to use bullpen pitchers in the game and the Rays had agreed to put in some of theirs once everyone in that Colombian bullpen had had a turn. I'm not sure if at some of the bigger parks, this conversation would have happened so easily.

In summary, I'm more than happy that a place like this could lose it's team, do some renos and get an MLB team back in town, but it's nothing overly impressive. I'd maybe give a half point for atmosphere, but it really doesn't matter, as everything else is average. 7/10.



Linescore
2017-03-08
                         123   456   789   R H E
Colombia            001  100  016   9 10 1
Tampa Bay          140  020  000  7 8 3
Temp: N/A  Time: N/A  Att: N/A

First Data Field

New York Mets (Spring Training)
St. Lucie Mets, Florida State League

7/10

The crowd files in for Red Sox/Mets.

Allen Craig ended up capping this at bat with a home run.

Most of the crowd was still here nearing the 7th inning stretch.

I took in a Grapefruit League game in Port St. Lucie as part of my FL trip in 2017, after having done Dunedin the day before. I arrived relatively early, after having stayed a few hours away from the ballpark. I got to the right exit on I-95 at around 1215 and then hit a wall of traffic, around a mile and change from where I actually parked. Ingress was slow, but nothing compared to what came later.

This park is also a little older, opening in 1988, but it doesn't show it's age as much as Dunedin. Seating is a little cramped. With the opponent being Boston and the pitching match up featuring Porcello v. Syndergaard, it was always going to be a game where good seats were above market value. I was lucky to get a seat in the upper corner of the grandstand on the third base side. For lunch, I grabbed an order of pulled pork nachos, where I was surprised with the amount of food I ended up with, similar to San Bernardino. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The ballpark has the usual features, a party/BBQ deck down the left field line and a separate concession for the berm. I ended up having to leave early for Port Charlotte, but it was no use, I spent nearly an hour trying to get out of the parking lot and the game wasn't even over. The team has got to figure out something regarding ingress and egress being so bad.

Overall, this is a pretty serviceable park, which is nice to see, given it's age and it's location on the Atlantic coast of Florida, which seems to be less and less popular. I'd say the park is a half point off because of its poor parking situation, good, but still average atmosphere and a half point for food, which totals up to a 7. I'd come back here before some of the others for certain.

Linescore

2017-03-08
                           123   456  789  R H E
Boston                 000   400   201  7  11 1
New York(NL)        100   313  00x  8  13 1
Temp: 78F  Time: 3:09 Att: 6,538

The Hangar

Lancaster JetHawks, California League

7/10

The hangar has an F-18 on a post in front of the park.

A somewhat hot Mother's day drew about 1,000 people out to the park.

This place is a virtual carbon copy of at least 3 other parks in the southwest.

I came into Lancaster after making the relatively short trip up from Victorville, where I'd stayed after catching a game in the High Desert the previous evening. It was a pretty warm Mother's Day Sunday, featuring the Lancaster JetHawks, then an affiliate of the Houston Astros, hosting a Visalia team that got off to a solid start in the season and this game. 

This was my last new Cal League park of the 6 I took in in May 2016 and it's probably a tie with Modesto for the most average. There just isn't anything unique about it at all. It's the same design as Mesa, San Bernardino and Peoria, but some of those parks have done a little more with the overall appearance as here, where everything is very beige and grey. Food was ok, but nothing spectacular and the atmosphere never really had a chance to get going, as only about a thousand people were actually here at any point and the Rawhide just blasted Lancaster without mercy, getting revenge for a similar scoreline against them the night before. 

After my visit here, the shuffle of affiliations in the Cal League led to Houston leaving the league altogether, to move their high A team to the Carolinas. Colorado took this affiliate after their old affiliate in Modesto was snapped up by Seattle. At any rate, this is a perfectly acceptable facility for the level it hosts, but there's nothing unique or "must see" about it. A textbook 7.

Linescore

2016-05-08

Temp: 70F Time: 3:09 Att: 1,403 

Visalia Rawhide(ARI) 19, Lancaster JetHawks(HOU) 2

Changing it up for the linescore! Lancaster didn't get a run in the bottom of the ninth.

Volcanoes Stadium

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Northwest League

7/10

 Batting Practice just wrapping up prior to the Canadians/Volcanoes. That van is on I-5. It's that close.

 The seats in the back are all club seating.

The masses enjoy a decent night at a decent park.

I went here in July of 2008 for the final game of my 2nd Northwest League trip. We had driven by on the way out of town from a Eugene Emeralds game the previous year, with the park all lit up, having just finished a game as well. I noted at the time it was literally directly next to Interstate 5, which seemed a little interesting.

Well. Fast forward to the next year and we pulled in for a game between the Volcanoes and Vancouver Canadians. The Volcanoes were in the midst of a stretch of amazing seasons, which resulted in a period of around 4 years where they were at least tied for 1st place every day of the season. The Giants take their farmhands seriously, and it showed.

Anyhow, this is a pretty average ballpark located, as mentioned, right next to I-5, which honestly, imposes some pretty big limits on the experience right away. I-5 is busy and traffic goes by constantly throughout the game. In addition, there is a driving range style net, which is required to keep homeruns from ending up on the freeway, which they reasonably could without it, it's that close. The most mind boggling thing of all though is that while access was ok, getting out of the parking lot, back onto the highway, was quite time consuming, as there's only one overpass in the area. Most other off-ramp ballparks have a few, to divide up the traffic.

Besides my location rant, the ballpark is pretty decent. The configuration focuses pretty heavily on a club behind home plate, but still leaves plenty of good seats for the rest of us. The food here is above average, with lots of unique options. The team store featured clearance bobbleheads of team mascot, "Crater" who is a half-baseball/half dinosaur. For 7 dollars, I decided to get one. The park does have the smallest video screen I have ever seen. It was difficult to really watch, but it turned into a decent auxiliary scoreboard once the game started.

Overall, this is an average park, which has the plus of a good menu, but the big knock of being pretty much on the shoulder of an Interstate highway.

Update 2016: I have still not been back here, it'll be 9 years between visits this year, so it's at the top of my list in the northwest this season. I thought the team was continuing to draw acceptably, but attendance has dropped from 2,900 to 2,100, which in 2016, was the lowest in the NWL. I'm not entirely sure why this is, but with no obvious market trying to lure a team and the ballpark still being acceptable, I don't expect much controversy surrounding this team for at least 5 more seasons.

Linescore
2008-07-15
                                                 123   456   789   R H E
Vancouver Canadians(OAK)          510  000  101   8  8  0
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes(SF)        000  531  00x   9 11 2
Temp: 84F  Time: 3:13  Att:  2,628

Marlins Park

Miami Marlins, National League

7/10

 I was running late, so I grabbed a photo of this sign on the way in.

 A Saturday afternoon matchup against the Blue Jays drew a decent crowd.

BP for the next afternoon's game.

Bonus pic: The "Home Run Sculpture" in Left Field.

It's not the Home Run Apple, but I found it super deflating when the Jays gave up a home run.

Firstly, there is a lengthy backstory surrounding the construction and financing of this stadium. In a nutshell, the Marlins played at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, for their first 18 years. That facility was apparently designed with Baseball in mind, but was hardly a permanent home for the Marlins. So ownership began a sustained effort to build a ballpark, which eventually led to MLB threatening that the Marlins would leave town if one wasn't built. That night, an agreement was reached for a new park to be constructed on the site of the Orange Bowl, which had recently been vacated by the Miami Hurricanes football team. The park got built, the Marlins paid just under 20% of the cost to build it, got their knuckles rapped for not spending enough of their luxury tax payments on payroll, now represent Miami instead of Florida, the mayor of Miami-Dade County was recalled over the issue and as of right now, the Marlins are drawing around 2,500 more per game than they did in Miami Gardens. Anyhow, the ballpark itself......


Going here was the crown Jewel of my Florida/Georgia/Alabama loop in 2012. The Jays were in town and I found a way to make it work. I drove down from Orlando for game 1 and arrived in the 2nd inning. This ballpark aimed to be uniquely designed, with architecture and décor that would be out of place anywhere but South Florida and appears to have succeeded. I've seen Marlins Park classified as both a Retractable Roof ballpark and the first "Modern" ballpark, both are correct, but only the latter reflects that the Marlins have a unique venue in MLB.

There were many plusses to Marlins Park. Firstly, it has a roof, which in the heat and especially the humidity of South Florida, is a near requirement. The park was brand new when I went and it was kept very clean. The food here is something else. There are a lot of different options including gluten free. I had first and currently only Pressed Cuban Sandwich here and it was pretty good. There's your usual ballpark fare as well as one item based on the visiting team. For the Blue Jays, they chose Poutine, which included a description for those unfamiliar. People in blue shirts seemed to be buying most of them. The park also makes an effort to cater to everyone with a more particular diet, including people who are going gluten-free. There is only one small concession in center field that has gluten free stuff, but it's the only one I've ever seen anywhere. The ballpark has numerous homages to the old Orange Bowl, including displays of big games and the orange bowl sign chopped up in pieces out front as street art.

But, there are some negatives. The area around the park is residential, so there's not really an after party atmosphere. People are offering their driveways and even their lawns as parking spots. I parked in one of the parking garages next door owned by the team. At the time of my visit, the roof either leaked, or had condensation issues, like most windows in South Florida. This meant that a steady stream of water dripped onto entire rows of the upper deck and I had to dodge some droplets to get to my seat. I'm not sure if the issue's been fixed. There is also a ballpark location of the "Clevelander" from Miami Beach behind left field, which I guess is supposed to overcome the lack of nightlife in the area. I just found it somewhat tacky, although it was full.

Overall, the City of Miami has a nice new park, which I'd rate as an 8/10. Once the kinks get worked out and the area around the ballpark inevitably changes, it would be rated higher.

Update 2016: I have not been back since 2012, evidently, I am not alone, as 2016 saw the Marlins finish 27th in MLB in attendance. With Atlanta getting a new park for 2017 and Texas as early as 2020, we will find out in a few years just how good this place is. Under the new scoring rubric, I can't help but knock the score down to a 7, as while the food was good, it wasn't worthy of a full point. 

Linescore
2012-06-23
                                   123   456   789   RHE
Toronto Blue Jays         010   000    006  780
Miami Marlins              000   000    100   151
Temp: 76F   Time: 2:49  Att:  24,448 

2012-06-24
                                     123   456   789    RHE
Toronto Blue Jays           000   000   000   080
Miami Marlins                 040  002   30x   980
Temp:  73F  Time: 2:29  Att: 27,888

John Thurman Field

Modesto Nuts, California League

7/10

The home plate fence backs onto a golf course, so one must enter on the sides. This was the 3rd base side, will call is on the other side. This is as fancy an entrance as you'll find.

A clear may evening sees the local nine against Lake Elsinore.

A sparse crowd of hangers on rode it out until the late innings.

This was my first of 6 new Cal League parks in a week in May 2016. I literally landed at SFO, grabbed my rental and went to go fight with Bay Area rush hour to make it to Modesto in time for first pitch. Didn't work. I arrived in the 4th inning and my pictures all appear a little blurry, as does my memory regarding this place, but I will try.

This park is a little older than most of it's counterparts in the cal league, consisting of three separate stands with a bit of a gap between each one, the closest design I can think of is Boise , which funnily enough, is my next update. Seats are newer fold down stadium seats in front of the aisle, harder plastic bucket seats in the stand behind home plate and good old aluminum bleachers down the line. I'd take a point off for the facility itself, as it's a bit behind the curve, without any of the rustic charm that has helped some older parks survive. At least it's still named after a person. It's substantially older than I would have guessed, opened 1955 and renovated in 1997, I would have put it as a 1980's design.

The food helps get this place back up to an average rating. Prices were low, quality was above average. I sadly do not remember what I had, but I do remember enjoying it.

Atmosphere was pretty par for the course, there's really nothing here that jumps out at you as unique, but also nothing that ruins your night either.

Overall, between a short game(2:18) and me being a little late, I only got to see so much here, I'd be tempted to go back to try and fill in the gaps. 7/10 for now.


Linescore
2016-05-03
                                            123    456   789   RHE
Lake Elsinore Storm(SD)       000   000   000    023
Modesto Nuts(COL)               100  200   00x    360
Temp: 81F Time: 2:18 Att: 2,833

Ogren Park at Allegiance Field

Missoula Osprey, Pioneer League

7/10

The entrance to the park is rather bland.

A decent crowd takes in a Sunday evening game vs. the Ogden Raptors

I apparently hadn't mastered my park photos by this point, but did manage to capture

the nice view of the rolling hills near Missoula,

We rolled into Missoula on the 1st stop of a 3 game Pioneer League loop that served as a send-off road trip prior to me moving away for work. This marked myself and my stepbrother's first Pioneer League game ever. In short, they are great and I highly recommend them.

At any rate, Missoula is home to the Arizona entry in the circuit, the Osprey, who in 2014, will play their 15th season in the area. We arrived not long before our 5:05 start time, I can only assume because the team wanted the family crowd, while at the same time, wanted not to play in the midday heat of the grasslands in late July. The facility is located in the midst of a cluster of softball fields, with lots of on street parking.

It's a relatively straightforward 3,500 seat park with home plate entry onto a concourse, which then goes down into the seats, not unlike Billings. Unlike Billings, it just doesn't look as impressive. However, the backdrop of the rolling hills is a definite plus. There is berm seating down the 3rd base line and down the first base line, there is a "party deck", which is elevated above a gravel underlay, which has the added bonus of keeping fans well away from the opposing bullpen.

Concessions are not too bad, my stepbrother reported the hot dogs were at grade and I had a not too bad pulled pork sandwich. The most unique quirk was the 7th inning was officially the "Peanut Inning" with free peanuts if the Osprey scored, leading to several peanut related chants.

Overall, Missoula was an entirely adequate park for the PL, but not a whole lot more. Still, I think it deserves another visit, and with it being located right on I-90, it may end up getting one in the next few years.

Update 2016: I have not been back since, meaning this one is well and truly overdue for a follow up visit? This summer maybe? I'd like that. For now, average everything leaves this at a 7.

Linescore 

2010-07-18

                                      123  456   789   RHE

Ogden Raptors(LAD)        110  000   000   264

Missoula Osprey(ARI)       200  200  000   460

Temp: 83F  Time: 2:01  Att: 2,178

U.S. Steel Yard

Gary SouthShore RailCats, American Association

7/10

This is yet another park that is a victim of the great camera disaster of 2012. Never forget.

I drove straight here from Wrigleyville after an afternoon game for a night game here, with plenty of time to spare. Chicago traffic turned an allegedly 45 minute drive into something....a little longer. A Friday night matchup saw the Gary SouthShore RailCats taking on the Fargo-Moorehead Red Hawks(this game would have needed a bigger poster).

The first thing that struck me rolling into Gary and probably my biggest problem with the park is the city itself. Gary is very economically depressed, and has seen the population fall by over 100,000 people in the last 20 years. The result is a city with numerous abandoned buildings. The area around the ballpark is not much different. I don't mean to complain about it too much, but the surrounding neighbourhood is a particularly important part of any ballpark to me. When it's neutral, fair enough, but when it's a minus, that's a problem. I can't think of a similar example in my travels. Still, the area was well patrolled by local police and it likely attracts whole crowds of people from the numerous other cities and towns in Indiana's chunk of the metro Chicago area. I didn't even consider staying here and ended up around 25 minutes away.

Now, enough urban geography. The park itself is pretty good. It has the concourse at the back, with full view of the field and all stadium seating. Concessions were around average. The atmosphere was relatively pleasant. Mine was a bit different, as small children and empty seats resulted in a crowd swarming the section like bees most of the game. Still, I did almost see one of them break another's hand, which was entertaining and I did get a forced apology from one of their minders. I enjoyed things a bit more from the section over. I ended up seeing a relatively entertaining game though, but 18 innings was enough for one day. The whole experience was acceptable, but I didn't really have anything about it stick out. I would go back if it was good for my schedule, but won't go out of my way.

Update 2016:  I have nothing new to offer about this one, so it'll be a 5 minute update. Food, atmosphere and the park are all pretty average, with the park being the closest to an upgrade. I will get back here with my camera at some point, but am in no hurry.

Linescores
2012-07-27
                                                  123    456   789   R  H E
Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks         002   401   004   11 14 2
Gary Southshore Railcats             000   030   000    3  6 3
Temp: 75F  Time: 3:12  Att:  4,343