Sioux Falls Stadium

 Sioux Falls Canaries, American Association

8/10

A smaller crowd lingers around the entrance about 45 minutes before first pitch.

A relatively new turf field is in place here.

The relatively unique seating bowl, without many fans sitting in it just yet.

I rolled into Sioux Falls on a Wednesday night, after a night without baseball in the other Dakota. This was the first of 5 games in 5 nights for me. I ended up staying across the street, quite deliberately, so I walked over around 40 minutes before the first pitch. The ballpark is part of a sports complex, including two arenas, another stadium, a convention centre and a hotel.

The stadium is actually 1940s vintage, but was renovated in 2000. The park is a concrete grandstand with seats that has a relatively large, slightly off centre suite building as well. Attendance was announced at just over a thousand, but I think some sort of rodeo or fair was in town(I drove past it on the way in, I'm reading it may have been the State fair) so people drifted towards that. This is a pretty decent, if not unusually laid out ballpark. There is a concourse under the seats and a large aisle that wraps around the seating area, between the upper and lower boxes. There is a relatively large video board in the outfield. 

The food here was relatively standard, but I ended up ordering a borderline healthy chicken wrap from a place in the left field corner and it was one of the best things I ate on this trip. The guy taking orders noticed my Stockton Ports hat(a giveaway item from my first time there) and asked if I'd come from Sioux City. I told him what I was doing and he asked which parks I'd like the best and listed Spokane, Pittsburgh and Albuquerque for sure, as well as a few others. I had to list them again for the guy making the food then the wrap was made to order for me(no avocado), was a good experience.

The atmosphere for the game was a bit flat, but it wasn't for lack of trying, just a lack of people on a Wednesday night with the State fair in town. Overall, good concession would bump this one up to a solid 8/10. I'd consider coming here again, but with a few other options within a few hours, it may be a little while.

Linescore

                                        123    456   789   R H E

Sioux City X-Plorers         111    102   001  7 12 1

Sioux Falls Canaries         000   010   100   2  6  0

Time: 3:13   Temp: 80F   Att: 1,108

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

Potter County Memorial Stadium

Vacant

6\10

The outside of the stadium is largely barren, save for a team logo.

The field itself didn't look too bad, but did have some dead spots.

And here it is...you can see plastic bucket seats in front of the roof, followed by wooden bleachers and "Hoot's Pub" at the very very back.

I ended up back in Texas in late August of 2015, waking up early in Albuquerque to nail down the 4 hours on I-40 to Amarillo, Texas. This was the only new park I would have been able to take in from Albuquerque and with the game being a matinee and in the Central Time Zone, I had to get at it early. I drove it all in one shot, and ended up there very early, as I still needed my ticket. Anyway...

This park is a very Jekyll and Hyde kind of place. You simply don't have places like this in affiliated baseball anymore, outside maybe some Appalachian League parks, but that's it. This stadium has been known by several names in the last ten years, including the "Dilla Villa", "Amarillo Bank Sox Park" and "Thunderheads Stadium", reflecting the change from the Dillas, to the Sox, then for 2015, the Thunderheads. The American Association entry in Amarillo had gone by "Sox" for a few seasons, in homage to the Texas League team that moved out of here in 1982, before a summer league team in California threatened legal action for the similar name. I had to buy my tickets at the game, as this is the only team I've come across, of the 75 or so I'd bought tickets from at that point, that didn't have anything set up to buy tickets online. You could buy in person, or charge by phone, that's it.

The ballpark itself is old, built in 1949 and is showing the effects of it's age,with chipping paint and rusty streaks visible throughout the building. It has a ground level concourse with an asphalt floor that is not in view of the field, another large aisle in front that is and an elevated walkway that provides easy access to the higher seats in the stands.  The park got a paint job on the outside to make it brown to match the Sox colours, but hasn't received anything since the Thunderheads name was taken. Two large Sox hats that used to be over the entrance are now lying on the concourse. The urinals are filled with ice before games to keep them from smelling. The park was renovated in the last 5 years, but this was mostly to fix the glaring issues from before, including the backstop being somewhat rotten and numerous bucket seats missing from the lower seating area. The scoreboard is very simple, featuring the count, inning and score. Evidently the previous board had parts stolen from it and the team was unable to order replacements, as it hadn't been paid for. So the team downsized. "Hoot's Pub" is at the back of the concourse and features patio style seating on a platform at the back of the grandstand.  The parks' lack of amenities is so profound, that it's actually passable as "character".

During the game itself, there are numerous other quirks, including every foul ball having (the same) corporate sponsor. A large bell under the grandstand roof is run for every Amarillo home run. At any rate, this was the final home game of the 2015 season, with Amarillo looking to miss the playoffs and their opponents, the Laredo Lemurs, looking good to take the wild card(and eventually the league title). About 1,100 people or so bought tickets, with maybe 750 showing up, Amarillo being last in the league in attendance. The game itself was a wild 17-7 victory for the Lemurs. It took until the bottom of the 4th for either team to be held scoreless and until the 7th for Laredo to put up a zero, hence the Amarillo loss. The game got a little chippy a few innings in when a Laredo batter was struck by a pitch, causing the benches to clear, although little more than harsh words were exchanged. When 2 batters later the same thing happened and an umpire got in between the two clubs and told them, in rather profane terms, exactly where to go, the crowd booed, but disaster was averted. The ball flew in the dry Texas Panhandle Air and a good time was had by all.

The concessions at this park are simple, but very cheap. I ended up with a Hot Dog, Frito Pie a couple of Dr. Peppers and a water for under 15 dollars. There are no vendors, until the later innings, when the unsold food is paraded through the grandstand for about half price including the brine from the pickle jar as "Frozen pickle juice", 25 cents a cup. Easily the weirdest concession item ever(and Boise had Rocky Mountain Oysters...).

Overall, this provided a nice bookend for the night before and the modern park with modern amenities in Albuquerque. This is very raw baseball, there is no bouncy castle, or footlong hot dog, or anything...except a mascot,I'm pretty sure it was a coyote? Anyway, this is the way most minor league parks used to be, before my time. Now, it's a rarity, so grab your 5 dollar general admission ticket, a frito pie and enjoy...

Update 2019: It turned out that the game I saw was the last home date ever for the Thunderheads. The league ended up losing a team for the 2016 season and rather than operate with an odd number, or run a "road team", the American Association honchos decided to merge this team with the one in Grande Prairie, brand it as the "Texas Airhogs" and have them split home games, with a hastily arranged summer league taking up the extra dates. This only lasted 1 season before the Airhogs, according to local media, wouldn't come back, because of the field conditions. The Pecos League, always keen to pick up other league's scraps, went as far as announcing the "Amarillo Lone Stars" and unveiling a logo, but it fell apart somewhere between working out a lease and again, the poor condition of the facility.

In retrospect, I was far, far, too kind to this place, which has raw authenticity by the truckload.....but it's still a dump. The field was not the greatest, the whole place was dirty and poorly maintained, it really should lose a point on facility. The food was cheap, but selection was limited and quality was slightly questionable. The atmosphere....was largely not a thing, as there was hardly anyone there. Those that were were subdued. The revised score is a 6 with a point off for facility and a half point for atmosphere.

The good news, for Amarillo, which I honestly enjoyed visiting, is that the Texas League, which left town after playing at this park in the 1982 season, is somehow coming back, in a brand new park, as the San Antonio franchise, displaced by the incoming AAA team from Colorado Springs, moved here, to become the "Amarillo Sod Poodles". It seems like a solid choice, as the city is big enough to support that level of baseball, just not in this park. I'll hopefully be back to check out the new place soon enough, but this place will be fortunate not to get knocked down.

Linescore
2015-08-30
                                       123   456   789       R H E
Laredo Lemurs              133 162  010          17 17 0
Amarillo Thunderheads 132 000  100         7 14 1
Temp: N/A  Time: 3:16  Att: 1,032

Shaw Park

Winnipeg Goldeyes, American Association

9/10

The park has a decent looking facade from across the street.

This place looks about 7-10 years newer than it actually is.

The backdrop is pleasant, but nothing spectacular.

I swung through Winnipeg after a game in St. Paul the night before. Unlike in St. Paul, I had plenty of time to drive and made it across the border and into the area around 90 minutes before the game started. I was into the park around 45 minutes before the first pitch, which came with large clouds overhead and a risk of thundershowers. I had a good amount of time to fully look around. The food options here could be the best I've seen anywhere. The "Hu's on First Asian Bistro" has been replaced with an Indian restaurant, which has a few other locations than besides the ballpark. There's also a pizza chain, plus another local chain, Salisbury House, which I was almost into, but I went to the Indian cart for some great Butter Chicken instead.

It's hard to believe this park was opened in 1999, as it looks and feels like something from the mid 2000s, if not later. A pretty wide open concourse goes from roughly foul pole to foul pole, with a good view of the field all the way. There is an upper deck, featuring suites with both a few rows of seating and an enclosed back area, which on a cooler, damp night like this, would have been a plus. It's amazingly well designed. I parked a block and a half away, I think for under 10 dollars.

The Goldeyes were in the midst of a late season charge for a wildcard berth, with Fargo-Moorhead, having also had a good year, but missing the playoffs, in town for a Saturday nighter. The visitors stormed out to a 4 run first and a 6-0 lead, but the Goldeyes persevered and went up 8-6, before spotty showers at some points during the game, turned into a total and utter monsoon in the middle of 8. After about 20 minutes, it wasn't so much about when the game would continue, as the field was clearly unplayable, but how would we all get to the car?

The atmosphere, while interested in the pennant, wasn't much more than that. It was a slightly cool night with storms in the forecast, so some likely stayed home. I'd been wanting to get this one in for a long while and was not dissapointed, as the food and park are a cut above, only the atmosphere keeps this from a 10 and even that's not by much.

Linescore
                                                  123   456   789 RHE
Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks          400  200  00X  692
Winnipeg Goldeyes                       000  033  2XX 881
Temp: 27C  Time: 3:06  Att: 5,289
From Boxscore: Game delayed 29 minutes by rain. Game called after field deemed unplayable.

CHS Field

St. Paul Saints, American Association

9/10

My exterior shot is somewhat blurry, as I arrived late.

A large crowd takes in a Friday nighter.

By this point, the ball pig had been sent to the showers early, for poor behaviour.

I swung into St. Paul nearly an hour late for first pitch. I'd made a long, long trip from just over the border in Saskatchewan and after a delay just waiting for the cars ahead at the border itself, I knew I'd be late very early in the day. I was held up further when a Saints rooter named Greg needed help push starting his motorbike. After a few tries, Greg was off and running. This was part of a quick back to back, featuring games in St. Paul and Winnipeg on a Friday and Saturday night. The St. Paul Saints, of the American Association, were fighting for a division title with Winnipeg, headed into the final week of the season.

The Saints had left their first home to move into this, a brand new ballpark in downtown St. Paul. Attendance ended up sitting at just over 8,000, which was even more impressive that considering a short drive away, the Minnesota Twins(who were well out of contention) were playing the White Sox.

There were a lot of things I liked here. Firstly, the park itself is located downtown and is not only new, but actually well designed. A large concourse with a very high ceiling reminded me somewhat of Salt River. The section numbers were listed on the ceiling as well. A wraparound concourse saw more than a few people watching the game from the outfield. Parking wasn't the best, but I eventually found decent street parking two blocks away for not much money. Still, I found this place to be just amazing for Independent level baseball. I don't know how the facility could be any better.

But, even with that, the best part here is for sure the atmosphere. The Saints, when they were in the infant Northern League, adopted a strategy of making the atmosphere as quirky as possible and while the new park isn't anything like their old one, they've kept a lot of the quirks, including a somewhat unorthodox pair of PA announcers at a table in the front row and a live Pig bringing balls out to the umpire between innings. Sadly, the pig had a meltdown before I got a picture and was as far as I knew, sent home early. The PA announcing was comparable to a Top 40 station's morning show. It took some getting used to, but after awhile, I felt it added to the experience, as more regular spectators seemed to enjoy it.

I did have some cheese curds here and while they weren't bad, they weren't terribly special either.

Overall, showing up late(....again) took away from this place, but not enough to keep me from really enjoying it. I'd really like to get a return visit in again this year. 9/10.

Linescore

2016-09-02 
                          123    456  789   R H E
Lincoln Saltdogs    001  010  300  5 12  0
St. Paul Saints       001 001  000   2 6 1 
Temp: 72F  Time: 3:07 Att: 8,339 

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

Stade Municipal (Quebec)

Quebec Capitales, American Association

10/10

Firstly, I did not even own a camera at this point and as a result, have no photos. I will write at least a thousand words to make up for it.

Stade Municipal was the 6th pro ballpark I ever went to, back when I didn't go on Baseball specific trips, outside of the odd run to Seattle.  I was in Quebec for a month long course and made a point of looking to see if the local nine were in town, or even started. I was more than happy to note that the Capitales started their season the last weekend I was there. I went to two games here, one was opening night, on a Thursday, against the now-defunct New Haven Cutters. The second was the Sunday afternoon tilt. I had no idea what to expect, as I'd never been to an Independent league game and hadn't been to a minor league park since Telus Field, 6 years before. I ended up thoroughly enjoying my two games.

The park itself is a 1930's era ballpark. It definitely has a rustic feel to it. There is also a Stade Municipal in Trois-Rivieres(about an hour east of Montreal) that is exactly the same park, that park also hosts a team in the CanAm, Les Aigles(Eagles) who just finished their first season in 2013 and will be back for a second. I only found out while writing this article that the four CanAm teams have been absorbed into the American Association and will form their own CanAm Division starting with the 2014 season. It's not a total surprise though, as they had been playing an interlocking schedule for a few years now and with the league down to just four teams, it makes sense.

Probably my favourite thing about the Capitales was the atmosphere. With 2005 being the first season without the Expos, the Caps were Quebec's lone pro ballclub. The fans in attendance were clearly very interested in baseball above all else. When the Capitales needed a late inning rally, fans in Le Dugout Molson Ex began banging on empty seats, making quite a bit of noise. The announcements for the game were in French and English. Someone who only spoke English would have no trouble following along. My two games were opening night, on a Thursday, which was well attended and a sunday afternoon that saw a very light rain for most of the game. Some of my neighbours(who refused to stand for The Star Spangled Banner, haven't seen that before or since) asked me later on where New Haven actually was. It's in Connecticut. George Bush the elder played some college baseball there for Yale.

Concessions were simple, but cheap and of good quality. Ordering in English is ok, as most of the workers are students working summer jobs, but patience is a must, as you may not be understood the first time. There is some parking in the area, but it's possible to walk along the St. Charles river to go to the park, although at half an hour from downtown, it could be too long for some.

Overall, a trip to Stade Municipal is a pleasant outing, to a baseball first, classic ballpark. The atmosphere is just an added plus. For those who haven't been to Quebec, it's a good way to experience the province in only a few hours, although I'd highly suggest staying for longer. I give this park a 9/10, with the only knock being that it was a little dirty when I went, especially considering it was opening night. I would love to make a return trip and with parks now in Trois-Rivieres and plans for a second try at Independent baseball in Ottawa, it may be part of an all-Canadian road trip in the future.

Update 2016: The Capitales are still in the CanAm League, which has stopped the interlocking schedule with the American Association. If I re-rated the park according to the new scoring system, according to my 11 year old memory, I'd have to give it a point for each of Facility, Atmosphere and Food. I'd really like to go back this summer, it's been much too long.

Linescores
I have searched high and low for the scores of my two games here in 2005, with no luck to date.