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.

San Jose Municipal Stadium

San Jose Giants, California League

8/10

The main entrance is not quite behind home plate.

An overcast, moist evening for the opening game of a weekend series v. Lake Elsinore.

The stands empty quickly after a win, with those remaining waiting for fireworks.

I pulled into San Jose after taking a long, meandering route through the Napa Valley from Stockton and fighting a small amount of rush hour traffic, which given my track record in the Bay Area, was not too bad.  Municipal Stadium is located in a more industrial part of town, not far from Spartan Stadium, where the San Jose State football team plays. Parking was in a empty lot down the block with a run down paved jogging track. Because it was fireworks night, this cost 15 dollars, which having paid 5 to park right outside the one in Stockton, seemed insane. This park is another WPA ballpark from the early forties, which hasn't seen a whole ton of work since it opened. There are a ton of outbuildings, especially on the third base side, which are mostly for more food. The facility reminds me of Vancouver, if anything, although there's no roof whatsoever here. It's old and cramped, but still adequate for this level.

The atmosphere here was good. It was a Friday night, which helped out because it was also overcast and moist, and while it never did rain, it started off at a cool 59F and only got worse. The game was a series opener against Lake Elsinore, which saw the Giants plate 4 in the first three innings and the Storm peck away inning by inning, until the Giants used some late offence to win a good game, 6-4.

The food was also neat here. As mentioned earlier, outbuildings housed all kinds of options, including my eventual choice, some wood-fired pizza. Usually this sort of food village is a bit of a mess, but this was well laid out, like with Maryvale. I'd give it a plus.

Overall, a good option with a bit more character than some of it's newer competition in the Cal League. A good 8. I'll be back here in a few years.


Linescore
2016-05-06
                                              123  456   789   R H E
Lake Elsinore Storm(SD)           010  010   110  4 11 1
San Jose Giants(SF)                103  000   02x  6  6  2
Temp: 59F Time: 2:59  Att: 3,084

Stockton Ballpark

Stockton Ports, California League

8/10

Parking was 5 dollars and was right outside the doors.

A relatively small crowd on free hat night waits for the Ports and Giants to start up.

Looking back at the home plate area during warm ups.

I made a much anticipated stop in Stockton after a getaway game earlier in the day in Fresno. Clouds had begun to roll in with some sporadic showers, but the rain held off to a short sprinkle or two until after the game. I arrived well before the first pitch and was rewarded with 5 dollar parking right in front of the entrance, a free hat and the last Caesar salad wrap in the building. The facility is very nice, with a wide concourse and some nice stone work. There is a "party deck" in the outfield, as well as some club sort of seating down the first base line. Food was reasonable, with nothing too memorable, I did find the aforementioned wrap stand hidden down the first base line, but it was almost sold out well before the game started.

It was a mid-week game in May on an overcast, moist day, which meant only so many people showed, but I could see the atmosphere here being good later in the summer. The fans were treated to a defensive contest as a 2 run homer in the 1st was met only by a solo homer in the 7th as the baby Giants eked out a 2-1 victory.

In the end, a nice ballpark, with decent, but not spectacular food options and the potential for a good atmosphere, I'd give it an 8 for the moment. I will totally come back here again given the chance.



Linescore
2016-05-04
                                     123   456    789    RHE
San Jose Giants(SJ)       200   000    000   230
Stockton Ports(OAK)      000   000    100   160
Temp: 64F  Time: 2:43  Att: 1,522

San Manuel Stadium

Inland Empire 66ers, California League

8/10

The exterior is painted an appropriate colour of beige.

I enjoyed my food so much, I didn't do my picture walk until later than usual.

The 66ers in their baby blue home shirts go to bat against Lancaster, lined up the field.

I made the trip down to San Bernardino as part of my Cal League loop in 2016. I had taken in an early start in nearby Rancho Cucamonga, then driven to Yorba Linda and the under renovation Richard Nixon Presidential Library. I arrived well before the first pitch. The park is another early 90's design from Populous, which is why it's laid out almost exactly the same as Lancaster, Peoria and Hohokam Park. The exterior is painted a beige-yellow and comes across as somewhat southwestern. Overall, it's hardly a bad park, but it's hard not to consider it average, especially knowing of it's many cousins in the southwest.

I hit the concession shortly after arrival and opted for the Pulled Pork/Mac and Cheese nachos. At 10 dollars, I expected a slightly smaller than acceptable serving, but no. I ended up with a veritable boat of food, feeling very satisfied that I had gotten what I paid for. Needless to say, concessions here were solid, with the nachos factoring into my top 10 ballpark food items.

Atmosphere here was sedate, as you might expect on a midweek game in may, based on what the cluster of diehards in my section were calling the worst 66er team in memory. An elderly gentleman sitting in front of me claimed to have played for the USC Trojans in his day and piped up with a critique of the home side's strategy every few innings. About half the tickets sold for the game appeared to be redeemed. Still, with either the Dodgers or Angels in town pretty much every night, it's hard for the team to compete.

Overall, I enjoyed my stop here, food was fantastic, but with the park being a one of many in this design, plus the absence of any real crowd, it's hard to rate it too high. 8 it is.

Linescore
2016-05-04                             123    456    789   RHE
Lancaster Jethawks(HOU)       122    000    100   690
Inland Empire 66ers(LAA)        000    000    010   192
Temp: 68F  Time: 2:51  Att: 1,994

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

The Epicenter

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, California League

7/10

A decent crowd turned out for this Sunday night tilt.

                                        

A break in the action during the final Quakes home game of the year.

My favourite sign, anywhere, ever. HEADS UP!

The Epicenter(LoanMart Field for the 2013 season) was my 2nd game in one day on my 2009 trip, having watched the A's and Angels at the Big A in the afternoon. I headed up I-15 to Rancho Cucamonga to watch the local nine, the Angel affiliated Quakes, take on the Stockton Ports. This park was part of the trend along with Lake Elsinore towards disproving the notion that minor-league parks have to be minor league. Don’t get me wrong, places like Eugene’s Civic Stadium and Quebec’s Stade Municipale are what it’s all about, but there are plenty of pre-1990 parks that are just horrible, isn’t that right Recreation Park? 

The Epicenter was a successful experiment in placing a relatively large, well-built stadium within driving distance of the Major leagues. Every season since has from an attendance standpoint, gone very, very well. The park is a concrete and plastic seat structure, with the electronic scoreboard in left and the video board in right. But, it didn’t do a lot for me. Maybe the 110 degree heat at the Big A that afternoon took a big chunk out of me, but after reading about this park in books and online, it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be, but it was ok. A big knock for me was the seating, which was confusing, I never did find my seat, I mean I thought I had, with other people sitting in it, but I guess not. The mascot, Tremor and a female accomplice are both dinosaurs. They are pretty active.

Rancho Cucamonga is a blooming suburb of Los Angeles, up the I-15. The area right next to the park is a rec complex(keep an eye out for a “Watch for Foul Balls” sign) and beyond that it’s commercial, with a couple of decent restaurants. I opted to forgo the concession at the park and return to Anaheim for a late night trip to Carl's Jr. It's in the eastern part of the Southland area, so easily 15 parks are within a day's drive, or like me, you can make it part of a multiple night stay in the LA area. I went to Angel games the night before and afternoon of, and a Dodger game on the way out of the city.

It was an evening game, the last home game of the season, so the crowd was around 4,500 or so, but awfully quiet. Still, there were some quirks. When a Rancho player hit a homerun, the booster club had a guy walk the seats with a helmet collecting money. During one of the intervals, one of the mascots courted the base umpire, who eventually got down on one knee and offered a bouquet. I expected, like in another gag involving an “umpire” in Tacoma that the real umpire would trot back onto the field and this guy would leave, but that didn’t happen, as he just went out to first base to get going.

Looking back on this review in 2014, I think I was a bit hard on this one. I think I caught it on a bad day or something. At any rate, I upped the score from 6 to 7. This one could very well be on my list for a second trip this year.

Update 2014: The Quakes are now affiliated with the other team in metro LA, the Dodgers, as of 2011, with the Angels entry now being in San Bernardino. Re-scoring this place was easy, it's a very average place, so it still gets a 7.

Linescore
2009-08-30
                                                            123    456   789    R H E
Stockton Ports(OAK)                              000    001   020   3 10 2
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes(LAA)           003    001   00X   4  7 1 
Temp:102F   Time: 2:45    Att: 3,951

Recreation Park

Visalia Rawhide, California League

6/10

When the team changed from the Oaks to the Rawhide, the equipment shed got a makeover as a barn.

A relatively good crowd for a fireworks night.

Still, Visalia draws better than only Bakersfield in the league.

      The crowd mills around waiting for fireworks night to begin, while I sneak out to beat the traffic.

Recreation Park is the smallest in affiliated minors and advertises itself as the smallest pro ballpark in the US. It really is very small. There is about 1,700 seats behind the plate and about 500 more up the first base line. It's located in a residential/industrial area, around 7 minutes north of CA 198, the main freeway through town.

I went in 2009, on my way to Los Angeles, having been in San Francisco the day before. I caught a game between the hometown Visalia Rawhide and the Lake Elsinore Storm. It had recently been renovated, so there is an outfield barn as part of the wall, part of the team changing it’s name from the Oaks to the Rawhide, as a result of switching affiliations from Oakland to Arizona. The big knock is the “concourse” being right in front of the first row behind the aisle, where I sat. It meant that people would stop to watch the game and block my view. Tipper, the cow and Smokey the bear would stop to “entertain” the children right in front of me. It generally was one of the least enjoyable games on the trip. I wish that I’d have gone to maybe Modesto or Stockton instead. 

Most of the people who seemed like more baseball oriented regulars sat at the back. Either there or the front would be a good call. The middle, where I was, is pretty high traffic. This was back when I usually ate before I came, so I didn't try any food and don't remember anything about it.

The biggest knock I have on this place is that seemingly nobody was there to watch the game. The kids were loud and out of control on the concourse. I don’t normally care, but it made it impossible to follow the game. The Rawhide were apparently out of it late in the season, their best player having been summoned to AA Mobile, but still, wow. The people sitting behind me were complaining about the view from two rows up. If you want to see, you need to sit at the back. The attendance average was only about 1,500 all year and if this is it, I can see why. Attendance was only what it was because it was fireworks night, which allowed me to depart early. Even the mascot, Tipper the Steer had a rough night being both roped to the ground during a demonstration and kicked in the stomach by a teenaged girl sitting in my row. It’s a hard knock life.

Visalia is a city of roughly 90,000 just off of CA 99. It earns a brief mention as the possible next stop for Crash Davis in Bull Durham, as a possible manager. Nearby is the Sequoia National Park, which I made a brief stop at on the way out. You have to drive through Visalia on the CA 198 until it turns into a two lane highway, then keep on going. It's a bit expensive to get in, but was worth poking around. 

The best thing about Recreation Park is probably it's location within the State, it's almost equal distance between San Francisco and Los Angeles, with 198 connecting to CA 99 after only a few miles. Still, I would have gone to Fresno, just up the highway, if they'd been at home. You could easily drive to any Major or Minor league park in California within 5 hours(and even some outside of it), without much hassle.

Overall, it’s just way too small and crowded, Other than the lack of other good options, I don’t understand how the Cal league can put a team here, as they’re apparently locked in until at least 2019. After that, with Bakersfield being a constant candidate to move, look for Visalia to come up in the mix. Still, the fact that even now there's 5 years left on the lease might allow Visalia to hang around in the league for awhile longer. 

Update 2016: I still haven't been back here, but I really hammered it in retrospect. Under the new ratings system,  I can't offer any insight into the concessions here, the atmosphere was terrible and the park was adequate, if not small. That bumps this one up from a 4, which is now pretty hard to pull off, to a 6, which is a little more forgiving and in line with the other reviews on here.

Linescore 
2009-08-28 
                                            123    456    789    RHE
Lake Elsinore Storm(SD)        103    000    100    550
Visalia Rawhide(ARI)              000    010    000    171
Temp: 86F Time: 2:41  Att: 2,544