Werner Park

Omaha Storm Chasers, International League

8/10

Entrance is from the third base side, so this is about the fanciest one there is.

The field is prepped for a midweek game against Scranton.

Looking in from right center field.

I rolled into the Omaha area after having seen a game in Sioux Falls the night before. This is the latest home of Kansas City's top farm club, after they moved out of Omaha itself after the iconic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium closed in 2010. The then Omaha Royals were never totally satisfied in a ballpark built for the College World Series, so when a replacement for Rosenblatt was constructed, the Royals set out on their own, eventually building in suburban Sarpy County.

I ended up staying about 15 minutes away and driving in. The ballpark is eventually going to be at the centre of a fair bit of development, but it largely isn't done yet. Parking was not too far away, and only cost 5 dollars, which is a bit of a rarity these days. The ballpark is substantially nicer than I would have expected and compares well to a Major League spring training venue, particularly Camelback Ranch . It features a wrap around concourse with large berms. I enjoyed the park itself and would give it a plus.

The atmosphere was not quite as good however. I caught this place on a Thursday night and it was relatively empty. Without a decent number of Yankee fans cheering for their farmhands, the crowd would have been a lot smaller.  At the time, I noted a lot of sound effects, which I'm not usually a fan of. I would take off a half point.

Food was pretty standard for this level, with BBQ and Pizza as the standout options. I had a pretty decent pizza, payments were with card only. On the whole, a pretty impressive facility gives this an 8/10 overall.

Linescore

2022-08-25

                                                                       123    456  789  R H E

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders(NYY)        220    001  003  8 12 2

Omaha Storm Chasers(KC)                           000    312  100  7 10 0
Time: 3:00 Temp: 87F  Att: 4,315

Melaleuca Field

Idaho Falls Chukars, Pioneer League

8/10

The stadium's redbrick exterior, complete with a statue of a Chukar player.

A decent crowd watches the Chukars and Voyagers in 2010.

The Chukars wave home another runner.

The field is prepped for a key September game against Ogden in 2015.

This was our second stop on our 1st Pioneer League loop in 2010. We drove in from Missoula, taking the long way, but arriving with plenty of time to spare for the Great Falls Voyagers and Idaho Falls Chukars. I ended up parking for free on the street about three blocks from the park. The park was built in 2007, replacing McDermott Field on the same site. The field orientation and it appears, the outfield wall, is retained, but everything else is new.

The park has a redbrick exterior, which includes a statue of a Chukar player on top of the ticket office. The park is clean, with good sightlines, but isn't overly spectacular in any way. The Chuarks needed a new park and certainly if they'd kept their old park for much longer, it could have threatened the franchise, but now Idaho Falls will have pro baseball for decades to come.

The atmosphere at this park was slightly above average. The crowd was interested in the game. a 17 year old Nicaraguan named Cheslor Cuthbert hit a home run in his 1st at bat since being promoted. The crowd ended up sitting mostly in the cheaper general admission seats down the left field line, with less people in the supposedly better seats. During a change at one point, ushers threw candy into the seats. I got hit in the head by a tootsie roll. I haven't seen this done anywhere else.

I'd recommend staying in town for the night, as we tried to make headway to the north after the game and discovered that there isn't a whole lot in that direction for several hours.

On the whole, Melaleuca Field is an entirely adequate facility for the Pioneer League, (although it's nothing unique) and ensures the league will continue it's long history in the area. It's a bit of an outpost however and makes a good stopping point either coming or going to Montana.

Update 2016: I returned here in 2015, on my way back from points south. This was one of many parks on the 2015 summer roadie that I had seen before, but not for 5 or more years. I had a better impression for the 2nd game here though. It was a key pennant matchup between these two, so a small but fiery crowd turned up. I sat in the 6th row or so, which meant a Dodger scout with an off pitcher were in front of me, with Charlie the Chukar present and occasionally razzing them, just because. I heard on the radio in the concession line the 2nd time that Cheslor Cuthbert, the aforementioned home run batter, hit his first MLB homerun for Kansas City as a September callup.

The ballpark still comes across as a bit lacking, with tons of aluminum disguised in a redbrick facade. I almost took a half point off for this, but did not. The atmosphere is a little above average, I'd give it a half and the concessions here, which had been kind of lacking before, are really good. Service is much better and the variety is pretty good, especially considering this is still a Rookie park. I'd up the score to an 8, rounded down from 8.5. I admit, I was surprised I enjoyed this one that much more the 2nd time around.

Linescores 
2010-07-19
                                               123     456  789  10   RHE
Great Falls Voyagers(CWS)        001  100  100   0     382
Idaho Falls Chukars(KC)             100  020   000  1    492
Temp: 84F  Time: 2:51   Att: 3,720


2015-09-02
                                          123   456   789   RHE
Ogden Raptors(LAD)             200 000  200  492
Idaho Falls Chukars(KC)        040  000   001  591
Temp: 85F Time: 2:51  Att:  2,299

Kauffman Stadium

Kansas City Royals, American League

8/10

The view of Kauffman from my hotel window, right across I-70.

The Royals prepare to take on the Cleveland Indians.

Out by the famous centre field fountains here, you get a good view of both seating decks.

  I rolled into Kansas City in June 2015, coming from St. Louis and a trip earlier that day up the St. Louis Arch. The park is located on the eastern outskirts of the city, off of, or right next to I-70, and Arrowhead Stadium in the "Truman Sports Complex". There's a bucket of parking around here, as besides the two stadiums, that's really all there is. The park has been recently renovated, with a bit more going in in the outfield, but still retaining some of the concourse.

I indulged in a brisket sandwich, or pulled pork or something like that here, it was not too bad. Lines for concessions were not too bad.

The big plus here is atmosphere. In a strange way, KC feels like a big Triple-A park, but not in a bad way. There's that kind of an intimacy between the fans and the players that you won't see too many places anymore. Doesn't hurt that this is a Royal team that would go on to win the World Series.

Overall, this is a bit of a quirky major league park with a minor league atmosphere(that's good, honest) and decent food. I'd give the park, food and atmosphere all half points, which would round down to an 8.

Surprise Stadium

Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals (Spring Training)

9/10

The third base gate is used more for leaving than entering, the front door isn't much more notable.

The view from behind home plate for 2011 Fall League action.

The view from centre field shows the grandstand, press boxes and a bit of the 2nd level seating.

I first came here in 2010 for a Cactus League contest and as of 2015, have been a total of 7 times, for 6 Cactus League games and one Fall League game in 2011, which featured a young Bryce Harper.

As the name suggests, the park is in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise, about 40 minutes northwest of downtown. The Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers have been training here since 2003. 2005 saw Golden League baseball here as well, with the Surprise Fightin' Falcons lasting just the one season. It's more of an AAA style ballpark than one of the bigger stadiums built lately. It's pretty well laid out, with a ton of shade in the infield, a pretty wide concourse, that is a little dark, but nothing too wild. The two sections of upper deck seating are popular and are well shaded with a good sight line. The quirkiest plus of the park is the unique design of the roof, which has circle-shaped depressions in it to stop foul balls from rolling back down and landing on spectators. 

Concessions here are pretty good too, embracing the local tastes of the two teams. Kansas City naturally features BBQ, which in this case, meant a pulled pork sandwich. I beleive that Tex-Mex also featured prominently, as do usual ballpark favourites.

Atmosphere here is subdued, rarely crowded, but always interested in the action on the field. There's no mascot or promotions as far as I can remember.

Overall, I am generally so engrossed in enjoying a game and the experience that I remember little else about it. This is among about 5 parks in the Cactus League that I would go to anytime, just a very enjoyable ballpark. A point for concession, plus a half point for the park and atmosphere gives it a 9.