Centene Stadium

Great Falls Voyagers, Pioneer League

10/10

The fans file in the main entrance on the 3rd base side to watch the local nine take on Grand Junction.

Bonus shot. Love this scoreboard art, very Jetsons.

Looking back at home plate from right around Taco John's.

The crowd takes in the afternoon's festivities on a 37 Celsius(an eyelash under 100 Fahrenheit) day.

I first came here in August 2014, as the first actual baseball game of my summer loop, having seen a Canadian Football game the day before. In 2015, it was the last day of the summer loop, but an unseasonably cold and wet September day led to the unthinkable, a rainout.

Firstly, the park itself is an old ballyard approaching the end of it's life that was renovated, with the addition of a new section down the 3rd base side(see my entrance pic) combined with a refurbished main stand. This is a pretty novel(and probably cheaper) approach, which seems pretty reasonable versus a totally new build in Billings, or just not doing anything, like in Helena. The park has managed to keep it's sprit as an older park, but have some decent club seating, for people who like that sort of thing, it means the best views in the ballpark are not the most expensive seats, so everyone wins.

And the food. I didn't eat a whole lot here, but it was good. There is actually a fast food place, a "Taco John's" in the ballpark. Taco John's is big in Montana and the Dakotas, amongst other places, in fact, driving around Great Falls and Helena especially, you will soon realize that Montanans evidently LOVE their tacos/burritos/I can't believe it's not Mexican. I had a great burrito here. There's also some other options I didn't notice my first time, but it was still pretty good.

The atmosphere here was fantastic as well. People were into the game for sure. There were on field events/promotions, but they were actually interesting. Case in point, it was the mascot's birthday and they had a few surprises, including a visit by a Chinchilla who ran a few steps and was making plans for his next move, when the mascot snuck over and picked it up, averting disaster.

In summary, old park renovates subtly for a new lease on life with good food and atmosphere. Great Falls is a little off the beaten path for most, but it is most certainly worth it.

Update 2021: I managed to get a 2nd game in here and enjoyed it too. No reason to change the rating. This is a good little ballpark, with low prices and not many bad seats. The Taco John's had been replaced with a more generic concession, but that was about the only noticeable change. The entire Pioneer League ended up transitioning into an Independent loop for 2021, which means that after seeing more than a few Dodger, Giant and White Sox prospects pass through, this season's Voyagers will be trying to play their way into an organization, rather than up. In the middle of updating the article, MiLB pulled down the box scores for the old games, the new league has a pointstreak page, but it isn't on there.

Linescores

2014-08-10

                                                      123   456   789   R H E

Grand Junction Rockies(COL)      021  211  002   9 17 4

Great Falls Voyagers(CWS)           200  002  000  4  7  4

Temp: 81F  Time: 3:12  Att: 1,134

2015-09-05

                                            123   456   789   RHE

Missoula Osprey(ARI)                    PPD

Great Falls Voyagers(CWS)           Rain

2018-06-21

                                              123   456   789   RHE

Billings Mustangs(CIN)                                  11

Great Falls Voyagers(CWS)                             4

Temp:  Time:  Att:

Kindrick Legion Field

Helena Brewers, Pioneer League

8/10

A better picture of the exterior from 2015, still painted sheet metal.

A lighter moment as the sprinklers suddenly turn on during the game in 2015 gave as good a chance as any to get a picture from behind home.

There are a few more stands down the first base line, but this is what there is behind home plate. A very basic stand.

I stuck the lens through the mesh during a break in play in 2010 and got this picture, which is still one of my favourites from anywhere.

 I went here in 2010 as part of a 3 park Pioneer League loop with my stepbrother. This is an old park, originally dating from the 1930's. It is a VERY simple wooden grandstand. It's located off of US 12, just north of downtown. It was a bit difficult to find, as it's not actually next to the street, but down a hard to see side street, which leads to a gravel lot. We parked for free about two blocks east.

The stadium has no real concourse to speak of, but a fenced in area behind the grandstand. Concessions offered a good variety, but especially of ice cream, which can be a requirement in Montana. The stadium was renovated by adding bright orange stadium seats which were removed from the Oakland Coliseum, when "Mount Davis" was built there. My cup holder still had an Oakland A's logo stuck to it.

If the stadium itself is less of an old gem and more aging, the atmosphere is incredible. Helena are last in attendance for the Pioneer League, but draw a little under a thousand a game in a city only about 30,000 total. There are not many casual fans passing through here, but with front row seats going for 9(N-I-N-E) Dollars, you end up with real fans instead. We moved into the front row, where our seats were, around the 6th inning and ran into a grizzled fellow who misunderstood what was going on and informed us that he would let us use some of his ticket stubs "if anyone gives you any shit" (pronounced sheeit). Nice fellow.

In summary, this park looks hideous from the outside, amazing once you're inside and is a 1930's era wooden bandbox. Food's slightly above par and the atmoshphere is way above, which is why I give it an 8/10. I am going to attempt to head back here again, possibly even this year.

Update 2017: I got back here for a second game in 2015 to watch them play Missoula as the first night of my summer loop. It was a bit on an anticipated game, with the season winding down and Osprey Pitcher Bo Takahashi having a steller season. The Brewers handed him his first loss however, in front of an unusually large crowd for here. In reevaluating this place, there's a lot to consider. Is the facility old? Yes. But is it bad enough to dock a point? No, it isn't.....barely. The food here is actually really good though, with a ton of local microbrews and food items are lacking in selection, but also very cheap. It's a plus. The atmosphere is good for such a small crowd, but nothing remarkable. This one stays at an 8, but was slightly more enjoyable than last time.

The Brewers managed to break 1,000 in terms of average attendance for the first time in many years. The city only has about 25,000 people, with 75 thousand in the area, although many of them are at least an hour from town and not well off. There has been zero talk of a new park here, as attendance and the local economy just don't justify it. However, rumours of a potential move for the AAA franchise in Colorado Springs for the 2019 season have led to speculation that the H-Brewers could be a good candidate to move, as both teams are owned by the same conglomerate. The ballpark and market there would be a massive upgrade, but it would also mean just another small town losing their team. I'd be just fine if that didn't happen, but will keep this place in mind for the next two seasons, just in case.

Linescores
2010-07-20
                                     123    456   789    R H E
Orem Owlz(LAA)             001   020   011   5 7 1
Helena Brewers(MIL)       100    800   20X   11 13 1
Temp: 82F  Time: 2:57  Att: 1,287

2015-08-27
                                        123    456   789   R H E
Missoula Osprey(ARI)        200   100   000    3 7 0
Helena Brewers(MIL)          042  100    00X   7 12 0
Temp: 86F   Time: 2:27  Att: 1,869

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

Dehler Park

Billings Mustangs, Pioneer League

7/10

                                          The entrance to the park is very straightforward. In fact, the only sign saying
"Dehler Park" that I saw was on top of the scoreboard.

                          The park has a nice backdrop of the rolling hills leading out of Billings.

                             The park is centrally located only about 10 blocks north of downtown.

I headed to Dehler Park, my 5th in the Pioneer League, in September 2013, just in time for the first game of the final homestand of the season for the Billings Mustangs, against the Missoula Osprey. I drove all day from Grand Junction to make it(nearly running out of gas 30 minutes away due to my own incompetence), and drove to Edmonton the next day. The park itself is new as of 2008, replacing venerable Cobb Field. Of note, Dehler park holds almost 1,000 people less than Cobb, checking in at an eyelash over 3,000. The name comes from a local businessman, who bought the rights.

On the plus side, the field is not quite downtown, but not in a parking lot 12 miles outside of town either. It was a 30 minute walk from my hotel, which I would have done, if I'd arrived early enough. There's a fair bit of on street parking and with the crowd being around 1,500 or so, traffic wasn't really an issue, even right before game time. The ambience was around average, of note an elderly lady wandered the park with a small megaphone, leading cheers twice during the game. It wasn't a baseball heavy experience, but on the other hand, it wasn't a three ring circus like some places. A man in my section attempted to explain the rules to two women from Sweden, to no avail. The concourse is very wide, which allows for a good flow of the crowd when the game ends, room for lines for food or drinks and even allows lots of room for wheelchairs.

The only real drawback I found were the large, thick posts used to hold up the screen. Most places are able to keep the obstructions to a minimum, but I found myself having a hard time seeing just what was going on. A move a few seats over around mid-game helped this out.

The concessions were above average, even though my Cheesesteak turned into a slice of Cheesecake. I guess that'll happen with a bigger selection. When it showed up, it was a hot dog bun, with a slice of white processed cheese and some ok steak. They did, however, have local beers on tap at a halfway decent price, which is a huge plus for me. I'm a bit of a beer snob and will usually only grab a local brew. They actually had a ton of staff on and while only so many seemed to be actively doing anything, the line moved steadily.

Billings itself is the "Metropolis" of Montana, checking in at around 115,000 people, it reminds me a fair bit of Regina, which makes a little sense. I would have liked to have gotten in in the mid-afternoon, to poke around a bit before the game.

Overall, I found Dehler to be somewhat generic, but at the same time, a little frugal. It looks like the City of Billings did their homework and built the ballpark they needed, as well as one they wanted too. There simply never was(at least to my knowledge)  a debate about building a new park vs. losing the team, as besides Billings being one of the better markets in Pioneer League territory, they've always had a good stadium to play in. It's is a little bland, but it's entirely appropriate field for Rookie level baseball, which is what Montana does best. Maybe in time, it can take on a bit more character, but for now, it's a strong 7/10.

Update 2016:  I have not been back for a 2nd game here. The Mustangs are still a Reds affiliate, one of the longest active affiliations in the minors, going back to the 1970s. Under the new ratings system, this place gets average scores for facility and atmosphere, with a token half point for the variety of food items available. I may end up back here this summer.

Linescore
2009-09-05
                                           123     456      789   R H E
Missoula Osprey(ARI)            000    600      000    6 6 0
Billings Mustangs(CIN)           120    000      100    4 10 0  
Temp: 84F  Time: 2:41 Att: 2,143