Kingdome

Demolished

6/10

The good news is that I do have, buried somewhere, photos from inside the Kingdome. The bad news, is that I have little clue as to where they are. Such is the problem of printed photos.

This stadium was supposed to be built in time for the Seattle Pilots' first season. However, the Kansas City expansion team was eager to get into the league ASAP, to replace the Athletics franchise that had moved to Oakland, so Seattle's entry into the league was moved up, before the "King County Domed Stadium" could even be financed. So the Pilots played 1 season at the aging Sick's Stadium, before moving to Milwaukee. Still, it would not be long before 1977 saw the Mariners start up at the Kingdome.

We came here for the first time in 1996 to watch the Mariners and the Yankees under the dome. I was looking forward to watching former Blue Jay Jimmy Key, who then promptly left the game in the first inning after being hit with a comebacker. We saw the Mariners play the Red Sox the next year and that was it. I have only my 12 year old memory to go on, so here it is.

The area around where the dome was isn't a whole lot different than it is now. Some bars/pubs and Pioneer Square was close by. Seattle was a bit of a grittier city then, as the Microsoft boom hadn't come into full swing yet.

The dome itself was very dark. The wall in right field "Walla Walla" was about double height compared to the rest of the stadium. Ken Griffey Jr. can attest to the fact that this was a hitter's park to the extreme. I remember very little about coming here, other than the fact that the concourses would get very busy after games. Still, this was my 2nd MLB park ever and my last new one for about 6 years.

The Mariners were in a vulnerable spot again in the mid-90s, playing in an aging Kingdome, before Edgar Martinez's game winning hit in the division series against the Yankees all but guaranteed the construction of Safeco Field. The site of the former dome is now occupied by CenturyLink Field, home of the NFL Seahawks and MLS Sounders.

Update 2017: This place is still gone, but I did manage to locate the one linescore from here, the game against the Yankees where I remember Key being the starter. I don't remember the Boston games clearly, but I do remember them being at least the season after. They were likely in 1997, but maybe 1998 as well. I'll have to find a ticket stub or something to figure it out for sure.  

Linescores
1996-08-26
                            123  456  789   RHE
New York(AL)         000  000  100  150
Seattle                   000  100  010  290
Time: 2:59  Temp: 68F Att: 32,857

Prince George Citizen Field

Vacant

No Rating

The exterior of Citizen Field just prior to game time

Between innings of Thurston Co. v. Japan

The seating area empty between games.

It was August of 2016 and I had a minor issue. I had progressed well into the season and besides my California trip in May, I had nothing new. Days off from work were all but nonexistent, as vacation was snapped up by everyone but me during that same Cal trip. I was not too sure what to do, when in my random surfings, I noticed that the Pecos League's Roswell Invaders were in the "World Baseball Challenge". My interest piqued, I found that the tournament was in Prince George, BC, about 8 hours away and also included a team from Japan. I picked dates and drove out the morning of the doubleheader I chose to do, arriving just at the first game featuring a rep team from a summer league in Washington and a rep team of Japanese senior amateur players.

It was a clear, hot day, with the Japanese pulling out to an early lead thanks to some fundamental Japanese baseball, and the Evergreen staters, playing with something like a total roster of 11, battling in the late innings to pull back within a few runs, before running out of time. The second game saw the aforementioned Invaders take on a senior league team from Kamloops, the Sun Devils,who held it close, before Roswell showed off some fundamental Pecos League baseball by proceeding to knock every hanging breaking pitch they saw over the fence. Quickly, the game ended via Mercy rule(or "Slaughter Rule" in Japan, maybe a little more accurate).

As for this ballpark, it is Amateur to the core. It's a smaller, raised grandstand, with no fixed seating at all. A temporary structure built from scaffolding had some folding plastic chairs, but that's it. The atmosphere was very laid back, with only around 250 people present. What sounded like a disused train horn was sounded for every home run. The concession was super cheap, with a daily special for the tournament, the big event at this park. Usually, this place sees higher levels of junior and senior baseball, although it's unclear how popular any of that is.

Overall, if I had to rate this park, it'd likely get a 5, if it was lucky, as the facility is alright, but the lack of actual seats is a major flaw. The atmosphere is flat, but not bad, and the concession, while great for a park of this ilk, gets only a half point. Fortunately, this place doesn't get a rating, as while I saw a pro team, I didn't see a pro game. I doubt I'll run out to PG anytime soon.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, American League

10/10

 The crowds file in for a game with Seattle in April, 2014.

 Just about ready to begin against Oakland in August 2009.

I enjoyed my 3rd game at the Big A probably most of all, thanks to a good atmosphere in the upper deck.

Angel Stadium is now one of my favourites. I have been here a total of five times now, twice against the Athletics in 2009, once on a cool April evening against Seattle in 2014 and twice in September of 2016 against the Blue Jays.

It's located near a trifecta of freeways and about a 10 minute drive from the Disneyland area. It's surrounded by a ton of parking in the immediate area and a little further there are actually some bars and restaurants, over towards the Honda Center, the home of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks.

The park was built in the mid 1960's as a new home for the Angels after they spent their first few years at LA's Wrigley Field and "Chavez Ravine" as Dodger Stadium was called when it hosted them. It was massively renovated when the NFL's Rams moved in and massively renovated again when they moved away. The results are incredible. Compare the before(By watching the remake of Angels in the Outfield maybe?) and the after(by going) and be amazed. From the outside it is very obvious it's an older park and maybe in the upper deck, but on the bottom it appears 30 years younger than it really is. That's my favourite thing about this park, it was turned from a gargantuan NFL-sized stadium into something more reasonable.

The fans here are passionate about supporting their team, instead of the other team in the LA area.

I like the food here quite a bit. There's lots of good options. As of 2014, it included Panda Express and Jack in the Box, as well as a very good pizza chain that replaced California Pizza Kitchen, the name escapes me at the moment....

The atmosphere is great, very baseball-oriented, with just enough quirks to keep things interesting.

The backdrop of the Honda Center and hills makes it a nice place to spend an evening.

In 2009, I went for a night game against Oakland and was so impressed by the crowd at atmosphere that I went back the next afternoon and sat in the sun on a 112 degree afternoon. The guy at the pulled pork sandwich stand (Reggie?) insisted on selling me a medium pop instead of a small saying "You'll thank me later."

Thanks Reggie.

I returned in April 2014, for the final game of a season opening series between the Angels and the Seattle Mariners. It actually did get cold in the upper deck later on and some of the dining options had changed, but it was more or less the same park, which was good. If you haven't gone, try to go and if you have, go back, it's just as good the 2nd time.

Update 2017: I went back here for two more games in September 2016, as the Blue Jays were in town. They lost to the Angels without much of a struggle both games I saw. There was still a good crowd both days, despite the latter being the same afternoon as the first home game for the new Los Angeles Rams.  It reminded me of the game versus Oakland in 2009, where it was very, very hot.

Food service options at the park changed again with "Oggi's" now the pizza of choice and Jack In the Box having taken over the burger stands. I frequented a custom gourmet hot dog stand, which while expensive, was fantastic. There's also a healthier concession deep in the outer concourse of the park, as well as several others in a sort of food court. I made it onto the mezzanine this time around and was not dissapointed. I'd still give this park a 10/10, it's a favourite. I wonder if now that Oakland is without the NFL, they could renovate it in the same vein?


Linescores
2009-08-29
                                123    456   789  RHE
Oakland                    000   000   310  491
Los Angeles(AL)        001  200   000   390
Temp: 89F  Time: 3:01  Att: 43,011

2009-08-30
                             123   456   789    R H E
Oakland                  001   000  000   1 6 0
Los Angeles(AL)     000   040   05x   9 13 1
Temp: 92F  Time: 2:12  Att: 38,018

2014-04-02
                                 123   456  789    R H E
Seattle                      001     014   002  8  13 0
Los Angeles(AL)        000     000    002  2  3  1
Temp: 57F  Time: 2:39   Att: 38,007

2016-09-17
                               123   456  789    R  H E
Toronto                     000   000  010  1 10 3
Los Angeles(AL)       010  012   20x  6  8  0
Temp: 83F  Time: 3:08  Att: 39,195

2016-09-18
                              123   456   789   R H E
Toronto                    000   000   000   0 4  1  
Los Angeles(AL)      010   010   02x   4 10 0
Temp: 84F Time: 3:25  Att: 36,270

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.

Target Field

Minnesota Twins, American League

8/10

This is another one of the parks where my photos were lost to the great camera caper of 2012.

*Sigh*

Anyhow, I did manage to get here after a night game the night before in Milwaukee. I drove to Eau Claire, getting in around 2 AM, grabbed a quick 6 hours, then hit the road for Minneapolis.

I arrived in plenty of time and found parking around 5 blocks away for a reasonable price. The park is built in an arena district, with the Minnesota Timberwolves playing at Target Arena, nearby. It's in a pretty decent neighbourhood.

The exterior is mostly made of yellowish tiles made from local rocks. The park is "sunken" slightly, with the field below street level. The concourse is wide open and has a clean, uncluttered look to it. Crowds of people are able to easily move around the ballpark. I found the staff to be extra friendly, as per Milwaukee the night before. Food was passable.

The game saw the Twins play division rival Cleveland on a nice afternoon in front of 25-30 thousand. People enjoyed the game from what I remember. I sat under an overhang, which meant shade, but I was far forward enough to see the same clearly.

This was a decent park overall, I just wish I could remember a bit more and that my photos survived. It's undoubtedly a massive upgrade from playing at the Metrodome. I will absolutely have to go back soon.

Update 2016: I have not been back to this point. I had the option on a weekend trip of going to watch the last place Twins play the White Sox, but I opted for a game in St. Paul instead. I upped the rating here to an 8, as the park itself is deserving of the extra point.

Linescore
2012-07-29
                      123   456   789   RHE
Cleveland        000  100  000   160
Minnesota       000   210  20x  580
Temp: 72F  Time: 2:28 Att: 34,720

Adelanto Stadium

High Desert Yardbirds, Pecos League

8/10

The relatively nondescript entrance.

Warmups pre-game v. Rancho Cucamonga. The people next to the mound are dressed as Stormtroopers for Star Wars night.

A look back at the seating bowl about 40 minutes to game time.

I came into the High Desert after driving down from San Jose. This was a bit of a somber visit, as it appeared that rumours that had circulated about this team moving to the Carolinas, along with Bakersfield, were really picking up some momentum. Still, for the moment, it was just another new park in a week of new Cal League parks and I headed in. Parking here was either two or four dollars, can't remember, which was a nice change after paying 15 the previous evening in San Jose. This was a Saturday night fireworks home game against Rancho Cucamonga, which was only so far away on I-15, so maybe a hundred of their supporters made the trip. I arrived well before first pitch on what was also Star Wars night. The park's about 25 years old, but has aged relatively well from the fan's standpoint, save for the fact that the left field corner isn't visible from behind home plate, as the bullpen is pushed almost right onto the foul line by some sort of club section. The Texas Rangers, who were the parent club at the time, were reportedly concerned with the tendency here for desert winds to turn fly balls into home runs somewhat regularly. This game turned into a slugfest as well with the Quakes beating the home side 14-5.

The atmosphere was up to standard, but that was about it. Food was pretty decent, which is why this place gets an 8. I had some sort of burrito named after Mavericks manager and former major leaguer Howard Johnson, which consisted of eggs, hashbrowns and I think peppers. It was pretty unexpected to put it mildly.

But, after my visit here, the rumours picked up and soon became an announcement that the team's 2016 season in the Cal League would be its last. The situation in Adelanto had become untenable, as only a last second court injunction kept the Mavericks in their ballpark, as the local government had been attempting to have them removed, in a dispute over their lease. But after this, the proverbial writing was on the wall and with a second club in Bakersfield having long since exhausted it's options to stay in California, the Mavericks were off to the east coast.

I was in California in September 2016, when I noted that despite their off field turmoil, the Mavericks continued to win, making it all the way to the Cal League finals against a really good Visalia team. I tentatively planned to attend on a Sunday night, after a game in Anaheim, but the Mavericks finished it off on Saturday instead, playing their last game ever as league champions. Apparently, around 10 thousand dollars of damage was done to the stadium after this, according to the mayor, with the team denying it. A toxic end to a clearly toxic relationship.

That should be the end of the story, but it is not. When I went to check while writing this to see what summer league had settled here, I was stunned to find that the Pecos League, always eager to pick up other league's castoffs, had gone into not only both the High Desert and Bakersfield, but two other cities as well. The High Desert Yardbirds will play their first year here in 2017, with the stadium referred to as Adelanto Stadium. The majority of fans won't notice the difference and life will go on. It'll be interesting to see how long the new team lasts before they clash with city council.

Linescore
2016-05-07
                                                           123    456   789     R H E
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes(LAD)         051   000   161    14 17 0
High Desert Mavericks(TEX)                  000   202    001      5  7  2
Temp: 63F  Time: 3:10  Att: 2,233

Nat Bailey Stadium

Vancouver Canadians, Northwest League

10/10

 A large crowd outside just before 1st pitch, waiting to get in, pick up tickets, or come up with a new plan for the afternoon, as the game sold out.

 The first pitch of the Vancouver Canadians taking on the visiting Boise Hawks.

A great sell out crowd on a Friday Afternoon.

Firstly, this park is now known officially as Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. But I went there before this change and most people still use the old name, so we will stick with that.

I went to my first ever Pro baseball game when I was 8 years old in 1992. It was here, at "The Nat", to watch the then AAA Vancouver Canadians battle the Edmonton Trappers. This was in the midst of the Blue Jays first championship season and baseball enjoyed a higher stature in Canada than it does now. I'd love to say I enjoyed it and was hooked, but it was a slow game, with the final being either 1-0, or 2-1 and runs not coming in until the 6th or 7th inning. Eventually we left early and I jokingly taunted my Aunt and Cousin that it was their fault, knowing full well it was mine.

I went back in 2000, having turned 16, to watch the now Short Season A Vancouver Canadians take on the now defunct Portland Rockies with my Stepfather, Brother and some friends. It was the first season of the Canadians having moved down 4 rungs on the Minor League hierarchy, but as my Stepfather heard from a local die-hard, the difference in the quality of play was only so much. The team went from a poorly drawing AAA team in a small old ballpark to an NWL team in a big city, with a gem of an old park and a strong following locally. I attempted to go back in 2013, but discovered the game I wanted, the last Saturday night home game of the year, had completely sold out.

I finally got back to Nat Bailey Stadium in August 2014 and have to say that I LOVED it. There's just so much to like.

The park is a 1950s era grandstand that is very basic, featuring lots of painted concrete and wooden benches, outside of the box seats. My ticket behind the aisle cost 12.50 Canadian, which is higher than most low minor parks, but for Canada is very cheap. The park has the main concourse under the seats, but a smaller one to move people to their seats in view of the field and a teeny one at the top of the grandstand. There is a videoboard, but the main scoreboard is hand operated, which is always a nice touch.

Parking was free on the street a few blocks away, as the stadium is located in the middle of Queen Elizabeth Park. Parking right next to the stadium was 7 dollars and had bad entrance and exits, so if you're able, I'd suggest parking on the street, it saves time in the long run.

I went back solo for a Friday afternoon "Nooner at the Nat"(which actually started at 1, but we'll spot them that) against the Boise Hawks, who I hadn't seen play since my visit to Boise. The game sold out, but not every seat was filled. Still, about 4,000 people or so showed up and from die-hards to casual fans, most people were into the game...which was a good thing, as the Canadians took it on the chin, losing 10-3. I read a review from ballparkreviews.com about how the atmosphere at minor-league games in Canada is usually better and having been to a few different parks now, I totally agree. People who go to ballgames in Canada want to watch at least some baseball, pure and simple.

Another reason I enjoyed Nat Bailey was the food, it was fantastic. I was in the mood for a burger, but with the line at the main concession looking quite long, I went to the shortest line "Sushi and Asahi Beer". It's a great pairing and me, my Asahi and my Sushi had a good time(despite me spilling the sushi trying to break apart the chopsticks). I also got an ice cream helmet. Also of note, the team uses the tiny concourse at the top of the grandstand to have a few beer stands, which kept a lot of people from walking past my seat during the game, and kept the beer people and the food people from all being in the main concession area. I can't think of another older park that did that as well.

The location in a park isn't terribly scenic, but is pleasant enough for the park's purposes. Between the well maintained gem of a park, good layout and use of space, plus good food and atmosphere, it doesn't get much better than a game at "The Nat" and it now ranks among my favourites. I thought it was a strong 10/10 as of right now, it's my favourite in the low minors.

Update 2016: I enjoyed this one so much that I went back and typed a lengthy update almost right afterwards. There's little to add, except for the fact that the C's have put in a party deck in left field, which has boosted capacity somewhat. The Canadians are the leading draw in the NWL, averaging just over 6,000 a game. That's 21st in MiLB period, with only the Midwest League Dayton Dragons drawing better in the low minors. It's pretty remarkable how their numbers have jumped in the last few years. I found the 2014 line score with little issue, but the other two will take a lot more digging. I will save them for the next update.

Linescore
2014-08-22
                                                123     456    789    R  H E
Boise Hawks(CHC)                     231   003     001    10 11 2
Vancouver Canadians(TOR)        000    010    002     3 12 2