Please Visit KCRG.com

This blog is no longer regularly updated (although it all remains intact, so please browse around as you wish), but midwest ballpark coverage continues as always on KCRG.com.

Beginning June 29, 2011, Season 3 of Ballparks of the Midwest will begin airing on KCRG-TV9, each Wednesday for 8 weeks.

2011 ballpark visits (subject to change) will include: Omaha Storm Chasers (6/29), Jackson Generals (7/6), Iowa Cubs (7/13), Waterloo Bucks (7/20), Arkansas Travelers (7/27), Memphis Redbirds (8/3), Salt Lake Bees (8/10), Orem Owlz (8/17), and Casper Ghosts (8/24)
Please visit that site for KCRG-TV9′s Ballparks of the Midwest with Matt Nelson.

Lewis and Clark Park – Sioux City, Iowa

– Matt Nelson

There is one professional baseball team in Iowa that is not affiliated with a major league club. The Sioux City Explorers. Commonly referred to as “The X’s,” the team plays in the independent American Association.

The home ballpark for the X’s is Lewis and Clark Park which is located at the intersection of Stadium Drive and Line Drive on Sioux City’s Southside. It’s  just off of U.S. Highway 20…and near a bowling alley and a soap box derby track of all things.

The ballpark opened in 1993 and seats more than 3,600 fans. It includes a few suites at the top of the stadium, and true box seats as well. The stadium opened just before the “open concourse” designs became all the rage, so unfortunately, fans can’t see the action while they order food from the concession stands.

The most popular thing at Lewis and Clark Park on the night of my July 2010 visit? The “Beer Batter.” The designated Beer Batter for the night struck out in each of his first two at-bats, resulting in discounted beverages and a mad dash for X’s fans to the aforementioned concession stands.

Although it is nothing flashy, Lewis and Clark Park is a serviceable ballpark that provides baseball fans in western Iowa a place to watch professional baseball without having to drive to other states, or make long drives within the state.

All of Matt’s “Ballparks of the Midwest” visits are available here, including video!

Elfstrom Stadium – Geneva, Illinois

In the far western suburbs of Chicago they have a new ballpark. Well, not really, but that’s the sense you get walking around Philip B. Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, Illinois.

The home of the Kane County Cougars, the Oakland Athletics affiliate in the Midwest League, underwent a $10.5 million renovation prior to 2009. This project was highlighted by the addition of a suite level (to see what the park looked like prior to 2009, look at the photos here from DigitalBallparks.com). There were also new team offices constructed and all of this work means that “The Elf” is now a year-round facility capable of hosting events besides Cougar baseball.

The Cougars moved into brand new Elfstrom Stadium in 1991 after moving to Geneva from Wausau, Wisconsin. For many years the landfill just south of the ballpark parking lots was open and active with garbage truck traffic. Today that landfill is closed and is nothing more than some large heaps of earth.

When the club arrived in the suburbs there was some question as to just how successful of an experiment the Cougars would be. With regular attendance of more than 6,000, the Cougars are regularly second in the Midwest League in attendance.

Although the team is in the Chicago area, you don’t really get a sense of “the city” when you’re near the ballpark. So it’s actually pretty appropriate that one of the staple food items at Cougars games is the fresh roasted sweet corn. The corn is roasted outdoors on a roaster that cooks for 20 minutes. On busy nights in peak-corn-season the stand will shell out upwards of 400 ears of the yellow vegetable.

In Chicagoland it’s obvious there are plenty of fans to support baseball, not only at the Major League level, but also at the minor league level. It’s also obvious that in many cases there’s no need to build a stadium or move a team, at least not when you can invest money into an existing ballpark and significantly improve it.

Check out the video reports from Kane County by clicking here.

Fifth Third Field – Dayton, Ohio

– Matt Nelson

Dayton’s Fifth Third Field is the Midwest League stadium that most resembles a Major League park. It has two decks of seating, and it’s got huge crowds. The number of fans who come to Dragons games each night totals about 8,500, and that always leads the Midwest League. It means every seat is sold every night.

At the end of the 2010 season Dayton expects to have 774 consecutive sellouts. On a given day, fans who arrive at Fifth Third Field may still find some seats available through the box office, but there is also ample standing room and grass seating available, so there’s always a way into the park.

Fifth Third Field, not to be confused with Toledo’s Fifth Third Field or Comstock Park, Michigan’s, Fifth Third Park, is a brick covered park that fits its neighborhood on the eastside of downtown Dayton. Wedged between existing streets and structures, the park opened in 2000 after the franchise moved to Ohio from Rockford, Illinois. It’s been a key to revitalizing downtown Dayton. The architects and the city really did a nice job of incorporating this stadium into the neighborhood. It feels like it fits the location, and there is an urban feel as baseball fans watch the Cincinnati Reds affiliate in the Midwest League.

The between-innings entertainment at Dayton is second to none. The Dragons have crews out rehearsing the routines several hours before gametime and it shows. The club pulls out all of the stops to keep the entertainment at the ballpark going, even when the action on the field is halted.

A large scoreboard dominates the left field side of the facility. Visitors to Dayton should pay special attention to the Dragons on the scoreboard as they periodically breath smoke throughout the course of the game.

In the Midwest League there are many parks that offer a traditional, small-town, no-frills, minor league baseball experience. It’s fun to visit those parks. At the same time Dayton’s ballpark is a large park with all of the amentities fans have come to expect in the ballpark experience these days. It gives you an urban feel, with well-planned entertainment, and gives Dragons fans a feel that is closer to the big league level, than can be found anywhere else in the Midwest League. It is a stadium that ranks near the very top of the Midwest League.

Be sure to check out the video reports from Dayton by clicking here!!

A New Ballpark in Beloit?

– Matt Nelson

In Beloit they want (and need) a new ballpark to replace Pohlman Field. They’ve done some research to see what area residents think, and here you’ll find some of the results:

View this document on Scribd

Classic Park – Eastlake, Ohio

– Matt Nelson

Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, home of the Lake County Captains, is where it belongs. In the Midwest League.

Prior to 2010 the Captains played in the South Atlantic League and considering Classic Park is about two miles from Lake Erie, it’s good that this instance of “Ballpark Geography Inaccuracy” has been resolved. Now if we can just figure out a better league name for the AAA teams in Memphis, Nashville, Des Moines, Omaha and Round Rock. “Pacific Coast” they most certainly are not.

Classic Park opened when the franchise moved from Columbus, Georgia, to Eastlake in 2003 and seats more than 7,000 fans. Interestingly enough, the other new Midwest League team, Bowling Green, also relocated to its present city from Columbus, Georgia (in 2009).

Although it is a suburban ballpark surrounded by the usual parking lots, it’s not “new” suburbia, which is what one might expect. The area it is in is older than the ballpark itself.

Speaking of those parking lots, one thing that isn’t found at other Midwest League ballparks is a pedestrian bridge to get fans from surrounding parking lots, over a busy highway, and into the ballpark safely. There’s also a bus stop built into the ballpark and the Lake County Tourism Office. The name, Classic Park, comes from the naming rights deal with a local group of car dealers, Classic Automotive Group.

Inside the ballpark the lighthouse in Center Field stands out…like a lighthouse is supposed to! Captain Tony greets fans to the park, and then stations himself on guard to sound sirens and light the lamp for Captains home runs.

The Captains are an Indians affiliate, as evidenced by the t-shirts available in the gift shop, the Cargo Hold, of course. While some teams in the Midwest League are many miles from their parent club (Cedar Rapids is 1,800 miles from Anaheim), the Captains play just 18 miles from where they hope to play in a few years, Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland.

On the night I visited Classic Park, the fans were busy worrying about a Cleveland superstar in a different sport, LeBron James. July 1, 2010, was the opening of NBA Free Agency and the Captains got into the pitch to keep LeBron with the Cavaliers.

“Please Stay LeBron Night” included the Captains renaming themselves the LeLake LeCounty LeCaptains, taking the field under a cloud of baby powder (like LeBron does), a slam dunk contest on a Nerf hoop, full page ads from a local newspaper being displayed to state their plea, the team employees wearing James-esque headbands, and many more unique efforts. In the end, it didn’t work and LeBron left for Miami, but it did make for a fantastic promotion that the crowd really got involved with.

Classic Park is a pleasant place to watch a baseball game in a major metropolitan area. It offers fans the chance to watch future players for their favorite big league team a few years before they arrive in “The Show.”

Be sure to check out the video coverage of Classic Park and Progressive Field!

Pohlman Field – Beloit, Wisconsin

– Matt Nelson

Well, one thing you can say about Beloit’s Pohlman Field when comparing it to the others in the Midwest League, “It’s different.”

Pohlman Field opened in 1982 when the Beloit Snappers joined the MWL as an expansion team. A longtime Brewers affiliate, Beloit has been a Twins affiliate since 2005. 

The facility is located in a park on the north side of Beloit and is really the only “neighborhood ballpark” in the league. Right across the street from the main entrance are residential areas. In fact some streets have signs that read “No Parking During Ball Games.” It almost reminds a fan of street parking near Wrigley Field. Almost.

Pohlman Field needs to be replaced. The team will openly tell you that and they are hoping to get a new stadium built at an interstate location on the city’s eastside. That project is currently awaiting the results of feasibility studies.

Many fans could argue that Pohlman Field isn’t much more than a high school field. The seating area is small, the exterior doesn’t really stand out, and it lacks many amenities that fans and players have to come to expect these days.

However Pohlman Field does serve as a good example of what many minor league ballparks were like prior to the 1990′s building boom. Simple and small. And simple and small leads to one of the best opportunities for fans in all of the Midwest League.

At Pohlman Field the players must walk through the concourse with the fans in order to get from the clubhouse to the dugout. Nope. No ramps from the dugout to a locker room underneath the stands in Beloit. This provides unparalleled access to the players and coaches. It’s an autograph collector’s dream.

It’s a tough situation for the Beloit Snappers to keep things going. The crowds are often small, and the team lacks revenue sources such as suite money and parking profits. However, General Manager Jeff Vohs says the club has been ”in the black” for the last seven years. It’s a no frills operation in the small front office, but they get the job done and put on a good show for the Snapper fans.

While Beloit’s Pohlman Field doesn’t usually rank on “Must See Minor League Ballpark” lists, it is a unique facility these days, and the access that fans have to the players is something rarely found. 

Be sure to check out the video reports on Pohlman Field as well as the Midwest League Offices, which are located in Beloit!

The Other Two

 

President McKinley Site - Canton, Ohio

– Matt Nelson

Regrettably, when I travel to ballparks not all of my time is spent at ballparks. There are many, many, hours on the road, and in those hours I often try to find some unique (and cheap) places to visit.

I’m a fan of United States history, and I’m a fan of Presidential history. I claim no true expertise.

President McKinley

Presidential gravesites are interesting places to visit. The local communities where the presidents grew up are always very proud of their native sons. The thing is, other than a select few, most people don’t know a whole heck of a lot about many of the 44 presidents in this country’s history. They may have school buildings and street signs that bear their names, but visiting a presidential gravesite always prompts me to learn a bit more about them.

Garfield Site

Ohio is a hotbed for presidential history. On a trip out east in 2009 I stopped in Fremont to check out the gravesite of #19, Rutherford B. Hayes. I recently traveled to Ohio to visit the Midwest League ballparks in Dayton and Eastlake (those stories come to KCRG-TV9 and KCRG.com in August).

President Garfield Site - Cleveland, Ohio

This time around I saw the gravesites of two presidents who unfortunately, share a common bond. It’s probably safe to say most Americans know that Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were assassinated, but until you read the photo captions on this page, could you name the two other assassinated Presidents? They are #20, James A. Garfield, and #25 William McKinley.

President Garfield

Garfield was shot in a Washington D.C. train station and was President of the United States for just 200 days. He rests in Lakeview Cemetery just east of downtown Cleveland a few miles. His resting place is tough to miss. It’s a large building on top of a hill, providing a view of downtown Cleveland.

View from the McKinley Site

McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, New York. He was in his second term as president. McKinley’s resting place is also in a large building on top of a hill, but in Canton, Ohio, about one mile from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hayes, Garfield and McKinley. Just three of the eight presidents born in Ohio, “The Cradle of Presidents.” The Buckeye State is in a bit of a drought though, #29, Harding (who also died in office, but of natural causes), was the last president produced by Ohio.

Garfield's Resting Place

“The Other Two.” Abe, JFK, Garfield, and McKinley. Might help with a trivia question some day, you never know!

The Lost Ballparks of Cleveland

  

The Ballparksmobile sits in foul territory down the right field line at a Lost Ballpark

 

– Matt Nelson  

Many cities have “Lost (Major League) Ballpark” sites. Believe it or not Keokuk, Iowa, is one of those places. In 1875 the highest level of professional baseball was played there by the Keokuk Westerns of the National Association.  

Most cities don’t have a list of Lost Ballpark sites as long as Cleveland, Ohio though. “Green Cathedrals” by Philip J. Lowry lists more than ten in Cleveland and the surrounding area.  

Cleveland Browns Stadium today, old Cleveland Stadium site from 1932-1993.

 

On the north side of downtown Cleveland is Cleveland Browns Stadium. This is the site where Cleveland Stadium was from 1932-1993 (the Indians played at Cleveland Stadium full time starting in 1947).  

For ballpark nerds that site is nice, but there’s a real Lost Ballpark site a couple of miles east of downtown Cleveland that is easily one of the best anywhere in the country.  

League Park III (1891-1909) and more notably League Park IV (1910-1950) were located at Linwood Avenue and East 66th Street.  

Even though most of League Park IV was demolished in 1951 parts of it still stand! The ticket booth at the corner of East 66th Street and Lexington Avenue is in very rough shape today, but is a great piece of ballpark history.  

Ticket Booth In Past Years.

Ticket Booth Today.

Also still standing is part of the exterior brick wall on the first base side which runs right along East 66th Street.  

 

In both right field and left field are foul poles that mark the spots where those were located.  

 

Best of all, there is a non-profit effort now by the League Park Society to restore the parts of Cleveland’s League Park that do still exist, while improving the entire block and giving the area a place to hold baseball games at the site where many Major League games were played through the years. You can check out their efforts here.  

 

 

 

 

Rickwood Field – Birmingham, Alabama

– Matt Nelson

“America’s Oldest Baseball Park.” For a “Ballpark Nerd” or a “Ballpark Chaser” it’s one of the toughest to catch. Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Sure, you can stop by most any time and take a stroll through the park that opened on August, 18, 1910. But to find a minor league game being played at the old green facility on the westside of Birmingham, you have to be there on one specific day on the calendar.

In 1910 businessman Rick Woodward needed a new home for his baseball team, the Birmingham Barons. He built one that still stands. Modeled after early concrete and steel big league parks Shibe Park (Philadelphia) and Forbes Field (Pittsburgh), Woodward’s park hosted many teams for many years.

Rickwood Field was the home to the minor league Birmingham Barons for all but two seasons from 1910 through the 1987 season. That’s when the club moved to a new park in the nearby suburb of Hoover. The Birmingham Black Barons of the negro leagues played at Rickwood for many years. In its early days Rickwood was hosted spring training games for a couple of big league clubs. It’s hosted countless “barnstorming games” that included players like Babe Ruth. College baseball games. High school baseball games. Heck, it’s hosted college football.

June 2, 2010, marked the 15th Annual Rickwood Classic. That is the one game each season that the Barons return to Rickwood Field. It’s really a big undertaking. There are a lot of logistical issues to work out to get everything ready for a park that usually doesn’t handle crowds close to 10,000 like The Classic often draws. However, the Barons and the non-profit group “Friends of Rickwood” do a great job with the event.

In fact, the “Friends of Rickwood” do a great job with the park year round. The park is owned by the city of Birmingham but the funding for the park these days comes from whatever the friends can get. They’ve done a nice job of fixing up things that must be fixed, but leaving whatever they can, as it is. That’s the difference between Rickwood and Fenway Park (1912) and Wrigley Field (1914). The Red Sox and Cubs have put lots and lots of money into their facilities. That makes for a great fan experience day in and day out, but they’re not as historically accurate to the old days as Rickwood Field.

Everywhere at Rickwood there is something historical. On the exterior there are fantastic old signs that read, “Home of Barons Baseball” or “Barons Offices Upstairs.” Signs that look like they haven’t been touched in 40 years. The old outfield wall still stands. It was 478 feet to center field from home plate! The old concrete wall is a long distance behind the current fence. The dugouts are tiny. The lights are something you won’t find anywhere else. Same for the recreated press box on the roof. The “No Betting In This Park” signs are simply classic.

These old features are the reason that movies like “Cobb” have been filmed at Rickwood. You could build a Hollywood set, but why build a set when you have an old ballpark that fits many old eras of baseball?

It’s clear that playing at Rickwood is not just another game in the course of a long season to the handful of minor league players who have the opportunity to play at Rickwood each year. During batting practice some of them had their own cameras and were taking photos. Current Barons skipper and former Cedar Rapids Kernels Manager Ever Magallanes was clearly excited to manage his team in the Rickwood Classic for a second year in a row.

Willie Mays. Reggie Jackson. Rollie Fingers. Dizzy Dean. The list of big name baseball players who’ve played at Rickwood is very long. It’s one of the reasons that “Ballpark Nerds” and “Ballpark Chasers” love Rickwood Field. And why they flock to Birmingham for that one chance each year to see professional baseball at the 100-year-old place known as “America’s Oldest Baseball Park.” It is a trip worth any length of drive, for any big baseball fan.

Be sure to check out the video report from Rickwood!