A Sea Of Red

I wanted to start this thread about your favorite minor league baseball stadiums you've ever been to and maybe post a few pics.



one of my ALL-TIME favorites has to be Harbor Park....there is nothing better than tug boats being lined up at the fence blowing their horns for homeruns and really whenever they want.

I really enjoyed The Bowie Baysox stadium. And for a Class A park, I like Coastal Federal.

Oh, I love this topic. When you talk old school stadiums, I'll bet Cider Jim & I both want to talk about Engel Stadium in Chattanooga with its 471 feet to straightaway centerfield and its legendary wall.




I've attended games at a slew of minor league parks over the years back in my sportscasting career. But two right here in Texas are probably my favorites these days for various reasons. The first is Dell Diamond in Round Rock ...



I've spent hundreds of evenings at that ballpark in Central Texas. I'd reference my connections to the team ownership but it'd just put another posting in the 101 forum. Suffice it to say that the Express do things the right way. The other ballpark is associated with the same ownership group and the same major league affiliation. Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi ...




The view from just about everywhere in the ballpark is spectacular. You can see the USS Lexington (WWII buffs alert) and the Texas State Aquarium in the distance across the ship channel.

Some of my other favorites include the Bricktown Ballpark in OKC and the Railyard in Akron.

THANNNNNNK YOU....I've been googling all day to try and figure out what park it was with the bridge in the backdrop...I know now!!!

Here's another favorite of mine....we definately took advantage of the 1 year they were in the Carolina League with this brand new stadium Durham Bulls Athletic Park






And you have to love the fact Sly that their is a TV station housed in the warehouse in right field (I think? It's been a few years since I've been there)

I've been in that television station a few years ago when one of my Liberty roommates was Creative Services Director at that station. It is certainly a beautiful ballpark where I'd love to catch a game sometime.

And the pics don't do Whataburger Field justice. I love Corpus Christi with a passion and the area around that ballpark is awesome. The Columbus ship replicas are dry-docked just beyond the rightfield stands and the Selena memorial is just a few blocks away. I just wish they had built the stadium while I working down there.

Now I understand why the R-Braves are skipping town

Hold My Own wrote:Here's another favorite of mine....we definately took advantage of the 1 year they were in the Carolina League with this brand new stadium Durham Bulls Athletic Park

The DBAP is sweet. Love the right field seats.

I saw Jeter play a game there years ago when they sent him down to AAA to rehab his abs. Got his autograph & talked to him for a few minutes. I was attending a free agent tryout with the Reds organization that weekend & Jeter told me some things to do & what they look for. I didn't make it, but I thought he was a class act for doing that.

Ive been pretty spoiled to hav Harbor Park so close to my house. I loved going there with friends on "Turn Back The Clock Night" and loading up on 25 cent hot dogs, popcorn and sodas

DBAP-durham bulls athletic park, harbor park, and the baseball grounds of jacksonville.

Campbell's Field in Camden, NJ



Historic McCormick Field, Asheville



And I really like our own little park here in Lynchburg.

Ive been to the Camden one....i think they are or used to be the Riversharks.....nice ballpark.

BJWilliams wrote:Ive been pretty spoiled to hav Harbor Park so close to my house. I loved going there with friends on "Turn Back The Clock Night" and loading up on 25 cent hot dogs, popcorn and sodas

Ugh. I worked at HP for a summer before I graduated from high school. Turn Back the Clock night was the worst night of my life. They stuck me in the bottom of the stadium making endless giant bags of popcorn in 120 degree heat for almost 4 hours. To this day, when I walk into the stadium, the only smell I pick up is the popcorn. *shudders*

Besides that, it is a great place to see a game! I also enjoyed Louisville Slugger Field in Kentucky.

My 3 favorite parks of my youth and early adulthood are:

1. Walt Powell Park, Charleston, WV, home of the Charleston Charlies
2. Engel Stadium, Chattanooga, TN, home of the Chattanooga Lookouts (& Tenn. Temple Crusaders)
3. the stadium in Memphis, TN, home of the Memphis Chicks

Hold My Own wrote:I wanted to start this thread about your favorite minor league baseball stadiums you've ever been to and maybe post a few pics.



one of my ALL-TIME favorites has to be Harbor Park....there is nothing better than tug boats being lined up at the fence blowing their horns for homeruns and really whenever they want.

HMO, you're a Hampton Roads fella?

Harbor Park is nice -- it's like a minor league version of Pac Bell in SF (or AT&T Park, if you will). Three qualms, though:

1) If you go down the left & right field lines, the seats point straight -- so you have to wrench your neck & back if you don't want to stare at the outfielder.
2) The dimension are the same as the Tides' former parent club's stadium, Shea -- which is a pitcher's park... meaning -- few homers. Move the fences in, seriously. These AAA farmhands can't hit it that far.
3) The stadium is on the water -- but not ON the water. How much mroe awesome would it be if you could see a guy put it into the harbor? As it stands now, he'll have to hit it, i dunno, 480 to get there.

Just outta curiousity -- what do you think of Tony Mercurio on the local ESPN radio affil?

nah I'm not a Hampton Roads fell...even if I was I think my rap sheet is to empty for them to claim me



We're good friends with you're GM (he's been there for I think 200 years) so we head out there to see him a few times a year...It's an older park but still one of my favorites flashyness doesnt really impress me as much as the atmosphere...and Harbor Park has IMO a GREAT atmosphere....it doesnt hurt that the last few times we've been there it's been cold so we eat indoors and watch the game from down the right field line

HMO, the durham bulls pic isn't working for me.

I grew up going to durham bulls, freakin love it. BWALL, i was at the jeter game too. i also talked to him. funny thing is, i didn't know he was gonna be there until i got there. no one knew it was him, he was signing autographs and there were only like 5 people standing there. it was pretty cool

Tried to fix it...it's a little smaller



Fumble...does the train have a stop at the stadium at Campbell's? That's so sick that they have that so close...I gotta get up there ASAP

I love the Durham Bulls stadium - I've been there once and it was very nice.

Worst in NC:


Kinston Indians; Grainger Stadium - Kinston, NC

It's in the middle of Kinston, a dirty town and good for nothing.


Carolina Mudcats; Five County Stadium - Zebulon, NC

In the middle of nowhere, just outside of Raleigh - nice outfield view of a food factory.

I kind of like City Stadium... you can see most of Lynchburg and mountains. It's a good view when the sun goes down over them.

whmatthews wrote:I love the Durham Bulls stadium - I've been there once and it was very nice.

Worst in NC:


Kinston Indians; Grainger Stadium - Kinston, NC

No, not quite. The Burlington Indians is even worse than that.

However, they have guys who made it to the majors painted in the stalls of the urinals so you can go pee on Manny Ramirez or Jim Thome.

whmatthews wrote:Worst in NC:
Kinston Indians; Grainger Stadium - Kinston, NC

LOL....I come to see what you're post said and I saw Kinston and about pee'd myself until I saw Worst...lol....they have been fighting for a LONG time to get a new park, and it doesnt look like one is in the near future...they may lose a team over it...


As far as Lynchburg goes...it's pretty nice...you have to go often to really appreciate the scenery b/c not every night but most nights there is a killer sunset and you can see about 3 or 4 church steeples that really look good with the mountains behind them...it's cool to see things like TC Miller and other historical spots in Lynchburg when you get higher up in the stadium


SJ: Burlington is bad...but that's short season ball...there are a ton of dumps that low class A teams play at

I've only seen the outside but everyone says the Grasshoppers' new stadium is nice. I drove right past it the other night but I've never been to a game there.

The new stadium in Winston looks to be nice.







Although it looks like this right now:

I've never seen those drawings...I really like the looks of that...it has a real old school feel with those awnings

Ed Dantes wrote:

Hold My Own wrote:I wanted to start this thread about your favorite minor league baseball stadiums you've ever been to and maybe post a few pics.



one of my ALL-TIME favorites has to be Harbor Park....there is nothing better than tug boats being lined up at the fence blowing their horns for homeruns and really whenever they want.

HMO, you're a Hampton Roads fella?

Harbor Park is nice -- it's like a minor league version of Pac Bell in SF (or AT&T Park, if you will). Three qualms, though:

1) If you go down the left & right field lines, the seats point straight -- so you have to wrench your neck & back if you don't want to stare at the outfielder.
2) The dimension are the same as the Tides' former parent club's stadium, Shea -- which is a pitcher's park... meaning -- few homers. Move the fences in, seriously. These AAA farmhands can't hit it that far.
3) The stadium is on the water -- but not ON the water. How much mroe awesome would it be if you could see a guy put it into the harbor? As it stands now, he'll have to hit it, i dunno, 480 to get there.

Just outta curiousity -- what do you think of Tony Mercurio on the local ESPN radio affil?

Speaking from my own experiences at Harbor Park its a great experience watching teh game as day turns into night on teh Elizabeth River. Hits at the Park I cant really comment on because Ive never been inside there.

Ive listened to Tony Mercurio for a while and he is pretty good. I like him when he does the ODU women's games