Phil Welch Stadium
/ St. Joe Blacksnakes
Year Opened |
1939 |
Capacity |
3,700 |
Dimensions |
320L, 420C, 320RL |
Playing Surface |
Grass |
Last Visit |
2005 |
Web Site |
stjoeblacksnakes.com |
Online Broadcasts |
Yes |
Online Ticket Sales |
Yes |
Phone |
816/279-6777 |
Ticket Prices (2006) |
Box Seats, $8; Covered Grandstand, $6; Outer Grandstand,
$5. |
League |
American Association |
Parking |
Free -- located at both east and west entrances. |
Address/Directions |
2500
Southwest Parkway, St. Joseph. From I-29, take the
Highway 36 West exit (Kansas). Once on 36 take the 28th
Street exit. Turn left onto 28th Street at the bottom of
the hill and follow road approximately 1.5 miles. Phil
Welch Stadium is on the right side of the parkway. |
Written by: |
Kevin
Reichard |
Rating |
|
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
A neighborhood
ballpark built in 1939, Phil Welch Stadium was
formerly the home to various Western Association
teams (St. Joseph Angels, 1939; St. Joseph
Cardinals, 1946-1951, 1953-1954; St. Joseph
Ponies, 1941; St. Joseph Saints, 1940) and college
teams until the St. Joseph Saints, a college
wood-bat team in the M.I.N.K. League set up shop
in 1996. It's now the home of the American
Association's St. Joe Blacksnakes. It's definitely not a fancy place, but
it's the sort of place a ballpark fan could fall
in love with quickly.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
Phil
Welch Stadium was also a regular stop for the
Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues,
according to Buck O'Neill: "We used to play here,
and this place used to be packed," O’Neil told
the St. Joseph News-Press. "We'd play a
doubleheader in Kansas City on Sunday, a night
game Monday, Tuesday we were in St. Joe, Wednesday
in Omaha and Thursday in Des Moines."
One
can imagine these legendary players facing the
same sort of playing conditions faced by the
college players of today: small clubhouses and an
interesting field configuration featuring outfield
light stanchions in front of the outfield fence,
clearly in play.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
What to Do
Before/After the Game
St. Joseph lays claim to being the beginning
of the Wild West and does have some impressive
credentials to back it up. Lewis and Clark camped
there on their historic expedition. It became a
central gathering point for pioneers heading West,
and the Pony Express began operations in St.
Joseph, running between there and Sacramento. In
addition, Jesse James spent his final days in St.
Joseph, killed by fellow gang member Bob Ford in
1992.
Today much of that
Wild West heritage is displayed in St. Joseph's 13
museums. The Pony Express National Museum (914
Penn St.,
www.ponyexpress.org) commemorates the service
that loomed larger in legend than in real life (it
lasted only 18 months, rendered redundant by
telegraph and railroad). Several museums operate
under the umbrella of St. Joseph Museums Inc.
(3406 Frederick Blvd.; www.stjosephmuseum.org/),
including a historical museum. And you can see
where outlaw Jesse James drew his final breath at
the Jesse James Home Museum (12th and Penn;
www.stjoseph.net/ponyexpress).
|