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Fifth Third Field /
Toledo Mud Hens
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
| Year Opened | 2002 |
| Capacity | 8,943 fixed seats; 10,300 w/standing room |
| Owner | Lucas County |
| Architects | HNTB |
| Construction | Lathrop Construction |
| Dimensions | 320L, 365LC, 412C, 365RC, 330R |
| Original Cost | $39 million for entire project; $31.3 million for ballpark |
| Playing Surface | Grass |
| Last Visit | April 2007 |
| Web Site | mudhens.com |
| Online Broadcasts | Yes |
| Online Ticket Sales | Yes |
| Phone | 419/725-4367 |
| Ticket Prices (2007) | Field Boxes, $8 |
| League | International League |
| Parking | Between $2 and $5 |
| Address/Directions | 406 Washington St., Toledo, OH 43604. Directions from the north: Take I-75 South to exit 202-A (Washington Street) and turn right. Directions from the south: Take I-75 North to exit 201-B (downtown exit). Turn left onto Erie Street and then turn right onto Washington Street. |
| Written by: | Dave Wright |
| Photos by: | Jim Robins |
| Rating |  |
Standing areas
for viewing the game are plentiful.
"Have you been to Toledo yet?" asked an usher in Columbus. "That's the kind of ballpark I hope we get here."
After spending a day at this minor-league Taj Mahal, one understands why. Like its namesake in Dayton, Fifth Third Field is an impressive edifice that seemed to have been carved out of stone. The fact that it has helped turned Toledo's warehouse district into the place to be during the summer is one of the more impressive feats of the young 21st century.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
You have no
doubt you're in a downtown ballpark.
In its sixth year of business, Fifth Third has become one of the must-see stops on the minor-league tour. After all, how can you not like a park where the standing room seats are some of the best in the house and there is a statue honoring kids peeping through the fence watching a game?
Like its rival in middle of the state, Toledo has a rich baseball history. There have been some stoppages here and there but they have been playing pro ball most of the time in this northern Ohio city since 1883. In that time frame, there have seven different affiliations with major-league franchises and the city has been a member of eight different leagues. Through it all, it produced some very good players and was always considered a reliable port. They were never at the bottom of the attendance pool nor were they considered a top draw.
No longer. Toledo is one of the top dogs now.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
Thanks in part to the constant prodding and stewarding of team VP/General Manager Joe Napoli....and a $39.2-million price tag, Fifth Third stands out as a beacon amid the gray landscape. Yes, you can see downtown Toledo's skyline from inside the park. Yes, the Maumee River flows nearby (for the most part, quietly). But the ballpark's the thing here. The success of Fifth Third (and the Mud Hens, who have won two straight IL titles) led indirectly to a deal that has seen Napoli and partners take over running the East Coast Hockey League Storm and bringing other minor-league sports to town. (A new arena will be erected to replace aging Toledo Sports Arena.)
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
The First Base
Gate is attached to an old warehouse that now
serves as one of the ticket areas and the Swamp
Shop Mud Hens merchandise store.
Ned Skeldon Stadium, Fifth Third's predecessor, was a solid facility built in 1965 in nearby Maumee. (It was known as Lucas County Stadium until 1988 when renamed for the person who helped bring minor-league ball back to town after a nine-year absence.) There was nothing overtly bad about the place. Nor was there much room for improvement. A former racetrack, there were many seats behind posts and a lot of bleachers. It would have been practically impossible to add luxury boxes, this costing the team a revenue stream available in nearby cities.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
The right-field
line features quirky corners that fit in nicely
and provide seating with an excellent view.
Ballpark art at its finest
by Jim Robins
When
you visit Toledo to see a game at Fifth Third
Field, you’ll be looking forward to seeing the
game in one of the great minor-league venues.
Please take some time before or after the game to
explore some of the
finer, artful highlights of this experience.
The quality of
public art in this ballpark, simply, is
unsurpassed.
Most modern parks feature bronze sculpture, often
on a grandiose scale. What can be far more
impressive is finely detailed public art on a
human scale.
Few, if any, have achieved this goal as well as
Toledo.
You’re bound to notice "I Got It!" by Frank C.
Gaylord II, especially if you enter from the left
field side along Monroe Street. Featuring three
boys in old-time uniforms with outstretched arms,
the bronze sculpture faces the incoming crowd
before the game and then rotates on a turntable to
face the infield.
"Who’s Up?" by Emanuel Enrique
My personal favorite work of art is a little
harder to find. In exquisite detail, “Who’s Up?”
by
Emanuel Enrique, is a sculpture integrated
into the right field wall along St. Clair Street.
You’ll chuckle at this knothole gang when you
realize the ironic fact that this is one of the
few places along the outfield fence line where you
can’t catch a glimpse of the game action. The
innocence and artistry of this sculpture are
captivating. While its place along the outfield
wall is part of the attraction, its remote
location is somewhat frustrating. If you go to the
trouble of visiting this ballpark, but happen to
miss this fine artwork, it would be a crying
shame.
More unusually placed works of art easily might be
missed, especially for those prudent folks who pay
attention to traffic as they cross the street onto
the ballpark block. Take a little risk and look
down at one of the 22 Toledo baseball-themed
Manhole Covers designed by Jim Gallucci.
Main Entry Gates by John Rogers
Now, look up as you approach the Main Entry Gates
by John Rogers. Once again, the artwork features
an interestingly unique design, minutely detailed
on a human scale.
It is all so wonderful that a struggling Tigers
ballplayer with a sense for fine art might not
even mind getting sent down to Toledo.
It is clear that this level of ballpark artistry
does not happen without a great deal of
coordination among several diverse communities
around Toledo. Kudos go out to the Arts Commission
of Greater Toledo, the Mud Hens and other civic
boosters who have worked together to accomplish so
much.
Too often in too many communities, the arts and
sports communities can’t get along. In Toledo,
they appear to be getting along famously – and it
shows.
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