Recent
Visits |
LaGrave Field, Fort Worth
Cats
It is one of the most unique facilities in pro
ball: LaGrave Field, the home of the Fort Worth
Cats (independent; American Association), sits
where the original LaGrave Field sat from 1926
through 1967. The dimensions are the same as in
the original facility, home plate sits in the same
place, and the dugouts of the old ballpark have
been converted to dugout suites. And, being Texas,
there's a hitching rail beyond the outfield for
folks riding to the games on horseback.
Doug Kingsmore Stadium,
Clemson Tigers
Before its thorough makeover and renaming in 2003,
“Beautiful Tiger Field” described the home of the
Clemson Tigers. Not surprising, and not an
overstated moniker. While the ballpark and other
athletic facilities are closely connected to the
western edge of campus, the grandstand view
features an appealing pastoral feel, and although
the ballpark is now named for Tigers alum and
contributor Doug Kingsmore, it's still a beautiful
field.
QuikTrip Park at Grand
Prairie, Grand Prairie AirHogs
The aviation theme is strong
at QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie, the new home of
the Grand Prairie AirHogs (independent; American
Association), but it's not overwhelming and
gimmicky. We were there opening night: it's an
impressive facility that raises the bar for indy
facilities and should allow the team to be
competitive in the increasingly crowded
Dallas-Fort Worth market.
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Features |
2008 Ballparks
Billings
Forest City, N.C.
Grand
Prairie
Lehigh Valley
Springdale, Ark.
Southern Maryland
Washington, D.C.
2009 Ballparks
Avon, Ohio
Bowling
Green
Brownsville, Texas
Charlotte County, Fla.
Columbus, Ohio
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Glendale, Az.
Goodyear, Az.
Gwinnett County
Hannibal, Mo.
(renovations)
Kansas City
(renovations)
LSU (new Alex Box)
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland County, Mich.
Reno
University of North
Carolina
University of South
Carolina
Winston-Salem
2010 Ballparks
Charlotte, N.C.
Laredo
Madison, Wis.
(renovations)
Minnesota
Twins
Normal, Ill.
Topeka
Pensacola,
Fla.
2011 Ballparks
Florida Marlins
Omaha
2012 Ballparks
Dodger Stadium
(renovations)
Oakland
Athletics
Tampa Bay Rays
Ballparks of the Past
Colt
Stadium
Crosley Field
Durham Athletic
Park
Ebbets Field
Griffith Stadium
Huntington Avenue
Grounds
Jack Russell
Jarry Park
L.A. Coliseum
Metropolitan
Stadium
Muehlebach
Field
Municipal Stadium
(Kansas City)
Sicks' Stadium
Tinker Field
War Memorial
(Greensboro)
Photo Galleries
Piedmont League
Book Excerpts
The Last Good Season
2007 Attendance
By average
By team
Affiliated - average
Affiliated - league
Affiliated - total
Indy - average
Indy - total
MLB - total
MLB - average
2006 Attendance
By average
By team
Affiliated - average
Affiliated - league
Affiliated - total
Indy - average
Indy - total
2005 Attendance
By average
By team
2004 Attendance
By average
By team
Indy by team
Indy by
league
Combined
overall
2003 Attendance
MLB attendance
By league
League overview
By average
By team
Indy by team
Indy by
league
Combined
overall
2002 Attendance
By league
By average
By team
Indy by team
Indy by
league
Combined
overall
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The
Fine Print |
Obligatory legal information:
This site is copyright 1998-2008 Kevin Reichard/August
Publications. All rights
reserved. My wife is a lawyer, so she will come and chop off
your hand in a legal fashion if you rip off this site
in any form. All logos are the property of their respective
owners. |
Broadcasts |
Virtually every MiLB team now streams broadcasts over the
Internet, which makes it easy to follow your favorite team when
you're on the road. In addition, you can catch MLB game broadcasts at
MLB.com or via XM Radio.
More
on Internet radio and TV broadcasts here! |
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Muehlebach Field /
Municipal Stadium
Year Opened |
1923 |
Capacity |
16,000 (1923); 17,476 (1940); 30,296 (1955); 35,561
(1971) |
Architect |
Osborn Engineering (original construction) |
Original Cost |
$400,000 |
Playing Surface |
Grass |
Baseball Tenants |
Kansas City Blues (1923-1954), Kansas City Monarchs
(1923-1955), Kansas City Athletics (1955-1967), Kansas
City Royals (1969-1972) |
Location |
22nd
Street and Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City |
Muehlebach Field
opened on July 3, 1923 as the home of the Kansas
City Blues (American Association), as George
Muehlebach gave his Blues a grand new home
southeast of downtown Kansas City. Muehlebach was
a Kansas City hotelier and brewer -- the
Muehlebach Hotel at 12th and Baltimore (shown
below) was a landmark in downtown Kansas City and
is now a Marriott -- and he bought the team in
1918, yet another American brewer who entered the
baseball field.
The Kansas City Blues
were a mainstay of the old Class AA
American Association, a circuit just below the
major leagues operating in Midwest cities like
Minneapolis, Columbus, St. Paul, Milwaukee and
Toledo. The core of the American Association was
stable throughout most of that league's history,
and Kansas City regularly was among the league
leaders in attendance, attracting 425,000 fans in
1923. The ballpark's design came
from Osborn Engineering and began a long history
between Kansas City baseball and the New York
Yankees, as Osborn Engineering also designed
Yankee Stadium.
Muehlebach Field in 1925.
That
history became more intertwined when the New York
Yankees bought the Blues from Muehlebach in 1937
and renamed the ballpark Ruppert Stadium. (Ruppert
had a history of buying ballparks and renaming
them Ruppert Stadium: the home of the
International League's Newark Bears was also named
Ruppert Stadium when the Yankees owned the team.)
That name lasted until 1943, when the ballpark was
renamed Blues Stadium. (Later on the Kansas City
Athletics were accused of being a virtual farm
team for the Yankees, as players like Roger Maris
began their careers in Kansas City and then
thrived in Yankee Stadium.)
The
Blues were a successful minor-league team, but the
ballpark's other tenant, the Kansas City Monarchs,
were the royalty of the Negro Leagues, featuring
players like Satchel Paige. The team drew well,
and the team's popularity led to the first night
game at Muehlebach Field: In 1930 portable
lighting was installed for a Monarchs night game,
while permanent lighting was first used on July 6,
1932.
The ballpark's original configuration featured a
single partially covered grandstand and no
outfield seating. It remained relatively unchanged
until 1954, when Arnold Johnson announced a move
of his Philadelphia Athletics to Kansas City and
the city agreed an expanded ballpark for the team,
paying $2.5 million from the proceeds of a bond
issue. Muehlebach Field then became Municipal
Stadium, a 30,296-seat ballpark that opened on
April 12, 1955. The seating capacity was expanded
with the addition of a covered second deck, while
bleachers were moved temporarily into the
right-field area to accommodate large crowds.
(Also part of the renovation: the scoreboard from
Braves Field in Boston was purchased and moved to
Kansas City.) It served as the home of the A's
until owner Charlie Finley moved the team to
Oakland after the 1967 season.
It was
at Municipal Stadium where Finley first began his
outrageous promotional antics. He installed a
petting zoo down the left-field line, complete
with monkeys, pheasants, goats and Charlie O, a
mule that became a Finley trademark. It was also
at Municipal Stadium where Finley first ran afoul
of baseball's powers that be when installed a
296-foot home-run "Pennant Porch" down the
right-field line in 1965; Commissioner Ford Frick
ordered it be removed, even though Finley argues
it was the same distance as the famous right-field
porch in Yankee Stadium. Finley then built a fence
325 feet from home plate -- the minimum size
allowed at the time under MLB rules -- and called
it the "One-Half Pennant Porch." (He was a
constant tinkerer with the ballpark's dimensions; in 1967 the
height of the right-field fence was raised to 40
feet.) And we can't forget Finley's love of
mechanical gimmicks: "Harvey" rose out of the
ground with new baseballs for the home-plate
umpire, while a compressed-air device blew dirt
off the plate.
The
expansion Kansas City Royals then played at
Municipal Stadium until 1973,
when Royals
Stadium opened. The Kansas City Chiefs also
played at Municipal Stadium from 1963 through
1971. After the Royals and Chiefs moved, Municipal
Stadium was torn down in 1976, with a community
garden now standing on the site.
Dimensions
Year |
L |
LC |
C |
RC |
R |
1923 |
350 |
408 |
450 |
408 |
350 |
1950 |
350 |
408 |
432 |
408 |
350 |
1955 |
312 |
382 |
430 |
382 |
347 |
1956 |
330 |
382 |
421 |
382 |
352 |
1957 |
330 |
375 |
421 |
387 |
353 |
1961 |
370 |
390 |
421 |
387 |
353 |
1962 |
353 |
390 |
421 |
364 |
355 |
1963 |
331 |
364 |
421 |
360 |
338 |
1964 |
331 |
392 |
410 |
392 |
338 |
1965 |
370 |
409 |
421 |
360 |
325 |
1966 |
370 |
409 |
421 |
360 |
338 |
1967 |
369 |
409 |
421 |
360 |
338 |
1969 |
369 |
408 |
421 |
382 |
338 |
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