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Principal Park / Iowa Cubs

 

Year Opened	1991
Capacity	11,000
Owner	City of Des Moines
Architect	HOK Sport
Dimensions	335L, 400C, 335R
Playing Surface	Grass
Last Visit	2008
Web Site	iowacubs.com
Phone	515/243-6111
Ticket Prices (2008)	Home Plate Club, $25; Club Box, $12; Lower Box, $10; Reserved Grandstand, $10 ($6 Children/Senior Citizens, Military); General Admission $7 (Children $4)
League	Pacific Coast League
Parent	Chicago Cubs
Level	Class AAA
Parking	$6 in three lots close to the ballpark. There is some free on-street parking a few blocks away.
Address/Directions	One Line Drive, Des Moines, IA 50309. The ballpark is on the south side of downtown Des Moines. I-235 cuts through the north side of downtown Des Moines. From I-235, take the Third Street exit. Follow Third Street all the way through downtown to Tuttle Avenue. Go left and you’ll see the ballpark.
Written by:	Dave Wright
Rating

Principal Park is much like the city it is located in. It can’t seem to make up its mind what it wants to be. Parts of it are quite charming. Parts of it are very practical. And parts of it seem to be tossed in for no particular reason. It’s not the prettiest park in the state, but it may be the most practical. The Chicago Cubs have been the parent of the Iowa team since 1981…and it shows. The inning-by-inning scoreboard is a Wrigley throwback, and the souvenir shop has as much stuff for the big-league team as it does for the hometown team.

Pro baseball here goes back a long ways. Des Moines has had a team in one shape or form for all but 16 years since 1887. Since 1969, when the Oakland A’s moved to town with an American Association team, Des Moines has been a breath away from the majors with AAA players.

Principal Park reflects that situation. There are some things here that remind you of major league parks. And then there are some things that remind you they know how to think small in Des Moines as well.

Located on the Raccoon River, the ballpark offers a decent view of downtown Des Moines and the State Capitol. It may not be as picturesque as the view in Davenport but, on a nice day, it offers a pleasant site.

A monument to former I-Cubs owner Ken Grandquist.

HOK Sport, which built the place, did a solid job inside the park. The outer area been fixed up and modified in recent years by the city. There are statues and monuments to the past to see before you enter the park. Most are self-explanatory but one honoring Ken Grandquist, the former president/owner of the team, looks like looks like a holdover from Expo ’67 in Montreal.  If you get there early, check them out. They’re very unique. 

The outfield is ringed by lots of ads and two extremes of seats: luxury boxes (below) and bleachers (above).

The inside of the place is a mixture – a combination of traditional minor-league fare along with some nifty outfield suites. The main grandstand stretches nearly foul pole to foul pole. The left-field bleachers are angled a little better than right field, but why quibble? There are a few rows of bleachers, some picnic tables and a place to stand in right field that offer a nice view, but the better view is for those folks who sit in the left-field boxes. As you go around the park, it is rather standard fare – front row seats are close to the field but things spread out quickly. This is an 11,000-seat ballpark so the main grandstand does go back a bit (20 rows above the walkway). As a result, if you’re near the top row, you may feel a little detached from the action. But there usually are plenty of seats that are close to the field.

New since our last visit: a plaza in right field. Here's the view.

It was an off-and on rainy night when we were there but one did a brief glimpse of what a good view you can get if you are sitting behind first base or behind home plate. The Raccoon River is behind the right field fence and the first base area. Downtown and the Capitol building are behind center field. Even the warehouses in left field look inviting.

One of the best views in minor-league baseball.

Like Columbus, it is roomy below the stands where most of the concession stands are. A playground area was built near the first base concourse that can keep younger kids busy for a long period (Cost: $5 for unlimited usage). This is an easy park to move around in. Principal Park has one thing that really distinguishes themselves from other minor league parks. There is an area behind the main grandstand where fans can sit at picnic tables, watch the action and avoid getting wet or sunburnt. As noted earlier, it was a wet night when we visited. Several fans who might have normally left early stood (or sat) in the covered area as the game continued in a light rain.

All things considered, it ain’t Wrigley Field, but Principal Park is fine in its own right.

Ambience
The handheld inning-by-inning scoreboard is a miniature version of the one atop the big board at Wrigley Field. There is also a video board that performs the expected functions of stats and notes. The I-Cubs have a promotion of some sort going for just about very home game. They range from some oldies but goodies (The Famous Chicken, Friday night fireworks) to unusual clothing giveaways (scarfs, mittens in April). Perhaps this is the major league affiliate’s influence but the I-Cubs seem to have more games than most minor league teams (19 out of 71 scheduled, including a Sunday doubleheader.) Cubbie, the team’s mascot, is quite visible and active during games.

Cubbie in action.

Concessions
Here is one area where you know you are in a bigger city and at a higher level of ball than visiting, say, Davenport, Clinton or Cedar Rapids.  A hot dog or brat runs $4.25. There are several different types of sandwiches for $5.50-6. There are several different levels of Nachos and the prices reflect it -- $3.50-6.50. There are a lot of beer options that will cost from $5.50-$8. Among the choices you’ll get here that you won’t see in many parks – Old Style, a tribute to Wrigley Field, and Fat Tire, a Colorado-based brew. One unusual item: large dill pickles for two bucks.

Souvenirs
Here you might think you walked into Wrigley Field – Cubs stuff is everywhere. The stands are below the main walkway. Hats run $22 and T-shirts costs $25. There was a light jacket for sale that ran for $45 that looked like a good deal while sweatshirts (which were a big hit the night we were there) went for $50. The Cubs put out a very good yearbook that not only has info on current players but info on the team’s past as well. It is better than many things you’ll find at the major league level. It also contained something you don’t see too often – an ad from an opposing major team. In this case, it makes sense since it was the Kansas City Royals, who play games just 194 miles away, who placed the ad.

History
There's been a ballpark at the joining of the Des Moines and Racoon rivers since 1947, when Pioneer Park opened as the home of the Des Moines Bruins of the old Western League. It was renamed Sec Taylor Stadium in 1959, named after former Des Moines Register and Tribune sports editor Garner W. (Sec) Taylor, and was the home of the Des Moines Demons of the old Three-I League through 1961.

By 1988 it was apparent that Pioneer Park needed replacing, so the team and the city worked on funding for a new $12-million ballpark. The reborn Sec Taylor Stadium hosted its first game on April 16, 1992, and it was expanded in 1995 with 12 new left-field skyboxes and a clubhouse expansion. In August 2004 the city and the Cubs sold naming rights, leading to a renamed Principal Park.

Over the years Des Moines pro baseball teams have had the oddest nicknames: Boosters, Undertakers, Underwriters, and Prohibitionists. For the last 40 years, it has been an AAA franchise. Among the managers who learned their craft here – Tony LaRussa, who was promoted to the helm of the White Sox in the middle of the 1979 season. (LaRussa is being honored with a bobblehead at the last home game of the 2008 season.) As befits a team at that level, several players who went on to notable MLB careers played in Des Moines. One of the early ones during this current AAA string was Vida Blue, who set a league record that still stands with 16 strikeouts in one game. Blue fanned 165 batters that 1970 season, also a league record. The next season, he won 24 games and a Cy Young award for the A’s

But the town’s baseball history goes all the way back to 1887 when it was in the Northwestern League. Prior to its triple AAA days, Des Moines was a bellwether town in the Western Associated and Western League. It spent a three-year stint in the Three-I League before joining the American Association in 1969.

Before/After The Game
We are talking about Des Moines here. We are not talking about a vibrant college town with an entrenched party scene: we're talking about the city where Iowa does business.

And we're talking about a city where the Iowa Cubs are already the biggest evening event in the summer. 

So while Des Moines is actually a very pretty city and looks like a wonderful place to live, it's not the most exciting place to visit. The Court Avenue District is roughly six blocks north of the stadium, and it's fairly funky by Des Moines standards. Down the block is Java Joes (214 Fourth Street), where they brew a mighty fine cup of coffee from beans roasted on the premises. Around the corner is the Court Avenue Brewing Company, a popular local brewpub. And no self-respecting baseball fan would leave the district without a brew at Johnny's Hall of Fame Lounge (302 Court Avenue).

Worth a visit is Raccoon River Brewing, a brewpub located at 10th Street and Mulberry on the west side of downtown. It has a selection of your standard brewpub beers (red, IPA, ale, stout). If your tastes run toward the non-alcoholic, venture down to Bauder's Pharmacy (3802 Ingersoll Avenue), where they serve the best ice cream in Des Moines. The place is noted for its turtle sundaes and its peach ice cream.

Another slice of Iowa is the Machine Shed restaurant (11151 Hickman Rd., Urbandale). The angle here is that Machine Shed honors the American farmer by serving traditional farm-style fare. We're talking burnt ends (barbequed beef tips), fried chicken, pork chops, country-fried steak, roast-beef sandwiches, steaks of every size and cut, and more. Definitely not the sort of thing you can chow down for every meal, but mighty tasty.

Where to Stay
There are several downtown hotels within easy walking distance of Principal Park: Embassy Suites on the River (101 E. Locust St.; 800/EMBASSY), Marriott Des Moines (700 Grand Av.; 800/228-9290), the gorgeous Hotel Fort Des Moines (1000 Walnut Street; 800/532-1466) and the Holiday Inn Downtown (1050 6th Av.; 800/465-4329). We stayed at the Quality Inn & Suites Event Center (929 3^rd St, 515-278-2381) that was about a mile or so away and it was fine. If you happen to be in town for a hockey or arena football game at the nearby Wells Fargo Arena, this hotel is within easy walking distance.

There are also the usual chain hotels near the airport, but that is 5-6 miles out of downtown.