Recent
Visits |
NYSEG Stadium, Binghamton
Mets
NYSEG Stadium,
the home of the Binghamton Mets (Class AA; Eastern
League), may not
be the flashiest facility in the minors, but may
be the most family-friendly facility we've run
across in a long time. It's a ballpark where kids
can run the bases in the middle of the fifth and
it's a ballpark where dollar hot dogs are
available every night of the week. With a host of
attractions geared toward kids, NYSEG Stadium is a place where families of all
sorts can go out and have a safe, affordable time.
Arvest Ballpark, Northwest
Arkansas Naturals
There's still an unfinished feel to Arvest
Ballpark, the new home of the Northwest Arkansas
Naturals (Class AA; Texas League),
but it's
not that the Naturals were behind in making sure
things worked -- they did, perhaps a little
smoother than the average ballpark opening -- as
there's an unsettled
quality to the area, and
we're guessing the
ultimate feel of the ballpark will be shaped by
what happens in the area. While Arvest Ballpark is
certainly worth a visit today -- it's a sleek,
modern facility currently somewhat at odds with
the surrounding farms -- we're excited to watch
how the facility evolves with the rest of the
Springdale community.
Tempe Diablo Stadium, Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The best ballparks in Arizona for Cactus League
baseball are by and large the old ones -- like
Scottsdale Stadium, Phoenix Municipal Stadium and
Hi Corbett Field. All have been significantly
updated through the years, but they still retain a
historic charm. Chief among these older ballparks
is Tempe Diablo Stadium, currently the spring home
of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It opened in
1968 and was the spring home of the Seattle
Mariners between 1977 and 1993; it was then
renovated and then became the spring home of the
Angels. When it opened, one of the best things
about the ballpark was its scenic location next to
the buttes of Tempe; that's still true today
despite some dramatic renovations to the ballpark.
|
Recent
Visits |
NYSEG Stadium, Binghamton
Mets
NYSEG Stadium,
the home of the Binghamton Mets (Class AA; Eastern
League), may not
be the flashiest facility in the minors, but may
be the most family-friendly facility we've run
across in a long time. It's a ballpark where kids
can run the bases in the middle of the fifth and
it's a ballpark where dollar hot dogs are
available every night of the week. With a host of
attractions geared toward kids, NYSEG Stadium is a place where families of all
sorts can go out and have a safe, affordable time.
Arvest Ballpark, Northwest
Arkansas Naturals
There's still an unfinished feel to Arvest
Ballpark, the new home of the Northwest Arkansas
Naturals (Class AA; Texas League),
but it's
not that the Naturals were behind in making sure
things worked -- they did, perhaps a little
smoother than the average ballpark opening -- as
there's an unsettled
quality to the area, and
we're guessing the
ultimate feel of the ballpark will be shaped by
what happens in the area. While Arvest Ballpark is
certainly worth a visit today -- it's a sleek,
modern facility currently somewhat at odds with
the surrounding farms -- we're excited to watch
how the facility evolves with the rest of the
Springdale community.
Tempe Diablo Stadium, Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The best ballparks in Arizona for Cactus League
baseball are by and large the old ones -- like
Scottsdale Stadium, Phoenix Municipal Stadium and
Hi Corbett Field. All have been significantly
updated through the years, but they still retain a
historic charm. Chief among these older ballparks
is Tempe Diablo Stadium, currently the spring home
of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It opened in
1968 and was the spring home of the Seattle
Mariners between 1977 and 1993; it was then
renovated and then became the spring home of the
Angels. When it opened, one of the best things
about the ballpark was its scenic location next to
the buttes of Tempe; that's still true today
despite some dramatic renovations to the ballpark.
|
|
Features |
2008 Ballparks
Billings
Forest City, N.C.
Grand
Prairie
Lehigh Valley
Springdale, Ark.
Southern Maryland
Washington, D.C.
2009 Ballparks
Avon, Ohio
Charlotte, N.C.
Charlotte County, Fla.
Columbus, Ohio
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Glendale, Az.
Goodyear, Az.
Gwinnett County
Kansas City
(renovations)
LSU
Madison, Wis.
(renovations)
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Pensacola,
Fla.
Reno
University of North
Carolina
University of South
Carolina
Winston-Salem
2010 Ballparks
Minnesota
Twins
2012 Ballparks
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
|
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! |
|
Huntington Park /
Columbus Clippers
Opening |
April 2009 |
Capacity |
10,000 (7,600 seats, 1,200
specialty seats, 1,200 lawn/SRO spots) |
Number of Suites |
32, with 42 loge boxes |
Owner |
Franklin County |
Architect |
360 Architecture |
Location |
Columbus's Arena District,
on the northwest corner of Nationwide
Boulevard and Neil Avenue |
Huntington Park will
be the home of the Columbus Clippers (Class AAA;
International League) is designed to help
revitalize the city’s urban core with its
innovative design that accommodates the disabled
and features various family-friendly and
sustainable “green” aspects. The 200,000
square-foot, three-level building constructed from
brick and steel will be green. It will feature an
extroverted design approach that leads to a
significant reduction in spaces requiring air
conditioning.
The downtown site is
important for many reasons. First, Huntington Park
reclaims a blighted urban brownfield site that is
in desperate need of a cleanup. The design
protects farmland and open spaces surrounding the
city. It also utilizes existing parking facilities
serving downtown workers, resulting in a
significant reduction in land-use
requirements.
“Baseball fans,
especially our season ticket holders, are going to
love to go to games at the new home of the
Clippers, Huntington Park. They will enjoy the
closeness to the field and the great sightlines in
an accessible and affordable ballpark, in a great
downtown location,” said Mary Jo Kilroy, President
of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. "We
are paying attention to things that will attract
new fans as well, including families, young
professionals, and visitors from the nearby
convention center."
Ballpark construction
will be financed by Franklin County, which will
sell economic development bonds. These bonds will
be repaid in part from the capital contributed by
the project’s major corporate sponsors. Huntington
Bank purchased the naming rights for the new
downtown Columbus ballpark in 2006. The $12 M
contract with Huntington is the second-largest
donation for a minor-league ballpark in the
history of baseball. Stadium Inc. will lease the
ballpark from the county and will assume debt
service and operational duties. Future ballpark
revenues and the sale proceeds from the team's
current home,
Cooper Stadium, will also be used to offset
the cost to construct Huntington Park.
The major sponsorships include: $9.3 million from
The City of Columbus (infrastructure investment),
$6 million from the Columbus Dispatch (scoreboard
naming rights) and $6M from Nationwide Insurance &
Nationwide Realty (concourse naming rights).
The three-level --
field, main and club -- ballpark provides
a childrens' pop-up water fountain, a kids' Midway
area near the bleachers and a kids'
locker room. Adults can enjoy everything from a
rooftop bar to the terrace seating and outdoor
grill. The scoreboard features a next-generation
outdoor high-definition video board. The Clippers
have also made a commitment to make affordable
prices for families to attend.
Groundbreaking for
Huntington Park will take place in August.
Green Features
Huntington Park is designed to be a green
facility, minimizing its impact on the
environment. Here are some of the features planned
to meet that goal:
-
Converting existing rooftops and parking lots
into a site with large amounts of grass turf,
planters, tree covered concourses, and
light-colored
roofing materials help to reduce the urban heat
island effect.
-
Less
than 25 percent of the ballpark
will need to be air
conditioned and heated.
-
Heated water will not be circulated to concourse
toilet facilities
-
Energy Star appliances will be used
-
Light-colored roofing will reduce
heat gain within
interior
spaces, reducing cooling loads.
-
Water-efficient plumbing fixtures
and valves will
reduce
consumption of water resources.
-
Fifty percent of construction waste will be
recycled during construction.
-
Spaces within the ballpark are
designed to
accommodate a
ballpark refuse
recycling program.
-
Use
of low VOC paints will
provide an improved
indoor air
quality.
-
Use
of regionally available materials
will reduce
transportation waste.
|
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