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| 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. |
Dehler Park /
Billings Mustangs
| Year Opened | 2008 |
| Capacity | 3,500 (2,571 individual seats, 500 bleacher seats, berm seating) |
| Cost | $12.5 million |
| Owner | City of Billings |
| Architect | CTA Architects Engineers (Billings) and HNTB Architecture (Kansas City) |
| Dimensions | 335L, 410C, 356R |
| Playing Surface | Grass |
| Last Visit | 2008 |
| League | Pioneer League |
| Affiliation | Cincinnati Reds |
| Ticket Prices (2008) | Club Box, $9; Dugout Box, $7; Field Box, $5; General Admission, $4 |
| Address/Directions | 2611 9th Av. N., Billings 27th Street is a main drag on the eastern side of downtown Billings. If you're coming from the I-90 freeway, take the N. 27th Street exit (number 450) and head north. Cobb Field is on the eastern side of N. 27th Street. |
| Written by: | Kevin Reichard |
| Rating |  |
Honored at the entrance: Billings native and
former MLB star Dave McNally.
It is so hard to follow in the footprints of a legend. Dehler Park, home to the Billings Mustangs, is the replacement for Cobb Field, one of the great old ballparks in the minor leagues. Cobb Field ended up being one of the sadder ballpark stories in recent years: built in 1948 and housing a ton of history, it ended up being torn down because enough deterioration had occurred over the years that renovation simply was not an option.
So, really with no other choice, Billings went ahead and tore down Cobb Field and went ahead with a new ballpark. In the span of 10 months, Billings went from a wonderful historic ballpark to a sparkling-new facility.
And how did that transition work out?
Not as well as one would have hoped. No, no one expected the new ballpark to have the same ambiance as found in Cobb Field; you just don't open with decades of history and memories. But Dehler Park is a disappointment, a bland facility that lacks the romance of Cobb Field and offering little in terms of ambiance or character. It is a ballpark that could be located anywhere.
Are we being a little rough? Perhaps. With attendance up at Mustangs games in 2008, it's clear the locals have responded well to the new ballpark. A Mustangs game is a more comfortable experience than in years past, with seating closer to the ballpark and concessions much more accessible. And we're guessing the Mustangs front office is just ecstatic about game-day operations in the new ballpark. But at the end of the day we feel replacing such a grand old facility with a new, bland ballpark was a huge opportunity lost.
Dehler Park is built on the same block containing Cobb Field, but the ballpark's footprint was expanded to encompass the entire block; a swimming pool on the 27th Avenue side of things is now gone. The expansion allowed for a bigger ballpark footprint as well as the addition of a parking lot past the right-field boundary. With the additional space, the ballpark designers -- chiefly CTA Architects, a noted local design firm -- added things never found in Cobb Field, such as a wide wraparound concourse, open concession stands, a picnic area, berm seating and batting cages. The orientation of the new ballpark retained the wonderful view of the rimrock past the home-run fence. All in all, it is a professional and accomplished ballpark.
Without a lot of personalization or distinctive signature touches, unfortunately. Take away the view of the rimrock and two commemorative statues in the outer courtyard, and there's nothing that says Montana or Billings baseball -- not even a commemorative display honoring Cobb Field or Mustangs history that we could find. The color choice of the brickwork evokes the rimrock, as does the curve of the main building on 27th Avenue. But there's nothing else strongly connected with the Mustangs. Heck, even something evoking a box seat -- one of the signature touches of Cobb Field -- would have been enough.
One question we did have: where did the $12 million budget go? True, nothing was reused from Cobb Field, and excavating a lower-level playing field certain added to the cost. (The six buildings that comprise the ballpark are at grade, however, and players must walk across the concourse to access the playing field.) But Dehler Park lacks any suites or an upper level, and the ballpark basically consists of six one-level buildings. A small press box/broadcasting booth is located behind home plate, and canopies cover much of the season tickets seats. Compare the $12 million spent on Dehler Park with the $5.6 million spent on Melaleuca Field, the home of the Idaho Falls Chukars (rookie; Pioneer League). In both cases virtually new ballparks were built on an existing footprint, and more could be reused from the old ballpark (playing field, home-run fence, lights, utilities) on Melaleuca Field.
If you go, avoid the general-admission seats down the first-base line. On any average evening you're staring directly into the sun. If you can, sit down the third-base line; if you can't snare a seat there, head to left field and stand at the bar rail.
Yes, it's hard to replace a legend. But maybe we expected a little more out of the replacement for Cobb Field -- and we hope the current ballpark evolves in the next few years to be worthy of occupying the same site as the classic old ballpark.
Concessions
Two main concession stands can be found in
back of the concourse. Both have separate tap
areas, though the beer area is bigger down the
third-base line. Standalone concession stands are
also located on the wide concourse.
The food selections at Dehler Park are basic: the $2 hot dog was pretty mediocre, but the $5.75 buffalo wings were tasty. Throw in a $2 pickle, and you have a meal.
Good news: Stang burgers made the transition from the old ballpark. No, they're not made of horsemeat. But they're darn tasty right off the grill, and quite possibly the best burger we've ever had at a ballpark. Follow the smoke to the grill area in back of the third-base concession area.
The beer selections are great. Billing has evolved into a great beer town -- who knew! -- and one can have a really pleasant evening with friends by buying a few beers and hanging out beyond the left-field fence at a freestanding table or next to the bar rail. We went with a seasonal brew from the Deschutes Brewery (OK, not strictly local; that beer is from Bend, Oregon), but for $3.50 it was hard to go wrong.
Parking
Two parking lots are located to the south and
east of the ballpark. There is also plenty of
street parking in the area; watch the street
signs, however.
What to Do
Before/After the Game
Somewhere along the line Billings turned into
a great beer town. No, it's not quite Milwaukee,
but with the presence of four outstanding brew
pubs in and near downtown Billings (as well as a
good selection of local beers at the downtown
organic coop), it's clear a beer lover would feel
right at home in Billings.
We're recommend stopping at Angry Hank's (2405 1st Av. N.), if only because it's the most unique brewpub we've ever run across. Located in a former filling station and garage, Angry Hank's is open Monday-Saturday from 4-8 p.m. and does only one kind of business: sell pints of beer for $3. You line up for your beer, you take it to a table (some are inside, some outside), and you drink. If you like, you can nibble on some popcorn. But really, the whole point of Angry Hank's is to drink beer. And it's damn fine beer. Virtually all the beer brewed on the premises is sold onsite, with a little bit sold to other bars. Try the Anger Management Belgian Wheat.
Also worth a visit: the venerable Montana Brewing (113 N. 28th St.), in the heart of downtown. It's been around for many years. Like Angry Hank's, Montana Brewing sells almost all its beer onsite and offers a wide selection.
