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SAHLEN FIELD
BUFFALO, NEW YORK
BUFFALO BISONS
When this ballpark opened in 1988, the baseball world was
dazzled by the trend setting architecture and beauty of this place.
Forget Camden Yards, THIS was the prototype of the retro ballpark
which would become a design staple over the next decade. Fans
came in droves (1 MM+ attendance the first five seasons) and for a
while Buffalo was a leading candidate for a MLB expansion team.
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FRONTIER FIELD
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
ROCHESTER RED WINGS
Here is yet another city with a long and rich baseball tradition... and
a community owned and run baseball team... and a new stadium
downtown, built to replace the aging Silver Stadium, which was
located in a neighborhood on the north side of town.
Frontier Field is a jewel... here you have a good downtown location
with easy access off the interstate, a splendid view of the
downtown skyline, and train tracks just beyond right field where
trains sail through during the game from time to time... really adds
to the ambience.
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NBT BANK STADIUM
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK
SYRACUSE CHIEFS
MacArthur Stadium served as the team's home since the 30s, but
was really in need of replacement, so where better to build the new
venue than right in the parking lot of the old one! This ballpark
opened its doors in 1997, a few miles north of downtown Syracuse
and close to the Carousel Center mall. With a cupola style main
entrance, two decks of blue seating, a restaurant down the
right field line, this place offer a lot in terms of ambience and fan
comforts
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MCCOY STADIUM
PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND
PAWTUCKET RED SOX
Want to see a prototype of how to take an old ballpark and renovate
it the right way? Then check out Pawtucket's venue, McCoy
Stadium, home of the Pawtucket Red Sox. They built this stadium
in the 40s, and a recent remodeling project has given this venue a
signature entrance, an attractive seating bowl with high pitch and
superb
sightlines, nice fan amenities including lawn seating and picnic
areas and a jumbotron video board.
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PNC FIELD
MOOSIC, PENNSYLVANIA
SCRANTON WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS
PNC FIeld is the reconstituted stadium that was rebuilt on the site
of the old Lackawanna County Stadium. Originally opened in 1989,
the multi purpose, artificial field stadium was such a brutalist
design that it had quickly fallen out of favor amongst its peer
venues in the International League. The stadium was closed for an
entire season, and most of it was demolished, save for the lower
level seats. An entirely new stadium was built around it.
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COCA COLA PARK
ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA
LEHIGH VALLEY IRON PIGS
The newest team in the International League also built themselves
a brand new ballpark, and Coca Cola Park is a great place to enjoy
the game of baseball. With fixed seating of 8100 seats and berm
and standing room areas bringing capacity to 10,000, there are
many different ways to watch a game here - a left field corner tiered
picnic table area comes with an "all you can eat" buffet; dugout
suites are perched just 53 feet away from home plate. A nicely
appointed club level has a bar right above home plate with a
fantastic view of the field.
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DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
DURHAM BULLS
Another of the new generation of HOK designed minor league
ballparks, Bulls Athletic Park goes a long way in showcasing this
community's long and rich baseball history, celebrating their most
notable claim to fame in the movie "Bull Durham", and also
providing a comfortable venue with great sightlines and fan
amenities.
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HARBOR PARK
NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
NORFOLK TIDES
Here is a great downtown ballpark nestled along the river front in a
sparkling and vibrant center city. Harbor Park opened in 1993, and
still looks much like a brand new stadium. A single wide
concourse with a view of the field throughout, and the upper
levels serve the suites and two party decks. One of the coolesthing
about the concessions here are grilling stations which face the
field. Each stations offers a different fresh grilled item - 1/2 pound
burgers, polish sausage, philly cheesesteaks and barbecued pork.
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COOLRAY FIELD
GWINNETT, GEORGIA
GWINNETT BRAVES
Coolray Field is your average suburban middle of a shopping
center ballpark, located off the interstate and sitting amidst
residential subdivisions and chain stores. The building itself is
built into a hill, with plenty of parking and lush landscaping
surrounding the venue. Inside, a massive asymmetrical roof covers
about one third of the grand stand,and a large outfield grass berm
has space for abut 2500 patrons. The 30' x 40' HD scoreboard is
one of the larger ones in all of minor league baseball.
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FIELD
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
LOUISVILLE BATS
Louisville, Kentucky is a town with a long and storied baseball
history. So it is fitting that here, in the corporate headquarters of
Hillerich and Bradsby, manufacturer of the famed Louisville
Slugger bat, a beautiful ballpark would be erected to properly
showcase the game of baseball. Slugger Field opened in 2000,
and was built on a site in the northeast corner of downtown, which
was nothing more than junkyards and vacant lots. The long
abandoned train shed abutting the site was gutted and restored,
and now serves as the entrance pavilion to the ballpark. Amenities
here include a restaurant and brewpub, along with huge expanses
of open space, ticket lobbies and areas for future retail expansion.
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FIFTH THIRD FIELD
TOLEDO, OHIO
TOLEDO MUD HENS
Opened in April of 2002, Fifth Third Field replaces Ned Skeldon
Stadium as the new home of the Toledo Mud Hens. And if you have
ever been to the "Ned", then you know that a new home for the
'Hens was a long time coming.The park is set in downtown's
"Warehouse District", a collection of turn of the century buildings
which remain, for the most part, vacant... gutted and awaiting
restoration. Hopes are high here that the ballpark will serve as a
catalyst for a rebirth of this stately neighborhood. Most of downtown
Toledo is clean and bright, and abuts a beautiful waterfront along
the Maumee River.
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VICTORY FIELD
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
Victory Field is the new home of the Indianapolis Indians... well not
that new, since it opened in 1996, but this venue still shines like a
place that opened yesterday. The stadium is located on the
western fringe of downtown Indianapolis. In fact, the entire
downtown core, the Wholesale District, and all of this marvelous
city's attractions are all within walking distance. The center field
entrance to the ballpark bears striking murals of the greatest
players to wear the Indianapolis uniform... sure, sure, anyone can
hang placards of players such as Ken Griffey and Randy Johnson,
but only one minor league venue can salute the one and only
RAZOR SHINES! This icon of the Indians played here for 9
seasons, and is still remembered as a fan favorite.
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HUNTINGTON PARK
COLUMBUS, OHIO
COLUMBUS CLIPPERS
Columbus’ new baseball venue offers a lot of delights – a superb
location, right amidst the city’s exciting Arena District. Retro
architecture, emulating the classic look of ballparks past. And a
building which is a living museum to baseball and Columbus’
long history as a flagship minor league city. Opened in 2009, the
venue sports a panoramic view of the downtown Columbus
skyline. Club sections, the main concourse, viewing areas from the
street along the right field fence, and the AEP Pavilion out in left
field, which features a sports bar on the second floor and rooftop
bleachers at the top, all meld together well to provide a variety of
viewing experiences.
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BB&T BALLPARK
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS
That view. Wow. Just wow. The Knights baseball team came to
Uptown Charlotte in 2014, and have dazzled locals and vistots
alike, earning accolades as the Minor League baseball park of the
year, with its fan friendly seating bowl, nice premium viewing areas,
canyon wide concourses, all in a spectacular center city setting.
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