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The Design
When a city builds a new ballpark, its design is often a reaction to their old stadium. In Tulsa’s case, Drillers Stadium had a lot of seats, but you would never call it spacious or comfortable. And you would never, ever call it packed with fan amenities.
So the designers from Populous set out to create a ballpark that provides what Drillers Stadium lacked — a sense of roominess and intimacy, accommodating for families with kids, fun places for groups to gather, greater luxury for corporate clients and a sense of aesthetics. And on that last point, any pleasant aesthetics would be a vast improvement over Drillers Stadium.
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Indeed, the fans of Tulsa are enjoying better sight-lines, closer views of the field and something that Drillers Stadium couldn’t provide at all — a view of the skyline.
As far as seating goes, the most obvious difference from the Drillers’ old home is that you can now watch ballgames from the outfield. In Drillers Stadium, you couldn’t get to the area beyond the outfield fences if you wanted to. And in the new park’s outfield, you have a huge group area beyond the concourse, picnic tables galore just beyond the left-field fence, not one but two grass berms, and a play area for kids. What an improvement!
Because of the shape of the plot of land on which the ballpark was constructed, the main seating bowl and the upper deck aren’t symmetrical. Elgin Avenue forms the western edge of the property, and because the park’s “orientation” is turned to permit a view of the skyline, that side street prevents the stands on the first-base line from extending as far as those on the third-base side. Similarly, on the second level, 10 luxury suites are on the first-base side and 13 are on the other side. Tycoons Stadium Club is directly behind home plate on the upper level, and the roomy press box sits directly above it. Thankfully, this puts the press area behind home plate, rather than down one of the lines, like in Reno and Bowling Green, both of which opened in 2009.
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The upper level is more or less suspended by supports all along the lower-level concourse. This gives that concourse a wonderfully open feel (above right), much like a number of other Double-A parks: Manchester, NH; Pearl, MS; Midland, TX; Springfield, MO and Northwest Arkansas.
And before we leave the subject of the second level, there are two very nice group areas at each end. The Tiki Deck is all the way down the third-base line (although you reach it by climbing steps from the main concourse, not by walking down the hall of the upper level), and the larger Refinery Deck (lower left) is down the first-base line. While the Tiki Deck has no roof overhead, the more-upscale Refinery area does. In fact, it is adjacent to a beautiful, indoor conference center (below right) — and a very large group could expand out and utilize both areas. I think this extra meeting space is an example of how the residents of Tulsa really got their money’s worth in ONEOK Field.
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There’s also a group area near the main seating bowl on the main level. The River Spirit Casino Party Platform is directly down the first-base line, near the main entrance to the park on Elgin Avenue. The way this area protrudes into the field creates an interesting curve near the right-field foul pole (below left). This curve could cause crazy bounces for balls hit down the line.
Nearby in the outfield is one of the two spacious berms. Since the bullpens are between the right-field berm and the fence (below right), there is a unique look to this side of the park.
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Next to the right-field berm is a play area for the younger set. On around the outfield, beyond the back of the batter’s eye, is the other berm. On the other side of the concourse at the rear of the berm are concession stands and a huge picnic pavilion cleverly called the Oil Field. Between this and the left-field foul pole is the expansive Terrace area (below), with dozens of square picnic tables — and a close-up view of the left-fielder’s back. I bet this area will develop into one of the most popular spots in the ballpark. Not only can you see the scoreboard over your shoulder and the skyline to your left, you get a wonderful view of the action on the field. And more than a few home run balls will land here!
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Yes, the 360-degree concourse gives patrons the opportunity to visit all of the park’s neat features, and see the game from lots of different angles. And regular readers know that I’m a big fan of concourses that go all the way around the field of play.
I should point out that Tulsa’s park lacks the spectacular roofs that Populous designed for Target Field in Minneapolis and Arvest Field in Northwest Arkansas, but all in all, the architects did a wonderful job. The seats in the infield are wonderfully close to the action, while the wide-open spaces in the outfield give fans a nice sense of spaciousness. To say that ONEOK Field is an improvement over Drillers Stadium is, well, a gusher of an understatement. I won’t go so far as to say that it leapfrogs the rest of the Texas League (Frisco and Arkansas have two of the nicest facilities in all of the Minors), but it’s certainly among the best at the Double-A level.
The Essentials
So the location, exterior and interior design are all first-rate, but what’s it like to watch a game at ONEOK Field? Let’s analyze the game-day experience by taking a look at what to expect if you attend a Drillers home game.
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Most fans will come by car, so they’ll be on the lookout for parking spaces near the park. While there’s no one large team-controlled lot, there are dozens of smaller lots within six blocks of the park — plus there are three city-operated parking garages about a ten-minute walk from ONEOK Field. The closest one charges $8, while the other two will cost you $5. I found on-street spaces with parking meters quite close to the park, and you don’t have to put any money in the meters on weekends or after 5:00 weekdays. Also, the university just on the other side of I-244 permits fans attending Friday evening and weekend games to park for free.
Ticket prices are comparable to those at Drillers Stadium in 2009. You certainly don’t have to spend a fortune to attend a Drillers game now, as you can sit on the outfield berms with general admission tickets that are $5, while a spot at one of the picnic tables in the left-field terrace is $7. The most expensive seats, in the Home Plate Premium sections, are only $15. The first dozen rows behind the dugouts will run you $12, and the back rows are $10. The Field Premium seats, which are only in the first section beyond each dugout, cost $9 and the Reserved seats down the lines carry an $8 price-tag.
All of those prices are discounted if you come with a group … but if you really want your batch of friends to enjoy themselves, I’d go for one of the “decks” at the ends of the upper level. A Hawaiian-themed buffet accompanies your luau at the Tiki Deck (below right) or waitresses will wait on you at the Refinery Deck. Either option costs $25 per person.
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Souvenirs were only available at a 200-square-foot stand at Drillers Stadium. At ONEOK Field, the Black Gold Outfitters (above left) is a beautiful, air-conditioned store covering 2,200 square feet on the first-base side of the main concourse. I found the prices of the merchandise reasonable for this level of the Minors. Most adult t-shirts are $18, adjustable caps were $12-18 and fitted versions were $25. Programs, available in the store and at the entrances of the park, were $3.
When you get hungry at a Drillers game, you never have to travel far to find a concession stand. In fact, the team reports that ONEOK Field features 60 spots where you can buy concessions, compared to only 35 at Drillers Stadium. While there are quite a few different food items on the various menus, I wasn’t impressed with the variety. You’ll find standard ballpark fare, but nothing that jumps out at you as being unusual or unique to the area. The closest might be the $6.50 Hornsby’s Rodeo Burger, which is made with half a pound of angus beef, topped with an onion ring, bacon, cheese and “Drillers sauce” (below left). I certainly enjoyed mine!
Permanent stands are located on the first-base side of the main concourse, while free-standing kiosks — with a better variety of food choices — can be found all along the third-base concourse. Highlights include Philly cheesesteaks for $6.50, taco salads for $6.50, footlong brats for $6 and BBQ ribtips for $6.50. Perhaps the ballpark staple is the hot dog, and Driller Dogs are available all around the park for $3.25, with a kids version for just $2.25. Domestic draft beers are $5, and 21-ounce sodas are $3.
And a trend that I’m a big fan of is the appearance of shelves on which you can set your food and drink while you stand with your friends and watch the game. These can be found in several places at ONEOK Field, with the best spot being near the left-field foul pole (below right) because of the angle you have to watch the action.
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And believe it or not, the Twins’ new Target Field that cost $440 million to build, has less space devoted to kids than the $39-million ONEOK Field. Not only do little Drillers fans have a first-class playground in right field (below right), there’s also a variety of inflatable attractions behind third base in Hornsby’s Hangout (Hornsby is the team’s blue mascot) — weather permitting.
There are a lot of “nice touches” in ONEOK Field. These are features that aren’t critically necessary, but are nice additions to the surroundings. One example is the larger-than-life posters of past Drillers who are now in the Majors, like the one of Ubaldo Jimenez (below center), who pitched a no-hitter in the Majors in April of 2010.
Finally, the beautiful 900-square-foot scoreboard (below left) really enhances your enjoyment of the game. The video is definitely high-resolution, and it does not disappoint.
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Summary
In fact, nothing disappoints fans who drop by ONEOK Field — unless, of course, the Drillers lose.
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There’s a tradition at Drillers games where the fans sing the Broadway tune “Oklahoma” during the seventh-inning stretch. Why not, because several parks in Texas do “Deep In The Heart of Texas.”
The chorus of “Oklahoma” goes like this:
We know we belong to the land (yo-ho)
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Aye-yip-aye-yo-ee-ay!
We’re only sayin’
You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K.!
And while Oklahoma is certainly “O.K.,” ONEOK Field is way, way beyond being “just O.K.” Just make sure you pronounce the name of the ballpark correctly!