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26 Seasons of Memories

It stands like a palace on top of a hill. Globe Life Park has been the home of the Texas Rangers for 26 seasons, and now it’s about to host its final baseball games.

We prepared an article for USA TODAY that focused on the favorite memories of six men who know the place inside out. A beat writer. Its PA announcer. The team’s Hall Of Fame broadcaster. The nationally known blogger. Its longtime groundskeeper. And the team’s beloved former player/former General Manager/current TV color analyst.

Due to the space constraints of print media, we had to limit the recollections of each of these knowledgeable and interesting people in the published article. However, we received permission to post an unabridged version of the article here. It’s twice as long as the print version, which means a lot more memories from these fascinating folks!

So check out our full version of the article 26 Seasons of Memories at Globe Life Park and the accompanying Biggest Moments in Globe Life Park’s History.

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Anything but routine

You might conclude that the word “routine” would be an odd choice to attach to a new multi-million-dollar baseball stadium. But in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin, the facility known as Routine Field is named for Routine Baseball, which purchased the naming rights to the park. The firm, which makes apparel inspired by the “baseball lifestyle,” is headquartered just a few miles away from the park — and its clever clothing is sold in the team’s merchandise store.

Learn how the ballpark came to be in the most unlikely of places — a landfill — and how the Milwaukee Milkmen of the indy American Association have high hopes for success in their brand-new digs. And see how the ballpark features quite a Whoa Factor.

Click here to read all about it.

 

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The new ballparks of 2019

There was quite a bit of hoopla surrounding the announcement of our BaseballParks.com Ballpark of the Year. For one thing, it was our 20th annual award. For another, the winning park is truly transcendent, arguably the greatest stadium ever built at the Minor League level.

Las Vegas Ballpark, one of the six new pro parks in 2019, won the honor. Every year, the announcement of the winning park is made in the pages of USA TODAY Sports Weekly. The text of this year’s article (along with a photo of each of the six new parks this year) can be found here.  Our release providing details about why Las Vegas Ballpark was named the winning park is here. Enjoy!

Photo shown is by Steve Spatafore, Las Vegas Aviators

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Our 20th Annual Ballpark of the Year is …

The owners of the Las Vegas Aviators® knew their new ballpark in the community of Summerlin® would usher in an improved fan experience, but they couldn’t have envisioned the meteoric surge in ticket sales, as the team currently leads all of Minor League Baseball in attendance.

And now Las Vegas Ballpark® has a major national award to add to its accomplishments, as BaseballParks.com announced that the new facility is the winner of its 20th Annual Ballpark of the Year Award.

Every year since 2000, BaseballParks.com has presented this honor to the new or remodeled baseball stadium with the best combination of site selection, exterior appearance, architectural design, and fan amenities. The selection is made by an advisory panel utilized by the 22-year-old website.

The announcement of the award was made in the July 31 edition of USA TODAY Sports Weekly and at BaseballParks.com. Joe Mock, founder and webmaster of the website and a frequent contributor to USA TODAY publications, penned the article about this year’s honor.

The Aviators of the Pacific Coast League are the Class Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Howard Hughes Corporation®, owners of the Aviators and developers of Summerlin, covered the costs to design and build the park. Architecture firm HOK developed its design. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) committed $80 million over 20 years for a naming rights sponsorship.

Local fans will be able to watch the presentation of the award in person prior to the Aviators’ home game Saturday, August 3. Mock will present plaques to team President and COO Don Logan and Project Designer Devin Norton from HOK. Also on hand will be Summerlin President Kevin T. Orrock.

“We love making baseball history with Las Vegas Ballpark and are thrilled to receive this merit-based award,” Logan said when informed of the honor. “It’s truly a winning stadium that is setting a new standard for professional baseball nationwide.” Read More

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Parking options at Wrigley Field

With the possible exception of Fenway, there’s no Major League park that presents fans with more parking challenges than Wrigley Field.

That’s why I was delighted to find this article on parking options for Cubs games. Written by Kurt Smith, author of the immensely helpful Ballpark E-Guide series, the piece first provides a number of alternate routes to assist drivers in approaching Wrigleyville. He also suggests that you leave your car at your hotel and take mass transit. For instance, if you stay at a downtown hotel, you can take the red line (you know, the famous El trains) to Wrigley. Or you might find cheaper lodging to the north in Skokie, which would leave you taking the yellow line.

But if you insist on driving to a Cubs game, Kurt lists the official parking lots operated by the team as well as several that are run by third parties.

There’s even free parking if you’re attending a game on a weekday night or a weekend — if you know where to look. The team operates a free shuttle to get you from this lot to the Friendly Confines. I’ve used this approach successfully several times.

And an important topic in this article is where not to park. You don’t want your day ruined when you return to find your car has been towed!

All in all, the article includes lots of helpful tips about getting to the intersection of Clark and Addison! You can find the article here.

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