Class AAA Photo Album

International League

The International League has been delighting fans east of the Mississippi with high-quality baseball since -- can you believe it? -- 1884!  Here are photos of the IL's ballparks, in order from my favorite to my least favorite -- updated to include 2008's new facility, Coca-Cola Park.

Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville

A statue of Pee Wee Reese, a native a Louisville and an unforgettable member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, greets fans at the main entrance to Louisville Slugger Field.  Just through those doors is one of the most interesting entryways in all of baseball, as the architects left a large building -- years ago it was a train shed -- largely intact.  You pass through this area, with a gift shop and room for receptions and two restaurants, before reaching the concourse of the stadium.

You're also in for a treat on the inside, too.  Depending on where you are sitting, you can look out and see the Ohio River and the bridges that run between Kentucky and Indiana, or you can see the skyline (and the setting sun behind it) of Louisville.  And as is becoming more common in newer parks, there is an "open concourse" so you can see the action on the field while walking to and from the concession stand . . . and the concourse runs "360 degrees," meaning you can take a scenic stroll all the way around the stadium -- and you should, too!

This beautiful home of the Louisville River Bats, my #1 park in the International League, opened in 2000. It led the IL in attendance in 2006 and 2007, and did a wonderful job of hosting the 2008 Triple-A All Star Game. In fact, the photo on the right-hand side above was taken at that game.

Victory Field, Indianapolis

Victory Field in Indianapolis is also a beauty. There's an attractive exterior -- that many people never see because they enter the park from the gates in the outfield -- and an even more attractive view of city's skyline, which includes the state capitol beyond left field and the domed football stadium beyond right.

This beauty opened in 1996. In a city with Major League basketball and football, the Minor League baseball park is anything but "bush league!"

The Toledo Mudhens are among the most famous of all Minor League franchises. For decades, they played at a refurbished race track out in the suburbs of Toledo. That all changed in 2002 when they moved into Fifth Third Field in downtown Toledo. At last, the team had a ballpark that befits their heritage.

The new park brought newfound attention, such as the 2006 Triple-A All Star Game and a spot in Minor League News' Top Ten Ballparks list.

Coca-Cola Park is every bit as nice as the IL's #3 park, Fifth Third Field, but its location isn't quite as exciting. The Lehigh Valley's new showplace has a beautiful exterior and an unusual entry plaza, plus its food selection is very good and its game-day experience is wonderful. There is a category in which this park unquestionably leads the IL: the number of puns. Without a doubt, you'll lose count of all of the plays on words you'll find there that relate to the team's nickname, the IronPigs. See our in-depth review of the park for a partial list of all of the puns!

Here's another ballpark that checks all the right boxes -- an overhang, a view of the city's skyline, a beautiful entryway behind home plate, picnic areas, etc.  It is Frontier Field, the home of the IL's Rochester Red Wings, and it is #5 in our ranking of the IL's parks.

In my book, a roof/overhang over the seats of a ballpark is a real plus -- the bigger the better!  The Pawtucket Red Sox' home, McCoy Stadium, has a roof that covers almost all of the rows in the main seating bowl, making for a very pretty park.  Of course, the downside to such a big roof is that it has to be supported by poles that obstruct the view for a number of fans.

McCoy first opened in 1946, but it was extensively renovated (winning architectural awards along the way) before the '99 season. One of the most charming elements of this park -- which, thankfully, was maintained in the renovation -- is the way the dugouts are positioned under the front of the stands. This requires children wanting autographs to dangle their scorecards and balls on a cord in front of the players in the dugout. The scene is adorable, as it looks like the kids are "fishing" for autographs.

In this photo, the stands are absolutely crammed for fireworks night, the night before the Fourth of July, 2001.

This is Harbor Park in Norfolk, home of the International League Tides. Back in the '90s, Baseball America named it America's #1 Minor League park.  Its proximity to water -- it's a blast watching the huge vessels chug by -- and the beautiful architecture are reasons why.  In this game in '96, the scoreboard shows that future Major Leaguer Andruw Jones (and his .368 average) is batting for the Richmond Braves. 

Like Toledo, Durham features a storied Minor League franchise. The Durham Bulls were made famous by Kevin Costner's portrayal of Crash Davis in Bull Durham, one of the best baseball movies ever. Durham Athletic Park, which was the real team's real park when the film was made, gave way to shiny, new Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 1998. The well-known wooden bull, first erected in the old park for the movie (then retained after the film crew and actors went home), has a home in the new stadium along the concourse behind first base.

Our #9 park in the International League was truly a trend-setter. When Dunn Tire Park opened in 1988 (under a different name), it ushered in a series of huge, modern, comfortable Triple-A stadiums. And the fans of Buffalo responded unbelievably, pushing attendance levels to the unheard-of heights of a million per year.

When this park was called Lackawanna County Stadium, it was a great match for the team (the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons) because both names were mouthfuls. However, a corporate sponsorship deal was arranged with PNC Bank, and for the 2007 season, the stadium became PNC Field (and the team's nickname now has one word instead of two: Yankees). This had been the home of the Phillies' top Minor League team since it opened. However, that changed because of the arrival of Allentown in the International League in 2008, because the Phillies had long indicated that a team in the Lehigh Valley would be their top affiliate when it began playing there. Wasting no time, the Scranton franchise made a pre-emptive move, and signed on with the Yankees starting with the 2007 season.

This park was pretty much state-of-the-art when it opened in 1989, with a three-level, concrete-and-steel construction and a modern, if somewhat sterile, design -- but over the years, its newness wore off. However, when the Yankees brought their affiliation to town in 2007, some changes were made. First, the Astroturf was replaced with natural grass. Second, the uppermost rows in the upper deck were ripped out and covered with banners, and the seats themselves were transplanted to the ends of the lower level to replace bench seating. These changes really made the park more aesthetically pleasing, and prompted a move up in our ranking of IL parks.

And the food here is wonderful, especially the Pennsylvania delicacies on the ground level: pierogis, funnel cakes and potato pancakes. Yum!

The third of the three International League parks in New York State is Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse. It was formerly known as P&C Stadium. A lot of energy and landscaping went into the exterior of this ballpark, and inside you'll find a nice open concourse and, unusual in this day and age, artificial turf.

It's easy to cast stones at the home of the Charlotte Knights. First and foremost, it's not in Charlotte. In fact, it's not even in North Carolina! It's across the state line, in Fort Mill, SC. Second, it has a hopelessly unfinished look, due to the fact that it was built to accommodate a quick expansion if a Major League team could be lured to the area. Third, it looks like it hasn't received a single improvement or renovation since it opened in 1990. No, this market deserves a modern, attractive ballpark in Charlotte. I hope it happens soon.

You know, it's funny. Ballparks from the 1950s or earlier are often viewed as being charming and worth keeping, while those from the 1960s or '70s are regarded as being inadequate and in need of replacement. Such is the case with Cooper Stadium, home of the Columbus Clippers. Featuring a grandstand built in 1977, I view the park as being anything but charming. Thankfully, it is being replaced soon, as a new ballpark is scheduled to open on the east side of Columbus' downtown in 2009.

The Atlanta Braves rattled their sabers at the city of Greenville, SC when they wanted a new ballpark for their Double-A team. It didn't work, and the Braves moved the franchise into a brand-new park in Pearl, MS. Well, the big Braves have been rattling those same sabers at the capital city of Virginia, where their Triple-A Richmond Braves are playing in The Diamond, a state-of-the-art (well, it was in 1988 when it opened), very concrete ballpark, much like the one in Scranton. The stadium went from pretty adequate to clearly inadequate in the span of a decade, and the brass in Atlanta announced that the R-Braves are moving to Gwinnett County, Georgia following the 2008 season. We understand that it was the ballpark, and not the support of the Richmond market, that drove this decision. Regardless, The Diamond is at the bottom of our rankings in the International League.

Return to Minor League Photo Album page