Class AA Photo Album

Southern League

As I've done for a couple of other leagues, I asked the play-by-play announcer for one of the teams in the SL to give me his rankings of the circuit's parks. His choices weren't very different from mine: 1. Tennessee; 2. Montgomery; 3. Jacksonville; 4. Mississippi; 5. Mobile; 6. Carolina; 7. Chattanooga; 8. Birmingham; 9. West Tenn; 10. Huntsville.

Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium

Atop the leader board for the Southern League is this spectacular ballpark. HOK must have had another one of its projects in mind when they designed this one, because like Camden Yards, Riverwalk Stadium incorporates an old railroad "shed" into the structure on the first-base side. In this building (above right) is a beautiful entry hall, concessions, a lounge and (on the upper level) luxury suites. The parks' setting is also wonderful, as trains rumble by just beyond the left-field fence, and down the hill flows the Alabama River.

Smokies Park

Nestled into the side of a large hill, this lovely ballpark gives fans both a wonderful exterior and a hillside to look at when they're in their seats. That exterior includes one of the most noteworthy entryways in Double-A baseball, with lots of landscaping and impressive overhangs. The lovely park is in Sevierville, just east of Knoxville.

Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville

Not only does this ballpark have a wonderful, long-ago-sounding name, it also features one of the most impressive brick exteriors I've ever seen. Inside, fans are protected from the brutal Florida sun and occasional showers by one of the biggest overhangs in the Minors.

Hank Aaron Stadium

I've always liked this ballpark's simplicity ... but it has elements that are novel, too! The vast majority of the seats are in the upper deck ... but that deck isn't all that "upper," as it isn't much higher off the ground than the lower seating areas, which are basically for luxury and club seats. And I love that the ballpark doesn't carry a corporate-sponsorship name, opting instead to adopt the name of Mobile's native son Hank Aaron, baseball's true home-run king.

AT&T Field

One of the most "classic" old ballparks in the Minors was Engel Stadium in Chattanooga. It's where decades of Negro and "white" baseball both used the facility, and it's where the Country super-group Alabama shot their music video for "The Cheap Seats," one of the most-played songs inside ballparks. Well, in 2000, the Lookouts moved downtown to what is now called AT&T Field, and talk about a change! The pretty, lopsided seating bowl and view of cars whizzing by made for a very different baseball atmosphere. Now fans are within walking distance of restaurants, hotels and theaters -- and the huge state aquarium, just a couple of blocks away. In addition, you have to climb a hill to get to the park's gates, which seems kind of appropriate for a team called the "Lookouts."

The Greenville Braves became the Mississippi Braves in 2005 when the franchise moved from South Carolina to Pearl, Mississippi. And they moved right into a brand-new park, one that was superior to the one they left behind in every conceivable way. Trustmark Park is near major highways, major shopping, major restaurants, major everything -- including having somewhat of a major-league feel.

Never heard of Zebulon, North Carolina? Don't feel bad. Most people haven't. But this is the small town east of Raleigh that can count the Carolina Mudcats as residents, as Five County Stadium is located there. Utilizing a design that is reminiscent of Mobile (see above), the steep upper deck contains most of the seats. And since a mudcat is a catfish, the team sells "fishing licenses" instead of tickets (above left) -- which is very cute.

Like AT&T Field in Chattanooga (above), this park was built to replace a legendary facility. Birmingham's Rickwood Field, opened in 1910, is arguably the oldest continuously used ballpark still in existence, and it is a beauty even today. Its replacement, the Met in the southern suburb of Hoover, is certainly a comfortable place, if a little on the sterile side. If you're going to come to the Birmingham area only once to see the Barons play, try to do it when the team plays the annual Rickwood Classic each spring, because that's the one time a year they play a game at Rickwood.

When the Double-A franchise in Memphis moved east to Jackson, Tennessee in 1998, everyone assumed that this nice, new facility would be a home-sweet-home for the team for a long, long time. Well, fairy tales did not come true here, as the crowds quickly dwindled and the franchise was always being rumored to be a relocation candidate. Even to this day, the Diamond Jaxx continue to be dead last in the league in attendance. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the park, but there's nothing really special about it, either -- in location, architecture or game-day attractions. It does have a cute (corporate sponsorship) name, though.

Bringing up the rear in the Southern League is Huntsville's stadium, home of the Stars. It's not a very appealing place, and it's looking kind of dated these days. In fact, it is the oldest park in the league, narrowly edging out Five County Stadium and the Hoover Met ... and these just happen to comprise three of the bottom four in our ranking. Coincidence? I think not.

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