Class A Photo Album

Low A

This is the "middle" level of Class A.  These are still "full-season" leagues, but the players aren't quite as advanced as in High A.  And cities on the West Coast need not apply for membership in these circuits, as the two leagues at this level are the Midwest League and the South Atlantic League.  Here are shots of some of the best parks in these two leagues . . . and a shot of one that isn't:

Riley Park in Charleston, SC is home to the RiverDogs of the South Atlantic League.  If you look r-e-a-l-l-y hard (and squint), you might be able to see the bridges over and the water in the Ashley River beyond center field.  A lovely new park, but I'd never get used to the way they eat peanuts there (they're boiled, not roasted).

There are several lovely parks in the Midwest League.  However, the one with the most fantastic view has to be Davenport, Iowa's John O'Donnell Stadium, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League.  While the recently renovated ballpark itself has a lot going for it -- attractive seating bowl, nice overhang over most of the stands, a riverboat-themed scoreboard, freight trains rumbling along the third-base line -- it's the river scene that unfolds in front of you beyond the outfield fences that is beyond compare.  And as ballpark-aficionado Gary Jarvis likes to point out, it's not just any river, it's the Mighty Mississippi!  What a treat to watch the barges and speedboats go by!  Truly, this is one ballpark where the view beyond the outfield makes concentrating on the game itself difficult.  Completing the scene is the beautiful Centennial Bridge, which is even more spectacular when lit up at night. 

Sell out after sell out after sell out.  That's what the fans of Dayton have provided their beloved Dragons at Fifth Third Field.  The franchise set the all-time Class A attendance record in its first year, which was 2000.  The fans down the third-base line not only have a nice vantage point from which to watch the game, they also can enjoy the view of the old buildings behind the park in downtown Dayton.

No longer used in affiliated Minor League ball, this beauty remains one of my favorites.  Luther Williams Field in Macon, Georgia is 75 years old . . . and it contains all of the charm of an ol' Southern Gentleman.  As the first photo above shows, the entryway into the park is beautiful and rustic.  And look at all of the charming elements that the other photo shows:  the light towers have a definite throw-back look; the roof covers most of the main seating area; the pressbox is even attached to the underside of that roof.  The location of the park is even a delight, as it is situated in Macon's fairgrounds.  Unfortunately, the team's South Atlantic League team fled to northern Georgia after the 2002 season.  They don't make 'em like Luther Williams Field any longer, and that's a shame.

In taking the bad with the good, here is Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown, Maryland, a park that should be benched!  In the '80s, this was the home of a Class AA team, but it didn't meet the NAPBL standards for that level, so it dropped two rungs to the low-A South Atlantic League.  I bet it barely meets the criteria for that level!

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