Fluor Field Green monster

Paid a visit to Fluor Field – home of the Greenville, SC Drive – yesterday. the park is just 3 years old, and looks absolutely beautiful.  It’s nestled into a revitalization of Main Street, and it’s really been well integrated into the city.

The park houses a single-A team for the Red Sox, and they do everything they can to capitalize on that relationship.  the park has a 30foot high “Green Monster” in left, including a manual scoreboard, and all the OF dimensions are said to replicate what you’d find at Fenway Park – even the Pesky Pole in right, where the outfield continues on behind it another 30 feet. Beyond the Monster is the New York Life building, which appears to still be half-commercial, and now half residential, as they attempt to create a bit of a Wrigleyville atmosphere with some balcony viewing from a limited number of upscale apartments.

If you love Fenway, but don’t love some of the vagaries of the old ballpark, this is the place. At any point, there are no more than about 21 rows of seating throughout the park, and the 2nd deck is entirely used for private suites and club seating. A fair extent of the infield seats are shaded by the 2nd deck, which can be helpful on a hot summer day in South Carolina. Concourses have a wide open view of the game, and during a brief afternoon shower, most of the bleacher seating was under the overhang, and there were plenty of good opportunities to see, despite the near capacity crowd. No matter where you are, you’re right on top of the action.

One of my first questions to an usher was, “So, what’s your signature ballpark concession here?” to which he claimed the hot dogs.  the dogs, however, are not Fenway Franks, and nothing to write home about.  Good, but not great, and the bread for the footlong stadium dog was a bit stale. Towards the end of our visit, though, we did find what should be the signature stand.  they have a specialty stand with Fenway Favorites…  A Jim Rice Bowl, and a Dice-K Rice Bowl, as well as a Luis Tiant Cuban Sandwich and a few other choices, trying to bring in some outside flavors.  the quality of the rice bowls were sub-par; sort of like shopping mall level chinese food. But, the rice bowl was an economical meal, and an interesting twist beyond what was otherwise pedestrian ballpark fare.

Sightlines were excellent from around the park.  the bleachers in rightfield pointed a little too much towards centerfield, which is particularly weird when the field juts in the way it does. Would be great if it were pointed more towards home plate. There’s a steep grassy area in left field that makes for a great family zone, complete with moon bounce and playground on the plaza just behind it. It’s also a great place to pick up foul balls, as we did this night. If you have bleacher seats, the family zone is your best option for game watching.

This is a great new park, and well worth the visit. Now just about 3 years old, it’s the gem of the South Atlantic League. Just be sure to bring some bug spray!  When the air gets still, the Upstate’s got a special brand of biting flies that will take a chunk out of you if you’re not careful.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the stadium authority is now pressing for a new 3 year lease agreement with the team, which would potentially delay any consideration of a downtown move until the middle of the next decade.

the holdup at this point has been a single lawyer, Jerry Reese, who has filed motion after injunction against the city of Charlotte over the placement of the new stadium on the site of some land acquired in a convoluted land-swap agreement a few years ago. While his arguments have some merit in regards to the original intent for land use in the swap, the ulterior motive has clearly been an effort to put the stadium on land owned and controlled by Mr. Reese a few miles north of the proposed site as the anchor to a larger development project.

Mr. Reese has been a proponent of a major league park, but by most accounts, the city and surrounding region remain 10-20 years premature to being a viable MLB location.

Calvin Falwell Field, Lynchburg, VA

Calvin Falwell Field in Lynchburg, VA is the home of the Lynchburg Hillcats. Appropriately, the field is set on a hill, with a view down to some of the surrounding manufacturing. The stadium and adjacent football field stand on the former Lynchburg fairgounds. It’s basically the same park as constructed in 1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration.  The old City Stadium received upgrades in 1978 and 1982, but received a major facelift from 2002-2004 that modernized the park, and give it its new name. Cal Falwell is the “king of Baseball” in Lynchburg, and is responsible for helping this small town retain a team for more than 70 years.

The Carolina League team has been affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1995, and has seen 5 postseason appearances and 2 Carolina League titles in those 15 years. Recently, Lynchburg and Pittsburgh signed an additional agreement to keep the affiliation going through 2010.

It’s a classic A-Ball setup, no seats beyond the bases, witha  little covered space behind th eplate – even a couple of skyboxes – and classic local advertising on the OF wall.  On our last visit to Lynchburg, we actually tailgated in the parking lot, which brought the GM out to meet with us, and let us borrow a screwdriver to finish our grill setup.  It’s not often you get a group to a Carolina League game who wants to tailgate, so we were a bit of a curiosity.

Lynchburg at bat

Lynchburg is a great place to see the game…  Nice sightlines, and cheap front row seats right along the baselines are readily available.  There really isn’t a bad seat in the house. Concessions are pedestrian – no one food item stands out, really.  But that’s OK.  If you’re a Lynchburg local, the ballpark could be a regular hangout spot.  Small cover charge, reasonably priced drinks, a wide open concourse where you’re sure to meet some people you either want to know, or already know. Just for an added benefit, there’s a ballgame going on just beyond those seats… enjoy!

Here’s a great twist from Dirk Hayhurst, a minor league pitcher who gives an insider’s perspective on what makes a good park to a player.  Good to know that it’s not wise to bet on video games against the grounds crew. Idle hands take easy money from punk 18 year old who think they invented wasted free time.

The Park
Easy to spot with it’s iconic baseball water tower, Knights Stadium is just off of interstate 77, and across the state line in Fort Mill, SC. Plenty of parking, which they’ve only started charging for in the last few years.  Inside, seating extends down both baselines and ends with grassy berms for overflow seating in the OF corners.  There are no outfield grandstands. There are 2nd deck bleachers, that rarely see many customers, as sellouts are rare.

Concession stands are generally located on the outside wall of the concourse, so the entire walkway has unobstructed views of ther action on the field. This also gives the walkways a very open light feeling. There’s a picnic area in th e left field corner for group outings, and a kids play area in right with inflatables, a merry go round and a miniature golf course.

The ball flies out of Knights Stadium with regularity, as it is known as a hitters park. The dimensions down the lines are short, so pull hitters tend to feast.  There have been nice improvements to the scoreboard in center, and the general sightlines around the park are clear and bright.

One odd quirk of the stadium is the wild pattern of the seats.  The colors are supposed to be reminiscent of an Alexander Julian sweater. An NC native, Julian is also responsible for the explosion of teal in pro sports that began with the NBA’s Charlotte (now New Orleans) Hornets.

Concessions
Charlotte lacks a signature item in their concession stands, foodservice is generally pedestrian.  they’ve got an open flame grill where you can get a better cut of burger or sausage, but nothing really screams unique here. The barbecue they serve, which considering you’re in NC could be a defining moment, is pre-processed and inedible when there are so many great ‘cue options elsewhere.

The Verdict
It’s a great place to watch a game.. really accessible and fan friendly. It’s just bland. There also doesn’t seem to be an effort to make the park stand out in any way. They rely on being clean cut, family friendly entertainment at a good value, and they succeed at that. But as minor league parks go, they just haven’t found the “hook” that makes them a destination. With so many other baseball options within a 90 minute drive, they need to step up their game.

70/100