I love live baseball. There is that certain, almost undescribable feeling that comes from watching a game during a warm summer day or night. I always prefer night which doesn't go well with my Cubs loyalty. When I moved to Springfield, there was minor league team here. I went to a game then but my best memories were going when I was younger while visiting relatives. I think it is a shame that Springfield does not have a minor league team anymore. The collegiate league team is nice for anyone who does enjoy baseball but that affliation with a pro team means so much more.
This brings me to the title of this post. Springfield needs a new baseball stadium. I am not the only who believes this. Most people who care about this issue of getting a minor league team believe it too. It is always the main topic of conversation between John, JS (Senior Executive Producer of Just Two Guys) and myself. The reason that we see the current location as a problem is because of its remote location in Springfield. Yes, most of us know where it is. It's just not strategically placed in terms of other landmarks, parking or atmosphere.
We believe the new stadium should be built in downtown Springfield. The exact location is debatable but we agree it should be there. We have also heard other suggestions from people interested in the topic and I have listed them in the poll. I could see some of the other ideas work. Funding is of course the main concern. We have no answer for that. Corporate sponsorship would be the best bet but the city would have to kick in a bit. Easier said than done. We just believe a public discussion should begin. If it hasn't already. I have posted a couple of pictures of well-placed stadiums in similar sized cities.
O'Brien Field in Peoria. Beautiful view of Peoria.
Stadium in Joliet.
Here is where the Swing of the Quad Cities play.
Here is Rockford's new stadium.
A nice corporate suite in Cedar Rapids.
Very impressed by the new stadium in Springfield, MO.Update: Here is a great article from a year and a half ago that describes the problems of Lanphier Park.
6 comments:
A post after my own heart. It would be great to have a ballpark built downtown.
Lanphier Park is a great field, but the rest of the facility stinks.
I've spent a long time thinking about how to get a team back to Springfield, and a downtown ball yard is just one of my ideas.
I would blog about it, but...
I LOVE the park in Joliet, such a good place.
I have always thought that we need a new, state of the art stadium, and like you said, downtown would be perfect. They are already renovating everything else down there.
Go Cubs!!!
I posted this over at 11th Hour, but I'll post it here, too...
Back when I was a Northender I personally opposed a proposed stadium to the mall area because I could bicycle to Lanphier. But that was short-sided and selfish on my part. If we want well-attended baseball, the stadium, I'm afraid, has to be where the traffic is. That traffic isn't near Lanphier any longer, and certainly not downtown. Out west is probably the best place.
And, by the way, I don't live out west, so I'm not speaking from self-interest this time.
Rich, I was afraid I would hear the logical argument for the west side. You make sense. My hope is that if this were to ever happen, the downtown would be in a place where traffic was stong enough to sustain a stadium.
You read my mind. This is exactly what I think every time I drive by the old Lanphier Park. I used to love going to games when I was a kid and I would go today if we had a team. How many times do I have to hear people complain about there being nothing for young people to do in Springfield before we do something about it?
I think having a farm team connected to a major league franchise would help. As much as I loved going to the AA Cardinals games, I never went to see any of the several teams from obscure leagues that attempted to replace the local Cardinals. Its exciting to see future major league players on their way up, or big names working their way back from injured status. I wonder if that's even a remote possibility anymore?
Near downtown is a great idea also. It could be an anchor for more downtown activity in the evening. I could see state workers getting out a little early for a late afternoon game. Make sure there's space for a few restaurants and bars near the new stadium.
If anyone forms a committee to work on making this happen I'll sign up to help!
GREAT BLOG TOPIC!!This is something that I have been talking about for ten years. It crushes me everytime I go to Peoria and see the Chiefs play. I ache knowing that we (springfield) could have a state of the art ballpark if only the 5 percenters as I call them would get behind the idea. Springfield has long been a town of a bunch of stuffy old asses with a little bit of money that make up less than 5% of the city that are so concerned about Their vision of the city and have urinated on the average man's vision of springfield. These 5 percenters don't realize that the average man wants to go to a ball game then grab a bite to eat and grab a few beers or take the family to get ice cream. How about doing something, anything that doesn't revolve around Abe Lincoln's death. But then I must be crazy to think that the bearded one's name wouldn't somehow be in the title of the field. God forbid we make money on naming rights. Horace Mann field has a nice ring though... although it will more than likely be horace mann field in Lincoln Stadium or Lincoln field in Horace Mann stadium. All I know is if it happens we will end up with a single A ball team from another town driving around the town of Lincoln saying "where the F is the field"..
Ray Lytle
www.disasterradio.net
The Ray Lytle Show
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