Travis R. Martin, CPA » Stadium Review

Modern Woodmen Park: The Diamond on the Mississippi (Ballpark Review)

travisrmartin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:15:24 +0000

Quad Cities River Bandits - Class A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals

Modern Woodmen Park – Davenport, IA

Address: 209 South Gaines Street, Davenport, IA 52802

Opened: 1931 with major interior renovations completed in 2004

Capacity: 4,024

Ticket Prices: $5 – Berm, $7 – Bleachers, $9 – Lower Box, $12 – Club

Parking: $2 in large, paved lot next to ballpark on South Gaines Street. An additional, unpaved overflow lot is located underneath the Centennial Bridge.

Dates Visited:
June 25 – Box Score & Summary

Overview

Location, location, location. What holds true in real estate holds true in baseball as well. In no sport is stadium location as important as it is to baseball, where the backdrop of a ballpark can be as recognizable as the ballpark itself.

When done right, a stadium’s surroundings can provide aesthetics while also interacting with the playing field in ways that create lasting memories. Whether it is the memory of fans swimming after a Barry Bonds home run ball in the Bay of San Francisco’s AT&T Park, or the image of “2,131” being unfurled on the brick warehouse overlooking Camden Yards in Baltimore, some of the most iconic moments of modern baseball were enhanced because of stadium location.

And while the Major Leagues have their share of famous backdrops, one visit to Davenport, Iowa proves that the big leagues do not have a monopoly on stadiums with a view.

Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Low-A Quad Cities River Bandits, offers one of the most unique vistas in all of

The Centennial Bridge provides a unique backdrop for baseball

professional sports. Situated underneath the Centennial Bridge on the banks of the Mississippi River, Modern Woodmen Park combines classic stadium architecture, modern amenities, and dramatic river views to create a ballpark experience that is one of the best in all of Minor League Baseball.

Ballpark Features

Literally and figuratively, the star of Modern Woodmen Park is the Centennial Bridge. The iron bridge, with its graceful arcs, dwarfs the stadium below as it connects Iowa and Illinois, giving fans a dramatic view of the structure from nearly any seat in the ballpark. At dusk the bridge lights up, providing illumination that further accentuates its curves. It’s that view that had Hollywood calling in 2008, when producers picked the stadium as the main shooting location for the movie Sugar, a “fish out of water” story that portrayed life in the minors through the eyes of a Dominican pitcher.

On the ground, Modern Woodmen Park successfully combines old and new elements. The exterior of the park was constructed in 1931 and, aside from a few name changes to the front of the building, its classic red brick exterior and white concrete accents are still present in their original form – no small feat considering that the park was victimized by major floods in 1965, 1993, 2001, and 2008.

The interior of the stadium was gutted and redone as part of a massive $12.5 million renovation that was completed prior to the 2004 season. As part of the upgrade, the 78-year old ballpark now boasts a concourse that circles the entire ballpark, two outfield berm seating areas, a picnic and kids play area, a sky deck, 20 luxury suites, two souvenir shops, covered batting cages, and a pair of new scoreboards. The renovation has paid dividends at the gate, as attendance has increased nearly 56% since 2003.

In addition to the modern amenities, Modern Woodmen features two quirky, if not conflicting, twists. The area beyond the right field wall is home to Tiki Village, a three hut establishment where fans can relax and enjoy Mississippi Mai Tais

The Modern Woodmen Park Field of Dreams

amid a tropical setting. While Tiki Village does have a water view and lounge beds, it feels somewhat out of place thanks to its neighbor across the field – 10 rows of Iowa corn that inhabit the area next to the left field bleachers.

Seating options at Modern Woodman range from $5 to $12 and include club seats, box seats, bleachers, and berm, with the best spots – those that offer a view of the Centennial Bridge and the Mississippi River -residing along the third base side.

Stadium Atmosphere

For a stadium that has a tiki-village in right field and a fully functioning cornfield in left, the atmosphere at Modern Woodmen Park is surprisingly low-key. Between inning entertainment, a staple at most Minor League parks, is kept to a minimum and is unobtrusive. Even the mascot Rascal, a tall raccoon decked out in a bandana and a cowboy hat, was scarcely seen in the seating bowl on the night I was in town.

The fans at Modern Woodmen were on the older side, with fewer kids at the park than I had encountered during other stops in the Midwest League. As a result of the older crowd, the action on the field seemed to be the number one attraction. This was especially true for two of the gentlemen seated next to me. One was a season ticket holder who was capable of giving scouting reports on every Cardinal farmhand who was playing with Quad Cities, and the other was a gifted heckler who found plenty of opportunities to hone his craft during the lopsided 12-3 affair. Even as the score grew out of hand early in the game, few fans left the stadium – a further testament to the high-level of interest River Bandit fans bring to the park.

I also had the chance to chat with an usher, Dave, who gave me an impromptu history of the ballpark as well as details on the filming of the movie Sugar. After one evening at Modern Woodmen, I left convinced that the park never has a shortage of friendly, Midwestern folks ready to talk baseball.

Conclusion

The turnstiles have been clicking at a rapid pace in 2009 for the Quad Cities River Bandits, and for good reason. Modern Woodmen Park is a complete baseball experience in a one-of-a-kind setting. Fans who find their way to this diamond on the Mississippi will not be disappointed, as it is one of the gems of the Midwest League, if not all of Minor League Baseball.

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At Elfstrom Stadium, Kane County Cougars Fans Make the Difference (Ballpark Review)

travisrmartin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:13:30 +0000

Kane County Cougars Class A Affiliate of the Oakland A's

Elfstrom Stadium – Geneva, IL

Opened: 1991 with renovations completed in 2009

Capacity: 7,100

Ticket Prices: Kane County has a tiered ticket pricing system with regular, prime, and premium dates ranging from $8 to $14 depending on the type of seat and date.

Parking: Free and ample parking next to stadium on a beautiful brick paved lot

Dates Visited:
June 18 vs. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers – Box Score & Summary

Overview
As any baseball fan can tell you, when you attend a game, the stadium itself is only a small part of the ballpark experience. It’s the fans that give a park personality and make it an enjoyable place to see a game.

With this in mind, I stepped into Elfstrom Stadium with a certain degree of trepidation. Elfstrom Stadium, home to the Class ‘A’ Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League, is just a short car ride from Wrigley Field.

View of Centerfield at Elfstrom Stadium

Having spent many summer evenings at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati watching the Cubs beat up on the Redlegs, I have, to put it politely, developed a dislike for the boys in blue – and their fans.

Although Kane County is an affiliate of the Oakland A’s, I fully expected to spend my time at The Elf surrounded by Cubs fans.

And I was.

But, something weird happen. Take the actual Cubs team out of the equation, and people wearing Cubs jerseys, hats, and shirts magically become a fun group of people to watch a game with.

Ballpark Features

Elfstrom Stadium received a $10.5 million face-lift in 2009 that added a covered concourse, skybox suites, and a second-level seating area to the 18 year old ballpark. Not that a lack of these amenities were keeping fans away. For the past 10 seasons, the Cougars have averaged more than 7,000 fans a game, making them one of the best draws in Minor League Baseball.

Elfstrom Park Prior to Renovations in 2009

Elfstrom Field Following 2009 Renovations

The eight million plus fans that have made their way through the gates at Elfstrom Stadium over the years have seen an impressive array of future big leaguers including Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez, and most recently, Oakland rookie Trevor Cahill. The Cougars have paid homage to these stars by placing their likeness up on the front gates and on various signs throughout the park.

The park itself is your typical Minor League yard. The outfield wall is a symmetrical fence plastered with advertisements. Behind the wall are three covered picnic areas, each of which has a rusting façade, giving fans sitting underneath the new multi-million dollar grandstand the impression that more work is left to be done.

There are three scoreboards located in left-centerfield. All are small, and one –the board displaying the line score – wasn’t functioning at all during my visit. The two remaining boards display prerecorded video/graphics and game totals (R, H, E), respectively.

Scoreboards at Elfstrom Stadium

Trees line the area beyond the outfield wall and picnic areas, providing a backdrop that is common among Midwest League stadiums.

Fans at The Elf have three seating options in the lower-level of the stadium. Box seats make up roughly the first ten rows of every seating section at ground level. Directly behind each section of box seats are another 12-15 rows of reserved seating in the form of metal bleachers. The box/reserved seating area is flanked on either side by a grassy berm area.

Thanks to the renovations, the ballpark also contains fifteen new luxury suites, which, according to the Kane County Cougars’ website feature “indoor and outdoor seating, climate control, satellite television, stadium audio and a top notch menu.”

Concourses at The Elf are clean and wide enough not to feel crowded, even when 7,000 people are at the park.

Stadium Atmosphere

The atmosphere at the Elf can best be described as a cross between the county fair and a baseball game. Throughout the stadium the smell of two of the Cougars’ signature concession items, Elephant Ears and Roasted Corn-on-the-Cob, fills the air.

General Manager Jeff Sedivy makes sure there are plenty of things going on to keep fans entertained. On the night I was in town, Myron Noodleman – a modern day Max Patkin – was performing his shtick at the stadium. And in true county fair fashion, the Cougars and Noodleman were followed by a fireworks show.

Another unique aspect of Elfstrom Stadium is the amount of interaction the Cougar players have with fans. While it is

Members of the Cougar Bullpen Clown Around with Myron Noodleman Between Innings

not uncommon to see Minor Leaguers signing autographs, Kane County seems to take the fan-player experience one step further. Prior to the start of the game Kane County players gather up armfuls of Cougar Logo Baseballs and toss them into the stands at eager fans. And get this: they actually looked like they enjoyed doing it!

Just before the home half of the fourth inning, the bullpen for the Cougars assembled in right field to join Myron Noodleman as he danced to the tune “Shout.” The level of energy, not to mention the smiles, displayed by the Cougars gave me the impression that they were having just as much fun on the field as the fans were in the stands.

And what about those Cubs fans that I was sure would wreck my entire Elfstrom experience? They ended up being the icing on the cake (or in this case the powdered sugar on a piping hot Elephant Ear). By the time I left the stadium I had met nearly everyone with three seats of my own. All were huge baseball fans (not just Cubs), and all were the kind of Midwestern friendly that you don’t find anywhere else. It only took about three innings before I felt like I was in a baseball version of the show Cheers, sitting in the section where “everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came.”

Thanks to my time at The Elf, the next time I am at the GABP in Cincy and the Cubs are in town, I may just reach over and shake the hands of those Cubs fans sitting next to me.

Especially if the Reds are winning.

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