Stadium Minor League History:
Florida State League 1946-1973,
1977-1987, 1993-present
Current Status:
Home of the Daytona Cubs of the Florida State
League (single-A)
What's Good: Jackie Robinson Ballpark is a neat little ballpark, and certainly different from most of the shiny, new stadiums in the league. Built on a small island (big enough for the ballpark and the parking lot), it's kind of run down, but has enough quirky charm to make it a fun place to watch a game. The fully-covered grandstand is old -- complete with rusty girders and peeling paint -- and angles around from behind home down the first base line. On the third base side, however, is a large, much more recent bleacher section. This is kind of nice -- fans have a choice of getting some sun or sitting in the shade (when I was there, the folks in the bleachers were younger while older folks sat under the roof). The two completely different seating areas might also create an interesting dichotomy in dugout situations -- the home team has the nice, large, modern dugout by the bleacher section while the visitors have to make do with the crummy old dugout in the grandstand. Of course, the ballpark also lays claim to a special day in baseball history -- on March 17, 1946 Jackie Robinson played his first spring training game for the Dodgers on this very field.
What's Not So Good: I'm a huge fan of old, covered grandstands, but the one here looked like it was on the verge of collapse (though having some shade on a hot Florida afternoon was appreciated). The concession areas are small, as are the restrooms, but even these aren't big problems since teams in this league rarely draw large crowds anyway.
This Photo:
June 7, 1998 Daytona Cubs vs. Jupiter Hammerheads