Louisville Slugger Field Louisville, KY
Stadium Minor League History: International League 2000-present
Current Status: Home
of the Louisville Riverbats of the International League (triple-A)
What's Good: Like
so many of the new triple-A stadia, Louisville Slugger Field is spacious,
comfortable, has an immaculately groomed playing surface, and plenty of
high-tech distractions. Set in close to the Ohio River near downtown
(the I-65 bridge to Indiana runs just beyond the outfield fence and the
Louisville skyline is visible over the first base side of the grandstand),
the new stadium occupies a much more scenic and interesting locale than
did its predecessor, Cardinal Stadium (which
was surrounded by enormous parking lots). There are a number of good
seating options, too -- besides the box seats in close to the field there
are the seats in the second deck (my seat was in the first row of the this
level, and the view was outstanding), bleachers behind right field, and
a picnic area. A wide concourse runs behind the last row of the seating
area and wraps around the entire field, a feature that is as useful and
welcome as it is ubiquitous at the newer parks. Food choices were
varied and lines, while long (I was there on fireworks night) seemed to
move smoothly, and outside the stadium is a statue
of Louisville native Pee Wee Reese. And while I -- like so many others
-- decry the selling of naming rights to corporations, if a corporate name
was ever appropriate for a ballpark, this is it.
What's Not So Good: There
aren't any singularly negative attributes to this place; rather there were
several generally minor problems. First, though the stadium was set
in a very urban enviroment, traffic was slow-moving on the surface roads
leading up to the ballpark, and parking seemed a little tight. Secondly,
the main scoreboard consisted almost entirely
of ads, with just a standard line score display and a clock (though a video
display did stand above left field -- similarly surrounded by ads).
Furthermore, the design of the stadium seems a little overambitious --
the ballpark itself is being integrated into an existing brick structure
along the street that apparently one day will contain a row of retail shops
and the like. A nice idea in theory, I suppose (and I'd imagine the
rents from the shops will help pay for the stadium), but for my money,
it doesn't quite work (perhaps it'll look better when it's all finished).
Further small complaints include too many promotions, a frenetic mascot,
and a carousel on the concourse in right field. Still, these are
all relatively minor distractions (mentioned merely for the sake of completeness);
overall Louisville Slugger Field is a fine place to take in a game, and
on par with many of the other newer triple-A ballparks.
This Photo:
July 2, 2000 Louisville Riverbats vs. Indianapolis
Indians
