Roger Dean Stadium Jupiter, FL
Stadium Minor League History: Florida State League 1998-present
Current Status: Home
of the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League (single-A)
What's Good: A
description of Roger Dean Stadium sounds a lot like those ads for
Motel 6 -- the place is clean, comfortable, and affordable. Unfortunately,
it was also instantly forgettable. On the plus side, tickets were
inexpensive ($5 for box seats), and most of the seating was comprised of
individual seats (except small sections at the end of the grandstand and
a bleacher section down the left field line). The park was
also easy to get to (only a few minutes off I-95) and had ample parking
close to the stadium. One nice feature was that the dugouts are partially
open on the end, so fans sitting in the first few rows on the far sides
of the dugouts can peer inside if they're inclined to do so. And
attendance is usually sparse (as is typical in Florida), which must be
appealing to fans who don't like huge crowds. This also means that
excellent seats right up close to the field are usually available.
What's Not So Good: The
stadium is kind of in the middle of nowhere, part of some ongoing residential
and commerical development project (there was a lot of construction going
on in the vicinity). This lack of sense of place was evident by the
boring vistas beyond the stadium -- the only things visible beyond the
outfield wall, for instance, are the two clubhouse/luxury seating buildings
used by the Cards and Expos during spring training. My biggest gripe,
though, didn't concern the stadium itself or its environs, but rather a
particularly irritating mascot. Named Hamilton, I think, it seemed
to ignore the cardinal rule of mascotdom -- while it's perfectly acceptable
to cavort for the folks who like that kind of thing, do not do so in a
way that is distracting to those fans who really want to watch the game.
The mascot spent large portions of time on top of the dugouts, blocking
the view of those sitting behind him, while performing a lame imitation
of Phillie Phanatic-style antics (putting a whammy on the opposing hitter,
etc.). Moreover, he paced on top of the dugouts holding signs imploring
the thin crowd to "make some noise" (or some such thing), and continued
to do so after he was more or less ignored. In an otherwise quite
pleasant place to watch a game, this clown was a major annoyance.
This Photo:
June 21, 2000 Jupiter Hammerheads vs. Brevard County
Manatees