Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids, IA)

The Good: Almost everything!  Of all the places I've been, none seem to embody the minor league experience more than this one.  The team is community-owned, prices are cheap, and most everyone -- from the staff to the fans -- is very friendly.  The ballpark has that quiet, slow pace that one associates with baseball on a muggy summer evening.  Though the team will occasionally broadcast a sound effect or snippet of music over the tinny PA, and engages in three or four on-field promotions a night, these efforts are usually subdued and are quickly consumed by the relaxed atmosphere.  It's about as opposite as one can get from places like Trenton or Kane County.  Bud Curran (the groundskeeper since the park was built 50 years ago) still grooms the infield dirt before the game in his ancient Farmall tractor, and the GM himself brings out the ice cream cake when a kid celebrates his birthday at the park.  Even the distinctly midwest setting says baseball -- the Cedar Rapids "skyline" is visible over the center field wall, while a grain elevator is just across the street past right field.  The food is average and the restrooms are dingy, but due to the incredible, old-fashioned baseball atmosphere I'd rather see a game here than almost anywhere else.  In fact, I do -- I've got season tickets behind the home dugout.

The Not So Good: Well, the stadium's really not designed for big crowds.  Though it can hold over 6,000 fans, the concourses, cross-aisles, and concession areas can get pretty backed up with a crowd over, say, 2,500.  Furthermore, there's talk that the stadium will be razed soon and replaced by a brand new facility in roughly the same place.  Even if this happens later rather than sooner, the old ballpark's days are surely numbered.