Marcusen Park (Austin, MN)

The Good: This was a pleasant little ballpark in a pleasant Minnesota town.  There wasn't much to it -- just a tiny roofed grandstand angled around home and some small bleacher sections down the lines -- but it was more than comfortable enough for a few hours of baseball.  Since the ballpark wasn't designed to be a pro stadium, the concessions were sold out of trailers, outside huts, and tables, which lent a friendly, picnic-like atmosphere.  There was nothing particularly fancy or memorable about this place, but it was just right for indy league ball.

The Not So Good: There was nothing terribly wrong with the stadium -- it was modest but adequate for independent league ball.  My main complaint was the over-the-top antics of the team's GM -- he ran around the stands with a cordless microphone during the entire game, just chatting incessantly, "interviewing" fans, creating noises, and providing his comments on everything that happened.  Apparently he saw himself, not the team, as the attraction -- his picture was on the front cover of the 1997 program, and there was a feature article about him printed inside.  Now that the Prairie League has folded and the Northwoods League has taken up residence here I don't know if this guy's still around or not.