ISG Field Renovation

All photos of Mankato and ISG Field available on Flickr.

With summer already winding down, we took a quick 24-hour family vacation to Mankato this past weekend.  For purposes of this blog, the highlight was finally getting to see the extensive $4M renovation to the now-named ISG Field, but we had lots of fun things planned before the 6:30 first pitch.  The trip began with a rainy 2-hour drive south down MN-15 and arriving at the Wow Zone around noon.  This was a kind of like a Dave & Busters type of place with an arcade, bowling alley, laser tag, bar & restaurant, and a small glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course.  We spent a few hours there and then, or course, did some swimming at the hotel pool.  Our kids would have had zero interest in this vacation if it did not involve swimming, so that was a must-do.  We had a little time to kill before heading to the ballpark, so we stopped at the lone brewery in town - Locale - and Megan and I tossed back a flight and played Uno with the kids until game time.  We didn't get to spend much time outdoors during our short vacation, but from what I could tell, Mankato seemed to have a decent downtown and riverfront that might be worth exploring further someday.

ISG Field was directly in between downtown and our hotel, and we parked in a free lot beyond the 1st base dugout, just barely out of reach of any errant foul balls.  This was the same lot I remember parking in with Erik on our trip there 15 years ago, but beyond that, almost everything else has changed dramatically.  To call what ISG Field underwent in the 2017-18 offseason a "renovation" is almost not a strong enough term, as the grandstand behind home plate is just about the only remaining feature from the original 1961 ballpark.  Looking back through my 2010 photos, the park is almost unrecognizable beyond that grandstand.  One of my most vivid memories from my last visit is that the players had to change clothes on the field after the game because they didn't have proper locker rooms, so that was an immediate need that was addressed first and foremost in this renovation, along with additional restrooms and new dugouts.  The players also received a 100% new field turf playing surface, which just makes sense in this climate and at this level of baseball.  On the fan side of things, the concourses have received a jolt with a slew of new concessions, including a neat little right field area featuring a couple of snack sheds and a platform stage for pregame musical acts.  The right field corner is also the general admission grass berm which is where we sat, and although the music drowned out the PA speakers until the game started, it was a very chill and casual atmosphere here that was ideal for families and those folks who aren't super into the game itself.  Several new seating areas were added around the ballpark as well that have a wide range of inclusivity.  The third baseline now has the "Dog Pound," which is akin to the Duck Blind in Madison - an all-you-can-eat-and-drink section with picnic tables that sells individual tickets.  There is also a similar area called the Diamond Lounge which is atop the Moondogs' 1st base dugout.  Same concept, but you can only reserve tables in this area with a half season or full season ticket package, so it's a bit more exclusive and upscale, which I thought was a neat idea - sort of like a rewards member lounge at an airport.  Going even more exclusive, two new group areas were added as well.  The Community Bank Ledger Lounge is right next to the Diamond Lounge and is basically the same except it is for groups only.  I thought that the Dog House Suites were the coolest new addition to the ballpark.  They are constructed with hollowed-out shipping containers stacked on top of each other, just beyond the right field wall.  Each "container" holds a group of 20, and a shared private rooftop holds another 80 people.  This area features special catering available nowhere else, and it is also the only place in the entire ballpark where you can catch a homerun!  Lastly, a large new jumbotron was added adjacent to the right field pole, probably one of the bigger ones in the league aside from Madison and Green Bay.  

The renovation was extensive, cohesive, much-needed, and well-deserved for the city and the team.  It was a great example of how a partnership (city paid $3M and team $1M) can benefit not just the immediate fanbase, but the entire city, as this park is used throughout the year for high school and college sports, and other events as well.  I do still have a few gripes with the park following the remodel.  First and foremost, I'm not sure how you spend seven figures on a remodel and don't throw in another 5 grand for a bounce house.  The fact that a ballpark in this league does not even have a feeble attempt at a kids area is very shortsighted and beyond my comprehension.  As a parent of small children and as somebody who's grown accustomed to wandering the park during the game, it's a pretty glaring omission.  It would not be hard to fit something like this in an outfield corner and it could have paid for itself 10X over by now.  Secondly, the sound system is nearly inaudible, at least where we were sitting.  I would argue that the GA family section needs a better sound quality than anywhere else so that they can at least hear what they can't see.  Again, not sure how you spend all that money to upgrade the scoreboard but keep the old shitty speakers.  My last complaint would be about the severely underutilized area behind the grandstand.  When you enter the ballpark, the fruits of the renovation are right in front of you, but they're all mostly compacted together right by the entry, and it's kind of a pinch point.  The team could have easily spread out some of the new concessions in the cavernous area behind the grandstand that is just this weird lonely expanse of concrete.  I'm not normally an advocate of active concourses that can't see the field, but in the case of how this park is laid out, it makes sense and it could be a pretty cool Madison or Everett plaza space if done right, and it would alleviate the congestion of the front entrance, especially for sellouts like Saturday night was.  Overall though, I think my complaints are really just me looking for things to point out, and most people who are not avid ballpark enthusiasts would not even notice or care.  This was a very thoughtful renovation, and it pulls ISG Field up from the bottom of the league to at least the middle if not near the top.

We only made it about 5 innings after our long adventurous day, and the Moondogs already had a commanding lead over our hometown Rox by then, in a game that was essentially meaningless as both teams had already clinched the playoffs.  This game would be the 2nd of 3 victories in consecutive days by Mankato over St. Cloud, as they also won Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs last night against each other.  My daughter did defect to becoming a Moondog fan during the game after one of their players threw her a shirt and his cap during warmups, and I can't say that I blame her.  Mankato ended up winning by a final score of 10-1 in front of over 2,000 fans in the final game of the regular season.  Arizona Freshman Tony Lira went 2-4 with 4 RBI and Iowa Senior Caleb Wulf went 4-5 out of the 3-hole, finishing the season with a .322 average.  Team MVP Tyson Leblanc notched another 2 hits for the visitors and finished the year with a .345 average in 41 games.  Both of these teams have a reputation for stellar pitching, and Moondog starter Daniel Quintero delivered another fine performance with 7 strong innings of 1-run ball.  

The end of the Northwoods League season always signals the unofficial end to summer for me, so this was no doubt a bittersweet trip, but very fun nonetheless.  It's looking like it might be another year where the Rox squander a phenomenal regular season, but hopefully they can avoid elimination and prove me wrong in Game 2 of the playoffs tonight - more on that next week.

park stats and rankings
(see original post from 8/4/10):
aesthetics - improves to 6
views from park - 3
view to field - 5
surrounding area - 3
food variety - improves to 7 (bonus points for free pulled pork on Fan Appreciation Night)
nachos - 5
beer - improves to 8 ($3 domestics before first pitch)
vendor price - 8
ticket price - 9 ($10 GA)
atmosphere - 7
walk to park - 4
parking proximity - 10
concourses - improves to 6
team shop - decreases to 4 (just a shed)
kids area - n/a

best food - pulled pork
most unique stadium feature - Dog House Suites in RF
best jumbotron feature - Moondog logo graphic, just to show off that they know how to work the new jumbotron
best between-inning feature - Dress Like a Moondog race

updated field dimensions - 315/390/320

starters - Piercen McElyea (STC) v. Daniel Quintero (MAN)
opponent - St. Cloud Rox
time of game - 2:28
attendance - 2068
score - 10-1 W
Brewers score that day - 7-4 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/11/25:

Brewers 73-44, +6.0, -- WC; 3 v. Pirates, 3 @ Reds

Twins 56-61, -11.0, -5.5 WC; 3 @ Yankees, 4 v. Tigers

Athletics 53-67, -14.0, -10.0 WC; 3 v. Rays, 3 v. Angels

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 8
Peter - 27

Arizona Approves Funding for Chase Field Renovations

(photo from my visit to Chase Field for the 2023 World Series)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are currently in the process of selling off players to plan for their future, and they're planning for their future on the operations side as well.  Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed legislation last month that will unlock up to $500 million in funding for critical Chase Field infrastructure renovations.  These funds are being activated through an increasingly common mechanism in the sports world (including the new A's park), which is essentially a tax district that will capture all sales tax revenue generated by the stadium and a defined surrounding area, as well as "jock tax" revenue, and use that money to pay back the funds.  Not to get too much in the weeds here, but I think it's worth pointing out in today's political climate that the governor is a Democrat in a purple state and this bill received wide bipartisan support.  I mentioned in a post last year that the Diamondbacks are up against the end of their current lease approaching in 2027, and without these renovations, the team surely would have been forced to explore other stadium options.  So, regardless of what you might think of subsidizing sports venues, it was a wise move for Gov. Hobbs' reelection campaign to push for this bill to ensure the D-Backs did not leave Phoenix under her watch - this new source of funding will keep the Snakes in Phoenix through at least 2057.  Chase Field has been a boon to the urban core since the franchise's inception, particularly within the last few years following the team's World Series run in 2023.

I was at that World Series, and I vividly recall how much the stadium had barely seemed to change at all in the previous 16 years since I was first there in 2007.  The speaker system was a garbled mess, the jumbotron looked like it was well past its functional use, screens were pixelated and hard to read, and the air conditioning did not seem to be reaching to the upper deck where I sat.  By that point in 2023, the D-Backs had not even been able to safely open their roof for a couple of years while fans were inside.  All very similar problems that the Brewers faced recently, which also had to be rectified with state funding.  The Chase Field bill passed by the State of Arizona made it very clear that no money can be used for any aesthetic upgrades or fan suites, so if you factor in the $250M the team is also kicking in for that aspect, this stadium could look and feel very different in a few years.  Selfishly, I'm always sort of secretly hoping for new stadiums, but in the case of some teams like the D-Backs or the Blue Jays that have prime downtown real estate with an expensive obsolete roof, a renovation makes way more sense.  Despite the fact that I've been to Arizona for baseball more than just about any non-resident state, I may just have to return to see the renovations when they are complete.  It's a very exciting time in my world as a ballpark chaser, as all these chess pieces start to move with different teams, to think about how different the baseball stadium landscape might look in the next decade.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/31/25:

Brewers 64-44, +1.0, -- WC; 3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Braves, 3 v. Mets

Twins 51-57, -12.0, -5.5 WC; 3 @ Guardians, 3 @ Tigers, 3 v. Royals

Athletics 48-63, -15.0, -10.0 WC; 3 v. Diamondbacks, 3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Orioles

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 8
Peter - 24

Return to Milwaukee

All photos of American Family Field available on Flickr.

My family and I just got back from a whirlwind 9-day return visit to Milwaukee this past week.  We went to Summerfest, we hung out with friends and family, we visited many parks and beaches, we ate frozen custard, and we imbibed at restaurants and bars both new and old.  But one of the highlights was of course returning to American Family Field.  It's interesting every time we come back to my home ballpark now to see it through a fresh set of eyes.  I don't want to say I ever took it for granted when we lived in Milwaukee, but I definitely get much more excited for the limited opportunities I do get to go to Brewers games now, and I have a newfound appreciation for the comforts of home and all its quirks.  I tend to be much more observant and live in the moment when I go to new or seldom-visited ballparks, and I definitely felt that internal shift in my mindset during our two games at AmFam Field.  Tuesday night's affair pitting young phenom Jacob Misiorowski against the old battle-tested Clayton Kershaw was probably in my top 10 regular season MLB games I've ever witnessed in person, and something that was made even more special by the fact that I was a tourist instead of a resident.  It's weird to write a post entitled "Return to Milwaukee" when I lived there for 75% of my life, but this was really my first time at a Brewers home game that I truly felt like a visitor, so I think the title is fitting.  It was an odd feeling to be sure, but being around those two huge crowds was also very rejuvenating, and it was nice to be among my people and remember why I am a Brewers fan.

It certainly didn't hurt that the Brewers are playing so well right now.  They just finished a perfect 6-0 homestand to end the first half at 56-40, which is the most wins a Brewers team has ever had at the All-Star Break in its 57-year history.  I could digress for hours on the Brewers' long-term strategy for success - and in fact I did edit out multiple paragraphs from this post - but needless to say, it's impressive that this team is still breaking records in the midst of an 8 1/2-year run the likes of which this franchise has never known.  They've been doing it primarily with defense and pitching the last 5 years or so, and myself and 38,000+ fellow Brewers fans got a glimpse of the franchise's future pitching star on Tuesday night with a dominant 12-strikeout performance against a future Hall-of-Famer (I think that term is used way too loosely but I don't think anybody can deny Kershaw will have a plaque in Cooperstown).  It was only Miz's 5th career start, but it was so impressive that I think it was the cherry on top that earned him a controversial selection to the All-Star Game.  Megan and I also went to Friday night's beatdown of the Nationals.  Christian Yelich and electric newcomer Andrew Vaughn both homered in this win, with DL Hall and Quinn Priester combining to complete all 9 innings with only 3 runs allowed between them.  The walk back to the car in the pouring rain never seems to bother you after a big win, and feeling that energy in the parking lot is one of the things I missed most about American Family Field.

Speaking of energy in the parking lot, one thing I am certainly guilty of taking for granted when I lived in Milwaukee is tailgating, so we took full advantage of that Friday night.  There just aren't that many places where drinking in a parking lot is not only allowed but encouraged, and it was a sight for sore eyes.  It was really more of a "beergate" as Erik and I used to say, because we didn't want to grill anything and be too full so we could explore some of the seemingly perennial food upgrades at the ballpark.  Concessions and audio-visual enhancements would make AmFam Field nearly unrecognizable to anyone who has not been there in the last decade.  This year's newest addition comes in the form of a new bar and food truck park in the left field corner on the loge level, which was previously a dead zone that will not be missed.  I thought the food in the 3rd Street Market Hall in right field was still much better than this area, but I liked the intimate vibe here, and it's a really cool bar that has at least a partial view of the field, which you can't say about many other bars at this ballpark.  I appreciate that the Brewers make every effort to work with what they have and constantly improve the fan experience, which they know is so important as a revenue generator.  There's only so much they can fit within the bones of this 25-year old retractable-roof park and it will always pale in comparison to the Target Fields of the world in terms of modern design and amenities, but the food, drinks, intangibles, and atmosphere - not to mention the team - are near the top of just about any other MLB experience you'll have.  I made the comment to Megan on Friday night as we were leaving that I still like Target Field better as a stadium, but the palpable vibe and energy at AmFam is way better, and ultimately what good is a beautiful stadium if it doesn't have atmosphere?

With each passing visit, I feel a bit more disconnected from Milwaukee as "home," and it gets a little bit more surreal every time we go back.  We had a lot of great memories there, but we unfortunately had to move away rather suddenly due to circumstances I won't get into, and that in and of itself will never make Milwaukee feel the same.  But the common thread, besides family and friends, is and always will be the Brewers.  Sometimes it only takes a fleeting experience to make something feel familiar to you all over again.

See below for an update to my American Family Field rankings for the first time since 2017.

updated park rankings
(see also previous rankings from 4/11/17):
aesthetics - decreases to 6 (interior is starting to feel outdated)
views from park - decreases to 3 (becoming more and more obstructed)
view to field - 4
surrounding area - improves to 4 (discovered lots of great places when we lived nearby)
food variety - 9
nachos - 9
beer - decreases to 7 (better variety, higher price)
vendor price - 7
ticket price - decreases to 9
atmosphere - 8
walk to park - 6
parking price/proximity - improves to 7
concourses - decreases to 7
team shop - 10
kids area - 7 (added category since 2017 - you can race a sausage!)

best food – Story Hill BKC burgers or 3rd St Market Hall
most unique stadium feature – roof, Bernie's slide
best jumbotron feature – Roll Out the Barrel 7th inning stretch
best between-inning feature – Johnsonville Sausage Race

updated field dimensions - 342/400/345

starters - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) v. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL); Mitchell Parker (WSH) v. DL Hall (MIL)
opponent - Los Angeles Dodgers; Washington Nationals
time of game - 2:17; 2:15
attendance - 38175; 35057
score - 3-1 W; 8-3 W

Brewers score that day - 3-1 W; 8-3 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/14/25:

Brewers 56-40, -1.0, +4.0 WC; All-Star Break, 3 @ Dodgers

Twins 47-49, -11.5, -4.0 WC; All-Star Break, 3 @ Rockies
Athletics 41-57, -16.0, -11.0 WC; All-Star Break, 3 @ Guardians

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7
Peter - 22

A's Officially Break Ground on Las Vegas Ballpark

(photo credit: The Nevada Independent)

The day I never thought would happen has happened.  After over two decades of in-fighting, failed proposals, multiple ownership groups, and burned bridges in not one but two Northern California cities, the Athletics finally broke ground on a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip this past week.  It is a beautifully designed armadillo-like structure by one of my favorite architects - Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), who incidentally also designed the failed Howard Terminal ballpark in Oakland that I personally thought was even cooler - and, barring any setbacks, is slated to be open for the 2028 season.  I've been saying since the A's started pursuing Vegas a few years ago that I won't believe this is actually happening until I see a shovel in the ground, and I witnessed with my own two eyes multiple gold-plated shovels in the ground during the ceremony.  I actually tuned into the live-stream just to make sure what I was seeing was real.  MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Steve Hill of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Governor Joe Lombardo, Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson, embattled owner John Fisher, and A's President Marc Badain were among the dignitaries who pretended to shovel dirt from the pristine photo-op diamond-shaped dirt pile inside an air-conditioned trailer on the construction site, as part of an event that was emceed by team broadcaster and former Athletic player Dallas Braden.  

The groundbreaking event was pretty generic and scripted and typical of this type of ceremony, which was a little surprising given how Las Vegas operates, but the symbolism of this particular groundbreaking held a little bit more weight then many of its kind.  This was not a team simply building a new stadium just because they felt like they needed a new one like the Braves and Rangers in recent years, and this was not a team like the Twins or Brewers that broke ground on a park under threat of move or sale if it were not built.  Rather, this was a team that was actively homeless, playing in years of untenable situations in a stadium that was borderline unsafe, and in fear of being taken over by MLB and ceasing to exist entirely.  I don't want to say the Athletics "deserve" this ballpark, because the owner is a sleazebag billionaire who deserted Oakland for a few extra bucks, but I'm happy for the players, the organization, and that the city of Las Vegas is getting such a cool new attraction.  As much as I wished the team could have worked something out in Oakland, I'm at least happy that this saga finally seems to be heading towards the light at the end of the tunnel.  

I do still have my doubts.  Fisher has not shown credible evidence of where all of his private financing is coming from, other than banks verifying that yes he can afford it.  Tariffs, inflation, supply chain issues, the general state of the economy, and the impending expiration of the collective bargaining agreement all cast doubt on whether or not this project will finish on time.  And even if it does finish on time, will Fisher inevitably beg for more money like the Rays owner did to cover added costs?  Usually when these new stadiums get started, it kind of goes on autopilot and Erik and I start planning our trip there, but it's far from a certainty with this franchise.  It's more certain than it has been in 20 years, but all I can confidently say is that the stadium is being built, and professional baseball will be played in Las Vegas by somebody at some point.  I sincerely hope all of the groundwork being done in the Las Vegas community by the A's is a legitimate show of good faith, and not the rug being pulled over another city's eyes.  I'm super excited to see what a ball trip to Las Vegas will look like for Erik and I in our mid-40s, much more excited than whatever the hell is going on in Tampa Bay right now.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/30/25:

Brewers 47-37, -2.0; 3 @ Mets, 3 @ Marlins, 3 v. Dodgers, 3 v. Nationals

Twins 40-44, -12.5; 3 @ Marlins, 3 v. Rays, 3 v. Cubs, 3 v. Pirates
Athletics 34-52, -17.0; 3 @ Rays, 3 v. Giants, 3 v. Braves, 3 v. Blue Jays

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7
Peter - 17

Martin Schmitt Memorial Park

All photos of Martin Schmitt Memorial Park available on Flickr.

Yesterday was another unseasonably warm day which afforded me the opportunity to visit another Town Ball park, this time in the small unincorporated village of Marty.  It was a quick 12-minute jaunt down Highway 23 and County Road 8, past Grand and Mud Lakes, and farmland as far as the eye could see in all directions.  When I stopped at the intersection of Cty Rds 8 & 48, I no longer required the use of my map, as the ballpark literally unveiled itself right before me at the southeast corner.  The field faces northwest towards this corner and is unencumbered by fencing of any kind besides a chain link backstop.  I took a left towards the grassy parking area abutting the local cemetery, and gave the nice old man $5 admission.  I was pleased to see some very nice wood benches built into a gentle slope towards the field, so I left my chair in the car and settled in right behind the home dugout for the afternoon's action.

Martin Schmitt Memorial Park is home to the Pearl Lake Lakers in the Central Valley League, and it is a very charming ballfield.  Not because it has any memorable structures or physical features of any kind, but mainly because of its idyllic setting.  This is exactly the type of setting I was expecting to find when I started exploring town ball fields a couple years ago.  I've definitely been spoiled and surprised by the likes of my home Cold Spring Baseball Park and some of the other town ball parks I've been to, but for baseball at this level, all you really need to enjoy a game is a place to sit, a cold beverage, and a lively crowd.  Pearl Lake did also offer the standard small concessions building with a nice little covered area - clad in Laker Blue metal siding - which offered some respite from the sun on this hot day.  I watched an inning from this area against a barrel that was being repurposed as a table, and this was definitely the area where all the locals were gathering to talk about the team and their chances for the year, and just to shoot the breeze and gossip in general as small town folk are apt to do.  The community is what makes these games so fun and how even the smallest of places is so invested in their team, as I've said over and over again.  I've definitely been to minor league games with 10x as many people that did not have the energy as some of the amateur games I've been to with just a few dozen people, this one included.  The town ball park often serves as the local hang-out and is an important gathering place for folks to run into each other and catch up, in communities where houses might be separated by miles of pasture.  That could not be more apparent than in a place like Marty, which is no less a village than it is dot on a map with a few houses, a lakeside lodge, and a church.  One of the few houses in the area was unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective) only about 30 feet behind the visiting dugout, and by the looks of the fence, that property has seen a lifetime of foul balls.  I was definitely picturing a Sandlot-type situation with a junkyard dog burying all the balls that come their way behind the tattered fence.  

But no balls ended up in their lot in this game, as many of them were hit foul into trees, or pulverized towards the county roads.  The score was 15-12 by the time I left the barnburner in the 6th inning.  It did not start off well for the Lakers, as Kimball put up an 8-spot in the first, but the home team slowly crawled back and never gave in, despite their pitching staff's complete ineptitude.  This game was on a pace to be called due to darkness and was over 2 hours long by that point, so I decided to pack it up early and get into my air conditioned car.  I can't tell you the final score since it's not up on their website, I can't tell you how many hits there were because the manual scoreboard operator only kept track of runs, and I can't even tell you anybody's name since there was no PA announcer.  But what I can tell you is there were a ton of homeruns and hit batsmen.  I counted 5 homers and the hit batter total was well into the double digits.  The combination of awful pitching and tiny park dimensions all contributed to an offensive barrage the likes of which I have never seen in town ball.  As I mentioned earlier, there was no outfield fence, but if I had to guess based on how the ball was flying, it couldn't have been much more than 300 down the lines.  The ground rules seemed to be that if a ball landed in or beyond the road on a fly it was called a home run, and if a ball hit the berm or culvert and rolled into the street, it was a ground-rule double.  And I can attest to the fact that every single ball that went past the road was retrieved by somebody and returned to the umpire, whether that be by a child, volunteer, or in some cases even a player.  The constant action and lively crowd made this one of the more enjoyable games I've been to in this league and I was glad I went.

Update: Erik and I leave on Wednesday for our Tour 2025 trip to NoCal, including a stop to see the not-called-Sacramento A's to get us back into the 30-ballpark club.  Check back for our reviews next week!

park rankings and statistics

(for purposes of amateur/town ball rankings, some categories are changed to just yes/no questions):
aesthetics - 6 (points for idyllic setting not the park itself)
views from park - 8 (open view to road and intersection)
view to field - 3 (pretty significant fence and dugout obstructions...could not see right side of infield)
surrounding area - 5 (Pearl Lake and lodge)
concessions - yes
nachos - yes
beer - yes
vendor price - 10
ticket price - 9 ($5)
atmosphere - 6
walk to park - 3
parking price/proximity - 10
concourses - 5 (bleachers built into hillside)
team shop - no

kids area -  no

best food - Von Hanson's pretzels
most unique stadium feature - no outfield fence; Cty Rds 8 & 48 serve as the outfield boundaries
scoreboard - manual

lights - no

best between-inning feature - scoreboard operator goes to concession stand every half inning to grab a number to manually add to the scoreboard inning tally

field dimensions - unknown (no fence)
teams - Kimball Express v. Pearl Lake Lakers
time of game - unknown
attendance - 75-ish
score - unknown (Kimball was up 15-12 in the 6th when I left)
Brewers score that day - 5-2 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/2/25:

Brewers 32-28, -5.5; 3 @ Reds, 3 v. Padres

Twins 31-27, -7.0; 4 @ Athletics, 3 v. Blue Jays
Athletics 23-37, -10.0; 4 v. Twins, 3 v. Orioles

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 1
Peter - 9

Roscoe Baseball Field

All photos of Roscoe Baseball Field available on Flickr.

My first new Town Ball park of 2025 took me to bustling Roscoe, which is two towns west of Cold Spring and boasts a population of just over 100.  It was about a 10-minute drive, and then tack on another 5 minutes to find a parking spot that I felt confident enough wouldn't result in me getting boxed in nor pummeled with foul balls.  Roscoe was of the "drive your vehicle up to the fence and watch from the front seat" variety, so I found a nice spot in the right field corner that was shielded by a drive-in row of trucks.  This was Elliot's first town ball experience and I had Molly along for the ride as well.  However, I don't think either of them cared or even knew they were at a baseball game.  After assessing the snack situation immediately upon arrival, they made a bee-line for one of the two playgrounds available at Roscoe Baseball Field.  They were conveniently located far enough away to be out of danger from the field of play, but close enough that I could keep an eye on them while watching the game.  A guy I bowl with was riding the pine for the Rangers and I chatted with him for a bit before settling into my lawn chair for a lovely afternoon of baseball.  As an aside - kind of scary to think that I've been in the boonies long enough that I already run into people I know, and in a neighboring town no less.

Cold Spring still remains in a class and style of its own, but most other parks including this one feature a small set of bleachers down each line, a covered grandstand/concessions area behind home plate, and then a press box on a second level either above a concessions building or a dugout, the latter of which being the case here in Roscoe.  This park was probably on the lower end in terms of seating capacity compared to the other five I've been to - but again, I will continue to drive home the point that it's remarkable that teams in towns this size even draw at all.  I'd place the attendance in the 75-100 range and I'm guessing the park could hold about twice that much, but most people were sitting in lawn chairs or their cars so it was hard to tell.  This was one of the better composed ballparks I've visited so far, and by that I mean its layout had purpose and it felt like a ballpark.  Some parks like St. Nick or Richmond are really just a conglomeration of out-buildings and rickety bleachers with no real order or hierarchy and feel more like just a baseball diamond in a city park, but the Roscoe field felt like it could have hosted low-level college ball if it was a little bigger (and, you know, in a real city).  Roscoe Baseball Field had the standard concessions fare you'll find at most town ball parks - dogs, chips, candy, and 12-packs of Busch Light.  There were 4 guys standing next to me smoking and polishing off their 2nd pack when we left and were very clearly enjoying their Sunday.  It was very evident the pride and care that goes into this field and that is an invaluable community asset.  The playing surface, fencing, and structures were all maintained decently, the tally scoreboard was pretty fancy and in pristine condition, there was a nice little league diamond behind the left field fence, and the aforementioned multiple playgrounds were a huge plus.  Aesthetically speaking, the white metal siding adorned with chunky red text felt very farmhouse and appropriate in context with the dozens of grain silos and barns behind the parking lot.  The main playground situated just in front of the tall row of rusty silos was probably my favorite part of the park, and one of the more memorable town ball stadium views.

We made it through 7 innings and left with the Rangers leading 6-0 over the visiting Lake Henry Lakers, and they would hold on to win by a 6-2 final score.  The Rangers starter Bryce VanderBeek was dominant, tossing 7 scoreless innings.  I'm perusing their roster and it looks like his dad is also on the team, which seems wild but I'm sure is a common occurrence in town ball.  We actually left in the middle of the 7th, but I made a point to pull the car up to to an empty spot along the fence to watch leadoff batter Max Athmann hit one last time for the Rangers.  He crushed two laser beam home runs over the left field wall and chipped in two singles as well, including the single we witnessed from our car.  I mentioned in my last post that Town Ball rules limit the number of players on your team that can have college experience unless they live in your town, and sure enough I checked the roster and Max is the only Ranger player assigned a point value.  Granted, this was one of the smallest fields I have ever been to at 320 down the lines and 350 to center, but it was still an impressive day at the plate.

The game flew by fast with the kids fully entertained by themselves, and we seemed to be out of Roscoe just as quickly.  In the blink of an eye we drove past the town bar, church, and lone controlled intersection, and yet another town ball experience was in the rear view mirror.

park rankings and statistics

(for purposes of amateur/town ball rankings, some categories are changed to just yes/no questions):
aesthetics - 4
views from park - 8 (pretty cool view of silos)
view to field - 6 (home plate blocked by press box above dugout down left field line)
surrounding area - 2
concessions - yes
nachos - yes
beer - yes
vendor price - 9
ticket price - 10 (free)
atmosphere - 5
walk to park - 2
parking price/proximity - 10
concourses - 2
team shop - no

kids area -  yes

best food - you guessed it...hot dogs
most unique stadium feature - setting amongst silos/barns
scoreboard - yes

lights - no

best between-inning feature - scoreboard operator could not be bothered to keep track of hits and errors, only runs

field dimensions - 320/350/320
teams - Lake Henry Lakers v. Roscoe Rangers
time of game - unknown
attendance - 80-ish
score - 6-2 W
Brewers score that day - 5-2 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/27/25:

Brewers 27-28, -6.5; 3 v. Red Sox, 3 @ Phillies

Twins 29-24, -5.0; 3 @ Rays, 3 @ Mariners
Athletics 23-31, -7.0; 2 @ Astros, 4 @ Blue Jays

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 1
Peter - 7