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 a glaring omission 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 waste 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