March 30, 200916 yr Yeah, I've read that the plan all along was to leave some areas open so that some people could stand and watch for free from the outside fence. Keep a bit of buzz going outside the stadium. ;)
April 2, 200916 yr Last Friday's Business First featured a special section on the Huntington Park. Jam-packed with great information on the project. And especially great were two photo layouts of the new Clippers ballpark and the surrounding Arena District. One featured a panarama photo of the ballpark interior - it looked like it was taken from centerfield and the image spread from beyond the left field foul pole to beyond the right field pole. A second photo spread spotlighted the transformation of the northwest corner of Nationwide Boulevard and Neil Avenue. From August 2007 to February 2009, the photos showed how that corner went from a closed gas station and surface parking into the dazzling Huntington Park. Apparently, Business First is also a neighbor of the new ballpark (BF is located at the southwest corner of Nationwide and Neil). So they had unmatched access to the on-going construction across the street from their office. Unfortunately, the panarama photo and the transformation photos are not available on the Business First website. Its print only access, so I can't post those photos. :-( But I will post the most revelant articles from the supplement and will post what photos are available from their website at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/. Enjoy!
April 2, 200916 yr HUNTINGTON PARK Fan spending at Huntington Park expected to boost city, but impact on region debatable Business First of Columbus - by Dan Eaton Friday, March 27, 2009 For Rise & Dine Restaurants Inc., the year is about to become 365 days long. The Columbus-based company’s Arena District eatery has been open seven days a week year-round for the past two years, but there are days with no events occurring in the area when the pool of customers craving breakfast and lunch is shallow. But now, with the opening of Huntington Park and the arrival of the Columbus Clippers and their summer-spanning schedule, Rise & Dine and other area businesses expect to hear the cash registers ring more in the non-hockey months. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/03/30/tidbits3.html
April 2, 200916 yr Huntington Park Sponsors see gold mine at ballpark for their area marketing efforts Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell Friday, March 27, 2009 Susan Tomasky says American Electric Power Company Inc. plans to have some fun with its $3.5 million sponsorship of Huntington Park. The deal includes an AEP Power Pavilion sign that towers above the three-story brick building behind left field. The sign will light up when the Clippers hit a home run. The Clippers and Franklin County officials are quite fond of AEP and six other sponsors – Huntington National Bank, Nationwide Insurance, Dispatch Printing Co., Sodexho Sports and Leisure Services, Time Warner Cable and Mount Carmel Health System – that have committed at least $3.5 million each to the ballpark project. Topping the list is Huntington’s $12 million commitment spread over 22 years for ballpark naming rights. http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/03/30/tidbits5.html
April 2, 200916 yr Huntington Park design evokes latest trends in American ballparks Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell Friday, March 27, 2009 Huntington Park seems to be a good example of what is happening with other minor league stadiums across America – only with a twist. The new home of the Columbus Clippers has the amenities sports fans have come to expect, including a vintage look evoking baseball’s rich history and more practical considerations such as wide concourses, plenty of concessions stands and rest rooms, private suites for high rollers, things to keep the kids occupied, and proximity to restaurants and bars. But Clippers fans also will be in for some surprises when the team opens Huntington Park. For starters, fans can watch the game from a home-run terrace above right field or from bleacher seats atop a three-story pavilion in left field. There is a park-like grove of oak trees by the left-field corner, and kids will be able to cool off in a fountain next to the center-field entrance. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/03/30/tidbits6.html
April 3, 200916 yr No, Columbus was actually considered mostly Reds territory. OSU brings plenty of Cincinnatians up here and we can listen to Cincinnati radio - it remains a real competitor in the market. Remember, Cleveland didn't even have a claim on Toledo until the late 90s. There are a lot of Cincinnati fans (and you see their gear around town more than the Indians stuff). Cbus was skewed by having the Yankees AAA for so many years. Baseball is also genetic. The Reds also are dominant in SE Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky all of which sends plenty of migrants to Columbus.
April 3, 200916 yr The EXTREME part Eastern Kentucky (Pike County) where I grew up, it's a mix of Reds fans and Braves fans... people travel either to Cincinnati or Atlanta for games.... weirdos :)
April 3, 200916 yr I'm just curious, but is that because of cable (TBS for so many years) and the fact that the Braves were so successful and became the team for Southerners?
April 3, 200916 yr I've found no single team loyalty in Columbus; I work with many, many transplants, and they each maintain loyalty to their respective hometown team. Or at least their bosses'.
April 3, 200916 yr I'm just curious, but is that because of cable (TBS for so many years) and the fact that the Braves were so successful and became the team for Southerners? I think it's both, Kentucky is Southern but it's ties to the midwest remain very deep as most of us know. Even in East Kentucky we call it pop but say Y'all. Y'all want a pop. We don't call it Coke like the rest of the south. WVOW 101.9 Logan, WV covers the Pikeville, KY area carries Braves radio network http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/schedule/affiliates.jsp Reds radio network: WEKB 1460 Elkhorn City, KY also covers the Pikeville area This link will show you the extent of Reds broadcats across the region http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/downloads/y2008/cin_radio_affiliates.pdf
April 3, 200916 yr As a longtime resident here, I've found central Ohio to be pretty equally divided between the Reds and the Indians. With either the Reds or the Indians gaining bandwagon members based on the teams performance. Although lately, I feel like central Ohio is shifting more to the Indians camp. Partly this is due to team performance. But with the Columbus Clippers becoming the AAA team of the Indians, might this shift become permenant? As was said in a previous article "The Columbus move puts four of six Indians affiliates in Ohio — Columbus at the AAA-level; the AA-level Akron Aeros; and A-level Lake Valley Captains in Eastlake and Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Niles." Cleveland is solidifying its Ohio presence. While, Cincinnati seems to be pursuing a more southern strategy. Louisville is their AAA team and Dayton is their most northern presence in Ohio. And this probably makes sense for Cincinnati because there is no MLB team south of them until you get to Atlanta, or St. Louis if you're going southwest. As for me, my family has always been Reds fans - and I've always been a Reds fan first. I like the Indians to do well, but I cheer for the Reds. Now that Columbus will have the best of the up-and-coming Tribe players, I have to admit that I'll be paying more attention to the Indians then before.
April 13, 200916 yr Couple of Easter Sunday ride-bys with the boy featuring the amazing Nationwide Blvd peak-a-boo pedestrian access:
April 13, 200916 yr Awesome! It was a beautiful Easter Sunday for a bike ride. The ballpark is looking good.
April 15, 200916 yr Parade, party lined up for Clippers home opener Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 2:45pm EDT Business First of Columbus A parade and unveiling of a statute honoring one of the key figures in Columbus baseball history will usher in the opening of Huntington Park on April 18. Franklin County officials Tuesday outlined the activities that will lead up to the start of the Columbus Clippers’ game against the Toledo Mud Hens at 4:05 p.m. in the new county-owned ballpark in the Arena District. The festivities will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a parade that will begin at High Street and Nationwide Boulevard and make its way west to Huntington Park at Nationwide and Neil Avenue. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/04/13/daily15.html?surround=lfn
April 18, 200916 yr Tons of stuff in today's Dispatch about the Huntington Park. It's opening day for the new Clippers ballpark in downtown Columbus! The forecast calls for sunny weather with highs in the 70's. Perfect baseball weather. LET'S PLAY BALL!!! Here's the link to the special section: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/clippers/2009clipperssection.html Here's the link to an amazing interactive tour of Huntington Park: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/graphics/2009/huntington.html
April 18, 200916 yr Huntington Park's opening day Birth of a ballpark: Today is the time for baseball at the new Downtown stadium Saturday, April 18, 2009 - 3:25 AM By Jim Massie, The Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/04/18/clippers_essay18.ART_ART_04-18-09_A1_74DJC4A.html?sid=101
April 18, 200916 yr 'Alive every day' Stadium is designed to have neighborly feel Saturday, April 18, 2009 - 2:56 AM By Rob Oller, The Columbus Dispatch More threatening than inviting, baseball stadiums often resemble castles that cut themselves off from civilization on nongame days. The Clippers and the architects who designed Huntington Park wanted to build something different: a neighborhood ballpark instead of a neighborhood bully. Rather than a towering concrete-and-steel structure, ThreeSixty Architecture, along with Clippers president and general manager Ken Schnacke, conceived a 10,000-capacity venue that blends into its surroundings -- a building that's as much front porch as baseball stadium. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/special/stories/2009/04/18/hp_design.ART_ART_04-18-09_E3_F9DIULQ.html?sid=101
April 18, 200916 yr Link to the full special section: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/clippers/2009clipperssection.html Link to the full interactive tour of Huntington Park: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/graphics/2009/huntington.html
April 18, 200916 yr I'm excited to get up to C-bus at the end of the month and see this park, it looks beautiful. It also has a good view of dt, something Cincy should have considered when they were figuring out which way Great American should face. bah.
April 18, 200916 yr From here: http://www.walkerevanseffect.com/blog/photo-tour-of-opening-day-at-huntington-park/ <b>Photo tour of opening day at Huntington Park</b> Apr 18th, 2009 by Walker I’m not a big sports fan, but I am a fan of urban development of all varieties… and from that perspective the new Huntington Park is pretty amazing. I’ve been familiar with the area it sits for over a decade now as my first visit to the old Mekka nightclub (that is now the Buggyworks Condo Building) revealed a dirty abandoned gas station where the stadium would eventually be built. Similarly, I still recall my first game at the old Cooper Stadium over two decades ago when I was in kindergarten. And I’m glad that Anne & I got to take our son there last year for the final Clippers home game. But the location around the old stadium was a drag. A sea of parking lots, a graveyard, and a handful of auto body shops. There was little energy outside the stadium. Opening day at Huntington Park was the exact opposite. Hundreds of people outside the stadium trying to catch glimpses from the open viewing spots on the sidewalk. Dozens of restaurants and bars nearby will full patios, live music, and energetic fans. The stadium is seated in between several large condo buildings, a music pavilion, parking garages, offices, and a hockey stadium. There is density there. There is energy there. It feels like what a downtown city should feel like. I didn’t go to the game today, but I did walk around and take some photos of the action outside the stadium. Check em out: <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-01.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-02.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-03.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-04.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-05.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-06.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-07.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-08.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-09.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-10.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-11.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-12.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-13.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-14.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-15.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-16.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-17.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-18.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-19.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-20.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-21.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-22.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-23.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-24.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/huntington-park-25.jpg" alt="" />
April 19, 200916 yr Awesome photos Walker! Looks like a full house inside and outside. Now that's what I call an urban ballpark. Thanks for sharing.
April 19, 200916 yr A GRAND OPENING Clippers' new home unveiled on a day of festivities Sunday, April 19, 2009 - 3:49 AM By Dan Gearino, The Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/04/19/ITS_OPEN.ART_ART_04-19-09_A1_MVDJL1U.html
April 19, 200916 yr The first official pitch at Huntington Park is photographed from above the rooftop bleachers in the AEP Power Pavilion in left field. HUNTINGTON PARK - OPENING DAY SLIDESHOW, APRIL 18, 2009
April 19, 200916 yr Hate to say it, but in comparison to many other new minor league parks it is only "OK". Base on the pics provided in another thread, they did a much better job with the new minor league park in Fort Wayne.
April 19, 200916 yr Hate to say it, but in comparison to many other new minor league parks it is only "OK". Base on the pics provided in another thread, they did a much better job with the new minor league park in Fort Wayne. *Stuart Scott's Voice* Hater In the House! *Stuart Scott's Voice*
April 19, 200916 yr Hate to say it, but in comparison to many other new minor league parks it is only "OK". Base on the pics provided in another thread, they did a much better job with the new minor league park in Fort Wayne. *Stuart Scott's Voice* Hater In the House! *Stuart Scott's Voice* HA! Good one! But I did enjoy the original post. It was good for a laugh!
April 20, 200916 yr <b>Opening Day at Huntington Park</b> By Dan Wilburn | April 19, 2009 <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/clippers1.jpg"> A crowd of over 11,000 gathered to welcome the Columbus Clippers to their new home at Huntington Park on Saturday. Many fans were lined up hours before the 4pm opening pitch in hopes of getting one of the 1,500 tickets that were held until game day. Even though the Clippers ultimately lost to the division leading Toledo Mudhens 3-1, the event itself was able to supersede the final score. With clips of AC/DC blasting between innings, fan contests galore a la Columbus Blue Jackets games, and “Whoop There It Is” punctuating strong plays by the Clippers, the atmosphere is enough to keep any fairweather fan amused long enough to make it to the 7th inning stretch. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/opening-day-at-huntington-park
April 21, 200916 yr Huntington Park certainly lends itself to a lot of photogenic opportunities, as shown by The Dispatch:
April 21, 200916 yr Wow! That's a beautiful pic. Last night was the very first Dime-A-Dog night at Huntington Park. Previously a Cooper Stadium tradition, the opportunity to feed your face (or feed a large family) is being continued in the new downtown ballpark. Here's an audio slideshow from the Dispatch. LINK: DIME-A-DOG NIGHT SLIDESHOW And on that note, here's fair warning that this thread will be moving to the Completed Projects section tomorrow morning. Another downtown Columbus project seen from concept to completion.
May 13, 200916 yr Menu: The food of Huntington Park Thursday, May 7, 2009 By G.A. Benton, Columbus Alive http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2009/05/07/ca_fo_menu.html?sid=108
May 13, 200916 yr The cheap seats With free fence viewing, Huntington Park draws baseball nuts, passers-by Tuesday, May 12, 2009 - 3:00 AM By Nick Chordas, The Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/05/12/1_CHEAP_SEATS_--_live_turnar.AR0_ART_05-12-09_D2_E8DR32Q.html?sid=101
May 17, 200916 yr Sports backers hope thousands turn out for Big Ten baseball Business First of Columbus - by Doug Buchanan Friday, May 15, 2009 Columbus sports officials hope to make the most of their first turn at bat when the Big Ten baseball tournament is held May 20-23 at Huntington Park in the Arena District. It will be the first time in 15 years that the tournament has been held at an off-campus ballpark, and Columbus will get one shot at proving it’s worthy of hosting the event again, said Greater Columbus Sports Commission Executive Director Linda Logan. “We hope the tournament is here more than a year,” she said, “so we can have an opportunity to build a base for it.” For more information, go to www.columbussports.org or www.bigten.org. http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/05/18/tidbits7.html
May 17, 200916 yr Also, there is a new website for the new ballpark. LINK: http://www.huntingtonparkcolumbus.com/
June 8, 200916 yr Travel review from the Plain Dealer of the newly opened Huntington Park and an overview of the Arena District: Huntington Park, home of Indians-affiliated minor league team, latest hot spot in Columbus' Arena District Where to eat, stay and play in Columbus' Arena District
June 21, 200915 yr Interesting take on the limited seating capacity of the new Huntington Park... Bob Hunter commentary: Huntington Park's size seems right Thursday, June 18, 2009 By Bob Hunter, The Columbus Dispatch In four of the past six games, Clippers crowds have exceeded the park's "capacity" of 10,100. On Monday night for the stadium's first Dime-A-Dog Night, paid attendance was 12,223. On Saturday, it was 11,787. Last night, attendance was "only" 9,679. Standing-room crowds are a good thing, obviously. The park was designed to accommodate standers, leaners and millers, and the fact that fans are doing that means that the design has been a success. Still, if the park were just a little larger ... Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/06/18/hunter_6-18.ART_ART_06-18-09_C1_HLE7CNB.html?sid=101
June 21, 200915 yr Eventually these crowds will die off a bit. I would expect Columbus to have great attendance and success like the other minor league teams in Ohio (Dayton and Toledo most notably), but I would not expect these 11,000 crowds to continue indefinitely. The capacity is probably right on target.
June 21, 200915 yr I'd actually say that seems a little small for AAA baseball. I'd imagine something in the 13k to 17k range would be supportable in a city the size of Cbus with little going for competition in the summer, since OSU is quieter.
June 21, 200915 yr There's plenty of summer competition with a different festival happening every nearly single weekend. ;)
July 8, 200915 yr Although I tend to agree with the previous statements about Huntington Park's capacity being "just right", I sometimes wish it was a few thousand seats larger.
July 8, 200915 yr Huntington Park: It's all about the ambience Ballpark hits a home run with fans who concentrate on the game -- and those who don't even know the score Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 3:05 AM By Zach Swartz, The Columbus Dispatch http://dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/07/07/hunt_park_scene.ART_ART_07-07-09_A1_U8ED9PN.html?sid=101
July 8, 200915 yr The new Downtown ballpark of the Columbus Clippers leads all of minor league baseball with an average attendance of 9,347 per game.
July 8, 200915 yr It's all about the ambience Ballpark hits a home run with fans who concentrate on the game -- and those who don't even know the score Blasphemous!
July 18, 200915 yr <b>Catching Up With the Clippers</b> By colinpperkins | July 16, 2009 <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/huntington-park.jpg"> After a short All-Star break, the Columbus Clippers kick off the second half of their inaugural season in Huntington Park tonight at 7:05pm with Cleveland Indians former 19-game winner Fausto Carmona on the mound. I chatted with Clippers Assistant Director of Marketing Ty Debevoise to get his mid-season thoughts on the Clippers new home, the condiment scouting report and memories of The Coop: READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/catching-up-with-the-clippers
August 12, 200915 yr Very comprehensive and complimentary review of the brand new Huntington Park from BallparkDigest.com. And very lenghty too. Below are some excerpts. To read the full review go to http://www.ballparkdigest.com/visits/index.html?article_id=1420. Huntington Park / Columbus Clippers Year Opened: 2009 Capacity: 10,000 (7,600 seats, 1,200 specialty seats, 1,200 lawn/SRO spots) Number of Suites: 32, with 42 loge boxes Owner: Franklin County Architect: 360 Architecture Naming Rights: Huntington Bank Dimensions: 325L, 365LC, 400C, 365RC, 318R Website: www.clippersbaseball.com Ticket Prices: Box Seats, $12 in advance, $15 day of game; Reserved Seats, $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and children twelve years old and under; Assigned Bleacher Seat General Admission, $6 for adults, $3 for seniors and children twelve years old and under. League: International League (Class AAA) Affiliation: Cleveland Indians Parking: Between $3 and $10 in adjoining lots and ramps. Address/Directions: 330 Huntington Park Lane, Columbus, Ohio 43215. Huntington Park Lane runs on the west side of the ballpark, away from the main gates. The ballpark is just down Nationwide Boulevard from Nationwide Arena. Joe Santry, the longtime PR director of the Columbus Clippers, was all smiles when we bumped into him in the press box of Huntington Park during our first visit to the ballpark. It was the day after Huntington Park opened, and Santry still had the glow of someone basking in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “Everything went perfectly last night,” he said. “Absolutely perfect.” Perfect is a good word to describe Huntington Park; it’s not an exaggeration to say Franklin County, the Columbus Clippers and 360 Architecture may have pulled off the ultimate ballpark, on any level. Combining a strong sense of place with the latest in ballpark features and an outstanding site, the creators of Huntington Park got everything right, creating a deep sense of place in a facility that’s only been open a few weeks. It does provide the ultimate baseball experience, providing an amazing level of intimacy in a venue seating over 10,000. One recent trend in ballparks – and one we’ve spoke of in very favorable terms in new ballparks – has been the creation of discrete seating areas within the ballpark. When done awkwardly, as was the case in Great American Ball Park, these discrete areas tend to isolate fans in their own private Idahos. When done correctly, as is the case in Fort Wayne’s Parkview Field, these areas meld together into a shared baseball experience. It was done perfectly in Huntington Park, where you don’t even notice the many segmented seating areas. The first discrete area is actually outside the ballpark: right-center field abuts the street, and instead of putting up a wall or fence cutting off the ballpark, the designed opted to put up screens. Since the playing field is below grade, fans can watch the game from outside the ballpark, looking down at the action from Nationwide Bouelvard. The Giants do this to great effect at AT&T Park; the Clippers do the same in Huntington Park. The second and third levels of the grandstand hook around the foul pole and extend into right field, above these field-level screens. This area features bar seating and drink rails. You still have a clear view of the entire field, even on the third level. We imagine these seats will evolve into a prime spots for twentysomethings to meet; the seating is intimate and made for small groups, a la a sports bar. Of course, there’s a real sports bar at the ballpark, and it’s a doozy. The Arena District of downtown Columbus is a mix of the old and the new, with plenty of older industrial and warehouse spaces mixing in with new parking ramps, office space and condos. When we approached the ballpark, we assumed the AEP Pavilion located beyond the left-field bleacher seating and concourse had been there for decades, although it is a freestanding building constructed along with the ballpark. On the first floor of the building are the team shop and concession stands. On the third level are a group area and a separate concessions area, along with rooftop bleachers – two more discrete areas that do not make fans feel cut off from the rest of the ballpark. The second level contains the noteworthy sports bar (called, fittingly, the Left Field Bar & Grille), featuring a long bar, plenty of tables, and six balconies jutting over the concourse. This space also features the largest collection of sports memorabilia we’ve seen displayed at a ballpark outside of a designated museum. Every aspect of Columbus baseball history is lovingly detailed in the hundreds and hundreds of photos, playing equipment (some used almost a century ago) and other flotsam displayed in cases and on the walls. The Clippers and predecessors spent long stints as Yankees and Cardinals farm teams, while the area also hosted Negro Leagues teams. (When we asked Santry how long it took to put together the collection, his comeback was quick: “Forty years.”) Each era of Columbus baseball is lovingly detailed on pillar displays, with players like Bill Wright – one of the many Negro Leagues players never receiving their due in baseball history – highlighted. The trip through Columbus baseball history begin in the staircase leading up to the second level, where hand-painted murals featuring the faces of Yankees prospects are hung, reclaimed from Cooper Stadium, the team’s former home and one of the great historic venues of baseball. For the full Ballpark Digest review go to: PAGE 1: INTRODUCING HUNTINGTON PARK PAGE 2: CONCESSIONS AND THE CLUB AREA PAGE 3: IS THIS THE PERFECT BALLPARK?
August 12, 200915 yr I was going to post the above Ballpark Digest review yesterday, but the server outage prevented doing so. In the meantime, another website BaseballParks.com gave Huntington Park an even greater honor. BaseballParks.com chose Huntington Park as its Ballpark of the Year. Here's the BaseballParks.com review link and below is the article from our local paper... Huntington Park named Ballpark of the Year by BaseballParks.com The Web site BaseballParks.com announced yesterday that it had chosen Huntington Park, the home of the Columbus Clippers, as its Ballpark of the Year over 11 other new or renovated facilities. Size and expense apparently didn't matter because the list included two new major-league ballparks -- Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in New York -- and the renovated Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The news surprised Clippers president and general manager Ken Schnacke, to say the least. "Shocked and astounded would be two better words," he said, "especially when you've got major-league ballparks that cost over $1 billion." "This just shows you that it's not how much money you spend. It is how you spend the money that you have available to you."
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