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Year Opened 2002 Current Team Affiliate League Capacity My Grades Photos taken in 2002 |
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Toledo, Ohio |
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| Toledo's new ballpark, Fifth Third Field, continues the great trend of bringing parks back to the downtown area of larger cities. The area surrounding the park (known as the Warehouse District) is very rundown, but the old buildings add some character to the backdrop and certainly are preferable to seeing a park built in an open landscape. The park itself does not break any new ground, resembling the new facilities in Louisville and Akron . Still, its a fine place to take in a game. There are two levels of seating (the lower level and the club level) and a full wrap around concourse (which is something every new park should have). The concourse area features numerous concessions stands with an excellent variety of food. Prices are a bit high, but that's to be expected at a new park. Because they had to tuck the park into the surrounding buildings, there are several unique aspects to the park - the outfield fence varies in height and has several odd angles, the "roost" in right field which is section of seating wedged in between two buildings, and the gift shop which has been built into an existing building down the right field line. There are plenty of picnic areas in the outfield as well as a play area for kids behind the batter's eye in center field. Most of the seats offer good sightlines here and fortunately the ushers are non-existent in the lower level which makes it easy to move around. I only have a few small complaints about Fifth Third Field. First, the only scoreboard in the park is in left field, right next to the foul line. So fans sitting on the third base side have a tough time seeing it. As with most Triple-A parks, auxiliary scoreboards are really necessary. Secondly, the sound system was cranked up too loud - another thing that is common at new parks. Lastly, parking is a bit expensive ($4-$6) because of the downtown location. The atmosphere here is lively as they do many on field games and have one of the best mascots in the minors - Muddy. While Ned Skeldon Stadium was a funky, but unique old park, Fifth Third Field is certainly a worthy replacement. |
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