Fields Of Dreams - Sam Lynn Stadium, Bakersfield, California

Sam Lynn Stadium is only northward of downtown Bakersfield on Chester Avenue, halfway betwixt downtown together with Oildale, adjacent to the Kern County Museum.  It is the domicile of the unmarried Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Bakersfield Blaze, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. If it was inwards the major leagues, it would live the 3rd oldest stadium, betwixt Wrigley Field together with Dodger Stadium.  As it is, it's pretty ancient fifty-fifty yesteryear pocket-size fry league standards.  It's now 70 years old.  It shows its historic menstruum but the guild has started renovations including novel seats, paint, together with grass.

Players that convey spent fourth dimension hither on the way to the exhibit include Pedro Martinez, Don Drysdale, Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, together with many more.

Here are the stats:

Opened: 1941
Surface: Grass
Construction cost: ?
Capacity: 3,500
Field dimensions: Left field: 328 ft., Center champaign 354 ft., Right Field 328 ft.
Home Team: Bakersfield Badgers (1941-42); Bakersfield Indians (1946-55); Bakersfield Boosters (1956);  Bakersfield Bears (1957-67); Bakersfield Dodgers (1968-75); Bakersfield Outlaws (1978-79); Bakersfield Mariners (1982-83); Bakersfield Dodgers (1984-94); Bakersfield Blaze (1994-present)

Games Attended: 6

The ball green is finally getting some rehabilitation.  The lastly major rehab was inwards 1993 when the wooden grandstand was replaced amongst the electrical flow concrete construction behind domicile plate.  The playing champaign was upgraded lastly year.  Still, it's a fun identify to sentry a game amongst dedicated fans, slowly access, depression prices, together with low-budget down-home goodness.

Wheelchair access is superb.  Although at that spot are accessible seats inwards the inexpensive seats downwards the foul lines, the best seats are non expensive or difficult to get.  There are vi platforms behind domicile plate that volition easily accomodate a wheelchair together with a duet of companions.  They are inwards the front end row, the exclusively stadium I know that has together with so many wheelchair seats inwards the starting fourth dimension row correct behind domicile plate...the best of whatever seats inwards the house.  Ticket prices gain from $7 to $10.

Parking is gratis together with plentiful amongst handicapped parking inwards the front end ii rows.  This is besides foul ball territory, together with so green your car facing away from the stadium.  Public transit is real limited.  Routes 1 together with 2 of GET transit jitney service serve the stadium but exclusively on weekday nights.  On weekends, the routes nigh downwards some 7pm.

The fans hither are pretty dedicated to the squad together with they genuinely convey a pretty skilful publish of flavor ticket holders.  They are real knowledgeable nigh the squad together with players.  They are besides real friendly together with are slowly to strike upward a conversation with.

Food here, consisting mainly of ballpark staples such equally hot dogs, burgers, nachos, etc., is pretty good.  Great beer alternative of depression priced standards such equally Pabst, Bud, together with Coors addition a overnice alternative of assorted arts and crafts brews on tap.  

Promotions include $23 Tuesdays amongst 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and a handbag of popcorn, which makes a nighttime at the ball green cheaper than going to the movies. Thirsty Thursdays features a 2-hour happy hr (one hr earlier game through 1 hr later on starting fourth dimension pitch) amongst $1 Heinekens inwards the shade tent.

Unique features of this ball green are it's orientation.  Depending on what origin you lot believe, it's either the exclusively one, or i of two, ball parks inwards the globe that seem upward due west.  This agency that the batter is facing the setting Sun together with so a huge batter's oculus was built to block it together with games start equally belatedly equally 7:58 pm to compensate.  The green was built this way because at the time, it was inwards the middle of a Equus caballus racetrack together with that was the exclusively way to tally it in.

Another characteristic is the distance to view field.  At 354 feet, it is the shortest distance inwards all of professional person baseball.

The mascot is a dragon called Heater.  Whoever is inwards the costume is a stride inwards a higher identify the lastly one, who had no enthusiasm at all. This one's pretty good.

All-in-all, it's a stadium long overdue for a makeover together with you lot squint into the Sun but it is yet a great, fun, comfortable, together with historic place to sentry a ball game.  I'll come upward come across a game hither anytime.

(You tin come across to a greater extent than of Sam Lynn Stadium, along amongst some video, on our Bakersfield trip written report here.)

-Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick