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Headed South

Official Review by Paul Swaney, Stadium Journey Co-Founder

South Bend. A city known first and foremost as the home of the University of Notre Dame. It is a place that has seen a steady decline in its population and industry over the past 50 years. Near downtown South Bend sits Coveleski Stadium, home of the Silver Hawks, a class A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Baseball has long been a part of the fabric of South Bend. The city has been host to teams from the Studebaker plant, Negro League teams, and a professional women's team - the South Bend Blue Sox. Since 1984, there has been a minor league team, and since 1987 Coveleski Stadium has served as that home base.

Food & Beverage    1

Walking through the concourses, you will find very little that will make you jump with joy. The offerings feel like standard offerings. I had a hot dog which was very average, and a soft pretzel with cheese sauce. The "soft" pretzel was a misnomer if ever there was one. It was solid and stale and the cheese sauce was as bad as it gets. Don't bring an appetite to Coveleski Stadium, or you will go home unsatisfied.

Atmosphere    2

The symmetrical park doesn't offer anything new or exciting as you scan the field and walls. When I visited in April 2010, the walls were in great disrepair with tears running throughout. Those walls have since been recovered, but it did add to the feeling during the visit that this was a forgotten field, left to slowly rot.

I was witness to the halfway to Halloween promotion where fans wore costumes and competed between innings on best costume. The judging was based on the applause of the fans. Unfortunately, the crowd was so sparse that it was difficult to hear a discernable difference. It wasn't so much that the promotion was bad, and there were a few fans who really made an impressive effort. The issue here is that there isn't anything inspiring about Coveleski Stadium, with the exception of the name itself.

It's named for Stan Coveleski, the hall of fame pitcher who played primarily with the Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators. Coveleski moved to South Bend after his hall of fame career had ended.

Neighborhood    2

Coveleski Stadium is near what feels like a partially abandoned downtown area. I spent a few hours before the evening game I attended, walking the immediate neighborhood, in an attempt to find a place that I would want to spend some time.

I tried Vickie's at 112 W Monroe, a divey sports bar with a motorcycle parked out front on the sidewalk. The upside is they have $2 beers, and are only a couple of blocks from the stadium. It's a very "locals only" feeling bar, and it may be possible that the bartender knew every one of the 10 customers' names, with the exception of myself.

A little further was O'Sullivan's, a depressing little Irish place in a depressed little downtown. It was across the street from a great smelling Chinese place, that I would visit if I ever returned. Outside of that, you can find a few chains like Quizno's or Jimmy John's for some food. I try to avoid chains when I travel, but if you need something before or after a game, I would recommend both of these before the food served at the park.

Fans    1

There were so few people there that it can be hard to tell, but I heard very little baseball conversation, and saw very few people who even seemed to be paying attention to the action, that I just can't rate this any higher. It is disturbing that with the tradition of baseball in this city, that so few fans make it out to the game. It is after all, professional baseball.

Access    4

I was able to park on the street right outside the gate, so you can't do too much better than that. Restrooms were adequate, but with this many fans, it's not like I could have possibly had a line to contend with.

Return on Investment    3

The box seats go for $8 and run from dugout to dugout. Down the lines, the seats are only $2 cheaper and you're left to sit on metal bleachers, so be sure to pony up the couple of extra bucks for the box seats. Food is not overpriced- it's inexpensive and terrible. Parking is free on the street and $4 in the small parking lot. Consider going on a Monday night where ticket prices are only $3 and $1.

Extras    2

I love that the name of the stadium hasn't been tainted by corporate sponsorship, and pays tribute to a hall of famer. I'm awarding a second point for the history of baseball in South Bend, which is displayed in a series of plaques when you enter the stadium.

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