Photos by Meg Minard and Richard Smith, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.29 Sloan Park 2330 W Rio Salado Pkwy Mesa, AZ 85201 Mesa Solar Sox website Sloan Park website Year Opened: 2014 Capacity: 15,000 Solar Sox at Sloan The Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League play their home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ. The Arizona Fall League is a developmental instructional baseball league played in various spring training complexes in the Greater Phoenix area. The season lasts a little over a month during October and November. Major league teams send some of their most highly touted prospects to play in the league for additional practice. The 2023 Mesa Solar Sox has rookies from the following MLB teams: Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros. The Solar Sox began play in 1992 (the founding year of the AFL) as the Sun Cities Solar Sox; they played at Sun City Stadium for their first two years. They moved to the new Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, AZ in 1994 and played there till 1996. After that, the Sun Cities Solar Sox played at HoHoKam Stadium from 1997 – 2013. In 1999, they changed their name to the Mesa Solar Sox to represent the city they play in. The 2014 season saw the Solar Sox begin playing their games at Sloan Park. Sloan Park is best known as the spring training facility for the Chicago Cubs. It is owned by the city of Mesa and named after the Sloan Valve Company, an Illinois-based leading global manufacturer of water-efficient solutions. Food & Beverage 2 One concession stadium is open during an AFL game at Sloan Park with decent choices at average AFL prices. Offerings include chicken tenders, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, fries, and nachos ($6 - $10). Snacks for sale are peanuts, popcorn, pretzels, chips, and candy ($3 - $8). Bottled sodas (Coca-Cola brands) are $6, while bottled water is $5.50. I had a hamburger, and it was tasty. The selection of beer is not that great. Choices include Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, Modelo, Corona, and Estrella Jalisco ($10), all available in cans only. It’s enough for a snack while watching a game. Fans can bring their snacks and bottles of water into the stadium. Atmosphere 3 Most seats have shade, needed for a 2:30 pm start time. One section down the first base side gets the sun if you’d prefer to get some rays. Seats are first come, first served, so pick your preference as less than 1,000 fans or so attend AFL games. The inner concourse is wide open; a fan can see all the playing action while walking the concourse. Medium-thickness nets run down to the foul poles; there is no place to sit and watch net-free baseball. One level of seating is available for Fall League games. The second level holds the press box, announcer, and suites. Seats are the traditional green stadium fold-down ones and have a comfortable width, decent legroom, and cup holders. The grassy berms and other seating areas in the left and right outfields are closed for Solar Sox games. The organization has improved the readability of the scoreboard considerably. The lighting engineers adjusted the background color and numbers, making it so much easier to read. Well done! The scoreboard provides the line score and a photo and number of the Solar Sox player at bat. Game day staff writes the starting lineup on a whiteboard located on the third base side concourse. The merchandise tent (just upon entry to the stadium) has rosters and lineup sheets, too. Sloan Park Scoreboard, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey The PA announcer does a competent job calling the starting lineup and player/pitcher changes (no music is played – YEAH!). They do not play music between pitches and batters, only pregame a nd between innings, a pleasant delight. A Solar Sox game here is for those interested in watching the game and the player s. Neighborhood 4 About a mile northeast of Sloan Park is the Mesa Riverview Shopping Center . This center contains several places to eat, a movie theater, and many stores including a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. Restaurants include Cracker Barrel, Famous Dave’s BBQ, Henhouse Café (good for breakfast), Papago Brewing (beers), and plenty more. A little over a mile west of Sloan Park (make a right on Rio Salado Pkwy out of the ballpark) is the Tempe Marketplace , an even larger shopping area. This contains 26 restaurants/places to eat including the Thirsty Lion and Kings Fish House, a multitude of shops, and another movie theater. If shopping is your thing, this might be the place to go. For places to stay near the ballpark, the Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West and a Courtyard by Marriott are just beyond the right field. The Hyatt Place Phoenix/Mesa is adjacent to the Mesa Riverview Shopping Center (about 1.2 miles from the ballpa rk). A Hilton Garden Inn and a Homewood Suites are a mile the other way (west) of the ballpark. Hotel rooms in the area are about 1/3 the price for Fall League games than they are during spring training. On-site at t he ballpark is Riverview Park which offers a fishing lake, playground, and picnic area, and water fountains to enjoy pre or post-game. For other sports in the area, visit the other two East Valley Fall League Stadiums: Scottsdale Stadium and Salt River Field . ASU (Arizona State University) football , basketball , or soccer games are about three miles from the ballpark. Or sports fans can go downtown Phoenix and see an early-season Suns game. Fans 3 Fans who attend AFL games are the fans who like baseball for the game, not ‘the event.’ They are purists, especially those fans who travel or fly in to watch the games. Yes, fans do travel in for the season, for a week, or for a few days to get just a little bit more of baseball before the three-month hiatus till spring training. Many fans are those who are retired or those wishing they could be retired. During the weekday afternoon games, expect minimal children. A few more families are at the evening and Saturday games. Expect to see lots of scouts sitting behind home plate. Expect to see a lot of autograph hounds with their binders, player cards, balls, and Sharpies. Since most fans have a common interest in baseball, expect to meet, share stories, and make friends with those who sit around you. The fans cheer for all the good plays regardless of the team or player. Access 4 If flying in for a Mesa Solar Sox AFL game, the closest airport (about seven miles from Sloan Park) is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Public transportation is somewhat available – from the airport, it’s a combination of using the Valley Metro light rail, transferring to a bus, and taking a short walk. Since there are under 600 fans or so attending a game, traffic access is not the nightmare it is for a Cubs spring training game. Plenty of parking is available for no charge. Massive numbers of handicapped parking spaces are available. It is easy to get to the area by driving, as it is located near the corner of the Loop 202 Red Mountain and Loop 101 Pima Freeways. If driving for night games, allow extra time due to rush hour on those freeways. Only the first base gate is open for Fall League games. Bag rules baffle me here. Signs and security folks say one thing, but it’s very inconsistent. My best recommendation is to bring any items in a clear sports bag (16” x 16” x 8”) or less. Restrooms (including family restrooms) on the first base side concourse are open for AFL games and serve their purpose. Return on Investment 4 Ticket prices have increased, although it’s still a good deal for seeing professional baseball: $12 for adults, $10 for kids over 12 and seniors (55+), and children under 12 get in free. Fans can sit anywhere they want. The AFL sells season ticket packages (single or double), worth the investment if you and/or a friend plan on attending more than 10 or 15 games. Parking is free; food prices are not too bad for a sports venue (and you can bring in your own ). Seeing a ball game for the game itself is worth the investment. Extras 3 The field looks a lush green, not easy to do after an Arizona summer. Kudos to the city of Mesa for its maintenance and care. Having the starting lineups written on a whiteboard is worth an extra mention, especially for those who keep score. Upgrading the scoreboard to make it readable deserves additional acknowledgment. Starting Lineup at Sloan Park, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Not playing music while the PA announcer calls the starting lineups or player changes, and only playing between innings makes the game more enjoyable. It gives fans the ability to have conversations with their neighbors. Final Thoughts MLB changed the Fall League schedule format this 2023 season. The season has fewer afternoon games. Those games now start at 2:30 pm (the hottest part of the day) vs 12:30 pm in previous seasons. Evening games still start at 6:30 pm. This schedule makes attending a double header difficult because of travel during rush hour. I hope they consider reverting the afternoon start time to 12:30 pm next season. Attending a Mesa Solar Sox game at Sloan Park is a much more relaxed, uncongested game day experience than seeing a Cubs spring training game. When coming to the area during the fall season, it is worth visiting some AFL games.

Photos by Marc Viquez Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.00 Banterra Center Highway 51 South Carbondale, IL 62901 Southern Illinois Salukis website Banterra Center website Year Opened: 1964 Capacity: 9,628 With the New at SIU In Carbondale, Illinois, what is old is new again. SIU Arena, which originally opened in 1964, has a new lease on life. In 2010, Southern Illinois University completed a $29.9 million renovation that included new seating throughout the lower and upper areas, improved accessibility and entrances to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, middle handrails at all aisles, improved concessions, additional restrooms and fan amenities on the upper level, a new scoreboard and other aesthetic and functional improvements. The biggest improvement to the 8,339-seat facility is the newly constructed atrium on the east side of the facility. Inside the atrium, which is now the main entrance to SIU Arena, fans can visit the SIU Team Store, take a stroll down memory lane with the SIU Hall of Fame, or sit back and watch the children play with the inflatable basketball goals. Once inside the main walkway of the arena, fans are treated to painted murals of famous moments in SIU Basketball history. Inside the bowl area, all seats are either newly furnished chair backs or newly installed bleachers that are made with a soft feel and strong support behind your back. Note: After 55 years, the venue known as SIU Arena changed its name to Banterra Center in May 2019. Food & Beverage 3 The food and beverage at the concession stands are on par with what you will find at just about every other arena in college basketball. Both the prices and items struck me as basic and average. If you do buy something at the concession stand, make sure you pay $4.50 for a beverage that comes with a Salukis souvenir cup. The cup is made of high-quality materials and makes for a good keepsake to remember SIU Arena. If you walk around the main level, there is one stand you must check out. That stand is the “Just Nuts” stand. The smell and aroma of these sweetened nuts can be sensed throughout the entire arena. This stand makes SIU Arena unique in the MVC Food & Beverage category. Atmosphere 5 The atmosphere is phenomenal inside SIU Arena. The Salukis did a good job of renovating SIU Arena so that the vast majority of the facility displayed the team’s color- maroon. The Salukis also did a great job turning an arena that is now almost 50 years old into an arena that is easily one of the best in the Missouri Valley Conference. One thing that stuck out to me was the banners displayed on the inside of the arena. Behind one corner was a “Salukis In The NBA” banner that showed all of the SIU players that have gone on to the NBA, while another corner had a “Salukis In The Sweet 16” banner that showed the years that SIU made it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The main thing that you should take away from SIU Arena is that old and new can work in harmony together. SIU needed an arena that brought them into the 21st century of college basketball arenas. At the same time, they needed to retain the history, nostalgia, and memories of SIU Arena. What they came up with was a renovated SIU Arena that is no doubt a must-see! Neighborhood 4 Although it’s in a state of transition, the neighborhood around SIU Arena is already displaying great potential. A few years ago, SIU unveiled a plan called “Saluki Way,” which called for the construction of a new football stadium (completed), construction of new classroom buildings, and construction of new dormitories to be completed in 3 Phases. Already, the area south of SIU Arena is beginning to show how nice the surrounding area will be once completed. Just south of SIU Arena, you will find a small waterfall and creek, a statue of a Saluki, and maroon-painted bricks to reinforce the SIU image. If you’re looking for food and retail, you’ll have to go north and past campus for these amenities. I highly recommend going down Southern Illinois Avenue if you are searching for food. Although there wasn’t one restaurant that stuck out to me, I did notice a variety of affordable and unique Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and American restaurants. As far as retail goes, make sure you visit University Mall, which is on State Road 13 between Carbondale and Interstate 57. Anything you want, University Mall has it. Fans 4 I was impressed at how passionate the fans of SIU were, given that their team is currently struggling in the MVC. If no one gave you any background information before the game, you would think that the Salukis were battling for a Final Four spot. With the 2010 renovations, SIU Arena does a good job of keeping the crowd noise loud, the stands at near capacity, and the focus on the court. When you walk around the SIU arena, you quickly realize that SIU Basketball isn’t just a game, it’s a way of life in Carbondale. Access 5 At first, the parking arrangement confused me as all lots on the north and west sides of the arena were for those with parking passes. But if you travel to the south side of the arena, which can be easily reached by State Road 51/ Southern Illinois Avenue, you will find both a parking lot for those with passes as well as a bigger parking lot for those who don’t have a pass. Most importantly, the lot is free. How many other arenas have a free parking lot next to them? Something that made my day was the event security police. As I drove around the arena, the police who were directing traffic quickly realized that I was lost and from out of town. They went out of their way to make sure that I found the free parking lot on the south side of SIU Arena. They also did a great job of dividing traffic up between those who had a pass and those who didn’t. It’s always good to be helped by arena staff both inside the venue as well as outside in the parking lot! Return on Investment 5 Not only were tickets an affordable $15, but they also come with a comfy seat. Whether you are sitting in the cushioned chair backs, which account for the vast majority of seating, or the newly enhanced bleachers, you will be sitting in comfort during the entire game. Another great thing about SIU Arena is that it also serves as a great history lesson for SIU Basketball. All one has to do is visit the SIU Hall of Fame, walk around the main level of the arena, or take a look around at the banners, and they will instantly be thrust into the glory of SIU basketball. Extras 4 I give SIU one point for the renovations they have done to SIU Arena. As someone who values arena history and modern amenities at the same time, it means a lot to me for SIU to preserve its deep basketball history inside of this arena. I give SIU one point for their banners of past Saluki greats. The banner that stuck out to me most was that of NBA legend Walt Frazier. I get goosebumps just looking at it inside the nostalgic SIU Arena. I give SIU one point for developing a comprehensive master plan around SIU Arena. Although I’m not a fan of McAndrew Stadium being demolished, I am impressed with the new Saluki Stadium, the new atrium attached to SIU Arena, and the ease and walkability of the campus around SIU Arena. I give SIU one point for the look and design that they have created at SIU Arena. No matter what part of the arena you are in, you will always be surrounded by the team’s maroon color and legendary photos of former and current SIU players. SIU Arena is just one of those places you have to see for yourself how great of an environment it is.

Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57 Holman Stadium 67 Amherst St Nashua, NH 03063 Nashua Silver Knights website Holman Stadium website Year Opened: 1937 Capacity: 4,000 Historic Holman Stadium Holman Stadium, in the southern New Hampshire city of Nashua, hosted the first integrated team in baseball’s modern era. As members of the Nashua Dodgers, Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe played at Holman Stadium in 1946. In addition to serving as home to the Dodgers’ single-A team in the 1940s, Holman Stadium hosted the Angels’ and Pirates’ AA Eastern League teams in the ’80s. The stadium is named for Charles Frank Holman, who contributed $55,000 towards the building of the ballpark, which was constructed under the auspices of the WPA during the Great Depression. The facility was originally used for both baseball and football and was dedicated to the youth and people of Nashua in memory of Holman’s parents. Affiliated ball left Holman Stadium with the Pirates in 1986, and a series of independent league teams passed through Nashua with varying levels of success throughout the 90s and 00s. In 2011 the Futures League, a summer wooden bat collegiate league, came calling with the Silver Knights. Nashua has quickly become the standard bearer of the circuit, winning six championships in the Future League’s twelve seasons. The Silver Knights are the lone remaining original Futures League franchise. Food & Beverage 4 Holman Stadium features a pretty basic concessions menu, but one which touches all the bases. There are two concession stands in the facility, one near the front entrance and one down the right field line. Both stands feature nearly identical menus, with burgers, hot dogs, and sausage and peppers sandwiches featured. Pretzels, chips, and popcorn are available for fans looking for snacks. The right field stand also serves chicken fingers and french fries. Coca-Cola products are featured at Holman Stadium. Fans looking for an adult beverage should be sure to check out the Dragon Slayer Tavern located right by the main entrance. In addition to the typical national brands, several local craft brews from Athletic, Burlington, Jack’s Abbey, 603, and Downeast Breweries. Busch Light drafts are half-priced on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In addition to the beer selection, wine, and mixed drinks can be purchased at Dragon Slayer. Atmosphere 3 Fans who have traveled the New England summer college ball circuit will know that the Futures League features a more elaborate game day presentation than their brethren in the Cape and New England Leagues. It’s more akin to a minor league game presentation, just scaled down for the smaller crowds and lesser amenities in place. Holman Stadium bills itself as “historic,” and here the moniker fits. Holman Stadium was home to the first integrated team in baseball’s modern era. The exterior of the stadium features murals of Don Newcome and Roy Campanella, who played for the Nashua Dodgers in 1946. There are jerseys honoring these players on the left field wall, and a plaque on the ground quoting Newcombe’s affinity for the city of Nashua near the entrance. The game day presentation is fairly typical here in Nashua. In a tradition that dates to the beginning of the Silver Knights, the entire Silver Knights team, interns included, joins together on the field and dances to David Guetta’s “Love is Gone” in the middle of the sixth inning. Neighborhood 4 Located in a largely residential area, there’s not a whole lot in the way of dining or lodging options right around Holman Stadium, but there are many options for visiting fans just a short drive from the ballpark. Downtown Nashua is about a mile from Holman Stadium down by the banks of the Merrimack River. The area features a variety of shops, restaurants, and scenic architecture. Several excellent brew pubs are located in the downtown area. It’s a great place to walk around during the warm summer months of the baseball season. The tourist attractions of the White Mountains are located a couple of hours north of Nashua. Holman Stadium is located adjacent to Amherst Street Elementary School, and there are basketball courts, tennis courts, a little league field, and a swimming pool on the grounds of the ballpark. Fans 3 Nashua annually ranks somewhere in the middle of the Futures League attendance rankings with about 1,500 fans per game. The crowds here in southern New Hampshire are typical of other teams in the area, with a mix of locals, die-hards, families, and people with connections to the players. With Futures League rosters made up primarily of players with New England ties, there are lots of friends and family in attendance. Some of the fans of the Silver Knights have been coming to Holman Stadium since the days of the independent Pride. You can still hear the cowbells in Nashua after a big play, or the drum being beaten by one of the team’s superfans out in the left-field stands. Access 4 Nashua is a small city of just under 90,000 residents located 45 miles northwest of Boston on the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border. The city straddles the Merrimack River, which gave the city the bulk of its industrial past through the textile industry. The city has rebounded quite nicely from the exodus of manufacturing jobs, capitalizing on the region’s economic expansion as part of the greater Boston region. Nashua has twice been named the “Best Place to Live in America” by Money Magazine. Getting to Holman Stadium is very easy. It is located on Amherst Street, about a mile from Route 3. Take exit 7A and follow Amherst Street to the ballpark, which will be on your left. There is ample parking in the lot next to the field. Fans enter Holman Stadium onto an outdoor concourse. Immediately to your right will be a concession stand, with the Dragon Slayer Tavern to your left. There is more than enough room to get around during a typical Silver Knights game. Fans enter the seating area, which stretches from first base around to third base, through several vomitories. There is a wide walkway separating the upper and lower levels. Fans may want to pick seats a few rows up if sitting on the upper level to avoid the traffic passing in front of them. The nets are strung in front of the entire seating bowl at Holman Stadium. Access to the picnic area in right field can be had by a stairway at the end of the seating area, or by simply walking around the back of the grandstand and down the hill to the picnic area. Several tables are located here, as well as an additional concession stand. The left field area features more picnic tables, a basketball court, and a bouncy house. Fans requiring handicapped access will have no problem navigating Holman Stadium’s wide walkways and concourse. There are two sets of bathrooms here, which are more than large enough to accommodate the typical Silver Knights crowd. Return on Investment 4 Tickets to Silver Knights games cost ten dollars for general admission seating. Parking is free in the lot adjacent to the ballpark. Concessions are affordable and in line with other small ballparks in the area. Overall, a night at a Silver Knights game is a most affordable entertainment option for southern New Hampshire baseball fans. Extras 3 Holman Stadium embraces its history as home to the first integrated baseball team in the United States. Murals of Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe adorn the exterior of the ballpark. Retired numbers honoring Campanella, Newcombe, and Jackie Robinson hang on the short brick wall in left field. Fans visiting Nashua may want to head downtown to see the mural honoring the first integrated team in the United States , located near city hall. In addition, the Holman Stadium Hall of Fame honors significant persons in Nashua sports history. Even the seats at Holman Stadium have an interesting story. All the seats in the ballpark came to Nashua from Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium when Holman was renovated in 1998. Final Thoughts Holman Stadium is a quaint ballpark that has likely seen the end of its days as a professional facility. With Northeast Delta Dental Stadium located 20 minutes to the north and LaLacheur Park located 20 minutes to the south, there are just not enough fans for affiliated ball in the area. The Futures League has given new life to several other New England ballparks that otherwise would have faded into history. Seven of the eight teams in the circuit play in ballparks that used to house pro teams but have seen them leave for newer, more modern parks. Follow Paul Baker’s stadium journeys on Twitter and Instagram @PuckmanRI.

Photos by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57 Scottsdale Stadium 7408 E Osborn Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Map It Scottsdale Scorpions website Scottsdale Stadium website Year Opened: 1992 Capacity: 12,000 Fall Scorpions Scottsdale Stadium in Phoenix’s East Valley opened in 1992; the Arizona Fall League’s Scottsdale Scorpions (baseball) have occupied it every October and November (except 2020). Designed by HOK, the city built the current stadium on the same site as the old Scottsdale Stadium, which opened in 1956. The city of Scottsdale operates and maintains the facility. The city upgraded the seating area of the stadium over the past summer (202 3), enhancing fan comfort and safety. The Arizona Fall League is a developmental instructional baseball league played in various spring training complexes in the Greater Phoenix area. The season lasts six weeks during October and November. Major league teams send some of their most highly touted prospects to play in the league for additional practice. The 2023 Scottsdale Scorpions host players from the Angels, Phillies, Giants, Cardinals, and Nationals. The Scorpions last won the Fall League championship in 2015. In addition to hosting the Scorpions, Scottsdale Stadium has hosted the Arizona Fall League Championship games in years past and will do so again in 2023. During the spring, the MLB San Francisco Giants call the stadium home for Cactus League play. Major League Baseball changed the starting times of the games this 2023 season. Unfortunately, fewer afternoon games are offered and those games start at 2:30pm (vs. 12:30pm in prior years). Evening games continue to start at 6:30pm. This start time change makes it difficult to travel to two stadiums to see a doubleheader (especially with rush hour traffic), which is disappointing. Food & Beverage 2 Several kiosks at the main concession stand are open for Fall League games and sell the standard ballpark fare. They offer hot dogs, bratwurst, and pizza ($7.49 - $7.99). Snacks include Bavarian pretzels, nachos, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, candy, and chips ($4.49 - $6.99). The concession area also includes a frozen yogurt stall. For drinks, Coca-Cola brand sodas ($5.99) and bottled water ($4.99) are available. A variety of canned beer is also available at the concession stand, both regular size and super-size ($9.99 - $13.99). Brands include Coors, Michelob, Lagunitas, Modelo, 805, and Truly. Wine and canned cocktails are also for sale. The selection is basic but enough for the crowd. I find the hot dog tastes better than the bratwurst, but neither are delicious. We recommend just getting a snack, if needed, and heading to one of the many restaurants in nearby downtown Scottsdale before or after the game. Atmosphere 3 The city has done some amazing upgrades to the stadium over the summer, making it look spiffy. Traditional green fold-down stadium seats are available on two levels with a walkway between the seating areas. The upgrades included replacing all seat backs and bottoms, and cup holders were added. Nice! The seats are still tight but are clean and shiny. Scottsdale Stadium New Seats and Railing, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Seats beyond the baselines do not face toward the infield (the stadium was built just a few years before that innovation was discovered). Rows have average legroom. The inner concourse floors were repainted making the stadium look fresh and spruced up. The old green rails and banisters were replaced with new aluminum ones. For the 2023 season, the stadium closed the top level of seating, so fans can only sit in the 100 level. The city is continuing its upgrades and is awaiting the arrival of more banisters and handrails to complete the 200 level upgrades. They hope to have this completed for the 2023 Championship game on Nov 11, 2023. N ets taper to the end of the dugout. Fans can watch net-free baseball when sitting further down the foul lines. For Fall League games, it is first come/first served general admission seating. The sun shines down the first and third baselines, with shade offe red behind the home plate area and in the second level for day games (the second level is not available in 2023). Pick your preference and/or move around to different seating areas during the game. The scoreboard at Scottsdale Stadium shows the line score with the balls, strikes, and outs displayed vertically vs the traditional horizontal view. When the PA announces a home player’s at-bat or a pitching change, the scoreboard shows a photo of that player, his name, and his MLB team affiliation. This is not done for the visiting team. The scoreboard has an analog clock, not seen very often these days. The bullpens are in left and right field behind the outfield walls. Fortunately, printed starting lineups and rosters are available again (this was discontinued during COVID). Visitors can find these at the merchandise stand near the entrance. Lastly, the music volume is perfect. The PA staff only play it pre-game and between innings (not between at-bats or pitches). It’s like heaven being able to hear the sounds of the game, the crack of the bat, the snap of the ball in the glove, and to be able to talk baseball with your neighbor. Neighborhood 5 The ballpark is adjacent to a thriving downtown neighborhood. Within just blocks (walking distance – up to but no longer than a mile) are many areas to eat, drink, shop, and sleep. It is a very safe neighborhood in which to stroll and visit. Recommended places to eat in downtown Scottsdale are Karsen’s Grill (an exceptional small bar/eatery), Los Olivos Mexican Patio (Mexican and margaritas), and The Mission Old Town (modern Latin cuisine). Goldwater Brewery (an independent local brewery) is a half-mile walk from the stadium and sells a good variety of craft beers. Brat Haus is right next door to Goldwater Brewery and offers artisan sausages, Belgian fries, and 25 varieties of craft beer. There are man y other restaurants and bars in the neighborhood; check here for a directory to find others that might suit your tastes. For places to spend the night, Old Town Scottsdale has many hotels, many within walking distance of Scottsdale Stadium. The Courtyard Scottsdale Old Town and the Holiday Inn Express are within a mile of the stadium. Prices during the Fall League are more affordable than during spring training. Besides strolling through the downtown area, other things to see and do within walking distance of the stadium are the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Other sports to visit when in town are the two other East Valley Fall League stadiums: Salt River Fields and Sloan Park . A little farther away, hockey fans can catch a Coyotes game, or basketball fans can watch a Suns’ game at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. Just five or so miles south of Scottsdale, fans can catch some ASU football , basketball , or soccer matches. Fans 3 Attendance is between 300 – 500 fans a game, with more fans attending on weekends and as the season progresses. As with most AFL games, fans consist of baseball scouts, retired folks, and true devotees of the game of baseball. You’ll see parents or grandparents of the players in the stands as well. It is quite easy to strike up a conversation, as most fans have baseball in common. Scorpion Fan Keeping Score, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Access 3 Scottsdale Stadium is located at the corner of Drinkwater Blvd and Osborn Rd in downtown Scottsdale. None of the major highways in Phoenix go near the stadium. Loop 101 (Pima Fwy) is easily the closest, a few miles to the east of Scottsdale Stadium. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the closest airport (only nine or ten miles from the stadium). Check Valley Metro for bus options to the stadium. Once at the stadium, the closest public parking area is the Civic Center Library Garage, located next to the ballpark on Drinkwater Blvd. It’s one block away beyond the third base side of the stadium. That garage is free and should not fill up for Scorpion games. The stadium and city do a poor job of identifying and providing handicapped parking. Only three wheelchair-designated parking spots are noticeably available at the parking area just in front of the stadium. The sign at that parking lot says the lot is reserved and not for public parking, which is unfortunate for those who really need to park close. Getting through security is painless. Fans walk through a scanner and give their bags and phone to a security person. Clean, serviceable bathrooms are open along the concourse near the tunnels. Stadium operations automated them (touchless) during the pandemic. Clear sport bags are allowed in the stadium. Return on Investment 4 Arizona Fall League games, especially in Scottsdale, are just about baseball, not all the other extra entertainment and commercialization happening during spring training games. Not a whole lot of music is played to ruin hearing the natural sounds of the game. Fans can talk baseball to just about anyone and strike up a friendship, if at least for a few innings. A game is affordable: $12 for adults, $10 for kids over 12 and seniors (55+), children under 12 get in free. Fans can sit anywhere they want. The AFL sells season ticket packages (single or double), worth the investment if you and/or a friend plan on attending more than 10 or 15 games. Parking is free; food is the traditional higher stadium-priced amounts. Extras 5 Several items are worth noting. Fans can watch net-free baseball at Scottsdale Stadium. The organization hires extremely friendly guest service entry personnel and staff. Scottsdale Stadium boasts the Arizona Fall League Sports Hall of Fame. Plaques are on the wall of the main concourse near the bathrooms on the first base side. A lot of great baseball history is on that wall. Stadium operations play minimal music during the game and none between pitches a nd at-bats, which is a pleasant relief for the baseball purists who attend games here. Visitors can have conversations without being drowned out by music. Finally, we give extra honors for the upgrades to the stadium seating area. It’s fresh and inviting. Final Thoughts For all the baseball purists, an Arizona Fall League game is just the ticket. Scottsdale Stadium provides lots of baseball and sports history. If in town in October or November, stop by and take in nine innings. For those who attend Scottsdale Stadium for SF Giants spring training games, be on the lookout for additional improvements down the first baseline. The upgrades include constructing a new patio with shade covering to provide a fantastic place for fans to hang out during games and to host events outside of baseball season. This area will be open in time for the 2024 spring training.

St. Louis has always been known as a “baseball city.” The city was attracted to the sport very early, as news articles show the first game taking place on July 9th, 1860. The earliest games were played on open fields in parks, with no fences or stands in place. St. Louis’ Big League Ballparks by Joan M. Thomas takes an in-depth look at the many teams, leagues, and ballparks that have earned the city this accolade. One of the first baseball structures in St. Louis was Red Stockings Park. It opened in 1875 and was used by the St. Louis Red Stockings of the National Association for one season. In 1888 it was used by the St. Louis Whites of the Western Association. The ballpark featured a basic wooden stockade and had a capacity of 1,000. After 1876 it was used by a variety of amateur leagues for their games. Another St. Louis ballpark of the 1880s was Union Park, which opened in 1884. The park had a capacity of 10,000. It featured a wooden grandstand that was painted white and had two wings down the baselines that featured opera chairs. The playing field featured blue grass and clover and the Union Maroon’s uniforms were white with maroon leggings and caps. The scoreboard at the park featured the scores from other games that were underway, which were transmitted to the stadium by telegraph. A brass band played each time they took the field. Sadly, the team only lasted two seasons, as they exhausted the owner’s wealth. Like many other ballparks of the era, Robison Park went through a variety of names and affiliations during its existence. (1893-1920). The venue began its life as New Sportsman’s Park. It was home to both the ballpark and an entertainment complex. The complex included an amusement park, which included a beer garden, a waterfront ride, and a lake. The ballpark served as the home of the St. Louis Browns. In 1899 the Browns and the ballpark were sold to the Robison Brothers, who changed the ballpark name to League Park. They also changed the uniform color to Cardinal red and the team’s name to “Cardinals.”  In 1911 ownership of the team transferred to the daughter of one of the Robison brothers upon their deaths. The daughter changed the ballpark name to Robison Park to honor her father and uncle. A later sale resulted in the ballpark name changing to Cardinal Field. In 1920 the Cardinals moved to Old Sportsman’s Park. The stadium of many names had reached its end. The ballpark was torn down in 1926 and was replaced by a high school. Handlan Park opened in 1914. The ballpark featured a single-deck wooden grandstand behind the plate and bleacher seating beyond the outfield walls. It was home to the St. Louis Terriers team of the Federal League. The Federal League and the Terriers folded in 1916. The park was then used as an athletic field for St. Louis University. From 1920-1921 Handlan Park was used by the St. Louis Giants of the Negro National League. Another Negro National League team, the St. Louis Stars, played at Stars Park from 1922 – 1931. The Stars featured “Cool Papa” Bell a future Baseball Hall of Fame member. The capacity of the ballpark was 10,000. Sportsman’s Park survived the longest of all the structures devoted to St. Louis baseball. It began its service to the city as the Grand Avenue Grounds. It opened in 1868 as the home of the St. Louis Brown Stockings. In 1882 local brewer Chris Von der Ahe took over the Grand Avenue Grounds and renamed it Sportsman Park. The team was remarkably successful under his ownership, as they won four straight American Association pennants and one World Series title. In 1920 the National League Cardinals became co-tenants with the Brown Stockings. This was good for Von Ahe’s brewing business as it doubled the number of home games, and the National League allowed both games and drinking of alcoholic beverages on Sundays. Over the years, Sportsman’s Park would see several improvements, as capacity was expanded to 34,000 seats, and lights were added in 1940, making night baseball possible. One of the more unique occurrences during Sportsman’s Park’s years was the 1944 World Series. It featured the two home teams! The St. Louis Browns played the St. Louis Cardinals in a six-game series, with the Cardinals winning the Series 4 games to two. However, for most of their years as co-tenants, the Cardinals had the more successful teams. They won the World Series in 1926 and 1934. In the 1930s, the Cardinals featured the Gashouse Gang, a team made up of Daffy and Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, Ducky Medwick, Leo Durocher, and Johnnie Mize. (All future Baseball Hall of Fame members). In 1954 both the Anheuser Busch Company and the Busch family purchased Sportsman’s Park and the Cardinals. (The Browns franchise had relocated to Baltimore, where they rebranded as the Orioles.) Busch made several major improvements, including enlarging capacity, installing a new scoreboard, as well as structural improvements to the plumbing and lighting systems. In 1961 the St. Louis Cardinals NFL franchise was added as a tenant.  By the mid-1960s Sportsman Park was showing its age. It had ably served baseball well for nearly 100 years. The team made plans for a downtown ballpark that they hoped to move into by 1964. However, due to labor stoppages, the stadium was not ready until the 1966 baseball season. The Cardinals moved into the first Busch Stadium on May 12, 1966. The stadium’s full name was Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium. As you can imagine, the stadium structure around the playing field was quite different from Sportsman’s Park. It featured a circular shape featured by many stadiums of the era that hosted both baseball and football teams. The capacity of the new stadium was 46,000 seats. It was topped by a 70-foot canopy of open arches to replicate the look of the nearby Gateway Arch by the Mississippi River. The stadium also had very modern electronic amenities. The scoreboard could move a flying cardinal across the screen, which was revolutionary for the times. In 1970 the stadium was one of the first stadiums in the country to install Astroturf. (It would later tear the turf out due to the extreme heat it produced during the sweltering summer days St. Louis experiences) The years in the first Busch Stadium were very memorable, as the Cardinals would go to six World Series during this period, winning the Series in 1967 and 1982. The team would also feature five Baseball Hall of Fame players during this period (Orlando Cepeda, Steve Carlton, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith) plus one manager (Red Schoendienst). In 2006 the Cardinals moved into the new Busch Stadium (often called Busch Stadium III). The current stadium has a capacity of 44,383. It features a grass playing surface. In its inaugural season, the Cardinals sold out every game. The Cardinals have won two World Series (2006, and 2011) since moving into the park. Busch Stadium hosted the 2009 MLB All-Star Game. Over the years the ballpark has hosted St Louis Cardinals football, soccer matches, and the 2017 NHL Winter Classic. Busch Stadium has a separate entity within the stadium complex known as Ballpark Village. It is across the street from the stadium, within the footprint of the former Busch Stadium. Ballpark Village is a live/work/play development that includes restaurants, bars, a hotel, apartments, and retail stores. The complex is also home to the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, the Cardinal Nation Bar & Restaurant, and the team store.

Photos by Greg Johnston, Stadium Journey. Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.14 Halifax Forum 2901 Windsor St. Halifax, NS B3K 5E5 St. Mary’s hockey website Halifax Forum website Year Opened: 1927 Capacity: 4,610 Home of the Huskies in Halifax The Halifax Forum was built in 1927 to replace the Provincial Exhibition Building, which was destroyed by the disastrous Halifax explosion ten years earlier. The Forum was built for sport and community gatherings, and boasts as having the first artificial ice surface east of Montreal. In 1971, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs became the first professional hockey team in Halifax. Playing in the American Hockey League, the Forum was home ice for the Voyageurs for seven seasons before moving into the brand new Halifax Metro Centre (now Scotiabank Centre). Losing the Voyageurs as the main tenant devastated the Forum financially. In the 1980s, it seemed inevitable that the Forum’s days were numbered. Instead, the building was expanded to create more adaptable events, including an additional ice hockey rink, meeting rooms, a multipurpose room, and a bingo hall. The arena’s fate was once again in question in 2014. A proposal to tear down the Forum and construct a modern four-pad hockey rink, was shot down by city councilors. Instead, a new proposal is in the works which includes renovating the historic building and surrounding lands, building an additional rink and other mixed use opportunities. Today, two university teams, the Saint Mary’s Huskies and Dalhousie Tigers, are the major tenants. Saint Mary’s University (SMU) has a history of success with their men’s hockey program. The Huskies reached the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) University Cup Finals four straight seasons in the early 1970s, losing each one to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. A return to the finals alluded SMU until 2010, when they beat Alberta Golden Bears in overtime for their first championship. The Huskies fell short of their second championship in 2013, losing in CIS University Cup finals to the University of New Brunswick. Food & Beverage 2 The “Canteen,” located at the southwest corner of the building, is the only concession stand in the arena serving food and sodas. The Forum menu includes basic items such as pizza, nachos, popcorn, fries, and hot dogs all for a reasonable $3.00 to $3.75. Chips and candy bars are your remaining food options; these can be purchased at the Canteen or the multiple vending machines throughout the concourse for the same price. Pepsi products are offered in bottle only. For an alcoholic drink, make your way to the “Lounge” located near the nosebleed seats on the south end of the rink. The only beer pouring out of the tap is Coors Light for a surprisingly low price (at least in Canada) of $5.50. Both stands only take cash, however an ATM is located near the main entrance. Atmosphere 2 When you think of “old-time hockey,” you think of the hardnosed action on the ice, the helmetless players and goalies, and the intimate stadiums they played in. The Halifax Forum will remind you of those classic rinks of yesteryear that are nearly extinct. Think of the original six NHL franchises and the arenas they played in back in mid 1900s. Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, Detroit Olympia, and the original Madison Square Garden in New York were all demolished. The Montreal Forum and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto were adaptively reused as public spaces. The renovations inside Maple Leaf Gardens included the Mattamy Athletic Centre on an upper story from the old floor. Thus hockey is still played there, but the original ice surface is now the frozen food section of a grocery store. Outside of the additional facilities around the building, the Halifax Forum has seen only minor renovations since the original construction was completed. The exterior brick facade and main entry signage is the same as it looks in old black and white photos. The building aligns with Windsor Street near Almon Street. The decorative masonry with glass block elements is clearly distinguishable from the street. As your ticket is torn, the rink catches your eye through a large portal, creating an anticipation of the event. The concourse in front of the main entry is narrow and crowded, made more so by the fund raisers who set up tables in that area. Like many old arenas, portals into seating areas are full of small ramps and the occasional odd placement for steps. The home and away benches are across the rink from each other, with both penalty boxes next to the home bench, providing some home ice advantage. The press box is an obvious addition to the building; it is odd, and out of place as it almost hangs over the rink. The four-sided scoreboard hanging from centre ice is a classic with its individually lit light bulbs like you see in old sports movies. Be sure to watch the action on the ice, no video board is available for replays. Listen closely to the public address announcer to know who scored the last goal; the acoustics in the arena is poor and difficult to make out what is said. The seating is set up in a horseshoe style. There are two rows of rink-side seats, in front of fifteen rows of seats having access from stairs. In most places, unpadded metal seats have replaced the old bench style seating in the stands. However, the seats are not very wide, and leave little space for leg room. The old steel supporting columns are close to the ice and may obstruct your view, but it’s also part of the facility’s charm. The only unobstructed view is behind the net, this appears to be where most patrons prefer to sit. Though the Forum’s website claims to be wheelchair accessible, the arena has not updated its seating plan for the handicapped. At the reviewed event, a wheelchair bound patron watched the action from an aisle leading to a portal. Avoid the upper rows of seats at centre ice; the hanging press box eliminates your view of any scoreboard in the building. If the weather outside is cold, prepare for it to be shivering inside as well, as the heating system only reaches a few rows in the middle of the seating sections. Most patrons leave their coats on the entire contest. Neighborhood 3 The Halifax Forum is located on the north end of the Halifax peninsula. In 1917, this area was devastated by the Halifax explosion, killing 2,000 people and wounding thousands more.The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a great place to learn more about this tragic event that remains etched in Haligonians hearts today. The Forum acts as a transition from a low density residential area to the east, and a post office distribution centre and commercial areas to the west. A choice of restaurants is hard to find in the immediate area. However Brooklyn’s Warehouse is across the street with a great Rueben sandwich. For lunch, try The Coastal or Tarek’s Cafe, both located along Robie Street close to Almon. For great pizza try Mother’s Pizza, just a few blocks further north. If you have time to explore, walk over to the Hydrostone Market. Local stores and coffee shops highlight a famous olde English style neighbourhood. Fans 3 In general, student attendance seems to suffer whenever home games are located off campus. Such could be the case with SMU where the arena is roughly 4 km away from the university. A vast majority of the fans are not students, but rather alumni and families. Crowds are quiet and respectful, enjoying the action on the ice. On the concourse at the start and end of each period, the Huskies players cross paths with fans to get to the dressing room. This is an excellent opportunity for kids to fist bump the players they admire, wishing them good luck. Attendance at the Forum will likely be far under capacity, and that’s not a bad thing. With small seats and rows, a sold out event at the Forum would be an uncomfortably tight squeeze with fellow fans. Tickets are general admission so you have the opportunity to find the best seat in the house. Access 4 Getting to the Halifax Forum is simple from car or public transit. Free parking is offered for 500 cars on site. On street parking is another free option available along side streets. Several Metro Transit routes drop you off close to the main entry for $2.50. The #18 bus route connects Saint Mary’s University and the Forum. The only entrance into the arena is clearly recognizable with the bright concourse lights shining through the multiple doorways and a shingled canopy above the entrance with the word “FORUM” in large block letters. Once doors open, access around the arena is straightforward. The concourse spans 180 degrees around one end of the rink. Finding your seat should not be difficult as plenty of colourful signs point you to the sections. A curtain separates public access, and the player locker rooms. Male and female restrooms are on both sides of the arena, with minimal lines at intermission. Each portal requires a maneuver around a structural column and down a ramp before entering the seating area, a unique feature that adds to the classic arena experience. Unfortunately, ushers are nowhere to be found if you do need help. A few security personnel are located by the emergency exits. Return on Investment 5 The experience at the Forum is well worth the price of admission. New arenas have moved toward comfort and luxury, but have lost the character and uniqueness that make each of the old venues great. This is a “bucket list” arena for those who find the allure of exploring old sporting arenas. Prices for individual game tickets are reasonable for CIS level of competition, and almost half the price of Halifax’s junior hockey team. Tickets are $10 for an adult, $8 for a senior or alumnus, $5 for young students and children, and SMU students get in free. The athletic department offers a season ticket package that includes every SMU athletic event for $200, and a “Huskies Fan 15 Pack” for any sporting event for $100. Extras 3 One point for the city of Halifax for keeping and using this classic old barn as it was originally intended all these years, and for years to come. One point for the displays throughout the concourse telling the history of the Halifax Forum by decade. The displays include both the good times, with famous performances and players, while also explaining the dark years and the threat of closure. One point for free parking on site. Final Thoughts The old arenas of the NHL’s original six may be history, but other traditional arenas still exist around the country. Halifax Forum is an arena that has survived hard times and threats of demolition. It has now found new life with the latest proposal, and a secure future. The Forum is not the perfect place to watch a game, but it has an aura about it that makes for a great hockey venue for spectators. Walking into the Forum visually takes you back in time, to an era of old-time hockey.

Photos by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43 Mullett Arena 411 S Packard Dr Tempe, AZ 85281 Map It Valley Suns website Mu llett Arena website Year Opened: 2022 Capacity: 5,000 Valley of the Suns Beginning operation in the fall of 2024, the Valley Suns are the newest member of the G League, an NBA developmental lea gue.  The NBA Development League (NBA D-League) was renamed the NBA G League as part of a multiyear expanded partnership between the NBA and Gatorade in 2017-18.  The Valley Suns are an affiliate of the Phoenix Suns , the last NBA team to own or operate a G League team. The Valley Suns play in Mullett Arena on the Arizona State University (ASU) campus in Tempe, AZ.  The arena is better kn own as the home of  ASU Sun Devils ice hockey and was home to the Arizona Coyotes for two years before they moved to Utah in 2024.  Mullett Arena also hosts ASU women’s basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and concerts.  The venue displays some, but not much, Valley Suns signage; it’s still undeniably an ASU facility. While the team is still new and fans have not quite come out in droves to watch them, it is gaining some traction for basketball fans in the Phoenix Metro area.  And for good reaso n, as a ttending a Valley Suns game is an immensely enjoyable few hours of sports entertainment. Food & Beverage 2 Three concessions stations were open to the general public on the day of this vis it: a  Wetzel’s Pretzels, a grab-n-go Marketplace, and a Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers stand.  A Venezia’s Pizza stand is sometimes open, so look for that near section 108.  The Wetzel’s and Marketplace are near the entrance; the cheeseburger and pizza selections are on the upper level.  A Coors Light Club Chill with tables and chairs is also on the upper level, but only fans with special tickets can get food there.  Mullett Arena Coors Light Club Chill, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey The Marketplace has packaged snacks ($3 - $10) and canned and bottled drinks ($5 water; $17 premium bomber/seltzer).  Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers, an Arizona sports bar chain, sells burgers ($16/$17) and slider and chicken baskets ($15/$16). Soft drinks are Coca-Cola brands.  Fans can bring in one sealed bottle of water.  The food choices and selections are enough for a Valley Suns game.  The prices are on the high side.  We recommend getting a snack, if needed, and then heading  to one of many restaurants and eateries in the nearby Tempe area. Atmosphere 4 Fans have a pleasurable and fun few hours w atching good basketball at a Valley Suns game at Mullett Arena.  It’s a college arena holding 5,000 seats, so every seat has a decen t view of the court.  Sitting at c enter court is probably the best view but even the corner seats have decent sights.  Plastic fold-down seats surround the court with rows running A – P with P being the highest row.  Courtside seats line the hardwood floor.   Cement bleachers (student section used during ASU hockey games) situated behind one of the baskets remain empty during a Valley Suns game.  A drink rail surrounds the upper level where some fans socialize for parts of the game. The venue also has loge boxes and suites; they are not used during Valley Suns games (at least the game we attended). The arena has a vividly crisp center-hung video scoreboard that shows gameplay, score, players on the court and their stats, time outs left, and time.  Two smaller dot matrix boards are attached to the second-level seating façade.  The team conveniently posts live closed captioning on the ends of the ribbon boards so fans can read the announcer’s calls. The pre-game music is painfully loud; fans are unable to converse during that time.  Bring earplugs or noise-canceling headsets if you or your family are sensitive to deafening noises. Thankfully, the volume is lowered during game time and is not played during game action , only d uring pre-game and stoppages. Game day operations turn off the lights during the National Anthem and player introductions.  Many fans turn their phone flashlight on and wave it during the pre-game which is always a fantastic thing to see and participate in. The temperature in the arena is perfect.  A long-sleeved shirt is sufficient for most fans. The mascot, named Ray, is a furry orange blob who participates in activities such as fan contests and t-shirt tosses.  He/she is seen roaming the court and by the stands, ready for a picture and some fun and mascot antics. Ray, the Valley Suns Mascot, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey In-game promotions include a t-shirt toss, a hi-lo card game sponsored by a casino, name as many specific topic items as you can, a dance cam and funny face cam, a scream for courtside tickets, and more.  And even better, it’s not done to the extreme.  It’s a very enjoyable game day vi sit,  and we find ourselves wanting to go back.  Neighborhood 4 Mullett Arena sits on the ASU (Arizona State University) Tempe campus between Mountain West Stadium and the Track Field grounds near Desert Financial Arena.   Tempe is a vibrant, active community and college town.  Numerous restaurants and bars are open within a mile of the arena for a bite to eat or drink before or after a Valley Suns game. Eureka is the closest, serving craft beers, cocktails, and a delicious selection of house-made fare.  Cornish Pasty Co, Snooze (breakfast), Postino Annex, and Alter Ego (breakfast, lunch, and dinner – Asian inspired) are j ust several of the many other nearby eateries to choose from.   Several breweries are a short distance away (less than 2 miles):  Hundred Mile Brewing, Four Peaks Brewing, Pedal Haus, and The Shop Beer Co. all serve their delicious craft beers.  Other things to see and do when visiting Tempe include Rio Salado Park (river park for hiking and birding), ASU Art Museum, Tempe Marketplace (shopping), Papago Park, Phoenix Zoo, and the Desert Botanical Gardens.  A plethora of other sports are in session at the same time as the Valley Suns:  ASU football , basketball (men’s and women’s), volleyball , and ice hockey. February and March bring Cubs spring training at nearby Sloan Park , and ASU baseball at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Hyatt House Tempe is .2 miles from Mullett Arena, so quite walkable.  Ten or more other hotels are in Tempe but a little further.  Lodging is pricey downtown.  A Holiday Inn Express and a Comfort Inn are a little over a mile from the arena and may be less costly.  It’s a bustling downtown and city; one worth checking out when in the area.  Fans 3 The Valley Suns are new and still establishing themselves in the Valley.  Attendance averages between 400 – 600 fans per game, with attendance increasing as the season progresses. The fans haven’t yet learned to wait for stoppages of play to head to or from their seats. However, they are extremely engaged.  Most stand until the team gets its first basket. They cheer on the players wholeheartedly throughout the game.  Phoenix Suns gear is seen in the crowd, with a trickle of Valley Suns jerseys and shirts in the mix.  Those will come with time. Access 4 Getting to Mullett Arena is pretty easy with parking and public transportation available.  It is a mile south of the Loop 202/Scottsdale Rd exit.  A four-story parking garage is adjacent to the arena, though, at $20 to park, it’s pricey.   The arena is five miles from Sky Harbor Airport. The ASU campus and the city of Tempe have plenty of public transportation.  Fans can take the Valley Metro train to the Veterans/College Ave stop and either walk to Mullett Arena (a little over ½ mile) or hop on the 48 bus which drops you off right in front of the venue.  Check Valley Metro  for schedules, fares, and maps. Fans painlessly enter through a security che ck before even getting to the ticket booth (outside).   Gates open an hour before the scheduled tip-off.   Clear 12” x 12” x 6” bags an d small clutches are allowed.  The concourses are small though not crowded with the fan base at a Valley Suns game.  Steps go upstairs to the higher rows with one elevator available between sections 104 - 105 (it’s gated o ff; you have to ask to use it).  Otherwise, fans access the seats by ascending a short flight of stairs through portals or onto the court directly between sections 106 and 107. The restrooms are new and sparkling cl ean. Return on Investment 4 Except for the parking, the price for Valley Suns games is quite reasonable.  They start at only $15 ($19.50 with fees and taxes) and go to $150 (floor seats).  The team offers season and partial-season tickets.  Student Rush tickets are $10 (check their website for details).   Mullett Arena only offers e-tickets (the staff texts you with a link). The game day experience is immensely enjoyable, so very worth your sports dollar expenditure. The $20 to park in the garage is too much.  Use Valley Metro for a more affordable choice to get to the arena.  The concession prices are also high, but you don’t need to eat during a two-hour contest. Extras 3 Having live closed captioning during a Valley Suns game is worth an extra mention.  Mullett Arena Closed Captioning, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey The game day staff at Mullett Arena and a Valley Suns game are tremendously helpful, friendly, and polite and make you feel remarkedly welcomed.  A merchandise area near the entrance has slick-looking t-shirts, sweatshirts, and trinkets (even hat pins)!  Final Thoughts A Valley Suns basketball game provides a family-friendly atmosphere.  Bo th young and old fans will enjoy the back-and-forth action on the court, the pleasant staff, and the activities and contests.

Photos by David Welch, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57 Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium 700 Pelham Rd N Jacksonville, AL 36265 Jacksonville State Gamecocks website Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium website Year Opened: 1947 Capacity: 24,000 Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium Over the better part of the last decade, Jacksonville State has proven itself as one of the more dangerous teams of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Not only have the Gamecocks been headaches for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams such as Georgia Tech , LSU , and Arkansas , they have pulled upsets on the home fields of the Ole Miss Rebels and Florida State Seminoles in recent years. Jacksonville State has made the steady climb from a NCAA Division-II power, playing in four NCAA D-II championship games and winning it all in 1992. The Gamecocks continued their gridiron success when they moved from Division II into the FCS for the 1996 season – it took Jax State ten seasons to reach the pinnacle of the FCS, facing off against nine-time FCS champion, North Dakota State. Jacksonville State now joins the FBS member conference, Conference USA, as one of the handful of new members in college football’s highest division. In preparation for the jump to college football’s top division, Jacksonville State has invested $80 million in upgrades to their football facilities that offer both their student-athletes and fans an improved football experience. Food & Beverage 4 Fans here have a choice of traditional concessions stand items including hot dogs, chili dogs, cheeseburgers, nachos, fountain Coke products, and all the typical concessions stand popcorn, peanuts, and candy options. Fans can order concessions to pick up and go using the Everyday App ; QR codes are posted around the concourse to make downloading the app easier. Those wanting a bit of a break from the norm will want to visit the Food Truck Rally behind the east end zone bleachers – this area features a mix of Brix ‘n Stix Wood Fired Pizza, TJ’s Crawfish Shack, RNB Finz and Chicks LLC, Kona Ice, Main Squeeze Lemonade, and WOW American Eats. Beer is sold at JSU Stadium, but options are a bit limited. Bud Lite, Busch Lite, and Michelob Ultra round out the macrobrews, while Wicked Weed Pernicious, Back Forty Truck Stop Honey, and Bud Seltzer provide a break from the run-of-the-mill beers. All payment options are cashless – payment methods fans can use for concessions and food trucks include credit/debit cards or Apple, Google, or Samsung Pay. The Food Truck Rally is definitely the way to go if looking for a break from the typical concessions stand items; with soul food, wings and fried foods, and Cajun delights, there is a wonderful spread for fans to choose from. Atmosphere 3 The campus game day atmosphere comes to life in the pre-dawn hours. As early as 7 am, fans start staking their claim to tailgating plots along the grassy area at the front of campus. As game time approaches, “The Roost” starts bustling with more excitement which builds in anticipation of the Gamecock Walk where school mascot Cocky, along with band members, cheerleaders, members of the dance squad, coaches, and staff walk from the team buses at Angel Hall to the current football facility. Later, while the Gamecocks make final game preparations, fans start making their way to Burgess-Snow Field. As JSU Stadium continues to undergo upgrades, fans do have a handful of minor inconveniences to navigate. In its second phase of improvements, the Loring and Debbie White Football Complex player development center is starting to take shape behind the stadium's west end zone. At the moment, the visiting team stands lacks seating, but is open for fans to sit in if they so choose. Outside of the club level seats, any of the seating options get fans right on top of the action and give great views of the game. Given the orientation of the field, however, there is not a lot of relief from the sun – the best bet to limit the impact the sun will have on the enjoyment of the game is sitting on the home side of the field, toward the eastern end of the stadium. Fans on the visiting, north side of the stadium will have the sun in their face for much of the game. Throughout the game, there is a nice balance of music piped through the stadium speakers, as well as performances by the Marching Southerners. No matter which form of music is used, the Marching Southerners do a great job setting the tone for a fun football atmosphere. The overall coziness of Burgess-Snow Field will only be improved as progress continues to be made on the player development center and the north side stands. Neighborhood 3 Backdropped by the mountains of northeastern Alabama, JSU Stadium sits on the southern portion of the Jacksonville State campus. Jacksonville, a relatively small town by FBS standards, is just over 12,000 and has every bit of the cozy, small town feel. JSU Stadium stands out amongst the campus dormitories. The stadium’s main seating area also doubles as a dorm, with its first four floors providing student housing. In the immediate area around the stadium there are a handful of pre-gaming options. Struts of Jacksonville, more of a traditional sports bar, and Mason’s BBQ, both on Mountain Street NW, are the most conveniently located spots to grab a pre-game bite to eat. About a mile south of campus is Jacksonville’s town center; this has a handful of restaurants and the Apothecary Draft House, which fans can visit. Jacksonville’s rural setting does provide fans making a multi-day visit to Jacksonville with miles of hiking trails to explore through the northern reaches of the Talladega National Forest, which runs just east of Jacksonville. Pre-game entertainment might be a bit limited, but there is enough between tailgating and local restaurants for fans to keep themselves entertained until the gates open. Fans 3 JSU Stadium is one of the smaller FBS stadiums in the country. Despite its capacity of 24,000, it can be a raucous home field. Much like their JSU basketball pep band counterparts, the Marching Southerners are the pulse of the stadium’s liveliness. It is not just the spirit of the fight song they play or the musical interludes they drop during timeouts – band members are also commonly leading chants throughout the game and lead the enthusiasm of the stadium in anticipation of the game’s biggest moments. There is also a Sweet Caroline style sing-along, with a cue from the band as they hold their instruments in the air as they sway back and forth to Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA. As the song ends, fans breakout in a chant of “U.S.A!...U.S.A!” The home fans do a lot to stay into the game, but much of the credit for the fan involvement in the action on the field has to go to the Marching Southerners. Their intensity in supporting the Gamecocks is contagious and goes a long way toward creating a fun college football environment. Access 3 Jacksonville, Alabama is a bit off the beaten path. Fans coming from the west through Birmingham or from Atlanta to the east most likely will use I-20. This will leave just under a thirty-minute drive through Oxford and Anniston, Alabama. State Road 21 leads from I-20 right to the JSU campus. Northern and southern approaches come mostly via state roads and highways. Parking is available for $10 at nearby Stephenson, Dixon, and Curtiss Halls, but lots at the Theron Montgomery Building, Bibb Graves Hall, Ayers Hall, Crow Hall, Daugette Hall, and around Trustee Circle are free. A shuttle bus brings fans from the parking lot behind the library to campus. While the walk is not all that long, the shuttle is a nice amenity. The stadium is accessible from all directions, though the southwestern entrance point is a bit obscured due to the construction of the Loring and Debbie White Football Building. Most fans will enter through the southeast entrance, and fans watching the game from the suites can enter the VIP entrance through the lobby of Meehan Hall. Visiting fans have entry points along the north side of the stadium. Return on Investment 5 College football tickets can be some of the more expensive tickets on campuses, but Jacksonville State makes the experience one that is far from being finically prohibitive for fans to attend. With tickets starting at just $12 (including a $2 service fee), college football fans will be hard pressed to find a more affordable ticket. QR codes are posted around the outside of the stadium where tickets can purchased the day of the game for $15. Fans looking for a bit more comfortable game experience will need to pony up $130 for club level seats ($5 service fee included), but those do include a pre-game meal, fountain beverages, and snacks throughout the game. Jacksonville State wisely invests in their future fans by allowing children 5 and under into games free. This helps grab the attention of younger fans and instills early memories of going to a Gamecocks game. Extras 3 Banners of Jacksonville State’s alumni who have played professionally in football and baseball are displayed throughout the concourse below the main bleacher area. Former JSU golfer, 2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett, is also featured. Fans can watch the live, pre-game radio show broadcasting from outside the southeast entrance before entering the stadium. The original press box on the north side of the stadium gives fans a look at the long history of success the Gamecocks have enjoyed, from the years of conference championships to NCAA playoff appearances and the 1982 Division II National Championship. Final Thoughts Jacksonville State is doing everything it can to make the jump from FCS to FBS as seamless as possible. The investments they have made in facilities, player amenities, and coaching are a good first step in making that move a successful one. Time will tell if the move will be as successful as the Gamecocks performance has been at the Division II and I-AA/FCS levels. One of the challenges is, as members of Conference USA, more than half the conference rivals are more than 700 miles away, which will definitely impact the size of the visiting crowds – nearby Kennesaw State University joining the conference in 2024 will help add a nearby rival to the schedule, and also help bolster visiting crowd sizes. Overall, an afternoon in Jacksonville, Alabama provides a fun game day atmosphere many would not expect. Despite not having the same level of pomp-and-circumstance many of the major college football programs might have, the small town feel of the Jacksonville community helps bolster the overall experience of a day of football with the Gamecocks.

This week, NSFW: Dan forgets not to curse... Also we look at the WNBA and the event year it had from larger crowds and increased presence on social media. Plus, we look at the annual rankings of the arenas. Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio   wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page . Join us live as we record every other Monday on our social media streaming channels.

Photos by Richard Smith, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57 LU Athletics Stadium 1675 Baltimore Pike Lincoln University, PA 19352 Lincoln Lions website LU Athletics Stadium website Year Opened: 2012 Capacity: 2,600 Lions of PA Lincoln University is a public state-related HBCU near Oxford, Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, Temple, Pitt, Penn State, and Lincoln have this state-related designation. Legally, the universities remain separate and private entities, operating under their charters, governed by independent boards of trustees, and with assets under their ownership and control, thereby retaining much of the freedom and individuality of private institutions. The nearby University of Delaware also has a similar structure. Lincoln was founded as the private Ashmun Institute in 1854, it has been a public institution since 1972. It is the United States' first degree-granting HBCU. Lincoln has an impressive list of famous alumni including US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, poet Langston Hughes, and jazz artist Gil Scott-Heron. LU Athletics Stadium opened in 2012. The football program only began in 2008, as a club program, and in 2009 as a Division II team. The Lincoln Lions play in NCAA Division II as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Track and Field program has been the university's most successful program. The basketball team set many records in 2006 by winning 201-78 over Ohio State Marion. Food & Beverage 3 There is a simple food stand at the stadium. The offerings list is very short with Chicken Tenders, Nachos, and drinks being the only things sold. The prices are all pretty much around or under $5 so the value is pretty great. Atmosphere 5 The stadium is a simple facility with a very nice home section and a very small visitor stand across the field. There is a walkway around the entire field. You will be close to the action, no matter where you choose to sit. There is a great cheer squad that dances and cheers loudly and effectively throughout the game. There is also a very good band. Neighborhood 3 Lincoln University is located outside of the town of Oxford, which is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania The Oxford Historic District and Oxford Hotel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are a few interesting restaurants in the small town and we can recommend Hollow Earth Brewing, Margherita's Italian Restaurant, and Bellybusters Sub Shoppe. You can also stock up on food at the Landhope Farms convenience store or the Wawa in nearby Nottingham. Nottingham is also home to Herr Foods, which offers tours on weekdays. Check on the hours of their gift and outlet shop if in the area. Herrs also has a very good, and free, Christmas light display from December to January. Fans 5 The fans are very engaged in the game and create a great atmosphere for games. The crowd is not super large but the atmosphere is still great . The fans are knowledgeable and loud. Access 3 Lincoln is located off a section of US Route 1 which is a divided highway so access is fairly decent. The only issue is that even though it is in the Mid-Atlantic region, this area of Chester County is much more isolated than you would expect. If you are traveling through this area you may know it as between Herr's Factory and Longwood Gardens. The university has guards at the entrance to their lots but if you let them know you are attending a sports event they will wave you through. There is plenty of parking near the gym. Return on Investment 5 Tickets to the game cost $20 for general admission. With it being Division II and the cheap cost of attending a game, the return on investment is quite good. Parking is $10. Extras 3 The cheer squad is pretty amazing and is a great enhancer of the atmosphere. The band is a delight to watch. We enjoyed the ability to walk around the entire field. Final Thoughts Lincoln University is a great sports stop if you are looking for an event between Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Photo by David Welch, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.00 Paul Porter Arena 110 S Main St Boiling Springs, NC 28017 Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs website Paul Porter Arena website Year Opened: 1982 Capacity: 3,000 Paul Porter Arena - Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs Boiling Springs, North Carolina sits just across the North Carolina-South Carolina state line. The rural North Carolina town is a charming college community built mostly around Gardner-Webbs University and a handful of businesses on Main Street. After making the jump from the NCAA Division II level in 2001, the Runnin' Bulldogs would transition as an independent program before joining the Atlantic Sun Conference for the 2002-2003 season. Gardner-Webb would jump to Big South Conference in 2008, where they still play today. Food & Beverage   2 Two small concession stands can be found at the far end of the arena’s outer concourse. Selections are limited to hot dogs, nachos with cheese dipping sauce, pretzels, and candy. Beverage choices include Pepsi products, Gatorade, and bottled water. Beer and other alcohol options are not sold on campus.   Atmosphere   3 Paul Porter Arena is part of the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center in Gardner-Webb’s athletics area of campus. It serves as the home of not just G-W basketball, but volleyball and wrestling as well. The brick and arched windows of the exterior of the facility nicely compliment the neighboring Tucker Student Center. On the inside, Paul Porter Arena has a throwback vibe of a pit gymnasium, where the concourse and seating run above the sunken court level.  There are bleachers that stretch to the floor opposite the benches, but the seating behind the benches only comes down a few rows, ending above the team benches and blocked by a curtain. The arena’s relatively low roofline creates a need for the scoreboards to be mounted courtside beneath the seating area. These scoreboards aren't just for displaying the current score; they provide fans with individual player stats like points, rebounds, and fouls, along with a live video feed of the game. During timeouts the boards dig deeper, showcasing detailed team statistics. Additionally, the scorer's table offers a more traditional display of the game time and score, for those who prefer a classic view. Unlike many college basketball games where current popular music plays from the arena speakers, Gardner-Webb University's pep band treats fans to live, in-game entertainment. The cheer squad and beloved mascot, Mac, compliment the pep band perfectly. A small, but vocal student section takes up residence in the courtside seating across from the visiting team’s bench and creates a fun, college basketball atmosphere. The student section blends well with the pep band to create a bit of a home court edge for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.   Neighborhood   3 In the foothills of North Carolina's mountains is Boiling Springs, a small-town atmosphere in a rural setting. Boiling Springs' main thoroughfare runs through the heart of town, offering a diverse mix of dining options. While recognizable chain restaurants are always a safe fallback, a handful of locally owned establishments are also available – Campus Pizzeria, Snack Shop Family Restaurant, and Italian Garden are located close to the arena, just off the northeast corner of campus. During the winter months options for activities can be a bit limited in Boiling Springs, but on the occasional balmy winter days those who might enjoy getting out into nature might enjoy exploring the nearby Broad River Greenway. Fans looking for more options for restaurants, lodging, and entertainment might head to neighboring Shelby, which is less than 10 miles away.   Fans   3 Gardner-Webb ranks in the bottom half of the Big South in attendance, typically drawing 500 to 600 fans per game. Runnin’ Bulldog supporters have shown they have a bit more in them, though, when it comes to attendance, which seems to depend on the success of the program in the win-loss column – in 2019, a year where Gardner-Webb put together a 20-win season and qualified for the NCAA tournament, attendance was closer to the 1,200 to 1,500 range. Regardless of the game-to-game attendances, the fans in the stands are a highly dedicated group. A small but vocal student section and the pep band do a good job creating a very supportive and passionate atmosphere throughout the arena. Their passion is also contagious, as it inspires many of the other fans in attendance to raise their game. While the fans can create a bit of a ruckus during stoppages in play, it is the time outs that really get fans going, especially in the student section. Access 3 Boiling Springs is in the rural foothills of the southwestern mountains of North Carolina, an hour west of Charlotte. Despite Boiling Springs being off the beaten path, it is only about 20 minutes off Interstate-85. To reach the arena, head to the university's athletics neighborhood via the Bridges Gate entrance on Stadium Drive; as you enter you'll pass by  Bill Masters Field at Johnny Moss Stadium  (home to baseball) and Spangler Stadium  (used for football and women's lacrosse). Continuing along Stadium Drive will lead you to Paul Porter Arena, with a spacious parking lot offering free parking right in front. The entrance to the arena is toward the right side of the front of the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center, marked with a large bulldog statue. Most fans will ascend the stairs to the upper level to have their tickets scanned, before passing onto a narrow exterior concourse which leads into the playing area, or to a walkway that runs completely around the seating bowl. Some of the rows are awkwardly configured, which can make accessing court level seating a bit of a challenge.   Return on Investment   4 Ticket prices start at $12 for general admission; reserved seats across from the team benches go for $16. For those looking to be right in the mix of the action on the court, a handful of court side seats run $40. Even though concessions are a bit limited, prices are affordable and will not put a large dent in the wallet.   Extras   3 The walls of the main lobby of Paul Porter Arena are home to the Gardner-Webb Athletics Hall of Fame – the display pays tribute to both Hall of Fame athletes and All-American honorees. The rafters within the arena pay tribute to the accomplishments of the athletic programs throughout the lifespan of Gardner-Webb athletics, from a perennial NAIA tournament team to their transition into Division I athletics. Also enshrined are retired jerseys of the elites in Gardner-Webb basketball history, the most notable of which that of Naismith National Basketball Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore, who played at Gardner-Webb from 1967 to 1969. A small merchandise shop is built into one of the nooks of the exterior concourse, giving fans the opportunity to update their Gardner-Webb apparel, or simply grab a souvenir before heading home.   Final Thoughts Basketball at Gardner-Webb seems to be a secret just waiting to be found. While the Carolinas boasts some of the biggest names in college basketball, the atmosphere at Paul Porter Arena gives fans the opportunity to take in a game just feet away from the action on the floor, and in a tight-knit community such as Boiling Springs that only adds to the passion of the experience.

Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.57 Ladd-Peebles Stadium 1621 Virginia St Mobile, AL 36604 South Alabama Jaguars website Ladd-Peebles Stadium website Year Opened: 1948 Capacity: 33,471 U-S-A! U-S-A! In this case, U-S-A stands for the University of South Alabama, whose football team has played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, since their inception in 2009. The Jaguars were undefeated in their first two seasons of existence, and reached their first bowl game in year five, which was only their second year of bowl eligibility.​ Besides being home to the South Alabama Jaguars, Ladd-Peebles Stadium hosts the Senior Bowl (since 1951) and the GoDaddy Bowl (since 1999), as well as concerts, trade shows, and other events, including a rally for presidential hopeful Donald Trump in 2015. The venue was built in 1948, and currently has a capacity of 33,471 for football. Food & Beverage 3 Ladd-Peebles Stadium offers basic fare at reasonable prices from its concession stands, many of which are closed during regular season games. Food options include barbecue, nachos, Foosackly’s chicken tenders (a local chain), burgers, hot dogs, chips, Lance crackers, peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, candy bars, Krispy Kreme donuts, pretzels, Dippin’ Dots ice cream, and even dill pickles. These items range from $1 to $7, and some of them support local charities. Only some of the stands have credit card machines, so you don’t have to bring cash, but it would be easier if you did. Funnel cakes are advertised, but I didn’t see any actually for sale. Drink options include Coke products from the fountain, frozen lemonade, bottled water, and 11 varieties of beer. Other bottled drinks are advertised, such as Powerade and sodas, but I didn’t see any stands selling them. The prices are very reasonable – all drinks range in cost from $3 to $5, including the beer, which is lower than most stadiums. The 11 varieties of beer include Coors, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, 4 flavors of Bud Light Ritas, and Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, which is brewed locally in Alabama. Atmosphere 2 During the regular season, the Jaguars draw very few fans, so the stadium might be more fun during a bowl game. All of the seats are metal bleachers, and some of the seats in the end zones are blocked off to make the venue easier to sell out (about half of the seats in each zone are covered over with banners). The four grandstands are not connected, which makes it a little difficult to move around, but not bad. On the plus side, there is lots of South Alabama signage, including banners, flags, and photos all over the stadium, but only one video board (NE corner), which is lower height-wise than you normally see. On one hand this is kind of nice, because you don’t have to strain your neck looking up. On the other hand, it probably isn’t quite high enough, because if you are sitting too close to it, the edges of the stands are in your way. The best place to sit is probably the west side (closer to the north end), since this will give you the best view of the video board. Unless you like chasing field goals and extra points, that is – there are no nets behind the goal posts, so you might be able to catch a ball if you sit on the ends. Either way, feel free to buy the cheap seats (in the end zones) and sit wherever you want, since they won’t sell out, and no one checks tickets anyway. Neighborhood 3 Ladd-Peebles Stadium is located in a slightly run-down residential area. There aren’t very many places to eat within walking distance of the stadium, except for some fast food places. But, if you are looking for somewhere to hang out before or after the game, there is a Ruth’s Chris Steak House about a mile away, a Logan’s Roadhouse to the west near I-65, and a Heroes Sports Bar & Grille to the east near the water. The most popular attractions in Mobile are the USS Alabama and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. And if you are staying in town overnight, there are plenty of hotels a few miles from Ladd-Peebles, either near the water or close to I-65. Fans 2 The Jaguars fans who show up are very loud, and wear team colors – red is the most popular color, but blue is also acceptable, as is white. There are gear stands on both the east and west sides if you need to buy a shirt or hat there. The stated attendance during a regular season game is in the 10,000 to 15,000 range (about one-third to one-half full), but actual attendance is much lower. The Jaguars football program has not existed for very long, so this may help explain the low attendance. But, it would also help if the team could manage to win more games. Access 3 Designed as a bowl venue, Ladd-Peebles Stadium has plenty of spacious bathrooms, and plenty of room in the concourses, so you won’t feel cramped. There is plenty of parking near the stadium for around $10, or you can park for free further away and take a shuttle in (a lot of the students do this, since Ladd-Peebles is not on campus). Riding the shuttle will cost $2.50 per person (round-trip) so it may be more cost effective to park, depending on how many are in your crew. There are gates on both the east and west sides, and you can get to the end zone seating from any entrance by walking around inside the stadium. The ticket booth is at the north end of the west side (under the press box), but if you try to use will call, it helps if you bring the purchase code they emailed you, which will make it easier for the staff to look you up. Or you can just print them at home (unless you want a nicer souvenir). If you are sitting on the east or west side, there are ramps that take you into the middle of the stands, and then you have to use the stairs to get to your row (either up or down). In the end zones, the entrances are at ground level (in front of the first row of seats), so you have to use the stairs to go up from there. I did not notice any seating for those with disabilities. Return on Investment 4 You can’t buy football tickets anywhere for less than they cost here, so even though the experience might only be so-so, it is definitely worthwhile cost-wise. Tickets to a Jaguars game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium start at only $10, with absolutely no fees, even if you buy online. You may even be able to buy them cheaper on the secondary market, since many more are sold than fans who show up. In addition, concession prices are about as low as you will ever find – I can’t think of many venues that offer beer and snacks for less than they cost here, especially football stadiums. Extras 1 The fact they host two bowl games here every year gives additional opportunities to see the stadium. Final Thoughts Mobile is a nice town near the gulf, and the weather is second to none, so not a bad place to take in a football game. Ladd-Peebles may not be the best venue, but it is super cheap, and if you want a better atmosphere (read: bigger crowd) you could try one of the bowl games instead. Or wait until your favorite team comes to town.

Photos by Jonathan Michel and Various, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43 Joseph J. Gentile Arena 6525 N Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL 60626 Loyola Ramblers website Joseph J, Gentile Arena website Year Opened: 1996 Capacity: 5,200 The Gentile Center Keeps Rambling on the A -10 Built in 1996, Joseph J. Gentile Arena plays home to one of college basketball’s most recent mid-major powerhouses, the Loyola Ramblers. The 4,963-seat arena sits on the northwest corner of Loyola’s campus in the Rogers Park neighborhood, 10 miles from downtown Chicago. It makes it one of three NCAA Division I basketball venues (the others being DePaul’s Wintrust Arena and Illinois-Chicago’s Credit Union I Arena) close to the heart of the city. Given the recent success of the team, which has reached the Sweet 16 twice since 2018, the arena is smaller than most would expect, but its intimate size fits the size of the school and makes life hard on any opponent who visits. Since the 2017-18 season, when the Ramblers made a miracle run to the Final Four, the team has posted an astounding 66-9 record at Gentile Arena. Loyola, which is moving from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Atlantic 10 Conference starting in the fall of 2022, gave the arena a massive renovation in 2011. The upgrades included new seating in the lower bowl, revamped concessions, restrooms, and new video boards that feature a 360-degree screen on the bottom of the main scoreboard, a fairly uncommon sight in mid-major basketball. Food & Beverage 4 The concessions at Gentile Arena are about what one would expect from a traditional sporting venue, such as hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, popcorn, etc. The Vienna Beef Polish sausage is tasty and a fitting purchase if you are attending a Chicago sporting event. Drink options are average, as well, but a bonus is that the building does serve alcohol until the 10-minute mark of the second half. The best part of the fare at Gentile Arena is that fans don’t have to wait in long lines to order because multiple kiosks allow for convenient ordering and quick pick up. Atmosphere 4 Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of Gentile Arena is how tight it feels. There are no bad seats in the house as there are two levels of seating with nearly equal the amount of rows, separated by a concourse. The highest row of seats sits not far from the roof of the arena, preventing crowd noise from getting lost in a cavernous void. If you prefer an experience closer to the floor, courtside seats are available, but one would have to buy them before the season starts, as they are sold on a season basis and typically go fast. Seats in the upper corners of the arena do not have chair backs, so that may be helpful to keep in mind. Loyola’s beloved team chaplain, Sister Jean, read a pregame “prayer” from her wheelchair at center court, which was a nice opportunity for those to get a glance at college basketball’s favorite nun and television icon. The intro video before the game was energetic and well put-together, and that same energy continued into the game, with large amounts of crowd noise reverberating off the walls of the intimate arena. At times, one would think it’d be impossible for opposing teams to think straight in a game coming down to the wire. Neighborhood 3 The area surrounding Loyola is about as busy as you would expect it to be, given that it is 15-20 minutes away from downtown Chicago. There are a wide variety of places to eat within walking or short driving distance from the arena, from fast food to ethnic restaurants to authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza. Rogers Park is a diverse neighborhood that is pretty safe for the most part, but it is Chicago after all, so you can never be too cautious when walking around. Most entertainment and food options around Loyola and Gentile Arena are located on Sheridan Road. Giordano’s is a Chicago staple that serves tantalizing deep-dish pizza and has a location on Sheridan one mile north of the arena. There are Jamaican, Asian, Mexican, and Ethiopian restaurants within a mile of the arena as well, so you’re in good hands if you’re down to try something new. Oasis (6809 N Sheridan), Bruno’s Lounge (6562 N Sheridan), and Cunneen’s Bar (1424 W Devon Ave.) are some of the most popular bar options near Loyola’s campus. Bruno’s is a small dive bar that is the closest of the three to Gentile Arena. Following a game, there will be some students if it’s a weekend but usually not too many. Oasis and Cunneen’s are typical pubs that will get the job done as well. Fans 4 Loyola fans are never hard to spot, as at least half of them typically sport maroon and yellow striped scarves at all basketball games. Many Ramblers enthusiasts are passionate about their team, and that is evident during games, although some fans were a little too passionate and boisterous. One student was ejected from the game after repeatedly yelling at a referee. There are a lot of students engaged in the game yelling, “You let the whole team down” after opponents’ missed free throws. Access 2 For a first-time visitor, accessing Gentile Arena is not the easiest. The location of Loyola’s campus is not close to any interstates or major highways, so be prepared to deal with downtown Chicago traffic unless you are coming from the north side of town. However, there is a Loyola station for the “L” train’s red line, which can make the trip easier. There is a parking garage that is a 3-5 minute walk from the arena, and that is likely the best parking option, unless you want to park on neighborhood streets. If you choose the latter, always be sure to check the signs to ensure that you are not parking illegally. Parking at the garage isn’t exactly cheap for an on-campus garage at $10 for men’s basketball games, but it’s not surprising given how much parking costs in Chicago. The concourse at Gentile Arena was also a bit confusing to navigate at first. Return on Investment 4 Tickets for Ramblers men’s basketball games are separated into three levels: gold, maroon, and gray, and each home game is given a designation as to which level it is. “Gray” games are the cheapest and average around $20, while “gold” games are in the ballpark of $30. Upper terrace chairback seats are located at the top of the seating bowl and provide good value, given how cozy the arena is. Seven sections of Gentile Arena are reserved for students, so be sure to buy tickets in advance if you plan on attending a marquee game. Concession prices are reasonable, and parking isn’t outrageous. . Extras 3 Loyola’s campus is beautiful, so if time allows, take a walk around, and you’ll be treated to wonderful views of Lake Michigan. Gentile also earns bonus points for Loyola’s solid pep band and the wraparound scoreboard for those sitting close to the court. Final Thoughts If you attend a game at Gentile, it may be pricier compared to some other programs in their conference but be ready for a fun and energetic night of basketball in one of the best environments in the Atlantic 10.

Photo by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey Going to a baseball game with friends or family is one of America’s classic pastimes. You may be able to afford tickets to go to a ball game or two, but you want to try and save some money by bringing your own food. You should know that not all baseball stadiums allow you to bring outside food into the ballpark. In some cases , this may be a new or temporary change because of COVID-19 restrictions. In these cases, you will have to purchase food and drink from concession stands in the ballpark. However, some stadiums do still allow food and drink to be brought into the stadium, but there may be some restrictions that vary between each ballpark. If you want to know where you can bring your own snacks to a ball game, this list is for you. #1) Rogers Centre – Toronto Blue Jays The Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada has a pretty liberal food policy . You are allowed to bring in food or drinks with the following restrictions: Must be wrapped, bagged or inside a container to avoid messes from spills Containers must comply with their bag policy in terms of size and material Bottles and cans of drinks must be plastic, non-alcoholic, and hold no more than 600 mL of liquid Your cans or bottles must be unopened when you arrive, but they will be opened at the security gate No cannabis products are allowed The exception to the final rule is if you have hemp products that are THC-free, so you can bring small plastic bags of premium CBD gummies . #2) Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees The Yankee Stadium food policy does not provide as much information as the Rogers Centre, but it does say that they allow food to be brought into the stadium for individual consumption, meaning you cannot bring your own food to sell. You can bring in fruit like apples or oranges as long as they have already been sliced or sectioned, and you can bring in bottles of water as long as they are plastic and hold no more than one liter. #3) Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles Dodgers The Dodger Stadium food policy is similar to the Yankee Stadium policy. You can bring in food from outside, but it does not allow for any bottles, cans, coolers, glass containers, or thermoses. Non-alcoholic bottles of beverages can be allowed if it has one liter or less. The exception to this is if you have a suite, in which case you can’t bring any of your own food or drink. #4) Busch Stadium – St. Louis Cardinals The Busch Stadium food policy is a bit more comprehensive. It allows most kinds of food to be brought into the stadium as long as it follows the bag policy for size and material. You can’t bring in alcohol, or anything in hard cans, bottles, containers or coolers. Drinks have to be in plastic, factory-sealed bottles that are two liters or less. Similar to Dodgers Stadium, you cannot bring any food or drink from outside into their suites. #5) Great American Ballpark – Cincinnati Reds The Great American Ballpark food policy allows for bags and coolers to be brought into the stadium with food and drink that meets certain restrictions: Drinks must be factory-sealed, unopened and non-alcoholic Coolers must be soft-sided #6) Truist Park – Atlanta Braves The Truist Park food policy allows for outside food that fits inside clear plastic bags no bigger than one gallon. Drinks must be non-alcoholic, inside sealed plastic bottles, are also allowed. You are only able to bring in one bag of food and one bottle of a drink per ticket holder. They do allow some extra considerations for infants and people with dietary restrictions. All food and drink will be inspected by security on entrance. #7) LoanDepot Stadium – Miami Marlins The Marlins Park food policy allows for specific permitted items related to food and drink: Individual serving sizes food items that are in a clear plastic bag, including sandwiches, snacks, or sliced fruit One clear plastic bottle per person of unflavoured water that is factory sealed, unopened, and holds no more than 20 ounces One clear, soft bottle that is empty so you can fill with water in the park #8) Tropicana Field – Tampa Bay Rays The Tropicana Field food policy allows food to be brought into the stadium for individual consumption. They must be individual servings that are wrapped, bagged or in soft containers no bigger than 16″ x 16″ x 8″. You can bring in sealed bottles of regular water, as well as juice boxes for children. You cannot bring in any soda, coffee, or any other kind of drink, even if they’re in sealed plastic bottles. Some of the rules and restrictions on outside food and drink are similar, but there are variations between them. A lot of stadium policies give guidelines to the size of food or drink you can bring, as well as restrictions on the kinds of drink. The general idea is you can’t bring anything that is too large, or made from a hard material that can be easily thrown or used as a weapon. You can always contact the stadium security ahead of time to ask specific questions on if they allow certain types of food.

Photos by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86 Hohokam Stadium 1235 N Center St Mesa, AZ 85201 Oakland Athletics Spring Training website Hohokam Stadium website Year Opened: 1997 Capacity: 12,500 Mesa's A's The Oakland Athletics played their very first spring training games (as Oakland) in Bradenton FL before the 1968 season. Since then, they’ve been in Arizona and the Cactus League. Prior to moving to Hohokam Stadium, they played their spring ball at Phoenix Municipal Stadium (now home to ASU baseball) for thirty years. The team moved to Hohokam Stadium in Mesa in 2015. Hohokam Stadium had been the Chicago Cubs spring training park since 1979 (though reconstructed in 1996) until they moved to the brand-new Sloan Park in 2014. Major renovations were done to Hohokam Stadium in 2014 prior to the A's taking residence. It is no longer a dark, crowded venue but one that is bright and wide open. Renovations included: a crisp new video scoreboard new player locker rooms an expanded weight room installation of party decks with shade coverings down the left and right field lines a new coat of Oakland A's green paint It is a fine venue to watch some spring training games, so if headed to Arizona in March, be sure to visit this stadium. Staff will make you feel warm and welcome. Spring games here are more laid-back than at some of the other newer stadiums in the Cactus League. Food & Beverage 4 Plenty of food and drink are available at Hohokam at prices a tad less than at other spring training venues in Arizona. Permanent concession booths line the interior concourse ; a Right Field Lounge is down the first baseline ; and several concession tents, carts, and trucks park on the left field outer concourse. Both Burger Prime and Grill Masters sell cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, and fries ($6.50 - $15.50). Hudson’s BBQ provides hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, and other assorted snacks ($4.50 - $15). Oakland Links offers hot dogs with sauerkraut and chile cheese dogs ($9 - $10.50). A Grab-N-Go shop is an in-house vendor selling bottled and canned beverages. The best bet for food is to head to the left field patio and choose from the variety of food trucks and kiosks. These offerings can change from season to season. For 2023, Hungry Hill Sausage, Slickables (ice cream), Modern Tortilla, Mustache Pretzels, Chick-fil-A, Luanne’s (specialized coffee), and beer carts are a few of the choices. The hand dipped corn dogs (with honey) seem to be a fan favorite. Tents selling lemonade, kettle corn, gelato, and other snacks are ready to accept your hard-earned money. Soft drinks are Pepsi brands and run $5.75 - $7.50. Beer concession stands and kiosks offer traditional domestic brews like Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Michelob Ultra, Blue Moon, etc. ($13.50 domestic; $14.50 premium). Craft beers include 805, VooDoo Ranger, Huss Brewing (local Phoenix brewery), and more. New this 2023 season is a Beer Me permanent concession (first base side of the concourse) which sells all varieties of canned beer and cocktails ($10.50 - $14.50). The Athletics opened their upper third base deck to all fans for the 2023 season with local Mesa brewery 12 West providing the only tap beer in the stadium. This is a fantastic feature that helps support local businesses. Queues do form at all concession stands; plan on spending a few minutes waiting to place and receive your order. Prices do not include tax, and payment must be via a debit or credit card. We recommend getting tacos from Modern Tortilla or a hand-dipped, honey-glazed corn dog from the Corn Dog Company. Then head to the 12 West deck for a local brew and a great view of the game. Hohokam Stadium 12 West Deck, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Atmosphere 4 The Oakland Athletics spring training provides an impressive afternoon/evening out in February or March. Three entrances are open, with Gate D the central (or behind home plate ) entrance. Starting lineups and game day promotions are in this area. Gate C is near the ticket office, with Gate A on the left field concourse that leads into a lively concession area. Except for the left and right field lounge and patio areas, the concourse is behind the seating area, and fans cannot see the field. However, do check out the inner concourse. Plenty of Oakland Athletic player photos and murals line the inner concourse walls celebrating the team’s history. Two levels of seating, with a small walkway between them, are available, as well as a few suites. The seats are green stadium-style, fold-down seats with cupholders and decent legroom. They do not angle toward the infield. Handrails are available for striding up and down the seating areas. Bleachers with backs occupy the last three sections on each side in the 200 level. Lawn seating is abundant beyond the left and right outfield fences. A paved pathway allows fans to walk the circumference of the stadium. The lawn seating has an extension called The Bullpen that has chairs and umbrellas (it costs a few extra bucks to sit there). Hohokam Stadium The Bullpen Seating, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Nets extend across all the infield seats except the very far sections down each baseline (section 123 on the first base side and 124 on the third base side). T he third base and left field stands get the sun. Sit in the upper level (200s) behind home plate and on the first base side for the shade (especially during day games in March). A superb merchandise store with not only Athletics gear but ‘spring training’ t-shirts, pins, etc. is next to the Gate C entrance. It’s not too crowded and there’s plenty of room to look and meander. For kids 12 and under, the stadium has the Stomping Ground down the first baseline which has activities such as a scavenger hunt and Stomper (the mascot) tries to learn Take Me Out to the Ballpark . A crisp, clear video board shines in left field and shows the line score, the player’s name, number, photograph, and some advertisements. It also shows the pitch MPH and the batting EV (Exit Velocity). Exit Velocity is the speed of the ball as it comes off the bat when it is hit (over 100 MPH is excellent). The music person does not play tunes loudly (or even at all) when the announcer calls the starting lineup or relief pitcher. The games are delightfully pleasant. Neighborhood 4 While there is not a whole lot to do in the immediate area, the stadium is less than two miles from downtown Mesa which has developed significantly over the last several years. Four breweries and a cidery are downtown: 12 West Brewing (serves tasty food), Desert Eagle Brewery, Beer Research Institute (with a classic arcade), Oro Brewing Company, and Cider Corps. Chupacabra Taproom (beer and wine) and Diamond’s Sports Grill and Bar (traditional sports bar food) are both near downtown and offer a place to hang out before or after the ballgame. F or local restaurants, we recommend the delicious New Mexican fare Blue Adobe Grille which is only a four or five-minute drive from the ballpark and the Que Chevere (Venezuelan cuisine) on Main Street in downtown Mesa. Tourist things to see and do in M esa include the Arizona Museum of Natural History or the engaging i.d.e.a Museum (excellent for kids), or a visit to the popular cultural Mesa Arts Center. The Mesa Historical Museum has an exhibit on the Arizona Cactus League a nd Arizona Spring Training as well as Mesa-specific historical exhibits. Though a little distance from Hohokam Stadium (about 5 miles), fans may want to visit Organ Stop Pizza with its Wurlitzer theater organ, which some say is the world’s largest pipe organ. No hotels are within walking distance of Hohokam Stadium. The team website recommends Doubletree Guest Suites and Delta Hotels by Marriott Phoenix Mesa. Both are on the pricey side (especially during spring training). A few lower priced hotels like Quality Inn or Baymont Inn are three to five miles from the stadium. Other sports near Hohokam Stadium in the spring include Sloan Park (spring training for the Cubs), Tempe Diablo Stadium (spring training for the LA Angels), Salt River Fields (spring training for the Rockies and the Diamondbacks ), ASU baseball or ASU basketball. Fans 3 I just love Oakland Athletics fans. I admire them as they have followed their team through thick and thin these past several years. Pre-Covid, greater than 6,000 or so fans a game visited Hohokam Stadium to watch the A’s in the spring. The fans are engaged, respectful, energizing, easy to talk with, and very knowledgeable of their team and the game. They are helpful when asking questions about the play at hand and/or Athletics information. Fans applaud good defensive plays regardless of team. The crowd wears plenty of green and gold, the team’s colors. The staff (and I consider them fans) at the spring training games are exceedingly friendly and helpful. Access 4 The ballpark is in a neighborhood and roads getting there are two or four lanes, so traffic getting in and out can be slow, especially closer to game time. It is 1 ½ miles south of the 202 (Red Mountain Freeway). The best bet is to get there early and stay late to avoid traffic headaches. Five-dollar cash parking is in grass lots on both sides of the stadium. Season ticket holder and handicapped parking are paved. Gate D is the primary entrance to the stadium. All gates open 1 ½ hours prior to the game. The closest airport is Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (about 12 miles distance); a smaller regional airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, may be another pick if arriving via Allegiant Airlines. The stadium has a specified Uber/Lyft drop off on Center St near the Athletics sign. Security does not require bags to be plastic or clear, but they must be no larger than 16” x 16” x 8”. The bathrooms are old but clean. Moving around the concourse and walkways is easy. The concessions lines may extend into the passageways, causing some slight interruption in movement. Return on Investment 4 As with all spring training in Arizona, ticket prices have increased. That said, the Athletics offer berm seating for as low as $10 or $12 (up to $19 or $20) depending on the visiting team and day of the week. Regular seats range from $19 up to $48, again depending on the opponent and day. Ticket prices are lower here than in some of the other Arizona spring training facilities. Concessions are the typical high stadium prices but lower than other spring training sites. Parking is $5. Extras 4 First, the Mesa HoHoKams are a group of volunteers dedicated to Spring Training in Mesa, AZ. They volunteer as ushers and greeters, assist with parking, and run a 50/50 raffle throughout the games. All proceeds are donated to local charities and kids’ sports in the East Valley. The merchandise shop deserves an extra mention because of the variety of items offered and because of the space available to browse without feeling cramped. Not all that commo n are the sta cked bullpens in right field. The extremely friendly staff merit a shout-out. I have not been to a spring training facility where the staff (including concession and merchandise staff) just wave hello and strike up conversations just to greet and chat. Nicely, nicely done. Final Thoughts Although not one of the newer, fancier spring training venues in the Cactus League, Hohokam Stadium is definitely worth visiting when planning a trip to the Phoenix area in February and March. Good baseball, plenty of warm weather, remarkable staff and good fans and food round out a trip to this ballpark.

Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57 Aggie Memorial Stadium Stewart St & Payne St Las Cruces, NM 88003 New Mexico State Aggies website Aggie Memorial Stadium website Year Opened: 1978 Capacity: 30,343 The A is for Aggies Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, New Mexico opened in 1978, and has a capacity of 30,343. The stadium is dedicated to New Mexico State alumni that served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and features curved banks of seats on the east and west sides, with an opening on the north that leads to the player locker rooms, and box seats and offices built behind the opening on the south. See a quick tour of the stadium here: Food & Beverage 4 Aggie Memorial Stadium has a wide variety of food and beverage options, including local Mexican fare and items featuring green chile, a New Mexico staple. The only challenge is the long lines, so you may want to eat during the first quarter or just before the game starts. The best options are the food trucks and smaller stands on the north side, which include La Ristra’s Mexican ($4-$6 per item), as well as burgers ($9), kettle corn ($6), and cinnamon glazed nuts ($6) – for the latter two, there are smaller stands dotted around the venue that sell only those. There are also main stands on each end of the east and west side, which offer typical fare such as hot dogs, nachos, Frito pies, popcorn, peanuts, and cotton candy for $4-$5 each. Coke products, bottled water and Powerade ($4-$6) are available from the main stands, along with three brands of beer ($7). These are also available from smaller stands that only sell drinks. Atmosphere 4 The on-field action may not always be the greatest, but the staff at Aggie Memorial Stadium puts on a great show with various activities, and the stadium has some unique features. The first thing you might notice is the giant “A” on the mountains overlooking the stadium, which is lit up at night. You will also see a giant banner above the main entrance displaying the Aggie Fight Song, so you never forget the words – if only it could be seen from inside the stadium! The north end zone is also unique, arranged to look like a rock garden with several tiers of desert vegetation, while the south end zone has sorority and fraternity logos displayed on the berm. Besides the unique aesthetics, the staff also plays lots of fun music during breaks in the action, and following every NMSU kickoff, Striking the Wonder Dog (a border collie) runs onto the field to retrieve the kickoff tee, which the fans really seem to enjoy. Fans also ring cowbells (which are sold at the team store) during opposing third downs (and at other times), and it is fun to listen to the announcer change it up by calling for the “third down cow bell”, “rivalry cow bell”, or “overtime cow bell” as occasion may require. Most of the seats are metal bleachers, but there is a very small section on the west side near midfield with grey chair back seats. The worst seats are the general admission section, in each end zone – these are just stone steps without bleachers. Neighborhood 3 Aggie Memorial Stadium is nestled at the intersection of I-10 and I-25 in Las Cruces, and there isn’t much in town besides the university, but there are several restaurants that would make a good pre or post-game hangout. The nearby mall (on University Ave) has plenty of fast food and Mexican options, but also features Dublin’s Street Pub, an upscale Irish restaurant. However, if you are looking for something a little less formal, you might try Whiskey Dicks, a fun country nightclub over on Union Ave. University Ave also has several hotels, such as Sleep Inn or Comfort Suites. If you are from far out of town, the best major airport is in El Paso, about 45 minutes south of NMSU down I-10 – ELP is a great airport to fly into, because the rental cars are on-site. Fans 3 The fans are loud, and most wear maroon. However, tickets are only $12, and students get in for free, so it is a little disappointing that they can’t get the stadium much more than half full even during their biggest game of the year. Access 3 Aggie Memorial Stadium is easy to get to, since it is near two major freeways, and the stadium is easy to get around, thanks to the bridge that now connects the east and west sides. However, some of the water fountains do not work, and the bathrooms are a bit dilapidated – there are regular bathrooms on the east and west sides, but only port-a-potties in the end zones and up top behind the press box. Also, there aren’t really any ramps for the handicapped, so these individuals are limited to a few small areas along the main aisle (between the upper and lower decks on each side). For those without a parking pass, parking is free in certain areas very close to the stadium; for example, at the Tennis Center on the south side. But there aren’t any signs letting you know where to park, so you may have to stop and ask for directions. Return on Investment 5 Aggie Memorial Stadium has some unique features and fun activities, so it is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. Students get in for free, and tickets start at only $12. The only downside is, that price is for the stone step seats, so if you want bleachers (or chair backs), you will have to pay more. But many stadiums charge a lot more than $12 just to sit on the grass, so the experience is hard to beat for the price. Also parking is free, and concessions are reasonable. Plus, the concessions stands on the east and west sides are run by a local charity, so your purchase could get you a partial tax write-off. Extras 3 One point for the A on the mountain, which can be seen for miles. A second point for the décor in the north end zone – the desert plants provide some nice local flair. A third point for the fight song displayed outside the north end zone – this is great for visitors who don’t know the song, and a gentle reminder for locals who should. Final Thoughts Aggie Memorial Stadium is a nice little stadium that provides a fun experience, but the venue could use some minor improvements, and a few more fans in attendance – addressing these two issues would make a good experience great.

Photos by Jim Flannery, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43 McMahon Stadium 1817 Crowchild Trail NW Calgary, AB T2M 4R6 Calgary Dinos football website McMahon Stadium website Year Opened: 1960 Capacity: 35,650 Dino Might Since the University of Calgary came into being in the 1960s, the Dinos football program has been one of the most consistent performers in Canada. The Dinos have been to the Vanier Cup eight times and won Canada’s university championship game on four occasions. They’ve won the Canada West division 11 times. The program has also sent more than 60 players to the CFL as well as one to the NFL (Defensive Lineman Dan Federkeil played three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, winning a Super Bowl along the way). Needless to say, if you go to watch the U of C football team, you’re going to be watching a group of guys who expect to win. Throughout their history, the Dinos have made their home at McMahon Stadium, on the south end of the university campus. McMahon is also shared with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, who have had plenty of U of C alumni in their ranks. McMahon is over 50 years old now and is starting to show its age in some respects. But as a facility housing a Canadian Interuniversity Sports football program, it is more than adequate for the task. Food & Beverage 2 The food options at the concession stands are typically priced but relatively limited. The smokie ($4.50) and french fries ($3.75) we had prior to the game were tepid, at best, which was a little disappointing. The freshly grilled Angus beef cheeseburger with fresh sauteed onions ($6.75) is always very good, however. The typical popcorn/peanuts/chips options are about all there is on the rest of the menu. Adult beverage options are also fairly typically priced, at $6.50 per beer or $7 for a Smirnoff Ice and your beer choices are limited to either Molson Canadian or Coors Light. While the items presented on this menu are exactly the same fare available at Stampeders games, I think a little more thought put towards modifying the menu to appeal to a university crowd might encourage more students to come out. Atmosphere 3 The good news, as with any Canadian football game, is that the game itself is superior to the American version. The nature of the game lends itself to more creative play-calling and more scoring, so you’ll likely be entertained. The not-so-good news is that university football north of the border is not the huge phenomenon that it is in the States. In fact, the U of C only opens half of McMahon when the Dinos are playing because half the stadium is more than enough stands for the 2,000-5,000 fans they’ll typically get. As a result, getting a strong, fired-up atmosphere in the stands is challenging. Having the crowd spread out around the lower seating section just doesn’t create the same raucous energy that one might get if that same crowd were tucked in tight in a facility that only holds 5,000 people. The net result is a subdued, laid-back atmosphere more typical of a baseball game than a football game. On the upside, you have nothing but great seats to choose from when you go looking for a spot to watch the game. It’s all rush seating at Dinos games and the comfy spots in the first 40 rows all have an excellent view of the field. One of the real challenges to the atmosphere at McMahon is Calgary’s thin, northern air. As the weather turns cold in the fall (or even in some breezy evenings), McMahon can be downright frigid to sit in. Again on the upside, though, the Dinos only make use of the east stands which keep the audience in the sun for as long as possible during day games, helping to protect the fans from any cold weather. Neighborhood 4 McMahon is located well away from the traditional party venues in Calgary, so on first blush it might seem like the neighborhood might not be so great for pre- or post-game fun. However, look a little closer and you’ll see that there are plenty of options at your disposal. Directly east across Crowchild Trail from McMahon is a strip mall called the Hilltop Plaza with several restaurants. Big T’s BBQ and Smokehouse is one of my favorite restaurants in Calgary. Big T’s serves up New Orleans style barbecue and blues music is piped over the sound system. Come for the brisket; stay for the fried dill pickles. Also in Hilltop Plaza you’ll find a Dairy Queen, a Joey’s Only, Saigon Y2K for Vietnamese food and there are a couple take-out options as well. A block north of the Hilltop Plaza, you’ll find a local institution, Nick’s Steakhouse and Pizza. Nick’s has won Consumer’s Choice Awards for seven consecutive years and the bar is always lively. The Hilltop Plaza is in the northwest corner of what is locally known as Motel Village, a collection of motels directly across from McMahon. Several more restaurants can be found among the motels, including a Denny’s, a Boston Pizza, a McDonald’s, a Phil’s, and a Red Lobster. Heading west a block from the stadium, you’ll find the Stadium Shopping Mall and even more restaurants. Moose McGuire’s Bar is a popular option for local residents and university students alike. The Keg and the Redwater Rustic Grille will both provide you with more upscale dining experience. Between The Keg and Redwater you’ll also find a Wendy’s if you have a craving for a Baconater. Since the crowd at a Dinos game is typically only a couple thousand, there should be plenty of room at any of the many options available locally. Fans 3 The crowd at a Dinos game is typically a blend of students and alumni, with a smattering of fans from the visiting school as well. The crowd tends to be very good natured, and being a fairly small group, it seems like there are lots of people who know everyone else. Cheers come up at the right times, so the people there are definitely engaged in the game. Indeed, with as small a crowd as is in attendance, you can count on it that these are Dinos fans to the core. So, while there isn’t a lot of wild and crazy football fan antics in the stands, it is quite pleasant. Access 4 Parking around McMahon for Dinos games is excellent. At Stampeders games the lot surrounding the stadium is reserved exclusively for season ticket holders. But the University of Calgary allows free parking at the venue for Dinos games and there is more than enough space there for the number of people. No need to go looking elsewhere for other parking options as is the case for the Stamps. Your other option is Calgary’s Light Rail Transit system. The C-Train has a station a block away to the east, alongside Motel Village, and there’s a big pedestrian overpass to get you across Crowchild Trail. The train can get you around town fairly quickly and easily, although it gets pretty crowded in the post-game rush. At $2.75 for an adult fare, it’s a pretty good option. Return on Investment 5 The University of Calgary Dinos are ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time of this 2012 review, so you’re going to see some quality football if you take in a game. Tickets at the door are $12 per person for adults, $8 for youths and seniors. And if you’re a U of C student, you get into any and every regular season game for every sport on campus for free. Free! Children under 6 are also free admission. You really can’t do better than that price with that quality of entertainment. Extras 3 McMahon Stadium and the Dinos have a couple little extra touches to make the experience a little more interesting. The Olympic Cauldron is on display in the northeast corner of the stadium. The opening and closing ceremonies of the 1988 Olympics were held at McMahon and anyone wanting to relive the memories of those days is welcome to check it out. Rex, the Dinos mascot spends most of the game in the stands amusing the kids. Music at the game I attended was courtesy of a DJ located down by the Dinos’ bench and kept things bumping in between plays. Final Thoughts Dinos football is a great and inexpensive way to spend an evening. You’ll get a great game in a great seat. And more people in the seats can’t help but make it a better experience for everyone.

Photos by Michael Davis, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.43 Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field 1255 S Razorback Rd Fayetteville, AR 72701 Arkansas Razorbacks website Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field website Year Opened: 1996 Capacity: 10,737 Hogs Style Baseball Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field is one of the finest college baseball stadiums in the country. The stadium is home to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The stadium opened on April 13, 1996 with the Razorbacks winning 9-2 over Auburn. Baum-Walker Stadium has been renovated four times in reaching its current seating capacity of 10,737, making it the fourth-largest college baseball venue in the United States and the second-largest in the SEC. The playing field is named after George Cole, the former Arkansas Athletic Director and namesake of the Razorbacks old baseball stadium. The stadium itself is named after Charlie and Nadine Baum, Walmart investors and financial backers of the venue. On January 31, 2019 the stadium was renamed Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field in recognition of longtime support from the Walker Family. Food & Beverage 4 Baum-Walker Stadium is well equipped to provide above-average food and beverage services. There are permanent concession stands, vendors, and food trucks that provide a reasonable variety of food and drink options to satisfy all fans. There are the traditional hot dogs, peanuts, pretzels, popcorn, pizza, and nachos, all at a cost of $5 or less, and then there are higher-priced items at the concessions stands as well, such as smoked sausage ($7), bacon cheeseburgers ($10), and regular cheeseburgers ($8). The next echelon of food options at Baum-Walker Stadium would be the BBQ, and those items can be found in the food trucks. A food truck is located on each side of the baselines for easy access for fans. T-Boy’s BBQ trailer serves pulled pork sandwich and nachos, chicken sandwiches, and smoked chicken nachos – these items all cost $9, while a foot-long corn dog or curly with queso (cheese) are $6. There are also plenty of dessert options; Blue Bunny Ice Cream and Dippin’ Dots are well represented inside the stadium. Baum-Walker Stadium serves Pepsi products – a 20oz bottle with Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Dr Pepper, or Aquafina water costs $3. However, the better value is the 32oz souvenir cup for a dollar more. Gatorade is also available for $5, and a hot beverage for those cold February and March games is $3. There is no alcohol sold inside Baum Stadium. In addition to the concessions, however, the unique baseball experience at Baum-Walker Stadium is watching the game from the Hog Pen. The Hog Pen is the general admission area in left field, and this area is a picnic/park area where fans bring in lawn chairs and coolers. All food and beverages brought into the Hog Pen are to be kept in that area and not allowed inside the concourse at Baum-Walker Stadium. But overall, some could say that the food and beverages available for sales inside the venue meet expectations, but the low pricing and the BBQ extras raise the ranking for this section. Atmosphere 5 Baum-Walker Stadium provides an elite atmosphere, as the fans show up with their smokers and tents for tailgating well before the 2-hour gate opening time before first pitch. The atmosphere never dies down to a quiet baseball game, and this is due to the exceptional Razorbacks fans. The “Calling of the Hogs” is a tradition at all Razorbacks games. The Razorbacks fans begin a hog call with a “Woo,” which increases in volume and includes raising the arms with fingers wiggling up and down. The arms are brought down during the “pig” and the hands are clenched into a fist. “Sooie” is accompanied with a fist pump. After the third call, “Razorbacks” is added with two additional fist pumps. The fans are always loud and involved no matter the opponent, so the atmosphere is constantly electric during Razorbacks games. The Razorbacks atmosphere has the typical activities you see at other baseball games from the game day operations crew. There are promotional contests and activities between innings, and the Razorbacks mascot Ribby interacts with fans via photos and high fives while walking throughout the stadium. Ribby also joins the RBI girls (Arkansas Pom Squad) between innings on top of the players dugout for entertainment. Dressed in baseball uniforms, the RBI girls perform dance routines and lead the traditional singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch, as well as help with the Calling of the Hogs. Baum-Walker Stadium has one of the largest video boards in collegiate baseball. Overall, the atmosphere at Baum-Walker Stadium is exceptional, making it one of the best not just for college baseball, but for any level of baseball. Neighborhood 3 Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field is just south of the University of Arkansas’ campus in Fayetteville. The city itself is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, within the scenic Ozark Mountain. Fayetteville is a model college town – the stadium is next to the Randall Tyson Track Center on the corner of 15th Street and Razorback Road. There are two restaurants across 15th Street beyond the outfield wall of the stadium; El Patio Mexican Bar & Grill and Foghorn’s. But if you want more choices near the stadium then just down Razorback Road on MLK there are chain places like Sonic, Arby’s, Subway, and Zaxby’s. However, the best option for food and beverage before ballgames would be on Dickson Street, the city’s main artery within walking distance from the University of Arkansas’ campus; Dickson Street has a long list of bars, restaurants, and other entertainment options for visitors, such as Hammontree’s Grilled Cheese, Bordinos Restaurant & Wine Bar, or Pickleman’s Gourmet Café. There is plenty of live music as well, so be sure to check out George’s Majestic Lounge, or Willy D’s Piano Bar. Plenty of available lodging is around campus and in downtown Fayetteville. The Chancellor Hotel is a great choice, or there is a Staybridge Suites near Baum-Walker Stadium. There are also chain hotels such as Candlewood Suites and Hampton Inn off I-49 at the MLK exit, and if you can’t secure lodging in Fayetteville, then there are other options in Springdale to the north towards the airport, or in historic Fort Smith; Fort Smith is about 45 minutes south of Fayetteville, off I-40. The Fort Smith area offers plenty of options for those who wish to do more during their time in Fayetteville than watch baseball. In Springdale at Arvest Ballpark you can find the Texas League Northwest Arkansas Naturals, which is the double-A team for the Kansas City Royals . However, once you attend a Razorbacks baseball games, the Naturals may disappoint you, so some non-baseball things to visit in Fayetteville include the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Clinton House Museum, Arkansas Air Museum, and the Columbus House Brewery and Tap Room. Fans 5 If you look up the attendance records for NCAA baseball, Arkansas fans are a constant top 3 in average attendance. This could easily tell you that the fans are also some of the best around when it comes to college baseball. However, the statement is more real when the stadium attendance is over 8,000 fans, with temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s for a non-conference game. Razorbacks fans are generally out in full force ahead of the first pitch with tailgating in the parking lots, and on Sundays you will even see a group of fans gathering for a devotion service, so they can be in their seats in time for a 1pm game. In fact, almost the entire crowd will be in their seats a full 15 minutes before the game’s first pitch. These fans aren’t the normal baseball fans that roam around the ballpark looking for other things to do – these fans are actively involved in the game. Of course, this is baseball in Arkansas and the Calling of the Hogs is done in full force throughout the game. Razorbacks fans are loud throughout the game and never quiet down, but what makes these fans even more impressive is that they are sitting in their seats; the concourse and concessions stands seem to only be used before the game, in-between innings, and at the end of the game, and not during play. Simply put, Razorbacks fans are the reason the atmosphere at Baum-Walker Stadium is one of the best in college baseball. Access 5 Baum-Walker Stadium has one of the best fan-friendly parking setups of any college baseball facility. Of course, there is reserved parking for baseball season ticket holders/Foundation Members in the lots across from the ballpark’s entrances, but just across Razorback Road is free public parking. However, just like any sports event, the earlier the better for a stress-free parking experience. There are 5 gate entrances into Baum-Walker Stadium; these gates are labeled A-D and the Hog Pen Gate for the General Admission seating in left field. The stadium enforces the clear bag policy; fans can bring in one clear bag (no larger than 12” x 6” x 12”) AND one small clutch purse (no larger than 4.5” x 6.5”, the size of the palm of your hand, with or without a handle or strap). All bags and purses that do not meet the above requirements will not be permitted. Although permitted, childcare items including diapers must also be carried in an approved clear bag. The stadium also does have ADA seating and companion seating on the concourse level. Baum-Walker Stadium has a wide and spacious concourse with an open view to the playing surface, although you will see plenty of fans standing behind the seating areas. The signage is visible and clear for all fans to concessions, seating areas, and restrooms. In addition, re-entry is permitted at Baum-Walker Stadium with the appropriate re-entry hand stamp and ticket. Overall, the access to and around Baum-Walker Stadium is just as joyful as the rest of the game day experience. Return on Investment 5 Arkansas baseball single game tickets are cheaper during the week than weekend games. On weekdays game prices range from $8-$10, with weekend games being $2 more per ticket. The exception to this is the LSU series; single games ticket prices are raised to $12 and $15, respectively, but no matter what the game you are spending less than $20 per ticket. Note: The Arkansas website does add service fees to each order, raising your cost. However, there is an outstanding return on investment, considering that Razorbacks baseball in more of an experience than anything else. There is plenty of free parking with easy access and respectable concessions prices for a stadium to justify these ticket prices. The overall ROI is well worth a visit to Baum-Walker Stadium. Extras 4 Baum-Walker Stadium is one of the best ballparks in college baseball and perhaps the country. The large signage listing former Razorbacks players that have reached Major League Baseball is impressive, as is the trophy case filled with Razorbacks baseball plaques and memorabilia, and the individual steel beams that are decorated with pictures of former Razorbacks players that made it to the majors. In addition, the Bullpen area with its picnic tables and grills is a plus, as it allows fans to bring in coolers to enjoy baseball in a family outing setting rather than in plastic seats. But the Razorback fans themselves inside Baum-Walker Stadium are what really creates one of the best atmospheres in college baseball. Final Thoughts The Southeastern Conference has the best overall college baseball stadiums in the country, and Baum-Walker Stadium is one of the top echelon ballparks in the conference. The venue is impressive; better than most minor league ballparks around the country. There really isn’t a single negative about the ballpark, food, atmosphere, fans, or the return on investment. Any college baseball fan should make a baseball trip to Fayetteville to watch Hogs Style Baseball.

Photos by Chris Tuck, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.71 Veltins Arena Arenaring 1 45891 Gelsenkirchen, Germany FC Schalke 04 website Veltins Arena website Year Opened: 2001 Capacity: 62,271 The Colours and Curves of the Veltins-Arena One hour after the final whistle, we sat high up in the SudKurve in an empty and eerie stadium. The view simply took our breath away. Some grounds are at their best when full; indeed a couple of hours earlier the Veltins-Arena was rocking. However as the crowd dispersed and the lights went down, this stunning, futuristic stadium revealed its colours and its curves in spectacular fashion. The city of Gelsenkirchen is in Germany’s Das Ruhrgebiet, in the west of the country, within North-Rhine Westphalia. It would never be described as picturesque or charming, however, its football team, FC Schalke 04, gives this former mining town something to be mighty proud of. Founded in 1904 (you'll see the blue and white '04 branding wherever you go) the club’s fortunes have fluctuated in the same way as the local industry. The region has often been described as Europe’s powerhouse. Recently, FC Schalke 04 is also a powerhouse; playing at a high level in both the Bundesliga and European Champions League. They were founded of course in 1904, and beginning in 1928 Schalke played at Glückauf-Kampfbahn in a proud working class area until the Parkstadion was built in 1973. Then in 2001, the club moved a stone’s throw away to its present home on the edge of the city. First known as the Arena Auf Schalke, a ten-year sponsorship by a leading German brewery means it’s now the Veltins-Arena, holding just over 62,000 fans. It’s a classic circa-200 million euro modern stadium, the retractable roof and removable pitch bring comparisons with others in the United States and the Far East. The Veltins-Arena is now very much home for their passionate fans who travel from miles around to follow the emotional roller coaster that is Schalke 04. Food & Beverage 3 Numerous catering outlets are available within the stadium complex and serve all the usual German favourites. Queues are quite long at times, exasperated by the European norm of having to queue first to put money on a ‘Knappenkarte’ that you then use to pay. For regulars, it’s a case of loading it up once for the season, but for one-time visitors, it’s an absolute pain. Bratwurst, a type of German sausage served in a bun, is a standard for most fans. Here it will set you back 2.90 euros, a very reasonable price. Schnitzel costs 4.20 euros and a Currywurst is 3.40 euros. Gouda am Stiel (cheese on a stick) costs 2.80 euros. Popcorn is available, a sad indictment of how sanitized football is becoming, but please don’t buy any. In Europe, popcorn is for the cinema only; buy it at football and you may as well get the word ‘tourist’ tattooed on your forehead. For drinks, coffee or tea costs 2.60 euros. Veltins will of course be your alcoholic drink of choice (or not) as their sponsorship gives them rights across the stadium’s outlets and will set you back around 4 euros. Veltins and CurryWurst is our recommendation, a decent price, and tasty although the fork didn’t come in particularly handy for the curry sauce. Just outside the stadium, on the corner of Willy-Brandt-Allee and Adenauerallee, is a cinema complex with a McDonalds, Café Del Sol, and Pizzeria, but it is, of course, busy on match days. Atmosphere 4 The vociferous home fans, housed in terraces at the NordKurve end of the ground do their best. As the match intensity grows, both home and away fans rise to the occasion and produce an impressive backdrop to the on-pitch action. The stadium is mostly two-tiered with executive boxes sandwiched in between. The Ergro Tribune (West) stand, where the players emerge onto the pitch, it’s split into three tiers. Clubs really should learn from Dortmund and now Tottenham Hotspur that a large, one-tier stand, uninterrupted by executive boxes, can do wonders for a stadium’s atmosphere. The seating across the stadium is predominantly blue in keeping with proud club colours. In the centre of the stadium, above the centre spot is a 4-screen ‘video box’ suspended from the roof providing updates on substitutions, scores elsewhere, and a few adverts too. Before kick-off, you will hear ‘The Miners Song,’ a reminder of the proud mining history in the area. Then the NordKurve take over with ‘blue and white, how we love you,’ their Tifo displays, their bouncing, and their songs, creating a superb spectacle for those in the other three stands. As with most modern stadiums, there are no bad views. Neighborhood 3 The Veltins-Arena can be found in the city of Gelsenkirchen, very much off of the tourist trail. All advice suggests staying elsewhere and traveling in for the match. When asking Schalke fans about their city, thinking they'd defend it to the hilt, they all replied “Stay in Dusseldorf!” Gelsenkirchen has pubs, restaurants, and hotels, so it’s possible to base yourself here. There is a zoo, a movie museum, and a coal museum. However, always trust the locals so base yourself in Bochum or Dusseldorf. We chose Dusseldorf, an attractive city just 45 minutes south on the train. Don’t forget of course that your match day football ticket will give you that train journey for free, an excellent initiative. Staying elsewhere also allows you to add another game to your trip. With so many clubs around, and tv schedules kick-off times across the weekend, you likely will be able to also visit another German football stadium during a visit. In Dusseldorf head to the Aldstadt where you’ll hear of the ‘longest bar in the world’ so called due to so many bars packed into such a small geographical area. Lanes off of the main drag provide numerous steakhouses, tapas, and pizzerias. We stayed in the heart of the Altstadt in apartments with a (small) sea view but no balcony; reasonably priced they provide a good base for a trip. Fans 4 Older Schalke fans still identify heavily with the working-class area where their Gluckauf-Kampfbahn stadium was located. I also met younger fans who had only ever known the glitzy and shiny Veltins-Arena. Schalke Ultras I spoke to simply lived and breathed their club, but they are down-to-earth and approachable. They know they are a big club, but understand that following football pride there is almost always an ignominious fall. The stadium is full for Bundesliga and Champions League matches, they were Germany’s best-supported club for a few years in the 1970s. These days only Dortmund and Bayern Munich attract more fans than Schalke who averaged over 60,000. Ultra groups choreograph the tifo displays and during the chants, they bring the striking blue and white colours to life through their flags, scarves, and banners. Of course, there is the juxtaposition between the gritty working-class heritage this club prides itself on and this fantastic futuristic stadium. If anything, however, it’s a positive tension. Schalke fans are also hugely proud that their stadium hosted World Cup matches in 2006 and a European Champions League final in 2004. Access 4 Only 85 kilometres separates Cologne from Dortmund, in between, this region is littered with top-flight and Bundesliga 2 football clubs. Forget coal, with at least three airports and the usual fast and efficient train network, this area is an absolute gold mine for traveling football fans. The Veltins-Arena is a long walk from the current centre of the city. It’s reached therefore using tram 302 from Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof. Simply follow the hundreds of fans arriving on the train and drinking just outside the station. If you are driving to the Veltins-Arena, it can be found sandwiched between autobahns 2 and 42. Come off Autobahn 2 at junction 6 and arrive minutes later at the ground which has a large multi-story car park sitting adjacent to the stadium. Tickets for the match can be purchased from the Schalke website, by telephone, or at the stadium itself. Whilst they do sell out most games, if you are watchful and buy early, it’s possible to buy tickets even for some of the bigger games. Expect to scan your ticket at the outer perimeter of the stadium and be searched before you proceed into the stadium area itself. Once inside, access is relatively easy although note there are lots of stairs outside and in, so if mobility is an issue contact the club before you travel. Return on Investment 4 ‘Free train travel’ simply by showing your match day ticket is a superb idea. This makes the return on investment for a trip to Schalke very attractive. Ticket prices are what you would expect at this level and food/drink also is in line with other Bundesliga clubs. The availability of free match day programmes adds to the feeling that you aren't being ripped off. Of course, choose a lower-league match and you will spend less. I’d recommend Bochum just down the road, but a trip to a German top-flight club such as Schalke does not break the bank. Add to that you are visiting one of the world’s finest stadiums and this journey is money well spent. Extras 4 The Schalke museum is built into the corner of the SudKurve and is well worth a visit, on its own or as part of a stadium tour. The Match Day programme is an excellent full-color A4 affair and is given out around the perimeter of the stadium free of charge. Fan shops are also positioned around the ground with blue and white shirts, scarves, and merchandise to help you blend in. There is also now a Schalke app which you can use to gain access to their own tv channel, scores, and merchandise and it will even give you a wake-up call in time for the match. Final Thoughts During the match, songs, curse words, and shouts swirl around this impressive arena. Now as we're the last to leave, the now-empty stadium is still communicating with us. The huge video screen plays the post-match press interviews; but if you listen carefully enough, you can hear the working-class Schalke forefathers whispering, “Don’t ever forget your roots, work hard, don't expect anything for free, support this famous team through thick and thin.....and don't ever buy the popcorn.”

Photos by Bart Wilhelm, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.00 Hamlin Sports Complex 1544 5th Street Springfield, OR 97477 Springfield Drifters website Hamlin Sports Complex website Year Opened: 2022 Capacity: 2 ,500 Drifters in Springfield In 2022, the summer collegiate West Coast League expanded into Springfield, Oregon. The new team was named the Springfield Drifters, in honor of the “slow-drifting lifestyle” of the town and the nearby Willamette River. Springfield, Oregon has long been believed to be the Springfield featured in the TV series, “The Simpsons.” A brand new baseball facility was built for the club and is also being used by Bushnell College, who revived their baseball program after a 50-year hiatus. Food & Beverage 4 Hamlin Sports Complex is a bit unique because all of their food is supplied by food trucks. Down the left field line are two trucks, Blessed Mess BBQ and Bea’s Ice Cream. Both trucks are contracted through the 2022 season. In the future, the truck options could change. Blessed Mess features burgers, walking tacos, and various Grab and Go sandwiches. While they’re a bit pricey (1/4 smash burgers start at $10 with an upcharge to add pork, brisket, or sausage, and walking tacos with meat start at $15), the flavor is very good. They also feature a Grab and Go station by the right field patio. Bea’s truck has all your dessert needs. They have a few different flavors of ice cream at $5/scoop, and several funnel cake options starting at $8. There are also three permanent beverage stands, one down each baseline and one behind home plate. All three feature similar products. 16-ounce cans of Coors Light and Pabst Blue Ribbon can be found for $6. 19-ounce cans of Sisters Hard Seltzer are $8 and various Oregon craft beers are $9 for draft and $10 for cans. Hard cider and wine are also available. Bottle of Pepsi products and Gatorade are $5 each. Atmosphere 3 Hamlin is a brand new facility that opened in 2022. It definitely has a new-stadium feel to it. Everything is in great shape and the (artificial) field turf looks immaculate. I’m told that they bought the best turf available and it shows. The entire field is turf including the base paths and the warning tracks. The park has an official capacity of 2,500. There are about 750 permanent chairback seats that extend from home plate to both dugouts. Beyond those are metal bleachers on both sides, followed by patio areas where there is ample room to stand if you’d like. The stadium dimensions are 330 feet down both lines and 375 feet to straightaway center field, and the wall is a consistent 12 feet high. The stadium’s lone scoreboard is above the right-centerfield fence. While new, it’s a simple scoreboard that only gives the score, the count, and the runs/hits/errors. No video or player information. The team mascot is a dog named “Rapid.” He’s dressed in a fishing jacket as if he’s ready to spend a day at the lake. Neighborhood 2 The complex is built next to a middle school. There is a high school baseball field and a track on both sides of Hamlin. There’s nothing else in the immediate walking area. Downtown Springfield is about a mile away. There are plenty of local restaurants downtown. I opted for some clam chowder and a couple pints at The Public House, a converted church that’s now a pub. There are several motels and hotels in the Springfield/Eugene area (Eugene, home of the University of Oregon, is only a few miles away and is part of the same metropolitan area), but the prices can be very steep. On weekends, the cheapest motel can run almost $200. During the week it’s still around $80. I actually decided to drive an hour north to Salem because I was headed that way the next day and the motel prices were much more reasonable. Fans 3 Since the team is just starting out, the fan base hasn’t been totally established yet. There’s also the tricky situation of the Eugene Emeralds minor league team being less than ten minutes away. On nights when the Ems are in town, the Drifters’ attendance goes way down. The Emeralds are in danger of losing their team, though, due to stadium upgrade necessities. If they’re forced to leave, that would obviously help Springfield a great deal. On the night I was there, there were about 200 people in attendance, but they were a loud bunch who stayed to the end. I found a spot on the right field patio and stood around with a bunch of locals who told me all about the local bars and breweries. Access 4 The park is fairly easy to get to. It’s not very far off of I-5 or the I-105 spur. The actual address of the park is 1544 5th Street. The parking lot entrance is off of Centennial Blvd. There’s plenty of free parking on site. If you’re staying locally, there is a bus stop at the corner of Centennial and Pioneer Parkway. There are two gates, one behind home plate and one by the left field foul pole. Both gates have a ticket booth. Gates open an hour before the games start. Currently there are no permanent restrooms. There are about a dozen porta-potties throughout the park. A player’s clubhouse is under construction and when it’s done (2023), there should be regular bathrooms. Return on Investment 3 At $6 for general admission, the park is very affordable to enter. Metal bleachers are $10 and the nicer chairback seats are $12. Beer prices are on par with other stadiums. The food is quite expensive though. That’s the downside to bringing in food trucks. Good quality, but you pay for it. But if you just need a quality hot dog, you can find one for $4. Extras 2 One point goes to the new stadium. Most parks in summer collegiate leagues are older parks that are repurposed for a new team. This one was actually built for the team. One point goes to the friendly staff. I asked a lot of questions, and everyone from the beer lady to the ushers to the owner and GM were all very friendly and helpful. Final Thoughts Hamlin Sports Complex is one of the nicest stadiums I have seen in the West Coast League. It definitely feels like a real baseball park and not just a community field that they’re using for a summer league. It’ll be interesting to see how their popularity grows if the Eugene Emeralds are forced to move elsewhere.

Photos by Ryan Norris, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86 Oracle Arena 7000 Coliseum Way Oakland, CA 94621 Golden State Warriors website Oracle Arena website Year Opened: 1966 Capacity: 19,596 The Last Hurrah for The Oracle Over the last few years, Oracle Arena has been welcomed into more living rooms than nearly any other arena in the NBA. Between the constant national broadcasts and the Warriors deep playoff runs, the world has had a peek into the arena in Oakland and all the stars put on shows on a nightly basis. The team has won six championships in 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, and 2018. The Warriors began their existence in 1946 in Philadelphia as part of the Basketball Association of America and then went on to be one of the founding clubs of the now, National Basketball Association. With Wilt Chamberlain in tow, the team moved west to San Francisco in 1962 where they played in at The Cow Palace, just south of the city in Daly City, CA. After 1964, the team moved downtown to the San Francisco Civic Auditorium (now Bill Graham Civic Auditorium after the famed concert promoter). During this time, they also played games at USF’s Memorial Gym. Starting in 1966, the team bounced around between the Cow Palace, Civic Auditorium, Oakland Coliseum Arena and even San Diego Sports Arena. The team finally settled in Oakland at the now Oracle Arena in 1971 and changed their name from the San Francisco Warriors to the Golden State Warriors. Originally named Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oracle Arena was renovated during the 1996-97 season. During this time, they played at San Jose Arena (now SAP Center). Before being home to the Warriors, the arena was host to the ABA’s Oakland Oaks and was the home of the NHL’s Oakland/California Golden Seals from 1967-76. Even during the lean years, and there were decades, the arena has had a mystique that the home team has enjoyed. Though they have had sold out crowds for several years, new ownership who has re-energized the team with talent on the court and in the front office has decided to move the team from Oakland to San Francisco. Many people believe that was always their plan when they purchased it though they feigned overtures to the city of Oakland. They originally announced a stadium opening date of 2017 at Piers 30/32 back in 2012. They have since abandoned that site in favor of another site, still along the water, in San Francisco’s growing Mission Bay neighborhood. Most of the new buildings going up over there are high rise luxury apartments and buildings housing tech companies. They broke ground on Chase Center in January 2017 in a ridiculous over-the-top ceremony that involved dancing cranes and construction workers and open in time for the 2019/2020 season. There’s no doubt this showmanship will be reflective in the move from Oakland to San Francisco, from substance to fluff. You can follow their progress here . Food & Beverage 4 Both the price and quality of the food has been steadily increasing for the last few years. There are now more options than there ever have been at Oracle. Some of the more unique options include a banh mi sandwich cart (pork, chicken and tofu options) and a Dungeness crab sandwich ($16!). Even the basic items such as pizza, hot dogs and nachos have gotten a lot better recently in terms of quality. I know they changed their concessions vendor a few years back so that may be reflective of that. Still, simple things such as a soft pretzel are $5.50, and a variety of salads range from $10 to $13. 20-ounce craft beers go for $13 and 24-ounce cans of domestic beer go for $12.50. Atmosphere 5 It’s hard to describe, but the combination of Steph Curry’s play and the fans can turn a basketball game into something else entirely, like a church revival meeting a dance party. The “oohs and ahs” become a character. It’s partly the fans but it’s also partly the compact gym. Even though the arena is over 45 years old the exterior facade and the interior aesthetics don’t show their age as you might think. The “x” pattern around the building is a modern look and the renovated concourses are quite nice, albeit narrow. It’s a tad cramped in the seating area which can be uncomfortable but also allows fans to feel right on top of the action. Oracle has great sightlines for game action and fans from any part of the arena can watch with ease. The one bummer about sitting in the second level is the angle that the ceiling comes down to a point above center court. This creates a blockage that fans can’t see through to the fans on the other side of the court. Neighborhood 1 Quite frankly there is nothing within walking distance to the arena. This is the only destination on game nights. People either arrive by car and park in the parking lot or arrive by public transportation and get off at the Coliseum BART station. Many people are concerned with the neighborhood near the arena but I don’t see it as a threat, if for no reason than that there is no reason to be wandering around over there anyhow. There are no restaurants or bars, only industrial warehouses, and low-income housing. The closest thing to food destinations is on Hegenberger where you can find fast food, a Denny’s and a few hotels due to its proximity to the Oakland International Airport (OAK). The closest thing to a neighborhood of businesses is the overpass that connects BART to the Coliseum complex. As you walk from the train to the arena you will find a ton of people out there buying/selling tickets, as well as knock-off apparel, beer/water, and of course, bacon-wrapped hot dogs (a Mission District staple). The good news is that you’re a short trip from other Oakland neighborhoods that can provide pre or post-game meals and suds. Oakland continues to pop up on publications’ “best of” lists of great places to visit. Good neighborhoods to visit are Lake Merritt, Dimond, Uptown and Rockridge. All of them have great bars, restaurants, and shopping. And of course, San Francisco is a 15 minute BART ride away. Fans 5 Warriors fans have been through so many down years and still turn out in droves that it would be difficult to give them any other score than a five. Part of what sets Warriors fans apart from other fans in the Bay Area is that they represent the entire region and fans need not pick sides. While residents need to choose between the 49ers and Raiders in football, and the Giants and A’s in baseball, people come together behind their lovable losers, now winners. One of the other things that I’ve noticed over the last couple of years is the international influence of the crowd. People are traveling from all over the globe to see the Warriors. The mixing of locals and internationals create quite a party-like atmosphere. The fans are plenty knowledgeable, loyal and loud. They understand the nuances of the game with the fans of the best teams in the NBA. Their current success has catapulted a great game day experience into another stratosphere. Truthfully, the fans would be given a “5” score at any point over the last 20 years. I must say, I’ve never heard another arena that gets as loud. Access 5 By car: Just exit I-880 on 66th or Hegenberger and follow the signs to the parking lot and fork over your 40 bucks. By BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit): From San Francisco, buy a $4.20 one-way ticket ($1.95 from downtown Oakland), board either a Dublin/Pleasanton or Fremont train and exit at Coliseum/Airport. Take the walking overpass over San Leandro Avenue to the arena. The arena is also accessible from Richmond and Pittsburgh via BART, from Oakland and the East Bay via AC Transit and Sacramento via the Capitol Corridor Amtrak train. Oracle is truly the most convenient major stadium in the Bay Area to get to. However, there are issues getting around the concourses inside. Foot traffic creates a lot of congestion and lines to get food and into the team stores spill out into the walkways. Even as they try to move venues, the Warriors have invested in improving this at Oracle by building add-ons to the arena that are bars so that some people gravitate away from the concession carts and into the bars away from the walkways. Return on Investment 3 A trip to a Warriors game used to present an excellent value. Even still, it’s an experience that any basketball fan should seek out once or twice because of the insane atmosphere. However, it presents big challenges to go often or for a big family. There are over 35,000 people on the season ticket holder wait list for a venue with less than 20,000 seats and 14,000 current season ticket holders. This will create a get-in price on the secondary market for no less than $50 for the worst seats on off-nights. Be prepared to spend $50-$150 for tickets in the upper level and $100-$500 for the lower level. Courtside seats are several thousand. Food has increased steadily over the last few years and parking is now $40. Even the BART parking lot that used to be free, is now $10. The saving grace is how special the arena is and how different it is from other NBA arenas in terms of fans and atmosphere. It sure would be tough to take a family of four to a game but it might be worth it occasionally. Extras 4 The Warriors do a lot of in-game entertainment to keep the crowd going. This consists of the Warriors Dance Team, hype team, and emcee. I personally don’t enjoy the emcee but many fans do. The retired numbers are #13 Wilt Chamberlain, #14 Tom Meschery, #16 Al Attles, #17 Chris Mullin, #24 Rick Barry, and #42 Nate Thurmond. They’re displayed next to their four championship banners at one end of the arena. About 3 or 4 times a game, fans have chances to win prizes or cash by playing games or making trick shots. Based on the team’s performance, fans can win gift certificates for haircuts, smoothies, tacos, etc. to redeem at local establishments. These are fun ways to keep everyone in the arena engaged. If you’re someone who enjoys celebrity sightings, this is a nightly occurrence in Oakland now. The final extra is for the fans. There aren’t enough words to distinguish this fan base from others in the NBA. Final Thoughts It behooves you to get to Oracle in the next few years prior to the team moving to San Francisco. I’m sure the move to San Francisco will bring with it a top-notch experience unlike any other in the NBA, but it will also be unlike what is currently happening over at the Coliseum complex.

Photos by Lance Sutehall, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.29 Pruitt Hall Pruitt Drive Livingston, AL 35470 West Alabama Tigers website Pruitt Hall website Year Opened: n/a Capacity: 1,500 A Hidden Gem In Western Alabama Located less than a half-hour drive from the Mississippi state border sits the small community of Livingston, Alabama. If you are not paying attention while driving on Interstate 20/59 it is very easy to miss the exit to reach the campus of the University of West Alabama. Do not let the fact that UWA is a Division 2 program fool you, its teams are competitive and the fans are very supportive. Basketball is no exception as a visit to Pruitt Hall will show you just how great Division 2 action can be. Food & Beverage 1 There is one concession stand on the right of the foyer that sells hot dogs ($3), popcorn ($2), candy ($2), and coke products ($3) for drinks. The stand is cash only. Livingston has a few good restaurants so I would grab a bite before heading to the game. Atmosphere 4 When you arrive in the Foyer at Pruitt Hall you notice a trophy cabinet on the left showing the Tiger's athletic accolades over the years. A sign says “UWA Tigers” between the entrances to the seating areas of the basketball court. To the left side of the gym by the team benches are the seats with backs on them and I assume those belong to Season Ticket holders. There are only four rows of seats on that side of the gym!  The general admission side of the court is on the right side and the worst seat is a whopping seven rows away from the court. Banners commemorating the successes of the men’s and women’s basketball programs are placed on the walls above the bleachers. The student section is located behind the baseline away from the entrances and has a tiger logo and “UWA" letters above it. The other wall has a giant tiger logo. The court has a red exterior with “Tigers” spelled out on the baselines while the midcourt has the tiger logo with “UWA” letters below it.  There are two screens on opposing corners of the gym that I thought were going to be videoboards but were simply scoreboards that also showed the players during the starting lineups. The band played during all of the breaks in action and the cheerleaders did perform although they were hard to see from the general admission side until the last media timeout when they performed on the baseline. Neighborhood 2 Unfortunately, there are not a lot of tourist attractions in Livingston. However, there are some good restaurants including Diamond Jim’s & Mrs. Donna’s for American fare, Tres Hermanos for Mexican, and Austin’s Q&A Steakhouse. The lodging options include Comfort Inn or Western Inn. Fans 3 The fans show up for basketball and get behind their Tigers throughout the entire game. They can get loud and can cause problems for the opposition. I witnessed some fans going at one of the Valdosta State players (in the “good fun” way, not the “despicable behavior” way). I thought that was funny to witness and figured it bore mentioning. Access 2 The good news is Livingston is located on Interstate 20/59. The bad news is Livingston is a bit of a drive away from decent-sized towns such as Tuscaloosa or Meridian.  From I 20/59 take exit 17 onto State Highway 28 (you should pass the restaurants and hotels I mentioned earlier). Turn right on Highway 11 and go straight until you reach Chapman Street where you will make a right turn onto the campus of UWA.  Parking is free on Chapman and a short walk to the entrance of Pruitt Hall. There is one restroom per gender and you walk on the side of the court to get to your seat, not unlike most high school games. Return on Investment 3 Tickets are $10 per person with a drink and a hot dog going for $6. $16 for a women’s and a men’s game is a good deal in my opinion. I would skip the food and just pay the $10 to get in. Extras 1 Pruitt Hall is a short walk from Tiger Stadium, home of UWA football and where Malcolm Butler and Tyreek Hill once played. Final Thoughts The University of West Alabama and the community of Livingston, Alabama may both be small but that does not mean they are not proud. There is some good eating and a great university with a proud athletic tradition to check out should you ever be on I-20/59.

Photos by Jim Flannery, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.00 Art Hauser Centre 690 (B) 32 Street East Prince Albert, SK S6V 2W8 Prince Albert Raiders website Art Hauser Centre website Year Opened: 1971 Capacity: 3,366 WHL In Prince Albert The Comuniplex opened in 1971, 10 years to the day after the Minto Arena had been destroyed by fire, and brought hockey back to a city that had been missing the sport for a long, long time. On opening day, there were no seats in the arena, so fans took to bringing pillows and blankets for sitting on the concrete slabs surrounding the rink. Times have changed. The Art Hauser Centre, as it has been known since 2005, has seen a number of improvements over the years, including seats, an elevator, an upgraded scoreboard and plenty more. Playing at the Art Hauser Centre, the Prince Albert Raiders have been one of the more successful junior hockey teams in Saskatchewan. Between 1977-1982 the Raiders won four Tier II junior national championships in six years. After graduating up to the WHL for the 1982-83 season, the Raiders went on to win the Memorial Cup in 1985 as the top junior team in the country. The Raiders have produced 72 players who have made it to the NHL, including Brad McCrimmon, James Patrick, Wes Walz and Mike Modano. And all of them have paid their dues in this little arena in this little city. Food & Beverage 4 Good options at good prices are what you’ll find at the Art Hauser Centre. The main concession stands are located in the main floor lobby on the west end of the stadium, known as the Johnny Bower Lobby in honour of the NHL Hall of Fame goalie who was born and raised in Prince Albert. There is also another stand with a paired-down menu at the far end of the stands in the southeast corner. The menu itself is quite substantial and tasty. You have your typical arena fare, such as popcorn (small bag is $2.25), chips ($1.50), burgers ($4.00) and pop (small cup is $1.75), all at very reasonable prices. And there are also some other choices such as delicious pizza-by-the-slice ($3.75) and breakfast burritos ($3.00). Curiously, and awesomely, you can also pick up some bona fide oddities at the concessions. Certs, Rolaids, Tylenol and hockey tape are all available for fans with… unique needs. I love this. Upstairs in the Art Hauser you’ll find the Ches Leach Lounge, named after one of the founding fathers of the Prince Albert Raiders. The Lounge is huge, with seating for 600, and serves adult beverages for patrons looking for something a little stronger than soda. It has a very social, beer garden-type feel to it and seems very much like a place where friends can meet and hang out before, during or after games. Atmosphere 4 The Prince Albert Raiders have a long and storied history and the fans are enthusiastic supporters as a result. The Art Hauser Centre only holds 3,366 people, including 786 standing room spots, but to sell the place out requires almost 10 percent of the city’s population to show up. Impressively enough, they fill the place to near capacity every night. The game I attended had a crowd of 2,755 fans and, in a small venue like that, the crowd is right on top of the action. The stands in fact are just 10 rows deep so no one, including the many fans who choose to stand at the back, have a bad view. The net result is a ton of audience energy, a great look at the ice surface, and a lot more crowd noise than one might expect. Overall this made for a very fun and entertaining experience at the good ol’ hockey game. Neighborhood 3 The Art Hauser Centre is located in the southeast corner of Prince Albert, well away from most all of the entertainment options in the city. About your only dining choices in the immediate vicinity are the Spicy Peppercorn Chinese-Vietnamese Restaurant across the street to the south, an A&W another block south, and a Tim Horton’s to the west of the A&W. Other than those, you’ll be going for a drive to find some fun. The good news is that you’re no more than five minutes from some of the more happening spots in town. Head a few blocks west on Marquis Rd. and you’ll find the Northern Lights Casino and just a little further on is a strip of hotels and restaurants on 2 Ave. Standard fare such as McDonald’s, KFC and Boston Pizza can all be found in this stretch along with a few mom and pop restaurants. Heading a couple minutes north along 6 Ave. from the Art Hauser quickly brings you to the Cornerstone commercial district where all manner of shops and services can be located. Again, many of the standard dining options are here, such as Ricky’s, Fatburger and Original Joe’s, all of which will fit the bill. Fans 4 Raiders fans are enthusiastic, engaged, and don’t mind voicing their displeasure with questionable calls by yelling at the offending ref by name. Like most junior hockey audiences I’ve observed, they are fairly quiet most of the time but, whenever something exciting happens on the ice, the noise level rises very rapidly, often punctuated by cowbells. With the low ceiling in the Art Hauser Centre, that gets things booming in a hurry. What this means is that you’ll be among fun, energetic people at a Raiders game and that’s always a good thing. Access 3 The Art Hauser Centre is situated near the outskirts of Prince Albert, in the southeast corner of town. Located near the corner of two major arteries, it is pretty easy to get there from anywhere in the city. Parking on site is free and there appears to be sufficient parking for everyone coming to the game. There is also a bus stop right outside of the rink, so public transit is an option. The downside is that there is only one way in or out of the parking lot, so leaving after the game is a bit of a lengthy ordeal considering the relatively few number of cars. Inside the arena, the Johnny Bower Lobby is roomy; the halls behind the stands and at the top of the stands, not so much. It can, therefore, be a little slow to move from your seats to the concessions or the washroom facilities. Return on Investment 5 Seats at the Art Hauser are $18.99 for adults, $14 for students and $9 for children, with standing room and luxury box locations also available. At that price, the level of entertainment is a bargain. You’ll be getting a quality product on the cheap which leaves you plenty of extra cash to buy a 50/50 ticket or some hockey tape at the concession stand. Extras 5 Once you’ve entered the Johnny Bower Lobby, you’ll see a large bronze statue of a goalie in honour of the late, great netminder. Behind the statue is a wall covered in glass plaques dedicated to key figures in the history of the Art Hauser Centre. Many of the rest of the walls throughout the Lobby as well as upstairs outside of the Ches Leach Lounge are covered in displays dedicated to the many members of the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame, giving the place a real sense of the history in the community. Behind and below the south stands, the corridor leading to the far east of the stands is also the hallway through which the players travel from the locker rooms to the ice surface. Along this hallway you’ll find pictures of every Prince Albert Raiders team from 1971 to the present day, names of all the Raiders’ award winners and the Wall of Honour with plaques dedicated to the most critical members of the Raiders’ family over the years. The Raiders have a nice souvenir shop in the south corner of the Johnny Bower Lobby. All your needs for jerseys, hats, sweaters, keychains, etc. can be met here. A bonus for season ticket holders is a 10 percent discount for all purchases here. The team mascot, Riley Raider, makes the rounds before, during and after the game, shooting tee-shirts into the stands, encouraging chants and cheers, and entertaining the kids in the crowd. Out in the Lobby at the game I attended, several tables were set up raising funds for Saskatchewan’s annual Kinsmen Telemiracle campaign, a 32-year-old telethon that runs in support of people with disabilities; always a very worthy cause. Among the fundraisers for the day was also an auction for the extremely cool-looking special edition game-worn jerseys the Raiders wore that night. Lining the rafters in the stands are the many, many championship banners the Raiders have earned over the years. It’s a very impressive sight from anywhere in the rink. As things are ramping up to the start of the game, the Prince Albert Raiders theme song, “Go Raiders Go” by Russ Gurr, The Singing Farmer was played over the P.A. system. Having a classic 1970s vintage tune like that was a real treat to hear. This was followed up by Captain Tractor’s classic rendition of “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” which fits with the team’s pirate-themed current logo rather perfectly. Final Thoughts No, you’re not getting the great big monster event you might expect at an NHL game, but the more intimate, small town environment at a WHL game such as this has its own appeal. The Raiders have a good sense of tradition and do an excellent job remaining connected to their community. A trip up north to take in a game will be worth the effort.

Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.14 Nissan Stadium 1 Titans Way Nashville, TN 37213 Tennessee State Tigers website Nissan Stadium website Year Opened: 1999 Capacity: 69,143 The Tiger’s Lair in Music City Tennessee State University is a land grant university located in Nashville, TN. It was founded in 1912 and it now has a student body of over 8,000 students. The university offers more than 77 majors in a wide variety of fields. The school’s athletic teams are known as the Tigers, and they compete in the Ohio Valley Conference at the FCS level of NCAA competition. The football program at Tennessee State has been especially successful over the years. The school first fielded a team in 1912, and since then they have won 13 national championships, including one national championship at the Division II level and 12 Black College National Championships. In addition, they won the Midwestern Conference Championship 16 times, and the Ohio Valley Championship twice. They have gone to the FCS playoffs six times. The present coach of the Tigers is Eddie George, a former star player with the Tennessee Titans. The football program played its games at the on-campus Hale Stadium until 1999. They then moved their games to Nissan Stadium (it was LP Field at that time) as one of the conditions set by the Nashville Stadium Authority. Hale Stadium was in very poor condition at the time and only seated 10,000. Special Note: Shortly before this review was done the Tennessee Titans announced their plans to build a new enclosed stadium to replace Nissan Stadium. It would be built just east of the present Nissan Stadium. The stadium would open between the 2026-2027 football seasons. To learn more about this plan go to www.tennesseetitans.com/new-stadium . Food & Beverage 2 Nissan Stadium offers a wide variety of food and beverage items with something to suit anybody’s taste. Unfortunately, that is only for Titans games on Sundays. There are only four stands open for Tennessee State games. These are Classic Hits, Tri Star Chicken, Bent Buckle BBQ, and Nashgrille. Classic Hits serves your usual stadium fare, including hot dogs ($6.50), nachos w/cheese ($7.50), pretzels ($6.50), popcorn ($6.50), chips ($5.50), peanuts ($5.50) and candy ($5.50). Tri Star Chicken features chicken tenders with fries ($12.50), chicken sandwiches ($10.50), smoked turkey legs ($10), corn dogs ($10), and fries ($5.50). Bent Buckle BBQ has nachos ($10.50), BBQ tacos ($10.50), baked potato ($10.50), pulled pork sandwiches ($9.50), BBQ dawgs ($9.50), and hot dogs ($9.50). Nashgrille rounds out the food offerings with cheeseburgers with fries ($14.50), hot tenders ($14.50), and chicken waffles ($14.50). Drinks available at each of these concession stands include Coca-Cola brand sodas ($5.50), water ($5.50), Gatorade ($5.50), domestic beers ($10.50), and premium beers ($11.50). We found the prices for food and beverage stands at Nissan Stadium to be the highest we’ve experienced at a college venue. Our advice is to try out one of the many great restaurants just across the river in downtown Nashville before or after the game and at least get your money’s worth of dining options. Atmosphere 3 Let’s face it… there is something special about being on a college campus on a sparkling fall afternoon. Seeing old friends on the quad and showing your kids where dad or mom went to school. It is not that Tennessee State does not do everything it can to recreate that energy at Nissan Stadium. The Aristocrat of Bands marches across the Siegenthaler Bridge and delivers a great pregame concert and halftime show. The cheerleaders lead the crowd in some of the school’s best chants. The team leaves it all out on the field effort-wise. The school boasts of having the third-largest average attendance in the FCS at 22,000. However, when you place those 22,000 in a 69,000-seat stadium it seems more empty than full. Imagine sitting in the east stands and your team is making a great goal-line stand. You and all your friends make all the noise you can. In any other stadium, that noise would be deafening, but in a one-third full stadium, the opposition has no problem in hearing the quarterback. As a fan, you look out on the action on the field… but cannot help but see the empty stands on the opposite side of the field. It is a shame that Tennessee State cannot have its home games back on campus at Hale Stadium. Unfortunately, it could hold only 10,000 of those average 22,000 Tiger fans. Neighborhood 4 Nissan Stadium offers the best of both worlds in terms of where it is geographically located. It is within walking distance of one of the most vibrant tourist towns in America. The honky tonks, clubs and music halls of Broadway are just across a pedestrian bridge from the stadium. There is no need to pay for parking at the stadium, as most every hotel chain has a location near the river. Nashville is always open, even on a sleepy Sunday morning. There are also shrines to the top performers in country music as well as singers searching for that big break. Even if you stay on the east side of the Cumberland River, there is plenty to do. Lots of clubs, breweries, and restaurants are opening along the east bank, as the cost of doing business is much cheaper. Traffic is much less congested than the streets filled with tourist buses on the west side of the river. Fans 5 Tennessee State University is known for its large and very loyal alumni base. A majority of those alums live in the Greater Nashville area and are present for Tiger home games. They are legendary for the meals they serve at the pregame tailgates, which sometimes also include a family reunion. They are joined by most of the student body, as the school spirit is high and it is a social occasion, with many of the Greek organizations decked out in ties and jackets. Helping keep up the energy level in the stands is the TSU marching band, aka “The Aristocrat of Bands” and their dance team, ‘The Sophisticated Ladies.” The band plays nonstop, breaking into the playing of “I’m So Glad” each time the Tigers score. Fans look forward to the halftime shows as much as the ballgame, and some fans leave after the halftime show, as it has left them fully satisfied. Access 3 The gameday staffing by Nissan Stadium on Saturdays is a fraction of what will be needed just 24 hours later. Tennessee State averages a crowd of 22,000 for home games, good enough to be ranked third in the FCS for average attendance. However, those 22,000 will be using the lower level of the seating bowl and even then, only the east side of the field. There are more than enough gates for entry on that side without lines forming. Traffic is much lighter on college gamedays than on NFL gamedays and finding parking at the vast stadium parking lots is a breeze. The only lines we really saw were not at the restrooms, but at the concession stands. The number of stands open is a fraction of what is open on Sunday. The stands that sold a unique item, such as Nashville Hot Chicken, had much longer lines that a stand that sold just the stadium standards. Return on Investment 3 The return on investment is much greater on Saturdays than it is on NFL Sundays at Nissan Stadium. The face value on tickets ranges from $25 for midfield tickets to $15 from the end zones to the 40-yard lines. Parking is $30, but a vast majority of the students take shuttles from the TSU campus or walk across the Cumberland River via the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. The alums do not seem to mind the charge, as the tailgate food and beverage cost dwarf any parking fee. The concession offerings at Tiger games are a fraction of what is open on Sundays. The prices are marked down accordingly. We give our midrange score of 3 for ROI, as you can enjoy the creature comforts of an NFL stadium, such as individual seats vs metal bleachers, a much more impressive scoreboard and the pageantry of the halftime show is even better in an NFL stadium. The cost of food and beverages brings down the ROI due to their outrageous prices. You still go home at the end of the day with more money than you would on Sunday for that same seat. Extras 5 The Tiger’s longest-tenured coach was John Merritt, who led the team from 1963-1983. He was the coach during many of their championship years. Merritt is now enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Tennessee State has sent several players on to play in the NFL. Among the most notable are Richard Dent, Claude Humphrey, Joe Gilliam, and Ed “Too Tall” Jones. The rivalry game for the Tigers is the Southern Heritage Classic against Jackson State University. It is held at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, which is halfway in between the two schools. Unfortunately, the 2022 contest will be the end of the series due to scheduling conflicts between the two schools’ respective conferences. The Aristocrat of Bands deserves its own extra. The TSU marching band was the first HCBU marching band to perform on national television in 1955. They performed at the halftime of an NFL game despite the strict segregation laws at the time. In addition to Tennessee State football games, Nissan Stadium serves as the home of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL, the Music City Bowl, and the CMA Fest each summer. Final Thoughts While we feel that the best location for a college football program is an on-campus stadium, we feel that Nissan Stadium does provide an attractive alternative as the home for the Tennessee State University Tigers. Its location on the east bank of the Cumberland River provides stunning views of downtown Nashville, with easy access to some of the top tourist sites in the Music City. Nissan Stadium provides an electronics package that is hard to beat, with its huge scoreboards at each end of the stadium. Accessibility is another strong point for the stadium, as it has more than adequate parking onsite, with the option of fans walking to the games via the Seigenthaler pedestrian bridge from downtown Nashville. Finally, the stadium provides fans with a top-of-the-line sound system to enjoy the music of the Aristocrat of Bands.

Photos by Michael Davis, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.00 Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium 350 N Razorback Rd Fayetteville, AR 72701 Arkansas Razorbacks website Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium website Year Opened: 1938 Capacity: 76,212 College Football in the Boston Mountains of Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The stadium is on the west side of campus and has been home to the Arkansas Razorbacks football team for over 75 years. In that timespan the Hogs have played 300 games here and have won more than 65 percent of those contests. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium originally opened as University Stadium on September 24, 1938, with capacity for 13,500 spectators; the first game played here was against Oklahoma A&M (now known as Oklahoma State University ). The stadium moniker was almost immediately changed to Bailey Stadium (after then sitting Arkansas Governor Carl Bailey), but in 1941 received the proper name of Razorback Stadium. Then in 2001, in honor of the late Donald W. Reynolds, the stadium was given its current name, while the playing field was named in honor of former athletic director and winningest head football coach in Arkansas history, Frank Broyles. During the 2016-17 offseason the Broyles Athletic Center was demolished as part of a $160 million renovation and expansion of the stadium. The expansion added 4,800 seats and new premium seating to the north end zone. This expansion boosted the capacity of the stadium to 76,212 – the actual increase in capacity is fewer than 4,800 seats because some club seating on the east side was eliminated to add additional suites, but the current total capacity is close to the all-time single game attendance record of 76,808, which was set on September 25, 2010 versus the Alabama Crimson Tide . On August 5, 2019 the University of Arkansas installed natural grass as the playing surface. Food & Beverage 3 Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium features a variety of concessions options, with several types of food and an assortment of Coca-Cola products. The main stands offer all your basic fare such as hot dogs, popcorn, and nachos. These food items range from $4 to $12, while beverages range from $5 to $10. There are locations for craft beer ranging from $12-15 depending on your selection. The rest of the stadium menu is from local or national restaurants ranging from Pizza Hut, Gusano’s Pizza, Slim Chickens, and Yarnell’s Ice Cream, along with my favorite, Wright’s BBQ, whose menu is small – a BBQ pork sandwich from Wright’s is $13, while the brisket sandwich is $16. There are also numerous carts and kiosks throughout the stadium, with Philly cheesesteaks, meatball subs, or Italian sausage. In addition there is a spacious food court near the team’s main apparel store where you can sit and eat. However, although there is certainly enough variety at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, there is no substitute for better deals and better food than eating in the local neighborhood eateries near the venue. Atmosphere 5 Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium’s setting is one of the more picturesque places in the SEC. The stadium’s upper deck view of the vistas and surrounding Boston Mountains on the south side show off the beauty of the Natural State. The festive game day atmosphere begins several hours before kickoff with tailgating around campus. While almost all the tailgating spaces must be rented, there are areas reserved for free tailgating; if interested, you can visit the Arkansas Razorbacks’ game day information website. Besides tailgating, there is so much to do and see for pregame activities, as Razorback Athletics provides a free pregame atmosphere in the AT&T Zone at the gardens. This includes inflatables for kids, live music, TVs, and food and drink vendors. Also at the AT&T Zone, two hours before kickoff you can witness the team walk and pep rally. In addition, on the north side of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium near the Pit (a colony of white tents) is the Frank Broyles Athletic Center. Inside, fans are welcome to walk through the history of Arkansas football, from the early beginnings through the changing of conferences from Southwest to Southeastern, with numerous artifacts and trophies, especially the ones for the 1964 National Championship. Also, fans can visit the Razorbacks apparel shop for an updated selection of Razorbacks gear. As game time approaches, Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium becomes a sea of red, with the Razorback Marching Band setting the stage by forming a huge ‘A’. This formation becomes a reality when the announcer introduces the marching band; the band then marches the length of the field while playing “Arkansas Fight”. When they finish there is an ‘A’ symbol that stretches from the Razorback locker room all the way to midfield. The band then plays “Arkansas Fight” again while the crowd roars, as the Razorback football team enters the field from the north side of the stadium, through a tunnel attached to the Broyles Athletic Center. Arkansas Band, Photo by Michael Davis, Stadium Journey Above the Athletic Center is a massive scoreboard, the biggest in the SEC and fourth largest in college football – it measures out to a little less than 6,300 square feet. Every time the Hogs score fireworks are launched off the Center’s roof. During the game, the spirit squads and the three Razorback mascots, Big Red, Pork Chop, and Boss Hog, signal the crowd for certain cheers. Throughout the game the fans stand and are very vocal, cheering and of course calling the hogs – ‘Calling the Hogs’ is the ritual where Arkansas fans raise their arms while moving their fingers in unison while unleashing a high-pitched yell of the words “Wooooooooooooo, Pig! Sooie! Wooooooooooooo, Pig! Sooie! Wooooooooooooo, Pig! Sooie! Razorbacks!” – it is unique and interesting to hear 70K fans in unison calling the hogs. Neighborhood 4 Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is on the west side of the University of Arkansas’ campus in Fayetteville. Fayetteville’s population of around 80K is just slightly more than the capacity of its football stadium, making it the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains within the scenic Ozarks, and while the area seems to be safe for walking, the terrain is very hilly, especially throughout the campus. Fayetteville is a model college town. The University of Arkansas is just a short walk from Dickson Street, the city’s main artery; Dickson Street has a long list of bars, restaurants, and other entertainment options for visitors. There is a long list of places to choose from on Dickson Street such as Hammontree’s Grilled Cheese, Hills Hideaway, Boulders and Brew, or Pickleman’s Gourmet Café. There is plenty of live music as well, so be sure to check out George’s Majestic Lounge or Piano Bar. If you want to avoid the college bar scene on Dickson Street, then Foghorn’s has two locations around Fayetteville, serving up beer and wings, with its closest location right across the street from the school’s baseball venue, Baum-Walker Stadium . My favorite eatery to visit while in Fayetteville is just up the road called the Catfish Hole – if you are a catfish person, this place will be high on your list. The lodging around campus can be scarce, as on football game days the city of Fayetteville almost doubles in population. However, there are a few choices around the area; in downtown Fayetteville the Chancellor Hotel is a great choice, or there is a Staybridge Suites near Baum-Walker Stadium. There are also chain hotels, such as Candlewood Suites and Hampton Inn off I-49 at the MLK exit, and if you can’t secure lodging in Fayetteville, then check out historic Fort Smith – Fort Smith is about 45 minutes south of Fayetteville, off I-40. Fans 4 There are plenty of serious Razorback fans, one of the most recognized being Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, a member of the 1964 National Championship team. Mr. Jones, along with his wife, have put a stamp on the Razorbacks program with the building of the Jerry and Gene Jones Family Student-Athlete Success Building, along with sponsoring the annual Southwest Classic (a football game featuring the Arkansas Razorbacks versus the Texas A&M Aggies ), which is played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium . Razorback fans have a common purpose when attending a Razorbacks game, and that is ‘Calling the Hogs’. No matter the size of the crowd, the fans stand for much of the game, and are well engaged in everything from the band to the spirit squads, as well as in the action on the field. Overall, the fans are certainly knowledgeable and passionate when it comes to rooting for their Hogs. Access 3 Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is nestled in the hills of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The location of Fayetteville itself can make access difficult for visiting fans, as the campus is amid a large collection of hills in the Boston Mountains. Once you arrive in Fayetteville, the parking is just like other major football programs, with close parking only for donors or season ticket holders. However, general parking is available for $20 at the Harmon Avenue Parking Garage located north of Center Street, or you can park for free at Baum-Walker Stadium, which is about a mile from the football field. Parking spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is shuttle service provided to and from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium beginning four hours prior to game time. Arkansas athletic events enforce the clear bag policy – bags must be clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC, and must not exceed 12” x 6” x 12”, or they can be one-gallon clear plastic freezer bags (Ziploc or similar). Individuals may also carry a small clutch purse, no larger than 4.5” x 6.5”, with or without a handle or strap. There are plenty of entrances into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, and going in brings an old time feel, as the entrances are small. However, the stadium concourses are wide enough for an easy transition around the stadium, although the signage can be very confusing for first time fans; once you see a map or have walked around the stadium a little the transition becomes easier. The best way to reach the upper decks is by using the ramps, as the elevators can have a long and frustrating wait. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium also has seating areas for ADA / handicapped guests to watch the game; if needed check with the ticket office to make sure you can be accommodated. Easier access to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium can be achieved by getting to Fayetteville early and getting some decent parking, leaving more time to enjoy the pregame atmosphere of Razorback football. However, leaving after the game is a little more time consuming – although the entry and exit routes are well-planned and will get you to your destination, the tight area around the stadium is packed. As a result, some fans just hang out and maybe have a postgame tailgate until the traffic has whittled itself out. Return on Investment 4 The prices for Razorbacks games range between $30 to $270, which is very reasonable for teams in the SEC. Just plan well in advance because Arkansas uses flex pricing, with tickets to the Alabama game starting at $168 in the upper section for example. There is free parking if you choose to seek it out, and the walking distance from that parking isn’t that much different from the general paid parking. The concessions stand is a little high for items, though, so if you are looking to get the best monetary return on your trip, then eating before or after would be your best option. Overall, the Return on Investment is above average to excellent, for a wonderful football atmosphere in what some will argue is the best football conference in the country. Extras 5 The setting is great, with the stadium’s south side upper deck view of the Boston Mountains. The atmosphere is festive during tailgating, and seeing the live mascot Tusk V being paraded around the stadium is unique, with the cheerleaders standing above the cage. Tusk V’s cage sits in the corner of the stadium for fans to see throughout the game. Besides the above, there is also the tradition of the Razorback players running through the ‘A,’ along with all the years of history of Razorback football throughout the stadium, both of which provide special extras for fans visiting Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The official game programs are also complimentary for all fans. Final Thoughts A trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas anytime is a wonderful adventure, as you travel into one of the most scenic college campus towns in the country – the ‘Natural State’ motto is truly appropriate for the campus nestled in the Boston Mountains. There are plenty of reasons to visit Fayetteville for any college football fan; the fans are pleasant and the atmosphere unique, but the tradition of ‘Calling the Hogs’ makes the trip a must. WPS-Wooooooooooooo, Pig! Sooie!

Photos by Meg Minard and Michael Risignuolo, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.71 Melbourne Ballpark Merton St Altona Meadows VIC 3028 Australia Melbourn Aces website Melbourne Ballpark website Year Opened: 1989 Capacity: 3,900 Average Aces Melbourne Ballpark came into being after some great contention between the Victorian Baseball Association and local government over its proposed location. Suburb Laverton was eventually selected, for good or bad, and the 2,400-seat park opened in 1989, in time for the original ABL’s Melbourne Monarchs to start play. Although sometimes rife with drama, Melbourne Ballpark was home to the Melbourne ABL team until the league folded after the 1999 season. Local club baseball would take over the park for the next decade. The new ABL’s Melbourne Aces played at the more centrally located Melbourne Showgrounds until scheduling conflicts with other tenants had them seek other pastures, bringing them to Melbourne Ballpark in 2012. A large upgrade of the stadium preceded the Aces, with new outfield fences, artificial turf, physical facilities, corporate boxes, and player clubhouses. Located out in the suburbs, Melbourne Ballpark has nothing going on around it, but it provides an all-around solid baseball experience to see a game in a stadium that has some character to it. Food & Beverage 3 The food and drink selection at Melbourne Ballpark covers the basics, but it is greatly enhanced by rotating food carts that make more of an appearance at weekend games. The main food concession is right inside the entrance to the walkway under the seats. It serves up different varieties of Aussie-obsession chips (A$4.50-$6.50), chicken tenders (A$3-$5), dim sums (3 for A$2.50), hot dogs (A$5), and down-under delicacy Chiko Rolls (A$5). There is also a small popcorn stand behind home plate and a rotating array of food trucks in the right field plaza. Your choices will depend on who is there for the game, but more are around for the weekend than weekday games. The main alcohol stand is right next to the food stand by the entrance. Coors and Alehouse are on tap (A$8) or in cans (A$9). Various other beers, wines, and even a margarita are on offer from A$8-$10. There is also a small Coors stand in right field. Coca-Cola and subsidiary products are the choices for non-alcoholic beverages, running A$4-$$6. Aussie baseball food is a curious mix. Always go for the local. A Chiko Roll (A$5, a local variant of a spring roll) and a draft Alehouse (A$8) will give you a good taste of Australian baseball. At the time of writing, $1 US was worth about A$1.25. Atmosphere 3 Melbourne Ballpark is an odd duck, with a unique layout that gives it a bit of character. The main entrance leads into the carpeted area under the seating grandstand. The hallway is crammed with concession stands, the merchandise store, baseball and softball memorabilia, and player and management facilities. At regular intervals, stairways lead up into the seats, and the hallways end at doors leading to the plazas outside of the outfields by the respective bullpens. Seats wrap from third base to first base behind home plate, with the press box sitting under the covered area behind home plate. Standing room areas extend from the bases towards the outfield. The treeline behind the park is broken up by the digital scoreboard and small video board in right-center to keep the fans up-to-speed with the stats. Heavy netting, however, is everywhere, including covering the areas along the baselines to the outfield. Safer, sure, but it does definitely detract some from the viewing experience. And the field is artificial turf, which ruins things a little. Mascot Maverick, the flying ace, and the rest of the entertainment staff run the festivities between innings and afterward at the game. The contests, races, and quizzes will be familiar to any purveyor of American minor league baseball and keep the crowd entertained between the action. After the game, the fans can go onto the field to meet the players, a nice outreach action that helps the sport grow, especially with younger fans. Wins are also celebrated by a fire-breather, which is a certain unique touch. The Premium and Reserved seats have some shade, and the Reserved will do fine if you’re looking to get out of the sun a little. If the sun is less of an issue, the General Admission seats are right up on the action, and about A$5 cheaper, if you want to save up for an extra beer without missing anything of the view. The General Admission seats are even flip-down and not the uncomfortable molded plastic found in most other ABL parks. Neighborhood 1 Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia and always fighting with Sydney for the center of attention. Melbourne’s suburb Laverton is… not. The undeveloped suburb doesn’t have a lot to recommend it, and the short trip to Melbourne city center is your best bet for most things. The restaurant situation around the Melbourne Ballpark is pretty dire. Outside of a few local and international chains in strip malls, the Phoenix Hotel down the M1 is the only real eatery in the general area. Retreat back to downtown to eat. Not surprisingly, there’s not a lot happening in Laverton. To the southeast is a large group of parks and nature areas, with a golf course and sports facilities, as well as the south end of Altona Beach, but that is sadly it. Once again, head back to town. There are only two hotels near the park. Trendy Club Laverton is one way down the M1 from the ballpark, while the more traditional Westside Hotel is the other way up the M1. Again, back to the city center for copious options. Fans 2 In a country where cricket is still king and the sports landscape is over-crowded with options, baseball isn’t a top sport by any stretch. The fan base for the ABL seems to come from club team players, ex-pats, and families looking for some more local sports entertainment. The stadiums are in the American single-A range, and the attendance averages between 500-1,000 per game, about what you’d expect to see at the lowest level of professional ball in America. Despite being in the second-largest city in the country, the Aces have found themselves solidly in the middle of the pack for attendance in the ABL, despite proportionally more access to ex-pats from America and Asia that make up a good portion of ABL fans. The good news is that having all the seating huddled by home plate helps keep the crowd concentrated so the park doesn’t feel as empty as it might be. That said, the fans that do show up are into the game and make themselves heard during the proceedings. Access 3 Most of the Australian Baseball League facilities are located far from their respective city centers, especially in the larger cities where real estate is particularly expensive. This is true for Melbourne Ballpark as well, located about 23 kilometers southwest of downtown in the Laverton suburb. The good news is that mass transit is an option. Trains regularly leave from city center to Laverton station on the Werribee line (~35 minutes, A$4.30 one-way), with an approximately 12-minute walk from the station to the stadium. Driving from the city center will have you there at the stadium in just about 25 minutes, and a cab or Uber will cost you about A$40-A$48 dollars one way. Whereas many ABL teams have free parking, it is A$5 at Melbourne Ballpark, which turns the screws on the most convenient way for locals to get to the game. Entrance to the park is through the one main gate just beyond the ticket booth. The entrance goes into the back of the stadium seating bowl, into the walkways under the seats. Regularly spaced stairs lead up to the seats, and at the end of the walkways, doors also open out into the plazas behind left and right field. The unique arrangement of the walkways lends itself to some crowding getting into and out of the park, but nothing too serious. Exit from the parking lot is onto the main road, so it is mostly easy-in, easy-out. Return on Investment 3 The ticket prices to see an Aces game average out to the middle of the pack, but the lack of a family special and high parking costs negatively affect its overall performance. Seat prices are in three tiers, plus special areas. All seats are A$3-$8 more at the ticket window, so buy ahead if you can. Premium seats behind home plate and undercover are A$17/A$25 (adult) and A$10/A$15 (child). Reserved seats above the home plate side of the dugouts and mostly under cover are A$14/A$22 adults and A$9/A$12 kids. General admissions tickets are A$12/A$20 adults and A$7/A$10 kids. “Ground Level” seats by the dugout are A$35/A$40 and A$25/A$30, and the TGI Friday’s Party Deck (including BBQ meal and 2 drinks) are A$65 for all. Food and drink prices are reasonable, parking is on the expensive side for the ABL, and no program is on offer. Extras 4 Melbourne Ballpark is one of the few ABL parks that has much in the way of extras. The store by the entrance to the park has a slightly wider selection of merchandise than the average ABL team, with a selection of t-shirts, jerseys, and hats. A small kids field with an inflatable pitch game is outside the entrance to the park, and a baseball mural is painted on the third base side of the field. The big extra is the main walkway underneath the seating bowl, which is lined not only with player pictures but memorabilia and trophies of Victoria baseball and softball. Final Thoughts Melbourne Ballpark is an interesting facility, even if it doesn’t stand out in many areas. It is a shame they don’t get better crowds, but that may have to do with its location in the middle of the nowhere suburb of Melbourne proper.

Photos by Pauk Baker, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43 Mohegan Sun Arena 255 Highland Park Blvd Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins website Mohegan Sun Arena website Year Opened: 1999 Capacity: 8,350 Twenty Years of Hockey in Wilkes-Barre For a facility that has been in existence for only twenty years, the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza has gone through a number of name changes. Initially named The Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center, the building has also been called The First Union Center at Casey Plaza and The Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza before entering into a 10 year naming rights deal with the nearby Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs racetrack and casino. The Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins are the primary tenant of the facility. The team has enjoyed quite a bit of success in their time in the American Hockey League, qualifying for the playoffs in 18 of their 20 seasons in the American Hockey League, including every season since 2002. The Penguins have reached the Calder Cup finals three times in their history. Food & Beverage 4 The Mohegan Sun Arena offers an impressive menu for a mid-sized arena. Fans attending Penguins games can choose from several stands, each offering unique menu items. Stands operated by local favorites Chickie & Pete’s and Revello’s Pizza headline the offerings. Other options include Center Ice Grill, Brewski’s & Brats and Power Play Pizza. In addition, portable carts offer a wide variety of snack foods to round out the culinary experience. Chickie’s and Pete’s Stand at Mohegan Sun Arena, Photo by Pauk Baker, Stadium Journey Craft beers from local breweries Lion Brewery, Troegs and Dogfish are sold throughout the facility. Fans seeking non-alcoholic beverages can choose from a variety of Coca-Cola products. The Stix Sports Bar, located behind section 119, features seating that overlooks the arena floor. This sports bar features several high-definition televisions, and sells craft beers and mixed drinks. Puck’s Craft Vodka Bar offers specialty drinks for thirsty Penguin fans. Mohegan Sun Arena offers several signature items for the adventurous eater. The Roast Beast, sold at the Lion’s Den concession stand, contains 8 ounces of Roast Beef in au jus, cheese sauce with bacon, horseradish sauce and crispy onion straws on a Kaiser roll. It comes with a bucket of house-made kettle cooked chips seasoned with Old Bay Seasoning. Other fans may head to Glazed & Confused, where they can order a “Sticky Pig,” a pulled pork sandwich topped with an onion ring on a donut shell, or a “Beef of Burden,” a sandwich with beef brisket on a donut shell topped with an onion ring. A detailed description of Mohegan Sun Arena’s concessions can be found here . Atmosphere 3 The Penguins offer your standard minor league hockey experience, complete with loud music, in-game giveaways, and between period shenanigans. If you are at a Penguins game, you will certainly be entertained by Tux, the Penguins’ mascot. Tux has a wide repertoire of gags and skits to keep fans entertained, and is one of the better mascots in the AHL circuit. Many a visiting fan has left Mohegan Sun smelling like popcorn after getting a bucket of the stuff dumped over their heads by Tux. Tux, Photo by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey Despite Wilkes Barre’s location close to both Philadelphia and New York City, this city seems to have fully embraced the Penguins. The crowd is a sea of black and gold, and the fans in this corner of Pennsylvania know their hockey. The crowd here can get really loud when the building is full, and it gives the Penguins a definite home-ice advantage. Be ready for the obnoxiously loud goal horn whenever the Penguins score. Neighborhood 4 The area around the Mohegan Sun Arena has been built up significantly since the opening of the facility in 1999. There are several hotels, restaurants, and shopping centers within a short distance of the arena. Unfortunately, the area is not an organic neighborhood that can be accessed by foot, or where you can simply park your car and explore. The neighborhood is a hodge-podge of strip malls and developments that have gone up piecemeal over the years. Thus, while there is a ton of activity around the Mohegan Sun Arena, this is not a cohesive neighborhood that would earn higher marks. Most of the eateries here are national chains, which may make the area a bit less attractive to foodies. Still, some local favorites can be found among the clutter. Lucky’s Sportshouse is a popular gathering spot for Penguins fans, and Stations Grill is a highly rated sandwich shop and deli. The Wyoming Valley Mall is less than a block away from the arena. Fans looking for a little more action locally will undoubtedly flock to the nearby Mohegan Sun Casino at Pocono Downs. Fans 3 Attendance for Penguins games has declined steadily over recent seasons. The team enjoyed a sellout streak of 54 games from 2000-2002, which was followed by another sellout streak of 90 games from 2002-2004. From 2000-2007 the Penguins averaged over 8,000 fans every season. Those days seem like a distant memory now. The team is averaging just over 5,000 fans per game in 2018-2019, good for the middle of the pack in the AHL. The fans who come to Mohegan Sun Arena are enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the arena can get loud when the Penguins get on a roll. Wilkes-Barre fans have a reputation around the AHL as one of the more unwelcoming groups in the league, but these concerns are overstated. As is the case in most minor league facilities, the Penguins are marketed as family friendly entertainment, and visiting fans are treated well in northeast Pennsylvania (with the possible exception of Hershey Bear fans). Access 3 The Mohegan Sun Arena couldn’t be easier to get to. Visible from Interstate 81, the arena is located just feet from exit 168. There is a large parking lot adjacent to the facility that does not charge for parking. Unfortunately, this is where the good news ends. Mohegan Sun Arena does not have an entry lobby, resulting in fans entering directly onto the concourse from outside the building. As a result, fans are required to wait outside while they pass through security. If you are attending a Penguins game on a cold, rainy night, the long lines that form are a most unwelcome nuisance. Once inside the arena, fans enter into a cramped concourse that is much too small for the crowds that come to Penguins games. Concession stands line the inner wall of the concourse, and many portable carts line the outer wall. Lines from these stands often spill out, making navigating the concourse even more problematic. The concourse is horseshoe shaped, with a small walkway behind the sections 123-126. This walkway is only wide enough for two people, making getting around in this area even more difficult. The seating bowl does not share the same cramped feeling as the concourse. Seats are divided into two levels, each featuring individual padded blue seats. These seats are wide and comfortable, even for fans of larger stature. All seats feature excellent sight lines. Avoid the seats in the 200 sections on the end, as they consist of uncomfortable folding chairs with poor views of the action. Unfortunately, once you leave the seating bowl and exit the arena, traffic problems rear their ugly head once again. There are only two ways out of the parking lot, making exiting a slow process. It can take up to a half hour to get out of the lot on certain nights. Return on Investment 4 Lower level tickets at Mohegan Sun Arena range in price from $25-$36, and upper level tickets range from $18-$28. This puts the Penguins in the same range as other minor league hockey teams in the area. Concession stand prices are also in line with other venues at this level of hockey. Where the Mohegan Sun Arena shines is that they offer free parking in the lot adjacent to the facility. Seeing how it is the only option for parking here, it would be easy to charge a fee and collect some extra money from every fan coming to see a game. The fact that the Penguins don’t charge for parking more than makes up for the slow egress in leaving the lots after a game. Extras 3 In the far corner of the arena behind section 126 is an open area where the team has set up display cases to display the many bobbleheads that the team has given away over the years. Also set up here is the WBS Penguins Hall of Fame, Kids Club and Booster Club. Banners hang from the rafters of the Mohegan Sun Arena honoring the many division and conference championships won by the Penguins over their history. Also hanging are large banners featuring pictures of Pens alumni who currently play in Pittsburgh. A final extra point is awarded for the nice variety of Penguins merchandise available at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Pens logo, which features a muscular Penguin (they don’t drug test logos, but there’s got to be some doubt about steroid use here), is one of the more popular in minor league hockey. In addition, a small kiosk on the concourse offers discontinued items at a discount price. Final Thoughts Thanks to the success of the baby Pens, northeastern Pennsylvania has become Penguins country even though it is located closer to Philadelphia and New York. The arena may not pack in the fans like it used to, and may not stack up when compared to other minor league arenas in nearby Hershey and Allentown , but it remains a solid place to take in a game. Follow Paul Baker’s stadium journeys on Twitter and Instagram @PuckmanRI.

Photos by Steven Kee, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.00 Prudential Center 165 Mulberry St Newark, NJ 07102 New Jersey Devils website Prudential Center website Year Opened: 2007 Capacity: 17,625 The Devils are Rock Solid in New Jersey The New Jersey Devils have been playing games at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, lovingly known as “The Rock” since 2007. It was a $375 million move from the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford and would give the three-time Stanley Cup champions a first-class building to call home. The Devils played at the Meadowlands for nearly 30 years. This move was to help revitalize the City of Newark. The Prudential Center was to be the cornerstone of this revitalization, which included the Newark Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium (since demolished) and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The arena has become a more viable and proven candidate to be the city’s symbol for that sign of revitalization. The arena is a sight to see and deliberately meant to draw your eyes’ focus to it with its red & black exterior and cylindrical glass corners three-story corners. Outside are statues that pay homage to hockey, and the GRAMMY Museum Experience is attached to the Prudential Center with a separate exterior entrance. Food & Beverage 5 The concessions at The Rock are top-notch and offer quite a bit of variety, along with local staples that set it apart from other buildings in the league. There is a little bit of everything to sample and taste. There are a few new stands: Street Taco Cantina (Sect 2, 12, 107, and 133), Piez Italian Eatery (Sect. 4, 16, and 130), Black Board Burgers (Sect 130), Sumo Dogs (Sect. 4), and Mighty Quinns barbecue (Sec. 4). The more adventurous eater may try the sumo dog, a foot-long dog topped with wasabi relish, togarashi cheese sauce, teriyaki sauce, jalapenos, and nori. NJ Steakhouse (Sect. 101), Bayonne Diner (Sect. 1), The Chicken Coop (Sect. 6, 101, and 111), Jersey Grind (Sect. 12 and 111), and Glatt’s Kosher (Sec. 4, 19, and 123) will offer more traditional arena food from steak sandwiches, burgers, chicken tender baskets, hot dogs, french fries, and pulled beef sandwiches. The local variety is also present and includes the Goya Ironbound (Sect. 4 and 118). The stand is influenced by the nearby Ironbound section of town and offers Portuguese cuisine. The Mojo Rotisserie Chicken Plate includes a mojito-marinated half-roasted chicken served with a side of white rice and black beans. You will also find a Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese sandwich, cheesesteaks, and zeppoles at The Taste of the Boardwalk. There are 100 varieties of beers, wines, and ciders at the arena, including local favorites such as Kane, Carton, Forgotten Boardwalk, 902, and Jersey Girl. The national favorites from Bud and Coors are also here, along with cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages. Atmosphere 4 The Prudential Center has created a fan-first culture that begins with greeters welcoming folks to the game as they exit the escalators. Outside the arena is Championship Plaza, a huge gathering space before the game that is home to a 22-foot, 6,000-pound stainless steel hockey player statue. On the other side of the building is the Martin Brodeur statue, which was dedicated in 2016. The future Hall of Famer and NHL leader in career wins, shutouts, and a host of other records weighs in at 1,000 pounds. It is a nice tribute to one of the game's best netminders. The Devils incorporate 3D graphics projected on the ice that move back and forth from the fire, ice, and other vivid images. It is home to the largest center-hung video digital scoreboard providing fans with information, replays, and highlights. The 89,000-pound scoreboard is almost four stories tall and was created to provide the ultimate live experience at the arena. The team’s official mascot N.J. Devil skates onto the ice waving a glowing pitchfork before the game. Later, he can be found throughout the building in the stands banging a drum, posing for photos with fans, and cheering on the Devils after every score. The team also employs a live organist Pete Cannarozzi who has his area for fans to pose for pictures on the lower mezzanine section. The team’s official goal song is “Howl” by Gaslight Anthem, the easy-going arena-rocker song popular with the home crowd. All of the seating provides vantage points of the ice and are not obstructed by the copious amounts of championship banners and retired numbers hanging on all four sides from the ceiling. The seats are plush and cozy, providing an ample amount of leg space. The atmosphere is heightened when the teams play against rivals New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. The building is cashless at the box office, team shop, and all concession stands. There are Reverse ATMs with zero fees available at multiple kiosks. 12”x14” bags are permitted, and anything larger, except child care or medical bags, isn’t permitted. There are also 6 family restrooms located on the main and upper concourse. There is also complimentary wheelchair access. Neighborhood 3 The Prudential Center is in a nice little pocket in Newark where fans can easily walk to great places to eat and get back and forth through mass transit. The Ironbound District is easily one of the state’s premier neighborhoods and worth a visit even after a night of hockey. The Ironbound neighborhood is a mixed-use of residential homes, retail, coffee shops, restaurants, bakeries, clubs, and parks located half a mile from the venue on Ferry Street. The predominantly Portuguese neighborhood is home to some of the best Spanish-Portuguese establishments in the metropolitan area. The Iberian Peninsula, Iberia, Spanish Tavern, and Mompou are just a few of the restaurants where one can enjoy flavorful and classic dishes from Spain, Portugal, and Brazil (rodizio). Redd’s Biergarten is home to the 5-Hour $5 Happy Hour six days a week from 2-7 pm. The German Beer Garden has an urban flare and provides guests with a gathering place featuring multiple bars, televisions, and long communal tables that encourage socializing. Mad For Chicken has wings, tenders, kimchi fries, fried dumplings, and kielbasa bites. A few other recommendations include Chateau of Spain, Ferry Street BBQ, and Hobby’s Deli. Fans 3 The fanbase is strong at home games, especially with the current season that sees the club fight for first place in the division. The Devil fan is hardcore, but many will point out their low attendance figures (close to 90 percent to capacity). They play in a market with two other NHL teams within an hour’s drive from one another, but with consistent winning seasons, you might see larger crowds at The Rock. Access 5 The Prudential Center is 2- blocks from Newark Penn Station, providing services to New York City and other points in New Jersey via Amtrak, PATH, NJ Transit, and Newark Light Rail. A PATH train ticket costs $2.75 (one-way) and stops at Greenwich Village, the 9/11 Memorial, and Brooklyn Bridge in New York City and Hoboken and Jersey City in New Jersey. The PATH will also take visitors to 33rd Street in Manhattan, several blocks from Times Square. The parking lots range from as low as $15 to as high as $30. One option is to park at the Iberia Restaurant for free in the Ironbound district–if you grab something to eat or drink–and walk the seven blocks to the arena. Various lots near the arena offer varying prices. Inside the building, the spacious concourses are separated into two sections offering fans easy access to seating assignments, concessions, bathrooms, and exits. Traffic inside moves freely during game action but will get crowded, like most other hockey arenas, during intermission. Return on Investment 4 The cost of a ticket will depend on who the Devils are playing. A single-game ticket against its arch-rivals, New York Rangers, can fetch close to $100 and will more likely sell out closer to game time; tickets on the secondary market will sell for half the price. The two team’s buildings are separated by a short PATH Train ride and will sell out when the Blueshirts are in town. The Devil’s other rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, will cost much less but are no less intense as they are hated as much as the Broadway Blues. Affordable options include visits from Toronto, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Ottawa, and Chicago that will cost under $30 in advance. The return on investment depends on your price point. The concession prices tend to be high but are in line with other NHL venues, and parking is relatively inexpensive compared to the cost at MetLife Stadium or venues in New York City. The modern building also provides comfortable views of the rink and easy access to all sections and concourse levels. Extras 4 The arena receives one point for the Jersey-inspired food, including Taylor ham, zeppoles, Italian hot dogs, and disco fries. These are items you won’t find at other NHL arenas and are inclusive. You can also wash it down with a local craft beer or cider. A second point is awarded towards the organization’s history dating back to 1982 when the club arrived from Denver. There are murals of former greats, trophy cases featuring the club's three Stanley Cups, and the Brodeur statue. The retired numbers of Hall of Famers Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Brodeur also make everyone know whose building this is. The arena also displays almost every high school hockey jersey in the state. The arena received a third point for being one of the first NHL buildings that partnered with KultureCity to provide sensory training to its staff for customers with autism. There are sensory rooms, social stores, and sensory bags for customers and parents with children on the spectrum. The Rock gains another point for the biggest video scoreboard in the league. The newly installed board provides an innovative way to connect fans to the game on the ice and through social media. Final Thoughts The Prudential Center is a stunning facility, offering almost everything the hockey fan could ask for in the 21st century. The arena is accessible via mass transit, close to great restaurants, and provides a variety of services and features throughout the game. With the Devils playing winning hockey, the experience will only improve at “The Rock.”

Photos by Andy Mantsch, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.00 Save Mart Center 2650 East Shaw Ave Fresno, CA 93710 Fresno State Bulldogs website Save Mart Center website Year Opened: 2003 Capacity: 15,544 Bulldog Basketball The Fresno State Bulldogs basketball team is the biggest show in town in California’s Central Valley. In a state rich with college basketball teams, the Bulldogs are a pit stop halfway between the basketball rich markets of Southern California and the Bay Area. Members of the Mountain West since 2012, Fresno State were longtime members of the Western Athletic Conference prior to nationwide football related conference re-alignment. The program has a spotty history of success, with five NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT title to its credit. Their last NCAA tournament appearance came in 2001 however, so this is a program mired in a long postseason success drought. The Save Mart Center opened in 2003 as the premier arena of any kind in the Central Valley. Capable of seating over 16,000 for some events, it’s the largest venue of its kind outside of the more populated hubs in California. The arena hosts all kinds of events, from basketball and hockey to concerts and rodeos and serves as a hotspot for Fresno culture. It is home to both men’s and women’s basketball for Fresno State. Food & Beverage 4 The Save Mart Center offers a surprisingly wide selection of concessions beyond your average arena food. Guadalajara Cantina is your destination for Mexican food that is so popular in the Fresno/Clovis area. Finnigan’s Grill is an Irish themed spot where you can get a ½ pound hot dog or spicy sausages. West coast pizza chain Me-N-Ed’s Pizza is also available in the concourse as well as the Bulldog Grill for your burger and chicken sandwich fix. Prices are just a tad on the high side for menu items around the arena, ranging from $5-$10. A unique feature of the Save Mart Center for college basketball games is the sale of alcohol. There is beer sold both at the standard concession stands as well as at alcohol specific vendors around the concourse. The latter offers some California craft beer, which is highly unexpected at a mid-major college basketball venue. There’s also a Fresno State Wines vendor where you can get local wine, something I really didn’t expect to find in a college basketball arena. If you care to enjoy these items, be prepared to spend upwards of $9 per drink. Atmosphere 3 The Save Mart Center is justifiably the best overall venue in the San Joaquin Valley for indoor sports. The large capacity arena is new looking and clean, boasting a very comfortable atmosphere. For college basketball, it’s not the most intimate setting as it has the feel of a larger multi-purpose venue. It’s prepared to be a great venue for 15,000 fans coming to cheer on their college basketball team, unfortunately Fresno State doesn’t draw anywhere near that well. For a middling program with a meager following at a football-first school, the cavernous arena tends to feel empty even with a reasonable amount of fans. The staff does a great job of running promotions and making the most of the fans they have to work with. On the occasion that I attended, they were running a toys-for-tots promotion that involved throwing stuffed animals onto the court. They also dropped snowflakes from the rafters with various prizes attached for the lucky recipients. This would have been easy to win with any effort, because unfortunately there weren’t that many fans in the stands. Here lies the problem with the venue. While it’s big and beautiful, the basketball program just isn’t good enough to fill it and it ends up just accentuating the lack of success of the program. Along with the ticket and parking prices, this gives me the feel that the program itself has an impression that it demands more attention than it actually does. Neighborhood 3 Just outside the Save Mart Center you’ll find Shaw Avenue, the main strip along Fresno State University. Unfortunately, there’s not quite the volume of options available at some other universities for those looking for a lively college atmosphere. You’ll find apartment complexes, strip malls and several restaurants that double as bars. The crown jewel of the area, the Dog House Grill, is right across the street. This is your destination for California tri-tip and sports on TV. Be warned, parking is limited and the lines are long. This is an indicator of the excellent food here, but it means some additional planning needs to be in place when attending. In the area you’ll also find BJ’s Brewhouse and BC’s Pizza and Wings, which are reasonable options for pregame. Relatively close to the arena is the Tower District, which is your hot spot for the more popular bars and restaurants. Hotels should be easy to find all up and down Shaw Avenue for whatever price range you’re looking for. I’d strongly recommend staying in the university area or Clovis and not in downtown Fresno. While a relatively large city, Fresno has fallen on economic hard times and is not the most visually appealing or safest of downtowns. Fans 2 Maybe it’s the recent lack of success of the team or maybe it’s the higher than expected ticket prices, but the fans just don’t really turn out for the games. There are definitely some die hard Bulldog fans that very obviously frequent the games, but the volume just isn’t there. To be fair, the stadium is larger than the majority of similar basketball programs which may make filling it a bit much to ask. In a smaller venue, the same crowd might have a considerably better impact on the game. There is student section entrance on the west side of the arena where students get in free with their IDs. The arena is right on the edge of campus, so perhaps the biggest disappointment here is the lack of student engagement. If the student section were louder, this would by default help the entire venue. They do what they can to get participation during the game, but the support isn’t large enough and the arena is too large to really maintain any consistent energy among the fans. Access 4 It really couldn’t be much easier to get to the arena from anywhere in the Central Valley. The Save Mart Center is literally just off the exit from 168 and not far up the road from 41. Both connect with 180 to the south which connects with 99, the major route through the Central Valley from either north or south. I would strongly recommend sticking to these four routes, because trying to take Shaw all the way to 99 can be an arduous journey fraught with stops at red lights. Parking is just as easy, with large lots surrounding the venue. Some fans choose to park for free across Shaw Avenue in the residential area, but be mindful that some of the restaurants have security to ensure that only patrons park there. Parking in the lots may be easier, but it comes at a $10 charge which is a bit surprising for a largely empty lot. If you didn’t buy a ticket in advance, you’ll want to proceed to the west side near the student entrance to purchase one. Ticket offices are not located at each entrance. Once inside the concourse it is easy to navigate and the lack of fans will make it easy to access seating anywhere in the arena. Return on Investment 3 Pricing seems to have risen drastically for the basketball games based on previous information at hand. Upper deck tickets (which aren’t always available) start at $10, which is about the price I would expect to pay in general for a program at the level of Fresno State. You can buy tickets behind either basket for $15, which is still within reason. But if you’re looking for tickets in reasonable viewing areas (particularly when the upper deck isn’t available) you’re going to end up paying $25 or more. The most shocking price to me is mid court tickets at $65! For a basketball program with minimal history and a dwindling fan base, charging premium ticket pricing seems like it could be contributing to the lack of support at the games. Understandably there are some ranked teams in the Mountain West, but $25 to watch a losing basketball team against a small conference foe seems out of whack with standard ticket pricing around the country. Parking is also steep for the level of basketball. It seems as though the $10 lot is the standard pricing for all events at the arena, so that’s more forgivable. But coupled with the ticket prices, it again seems like an expensive experience for a team with very little history of success. Overall, the arena itself makes it worth attending one time, but I’m not sure a return trip would be in the cards based on the price. Extras 2 While nice, the Save Mart Center doesn’t offer a lot of frills. It’s your typical high-end venue. The staff seems to do an excellent job with promotions at the game to get fan engagement based on what they have to work with. The potential is here for a spectacular college basketball experience, but with all the empty seats and lack of wins from the team it’s just not happening right now. Someday a winning team here may pack the large arena with ravenous fans, but right now it’s an expensive and relaxing night out.

Courtesy of the Mississippi Mud Monsters S eptember 8th 2024, was a sad day for Mississippi sports fans as, after 20 seasons playing at Trustmark Park, the Mississippi Braves played their final game. The Atlanta Braves Double-A affiliate will move to Columbus, GA in 2025 and rename themselves the Columbus Clingstones, after a Georgia brand of peach. During the entire 2024 season it was unknown what would become of Trustmark Park, which was still in good condition after 20 years. Besides Braves games the ballpark hosts high school state championship games and college baseball games every year between Southern Miss , Ole Miss , and Mississippi State .   However, on the previous night, September 7th, it was announced to a sellout Saturday night crowd at Trustmark Park that baseball would be staying in Pearl, MS, with the Independent Frontier League scheduled to place an expansion team here beginning in 2025. Three team names were given for fans to vote on: 1) Mississippi Grits, 2) Mississippi Mud Monsters, and 3) Mississippi Soul Shakers. Photo by Matt Colville, Stadium Journey   The winning team name was unveiled on September 30th, when the Mud Monsters were chosen as the newest team to represent the Frontier League. Mud Monsters is a play on the state's unofficial fish, the catfish – the Magnolia state leads the country in catfish production. If you see a hole in a wall catfish restaurant in Mississippi, I advise visiting, as this will probably be some of the best catfish in the world.   The Frontier League is one of four independent leagues that is considered to be an MLB Partner League – there is no affiliation with an MLB club, but players are eligible to sign with MLB clubs throughout the season. The 18-team league will have teams much different than wha t Mississippi Braves  fans are used to in the Southern League, as the Mud Monsters will play in a 9-team Western Division consisting of teams in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. Instead of road trips to local towns like Biloxi, Pensacola, and Montgomery, the closest team to Mississippi will be the Evansville Otters 500 miles away. The Mud Monsters will also make 1,600-mile road trips to as far away as Quebec City. Photo by Matt Colville, Stadium Journey   It'll be a much different look in 2025 at Trustmark Park, but the fact of the matter is that baseball is staying here, and the ballpark that once welcomed Braves  stars such as Ron ald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, Max Fried, Austin Riley, and Spencer Strider will continue to host baseball for hopefully many years to come.