Dickey-Stephens Park

[arkansas_buff]

The key to long-term high attendance... consistent winning seasons.

[jcaruth]

The owners of the Regions building also have plans for a major renovation that will include facade lighting.

...also, I believe the stadium seating will work itself out in a month or so. You can not plan on building a stadium based on projected attendence for the opening year.

[EJC]

The key to long-term high attendance... consistent winning seasons.

That may be true, but that's not something you can really control in minor league ball where the top franchise really controls player movement, etc.

[Aporkalypse]

Why don't we wait a season or two before we definitively state that it was clearly a bit small. I recall that Twister games were sold out at Alltel the first several games, but attendance is now at 1/3 capacity. Unfortunately, there will likely come a time when weekend attendance is well below capacity. Until then, those of us who went were happy to sit on the berm and enjoy a full crowd which makes the experience all the better.

The Twisters attendance phenomenon had more to do with the novelty of the sport in the area. Eventually people realized it's just

The Travs have been around more than a century. It's really about the facility right now. If walk-ups can't sit in the empty reserve seats there will be a long-term seating problem. Season tickets are cheap and I bet that they remain stable for 5 years or more and Dickey-Stephens has the same problem Autozone Park has, too many no-shows amongst season ticket-holders.

The owners of the Regions building also have plans for a major renovation that will include facade lighting.

That's good news. That's a skyscraper that's showing its age.

The Stephens Building is the one that would most benefit from lighting. From the stadium it's the dominant building you see, that and the Peabody.

[Aporkalypse]

Another great review for Dickey-Stephens, this one from baseballparks.com...

Baseballparks.com

[Aporkalypse]

More pictures from around the park, courtesy of Travelerocity. I know he reads this, so thanks for the pictures and the wonderful site...

[EJC]

The Twisters attendance phenomenon had more to do with the novelty of the sport in the area. Eventually people realized it's just

The Travs have been around more than a century. It's really about the facility right now. If walk-ups can't sit in the empty reserve seats there will be a long-term seating problem. Season tickets are cheap and I bet that they remain stable for 5 years or more and Dickey-Stephens has the same problem Autozone Park has, too many no-shows amongst season ticket-holders.

Well, the Twisters had to do with novelty and the fact that Alltel Arena was still a novelty to most as well. And we agree that with the Travs, it's about the facility right now...and the novelty thereof. Interest will wane....it always does. Meanwhile, it has a full feeling that makes the park feel alive... And judging from the reviews, other folks think the stadium hit the mark.

[Architect]

Well, the Twisters had to do with novelty and the fact that Alltel Arena was still a novelty to most as well. And we agree that with the Travs, it's about the facility right now...and the novelty thereof. Interest will wane....it always does. Meanwhile, it has a full feeling that makes the park feel alive... And judging from the reviews, other folks think the stadium hit the mark.

No doubt great reviews. Its a fun, well-laid out park...in spite of my introspective architectural critique!

Got to go to a game in Memphis at Autozone Park last Thursday evening. Admittedly, too large for LR (and Memphis? there couldn't have been 3,000 people there), but a WAY nicer park, which is to be expected for a AAA club. The concourse felt VERY similar, just many more rows/seats and a small public upper deck (8 rows?) in front of the skyboxes. One nice aspect was that it is situated in the midst of the skyline, so the buildings are quite imposing/impressive from the outfield looking back (it doesn't really face the skyline) - they're just on top of you.

Anyway, I was impressed.

[Aporkalypse]

Well, the Twisters had to do with novelty and the fact that Alltel Arena was still a novelty to most as well. And we agree that with the Travs, it's about the facility right now...and the novelty thereof. Interest will wane....it always does. Meanwhile, it has a full feeling that makes the park feel alive... And judging from the reviews, other folks think the stadium hit the mark.

I think attendance will eventually drop off and plateau in a few years but I still expect that plateau to be double the old RWF attendance. It's just a lot more fun for many reasons to go to the new stadium. Plus, season tickets all of the sudden seem worth it to people that never considered it before.

[EJC]

I think attendance will eventually drop off and plateau in a few years but I still expect that plateau to be double the old RWF attendance. It's just a lot more fun for many reasons to go to the new stadium. Plus, season tickets all of the sudden seem worth it to people that never considered it before.

Well, if you prediction comes true, then the ballpark will be just about the right size then! Considering that double the Ray Winder attendence would get it closer to full, we can only hope you are right.

[Aporkalypse]

New ballpark record - 8602 for Monday's game, mostly schoolkids.

Also, per Bill Valentine on Travlerocity plans for a supervised playground with a variety of different modalities out in right field. He also plans on adding more concessions options and capacity on the 3rd baseline to help with the lines.

[EJC]

New ballpark record - 8602 for Monday's game, mostly schoolkids.

Also, per Bill Valentine on Travlerocity plans for a supervised playground with a variety of different modalities out in right field. He also plans on adding more concessions options and capacity on the 3rd baseline to help with the lines.

That's exciting if it comes to fruition. Those are the two things I felt it needed most in my 2 visits thus far. He's right on track, good for Mr. Valentine!

[Aporkalypse]

That's exciting if it comes to fruition. Those are the two things I felt it needed most in my 2 visits thus far. He's right on track, good for Mr. Valentine!

Valentine has been astoundingly responsive to fan requests thus far. People that had been to Autozone wanted BBQ Nachos, so the 3rd base concessions will be adding these. People griped about the mustard stands not being wide enough, so they're addressing that as well.

[sirlurksalot]

I went to see the Travs tonight and there was standing room only at the game. There were a number of people who planned on going to the game but did not because of this. I was really disappointed with the view of LR after dark. Very few of the buildings had any lights. I hope that the Peabody will fix their ducks and Stephens will do something about putting lights on their building. I would also like to see some sort of lighting on the Statehouse Convention Center.

I, too, attended last Saturday's game (4/28/07), and I must say that I don't share a lot of the gushing sentiment in this forum.

- ticket window -

Besides the obvious problem with reserved seating, it has caused a secondary problem -- painfully slow ticket lines. Everyone that steps up to the window has to study the seating map, decipher the price structure, figure out how to get X number of seats together, etc. I got in line 30 minutes before game time and still missed the opening pitch. The signs for the ticket windows (e.g. "will call") are barely above eye level. As a result, you can't tell which line you're in until it's too late. This is a no-brainer that was fixed at other venues decades ago. Why is DS repeating mistakes? I watched about 50 people let out a collective groan when they all realized they had been in the wrong line for about 20 minutes.

- stadium layout -

OK, let's be honest here. Few go to see the Travs for the quality of the game. In fact, most leave by the 7th inning with sleepy kids in tow. They go for the ballpark ambience. It's all about cold beer, peanuts, heckling, foul balls, and just people-watching. RW was a dump, but it was perfect for all of the above. No matter where you sat, you could see everyone else: the hot blonde in the boxseats, the loudmouth drunk down the 3rd baseline, the "coldbeer" dude in the next section, the littleleagers behind the dugout, the organist in the rafters. Well, DS has been flattened out if you will. The seating is shallow and spread further around the field (presumably to make the park look bigger than it really is) which kills any sense of a stadium atmosphere. The view of the field is good, but there's no view of each other... no sense of a fan community. Kudos to the roomy concourse, though.

- luxury skyboxes -

Are you kidding me? I realize they were put in as a tool to maximize corporate sponsorship. But pu-leese... this is a Travs game! It's like putting french doors on your double-wide. This is far too hoity-toity for a minor league stadium. Keep the elitism at Oaklawn. I couldn't help notice how well the glass facade will hide all the inevitable empty seats within. Too bad some of this section wasn't used to make a TRUE upper deck.

- rowdy section -

Love'em or hate'em, the rowdies (i.e. drunks, bimbos, hecklers, bums, fratboys, smokers, me) always had their unofficial designated section by 3rd base at RW no more than 20 feet from the play on the field. During boring games it was worth admission just to watch the action in this section (see "stadium layout" above). To appease this demographic DS has the beer garden/smoking section, but it's so far out in right field that it might as well be in the parking lot. I'm sure this was by design to keep all the curs'in and spit'in far away from the "family atmosphere". This never was a problem before and only serves to alienate a large part of the fanbase. Look for a bleacher bum revolt down the 3rd baseline in the future.

- restrooms -

Non-functioning hand dryers and no paper towels... Might as well bring back the trough.

- jumbotron -

Fantastic! Nothing could possibly go wrong with this. Unless it's used to cram annoying commercials down our throats at every opportunity. This particular night we had a Fox16 news anchor repeatedly blathering some irrelevant message at high volume all night. It's only a matter of time before we have to endure shrill car dealers and furniture salesmen. They should just plug Comcast into the damn thing and get it over with.

As others have said, I think attendance will be high until the shine wears off. Then it will be painfully obvious DS is trying to be something it's not. At the very least DS should get rid of the reserved areas and pompous "luxury" seating and be what it's supposed to be: a minor league stadium.

[Aporkalypse]

As others have said, I think attendance will be high until the shine wears off. Then it will be painfully obvious DS is trying to be something it's not. At the very least DS should get rid of the reserved areas and pompous "luxury" seating and be what it's supposed to be: a minor league stadium.

Just curious, how many minor league stadia have you been to lately? There are only a couple in the Texas League that don't have the features you were complaining about and one of the two will see its last games this year. Tulsa wants to build a new park as well. This is the new face of minor league baseball. You should take a trip to Frisco or Round Rock sometime.

[skirby]

sirlurksalot

I'm sure you know about the internet, otherwise you would not be on this forum. Why don't you use it and order your tickets in advance. You can even print them out. I did and there was no one in line. I just walked up to the ticket scanner and walked in. It couldn't be easier. By the way they do have the trough. After all it is minor league baseball just enjoy it.

[Aporkalypse]

Some new and different photos from ballparks.com...

[sirlurksalot]

Just curious, how many minor league stadia have you been to lately? There are only a couple in the Texas League that don't have the features you were complaining about and one of the two will see its last games this year. Tulsa wants to build a new park as well. This is the new face of minor league baseball. You should take a trip to Frisco or Round Rock sometime.

Been there, done that (Round Rock at least). And I've heard the Frisco stadium is nice but hard on the wallet.

Don't get me wrong... I didn't have any problems with mothballing Ray Winder. I'm just going to miss its simple laidback atmosphere. One could park (for free), buy a ticket, buy a beverage, and find friends in the stands all within 15 minutes. And at the spur of the moment. And then change seats to get a better view. It was no more difficult or extravagant than hooking up with friends at a happy hour on the way home from work. Now people gotta have their amenities and it just makes things more formal.

You're right, though... it's the wave of the future. I just hope the LR area can provide enough longterm fan support to fill those luxury boxes after a few losing seasons. Especially in an age when franchises won't think twice about skipping town for greener grass.

Sigh... I guess I can just go rent Bull Durham.

sirlurksalot

I'm sure you know about the internet, otherwise you would not be on this forum. Why don't you use it and order your tickets in advance. You can even print them out. I did and there was no one in line. I just walked up to the ticket scanner and walked in. It couldn't be easier. By the way they do have the trough. After all it is minor league baseball just enjoy it.

They have a trough? For real?! I missed it... figuratively not literally. Um... you know what I mean.

[cozmosis]

I, too, attended last Saturday's game (4/28/07), and I must say that I don't share a lot of the gushing sentiment in this forum.

Let me channel Bill Vallentine for a moment... "If you don't like it, don't come!"

Aporkalypse, you're on the Travelerocity blog quite a bit. Did I get close to Billy V? :-)

[Aporkalypse]

Let me channel Bill Vallentine for a moment... "If you don't like it, don't come!"

Aporkalypse, you're on the Travelerocity blog quite a bit. Did I get close to Billy V? :-)

You nailed it.

[EJC]

Been there, done that (Round Rock at least). And I've heard the Frisco stadium is nice but hard on the wallet.

Don't get me wrong... I didn't have any problems with mothballing Ray Winder. I'm just going to miss its simple laidback atmosphere. One could park (for free), buy a ticket, buy a beverage, and find friends in the stands all within 15 minutes. And at the spur of the moment. And then change seats to get a better view. It was no more difficult or extravagant than hooking up with friends at a happy hour on the way home from work. Now people gotta have their amenities and it just makes things more formal.

You're right, though... it's the wave of the future. I just hope the LR area can provide enough longterm fan support to fill those luxury boxes after a few losing seasons. Especially in an age when franchises won't think twice about skipping town for greener grass.

Sigh... I guess I can just go rent Bull Durham.

They have a trough? For real?! I missed it... figuratively not literally. Um... you know what I mean.

This is exactly the sentiment I expected to see from some...some of my friends actually. Some people in Arkansas feel uncomfortable when something is nice because it spoils their "redneck" haven. I have several friends who don't see what the big deal is since they really only care about their Miller Lite. Oh well. You can still have your Miller Lite, you'll just have to deal with (hopefully) a lot more families and with that greater interest, some parking issues as well.

[turboturtle]

This is exactly the sentiment I expected to see from some...some of my friends actually. Some people in Arkansas feel uncomfortable when something is nice because it spoils their "redneck" haven. I have several friends who don't see what the big deal is since they really only care about their Miller Lite. Oh well. You can still have your Miller Lite, you'll just have to deal with (hopefully) a lot more families and with that greater interest, some parking issues as well.

There is still I-30 Speedway.

[hartford]

I can't agree more with EJC's comments. DS Park is soooo much better that Ray Winder in every way. Some people just can't appreciate things. I was just as skeptical as everyone else before they built it but now that I have been to the new park several times I can say it has exceeded my expectations by far. The food, the views, the atmosphere are just far superior. We should be proud as citizens of this area to have something so nice.

The only thing I would change is the competition between LR and NLR. We are all part of the LR metro area. The N on the jerseys and hats is silly and does more to divide the area. The Travs are the LR metro area team.

[sirlurksalot]

This is exactly the sentiment I expected to see from some...some of my friends actually. Some people in Arkansas feel uncomfortable when something is nice because it spoils their "redneck" haven. I have several friends who don't see what the big deal is since they really only care about their Miller Lite. Oh well. You can still have your Miller Lite, you'll just have to deal with (hopefully) a lot more families and with that greater interest, some parking issues as well.

And THAT is what I expected to hear from some of MY friends. A lot of people in Arkansas feel uncomfortable when something isn't right out of the shrinkwrap and doesn't measure up to their whiteflight suburb standards. Bigger = better. Then they drink Corona thinking it's a fine import beer. Hey, EJC, we probably have mutual friends! I could tell you're good people.

BTW, real rednecks drink PBR.

[Aporkalypse]

Been there, done that (Round Rock at least). And I've heard the Frisco stadium is nice but hard on the wallet.

Don't get me wrong... I didn't have any problems with mothballing Ray Winder. I'm just going to miss its simple laidback atmosphere. One could park (for free), buy a ticket, buy a beverage, and find friends in the stands all within 15 minutes. And at the spur of the moment. And then change seats to get a better view. It was no more difficult or extravagant than hooking up with friends at a happy hour on the way home from work. Now people gotta have their amenities and it just makes things more formal.

You're right, though... it's the wave of the future. I just hope the LR area can provide enough longterm fan support to fill those luxury boxes after a few losing seasons. Especially in an age when franchises won't think twice about skipping town for greener grass.

Sigh... I guess I can just go rent Bull Durham.

They have a trough? For real?! I missed it... figuratively not literally. Um... you know what I mean.

Minor league baseball isn't about wins or losses, teams have no control over that because their personnel's dictated by the majors. Memphis and Springfield have outstanding attendance despite being in the miserable Cardinals' farm system.

You do know the Travs can't leave, don't you? Unlike just about any other franchise in the minors the Travs are owned by hundreds of shareholders around Central Arkansas, all limited to only a few shares a piece so nobody can buy them all up and move the team. The only way Pulaski Co could lose the Travs was if Major League Baseball stopped granting waivers for Ray Winder because it was no longer safe by their standards. Dickey-Stephens assures that won't happen for decades.