First Horizon Park - Home of the Nashville Sounds

[Nathan_in_DC]

3 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

9 hole mini golf course coming to First TN Park.

 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2016/04/05/miniature-golf-course-coming-sounds-stadium/82647726/

That's the silliest thing I've heard in a long time. I understand having a tailgate game area, and an outfield bar, but this is just ridiculous.

[BnaBreaker]

Not gonna lie, I'd be all over that mini-golf course.  Sorry, but outside of the 1% of a game where there might be an end-of-game high pressure situation, I personally just find baseball to be maddeningly boring.  I'll go to the ball park to enjoy some good beer, good people, good food, a nice sunset etc...but the baseball bit is just not really on my mind.  And yes, that goes for major league baseball too.  

Edited April 5, 2016 by BnaBreaker

[nashvylle]

the stadium will be empty without mini golf and an outfield bar, because of two reasons - baseball and being minor league.

The sounds ownership knows the location is killer and the best way to keep people coming is to make the stadium the best "pregrame" they can for folks wanting to go out downtown. 

[VSRJ]

I don't know what the general consensus on the ballpark is, but I'm not a huge fan. There's nothing exciting or that noteworthy about its design - it looks out-of-place, like something I would see as part of a sprawling sports complex in Brentwood or Franklin. But that's just my opinion, and I'm admittedly spoiled by Memphis' AutoZone Park. Regardless, I'm glad it's downtown (looking at you, Atlanta). The apartments surrounding it should help.

Edited April 5, 2016 by VSRJ

[PruneTracy]

2 hours ago, bigeasy said:

I think this really shows how boring baseball is. The only way to get people to go is to give them tons of other things to do.It's like their goal is for people to not realize they are at a baseball game. I might go to one if they add a driving range, or maybe an arcade.

I don't think the Sounds or any of the other minor-league clubs who announce these diversions on a daily basis have any illusions about the customers they attract or their dedication to the team. You get the people in the grandstand who want to watch baseball, the groups in the boxes and reserved areas who are mostly there for a work outing or whatever but watch it for the novelty factor, and the people socializing or (eye-roll) playing mini-golf who might look up if everyone else starts cheering. The first group are fans, the second are potential fans, and the third are just there for the revenue and the inflated attendance. There are people here who want to see baseball—the Sounds drew about 5,000 per game even at Greer—but even with the 360-degree concourse I don't think there are too many people who are watching one-half of the game then ignoring the other. (The family angle makes sense but then the Band Box isn't exactly geared towards kids.)

I hate to be a purist about a game I barely follow but I think many of these parks would be better served if they moved the sideshows outside the gates and just leased land with a viewshed to the field to third parties. Let the people who want to watch baseball in and get someone else to cater to the people who are just there to do other stuff. Even for the ephemeral nature of triple-A ball it seems undignified to play it in the middle of a carnival just for the sake of boosting attendance numbers. The field won't even be visible from the mini-golf course, anyway.

[CenterHill]

What's next?

[RonCamp]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-10-02/at-jacksonville-jaguars-stadium-its-party-time-win-or-lose

[bigeasy]

So I am by no means a baseball fan, but over the weekend I was in Birmingham so I decided to check out their field that opened up 2 years ago (Regions Field). It made me realize how much we really cut corners to get First Tennessee Ballpark built. Sure it has some cool things inside the stadium, but aesthetically our stadium is SO underwhelming. The Barons aren't even in Tripe A, yet their stadium looked to be much better than ours. 

 

Regions Field for anybody unfamiliar with it

Edited May 2, 2016 by bigeasy

[MLBrumby]

Wow!  That is nice.  Was in Birmingham recently and noted how much cleaner the city looks today.  And Karl Dean wanted to make that bland bleacher-box to be his legacy.  He should have his name associated with it forever.. LOL.  What's just as absurd are the brick boxes planned around the outfield to contain apartments.  You might call it "Wrigley on the cheap" (if only!). 

[Nathan_in_DC]

On 5/2/2016 at 0:27 PM, MLBrumby said:

Wow!  That is nice.  Was in Birmingham recently and noted how much cleaner the city looks today.  And Karl Dean wanted to make that bland bleacher-box to be his legacy.  He should have his name associated with it forever.. LOL.  What's just as absurd are the brick boxes planned around the outfield to contain apartments.  You might call it "Wrigley on the cheap" (if only!). 

Sometimes I think that Nashville didn't thrive because of Dean, it thrived in spite of him.

[GreenHillsBoy]

After all the growth that  happened under Mayor Dean, too many to name, we have opinions that because he didn't build a Taj Mahal baseball stadium, he was not a good mayor, give me a break. 

[rookzie]

On 5/5/2016 at 8:23 PM, Nathan_in_DC said:

Sometimes I think that Nashville didn't thrive because of Dean, it thrived in spite of him.

 

13 hours ago, GreenHillsBoy said:

After all the growth that  happened under Mayor Dean, too many to name, we have opinions that because he didn't build a Taj Mahal baseball stadium, he was not a good mayor, give me a break. 

I never would conclude that Dean was not a good mayor.  While at times contentious with respect to the constituency, his leadership catalyzed a landmark burgeoning of the city.  I just feel that some of his efforts, while of good intentions, had been arguably fraught with haste and the perception of lack of transparency in shared decision-making.  I never doubted his capabilities as a civic leader and a business man.

Edited May 6, 2016 by rookzie

[UTgrad09]

15 hours ago, GreenHillsBoy said:

After all the growth that  happened under Mayor Dean, too many to name, we have opinions that because he didn't build a Taj Mahal baseball stadium, he was not a good mayor, give me a break. 

I am neutral on Mayor Dean's leadership ability. I certainly don't think he hindered Nashville's growth and entrance into a new sort of "golden age"....but there were a lot of factors playing in before he even entered office. At the same time, I think he managed challenges (like the 2010 flood) very well.

My complaint with his administration was the timing of a lot of his big civic projects. They had to be finished RIGHT NOW. Obviously the MCC is a sort of exception, but that kind of took place during the middle of his term.

 

Think about the number of big time public projects he had....the MCC is the giant one...but then you have the Amp, the Ampitheater/Riverfront Park, pedestrian bridge, Division St connector, Sounds Ballpark, etc etc.

 

In terms of the ballpark...my problem was that we had to build it RIGHT NOW OR IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!! (or so Dean could throw out the first pitch)

Is the new stadium crap? Absolutely not. It's well built. But there is very little thought, IMO, in the architecture, building materials, and urban form of the stadium. So yes, I do think we got a subpar product because of our mayor's ego.

[RonCamp]

On 5/6/2016 at 0:38 AM, UTgrad09 said:

In terms of the ballpark...my problem was that we had to build it RIGHT NOW OR IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!! (or so Dean could throw out the first pitch)

Is the new stadium crap? Absolutely not. It's well built. But there is very little thought, IMO, in the architecture, building materials, and urban form of the stadium. So yes, I do think we got a subpar product because of our mayor's ego.

IIRC the reason for the hurried timing was that Embrey (developer from San Antonio that currently is building the Carrillon next to the ballpark) actually owned a good chuck of where the outfield now stands.  Construction was relatively imminent.  So if they were going to get the deal done with the land they had, they had to do a land swap with Embrey quickly or it wouldn't happen at all.  

[wmaddbb2018]

Call me a hater but I've been to a lot of minor league stadiums and the Sounds is by far the worst I've seen. Quickly thrown together in time for Karl Dean to throw out the first pitch. 

[nashvillwill]

9 minutes ago, wreynol4 said:

Call me a hater but I've been to a lot of minor league stadiums and the Sounds is by far the worst I've seen. Quickly thrown together in time for Karl Dean to throw out the first pitch. 

I'll agree/disagree with you. Aesthetically, you're absolutely right. How can you build a ballpark in anything other than brick? Functionally, I think you're way off base (see what I did there?). The amenities and fan experience are top notch and the location is fantastic. I just wish the developers around the park would add a little more to the area than the bland, residential only, buildings they are throwing up.

[UTgrad09]

26 minutes ago, nashvillwill said:

I'll agree/disagree with you. Aesthetically, you're absolutely right. How can you build a ballpark in anything other than brick? Functionally, I think you're way off base (see what I did there?). The amenities and fan experience are top notch and the location is fantastic. I just wish the developers around the park would add a little more to the area than the bland, residential only, buildings they are throwing up.

I actually think Carillon will end up being a better product than the stadium itself (lord knows it has taken longer to build!)

I've said many times, I think the Sounds stadium is well-constructed. It serves its function very well. But the baseball/sports architecture fan in me sees so much wasted potential. 

[rookzie]

On 5/10/2016 at 0:53 AM, UTgrad09 said:

I actually think Carillon will end up being a better product than the stadium itself (lord knows it has taken longer to build!)

I've said many times, I think the Sounds stadium is well-constructed. It serves its function very well. But the baseball/sports architecture fan in me sees so much wasted potential. 

 

Since my job transferred me to "NoCa" (North Capitol), at the State Data Center North, I was able to closely observe the progress of the Carillon.  While they don't incorporate any classical architectural natural- or cast-stone shapes for jack-arches, lintels, quoins, cornices, keystones, or the like, I've got to say, that for the appearance, the external materials used in this project offer a diversity of masonry colors and textures, as well as shapes, conferring some rather decent character, compared to that of the stadium itself. -==-

[MLBrumby]

Nice post Rookzie.  Just shows the difference that higher quality materials make on any building. We've seen these cliche apartment block pop up even here in Chattown... but the better executions make all the difference in the world. 

Loving the Prius "work" vehicle too.  

[Lexy]

Don't get me started on our baseball park.  The "prison-like" condos and apartments they plan around it are insulting to look at.

[BnaBreaker]

1 hour ago, Lexy said:

Don't get me started on our baseball park.  The "prison-like" condos and apartments they plan around it are insulting to look at.

 

Who do I have to stab to get sent to that prison?

[markhollin]

The Country Club — a joint effort from Strategic Hospitality, OZ Arts Nashville, The Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville and the Sounds — opened for business at The Band Box in First Tennessee Park at Tuesday night's game.  Each of the 9 holes of the miniature golf course has a different theme created by 9 Nashville based visual artists. Kinda nifty.  Will have to check it out soon.  Will try to get photos of the other 8 holes to share.

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2016/06/29/goldbergs-sounds-open-the-country-club-at-first.html

 

[VSRJ]

At first glance I thought it was an abandoned mini golf course...that grass needs some manicuring.

[UTgrad09]

11 hours ago, markhollin said:

The Country Club — a joint effort from Strategic Hospitality, OZ Arts Nashville, The Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville and the Sounds — opened for business at The Band Box in First Tennessee Park at Tuesday night's game.  Each of the 9 holes of the miniature golf course has a different theme created by 9 Nashville based visual artists. Kinda nifty.  Will have to check it out soon.  Will try to get photos of the other 8 holes to share.

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2016/06/29/goldbergs-sounds-open-the-country-club-at-first.html

 

 

Minor League Baseball: where we do everything we can to keep you distracted from the game.

[claya91]

You think that's crazy... the Diamondbacks installed a swimming pool & jacuzzi in the right field seats at their park.