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There does not seem to be a link from wyff.com, but they did a story last night on the looming deadline for the construction of the ballpark. Looked like the inside was just about finished.

The last thing that was said on the matter was that it is currently named the West End Field, but that management is still looking for a company to purchase naming rights. :(

The video for it is on the front page of WYFF's website now. Also, looking at the webcam it looks like the lights have been turned on. :)

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There's a great article by Michael Ian Borer on the "ballpark" in today's Greenville Journal. :thumbsup:

I can't wait to read it, NYT! Thanks! I've been wondering when Dr. Borer's article was going to appear. I know from discussing this with him that he feels exactly the same way that I do about the use of "ballpark" instead of "stadium."

Dr. Borer is the one with the camera:

101823279_348f87b704.jpg

Edited by RestedTraveler
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They had another story about the new ballpark downtown tonight on WYFF, except this time they were reporting live from the ballpark and the lights were on. They said the lights would stay on for the next two days to test them out and make sure they work. They also said they will be testing the sound equipment this weekend.

-There will be another open house this saturday from 2-5pm with free hotdogs and drinks at the new ballpark

Edited by g-man430
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What's bad about a corporate name for the ballpark?

Better than the taxpayers funding a private entertainment venue.

I'm sure RB3 would like to find a coroporate sponsor, too, considering the construction of this ballpark is privately funded. It surprised me previously when I had read that they were in no hurry to find a sponsor for naming rights. I suspect that this was loosely translated from what was actually intended: The Drive are looking for just the right corporate sponsor and are in no rush to pick the first one that offers them $$. Just a hunch.

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They had another story about the new ballpark downtown tonight on WYFF, except this time they were reporting live from the ballpark and the lights were on. They said the lights would stay on for the next two days to test them out and make sure they work. They also said they will be testing the sound equipment this weekend.

-There will be another open house this saturday from 2-5pm with free hotdogs and drinks at the new ballpark

The reporter called it, "the West End ballfield." That is a good move. :shades:

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I love Dr. Borer's suggestions at the end of his article. He's absolutely right.

I'm not sure if anybody else got it, but the the Greenville City View insert that was in the Journal also says that the name is "West End Field" even though the insert continues to refer to the ballpark as a "stadium" :sick: throughout :thumbsup: It's a step in the right direction, at least.

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Single Game Tickets go on-sale at precisely 10:00am on March 31st.

Check out this audio slide show with great pictures of the new West End Ballpark: http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...1/60322002/1029

-It's similiar to the ICAR one

Thanks, g-man430! If only they'd stop calling it a "stadium." :rolleyes:

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If only they'd stop calling it a "stadium." :rolleyes:

Why all the concern over the names and labels? There's a terrific stadium/ballpark/entertainment venue that's opening up downtown, an organization committed to putting fans first, and a plan in place to make game nights/days a great activity for all ages...extending well beyond the game itself.

Will the name or mascot or what they call the venue have ANY impact on whether the experience there is enjoyable? More importantly, if the service or facilities or entertainment value sucked, would it be redeemed if they had picked the "right" name, the "right" mascot, and called the venue the "right" thing? I don't think so.

One of the biggest changes will be how, when it rains, there's plenty of cover to ride it out. For the team, the important thing is that the concession areas are covered. Think of all the revenue lost at the old ballpark simply because there was no cover! Fans had little choice but to head for the cars when the skies opened up...even for a brief downpour. Whether that changes the semantics and lexicon you use, I don't know. But I like the idea of a well-covered, uh, venue.

For now, the official term is West End Field. I had heard that a naming rights deal would be in place by April 6 from a very reliable source. The owner of the team now tells me otherwise. He says that they are being very deliberate in their selection of a naming rights sponsor. Greensboro, also a Sally League team, closed a $3M naming rights deal to kick off their new stadium in 2005 (or was it 2004?). That's high for a Single A deal, but it's probably the yardstick being used.

Someone previously commented on team names and why the other names are so cool. I'd add to his (or her?) comment about the Savannah Sand Gnats that it is additionally clever because the Sand Gnats are an affiliate of the Washington Nationals (Nats, for short).

For more pictures of the stadium/field/ballpark/venue, see this article and the link to photos at the end (taken one month before Opening Day, so not as current as the Open House photos): http://www.metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid:3765

[EDIT: If you use Internet Explorer -- Firefox myself -- you can see captions for the photos at the above link by mousing over them.]

What I find most intriguing are the single game rentals for two of the skyboxes. The views from the boxes are spectacular. Not just of the field, but the first base side boxes look out to downtown Greenville and, beyond that, Paris Mountain. The cost of a rental is just $480 -- including 24 tickets. (Concessions/catering is extra.) That's basically a party-in-a-box. I just wonder if I can bring in my own bar service....

I'm enjoying this thread.

Just one question. Will people here be following the ups and downs of the team's on-the-field success or is the focus going to remain on the larger "show" and the civic impact of what goes on at the BALLPARK?

(Sorry for the disjointed post. I'm new and saw lots of different posts going back the past couple months that inspired this one.)

Edited by Fiddlestix
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Why all the concern over the names and labels? There's a terrific stadium/ballpark/entertainment venue that's opening up downtown, an organization committed to putting fans first, and a plan in place to make game nights/days a great activity for all ages...extending well beyond the game itself.

I'm enjoying this thread.

Just one question. Will people here be following the ups and downs of the team's on-the-field success or is the focus going to remain on the larger "show" and the civic impact of what goes on at the BALLPARK?

Forgive my latency, Fiddlestix; however, I'd like to say, "Welcome to Urban Planet!" I've enjoyed reading your take on our threads, their topics, and your commentary. I hope you'll have much more to offer going forward into the future.

Regarding the label of "stadium" vs. "ballpark" for West End Field, it's not so much concern over names and labels in this case as it is a disdain for the improper use of terms not befitting the proper nomenclature of baseball. I'm sure this stems from decades of viewing baseball at Municipal Stadium; however, for the new venue, the term "stadium" is simply inappropriate. It's a "ballpark," pure and simple, and it would be nice if the community would begin to recognize it as such.

I agree with you that the entire organization is committed to putting fans first and to making each and every game an enjoyable entertainment experience, one which will extend beyond the game itself and will leave fans wanting to return again and again. I've been very happy with what I've seen thus far from the Greenville Drive, their owners and management. I've been especially pleased with the care that Craig Brown and his partners at RB3 have put into erecting this masterpiece of a facility.

If you're enjoying this thread, you may also enjoy the ballpark construction thread:

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=15223

As for whether we'll be following the ups and downs of the team's on-field success or simply focusing on the civic impact of the team and the ballpark, I would imagine it will be a conglomeration of both; however, I'm sure our focus will primarily be on civic and urban development issues as that is the primary focus of our forum.

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Will the name or mascot or what they call the venue have ANY impact on whether the experience there is enjoyable? More importantly, if the service or facilities or entertainment value sucked, would it be redeemed if they had picked the "right" name, the "right" mascot, and called the venue the "right" thing? I don't think so.

Well on the raw surface of the matter, it doesn't really matter; but at the same time, it matters A LOT.

For many folks who are baseball fans, a stadium brings up images of the the "cookie-cutter" stadiums that were nearly identical at construction in the late 60's and also share the identity of nearly all of them being torn down post-haste. Fulton-County, Busch, Riverfront, Three Rivers, Oakland-Alameda, Jack Murphy, etc. are nearly identical in design and for the most part were built with tax payer money to house multiple sports, were usually located next to interstates and were islands in a parking lot sea. They were functional, yet lost money, were not "fan comfortable", poorly run by local governments, and represented the worst part of ugly modernism. That is what the word baseball "stadium" means to most folks.

Ballparks have the image of urban, neighborhood recreation centers. Islands of grass, community and relaxation in the midst of often disjointed and alienating urban life. If nostalgia didn't mean much to people, then the Drive staff would not work build a park that was a minature version of a Boston structure that opened the same day the Titanic sunk. Cruise lines would not dare build a ship that resembled the Titanic: too small, too cramped, poor amenities for folks today. Yet there is something comforting about a "Ballpark" that a "stadium" could never capture.

As far as a park being built with more distracting amenities than just a place to watch 18-24 year old single A dudes play ball, that's the way the minor league action goes in the "marketing age". Only a handful of folks will go to a game to just 9 innings of low level pro ball. With everything from Netflix to free downtown concerts competing for the entertainment attention, the Drive owners have been forced to come up with an affordable, family - friendly, comfortable place for 3 - 5 thousand folks to enjoy 3 hours or so worth of entertainment 40+ times a spring and summer.

By all accounts, the Drive staff are doing an excellent of running their business and are bringing in a form of popular, enjoyable, family entertainment. It's Greenville, so we don't have to worry about the city spending tax dollars to build and run a stadium like what happens in other locales, so we can rest assured that there are personal financial reasons for the stadium to continually reinvent themselves every season so that they will draw crowds, much like the locally owned Greenville Grrrowl has had to do this season after a couple seasons of near fan neglect, which they paid for at the box office.

I had concerns that the new team would run rough shod over the four churches schedules, four institutions which had served that part of downtown for decades. But by all accounts, they are bending over backwards to accomadate the churches with employment fairs at the next door AME church, making the ballpark so that sound and light are enclosed, etc. They appear to have a desire to be good neighbors.

It's a great example of how nostalgia-based, family entertainment can really help out a local community.

When's the first pitch again? :D

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But by all accounts, they are bending over backwards to accomadate the churches with employment fairs at the next door AME church, making the ballpark so that sound and light are enclosed, etc. They appear to have a desire to be good neighbors.

I've spoken numerous times with Caesar Richburg about the baseball stadium and he is absolutely sold that the Drive, from Craig Brown and Mike deMaine on down, are committed to being great neighbors. He thinks they are great people to work with.

That said, he is still appalled that it has come to this point and that the city and the Christian community would allow for a baseball stadium to be dumped in his church's lap. As wonderful as the design is, it's still a stadium and it's still a place that sells beer and wine. And he has a point when he notes that if it were Buncombe St. UMC...

But he's not asking for a boycott of baseball. I think he'd rather see some direct action against City Hall.

The good will among the Drive and Allen Temple will sail along with respect to the regularly scheduled events. The problem is going to surface with a wedding or funeral. Then let's see how well they all get along. At least they have a foundation of trust to work from. But I don't think the tension is all gone. There's plenty of kindling for new conflict and the grudge against the City is as strong as it ever was.

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Well, it's not just Allen Temple that I'm concerned about, with the Drive being good neighbors. Though they are primary due to being next door.

I hope ballpark patrons do not take advantage of nearby Pendleton St. Baptist, the next door Episcopal church and Second Presbyterian' parking and facilities are cause distrubancies. The potential is there and due diligence will have to be done constantly to make sure that this is not a problem.

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I hope ballpark patrons do not take advantage of nearby Pendleton St. Baptist...

Pendleton Street Baptist (and perhaps the others, too), if I understand correctly, has provided their parking to the Greenville Drive to be used by the Drive's valet service for Disabled/Handicap Parking. There will be a $5 per vehicle parking fee for the service, but it's still nice that they're going to be able to park so nearby.

I'm sure the other church facilities will take advantage of the opportunity to raise some funds through parking, as well. There's a benefit there to be had by them all.

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Does anyone want to guess how much parking Greenville High will have available after their renovations are through?

At anywhere from $2 to $5 a pop, that could go a long way towards funding their student groups and athletic teams.

Article from WYFF about parking: http://news.yahoo.com/s/wyff/20060330/lo_wyff/3366458

Quote:

"Within a 10-minute walk we actually have over 6,000 parking places," said Greenville City Manager Jim Bourey. "Within less than a quarter of a mile there's over 1,500 parking places."

I've long told folks who were worried about this that there were similar concerns about the Bi-Lo center, but no one really thinks about parking being too much of a problem for the Bi-Lo Center or the Peace Center.

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I did the walk from County Square parking to the right field gate. It's about 400 paces and a little more than two blocks -- with a tricky Augusta St. crossing that I fully expect the City will address with signs, lights and manpower. Frankly, I think Peace Center parking is a bit of a trick. But I'm usually there for pretty much the show and little else...plus I'm dressed up. A baseball game is a much more laid back affair. And if you get sidetracked before or after, that's cool. Sort of like those Sunday "Family Circus" comics where the kids take incredibly convoluted detours. Not so for the Peace Center...or Bi-Lo Center events for that matter. Maybe I'm a glass half full person, but I think the fact that there's no sprawling lot (or mega garage) adjacent to the stadium----BALLPARK---- is good. And, again, with so much overhead coverage for fans, there's less need to keep the car close to your hip pocket as there was at the old place.

Question from my kid: Where are the best seats for foul balls? The roofline will not be returning balls to the fans. The overhang and the screen behind homeplate will restrict most balls from getting into the hands of the fans. So I'm thinking the rightfield or leftfield seats beyond the dugouts, near the field. Or the picnic area or grassy berm. Any expert thoughts on this pressing question?

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