10 GREAT PLACES FOR A BASEBALL PILGRIMAGE

JUNE 27, 2012 - 10 GREAT PLACES FOR A BASEBALL PILGRIMAGE 

Mud Hens' Roost: A view of the home-run porch at Fifth Third Field in Toledo.

With the 2010 baseball season upon us, fans are eagerly anticipating the crack of ball against bat. While big-league stadiums offer baseball-as-spectacle, the nation's 200-odd minor-league ballparks provide a purer form of the game in a more intimate setting. Baseball devotee Graham Knight, who runs the website baseballpilgrimages.com, offers up 10 distinctive minor-league venues. He spoke with Tim Smight for USA TODAY.

Modern Woodmen Park - Davenport, Iowa

Baseball has been played on the same riverfront grounds since 1931. Recent renovations to the 4,000-seat venue — home to the Class-A Quad Cities River Bandits — added picnic areas, an outfield berm, two team stores and a hot-tub deck. "Home runs hit to right field often land in the Mississippi River," Knight says. 563-322-6348; riverbandits.com

Coca-Cola Field - Buffalo, NY

"Baltimore's Camden Yards gets most of the credit for establishing the retro look in new baseball stadiums," Knight says. "But the true pioneer was Buffalo's Coca-Cola Field, which opened four years earlier in 1988. It was the first new ballpark designed to blend in with existing historic buildings in the city center." Home to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, the park also hosts the National Buffalo Wing Festival each Labor Day weekend. 716-846-2000; bisons.com

The Dell Diamond - Round Rock, Texas

Opened in 2000 in this Austin suburb, Dell Diamond (capacity 10,000) is home to the Triple-A Round Rock Express. "In true Texas style, this ballpark boasts big-league-style amenities like private suites, a two-tier Home Run Porch in left field, and a large swimming pool overlooking right field," Knight says. 512-255-2255; roundrockexpress.com

Louisville Slugger Field - Louisville

Built on the banks of the Ohio River, this home to the Triple-A Louisville Bats is fronted by a restored 19th-century rail depot that serves as its main entrance and incorporates shops and restaurants. "Depending on where you sit, you can glimpse the downtown skyline or the cantilevered bridge that spans the river to Indiana," Knight says. Perks include a children's play area in right field and a continuous concourse that surrounds the field. 502-212-2287; batsbaseball.com

Mike Lansing Field - Casper, Wyoming

Baseball can't get much more intimate than it does at this 2,500-seat venue, named for Wyoming native and former big-leaguer Mike Lansing. Home of the Rookie League Casper Ghosts, the park sits on the banks of the North Platte River. "The sense you get here is of wide-open space," Knight says. "The grandstand ends just beyond the dugouts, and the flat rocks off the third-base line are a great spot for watching the action." 307-232-1111; ghostsbaseball.com

AT&T Bricktown Ballpark - Oklahoma City

Located just east of downtown Oklahoma City, the historic warehouse district known as Bricktown is the site of this appealing venue opened in 1998. Home of the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks, it's a great place to watch a game because "almost every seat offers a dramatic view of the city skyline," Knight says. Nearby is the San Antonio Riverwalk-inspired Bricktown Canal, with more than two dozen clubs and restaurants. 405-218-1000; oklahomaredhawks.com

Jackie Robinson Ballpark - Daytona Beach, Fla.

This tiny, 4,200-seat park doesn't just look old, it is old. "When Daytona City Island Ballpark opened in June of 1914, it consisted of a baseball diamond with a single set of wooden bleachers," Knight says. "Expanded and renovated several times since, the field is where Jackie Robinson first integrated the sport during a spring training game in 1946." Now home to the Class-A Daytona Cubs, the park was renamed in Robinson's honor in 1989. 386-257-3172; daytonacubs.com

Fifth Third Field - Toledo, Ohio

The Toledo skyline provides a stunning backdrop for this newer ballpark, which has been home to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens since 2002. Designed to blend in with the old buildings that surround it, Fifth Third Field, which seats just under 9,000, incorporates a few former warehouses. "The ballpark's signature feature is a home-run porch called The Roost," Knight says. 419-725-4367; mudhens.com

Rickwood Field - Birmingham, Ala.

Billed as "America's oldest baseball park," Rickwood Field, opened in 1910, was home to the Birmingham Barons through 1987. Today, the Double-A Barons play in a more modern suburban facility, but Rickwood (capacity 10,800) still stands, thanks to local preservationists. "The field was restored in 1993, complete with a vintage hand-operated scoreboard," Knight says. Rickwood is open year-round for free self-guided tours. And once each season (June 2 this year), the Barons return to play a game there. 800-742-5966; rickwood.com

 Auto Zone Park - Memphis, TN

Located in the heart of Downtown Memphis home of the Memphis Redbirds,AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, AutoZone Park is was named the 2009 Minor League Ballpark of the Year by Baseball America. Thanks to the innovative structure of the Foundation, it is also financed primarily with private dollars. By combining the feel of such parks as Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Camden Yards, AutoZone Park is a state-of-the-art facility with classic, neo-traditional style.