Baseball Stadiums: First Tennessee Park

For the second year in a row I was in Nashville for a baseball game, but this season the Sounds were playing in a brand new ballpark instead of 36-year-old Herschel Greer Stadium (read about last season's visit here).  Although I was visiting a brand new stadium in First Tennessee Park, my visit was quite different because I attended the game with my girlfriend and two of her friends.

Another wrinkle to my visit was that the previous day's game had been suspended due to rain in the bottom of the first inning, so instead of a single game starting at 7 p.m. the Sounds hosted the completion of the previous day's game before hosting a seven-inning game afterward.  So instead of arriving around 6 p.m. to secure my 1940s Nashville Vols bobblehead, we arrived around 5 p.m. to get our giveaway items and settle in for the resumption of Wednesday's game at 6 p.m.

With it's location just north of downtown, First Tennessee Park does not have a lot of designated parking.  However, there are multiple parking lots and street parking spots around the stadium.  So after parking in one of these lots, the first view of the ballpark was not the main entrance but instead I got to see...

My first view of First Tennessee Park, which was a view of the "big ass" guitar-shaped scoreboard.

The back of the guitar-shaped scoreboard may have been my first view of First Tennessee Park, but the main entrance looks like this...

Main entrance.

Moments after walking into the stadium at the Home Plate Entrance I got my Nashville Vols bobblehead and lucked out finding the Sounds' new mascot Booster.  So I got my photo taken with him before the setting out to explore the ballpark.

Me with Booster in a throwback Nashville Vols jersey.

With my bobblehead in hand and a photo with the mascot done, our group went about exploring the stadium, which almost immediately led us to the souvenir shop.  With two people who had never visited Nashville in tow we stopped and explored the shop for quite a bit.  I bought a coloring puzzle for my friend's 5-year-old son, but the most interesting scene in the souvenir shop was the display around the Nashville Vols items.

A sign above the t-shirts commemorates the history of baseball at the site.

As someone who appreciates history it was really cool to see the signage above the throwback t-shirts to help educate fans who might not know about the baseball teams in Nashville before the Sounds came into existence in 1978.

In addition to the signage in the souvenir shop fans who walk around the entire concourse will see something especially unique on the back of the batter's eye.

Signage commemorating the history of baseball at the site that First Tennessee Park now occupies.

Immediately across from the batter's eye and the historic signage there is a fence with netting featuring the First Tennessee Park logo, which creates a compelling juxtaposition between the past, present, and future as you can see the construction underway in the area immediately surrounding the ballpark.

A fence with the First Tennessee Park logo just behind the batter's eye.

The most popular feature in the outfield is by far the concession stand and bar area known as The Band Box.  The concession stand features a farm-to-table approach to ballpark dining, which results in some unexpected ballpark food items like a quinoa chopped salad or a hot dog produced in town by Porter Road Butcher.

Additionally there is a picture perfect photo opportunity, so I took advantage and had one of our friends take a photo of me and my girlfriend.

Me and Katie at The Band Box.

Despite the great photo opp, people come to The Band Box for the bar and other entertainment like ping pong, cornhole, shuffleboard, and the foosball table.

A view of the bar before the game started.

Later in the game I wandered back to The Band Box, and it was jam packed with urban-dwelling millenials enjoying the craft beer selection.  On that note, The Band Box has a good beer selection with popular national brands, notable regional brands, and some awesome local beers from breweries like Black Abbey, Little Harpeth, and Turtle Anarchy.

The Band Box during the game.

After getting a drink at The Band Box we migrated to our seats on the third base line to watch the start of the previous day's suspended game.  The August 5 game was suspended before the Sounds came to bat in the bottom of the first inning, so I opted not to get a photo of the first pitch because it wasn't really the "first pitch."

So from my view along the third base line I took some photos of the game action, but started with probably the most notable feature of First Tennessee Park ... the guitar-shaped scoreboard.

The scoreboard with a throwback motif with the Sounds batting in the first inning.

I also took some photos of the game action.  Notably I took some pictures of former Major Leaguer Barry Zito toiling for the Sounds.

Nashville Sounds pitcher Barry Zito delivering a pitch to Memphis Redbirds second baseman Dean Anna.

I also captured Memphis Redbirds second baseman Dean Anna at the plate facing Zito.

Memphis Redbirds second baseman Dean Anna at the plate against Nashville Sounds pitcher Barry Zito.

One of the coolest things I saw on Throwback Thursday was the outfits worn by the on-field emcee and the accompanying spirit girls (or cheerleaders or whatever is the appropriate term).  The emcee wore a baseball uniform that mimicked an old New York Yankees uniform with the number "3" adorned on his chest while the spirit girls wore uniforms reminiscent of the Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and immortalized in the 1992 film A League of Their Own.

A between-inning trivia contest during the first game.

One of the great improvements with the Sounds relocating from Greer Stadium to First Tennessee Park is the view.  Greer Stadium, which is still standing, is removed from downtown and does not provide fans with an aesthetically pleasing backdrop.  By comparison, First Tennessee Park is located just north of downtown facing south with great views of the downtown Nashville skyline.  So fans are easily able to get a picture of downtown like the one I took that night.

A view of the left field berm and a snippet of the downtown Nashville skyline.

When it comes to food, Nashville has cultivated its own tradition that has yet to be copied elsewhere in the country.  That unique dish is known as "hot chicken."  The dish is what it sounds like, but you can read more here.  It is fried chicken that is spiced to make it extremely hot.  So when I sought out something unique to eat at the stadium it was a no-brainer to try some hot chicken, especially considering the team's mascot Booster is a hot chicken.

A basket of hot chicken with waffle fries from the Hot or Not Chicken stand.

After finishing my hot chicken, which was tasty, but not nearly as spicy as I expected considering that two people in the group said it made their eyes water, I sat back to watch the Sounds complete their come-from-behind victory over the Redbirds.

In the suspended game from Aug. 5 that was completed on Aug. 6, the Sounds scored eight unanswered runs to win 8-3.

After the first game concluded the grounds crew took about 30 minutes to prepare the field for the second game, which I decided was the appropriate time to get my usual photograph of the first pitch of the ballgame.  Unfortunately first pitch wasn't until almost 9:30 p.m., so my picture may not have turned out as good as usual.

Nashville Sounds starting pitcher Dan Otero delivering the first pitch to Memphis Redbirds left fielder Rafael Ortega.

After getting a photograph of the first pitch I walked around and to the first base line to get some photographs of the game action.

Memphis Redbirds center fielder Tommy Pham takes a lead off first base in the top of the first inning.

A closeup of Nashville pitcher Dan Otero on the mound.

A closeup of Memphis Redbirds starting pitcher Tyler Waldron on the mound.

After picking up another beer at The Band Box, I made sure to capture a view of the field from the outfield looking over the grandstand.

A view of the stadium from the outfield.

After scoring three runs in the first, the Sounds never looked back and coasted to an 8-0 win over the Redbirds.  The impromptu doubleheader ended around 11:30 p.m., so it was a much later night than expected, but I had a great time on my first visit to First Tennessee Park.

The architecture is unique.  The views are magnificent.  The food is delicious.  The beer selection is plentiful.  And all of that makes for an awesome experience at a ballpark.

Baseball Stadiums: AT&T Field

Like a lot of stadiums around the Southeast, AT&T Field is one that I visited many years before I started blogging about my stadium visits.  I first visited what was called BellSouth Park in 2002, but my history of visiting stadiums in Chattanooga dates to 1993 when I saw the Lookouts play at Engel Stadium.

Chattanooga is about 90 minutes from where I grew up in metro Atlanta, which is why one of my first visits to a Minor League Baseball stadium was a Lookouts game.  I made this trip because I wanted to write about a nearby stadium, and I'm slowly, but surely working to attending a game at all the active stadiums in Minor League Baseball.  I am not Ben Hill nor am I trying to replicate his outstanding work, but I can write about the gameday experience from a fan's perspective (read Ben Hill's non-gameday visit here and about his excursion to Engel Stadium here).

One of the great things about the ballpark is its location, not exactly in downtown Chattanooga but adjacent to all the sights.  The stadium sits atop a hill on the western side of downtown.

Due to its location atop a hill AT&T Field has an escalator.

Walking up to the main entrance of the stadium, fans pass signage for the AT&T Field Hall of Fame.  The hall has two members: Cal Ermer and Tommy Lasorda.

Plaques honoring Cal Ermer and Tommy Lasorda.

Growing up the Lookouts had been a Cincinnati Reds affiliate, so it was a bit weird to see "Welcome to Dodgertown, Tennessee" above the main gates.

The signage says it all.

The team has been a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate since 2009, and the team has done a lot to incorporate that connection into the team's identity.  The Lookouts toned down the use of red as a team color, and ramped up the use of blue, which is visible in the team's uniforms and caps.  AT&T uses blue in its logo, so I can't say all the blue used by the Lookouts is because of the Dodgers affiliation, but the shades of blue are different and the hue on the uniforms clearly appears to be Dodger blue.

As usual, I walked around the stadium before the game and captured a picture of the starting lineups.  I don't pay much attention to lineups unless there is a prospect I'm particularly interested in watching and know about him before going to the game.

The night's starting lineups.

The concourse as AT&T Field is below the seating bowl, so fans cannot see the game action while waiting in line at the concession stands.  However, the concourse is extremely wide, has plenty of stands, and monitors showing a closed-circuit feed of the game.

A concession stand below a banner showing former Lookout and current Dodger reliever Kenley Jansen.

A view of the concourse with a beer stand in the foreground.

Deciding on a food item was difficult, so I watched some of the game before .  I also decided on getting a beer from the Big River Grille & Brewing Works Beer Garden.  After getting a Chattanooga Steamer amber ale, I took my seat and captured the first pitch from Chattanooga starting pitcher Nick Struck.

First pitch between the Birmingham Barons and Chattanooga Lookouts.

Following the first pitch, I walked around a bit and found a wood-carved statue of the team's mascot, Looie.  I asked one of the workers at the promotions table to take my picture in exchange for me signing up to participate in a between-innings contest of musical chairs.

It's a bit blurry, but you get the idea.

At the middle of the third, I met up with staff member Alex (notable for giving Ben Hill a tour of the stadium earlier this summer), the two other contestants and headed toward the third base line near the batting cages and the home team's bullpen.

While talking with Alex, I was able to get my requisite picture with the team's mascot.

Me with Looie.

Traveling by myself, I don't have any of my own pictures of the musical chairs contest, but I was able to get two that Alex took to include here.

Round 1: Dancing to House of Pain's "Jump Around"

Round 2: Still dancing to "Jump Around"

My prize for winning: a Powerball ticket courtesy of the Tennessee Lottery.  Unfortunately, I did not win the lottery.

After collecting my prize, I decided to get a jumbo hot dog with yellow mustard and got another beer from the beer garden.  I opted for the jumbo dog because it is the "classic" ballpark item, and the Lookouts featured it as their submission for MiLB.com's 2014 Food Fight contest.

Jumbo dog.

View of the Big River Beer Garden with U.S. Highway 27 running alongside the ballpark.

After eating, I watched more of the game and took some photos of the stadium.

Game action with the Mayfield Dairy Ice Cream stand in the background.

View of the scoreboard.

View of right field seats.

The Tennessee Aquarium in the background with Lasorda's Landing in the foreground.

View of the grandstand with signage for AT&T Field members Cal Ermer and Tommy Lasorda.

While taking pictures showing off different vantage points of the stadium, I got photos of the other between-inning contests.  The Lookouts did a dizzy-bat race, but my favorite was the Hardee's Hamburger Roll.

Between-inning contest where contestants must roll hamburgers to Looie.

As I attended a game on a Friday evening, I got to enjoy post-game fireworks.  Post-game fireworks are a staple of the minors, and Chattanooga is no exception.

As I expected, I had a great time at the Lookouts game.  The on-field entertainment was unique, but not overdone.  The beer choices were good, but I would've enjoyed see more local selections at the concession stands.  The only Tennessee-brewed beers I found were at the beer garden.  Granted, the choices from Big River were very good beers.

The food selection was the typical ballpark fare, and while the traditionalist in me appreciates the simple choices I was disappointed that there wasn't at least ONE signature item.  With that in mind, the food was good and the service was quick.

One thing that is clear about the gameday experience at AT&T Field is that the Lookouts place an emphasis on the fans having a good time.  The stadium is well-staffed and everybody I interacted with during my visit was friendly and helpful.  I just lucked out by winning an on-field contest and getting to close the night with a very good fireworks show.

Presidential Pathways: #17, Andrew Johnson

Born: Dec. 29, 1808, in Raleigh, N.C.
Died: July 31, 1875, in Elizabethton, Tenn.
Burial Place: Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in Greeneville, Tenn. (Visited: May 2005)

Burial Place

In 1852, Johnson purchased the land surrounding Signal Hill because he enjoyed the view.

Andrew and Eliza Johnson's graves are at the center of the family plot.

In 1878, the family erected an obelisk over the graves of Andrew and his wife Eliza.

Baseball Stadiums: Herschel Greer Stadium

The first baseball game I attended at Herschel Greer Stadium was in March 2002, when the Georgia State Panthers visited the Belmont Bruins in a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series.  The first minor league game I attended was in July 2006 between the Round Rock Express and the Sounds, when I was attending the CoSIDA Convention in Nashville.  Both events were long before I started blogging about my visits to MLB and MiLB stadiums, so when the Nashville Sounds announced that 2014 would be the last season at Greer Stadium I wanted to be sure to visit for "the last cheer at Greer."

Unlike MiLB.com's Ben Hill, nobody had my name marked on a calendar.  Although I had been to the stadium before, it had been several years and, as always, I read up on food suggestions and the gameday experience from Hill's piece when he visited during the 2013 season.

The main entrance to the stadium is one of my favorites in Minor League Baseball.  The stone wall and wrought-iron fence are distinctive, and the baseball diamond on the ground lets any observer know he is entering a baseball stadium.

Exterior of the main concourse with sky boxes in the background.

It may not be clear in the photos, but there are banners of former Nashville players who have reached the Major Leagues with a picture of them as a Sounds player and with their current club.  For example, a banner shows Prince Fielder with the team in 2005, and in his current uniform with the Texas Rangers.

Ticket office and main gate.

Although I walked around the concourse once I entered the stadium, I wasn't particularly hungry and I could not find a beer to drink.  So after checking out the gift shop, I decided to take my seat and just watch baseball.  So I took in a lot action during the first inning.

First pitch between the Reno Aces and Nashville Sounds.

In addition to the first pitch of the game, I got photographs of both starting pitchers.

Sounds starting pitcher Ariel Pena.

Aces starting pitcher Zeke Spruill.

I also got a photograph of the Sounds third batter, which isn't significant unto itself.  However, I wanted to capture a shot that showed the Milwaukee Brewers patch on the shoulder of the uniform.

Sounds second baseman Elian Herrera.

I also took a photo of the seating bowl, although Ben Hill's piece details the age of the facility much better than my one shot.  Knowing that he took a ton of pictures highlighting the age of the seats, I opted to take a simple overview of the seating bowl with the press box and sky boxes.

A view of the press box and sky boxes from the third base side.

I may need to seek professional help, but getting my picture taken with MiLB mascots has become a bit of an obsession for me.  So instead of exploring more of the stadium, I waited for an inning or two along the third base line so I could get my picture with Ozzie.  I'm wondering if there's a "Mascot Addicts Anonymous" or something I could join.

Anyway, while I waited I had a Ruby Red from Fat Bottom Brewery.  For beer connoisseurs, the color was a deep red and it was a very tasty amber ale.  While waiting I started talking with a professional photographer who was shooting for a local web site.  He agreed to take my picture with Ozzie whenever the big cat came by.

Me with Ozzie in a blurry photo taken by a professional photographer.

When I entered the stadium, I noticed the paw prints on the concourse as documented in Ben Hill's piece.  At the risk of being overly critical, I really don't understand why the paw prints exist.  The team isn't called the "Cougars," and it seems like something a high school would do.  In fact, I've seen stuff like that at a high school stadium where team was called the "Wildcats."  Granted, maybe the young kids like following the prints to the funnel cake stand, so who am I to judge.

Ozzie prints leading you to the food.

Like many ballparks built in the late-'70s and early-'80s, Greer Stadium has the concourse and concession stands sitting beneath the seating bowl.  So fans are cutoff from the action, and the stands themselves are rather commonplace.  Surprisingly, the team never added TVs to keep fans connected to the game.

A standard concession stand beneath the seating bowl.

Due to my lack of hunger, I checked out all the concession stands trying to find a signature item and never found one that appealed to me.  Most employees said there wasn't a particularly unique item, but that I could visit Slugger's Restaurant on the 4th Floor.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I decided to check it out.

The food menu was nondescript.  It had the usual ballpark food like burgers, hot dogs, and chicken tenders.  Nothing particularly appealed to me, so I opted to get a beer and watch some of the game from upstairs.

Viewing the action from Slugger's Restaurant.

For my beer choice, I opted for the locally brewed Southern Wit from Tennessee Brew Works.  It was a nice alternative to the nationally-available Shocktop Belgian White that was also on draft.  After an inning or so upstairs, I headed downstairs to find something to eat.

Eventually I settled on getting BBQ Nachos from the Whitt's Barbecue stand along the first base line.  The nachos looked good covered in nacho cheese with a good serving of pulled pork, but I was surprised that it wasn't topped with any sauce.  Instead, I had to add sauce from the condiment stand.  It got weirder when the sauce at the condiment stand was Sweet Baby Ray's.  I really like Sweet Baby Ray's sauce, but it's odd that a sponsored concession stand wouldn't have BBQ sauce from its provider.

Regardless, the Sounds re-tweeted the picture I posted on Twitter of the nachos.

Update+Photo: Reno has tied the game, 1-1 in 7th RT @geoSteven: Breaking into Whitt's Barbecue nachos at Sounds game pic.twitter.com/hRoTlUv3EH
— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 11, 2014

Late in the game after finishing my nachos, I opted to watch the remainder of the game from my seat behind home plate.  In the bottom of the 9th, Jeremy Hermida singled to center field to bring home Elian Herrera and give the Sounds a 2-1 win.

The legendary guitar-shaped scoreboard with the final score: Sounds 2, Aces 1.

Many people have written about the guitar-shaped scoreboard, which is truly one of most unique sights in Minor League Baseball, so there's not much I can add to that conversation.  However, fans should enjoy a "Last Cheer at Greer" with the old guitar scoreboard before the Sounds move onto their new digs.