Reviews

January 6, 2009

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Raley Field

Class: Triple A

Affiliation: Oakland Athletics

From Interstate 5: Take US Highway 50/Business I-80 westbound towards San Francisco. Exit at Jefferson Blvd./South River Road. Keep right to exit onto South River Road.

From Interstate 80 East: Take the Capital City Freeway (US Highway 50/Business I-80 Eastbound). Take the Downtown Sacramento/Jefferson Blvd. exit. Head towards downtown (do not take the Jefferson Blvd. ramp). Exit at West Capital Avenue. Raley Field will be on your left.

From Interstate 80 West: Take US Highway 50/Business I-80 West to Jefferson Blvd./South River Road exit. Keep right to exit onto South River Road.

Food: ***Not bad. By and large, typical stadium fare, but a good variety offers something for everyone. Expect to pay $4.00 for a hotdog, $7.00 for a small beer (16 oz), or $9.00 for a large beer (20oz). For some reason, hotdogs aren’t always listed on the menu, but are available at most general concession stands.

 

Review:

Since Oakland moved its affiliate from Vancouver to Sacramento in 2000, the River Cats have become one of the most successful organizations in all of minor league baseball, in terms of both wins and attendance. The fans love this team, almost as much as they love their Kings of the National Basketball Association. The River Cats draw from throughout the Sacramento Valley as well as the Sierra-Nevada Mountains to the East. There is plenty of corporate support. Some feel Sacramento is ready for a major league team, and the fan base would likely support that, but one senses that many of the fans would feel bittersweet about the loss of their River Cats, even if they were traded for a big league team.

Raley Field is a delightful place to watch a game. The park is clean, has a nice view of Tower Bridge and the Sacramento skyline, and a good variety of food and drink await the visitor. It is the closest one visiting minor league parks in California can feel to the big league parks. It is also a bit pricier, perhaps the most expensive minor league stadium to watch a game in on the entire West Coast. Not a lot of shade is offered in the seats for day games, so be prepared for that Central Valley heat.

The one drawback to Raley Field is the parking. While plenty of it seems to exist, you will basically have to drive past four or five special lots most with names that you will not know what means. Names like “Lot B Pass,” to which you will likely say “I guess that’s not me.” After making one large loop, you eventually start heading back to the stadium. You will pass an $8 parking lot, but there may be an attendant waiving you through. You continue on only to find yourself suddenly stuck in the $10 parking lot. I know that the attendants are just trying to move people along, but I would rather save the $2 and walk the extra 150 yards. Unless you know that you have that choice, it makes parking a bit frustrating.

Back to the positives, Raley Field has some of the best between inning entertainment at the Triple A level. A mainstay of the Single A and Double A leagues, decent entertainment seems to disappear the closer you get to the big leagues. Not in Sacramento where many innings have on field entertainment, and the fun is both family oriented and often creative. Perhaps the best entertainment going, however, is when staff throws balls of the roof. Late in the game, an announcer comes on over the PA and says “Have you ever wondered what happens to all those baseballs that land on the roof, well here they are.” People on the roof of the stadium then start throwing baseballs into the crowd. Based on the number of balls that get thrown, either extra balls are being added to the pile, or the promotion is not done every game. Regardless, it is great fun and a recognition of the long standing tradition that a baseball hit off the field is the property of some lucky fan.

Pluses: Clean. Generally good baseball. Good variety of food. Good between inning entertainment for Triple A.

Minus: Expensive, especially for the minor leagues. Not a lot of shade for the day games.

Quirky intangibles: Guys throwing baseballs off the roof. Also, industrial old dirty, sometimes dusty, parking lots in an otherwise serene setting. Unfortunately the format to get to these is a little frustrating.

Scouting report: Raley Field is one of those few fields that everyone seems to think plays pretty fair (i.e., neither pitchers or batters have an advantage).

Tips: If you can turn into the $8 parking lot, and don’t mind walking a couple hundred yards, do so to save yourself $2. Bring plenty of sunscreen if you are coming to a day game.

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