THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507200013
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
Recently, an article heaping high praise on Harbor Park, home of the Norfolk Tides Triple-A baseball team, took up half the front page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch sports section.
``Many feel it's the finest ballpark in the minor leagues,'' wrote Times-Dispatch sportswriter John O'Connor.
The praise is especially meaningful coming out of Richmond because that city has The Diamond, itself a highly regarded minor-league ball park. When it opened 11 years ago, The Diamond was state-of-the-art.
O'Connor wrote: ``Harbor Park opened (in 1993) to one major question regarding the wisdom of constructing a baseball stadium in a city's gut: Would folks come downtown after dark to see minor-leaguers?
``The answer: Yes, so long as they get an attractive, clean, safe environment full of entertainment that includes baseball.''
And that's what they do get.
The team president, Ken Young, spent 20 years supervising food services for sports arenas before heading the Tides. To say the least, he understands what fans want. O'Connor wrote, ``Young introduced the midway effect to Harbor Park's concourse, the fluffy mascot that circulates, the clowns who create animals by twisting balloons, the pop-a-shot hoops game, the on-field contest between half-innings.''
The seats are comfortable. The view of the field is good even as fans stand in line on the 30-foot-wide concourse to buy hot dogs.
Young projected selling about 350,000 tickets each of the first few years at the new park, but a record 600,000 fans may well attend Tides home games this year.
This newspaper noted after opening night that the new park was a hit. Hit? Now it's a homer. by CNB