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Photo: Joe Mock
This is one of the greatest ugly-duckling-to-swan metamorphoses in baseball history, and a great example of community support for baseball.
When the owner of the Dukes, the Dodgers affiliate that had been in Albuquerque for decades, sold the team to Portland, the mayor and the city worked with the Pacific Coast League to bring baseball back to the Duke City as quickly as possible.
A debate that arose over remodeling the Albuquerque Sports Stadium, a tired, old park best known for its “drive-in” area high above right field, or building a new park in the downtown area became a political hot potato. The vote: Remodel in the existing site, which sits adjacent to Albuquerque's other major sports facilities.
Remodel was not in the cards. The Sports Stadium was torn down and what arose upon its foundation was one of the most sparkling new facilities in the country.
A stadium designed by HOK Sports architects, it has much of the signature of one of their minor league designs, similar to their Victory Field in Indianapolis, but with a lot of nice finishing touches that aren't seen in other parks of their design at the minor league level: Neon signs, a carnival-like breezeway, and an outfield with one of the only bounceback birms (Similar to the Astros home field) in the minors.
One of the unique features of the park is a walk-around ring that circles from the breezeway to the rear berm behind the outfield. A parent walking a cranky toddler can see the game from everywhere on the walkway but behind the scoreboard.
Situated under the majestic Sandia mountains, the field was dug in to provide better wind protection and maximize views of both the park and the moonrise over the mountains.
Isotopes Park opened to a sell-out crowd on April 11, 2003, and the fans kept pouring in all season long.
The first season in the new park was a huge success. The Isotopes, the AAA franchise of the Marlins, out-seated their parent club until playoff fever hit South Florida. At the end of the year, the team turned over a check for $2,002,000 to the city for rent and surcharges based on the team's profitability.
The team's nickname, The Isotopes, came from fans who selected the name after a fictional team in an episode of the hit television show The Simpsons.
New for 2004 are a speed-of-pitch indicator, a playground and improvements to the sound system.
Enjoyment for the whole family is clearly the name of the game here, though, especially in the beautifully terraced and landscaped right-field berm.
This hillside area “retains the family feel that the old drive-in area used to provide,” said long-time fan Dave Dallas of Albuquerque. “Parents can watch their kids frolic while being able to watch the game as well, and it provides a wonderful area to watch the sunset over the volcanoes and Mt. Taylor in the distance.”
Rank 2003: NR
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