Victory Field (Indianapolis) - No. 1 of the Ten Best Baseball Parks - 2001 - MLN Sports Zone

Best Baseball Ballparks of 2001

09/09/01 - As the baseball season draws to a close, MLN's editorial staff has made its choice of the top ten places to grab a brew, down a dog, and watch great baseball.

What makes a great park? We look at the park itself (playing field, stadium facilities, food service), the fans (How loud are you, and who shows up?), and the host city (Is this a fun place to be before and after the game?) The result is the top ten best minor league parks in the United States and Canada (And yes, they really do play baseball up there.). We haven't hit Mexico yet, but we're coming Saltillos...

Back | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Next

1. Victory Field

Our 2001 Best Ballpark winner is Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians. This year's host of the AAA All-Star game is one of the crown jewels in baseball.

The fences are a bit shorter than we'd like to see in a AAA stadium, but the field itself is spectacular.

This is one of the generation of new stadia that draw architectural inspiration from the irrationally built historic structures whose architects owed more to a protractor than a CAD program. We are particularly fond of the quirky staircases that wind up to the upper deck from the main breezeway/concession area.

The fans are great and loud and they show up in good numbers. The die-hards are tailgating two hours before game time. They even booed Commissioner Bud Selig's opening pitch at the All-Stars, a gutsy move for a AAA Brewers affilliate greeting a former owner and the first Commissioner ever to grace a minor league All-Star fest.

Victory Field sits on the edge of a revitalized downtown with great hotels and fabulous restaurants within walking distance. This is one of the few true destination ballparks in the minors. Pack up the kids and drive on down for the weekend. Great ball. Great fun.

See: MLNTravel™ Article - "Indy Oasis"