Ray Winder Field - No. 9 -Top Ten (10) Minor League Baseball Parks 2004 - MLN Sports Zone

9. Ray Winder Field - Little Rock, AR
Photo: Joe Mock

Another great old-time ballpark drops one to number 9 this season, even though the 72-year-old Ray Winder Field in Little Rock, Arkansas, is still one of those intimate parks where a fan can get up-close to the game in a way that few of the new parks can offer.

When your home games are played in a ballpark that is more than seven decades old, you can either curse the age of the park, or embrace it. The Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League decided to do the latter, promoting the fun of the vintage field.

“What I love about old-time ballparks like ours is the view from the seats,” said Phil Elson, the team's play-by-play announcer. “New parks don't always make the fan feel like they're right on top of the action. At our stadium, though, even a casual fan who doesn't care that much about baseball will be struck by how quick the players are, the strength of the batters and what great athletes they all are.

“Aside from the view from the seats, the first thing a visitor will notice at our park is how clean it is,” Elson continued.

Some of the unique features of a visit to Ray Winder Park include:

The 55-foot-high chain-link fence in right field, which is a necessity to keep home-run balls from flying onto Interstate 630;

The authentic organ, a vanishing entertainment at baseball parks;

Clunker Car Night (August 10th in 2004), where a used car is given away each inning. “It's easily the biggest date on our promotional calendar. Fans start talking about it before the season ever starts,” related Elson.

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