Isotopes Park

Isotopes Park, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the home field of the Albuquerque Isotopes, a minor-league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Class AAA affiliate of the Dodgers. The facility is also used by the baseball program of the University of New Mexico. It was built in 2003, and has a capacity of 12,215.

The park arose from controversy. The Albuquerque Dukes, the Class AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers had been a part of the city for more than 29 years. In 2000, then-owner Bob Lozinak sold the team to a Portland, Oregon-based group, who moved the team to Portland as the Beavers.

Finding another owner and team were not difficult. The PCL had teams in Canada that they wanted to relocate. In 2001, a group headed by Tampa businessman Ken Young bought the Calgary Cannons with the intention of moving it to Albuquerque, contingent on building a park. Debate centered on whether to renovate the old Albuquerque Sports Stadium as a baseball-only park or build a brand new park downtown. In a citywide referendum, voters decided to rebuild the old stadium for $25 million.

Isotopes Park retains the general structure of Albuquerque Sports Stadium, as well as its dimensions and the system connecting the dugout to the clubhouse. The new stadium was also intended to retain the old facility's well-known "drive-in" terrace, where fans could sit in their cars and watch the game for free. However, Isotopes management scrapped those plans due to security concerns.

The park has enjoyed explosive success. With a large open breezeway with both an outer ring food court and "festival" food carts with every conceivable form of food and drink, the park rivals many major league parks for features and comforts.

Albuquerque has always been known as a hitters park, due to the high altitude, etc., but the changes in the field create more of a wind screen which allows the ball protected lift. Also, the fences were brought in slightly. The high altitude (Albuquerque in that area stands at over 5,300 feet (1,600 m) above sea level) and warm summer air also give the balls great lift.

External links

* [http://www.ballparkdigest.com/visits/albuquerque.htm Ballpark Digest visit to Isotopes Park]
* [http://www.albuquerquebaseball.com/ Albuquerque Isotopes Official Site]
* [http://www.virtualalbuquerque.com/VirtualABQ/IsotopesPark/ Virtual Tour of Isotopes Park]