Telus Field

Infobox_Baseball_Stadium
stadium_name = Telus Field
nickname =


location = 10233 96 Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta
T5K 0A5
broke_ground =
opened = May 2, 1995
closed =
demolished =
owner = City of Edmonton
operator =
surface = Fieldturf (infield)
Grass (outfield)
construction_cost =
architect =
former_names =
tenants = Edmonton Cracker-Cats (GBL) (2005-present)

Edmonton Trappers
(PCL) (1995-2004)
seating_capacity = 10,000
dimensions = Left - 340'
Center - 420'
Right - 320'

Telus Field (nicknamed the "Phone Booth") is a baseball stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is home to the Edmonton Cracker-Cats of the independent Golden Baseball League, and former home of the Edmonton Trappers, an AAA baseball team in the Pacific Coast League. The Trappers moved to Round Rock, Texas and became the Round Rock Express after the 2004 season. The facility is located in the North Saskatchewan River Valley, on the south end of downtown Edmonton.

History

Opened in 1995, Telus Field replaced the 60 year-old John Ducey Park (formerly "Renfrew Park") on the same site. The stadium's naming rights were purchased by the Telus telecommunications company in September of 1995 for a 14 year deal.cite news
last = Spector
first = Mark
title = Ball park has name until end of 2009
newspaper = Edmonton Journal
pages = C.3
language = English
publisher = Edmonton Journal
date = 1995-Sep-08
accessdate = 2008-Mar-07 ] It has 12 foot walls all the way around except in center field, where the batters eye is a 34-foot green monster which is the third highest wall in professional baseball [ [http://www.chicoer.com/sports/ci_10198768] ] ; no player has ever hit a home run over it. Telus Field is a well-regarded ballpark in North America, and had the highest ratings for best ballpark for 8 years straight by Triple A Best Ballparks. Fact|date=February 2007 Telus field has held the IBAF World Cup Women's baseball in the summer of 2004, as well as the CFL all stars charity softball game.From July 25 to August 3 2008, the park will hold IBAF AAA World Junior Championships for the 7th time since it started in 1981.

Features

Telus Field is a unique baseball stadium in that the infield uses Fieldturf but the outfield is natural grass. Originally AstroTurf was used but it has since been recently replaced with the more modern type of turf. The infield is artificial turf for a variety of reasons: The turf is less costly to maintain, the artificial surface allows for a better drainage system so the infield can return to a playable state quicker than a grass infield would, and to minimize damage to the infield when concerts are held at the stadium.

Another unique feature of Telus Field are the ground level luxury suites. Club and general seating are built on top. The Home Plate VIP Lounge (accessible by stairs or elevator) is located directly behind the plate and that includes a bar and a restaurant with a view of the field from inside. Seating is also an option outside. The award winning lounge includes trophies and pictures of the early Edmonton baseball teams and can seat up to 250 people. [ [http://nlfan.com/edmonton/homePlateClub.shtml nlfan.com: Edmonton Cracker-Cats Home Plate Club ] ]

With a seating capacity at 10,000 [ [http://northernleague.com/teams/edmonton.php Northern League ] ] , Telus Field is the second largest minor league baseball stadium in Canada after Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario and the largest park in the Golden Baseball League. The largest game attendance was 10,098 against the Las Vegas 51s. The dimensions are 340 feet to left field, 378 feet to left center, 420 feet to center field, 395 feet to right center and 320 feet to right field which makes it the largest playing surface in Canada and the GBL. Fact|date=January 2008.

There are 2 barbecue picnic pits located down the foul lines in between the dugouts and the bullpens that seat about 150 to 300 people.

The stadium concourse features pictures of historical moments in Trapper history, including Ron Kittle's 50 home run season. There are also pictures from every Trapper championship and trophies.

References

External links

* [http://www.crackercats.ca/ Edmonton Cracker-Cats]
* [http://www.littleballparks.com/Stadium/2004/Edmonton/Edmonton.htm Telus Field Views - "Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues"]