Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Durham Bulls Athletic Park
DBAP (D-BAP)
Location	409 Blackwell St Durham, NC 27701
Broke ground	May 1993[1]
Opened	April 6, 1995
Renovated	2002, 2003, 2004, 2009
Expanded	1997, 1998, 2008, 2010
Owner	City of Durham
Operator	Durham Bulls
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$16 Million USD ($23.1 million in 2011 dollars[2])
Architect	Populous (formerly HOK Sport)
General Contractor	George W. Kane Construction Co.[3]
Capacity	10,000
Field dimensions	Left Field - 305 ft (93 m) Left Center - 375 ft (114 m) Center Field - 400 ft (120 m) Right Center - 375 ft (114 m) Right Field - 325 ft (99 m)
Tenants
Durham Bulls (Carolina League and International League) (1995-Present) Duke Blue Devils (NCAA) (2010-) North Carolina Central Eagles (NCAA)

Durham Bulls Athletic Park, frequently called the DBAP (pronounced D-bap), is a ballpark in Durham, North Carolina that is home to the Durham Bulls, the AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. It is also home to the Duke Blue Devils^[4] and North Carolina Central Eagles college baseball teams.^[5] The 10,000-seat park was opened in 1995 and is a $16-million brick ballpark. The Bulls began playing at the DBAP in 1995 when the team played in the Class A Advanced Carolina League. The Bulls then moved up to the Triple-A level in 1998, causing the DBAP to be expanded. The stadium was designed by Populous (formerly HOK Sport), who also designed Camden Yards in Baltimore, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, and Coors Field in Colorado as part of the "new" old-stadium-like movement of the 1990s.

Durham Bull sign

By design, the left field fence is a 32-foot (9.8 m)-high wall, 305 feet (93 m) from home plate, known as the Blue Monster. It resembles Fenway Park’s Green Monster, including a manual scoreboard. The club introduced a furry "Blue Monster" mascot in during the 2007 season who now shares mascot duties with "Wool E. Bull" and "Lucky the Wonder Dog".

The bull sign mounted atop of the Blue Monster was modeled after the bull used in the 1988 film, Bull Durham. The actual sign from the movie (which featured the previous home of the Bulls, Durham Athletic Park) was formerly hung in the concourse level of the DBAP but is now in storage. Although much sturdier than the original, the new sign's limitations were revealed in violent winds that rocked the Piedmont on April 16, 2007 - the bull's head and forelegs were torn off by the storm.^[6] The damage was fixed by that weekend, but plans were made to replace the sign. ^[7]

Following a playoff game on September 6, 2007, the playing surface was named Goodmon Field, in honor of the owner of the Durham Bulls and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting.^[8] In 2008, the famous snorting bull was temporarily moved to the concourse, like its predecessor, and replaced by a two-sided bull, so that it may be viewed from Diamond View 2 and 3. By 2009, renovations allowed fans to walk around the park 360 degrees. The Bulls' TV Crew were equipped in 2008 with high-definition cameras and production equipment, along with HD production capabilities. This also complemented the new state-of-the-art BOSE sound system.

A roof covers approximately 2,500 seats behind home plate and down both the first and third base lines to the end of each dugout. All seats at the DBAP are extra wide with seat backs, extra leg room and over 95 percent of the seats have cup holders. The stadium was designed and built so that every seat gives fans a great view of the field with an intimate ballpark feel. Durham Bulls Athletic Park is located in downtown Durham and can be accessed from the Durham Freeway. The ballpark reflects many characteristics of old-time parks and the historic downtown Durham architecture. Construction of a “warehouse type” building, Diamond View, began in 1997 and was completed during the 1998 season. The Diamond View building is located behind the right field seating sections and uses the same architecture as the DBAP, including the green roof, brickwork and windows. In 2002, the DBAP unveiled a new playground area in the right field section of the concourse. This new area is sure to provide fun for Bulls fans for many years to come. In the Fall of 2003, the field of the DBAP received a major face lift. After nine years of service, the top layers of grass and soil were removed and replaced with brand new top soil and Tissport™ Bermuda grass. The renovation took place over several weeks and cost over $100,000.

Following the 2006 season, the DBAP underwent major renovations in the outfield, including a new left field wall complete with a new video board located above the manual scoreboard. The old video board, installed prior to the 2004 season, was reshaped into a video billboard and placed in right field. In 2008, with the addition of the Diamond View II building in left field, the Blue Monster pavilion opened allowing fans to watch the game atop the Blue Monster for the first time. One year later, a stairwell was added to the pavilion connecting it to the third base concourse and making the DBAP a 360 degree ballpark. For the 2010 season, in the Diamond View II Building a new restaurant opened called "Tobbaco Road Sports Cafe". It has outdoor seating to watch the game during game days or just to enjoy a beautiful North Carolina summer evening. Outside the ballpark are four more restaurants, Cuban Revolution, Saladelia, Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom, and Mellow Mushroom.

On August 30th, 2011, Triple-A Baseball announced that Durham Bulls Athletic Park will be the host site of the 2012 Triple-A National Championship Game on Tuesday, September 18th, 2012. The game will be broadcast, live on Versus at 7:00 PM. The Triple-A National Championship Game pits the winner of the International League's Governors' Cup against the Pacific Coast League Champions in a one-game, winner take all championship. This is the first International League team to receive this honor, to host the game. The game is projected to bring in $2.5 million dollars just for the city of Durham. With another $2 million for the adjacent cities (including Raleigh).

In 2009 construction on Diamond View III began in far center field. It is expected to be completed Fall of 2011.

The original dimensions were: Left Field - 305 ft (93 m), Left Center Field - 371 ft (113 m), Center Field - 400 ft (120 m), Right Center Field - 373 ft (114 m), Right Field - 327 ft (100 m). The power alleys are now posted as 375 ft (114 m) and right field as 325 ft (99 m).

DBAP game action, bathed in twilight glow.

References

1. ^ Steve Politi (May 26, 1993). "New Digs: Durham Bulls Leaving Beloved Stadium $11 Million Stadium Will Seat 7,500". Greensboro News & Record. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=GB&p_theme=gb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF84F48BADC79E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. 
2. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
3. ^ http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205086984
4. ^ Duke, Durham Bulls Announce Partnership at goduke.com, URL accessed November 17, 2009. Archived 11/17/09
5. ^ Savannah State Univ. vs N.C. Central Univ. (Mar 07, 2009) at nccueaglepride.cstv.com, URL accessed November 15, 2009. Archived 11/15/09
6. ^ Durham Bulls press release, 16 April 2007. The press release also includes a picture of the damage.
7. ^ "Bulls History (1990-2007)". http://www.durhambulls.com/team/history.html?1990-2007. 
8. ^ WRAL.com Video Player Experience

Game action at DBAP

External links

• Durham Bulls Athletic Park Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues
• Official Bulls web site description of the stadium

Coordinates: 35°59′30.08″N 78°54′15.07″W / 35.9916889°N 78.9041861°W / 35.9916889; -78.9041861