I often mention that baseball in the northwest is overlooked and undervalued. Last year I talked about a northwest baseball trip that people could take to get as many parks as possible but this off season I want to give you a review of the ballparks I’ve gone to in the northwest.
I plan on giving you the positive and the negative of each of the stadiums. I’m don’t work for any of these teams, so my reviews are going to be as unbiased as possible. That being said I do have my favorites as I’m sure we all do.
Eugene Emeralds / Univ. of Oregon Ducks
Good
One of the first things that stands out for me when I walk into PK Park, the home of the Eugene Emeralds and the University of Oregon baseball team, is the fact that there are no bad seats. Evening games are perfect because a lot of the seats are in the shade. The breeze is perfect and it is an amazing park.
Beyond the first impression of the park there is a lot that makes this one of my favorite parks to catch a game. There is amazing fan interaction from the start of the game to the last out. This is directly because of the amazing staff and intern group that is a part of the Emeralds organization.
Last season the Emeralds had a Star Wars night and they held nothing back. People in full costumes, Star Wars themed games and great graphics during the entire game with Star Wars characters in place of the players photos.
Bad
There isn’t really a lot to complain about at this park. There are a lot of steps in the park that you have to climb to get anywhere, whether you are entering the park or just trying to get to the concessions area you have to climb. Honestly even that isn’t too bad and I’m reaching to complain about this.
General Information
Parking is for Autzen Stadium (U of O’s football stadium) so there are more than enough spots and they are about 100 yards from the ticket booth and entrance.
Autograph Information
Home Team: You can get right down next to the dugout where the players walk by. The only time I’ve seen a player not sign is a starting pitching who was late getting on the field to warm up. It is a great place to get autographs for Emeralds players.
Visiting Team: You can get the entire team as they walk from their locker room to the stadium. These two things are across a small parking lot area so you don’t even have to have a ticket to get some autographs from the opposing team.
Corvallis Knights / Oregon State Beavers
Good
Goss Stadium, located in Corvallis, OR, is a simple stadium but that is a part of the charm. Every seat at Goss Stadium feels like it is field level and you are right in the action.
Whether you are at a Beavers game or a Knights’ game, the best part of the stadium is the fans. The fans in Corvallis know their baseball and it shows. There are a lot of stadiums where you can hear people talking from across the stadium because the fans don’t care about the game but Goss is not one of those. The crowd is involved in the game from the first pitch to the last.
The Knights do an amazing job with all of their fan interaction games and promotions during the game. I go for the baseball but I have to admit I enjoy the in between innings promotions during the game just as much.
Bad
The only problem that I really have with Goss stadium is the concessions availability. There isn’t a lot of options for fans which results in long lines and a little disappointment in the options. There are still the usual hot dogs, licorice and pop so it isn’t all bad. Even at Beaver’s games the concessions are lacking in a lot of ways.
For Beaver’s games they have a set of bleachers put up in right field to allow for more fans to watch the game but these bleachers are pretty much the scariest place I’ve ever watched 3 innings of baseball. I ended up moving to the other outfield bleachers in left field, which are nice to watch a game from. They are behind a fence so that stinks but better than the right field bleachers of doom.
General Information
There isn’t a parking lot for the baseball stadium but there is parking available all around and for free.
At Beaver’s games there are general admission seats in the outfield but those seats are not available for Knights games.
Autograph Information
With the net up along the first and third base lines it is really hard to get autographs from either team. People do wait to get Beaver’s autographs as they leave their locker room but they are in street clothes and that is hard if you don’t know the players’ names by their faces.
Knights are easier to get because you can go onto the field with them after the ball game. They are just walking around talking with their host families and signing autographs. It is actually a really cool thing to experience as a fan.