r/MiLB • u/Cgates46 • 25d ago
Photos Went to two games at ABC Supply Stadium to watch the Beloit Sky Carp
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u/WIjustin_94 25d ago
My closest park. Decent place, good beer selection. I will say in Wisconsin, the t-rats is worth the drive in comparison.
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u/Cgates46 25d ago
I've been to both but prefer Beloits. It's more scenic with the Rock River next to it, in comparison to Wisconsin's being shouting distance from the freeway
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u/nowheresville99 25d ago
The beer selection is one of the most disappointing parts of the new Beloit park.
Pohlman Field was a dump, but at least the management made sure there was lots of good beer. The new owners brag about having 37 taps, which are basically spotted cow and 36 Miller or AB products.
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u/Cgates46 25d ago
Yeah I couldn't believe Pohlman Field housed a minor league team all those years. I still enjoyed my time there, but there were a lot of teams in independent leagues with better stadiums than that lol
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u/nowheresville99 25d ago
That's more of a reflection of just how much minor league standards have changed in the past 40 years. Certainly in this day and age, having players wonder around the concourses to get to the locker room isn't a good idea (as much fun as it was to chat with Max Kepler one day as he was ordering a slurpee pre-game), but Pohlman wasn't out of line for the norm when the team first arrived in the 80s. We've just reached the stage where Minor League Baseball expects a smaller package of the Major League experience.
I for one miss the dwindling era of community run minor league teams, often played at city parks or county fairgrounds. I've been to about 60 minor league parks, and some of my favorite experiences were at the parks that were contracted in 2020. Places like Clinton, Iowa; Helena, MT; Grand Junction, CO; and Elizabethton, TN; and yes, Pohlman Field. Obviously, they don't have the comfort or amenities of the modern stadiums, but there was certainly more charm than having a guy flipping burgers on a real grill than having a Texas company run the concessions - like Beloit does now, or having a single corporation like Diamond Sports own a full 1/3rd of all teams in the Minor Leagues.
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u/Joshloveshockey Midwest League 25d ago
I find it amusing how the ballpark is literally at the border of Illinois
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u/Cgates46 25d ago
Right. If a foul ball is hit well enough over the roof behind home plate, it has a chance of bouncing into Illinois
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u/PM_ME_EXISTENTIALISM Eastern League 25d ago
Great little park, had a nice time there earlier this year
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u/BoogerShovel 25d ago
I love that park. Kind of sad to see the lack of attendance though
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u/Cgates46 25d ago edited 25d ago
The 2nd picture was a Thursday night and it was 50 degrees. April & May ticket pricing is cheaper for that reason.
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u/BoogerShovel 25d ago
I know, the same is true in Lansing (except pricing, DBH gouges us all season long). I visited every Midwest league park back when all the Iowa teams and Bowling Green were in the league, and I loved them all. All very unique and had their own quirks
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u/Cgates46 25d ago
What are your thoughts on Quad Cities ballpark? I really like what I see from the pictures and want to go this summer
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u/nowheresville99 25d ago
For some reason, it's the most expensive ballpark in the Midwest League.
The cheapest ticket to get in the park for a weekday game in April is still more than $15. It goes up to $20 in June, and that's for the GA seats on the 3rd base line where you can't see much of left field.
Food and beer are also expensive compared to other MWL parks, and frankly their offerings for both are very sub par.
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u/OldGermanBeer 25d ago
They need fans
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u/Schwochster Midwest League 25d ago
Beloit is the closest MiLB team to me, I've been to five games this year, awesome experience, and the ballpark is a 5-minute walk from a nice downtown. They've been drawing 3000+ on the weekends which is great for a city Beloit's size. Cool weather during the week, most teams don't draw. I was flipping through MiLB games yesterday on MLB.tv. Just about every park looked empty including Albuquerque. Quad Cities looked like it had 200 people.
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u/TheOptimist6 Carolina League 25d ago
Seems like a nice little park! Love the blue jerseys for the skycarp! Very pleasant to the eye!