Ernie Shore Field
Winston-Salem, NC
Team: Winston-Salem Warthogs
Affiliation: Chicago White Sox
Capacity: 6,000
Completed: 1956
Renovated: 1993
Visited: 2002

These days a lot of minor league teams are putting pressure on their home cities to produce new ballparks.  In some cases that pressure is warranted, because some ballparks are simply too old and too decrepit to host minor league baseball any more (see New Britain's Beehive Field).  But, in a lot of cases a renovation of the old park will do the trick.  Winston-Salem's Ernie Shore Field is one of those cases, as it was built almost half a century ago, but very nicely renovated in 1993.  

Named after a Red Sox pitcher of days gone by who hailed from the Winston-Salem area, Ernie Shore Field is an old park that feels quite a bit like a newer one.  This has its advantages and its disadvantages.  Feeling like a somewhat newer park helps to attract those folks who like newer things, which is probably the majority of the fanbase.  But, because it is so similar to the standard design of today's newer parks, it lacks a certain sense of uniqueness that many of the older parks have.  

Like many of today's new parks, this one was originally built into the side of a hill, allowing fans to enter at the top of the stands into the concourse and walk down to their seats from there.  While this has become a somewhat clichéd "status quo" in park design in the last ten or fifteen years, it does provide the advantage of being able to walk around the park, or even stand in line for concessions while keeping an eye on the game.  In fact, they did something here that I haven't seen in other places - the press box is split into two sections so that the area of the concourse directly behind home plate is clear, providing a view of centerfield without having to go out into the stands.   

Another nice touch is the red brick found in the facade, along the concourse, and comprising the wall  separating fans from field.  I don't know if this was part of the renovation, but it has a nice effect, providing a sense of stability and warmth to the place that is sometimes absent in newer parks that sometimes depend more heavily on concrete.  Perhaps the boldest move of the renovation, however, was the decision not to succumb to the temptation of luxury boxes.  

The view contains a warehouse across the street behind the right field wall, and while this is not particularly exciting it does offer something different than the standard row of trees.  

Overall, while this park is not unique enough to be considered truly special, it is certainly a fun place to watch a game and worth checking out. 

One of the many great things about the minor leagues is how close you are to the action