John O'Donnell Stadium
Davenport, Iowa
Team: Quad City River Bandits
Affiliation: Minnesota Twins
Capacity: 5,200
Completed: 1931
Video

John O'Donnell Stadium has been around longer than both of my parents, but it has stood the tests of time remarkably well.  Granted, over the years it has received a few more renovations than my parents, but it is nonetheless a beautiful ballpark with a great nostalgic feel.  It reminds me of a miniature version of Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium, except that it's, well, better.  To be fair, I haven't seen a game in Pawtucket, but this place has a better exterior, a better view, no luxury boxes, and a better setting.  

When you walk up to the park for the first time, it feels as if you are walking to a new stadium.  The brick exterior is just magnificent.  Inside, it gets even better, with views of the Mississippi River and the beautiful bridge crossing it that is so close to the stadium that it feels like a part of it (see first picture below).  Add to this the occasional glimpse of a riverboat, and this place is a feast for the eyes.  

Sadly, I was here for an unbearably hot and muggy afternoon game that was very sparsely attended (I counted less than 200 in the seats).  This kept me from getting a more complete feel of the game atmosphere here; they only had one concession stand open, and I was told that they also cut way back on the normal promotions and contests because of the low crowd.  The 2001 Midwest League Media Guide and Record Book indicates that they averaged about 2,000 fans a game last year, so it's a pity I wasn't here for one of the larger crowds.

A bigger pity, however, is that there may not be affiliated baseball in Davenport for much longer.  The attendance keeps dropping, and they've been having problems with the Mississippi.  In fact, they played a large chunk of their games this season at a local college field because theirs was several feet under water after a flood.  The scuttlebutt around town is that the owners will move the team to suburban Cleveland after the 2002 season.  I didn't get a sense as to whether there would be any effort to get another team here after that, but just in case, my advice to those who love old parks is to see this one while you can!   

Update (12/22/02) - The latest reports I'm getting are that the River Bandits are staying put!  There are plans calling for an extensive renovation of the park, though, and it looks like they are going to incorporate some extensive changes to the stadium, so if you want to see this place in its current state, I'd recommend you do it soon (during the 2003 season)!  Websites are always changing, but at the moment I'm writing this, you can see what the River Bandits have in store for John O'Donnell at the official team website.