20th July 2003
While the Boston Red Sox were
in the midst of their current 85-year championship drought, the
city of Portland went without professional baseball for a 45-year
span from 1949 until 1994, when Maines largest city was
awarded an Eastern League expansion franchise.
After nine seasons of supplying talent to the Florida Marlins,
2003 marked the dawn of a new era when the Red Sox left Trenton,
New Jersey to locate their Double-A affiliate in Portland, just
107 miles from Yawkey Way and less than a two hour drive on I-95.
While it is possible to walk into any minor league stadium without
knowing which MLB team the host city is affiliated with, its
a safe bet you wont make that mistake at Hadlock Field.
A scant nine days after the Sea Dogs and Red Sox announced their
partnership, Portland began construction on their own Green
Monster.
Complete with replicas of the Citgo sign and Coke bottle, the
Sea Dogs went to great lengths to transform Hadlock into a mini-Fenway
Park.
As a result, theres no doubt youre in Boston Red Sox
country when you enter the ballpark, which was originally built
in 1993 and has hosted the likes of former President George Bush,
who vacations frequently in nearby Kennebunkport.
Obviously, the Monster is the ballparks signature feature,
mimicking its Fenway counterpart in height (37 feet), but not
quite in length (240 vs.160 feet).
Upon closer observation, Portlands shade of green is much
darker while the walls material is made of wood, opposed
to Bostons hard plastic.
The Citgo sign (14 x 14) is ¼ the size of the
famous landmark in Boston.
Prior to Boston making Hadlock home, the most striking feature
was the presence of the Portland Exposition Center, which alters
the dimension of the seating arrangement by jutting into where
the first base grandstand would normally be.
The brick, barn-like structure was built in 1914 and houses the
team clubhouses.
Despite being only ten years old, I had a hard time believing
that Hadlock Field was constructed within the last decade.
It has the feel of a ballpark thats been around for a while,
fitting in with the Expo next door.
The skyboxes look dated from the outside and the seating bowl
above the main concourse is built with aluminum, reminiscent of
high school football stadium bleachers.
Whenever home fans applaud the Sea Dogs many also stop their feet
on the aluminum, which sounds like thunder if youre at the
concession stands below.
The stomping noise drowns out conversations if you seek shade
during the warm summer day games, which may be a necessity as
the stadium lacks any roof to protect fans from the sun or rain.
But there are also a number of positives to attending a game at
Hadlock.
For starters, Sea Dogs fans are a passionate group and large in
numbers.
With a seating capacity of 6,975 and a record 2,651 season tickets
accounts, Portland has sold out the majority of their home games
over the course of their first summer as a Red Sox affiliate.
And just like their Fenway brethren, the fans are knowledgeable
and get involved in the game.
As a testimony to the popularity of the club, Portlands
radio network expanded from five affiliates to 12 in their first
season under the Red Sox umbrella.
All 142 games are broadcast on what now ranks as the second largest
radio network in all of Minor League Baseball.
As for the ballpark, the seating itself is comfortable and offers
a great view of the playing field, with an almost theatre-style
rise.
The mini-Monster does a great job of obscuring the railroad tracks
and I-295 located directly behind it.
If not for an aerial photo shown of Hadlock Field inside the stadium
concourse, I would not have known how close the ballpark was situated
to those avenues of mass transit.
Another nice touch inside the wide concession area concourse is
the picture of each Eastern League ballpark in the 12-team league.
Located nearby is a distinct Portland ballpark treat, the popular
fried dough stand, where for $2 you can get a large slab of the
fried batter sprinkled with your choice of powered sugar or cinnamon.
The Sea Dogs also wax their creative muscle by paying homage to
the numerous lighthouses that dot the nearby rocky Maine coastline.
After a victory a lighthouse pops up behind center field, reminiscent
of Shea Stadiums big apple.
The ballpark itself is fairly easy to find by following road signs,
and is located about a mile off of I-295.
Official ballpark parking is $5 and limited to a small lot that
swells to capacity by the time the players and front office types
have arrived.
There are a bevy of $4-5 options nearby, but a short drive down
Park Avenue reveals bountiful free parking along the street, with
Hadlock Field a 10-minute walk away.
The ballpark is about two miles away from downtown Portland, a
charming and quaint New England city of 64,249, where a number
of bars, restaurants, and shops rise up the cobblestone roads
from the Atlantic Ocean.