Wahconah Park

July 30, 2016
Wahconah Park (Capacity: 4,500)
Pittsfield, MA
Pittsfield Suns vs North Shore Navigators
Final Score: 2 – 3

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Summer-Collegiate Baseball Leagues have unintentionally helped to keep some of America’s oldest ballparks alive and I had the opportunity to see one on a trip to Pittsfield. This city of 44,000 is in Western Mass and is the urban center of the Berkshires, a mountainous area that is popular with regional tourists. That foundation may seem like Pittsfield would be an ideal municipality, but reality is that the declining city is/was an industrial town with struggles since their main employer (GE) left the area. I got that sense while walking downtown, though there were decent historical elements in the city center and a few newer, trendy spots. Historians found references to baseball in Pittsfield dating all the way back to the late 1700s and several affiliated teams with various nicknames played here during periodic times in the 1900s. In 2001, their single-A squad moved to Troy, NY and several teams in Independent and Summer-Collegiate leagues tried and failed. In 2012, the Suns began play in the FCBL and they are near the end of Year 5 in what has promise for a longer, sustained run. All of those teams have used Wahconah Park, a ballpark of yesteryear built in 1919 with one of the last wooden grandstands remaining in the country.
Prestige Ranking: 4 out of 5

Location

Both the city and region are decent draws for those looking to spend a weekend, though beware of ridiculously high hotel rates. Within 45 minutes is all of what the Berkshires has to offer, while closer to Pittsfield, visitors can check out the Hancock Shaker Village, Berkshire Museum and Arrowhead. Downtown may not be buzzing with activity, but there are a few decent restaurants that are a better option than the section of establishments right near the ballpark along Wahconah St. The park is city-owned and just a few minutes north of downtown in a section that is both commercial and residential.
Location Ranking: 5.5 out of 10

Accessibility / Parking

After getting into Pittsfield (which does take some time as I-90 is a good distance away), arrival and finding the ballpark is not a problem, but parking is. Cars enter into a bumpy, gravel lot that becomes a free-for-all as individuals make their own crooked rows. I’m trying very hard not to make a comment generalizing Massachusetts drivers. There is far from enough spots for the capacity of the park, despite the potential opening of an adjacent grass lot. Some will opt to park on the street, while I suppose the parking garage at the nearby Berkshire Medical Center is a last-ditch option. My advice: get to the game early. Egress from the lot is tight and briefly busy, but the relative low attendance of people leaving makes the departure not as slow as it could be.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 3 out of 8

Exterior

Before entering the piece of history inside, the exterior does not live up to the rest of the park. The structure is gray and has a generic look resembling siding as the shape follows the ballpark with three sides (like this: \__/). It is at least an improvement over what the exterior looked like years ago. I did appreciate the signage as above the main entrance to the stadium is a welcoming: “Historic Wahconah Park”. Team banners for the league also adorn the ventilation windows on the structure.
Exterior Ranking: 5 out of 10

Concourse

There is no space underneath the grandstand, so the “concourse” is the open area behind the facility. The back of the building does include a pair of concession stands and bathrooms, which are small, but modern. A couple of separate buildings house merchandise and a beer stand. Completely opposite of most other ballparks, people would have to leave the concourse and head inside the stadium to avoid inclement weather.
Concourse Ranking: 2 out of 5

Food

Food options are slightly more than I was expecting as the choices beyond hots and burgers include Grilled Cheese, Chicken Strips, Cheesesteak, Fried Dough and Cheesecake. Drink options include Root Beer and Cherry Coke Shakes…Yum! The beers are mostly of national variety, the exception is Wormtown Brewery (from Worcester, MA) and their blonde “Cougar” option.
Food Ranking: 5 out of 8

Interior

The true essence of taking in a game at Wahconah Park is sitting in the grandstand, where baseball purists and ballpark aficionados enjoy a rare experience. A dramatic home plate tunnel leads into the park where open rows without seats are the means of getting around the ballpark. The seating structure behind home plate is completely covered and that includes the back wall (with only ventilation windows), making for a unique experience, even if you cannot see the full flight of fly balls from the back rows. The grandstand is also quite close to the diamond. Wood is the construction base and most of the seating is uncomfortable, beat up red benches with backs that are tough for tall folks (hence me standing the last two innings). The first five rows have been replaced with individual seats that offer more comfort, but look out of place with their light blue color. Support beams briefly impair the game visual. It is a small seating structure that does not go beyond the bases, so other options include a set of metal bleachers beyond third base that point towards the pitcher’s mound (and necessarily protected by netting). The other spot is the adult hang out on the right-field side. Here, fans can grab a drink at the nearby concession and either stand to watch, or sit at a table near the foul wall. There is also a picnic area further down. Wahconah Park is a unique one that certainly has several drawbacks for fans and is not one of the best pre-1950 active ballparks in existence. However, it is worth putting up with the negative aspects as the historical structure and old-time aura make it an enjoyable, pure baseball experience.
Interior Ranking: 6 out of 14

Scoreboard

Right field features your typical, standard line scoreboard with an ad on top. The nostalgia factor is maintained with a pretty cool, hand-operated scoreboard on the left field wall. I loved seeing somebody walk out there every half-inning to update the score. Above this board is a line stating “Wahconah Park – Since 1892”.
Scoreboard Ranking: 2.5 out of 4

Displays

Various signage include the year “1892”, denoting how long this field has hosted baseball. That is the extent of the written history on this old ballpark, which is a shame. The front façade of the building does include two plaques. To the left of the entrance ramp is the first one, which is for the recent naming of the field for Paul Dowd, a humanitarian in the area. On the other side is a marker noting that the first college baseball game was played in Pittsfield between Amherst and Williams. Flags from other teams in the league can be seen on the exterior, along with the logos of the two local high schools that use the field for football.   
Displays Ranking: 2 out of 6

Cost

Parking is free and tickets are $6 for the general admission bleachers and $10 for the individual chairbacks. While overall cheap, it is worth noting the $10 seat is the highest in the FCBL. Concessions are nicely priced with a Hot Dog going for $3, Cheeseburger: $5.25 and French Fries for $3.75. Drinks are good too as most average $3, while a beer is $5 or $6.
Cost Ranking: 7.5 out of 8

Fan Support and Atmosphere

Less than half the park was full as the official attendance number of 1,426 seemed reasonable. That’s right around average for Pittsfield, where the attendance has gone up the last few years, placing the team first or second in the league (and Top 20 for all Summer-Collegiate Leagues). Wahconah’s structure makes for an intimate atmosphere and it seems like the crowd follows the game and responds more than a new-age ballpark. Fans are still generally laid-back (no one really being expressive during game events), but the noise of their applause is greatly amplified by the confined and covered grandstand. Also noteworthy is the dearth of zany contests as the focus is on baseball here, a welcomed change for this fan. Sound effects and music remain used, but organ recordings are much more common than pop.
Fan Support Ranking: 4 out of 8
Atmosphere: 8 out of 14

Other Stuff

Wahconah Park is a rare baseball field that faces west, into the setting sun (hence the team nickname). It was cloudy on the day I visited, but I noticed center-field mesh netting and the outfield tree placement helps to make the distraction and/or game delay short-lived. The sun in center is played as this sort of cool, unusual thing, but the nostalgia of it wears off pretty fast when you are a fan squinting while trying to watch the game……Hanging from the roof inside the seating bowl are fake Owls, used to deter birds from making nests. That’s not something you see every day in a ballpark……The outfield diminishes are quite awkward at Wahconah Park as the field is also used for high school football. The entire park has a high fence on the perimeters, but that is too far to be the outfield wall. So, a second, shorter wall almost gives the baseball diamond a Little League appearance in right field……On top of the roof is a tiny Press Box and it looks like a scary climb up a ladder to get there……The FCBL is a summer-collegiate baseball league, which is where college players play a two-month season during their vacation from the school year. Wood bats are used and the players stay with host families in town.

Game

North Shore slowly built up a lead thanks to big bats as they hit solo home runs in the 2nd, 6th and 8th innings (two of them by Colby Maiola). In the 9th, Pittsfield staged a rally as the combination of poor pitching/defense, along with a couple timely singles helped the Suns cut the deficit to 1 run. With the bases loaded and two outs, Al Zachary started with a 2-0 count, however, Navigators pitcher, Quinn DiPasquale came back and got him to strike out swinging to hang on to the win. The Suns left 12 on base and all 9 of their hits were singles.

Stadium Experience Ranking: 54.5 out of 100