June 28, 2018
Classic Park (Capacity: 7,040)
Eastlake, OH
Lake County Captains vs Fort Wayne TinCaps
Final Score: 4 – 5 (11)
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During a work conference in Cleveland, I visited this stadium in Eastlake, about 25 minutes to the northeast along Lake Erie. The suburb is small with a population of just 18,500, however the county for which the team is named has a population of 230,000. That makes for a large base to try and attract people to a minor-league game instead of driving in to see the Indians. The Captains indeed are the single-A affiliate for Cleveland and after years of being the black sheep of the South Atlantic League, they switched leagues to the geographically more appropriate Midwest League. They won the championship in 2010, their first season in the new league. Eastlake’s ballpark debuted in 2003 and it was very controversial as the project cost over $30 million. Former Mayor Dan DiLiberto is the portrayed villain as he told constituents no taxpayer money would be involved. What resulted was years of debt, cut services, lost jobs and a long-lasting distrust between the citizens and local government. Classic Park remains a sore subject for some, but this is a really nice stadium and one that I enjoyed visiting.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
If there’s one thing to see in Eastlake, it’s the Boulevard of 500 Flags at City Hall. It’s just a few minutes of time and there are also some nice memorials on site. Otherwise, being a suburb of a large city, the ballpark is the only draw to Eastlake as any tourist time should be spent in Cleveland (which has a lot to offer). Classic Park is located off of Vine Street, the main drag through town that has plenty of businesses in the service industry. Included are several restaurants, which are mixed between national chain and local establishment. A popular donut shop (Biagio’s) is one of those and many locals love their Paczki’s. On the other side of the ballpark are various office and industrial buildings.
Location Ranking: 5.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Northeast Ohio has many interstates and the one that serves Eastlake is I-90. Even closer is the Lakeland Freeway (Route 2). Both of these have an exit for Route 91 – Eastlake and the stadium is right along that road. Parking can be found in the stadium’s official lot across the street or in private spaces around the office complexes along Curtis Blvd. The main lot only holds 1,000 cars or so and with a ballpark capacity much greater than that, it doesn’t seem like there’s enough parking to go around. I couldn’t find many saying this is an issue though, likely a result of the typical smaller crowd size. Getting in and out was cake and I even though I had to contend with Cleveland rush hour on a Thursday and that only resulted in a 10-minute delay. Normally, a trip from downtown Cleveland is 20-25 minutes. The city’s Rapid Transit rail system doesn’t run to Eastlake, but bus service does.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Exterior
Classic Park has a soft color scheme with a combination of brick, sand-brown walls and light-blue railings and beams. I like the accompanying signage as the pedestrian bridge and an exterior headstone welcome fans in. The shape has that rounded, half “L” appearance, however several indentations make that difficult to discern from the outside. Underneath a high, steel archway is the lone entrance, which faces Route 91 and is located between third base and home plate within the ballpark.
Exterior Ranking: 7 out of 10
Concourse
After a short stair climb, the ticket office is to the right and the main entrance is straight ahead. This leads into a covered concourse that is open to the field. The area is well decorated and the team logo color scheme of cream and dark blue is consistent. Lots of cute touches can be found all around with the bathroom called the “Poop Deck” and concession stands taking on nautical themes (like Starboard Snacks). Space is OK, but they should have put more than two stalls in the bathrooms (especially given the nickname). Each side opens to a corner that is outside and wide open with a varying amount of picnic space. There is a walkway to the outfield and that is where the kids play area is located. This backway gets a little out of place, but it does the job in connecting the two sides.
Concourse Ranking: 4 out of 5
Food
Food is adequate with their fair share of chicken, pork and beef products found at most other ballparks. They did offer a Cleveland Polish Boy and I was bold enough to try it. It may be a city staple, but it felt like any other crazy hot dog / sausage concoction. Other choices for those pining for gluttony: The Moby Dick or The Burger of the Homestand. The Captains had a very cool DraftServ machine, but it broke 😦 On Thirsty Thursday of all nights. When it’s working, local favorites Willoughby Brew, Royal Docks and Brick & Barrel are featured.
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
The pleasant Captains color scheme continues inside with blue seats and a tan wall on the face of the luxury suites / press box above the concourse. Just a small logo sits on that box behind home plate. The design is a single bowl with an average pitch that features 15-17 rows as sections go into shallow outfield. Each seat has a cupholder and I found some (not all) of the rows to be a bit tight when I leaned back in the chair. At each end, the structure features a couple sections that are turned 45 degrees towards home plate. It’s a good idea, but the execution leads to some blocked views of the corners in adjacent sections. A better move would have been more of a gentle turn in the section and have the individual seats angled the other way. In the outfield, fans have several choices as they can sit in the left-field bleachers, the lawn from center to right or Adirondack-style chairs along the walkway.
Interior Ranking: 9 out of 14
Scoreboard
The scoreboard at Classic Park is a large one as the design features a black backdrop centered by a good-sized video screen. Quality is excellent and even though video is only featured for commercials and between-inning entertainment, it adds to the experience. Below the screen is a box score with ads on the side. Up above is a clock, team logo and ballpark name. Small boards are at the end of the suite-level, but the arrangement of numbers makes it challenging to decipher what’s displayed.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
A few displays are seen before entering and that includes the “Call-Up Club”, a series of bronze plaques with former players who have made the big leagues. Inside, the team does not have a specific section for team achievements, but they do have banners around the concourse with a feat achieved each season. This continues with the “Did You Know Walking Tour” as seven stops along the concourse give little tidbits on the team and how to stay healthy. Most of these features aren’t anything new, so it’s nice to see the team do some different things as they have a “Youth Sports Wall of Champions” which offers a pretty cool look at the wide variety of achievements by area youngsters. In the outfield, there is a stone paver display dedicated to the late Eastlake City Engineer, Steve Guard. Lastly, there is a lighthouse in centerfield that lights up after a home run or victory. Captain Kenny (real guy dressed in all the garb) is the one who gets it going as his face dances on the scoreboard.
Displays Ranking: 4 out of 6
Cost
All tickets are $9, though they go up a few bucks if not bought in advance on nights with fireworks. The parking is an issue as using the stadium lot will cost an absurd $8 on the day of the game. When parking is nearly the same price as the ticket, that is a problem. The private lots are better at $5. Inside, concessions are fine as a hot dog is $3.50, burger: $5, fries cost $3.25 and a regular soda is $3.75. Even a 20oz draft beer at $6.50 isn’t bad.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
It was not a big gathering for this Thursday game as less than 1,000 were on hand. Crowds were better for the rest of the weekend series including a draw that filled more than half the park on bobblehead night. Lake County is generally in the middle-of-the-pack when it comes to Midwest League attendance standings. The team’s last playoff appearance in 2014 resulted in a 3-game attendance average of 1,100. One has to imagine that it is hard for the Captains to attract attention in the crowded Cleveland sports market.
Fan Support Ranking: 3.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
The atmosphere was ok, but I really could have done without the sound effects after most pitches. The PA was annoying as well, especially when he decided to chant “Make Them Pay” during Lake County threats.
Atmosphere Ranking: 6 out of 14
Other Stuff
Classic Park has one of the best stadium names for a place that has a naming rights deal. Classic Automotive Group is the rights-holder; a perfect fit……What a great logo set the Captains have. Crisp, clean and attractive. The nickname comes from proximity to the Lake Erie shoreline and the boating that is done there. The team does a nice job of playing the theme……Lake County’s mascot is “Skippy” and he has a very close resemblance to “Sluggo”, the mascot of the Eugene Ems. Unlike the entertaining Sluggo, I didn’t really see much of Skippy during the night……Eastlake has a long-time, Slavic population (particularly Croatian) and the team holds some heritage nights to celebrate that.
Game
Lake County jumped out to a 2-0 lead and Juan Hillman pitched beautifully as he kept Fort Wayne in check through seven innings (0R, 3H, 7K). There didn’t seem to be much trouble in the eight, however a walk was followed by a mammoth two-out shot by Jalen Washington to tie the game. We then went to extra innings and it was my first look at the funky new MiLB rules where a runner starts at second base. Both teams got the run in during the 10th and the TinCaps were able to score two in the 11th. They then were able to win the game thanks to a rare 6-3-5 double play. I like most of the pace-of-play rules except this one. It may reduce the number of innings, but it certainly slowed the speed down. Curious to see the season ending stats on it. Lake County’s Oscar Gonzalez went 2 for 5.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
