June 12, 2003
Citibank Park (Capacity: 6,002)
Central Islip, NY
Long Island Ducks vs Pennsylvania Road Warriors
Final Score: 4 – 0
* The ballpark was re-visited May 24, 2008
* The ballpark was renamed Fairfield Properties Ballpark
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Professional baseball came to the Nassau-Suffolk County portion of Long Island in the year 2000, as an expansion franchise in the Atlantic League set up shop with a new ballpark in Central Islip. Located smack dab in the middle of the Island, this town of 32,000 represents classic suburbia, which seemed to be the focus of the startup Atlantic League; suburbs of large cities. It makes sense here given that Long Island is home to millions of people. The Mets and Yankees are huge, but it’s nice to also have a more local team too. The nickname became the Ducks thanks to both the area’s proficiency for them and the tradition of duck farming on Long Island. In 2004, they won a league championship and this has become a place where ex-Major Leaguers have looked to continue to their career. Some have been a success, others not so much (John Rocker, Jose Offerman). Each of my visits have come on chilly evenings as the nearby ocean means a later summer visit is more ideal. Citibank Park would be a decent stadium if it stood on it’s own, however this is a near exact replica of other ballparks in the league that were built prior.
Prestige Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Location
The stadium sits off of Carleton Ave and it is in a rather boring area as the governmental business side of the county is within vicinity. Courthouses and other municipal buildings can be seen on the approach, while the Central Islip branch of the New York Institute of Technology is also nearby. The only food source is down Carleton Ave a bit as a shopping center provides fast food and a few chain restaurants. Proximity to the Ocean is the lone draw to the area as the South Shore is not too far.
Location Ranking: 2.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Multiple expressways / parkways lead to the area, including the Long Island Expressway (I-495), Southern State Parkway and Sunrise Highway (Rt. 27). Out in Suffolk County, the traffic is less intense than further west, so outside of the busy weekday rush hour, congestion is not too bad. Parking lots are plentiful and easy to navigate. The Central Islip stop on the Long Island Rail Road is close, but way too far to be considered walking distance from the park.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Exterior
Surrounding the stadium is some beautiful landscaping as the large congregation area in front is decorated with various shrubs and flowers, along with fancy street lights. It sets a nice welcome and the ballpark itself also has an appealing look. For the most part, brick is used and there are two main entrances in the location of first base and third base. The central focal point includes a large “Citibank Park” sign at the top and an American flag in front. The ballpark also has more of an elongated appearance as the rounding is gradual and the front face almost appears to be flat.
Exterior Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Concourse
After climbing the large set of stairs from the outside to enter the ballpark, fans enter into a covered concourse that mostly includes a view of the playing field (the exception is directly behind home plate where the press box blocks the view). It does the job and there is nothing overly special about the area. After the concourse opens up to the sky down the lines, one of the sides has a small kids play zone.
Concourse Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Food
Food is average, if not unspectacular. Typical fare can be found, while the ice cream is provided by Friendly’s, a popular restaurant on the East Coast specializing in the dessert item.
Food Ranking: 5 out of 8
Interior
Citibank Park is designed like others in the Atlantic League and the near carbon-copy to other regional ballparks deters from giving the inside more identity. A single-level seating bowl extends about halfway into the outfield as lower and upper sections are split in the middle by a walkway. The lower sections have fewer seats, while gaps between each section look a little more separated because of wide aisle stairways. These green seats are comfortable, close to the field and wide. However, the increase in each row height isn’t all that great and I even saw a few chairs where the railing is slightly in view. Luxury suites sit over the concourse and extend just enough to cover a few of the lower back row seats. This upper section is really the only thing offering some uniqueness to the stadium as a set of club-style seats are located at the center. Cream colored lights on the underside of the upper-level create a certain glow at night that is unique to Long Island. Ads are stacked three rows high in the outfield and though this is never appealing, it does help close in the ballpark and avoid an otherwise dull view of the scenery.
Interior Ranking: 6.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
In left-center is a scoreboard that features a box score and graphics board. Brick columns separate different ad panels. I would have liked to seen a panel at the top to display the ballpark name. Like the “Interior” section, the scoreboard loses points for looking identical to the boards found in Somerset and Bridgeport.
Scoreboard Ranking: 2 out of 4
Displays
Aside from periodic team logo displays, there was nothing in this department.
Displays Ranking: 0.5 out of 6
Cost
The free parking was great and tickets were reasonable as they cost $9 – $12. Concessions were fairly priced and comparable to the rest of the league
Cost Ranking: 8 out of 8
Fan Support
Since the opening of the ballpark, fan support has been very good. The fact that this is Long Island’s team and not just Islip’s, help to build a great fan base as many from all over the Island come out to the ballpark. In addition to being a family entertainment option, there’s even a little following and I like seeing the little snippet in Newsday on how the team did last night. The Ducks have always been at the top of the league in attendance and frequently have games where tickets are not available as the result of a sellout. Though the park was not completely full for our game, a healthy crowd took up the majority of the seats.
Fan Support Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Atmosphere is geared significantly towards families and a noticeable buzz of chatter rings through the ballpark. The other buzz that might be heard, is that of a Duck Call. Kids can buy these cheap noisemakers and they use them frequently, at an annoying rate. It’s not necessarily an atmosphere geared towards the baseball, but nonetheless, there is a good vibe.
Atmosphere Ranking: 8 out of 14
Other Stuff
I love Long Island’s home jersey, with the clever logo/script “Ducks” and the white pinstriped kit that is accented by green and orange. Well done…..Those jerseys can be found in the team store known as the “Waddle in Shop”. That is just one of several play on words that the team uses with their Ducks nickname.
Game (Initial Visit)
The Ducks were in control throughout the contest as Bobby Johnson had a dominant pitching performance. He only gave up three hits in six shutout innings, to go along with six strikeouts. Three of Long Island’s runs came from sacrifice fly balls.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
