Favorite Legion Ballpark and Why

My bad! I should, by now, know what hapens when you you assume something!
Oh well, you'll have to let me know cuz' name sometime and the first hotdog is on me.

 

CountryBoy, you have a private message.

 

It's a piece of crap now, but the old Legion field in King was a great place to watch a game. It has the old box style wooden bleachers. It still has a dirt infield, and for the longest time (I don't remember this personally) had a dirt outfield. The lights went to crap and the Legion wouldn't replace them so we lost our team, but I remember going by there as a kid and thinking it looked so cool at night, and we played there my first year of high school. It's a great place to watch a game when kept up. It's gone to crap now though.

 

oh yes

Yes, Fleming Stadium in Wilson has that great feel of an old but renovated ball park. Lot of Wilson people wanted a minor league team but it went to Zebulon. & I know the head groundskeeper at Grainger in Kinston; it is a first class playing surface (does Kinston legion play there??).
I watched some games at Legion Field in Smithfield. I remember they had printed programs with players photos and a short bio; and a PA announcer. COOL!
And before they made improvements, a few of the light poles were INSIDE the field of play. OUCH!!
The CF fence was about 450' at least in dead center.
Shame they spent a lot of $$ there a few years back to make several nice improvements (new lights, grass infield, etc), then all of a sudden the Smithfield legion baseball program called it quits. Those guys now play in a summer HS league & play home games at SSS-HS.

 

Newman Park........but i gotta tell ya, i have to stand to attention when that old guy plays the Battle Hymn of the Republic (Marine Corps Anthem) on his trumpet. you cant beat a Sundrop slushie and several hot dogs at that place. you can feel the American Legion Baseball history when you walk thru the gate.

Rich Park.....the grilled burgers are a nice draw but if you're a visitor you'll bake in the afternoon sun, sitting down the third baseline. i still love it. good atmosphere.

 

Hoover doesn't make it to the Post 100 or CHS games anymore for some reason. Rumor has it that he got tired of being told to settle down. The players today don't know what they're missing out on by not having Mr. Quinn up there in his usual spot heckling the umpires and the players, both visiting as well as C'ville players. I've felt the wrath of Hoover, whether it be in the midst of a hitting slump or one of his classic "tell him all you know, Coach" when I was dodging Kodiak spit coming from Coach Jones' mouth while I was getting chewed out for popping up a first pitch curveball.

 

East ...West

Catawba's field is awesome.. and for anyone that has play in the east Fleming is right there with it.

 

Newman Park

I played for Rowan and Newman Park was the best legion stadium I played in. The hot dogs actually have a name. They are called Pinky's after the gentleman that cooks them and obviously their color. As a player, after home games we would get all the pinky's we could eat. I remember downing about 5 a night. This got old after about 2 seasons, though.

There are so many folks at the Rowan games and so many veterans. One time during the National Anthem, we weren't as respectful as we should have been. Nothing bad, maybe some laughing and looking around. After the game, about 20 older men game into our field house and gave each of us a lesson in respect for our country. I really think they could have kicked our ass they were so angry and we were so scared. Needless to say our attitudes and my respect for them and the sacrifices they made changed after this.

There are two radio stations that broadcast the games, 1490 wsat and 1280 wstp. We would have minor celebrites like Miss North Carolina come and sing the National Anthem. Little thinks like all the above make it a real special place to play.

 

Enjoy playing at MS Deal and Cherryville.....atmoshphere is always "electric" and the food ain't bad either......

 

You have to check out Rutherford's field now. What was possibly the worst is now by far the best.

http://www.forestcitybaseball.com/index.php/site/normal_site/mcnair_field


Maybe one day Madison will help us build something like this in Caldwell County.