Saturday, April 21, 2012

O'Brien Field, Peoria, Illinois

This weekend is one of those three games in two days weekends. It would've been four but I couldnt find another game to go to. It also is the first pro games of the year. More importantly for me the first time I will go to ballparks that I had gone to with my pa, since his passing. This isnt easy, it pulls at the heart.



The first game was a trip to Peoria, Illinois. Getting to see the Great Lakes Loons vs the Peoria Chiefs. They are celebrating ten years at their ballpark, wow I was here for the first game against the Kane County Cougars, May 24, 2002. The park really hasnt changed that much since then. It was built right downtown, below street level. You can walk around the entire park and see the game.


The park has a nice upper deck with press box and group seating on either end of the upper deck. They also have lawn seats beyond the bases and around left field to center. That is where the batters eye is with a playground behind it. They have regular stadium seats throughout the bottom part of the seating bowl.
Peoria is one of the teams who seem to have a contest or something between every inning. With their mascot Homer, a fire chiefs dog.



Outside their park the street is named after Pete Vonachen, the longtime owner of the team. Their old park was named Vonachen Field. It is west of downtown and is currently used by Bradley University as their soccer field. Not much of it still looks like it used to. Bradley also uses O 'Brien field as home of their baseball team, with signs up everywhere.



They usually import palm trees and have them planted along the crest of the lawn in left field. Today it was a reading club day so there were around a thousand or so kids there today. I was only able to stay thru half of the game since it was a hard time without my pa.


Before the game stopped for brunch at Mama Rae's Diner in Morton, Illinois. It was connected to the BP gas station. They had a good burger, I had the Bubba Burger with cheese, an fried onion ring and their bbq sauce. It was good.

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