Wow! What a facility! So I made my first trip to PK Park on Friday night April 23 to catch the first game of the Oregon/USC series. I then took the family back on Sunday for the day game and am heading back today for the Civil War game. The first thing that hits you about this stadium is the ease of access. They use the Autzen Stadium parking lot ($3.00 to park), so getting in and out of there is a breeze! (Unlike Oregon football games) And compared to the meager parking at Civic Stadium, I can assume that the same will be true for Em's games this summer. Now, on to the review.
THE FACILITY: It's gorgeous. I mean REALLY spectacular! As a baseball enthusiast I was leery of an "all turf" field, but I found myself again and again saying out loud that I couldn't believe that this was a turf field! (On a side note, my buddy told me that in addition to the rubber pellets worked into the turf, the warning tracks also have cinders embedded in them so that the players can feel the "crunch" under their feet when they hit the track and not crash into the wall. Amazing!)
Anyway, If you enter from the parking lot side you have the large alcohol area to your right along the right field foul line (dubbed "fowl territory" by the Ducks) and a large staircase that climbs up to the concourse in front of you. Elevator and ramp access is also available. All seats are accessed from the top of the concourse, which is mostly covered by the press boxes and luxury suites, so you have ample dry space during rainy games to get out of the Oregon weather.
Every seat is an actual seat with armrests and a seat back. The only exception is the large set of GA bleachers on the left field line which serves as the student section. The only other college stadium I've been to was Goss Stadium over at OSU. I know that as a Duck fan I'm biased, but at all levels PK Park blows it out of the water! The seats are also very close to the field with the first row being right at field level; also a step up from Goss.
THE ATMOSPHERE: It was great, obviously buoyed by the Ducks current national ranking and good play, but the game felt more like a minor league game than other college games I've been to. They have a staff of interns who did a great job running little contests for the kids and adults in between innings, and there are numerous theme nights on the schedule. There's plenty of room to walk around so fans don't feel cramped, and the best thing is that whether you're in line for a souvenir or grabbing food at the concession stand, you have an unobstructed view of the field from the entire concourse! Great forethought!
After the game, all kids can go down to the left field gate and run the bases, then collect autographs from the players right on the field. Every Sunday, the coaches and players put on a free clinic for all kids 8th grade and under right after the game! How cool is that?!? Seems like the coach and athletic department are really going out of their way to make this a community team.
THE AMENITIES: So I was told that PK Park is one of only 4 college stadiums in the U.S. that serve alcohol at their games. Bonus points for them! I didn't see any problems with out of hand people at either game; just a really nice, baseball-savvy crowd. The beer garden area has tables and chairs set up (they could use a lot more though!) or you can just stand around and watch. There is a large video screen that shows replays and clips in between innings, and a nice LED scoreboard in left along with a manual scoreboard in right. Very cool.
THE FOOD: I didn't eat on Friday but we did eat lunch on Sunday. I was standing in line looking at the prices and about shit myself when I saw that the hamburgers and hot dogs were $8.00 each! However, these were no ordinary stadium burgers and dogs! My wife's burger was a huge double-patty cheeseburger, slid right from the grill to her bun. She asked the guy for extra cheese and he just said "sure!" and threw it on for her. And the hot dog was a 1/2 pound MONSTER! I mean this thing should be renamed the John Holmes Dog! It had to be at least 12 inches long and was a good inch and a half wide. Awesome! Beers are $6.00 for a 16 oz domestic or 12 oz Widmer. Not exactly affordable, but hey, at least you can have one, right?
OVERALL: This place is great, and should only get better as it grows up. I would strongly recommend a trip to PK Park for singles, families, little league coaches with their teams, or anyone who loves baseball! You will not be disappointed! GO DUCKS! read more