Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville

Main entrance to the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, Aug-2003.

Peering in from beyond the left-field fence.

The park overlooks Gator Bowl Stadium as well as harbor bridges.

• Location: A. Philip Randolph Boulevard and Adams Street, Jacksonville, Fla.
• Opened: 2003
• Home team: Jacksonville Suns, Southern League (2003-present)
• Capacity: 5,983; 10,000 including bleacher and berm seating

Chronological Tour: Stop 255

Rating: 3 baseballs

Team president Peter Bragan and his bell.

One was the same problem I had encountered in Peoria earlier in the season, that there is no whiteboard for the lineups and they announced those lineups a good 25 minutes before game time. Another is that parking is a bit tight and mostly charged for (although I managed to sneak into the nearby fairgrounds lot and not pay). Finally, there’s a design flaw on the third-base side that has some fans upset. Instead of going back to the concourse, one of the aisles leads down to the lower level; this causes people to cut through a row rather unnecessarily.

Still, it’s a nice piece of eye candy, looking out at the football stadium and the nearby bridges, and with a church left standing on a corner of the property (it doesn’t interfere in any way, as it’s off the third-base side). It does have a very short right-field porch, at 316 feet. An opposing player got hold of one and put it clear over the stadium, into the ruins of Wolfson Park, which I still mourn.

One feature I liked is the president’s couch and bell. Team president Peter Bragan, his wife, and sometimes a special guest sit in the couch behind home plate, and Bragan rings an old locomotive bell every time the Suns score a run.