A Diamond in the Desert

The Lake Elsinore Diamond from the parking lot, Aug-1994.

Like many of the parks in the California League, hills are visible in the distance.

The mascot is Hamlet. The sumo wrestlers are nuts.

• Location: Lake Elsinore, Calif.
• Opened: 1994
• Home team: Lake Elsinore Storm, California League (1994-present)
• Capacity: 7,866

Rating: 4 baseballs

The park, however, is no laugh. Instead, it’s one of the more attractive facilities in the California League.

I’ve visited here twice, three years apart to the day, and I was impressed both times. The facility is immaculate and very well kept, and it affords a nice view of nearby hills. They even have a good mascot, appropriately named Hamlet.

However, I’ve heard the stadium authority is deeply in debt, as revenues haven’t come close to paying off the cost of the park, which I believe was around $20 million. It would be a shame to see this place close down because of a sea of red ink.