Where Pigs Fly

Home-plate entrance to Quik Trip Park, Aug-2008.

From here, the seating bowl is visible along with the main building of Lone Star Park racetrack.

The view from behind the plate includes a performance venue barely visible in right field.

• Location: Lone Star Parkway, east of Belt Line Road 1 mile north of I-30, Grand Prairie, Texas
• Opened: 2008
• Home team: Grand Prairie AirHogs, American Association (2008-present)
• Capacity: 5,445

Chronological Tour: Stop 339

Rating: 3 baseballs

The new ballpark is on the campus of Lone Star Park, a horse-racing track. The campus also hosts the Nokia Theatre, a performance venue. Both facilities are visible from certain angles at Quik Trip Park, named for a chain of gas stations and convenience stores.

Whereas LaGrave Field is an old ballpark that was lovingly retrofit to accommodate modern ball, Quik Trip Park is clearly an early-21st-century facility, but with some touches that recall the spirit of aviation in the Dallas area. An “air hog” was a World War II-era aviator, so called because the squadrons wished to hog the sky with planes in order to scare off the enemy. Accordingly, the entryway is shaped something like a hangar, and runway markings are visible as you come into the park.

Prices (tickets, food, souvenirs) seem quite reasonable at this park, with the exception of parking. The Lone Star Park operators get $4 for a ball game, as opposed to $2 for the racetrack.