Stockton

Billy Hebert Field (Home of the Stockton Ports)
Opened: 1890; refurbished most recently in 2002
Team affiliation: Texas Rangers
Date of visit: June 5, 2004

The Rankings:

1. Seat Comfort: Geoff and I weren't able to get our usual front row seats this time. We would have to settle for a view from the upper reaches of Billy Hebert. Actually, our seats were only about 12 rows back, but still, when you're accustomed to being able to count the blades of grass in foul territory behind the catcher, this was a bit of a disappointment. The seats weren't anything special. They lacked cup holders, making our camera and game program placement more precarious than usual. I would also soon find out that the leg room made getting to the aisle an adventure, especially when the family that occupied the end seats seemed reluctant to stand. It was easier to hop seats in front or behind and find an empty aisle. Score: 5 (out of 10)

2. Quality of hot dogs: Very large hot dogs, very inexpensive prices. Six dollars and fifty cents will get you a dog, a good serving of fries, and a regular drink. After a long drive through the Central Valley of California, the hot dog did the trick. Score: 8

3. Other concession stand fare: The Billy H. has the standard baseball stadium food selection but they have a few added touches that make it stand out in the Cal League crowd. Down the third base concourse, one can find a barbeque stand where two guys man a grill and dish out large chunks of meat. The smell occasionally drifted into the stadium making me wish that I hadn't opted for the second hot dog. On top of that, they offer RCs. If this were the South, you would be able to see more than one person emptying a bag of peanuts into their cup of RC soda, but this being Stockton, I refrained. Score: 8

4. Signature concession item: The BBQ has to get the nod for the signature item, but they also have a concession item I've never seen at a ball park: Slush Puppies. Three flavors! Score: 7

5. Smoking: One thing I don't like is having to guess where the smoking section happens to be. Never assume that one can just light up anywhere even though the concourse is open. In fact, it's best to look for other smokers and act as if you know what you're doing. Once again, smokers get pushed to the far corner of the stadium; however, if there's a positive, you don't have to actually leave the stadium to smoke. Score: 5

6. Bathrooms: One hundred years of baseball at the Billy H. can mean only one thing: one hundred years of people going to the bathroom at the Billy H. The thought of having to join the generations that have used the facilities there made me consider a cup, a bush, and some means of distraction. Not wanting to create a scene, I decided to go ahead and head to the head. To my surprise, I found a very clean, well-lighted place that could compare favorably with any public restroom anywhere. Bonus points for the privacy wall separating the urinals. Score: 7

7. Scoreboard: I guess when you're building a new stadium, there's really no need to put money toward those little extras. The scoreboard at the Billy H. must have been one of the extras that they thought could wait. Score: 2

8. Quality of public address system: The tale of two men and a microphone. One, the main PA for the Billy H. did his job with adequate skill, reminding people of concessions, informing them of specials and promotions, announcing the batters, and generating an overall feeling of great cheer and merriment amongst the gathered. The other, the roving man with the mic, pressed into duty it seemed, handled the on-field activities. Apparently, he napped between innings. Never has a man sounded more bored describing a kid's run around the bases to beat the mascot. Score: 5

9. Fun stuff to do besides the game: Scanning the Ports' Website a few days before heading up there, I noticed a picture of a faux rock climbing apparatus. Needless to say, I got my hopes up just thinking of watching all of the kids looking for hand-holds only to fall safely to the padding below. But alas, no rock climbing. I really couldn't find much for the kids to do, but I didn't look very hard, or rather, I wasn't paying attention. There may have been a Pitch Speed stand or a trampoline, but when you're expecting rock climbing, everything else pales. Score: 6

10. Exterior architecture: Billy Hebert Field is located in the middle of a city park and blends in nicely with its surroundings. Lots of green. Plants, trees, grass. We weren't in the desert anymore. The stadium is one of the oldest in California and from an architectural standpoint can only be described as lame duck. Stockton is building a state-of-the-art stadium to open next year, and it's easy to see why. Sure, there's plenty of charm to this old place, but I've been to high school parks that had more amenities. I did like the ample space on the exterior of the stadium. One could easily buy a ticket but spend the game on the lawn enjoying a picnic dinner. Of course, you wouldn't be able to see the game, but you would probably have a nice time people watching. Score: 3

11. Interior architecture: I'm trying to think of something positive about the interior of Billy H. It's hard, really. Even down to the metal foul ball screen behind home plate, this is a stadium that has seen it's better days. One of the most unfortunate aspects of the Billy H. was the lighting which was poor at best. Pop flies became adventures and at one point the right fielder completely lost a fly ball which dropped behind him for a double. Add to this the fact that the sun sets behind the left field wall, making the first few innings rather unpleasant for spectators. I guess I should mention the Stockton version of the skybox: two fenced-in areas adjacent to the dugouts. They looked more like the exercise area for solitary confinement inmates than skyboxes, but when you have limited resources and a stadium built when California was in its infancy, what can you do? Oh yeah, build a new stadium. Score: 1

12. Access: Trust me, you'll need a map and some help from Mapquest to get to Billy H. Not only is it off the beaten path, but even the usual indicators, the light standards, are hidden by tall trees. Parking is free and very close to the stadium. Score: 4

13. Ushers: Once again, ushers were never a factor. I did see a few of them directing people to their seats, and they seemed to do so in a friendly manner. Score: 5

14. Knowledge of local fans: Stockton has had minor league baseball for a long time. They've seen championships and a lot of future major leaguers play at the Billy H. We heard some pretty good heckling and witnessed an enthusiastic crowd when the Ports rallied for some runs. Good fans; they deserve their new park. Score: 8

15. Wild-card: I actually enjoyed my time at the Billy H., probably because of the fact that this stadium, due to its age, had a distinct charm, a feel of history that the newer parks just don't have. This was a no-frills place that tried hard to have frills. For this wild-card, I look to the future, to next year when the city of Stockton will open its new sports complex and begin anew with a stadium that has the modern retro look. Geoff and I are already in the early stages of planning our trip up next year to check out the new place. Score: 5

Total Score for Billy Hebert Field: 77 (out of 150): 51%

The game: Former Braves prospect Ben Kozlowski made his first start of the year after over a season off recovering from Tommy John surgery and got the win for Stockton.

See also: Geoff's recap of the Stockton leg of the tour

Up next: Modesto (6/6)
Previous: See index