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Sadly, the Rockford Reds are no more--the franchise was moved to Dayton
(Ohio) and renamed the Dayton Dragons. Currently there are no plans to bring
another franchise to Rockford. This review dates from the 1999 season.
Address/Directions: 101 15th Av., Rockford. If you're coming to a
ballgame from out of town, be warned that making it to the Rockford city limits
on I-90 is only half the battle; you'll need to drive a considerable distance
into downtown Rockford, so plan your time accordingly. There are two Hwy. 20
exits from I-90 -- a regular exit and a "business" route -- and
you'll want to avoid the business route. From I-90, take the U.S. Hwy. 20 West
exit, which takes you through Rockford. Stay on 20 until you cross the river
and get to Main Street (also marked as Illinois Hwy. 2). Go north on Hwy. 2
until you hit 15th Avenue, where you'll hang a right and cross the river again.
(Thanks to reader Jay Thomas for some advice regarding the most direct route to
the park!) Marinelli Field is on the first right after you cross the river.
Marinelli Field is part of Blackhawk Park, and there are many city signs
providing directions to Blackhawk Park.
Phone: 815/962-2827.
Web: None.
Online ticket sales? No.
Online broadcasts? No.
Capacity: 4,500.
Year Built: 1988.
Last Visited: April 1999.
League/class: Midwest League, Class A.
Affiliation: Cincinnati Reds.
This is a lame-duck team, as the current Rockford franchise is scheduled to
move to Dayton, Ohio, for the 2000 season. It's not even the Rockford Cubbies
anymore, as the mighty Tribune Company bailed out of Rockford, leading to a
nasty legal fight over control of the franchise. (Apparently the legal battles
continue, but for now Mandalay Sports Entertainment, headquartered in Las Vegas
and owners of the Stars, are running the team. To add insult to injury, the
program lists the owners as "Dayton Professional Baseball, a division of
Mandalay Sports Entertainment.") Although Rockford is one of the larger
cities in the Midwest League, it's hasn't been a leader in attendance -- in
1998, the team barely drew 1,000 fans per game -- and given the laissez-faire
management style of the Tribune Company when it came to the Cubbies, the tepid
response to the team isn't surprising.
Not that there's anything dramatically wrong with Marinelli Field. It's a
pleasant enough stadium, with theater-style seating in the box seats and
bleachers along both foul lines. It's on the shores of the Rock River and on
the edge of a large park, so you don't feel like you're in the middle of a
larger city. There are a number of concession stands, including a large
concession area underneath the grandstand, a picnic area in back of the
third-base bleachers and a beer stand directly in front of the press box. (Nice
touch.) One thing to note: because of the river and the park layout, Marinelli
Field is oriented with batters facing northwest, instead of the traditional
northeast. This means, of course, that lefties are not southpaws at Marinelli
-- the righties are.
Don't be surprised if professional baseball doesn't return to Rockford in the
near future, however. This is pure speculation on my part, but Rockford would
be a perfect location for an expansion franchise in the Northern League. It's
close enough to the Madison and Schaumburg franchises to make travel feasible,
and Rockford is a large enough market (141,000 or so in Rockford alone) to
support a team more aggressively marketed than the Rockford Reds.
Bottom line: is it worth a visit to see a Rockford Reds game? If you're in the
area, probably. But given the lame-duck status of the Reds, it's not worth a
long drive out of your way.
The all-beef Vienna hot dogs are very good, especially served Chicago Style
(piled with relish, onions, green peppers, tomato and celery salt) from the
Vienna Hot Dog Cart. All the concession areas serve the Vienna all-beef franks,
either in a regular size or in a quarter-pound size. The concession stand under
the grandstand has just about anything you'd want: Domino's Pizza and pizza
sticks, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, Cracker Jacks, Edy's ice cream, nacho and
cheese, and warm pretzels. The beer selection is limited: Miller Genuine Draft,
Miller Lite, Bud Light or Budweiser. The third-base-side picnic area serves
grilled dogs, brats and hamburgers. Though it wasn't open during my visit, the
Grill Pit serves hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, pork sandwiches and
pork chops.
The Reds staff was a little unclear about smoking policies, other than that it
was not allowed in the actual seating area.
There's plenty of free parking in the adjoining parking lot.
I'll be honest: I didn't spend a lot of time in Rockford before rushing to the
game. If I had spent more time in Rockford, I might have visited an antique
mall. I might have toured the Anderson Japanese Gardens or the Klehm Arboretum
& Botanical Garden. I might have hacked my way through one of the 21 public
golf courses in the area.
Or not.
The Final Score Lounge at the Howard Johnson Hotel (3909 S. 11th St.) is billed
as a gathering place for Reds fans. I didn't really much sign of that when I
dropped by after the game (perhaps because so many of the Reds themselves are
too young to legally drink), but the Final Score is still worth a visit -- it
has a decent selection of microbrews and there's always a game on one of the
many televisions scattered throughout the lounge.
When Hwy. 20 exits from I-90 in the "business" route, it becomes a
rather long suburban-style strip also known as State Street, populated mostly
with chain stores (Best Buy, KMart, et al), restaurants and hotels. Along this
strip you'll find a Comfort Inn (7392 Argus Dr.; 815/398-7061), Candlewood
Suites (7555 Walton St.; 815/229-9300), Courtyard by Marriott (7676 E. State
St.; 815/397-6222), Extended StayAmerica (653 Clark Rd.; 815/226-8969),
Fairfield Inn (7712 Potawatomi Tr.; 815/397-8000), Hampton Inn (615 Clark Dr.;
815/229-0404), Holiday Inn (7550 E. State St.; 815/398-2200), Ramada Suites
(200 S. Bell School Rd.; 815/226-2100), Red Roof Inn (7434 E. State St.;
815/398-9750) and Residence Inn (7542 Coliseum Dr.; 815/227-0013).
If you're looking for something a little more unique and a little closer to the
ballpark, check out the Sweden House Lodge (4605 E. State St.; 800/886-4138),
which features an exercise room, continental breakfast and a free shuttle to
O'Hare Airport in Chicago.
Closer to the freeway is the Clock
Tower Resort (7801 E. State St.; 800/358-7666), which features a spa,
restaurants (including Bellamy's, which is regarded as being one of the best in
Rockford), a fitness center and a dinner theater.
The Reds are one of the few minor-league baseball teams not to feature a Web
site.
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