Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
| Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium | |
|---|---|
 Kino Stadium prior to a Spring Training game, March 2005 |
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| Former names | Tucson Electric Park (1998-2010) |
| Coordinates | 32°10′36.03″N 110°56′0.12″W / 32.1766750°N 110.9333667°W |
| Broke ground | February 14, 1997 |
| Opened | February 27, 1998[1] |
| Owner | Pima County |
| Operator | Pima County Stadium District |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $38 million[2] ($53.5 million in 2013 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | HOK Sport[4] |
| Structural engineer | HMW Consulting Structural Engineers Inc.[5] |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc.[6] |
| General contractor | Conelly Swinerton[7] |
| Capacity | 11,500 (8,000 metal seats, lawn seating for 3,000, 500 standing areas) |
| Field dimensions | Right/Left Field - 340 ft (103.6 m) Center Field - 405 ft (123.4 m) |
| Tenants | |
| Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB spring training) (1998-2010) Chicago White Sox (MLB spring training) (1998-2008) Tucson Sidewinders (PCL) (1998-2008) Pima CC Aztecs Football (2010-present) Tucson Padres (PCL) (2011-present) FC Tucson (PDL) (2012-present) University of Arizona Club Baseball (National Club Baseball Association) (2011) Casino del Sol College All-Star Game (2012) |
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Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium is a baseball stadium in Tucson, Arizona. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox formerly utilized the park for Cactus League games each March and had their minor league complexes on-site. It was also home to the Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League for the team's last decade in Tucson, running from the stadium's 1998 opening season to the 2008 season. During that time, it was known as Tucson Electric Park.
The stadium is currently home to the Tucson Padres (formerly the Portland Beavers) of the Pacific Coast League. It seats 11,500 fans. Concerts are often held at the stadium as well.
After Major League Baseball [edit]
The Chicago White Sox had an agreement to move to Glendale in a stadium that was completed in the 2009 season. However, the Sox' lease on TEP was to last through 2012. In order to leave TEP early, the Sox proposed a youth baseball academy backed by Major League Baseball surrounding TEP. On November 18, 2008 the Pima County Board of Supervisors agreed to the White Sox's revised offer of $5 million, thus allowing the team to move to Glendale in time for the 2009 season.[8] The Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies, spring training occupant of Tucson's Hi Corbett Field, indicated that they would both need Tucson to have 3 teams in order to continue playing there.[9] The Diamondbacks and Rockies share the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in 2011 near Scottsdale.
In 2010, after the end of the naming agreement with the local electric utility, Tucson Electric Power, the stadium was renamed after Eusebio Kino, the Jesuit missionary who first explored southern Arizona in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
The San Diego Padres Triple-A affiliate played the 2011 season at the Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. They were formerly known as the Portland Beavers. They will play in Tucson for an indeterminate time. Originally the San Diego Padres organization wanted to arrange for a stadium to be approved and constructed in Escondido, California, however that stadium plan later fell through when California eliminated their redevelopment agencies.[10] Their owner is currently exploring selling the team to an out of state buyer with plans to move the team to El Paso, Texas for the 2014 season.[11]
The Pima College Aztecs football team will play its entire home schedule at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium.
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/spring/tucson.html
- ^ "Baseball Tax Plan Adds Local Diversions to the List". Arizona Daily Star. June 28, 2008.
- ^ Staff. Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2012. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/general/facts/cactus.htm
- ^ Tucson Electric Park - Holben, Martin & White Consulting Structural Engineers Inc.
- ^ M-E Engineers Projects - Sports (archived)
- ^ Teichgraeber, Tara (April 5, 1998). "Field Construction Hot Ticket for Valley Crest". Phoenix Business Journal.
- ^ Watters, Carrie (November 18, 2008). "White Sox Will Play in Glendale Next Spring". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ http://www.pima.gov/current/White.Sox.economic.development.proposal.pdf
- ^ Smith, Dylan (December 18, 2010). "Tucson's New Triple-A Team Announces Name: Tucson Padres". Tucson Sentinel.
- ^ Finley, Patrick (December 29, 2011). "Tucson Padres Owner to Look at Selling Team". Arizona Daily Star.
External links [edit]
Media related to Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Hi Corbett Field |
Home of the Tucson Sidewinders 1998 – 2008 |
Succeeded by Aces Ballpark |
| Preceded by first ballpark |
Home of the Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training 1998 – 2010 |
Succeeded by Salt River Fields at Talking Stick |
| Preceded by Ed Smith Stadium |
Home of the Chicago White Sox Spring Training 1998 – 2008 |
Succeeded by Camelback Ranch |
| Preceded by PGE Park |
Home of the Tucson Padres 2011 – present |
Succeeded by current home |
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