While traveling back from the east coast, I made it a point for the family to stop in Syracuse and check out the Chiefs and NBT Bank Stadium. By this time, we had already visited several of the other minor league stops in upstate New York and this was the last on our list of the Triple AAA parks.
The park itself was decent. It was easy to get to, located close to the freeway and it had more than ample parking. However, there wasn’t much else around the park. It was located in what you would consider an industrial section of the city which didn’t leave much to do around the park before or after a game. Basically you drove in for the game, parked the car, and then drove away afterwards. In many cases this is just fine, but the trend in more recently developed parks is for it to be built-in or around a downtown location that has the potential for other development. While there is certainly room for development around NBT Bank Stadium, it isn’t something you could envision happening.
For a late season game with only a two home games left, the size of the crowd was quite small. The park is rather big and spacious (seating over 11,000) as most Triple AAA parks are, but the size was obviously more than what is needed at this time in Syracuse. Sections of the upper deck were tarped off and unavailable for use, not that they were needed on this night even with it being a bobble head promotion night. The weather was a little overcast and the threat of rain was a possibility, but the game was played without a drop falling from the sky.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was good, with the most enjoyable aspect being the trains that would pass by the park in left field occasionally. The trains play a big part in the Chiefs current logo and mascot, which will be a shame to see changed when the team changes affiliates in the near future. Hopefully the new organization will keep that a part of the team in some form or fashion, as it was certainly the most unusual thing about the park and its location.
I found the food items available at the concession stands to be rather basic and traditional. Nothing seemed unusual seemed to excite me or beg me to try it, but that is fine. Sometime a hot dog and soft drink is more than enough to satisfy my desire for ball park food. I did find the team store to be nice, with lots of great deals to be had due to the season ending soon. If you were willing to buy a hat with an older logo on it, there was a great selection available at prices that were nearly a steal. I found a nice hat for myself and some other items for the family.
All in all, it was a good night for baseball and a great way to end our 2017 minor league travels. Looking forward to getting back to New York in the future and finish up some of our remaining minor league stops.
