The Dilla Villa

Main entrance to Potter Co. Memorial Stadium, Aug-2007.

The main seating, as viewed from the top of the third-base stand.

If you look very closely, you can see a tiny scoreboard in left field.

• Location: Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3 Avenue SE at Marrs Street, Amarillo, Texas
• Opened: 1957
• Home team: Amarillo Gold Sox (1959-63, 1976-82), Sonics (1965-67), Giants (1968-74), Texas League; Amarillo Dillas, Texas-Louisiana / Central League (1994-2004), United League (2006-10); Amarillo Sox, American Association (2011-present)
• Capacity: 7,500

Chronological Tour: Stop 324

Rating: 2 baseballs

The park was actually built fairly well, with separate entrances for the lower-bowl and upper-bowl seating, though it is possible to walk between them. Concessions are located beneath the lower bowl, as was typical in the 1950s. It appears that a full 10-inning scoreboard was in place at one time but it became damaged beyond repair; the board in place as of 2007 is a simple Spectrum board with score, inning, and count.

The biggest problem I had with Amarillo was their total lack of consideration for the fan who tries to follow the players. There is no line-up board available anywhere. The public address announcer gives absolutely no respect to the visiting team players, announcing them almost inaudibly while shouting out the names of the Dillas. In addition, the announcer often fails to announce pitching changes – even for the home team.

For this baseball fan, the experience at Amarillo, despite an adequate facility for independent ball, was miserable.