Let’s Go Nuts!

Entrance to Cooley Law School Stadium, Aug-2014.

The stadium, as seen from beyond a flower bed on the right-field concourse.

The park faces due north, as it is sandwiched between busy city streets.

Chronological Tour: Stop 98

• Location: East Michigan Avenue between Cedar and Larch streets, Lansing, Mich. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1996 as Oldsmobile Park
• Additional names: Cooley Law School Stadium (2010), Jackson Field (2021)
• Home team: Lansing Lugnuts, Midwest League (1996-present)
• Capacity: 11,000

Rating: 4 baseballs

Besides consigning picturesque Lanphier Park in Springfield to life in the independent leagues, the move drew some anger among the townsfolk of Lansing. Part of the problem was the nickname, which people in the Michigan state capital didn’t think befit them. “If you want to honor the auto industry, call them the Lansing Layoffs,” wrote one local to Sports Illustrated.

However, the nickname stuck, and the people eventually took to their team, supporting it in near-record numbers. One factor was their lovable mascot, Big Lug. Another was the rallying cry for the team: “Let’s Go Nuts!”

As you can clearly see, Oldsmobile Park is one of the nicer ones going. There remains one problem: The team logo depicts a bolt, not a lug nut. However, during the summer of 1996 the world’s largest lug nut (right) was “mounted” atop a smokestack across the street from the ballpark.

With General Motors having retired the Oldsmobile brand some years back, the park was ripe for renaming. Cooley Law School at Michigan State University took over stadium sponsorship in 2010, while Jackson National Life Insurance Company sponsors the field, and “Jackson Field” is prominently displayed within the facility. As of 2021 Cooley is out and Jackson is the lone sponsor.

Major renovations were accomplished in 2015. The old configuration of some outfield bleacher seating was removed, with new apartment housing built in the outfield and a full walk-around concourse added. The Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame is commemorated in front of the apartments. The distance to left-center was shortened as a result, with the wall height extended to compensate.