Temporary Home of the SI-Yanks

The field at the College of Staten Island from the warning track, Jul-1999.

A seating section framed against campus buildings.

Looking straight on at the field after nightfall.

Chronological Tour: Stop 158

• Location: College of Staten Island campus, Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, N.Y.
• Opened: 1999
• Closed: 2000 (for pro baseball)
• Home team: Staten Island Yankees, New York-Penn League (1999-2000); College of Staten Island Dolphins, CUNY Athletic Conference
• Capacity: 4,500

Rating: 3 baseballs

As temporary minor league facilities go, this is one of the better ones I’ve seen. There is room for about 3500 fans in all-aluminum seating surrounding the field, and perhaps another 1000 in a bleacher in right field. About 2000 of the seats are designated “box”, although the only difference is that the aluminum stands have seat backs and they are closer to the plate (one section behind the plate and one section along each base line). The press box is permanent (and it will remain intact for the college, along with the stands), but locker rooms are trailers and rest rooms are port-a-potties.

The college sits in the middle of a city park, so the view from any angle is either campus buildings or trees – not the worst combination in the world. Sight lines are respectable, although the front rows of the various sections are often obstructed by passing fans.

Admission was higher than usual for the NY-Penn League. Box seats were $10; grandstand seats were $8. I didn’t check if there was a special bleacher price. However, parking was free, and concessions weren’t a rip-off, like at the Big Ballyard in the Bronx, only about 25 miles away (17½ as the crow flies). Hot dogs were $1.75; 20-ounce bottles of soda (Pepsi products) were $2.

The day’s horror story: On the day I went to my first game at this park (Thursday 29-Jul-1999), news broke that the site for the new Staten Island stadium, a rail yard about 7 miles from the college, was overly contaminated with toxic materials, and the cleanup might take longer and cost more than originally anticipated. It did tack on even more to the $29 million price tag, but the new park opened on schedule in Jun-2001.