STANLEY COVELESKI REGIONAL STADIUM

Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium is thankfully nicknamed the Cove, and is a good A-ball stadium, without any of the distracting bells and whistles that adorn the new stadiums. 

The Cove is located on South Street in downtown South Bend. There is a small parking lot, as well as lots of street parking nearby. I arrived early and parked for free, but once gates opened, I noticed someone collecting cash for parking. From the outside, it doesn't look a baseball stadium outside, its brick facade resembles more of a normal building. You can walk around the stadium on the outside, but there is nothing to see, so it is best to enter right away.

Outside the park

There is only one seating level, divided into box seats ($7) which go to the almost to the bases and have individual cupholders, and 3 sections of $5 bleachers. Children can sit for $3. There is some lawn seating, but it seems a bit uncomfortable and few people chose this option on the night I was there. In 2003, Monday was $1 night and all seats, including box seats, were $1. Another possibility is the Bullpen Bar and Grill down in the right field corner; this was a popular place to watch the game and enjoy some eats.

Seating

The field was in good shape, although a little dark as the night wore on. The padded fence is 336 feet down each line, which means no cheap homers. On the left field fence are the Silver Hawks' banners; on the right field fence are retired numbers. There are 2 scoreboards, but 1 was not being used during the game I saw. The main scoreboard was big, but the top was an old dot matrix board that was hardly used at all. 

As you walk around the concourse, which is open except for the suite area behind home plate, be sure to note the small Hall of Fame on the wall. Commemorating several South Bend baseball heroes, it is a nice tribute to the local community and one that should be repeated everywhere in the minor leagues. South Bend has 2! starting lineup boards, and 2 leader and standings boards as well - the first I have seen. This means the guy that has to write the lineups must do so twice, but it is good for the fans. One minor annoyance about this park is that the lowest 5 rows have no seats directly behind the plate. Instead, an alley is there that permits mascots and field staff to enter and exit the field.

Having said all that, there are two major problems with watching a game here. The first is that the scoreboard operator was asleep for much of the game committing several blunders such as missing hits and errors, which made scoring the game more difficult. The other problem involved the mascots - yes, there are 3 mascots. Unfortunately, they thought that walking back and forth along the dugout during the game was entertaining. Granted, the game wasn't that interesting, but I wanted to see the action on the field, not some mascot trying to lead cheers. I don't mind mascots between innings, but during the game, take a seat!

Overall, the stadium is good, but the incompetence of the scoreboard operator and the antics of the mascots made it less than enjoyable to watch the actual game. I am more of a baseball fan and prefer to see a stadium where baseball is the focus. If you are the same way, be prepared for some problems in South Bend. I still recommend that baseball fans visit the Cove, because South Bend has a lot to offer, but don't sit behind the dugout if you want a clear view of the game.