VICTORY FIELD

Victory Field is located on the southwestern edge of downtown Indianapolis, just a few blocks from Conseco Fieldhouse and within view of the RCA Dome. It is an excellent place to watch baseball, one of the best parks that I have seen.

There is parking on city streets in the area, although I had some trouble finding free parking as it was busy that day. For those of you who don't want to drive around, there are $3 lots near the stadium. The main entrance is at the corner of West and Maryland Streets, and is unique as you enter into the concourse behind center field. Just outside the entrance are some banners celebrating famous major leaguers who played in Indy.

When you enter, you will notice that all outfield seating is lawn seating. What is interesting is that you can bring your own food and sit on the lawn, but you cannot bring your food into the main seating area.

Two levels

Victory Field has only 2 levels of seating: $11 box seats, which are the good seats, and $7 everywhere else, including the lawn. Obviously, buy the $7 seats and move around, although you might have trouble finding a great seat. I say this because on the day I went the Pacers were playing a playoff game in Boston, yet there were 6,000 fans watching baseball. There are 2 levels of seating, and no bad seats, except for a few seats on the 2nd level which have their view blocked by the railings of the stairways. One of the best seats is in the upper deck behind home plate - a great view that includes the state capitol, the RCA dome, and downtown Indy is your reward.

The concourse is open, with plenty of stairs up to the second deck. Food is typical, and expensive, nearly major league prices. But there are no distractions as you walk around, it is a very simple presentation with the focus on baseball. There are even TV's in the concourse, so you can watch the game while buying your dinner. The starting lineups and IL standings are on the concourse behind 3rd base.

I really think this park is made for baseball fans. The out-of-town scoreboard is in the left-field wall and includes AL, NL, and IL scores. The main scoreboard is simple, and has a new video screen that shows replays in high quality. What really impressed me was that they announced Kevin Millwood's no-hitter during the game - important news. They did not announce the Pacers losing yet again to the Celtics!

Overall, I loved the simplicity of this park. Baseball is the name of the game, not entertainment, and for that reason, this park is a must-see on any minor league tour.