Baseball returns to Modern Woodmen Park

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By Steve Batterson | Thursday, May 1, 2008 10:44 PM CDT | () comments

St. Ambrose University baseball players make their way along a temporary wooden walkway over floodwaters to get to practice Thursday at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport. (Jeff Cook/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

Outside of Modern Woodmen Park late Thursday afternoon, two men in a canoe paddled their way beneath a temporary ramp that provides access to the Midwest League stadium.

Inside, the sound of the ball meeting the bat mixed with the pop of the catcher’s mitt and the smell of brats cooking at the concession stand.

The Quad-Cities River Bandits had the day off, but there was no shortage of action at Davenport’s flood-surrounded ballpark.

The stadium’s other home team, the baseball team from St. Ambrose University, practiced in the afternoon and players from the Davenport West Pony League played an exhibition game.

Both before and after the Pony League players took the field, more than 35 participants of all ages took part in a home-run hitting contest.

“This is pretty great,’’ said Zach Ortiz, a freshman at Davenport West High School who pocketed $100 and earned a box-seat ticket package from the River Bandits for topping a field of 20 entries to win the hitting contest for players ages 13-17. Another contest for adults followed the Pony League game.

“I’ve been to a couple of River Bandits games, but to get a chance to come out and play on this field, that’s something different,’’ Ortiz said. “It’s a great field. I’ve never played on anything like it before.’’

Ortiz wasn’t the only who felt that way.

A number of Pony League players commented on how neat the experience was as they settled into seats on the dugouts normally reserved for the professional athletes who chase their big-league dreams in the Quad-Cities.

The River Bandits and City of Davenport co-hosted the event and Lujack’s NorthPark Auto Plaza funded the cash prizes for hitting contests run by the Davenport Parks & Recreation office.

“There isn’t any reason why games couldn’t have been played here this week,’’ said Theresa Hauman, the senior recreation manager for the City of Davenport. “The field is in good condition, it’s safe to get here and for the kids who are out there, they’re having a great time.’’

A steady stream of fans made their way into the ballpark, walking over a fully-accessible metal-and-wooden ramp that stretches 100 feet over the Mississippi River floodwaters.

The stadium’s scoreboard, videoboard and sound system were in operation and a concession stand was doing a brisk business.

When the Pony League players took the field, around 100 people were in the stands at the event which was organized in a day, in part to demonstrate to Midwest League officials that the city’s investment in flood protection should not result in future cancellations at the stadium when the adjacent Mississippi River spills out of its banks.

“With the problems this place had in the past, it’s understandable why people were concerned, but this isn’t the same ballpark,’’ River Bandits general manager Kirk Goodman said. “Those problems, they’re gone, and the league needs to understand that.’’

Video tapes and photos of what took place Thursday will be forwarded to Midwest League president George Spelius, who cited safety concerns when he made the decision to relocate three River Bandits home games earlier this week.

Neither Spelius nor any other league official visited the facility before reaching a decision based on telephone conversations.

Meanwhile, the River Bandits staff has been on the job at their ground-level offices at Modern Woodmen Park all week.

“The field has been so dry we’ve had the sprinklers on the past couple of days,’’ Goodman said. “From an operational standpoint, it’s been business as usual.

“The toilets flush, the computers are on. Everybody is at their desks and working as usual. A few years ago, that wouldn’t have been possible, but things have changed.’’

Goodman said the $1.7 million spent on flood protection during the stadium’s renovation prior to the 2004 season were dollars well spent.

“As the river continues to recede, there will be a little clean-up involved, but the city has been on top of things from the start,’’ Goodman said, adding that the River Bandits will be more than ready to host their next scheduled home game on May 8. “We’re ready today.’’

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.