THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Baseball, more baseball, trees, and new and newer fields
Mark Nelke
Thoughts after a few days in western Montana and north-central Idaho:
KALISPELL, BE PROUD.
The city’s new ballpark, just north of town, on a hill just off U.S. 93 about halfway to Whitefish, is an enjoyable spot to watch baseball, with spacious, comfortable seating, and a nice view of the area.
Even the cow and the other livestock in the field beyond the center field fence thought so.
Glacier Bank Park, built in 2022, is home of the Glacier Range Riders, an independent team in the Pioneer League, which is an MLB Partner League. Teams in partner leagues aren’t affiliated with specific major league teams, but MLB teams can sign players in partner leagues, and place them in their organization.
Having a Chick-fil-A concession stand down the first-base line is a nice touch as well.
POOR MISSOULA.
Driving through Montana’s second-largest city two days after a freak windstorm, the damage was evident, in pretty much every neighborhood sporting trees.
City parks turned into de facto drop-off points for citizens to bring their damaged trees.
On many streets, for those unable to haul their mess away, residents piled up their broken branches, etc., in the street in front of their houses, much like folks here do during leaf pick-up season in November.
On the third day after the storm, while golfers played on the part of Larchmont Golf Course that was less damaged, pickups and trailers were spotted on other parts of the course, workers using chain saws to clean up the dozens of downed trees.
After several windstorms around here the past few years, folks in North Idaho can empathize with their friends in Missoula.
We saw one baseball game in Missoula (also home of a Pioneer League team) and two in Kalispell (why not — it was our first time at the new ballyard). In that league, it was kinda cool to watch the catcher tap the top of his helmet to challenge a ball/strike call, and to see a batter also challenge a call.
More often than not, the umpire’s call was upheld, but he didn’t appear too bent out of shape when his call was overturned.
LEWISTON, BE PROUD AS WELL.
When we rolled through Idaho’s 11th-largest city, it had cleared up quite a bit after wildfires in the area.
A few days earlier, games at the state class A American Legion baseball tournament were being delayed due to poor air quality.
We checked out the new Lewiston High School, up the hill a little bit past the pizza buffet place. Not only are they installing an artificial turf field for football (and soccer), they’re putting in an 80-yard artificial turf practice field right next to it.
Softball and baseball fields are planned as part of the next phase of construction — but nearby Church Field, named for the Lewiston coaching legend, is not too shabby as home to the Bengals’ high school team.
And hopefully the class A Legion kids realized how well they had it, getting to play their state tourney at immaculate Harris Field on the Lewis-Clark State campus.
Booth Hall is storied and Bengal Field has a bit of charm, but kudos to Lewiston for stepping up, facilities-wise. And Vollmer Bowl has long been home to many early season track meets, as well as a portion of regionals, but a new track is going in at the new high school.
SPOKANE, YOU’RE NEXT.
Avista Stadium has long been the gold standard for sub-major league baseball in the region.
The Indians staff always puts on an entertaining show for its fans.
Avista has held up well since it was built in 1958, but even the nicest ballparks need a fresh coat of paint every now and then.
So with the MLB-forced renovations to the stadium due to be completed by the start of the 2025 season, it will be cool to see an even-nicer Avista, with expanded dugouts and clubhouses, a larger video board, more protective netting and hopefully other niceties for the fans.
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.