LECOM Park: История и легенды бейсбольного поля в Брэдентоне

Baseball field in Bradenton, Florida

LECOM Park is a baseball field located in Bradenton, Florida. It is the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and is named after a 15 year naming rights deal was signed with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has its main campus in Erie, Pennsylvania, and also a campus in Bradenton. It was formerly known as McKechnie Field, named for Bradenton resident and Baseball Hall of Fame great Bill McKechnie, who led the Pirates in 1925 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1940 to World Series titles. He was also a coach with the Cleveland Indians in 1948. Several members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, such as Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Bert Blyleven, Wade Boggs, Roberto Clemente, Andre Dawson, Vladimir Guerrero, Roy Halladay, Reggie Jackson, Fred McGriff, Bill Mazeroski, Joe Morgan, Jack Morris, Phil Niekro, David Ortiz, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Cal Ripken Jr., Mariano Rivera, Ivan Rodriguez, Babe Ruth, Mike Schmidt, Tom Seaver, Willie Stargell, Alan Trammell, Larry Walker, Ted Williams, Dave Winfield, have played at LECOM Park. The stadium also hosts Minor League Baseball games for the Bradenton Marauders, the Pirates' Single A affiliate in the Florida State League. LECOM Park's nostalgic charms in its city neighborhood appeal to many baseball traditionalists and ballpark enthusiasts, some of whom consider the facility to be Florida's version of Fenway Park. It is built in a Florida Spanish Mission style, with white stucco on the main grandstand and covered bleachers over the reserved seating section. The Pirates and the City of Bradenton celebrated their 50th anniversary together during the 2018 spring training season, which included an agreement between the city and the Pirates to continue their partnership through 2037. Built in 1923, it is the oldest stadium still used for spring training. As of the 2023 season, it is the second oldest stadium in Minor League Baseball, behind only Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, which dates to 1914. It is also the third oldest stadium currently used by a major league team after Fenway Park, built in 1912, and Wrigley Field, built in 1914. The stadium hosted an annual charity game between the Pirates and the State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota. Several improvements to the field were made possible through the efforts of the Bradenton Boosters, a volunteer club of local residents that not only raises funds for ballpark improvements, but also operate LECOM Park on game day. Since 1979, members of the Boosters have volunteered as the Pirates spring training game day staff. The booster club's 120 members currently serve as ushers, program sellers, security personnel, merchandise sellers, and press box attendants throughout spring training season.

Prior to its construction, the stadium's location was the site of Ninth Street Park, which was used by the Bradenton Growers of the Florida State League. However, Robert M. Beall Sr., the founder of the Bradenton based department store, Bealls, as well as the team president and majority owner of the Bradenton Growers, was connected to Sam Breadon, the owner of the St. Louis Cardinals. Breadon also owned a citrus grove inside the county and was familiar with the area. Beall convinced Breadon to move the Cardinals from their training facility in Orange, Texas to Bradenton. As part of the agreement, Beall agreed to sell $2,000 in tickets for the exhibition games. The baseball field was just east of where LECOM Park stands today, on the site of the Bradenton Golf Club, a nine hole golf course. After completion, city engineers discovered that the field's second base, was lower than home plate, and the outfield was even 2 feet (1 m) lower than second base. The field was later renamed Ninth Street Park and then Braves Field.

The Cardinals played in Bradenton in the very next season, before leaving for Stockton, California, in However, they were replaced by the Philadelphia Phillies, who played in the park until , until they left for Winter Haven. In 1928, the Boston Red Sox were looking at coming to Bradenton, after spending the prior three years training in New Orleans. However, before the team would commit to the Bradenton, the Red Sox officials asked to see the attendance and financial figures of what they would see if they moved their training to Bradenton. Robert M. Beall Sr. gave the Red Sox the actual figures they requested. The Boston officials were impressed with Beall's honesty. Every other city competing for the Red Sox had given the club projected figures on what they might expect if they choose their city, not their actual figures. The Red Sox trained in Bradenton until That season the Cardinals returned to Bradenton and would stay there for the next seven springs. Dean also bought a home in Bradenton. To keep him out of trouble, the Cardinals sent him to Bradenton weeks before spring training, and paid a local sportswriter to keep an eye on him. The baseball field was filled with temporary buildings and tents and used as a United States Army Signal Corps training facility. The offices of the city's Public Works Department are next to the ballpark on land that was also part of the camp. The camp was attached to Drew Army Airfield, located in Tampa. When the war ended, that airfield became the Tampa International Airport. Meanwhile, the Camp Weatherford location was used once again for baseball. An historical marker now stands between the city offices and the stadium.

In , Lou Perini, the owner of the Boston Braves (later renamed the Milwaukee Braves/Atlanta Braves) moved his club's spring training to Bradenton, after finding his club's training facility in Fort Lauderdale too windy. The Braves played in Bradenton for one year, however the city stated that if the Braves agreed to return the very next season, the city would build new clubhouses, field boxes along the first and third baselines and a new press box. The Braves agreed and stayed in Bradenton until
In 1962, the stadium was finally renamed after Bradenton native, Bill McKechnie, in honor of his induction that year into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager. Construction on the new park started in late 1992, and was barely completed by spring training 1993. Workers were still putting numbers on the stadium seats while the Manatee High School band played just minutes before the first pitch on March 5. The Pirates tenure in Bradenton (44 years) ranks third in longevity among teams which currently hold Spring training in Florida. Only the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland (65 years), and the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater (64 years) have been in their Spring training locations longer. The work was partly funded by the state, which wants to prevent any more major league teams from migrating to the Cactus League in Arizona for spring training. The first night game at McKechnie was originally scheduled for March 7 as the Pirates took on the Cincinnati Reds but the game was rained out. Instead the ballpark's first night game was played on March 19, 2008. The game resulted in a Pirates loss to the New York Yankees, 12–9. Because of the improvements, the Pirates signed a new 30 year lease that went into effect on February 1, 2008. The team is now guaranteed to play at McKechnie Field through 2037, and after playing two night games in Bradenton in 2008 the Pirates will have many more opportunities to play under the lights over the next few decades. Pirates' alumni Bill Virdon and Chuck Tanner have both disagreed on the need for lights, stating their opinion spring training games were meant to be held in the daytime. The Pirates' Rookie Level minor league affiliate, the Gulf Coast Pirates, formerly the Bradenton Pirates, currently play their games at the Pirates training facility in Bradenton's Pirate City complex. However, on November 10, 2009, baseball officials voted to allow the Pirates to purchase and uproot the Cincinnati Reds' Class A affiliate, the Sarasota Reds. The team was renamed the Bradenton Marauders and play all of its home games at McKechnie Field. In return the Reds received the Pirates Class A team, the Lynchburg Hillcats. The new Bradenton team began play on April 7, 2010. The inaugural game ended in 18 3 Bradenton victory over the Fort Myers Miracle.

In early 2012, Bradenton officials planned to make a $7.5 million loan to pay for "fan friendly" renovations to McKechnie Field. The proposed upgrades included new seating, enhanced fan plazas, a boardwalk which would circumnavigate the stadium, a tiki bar, more concession stands, restroom improvements, an upgraded sound system and scoreboard. To pay for the ballpark renovations, the city planned to take out a 20 year loan, repaying it primarily from the county's "bed tax", which visitors pay when they stay at a hotel or resort located in Manatee County. Under the deal, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who contributed the equivalent of $150,000 annually to market the city of Bradenton, planned to increase their marketing donation to $400,000 annually. That money was then to be used to promote tourism in the county. The renovations also allowed McKechnie Field to host sports events, such as high school regional tournaments. The project was slated to begin after the Pirates' 2012 spring training season and will continue around the Marauders' 2012 schedule. Improvements could be completed prior to the 2013 spring training season. The renovations will allow for the metal roof that sits over the grandstand area to be repaired. In 2011, the metal ceilings that occupied McKechnie had to be removed because of corrosion. The removal forced two Marauders home games to be relocated to Port Charlotte. Temporary awnings were put in place for the upcoming 2012 season. Construction of a new, permanent roof was planned and completed in 2013. On August 16, 2012, the Pirates announced the team would contribute an additional $2 million to $3 million for the renovations to McKechnie Field, increasing total enhancement costs for their Bradenton Spring training home from 7.5 million to approximately $10 million. The design and construction for the renovations were performed by Fawley Bryant Architects and NDC Construction, both Manatee County businesses. The renovated ballpark was unveiled to the media on February 20, 2013. The changes come on the anniversaries of McKechnie's 90th year in existence, as well as the Pirates' 45th year at the stadium. With the changes, McKechnie became the fourth largest capacity venue in the Grapefruit League. For both aesthetic and business reasons, McKechnie Field was chosen as the Best Ballpark Renovation, in the Over $1 Million category, of 2013 by Ballpark Digest, the leading guide to baseball and ballparks on the Internet.

McKechnie Field hosted the 2014 Florida State League All Star Game on Saturday, June 14, 2014. The Marauders were represented in the game by outfielder Josh Bell and left handed pitcher Orlando Castro. The attendance of 5,882 fans for the game was the highest for the league's All Star Game since 2006 and it was also the 3rd highest attendance in the All Star Game's 53 year history. In February 2015, the Pirates opened and began using a brand new 22,500 square foot facility at the ballpark. According to Trevor Gooby, the director of Florida Operations for the Pirates, "McKechnie was built in 1923, and the clubhouse was probably built right after the stadium was built, so it was the oldest part of McKechnie Field". The walls have the numbers of retired players and dates of victorious championships. There is also a quote from Pirates' legend Roberto Clemente located in the locker room area that reads: "When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth." Other areas of the building contain a weight room, rehab center and two hydrogen pools. The $6.5 million facility was funded by the Pirates. In 2016, with over 12,000 individuals voting, readers of Ballpark Digest and Spring Training Online overwhelmingly chose McKechnie Field as the leading Grapefruit League spring training facility in the website's annual Best of the Ballparks polling. The stadium repeated as top Spring park in Florida the following season and set a new Spring training attendance record of 106,291 over 17 games. McKechnie Field was used as the site for each game of the 2016 Florida State League Championship series between the Marauders and the Tampa Yankees due to construction at the Yankees' stadium, Steinbrenner Field. The Marauders defeated the Yankees, in 4 games to win their first Florida State League title. On February 10, 2017, it was announced the Pirates and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine had reached a naming rights deal, renaming the venue LECOM Park. To continue the homage to Bill McKechnie, the home clubhouse was renamed the Bill McKechnie Home Clubhouse. During the news conference to announce the new name, Bradenton mayor Wayne Poston said his office "was coming up empty" trying to contact Bill McKechnie's relatives. However, according to Bill McKechnie's last living daughter, Carol Montgomery, the Pirates made no effort to notify her of the stadium's name change. According to Montgomery, "[I] was very surprised and really pretty miffed, ticked off that I wasn't contacted," Montgomery said. "I had no input on it whatsoever and no one from my family did." She can't understand how the franchise couldn't track her down. Three years ago, she threw out the first pitch at a spring training game at the park in conjunction with a tour to promote her book "The Deacon's Daughter". Although the Pirates named their home clubhouse at the stadium after McKechnie to honor his legacy, his daughter still referred to the deal "as a slap in the face". The accusation forced the Pirates to admit that their efforts to find surviving family members fell short and issued a formal apology. The press release stated: "Our intent was to locate any family members living in the area to discuss with them the partnership opportunity that we were pursuing that would include the naming rights to the ballpark. We wanted Bill McKechnie's surviving family members to know that it was important to us that we continue to honor Bill's legacy by naming the home clubhouse after him, as well as affixing a permanent plaque that would inform our fans for years to come of Bill's Hall of Fame career. Regrettably, our efforts to find Bill's surviving relatives fell short, and there is not an acceptable reason for that. We regret the fact that we did not inform Mrs. Montgomery of the name change in advance of the announcement." The name change proved to be unpopular with fans and the media. The Sarasota Herald Tribune wrote that while LECOM has campuses in both Pennsylvania and Bradenton, the name change was purely financial and "foul". An NBC Sports editorial urged the spectators at LECOM Park to keep calling the stadium McKechnie Field. They argued that "The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine isn't paying you or me any money, are they? What's more, calling it LECOM Park is more likely to confuse people than enlighten them, at least for many, many years. Unless and until it becomes more misleading and confusing to refer to it as McKechnie Field than LECOM Park, people should still call it McKechnie Field."

DateAttendance Match up March 18, 2015 9,018 Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates March 17, 2013 8,541 New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

In 1989, for his book Spring Training, author William Zinsser chose McKechnie Field as a classic Florida baseball setting. McKechnie Field was also used as a backdrop for the 1987 HBO movie Long Gone.