Palm Springs Stadium

Palm Springs Stadium
Former names Angel Stadium
Coordinates 33°49′6″N 116°31′33″W / 33.81833°N 116.52583°W / 33.81833; -116.52583Coordinates: 33°49′6″N 116°31′33″W / 33.81833°N 116.52583°W / 33.81833; -116.52583
Field size Left – 347 ft.
Center – 377 ft.
Right – 345 ft.
Surface Grass
Opened 1949

Palm Springs Stadium is a stadium in Palm Springs, California. It is primarily used for baseball. It used to be named Angels Stadium and was the home field of the Palm Springs Suns of the Western Baseball League in 1995 and 1996. Palm Springs Stadium is the home of the Palm Springs Power, of the collegiate summer Southern California Collegiate Baseball Association. The stadium has a capacity of 5,185.

History

Formerly a polo ground, the present-day stands opened in 1949 and were expanded four times in the 1950s. They hosted exhibition games for several Pacific Coast League teams throughout the 1950s and 1960s. From 1961 to 1992, it hosted spring training for the California Angels under team owner Gene Autry, also a part-time resident. Their class-A minor league affiliate, the Palm Springs Angels of the California League, played good "in the heat" from 1986 to their last season, 1993.

Four other teams played in the stadium, Play Ball Inc [1] (two other CA teams in Placentia, California and Yorba Linda) Palm Springs Promise an Independent Minor League Affiliate of Play Ball Inc operated in 1993-1994. The Cal League's Modesto A's played 20 home games that year, and the Riverside Pilots did the same in 1995 (the Pilots are now the Lancaster Jethawks). The Phoenix Firebirds of the AAA-level Pacific Coast League played 20 "home" games at the stadium in 1997 before they became the Tucson Sidewinders and their opponents were the Tucson Toros, who became the Fresno Grizzlies.

For a while, the only bond with the major leagues was softball. But the Pepsi All-Star softball game went to nearby Cathedral City in 1998 at the Field of Dreams complex. The Palm Springs Heat of the Western States Football League had lackluster games in the 1993 season with a 4–10 record before they folded operations. So has the 2007–09 Desert Valley Knights.

The status of Palm Springs Stadium was unclear in the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade). The city council had refused to pay for renovation in the past, when Sonny Bono, then-mayor of Palm Springs, had shown little interest. As a result, baseball was lost, teams left, and locals debated whether baseball could survive in an area known for summer heat and more local interest in golf and tennis.

But the issue has largely been resolved. The City of Palm Springs repainted the entire stadium in May 2007, right before the start of Power Baseball's 2007 season. In addition, the Power have made additional capital improvements to the stadium and the field.

The stadium played an important role in times of discrimination and limited access to the major leagues: In the mid-century (1920s/30s, 40s and 50s, and ending in the 1960s or 70s), the stadium held some games of some all-Black/African-American, Latino/Mexican American (with visiting Mexican national baseball teams), White ethnic (i.e., Jewish religious organizations) and women's (the "Pony League"), and all-senior citizens and all-wheelchair-bound/disabled teams or leagues were formed in this state as well.

Present

It is a possible site of interest for the independent Golden Baseball League later became the North American League in 2010. However, the current tenant, the Palm Springs Power, draw in more fans and local media than previous baseball teams. The Palm Springs Chill is the founder of the California Winter League (2010) who used to play in the Arizona Winter League, and their 5 opponents are the Canada A's, Coachella Valley Snowbirds, Palm Desert Coyotes, and Blythe Heat and BlueSox.

The stadium is the site of the annual Palm Springs Baseball Tournament hosts invited 12 NCAA college baseball teams play in a month-long game series in the first week of March. Examples are the University of Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers. Since its first event in 2009 when it was 8 teams for a 4-day "weekend", the PSBT was a partial success in receiving fans to the stadium.

The stadium hosts all the games of the four team California Winter League in the 2010 season. The founding team, the Palm Springs Chill, began play in 2007/08 in the Arizona Winter League .

In addition to being the home stadium of Power and Chill baseball (who also have year round offices in the stadium), Palm Springs Stadium hosts an amateur football team, the Desert Valley Spartans, who are members of the LaBelle Community Football League (LCFL) and LCFL-West, from August to October, a springtime USABF Amateur Baseball tournament, pop-warner football, numerous local festivals, and softball tournaments throughout the year.

Palm Springs Stadium is used for community events and local sports/athletics, namely youth based programs (the AYSO or youth soccer tournaments, amateur teams of all ages such as softball, and veterans' amateur/semi-pro baseball leagues: the American Legion.

In the past, automobile exhibits or car shows, monster truck rallies and music concerts were also held in the stadium's field.

Chronology

The more winning Chill finished 13-6 during the 2012 California Winter League season and were California Winter League runner up finishers, but have lost to the Palm Springs Power 7-5 in the Championship game in front of 2,500 fans at Palm Springs Stadium.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.bizapedia.com/us/PLAY-BALL-INC.html
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