DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK

'Durham Bulls Athletic Park' is a baseball park in Durham, North Carolina that is home to the Durham Bulls, the AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of Major League Baseball. The 10,000-seat park was opened in 1995, when the Bulls were still a Class A team in the Carolina League (they would not become a Class AAA team until 1998). The stadium was designed by HOK Sport + Venue + Event, who also designed Camden Yards in Baltimore, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, and Coors Field in Colorado as part of the "new" old-stadium-like movement of the 1990s.
By design, the left field fence is a 32-foot-high wall 305 feet from home plate, known as the Blue Monster. It resembles Fenway Park’s Green Monster, including a manual scoreboard. The bull sign that sits on top of the Blue Monster was modeled after the bull used in the 1988 film, ''Bull Durham''. The actual sign from the movie (which featured the previous home of the Bulls, Durham Athletic Park) is hung in the concourse level of the DBAP. Although much sturdier than the original, the new sign's limitations were revealed in violent winds that rocked the Piedmont on May 16, 2007 - the bull's head and forelegs were torn off by the storm. The photo shown here was taken five days before the storm.
Following an International League playoff game on September 6, 2007, the playing surface was named 'Goodman Field', in honor of the owner of the Durham Bulls and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting.

Contents

External links

External links

★ Ballpark Digest Visit to Durham Bulls Athletic Park

★ Durham Bulls Athletic Park Views - ''Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues''

★ Official Bulls web site description of the stadium