| The new Dwyer Stadium was built a year after the old one was torn down. It was a classic old ballpark with a nice covered grandstand. But it didn't meet minor league specs, which is the reason for the new Dwyer being built. What they have built is a nice quaint ballpark suitable for the NY-Penn League, but nothing higher. But this is fine, since this is the only level of ball they will probably ever host (though they did host a few AAA games in 2012 when the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees were on the road for the whole season). Set on the corner of a street in a residential neighborhood, Dwyer Stadium has an attractive brick facade in the front. Inside the park there are 5 rows of box seats from the first base bag to the third base bag. And there are three general admission sections (benches with backs) - one on each baseline, and one directly behind home plate (mostly covered) in front of the press box. All the GA seating is set on aluminum, while the box seats are set on concrete. A clubhouse for each team is situated past the bleacher section on each side. The concouse area is set behind the home plate grandstand. A building houses the concession and souvenir stands on the inside of the park, while being used for the ticket windows and offices on the outside. There is also a porch like area down the first base line where beer is served. All seats are close to the action, and are priced very affordably - all under $10. For a small park, the concessions at Dwyer Stadium are well varied and very affordable. Their signature item is the Muckdog Chow, which is a burger or hot dog served over home fries and macaroni salad. Other interesting concession item include loaded fries (served with bacon and cheese), philly cheesesteaks, and root beer floats. While I love the small town feel of the ballpark, the atmosphere here is unusually dull. Most of the crowd did not seem into the game as you could hear a pin drop most of the night. There was a couple of on-field contests between innings, but overall this is a pretty pure minor league experience. A decent park on the whole (almost identical to new Falcon Park in Auburn), but one that does not rank near the top of the New York Penn League. It will be interesting to see how much longer Batavia can hold onto their team as they have been losing money annually and are usually at the bottom of the league in attendance. Batavia is the type of place that represents the past of minor league baseball more than the present or future, so it won't be surprising when they do finally lose their team. That time came in 2021 with the restructuring of the minor leagues. Dwyer Stadium will now be host to a collegiate league team.
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