| I had heard a lot of positive things about Avista Stadium prior to my visit in '07. But I came away feeling a bit underwhelmed, a bit by the ballpark, but mostly by the atmosphere. Despite its age, the ballpark is in excellent condition due to ongoing renovations over the past few years. Located on the State Fairgrounds west of downtown, Avista Stadium has tons of foul territory making it probably the least intimate venue in the Northwest League. Adding to the problem is the fact that casual fans cannot buy seats at field level because they are supposedly all sold to season ticket holders. So they are stuck sitting in the upper reserved or bench reserved sections, which are both quite a ways from the field. The sightlines are fine and the seating is comfortable enough, but I just wish their wasn't so much foul territory. As for the rest of the ballpark, I had no complaints. There is a cantilevered roof which covers a good portion of the grandstand and the open-air luxury boxes (which are quite unique), allowing for so much needed shade. The uncovered concourse, located behind the seating bowl, is very expansive and loaded with food stands offering a good variety of options. Unique food items include BBQ, Thai, pizza, subs, and brats. The quality is excellent and prices very reasonable. The concourse also includes a display which tells the history of the Spokane Indians (the tribe which the team is named after). I was also quite impressed with the exterior of Avista Stadium. It is nicely landscaped and features a "diamond" at the entrance where several plaques of famous players who played in Spokane are displayed. They also recently added a "wall of fame" to the top of the bleacher sections in left and right field, which also includes the names of some of these same players. It is always nice when a team recognizes the history of baseball in their city. The biggest problem I had with my visit was the atmosphere. Not only is the PA system too loud, there is too much much music blared and the PA guy exceeds his job responsibilities by acting as a cheerleader and trying to implore the crowd. What happened to the days when the PA announcer was neutral ? The team only does a couple on field games and surprisingly they throw no junk (t-shirts, balls, etc.) into the crowd. So really it is just the obnoxious PA announcer which detracts from the overall experience here. It is certainly nice to see an old ballpark so lovingly maintained, but I just wish they would tone down the atmosphere a bit. It would certainly make for a more enjoyable night at the park. But apparently this is not keeping people away, as the team perennially is the top draw in the Northwest League.
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