| Yale Field was home to the New Haven Ravens of the Double A Eastern League from 1994-2003 before the franchise left for Manchester, NH. It was my favorite park in the league, so I am a bit sad to see it go. But at least an independent team took up occupancy in 2004. The original structure of Yale Field still exists from when it was first built, but new seats have been put in. There are about 10 rows of box seats followed by about 15 rows of reserved seat aluminum benches that sit under a beautiful covered grandstand. A GA section deep down the left field line was removed by the Cutters before the '04 season and replaced with a play area for kids. The park also has two picnic areas - one in foul territory down the right field line, and one beyond the right field fence which makes for a unique setting. The concourse area is a little tight, but only when big crowds are on hand. A souvenir stand along with several concession stands are located in this concourse area. Concessions are very ordinary and could be improved. Other amenities for fans include a bar on the third base side, which features TV's showing other sporting events, and a couple of newly constructed luxury boxes. The Cutters have a mascot, Round Tripper, who seemed pretty active, albeit a bit ugly. There are several of the typical on field promotions between innings - throw the ball through the hole in the board, sumo wrestling, and the dizzy bat race. The original hand operated scoreboard (which has very small numbers) still sits on top of the center field fence. Two other electronic scoreboards are located in left and right field. Parking is plentiful and costs a modest $2. Despite being old, Yale Field is still a neat place to see a game. Hopefully the Cutters can establish a fan base here and stay for many years. Unfortunately, that was not the case. After staying for four seasons, the Cutters folded. It now appears that Yale Field will be vacant in 2008.
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