I spent last Saturday covering a pair of baseball games at what I deem the two premier ballparks for high school and professional hardball in the country — All Star Park and Coors Field.
The two fields actually have a very close connection.
The former Alameda Junior High School at Alameda Avenue and Harlan Street was torn down to make way for the construction of All Star Park, a youth baseball field modeled after Coors Field in Denver. In 1998, the Gold Crown Foundation opened the “mini-Coors Field,” which has hosted countless Jeffco high school games, state tournaments and baseball camps.
Even baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. made a visit to check out All Star Park on a crisp January day in 2001. The Hall of Famer, who holds the record for consecutive games played at 2,632, spent a day with the brains behind All Star Park to help him with his vision of the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy in Aberdeen, Md.
Ripken’s complex with versions of four Major League Baseball ballparks, Camden Yards, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Memorial Stadium, is nearing completion.
For those who haven’t attended a game at All Star Park, you are missing out. There isn’t a better place to take in a high school baseball game in the state. The 202 seats, which are the exact style of chairs at the Major League Baseball park in Denver, are pretty comfortable.
Of course there are picnic tables available for those who want to stretch out a little bit.
Perhaps the most interesting fact about All Star Park is the 35-foot foul poles. They are actually among the original foul poles installed at Coors Field in 1995. After an exhibition series against the New York Yankees, the foul poles were taken down and replaced with the ones from Mile High Stadium. Fans complained the new foul poles were too bulky and obstructed the view more than the Mile High foul poles.
All Star Park has become a model for the kind of baseball experience high school players and fans should receive.