AutoZone Park
Encyclopedia
AutoZone Park is a minor league baseball
stadium
located in downtown Memphis
, Tennessee
and the home of the Memphis Redbirds
of the Pacific Coast League
, the AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals
.
AutoZone Park was built to "big-league" standards, the primary difference being the absence of outfield seats or seats far down the foul lines, and could perhaps be better described as a "major league stadium with only the 'good' seats". It opened in 2000, and replaced Tim McCarver Stadium
. The stadium also hosts some games for the University of Memphis
baseball team, most notably, the annual game with Ole Miss
. Naming rights are held by the auto parts chain AutoZone
, which is based in Memphis.
Unlike other cities, Memphis does not have to worry about its team threatening to move elsewhere. The Redbirds, in a situation almost unique in American pro sports, are owned by a non-profit community foundation, titled the Memphis Redbirds Foundation
. The Green Bay Packers
of the NFL
have a similar ownership structure.
In October 2005, AutoZone Park became the first venue outside of New Orleans to host the Voodoo Music Experience. One day of this music festival was moved to Memphis due to Hurricane Katrina
.
On December 4, 2006, at the Major League Baseball
Winter Meetings
, MLB announced that an exhibition game
to be called the Civil Rights Game
would be held at AutoZone Park, with the first game on March 31, 2007. The game featured the Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians
, with the Cardinals winning 5-1. The second game was played on March 29, 2008, between the Chicago White Sox
and the New York Mets
. The Mets Defeated the White Sox 3-2.
of 14,320., and has been aptly described as "one-third" of a major league baseball park.
For its construction 17586 cubic yards (13,445.5 m³) of concrete were used, or enough to cover 11 acres (4.5 ha). There are 125738 square feet (11,681.4 m²) of brick walls surrounding it, utilizing 380,000 specially manufactured bricks. It holds 3,400 tons of steel and 227 miles (365.3 km) of electrical wiring. To build the playing field, 350 tons of clay and 5,000 tons of sand were needed. The outfield contains 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) of sod. The infield is capable of draining 1 inches (25.4 mm) per hour of rain while remaining playable, which means that the field only rarely has to be covered during games.
AutoZone Park also has the largest video screen in minor league baseball, at 23 by. It is located 127 feet (38.7 m) above the playfield, giving a view of the board to many areas of downtown Memphis.
The Delta Dental Picnic Pavilion is located on the east side of the park, and contains several picnic tables and space for vending or other serving of food. It is commonly used for special event hosting, and can seat up to 500 people.
The Bluff on the north side of the park has grass covered lawn seating, and tickets to this area are sold cheaply, but in limited numbers. It is a favorite spot for many fans because of the picnic atmosphere. Chairs are not allowed on the Bluff.
The upper club levels contain 48 suites, and are generally reserved to groups or local companies. Many larger Memphis companies retain one suite for the entire season, for all games.
The normal club seating have access to an air conditioned concourse, along with several restaurants and bars located on the concourse itself.
There are two open-air party decks, each of which seats up to 175 people, and three pre-game balconies.
Next to the Bluff is "P.D. Parrot's Playhouse Perch", which is a playground for children. The playground is sponsored by Baptist Pediatric Care.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located in downtown Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and the home of the Memphis Redbirds
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, the AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
.
History
Designed by Looney Ricks Kiss Architects of Memphis, with Kansas City based HOK Sport consulting, AutoZone Park cost $80.5 million, by far the most ever spent on a structure dedicated to minor league baseball.AutoZone Park was built to "big-league" standards, the primary difference being the absence of outfield seats or seats far down the foul lines, and could perhaps be better described as a "major league stadium with only the 'good' seats". It opened in 2000, and replaced Tim McCarver Stadium
Tim McCarver Stadium
Tim McCarver Stadium was a stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. It was primarily used for baseball and was the home of the Memphis Blues , the Memphis Chicks , and the Memphis Redbirds ....
. The stadium also hosts some games for the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
baseball team, most notably, the annual game with Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels baseball
The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team represents the University of Mississippi in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West division of the Southeastern Conference. They are currently coached by head coach Mike Bianco and assistant coaches Carl Lafferty and Matt Mossberg. They...
. Naming rights are held by the auto parts chain AutoZone
AutoZone
AutoZone is a retailer and distributor of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories. based in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Originally a division of Memphis-based wholesale grocer Malone & Hyde, the company went under the name Auto Shack...
, which is based in Memphis.
Unlike other cities, Memphis does not have to worry about its team threatening to move elsewhere. The Redbirds, in a situation almost unique in American pro sports, are owned by a non-profit community foundation, titled the Memphis Redbirds Foundation
Memphis Redbirds Foundation
The non-profit Memphis Redbirds Foundation is the first 501 charitable organization in the United States to own a professional baseball franchise and its playing facility, AutoZone Park...
. The Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
have a similar ownership structure.
In October 2005, AutoZone Park became the first venue outside of New Orleans to host the Voodoo Music Experience. One day of this music festival was moved to Memphis due to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
On December 4, 2006, at the Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Winter Meetings
Winter meetings
The Baseball Winter Meetings are an annual event, held each December, attended by representatives from all 30 Major League Baseball organizations, more than 160 minor league baseball teams, various league offices, companies associated with baseball and guests from international baseball-playing...
, MLB announced that an exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
to be called the Civil Rights Game
Civil Rights Game
The Civil Rights Game is an annual Major League Baseball game that honors the history of civil rights in the United States and marked the unofficial end to the league's Spring Training. Starting in 2009, the game became a regular season game.The first two games were held at AutoZone Park in...
would be held at AutoZone Park, with the first game on March 31, 2007. The game featured the Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, with the Cardinals winning 5-1. The second game was played on March 29, 2008, between the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
and the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. The Mets Defeated the White Sox 3-2.
Size
AutoZone Park has a seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 14,320., and has been aptly described as "one-third" of a major league baseball park.
For its construction 17586 cubic yards (13,445.5 m³) of concrete were used, or enough to cover 11 acres (4.5 ha). There are 125738 square feet (11,681.4 m²) of brick walls surrounding it, utilizing 380,000 specially manufactured bricks. It holds 3,400 tons of steel and 227 miles (365.3 km) of electrical wiring. To build the playing field, 350 tons of clay and 5,000 tons of sand were needed. The outfield contains 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) of sod. The infield is capable of draining 1 inches (25.4 mm) per hour of rain while remaining playable, which means that the field only rarely has to be covered during games.
AutoZone Park also has the largest video screen in minor league baseball, at 23 by. It is located 127 feet (38.7 m) above the playfield, giving a view of the board to many areas of downtown Memphis.
Amenities
AutoZone Park contains several special seating sections designed to give patrons a variety of viewing options.The Delta Dental Picnic Pavilion is located on the east side of the park, and contains several picnic tables and space for vending or other serving of food. It is commonly used for special event hosting, and can seat up to 500 people.
The Bluff on the north side of the park has grass covered lawn seating, and tickets to this area are sold cheaply, but in limited numbers. It is a favorite spot for many fans because of the picnic atmosphere. Chairs are not allowed on the Bluff.
The upper club levels contain 48 suites, and are generally reserved to groups or local companies. Many larger Memphis companies retain one suite for the entire season, for all games.
The normal club seating have access to an air conditioned concourse, along with several restaurants and bars located on the concourse itself.
There are two open-air party decks, each of which seats up to 175 people, and three pre-game balconies.
Next to the Bluff is "P.D. Parrot's Playhouse Perch", which is a playground for children. The playground is sponsored by Baptist Pediatric Care.