Nat Bailey a Canadian classic

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Walking into Nat Bailey Stadium is like a stroll back in time.

In age where everything is bigger and supposedly better, shinier and modern, The Nat stands as one of the last bastions of what Minor League Baseball used to be. The ballpark, quickly closing in on its 60th birthday, is one of the most intimate, memorable venues in all of baseball.

That it also houses the Vancouver Canadians, the Oakland affiliate in the Class-A Northwest League and the last affiliated Canadian team in the Minor Leagues, is also worth noting. But it shouldn't take away from the fact that The Nat has a rich history and wonderful feel.

Sure, there are other old ballparks dotting the North American landscape, many of which are falling down or outdated. The Nat, however, is continuing to undergo a transformation to update the facilities while not harming the integrity of the park.

The new ownership group, which began taking over the team earlier this season, signed a 25-year lease with the city of Vancouver and has pumped several million dollars into the stadium already. The city has contributed its share, as well, and will continue to do so over the next several years.

"When you sign a lease, you're given a trust by the people of Vancouver for the next 25 years," said Jeff Mooney, one of the team's co-owners. "It's a legacy. It's something you can feel real ownership in. We've had a very positive reaction from the fans, and there are so many people in Vancouver who have stories to tell about this park.

"It's a Field of Dreams park. Its nickname in Vancouver is 'The Most Beautiful Little Ballpark in the World.' If it isn't, it's certainly one of the top three. And we've had a very positive reaction from the fans, keeping its character. We want it to be an old-time park."

Having owners like Mooney and Jake Kerr certainly help keep the spirit of The Nat alive. The pair has a great love for baseball and the ballpark, recognizing the historical and cultural significance of the building.

The Nat, built in 1951, was originally named Capilano Stadium and for the better part of 50 years housed Vancouver's Pacific Coast League affiliate. The stadium was renamed in 1978 to honor Nat Bailey, the founder of the first Canadian drive-in restaurant, for his tireless efforts to support baseball in Vancouver.

And when you walk up the ramp from the concourse and see the field and the grandstand, it's not a stretch to believe you're back in 1951 and that Bailey is still in the building. The stadium has a wooden-roofed grandstand that covers the seating area behind home plate, one that stretches down both foul lines. The wooden seats behind the plate may or may not be original, Mooney wasn't sure, but they are very old and well-maintained.

Completing the setting is the protective netting behind the plate. Attached to steel poles, it looks much like it did back in the early days.

The hand-operated scoreboard, which was installed in 1978, was taken from Sick's Seattle Stadium, another old PCL ballpark. And legend has it that the field on which the Canadians play has pretty impressive roots, figuratively if not literally. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Gomez and a team of traveling All-Stars played an exhibition game in Athletic Park in Vancouver on Oct. 18, 1934.

When that park was eventually torn, the turf was dug up in strips and laid at Capilano Stadium. Mooney was quick and proud to point out, as he surveyed the field last week, that this was the same turf that Babe Ruth played on more than 70 years ago.

"The legend says they played on the infield grass," Mooney said.

Perhaps to help celebrate the legendary players who have passed through Vancouver at one time or another, the club commissioned baseball artist Jennifer Ettinger to create a series of portraits that are now hung on the walls outside the stadium. The magnificent paintings of players like Gehrig and Ty Cobb are striking as you enter the ballpark's parking lot.

The same paintings are also on banners hanging in the recently remodeled concourse. While the concourse has been refinished, the club purposely gave it a throwback feel, using lighting and architecture techniques that give it a feel akin to being back in the 1950s.

Finally, The Nat itself is located in a neighborhood and not off in some office park somewhere. There's a school across the street, and Queen Elizabeth Park borders the outfield fence. Homes are within foul-ball distance of home plate, giving the building an appeal that many of the newer corporate facilities just can't match.

"This is still old-school baseball here," said Ted Giannoulas, better known as The Chicken. He was in Vancouver last week, possibly for the last time, to perform at The Nat and couldn't stop raving about the building.

"This quite a setting. It's in a neighborhood like Wrigley Field. And they named the ballpark after a vendor. Can you believe that?"