66ers' home has familiar look

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Pardon the members of the Lancaster JetHawks if they lacked the typical excitement for a road trip when entering Arrowhead Credit Union Park before last week's series with the Inland Empire 66ers.

After all, Arrowhead Credit Union Park and Clear Channel Stadium, the JetHawks' home in Lancaster, are practically the same.

Both parks were built in 1996 using identical floor plans designed by HOK Sport, which also produced the layouts for AT&T Park, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, PETCO Park and others.

While there are differences between Arrowhead Credit Union Park and Clear Channel Stadium, such as the exterior design and color, walking through the concourses and gazing onto the field yields similar feelings. The press box is located in the same place and the seating charts are nearly indistinguishable.

"From what I understand, the story is back in the mid-'90s they had made the blueprints for Lancaster's new stadium. What had happened was their funds ran out or they were running low and all of a sudden we said we wanted a new ballpark and we went to the same organization," said Luke Foth, the 66ers' assistant director of broadcasting. "They told us that they had the blueprints made already for a stadium and we looked at them and thought they were perfect and agreed to build it.

"Not too long after, Lancaster called up the company and told them they had the funding and the company told them they had given it to San Bernardino. Lancaster said that they wanted that stadium still because it was made for them, and now we have identical stadiums."

Because of funding difficulties, Lancaster's clubhouses are built above ground along the first- and third-base sides; the same facilities are underground at Inland Empire. That, and a few other changes, keeps two of the 10 teams in the California League from having identical ballparks.

All things considered, the California League is hit and miss in terms of stadiums. While some have proven to be state-of-the-art facilities for Advanced Class A teams, others are older and lack the amenities most new parks offer.

Both Arrowhead Credit Union Park and Clear Channel Stadium are among the nicer facilities in the Cal League.

Arrowhead Credit Union Park is painted a light yellow tint to create a Western theme and boasts all of the modern amenities.

"One of the nicest things about this park are the suites. They are almost more Major League than they are Minor League," Foth said. "We have one guy who has his own suite with all of this memorabilia on the wall, like game-used jerseys and stuff. It is really Major League-esque when it comes to suites, and I think that is one major benefit to the stadium."

The Dodgers previously had their Advanced Class A affiliate in Vero Beach, Fla., also known as Dodgertown, before moving to Inland Empire prior to the 2007 season. Located just under an hour outside Los Angeles, the 66ers' affiliation with the Dodgers has only been a positive.

"Since being reunited with the Dodgers, our season tickets have gone through the roof," Foth said. "It is a complete advantage for us. We have had [Jason] Schmidt pitch for us four times this year, we had [Rafael] Furcal for a game and Randy Wolf a year ago. The Dodgers have been sending us guys that are rehabbing and we really have had a lot of people come down to see them.

"People come here because they know a $250 ticket at Dodger Stadium is only $9 here -- front row, front and center, $9. You aren't going to beat that and you get to see the Major League talent."

Given each Major League team can only have one Advanced Class A affiliate, Inland Empire is the new show in town. While Vero Beach will forever be remembered as Dodgertown, the 66ers have grabbed the torch. And being located in Southern California has made for a smooth transition for the franchise.

"This is the team that left Vero Beach and came out here. They wanted a team that was closer," Foth said. "[Dodgers general manager Ned] Colletti comes out here. The director of player development comes out here. We get a lot of attention from the Dodgers being this close.

"There are people who come here decked out in Dodger stuff all of the time. The transition back here has really helped the community."

While there will never be a replacement for Dodgertown, Inland Empire has proven to be a good successor, even if it has a stadium that looks a lot like the one in Lancaster, a few hours up the road.