Catch a Home Run at Hadlock

The Sea Dogs unveiled their plans for the new US Cellular Pavilion (who is the favorite for the naming rights in 2010, Verizon or AT&T?) behind the home bullpen in right field. The pavilion will provide 390 additional seats, increasing capacity to 7,365. The seats, which are counter-style, modeled after Fenway's Monster Seats, will carry the same cost as regular box seats (currently $8). Most importantly, however, is the fact that these seats are in fair territory, meaning that for the first time fans will be able to catch a home run ball at Hadlock Field.

I think it's great to have seats beyond the outfield fences, and I'll definitely look into getting tickets out there at least once next season (preferably in warm weather). The architect's rendering of the seats, however, give the impression that they'll be a bit of an eyesore. It's like there's a building growing out there beyond right field. Yuck! Maybe someday there will be seats surrounding the outfield (at least until they reach the CF scoreboard) so these seats won't stick out like a sore thumb. But that's picking nits, isn't it? Any way to give more fans a chance to enjoy baseball at Hadlock is probably a good thing, and I believe these seats will add to the overall experience of everybody attending Sea Dogs games.