Vince Genna Stadium

Vince Genna Stadium

Looking northeast, during an Elks game in 2011
Former names Municipal Ball Park
(1964–1972)
Location SE 5th & Roosevelt Ave
Bend, Oregon
Coordinates 44°02′35″N 121°17′56″W / 44.043°N 121.299°W / 44.043; -121.299Coordinates: 44°02′35″N 121°17′56″W / 44.043°N 121.299°W / 44.043; -121.299
Owner Bend Metro Park and
Recreation District
Operator Bend Elks
Capacity 3,500
Field size Left Field – 330 ft (101 m)
Center Field – 390 ft (119 m)
Right Field – 330 ft (101 m)
Surface Natural grass
Construction
Opened 1964, 52 years ago
Expanded 2009
Tenants
Bend Rainbows (NWL) (1970–1971)
Bend Timber Hawks (NWL) (1978)
Central Oregon Phillies (NWL) (1979–1980)
Bend Phillies (NWL) (1981–1986)
Bend Bucks (NWL) (1987–1991)
Bend Rockies (NWL) (1992–1994)
Bend Bandits (WBL) (1995–1998)
Bend Elks (WCL) (2000–present)
Vince Genna Stadium
Location in Oregon

Vince Genna Stadium is a baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Bend, Oregon. Opened 52 years ago in 1964, it currently hosts college summer baseball league and area American Legion games.

Originally known as "Municipal Ball Park", it was renamed 44 years ago in June 1972 for Vince Genna (1921–2007),[1][2] the director of the city's parks & recreation department and former American Legion coach.[3] When minor league baseball returned in 1978 with the Timber Hawks, Genna was an honorary first base coach in their debut game.[4]

The stadium was the longtime home of Bend's minor league teams in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, and later the Bend Bandits of the Western Baseball League. It is currently the home of the Bend Elks in the collegiate summer West Coast League and has a seating capacity of approximately 3,500.

In the south end of the city, the elevation of the natural grass playing field is approximately 3,700 feet (1,130 m) above sea level and is unconventionally oriented northwest; the recommended alignment of a baseball diamond (home plate to center field) is east-northeast.[5] In 1978, the Timber Hawks had intermissions called "sun breaks" near sundown when the glare was excessive.[6] The Angels cited the need for adequate sun screens in left field (west) as one of the reasons for breaking their affiliation with the Bend Bucks after the 1989 season.[7]

The stadium has hosted affiliates of four major-league teams (the Angels, A's, Phillies, and Rockies), four players who made the majors (Brian Barden, Julio Franco, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Eric Sogard), and one future movie star (Kurt Russell played for the Bend Rainbows in 1971).[8]

In 1979, the Central Oregon Phillies paid the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District $9,500 for use of the ballpark for the season. In 1980, the team paid $9,700.[9] In 2008, the Bend Elks led the WCL in league and overall attendance, averaging 1,430 fans at Genna Stadium over 21 league home games.[10] In 2010 Genna Stadium continued to lead the WCL in total and league attendance, along with average game attendance; its record-setting season attendance exceeded 50,000.[11]

Northwest League records

Short-season Class A

Year Team MLB team Record Finish Manager Playoffs
1970 Rainbows none ^
(2 yrs.) 		39–41 3rd (t) Charlie Silvera
1971 42–36 3rd Ed Cecil
No teams: 1972–1977 (six seasons)
1978 Timber Hawks Athletics 35–37 5th Ed Nottle
1979 Central Oregon
Phillies 		Phillies
(8 yrs.) 		43–28 1st Tom Harmon League Champions
1980 31–39 7th P. J. Carey
1981 Phillies 31–39 5th P. J. Carey
1982 30–40 5th Roly de Armas
1983 32–37 6th Jay Wild
1984 38–36 4th Ramón Avilés
1985 39–35 3rd (t) P. J. Carey
1986 21–53 8th Ed Pebley
1987 Bucks Co-op[12][13] 33–42 5th Mel Roberts
1988 Angels
(2 yrs.) 		38–38 5th (t) Don Long
1989 33–42 6th Don Long
1990 Co-op[13][14]
(2 yrs.) 		29–47 8th Mike Bubalo
1991 30–46 7th Bill Stein
1992 Rockies Rockies
(3 yrs.) 		43–33 1st (t) Gene Glynn League finals
1993 35–41 6th (t) Howie Bedell
1994 29–47 8th Rudy Jaramillo

^ The Rainbows were an affiliate of the Hawaii Islanders of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League;[15]
  the Islanders' parent clubs were the California Angels (1970), and the San Diego Padres (1971)

Former players

References

  1. ↑ Attle, Rick (August 25, 1985). "Vince Genna". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). p. 1.
  2. ↑ Powers, Cindy (April 10, 2007). "Father of Bend parks dies". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Park name change leaves Genna mum". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). June 22, 1972. p. 1.
  4. ↑ "Big 8th sends Ems past Bend". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). June 21, 1978. p. 16.
  5. ↑ "Playing Field Orientation – Rule 1.04". Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  6. ↑ Withers, Bud (June 23, 1978). "Bend baseball bounces back". Eugene Register-Guard (Oregon). p. 1D.
  7. ↑ Powers, Cindy (September 14, 1989). "Angels moving team out of bend". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). p. D1.
  8. ↑ http://www.bendelks.com/vince-genna-stadium/stadium-history/
  9. ↑ "Phillies agree on 1980 pact for Genna use". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). April 2, 1980. p. 13.
  10. ↑ Eastes, Beau (June 7, 2009). "Top Elk: The Bend Elks are back for their 10th season with a new head coach running the show". The Bend Bulletin. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  11. ↑ http://www.wccbl.com/news.php?p=News&a=100
  12. ↑ "Bend club nicknamed the Bucks". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). January 15, 1987. p. D1.
  13. 1 2 Pritchett, John (December 21, 1989). "A '10' rating won't come easy for the co-op Bucks". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). p. D1.
  14. ↑ "Bye-bye Bend Bucks; hello Bend Rockies". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). December 9, 1991. p. D1.
  15. ↑ Anstine, Dennis (May 1, 1971). "Rainbows returning to Bend". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). p. 1.

External links

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