| Article Index |
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| Joannes Stadium / Green Bay Bullfrogs |
| Page 2: Bringing in the Bullfrogs |
| Page 3: Concessions and More |
| All Pages |
FAST FACTS
| Year Opened | 1929 |
| Capacity | 2,300 |
| Owner | City of Green Bay |
| Dimensions | 328L, 365LC, 392C, 365RC, 320R |
| Playing Surface | Grass |
| Web Site | greenbaybullfrogs.com |
| Phone | 920/497-7225 |
| Ticket Prices (2010) | Dugout Club Seats, $8; Reserved Seats (w/backs), $6; General Admission, $5; Leinie Fan Deck (All you can eat plus ticket), $25 (kids $15); SMET/Land Shark Landing Terrace, $10 |
| League | Northwoods League |
| Parking | Free |
| Address/Directions | 1450 E. Walnut Street, Green Bay. Take I-43 to the Mason Street exit, and then go west on Mason to N. Baird Street. Turn right on Baird and follow to Walnut Street. Turn right on Walnut and follow to parking lot on right hand side of the street. The ballpark is located near Green Bay East High School and the municipal swimming pool. |
INTRODUCTION
Jeff Royle, the man who brought baseball back to Green Bay this summer in the form of a Northwoods League team after a long absence, seems to understand all this. He couldn't do much to the outside façade of the ballpark. So, he and his staff went to work on the inner sanctum, spending $250,000 for a series of necessary items. The result is a pleasant place to watch a game where fans can get close to the action. The farthest seat from the field is still closer than some box seats at major-league parks.
A small history lesson first: The ballpark has been a town fixture for nearly 80 years. When Joannes was first built -- for that matter, for most of its existence -- its main tenant was the Billy Goats, a local semi-pro team with a decent following. (The nearest pro team was Milwaukee, an American Association fixture from 1902-52.) In addition, it was used -- and still is -- by the local high school and legion baseball teams. The Packers, the town's only pro sports team of any consequence, played at nearby City Stadium and weren't the passion they are today.
Green Bay has had a few brushes with pro baseball. There was a 1935 exhibition game between the St. Louis Browns and the Pittsburgh Pirates: 3,500 fans attended that affair, seeing Rogers Hornsby playing first base and Honus Wagner serving as a coach. The Green Bay Blue Jays had two tenures (1940-42, 1946-53) in the Class D Wisconsin State League. For the last six years of their existence in the WSL, the Blue Jays were a Cleveland affiliate. The Indians had a strong farm system at the time (Phil Seghi, later the team's GM, had winning seasons in all five years he managed there) and drew well. In fact, in its last season -- 1953 -- the Blue Jays went 80-42, swept Wausau in the playoff series and led the league in attendance with 71,013.
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