Baseball Travel Guide - Find all the baseball close to you!

Missing or incorrect information?

Joliet Jackhammers - User Comments Add your own

Nice Place -- 2008-05-23

I am an avid baseball fan and love going to this park. Lawn seats are $5.00. The location is beautiful right in downtown and the atmosphere is special. For those who have never been to Joliet the downtown is full of fun and festivals especially during the summer baseball season. I recommend going on a summer weekend when they have the fireworks. Very kid friendly atmosphere and a clean comfortable stadium. Parking is easy in downtown. There is also a wrold class theater a block and half away and a casino is also within walking distance. One of my favorite minor league parks and I have been to over 50 of them.

Steve

Neighborhood Ballpark -- 2006-05-31

Silver Cross Field is a nice place to see a game. There's nothing spectacular about it, but it's a nice place.

The JackHammers market the family fun aspect of Indy League ball more than the quality of the team and the players, and rightfully so. The team has it's share of local heroes, Bubba Smith is a cult figure in the Joliet area, and fans are still talking about Ryan Sienko (who was signed away to be a White Sox farm hand years ago), but the play on the field is secondary for many.

Downtown Joliet has changed a great deal. It used to be the type of place people felt they had to lock their car doors as they drove through, but Silver Cross and the JackHammers are doing their part to change that.

The facade out front and the walk to the ball park is striking. You come out from under the tracks (decorated with a very nice mural depicting Joliet sports heroes of the past including basketball star George Mikan). The front of the stadium is exposed steel, reminding us of Joliet's blue collar heritage and features a very nice statue of local boy done good, Jesse Barfield.

Inside the park is reminiscent of Wrigley. No, there's no ivy or hand operated scoreboard, but seeing the park situated in the middle of the neighborhood, with the older buildings creating the landscape, well, there's just something right about that. Outside the leftfield fence (some 400-500 feet away) is a local firehouse, colmplete with big yellow numbers telling you how far from homeplate a ball would have to travel to smash into the fire engine. In right you see an humonguous building that resembles a castle (actually a local high school). Combined with wharehouses/offices that give the big boppers a nice target, Silver Cross Field is a very nice place to watch a ballpark.

As far as ammenities go, it's run of the mill. They feature all the same kiddie attractions you see at any minor league or indy park, with standard food choices, and a big furry mascot to entertain the little ones.

Overall, the JackHammers put on a good show. If you're a purist, looking for a baseball only experience, well, the minors/indies may not be for you, but if you just want a good time at a nice ballfield with some other distractions going on and nine kids hustling their tails off on the field -- head to Joliet.

Mike Curtis

Mike Curtis

Good Baseball and Great Price -- 2004-02-11

This park is a great facility with plenty of parking and entertainment. The only thing I can let you know is that with the way this independent League works, the team is different from year to year. So the first year they were very good, but the next year they were mediocre. Either way it is good baseball and even though not everyone pays attention to the game, the majority of the people do go there to see the baseball. $9 for good price for the quality of seat you get.

One interesting thing is because most of the games are at night alot of moths are attracted to the lights, now they don't bother you, but occasionally you'll see a Praying mantis walking through the stands checking for easy prey.

Jay

Great Experience

Ick. -- 2002-09-03

This was a thoroughly irritating experience. First, they lost my order at the Will Call window, and gave me "complimentary" tickets that were worse than the ones I had ordered. Imagine my surprise when they charged the "complimentary" tickets to my credit card, anyway.

The fans seemed to be more interested in the social aspects of the game than the were in what was going on between the foul lines. Shut up and watch the game, for heaven's sake!

I realize that the minors, especially non-affiliated teams, make their meal tickets as family entertainment, and need to keep kids from getting bored. I don't really mind the between-innings shenanigans, but, honestly, is it necessary to have the public address announcer spout "Real Country Music Song Titles" between pitches? Couple all of this with a rollover accident on the interstate that tripled the time of our ride home, and I'll be pretty hard up for a ballgame before heading back to Joliet.

Dan Doherty

Add your own comments, recommendations, criticisms, or suggestions.

Site last updated Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 07:09:43 AM

A Sports Reference Site: About Baseball Reference | Found a bug or have a suggestion?
Privacy Statement | Conditions & Terms of Service | Use of Data

Partner With: FantasyPlayers.com. Contact Fantasy Sports Ventures for advertising information.