Isotopes Baseball, Albuquerque

I'm a big soccer/baseball fan and both of these sports may take some patience to fully appreciate all the intricacies.
What better way to enjoy the great american passtime in optimal weather with a wonderful backdrop of the sandia mountains in a brand new stadium.
The team is decent too so theres a good chance you'll see some top pros come through here.
Named after a 'Simpsons' episode, the isotopes are the minor league team for the FLA marlins.
Minor league games provide all the access to the sport that has disappeared with the majors.
The stadium is just east of downtown, accessable via I-40.

Equipment: shorts and a T-shirt.

See an Albuquerque Isotopes game at the new park built downtown for this new team based on the Simpsons Springfield Isotopes. After the episode entitled "Hungry Hungry Homer" aired, Albuquerque changed the name of their minor league team to the Isotopes. Tickets are only about $10 each for good seats and the games are fun!

The old Albuquerque Sports Stadium had probably the nicest location in all of minor-league baseball. There was a wonderful view towards the Sandia Mountains and it was the only stadium in the U.S. with a drive-in section; fans could park their cars and picnic during the games just beyond the outfield.

That stadium was completely gutted when it was announced that we would receiving a new team. The new stadium on the old site retains the great view and the drive-in section.

The new Isotopes Park will be holding an open house this coming Saturday (April 5, 2003) during which the team's mascot will be unveiled. I bought a digital camera this week and will be posting a gallery of photos of the new stadium sometime in the near future.

It's baseball season once again. For the past several years, Albuquerque has been without a team but all that is set to change tomorrow (April 3, 2003) when the Isotopes begin their inaugural season (in Memphis). The home opener will be on Friday, April 11th.

When they announced the name of the team late last year, it was met with some controversy. The Isotopes name, although appropriate for the location of much important work in atomic research, was derived from an episode of "The Simpsons" animated television show. Other name contenders were "The Dukes" (the old team that was sold to Portland, Oregon; Albuquerque is nicknamed "Duke City" because it was named after Spain's Duke of Alburquerque in 1706) and "The Route 66ers" (old U.S. Route 66 - famous from the 50's song and noted for it's neon signs - runs through the city). I believe another possibilty was "The Roadrunners" (state bird of New Mexico).

That controversy seems to have died down and everyone is looking forward to our new team. The tickets for the opening game sold out in just one hour when they went on sale a couple of weeks ago.

Albuquerque's triple A baseball team. After losing our old ball club, the Albuquerque Isotopes stepped in to fill in the void. Bringing with them a brand new stadium.

Equipment: Baseball cap and catchers mitt.