Shrine on Airline is a 10,000-seat baseball park in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, that hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 11, 1997, as the tenants of the facility, the New Orleans Baby Cakes (then known as the New Orleans Zephyrs), defeated the Oklahoma City 89ers, 8-3.
The ballpark hosted the 1998 and 2001 Conference USA Baseball Tournaments, and the 1999 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament. Shrine on Airline was also the site of the Class 5A Louisiana High School Athletic Association baseball tournament in 2004 and 2005. The facility also hosts concerts and events.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
History
In addition to being the home of the Baby Cakes, the stadium, known as Zephyr Field from 1997 to 2016, also hosts select games of the Tulane University Green Wave baseball program. The team plays annual games against cross-town rival, the University of New Orleans Privateers, and arch-rival, Louisiana State University Tigers, at the ballpark. During the 2006 and 2007 baseball seasons, Zephyr Field was the primary home of the Green Wave, as Tulane's on-campus facility, Greer Field at Turchin Stadium, was undergoing renovations. The renovations were scheduled to be completed in time for the 2006 season, but Hurricane Katrina significantly damaged Turchin Stadium, forcing a delay in the project. In the hurricane's aftermath, Zephyr Field was utilized by the Louisiana Army National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a rescue facility. In 2006, the state of Louisiana approved $21 million to recover Zephyr Field from the effects of Katrina. Additional funds from the bill covered recovery costs for the New Orleans Saints' training facility, located behind the ballpark, and the New Orleans Arena.
The stadium hosted the 1999 Triple-A All-Star Game in which the Pacific Coast League All-Stars defeated the International League All-Stars, 9-5. New Orleans' Daryle Ward was selected as the PCL MVP.
On July 3, 2003, the largest crowd in Shrine on Airline history for a Zephyrs game, 11,925, watches the Zephyrs lose 1-0 to the Nashville Sounds
The ballpark is featured in several scenes in the 2004 movie Mr. 3000, and one from the 2006 movie called Failure to Launch. Also, part of an episode of Spike TV's Pros vs Joes was also filmed at the ballpark.
A new playing surface was installed prior to the 2008 season. Its new dimensions are 330 feet (100 m) from home plate to left and right fields, and 400 feet (120 m) to center. The ballpark traditionally has allowed some of the fewest home runs in the Pacific Coast League. The ballpark's grass berm seating area, "the Levee", is located beyond center field and is the highest point in Metairie.
As a soccer venue, Shrine on Airline served as home of the New Orleans Storm soccer team in the late 1990s and hosted the semifinals of the 1998 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Metairie Bank Video
Ballpark attractions
Concessions at Shrine on Airline feature traditional ballpark fare as well as several regional offerings, such as fried catfish, muffulettas, po' boy sandwiches, jambalaya, and pigskin nachos.
The New Orleans Baby Cakes added an extra $5 million to the 2006 state-funded recovery bill for additional amenities, including 16 luxury suites, a swimming pool, two hot tubs, the Coors Light Party Shack, and the Metairie Bank Home Run Porch.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
EmoticonEmoticon