It’s the end of an era. Tonight is the last game the Clippers will play at Cooper Stadium. They’ll be playing at Huntington Park next year.

Here’s columbusING, and here’s the Dispatch. And from last year, an old post of mine with pics of the stadium.

Mark Daniels returns to Columbus for a Clippers game and writes a great post with a lot of Columbus history:

In 1977, the Columbus Clippers, affiliated with the Pirates, began play in the newly renamed Franklin County Stadium. While the place looked a lot like it had in former days, changes were made. The press boxes were updated. Old wooden seats were replaced with new metal ones. An additional 3000 seats were added in a bleacher section that stretched next to the left field foul line. AstroTurf, then the rage, was installed. The old ballpark was, for the late-70s, a gorgeous and up-to-date venue. It was said at the time that only the New Orleans Super Dome, home field for the Zephyrs, was a better minor league park. In 1985, the stadium was rededicated as Cooper Stadium.

It’s always been a great place to watch a ballgame. Through the years, whenever I’ve taken friends who had previously only seen professional games at major league venues, their response has been enthusiastic. The experience is like a revelation to them.

And for good reason! At the stadium now affectionately called ‘The Coop,’ you’re right on top of the games. You can see every pitch and because your angle of vision is usually so good, you even have a legitimate bases for arguing with the umps’ calls.

I shared that feeling of revelation when I attended my first game there earlier this year. Being used to games at the enormous Yankee and Shea stadiums, the intimacy of watching a game at the Coop is a completely different experience. I hope that’s retained at the new park.

Keith at Buckeye Commentary has a report. He’s not completely happy:

Unfortunately, according to a recent post (hurry, time senstive link) on the OZone, the area surrounding the field is only being resurfaced with a rubberized material. Worse yet, the color will be gray. Work on this project began today and university webcam’s provided the horrific frame by frame account of the transformation.

Ugh!

Another event that Columbus is hosting all this weekend is the Special Olympics Ohio Summer Games. The opening ceremonies were held yesterday at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the OSU campus. This year is the 36th that OSU has hosted the Ohio Special Olympics games.

2800 athletes from all parts of Ohio are competing. Cabot Rea, the Columbus NBC affiliate news anchor hosted, and he did a fine job. Click on the pics for more photos.

More on the event at Planet of the Blind.

On top of everything else going on this weekend, the Blue Jackets are hosting this year’s NHL draft:

Nationwide Arena will become the center of the hockey universe June 22 (first round, 7 p.m.) and June 23 (rounds two through seven, starting at 10 a.m.), as National Hockey League club executives, scouts and coaches will gather on the Nationwide Arena floor for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Tickets are free, though I don’t know if any are left.

See Columbus hockey blog The Neutral Zone Trap for local coverage.

And I didn’t know.

Local Racers ‘Meet and Greet’ this Saturday In Columbus, OH

Ready for bike night, but you haven’t got one to go to yet? Attend an event that counts!

April 14, 2007 from 5 PM till 8 PM
Bodega
1044 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201 - (614) 299-9399

“Support those who support us!” -Stewart Aitken-Cade, President of the United States Grand Prix Racers Union, said it best when referring to the action needed by all competitors sponsored by various companies, fans, and friends to show respect and appreciation for those who help us out and share the passion of motorcycle racing!

So in working with the owner of Bodega, Colin Castore and one of this year’s Mean Green Machine Racing sponsors, he has allowed us to have a “Bike Night”!

From RoadRacingWorld.com

Went to the Columbus Clippers first home game of the season last night.

I haven’t been before, so maybe I’m not a good judge, but the crowd seemed a bit light for the home opener. Maybe it was the cold weather. It was cold by the end of the game.

The good old t-shirt gun. (That’s what killed Maude Flanders, you know.)

The Mt. Rushmore dead presidents were on hand. Apparently, they’re the mascots for the Washington Nationals, for which the Clippers are a farm team.

The hot dog with ketchup won the hot dog race. So they finally jazzed it up!

Oh yeah, there was also a baseball game mixed in there somewhere. The Clippers lost to the Buffalo Bisons 2-0.

Sucks.