121 Financial Ballpark
Jacksonville, FL
Review by Mike
121 Financial Ballpark is the home of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp of the International League. For a AAA ballpark, The 121 feels undersized, although the seating capacity is listed at 11,000. It feels small, which is good and there is much to like here, but also some quirks that seem out-of-place in such a relatively new (2003) ballpark.
The main grandstand sweeps from foul pole to foul pole and is nestled pretty close to the field. The home plate dirt cutout is shaped like home plate, which I always enjoy. There is no 360 concourse here, although a small grass berm extends out from the left field pole to left-center field. The parking lot is beyond right field so mind where you leave your car.
The view beyond the fences is full of visual interest, with a pair of stunning steel girder bridges that span either side of the elbow of the St. Johns River, between which rises EverBank Stadium, home of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars. Swinging your gaze around toward left field there is a stand of trees and a church steeple to complete the tableau.
Perhaps they didn’t have room, or simply didn’t think of it, but there are no protected bullpens at 121, the pitchers having to warm up down each line with a reserve player standing guard to protect everyone from smartly struck foul balls. I thought this practice went out with the 20th century, but apparently Jacksonville didn’t get the memo.
Another strange choice is in the placement of the numerous party decks and picnic areas. There are two on the left side and a large, covered patio of picnic tables in the right field corner. Thing is, from none of these locations can you see the field at all. Not a single pitch. And there are no obvious places to sit and watch the game if you are using one of these areas. During my visit, there was a large, catered party on the 1st base side and they might as well have been at a Chuck E. Cheese, because no one could see the game at all.
Another small complaint is that there are no standing counters along the concourse, where you can eat your $2 hot dogs (I like that) without balancing your food in your lap. You could, of course, sit at one of the picnic tables and watch the birds and the clouds and listen to the game in the distance. On the plus side, parking is free and the concourse is liberally adorned with photos and remembrances of Jacksonville baseball history.
The upper level featured not only suites, but open-air seating and access to this level was not restricted, so I was able to go upstairs and enjoy the breeze and an excellent “loge-level” view of the game and the bridges and all that. All in all, 121 Financial Field is a really nice stadium that could have been a great stadium if they’d just double checked those blueprints one more time.
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2024
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