The Beehive

Beehive Field, Jul-2001, six seasons after it was used in the minors.

A good look at the seating, as well as the off-center press box.

The field, which looks out over New Britain High School, is still used for high school and American Legion games.

Chronological Tour: Stop 66

• Location: Willow Brook Park, Berlin and New Britain, Conn. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1983 (for pro baseball)
• Closed: 1995 (for pro baseball)
• Home team: New Britain Red Sox (1983-94), Hardware City Rock Cats (1995), Eastern League
• Capacity: 4,700

Rating: 2 baseballs

The park was serviceable, but not spectacular. Much of the construction here was wood, making it look a lot older than it really was. Aisles were narrow, and the park was uncomfortable at times.

Buzas was faced with several options when it came time to upgrade. He toyed with moving the club north to Springfield, Mass., which hadn’t had a team for years, but instead he committed to staying in the Hardware City. As a result, his club played at the adjacent New Britain Stadium for the next twenty seasons.