A Funky Enclave in the South Chicago Suburbs

Front of Hawkinson Ford Field, Jul-2004.

The absence of structures on the first-base side is evident here.

A view from behind home plate.

Chronological Tour: Stop 271

• Location: Kenton Avenue just south of Midlothian Turnpike, Crestwood, Ill. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1999 as Hawkinson Ford Field
• Additional names: Standard Bank Stadium (2008), Ozinga Field (2019)
• Home team: Cook County Cheetahs (1999-2003), Windy City ThunderBolts (2004-present), Frontier League
• Capacity: 3,800 (2,880 stadium seats)

Rating: 3 baseballs

Hawkinson Ford Field is unique in that it has no tall permanent structure along the first-base side. A team official said they were not allowed to build on that side because construction would have interfered with the high-voltage line running near the park. However, the short seating bowl, only seven rows deep, does extend around the first-base side, and there is a picnic area as well as vending and rest rooms along that side. Portable concession stands also line the first-base concourse.

The bulk of the stadium structure is along the third-base side, extending to home plate. This structure includes the press box, a few luxury boxes, and eleven rows of upper-deck seating.

New owners bought the franchise in October 2003, prompting a name change. The current owners say the park will hold 4,200, but one team official said it would be impossible to squeeze that many fans into the park with a shoe horn. Bodies were thick – and concession lines were long – when 3,072 fans showed for the game I attended, on a fireworks night.

For 2015, the playing surface was replaced with artificial turf. Team ownership said the original field had drainage issues, prompting the renovation.

The park is currently on its third naming sponsor. Ozinga is a concrete and bulk materials supplier that originated in nearby Evergreen Park.