C.O. Brown Stadium

The main approach to C.O. Brown Stadium, Jul-1997.

Looking out from the stands in Battle Creek as the Michigan Battle Cats battle Fort Wayne.

Chronological Tour: Stop 108

• Location: Capital Avenue, Battle Creek, Mich.
• Opened: 1990
• Home team: Michigan Battle Cats (1995-2002), Battle Creek Yankees (2003-04), Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (2005-06), Midwest League
• Capacity: 6,000

Rating: 1 baseball

After the tournament, the stadium sat for several seasons until a Midwest League team made its move to Battle Creek. The original announcement had the team called the Battle Creek Golden Kazoos, with a similarly outrageous logo. Residents turned against the name, which was quickly changed to the Michigan Battle Cats.

The stadium is of the typical construction for the mid- to late 1980s, with lots of aluminum, similar to Canton. The roof is supported by unfancy columns. Some people may think these lend an air of old-timiness to the place; I think they merely obstruct the view.

Also, and this seemed to be a problem between the team and the city, there was no sign pointing to the field from the street. It was possible to ride by the city park and not know you’ve passed the stadium, which is set back in the park. Site visitor John Seward advises that a sign was finally erected in 2004.

In 2007, the club moved to Midland, Mich., to a new ballpark constructed for them. This facility still sees use for college summer ball.