There Used to be Yankees Here

"Welcome" from the back of the main grandstand and press box, Jun-2002.

An overview of the seating sections from the left-field picnic area.

There are no cheap home runs here. The park was built with major-league dimensions.

Chronological Tour: Stop 23

• Location: Watervliet-Shaker Road west of Albany Co. Airport, Town of Colonie, N.Y. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1984
• Closed: 2002
• Demolished: 2009
• Home team: Albany-Colonie A’s (1984), Yankees (1985-94), Eastern League; Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs, Northeast League (1995-2002)
• Capacity: 6,000

Rating: 2 baseballs

While the park was built only a few years after East Field, 45 miles up the road in Glens Falls, this facility was considerably better. Heritage Park includes a much larger, covered main grandstand behind the plate, with an elevated press box. The main concession area was nothing to write home about, but there was a grill under the grandstand that offered a greater variety.

The Eastern League left here after the 1994 season, when local authorities stood up to requests by the Yankees for facility improvements. The next year, the Diamond Dogs of the Northeast League arrived. Minor upgrades to the park were completed in the next few years, making this a respectable facility. However, faced with competition from the new affiliated team in Troy, the Diamond Dogs folded their tent after the 2002 season. The stadium has been razed and nothing has been built in its place. Indeed, no trace remains at the site, no evidence that high-level minor league ball was once played there.