Veterans Field

Main entrance to Veterans Field, Aug-2007.

The seating bowl as seen from the third-base bleachers, Sep-2005.

The view from behind the plate.

Chronological Tour: Stop 325

• Location: Santa Maria Avenue at Gonzalez Street, Texas
• Opened: 1950 (renovated unknown)
• Home team: Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, Mexican League (some games, 1985-2004); Laredo Apaches, Texas-Louisiana League (first half of 1995); Laredo Broncos, United League (2006-10)
• Capacity: 7,500

Rating: 1 baseball

On the day I showed up for a 7:30 game, the start was not until 8:20 because the ground crew had failed to cover the field with even the small mound and plate tarps when a sudden rainstorm came through in mid-afternoon. Field maintenance pushed the start back by nearly an hour, and then both pitchers complained about the mound as the game went on, resulting in further delays.

The Laredo Broncos failed to provide a line-up board. An attempt to buy a program resulted in no visiting team roster and an outdated home team roster. The public address system was clear for music, but the microphone was muffled, so announcements, such as they are, were difficult to decipher.

On top of that, the stadium is nothing great. There is one main grandstand, set far back from the playing field, with seven rows of “box seats” in front of it. Aluminum grandstands flank the main stand. The view of the game isn’t horrible, but it would be improved if the grandstand were closer to the field.

Finally, when I went to complain about the lack of consideration for the true baseball fan, the person I spoke with concluded the conversation with, “I hope you enjoy the show.” Excuse me, sir, but I didn’t come for the show, I came for a baseball game.

This was by far the worst baseball experience of my annual road trip in 2007. Fortunately, this poor excuse for a professional ballpark has been replaced, as Uni-Trade Stadium debuted in 2012.

Remarkably, a Mexican League team used this park for a number of games for two decades. The Nuevo Laredo Owls played some of their games here before relocating. The latest Nuevo Laredo team is utilizing Uni-Trade Stadium for part of its schedule.