It left more than a half-century ago, but baseball is back at Sulphur Dell.
And though the clock was ticking, Mayor Karl Dean and First Tennessee Park’s construction crew got it done on time.
Fans soaked in history and views of the downtown skyline. Neighbors watched from balconies of condos beyond center field. Kids munched on hot dogs and cotton candy. A brass band welcomed visitors. And baseball, at 7:09 p.m. on Friday night, returned to North Nashville near Jefferson Street.
“It’s been a long time coming, and it is a thrill for me as a baseball fan to be part of this,” Dean said, kicking off a pregame ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the new home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds on its inaugural night. “This will be the best minor league baseball stadium in the country.”
Hours later, the mayor put on a No. 15 Sounds jersey with his last name on the back, trotted to the pitching mound, and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Then came, “Play ball.” For the record: The Sounds beat the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3-2 in 10 innings.
“We had always heard about (the old) Sulphur Dell,” said Anna Primm of Smyna, who came with her husband, John, to be a part of the celebration. “The new stadium fits right in to this historical part of Nashville.”
This evening of fanfare — in front of a standing-room only crowd of 10,459 — hadn’t always looked promising. Ground broke on the new stadium only 14 months ago. Construction workers fought through an icy winter to meet an ambitious timeline.
Things looked even bleaker more than two years ago. That’s when Dean and the Sounds ownership team since 2008, led by Frank Ward of New York, were at a stalemate over where to put a new stadium to replace aging Greer. The two famously made amends on Opening Day 2013 — and it all came full circle Friday night.
“I am forever grateful to all the people who made this project happen, most importantly Mayor Karl Dean,” Ward said Friday.
Dean and Ward were joined at pregame festivities by a host of Metro Council members who voted to approve financing for the $75 million municipal-financed stadium; state Sen. Thelma Harper of North Nashville; Carol Yochem, president of the Middle Tennessee Region of First Tennessee Bank; Michael Crowley, president of the Oakland A’s, the Sounds’ new Major League Baseball affiliate; and Branch Rickey III, president of the Pacific Coast League.
“Mayor Dean really saw a vision and realized what could be possible here,” Rickey said, later adding: “Ladies and gentlemen, I think that God is smiling on Nashville today.”
In his remarks, Dean highlighted the return of baseball to its original Nashville home — Sulphur Dell, where the first ball games date back to the 1860s. He also billed the new place as an economic jolt to a part of town that needs it, noting that 25 new development projects are already planned for the area. That includes a new Tennessee State Museum, funding for which the governor has gotten approved in his capital budget.
“It’s our hope,” Gov. Bill Haslam said, “that this entire area will be a tourist area that will draw people to watch baseball, visit the state capitol and visit the state museum.”
First Tennessee park isn’t without hiccups. Its construction went $10 million over budget. The absence of a state-owned parking garage means fans will have to walk a little farther to get there this year. And at the first game on Friday, vendors ran out of hot chicken.
But on this night, everyone was just happy to have baseball back home.
COMING HOME
Baseball returns to Sulphur Dell
With the opening of First Tennessee Park on Friday, columnist Dave Ammenheuser and baseball historian Skip Nipper have prepared a nine-inning (part) multimedia series which celebrates Nashville’s baseball history. Stories will appear in The Tennessean each day, as well as videos, slideshows and more on Tennessean.com.
April 11: Sounds owner Frank Ward
April 12: Nashville’s baseball history
Monday History of Sulphur Dell
Tuesday: The All-Time Nashville Team
Wednesday: Remembering Greer Stadium’s opener
Thursday: The players to watch this season
Friday: First Tennessee Park, A-Z
Today: Coverage of Opening Day
Sunday: Future of baseball in Nashville
Courtesy of: Joey Garrison (The Tennessean)