Hamilton Cardinals find nest in Welland
Intercounty league team plays ‘home opener’ on road after TV production damages ballpark
Niagara will be pinch-hitting for Hamilton in the Intercounty Baseball League lineup this weekend.
The Hamilton Cardinals’ “home opener” against Barrie will be played at Welland Stadium.
Bernie Arbour Stadium, where the Cardinals would normally enjoy the final at bat, remains unplayable after the outfield was extensively damaged during filming of The Handmaid’s Tale TV series.
Cardinals general manager Jeff Lounsbury said the team had hoped to be back home June 1 after spending the entire month of May playing on the road and compiling a 2-3 record.
“We still don’t know from the city when we can play, the sod is still taking hold,” said Lounsbury, who spent 20 years coaching baseball at Brock University.
Oakes Park in Niagara Falls and George Taylor Field in St. Catharines are the other ballparks in the region capable of accommodating Intercounty.
“They’re all great facilities, but
Welland was available,” he said.
Single tickets for games in the top amateur league in Ontario range from $5 to $10. However, the Cardinals are waiving admission for the 6 p.m. first pitch Sunday.
Lounsbury said the reason for the generosity is two-fold: “Welland Stadium is helping us out, and we want to showcase the league.”
The game against the four-time defending Baycats may be more than a one off. Depending on when repairs to Bernie Arbour are completed and the Cardinals get the green light, other “home games” could be played in Welland.
“We’re waiting to hear from the city,” the general manager said. “There could be more.”
Gilead II Productions Inc. was in Hamilton last fall shooting the second season of the Emmy Award-winning drama series about a futuristic world in which women are brutally subjugated.
The turf had to replaced, at an estimated cost of at least $100,000, after an elaborate set was constructed in the outfield.
The City of Hamilton was negotiating with the film company about recovering repair costs.
A home opener at Bernie Arbour, or anywhere for that matter, didn’t appear likely when the Cardinals were about to fold. Intercounty was saved in Hamilton when a community group of 15 investors took over the franchise in February.
“That’s the way it’s going with a lot of teams,” Lounsbury said of the move to ownership by a group rather than an individual.
Intercounty, which Lounsbury likened to “low Class A” in the U.S., isn’t new to Niagara. The Niagara Falls Mariners played out of Oakes Park from 1985 until 1989.
Regulation games in Intercounty are nine innings and the eight current teams — Barrie, Brantford Red Sox, Burlington Herd, Guelph Royals, Hamilton, Kitchener Panthers, London Majors, Toronto Maple Leafs — play in ballparks ranging in seating from 1,000, Nelson Park, Burlington; to 5,200, Labatt Memorial Park, London.
Capacity at Bernie Arbour is 3,000, about 500 more than Welland Stadium.
The Rose City Thorns and Welland Chiefs of the Niagara District Baseball Association’s senior division play their home games at Welland Stadium. From 1989 until 1994, it was home to the Welland Pirates of the New YorkPennsylvania League.
Bernd.Franke @niagaradailies.com 905-225-1624 | @TribSportsDesk