Uht Park’s Seats Among Baseball’s Best?

11May2008 Filed under: Erie, Erie SeaWolves, Tourism Author: Peter Panepento

Erie’s Jerry Uht Park doesn’t get a lot of love from the locals.

But the writers at ESPN.com had some great things to say about the seats along the first-base side of Erie’s downtown park.

The Web site ranked the 10 best views in all of minor-league baseball — and it puts the first base reserved seats at the Uht as No. 5 on the list.

That’s right, Erie sports fans. Some of the best baseball viewing seats in the country are in your backyard. And they’re virtually free on Buck Night. Here’s what the writers had to say about the Uht:

Because the architects who designed Jerry Uht Park needed to make the Pennsylvania ballpark fit within a preexisting city block, they had to be creative … very creative. As a result, the grandstands on the third-base and first-base sides bear little resemblance to one another.

On the third-base side, where there was ample room to build, the grandstand takes a familiar approach, beginning behind the box seats and continuing up to the press box and luxury boxes.

But on the first-base side, where 10th Street runs parallel to the base line just behind the boxes, there was no room to build a normal grandstand, so they stacked the second deck on top of the concourse and back rows of lower seats.

The result is a delightful bank of nicely elevated seats overlooking the infield along the first-base side.

Nice.

Tags: Erie, ESPN, Jerry Uht Park, SeaWolves, sports

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5 Responses to “Uht Park’s Seats Among Baseball’s Best?”

Daria
May 11th, 2008 at 8:15 pm

Peter,
The UHT is such an asset to the City of Erie, not just for baseball fans like myself! Yes, the seating is great, the games are fun for folks of all ages too. The creativity in designing the park is something you can only appreciate if you visit. Our local high schools also get to enjoy playing on the field ( what a great thing for these kids ). There really are great seats to watch not just the Seawolves but your own high schools compete in the sport. Thanks for the info on it’s ranking.

To add another angle to the UHT, alot of the players bring their families here for the season. I have personally met some of the players family members who frequent the place I am employed. Their summer stays in Erie are also a boost to our local economy. When the season ends we are sad to see these wonderful families leave the area, because not only do they become our heroes of the summer games, but they are thankful for the service they get in our local establishments. On more than one occasion these players and their wives have offered to have our kids meet the players and talk with them about the game and see the facility from the dug out. I spent alot of time waiting on Jackson Melain’s wife and kids last year. After her initial visits to our store, she was so happy with the service she brought the wives of other players and introduced them to our business. They trusted us to offer suggestions on other Erie establishments to frequent and we usually got some great feedback. If this is a part of tourism that Erie uses it’s a great way to promote our City. It’s a fun family night too.

Thanks for posting the positive info on our own Jerry Uht Park.
Mike
May 12th, 2008 at 9:55 am

I love that park. It’s true that there isn’t a bad seat there. You could sit in right or left field in the furthest seats away from the action, and your still right behind first or third base. Even those seats would run you about $30-$40 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.

It’s kind of disappointing that people only seem to show up when it’s buck night. I went to a playoff game a few years ago (I think it was 2004, and if I remember correct they were playing the Altoona Curve), and I don’t think the attendance was even 2000 people for a playoff game!

Anyone who lives in Erie who is reading this who hasn’t been to Jerry Uht Park - Go see a game. I promise you’ll enjoy it.
Eden
May 12th, 2008 at 11:21 pm

The Uht has the best seats of any ballpark (major, minor, everything) that I’ve ever been in. There’s not a bad seat in the house and the price is right for them too.
Melissa
May 13th, 2008 at 8:25 am

Plus, the Uht is in a great location. After the game, you’re close to so many bars / restaurants. It’s a great place for an outing or “fun networking” event. I love the Uht and still try to make it up for a few games during the summer - not just on buck night, either!
Emma
May 13th, 2008 at 10:38 am

We go to at least a half dozen games a season…more if schedules allow…but we specifically avoid Buck Night.

It would have been nice if the new addition had been fashioned to be more attractive from the outside, but the new seating is great.

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About 'Outside Erie'

Peter Panepento After more than six years working as a journalist in Erie, I'm now the web editor for the Chronicle of Philanthropy in Washington, D.C., and the publisher of GlobalErie.com. I still maintain close ties to Erie - a community that I care about deeply. I hope this Web site can help inspire a better future for Erie.

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