Enjoying Stadium Architecture: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

This Friday night Rough N Rowdy is taking over the home of the Lexington Legends (2018 South Atlantic League Champions, nbd). It’s gonna be an outrageous nights with a lot of punches, and more importantly laughs- Whitaker Bank Ballpark will never be the same.

Now you may have noticed I said Whitaker Bank BALLPARK. Not arena, not theater, not coliseum. BALLPARK. That’s where my love of Stadium Architecture comes in. Time to break down the nitty gritty of Whitaker Bank Ballpark beginning with a tribute to other sport/venue crossover events that have made RNR5 at a ballpark possible.

You guys like Drake, right? Great rapper. Schemin’ Up, Nice For What, and Best I Ever Had are all great tunes. Well there’d be no Drake without the likes of Biggie or  Tupac and there’d be no RNR5 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark without the Winter Classic. Respect your elders.

The Carrier Classic. The photo speaks for itself. Bring it back AT ONCE! (without the court condensation)

Hockey at football stadiums is cool and all, but how about a 2,000 year old croatian coliseum? I’ll take the latter.

And finally my personal favorite- the Liberty Outdoor Classic. It was a true modern marvel that went down just over a decade ago in July of 2008 when I was at the height of my Liberty fandom.

I had tickets that day and could not wait to watch Janel McCarville and the Liberty inevitably lose by 16 to the Indiana Fever on a tennis court. Well, the weather had different plans as I was traveling home from a wonderful family trip in colonial Williamsburg when my early morning flight out got delayed for hours! Granted I loved Williamsburg. We did the WHOLE 9- Busch Gardens, Ghost tours, William & Mary, but none of that would compare to the Liberty Outdoor Classic looming over my head. Thankfully the rain eventually let up and we landed at LaGuardia in time for me to catch the 4th quarter. You know what they say! It’s always darkest before the dawn.

Now that we’ve given our venue crossover forefathers the proper hat tip they deserve, it’s time to get to Whitaker Bank Ballpark. We’ll begin where the magic happens at most venues- The main entrance!

It’s the first sight fans see when hitting a game so you better have an entrance that’s easy on the eyes. Here’s some examples!

You got Tigers the size of elephants in Detroit.

A tribute to Ebbets Field in Queens despite the Dodgers and Mets having absolutely no connection despite playing 45 minutes from each other like 5-10 years apart.

And of course the Marquee sign outside of the friendly confines puts asses in the seats.

Much like Citi Field’s tribute to their Brooklyn Brethen, Whitaker Bank is honoring the rich history of Kentucky horse racing with those 4 flag-holding pegs on top of the concourse.

Then you stroll down the 3rd base line & yup…Lexington Legends definitely know where their bread is buttered. Horses, whiskey, and minor league baseball. That’s what Kentucky does!

Then you  do a quick 180 and what do we have here? A MASSIVE parking lot. You have any idea what happens in parking lots before events as raucous as Rough N Rowdy? Tailgating. A lot of it. I know when you come at the king you best not miss, but the RNR5 tailgate is gonna give Bills Mafia a run for their money. God bless everyone involved there.

Once you head inside after a hell of a tailgate, you’ll fittingly be met with Kentucky blue skies for the Bluegrass Beatdown. Poetic.

Before we finish off with the surrounding areas, I’ll hit you with a bird’s eye view of the diamond & 6,994 seats that surround it. To give you a feel for Friday the ring is gonna be front & center at the pitcher’s mound, the VIP area will be at 2nd base, and the general admission will be in the outfield. It’s gonna be a hell of a scene.

Obviously the surrounding areas of Whitaker Bank Ballpark are a tad different from the likes of Bryant-Denny Stadium, but that surely doesn’t mean you can’t have a ball out in Lexington. Call an uber after the fights, play a few games on your phone to pass the time, and within 11 minutes…BOOM…You’ll be at classic University of Kentucky bars like Tin Roof & Two Keys. If that ain’t efficiency, I don’t know what is.

Are you still not entertained? Well have no fear because guess what’s also on Friday? The first day of Keeneland Race Track’s Fall meet.

First post is at 1:05pm with the final race of the day going off at 6:03pm. The first fight at RNR5 is going down at 7:30pm just over 15 minutes away! I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I’ll leave you with this- a few years ago I did a day at Saratoga then went straight to Zac Brown Band at SPAC. Thought it was the best day ever. This is gonna PAIL in comparison to that. I’m positive a day at the track followed by a night of fights is exactly what God envisioned after resting on the 7th day.

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So as you can see RNR5 is going to a special night at a beautiful venue like Whitaker Bank Ballpark in a fantastic location. Lexington, Kentucky is THE place to be on Friday night.

Buy your tickets HERE