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Minute Maid Park
The Juice Box

Minute Maid Park
Location 501 Crawford Street
Houston, Texas 77002
Broke ground November 1, 1997
Opened March 30, 2000 (Exhibition)
April 7, 2000 (Regular Season)
Owner Harris County-Houston Sports Authority
Surface Grass
Construction cost $250 million
Architect HOK Sport
Former names Enron Field (2000-2002)
Astros Field (February 2002- July 2002)
Tenants Houston Astros (MLB) (2000-present)
Capacity 40,950 (2000)
Field dimensions Left Field - 315 ft (96 m)
Left-Center - 362 ft (110 m)
Left-Center (deep) - 404 ft (123 m)
Center Field - 435 ft (133 m)
Right-Center - 373 ft (114 m)
Right Field - 326 ft (99 m)

Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron Field and Astros Field) is a ballpark in Houston, Texas, that opened in 2000 to house the Houston Astros. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Harris County is a County located in the US state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The Houston Astros are a Professional baseball team based in Houston Texas. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. A baseball park, baseball stadium, or ball park / ballpark is the field of play in the game of Baseball and the spectator seating areas 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Houston Astros are a Professional baseball team based in Houston Texas.

The ballpark was Houston's first retractable-roofed stadium, protecting fans and athletes from Houston's notoriously humid weather as its predecessor, the Astrodome, did, but allowing fans to also enjoy outdoor baseball; something they couldn't do in the Astrodome. For the aeronautical use see Astrodome (aviation Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome The ballpark also features a grass field, compared to the Astrodome's artificial AstroTurf, which was generally disliked by professional baseball players. AstroTurf is a brand of Artificial turf. Though the term is a Registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind The largest entrance to the park is inside what was once Houston's Union Station, and the left-field side of the stadium features a train as homage to the site's history. For other meanings see Union Station. See List of Union Stations for a specific station with the name A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another The train moves along a track on top of the length of the exterior wall beyond left field whenever an Astros player hits a home run, or when the Astros win a game. The engine's tender, traditionally used to carry coal, is filled with giant oranges in tribute to Minute Maid's most famous product, orange juice. An orange —specifically the sweet orange —is the Citrus fruit Citrus sinensis ( syn Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with Lemonade or Orange juice, but now extends to Soft drinks of many kinds including Orange juice is a Fruit juice obtained by squeezing pressing or otherwise crushing the interior of an orange.

Contents

Previous names

The ballpark was first christened as Enron Field on April 9, 1999, with naming rights sold to the Houston energy corporation in a 30 year, $100 million deal. Enron Creditors Recovery Corporation (formerly Enron Corporation, former NYSE ticker symbol ENE was an American Energy company based in Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Naming rights are the right to name a piece of Property, either tangible property or an event usually granted in exchange for financial considerations Astros management faced a public relations nightmare when the energy corporation went bankrupt in the midst of one of the biggest corporate scandals in American history in 2001, and they bought back the remainder of Enron's thirty years of naming rights for $2. The Enron scandal was a financial scandal involving Enron Corporation Former ( NYSE ticker symbol ENE and its accounting firm Arthur Andersen 1 million, rechristening the ballpark as Astros Field on February 7, 2002. Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The field was unofficially known as "The Field Formerly Known As Enron" by fans and critics alike, in wake of the Enron scandal. On June 5, 2002, Houston-based Minute Maid, the fruit-juice subsidiary of Coca-Cola, acquired the naming rights to the stadium for 28 years at a price exceeding $100 million. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with Lemonade or Orange juice, but now extends to Soft drinks of many kinds including The Coca-Cola Company ( is the world's largest beverage company largest manufacturer distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and Syrups in the world

Based on its downtown location next to the old Union Station buildings, one of the suggested names (and nicknames) is the Ballpark at Union Station, or the BUS. During its days as Enron Field, it was also dubbed "Ten-Run" or "Home Run" Field due to its cozy left-field dimensions. In keeping with this theme while paying homage to its current sponsor, the nickname "The Juice Box" is colloquially used today. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name.

Features

In dramatic contrast to the Astrodome, the most pitching-oriented stadium in Major League Baseball for most of its existence, Minute Maid Park is known for being particularly hitter-friendly down the lines, especially in left field where it is only 315 ft (96 m) to the Crawford Boxes, though the wall there is 19 feet (5. For the aeronautical use see Astrodome (aviation Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome The Crawford Boxes are a special section of seating in Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros. 8 m) tall. In a challenge to home run hitters, Drayton McLane's office windows, located in the old Union Station and directly above the Crawford Boxes, are made of glass and marked as 442 ft (135 m) from home plate. Drayton McLane Jr is an American entrepreneur He is chairman of McLane Group and chairman and CEO of the Major League Baseball 's Houston Astros. In contrast to the ease of hitting a home run to the Crawford Boxes, it is quite difficult to hit a ball out in center field. Fielding is a challenge there as well, due to the 90-foot wide, 30-degree incline grade, known as Tal's Hill, for team president Tal Smith, an element taken from Crosley Field and other historic ballparks (in a bit of gallows humor, the hill is also known as the "Grassy Knoll"), and the flagpole in play, an element taken from Yankee Stadium (before its remodeling in the mid-'70s) and Tiger Stadium among others. Talbot Smith (born September 27, 1933, in Framingham Massachusetts) is the president/baseball operations of the Houston Astros of American Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dealey Plaza (ˈdiːli in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas ( U The original Yankee Stadium is a Stadium located in The Bronx in New York City. Tiger Stadium (formerly Navin Field then Briggs Stadium is a Stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. The difference is that the Crosley Field "terrace", which was half as steep at 15-degrees, was necessitated by the difference in elevation between field level and street level, while Tal's Hill is purely decorative. Both structures have been held in equal disdain by the respective outfielders who have had to patrol those areas. This hill has caused some of the most replayed catches in recent baseball history, and plenty of controversy as well. Lance Berkman said, "If the ball rolls onto the hill, it's not steep enough to roll back, so you have to go get it. William Lance "The Big Puma" Berkman (born February 10, 1976 in) is a Major League Baseball player for the Houston Astros. Then there's the chance of running into the flagpole that's on it and getting hurt. ” Fans started an online petition to remove the hill and flagpole, though the petition has since been discontinued.

A concourse above Tal's Hill features the "Conoco Home Run Porch" in left-center field that is actually over the field of play, and features a classic gasoline pump that displays the total number of Astros home runs hit since the park opened. ConocoPhillips Company ( is an international energy corporation with its headquarters located in Houston Texas.

In 2004, the Astros launched Wi-Fi throughout the ballpark, allowing fans to use the Internet while attending a game for a fee. Wi-Fi (ˈwaɪfaɪ is the trade name for the popular wireless technology used In addition, the ballpark is the first major sports facility to have a closed captioning board for the hearing impaired. Closed captioning is a term describing several systems developed to display text on a Television or Video screen to provide additional or interpretive

The visiting team's bullpen is housed entirely in the exterior left field wall, next to the Crawford Boxes, making it one of the few bullpens in Major League ballparks to be completely indoors. Although windows in the outfield fence offer a view into and from the bullpen, its entrance is actually built into the side of the Crawford Boxes.

In 2006, the Chick-fil-A cows were unveiled on the foul poles, saying EAT MOR FOWL, and the cows have Astros caps on. Chick-fil-A (pronounced) is a Restaurant chain headquartered in Atlanta Georgia, that specializes in chicken Entrees It is the second-biggest Anytime an Astros player hits the pole, the fans in attendance get a free chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A. Hunter Pence is the first and second Astro to hit the left field "Fowl Pole" when he did it twice in the 2007 season. Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983, in Arlington Texas) is a Major league Outfielder with the Houston Astros. Ty Wigginton became the third Astro to hit the left field pole on September 16, 2007. Ty Allen Wigginton (born October 11, 1977 in San Diego California) is a Third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Houston Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

The stadium can also be fully air-conditioned when required. The term air conditioning refers to the cooling and dehumidification of indoor air for Thermal comfort.

Gallery

Panoramic interior view of the baseball park.

The Conoco Home Run Porch

Tal's Hill and the flagpole

Interior view of Minute Maid Park

Major events

Ballpark firsts

Statistic Person(s) Date
First Ceremonial First Pitch Kenneth Lay April 7, 2000
First Hit Doug Glanville (Philadelphia Phillies), single to right April 7, 2000
First Astros Hit Craig Biggio, single to center April 7, 2000
First Double Rico Brogna (Philadelphia Phillies) April 7, 2000
First Astros Double Craig Biggio April 8, 2000
First Triple Tim Bogar April 8, 2000
First Home Run Scott Rolen (Philadelphia Phillies) April 7, 2000
First Astros Home Run Richard Hidalgo April 7, 2000
First Grand Slam Thomas Howard (St. Louis Cardinals) April 11, 2000
First Astros Grand Slam Ken Caminiti May 9, 2000
First Cycle Luis Gonzalez (Arizona Diamondbacks) July 5, 2000
First Astros Cycle Jeff Bagwell July 18, 2001
First Winning Pitcher Randy Wolf (Philadelphia Phillies) April 7, 2000
First Astros Winning Pitcher Mike Maddux April 8, 2000
First Save Wayne Gomes (Philadelphia Phillies) April 7, 2000
First Astros Save Billy Wagner April 8, 2000
First Shutout Minnesota Twins 2-0 June 7, 2000
First Astros Shutout 3-0 over the Chicago Cubs July 22, 2001
First postseason game 7 - 4 loss to the Atlanta Braves October 9, 2001

Sports other than baseball

While primarily a baseball venue, Minute Maid Park can adequately host sports such as American football, soccer, and both codes of rugby. The ceremonial first ball is a longstanding Ritual of American baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and Kenneth Lee "Ken" Lay ( April 15, 1942 Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. In Baseball statistics, a hit (denoted by H) sometimes called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches Douglas Metunwa Glanville (born August 25, 1970 in Hackensack New Jersey) is a former American Major League Baseball Outfielder The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Craig Alan Biggio (born December 14, 1965 in Smithtown, New York) is a former Major League Baseball player who played his entire career Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. In Baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching Second base without being called out by the Umpire Rico Joseph Brogna (born April 18, 1970 in Turners Falls Massachusetts) is a former Major League Baseball First baseman who played Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Craig Alan Biggio (born December 14, 1965 in Smithtown, New York) is a former Major League Baseball player who played his entire career Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. In Baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching Third base after hitting the ball with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay (see Timothy Paul Bogar (born October 28, 1966 in Indianapolis Indiana) is a retired Major League Baseball Infielder. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Scott Bruce Rolen (born April 4, 1975 in Jasper Indiana) is a Major League Baseball Third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Richard José Hidalgo (born June 28, 1975 in Caracas Venezuela) is a former Major League Baseball Right fielder currently playing Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. In the Sport of Baseball, a grand slam (or just slam for short is a Home run hit with all the bases occupied by baserunners, thereby Thomas Sylvester Howard (born December 11 1964 in Middletown Ohio) is a former Outfielder in Major League Baseball. The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Kenneth Gene Caminiti ( April 21, 1963 – October 11, 2004) was an American Third baseman in Major League Baseball Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. In Baseball, a player hits for the cycle when he hits a single, a double, a triple and a Home run in the same game though not necessarily Luis Gonzalez may refer to Luis Gonzalez (outfielder, Major League Baseball player for the Florida Marlins Luis González (infielder The Arizona Diamondbacks (also referred to as the D-backs) are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix Arizona. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Jeffrey Robert Bagwell (born May 27, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball First baseman, who spent his entire career with the Houston Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. A win is a Statistic in Major League Baseball credited to the Pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead Randall Christopher Wolf (born August 22, 1976 in Canoga Park, California) is a left handed Pitcher who plays for the Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Michael Ausley Maddux (born August 27, 1961 in Dayton, Ohio) older brother of Greg Maddux, was a Major League Baseball Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. In Baseball, a save (abbreviated SV or S) is credited to a Pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances Wayne Gomes (born January 15, 1973 in Hampton Virginia) is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1997-2002 Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. William "Billy" Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971 in Tannersville, Virginia) is an American professional Baseball Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. In team sports in American English a shutout (a clean sheet in Soccer) refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Rugby football (usually just " rugby " may refer to a number of sports through history descended from a common form of Football developed at Rugby School

Its debut as a soccer venue happened during the 2006 edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 41th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region ( North America The stadium hosted the first leg of the quarterfinal between Portmore United of Jamaica (the "home" team) and Club América of Mexico. Portmore United FC is a Jamaican football team who currently play in the Digicel Premier League. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. Club América, most commonly known as just América, is a professional Mexican football club playing in the Primera División. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Portmore United effectively sold the rights to their home leg (Portmore's usual home stadium is the 2,000 seat Ferdi Neita Sports Complex in Portmore, Jamaica) to an American sports marketing company who placed the tie in Houston hoping to attract Mexican-Americans to the match. Ferdi Neita Sports Complex is a multi-use Stadium in Portmore, Jamaica. Portmore is a coastal city in southern Jamaica in Saint Catherine, southwest of Kingston. See also History of Mexican-Americans Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican ancestry 12,988 (a "home" record for Portmore) saw America run out 2-1 winners with goals from Christian Gimenez, and Aaron Padilla after Remeel Wolfe had given the CFU side a shock lead. Christian "El Chaco" Giménez (born February 1 1981 in Resistencia, Chaco) Chaco is an Argentine Football (soccer player who Aarón Padilla Mota (born August 13, 1977) is a Mexican footballer who currently plays as a forward for Chiapas Fútbol Club in the The Caribbean Football Union, often referred to by the acronym CFU, is the nominal governing body for Caribbean football.

The stadium also is the host of the Houston College Classic college baseball, part of the winter fan festival held in February. College baseball is Baseball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of Higher education, predominantly in the United States. The tournament features three teams from Texas and three top college teams from other conferences in three matches played on the field.

On November 16, 2008, the park will serve as a concert venue when Madonna performs her 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour, marking her first Houston appearance in 18 years. Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16 1958 known as Madonna, is an American The Sticky & Sweet Tour is the eighth Concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna to support her eleventh studio album Hard Candy

References

Notes

  1. ^ Ortiz, Jose De Jesus (October 10, 2005) "A win like no other" The Houston Chronicle
  2. ^ Ortiz, Jose De Jesus (October 26, 2005) "Astros lose heartbreaker at bitter end" The Houston Chronicle
Preceded by
Astrodome		 Home of the
Houston Astros
2000 – present		 Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by
U.S. Cellular Field		 Host of the
All-Star Game
2004		 Succeeded by
Comerica Park

Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the aeronautical use see Astrodome (aviation Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome The Houston Astros are a Professional baseball team based in Houston Texas. US Cellular Field (formerly Comiskey Park is a Baseball Stadium in Chicago Illinois. The 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 75th playing of the midseason exhibition Baseball game between the all-stars of the American League Comerica Park is an open air ballpark located in downtown Detroit Michigan.
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