Cobb Field
(built 1932) was a baseball stadium located in Billings, Montana. It was originally named Athletic Park. It opened as Cobb Field on May 4, 1948 after many renovations. It was the home of the Billings Mustangs, the Pioneer League Rookie Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, from 1948-2007. Cobb Field was named after Bob Cobb, who was responsible for bringing the Mustangs to Billings. It also hosted home games for local American Legion baseball teams.
Cobb Field seated 4,200, though crowds had been known to eclipse 5,000, particularly on promotional free ticket nights such as "Kwik Way Night," in which local Billings Kwik Way gas stations would give out tickets to customers.
Ticket prices were reasonably affordable. Box seats (first four rows in the stadium) were priced at $6.50. The rest of the stadium was composed of long rows of benches assigned as general admission. Sold at $5.00 a ticket, a fan with a general admission ticket could sit anywhere they desire within the designated general area. Students and Seniors could get a general admission pass for $4. In the 90's the Mustangs had a "Knothole Gang" promotion for children to get a t-shirt, a 10 game pass, and an autograph day with the Mustangs for a set price. The "Knothole Gang" had since been revived and children between 6 and 12 years of age could get a season general admission pass (all 38 home games) for $12, a deal which lasted through the field's final season of 2007.
Cobb Field's concessions had undergone a drastic overhaul in its last few years. In addition to the basic hot dog, pizza, candy, and pop products offered by the main concession, the Mustangs added the "Cobb Grill" and "Betisse's Bullpen", a patio on the left field line where Mustangs fans can enjoy a beer and roam about freely. "Betisse's Bullpen" also hosts pre-game tailgate parties.
Cobb Field had a natural grass surface which was attended to by head groundskeeper John Barta. Barta had been on the grounds crew for many years before taking the head position in 2005. The dimensions were 335 feet to left, 405 feet to center, and 325 feet to right.
In 2006, the stadium welcomed the re-formed NCAA baseball team from nearby Montana State University - Billings. The Yellowjackets play in the Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference. From March to May, home games were played at the field (the college season starts in February, but due to the weather in Montana, the Jackets are forced to start the season on long road trips).
The stadium was primarily made up of the same wood used when it had been built and had shown substantial wear. The handrail on the exit on the 3rd base side had considerable splinting of the wood and stood as a monument to the wear and tear around the stadium (this spliting was repaired in the 2007 season). Many areas of the stadium had needed wooden boards to be installed over holes in the floor.
On November 8 a $12.5 million stadium levy passed (with a 53% majority 'for' vote) allowing construction of a new stadium at the Cobb Field location. Construction began in the Spring of 2007 and Cobb Field was torn down after the 2007 season. The new stadium opened as Dehler Park on June 29, 2008.
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COBB FIELD TICKETS
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Cobb Field
(built
1932) was a
baseball stadium located in
Billings,
Montana. It was originally named Athletic Park. It opened as Cobb Field on May 4, 1948 after many renovations. It was the home of the
Billings Mustangs, the
Pioneer League Rookie Affiliate of the
Cincinnati Reds, from 1948-2007. Cobb Field was named after Bob Cobb, who was responsible for bringing the
Mustangs to
Billings. It also hosted home games for local
American Legion baseball teams.
Cobb Field seated 4,200, though crowds had been known to eclipse 5,000, particularly on promotional free ticket nights such as "Kwik Way Night," in which local
Billings Kwik Way gas stations would give out
tickets to customers.
Ticket prices were reasonably affordable. Box seats (first four rows in the stadium) were priced at $6.50. The rest of the stadium was composed of long rows of benches assigned as general admission. Sold at $5.00 a ticket, a fan with a general admission ticket could sit anywhere they desire within the designated general area. Students and Seniors could get a general admission pass for $4. In the 90's the
Mustangs had a "Knothole Gang" promotion for children to get a t-shirt, a 10 game pass, and an autograph day with the
Mustangs for a set price. The "
Knothole Gang" had since been revived and children between 6 and 12 years of age could get a season general admission pass (all 38 home games) for $12, a deal which lasted through the field's final season of 2007.
Cobb Field's concessions had undergone a drastic overhaul in its last few years. In addition to the basic
hot dog,
pizza,
candy, and
pop products offered by the main
concession, the
Mustangs added the "Cobb Grill" and "Betisse's Bullpen", a patio on the left field line where
Mustangs fans can enjoy a beer and roam about freely. "Betisse's Bullpen" also hosts pre-game
tailgate parties.
Cobb Field had a natural
grass surface which was attended to by head
groundskeeper John Barta. Barta had been on the grounds crew for many years before taking the head position in 2005. The dimensions were 335
feet to left, 405 feet to center, and 325 feet to right.
In 2006, the stadium welcomed the re-formed
NCAA baseball team from nearby
Montana State University - Billings. The Yellowjackets play in the Division II
Great Northwest Athletic Conference. From March to May, home games were played at the field (the college season starts in February, but due to the weather in Montana, the Jackets are forced to start the season on long road trips).
The stadium was primarily made up of the same wood used when it had been built and had shown substantial wear. The handrail on the exit on the 3rd base side had considerable splinting of the wood and stood as a monument to the wear and tear around the stadium (this spliting was repaired in the 2007 season). Many areas of the stadium had needed wooden boards to be installed over holes in the floor.
On
November 8 a $12.5 million stadium levy passed (with a 53% majority 'for' vote) allowing construction of a new stadium at the Cobb Field location. Construction began in the Spring of 2007 and Cobb Field was torn down after the 2007 season. The new stadium opened as
Dehler Park on June 29, 2008.