PCL Travel: Zephyrs Field -- New Orleans, LA

Well, it's not really in New Orleans. It's technically in Metairie, which is 12 miles east of the famed French Quarter, 7.6 miles from the Superdome, and four miles from the New Orleans Airport. It's right next to the practice facilities of the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans.

Wherever the boundaries lie, it's the home of the New Orleans Zephyrs, the triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins since 2009 (after the Marlins had to leave Albuquerque when the Isotopes hooked up with the Dodgers).

The newest elements of Zephyr Field are the most distinguishable. Over the right-field fence, there's a swimming pool and two hot tubs. There's also a picnic area in foul territory down the first-base line and a Home Run Porch just beyond the fence. These amenities were part of the $26 million recover efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The Zephyrs completed their season three days before Katrina struck. The field only sustained moderate damage. They were open the 2006 season on time, making them the first professional team in New Orleans to play after the hurricane. The facility was utilized by the Louisiana Army National Guard and FEMA as a rescue operation. Afterward, the state of Louisiana approved $21 million to recover Zephyr Field and the team added another $5 million as well.

The elevation dramatically favors pitchers. New Orleans is located minus-6.5 feel under sea level. Metairie is a mere three feet above sea level. In fact, the hill in right field is the highest altitude location in the city.

That's an advertisement for Barefoot wine painted into the outfield grass.

That hill in right-center is the highest elevated location in the city.

The view from the highest location in the city of New Orleans/Metairie.

The dimensions aren't that intimidating. It's 325 down the lines, 400 to straightaway center, and approximately 375 to the power alleys (it's not listed). But the humidity is so thick and the lack of elevation means the ball simply does not carry. You have to hit your home runs. This allows outfielders to play more shallow, taking away bloopers, and leads to a lot of low-scoring games. Almost every year, the fewest runs scored and home runs are hit in this ballpark.

Naturally, we ran into more rain this week. It seems like we've been deluged with rain everywhere we go the last two years.

Overall, the stadium ranks in the bottom third in the PCL. It opened in 1997 and was hit by numerous hurricanes over the years, not just Katrina. The front office has done its best to add new features for fans. The clubhouses are a decent size. The view from the radio booth is pretty good -- perhaps a tad high and removed from home plate -- but good sightless and it's not obstructed anywhere.

It's a shame because New Orleans is such a fabulous city, but you don't really feel like you're there in Metairie. The visiting hotel has changed three straight years. It was near the airport, then downtown, now back at the airport. My educated guess is too many players were enjoying Bourbon Street after games, those hotels don't need the business, and it's safer to keep the players at a remote location near the airport and ballpark.

At one point, New Orleans was considered a possible location for a major league team moving. I remember as a kid watching the Athletics and Giants play an exhibition game at the Superdome. Considering how close the Saints and Pelicans have come to moving away, there's little chance a MLB team would ever move here now.