Final Regular Season Game at Jack Russell
August 21, 2003 - Florida Complex League (FLCL)
Phillies News Release
The final regular season game in the history of Jack Russell Memorial Stadium will be played on Saturday, August 23 at 7 PM against the Sarasota Red Sox.
A commemorative giveaway will be passed out as fans enter the stadium. Hall of Fame Pitcher Robin Roberts is scheduled to throw out the first pitch. The Phillie Phantic and a Fireworks Extravaganza are planned for the game.
The Clearwater Phillies joined the Florida State League in 1985 and hosted the 1988 FSL All-Star Game. Behind manager Bill Dancy, the 1993 Phillies won the FSL Championship. THE MAN BEHIND THE NAME
Jack Russell, a former Major League pitcher who had a 15-year big league career with six clubs, was a City Commissioner in Clearwater and the leading proponent of building a new ballpark for the Phillies. Athletic Field was the Phillies' home when they moved to Clearwater in 1947. Final city approval for a new stadium came on May 10, 1954.
In a surprise announcement prior to the first game in 1955, Clearwater Mayor Herbert M. Brown named the new park Jack Russell Stadium. After Russell died in 1990, the stadium was rededicated the following spring as Jack Russell Memorial Stadium.
FIRST GAME
With Robin Roberts on the mound, the Phillies defeated the Detroit Tigers, 4-2, on March 10, 1955. Attendance was 4,209, just shy of the capacity (4,744).
NEW PARK
Construction is underway for a new Clearwater Community Sports Complex and Phillies Spring Training Facility next to Carpenter Field on Old Coachman Road. Ground was broken on October 16, 2002. A state-of-the-art ballpark is scheduled to open in February 2004.
The park, with a classic Floridian architectural style, will feature:
**A 360-degree main concourse, open to the playing field.
**A capacity of nearly 7,000 fixed seats.
**Grass berm seating for another 1,000 in the outfield.
**Group picnic areas.
**A children's play area.
**A tiki-hut pavilion in the outfield.
**Video scoreboard.
The Phillies clubhouse, ticket office, executive offices and a media center will be located in left field, adjacent to Carpenter Field.
As part of the new project, the Phillies have extended their relationship with Clearwater for a minimum of another 20 years.
Florida Complex League Stories from August 21, 2003
- Final Regular Season Game at Jack Russell - Phillies
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