This throwback post is for the Albuquerque Isotopes who play at Rio Grande Credit Union Field in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Isotopes are the AAA affiliates of the Colorado Rockies.
In the early days of Coolest Minor League Baseball Stadium Amenities series, I would feature stadiums that I’d never been to. My goal was to highlight cool features of stadiums and share them with other minor league baseball fans. These days, as I have previously mentioned in earlier posts, I showcase stadiums that I have only attended. I use my own footage to highlight these stadiums.
The series will be evolving very soon at the time of writing this. Minor League Fan Club podcast and webcast are in the works. The podcast will share the highlights of not only the stadium but also the city that the stadium is in. This podcast will benefit the minor league fan who enjoys road tripping to different stadiums but also enjoys exploring the city they are visiting in as well.
History of Albuquerque Isotopes
The Albuquerque Isotopes relocated from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The team was then known as the Calgary Cannons. After relocating, many fans hoped that the new team would take on a former Albuequerque minor league team name when they were known as the Dukes. Pop culture had other ideas and already selected a name for the team. In an episode of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson goes on a hunger strike to try to dissuade the Springfield Isotopes to relocate to Albuquerque. 67 percent of the votes that came in when choosing a team name voted for the Isotopes.
At the Ballpark
There are Simpsons statues located around the stadium that was part of a promotion for The Simpsons Movie on 2007. They have remained there ever since. Although the Simpson’s are a big part of the Albuquerque Isotopes, the team has no direct affiliation with the show.
Rio Grande Credit Union Field is considered one of the best ballparks in all of the Minor Leagues. This park is a must visit. From their green chile burgers to their 50 cent hot dog record setting nights.
If you enjoyed this post then you can find the entire series on the Minor League Fan Club TikTok and Instagram accounts.
