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Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium
450 Broad St.,
Newark, NJ 07102
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This venue is closed.
Named in honor of Newark's now-defunct Yankees farm club and its Negro Leagues team respectively, this 6,200-seat, Atlantic League ballpark has many of the standard features of modern minor-league stadiums: a brick exterior, a wide concourse lined with concession stands, luxury and picnic seating options, and a play zone for kids. But its location in downtown proper instead of the outskirts keeps the current Newark Bears' ball field from feeling overly generic. Take a look at left field and you'll spot a pair of towering nets intended to prevent home runs from landing on Route 21. (The first was erected when the stadium opened in 1999; the second, when former major leaguers Ozzie and Jose Canseco routinely cleared the original during their stints here. Talk about a driving hazard.) A proximity to the Passaic River means a number of small bridges are visible from any of the seats and aluminum bleachers, and since baseball diamonds tend to be oriented to the east, the Manhattan skyline is visible in the distance.
Extra
An arcade once stood behind home plate but was closed on the orders of the team's general manager. The team's shop moved into the vacated space, while the former store became a museum of sorts, with photographs and memorabilia from the city's baseball past and present. This "History Room" can also be used for private events.
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