Built in a hurry in 1994, when the Seattle Timbers were scrambling to find new digs, Moline Park has seen some modifications since then. Originally constructed with a capacity of 25,000, the park has been downsized twice, first to 20,000 seats and then to 16,000 in 1997. Both renovations were designed to accomodate the steadily diminishing trickle of fans that have dusted the turnstiles in the years since the Greens came to town.
Reduced seating availability has been a paradoxical boon to the team in the championship years, as season ticket holders have increased yearly since 1997. Season ticket sales were up for the 2000 season in the wake of a long-sought SJL title and up again in 2001 after a third straight shoe. "On one hand, we have fewer seats to sell, but on the other hand we sell out more," notes ticket office director Ana Pulak.
Remodeling efforts in 1995 also included the building of a moat and a vast hydraulic pumping system to prevent the sort of flooding that has plagued John O'Donnell Stadium in nearby Davenport. While the floods of 1993 are just a memory now, Moline Park is protected from subsequent aquatic excess not just by the moat but by the best field drainage system in the SJL, according to a 1997 Quad Cities Times player poll. A similar poll in 2002 resulted in the same result. "This is a field ready for precipitation," said groundskeeper Bill Gartner. "Let it rain. We'll drain."
Before the 1997 season, the park's capacity was trimmed again, partly as a concession to its
shrinking fan base, but mostly to accommodate a Sony JumboTron scoreboard in center fielder,
which displays player statistics, out-of-town scores, and, between innings, advertising and the
ever-popular dot races. In 1998 the scoreboard gained a sponsor, the Green Chevrolet- Chrysler- Plymouth dealership in East Moline. Jill Green invites you to "Say 'Yes!' to great selection, great
prices, and great service." Fans can also access the scoreboard via the World Wide Web at
http://www.greens-scoreboard.com. 1999 improvements included an ethnic food court, an idea brazenly stolen from Camden Yards with the Quad Cities' very own Pol "Gook" Powell, serving up dog ribs Vietnamese style. The controversy in the 2003 season continues to be the status of the ancient lady outside the park's southwest wall. The outcome of the long-delayed court case could affect any plans for further park renovations.
Although the fences were evened off at 12 feet in 1997's renovations, the field dimensions themselves have not changed since the park's construction: 342 down the left-field line, 385 to the left-field gap, 420 to straightaway center, 365 to right center, and 322 down the right-field line.
From the outside, the yellow brick facade recalls the best of traditonal ballparks and shamelessly borrows the red brick look of nearby John O'Donnell Stadium in Davenport. Inside, Moline Park's most distinctive feature remains the Amber Waves, a three-hump sine wave in left field
that league outfielders consider worse than Fenway Park's Green Monster. Balls hitting the wall
in left routinely take unpredictable bounces, which accounts for the increased prevalence of triples
for right-handed batters. Since the 2001 season, Shell Oil has maintained its prominent role as sponsor of the Amber
Waves. Shell is joined in the outfield by Orion's Dairyland Seed in center field and by
Glad Wrap and the Coal Valley Coal Company, sponsors of the left and right field gaps, respectively.
Hyman's Furniture in downtown Rock Island has claimed the left-field foul pole; the right-field
pole is sponsored by Bullock Garages of Moline.
Infield sponsors since 1998 include the 72 Hour Blind Factory in Bettendorf (home plate), the Green
Thumbers of Davenport and Muscatine (first base), and the Right Side Gospel Church of Silvis,
which asks you to pray for every sinner on both sides of the chalk lines.