The Portland Sea Dogs entered the Eastern League as one of two expansion franchises in 1994. (The New Haven Ravens is the other expansion team.) The team became an immediate success, breaking a nine-year-old Eastern League attendance record their inaugural season by bringing over 375,000 fans through the gates.

The team also celebrated successes on the field. The team finished atop the Northern Division of the league with the best record of any team in the league in 1995, but lost to the New Haven Ravens, 3 games to 2, in the divisional playoff. In 1996 and 1997 the Sea Dogs made it to the playoffs again, making it to the league championship series against Harrisburg but losing.

The team is owned by Dan Burke, and Charlie Eshbach is the general manager. Frank Cacciatore is the new manager for the Sea Dogs in 1999. Jose Castro is the new hitting coach and Steve Luebber is the pitching coach. All Sea Dogs games are broadcast on a six-station radio network led by Portland's WZAN 970 AM. Eight games will also be televised on WMTW-TV, channel 8. The team has an official Web site with schedules, ticket prices, and other information about the team.

Select an image below to see a higher-resolution version.

Hadlock Field, named after a longtime local high school baseball coach, was renovated when the Sea Dogs arrived in Portland. The park features all-new seating and a number of skyboxes along the top of the bleachers. A picnic area is available down the right field line. Just beyond the picnic area is the Expo, officially the Portland Exposition Building, one of the oldest indoor arenas in the country. The proximity of the building to the playing field make its walls and roof frequent targets for foul balls.

Besides a modern electronic scoreboard with multi-color display, the park features a model lighthouse tower. Whenever a Sea Dog blasts a home run, the tower rises, lights up, and sounds its foghorn in celebration.

The field is 315 down the left field line, 330 down the right field line, and 400 to center field. The seating capacity of the park is over 6,500.

More images of Hadlock Field are available in the Ballpark Gallery.

Directions: Fans arriving from the south can take I-295 exit 5A (Congress Street, Route 22). At the first traffic light, turn left onto St. John Street. The park is one block down on Park Street. From the north, take exit 6A (Forest Avenue, Route 302) and turn right onto Park Street, which goes to the ballpark. Free parking is available at the USM parking lots and at the Ramada Inn on Congress Street, with a $1 round trip shuttle bus available between the Ramada Inn and the ballpark. Several private lots, which charge $3-5, can be found within a couple blocks of the park. Directions and recorded parking information are available at 207/879-0945. You can use this map to help you find your way.

Tickets: Ticket prices are unchanged from 1998. General admission seats are $4 ($2 for childen 16 and under and senior citizens 62 and over). Reserved seats are $5 ($4 for children and seniors). Box seats are $6 ($5 for children and seniors).

League and Team Information

• Eastern League
• Akron Aeros
• Altoona Curve
• Binghamton Mets
• Bowie Baysox
• Erie Seawolves
• Harrisburg Senators
• New Britain Rock Cats
• New Haven Ravens
• Norwich Navigators
• Reading Phillies
• Trenton Thunder
• Eastern League Links

Official Minor League Baseball (NAPBL) Links

• Eastern League
• Akron Aeros
• Altoona Curve
• Binghamton Mets
• Bowie Baysox
• Erie Seawolves
• Harrisburg Senators
• New Britain Rock Cats
• New Haven Ravens
• Norwich Navigators
• Portland Sea Dogs
• Reading Phillies
• Trenton Thunder

Portland and Area Information

• Portland Weather (Weather Underground)
• Rough Guide to Portland
• Greater Portland Area Resource Guide
• Portland CityLink
• Yahoo! Portland
• Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram
• Dog Bytes: Sea Dogs info at portland.com