Aces bring baseball back to Reno

RENO " Fred Kimotsuki and his family walked down the third-base side of Aces Ballpark on Friday night and then stopped just behind the patio deck in left field.

Kimotsuki picked up his 4-year-old daughter and rested her on his shoulder as they both looked up at one of the advertisements hanging above the railroad tracks. The father-daughter duo took a few minutes and let everything sink in one hour before the first pitch of the Aces' home opener.

"We're going to be partial to it," said Kimotsuki, a project architect for HNTB who helped design Reno's brand-new Triple-A stadium. "I think it turned out very well. People like it. When you get people coming, there is an amazing ballpark here."

More than 9,000 fans witnessed history as the Aces, Reno's first Triple-A team and an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, opened an eight-game homestand against the Salt Lake Bees with a 11-1 win *after going 3-4 during their first road trip.

Baseball enthusiasts were in for a treat, something most haven't had the opportunity to do. Having a state-of-the-art facility to accompany the rookie team, there was plenty to do before and during the game, from shopping at the team store to lying on the grass behind right field.

Kimotsuki, who helped work on the Staples Center (home to professional basketball's Lakers and Clippers) and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League, said Aces Stadium was his first baseball project.

"Minor leagues are kind of fun," he said. "The cool thing is every baseball field is different and you have the freedom to do things. I thought it was going to be a smaller project and didn't realize so many people were going to like it."

Even for non-baseball fans, Aces Ballpark was overwhelming.

"I used to work at Northstar a couple years ago and this matches the level of excitement and fun," said Jon Trujillo, a game-day employee working security on the club level. "I'm not a big fan of baseball, but now I am of the Reno Aces."

Lacy Harrison, who works behind centerfield in the kids' zone, was pleased with the stadium's architecture. Despite a need for more general seating, the Washoe High School senior said minor league baseball is good for Reno.

"Overall, the architecture looks really, really nice," Harrison said. "This is really nice because it's something Reno doesn't have. I'm a basketball fan but I can become a baseball fan."

One of the few dilemmas fans might encounter, though, was not the stadium but the Aces is affiliation. Kimotsuki, a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, said he would support the Aces throughout the season but with one exception " when the Dodgers' Triple-A team, the Albuquerque Isotopes, face Reno.

"I think they (Reno residents) will support the Reno team. They're excited to have any pro sport," Kimotsuki said. "But it's tough to say. I like the ballpark but I'm a Dodger fan and I'll root for the Dodgers."

Tickets for today's game are sold out but few remain for Sunday's matinee. The Aces close out the series against the Bees on Monday.