CBL Odyssey: Hamilton

Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium, Hamilton

In 2026, the Intercounty Baseball League set off on a whole new journey.

It shed its name and sailed into new waters as the Canadian Baseball League.  Bigger, better, bolder.

This is also the summer of The Odyssey, a film that is already being hailed as the blockbuster of the year.  It's the legendary tale of one man's journey through practically every nook and cranny of the Mediterranean before finally getting home.

With all this in mind, I'm making 2026 the summer of the CBL Odyssey.  I'm revisiting the league's ballparks with a fresh set of eyes.  Next stop, the Steel City.

BERNIE ARBOUR MEMORIAL STADIUM

GETTING THERE - from Toronto you drive the QEW and connect with the Red Hill Parkway, which takes you up the escarpment aka the mountain.  As they say in Hamilton, "You don't go up the Mountain, you ascend."*  The stadium is not far after you exit the Parkway, and it's nestled within a sports complex.  Transit options are more convoluted, requiring GO and HSR.  

* No one says that.

PARKING - there are a couple of parking areas adjacent to the stadium grounds, but they are tight.  Get there early if you want to park there.  Once it fills up, the hunt is on for a spot on one of the nearby residential streets.

BALLPARK VIBES - it's Bernie's place, home of the Hamilton Cardinals.  Once inside, you enter a baseball bubble.  Most views beyond the diamond are of other sports fields or general greenery, so there are few outside distractions.  The grandstand seating is elevated, as are the bleachers along both baselines, which creates a physical separation between fans and field.  There are narrow strips of grass between the bleachers and baseline fences if people want to stand close to the field.  The views are great and attendance has been climbing in recent years so the place is bustling with energy.  There is plenty of merch available.  

IN-GAME ENTERTAINMENT - Emily Thompson is the Cardinals' in-game host and she is energy personified.  Between each inning she revs up the home fans with her infectious personality.  The game I attended was "Murder Mystery Night" and Thompson conducted an inning-by-inning investigation with fans.  There's also music and contests.

FREEDOM TO ROAM AND TAKE PHOTOS - everyone can roam the park from one end to the other, but the elevated seating does make you feel cut off from the players.  The stadium requires some exploration to find interesting photo angles.  Some previously good spots are now taken by Cable 14 TV cameras.  Best bets are the narrow areas fieldside.

BALLPARK CUISINE - a complicated subject.  This stadium used to have a partnership with Hutch's, home of the best french fries in Hamilton/the world.  The partnership ended and Denninger's European grocery stores, which is just as much a Hamilton institution, now provides the ballpark food.  I tried a sausage with fries.  It was... okay.  The sausage was rubbery and the basic hot dog bun broke apart immediately.  The fries were better, thick and crispy.  But once you've had the best fries in town, everything will feel a step below.  A return of Hutch's fries to Bernie Arbour would be Hamilton winning the ballpark food championship.

BALLPARK BEER - there was no team-branded beer available so I tried a Barrel Shed Pale Ale from Shawn & Ed Brewing Co., based in nearby Dundas.  Good stuff.

TEAM MASCOT - in previous years a large Cardinal mascot has been at the park, but on the night I attended the big bird was not around.

DO KIDS RUN THE BASES? - Yes they do!

OVERHEARD - 

"The fries are good."

"The fries are pretty good."

[if they only knew what they could have had]

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS - everything at Bernie Arbour is directed towards the diamond, so it's a nice place to enjoy baseball without distractions for a few hours.  It's not a park that puts on airs because Hamilton is not a place that needs to put on airs.  Emily Thompson provides nine innings of bonus entertainment.  A neat feature is a TV hung on the wall near the concessions area, so fans don't have to miss a pitch.  I wasn't going to go on about how the food could be better but here we are.

WOULD I WANT THIS TO BE MY TEAM'S HOME BALLPARK? - as a Hamilton native I've been going to baseball games at Bernie Arbour since I was a teenager.  There are years of memories and nostalgia for me here.  It always feels like coming home.  The seating layout is not the best, but at least you can move around and watch from many different vantage points.  If I ever get banned from Christie Pits maybe the Cardinals would welcome a dedicated gonzo blogger? 

The CBL Odyssey will continue in Barrie...