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1984 – 1988
The chase: South Bend's leaders began seeking a minor-league team in 1984, thirty-six years after the Twins' single summer and four decades after the Blue Sox had shown what a team could mean here. In January 1986 the city signed a ten-year player-development contract with the Chicago White Sox, and a stadium rose downtown.
The building: Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium — named for Stan Coveleski, the great spitball pitcher of the dead-ball era — was completed in 1987 and opened on 2 July 1987 — its first professional game followed on 10 April 1988 — at a cost of $11 million, a ballpark of about 5,000 seats as opened. On its grounds stood a 1901 synagogue building, preserved and eventually made the team's fan store — the "Ballpark Synagogue," unique in American professional baseball. The park's nickname arrived quickly and stuck: the Cove.
Sources:
- MiLB, "A Historical Look at the South Bend Cubs" — the January 1986 ten-year White Sox contract; the stadium completed and named in 1988.
- Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium, ballpark record — construction cost $11 million; the 1901 synagogue on the grounds serving as the team store.
- City of South Bend history — community leaders seeking a team from 1984.