Brett James Memorial Field in Post Falls holds layers of North Idaho baseball history — and for one longtime sportswriter, a recent trip back to the diamond marked a homecoming more than 40 years in the making. The field, tucked inside what was once called Sportsman’s Park, served as the backdrop for a Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen game in the class AA North Idaho League, the first time the writer had covered action there in more than 25 years.
A Field With Deep Roots in Post Falls
The grounds have hosted North Idaho baseball for decades. When the sportswriter first visited on Tuesday, May 29, 1984, the venue was known as Sportsman’s Park and included two baseball fields, a Little League field, and tennis courts. That day, the Post Falls Loggers — returning after a two-year program absence — hosted the Sandpoint Lakers in an American Legion doubleheader. Post Falls dominated both games, winning 14-4 and 10-1.
Leading the Loggers that season was coach John Pettoello, who went on to become Post Falls High School’s head baseball coach when the program launched in 1993. The 1984 season marked a fresh start for Post Falls Legion baseball, and the park that housed it would soon carry a new name carrying even deeper meaning.
In 1990, the larger of Sportsman’s Park’s two baseball fields was renamed Brett James Memorial Field, honoring a Post Falls High School athlete who died from leukemia in 1989 at just 17 years old. The name has remained ever since, a quiet tribute visible to every player who takes the field.
Memorable Moments on a Compact Diamond
Brett James Memorial Field is not a large park by modern standards. Its dimensions run 280 feet down the left field line, 317 feet to straightaway left, 371 feet to left center, 363 feet to right center, and 310 feet down the right field line. Despite its modest size, the park has witnessed some remarkable offensive performances over the years.
In 1999, Kirk Gosch of Coeur d’Alene High School slugged four home runs in a single doubleheader at the field — a feat that still stands out in the venue’s history. That same era produced one of North Idaho Legion baseball’s more dramatic championship moments: a class AA Area A tournament title game that climbed to an 18-16 score before darkness forced a suspension, with the conclusion pushed to the following morning.
During the recent visit, those offensive fireworks were nowhere to be found. Wind conditions on game day made home runs nearly impossible, keeping the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen and the Prairie Cardinals — the program that evolved from the original Post Falls Loggers — in a more pitcher-friendly contest. The Cardinals now split their home games between Lakeland High and Post Falls High.
Updates to a Familiar Venue
Returning after such a long absence, the sportswriter noted that the park had not stood still. New fencing now lines the field, and fresh cement has been poured behind the backstop, giving the venue a more polished look while preserving its neighborhood-park character. The upgrades are a sign that the Post Falls community continues to invest in facilities that serve local youth athletics and Legion play alike.
For North Idaho baseball fans, Brett James Memorial Field remains one of the region’s more storied venues — a place where American Legion baseball has been played for generations, where a young man’s memory is honored every time teams take the diamond, and where the game’s rhythms connect the present to decades of Panhandle athletic tradition.
North Idaho’s Summer Baseball Scene
Legion baseball is just one slice of North Idaho’s busy summer sports calendar. Area athletes have also been making their presence felt at other venues, including Hoopfest in Spokane, as communities across Kootenai County embrace summer competition in a range of sports.
For those who want to catch the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen or the Prairie Cardinals in action during the remainder of the North Idaho League season, game schedules are typically posted through local high school athletic programs and the American Legion baseball organization.