Welcome to the 75th birthday of Pullman Park.

And it's fitting that it will be celebrated all summer with the numerous baseball events lined up at the facility.

While the Butler BlueSox will play 27 games at Pullman, more than 100 games will be played there overall before the summer is over.

Numerous high school teams, American Legion and college teams already have taken to the field, which has proved to have a bounceback capability from heavy rains.

During the current high school season, Pullman Park played host to the only game in town on a few rainy days and nights.

This ballpark always did drain well. With the artificial turf infield and no dirt around the bases, it is now more durable than ever.

Pullman Park originally was constructed on the west end of town to give industrial workers and adults a place to play baseball.

Sandlot leagues were using all of the fields around town and adults needed a place to play the game.

The Industrial League was a popular adult baseball circuit when Pullman Park first opened. The deep dimensions of the ballpark eventually made it attractive to minor league baseball.

The Butler Yankees and Butler Tigers, farm teams of the New York and Detroit big league franchises, were popular at Pullman during its early years. Whitey Ford, Lou Gehrig and Paul Foytack were among the big leaguers to grace the facility.

The Butler Cubs played football at Pullman and had 3,000 fans show up for a Monday night game, long before "Monday Night Football" came into vogue in the NFL.

Boxing matches have been held there as well. When Brian Minto took on John Poore in a heavyweight bout at Pullman Park last summer, the renovated ballpark was packed for the first time.

Whether the BlueSox can bring in similar crowds remains to be seen.

But if they do, minor league baseball could return after a more than 50-year absence. The Frontier League will be using the Prospect League as a feeder system for players.

Franchises will keep an eye on all of the teams in the league, particularly Butler's franchise. They will study how well it draws and how well the parking around the ballpark works out when the park is filled.

If Butler proves it can and will support summer baseball, summer baseball will be here.

The renovation of this facility was years in the making. For a while, it was uncertain whether the funding would come through as costs of the makeover went up as the years wore on.

Pullman Park sat empty for most of three years, almost looking like a rundown shell of itself, left to die a slow death.

There was even talk of rebuilding Pullman Park at a new location.

None of that happened, of course, and if this ballpark could speak, it would say: "Look at me now!"

Pullman Park is new, improved, a local historical landmark magically brought up to date.

It is an entertainment venue the BlueSox hope to take full advantage of with concerts, group nights, and between-inning fun and games.

Either way, the franchise should enjoy its new home.

It's certainly discovered the fountain of youth.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.