As soon as the all-clear sounded, Adam Ehlert was in his car and speedily on his way to Community America Ballpark.

Tornadoes had raked Wyandotte County, and Ehlert, general manager of the fledgling Kansas City T-Bones, was concerned the twisters might have damaged his club’s under-construction baseball stadium. He needn’t have worried.

“We had a couple of seats broken and some Port-A-Potties tipped over, but that was about it,” Ehlert told me.

That was Sunday and, after viewing the stadium Thursday afternoon, I wondered how Ehlert could tell.

Community America Ballpark is a long way from being ready for the T-Bones’ home opener June 6 against the Sioux City Explorers. The fences and light standards are up, the bulk of the seats are in, the sod has been installed, but there are no paved parking lots, the concession stands and rest rooms are unfinished, and the scoreboard won’t arrive until the next week or two.

Not to worry, said Ehlert, who moved to Kansas City with his dad, John, the team owner, from Duluth, Minn., last fall to make K.C. the southern outpost of the Northern League.

“It may not look like it will be ready,” Ehlert said, “but it will be.”

Ehlert is so convinced the $14 million facility will be completed, he is no longer considering playing at KU’s Hoglund Ballpark as a back-up plan. Instead, the T-Bones will begin spring training today at Kansas City Community College.

There are two things you need to know about the Kansas City T-Bones.

The T-Bones' new mascot, Sizzle, hams it up in the team's new facility. At media day Thursday at the Community American Ballpark, officials touted amenities such as a luxury suites, a children's play area, picnic terrace, children's concession stand and high-speed Internet access points, but there's still plenty of work to be done on the facility.

One, who are they? Answer: They’re not a major-league team, and they’re not a minor-league team. They’re an independent team, meaning they are not affiliated with a major-league franchise.

Or as Al Gallagher, the former major-league infielder who is the T-Bones’ skipper, said: “We’re a second-chance league. It’s what hopes and dreams are all about. The chances are slim anyone will make the majors, we know that. But the major leagues do make mistakes.”

For certain, the T-Bones are NOT a farm team of the Royals. They have no connection with the Royals, even though their ballyard is located only about 22 miles from Kauffman Stadium.

Ehlert isn’t whistling in the dark, either, when he says he isn’t concerned that, because the Royals are off to a fast start, they will cut into the T-Bones’ crowds.

“I think it’s wonderful the Royals are doing so well,” Ehlert said. “It only brings excitement for the sport of baseball. We’re a different product. We’re at a different level with different pricing.”

Perhaps the best analogy is Minnesota’s Twin Cities. The St. Paul Saints, one of the 10 Northern League teams, have found a niche, even though the major-league Twins are right next door in Minneapolis.

And that brings us to the second question. Will you enjoy watching a bunch of professional baseball players you’ve never heard of?

Marshall Minnich, of Heinlein Schrock Stearns Architecture and Design, checks the function of the seats installed in the T-Bones' ballpark. The 4 million facility, located near the Kansas Speedway, will be ready for the home opener June 6th.

If you like going to a fan-friendly ballpark with free parking and affordable ticket prices, you will. And don’t forget the stadium, nestled in the Kansas Speedway-Cabela’s-Nebraska Furniture Mart complex northwest of the junctions of I-70 and I-435, is only 28 miles from downtown Lawrence.

By fan-friendly, I mean wide concourses and plenty of legroom between the rows of seats. I hate it when stadium seating is like the coach section of an airplane. You’ll pay either $9.50 or $7.50 for a ticket at the 4,500-seat T-Bones stadium. Similar seats at Kauffman Stadium would be in the $21 and $18 range.

Community America Ballpark also will offer an additional 1,500 seats on a berm behind the right-field fence for $4.50. In other words, you can sit with or without a blanket on the grass behind the four-foot high wall. You may prefer a seat, however, because the berm’s steep angle will test your comfort quotient.

Still, the grass seating is a only short throw from the children’s playground area, so you don’t have to worry about your kids sliding down the hill. And the berm also offers a majestic view of the Kansas Speedway press box and grandstand to the south.

Also, the wide concourse between the berm and the roomy T-Bones clubhouse offers plenty of space for standing and watching or just milling around and enjoying the ambiance afforded by a product basically foreign to this part of the country until now.

Chances are, Ehlert hinted, the T-Bones wouldn’t exist if Duluth had been willing to upgrade its stadium or construct a new one.

“It’s a 62-year-old city-owner stadium,” Ehlert said. “It’s built of bricks they tore up from the streets during WPA. The players called it Shawshank.”

Those former Duluth players would certainly find their redemption in Community America Ballpark.