Personal Ballpark Experiences 2004

I haven't been to a MLB game since the '94 strike, but here are mine:

Tiger Stadium -- Lots of great memories, since I saw games over a 25 year period there. It had some obstructed views due to the poles, but every seat felt like you were right on top of the field -- even in the farthest center field bleachers. The place was getting run down at the end, and the walkways and restrooms were cramped, but it was still a great place.

Fenway Park -- It was smaller than I expected. I sat in the center field seats both times. Just like Tiger Stadium, you are right on top of the action.

Exhibition Stadium -- The Blue Jays old home in Toronto. What a crappy place to watch baseball! The sight lines were terrible, since it was not built for baseball. I do not think anyone misses this place.

Joker Marchant Stadium -- The spring training home of the Tigers in Lakeland, Florida. It's a class A minor league park, so it's small but charming.

Coastal Federal Field -- new home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a minor league affiliate of the Braves. It's only a couple of years old, so the park is very clean and modern for a small minor league park. It's a nice place to spend an evening for very little money.

My professional visits have been sparce but here they are:

Wrigley Field: Day Game. Was probably one of the best "baseball" experiences I've had. It was rainy but not too bad. I wasn't prepared for the cold though Otherwise the overall feel of the stadium is simply something I don't think you can reproduce. Paid $19 for seats about 20 rows back on the field.

Dodger Stadium: Dodger Dogs, Nuff said The drive up to the stadium is unreal. Stellar experience. Seats I had were pretty good since I knew one of the players.

Busch Stadium: Another great place to see a game. Their fans are very supportive. The bonus to this trip was the fact during batting practice I got to sit in the dugout and shoot the breeze with Lasorda and the bunch(this was 1986). We even stayed at the hotel they did and my neighbor was Fernando Valenzuela. It pays to have your neighbor play for them

Old Angels Stadium: Nose bleed seats that night courtesy of my relatives. Not much of a memorable stay except for the Canseco Home Run for the A's.

I plan to see more games at various parks before they get demolished or replaced so this is only the start.

Coming up this year(in about a month): Yankee Stadium!

I'll be there this Saturday night!!! The closing of the street...they're trying to do like Camden Yards (which was a very cool park). I only went there (Camden Yards) once, but I got to meet Boog and have some barbeque! The atmosphere in the street area was definitely much cooler than sitting in the seats. Plus you get to stand over the homerun wall (in the outfield). They even marked off spots on the walkway where home run balls fell.

p.s. I never saw a game at Shea Stadium, but I did get to see the offices inside the park and see the field completely empty. It was almost erie seeing a completely empty ballpark.

I have been to 26 different MLB stadiums. I have seen the old and new stadiums in Houston and Pittsburgh.

I have 6 more to go. Unfortunately, I probably won't see Montreal before they leave town.

I Haven't Seen:

Montreal
Tampa Bay
Detroit
Cleveland
Anaheim
San Francisco

Note: I have seen the outside of 3 of these, but that doesn't count

POWER RANKINGS

1. PNC PARK - Simply the most beautiful stadium today. Beautiful stadium and beautiful view of the river and downtown Pittsburgh.

2. CAMDEN YARDS - The stadium that started my quest to see them all. Nice downtown stadium, good crowds. Almost always close to full.

3. SAFECO FIELD - Nice Stadium, like the retractable roof. Downtown location. Points subtracted for numerous homeless/bums in the area.

4.[tie] COORS FIELD - When I was there, it was sold out for a regular season game. Nice crowd. Downtown location. Stadium dimensions are a joke. Need to move the fences back. Mountains in the background are picturesque. I like the row of seats that are painted differently because they are exactly 1 mile high.

4.[tie] THE BALLPARK IN ARLINGTON - Beautiful stadium. Points deducted for not being in a downtown area, or accessible by public transportation. I hate stadiums that are in the middle of nowhere and have no other entertainment nearby. I love the grass area behind the center field wall where kids chase after home runs and play "Kill the guy with the ball".

6.[tie] ENRON, MINUTE MAID FIELD - Very modern stadium. Very small. Downtown location. However, the dimensions area a joke. In batting practice, in left field, you wait for the ball to bounce off the wall behind you, and then catch the rebound - that's how small it is. Retractable roof is cool, nice view of downtown Houston at night. The center field ramp near the wall, [with the flag pole on the playing field!] is a trip.

6.[tie] BANK ONE BALLPARK - Nice modern stadium in downtown Phoenix. Today, there are probably lots of entertainment options nearby. I ate dinner at Thunder Dan "Majerle's" nearby.

WORST STADIUMS

1. COUNTY STADIUM - MILWAUKEE Old Stadium. Hideous. Support beams block views. Had the aura of a minor league team that no one cares about. Did I mention that it was old?

2. VETERANS STADIUM R.I.P. Philly fans suck.

3. THREE RIVERS STADIUM Veterans stadium without the Philly fans. I saw 2 outs and then the clouds poured. I took off.

4. HHH METRODOME Boring.


OTHERS

KAUFMANN STADIUM - Best bargain in the bunch. Nice stadium. I love the waterfall. Very laid back. No crowds. Right off the highway and right next to Arrowhead stadium.

YANKEE STADIUM - A must see. The most knowledgeable fans, along with Shea Stadium. Very rowdy crowd, always fun. Fights aplenty. Historic stadium. Major points deducted for being in a very bad area. Somehow I never get there early enough to see the monuments.

SHEA STADIUM - Crappy stadium. Old. Again, good fans. Rowdy, usually a couple of fights. Fond memories, of growing up following the Mets. I got to see the end of Game 7 of the 1986 World Series here.

DODGER STADIUM - I sat in the upper deck here, and I felt like I climbed a mountain just to find my seat. Very cold and windy up there. Not downtown, no public transportation.

WRIGLEY FIELD - Big time overrated. Old stadium with support beams that obstruct views. How the hell can it be cold in late June???

FENWAY PARK - Very tiny stadium. Walking around below gives a feeling of claustrophobia. Very weird when you see it in person. It looks like a normal stadium [like Yankee Stadium] except that there is no upper deck on the left and right sides - like someone cut it off. That is why is holds so few people.

PRO PLAYER STADIUM??? - very weird setup, playing baseball in a football stadium. I only saw two innings, as a typical Miami summertime downpour led to my exit.

ASTRODOME - I was at the 2nd biggest crowd in Astros history. The reason? Mark McGwire was in the middle of his record-breaking season. The biggest crowd ever was the night before. Not as bad of a stadium as others made it out to be.

NETWORK ASSOCIATES - Freaking Cold! Contorted football stadium, with weird angles.

The One Stadium That I Wish I Could Have Seen:

Old Tiger Stadium

The strange thing is that growing up I was a HUGE baseball fan, and collected baseball cards throughout my youth. I was the best at baseball trivia, and knowing statistics.

However, my love for the game has COMPLETELY died out [probably since 1990], and I am trying to finish this quest even though I hate the game now and find it to be soooooo boring.

I am going to have to start a "College Football Stadiums" thread.

It's in Arlington - allegedly the biggest city in the US to have no public transport at all. And Arlington has no downtown area to be near.

Fenway - Many, many times, all over the park. Cramped, claustrophobic, dirty, smelly, lousy facilities, lousy sight lines, lousy seats, lousy PA. Simply the best place to watch a ball game in the world. You are as close to the players as they are to each other and you really see and hear the action. Absolutely beautiful park up top, especially as you are walking up the stairs from the dank, corroded, cramped underbelly into the bright sun. What a baseball park is supposed to be.

Best Hot Dogs also. (Doug, those are New England style *rolls*, not buns. For anyone who does not know what they look like, they have the crust on the top and bottom, with white on the sides and a split down the top. I have a friend who picks up a few packages and freezes them everytime she visits me cause she can't get them at home in GA. Also used for the famous New England "Clam Roll" and/or "Lobster Roll". You can even coat the sides with butter and grill them for a special treat!).

Yankee Stadium - Didn't really see the park much, was too busy fearing for my life (both inside and outside!).

Camden Yards - Great seats, great atmosphere, great crowd, great park.

Shea Stadium - Yuck! A concrete monstrosity that reminded me of Sullivan Stadium, the worst facility in football.

Nothing a $150 roundtrip cab ride back to the hotel doesn't fix. My first and only MLB game was in Arlington. One of the coolest experiences I have had. Was eight rows from the field, why anyone with a choice sits above row 20 with tickets prices so low boggles my mind. Just missed an
A-Rod bp homer

Mike

If they are better than Dodger Dogs and the ones at Fenway, I'll be surprised but I'll be the first one to come here and say that they were better to. I just wish that I could have extended my trip in May to include Fenway

Shane, not sure if you are asking if they are better than Fenway (never had a Dodger Dog) but I *was* describing Fenway Franks. Better than any of the fancypants stuff at the new ballparks and NO ONIONS, DON'T ASK FOR ONIONS, WE DON'T HAVE ONIONS!!!

The only thing that beats the dogs inside Fenway are the Italian Sausages on a roll outside (HOT SAUSAGES HEAH! GET YAH HOT SAUSAGES!). Be careful walking along the brick wall outside Fenway, cause it's easy to step in the sausage drippings (mustard, ketchup, peppers, onions, etc) that result from the "legs spread, bent at the waist" sausage eating technique.

I haven't been to a ballpark in probably 10 years. And even then, just two of them, the astrodome and whatever the stadium is in pittsburgh.

Jeff:
Leave the Red Sox' cap in the car (or caah) and you'll be fine

No way Lew! This was around 1988 when the Sox were still good, along with the Celtics and Bruins. I was with 2 friends. At the 7th inning stretch, we dropped our pants to show our Sox, Bruins and Celtics boxer shorts. We were about to get killed when the obvious leader of our area said "leave em' alone, anyone that has the balls to do that is OK in my book!". I was much younger and more foolish then!

Jeff, You definitely got some big ones to do that!

As a Red Sox fan, I went (with 3 other Sox fans) to the latest Florida World Series win at Yankee Stadium. We were in the bleachers and were having the HARDEST time holding in our glee. Not once did we even utter a word.

It was hard, but you gotta respect the home team no matter how much you don't like them.

Well, to tell the truth, it was not the playoffs and it was not a Yankees/Red Sox game. I think they were playing the Twins. We came up with the idea in a bar the night before and hoofed it up to the Bronx the next day.



Oh yes, just like every (Connecticut) Yankee fan that ever sat in Fenway. Respect just oozes out of their pores .

BTW, my favorite thing to yell at Yankee fans in Fenway or on the 'T' is "Go back to Connecticut". Been doing it for 20 years and have never had one yet that claims to be from New York!

I have always really loved Kaufman stadium. The talk around town is that we are on the verge of a Hallmark Park in the downtown, but I'll miss it if we go that way.

Kaufman has, bang for the buck, the best value in the big leagues, I can take my kids and myself for under $30 and get good seats.

The park is beautiful, especially for afternoon/night games, and I've enjoyed everytime I've been.

I also really enjoyed Fenway, but a lot of other "new" stadiums really leave me cold as not enough attention is on getting fans to focus on the field but on the other "goodies"

I'd like to say that too, but I'm from CT.

But, of course, that's the best part about having 3 rival ball parks SO close together...The LOVE!

Only Ball park I've been to was in 1992 I was in the SkyDome for game 5 of the world series. We were 5 rows from the top straight up from the 1st base bag. Could see everything great. It's been so long I don't remember much about the food or the park it's self. However the atmosphere in the park and outside on younge st. was just electric.

Montreal's Olympic Stadium. Forget it! It's like playing inside a toilet bowl with the lid down!

I just got back from the Red Sox game (at Fenway) yesterday, and I sat in the Best/Worst seats ever!

They were behind the Red Sox dugout (which made them AWESOME seat!) but we were in the very first row of the 2nd section. We were right behind the walkway where everyone was walking. The game was PACKED and the first 2 innings were a wash because we couldn't see passed the people walking to thier seats (which was why they were the worst). It was an endless stream of people for over 30 minutes.

But it all worked out in the end, and after the 2nd inning, we were practically on top of the field with the view we had.

But no matter how bad the seats were, it just made the experience that much more memorable. The guy next to us has had season tickets there since 1988 and he was funny. He kept yelling "Move it along! Find your seats! Down in Front!" and we talked to the seat usher (who had been working there since the 60's ) and he was funny. He kept talking about how bad he feels for the people who sit in those seats.

Say what you want about crappy stadiums, but I say their charm and uniquness can't be matched with the brand new ones. The new ones are cool, but they're too sterile and boring.

Like I've always said: If you want to watch the game...see it on tv. If you want to experience the game...there's nothing like going to the park. LMAO! How ironic is that because we got Italian grinders after the game and my buddy dripped his peppers and onions on the ground. I steeped in it later and my shoe was all slippery. I kept thinking about the above quote as I was scraping the mess from under my shoe.

My favourite stadium is Fenway. I loved it there. It may be a small stadium, but at least it's guarenteed that every seat is a good seat. I also like the vendors throwing snacks to you. They have excellent aim. I think I only remember seeing the vendor miss once, throughout the game. When I went there, someone was walking around with a New York Yankees hat. Everyone was booing him. Then he took off his jacket and he was wearing a Clemens NY jersey. The boos became louder and the BoSox fans started throwing popcorn and drinks at him.

I also like Safeco field. It's what the Skydome should have been like(or will be like if the Jays move to a new stadium).

I don't like Skydome's artifical grass. It's just plain looking.

I've been to 2 stadiums in my lifetime, Network Associates and Candlestick Park. In May, I'll be visiting Miller Park to see the Dodgers and Brewers play during my vacation.

I believe that was me.

I'll redo it here now that I've been to Yankee Stadium last weekend.

By faves

Wrigley Field
I've been twice now, once each of the last 2 years. Two years ago we caught Oswalt vs Wood, which was a sweet matchup. It is by far the best setting, the most classic surroundings I have been in for a game. The stadium is old, but who cares. And there is less pumped up rock and modern electronics in your face during the game.

Most amazing is how small this stadium is from the outside. Even behind the home plate grandstands you almost feel like you could scale the wall and sneak in. Great park.

Yankee Stadium
The Bronx makes for a very old-timey backdrop with just the right hint of urban setting. Like Wrigley this is a stadium that is just in a neighborhood, though not as cool an area as around Wrigley (think Yankee Stadium in Greenwich or something). I just did this one last weekend. We were in the upper deck, but the view was actually pretty good for the cheap seats. A little rock is going on and the out-of-town scoreboard was dumped for more advertising space, but its still a nice setting for baseball. Very little about the stadium feels modern.

The Ballpark
The Rangers "new" home is beautiful. By mixing and matching architectures they have captured a bit of everything good about classic ballparks. I caught 2 Yankee games there a few summers ago and it was scorching hot (August), even at night. Once was upper level, once was bleachers in CF. The bleachers were a great atmosphere. The place is big from the outside and extremely clean and modern, but it also feels like a very traditional baseball setting. I highly recommend visiting this stadium.

Pac Bell
Dead lock with The Ballpark. We only walked around inside the place since the season was just ended last fall. Great feeling unique to SF with McCovey Cove out past RF, plus the trolley in CF, open OF walls in RF where you can look in/enter from the walkway going behind the stadium. Even a Ferry station and marina behind CF. You even have at least one bridge in the OF skyline. Oh, and did I mention that the giant Coke bottle in LF contains a series of slides for kids (and perhaps adults I guess ). You also have the beautiful matching Mays/McCovery statues, Mays in front of the park and McCovey out in the cove. The architecture is outstanding, the park has tons of character, and the layout features nice signiture quirks all over the place. Maybe if I'd seen a game there I would have it ahead of The Ballpark.

Safeco
Seattle makes for an incredible backdrop for this stadium and the fair weather means plenty of days with the roof open enjoying the salt water air and pleasantly warm sun. Like The Ballpark, Safeco features a variety of styles/dimensions in the park so that it has that quirky uniquness. However, Safeco does feel more space-age than The Ballpark. But a benefit over The Ballpark is the proximity to downtown Seattle, which is key in my enjoyment too. I prefer Texas, but I wouldn't pass up a day in this joint either.

Astrodome
While in Houston, pre-Minute Maid unfortunately (not in my have-been-to list yet) I went to the Dome endless times, including many playoff games. Frankly it was a dreary place to see a game. The turf looked like a faded carpet, the cement was old in a charmless way, and there was very little identity left since Bud Adams had the giant scoreboard replaced with seats. I did like the cheap OF bleachers that were sold 2 hours before the game. That often meant a rowdy crowd in the OF at least. The Dome was nowhere near downtown and being covered it didn't matter anyway I guess. Parking SUCKED. There was something cool about a space capsule sitting outside the stadium though.

New Comiskey (US Cellular)
It got a bit of a revamp and was better last year than in previous years, but New Comiskey is the closest thing to the generic 70's stadiums to come out of the recent string of new stadiums. Granted it was one of the first and didn't have all the others to look to for examples, but there is something very dull about light bulp pinwheels as the main unique function of an otherwise very basic stadium. No special architecture, no particularly odd dimensions. The wide walkway in the OF is about the only nice thing the stadium features. It doesn't even face downtown Chicago.

Hopefully this year I will be able to add Great American Ballpark (Cincy) and Minute Maid (Houston) to my list. I would also like to get to Pittsburgh to see that one.


Indy has Victory Field which by most accounts is one of the finest minor league parks around. You have the TeePee in CF, a great old-time clock/scoreboard, and an excellent complete OF lawn seating area. Plus a nice cement picnic section for special events. The CF backdrop is downtown Indy dead center and the stadium is just on the edge of downtown, walking distance from the heart of the city (Indy is small compared to CHI, SF, or NY).


Spring Training

Angels
A's
I don't remember anything special about either, though IIRC the Angels have a rocky formation off to the left of the field and feature a nice lawn area. I do remember that both were very relaxing places to see a game and allowed for some closeness to the players.

Legends - Yanks
Cool field, nice imitation of the Yankee Stadium look. No OF lawn, boo, but you can sneak a free peak from the people bridge over the road next to the stadium. They feature Outback food which means a blooming onion right at the game in seconds. Parking is decent but the Yanks are so popular that getting to this stadium is a real chore no matter what.

Tigers (Lakeland)
Great stadium since they redid it. Feels tropical, no view of streets and highways when you are in the park, very nice grass area in LF. Bullpen is isolated in RF, but other than that this is a top notch place to see a game. They have several very cool food places that are done in the style of 50's diners. Beware, parking sucks, just use the street and walk.

Phillies - Brightpoint in Clearwater
Beautiful new stadium that looks like the Tigers in some aspects. It features a cool Tiki Bar in LF, a big picnic/groups area in the cement in front of that bar as well. LC, CF, and RF all have big lawn areas. Bullpen can be viewed from above in LF which is cool too. Everything about this stadium is top notch. Make sure to check out the statue in front of the place as well.

Minnesota - Ft. Myers
The outside was the best of all the parks I saw, but inside was sort of generic. Comfortable, but it lacked a certain style. Again, no OF lawn, boo. The stands do allow for some SRO are just in front of the upper section, which is good unless you are sitting in the front row of that section and people use the space by your feet to set all their stuff down and sometimes block your view even. Worth visiting, especially to see the outside, but it makes for only an okay time at the park.

Tampa Bay - St. Pete
Sits in the shadown of Tropicana almost, the area is fantastically relaxed with a marina just beyond the OF. There is a limited bit of lawn down either line, none in the actual OF. Seating is comfortable however. The stadium doesn't really have a feel too it other than being very tropical, which in spring training is a pretty cool thing. I didn't love it but I did like it.

Reds - Sarasota
Dumpy, uncomfortable old park with no OF lawn. The upper section seating was especially cramped and wasn't a great angle either. It is cool how the stadium is right on the city streets so that foul balls go right out onto the street, but getting to the park was a bit difficult, at least the way we came right past the stadium. I recommend using the SRO area on the walkway between the lower and upper sections.

Pirates - Brandenton
Just as old as the Reds park, but it has a bit more classic layout, and sits in an area that feels a bit more like city than suburbs. Again the street is just some 40-50 feet from the playing field behind 3rd base line which is cool. No lawn but big open bleachers sit down LF and RF line, not really comfortable but open and less cramped feeling than at the Reds park. Plus the bullpens sit down either line and you can stand just a few feet away and watch them warm up or get autographs. Not a great park, but it has its old style charm that makes it worth a visit.




It's not baseball, but I will say that even though its new, the effort to go so fully retro makes Conseco Fieldhouse (Pacers) in the same area as The Ballpark or what Camden appears to be like. It feels classic even though its very new. The adverts around the concourse are painted on the brick walls and are all down in an art style of the 50s. The RCA advert is a false front of a TV shop featuring old time RCA cabinets with new moniters sitting in them showing pre-game shows, so you can stand in front of the "window" and watch TV ala the 50s. Plus one end features pull-out bleachers just like your high-school gym, and the upper window layout is made to look like Butler Fieldhouse which was featured in the film Hoosiers.

I won’t bother with all of the stadiums where I’ve seen games, but I will mention my very first, when I was about to go into the third or fourth grade—an outing sponsored by a summer day camp associated with the local school system.

Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis to see an afternoon game between the St. Louis Browns and the Cleveland Indians.

I by now have no idea as to who won. But my Dad was quite excited, as the starting pitcher for Cleveland was Bob Feller his own self.

For the historically challenged, the Browns moved to Baltimore and changed their name.

Despite the endless escalators/ramps, and the movie-theater sticky floor, I love Shea Stadium. Shoot, even getting there is an adventure (one day a parking lot gate will be open, next day it'll be closed...and the 'C' in Parking Lot C stands for 'crater'.)

Haven't been to that other stadium in NY in ages, then again, I don't go to a ball game to have chunks of concrete falling on my head!

Speaking of concrete chunks, I've been to quite a few at the late Veteran's stadium...great thing was that you could buy general admissions and always find room in the field level. But in the last few years, even Phillies Phans called the place a dump. Kind of weird to see a baseball game with hashmarks and yard lines still clearly marked on the field. And I can't wait to sit at Citizen's Bank Park...got tix for games in May, June, and September.

I've also had occasion to see Camden Yards, a great ballpark with horrible traffic/parking arrangements. But even in the upper deck, you're still got a great view of the on field action. Should be fun this year with Tejada, Lopez, and Palmiero.

The 3rd Street bridge next to the ballpark is the one used in a James Bond Movie where he uses a Fire Engine to Jump the gap.
I went down the slide with my niece and I have to admit it was fun.
And besides everything I was there for Barry's HR #660 (also #500 #600 and the ones that broke McGuires records) and it is much better when you have a game.
Candlestick was fun watching the players from Atlanta & other hot climates rub their hands and turn blue. We also had season tickets there 3 rows from the field and could see Willie up close along with everyone else

One thing I didn't realize about Pac Bell before going there was that there was a wide sidewalk between the OF wall and the water, one that you could even apparently enter the game from through those RF gates. I always thought it was wall then water.

I noticed all the HR markers on that sidewalk. Since Ruth has their ever been a stadium so totally designed to showcase its star player like Pac Bell is.


Now 3rd street is the drawbridge right? The one right by the ballpark.

Then what is the bridge that goes out to an island area, is that the Bay Bridge? That's also in the sightlines looking out past LF.