Thoughts on 42 ballparks

[IndianaTwin]

There's been a great thread about people's favorite MLB parks. Thanks to all who have contributed. This is WAY too long to use as a reply to that, so I'm starting a new one.

 

Over spring break 2015, my wife and I took a trip to the southwest, checking the last three current stadiums off my list. In addition to the current 30, I’ve been able to take in games at 12 parks that are no longer in use. I’ve thought about ranking all 42, but that would be like splitting hairs. Here are brief comments on each, generally moving from west to east, with some rankings at the bottom. Everyone’s experience is different obviously, but this is one person’s ramblings…

• Safeco (Seattle) – Pretty decent. The best part was the enthusiasm of the fans in the left field seats holding up their “K” signs each time King Felix got to two strikes. Thankfully the roof was open and I was jazzed up on the six-chowder sampler from Pike Street Market.
• Pac Bell (San Francisco) – Still cold, even in June. Also decent. The kayaks in McCovey Cove are more impressive on TV than at the game, though admittedly I didn’t see them in full force going after a home run ball.
• O.com or whatever it’s called in Oakland these days – Weak. The Raiders are boss. Though you hear about the large foul territory or even see it on TV, it becomes more real in person. One could get several dozen big round bales of hay out of those acres.
• Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles) – The field itself was beautiful. Or should I say, the view out over the mountains beyond center field was gorgeous. For such an old stadium (now the 3rd-oldest), it has aged really well. Fans, however, are lame. They do leave early (didn’t think so much about them coming late). It wasn’t until there were two strikes on the last hitter that a ridiculous few of them stood up to cheer.
• Big A (LA Angels) – For another 60s stadium, it has aged really well. The big A is iconic. But it’s still old, so it’s hard to compete with the newer parks. The addition of the rocks in center is pretty cool.
• Petco (San Diego) – Was sitting high behind home. Has probably the second-best view of a city skyline (see Pittsburgh comments below). Pretty nice, overall.
• Bank One Ballpark (Arizona) – The roof was closed both times, so I have to wonder what it would have been like to see when open. As a closed stadium, it had the airplane hangar feel that some have described in Seattle. Would be toward the bottom of the list.
• Coors Field (Colorado) – In some ways, the stadium doesn’t stand out. It’s fairly representative of the 90s/00s parks. But the purple row of seats at 5,280 give it a nice distinction. And the sunset. I admit that I missed about two innings of the game while taking pictures of the sun setting over the stadium and mountains. Wow. I’m a pastor, so forgive me for invoking my appreciation for the Creator and the created world as I remember the view.
• Minute Maid (Houston) – It’s Texas. So let’s see -- if there’s a way to gimmick it up, they’ll do it. The train after the homer was a little underwhelming. The hill in center was just weird. Probably one of my bigger disappointments, because my son loves trains and I was hoping for much more. And with its propensity for homers, I do like the "Juice Box" nickname.
• Ballpark at Arlington (Texas) – Compared to Minute Maid, this one captured Texas better for me. It’s got some of the classic architecture one associates with the Alamo and other missions. Fans weren’t great despite being in a pennant race. Decent.
• Busch II (St. Louis) – It was a cookie cutter, yes, but the view of the Arch saved it. And the fans. Such a sea of red. I’ve often said that no park captures the feel of a college football Saturday afternoon better than Busch II. It’s also true that the fans both love their Cardinals and love their baseball, so they will appreciate excellent play by the visiting team. They also appreciate their history, so any appearance by an old Cardinal is greeted with a warm reception.
• New Busch (St. Louis) – See above, but with a nicer, newer stadium. I’m guessing that there are few who would give Busch their highest ranking, but I can’t see anyone not ranking a visit there as an above-average experience. Practically the only thing that could make it better would be to have Jack Buck slip into the seat next to you for the afternoon. I’m guessing it would make my top 10, even without Jack.
• Metropolitan Stadium (Minnesota) – Yeah, I’m that old. I only saw two games there, as an 11-year-old. One was miserably hot and the Twins lost. The next day was the June 26, 1977, 19-12 masterpiece over the ChiSox that others on this site have referenced over the years. As a result of being so young, it’s hard to rank it as a stadium – I only know that day remains one of the best memories of baseball that I’ve ever had (along with Game 6, Game 7, and Darrell Evans getting picked off third in ’87 ALCS Game 4, etc.).
• Target Field (Minnesota) – I live in Indiana now, so I’ve only gotten to Target once so far. It’s really nice. By default the Twins are there, which makes it a good choice. The shaking hands sign in center is impressive. But I found it hard to distinguish from so many of the new stadiums in any meaningful way. I look forward to getting back.
• County Stadium (Milwaukee) – I actually kind of liked old County Stadium. Having grown up in the Midwest League at Cedar Rapids, County Stadium definitely had the feel of the minor league park that had grown into a major league stadium. As long as one’s expectations weren’t too high, it had a pleasant feel.
• Wrigley (Chicago) – So many people like it. I don’t particularly. I’ve been to too many games in early spring when it’s been miserable weather. A parka in June? Really? I’ve not been there since the recent upgrades that were so badly needed. Can’t find a parking spot. And while there are plenty of true Cubs fans there, there are also too many who are just there to be able to claim that they’ve been to Wrigley. The ivy, yeah, but it’s just covering brick.  Okay, there’s something fun about peeing in a trough for the first time, but after that I can’t help but think I’m whizzing in dad’s cattle tank back on the farm. Appropriate, I suppose, since you pretty much feel like you’re cattle in a stampede when you’re in the concourse.
• Old Comiskey (Chicago) – It’s been a while, obviously. But the closed in feel was pretty special. I think they still had the fire hose as the foul line. Despite the Sox being there, it was a decent place.
• Tiger Stadium (Detroit) – But Tiger Stadium was better. Being on top of the action from the upper deck outfield seats. Simultaneously an oasis in and a representative of a rust belt town that was hurting even in the ’80s. The crisp white uniforms on a sea of green. Impressive. Among my favorites of the closed stadium.
• Comerica Park (Detroit) – When I walk up these days, I’m not sure if I’m going to a baseball game or the county fair. Between the massive Tiger and the carousels, I have this urge to get cotton candy, ask where the cattle barn is, and head to the grandstand for the tractor pull. Once you’re inside, it’s quite nice, but not distinctive. I’d give it a pretty average ranking.
• SkyDome (Toronto) – I’d rank it pretty low, though that may be a function of having no sleep from driving through the night from Montreal. But it felt like the worst of the 70s cookie cutters and didn’t have the enthusiasm of the early 90s. Not even the hope that the roof would close saved it for me.
• Olympic Stadium (Montreal) – Talk about a dive. I went there when the Expos were clearly on their way out, and there were only about 4200 fans. Of course, that made it easy to move down close to the field without the ushers even caring. And yet, I could still picture Bruce Jenner in the ’76 decathlon. And the 4200 fans still put up a ruckus. They also appreciated the Expo heritage of Staub, Carter, Dawson et al. And where else can you get a few minutes with Youppi? After all, there weren't many other fans to entertain. So, despite being such a dive, it was actually enjoyable in a quirky sort of way.
• Shea Stadium (Mets) – Compared to the Big A, Shea was a ’60s park that didn’t age well at all. In its grittiness, it did capture the essence of New York. The big apple rising after a homer was lackluster. And I had a good view of planes approaching and leaving LaGuardia. I have a picture of a big massive empty parking lot after the game that sort of captures the experience well. Shea would get one of my lower rankings. Oh, and Mr. Met is fun in a goofy sort of way.
• Citi Field (Mets) – Okay, they tried. Probably the best thing about being there is it reminds you that you are not at Shea. Otherwise, nothing unique. If Yankee Stadium is the Taj Mahal, Citi Field is where you pick up a Velvet Elvis.
• Old Yankee (Yankees, duh) – There is so much heritage here that it’s almost hard to rank as a stadium. Seeing the façade outside is indeed an elegant, almost regal, experience. Monument Park – wow. I went to two games, one in the upper deck above first base, which reminded me of all those aerial shots of World Series games over the years. The second game was in the right field seats which had two distinct feels. The highlight was the first inning recitation of each position player’s name [“Der-ek-Je-ter,” clap, clap, clap-clap-clap] with an actual acknowledgement from each player. The lowlight was that you indeed were always worried about the next fight breaking out. It was a day game and still had the strongest police presence and most fan ejections I’ve found at a game. It was both a special place and a reminder of the dark side of fan behavior. I don’t think I’d have enjoyed taking my kids out there when they were younger.
• New Yankee (still Yankees) – If Old Yankee Stadium is Lou Gehrig reminding us that he’s the luckiest man on the face of the earth, New Yankee Stadium is A-Rod. On steroids. George definitely wanted to remind us that he had money and that he saw the Yankees differently than the commoners. Massive concourse at the entrance. In its newness and sterility, it was hard to accurately capture the history. I’ve not been to the Cowboys’ new stadium, but I have to imagine a similar feel.
• Citizens Bank (Philadelphia) – I went here on the second night of a seven-games-in-eight-days trip with my then-11 year-old son. The image that remains is a picture of him keeping score with the massive lighted Liberty Bell in the back. So it’s more of an emotional reaction than anything, but isn’t that what any trip to the ball park is? So, again, on the surface I have to name that it’s another decent 90s/00s park.
• Jacobs Field (Cleveland) – Ditto. And I live around too many annoying Indians fans here in northern Indiana, so that takes off points. My first visit there had me seated so high I was looking down on the right field foul pole, which was funky. It was nice at the time, but has been passed by so many of the new parks that I suspect it would end up in my lower half.
• Three Rivers (Pittsburgh) – ’60s cookie cutter. Not much else to say. Was there on a rainy Friday night against Atlanta in the middle of the Braves’ title run. Highlight was the local version of the Tomahawk Chop. Pirates are leading 3-1 in the eighth and get a couple runners on base. A noticeable, but unintelligible sound arose. Eventually, I realized it was thousands of people intentionally doing the Chop off key and out of rhythm with each other. Sounded like a herd of cattle. Hilarious. I couldn’t help but join in, even though I didn’t dislike the Braves. You had to be there.
• Riverfront Stadium (Cincy) – ’60s Cookie cutter. Not much else to say. It did provide me with the best “wave” experience, if there is such a thing. I'm sitting in a section called “top six,” which was the top six rows of seats all around the stadium. Because it was a circle, there was nothing to impede a wave’s progress, and I think it made a dozen laps or more, increasing in speed throughout.
• Great American Ballpark (Cindy) – Okay, this is hands-down the best name for a stadium. It wasn’t until a couple years later that my son told me it was naming rights for a bank. But still, that’s pretty good. Unfortunately, the name is the best part of the stadium. Not that the park is bad, it’s just nothing special. It has a bit of the loyalty feel of being at a Cardinals game, but not to the same extent. And it has one of the better home team halls of fame that I’ve seen.
• Camden Yards (Baltimore) – I can definitely see why it ranks so high for everyone. Perhaps my expectations were a little too high, so I was a little let down. I did love the spirit that was present with the warehouse and smelling Boog’s Barbecue. Next time maybe I’ll spring the $20-plus that I think it cost for the ribs. And it did set a high standard for all newer parks to emulate. I’d probably rate it a bit above average if I hadn’t had such high expectations, but it realistically deserves a top 10.
• RFK Stadium (Washington) – Uh, it was just biding time until something better came along. Otherwise, see Shea Stadium comments, though perhaps not quite as run down.
• Nationals Park (Washington) – Like Citi Field, its best feature is that it’s not the old place. Amidst all the museums and historical sites of Washington, it sort of feels like an afterthought. With so many transplanted people, it doesn’t feel like a place that is “owned” by the locals. So all in all, probably bottom half.
• Turner Field (Atlanta) – Been there twice. First time I was pretty disappointed. It’s a new park, but not particularly well done. It’s like they knew they needed a new park, but didn’t realize that trying to make it special like Camden or the Ballpark at Arlington would be worth the effort. The second time, I realized it wasn’t as bad as I thought, but it still would rank in the bottom half. The best part is their choosing to leave up a section of the left field fence from Fulton County Stadium, where Hank hit No. 715. That’s in the middle of what is now a parking lot.
• Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay) – Many of the bad things that could be said about the various domed fields could be said about the Trop. Plus the fans didn’t care, at least when I was there last September and the Rays were out of the race. I kept hoping for a ball off the catwalk so there would be something memorable about the visit (other than the 80s rocker Evan Longoria bobblehead). I can understand why they want a new field. Definitely a bottom-tier field.
• Marlins Park (Miami) – Similarly lackluster in fan involvement. Like the BOB, I was there with the roof closed, and it made me wonder if it might have at least moved up to average if the roof was open. The Dolphins were also playing across town, so as I was driving across the state, all the enthusiasm was for football.

 

So, thus completes a brief tour of 36 of the 42 parks I’ve been too. That leaves six. I’ll start with…

• No. 42: U.S. Cellular (White Sox) – This goes alongside my earlier ranking of 30 teams where I ranked the other 28 as tied for second and Sox number 30. By default, every time I go to this place the Sox are there. The best thing about New Comiskey is that I can watch a game without listening to Hawk Harrelson. But the stadium is also lousy. It’s a monument to cement. Decorated in two or three shades of gray. If you’ve got upper deck seats, get a Sherpa or learn to repel. Even getting to the stadium is bad. I can’t tell you how much of my life I’ve wasted sitting on the interstate outside the stadium. Probably the sole redeeming factor of the park itself is the good accessibility to visiting players. And because the Twins play there so much, they seem to let their hair down more there during batting practice. My kids best autographing experiences have been here (Joe Nathan and the bullpen crew were the best). The most enjoyable thing about being here is standing to announce that “you can put it on the boarrrddd” when the Twins homer in a blowout.

 

And for my top five…
• No. 5: Royal/Kauffman Stadium – My ranking is affected by the fact that it was here 40 years last summer that I went to my first MLB game as a child. It was beautiful. Even after going back several times in high school and college and seeing the turf, it was beautifuler. The fountains, the cleanliness, the expansiveness of being on the edge of town, remembering the ghosts of Amos Otis and Frank White. Then I went back a few years ago after the grass was installed and other upgrades happened. Did I mention the fountains? What’s beyond “beatifuler”? After 40 years, it is still pretty. And yes, “pretty” is an okay adjective for this master garden. I’m going back this summer after the latest round of improvements, and I can’t wait. (Aside -- if you go to Kansas City, make the time to take in the Negro League Baseball Museum. Excellent.)
• No. 4: The Metrodome – Really. I understand all the reasons why people hated it. But I love unique. And besides, this is a personal list. I liked the odd shape. The site of a quilted, puffy marshmallow growing out of the city. Getting sucked in and out of the revolving doors. The baggy. The portrait banners of the retired number guys. Breaking the rules to muster up with the courage to ask for Tony O’s autograph while he’s standing in the press box. And getting it, taking me back to something I’d have died for as a kid 25 years earlier. That it genuinely offered a home field advantage in a world where there’s not that much different in playing situations. The noise, even for a regular season game. Bob Casey reminding us that there is “nnnnnooooooooo smoking” in the Metrodome. “We’re gonna win Twins…” It was a veritable feast for the senses. May it rest in peace.
• No. 3: Miller Park – I know it’s not good form here to like Milwaukee. And I made a rules proposal to contract the Brewers out of my fantasy league when Selig was trying to do the same to the Twins. But the park is great. I have a son with a mild physical disability, and I’ve found Milwaukee to be hands down the most accessible park in baseball, both in terms of parking and the stadium itself. One of the better places for good seats at an economical price. Sitting up near Bernie Brewer was perhaps the last good $5 seat in baseball. And the racing sausages are still the original. Even if I don’t take the grill with me, I gain three pounds in the parking lot from the smell of the best of the tubed-meat industry.
• No. 2: Fenway Park (Boston) – Magical. I generally don’t care for Jimmy Fallon (Drew Barrymore, sure), but Fever Pitch captures the essence of the stadium and the passion of the fans so well. So why is it so much better than Wrigley? After all, you still pee in a trough, it’s a pain to get to, there's no parking, and the concourse is dingy. Well, just like rock crushes scissors, a Monster eats Ivy. Cub “fans” are about bragging at the office that they’ve been to Wrigley. This was pre-Curse breaking, but I experienced Red Sox fans as genuinely living and dying with the BoSox. My second round of visits was in the aforementioned trip with my son, and as we spoke with fans around us, they all wanted to join us in the van to Montreal and Toronto. They knew it was about baseball and the experience. The “Sweet Caroline” craze had just begun and I wasn’t yet familiar with it. So unlike the gimmick that is bringing in a celebrity to sing the Seventh-Inning Stretch, this crowd rose as one to sing and shout “Woh-woh-woh” and “so-good, so-good, so-good” in the eighth. My wife has been a trooper in going to most of these parks with me, but this is the one that I want to take her back to. I’ve chosen not to drink, but this is a place where if Ray Kinsella and Terrance Mann offered me a “dog and a beer,” I think I'd consider it.
• And No. 1: PNC Park in Pittsburgh – It’s hard to put a finger on it. I’m a Hawkeye fan too, so I suppose the black and gold doesn’t hurt. In my mind, it joins Miller Park in affordability of really good seats. Looking out over the Roberto Clemente Bridge to see the city is definitely a part of the excellence; I think that would be my choice as the single best view in baseball. To know that they chose to make the right field fence exactly 21 feet high in Clemente’s honor demonstrates the care they took in making the stadium. The history of the Honus Wagner statue out front – that was more than a hundred years ago and he’s still inconic. People in Stargell jerseys. Yet it’s not overdone, so they appreciate today’s McCutcheon as well. Even the Pirate Parrot and the racing pierogi are fun without being obnoxious. I confess that I’ve not been to the upper deck, since I can’t bring myself to not sit behind home for the view. I rarely hear people talk about Pittsburgh on their “must see” list, but virtually everyone I’ve talked to that’s been there ranks it very highly. Change that – if you’ve not been there, put it on your “must see” list. You won’t be disappointed.

 

See you at the game…

 

[biggentleben]

Thank you for your comments.  I'll get to cross a bunch off of my list this year, which will bring me to half the active stadiums in the league at 35 years old, which is a pretty solid number, especially for someone working in social work and not exactly rolling in money!

 

I'll bring what I can on Turner.  Turner was built with the intention to really do the area up and have the Braves history spill over into the surrounding area, but the city of Atlanta really dropped the ball on that.  The stadium was built post-Olympics, and the Braves had just come off of winning a World Series in 1995 and having one stolen by Roid Leyritz and Where's the Ball Going Wohlers in 1996, so the city was more than happy to pledge money toward the team. The home plate where Aaron launched #715 is still marked as is that piece of the wall you mentioned.  I am curious the time frame of your two visits as about 2002-2003, the team realized that the city had no intention of following through on their part of the deal, so some of the investments that the team was going to make outside of the stadium (team HOF, team history, jersey collection hall, etc.) in an area similar to the Twins foyer outside of their right field gate entrance ended up being done inside and "crammed" into space. I loved walking the halls around the inside of the stadium for that reason when I visited.

 

I was surprised to hear that Sun Trust Park was being built, but now that I see the immediate surroundings already planned, let alone what will come in the future, it's clear that the surrounding area of the stadium was a big issue to the team staying in the city of Atlanta.

[IndianaTwin]

 

Thank you for your comments.  I'll get to cross a bunch off of my list this year, which will bring me to half the active stadiums in the league at 35 years old, which is a pretty solid number, especially for someone working in social work and not exactly rolling in money!

 

 

Thanks to some revisits, I've actually done all of them in the last 12 years, but if you are at half of them at age 35, you are ahead of where I was at that point (I am 49). I was able to catch a couple of them on my employer's nickel thanks to some professional development travel, but I know the feeling -- we've always lived on one or two teacher-type salaries (though I don't get the summer off). It's not cheap, but I found some ways to keep it manageable -- for example a $200 round-trip flight to Tampa, mooched a room at my cousin's house, a $50 rental car and late-season Stubhub tickets to Tampa and Miami.

 

Things went in earnest when I decided to do a father-son trip with each of my son's when they turned 11. One's a baseball junkie and the other at least enjoys it, so I knocked off nine in those two trips. It also helps to live in Indiana and be a lot closer to a bunch of them than you are. 

[IndianaTwin]

 

I'll bring what I can on Turner.  Turner was built with the intention to really do the area up and have the Braves history spill over into the surrounding area, but the city of Atlanta really dropped the ball on that.  The stadium was built post-Olympics, and the Braves had just come off of winning a World Series in 1995 and having one stolen by Roid Leyritz and Where's the Ball Going Wohlers in 1996, so the city was more than happy to pledge money toward the team. The home plate where Aaron launched #715 is still marked as is that piece of the wall you mentioned.  I am curious the time frame of your two visits as about 2002-2003, the team realized that the city had no intention of following through on their part of the deal, so some of the investments that the team was going to make outside of the stadium (team HOF, team history, jersey collection hall, etc.) in an area similar to the Twins foyer outside of their right field gate entrance ended up being done inside and "crammed" into space. I loved walking the halls around the inside of the stadium for that reason when I visited.

The first trip was in 2002, and it did seem like the enthusiasm of a new park had somewhat worn off. The second trip was in 2013, so it had some of the things you describe.

[Squirrel]

About the Cell, it's never referred to as New Comiskey in these parts. There were a few in the beginning who wouldn't call it anything else, but I never hear the Cell referred to that way anymore. And it is a monument to cement, and shouldn't rank high on anyone's stadium list, but I would much, much, MUCH rather go there than to Wrigley, any day, any time. I don't sit in the upper deck any more unless I'm in the first 5 rows up behind home plate. I'll sit in either outfield, esp left field in early spring if it's cold but sunny. First base side seats end up in the shade. Conversely on a really hot day, go for lower deck first base side seats. I've also enjoyed sitting in the club level seats; those seats in the overhangs. The facilities are much nicer and not at all crowded and you get wait service, so no missing anything while looking for food and beverage. Although, if you want to find the more unique food and beverage offerings you have to go out and down to the main level concourse.