Jump to content

Favorite MLB ballparks


ltjets21

Recommended Posts

I haven't been to many ballparks, but here are mine:

Fenway and Wrigley are amazing ballparks. But one of the most underrated parks has to be Shea Stadium. I went there in 2008 for one of the final home games, and the atmosphere there was awesome. I've also been to Citi field and like it a lot as well.

QFT

It may have been a bit of a dump, but boy was it fun when it got going

Yup, it was our big blue dump. I still prefer Shea to Citi, especially given how few seats the new park has. Being in a packed, rocking, seemingly unstable Shea upper deck during a Mets rally trumps every other sports experience I've had. Don't get that at Citi.

Haven't gotten it at Citi because, honestly there hasn't been much to cheer about since it opened. I'm sure it will be once the team becomes exciting for a sustained period. Shea exploding after something huge was amazing, the only thing I know that is close to that is MSG.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 201
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I'll have to go with Camden Yards. It's just a shame the O's have been so terrible the past decade because they play in what I consider to be the quintessential baseball park. It has an old-time feel without feeling "old". The view is incredible. There isn't a "bad" seat in the entire park. And the atmosphere is just incredible.

PETCO park comes in a close second. Even for a "pitcher's park" it's a lovely venue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll have to go with Camden Yards. It's just a shame the O's have been so terrible the past decade because they play in what I consider to be the quintessential baseball park. It has an old-time feel without feeling "old". The view is incredible. There isn't a "bad" seat in the entire park. And the atmosphere is just incredible.

The $5 college night tickets in the upper deck of left field are pretty terrible seats.

90758391980.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great American and Tropicana. Nothing really stood out about Great American, which was a bit of a let down. The Trop was pretty much what you would expect, though it was back in the Rays inaugural season when I went so I imagine things have changed.

I've never been to PNC, but from the pics I've seen, there can't be a more beautiful park.

FSU2.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rating the ones I've been to:

1. Target Field. This is more than a homer pick. It's absolutely gorgeous, and the view of downtown Minneapolis is breathtaking. The food is fantastic (especially now that they're using Schweigert hot dogs instead of Hormel), the beer is wonderful. Just a wonderful baseball experience.

2. The Ballpark at Arlington, or whatever it's called. They can call it all sorts of things, especially beautiful. The seats are really close to the field. And that barbecued beef brisket is wonderful.

3. Kaufman Field. It's become a classic. Kaufman was done right in an era when stadiums were done wrong. And then there's that K.C. barbecue.

4. Coors Field. Great stadium, but it gets lower ranks because I got a warm beer. A place called Coors Field should never have warm beer.

5. Dodger Stadium. I haven't been there since the 1960s, but I was overwhelmed back then and still have great memories.

6. Metropolitan Stadium. The original Twins ballpark. Lots of great memories from going there as a kid.

7. Angels Stadium. I was there in 1969, and it was nice back then. But, considering it's a totally new ballpark now, it's hard to compare.

8. County Stadium. The old home of the Brewers was kind of a dump when I was there. But those bratwursts ... those were almost enough to make you forget how much of a dump the place was.

9. Oakland Coliseum. Not really that bad. Well, there is too much foul territory, and it is rather ugly. But it's not horrible.

10. New Comiskey Park. I still call the place New Comiskey because that's what it was called when I was there. Kind of a disappointment, especially for a new ballpark. Our seats were up in the stratosphere, which is awful for someone afraid of heights. And I made the mistake of asking for ketchup on my hot dog, and then got chewed out by the hot dog vender. C'mon, man, it's just a hot dog, not a filet mignon.

11. The Metrodome. Awful stadium, especially for baseball. It was built wrong in the first place. If you wanted to see home plate, you better not have gotten seats along the left field side because you'd be looking more toward the 50-yard line. The food was horrible, except for Famous Dave's. But, hey, the Twins did win two World Series there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Coors field is one of the bigger disappointments for me. The outfield should be open. The Rockies as a backdrop? I would weep every 3 innings. I mean, you would understand why they are called the Rockies every time you looked up. Missed opportunity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll start off by saying I've only been to a handful of parks. As far as game atmosphere, I'd rank them as follows:

ATMOSPHERE

1. Old Yankee Stadium (history/tradtion oozed out of that place)

2. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (always a fun place to catch a game, obviously has gotten light years better with the team's recent success)

3. Shea Stadium (even in the last year of the stadium, with the team in a pennant race, didn't see much enthusiasm)

4. Minute Maid Park (very sterile feel, apathetic fanbase because of recent struggles)

5. Arlington Stadium (was never anything more than a retrofitted minor leage park, and the team was always mediocre)

As far as architecture, my fave is Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (total homer pick). Obviously it opened right in the middle of the retro ballpark craze (1994), but it also has a very Texan feel that fits the team and the fanbase well.

ARCHITECTURE

1. Rangers Ballpark

2. Minute Maid

3. Yankee Stadium

4. Shea Stadium

5. Arlington Stadium

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ATTENDED, Ranked in order:

1. Safeco Field-- Gorgeous new-style ballpark, right on the edge of downtown, pretty good surrounding area with bars and such. The fact it's not a glorified dome (like Minute Maid)is a plus. Its' not climate controlled (just covered) and the roof is only put in place if needed. Great food and beer selections, etc. But the best thing about Safeco are the views. Great views of downtown from the 1st base side seats (especially upper level), and unbelievable views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains to the west from the outside upper level concourse/food court.

2. PETCO Park-- Nice stadium with great views, all the amenities; the edge of the Western metal building as a foul pole is genius. Great fish tacos. Like the grassy area in the outfield. Downtown parking was kind of tough the night I went, though.

3. Turner Field-- Surprised this didn't come up as much. Great new-style ball park with good views, lots of fan-friendly items & events; a very good outfield barbecue restaurant, and terrific views of the downtown Atlanta skyline from the 1st base side. An outstanding job of desiging a venue to be a temporary Olympic Stadium and then a long-term baseball stadium (as opposed to Montreal's mess). Another neat feature is how they incorporated key features of old Fulton County Stadium's footprint into parking areas (including the wall location where Hank Aaron hit no. 715). Main drawback is distance to downtown and no nearby MARTA stop.

4. Chase Field-- Downtown location is a plus, on light rail and with ample parking in garages and such. Nice new stadium that somehow keeps it cool in the summer heat even when the roof is open. Lots of amenities and food/drink offerings in the wide concourses. Only drawback is lack of views to the outside; totally "indoor" feel even with open roof.

5. Citifield - Caught this one last year. A marked improvement over Shea. Tremendous sightlines, beautiful architecture; nice food offerings. Right on the transit line.

6. Dodger Stadium - Access and parking were a pain, lots of older concrete in appearance with somewhat dark crowded concourses, but an iconic location with its own history.

7. Minute Maid Park - Nice location on edge of downtown, though sight lines of skyline aren't as impressive as others. Roof is mostly closed in summer. A decent enough park in terms of appearance, and the re-use of old train depot is to be commended, but there's something incongruous about that train depot, the hokey train engine on tracks in the stadium, and the name "Astros". It just doesn't match (I know all about the idea to rename the team when they moved in 2000, no need to go over that)

8. Tropicana Field -- It's a rather sterile dome. It's on the "wrong" side of the population center and has a lack of fans. But, it has been dressed up quite a bit over the years. And while not in downtown St. Pete, it's on the edge of it. A shame this had to be one of the last locations of the pre-Camden Yards stadiums.

9. Angels Stadium/Edison Field - Decent amount of renovations and upgrades didn't change the fact that this is essentially a 60's era concrete monolith in the middle of a huge parking lot, surrounded by flat, open suburbs, low-scale development and strip malls.

10. Astrodome - Back in its day, it was quite a scene with the awe of the dome itself, the multicolored seats, and that tremendous scoreboard. But by the 80s and 90s, there was no getting over the dated architecture, the less-than-adequate concourses, and the fact that it was yet another big monstrosity out in the middle of a huge parking lot.

11. Atlanta- Fulton County Stadium - Has a special place for me as I spent a lot of time there during grad school. Another 60's all-concrete monstrosity, but right on the edge of downtown. Pretty good sightlines for baseball, very open-air in nature-- even the concourses were open to the elements on the sides.

12. Old Yankee Stadium -- Very uninspiring. Nice fans, beautiful field, dank concrete stadium and concourses. Sort of claustrophobic feel in the seats unless you were on the field level.

13. Candlestick-- Traffic & parking issues. Far from downtown. A rickety old structure with exposed steel and concrete that had seen better days. Rather chilly even on a sunny Father's Day. Strange winds.

14. Kingdome-- A sterile, prison-like concrete dome. Odd to me that despite it being a dome, the ramps to move between levels were "outside" and rather exposed to elements.

15. Shea-- Cramped, crowded many seats with bad sightlines (overhead obstructions).

16. The Vet -- Ugh. Most depressing, sterile ballpark I ever visited.

It is what it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My ranks of parks I've been to:

1) PNC Park

2) Progressive Jacobs Field

3) Busch Stadium (1966-2005 Version)

4) Rogers Centre Skydome

5) O.Co Oakland Coliseum

6) Cleveland Municipal Stadium

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been to:

The Ballpark in Arlington - I'll be a homer here, but I really feel it is the best stadium in baseball. The new right field video board is miles ahead of the old board that they had, and the new clubs in center field are neat places to visit as well. The food is ok, but the staff let you bring in small coolers with whatever food and drink (no glass bottles or cans) you want. If you want to beat the heat, stay in the upper deck as the wind tends to whip around up there.

Arlington Stadium - I only saw two games at Arlington Stadium, and it was so-so. You could tell it was a minor league park when it was built, and it was hotter than the Ballpark, but it was a decent place to watch a game. This is where I've been the closest to the field, on the front row on the Rangers' side. I like how some of Arlington Stadium moved over into the new Ballpark (although they took out the bleachers to make way for the new center field additions...)

Old Yankee Stadium - I saw the last Rangers victory there and the history that surrounds the field is amazing. However, the place was a dump during its last years. The concourses were built for 30's crowds, and it showed when we were there. Even in minor league parks around here I've never had to pee in a trough. The history was great, but it was way past time to get rid of Yankee Stadium.

Kauffman Stadium - I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a game here a few years ago. They were still working on the outfield additions when I was there, but for a cookie cutter stadium it wasn't half bad. The sightlines were decent and the food was good. The outfield with the fountains were really neat to watch and the amenities were up to par. Once Kansas City starts to reap the benefits from their farm system, this is going to be a wonderful place to catch a game.

Minute Maid Park - I've been here a couple of times, and for me it's not the greatest park in the world. The concourse is great with the old train station, but once you are inside it feels like a warehouse. Granted I've never been there when the roof was open, but it just feels like the ballplayers are playing in an aircraft hanger. A lot of the stuff color wise is missmatched. It's just an odd little park...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen games in Great American Ballpark, Progressive Field, Coors Field, and Riverfront Stadium. I've driven past Kauffman Stadium, Busch Stadium, Fenway Park, PNC Park, and the Skydome. This summer I hope to see games in Wrigley Field and PNC Park. I also saw a spring training game between the Braves and Yankees at Disney's Wide World of Sports. That place is very nice.

Of the stadiums I've seen games in in this is how I'd rank them:

1 Coors Field

2 Great American Ballpark

3 Progressive Field

4 Riverfront Stadium

PvO6ZWJ.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kauffman Stadium - I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a game here a few years ago. They were still working on the outfield additions when I was there, but for a cookie cutter stadium it wasn't half bad. The sightlines were decent and the food was good. The outfield with the fountains were really neat to watch and the amenities were up to par. Once Kansas City starts to reap the benefits from their farm system, this is going to be a wonderful place to catch a game.

Generally Kauffman is not considered one of the cookie cutter stadiums.

That was the name reserved for the 50-70's donut clones multipurpose circular/octorad stadiums. Stadiums like RFK, Riverfront, Three Rivers, Busch II, Veterans, Atlanta-Fulton County, Shea, Oakland Coliseum, Qualcomm, Arlington (and if one were including the domes, the Astrodome and Kingdome). Kauffman is rather more often considered a "modern stadium" along with parks like Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium (before it's pair of renovations). Kauffman was one of the few actual baseball only stadiums built in the mid 20th century that wasn't a cookie cutter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been to 22, counting defunct ballparks. I don't walk away from a ballpark worrying about the food choices, length of food lines (unless it's just unreal), price of beer, or comfort. I pretty much care about the visual ambiance (big not toward historic, but also city skylines and water). So I probably liked the old Yankee Stadium better than most (though the food service was brutal and I know I "should" think it's a dump).

Some quick bullets:

Favorites:

  1. Fenway. Some other places score points with the neighborhood, but I just love the inside atmosphere. Yeah, I once had a pillar between myself and home plate, but I love the history of baseball (and urban history) and that place just smacks of it.
  2. Wrigley. Similar to fenway...better neighborhood, but for some reason, I just love Fenway so much
  3. AT&T. Definitely my favorite of the newer parks. The view of the bay is great.

I am really glad we have Target field in Minnesota, but there is nothing truly "special" about it that puts it above

Worst:

  1. Metrodome, obviously. I really don't have any others I don't like and I've been to some that would not rate too high
  2. New Comisky. I still enjoyed it, since it's outside, but it was pretty sterile. In fairness, I have not been there since the remodeling and I can tell it looks nicer now...I'd like to go again.

I wish I'd made it to:

  • Old Comisky.
  • Tiger Stadium

Really want to see:

  1. PNC. Man does that look nice.
  2. Dodger Stadium. Last of the classics that I have not seen (and that still stands)
  3. New Busch.
  4. Ballpark at Arlington.

Other Notes:

  • Was surprisingingly fond of "cookie cutter" Busch. Maybe it was the red seats. I don't know. Just really enjoyed being there. Though it was a shame to see the top of the arch and realize the whole thing could be in view.
  • Really miss County Stadium...have been there a ton.
  • First ballpark: Metropolitan Stadium (Twins), but was only about 7 years old.
  • Went to Oakland in 2007 and I loved the experience. Yes, the open concourses and amenities of today's ballparks are great, but I don't often get a chance to go to a relic of the 60s. The fanbase was great and it was just a throwback...makes me wish I could have seen places like Arlington Stadium.
  • I prefer Citi Field to New Yankee Stadium.
  • I have been to two retractable roofs: Seattle and Milwaukee. Miller Park's sites lines are tough to beat...no really bad seats. But it's just too easy to tell it's a dome...a bit too tacky. I like the overall look of Seattle's ballpark better. My real beef with retractable roofs is that they are too quick to close 'em...wish they only would in rain, sub-50 degree or over 90 degree.

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD

POTD (Shared)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kauffman Stadium - I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a game here a few years ago. They were still working on the outfield additions when I was there, but for a cookie cutter stadium it wasn't half bad. The sightlines were decent and the food was good. The outfield with the fountains were really neat to watch and the amenities were up to par. Once Kansas City starts to reap the benefits from their farm system, this is going to be a wonderful place to catch a game.

Generally Kauffman is not considered one of the cookie cutter stadiums.

That was the name reserved for the 50-70's donut clones multipurpose circular/octorad stadiums. Stadiums like RFK, Riverfront, Three Rivers, Busch II, Veterans, Atlanta-Fulton County, Shea, Oakland Coliseum, Qualcomm, Arlington (and if one were including the domes, the Astrodome and Kingdome). Kauffman is rather more often considered a "modern stadium" along with parks like Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium (before it's pair of renovations). Kauffman was one of the few actual baseball only stadiums built in the mid 20th century that wasn't a cookie cutter.

I'll say this for the cookie cutter stadiums, at least you were outside, and those stadiums did have atmosphere. If you were a fan of a championship team playing in one of those stadiums, they do hold a feeling of nostalgia. I had the misfortune of seeing a number of baseball games at Tropicana Field, and it's easy to see why they're struggling with attendance. Sterile is a great word for it, and the immediate surroundings are uninspiring as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Coors field is one of the bigger disappointments for me. The outfield should be open. The Rockies as a backdrop? I would weep every 3 innings. I mean, you would understand why they are called the Rockies every time you looked up. Missed opportunity.

Have you actually been there or are you just commenting based on what you think you know?

If the outfield was open to great shots of the Rockies, the sun would be right in the batters eyes during evening games. There's a reason they angled it away from the west/southwest mountains.

Coors Field is beautiful. Although it's almost twenty years old, it still feels brand new everytime I walk in.

I went to a game at Kauffmann in 2010 (after renovations) - nice park, great additions. New scoreboard is huge. Still a lot of concrete though.

Safeco and Turner Field are beautiful stadiums. I thought Angels Stadium was very nice too, despite the location.

Smart is believing half of what you hear. Genius is knowing which half.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kauffman Stadium - I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a game here a few years ago. They were still working on the outfield additions when I was there, but for a cookie cutter stadium it wasn't half bad. The sightlines were decent and the food was good. The outfield with the fountains were really neat to watch and the amenities were up to par. Once Kansas City starts to reap the benefits from their farm system, this is going to be a wonderful place to catch a game.

Generally Kauffman is not considered one of the cookie cutter stadiums.

That was the name reserved for the 50-70's donut clones multipurpose circular/octorad stadiums. Stadiums like RFK, Riverfront, Three Rivers, Busch II, Veterans, Atlanta-Fulton County, Shea, Oakland Coliseum, Qualcomm, Arlington (and if one were including the domes, the Astrodome and Kingdome). Kauffman is rather more often considered a "modern stadium" along with parks like Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium (before it's pair of renovations). Kauffman was one of the few actual baseball only stadiums built in the mid 20th century that wasn't a cookie cutter.

I'll say this for the cookie cutter stadiums, at least you were outside, and those stadiums did have atmosphere. If you were a fan of a championship team playing in one of those stadiums, they do hold a feeling of nostalgia. I had the misfortune of seeing a number of baseball games at Tropicana Field, and it's easy to see why they're struggling with attendance. Sterile is a great word for it, and the immediate surroundings are uninspiring as well.

Problem with those stadiums however was that time wasn't kind to them both design wise and just through pure degredation. I mean even the nicest one of all IMO, Busch II, was starting to feel a tad bit run down at the end. Not to mention most of them were home to godawful astroturf at some point in their lives. Probably why there are only 4 still standing today in various stages of decay and disrepair.

The Oakland Coliseum is a dreary place to see a game most of the time (though to be fair a fair bit of its problems actually are the result of "improvements" made in the 90's). It's best days are now long behind it as it is soon to be abandoned by every team that plays in the complex if they have their way. Which is for the best because it is easily the worst stadium still being used by MLB and once Candlestick is gone in 2014 it'll be the worst still being used by the NFL.

Qualcomm Stadium is actually still an OK football venue, but you can tell its seen better days as it's in need of a lot of TLC in the form of paint, plumbing, electrical, a new sound system, a video board built in the last 30 years, etc... However, it is still plugging along probably in the best shape of all the remaining cookie cutters (in terms of condition, design, and amount of use) and probably the only one that stands a chance in hell of still being used by the end of the decade.

The Astrodome, as seen in an adjoining thread, is in dire need of a wrecking ball. The spiders are about the only ones left enjoying that old original dome. There really isn't much left worth saving and her current state is really just sad.

And then there's RFK Stadium, the original donut, which is the most pitiful of the bunch left standing today. RFK was a pretty poorly designed stadium to start with strangely obstructed seats behind what was home plate (and in the upper deck end zone for football/soccer) and the highwire act entryways to the upper deck and luxury boxes. Her wooden seats are rickety and falling apart, her plumbing was old 20 years ago, her concourses are dank, damp, and devoid of character (I'd say sterile, but they're in no way sterile with how much microbial life must be living along side the mildew). It really is amazing that DC United are still using her today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.