Where Do You Rank The MLB Stadiums?

[pmoehrin]

On a related note, I always appreciated the irony of how everyone got sick of the generic look-a-like nature of the 1960s multipurpose stadiums and they quickly got replaced by a bunch of generic look-a-like faux retro stadiums of the 1990s.

To an extent your right. Alot of these new ballparks have the feel of an old time ballpark but at the same time they wink at you with a sense of inauthenticity. Tal's hill in Houston is a good example of this. Crosely had that slope in left field out of necessity due to the subway. They probably would have gotten rid of it in heartbeat if they could. Tal's hill on the other hand is just there for the sake of being there. It accomplishes nothing other then to drive center fielders crazy.

But I would take all of the 90's-2000's retro parks over a place like Veteran's Stadium. So its progress I think even if its not perfect.

[The_Admiral]

Coors Field is kind of the "oh crap not THIS again" of the neo-retros for me, even though it's far from the last (I suppose that would be CitiField for now). It's just so forgettable to me, architecturally.

[pmoehrin]

Coors Field is kind of the "oh crap not THIS again" of the neo-retros for me, even though it's far from the last (I suppose that would be CitiField for now). It's just so forgettable to me, architecturally.

Never been to Coors but I could see where your coming from. Ebbets Field style rotunda, hand operated scoreboard to go with the oversized jumbotron, brick exterior. How many parks have those now?

I've been to Citi though. I thought it was a nice stadium. Not much character and very cliched in terms of what you see with these retro parks, but clean, good sightlines, ushers that aren't aholes, easy access to bathrooms, good fan ambiance. That's all I really want out of a ballpark.

[bosrs1]

Coors Field is kind of the "oh crap not THIS again" of the neo-retros for me, even though it's far from the last (I suppose that would be CitiField for now). It's just so forgettable to me, architecturally.

I'd agree with this. Coors of all the new parks feels like they just took Camden Yards, axed the warehouse, and then mirrored the park. AT&T Park is another that just feels totally unoriginal to me too. Of the new ones the more unique stadiums (not necessarily all better, just more unique) are definitely PNC, Petco, Target, Marlins, Nationals Park. No obviously some like, Target, PETCO and PNC are unique to their benefit, some like Marlins Park and Nationals Park less so. What would be VERY hard (if not impossible) to debate is that any were a downgrade for their teams.

[The_Admiral]

AT&T Park has a cool wall in right field and an ocean. That's enough to absolve them from the fact that left field is sorta dull and the Coke bottle is a little lame.

Nationals Park should be perfectly symmetrical and have a better name. The proposed "Capital Diamond" had a nice ring to it.

[OnWis97]

It's lonely here at the bottom, being the only guy who's glad the Oakland Coliseum is still around. Gotta love that vast foul ground.

I went there in 2007 and I really enjoyed it. Yeah, it has no amenities, but a few days after going to AT&T, which is a beautiful ballpark, it was nice to see some rabid fans rather than people just going to "the place to be". I know it cannot last forever, but I am glad there are a couple of the old concrete piles left. Makes me wish I could have gone to Arlington Stadium.

[bosrs1]

It's lonely here at the bottom, being the only guy who's glad the Oakland Coliseum is still around. Gotta love that vast foul ground.

I went there in 2007 and I really enjoyed it. Yeah, it has no amenities, but a few days after going to AT&T, which is a beautiful ballpark, it was nice to see some rabid fans rather than people just going to "the place to be". I know it cannot last forever, but I am glad there are a couple of the old concrete piles left. Makes me wish I could have gone to Arlington Stadium.

From what I understand you can approximate the experience of Arlington Stadium quite easily. Take a TV and a fan into a cranked up sauna. Turn the fan up the high and tune the TV into a Rangers game and you're at Arlington Stadium. From what I've been told by family members who've been there it was a miserable experience unmatched by anything except perhaps the Colt .45's stadium in Houston.

[winghaz]

I'm going to base this totally on opinion regarding the ones I haven't been to. The asterisk goes after the ones I have been to. You may notice that I'm not the biggest fan of the classics, Fenway and Wrigley. And I'm really not a homer when it comes to No. 1 -- Target Field really, truly is a thing of beauty. But here goes:

1. Target Field*

2. Ballpark in Arlington, or whatever it's called*

3. AT&T Park

4. Kaufman Stadium*

5. PNC Park

6. Petco Park

7. Nationals Park

8. Safeco Field

9. Citi Field

10. Dodger Stadium*

11. New Yankee Stadium

12. Marlins Park

13. Camden Yards

14. Coors Field*

15. Chase Field

16. Wrigley Field

17. Busch Stadium

18. Angels Stadium*

19. Citizens Bank Park

20. Commerica Park

21. Fenway Park

22. Miller Park

23. Minute Maid Park

24. Great American Ballpark

25. Progressive Field

26. Turner Field

27. Rogers Centre

28. US Cellular Field*

29. Tropicana Field

30. Oakland Coliseum*

[walby2]

I'm going to base this totally on opinion regarding the ones I haven't been to. The asterisk goes after the ones I have been to. You may notice that I'm not the biggest fan of the classics, Fenway and Wrigley. And I'm really not a homer when it comes to No. 1 -- Target Field really, truly is a thing of beauty. But here goes:

I agree re: the classics. I think they are better appreciated in theory (or at least on television) than in practice.

Don't get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed the one game I attended at Wrigley a couple years back, but to have season tickets there would be a bit of a hardship compared to the newer places. Baseball is better off for having a couple of the vintage parks still around, but no one can honestly say that they are better facilities for the fan than the new generation of parks.

[DaytonBlue]

I agree as well and it applies to lower levels as well. I went to a Dubois County Bombers summer league game a couple weeks ago at League Stadium, which was rebuilt for the movie A League of Their Own. The whole thing is built out of wood and has used seats from some other park in it. It was cool to see, but I couldn't imagine going there to watch a 30-game summer collegiate schedule.

[winghaz]

I did see that prototype of a new Fenway Park, built mostly the same as Fenway Park but with modern amenities. That thing was gorgeous.

[bosrs1]

I did see that prototype of a new Fenway Park, built mostly the same as Fenway Park but with modern amenities. That thing was gorgeous.

Problem with that proposed Fenway II though was it was just like the new Yankee Stadium. Just a half baked copy trying to replicate the greatness of the old stadium and failing to do so. In the Yankees case however they at least had the excuse that the "real" Yankee Stadium hadn't existed since the gutting in the 1970's. In the Sox case they had no such justification. Fenway Park has been largely in its current form since the 1940's. And as the Henry group has proved, with a little TLC and a bit of work the park most of the post Camden ones are based on can be as good if not better than its emulators.

[Sport]

I liked Coors Field. A lot. I went last April while I was visiting family. It was a mid-week day game so I explored the park alone while they were all at work/school. I bought a $4 ticket in "The Rock Pile" and snuck down to standing room sections and moved around the park to watch the game from all different vantage points. I even spent three innings with two cute Colorado girls that I met in the concessions line (they liked my Blue Jackets hat). There was a good crowd that day, and the Rockies hammered the Giants like 10-2. It was an enjoyable experience.

It felt like a much better, cleaner, even newer (despite being about the same age) version of Progressive Field and I liked the experience better than the one you get in Cincinnati at Great American Ballpark.

[winghaz]

I got to thinking -- there are a lot of ballparks, especially the modern ones, that pretty much deserve similar rankings. So I'm going to try something different, ranking them in ways they can be tied.

Greatest: Target Field, Ballpark at Arlington, AT&T Park.

Great: Kaufman Stadium, PNC Park, Petco Park, Nationals Park, Safeco Field, Citi Field, Dodger Stadium, New Yankee Stadium, Marlins Park, Camden Yards, Coors Field, Chase Field.

Good: Wrigley Field, Busch Stadium, Angels Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Commerica Park, Fenway Park, Minute Maid Park, Great American Ballpark, Progressive Field, Turner Field.

OK: Rogers Centre, US Cellular Field.

Bad: Tropicana Field.

Awful: Oakland Coliseum.

[infrared41]

Would anyone be interested in a "Rank the Minor League" stadiums thread?

[Luigi]

from the ones that I have been too

1. Shea Stadium

It was alright, going to a MLB game was awesome though

[DC in Da House w/o a Doubt]

Of the stadiums I've been to:

1) PNC Park

2) AT&T Park

3) Camden Yards

4) Fenway Park

5) Wrigley Field

6) PETCO Park

7) Bank One Ballpark

8) new Busch Stadium

9) Nationals Park

10) Great American Ballpark

11) Progressive Field

12) Citizens Bank Park

13) Angel Stadium

14) old Busch Stadium

15) old Yankee Stadium

16) RFK Stadium

17) Shea Stadium

[FiddySicks]

I got to thinking -- there are a lot of ballparks, especially the modern ones, that pretty much deserve similar rankings. So I'm going to try something different, ranking them in ways they can be tied.

Greatest: Target Field, Ballpark at Arlington, AT&T Park.

Great: Kaufman Stadium, PNC Park, Petco Park, Nationals Park, Safeco Field, Citi Field, Dodger Stadium, New Yankee Stadium, Marlins Park, Camden Yards, Coors Field, Chase Field.

Good: Wrigley Field, Busch Stadium, Angels Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Commerica Park, Fenway Park, Minute Maid Park, Great American Ballpark, Progressive Field, Turner Field.

OK: Rogers Centre, US Cellular Field.

Bad: Tropicana Field.

Awful: Oakland Coliseum.

I don't agree with those final two at all. I've been to both Tropicana and the Coliseum and IMO, the Coluseum is a much better park. Neither are pretty parks, but at least the Coliseum is an open park and is very easy to get to. Tropicana is way out of the way and feels like a dungeon.

[bosrs1]

I got to thinking -- there are a lot of ballparks, especially the modern ones, that pretty much deserve similar rankings. So I'm going to try something different, ranking them in ways they can be tied.

Greatest: Target Field, Ballpark at Arlington, AT&T Park.

Great: Kaufman Stadium, PNC Park, Petco Park, Nationals Park, Safeco Field, Citi Field, Dodger Stadium, New Yankee Stadium, Marlins Park, Camden Yards, Coors Field, Chase Field.

Good: Wrigley Field, Busch Stadium, Angels Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Commerica Park, Fenway Park, Minute Maid Park, Great American Ballpark, Progressive Field, Turner Field.

OK: Rogers Centre, US Cellular Field.

Bad: Tropicana Field.

Awful: Oakland Coliseum.

I don't agree with those final two at all. I've been to both Tropicana and the Coliseum and IMO, the Coluseum is a much better park. Neither are pretty parks, but at least the Coliseum is an open park and is very easy to get to. Tropicana is way out of the way and feels like a dungeon.

You do realize you're arguing that one piece of crap stadium is better than another piece of crap stadium. Bottom line is that they're both crap. One is newer baseball only indoor crap, the other is old multipurpose outdoor crap. Both are compromised designs whose deficiencies that impact the play on the field, make them poor venues for fans, and both need to meet the wrecking ball sooner rather than later.

[patsox]

I've only been to three, so I'll rank those.

1) Fenway

2) Rogers Centre

3) Tropicana Field