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Texas Ballparks

Gwreck Aug 04 2008 08:31 PM

As mentioned in the game threads, I spent the past weekend in the Lone Star state watching the Mets get their asses handed to them by the Astros (Friday/Sunday) and took a detour to Arlington to see the Blue Jays/Rangers tilt on Saturday. Minute Maid is a spectacular park and after this visit, clearly one of my favorites. It compares nicely to most of the retractable roof parks, in that you don't feel like you're seeing baseball in a warehouse (Arizona). The huge windows over left and left-center field require the wearing of sunglasses indoors for those seated on the first base side of the stands -- strange, when you're watching baseball in air-conditioned comfort. Nice views from just about every seat in the house, and the alley over left and center field is a nice feature as well. The Astros also do a very nice job of integrating city (ie. the train, and the old Union Station which was converted into an entrance into the park/offices/team store) and team history into the park (tons of murals, timelines, tributes to Astros of the past). Thumbs down to not allowing any outside food or beverages. The barbeque baked potato (a potato loaded with cheddar cheese, beef briskey, sour cream and chives) was amazing. Rangers Ballpark doesn't have the open concourses that most of the newer parks has but they're still plenty wide and allow for easy movement to the numerous concession stands. Didn't get to eat much there but I did notice they offer several choice items, including an authentic Chicago Hot Dog as well as Garlic Fries. Thumbs up for allowing outside food and beverages (the 4 bottles of water we brought were not enough!). I appreciate the baseball traditionalist approach of having the game played outdoors no matter what (even if was 101 degrees at gametime on Saturday night). The upperdeck seats aren't very good, and the lower deck seats were a bit pricey for a team that hasn't had a lot of success in the recent past. Rangers have their own mini-Cooperstown (great for fans who won't be in upstate New York much) with exhibits and items on loan from the HOF, but also a very well done Texas baseball museum to boot.I On the plane home, I came up with Gwreck's updated current baseball park rankings (what are yours?) 1. PNC Park, Pittsburgh 2. Safeco Field, Seattle 3. Comerica Park, Detroit 4. Minute Maid Park, Houston 5. Miller Park, Milwaukee 6. Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix 7. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington 8. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia 9. Wrigley Field, Chicago 10. Comiskey Park, Chicago 11. Fenway Park, Boston 12. Shea Stadium 13. Skydome, Toronto 14. Yankee Stadium

themetfairy Aug 04 2008 08:38 PM

I agree that PNC is the best park in the majors. Pac Bell (or whatever it's name is this week) in SF is my second favorite park, and it has the best food in the majors. Shea is better than Fenway - Fenway is decrepit! Arlington should have been domed - the summer heat is ridiculous. Bank One Ballpark or whatever it's current name is in Phoenix is a better domed stadium. It doesn't have the stupid hill in the outfield that Minute Maid does, and it's really interesting when they open the roof after a game and the hot air wooshes in. I'm too tired to generate much more right now, but it's definitely fun seeing the different parks around the majors.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 04 2008 09:40 PM

Eh, I'm sorta with G on the Houston v. Phoenix thing. BoB feels like watching a game in an airplane hangar My experiemce at the Rangers stadium was: no surrounding character, clueless fans, plenty of beer.

HahnSolo Aug 05 2008 06:31 AM

Would you believe Shea is the second best ballpark I've seen a game in? First would be Fenway, then Shea, then the quadrangle of suckitude: The Vet, the Big O, RFK, and Fulton County. I am going to the new Nationals Park next weekend. I am sure that will move up on my list.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 05 2008 07:03 AM

I've seen games in 13 stadiums, 7 of which are defunct. (And by next year, 9 of my 13 will be defunct. Since I'm no longer interested in attending, or even watching, a game in which the Mets aren't participating, my list of stadiums has pretty much stopped growing. I added Wrigley Field to my list in 1993, and didn't add another ballpark until Citizens Bank Park in 2004.) Anyway, here's my ranking of the 13. I seem to prefer genuine old to faux old, but I like the faux old more than the multi-purposes of the 60's and 70's. Artificial turf fields fall into the bottom category. 1. Tiger Stadium, Detroit 2. Fenway Park, Boston 3a. Comiskey Park I, Chicago 3b. Wrigley Field, Chicago 5a. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia 5b. Camden Yards, Baltimore 7a. Yankee Stadium, New York 7b. Shea Stadium, New York 7c. Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta 7d. Memorial Stadium, Baltimore 11a. Olympic Stadium, Montreal 11b. Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati 11c. Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

Vic Sage Aug 05 2008 08:24 AM

major league ballparks i've watched a game in: Wrigley Field, Chicago - everything they say it is Camden Yards, Baltimore - easy access, great food, good sightlines, charming design Fenway Park, Boston - decrepit, but still has charm Oakland (what's the stadium's name?) - charmless, but comfortable, with good food Shea Stadium, New York - a shithole, but it's my shithole Yankee Stadium, New York - THEIR shithole; creepy Candlestick Park, SF - freezing winds & fog in August? Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia - charmless bowl; dangerously steep rake to upper deck seating Memorial Stadium, Baltimore - brick bunker designed to bake its patrons Olympic Stadium, Montreal - Le Big Blue Suck Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego - wow, was this place lame in every way

Benjamin Grimm Aug 05 2008 08:37 AM

Vic's defunct percentage is almost as high as mine.

Vic Sage Aug 05 2008 08:48 AM

Camden Yards is the only new park I've seen. I've got to get out more.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 05 2008 08:50 AM

My list is short and includes 6 dead stadiums. Proud to say I've never been to MFY Stadium but Dodger Stadium is tops on my to-go list. I'm going with a French exchange student asap. I like, also hafta go see the Fens and Pac Bell. Shea: yay! The Vet -- fake, faraway seats but scene of a lot of good times Citizen's Bank -- um, ok RFK -- you're a million miles from the action Camden Yards -- nice if your seats face home. Painful if not Baltimore Memorial -- steep upper deck. I mean, s-t-e-e-p! Turner -- scorecard vendors don't have pencils. I mean wtf. Minute Maid -- had great seats Three Rivers -- like the Vet Cleveland Municipal -- Rickety Skydome -- I didn't think the game played right here: Too hard to hit a triple, too easy to hit a HR Wrigley -- beer Comiskey (new) -- fighting in stands, dark concourses Bank One -- warehouse like, clueless fans Mallpark at Arlington -- nice looking but located at an offramp Busch II (not III) -- long rows of seats. "Best Fans in the World" unfriendly, not knowledgeable

Benjamin Grimm Aug 05 2008 08:59 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: My list is short and includes 6 dead stadiums. You've got 16 ballparks there. I woudn't call that a short list. For the first 20 years of my life, my list had one stadium on it. (Shea, of course.) Now THAT was a short list! Me, I'll probably add Citi Field and Nationals Park in the next few years, but beyond that I probably won't add any more unless I happen to be in California or Phoenix or Denver at the same time the Mets are.

OlerudOwned Aug 05 2008 09:23 AM

My list is Shea and Turner Field, so yeah. 16 ain't short.

themetfairy Aug 05 2008 09:49 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 05 2008 01:58 PM

In no particular order - 1. Shea - You all know the place. 2. MFY home - Overrated, with scarily narrow causeways 3. Fenway - historic, but decrepit 4. Wrigley - historic, decrepit, but I got to see Harry Carey sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. 5. New Comiskey/Cellular One - underrated. I enjoyed the park, the organ music and the fans. 6. Camden Yards - Overrated 7. PNC - the best. My favorite 8. Pac Bell/ATT - very pretty, and great food 9. Safeco - Nice, but too Ichiro-oriented. 10. Oakland Coliseum - in worse shape than Shea, but it's worth the price of admission to watch the fans in the outfield. 11. Petco - it has a lot of diversions, but it's a nice park. 12. Tropicana Field - They need that dome for the nightly thunderstorms. No great shakes, but ok 13. Dolphin Stadium - it's very ill-suited for baseball. 14. Turner Field - very nice 15. Jacobs Field - well done 16. Skydome/Rogers Center - not bad, but it fell below expectations 17. Angels Stadium - nicely redone, and with great company (i.e., Seo <g>) 18. Dodgers Stadium - very pleasant 19. Kauffman Stadium - everything they say about Dodgers Stadium, but prettier. Love the fountains. 20. Comerica Park - The carousel and ferris wheel at the park are silly diversions 21. Humphey Dome - Hate the silly trash bags in the outfield. Not a great venue for baseball. 22. Miller Field - Pleasant, and it has the nicest fans we've ever encountered anywhere. 23. Minute Maid - great chili cheese fries. Silly train and outfield hill. 24. Busch Stadium (new) - very pretty and nicely done 25. Bank One/Chase Field - I enjoyed the climate control and the feeling wen they opened the roof 26. Arlington - it should be domed. Too hot! 27. Citizens Bank Ballpark - not as perfect as it should be. Awful egress from the upper levels. Nice food options 28. Coors Field - very pretty. Great downtown location 29. Great American Ballpark - nice, but not as great as PNC 30. Nationals Park - nicely done Defunct - 31. Olympic Stadium - cookie cutter, but fun 32. Fulton County Stadium - nondescript 33. Jack Murphy/Qualcomm - eh 34. Kingdome - the worst. It was like watching baseball in the Nassau Coliseum 35. Astrodome - it wasn fun 36. Busch Stadium (old) - cookie cutter 37. Riverfront Stadium - good location, and Marge kept the place very clean 38. Three Rivers Stadium - it was in a surprisingly beautiful location 39. RFK Stadium - very rundown 40. Veterans Stadium - I actually liked it. Never a problem getting seats, and it had very wide causeways.

metirish Aug 05 2008 09:51 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Proud to say I've never been to MFY That surprises me , not sure why.

Centerfield Aug 05 2008 09:52 AM

My list is only slightly longer than Olerud's. In order: 1. Wrigley Field: Great park. Our seats were directly behind a pole, but whatever. 2. Camden Yards: The only new ballpark I've been to. 3. Shea Stadium: It's home. 4. Three Rivers Stadium: I remember almost nothing about this ballpark. I was on a date. 5. Olympic Stadium: Sucked. 6. High School field. 7. Little League field. 8. The church parking lot. 9. MFY Stadium.

Methead Aug 05 2008 10:01 AM

"Proud to say I've never been to MFY Stadium" Same here. Most people think it's weird, but you guys understand.

soupcan Aug 05 2008 10:04 AM

Places I've been... Shea Stadium - a dump, but its our dump. Yankee Stadium - For some reason I just don't enjoy going there. Be it games or concerts. I just don't like it... Fenway Park - ...as opposed to Fenway which I really do enjoy. The small seats suck but the atmosphere makes up for it. Veterans Stadium - As a 13 year-old stayed in the same hotel as the Mets on a road trip. Met and got autographs from Dick Sisler and Joe Pignatano. Ralph Kiner left general admission tix for us at will call. Camden Yards - First 'new' stadium I went to. Really like it, great place to see a game. Petco Park - Been twice now. nice place to see a game, Great food. Dodger Stadium - Never understood why this place is held in such high regard. Don't see a big difference between it and Shea. I really don't. Sure it's got great vistas and walking in through the upper deck is kinda cool, but that's pretty much it. Wrigley Field - THIS is a baseball cathedral. Got the impression when I was there that that Chicagoans value and appreciate the park much, much, more than they do the team

Benjamin Grimm Aug 05 2008 10:09 AM

I was there twice. In 1984 and 1985. The 1984 visit was because I was young and foolish. I was "curious." In 1985, it was to see Tom Seaver win his 300th game. As I said recently in another thread, Yankee Stadium back then wasn't loaded with all the talk of "aura" and "mystique." It was just a venue where a hated team played. Now, there's no way I'd ever set foot in either the current or the new Yankee Stadium. It's the Bronx version of Osama bin Laden's mosque.

Frayed Knot Aug 05 2008 10:28 AM

]Wrigley Field: Great park. Our seats were directly behind a pole, but whatever. Well it's Chicago, whattaya expect? The odds of having a seat and NOT being behind some guy named Kowalski or Stankowitz or something like that are real small.

willpie Aug 05 2008 01:08 PM

Stadia I have known (in order of how good they are, as objectively as I can bring myself to be): Citizen's Bank (Philly): I haven't been to a ton of parks, but this one's my favorite so far. I caught a foul ball there. Gave it to the little kid sitting next to me who dove into my lap in a vain attempt to catch it. I figured it would mean more to him. Anyway, it had just come off of Burrell's bat and I wasn't feeling too friendly toward it. The KingDome: Sentimental favorite; I saw my first several MLB games there. It was a dump, I was never rooting for the Mariners (even as a kid I resented that Oregon had no baseball team and the M's just assumed they got us by default), the food was nothing special, but I was at a big league game in a big city, and it was awesome. Shea: Yeah, it's our dump. Yankee Stadium: What's the big deal? It's a dump. Moreover, it's obviously a dump from the '70s. No illusion of history for anyone who isn't forcing themselves to see it. Assuming everything goes to plan (there's an unforeseen complication cropping up; we'll see), I'll be going to PNC in a couple weeks. Really looking forward to that.

metsguyinmichigan Aug 05 2008 01:51 PM

Met Fairy's list is amazing. I have to break mine into stadia where I've seen games, and others that I've just visited, since I always try to check them out if I'm in a city. Existing, viewed games 1) Shea. Not a shit hole. Bite your tongue. 2) Bronx outhouse, though I saw Tom Seaver's 300th win there. 3) Fenway. Glorious 4) Wrigley. As fun as you'd think, in a theme park way. Not real fans. 5) Cit Bank., Meh. But I did meet Greg Luzinski at his BBQ stand. 6) PNC, as good as you've been told. 7) Progressive. We had a great time in Cleveland! 8) Great American. Nice stadium 9) Comerica. I don't like it. 10) Dolphin Stadium. It's not as bad as they say. 11) U.S. Cellular, lower level is great, upper level is horrible! 12) Coors. I liked Coors. 13) Miller Park. Great place to see a game! 14) Rogers Centre. I thought it was fun Visited, no game at the time. 15) Metrodome. Snuck along on a class trip. Long story 16) Dodger Stadium. Beautiful. 17) Angels Stadium. Drove under the Big A. 18) Kauffman Stadium. Also beautiful 19) Minute Maid. Looked pretty cool fom the lobby/gift store 20) Camden Yard: It wasn't quite done, had to wear a hard hat 21) Three Rivers Gone but not forgotten 22) Tiger Stadium, great -- but not as great as Wrigley or Fenway 23) Old Comiskey. Loved this Park 24) Busch II, better than most of the turf sites, had great tour 25) Riverfront 26) The Vet 27) County Stadium. We had a great time! Small town feel 28) Cleveland Stadium. Huge 29) Memorial Stadium. Different. But we had fun I probably have 20 minor-league/spring training parks, too. I love going to games in new places

attgig Aug 05 2008 03:30 PM

I'm ashamed to say that I've been to Shea only once in my life. my friend Andy's 10th bday party. We grew up pretty poor, living right next to Shea, but then, when my dad finally started making some money, we moved out to the burbs, and he was always working, so never got to go to a game. since then, went to college in pittsburgh - and saw games in 3 rivers, and PNC park. Moved to Baltimore - and saw games at camden yards, RFK, Citizen's bank, and the new Nationals park. ranking those: PNC Camden Nationals Citizen's bank 3 Rivers RFK I can't rank shea cuz it's been so long ago. I'm promising that I'll find a way to go up to NY sometime this year and catch a game up there before it goes away...

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 05 2008 03:38 PM

Wow. Do you live in the city of Baltimore or nearby?

TransMonk Aug 05 2008 03:39 PM

This thread has made me realize I haven't been to enough ball parks. In no particular order: Shea - Only visited as an adult in 2006. I still loved every minute of it. Busch I - Visited many times as a child, mostly for Mets/Cards games. I remember once taking a tour of the stadium where we got to see the clubhouses and go on to the field. My love for this stadium involved getting (seeking) lots of autographs outside, I believe because the team hotel was only like 2 blocks away. Darryl and Doc both denied me on multiple occasions. I followed Greg Jefferies into the players entrance before being asked to leave. I watched Hojo eat his breakfast in the hotel restaurant, patiently waiting with my ball and sharpie ready...by the time he was finished and went to sign my ball, my sharpie had dried out. I saw Lee Mazilli outside in 1990 or 1991, I asked him for an autograph and he told me that he wasn't a baseball player...still not sure what he was doing there, but he didn't give me a sig. Will Clark threatened to "knock me down" after a game. Good times. On the bad side, I remember spending more than one game in the nosebleed seats of center field, which might as well have been Siberia. Wrigley - Saw a lot of games here my senior year in high school and freshman year in college. Also the site of my first ML game at age 8. Always a great place to see a game, however to this day, I've never seen a night game there. Comisky - Went there near the end, got to see Andy Hawkins' no-hitter. Don't remember much else about the stadium. Celly One - Went with my old man to see the Sox and Tigers in 2006. A really nice park...I agree that it's underrated. Citi Field was just a rendering when I went, but I figured this was pretty close to the design of new Shea. Safeco - I went on a whim in 2001 to see the Giants/Mariners in an afternoon interleague battle. This was the first "new" ballpark I had ever been to and I remember loving it. Milwaukee County - Very Shea-esque. Like Busch I, a lot of games here...but these weren't as memorable for me as when I was a kid they were always AL teams that I didn't care too much about. Got all the Brewer autographs here and got to meet Bob Uecker and Jim Palmer during one Brewer/Oriole matchup. Palmer even gave my friend and I some ribbing over the Mets gear we were wearing. Miller Park - Really comfortable, but I hate watching games here. I've been to on average 5 games per year since it opened (mostly Mets). I've isolated what I don't like about it: the lighting. Whether the roof is opened or closed, a night game always looks like they are playing in a really big highschool gym. It's just creepy to me. Day games when the roof is open are really nice (thank goodness the Mets have 2 day games on their upcoming trip to Milwaukee).

Rockin' Doc Aug 06 2008 09:03 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Aug 06 2008 09:22 PM

Damn, my list of MLB stadiums really shows my age. This is a tour odf the old, the decrepid, and the demolished. In order of attendance: Metropolitan Stadium - (1972) - My Little League team took a bus trip from Duluth following the completion of our season to see the Twins host the Texas Rangers. I remember the long bus ride down to Minneapolis, Dave Nelson opening the game with a walk then getting picked off first by Jim Perry. Most of the rest of that day is a blur of joyous fun. Comiskey Park (1981-1985) - I lived roughly six blocks from the old Comiskey Park during my final 3 years of graduate school. My wife and I would attend 8-10 games a season because it was cheap entertainment. The most memorable game we saw was Milt Wilcox’s near perfect game for the Detroit Tigers on a chilly Chicago evening. Jerry Hairston’s single with 2 outs in the ninth prevented us from seeing something historic and brought a loud chorus of boos raining down on him from his home crowd fans. For the final six outs, virtually all of us were Milt Wilcox fans. Wrigley Field (1995) - My wife and I spent a pleasant morning at the Lincoln Park Zoo before heading up to Wrigley for an afternoon of baseball. Our seats along the first base line were in the shade and with the wind blowing pretty hard it was pretty damn cold (at least to us southerners). This was the only time I have ever been to a ball park and found myself ignoring the beer vendor and hoping to see a coffee vendor. It is also the only time I have ever left a game before it’s completion., but it was freezing in the and by the end of the 7th inning my wife was leaving with or without me. I wisely decided to leave with her and we warmed ourselves over a wonderful dinner at Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill. Busch Stadium (1997) – My wife and I had tickets for the first regular season interleague (6/12) game ever played at Busch Stadium on Friday, June 13th against the Cleveland Indians. . We enjoyed a wonderful meal and then headed over to the ballpark just as it started lightly raining. The grounds crew covered and uncovered the field two or three times before the game was finally called of without the first inning ever being completed. We spent most of our time touring the stadium and trying to stay out of the rain. Fenway Park (2001) – Our family walked over to the ballpark from our downtown hotel early enough to take in a pregame batting practice. It was the first ML game for both my son and daughter, then ages 12 and 10 respectively. We sat in the second row of the right field box seats and took in a classic slugfest with home runs flying out of the park like it was still batting practice. The family of season ticket holders in the box behind us practically adopted the kids and seemed determined to make them both life long Red Sox fans. They gave my son a Red Sox hat with the promise that he would proudly wear it from that time forward. There were times in the future when I thought the boy showered in that hat. Shea Stadium (2001) – Finally, I made it to see my beloved Mets play in person. This was the infamous MOFO Picnic gathering when I first met many of the now CPF crew. Cookie Mom (Metfairy) was the first person we met. She welcomed the southern contingent to the picnic area with some homemade chocolate chip cookies. I’m not sure, but I think she might have been cooking them right there in the stands. It was certainly hot enough in the bleachers. My son disappeared for a moment and just as we began to search for him, he excitedly came running towards me clutching a baseball in his hand. When Al Leiter had completed his pre-game warm ups in the pen, the bullpen catcher turned and tossed the ball to my son who had been intently watching with his face plastered against the fence. The Mets had rookie Glendon Rusch autograph pictures for the kids before the game. The ball has a place of honor on the bookshelf behind my computer desk. I’m not sure what ever happened to Rusch’s picture. Despite the temperature in the left field bleachers, we were all treated to a great time complete with a Mets victory. This was the day both my kids officially became Mets fans and my son retired his Red Sox hat. Jack Murphy Stadium (2003) – My mother joined us for a family vacation in California. We spent 10 days cramming in as much activity as we could. We took in Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wildlife Park, and the San Juan Capistrano mission. Unfortunately, the Angels were on the road during our entire stay, but we were able to take in a game at Jack Murphy Stadium before the Padres moved to Petco which was still being built. I don’t recall a great deal about the actual game, but I do remember thinking that Jack Murphy Stadium was an awfully nice for a team to be abandoning it. I’d seen much worse. At least, Jack Murphy Stadium (Qualcomm) was spared demolition and lives on as the home of the San Diego Chargers. RFK Stadium (2005) – A CPF road trip with AG/DC and Cha acting as our gracious hosts and guides. We enjoyed great food and fellowship (KC & KB, the Lunchbuckets, Metfairy, Diamond Dad & clan, AG/DC & Cha, Doc & the Dockettes, with a visit from Willets Point and his then fiancé and a brief cameo appearance by ABG) while tailgating before the game. Then the Mets sent us all away happy with a ninth inning rally that sealed a victory. A wonderful dinner along the banks of the Potomac River was followed by fireworks from the National Mall. I look forward to road trip 2009 to see the Mets in their new home, Citi Field.

cooby Aug 06 2008 09:10 PM

Me, I've been to Shea, Yankee Stadium, Jacobs Field, PNC Park and Three Rivers Stadium, The Vet and Citizens Bank Park. I think that's it.