I’ve always thought about doing a ballpark circuit, traveling the country and seeing baseball games in every MLB park. However, practical realities make such an ambitious enterprise a little difficult. So, if you were to rank the 10 ballfields I definitely have to visit, what would that ranking look like? (Note, I’ve been to SF & SD, so those needn’t count).
I’ve always assumed Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, and Fenway Park would be at the top of the list, but please factor in any and all criteria and variables (historic significance, aesthetic qualities, viewer advantage, quality of food and environment, etc.).
The Yankees and the Mets are moving to new stadiums next year, so this is the last year you’ll have to visit the old Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium. Better hurry!
+Miller Park in Milwaukee is really nice and has a unique retractable roof.
+Camden Yards is really really nice also.
-You can skip the Minneapolis Metrodome. It’s more of a football stadium that they play baseball in. Wait for their new park in 2010.
-Tropicana Field is pretty lame also. I’d wait for their new park.
You nailed the top 3 and Yankee Stadium now takes on a sense of urgency. Along with that LA has always been a draw.
If you are shooting for Yankee Stadium (closing at the end of this year), you might want to time it to hit Shea also. It is a terrible stadium, but it will also be gone this year.
Camden Yards really is a great stadium and a fun area.
The White Sox have a nice stadium, but nothing special.
Cincinnati is a pass.
Tampa is terrible.
The Hubert Humphrey is terrible.
Anaheim is nice stadium, but nothing special.
PNC Park in Pittsburgh was rated the best in baseball by ESPN not long ago. Were that the team that plays there were worthy of a stadium that nice.
Other than that, you got the big 3. Go to Yankee Stadium next year, it’s your last chance before the big buffoon that owns the Yankees tears down the St. Peter’s of baseball and destroys one of the most important landmarks in any sport. After that, you may enjoy the Parking Lot On the Ground That Ruth Once Played On at your leisure.
Did I say yet that I hate Steinbrenner? In case it wasn’t obvious, that is.
You’ve got the Big 3. Now add Dodger Stadium (historic significance, aesthetic qualities, viewer advantage, quality of food and environment), and Canden Yards and your done. Everything else is a corporate cookie-cutter stadium.
The top three are pretty obvious, and you nailed them. Those are the only ones essential for historical reasons, so after that go for ambience and atmosphere. Coming from the West Coast, make Denver your first stop. Coors Field is a very nice park, you can look at the mountains over the left field wall, and it’s never humid nor very hot in Denver in the summer. Great game-watching conditions. The area around the ballpark is full of bars, restaurants, nearby hotels - just a fun place to be.
Then head to Chicago for Wrigley, maybe run up to Milwaukee, then Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, NY, Boston, and pick up St. Louis and Houston on the way back.
Not on the top tier with Fenway, Wrigley or Yankee Stadium, but I would add The Jake (Jacob’s Field, Cleveland) to your list. It belongs in the top 10.
Also, my mom went to a Diamondbacks game last year and really liked the park - is it still called Bank One Ballpark or have they renamed it?
If you’re in Chicago for Wrigley, you might as well go to Cellular Field or whateverthehell they call New Comiskey now, but I wouldn’t place it in the top 10. It’s not bad, but there’s nothing really special about it either.
Huge White Sox fan here, but honestly I agree with those saying there’s nothing all that special about the Cell. The food’s great, sightlines are excellent, but it’s a little shopping mall-ish.
Also, I second the Jake in Cleveland. While you’re there, do a pre-game at Alice Cooperstown right across the street.
If you’re really interested in “historic” ballparks, let me suggest a few minor-league parks I’ve been to that are worth a visit:
Riverview Stadium (now Alliant Enery Field), Clinton Iowa - Home of the class A Clinton Lumberkings of the MW league. Though recently renovated, this stadium was a WPA project built in the '30s (some plaques on the lower concourse mention this) and still has a lot of the original facade/fixtures.
I’ll also mention Woodman Park (nee Municipal Stadium) in the Quad Cities, which was built in 1931 and has a stunning view of the Mississippi River and a spanning bridge just over the right field wall, though I understand it’s been heavily renovated since I last visited it six years ago.
Just to clarify, the “Cathedral of Baseball” will only be partial torn down. The plan seems to be to keep the stadium, minus the 3rd deck. The exact use is iffy, but College World Series has been mentioned. Little League qualifiers, College use and Baseball Museum of course.
Second clarification, the Boss really is mostly retired now. That does not mean you cannot continue to hate him, but just a clarification that he is no longer running the team.
I’ll suggest Miller Park (in addition to your top 3), if only because its the only one I’ve been to… it’s a short ride up from the Cubbies, and the roof is pretty cool. And you can get Uecker seats for a buck. And the beer and brats are plentiful.
Agree with what has been said regarding major league parks… would recommend the new park in SF, but I may be biased because the only time I was there I had such great seats I could see the pimples on Barry’s ass.
Minor league, Civic Stadium in Eugene, OR has been around since, I think, the 20s, and is in danger of demolition. Great place to see a game.
Wow…am I really the first to mention Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City? It doesn’t take a Royals fan like to appreciate that ballpark. Those fountains, that crown-shaped scoreboard…it towers over you when you approach the K from I-70. One of only two stadiums of its era (the other being Angels Stadium in Los Angeles of Anaheim) that will still be in use five years from now. Spend one night there, and you won’t wonder why the locals have no desire to replace it. (although it is being extensively renovated over the next few years)
Go, Royals!
BTW, Shea Stadium is totally not worth wasting your time on. I live here in Flushing, trust me, it’s got nothing to offer a visitor other than the baseball game itself.
I grew up in Bettendorf back in the 70s – it was called John O’Donnell Stadium back then. We used to go there to see the old Quad Cities Angels; IIRC they also used to do a pretty good fireworks show on the 4th of July.
And as long as you’re in the neighborhood, take an extra hour or so to drive up to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville.
