Rate the MLB stadiums you've been to

The Game Room
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Wrigley- 8. The place is a church of the game, there’s no annoying music, the fans are good, and did I mention that it’s a church? Only reason it doesn’t get a 10 is because the place is way, way old, and it’s also wasted on the Cubs.

Fenway- 8. Everything that applies to Wrigley applies to Fenway, with the exception that I like the Red Sox more.

Camden Yards- 7. One of the best new(er) stadiums, the one that started the whole park revival trend. Everything is great about it except that the Orioles play baseball (and I use that phrase loosely) there.

Dodger Stadium-7. Great classic park. Fun because it’s not an old-style retro park, but not a generic concrete monstrosity, either. Kind of feels like seeing a baseball game at a stadium designed by Disney. Dodger dogs are as great as they say. Damn hot in the summer though.

Miller Park-- 7. Wonderful newer stadium. Great atmosphere, fantastic prices. Don’t really dig the retractable roof, though-- seems sacreligious to a purist like me (baseball is meant to be played outdoors).

Yankee Stadium (old)-- 7, barely. Not a great park, but all that history!

Nationals Park-- 6. A lot to like, nothing to love. As a Washingtonian, it makes me sad that they missed the boat on this one. Too many seats that they will NEVER fill (you could saw off the top of the upper deck and still have 30,000 seats-- that the Nats will never fill ;-). A lot of spots lacking soul and character. Upper deck is too far from the field. No bars or restaurants open in the neighborhood yet. The team still sucks. All said, it’s a nice place to see a game (good sitelines), the Jumbotron is enormous, the seats are big, the Red Loft bar is fun, and it’s super-easy to get to.

U.S. Cellular Field-- 5. This used to be a 4 but they did a good job in “refreshing” the design a few years ago. Still, you need a sherpa to reach the nosebleeds, and odds are you’ll freeze from the breeze off the lake anytime before June. Damn shame that Reinsdorf & Co. chose the awful design right around the same time every other city was planning on going the Camden Yards route. Smooth move there, guys.

RFK- 3 for baseball, 9 for football. That grade should explain it all-- what makes a good football stadium does NOT make a good baseball park, and vice versa. Only way RFK didn’t score a 1 was because it didn’t have a dome, and there were always great seats available for cheap during Nats games. (Actually, that’s too harsh-- I had upper deck season tickets right behind the plate, and the one thing RFK had going for it was that its upper deck was really close to the field-- in fact, upper deck seats within the bases were usually better than many lower deck seats IMHO).

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Only been to three myself. And for various reasons I still haven’t been to Citizens Bank Ballpark to see the world champs. My sister and BIL have been three times and they don’t even like the Phils…oh well.

Skydome/Rogers Centre: 6. I disagree with RickJay that it’s the best-placed stadium (PNC Park, which I’ve been to but haven’t seen a game at yet, wins that by a mile). As far as domes go it’s not a bad one at all. Lots of interesting things to see in and around the stadium.

Turner Stadium: 7. Great, noisy crowd the day I was there. Good sightlines and concessions. I went fully expecting not to like it and was pleasantly surprised.

Veterans Stadium: 0. Maybe -1. There might have been three good seats in the whole place. Soulless, dark, and ugly. Rats and cats freely roamed the nosebleed seats. Concessions were national-debt expensive for the worst food in the city. Trash lay in piles everywhere. Mourned by nobody when it was knocked down.

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This is my home stadium. Soooooo much better than old Riverfront Stadium. This park and Camden are the only ballparks I’ve been to.

I love GABP, it’s an incredible facility…why did you only give it a 7.5? Because the Reds are mediocre?

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Because 7.5 is a very good score.

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I’ve been many times to both the old Astrodome and to Minute Maid Park. Not knowing about other ballparks makes it hard to rate, but Minute Maid is about 100 times better than the Astrodome. The layout is great for my elderly dad, as elevators are located very close to the handicapped section. I haven’t sat in a terrible seat, and while expensive, the variety of food choices is nice. Beer is $8, which sucks.

But there’s a bar across the street to drink $3 beers until game time!

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Let’s see, I’ve been to:

Fenway. First time was an absolute blast. The Sox rallied late and won it on a Johnny Damon home run, and I’ve never heard a crowd with that much energy (not to mention the noise level). I was even visible on his home run, jumping up and down with all the other members of Nation in the RF bleachers. Second time was not the charm however as someone pickpocketed my binocs after I foolishly snapped up standing room only Monster tickets. Yeah it was cool to be up there, but my ankles didn’t like the hard concrete and combined with the downer from the theft I left early. Overall an 8-next time I’m getting seats closer to the bases tho, and leaving most of my junk at the hotel.

Wrigley: The ambiance was even sweeter than Fenway’s actually. All the fans (I was in the bleachers) were very friendly, no drunken louts or the like. Peg her at a 9.

Old Cleveland Stadium and Jacobs Field: I also saw a number of football games at the former when I was a kid. Not much in the way of auras here (much moreso for football)-my dad took me to a doubleheader when I was like 8, but made the mistake of getting tickets way deep under the overhang behind home, where I couldn’t see diddly. Only became a baseball fan when I was 14. Jacobs was pretty sweet, even from the 1st base upper deck (don’t go if you are afraid of heights tho!). 6 for the old one, 7 for the new.

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While I realize that, I saw that you doled out a 9 to Kaufman and an 8 to the Nats stadium and I was wondering what about GABP made it fall shy of these other two.

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Well for Kaufman it’s nostalgia. I probably overrated Nationals Stadium - I spent the day in a suite, which certainly inflates things a bit.

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So lets see. New Ballpark = Good. Old Ballpark = Bad. :rolleyes:

You can have your Jumbotron, Kiss Cam, T-Shirt Cannon, Kiddie Land, White Wine Spritzer and cued applause. I’ll enjoy some baseball.

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So we’re rating people’s ratings now? How…fucking rude. I rated one old stadium, because I’ve been to just one old stadium. Wrigley’s atmosphere is fantastic - as I mentioned. But the confines themselves are awful. I’ve yet to talk to a Cubs fan that didn’t agree. They love the place, but understand how horrendous the actual building is - which is what I based as much of rating on as I could. For the record, I base my only perfect 10 score off of Notre Dame Stadium, and it currently rates no higher than an 8.5 since the 1997 renovations.

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Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) - 6. Okay, I was young when I attended games here, but I never felt too far from the action, and loved the neighborhood feel of the stadium

Oriole Park at Camden Yards - 8. I know I risk banishment for giving my home park so low a score, but despite all its successes, getting food or beer requires you to leave the seating bowl. Other than that, a fantastic place to watch baseball. I’m tempted to dock another half point for the hotel that just got built that blocks the city skyline, but that’s not the stadium’s fault. That’s the stupid city.

Yankee Stadium - 5. Sure, it’s got history, but it’s just not a good place for baseball. From our upper deck seats, we couldn’t even see home plate. The hallways and ramps are small and crowded and food stands were few and far between.

Shea Stadium 6. From the same era as Memorial Stadium and almost from the same cookie cutter. Too easy to get lost in, those ramps must have been designed by MC Escher.

RFK Stadium (Washington, DC) 5. It looks like a litter box and has approximately the same airflow. How do you build a stadium on a river and manage to shut out both the wind and any attractive view?

Nationals Park 9. The only thing keeping this from a 10 is the concrete aesthetic. Sure, I understand the desire not to look like you’re copying from Camden Yards, but DC is not a city of concrete and glass. But every seat seems to be fantastic and if you need food or drink the field is still in sight. Bonus points for the Ben’s Chili Bowl half smokes. (And a personal fave since I got to take a couple of swings in the team’s batting cage behind the dugout)

Turner Field (Atlanta) 7. I don’t have strong memories of this stadium except for the fact that you have to take a shuttle bus from the rail system to get to it. Nice scoreboard.

Jacobs Field (Cleveland) 8.5. The Jake edges out Camden Yards for the fact that you can get food without losing sight of the game. It’s well hidden in the Cleveland downtown – we didn’t even see it as we drove by. Half buried in the ground, it blends in well and yet still gives a good view of the city.

Holman Stadium (Former Dodgers Spring Training site) 8. Small, but fantastic. Less than 20 rows deep, you’re never far from the action or the players. Dodger dogs are fantastic.

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I’ve only been to four:

Wrigley Field - 10. There’s nothing I would change about this place.

Fenway Park - 9. Some of the seating is really annoying, but, like Wrigley, this is to me how a baseball stadium should feel. Like a comfy old pair of tattered sneakers.

(Old) Comiskey Park - 7. Kinda crappy and falling apart, but lots of history and it maintained its old-time feel, down to the troughs in the men’s bathroom. And Nancy Faust at the organ!

(New) Comiskey Park/The Cell - 5. Place feels like a hospital to me, it’s so clinical and precise. The revamp they did a few years ago did much to warm me to the place; made it feel a bit more homey. Nancy isn’t playing as much here as she used to, but without her and the better-than-average food, I’d give The Cell a 3.

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Cleveland Municipal Stadium 9/10. My boyhood second home. Great seats always available, great parking, great public transportation. Sometimes you had to look around a pole, but the poles held up the roof which kept the rain or blazing sun off my head, so I didn’t complain. I understand the players lockers consisted solely of nails to hang clothes on, but as a fan that never bothered me any. The quality of Indians’ baseball left much to be desired though.

Jacobs Don’t Call It Progressive Field 10/10. The only drawback is the upper deck was a lot further from the field than it was at the Old Stadium, but everything else is excellent.

Toronto Exhibition Stadium 5/10 - Seagulls the size of eagles who would take the hot dog right out of your hand. Not built for baseball, but if you had a seat close in it wasn’t bad.

Baltimore Memorial Stadium 8/10

Baltimore Oriole Park 8/10

Comiskey Park 10/10 - great old timey baseball. The upper deck was right on top of the field, and the picnic area under the grandstand was fun. McCuddy’s Bar across the street was also fun. The bartender was so old I think he served beer to Babe Ruth.

US Cellular Field - 9/10. It gets a bum rap IMHO.

Wrigley Field 9/10. Enough’s been said about Wrigley.

Fenway Park 9/10. See Wrigley Comment

Yankee Stadium 7/10. Historic and filled with obnoxious Yankee fans.

Shea Stadium 7/10. If I wanted to watch planes take off and land I’d go to the airport. Wait, that’s where Shea was!

Riverfront Stadium/3 Rivers Stadium/Anaheim Stadium (circa 1987) 6/10 - concrete bowls with friendly fans and bad sightlines.

Tiger Stadium 9/10 - great history, upper deck right on top of the field.

Comerica Park 9/10 - as nice as Jacobs Field, plus with Tiger decorations.

Kauffman Stadium 9/10 - a great, underated park. The only thing I didn’t like was the chainlink fence at the admittance gate, which seemed cheapo. Once in the park though everything was excellent.

Milwaukee County Stadium. 7/10 - a pale copy of Cleveland Stadium.

Special bonus park - Akron’s Canal Park for the AA Areos. A splendid place to see a game.

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Yankee Stadium - I’m too biased to rate this probably, as I’ve been to probably 150 games over the last two decades, hard to compare that to the other stadiums I’ve been to once or twice. I know the neighborhood’s not great, but I’m a New Yorker so I don’t notice it. There are some bad seats, and the way they manage some things at the stadium began to grate on me. But I don’t think any place is more beautiful than the Stadium at a day game with a full crowd on a bright, sunny day. And the history…
Probably an 8, knock it down to 7.5 since Bob Shepard’s been gone.

Fenway - been there once, round 2000 I think. Seats were down the right field line but the view was great. The facilities seemed worse than Yankee Stadium to me. But another park steeped in history. I’d say 7.

Rogers Centre - much nicer than I thought it would be! I had heard it was soulless, which was much too harsh. I was there two years ago, so obviously it wasn’t new then. It must have been amazing when it was brand new - there was nothing like it back then. As Rickjay said above, an incredible location close to the heart of a world-class city. Very good amenities, but the crowd wasn’t too into it. 6.

Safeco - I don’t think I’ve seen this one mentioned in this thread - it’s my personal favorite. Love the trains, love the roof. Great to walk around the stadium on the inside on the mezzazine level Accessible from the city core. What’s not to like? I’d call it a 9.

Anaheim Stadium - what do they call it these days? Not a bad park, but a distant second to the other park in the LA area. I’m pretty sure both my trips were before the most recent renovations (probably '97), it looks nicer now. Points off for the crowd being vastly pro-Yankee at the one Yankees game I saw there. Although I’m a Yankees fan, it always disappoints me to see the home crowd rooting for the visitors. In Toronto it wasn’t that bad. I’d say a 5.

Shea - ugh. I hated the color scheme. Ugly from outside, not much better from inside. Seats too recessed. I don’t mind the planes, but that stupid apple in the outfield drove me nuts. Was accessible by public transport, which is a plus. And I did see Simon & Garfunkle there, so for that, I’ll give it a 2.

Veterans Stadium - Worse than Shea. Went there three or four times when I was in college in the mid-late eighties, at least it was easy to get to. Ugly and dirty even back then. Only soft spot in my heart for the place is that I did get to see Mike Schmidt’s 498th career home run there. 1.

Dodgers Stadium - What a location. Great views outside the stadium, and inside as well. I’ve never been in the upper reaches - don’t know how the stadium looks from there. But when I’ve been there I’ve never had a bad seat, bleachers included. Concessions are above average as well. The fans get a bum rap - yeah they are a little late-arriving, but they are in to the game. Extra points for being able to bring a transistor radio and listen to Vin Scully calling the game while sitting in the stadium. Only negative is traffic and inaccessibility via public transport. 8.5.

Random Phone Company Park - what is it now, AT&T Park? GREAT location. China Basin with the kayaks and yachts outside of right field, the wonderful walk around the stadium. The Willie Mays statue. Great food. Close to the city center, but didn’t seem as well connected to mass transit as, say, Rogers Centre (but maybe I was doing it wrong). It did get cold out there though! 8.5, close to a 9, but I think I prefer Safeco.

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Oh, I forgot to mention Pittsburgh PNC Park, which is a gem spoiled only by the fact the Pirates play there. 10/10.

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Relax, I’m just fucking with you. We’re allowed to be a little provincial in sports discussions, no? I though it was funny that Wrigley and Busch got your lowest ratings while your highest ratings went to parks built in the last decade*.

For a lot of people modern amenities are a decidedly bad thing, I don’t want all the stuff that comes with modern parks. You disagree, fair enough.

    • Kauffman’s $250M renovation takes it out of the “old park” category.
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Sorry, I’ve been a little on edge lately. My 10 minute break at work failed to calm me down.

I wouldn’t exactly put Busch Stadium on the “old” list, though. I certainly wouldn’t mention it in the same sentence as Wrigley, Fenway or the old Tigers Stadium (which I was sick the day my friends headed up to during its last season, which I hate myself for missing). The only thing in modern parks that I really want are comfortable concourses and good sight lines. The rest I can do without. I went to a game last year where a friend wanted to trek across the stadium to try out some new concession food (a build your own burger or somesuch). I couldn’t believe it. “If you wait 3 minutes, that man over there in the red striped shirt will come and hand you a hot dog, blast some runny mustard on it, and you’ll be just fine. And you won’t miss the game!” For some reason, he couldn’t fathom the attraction to that option. (He also mentioned he’d be back in time for the part of the lineup with the clutch hitters, so he clearly had no idea what he was doing there.)

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Going from best to worst:

[ol]
[li]Wrigley Field. Man, I love everything about that stadium. I even love the Cubs, even though I’m a Dodger fan.[/li]
[li]Fenway Park. I love this place too. Classic![/li]
[li]Old Yankee Stadium. They should’ve never torn it down.[/li]
[li]Pack Bowl Park, or whatever they call the stadium in San Francisco these days. The view of the bay is spectacular, plus the built in old school portholes so that you can peak in and see the game.[/li]
[li]Coors Field. Nice new stadium with tons of great bars outside, and they serve Rocky Mountain Oysters! It’s walking distance from my buddy’s house.[/li]
[li]Dodger Stadium. My home stadium. Still beautiful after all these years and sadly, the third oldest park in the majors these days. It’s got a real stunning view of downtown L.A. Parking is FUCKED and it’s very difficult to get to by public transportation. That rat bastard Frank McCourt won’t pay for the shuttle from Union Station.[/li]
[li]New Comiskey Park. Why the hell did I never go to Old Comiskey when I had a chance?[/li]
[li]Oakland Stadium. It’s a really lousy stadium for baseball, but at least you can take Bart there.[/li]
[li]Angel Stadium. It’s pretty unremarkable in every way, but at least you can take the train to it. But Arte Moreno owns the Angels and I love the guy. The first thing he did when he bought the Angels was LOWER the price of beer! He is the anti-Frank McCourt.[/li]
[li]Old Shea Stadium. Pretty generic, with awful colors. But, the subway goes there.[/li]
[li]Candlestick Park. Man, that place is a windy, cold irregular pile of shit. Plus, there’s no public transportation.[/li][/ol]

39

Only been to the two (newly defunct) New York ballparks.

Shea Stadium – 5/10. There isn’t anything really noteworthy about it, but the sightlines were good and the seats were reasonably close to the field. Also, I’m partial to the semi-abstract, neon designs on the exterior. A perfectly serviceable stadium.

Yankee Stadium – 2/10. Aside from the overhead airplanes, every drawback of Shea Stadium was shared by Yankee Stadium, and, in addition, it was more expensive, security was unreasonably tight and inconvenient, the seats were a little more recessed, and the sight-lines were awful. I’m not a Yankees fan, so the history of the place didn’t impress me much. I can see how that would be big factor for others, but Shea Stadium was superior in just about every *tangible *way.
Also, not a baseball stadium, but Giants Stadium is great. It doesn’t have all of the modern accouterments, but it’s built almost straight up, so every seat is right on top of the field. It seats 80,000, but it’s worst seats are somehow better than a lot of the seats at Shea and Yankee Stadiums, which seat at least 25% fewer patrons. Why baseball stadiums are built **out **instead of **up **is a mystery to me.

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Only 3 and all in Houston.

The old Colt .45’s stadium (5). You had to be a diehard baseball fan to brave the mosquitos.

The Astrodome (10). Nothing like it before or since.

Minute Maid Park (8). It’s okay, but it ain’t the Astrodome.