Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

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JL21
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Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by JL21 »

Yeah, you know me.

Naughty By Nature lyrics aside, jim's Wrigley v. Busch thread got me to thinking about the ballparks. Besides Busch II and III, which ballparks have you visited? What did you like? Dislike?

I'll start.

-Camden
It's a great place to catch a game, the beer selection was pricy but good, concessions items were geared towards the area (i.e. I'm pretty sure that even the hot dog I got had crab in it). It just feels like a ballpark.

-The Metrodome
It's like watching a baseball game inside of a giant spaceship. It was horrible. I had "great" seats- they were the 25th closest row to the field, right behind home plate. Awesome, right? Negative. The seats right behind home plate started a good 20 feet off the ground or something. Dumb. I'm glad that dump doesn't host MLB anymore.

-Wrigley
My favorite place to catch a game. The concessions prices are great, there's a lot of charm going to a yard that's smack in the middle of a neighborhood, and most importantly the ballpark oozes baseball history.

-Royals Stadium
Uh... the last time I was there was in 1991. So other than the fountains, I don't remember crap.

-Miller Park
After building it, it seemed like they didn't give a damn about the upkeep of the stadium. There were a lot of faded walls, kids' games that were beat all to hell, etc... The tailgate experience is cool but it also shows off the major negative- Brewer fans don't give a [expletive] about actually watching a baseball game. I hope jim will chime in here because his rants about Miller are spot-on and hilarious. I appreciate the nostalgia there. I'll give 'em that. Bernie Brewer, the slide, the MB glove logo all over the place- that kind of stuff.

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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by JackofDiamonds »

I'm going to go ahead and merge this.

http://gatewayredbirds.com/forum/viewto ... ve+been+to

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go birds
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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by go birds »

B2
B3
Comiskey
Minute Maid
Fenway
Wrigley
Dodger
Angels

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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by heyzeus »

I saw several games in the old Astrodome. By that time, it had a stained look and mildewy smell. The Astroturf was bright green and it was always dark inside.

I then saw many games in Enron/Astros/Minute Made Park. It is what it is; a gimmick. I don't have to recite the litany of abuses (train/hill/flagpole/unnecessary short porches). They tend to keep the roof open when it should be closed, allegedly to save money on a/c. There's no genuine character to the place, and there's very little in the blocks surrounding the stadium.

Busch II and III, of course.

Wrigley - the bathrooms smell like piss, but it's a damn good time watching a game there.

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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by Radio_Bugtussle »

Wrigley Field-- Most of my exposure was in the early to mid 80's. Crowds were there for baseball--at least in the early to mid 80's. Haven't been since 1990.

Old Comiskey--Was pretty run down when I was there in 1990. Seats were close to the field. Great views so long as you weren't behind a colum.

New Comiskey-Huge. Upper deck is a long way from the plate. The place seems too big. The fans I've encountered are there for baseball and they are die hard Sox fans. They generally like Cardinal fans--mostly because we don't like the Cubs either.

Tiger Stadium- Awesome. Saw a lot of games there from the mid 80s to late 90's. Back row of the upper deck seemed closer to the field than the front row of the upper deck at Busch II. Leg room was a bit tight, especially in the lower stands. Will likely be my favorite ballpark for a long time.

Fenway- Holds the heat as well as Busch II did. Knowledgeable fans. Enjoyed the game despite 110 heat index readings. I'd go back any time.

Kauffmann Stadium--Renovations helped. Not a bad seat in the place. View Level is plenty high. The signage and stuff in the outfield make the place a bit busy looking.

The Big A. Went there in '78. Seemed like a stripped down Kauffmann Stadium then. No bad seats.

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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by jim »

Still existing:

Fenway - If you are careful and get good seats it's heaven. It's like taking Wrigley Field, adding modern technology smartly (sound system, jumbo tron) without overwhelming the place. Stay downtown, take the T, and follow the crowds. Great pregame environment outside the park. Big thumbs up.

Wrigley - I liked Fenway a little better but it's hard to argue with Wrigley. Another great environment around the park. But you have to go in the summer, not the same place when you are freezing your ass off. Do your homework getting your tix and don't get stuck behind a pole. Big thumbs up.

Chase Field - I liked it. It's clean and kind of sterile, but it kind of fits the atmosphere. Now I have to add that the roof was open when I was there, so that might make all the difference in the world. Pretty unremarkable but I'll give it a thumbs up.

US Cellular - Blah. Hard rock music blaring to a white trash crowd. Not a fan of either. Steepest upper deck I have ever seen anywhere, and the sections are huge which result in massive traffic in the aisles making aisle seats a real pain. Food is pretty good, but thumbs down.

Miller Park - Double blah. Ridiculously noisy when they blare the music, it might be a better place with the roof open. But Miller Park is hands down my least favorite park I have ever visited, although if I were rating strictly based on food it might be #1. But I go to watch more than eat, so thumbs way down.

Extinct Stadiums:
Old Tiger Stadium - It poured in the bottom of the 1st and as we were all wedged into the tiny concourses it was still hard to stay dry because it leaked so bad. I could see why they wanted to replace it, but to me it just gave it more character. We sat in the first row of the upper deck, which means we were about 18 feet off the field. This is #1 or 2 on my list, and I'm glad I made it.

Old Comiskey- Another gem torn down. At least in Detroit I understand that the park that replaced it is nice, what they did on the south side is a shame. Great park, although the lighting was the worst I have ever seen at a big league game. My HS field was lit better than that field.

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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by fanforever »

I have been to these stadiums:

Old Shea Stadium-In the late 60's early 70's it wasn't a bad place. But after see a rat bigger than a cat in 76 the place was a [expletive] house to me.

Old Yankee Stadium I-Awesome place place to watch a game

Old Yankee Stadium II-Still Awesome. Like going to a baseball cathedral

Citifield-Not really bad. But better than Shea. The ticket prices suck for field level seats. food is pretty good and the Mets promote a family atmosphere

New Yankee Stadium-They did a great job on it but Leon Trost is doing his best to price out the little fan. Food is catered towards the super rich....I mean sushi at a baseball game?

Connie Mack Stadium-Philadelphia-dump. Bathrooms where behind home plate, no where else

Veteran's Stadium Philadelphia-dump. Smelled like a cesspool on a hot day

Memorial Stadium Baltimore-This was pretty good IMO. Plus the Orioles had a great team in the 70's

Camden yards-This is really a great place to watch a ballgame. Boogs barb-B-Q is great out in RF Bleachers

RFK Stadium Washington DC.-Typical cookie cutter stadium. Nothing good or great about it

PNC Park-This is an awesome place to watch a baseball game. They did this the right way.

Fenway Park-Can beat the atmosphere of a baseball game here. great place

Jacobs Field-Another awesome place to watch a baseball game. They did it right

Wrigley field-To small to my liking. The baseball atmosphere is great, But the Park stinks of piss on a hot day

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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by go birds »

I may or may not be the only person in the world who thinks Fenway is way overrated.

Don't get wrong, the atmosphere OUTSIDE the stadium is hard to rival (wrigletville a close close second) but the ballpark itself is meh.

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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by StL Dan »

kauffman (KC) - until renovations were complete at the beginning of the 2009 season, it sucked. now, they have outfield "bleachers" and SRO in front of the fountains. beautiful park now instead of a concrete monolith.

fenway - unbelievable experience. my favorite aside from seeing the cards in b2 and b3.

yankee stadium (the house that ruth built) - blah. didn't have any of the ambience and fuzzy warm feeling that fenway possesses.

the Big A - was there in mid/late 90's before renovations. just another suburban stadium at that time. angels sucked then too. noone at the park.

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Re: Are you down with OPB? (other people's ballparks)

Post by Jmodene »

This may fall under "outdated anecdotes", but I'll bite.

Busch II was my first ML ballpark; I attended several games from 1969 to 1971 before we moved to San Francisco (my father was in the army). So from there, we go to...

Candlestick Park, 1971-73, 1975, 1996, 1998. I liked it. Of course, I was younger and not as cold-sensitive then as I am now (or was in 1996, when - for the first and only time - I left a ballgame before it was over - Giants vs. Braves - because I just couldn't take the cold any more). Used to sit in the bleachers, which were, IIRC, a dollar. It was there, behind that wire fence, that I hollered out to Tug McGraw my congratulations for his having been named to the 1972 All Star team. "Hey, thanks!" he answered. I was able to use that story when I MC'd a banquet in Guam in 1989 for Tug.

Astrodome, 1977-85. Went to several Astros games during the years I lived in Louisiana; cut back to just Cards/Astros games when I moved from Lake Charles (a two hour drive from the Dome) to Alexandria (tack on another two hours). Enjoyed the ballpark and the atmosphere and the dixieland band, but they had the worst hot dogs I've ever had at a ballpark. Was at the game the day Phil Niekro threw those 6 wild pitches. Rooted hard for the Astros in those years (when they weren't playing the Cards, of course); it was easier back then when we weren't in the same division. Oh - the press box food was pretty good and it was pretty cool being able to converse with guys like Larry Dierker and Jack Buck.

Fulton County Stadium, 1978 - drove there for a Cards/Braves game, got treated to an old-timers game as well which featured not only the usual cast of characters, but also Musial, Boyer, and (apparently this was a rarity) Roger Maris. I never got to see them play in an official game, so this was a treat. Comp tickets to that game (being in the media does get you the occasional perk).

Superdome, 1984 - actually covered this game, so watched most of it from the press box (where I first got to meet Jack Buck). This was an exhibition game between the Cards and Phillies. All I remember about the stadium is that it just felt too big to be used for baseball.

Kingdome, 1991. I was in Portland for a government conference (this was when I was working for the Governor's office in Guam) and knocked off early one day and drove to Seattle for a game. Small crowd (Nolan Ryan wasn't due to pitch for the Rangers until the next day) but a fun time, got to see Griffey and Rodriguez as rookies and was impressed by both of them. The Kingdome was kind of sterile, but they did have an exhibit commemorating the Seattle Pilots, which was nice.

Dodger Stadium, 1996, 2009. My family's first Cards game (my son was born in Guam; my then-wife is from Thailand and had never been to the mainland U.S. until we moved back in '96). Actually attended a game earlier in 1996 with a friend who had flown me with him to the states for some international baseball conferences (he and I were the broadcast team for Guam Major League games and were both on the league's board of directors), and we went to a Dodgers/Braves game. My clearest memory of Dodger Stadium in those days was how clean it was. Started going back in 2009 and was there for Boggs' start last August (which left me singularly unimpressed) and Game 2 of the NLDS (the Holliday dropped-ball game). The clientele is much changed from before; a lot younger and a lot more raucous. Old-timers at the August game told me they didn't go out to the stadium as much as they used to because, in their words, "the gangs have taken over".

Anaheim Stadium, 1996, 2009. Went to an Angels/Twins game with Dennis on that 1996 trip; at that time, the stadium was pretty sterile and unimaginative. The new version is much nicer and the staff at the ballpark is perhaps the nicest stadium staff I've ever dealt with. A very fun experience.

Oakland Coliseum, 1996. A's vs. Cleveland on the Dennis-trip, then took my family to the A's/Royals game in September. It was their first major-league game. I didn't like the stadium that much, but I did like how BART brings you right to the entrance, practically. (BART didn't exist when I lived in SF years before, or I would have seen A's games a lot sooner- I was there, after all, during the Vida Blue/Reggie Jackson/Catfish Hunter years.

And finally...

Bank One Ballpark, 1998-2009. A good ballpark, easy parking, nice atmosphere except for there being too much loud music. Friendly fans and decent staff. I may drive down next Friday to catch the first game of the Cards/Dbacks series (my days off are Thursdays and Fridays).

I've also been to a handful of minor league parks: the ballpark in Shreveport in 1984 to see the Arkansas Travelers play, both Hi Corbett Field and Tucson Electric Park in Tucson, and a couple of games at Cashman Field here in Las Vegas. The Shreveport park was old and dcripit even by 80's standards; TEP is comfortable and the view is good; Hi Corbett has nice atmosphere but uncomfortable seats (but a nice press box with the fans right outside the windows), and Cashman Field is better than advertised.

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