Worst parks you've seen a game in

[ElHalo]

What, in your opinion, are the worst parks you've seen a game in?

I for one have seen games in Montreal, which everyone said was terrible. However, other than the anitiseptic nature of the park (no personality AT ALL) and the roof that didn't open, I thought it was nice enough. No Yankee Stadium, of course.

The worst MLB park, that I've been to, is Shea Stadium. The upper deck is so highly sloped that you can't fit your feet flat on the ground because the seat in front of you is in the way. The sight lines are terrible, the cheesy fake apple in the top hat is annoying, the parking is awful (and mass transit isn't as easily accessible as at YS), and AIRPLANES FLY OVER EVERY THIRTY SECONDS. Absolutely awful place to watch a ballgame.

[BasEbaLlKnoItAll]

I think all of those "cookie cutters" back in the late 70's, 80's, and early 90's. You know what im talking about the Riverfront Stadiums, Shea Stadiums, Olympic Stadiums of the world. The round stadiums that have the round seat format on all the levels except the field level which accomadates the field. The astroturf as well. Lets see what we got:

Riverfront Stadium
Shea Stadium
Olympic Stadium
Bush Stadium
Kingdome
Veterans Stadium
Astrodome
Three Rivers Stadium
Atlanta Fulton County Stadium

those are the main ones but there is of coarse others who have similar features. But notice for the most part they were NL stadiums (except Kingdome). Just my opinion, i think that was the worst stadium trend EVER. Other than that i think Pro Player is definately up there on the list of worst stadiums. Well now i guess its called "Dolphins Stadium".

Though the only Stadiums ive seen a ML game in are Yankee, Shea, Fenway, Camden Yards, Tropicana Field, and the Skydome, this is just my uneducated opinion on the "cookie-cutters".

[tmc_6882]

What, in your opinion, are the worst parks you've seen a game in?

I for one have seen games in Montreal, which everyone said was terrible. However, other than the anitiseptic nature of the park (no personality AT ALL) and the roof that didn't open, I thought it was nice enough. No Yankee Stadium, of course.

The worst MLB park, that I've been to, is Shea Stadium. The upper deck is so highly sloped that you can't fit your feet flat on the ground because the seat in front of you is in the way. The sight lines are terrible, the cheesy fake apple in the top hat is annoying, the parking is awful (and mass transit isn't as easily accessible as at YS), and AIRPLANES FLY OVER EVERY THIRTY SECONDS. Absolutely awful place to watch a ballgame.

Maybe if that scumbag Jeffrey Loria waas loyal to Montreal instead of being a weasel (i.e. simply using the Expos as a stepping stone to aquire the Marlins), then perhaps, Montreal could've had a much better ballpark than Olympic Stadium:
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/monbpk.htm

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/monbpk01.jpg

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/monbpk02.jpg

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/monbpk03.jpg

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/monbpk04.jpg

[Aegis]

Just my opinion, i think that was the worst stadium trend EVER. Other than that i think Pro Player is definately up there on the list of worst stadiums.

I've been to Busch Stadium. Great place, honestly. I was up in the nosebleeds in RF foul territory and I still had a great time. It's hard to have a bad baseball experience in St. Louis.

I've never been there myself, but I've never heard anything but bad press about, oh, what's the name, Cellular One Field. You know, where the White Sox play.

[west coast orange and black]

The worst MLB park, that I've been to, is Shea Stadium.
did you see games at shea when the yanks had to use it as their home field in '75 (or maybe '76)?

[Chisox73]

US Cellular Field was hailed as a state of the art ballpark when it opened in 1991.But that praise was definately short-lived when Camden Yards opened up the next year.

Yes,The Cell was a bad place to watch a game.The upper deck was easily one of the steepest in baseball.I was in the last row of the right field upper deck when the Sox clinched the AL West in 1993.From there,you had pretty much a great view of the Chicago Skyline,that was it.

In recent years,The Cell has undergone a transformation to turn a "ballmall" into a "ballpark".The White Sox have added more seating closer to the field,moved the bullpens,created a Fan Deck in center field,where you can get a great view of the action,and have shaved off the top 6 rows of the upper deck.

The ballpark is way better than it was 5 years ago.

[BasEbaLlKnoItAll]

I've been to Busch Stadium. Great place, honestly. I was up in the nosebleeds in RF foul territory and I still had a great time. It's hard to have a bad baseball experience in St. Louis.

no doubt, i was just including that in the category, not by any means was i saying that Busch is a bad park, it just fits the mold of parks that i think are bad parks, with the round structure and the artificial turf for so many years. (until '96 i think)

[west coast orange and black]

oakland coliseum, for the cold, antiseptic feeling. also, it's gotta be the loudest park in the bigs.
anaheim stadium through the mid-90s, because the fans didn't even know when to applaud. (but both edison and the fans are much better now.)

[ElHalo]

did you see games at shea when the yanks had to use it as their home field in '75 (or maybe '76)?

Nope; only seen Yankee home games at Yankee Stadium. But I've seen many a Met game there, and believe me, it's not the kind of place you enjoy going to see a ballgame.

[west coast orange and black]

Nope; only seen Yankee home games at Yankee Stadium. But I've seen many a Met game there, and believe me, it's not the kind of place you enjoy going to see a ballgame.
i think i'll be seeing the yanks host the mets on 25, 26 june. any tips for me, eh?

[ElHalo]

i think i'll be seeing the yanks host the mets on 25, 26 june. any tips for me, eh?

Yankee/Met games are always very lively affairs; second only to Yankee - Red Sox games. Tip #1: Don't sit in the bleachers. The tickets are dirt cheap (something like $11), and the atmosphere is pure Yankee fan heaven, but I've heard out of towners complain about the poor bathroom and concession situations... as a Bleacher ticket holder, you're not allowed into the other parts of the Stadium, so you feel kind of isolated and second class.

Your first view of the field as you step out of the concourse will be breathtaking, so cherish it.

Beyond that, don't expect to find lots of exotic foods or ferris wheels or other such silly sideshow entertainment; don't expect to drive in (parking facilities are absolutely terrible, and your car is likely to get stolen if you park in nearby neighborhoods, but the subway stop is RIGHT THERE outside the entrance to the Stadium, and there are plenty of bars and restaurants for a carnival atmosphere right outside the subway stop... subway is by FAR the best way to get there, just take the A-C-E north from Manhattan); do expect to hear one of the loudest crowds you've ever heard with plenty of entertaining chants. Have a great time!

[tonypug]

If you go for the love of the game any ballpark is great. I do agree that the cookie cutter were the worst thing to happen ,especially since they took down some wonderful ballparks. Now they are replacing the cookie cutters with ballparks that look like the ones they tore down, go figure.

[west coast orange and black]

Yankee/Met games are always very lively affairs... Have a great time!
thanx for your time, eh. as it turns out, i will be at yankee stadium during interleague in june, so i will see the pirates.
i have been to the stadium before, and the first glimpse of the field was very memorable. after all, it was yankee stadium.
but no searching for special food or sideshows for me. that stuff i find pretty stupid and i misplaced at a ballpark. and i already have my subway directions.
and lower box seats have already been secured.

no, i was hoping for maybe a little gem of a insider tip. something that gets too-often passed over by fans and is not usually mentioned in guides.

maybe i am asking for too much, as already you mentioned the eab on long island. but if something comes to mind...

[Donnybrook @ Second base]

Elhalo, you must be nuts.

Getting to Shea via Public transportation is a easy as can be, I know you probably miss the crack addicts that frequent the #4 as you approach that dump in the Bronx. LIRR to Woodside one stop. Very easy. Or the other way, 1 stop 2 stops from Penn.

Yankee stadium is just as much of a dump with worse bathrooms, and that takes alot.

They don't even sell "Cracker Jacks" because that whore George got a sweet deal with crunch and munch.

No need to worry about editing Take me out to the ballgame, becasue that self serving George always plays God Bless America instead.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

HELLO SHEA STADIUM is not a great park at all. i have been to yankee stadium and it is great. i have HEARD ALOT OF NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT SHEA. I have never been there and will never go there. lets hope that the METS WILL get a new stadium soon. REMMBER THEY TORE DOWN MY POLO GROUNDS IN 1964 FOR SHEA STADIUM which is a dump. donald :waving :)

[Donnybrook @ Second base]

I never said it was great, but Yankee stadium is a dump aswell.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

I never said it was great, but Yankee stadium is a dump aswell.HELLO I WOULD RATHER GO TO YANKEE STADIUM ANYDAY OVER SHEA STADIUM. if i am around when they start to tear down shea stadium i will come to NEW YORK FOR ONE DAY and volenteer my services to the demolition company to take a couple swings at the stadium for free. donald :rolleyes:

[Donnybrook @ Second base]

You have never been to Shea, your comments are moot.

[Captain Cold Nose]

You have never been to Shea, your comments are moot.

He feels the same way about Comerica, which replaced Tiger Stadium. He's just really passionate about those parks. The new stadium could be a veritable Taj Mahal, with every amenity you could dream of, but Donald's fond memories are way more valuable to him.

I don't agree with him, but I respect his feelings.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

You have never been to Shea, your comments are moot.YES I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SHEA AND I WILL NEVER GO TO IT I HAVE SEEN IT ON TV AND ALOT OF FRIENDS THAT I KNOW HAVE BEEN THERE AND I RESPECT THERE NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE STADIUM. I HAVE NOT HEARD A POSITIVE THING ABOUT SHEA FROM ANYONE THAT I KNOW THAT HAS BEEN THERE. donald detroit mi :grouchy :rolleyes:

[Donnybrook @ Second base]

My feelings about Shea come from about hundreds of ballgames over the last 20+ years.

It is isn't great but it is like an old friend. I take offense to people taking pot shots at it.

Yankee stadium is just as much of a dump, but has some bronze statues so it becomes so much more...Yeah right. :mad:

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

HELLO i went to yankee stadium in 1988 for a red sox yankees game and i really enjoyed being there and the park is great. SOME OF THE STAFF THAT WORKS AT THE PARK WAS NOT GREAT ATT ALL. I also went across the river to go to the polo grounds towers and saw were the PG was located. I wish that i could have seen the 1st yankee stadium at least yankee stadium was renovated something that the polo grounds was not alowed to happen.I will never go to SHEA STADIUM. in 1991 i went to the madison square garden for a NY RANGERS ,DETROIT RED WINGS HOCKEY GAME AND i was not impressed with MADISON SQUARE GARDEN EITHER. remmber they tore down the other MADISON SQ GARDEN IN 1968. SO i have been to YANKEE STADIUM SO I CAN BASE MY OPINIUN on that stadium. also in 1988 i saw were ebbets field was also. DONALD DETROIT MI :)

[tonypug]

No ballpark should be bashed. Every one is entitled to his or her opinion.The old classic parks should never have been torn down, but they where. At least the cookie cutters are coming down replaced by parks with a little individuality. Until they replace it Shea is where the Mets play and we Mets fans will defend our ballpark.

[ElHalo]

My feelings about Shea come from about hundreds of ballgames over the last 20+ years.

It is isn't great but it is like an old friend. I take offense to people taking pot shots at it.

Yankee stadium is just as much of a dump, but has some bronze statues so it becomes so much more...Yeah right. :mad:

Sorry buddy; I've been going to Shea Stadium games forever, and it's not even close to being a patch on Yankee Stadium.

Yes, the bathrooms are poor in both places. No, Yankee Stadium doesn't have jet aircraft flying over every thirty seconds. No, Yankee Stadium doesn't have hideous neon baseball players five stories high on its exterior. No, Yankee Stadium doesn't have a hideous papier machet apply in the outfield. No, Yankee Stadium doesn't have a beautiful view of a parking lot beyond the center field wall. No, Yankee Stadium doesn't have upper deck seats so close together that you have to rest your feet on the shoulders of the person in front of you. No, Shea doesn't have the beautiful field vistas of YS. I could go on.

Elhalo, you must be nuts.

Getting to Shea via Public transportation is a easy as can be, I know you probably miss the crack addicts that frequent the #4 as you approach that dump in the Bronx. LIRR to Woodside one stop. Very easy. Or the other way, 1 stop 2 stops from Penn.

Yankee stadium is just as much of a dump with worse bathrooms, and that takes alot.

This is what I'm talking about when I say it's a pain to get to by public transportation.

First you have to take a subway to Penn Station. Then you have to get off the subway, go into the LIRR area, buy an LIRR ticket, and then hop onto one of their trains... which run on a schedule instead of just coming every few minutes. I'm not sure if you can take a subway to Shea, but if you can, it's got to be by some convoluted route that I've never figured out.

Don't get me wrong; I go see games at Shea all the time, and it's the first MLB stadium I ever went to. But it's a dump, and it really should be replaced. Between Shea and the Nassau Colluseam, Long Island corners the market on crappy sporting venues (Yes, Queens and Brooklyn are on LI. Look at a map.).

[Donnybrook @ Second base]

This is what I'm talking about when I say it's a pain to get to by public transportation.

First you have to take a subway to Penn Station. Then you have to get off the subway, go into the LIRR area, buy an LIRR ticket, and then hop onto one of their trains... which run on a schedule instead of just coming every few minutes. I'm not sure if you can take a subway to Shea, but if you can, it's got to be by some convoluted route that I've never figured out.



I guess Grand Central station is really hard to get to. The #7 train directly links with every line except the A/C/E line. It is a cross town train.

I have seen barefoot homeless crackheads on the #4 while going to Yankee Stadium, and the parking is quite awful.

[moebarguy]

For the record, Shea Stadium was NOT one of the cookie cutter stadiums. It was modeled after the beautiful Dodger Stadium. Anyway, I go to about 20 Mets games a year at Shea Stadium, and as someone posted before, it is like an old friend. It has a beautiful field, and every seat in the stadium has a good view. The concession stands are great, but the bathrooms aren't so great (what do you expect).

Yankee Stadium is by far the most overrated stadium in baseball. First of all, it's in a terrible neighborhood, so you're not going to get that friendly neighborhood feeling when you go there. Not that Shea Stadium is in the middle of the city, but at least you can be certain that your car will be there after the game. Even though some might say that the outside of Shea Stadium is tacky, the outside of Yankee Stadium is just plain ugly. Also, the inside of Yankee Stadium is like a cave system. The bleachers are falling apart. All in all, despite the great history about the famous players, and dominant Yankee teams, the Stadium itself is nothing special.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

HELLO if i had the choice of going to YANKEE STADIUM or SHEA STADIUM i would go to YANKEE STADIUM ANY DAY over shea. I think that the rivally BETWEEN THE METS FANS AND YANKEE fans are great. I can get a idea on how things were way back when the GIANTS AND DODGERS were in NEW YORK. AND yes the area around YANKEE STADIUM is not the best. BUT as i HAVE said before if the YANKEES still can play at yankee stadium the GIANTS or METS still could be playing across the river at THE POLO GROUNDS. take care all DONALD DETROIT MI :waving :rolleyes:

[moebarguy]

Well, as you like to say, "I haven't been there, but people have told me" that the Polo Grounds was a terrible stadium. So, I'm glad the Mets play in Shea Stadium. BEN NEW YORK NY :waving :rolleyes:

[ElHalo]

I guess Grand Central station is really hard to get to. The #7 train directly links with every line except the A/C/E line. It is a cross town train.

Seeing as how I live on the ACE line... well, draw your own conclusions.


I have seen barefoot homeless crackheads on the #4 while going to Yankee Stadium, and the parking is quite awful.

I have homeless crackheads (not barefoot, mind you) sleeping outside my front door every day. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. And if you try to park at Yankee Stadium, that's your own fault. Parking's not great at MSG either, but nobody complains about that.

[Aegis]

Parking's not great at MSG either, but nobody complains about that.

Wait wait wait--now you're talking about the part of New York I've actually been to. With MSG and the Hotel Pennsylvania right next to each other, is there actually any parking there? I just remember seeing a lot of restaurants and taxis.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Well, as you like to say, "I haven't been there, but people have told me" that the Polo Grounds was a terrible stadium. So, I'm glad the Mets play in Shea Stadium. BEN NEW YORK NY :waving :rolleyes: HELLO you have the right to your opinuion like anybody else but your comment about the polo grounds is one that i would expect from someone your age. :evil :mad: :rolleyes: DONALD DETROIT MI

[ElHalo]

Wait wait wait--now you're talking about the part of New York I've actually been to. With MSG and the Hotel Pennsylvania right next to each other, is there actually any parking there? I just remember seeing a lot of restaurants and taxis.

There's a few parking garages and lots in the area (there's a garage on 32nd street just the other side of eighth avenue from the Garden, and a few lots within a couple blocks... for reference, the Hotel Pennsylvania is on Seventh Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets, so I'm talking the other side of MSG from there), but they've got very, VERY few spots, and parking fees will cost you at least $45 for the few hours while you're there watching a game, so it's unadvisable.

[Donnybrook @ Second base]

A little known secret is to park on 27TH at F.I.T. you can park on the street and it has campus security so you car is safe.

[rich]

I have never been to a night game at the Stadium, coming from 100 miles away. However, I get there real early for day games and park in the top row( outside) of the garage. The barbecue grills are goin' with many people playing catch/whiffleball. A great atmosphere. As I get to only 3/4 Yankee games a year, I'm in no rush to leave. After the game, hit a few shops under the el. I savor the rumbling of the elevated! Many new stadiums, including Citizen's Bank Park, are obviously nice but alot of the "atmosphere" is forced. Of course, there's the Chairman of the Board (not Whitey Ford) singing New York, New York after an evil dynasty win!

[redrose14]

Growing up at Riverfront, I saw Reds and Bengals. My love for the game and my teams, it was the most beautiful thing my eyes had seen. Moved, had tickets to Astros in the Astrodome. Same-cookie-cutter-thing. I thought this was how sports was played...such a sheltered life. :noidea Then I saw Minute Maid-Astros and it was incredible. I know this is a baseball forum, but I have seen several Texans games at Reliant--holy cow!!

Upper deck Riverfront, because of circle, you feel like you are mile high and mile out. Reliant is a rectangle, sure you may be a mile up but you are on top of the field and you feel right on top of the action...same with Alamodome--saw many Spurs games and saw this year's Alamo Bowl game, Buckeyes vs. osu Cowboys. Minute Maid park--I dont think there is a bad seat in the house. The seats are very closed in and close to the field as oppose to sitting upper deck CF at Riverfront; you feel like you might be in Kentucky.

Just my perspective of it all.

[wogdoggy]

wrigley field is the worst, concrete falling down crappy food no parking and tight seats. let alone the whinning cub fans.

[Bob Hannah]

It is isn't great but it is like an old friend. I take offense to people taking pot shots at it.Easy for me to understand. Robert F. Kennedy Stadium will be used the next three years as home of the Washington Nationals. Renovations are currently underway. The experience for the fan will be spartan and utilitarian from the way things look.

RFK was the first cookie cutter, commissioned as D.C. Stadium back in the fifties and began use in '61 with the Redskins ('til '96) and the Senators '62-'71. Currently the MSL champion D.C. United play there and will continue to do so. The experience there will have many of the same drawbacks seemingly inherent with that style stadium. Steep outfield seating, bland, I'm certain the bathrooms won't be a charmer. But its only temporary, new stadium scheduled to open in 2008. They could play in cow pasture while wearing the pink tutus for all I care at this point.

Nothing real quirky, a couple characteristics distinguish it: no lower outfield seating or bleachers, the stadium viewed from the exterior looks like a floppy hat. The first base side visitors dugout will be smaller than the home dugout. The third base dugout was removed over the years and needs to be rebuilt.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Growing up at Riverfront, I saw Reds and Bengals. My love for the game and my teams, it was the most beautiful thing my eyes had seen. Moved, had tickets to Astros in the Astrodome. Same-cookie-cutter-thing. I thought this was how sports was played...such a sheltered life. :noidea Then I saw Minute Maid-Astros and it was incredible. I know this is a baseball forum, but I have seen several Texans games at Reliant--holy cow!!

Upper deck Riverfront, because of circle, you feel like you are mile high and mile out. Reliant is a rectangle, sure you may be a mile up but you are on top of the field and you feel right on top of the action...same with Alamodome--saw many Spurs games and saw this year's Alamo Bowl game, Buckeyes vs. osu Cowboys. Minute Maid park--I dont think there is a bad seat in the house. The seats are very closed in and close to the field as oppose to sitting upper deck CF at Riverfront; you feel like you might be in Kentucky.

Just my perspective of it all.

The Riverfront bleachers weren't so accomodating if you wanted to see the action. That's one thing they did take care of when they built Great American. But the seats are not comfortable at all. It's almost a wash in that respect.

[ElHalo]

Getting around on the ACE line might be a bit harder now... how does a homeless man lighting a fire in a tunnel to keep warm destroy an entire subway line for FIVE YEARS?

[trosmok]

Funny thing, if you were on the field in the Vet, Riverfront, Three Rivers, or Busch, you had to have a practiced eye to know which park you were in. The Vet had the most faded surface, Riverfront had red seats in the nether reaches, Busch has geraniums blooming around the walls, and by process of elimination, if you saw none of these things, you'd know you were at Three Rivers. Now that Busch is the only one left, it has a peculiar charm, not to mention some of the friendliest game day personnel, and some of the most astute fans I've encountered in my half century of following our pastime. I am a die hard Cubs fan as many here know, with a grudging respect for my Cardianl arch-rivals, but I take exception to wogdoggy's disparaging remarks about my beloved Wrigley. I am deeply concerned about the crumbling concrete; heaven help us if the northsiders have to play at Thirty Fifth and Shields for part of the '05 season. :eek:

[wogdoggy]

strop it brainwashed cub fan,,,the south side club offers parking a great new ballpark, much better babes,vs the yuppie sweater wearing north side evanston homely looking women and great ballpark food...be realistic so what if your a cub fan,wrigley stinks no parking junk food and dont deny that wrigley does smell like a urinal..tear the joint down.I hate the CUBS.lol

[MontaukMetFan]

I agree that Shea Stadium is certainly one of the worst ballparks in the country....and I'm a MET fan! But, to say Yankee Stadium is so much better is ABSURD! Parking is just as bad in the Bronx, and the highways leading there are A LOT worse than Shea's. The Yanks also have a closed stadium which is certainly more pleasing to the eye, but they had to paint the centerfield bleacher area black to help the batters see, and that's rather ugly looking. The monument park in center field is truly unique, although VERY inaccessable. Shea's scoreboard is hideous, but they have very well placed bullpens behind the left, and right field outfield walls. Both New York teams could use new parks, but the Yanks have a lot more leverage to bargain with. George's lease runs out very soon, and he can hold the threat of moving the Yanks to New Jersey. The city will bend over backward to keep all that money in New York!

[trosmok]

Any votes for the National's temporary home? The one game I saw there left much to be desired, although it was a Killebrew v. Howard, or rather Senators and Twins slugfest. The place looked like it was designed for football and soccer, with baseball as kind of an afterthought. The sightlines were all wrong, the concourse narrow and dark, the restrooms entirely insufficient for the even the small crowd when I was there. Hope MLB finds some new owners, a new name, and most of all a new Baseball Park in our nation's capital.

The Addison el stop suits me fine, I love the Wrigleyville neighborhood and it's residents, the ballpark food is just that: ballpark food not haute cuisine, and no, the place smells like popcorn, peanuts, little bear dogs, and spilled beer, but that may be how your urinals smell. Nothing against Comiskey, or Cellphone field, or whatever it is called, but how can you rip on the honeys from Evanston, wogpuppy? Some of the most beautiful women in the great lakes area reside there, and many attend my alma mater. I guess you are used to the southside chicks that have five kids by their mid-twenties named Bubba, Butch, Elvis, Billy Bob, and Marge. To each their own, lieben und lieben leich.

[Go Nats!]

For me, the park is tied to the experience I have there. For me, the worst experiences have been at the Vet in Philly and Olympic in Montreal.

The Vet was just a boring stadium. Nothing interesting about it. I had lousy seats, which could play a factor. The seats were uncomfortable, there wasn't enough beer and hot dog guys.

In Montreal, the fans cheered a bench-clearing brawl but not a stand-up triple by the home team. The vendors didn't like that I didn't speak French (though, I understand this one to a degree), and there weren't enough exits. We were all bunched together at the end of the game trying to get out of what appeared to be one exit. The stadium itself was just sort of unexciting.

[The Real McCoy]

I went to the All Star Game at Candlestick in ' 84 and someone told me to bring a coat. Now it's July so, of course, I don't listen and wear a short sleeved shirt. The game starts at 5:30 (PST) and they bring out a bunch of sailors with this huge American flag for the pre-game ceremonies. Almost on cue, the wind starts whipping in from off the Bay, gets under the flag and lifts three or four of the swabbies about ten feet in the air, still clutching the flag. Little did I know that the wind was just starting to blow hard. I thought my toes were frostbitten in the seventh inning. Gary Carter had a big game. Of course, he was playing with the Expos at the time, probably felt right at home.

On the other end of the thermometer, I was at the ' 66 game in newly opened Busch Stadium. Again, it's July and the game is still being played in the daytime. The stadium, as mentioned, is completely circular and enclosed and for some reason, the field is about two or three stories below street level. Thus there is no, and I mean no, circulation of air. It's a typical July day in St Louis, hot, muggy and 60,000 people are sitting in the world's largest suana. They started carrying fans out in the second inning. The players played the game like they all had 4:00 dates in East St Louis. It was the most boring All Star game played. Afterward, a reporter asked Casey Stengel, who was a coach on the NL squad, what he thought of the new stadium. Knowing a straight line when he heard it, Casey didn't miss a beat and replied, "It seems to hold the heat real good."

[rockin500]

strop it brainwashed cub fan,,,the south side club offers parking a great new ballpark, much better babes,vs the yuppie sweater wearing north side evanston homely looking women and great ballpark food...be realistic so what if your a cub fan,wrigley stinks no parking junk food and dont deny that wrigley does smell like a urinal..tear the joint down.I hate the CUBS.lol

sorry, but there is plenty of parking around wrigley within 3 blocks radius. you just gotta know where to look. ;) and you have no clue about who actually goes to the games. but eh, you're a cardinals fan, so what do you expect. :rolleyes:

and comiskey a great new park? pshhh.

[ElHalo]

There is no such thing as a great new park. If your park was built after the war, it's by definition not great.

[scootermojo]

There is no such thing as a great new park. If your park was built after the war, it's by definition not great.

have you been to PNC? that, my friend, is a GREAT, GREAT, GREAT park with a MEDIOCRE, MEDIOCRE, MEDIOCRE team.

[trosmok]

I went to the All Star Game at Candlestick in ' 84 and someone told me to bring a coat. I thought my toes were frostbitten in the seventh inning.

Afterward, a reporter asked Casey Stengel, who was a coach on the NL squad, what he thought of the new stadium. Knowing a straight line when he heard it, Casey didn't miss a beat and replied, "It seems to hold the heat real good."

ROFLMAO :laugh Thanks, TRMcCoy, you made coffee come out of my nose. I never made it to Candlestick for a ballgame, but the story goes you know you're there when the centerfielder carves open a caribou in the seventh and climbs inside to survive. Have been to St.Louis several times in July, and for large crowds like all are expecting this summer, particularly when the Cubs come to town, their emergency personnel will be extremely busy rescuing the victims of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat cramps and dehydration. A tip of the cap to the dedicated med-techs that provide sometimes life saving measures to the Cardinals' and visiting fans.

[west coast orange and black]

There is no such thing as a great new park. If your park was built after the war, it's by definition not great.
c'mon, man.

[west coast orange and black]

I went to the All Star Game at Candlestick in ' 84 and someone told me to bring a coat. Now it's July so, of course, I don't listen and wear a short sleeved shirt. The game starts at 5:30 (PST) and they bring out a bunch of sailors with this huge American flag for the pre-game ceremonies. Almost on cue, the wind starts whipping in from off the Bay, gets under the flag and lifts three or four of the swabbies about ten feet in the air, still clutching the flag. Little did I know that the wind was just starting to blow hard. I thought my toes were frostbitten in the seventh inning.
thanx for taking me back, trm. as i recall, it was not so bad because the fog wasn't all that wet that night. :)

[ElHalo]

c'mon, man.

Greatness, in my view, is something that can only be perceived in retrospect, with the sheen of years behind it. I'll put it this way: In 1999, Ken Griffey Jr. was voted onto the All Century team, ahead of the likes of Stan Musial and Tris Speaker. Oh, and Barry Bonds wasn't even considered. Six years later, that seems absolutely mind boggling. In the 1890's, the World's Fair Exposition Center in Chicago was considred the greatest architectural masterpiece of the century, far outstripping the Eiffel Tower, erected in Paris a few years before. To the baseball observers of that time, the greatest player in the game was Centerfielder Bill Lange, easily the superior of left fielder Ed Delehanty.

Very often, we can't see what's in front of us without a telescope. It's only after years of review and time for reality to set in that we can know the truth of things. Perhaps the newer parks might grow into the title of greatness in time. But they haven't yet.

[scootermojo]

Greatness, in my view, is something that can only be perceived in retrospect, with the sheen of years behind it. I'll put it this way: In 1999, Ken Griffey Jr. was voted onto the All Century team, ahead of the likes of Stan Musial and Tris Speaker. Oh, and Barry Bonds wasn't even considered. Six years later, that seems absolutely mind boggling. In the 1890's, the World's Fair Exposition Center in Chicago was considred the greatest architectural masterpiece of the century, far outstripping the Eiffel Tower, erected in Paris a few years before. To the baseball observers of that time, the greatest player in the game was Centerfielder Bill Lange, easily the superior of left fielder Ed Delehanty.

Very often, we can't see what's in front of us without a telescope. It's only after years of review and time for reality to set in that we can know the truth of things. Perhaps the newer parks might grow into the title of greatness in time. But they haven't yet.

good point. i was merely talking on a great place to watch a ball game and the aesthetic beauty of a field where you are talking about historical greatness. both are valid points.

[The Real McCoy]

West Coast O&B: I will always concede a point to superior local insight. But, if that night was "not so bad" I'd hate to be around when it did get "bad". I'm going to make the assumpiton that the same architectural geniuses that put the Busch Stadium field below street level also had a hand in designing Candlestick's configuration so it faced into the wind.

I did go to the new park in San Francisco four or five years ago and thought it was great, with a minor caveat. I'm sitting in the first row, club level between first and home and a foul ball comes twisting towards us. I stand and see that it will fall just short of our seats and sit down. A kid, seated next to us, feels compelled to point out that "you cudda got that one, mister, if you had leaned over the railing." After I finished pointing out that my days of "leaning over the railing", from an upper box, ended about the time Mays retired, I thought about the "youth wasted on the young" line, but held my tongue and thought of Tom Stoppard's line "age is a very high price to pay for maturity."

[west coast orange and black]

Greatness, in my view, is something that can only be perceived in retrospect, with the sheen of years behind it. I'll put it this way:
lotsa folks believe that pujols is already a great player.

[west coast orange and black]

West Coast O&B: I will always concede a point to superior local insight. But, if that night was "not so bad" I'd hate to be around when it did get "bad".
yes, you would have hated it, trm.
thanx for swappin'.

[west coast orange and black]

Very often, we can't see what's in front of us without a telescope. It's only after years of review and time for reality to set in that we can know the truth of things.
how true, eh. but at times the "very often" does not apply.
pac bell, in my book, became an instant classic and great the first time that the turnstiles started counting.

[tonypug]

West Coast O&B: I will always concede a point to superior local insight. But, if that night was "not so bad" I'd hate to be around when it did get "bad". I'm going to make the assumpiton that the same architectural geniuses that put the Busch Stadium field below street level also had a hand in designing Candlestick's configuration so it faced into the wind.

I did go to the new park in San Francisco four or five years ago and thought it was great, with a minor caveat. I'm sitting in the first row, club level between first and home and a foul ball comes twisting towards us. I stand and see that it will fall just short of our seats and sit down. A kid, seated next to us, feels compelled to point out that "you cudda got that one, mister, if you had leaned over the railing." After I finished pointing out that my days of "leaning over the railing", from an upper box, ended about the time Mays retired, I thought about the "youth wasted on the young" line, but held my tongue and thought of Tom Stoppard's line "age is a very high price to pay for maturity."Actually, perhaps one Mr. Walter O'Malley had a hand in the design of Candlestick Park.It has been written that he brought Stoneham there early in the day before the winds blow to convince him that this was the right site.I'm sure Walter wanted to make sure the Giants new park was just perfect.

[larryalan]

I LIKE the cookie cutter stadiums. To me, they make the game more intimate.
I've been to many "open" stadiums and people seem distracted all the time on other things than baseball. They pay all that money and spend an overwhelming amount of time dealing with food, talking, drinks ( and then going to the restrooms) and what other fans are doing that's not related to baseball.

[tonypug]

I LIKE the cookie cutter stadiums. To me, they make the game more intimate.
I've been to many "open" stadiums and people seem distracted all the time on other things than baseball. They pay all that money and spend an overwhelming amount of time dealing with food, talking, drinks ( and then going to the restrooms) and what other fans are doing that's not related to baseball.
I would have to say you are in the minority. All of the distractions you mention are part of todays lifestyle, and occur in the cookie cutters as well. The old Classic ballparks had basic ballpark food Hot Dogs, peanuts and drinks and people went to see the ballgame.

[section522]

The Big O is wrongly judged using parameters for today. It was the finest "cookie-cutter" in an age of cookie cutter parks. Great sitelines, huge concourses, good legroom, easy access, lots of private boxes when there was no such thing, pretty good food and very passionate fans. Busch looks fantastic with grass and the makeover, so much so that fans petitioned to keep it.

Exhibition Stadium in Toronto was truly awful, covered grandstand only in left field and most seat parallel to the base lines facing away from the infield (it was primarily a football stadium). It's replacement Skydome (with no "the" and now a bland sounding "Rogers Centre" - sounds like a mall or something) was, like New Comiskey, woefully obsolete a couple years after it was built when Camden Yards came along. EXTREMELY tight seating and an upper deck so steep and far from the action, that you can't tell if it's a pop-fly or ground ball unless you see the ball skip. Routine pop-outs to short look like certain home runs. It's what you get when you commission architects who've NEVER BUILT A BASEBALL PARK to design your park. Truly awful.

[rhd]

I've been to some bad stadiums that hosted MLB games (Olympic Stadium, Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan). But the worst was the Kingdome. The first time I saw it was from the air when I was landing at the airport. I was shocked by its ugliness. It didnt look any better close-up. Inside was just as bad. People have said 'if you like concrete, you'll love the Kingdome'. And there was the year where the tiles started falling off the roof and they had to close the stadium. And there was virtually no parking near the stadium. I cant think of any redeeming quality that it had. As bad as Olympic was (cant believe anyone actually thinks it was the BEST of the cookie-cutters), at least it was in a nice part of town. See the other thread for my critique of Hiram Bithorn. The former 'Skydome' is another unattractive park. I havent been to either the Metrodome or Tropicana but I believe that those are as bad as people say they are.

Actually, most of the MLB parks I've been to (and I've been to most of them) I thought were at least OK.

My comments on some of the earlier posts:

- Shea may not be the greatest ballpark, but it does have the 2 essential qualities of a good baseball park: it has natural grass and it is completely open. That is enough to keep it off of my 'worst' list. And parking was convenient. The time I went, I didnt sit in the upper deck, so I dont know about that.

- US Cellular Field (WhiteSox) is another much-maligned stadium that I didnt think was that bad. It's pretty plain and uninteresting, but not bad, IMO. Everyone comments about the upper deck. I sat in the upper deck when I went and I didnt really consider the steepness noteworthy. The upper decks of most stadiums are steep.

- I saw a game at Candlestick. I thought that park was fine also, altho I went on a Sunday afternoon, and I didnt experience the cold or the wind.

- Oakland's park used to be lovely before they enclosed it for football. Now, it's much less attractive, but still not bad.

- To me, Busch Stadium is by far the best of the 'cookie-cutter' parks. It really is one of my favorites. Just a lovely stadium in a nice downtown location. The pattern of the stadium rim is both distinguishing and aesthetic. I went in May and I dont remember it being unbearably hot. I'm sorry that this will be its last year. Busch is a good example that, even tho the cookie-cutters as a whole were not that great, you have to judge each park on its own. I like the new 'retro' parks, but to me Petco in San Diego is not a good example of these and is not as attactive a park as Busch, IMO.

Also, Dolphins Stadium (formerly ProPlayer) is another one worth mentioning. It's located far from downtown Miami, in a residential area. Apparently, its site was chosen because it is at the intersection of 2 major highways. Otherwise, it seems very curious place to put a ballpark. It's basically out in the middle of nowhere. It has artificial turf, which always seemed strange to me because it is not a domed stadium and is in a warm climate that gets lots of rain. The left field wall is the strangest in MLB. Seemingly, there's no rhyme or reason to its configuration. Bascially, it's a football stadium not well-suited for baseball. One good thing about it was that parking was very convenient. Only took me a couple minutes to get from my car to the box office. Of course, if only 10,000 people come to the game, parking should be a breeze. I'm glad to hear that they're apparently going to get a new stadium there. It shouldnt be hard to for it to be an improvement.

[Bluesteve32]

Also, Dolphins Stadium (formerly ProPlayer) is another one worth mentioning. It's located far from downtown Miami, in a residential area. Apparently, its site was chosen because it is at the intersection of 2 major highways. Otherwise, it seems very curious place to put a ballpark. It's basically out in the middle of nowhere. It has artificial turf, which always seemed strange to me because it is not a domed stadium and is in a warm climate that gets lots of rain. The left field wall is the strangest in MLB. Seemingly, there's no rhyme or reason to its configuration. Bascially, it's a football stadium not well-suited for baseball. One good thing about it was that parking was very convenient. Only took me a couple minutes to get from my car to the box office. Of course, if only 10,000 people come to the game, parking should be a breeze. I'm glad to hear that they're apparently going to get a new stadium there. It shouldnt be hard to for it to be an improvement.

I just looked up Dolphins Stadium. It has PAT which is perscription athletic turf, which is natrual grass. It was among the first stadiums to use PAT, which is basically grass on an entirely sand base field and drains very easily and must be irrigated no matter the climate. When I was taking "Athletic Truf Management " classes at Cal Poly Pomona (one of the leaders in Ornamental Horticulture BTW), there was a lot of excitement regarding PAT and many fields today use PAT or some variation of a sand based soil to plan their turf.

[E.Banks#14]

wogdoggy, I'm sorry to say, but you have no idea what you are talking about.
Wrigley Field is the greatest place to watch a ballgame (if that is what you do at ballgames). So many of these new parks are more shopping malls than they are baseball stadiums. Wrigley has the greatest atmosphere of any ballpark. The food is great, unless you prefer fine dining at your baseball games. Every single fan is into the game. I've been to so many games in which every fan in the crowd is either cheering simultaneously or booing.

And who can't like it when an ump like Angel Hernandez blows such an easy call and the singer of the 7th inning stretch boos him. Then Hernandez motioned up to the WGN booth, saying, GET HIM OUT OF HERE. Cubs fans are the greatest fans, we don't have to go around disrespecting other fans, like wogdoggy seems to love to do.

So what if Wrigley's concrete fell TWICE. The nets they put up don't distract from the game and can only be seen if you look straight up. There are only two bad things at Wrigley, those evil old people in the red shirts (the Wrigley workers) that couldn't get any more stubborn. And, the bathroom lines are pretty long. But other than that, Wrigley IS BASEBALL.

[Donnybrook @ Second base]

From what I heard about Wrigley from a friend is it is more of a happy hour at the stadium, an event and the game is in the background.

[section522]

There's a good book called "Green Cathedrals". Somewhere in there they mention that Candlestick wasn't nearly as windy when it was simply a baseball stadium with open outfield. When it was enclosed for football, they continued the sort of "curved" roof all the way around which ended up scooping the wind in. Ironically, it is said to be much more pleasant in the football season. They also put in huge boilers and miles and miles of piping to heat the stands (outdoor radiant heat). It failed instantly and was never repaired...

[wamby]

Greatness, in my view, is something that can only be perceived in retrospect, with the sheen of years behind it. I'll put it this way: In 1999, Ken Griffey Jr. was voted onto the All Century team, ahead of the likes of Stan Musial and Tris Speaker. Oh, and Barry Bonds wasn't even considered. Six years later, that seems absolutely mind boggling. In the 1890's, the World's Fair Exposition Center in Chicago was considred the greatest architectural masterpiece of the century, far outstripping the Eiffel Tower, erected in Paris a few years before. To the baseball observers of that time, the greatest player in the game was Centerfielder Bill Lange, easily the superior of left fielder Ed Delehanty.

Very often, we can't see what's in front of us without a telescope. It's only after years of review and time for reality to set in that we can know the truth of things. Perhaps the newer parks might grow into the title of greatness in time. But they haven't yet.

I think you are right. Griffey over Musial or Speaker? Even in 1999, I thoughht that was riidiculous. Right up with the Indians fans choosing Roberto Alomar as the Indians all-century second baseman.

[west coast orange and black]

...they mention that Candlestick wasn't nearly as windy when it was simply a baseball stadium with open outfield. When it was enclosed for football, they continued the sort of "curved" roof all the way around which ended up scooping the wind in.

Ironically, it is said to be much more pleasant in the football season.

They also put in huge boilers and miles and miles of piping to heat the stands (outdoor radiant heat). It failed instantly and was never repaired...
they're right.

they're wrong. dead wrong.

the lower box seating heating system was a pipe dream, true.

[section522]

On the radiant heat, they were going to attempt it again, 40 years later, at Labatt Park in Montreal.....probably could have made it work (at least, have warm liquid flow through the floor) with all the radiant in-floor heat common today. Now, whether it would've warmed the patrons.........?

[Pirates51]

By far, the worst I've been to was Olympic. We were there about 45 min. before game time and the area was like a deserted concrete theme park. No one showed till just before the game and then only 7,400 attended. It was like a game in an echo chamber, especially when the fans started beating on the seats. I guess it replaces footstompin' in Canada.The city was fantastic, though. I'd recomend a visit anytime, especially since baseball isn't on the menu there any longer. Great downtown bars and friendly people!
I see several mentions of Shea. I enjoyed my visit to Shea, but it might have been boosted by our side trip on the 7-train to Manhatten and Mickey Mantle's restaurant. We had seats behind home plate (A friend knew a Pirate pitcher). Two bad experiences....foul balls were captured by overhead nets, taking one from our grasps and the food concourse was terrible. The ushers wouldn't let you stand and watch the game and the food was just medicore.

[Peachiro]

US Cellular Field is terribly underrated. The field view is gorgeous. The backdrop is beautiful. The collage of past and present stars on the upper concourse brings tears to my eyes. The atmosphere is just right to me... all the fans are hardcore, and sometimes they even get so into the game that they run on the field and act a damn fool. That aside, we love our team through thick and thin.


I declare the Metrodome the shabbiest; a notch above Olympic Stadium, but I still enjoyed the experience of going to those two ballparks about as much as any other.

[jrh31584]

The park formerly known as Comiskey would probably be rated higher if...
1. It was facing northeast.
2. It was the only MLB facility along the Red Line.
3. It was replacing a newer park.
4. It was not built right before the retro craze.

[big10purdue]

The hands down winner is...

TROPICANA FIELD :clapping

others receiving votes:
Shea Stadium
US Cellular Field (before recent renovations)
RFK Stadium - this one is gonna be a JOKE!

[skeletor]

C'mon, give me a break..RFK, isn't all that bad..saw many of Senators
games there ..before they moved the team to TeXas..RFK, is still in
fairly good shape..as it is being tweaked..for it's three year run, before
being replaced by a new park for the Nationals..Heck, even if one was
to stick to the conclusion, that RFK, is a joke, it is still light years better
than the Expos, and Blue Jays parks....I haven't seen RFK, since 1971,
but plan on attending a few games there this season..rooting for my
second fave team...

Man, I don't understand Cubs fans...always down on other clubs, and parks,
always whining, Thinking that they are GOD'S choice as the ultimate MLB
fan..and more...Guess all those years of losing, and then not making it
past the playoffs, into the series,has taken it's toll..nothing like rubbing salt
into the rear end of dem cubbies fans..as the Red Sox finally whipped their
curse, getting into the series, and sweeping the Cards..Musta been depression city in cubs central...as for RFK..it's fine..

[tonypug]

I keep seeing The Trop listed as one of the worst fields. I never see specifics mentioned though. I have been to many games there, and have been to many ballparks, I don't find anything terrible about it. If anyone has specific complaints , lets hear them.My only complaint, is that its a domed stadium, but with our thunderstorms in the summer its understandable.

[big10purdue]

:radio My intention was not to bash other stadiums... just merely answer the question that was posted. This post is for opinions. Are there bad stadiums? Of course. I have read many bad things about RFK, such as the "removable" bleachers getting stuck because they were so rusted over. They spent $3mil to get these things out. I know it's a temporary home... and that's why it's going to be bad. I will see for myself May 13th when the Cubs play in D.C.

Also, when your team hasn't won in 100 years, you need to look at the positives... and the one thing Cubs fans CAN brag about it Wrigley. Nothing in baseball compares to it. The newer parks that look nice... still smell like fresh paint and don't have that "old" feel down to its concourses. You can bash the Cubs (because they historically deserve it)... just don't bash Wrigley.

The biggest problem I have with Tropicana Field is the lighting. It is very dark and the turf doesn't help. It's olive green and looks like the shag carpeting at my grandma's house. The field of play is darker than any ballpark I've been to. Because of the low attendance only a few concession stands are open, making you walk father away... missing the action. The outside of the stadium is very ugly and crooked. The roof is angled and looks like it has been in an earthquake. The one positive I can say (and I dont know if they still do it) is the Beach in LF bleachers. It was something like $3 for your ticket and 49 cent drafts. Now that's a bargain!

[Ranger Fanatic]

I am new to the forum, and wanted to share my times at Arlington Staduim. Go early in the year or late in the season or the sun would cook you. I went to a game in early 80's against the White Sox, 7th inning was at 93 degrees, game started at close to 100 degrees at 7:30 pm.
Buddy Bell hit a grand slam to win the game, was one of my favorite memories about that old park.
Built as a minor leauge park for the Dallas/Ft.Worth Spurs became the home of the expansison Rangers. Small and cozy what a great place to watch a game. The dot races are a big fan delight.

[tonypug]

:radio My intention was not to bash other stadiums... just merely answer the question that was posted. This post is for opinions. Are there bad stadiums? Of course. I have read many bad things about RFK, such as the "removable" bleachers getting stuck because they were so rusted over. They spent $3mil to get these things out. I know it's a temporary home... and that's why it's going to be bad. I will see for myself May 13th when the Cubs play in D.C.

Also, when your team hasn't won in 100 years, you need to look at the positives... and the one thing Cubs fans CAN brag about it Wrigley. Nothing in baseball compares to it. The newer parks that look nice... still smell like fresh paint and don't have that "old" feel down to its concourses. You can bash the Cubs (because they historically deserve it)... just don't bash Wrigley.

The biggest problem I have with Tropicana Field is the lighting. It is very dark and the turf doesn't help. It's olive green and looks like the shag carpeting at my grandma's house. The field of play is darker than any ballpark I've been to. Because of the low attendance only a few concession stands are open, making you walk father away... missing the action. The outside of the stadium is very ugly and crooked. The roof is angled and looks like it has been in an earthquake. The one positive I can say (and I dont know if they still do it) is the Beach in LF bleachers. It was something like $3 for your ticket and 49 cent drafts. Now that's a bargain!
FRom the outside the Trop looks like a flying saucertrying to take off. Inside isn't too bad. They have a main food concourse, and there is usually a good selection of things to buy. I don't believe the field is poorly lighted, the stands are darker to allow you to see the field better. Most indoor arenas ,that I have been in are the same. The turf is the new type that most other indoor sights are now going to. It does have an all dirt infield , not just sliding boxes around the bases. Yes they still have the beach, at least it was still there last year. Baseball indoors is just different and not something I like, but when it was built there was no team, and no budget for a retractable roof. Of couse we thought we had the SF Giants all wrapped up, but thats another story. We could have had Barry Steroid Bonds.

[moviegeekjan]

[FONT=Courier New]I think all of those "cookie cutters" back in the late 70's, 80's, and early 90's. You know what im talking about the Riverfront Stadiums, Shea Stadiums, Olympic Stadiums of the world. Most of the cookie cutters are gone and St. Louis is in its last season for Busch, which actually has become a pretty decent place to see ballgames ever since they put real turf in.

The worst I've ever been in have thankfully already been torn down--Philly's Vet was about the most boring baseball experience I ever had, partly because of the artificial turf and lack of character... but the team was bad and fans sparse the one time I visited.

Shea is still a pit no matter how many Mets fans crowd in there. I've mostly sat in the upper deck, and the time that I was down the left field line, it was virtually impossible to follow the path of fly balls due to the angle and sight lines.

[Ogopogo]

The crappiest park I have ever been to is the Kingdome.

On TV I have seen some toilets: Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, The Vet in Philadelphia.

Most of the time, a roof is bad and artificial turf - the old kind - blows, too. The new stuff, that looks like grass is not too bad.

Baseball should be played outside with real grass.

[hjg24]

The VET is a landmark and dont you forget it!

[CZzyzx41]

Well the only landmark the Vet is anymore is whatever rubble is still left on the premises. I've only been to 5 parks and I was lucky enough to go to Oakland before the Raiders returned and expanded it. Nice grass meadow in the outfield. From the inside I really liked it but from the outside it stunk. Qualcomm Stadium was old but for me held a lot of memories. It just wasn't the same to me when they re-colored the fences blue, removed the team logos around the outfield, closed the seats right up to the scoreboard, and eliminated the open look. Those palm trees didn't really add anything for me. The large concourse was great though and fans are missing that with PETCO.
Dodgers Stadium is beautiful when you first walk out of the concourse and look at the view. As a Padres fan It's hard to say but right now it's my favorite park from the inside. Now if you want to get into parking, getting to my seat, and the actual comfortability of the seat PETCO has it beat.
Went to Angels Field last year and had a great time. Never saw an entire ballpark cheer for their team like that and American League baseball has a totally different feel than National League ball. Not just the DH but there's something else I can't put my finger on. Anyways the field was great, the outside of the stadium looks great. My only complaint would be the concourse being too narrow in the upper decks. The first floor isn't bad during the game but before and after it's pretty crowded and hard to move around. Much like Dodger Stadium in that sense.
I think so far ultimate favorite to least fav would be:
Angel Field, PETCO, Dodger Stadium, Qualcomm, and Oakland Colesium.
Hoping to get to games in Phoenix, Denver, and Seattle next year.

[ballparks]

EXHIBITION STADIUM, or as we called it, execretion stadium, execrution staidium, etc. A converted Canadian Football League stadium. Can't get much more pathetic than that.

[rockin500]

From what I heard about Wrigley from a friend is it is more of a happy hour at the stadium, an event and the game is in the background.

I'm a season ticket holder and that statement really isnt true. sure, there are a buncha fans who are more interested in having a good time than the game, but there are those types of fans at every stadium. I know in my particular section of the stadium, happy hour is reserved for after the game.

[tulsacubfan]

I am new to the forum, and wanted to share my times at Arlington Staduim. Go early in the year or late in the season or the sun would cook you. I went to a game in early 80's against the White Sox, 7th inning was at 93 degrees, game started at close to 100 degrees at 7:30 pm.
Buddy Bell hit a grand slam to win the game, was one of my favorite memories about that old park.
Built as a minor leauge park for the Dallas/Ft.Worth Spurs became the home of the expansison Rangers. Small and cozy what a great place to watch a game. The dot races are a big fan delight.

I love the new Ballpark at Arlington (or whatever they call it now!). One of my favorite - right after Wrigley (obviously) and PacBell.

[64Cards]

Personally, I loathe domed stadiums. I don't even like watching a dome game on tv. Never seen a bb game at one, however I have sat through quite a few football games at TWA/ED football dome here in St. Louis. Nothing more depressing than tailgating on a beautiful autumn afternoon [best weather time in midwest] and then going to sit in a gigantic dark warehouse.

I guess I can understand having retractables, but why do they close the roofs why the weather is good? In 2001 the Cards were playing the DBacks in the division playoffs in Phoenix, weather was mid-80's [no humidity] roof was closed because Johnson & Schilling like it that way. Same thing last year in the LCS in Houston. Weather was fine, but heard that FOX sports didn't like the shadows from afternoon sun, so roof was closed. Pulled the same crap when they had the Super Bowl in Houston 2 years ago.

[tonypug]

Personally, I loathe domed stadiums. I don't even like watching a dome game on tv. Never seen a bb game at one, however I have sat through quite a few football games at TWA/ED football dome here in St. Louis. Nothing more depressing than tailgating on a beautiful autumn afternoon [best weather time in midwest] and then going to sit in a gigantic dark warehouse.

I guess I can understand having retractables, but why do they close the roofs why the weather is good? In 2001 the Cards were playing the DBacks in the division playoffs in Phoenix, weather was mid-80's [no humidity] roof was closed because Johnson & Schilling like it that way. Same thing last year in the LCS in Houston. Weather was fine, but heard that FOX sports didn't like the shadows from afternoon sun, so roof was closed. Pulled the same crap when they had the Super Bowl in Houston 2 years ago.
I agree, stadiums with retractable domes should be required to keep the field open, unless it is raining. Otherwise the home team can use the dome to give themselves a further advantage.

[Chisox73]

I agree, stadiums with retractable domes should be required to keep the field open, unless it is raining. Otherwise the home team can use the dome to give themselves a further advantage.

I can see here someone like Johnson and Schilling when they played in Arizona for example would have some say about whether or not the roof should be open.

But,IMO,someone like FOX should have no say whatsoever about whether the roof should be open or closed.That should be up to the home team and home team only.

[moviegeekjan]

In 2001 the Cards were playing the DBacks in the division playoffs in Phoenix, weather was mid-80's [no humidity] roof was closed because Johnson & Schilling like it that way. . Actually, if talking about 2001 neither Johnson nor Schilling were consulted on whether they wanted the roof open or closed. That issue came up AFTER the World Series win just before the 2002 season, and the media blew that up in Schilling's face when he had told the team president that his preference was to have the roof closed (Johnson said he had no preference). Rich Dozier (team President) eventually stated that HE was the one to make the call, so Schilling was NOT responsible for whether the roof was open or closed.

Other issues at stake. If it's a day game, it's more than likely that the roof will be closed even in mid 80's weather because:

1. Fans sitting in the lower levels on the first base side complained of being "cooked" in the steady sunlight

2. Certain start times in the mid afternoon may be OK initially, but the shadows created as the sun shifts cause havoc with the fielders and batters

[PadreHomer]

Go to a charger game and recheck the concourse at Qualcomm, its tiny. The concourse is specifically the section right behind the seats. If you mean the large open area right inside the gates, then yeah that was nice.

Overall to me, you can't beat the city skyline and park view at Petco, even when the stadum was open you had a great view of the 15 freeway and Padre Gardens apartments, allied gardens and del cerro were distant in the background. When they enclosed it I was completely done with that place.

[64Cards]

I thought people moved to Phoenix because of all the sunshine. To complain about being in the sun when it's 85 with 10% humidity is idiotic. Just break out the sunscreen. As far as dealing with the shadows, that's something that has been going on in ballparks since the game began. Like dealing with the wind or bad turf, it's part of the game.

[tonypug]

Baseball and football were meant to be played outdoors. The atmosphere is toatally different when baseball is played indoors. It just isn't as enyoyable for me.

[64Cards]

Amen to that!

[Bluesteve32]

I thought people moved to Phoenix because of all the sunshine. To complain about being in the sun when it's 85 with 10% humidity is idiotic. Just break out the sunscreen. As far as dealing with the shadows, that's something that has been going on in ballparks since the game began. Like dealing with the wind or bad turf, it's part of the game.

I guess you have never been in desert sun in the summer. Quite burtal, a lot like the humidity along the mighty Mississippi.

[64Cards]

St. Louis, especially Busch Stadium in the 3B seats, can get as hot and miserable as few places on earth during July & August. We would be thrilled to have 90 temps with virtually no humidity.

But hey, we have a great franchise like the Cards to watch. So go pluck down another 6 bucks for a cold Bud, get some ice from a vendor and rub a wet golf towel in it, slap it on your forehead and enjoy the game. Have fun bitching about the heat with the other true fans,

"It's not the heat, it's the humidity!"

Harry Caray used to strip down to nothing but his boxer shorts and a cold Bud in the broadcast booth during hot afternoons in St. Louis. I guess WGN-TV discouraged that in Chicago.

[tonypug]

In July and August the heat is brutal in New York, St. Louis, Cincy, Chicago and other cities. Thats part of the game. It's cold in alot of cities during football season. Opera is done indoors, baseball and football is meant to be outdoors.

[moviegeekjan]

I thought people moved to Phoenix because of all the sunshine. To complain about being in the sun when it's 85 with 10% humidity is idiotic. Just break out the sunscreen. As far as dealing with the shadows, that's something that has been going on in ballparks since the game began. Like dealing with the wind or bad turf, it's part of the game.
Until you've seen the glare and the shadows created by the BOB's structure, you can NOT judge adequately.

I've lived in both Phoenix and in the St. Louis area so understand in my bones the difference between the dry heat and the humid (I prefer the dry), but if you've got a few thousand people passing out from sitting in the direct Phoenix sun for 3 hours at a stretch and... as president of the club, are responsible for the health and welfare of the patrons... you'd opt to close the roof on many of those sunny afternoon games too. Most of us regulars in Phoenix prefer the open air on those nice days (and make the same comments about breaking out the sunscreen), but we can understand where the organization is coming from.

[skeletor]

Replaced beloved Tiger stadium in 2000..Not a great place
for baseball..although some fans will swear by it..What I hate
about it..looks like a place for yuppies, and companies, to
mingle in with die hard fans..huge power alleys..the ball doesn't
fly outta the park...some seats are very far away..and the
cheezy food courts, and Tiger ferris wheel and merry-go-round..
Heck, this is a ball park..not six flags over Detroit..

Yet, the old gal, ( TIGER STADIUM ) is still standing, awaiting a date
with the wrecking ball...and that blows chunks...

[buckthis]

The Oakland Coliseum was real bad for a long time. Then it got worse when Mt. Davis was erected for additional football seats. Before it was cold and had no soul. Now it's cavernous and noisy. The constant noise there is just stupid.

[Be The Reds!]

Out of the MLB parks i've been to, Skydome is the worst.

The roof was closed, so that might have a lot to do with it though.

The loudest sound was the hum of the flourescent lights.

The second time I went there, I couldn't even see right field from the cheapo seat I bought.

But this stadium is still better than some of the Japanese ballparks I've been to.

The baseball parks here would make all the cookie cutters people are complainging about sound like heaven. For fear of lawsuits, the net isn't restricted only to the area behind home plate. It covers all foul territory and even parts of the areas between the foul poles. The game is difficult to see clearly with these nets in place.

In addition, being that Japan doesn't have a lot of land space, they jam pack as many people as they can into those stadiums, so much to the point that if you are in the lower area of the stadium, you'd be lucky if any oxygen were to get to you. I wonder what the players do!

In Japan TV is actually a lot better than going to the game, unless you're talking about highschool baseball.

[Bleacherbee]

Call me crazy, but I really like Shea. Only been to one game there, but I was staying at the LGA Marriott and walked to the game - sat in the upper bowl on the 1B line... it was nice.

Compared to Pro Player and Arlington stadium it was VERY nice. I think Pro Player and Three Rivers rank at the bottom as far as stadiums I've actually been to for baseball.

[1995hoo]

I guess I can understand having retractables, but why do they close the roofs why the weather is good?At least in the postseason, the AL made a rule requiring the Blue Jays to keep their roof closed; I don't know whether the same rule applies to the other retractables. The rules also state that a roof cannot be opened during a game, but can be closed during a game if necessary at the home team's discretion. If the visiting team objects, the umpires are to decide it. Once it's closed it cannot be reopened.

I'm not sure why the American League decided that the roof had to be closed during the postseason. I'm guessing it was to try to avoid any possibility of a claim that the Blue Jays were able to manipulate the roof closing to gain an unfair advantage.

[Donnybrook @ Second base]

It could have to do with the cold weather in Toronto in October.

[Astros4Life]

PNC Park(2004)
Minute Maid park(2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Ballpark in Arlington(1997, 2003)
Jacobs Field(2000)
Bank One Ballpark(2002)
Turner Field(1998)
Camden Yards(1998)
Busch Stadium(1996
Fenway (1998)
Yankee Stadium(1998)
Astrodome(1990, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99)
Comiskey Park(1996)
Wrigley Field(1996)
Tiger Stadium(1996)
Kauffman Stadium(1996)
Riverfront Stadium(1996)

Riverfront I liked but of the stadiums ive been to it was worst...from what ive heard 3 rivers was the worst stadium

[mojorisin71]

There is no such thing as a great new park. If your park was built after the war, it's by definition not great.

If by "war" you mean Vietnam, then Dodger Stadium could also be included as "great". Sorry if our stadium isn't as prestigious as Yankee Stadium, Fenway, or Wrigley.

[Bleacherbee]

If by "war" you mean Vietnam, then Dodger Stadium could also be included as "great". Sorry if our stadium isn't as prestigious as Yankee Stadium, Fenway, or Wrigley.

In further response to that statement, witness Cleveland Municipal vs. Jacobs Field. There was nothing at all great about Municipal, even though it was a pre-war stadium.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

In further response to that statement, witness Cleveland Municipal vs. Jacobs Field. There was nothing at all great about Municipal, even though it was a pre-war stadium.


HELLO what was wrong with the old CLEVELAND STADIUM. i was there in 1992 for a WHITE SOX INDIANS game and the place looked like it was in good shape. granted the seating capacity was huge and the place looked empty even with 20,000 fans in it but there was nothing wrong with the place DONALD DETROIT MI

[Bleacherbee]

HELLO what was wrong with the old CLEVELAND STADIUM. i was there in 1992 for a WHITE SOX INDIANS game and the place looked like it was in good shape. granted the seating capacity was huge and the place looked empty even with 20,000 fans in it but there was nothing wrong with the place DONALD DETROIT MI

You must have a big bladder :D

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

You must have a big bladder :D

WHAT KIND OF COMMENT WAS THAT. THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH OLD CLEVELAND STADIUM. :grouchy

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

You must have a big bladder :D

HEY BLEACHERBEE how can you comment on a place that you never been to. i did go to the old cleveland stadium. but then again i can expect a comment like that from someone who likes SHEA STADIUM WHICH STINKS ALSO. I WOULD RATHER BE AT THE POLO GROUNDS ANY DAY OVER SHEA STADIUM. DONALD DETROIT :grouchy

[wamby]

WHAT KIND OF COMMENT WAS THAT. THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH OLD CLEVELAND STADIUM. :grouchy

In all seriousness, I have to ask: how many times were you ever at Cleveland Stadium?

[Bleacherbee]

HEY BLEACHERBEE how can you comment on a place that you never been to


Oh, I GET IT, you think that because I didn't list the mistake by the lake in my list of MLB parks I've been to a game at that I've never been there! Because the Indians were the only team that played there! :crazy

We get it, you like old parks and hate every team that ever moved. Seriously though you should hate the Indians because they left League park, and stop defending Cleveland Stadium. It would fit in more with your MO. :)

[Captain Cold Nose]

In all seriousness, I have to ask: how many times were you ever at Cleveland Stadium?

I think Donald also prefers grass huts and log cabins to modern housing, as well.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

In all seriousness, I have to ask: how many times were you ever at Cleveland Stadium?

HELLO i was at cleveland stadium for one game in 1992. and i liked the place. it looked like it was in good shape. i would have liked to have seen a game at LEAGUE PARK but they partially DEMOLISHED the stadium i think in 1950. they did leave a small part of the stadium and the playing field and i was lucky to have seen that in 1992. I have been told that it is still there today and i guess they are going to renovate what is still left there. GRANTED cleveland stadium when there was 20,000 people looked empty. i would have loved to have seen a cleveland browns football game there. DONALD DETROIT MI :)

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Oh, I GET IT, you think that because I didn't list the mistake by the lake in my list of MLB parks I've been to a game at that I've never been there! Because the Indians were the only team that played there! :crazy

We get it, you like old parks and hate every team that ever moved. Seriously though you should hate the Indians because they left League park, and stop defending Cleveland Stadium. It would fit in more with your MO. :)

HEY BLEACHERBEE I FEEL JUST LIKE THE BROOKLYN DODGERS FANS AND THE NEW YORK GIANTS FANS DO ABOUT LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO BECAUSE AS FAR AS ME THE TIGERS LEFT DETROIT AFTER 1999. and yes i love the old ballparks including the POLO GROUNDS, SHEA STADIUM could not hold a candle to the POLO GROUNDS. and if you dont know the NEW YORK METS PLAYED AT THE POLO GROUNDS in 1962 and 1963 before the dump called SHEA STADIUM opened. BLEACHERBEE checkout the threads in the brooklyn dodgers and NY GIANTS sections :mad:

[Bleacherbee]

HEY BLEACHERBEE I FEEL JUST LIKE THE BROOKLYN DODGERS FANS AND THE NEW YORK GIANTS FANS DO ABOUT LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO BECAUSE AS FAR AS ME THE TIGERS LEFT DETROIT AFTER 1999. and yes i love the old ballparks including the POLO GROUNDS, SHEA STADIUM could not hold a candle to the POLO GROUNDS. and if you dont know the NEW YORK METS PLAYED AT THE POLO GROUNDS in 1962 and 1963 before the dump called SHEA STADIUM opened. BLEACHERBEE checkout the threads in the brooklyn dodgers and NY GIANTS sections :mad:


Thanks I was aware... what's the point of this?

[wamby]

HELLO i was at cleveland stadium for one game in 1992. and i liked the place. it looked like it was in good shape. i would have liked to have seen a game at LEAGUE PARK but they partially DEMOLISHED the stadium i think in 1950. they did leave a small part of the stadium and the playing field and i was lucky to have seen that in 1992. I have been told that it is still there today and i guess they are going to renovate what is still left there. GRANTED cleveland stadium when there was 20,000 people looked empty. i would have loved to have seen a cleveland browns football game there. DONALD DETROIT MI :)

You're one of the few people I've heard of that like Cleveland Stadium. By 1992 the place was a dump.

I'm not sure when League Park was demolished, but the Browns were using it as a practice field in the late sixties. A little bit of League Park is still standing at East 66th & Lexington. When I was growing up, that was reputedly the worst section of Cleveland.

[donut1893]

The worst stadium that I have ever been to is Veteran's Stadium in 2003. I did not really like Shea when I went to a game there but there are some redeeming qualities.

[64Cards]

The worst stadium that I have ever been to is Veteran's Stadium in 2003. I did not really like Shea when I went to a game there but there are some redeeming qualities.
It's next to LGA airport, so you can get the hell out of NY quickly.

[SRO]

I am new to the forum, and wanted to share my times at Arlington Staduim. Go early in the year or late in the season or the sun would cook you. I went to a game in early 80's against the White Sox, 7th inning was at 93 degrees, game started at close to 100 degrees at 7:30 pm.
Buddy Bell hit a grand slam to win the game, was one of my favorite memories about that old park.
Built as a minor leauge park for the Dallas/Ft.Worth Spurs became the home of the expansison Rangers. Small and cozy what a great place to watch a game. The dot races are a big fan delight.

I was shocked it took someone this long to mention Arlington Stadium, but even more shocked that in a positive light :)

My dad used to take me there all the time in the early eighties...I don't remember much about it, other than sweating my nuts off.

[Gary Dunaier]

[Shea Stadium is] next to LGA airport, so you can get the hell out of NY quickly.
Now there's an interesting visual - someone leaving Shea Stadium and going directly to the airport and jumping on the next departing plane, no matter where it's going.

This is what I'm talking about when I say it's a pain to get to [Shea Stadium] by public transportation.

First you have to take a subway to Penn Station. Then you have to get off the subway, go into the LIRR area, buy an LIRR ticket, and then hop onto one of their trains... which run on a schedule instead of just coming every few minutes. I'm not sure if you can take a subway to Shea, but if you can, it's got to be by some convoluted route that I've never figured out.

The individual who posted this must not have noticed the elevated subway tracks as he approached Shea Stadium on his way from the LIRR station.

I guess Grand Central station is really hard to get to. The #7 train directly links with every line except the A/C/E line. It is a cross town train.

You can connect with the #7 from the E train. Heading northbound, the E train separates from the A and C trains after 42nd Street where it heads into Queens. Take the E train to Roosevelt Avenue/Jackson Heights, and you can transfer to a #7 local which will take you to Shea.

* * *

How's that for bumping an old thread? :applaud:

[skobabe8]

HEY BLEACHERBEE how can you comment on a place that you never been to. i did go to the old cleveland stadium. but then again i can expect a comment like that from someone who likes SHEA STADIUM WHICH STINKS ALSO. I WOULD RATHER BE AT THE POLO GROUNDS ANY DAY OVER SHEA STADIUM. DONALD DETROIT :grouchy


DID YOU SERIOUSLY JUST SAY THAT!!?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna be laughing about that one for a looooooong time!

[Gary Dunaier]

Actually, he said it a couple of years ago... as previously pointed out, this is an old thread that I bumped... and I didn't do it to re-kindle old arguments. :hide:

[skobabe8]

Actually, he said it a couple of years ago... as previously pointed out, this is an old thread that I bumped... and I didn't do it to re-kindle old arguments. :hide:

I know. I saw the date. Its funny because its timeless.

[gman5431]

If you go for the love of the game any ballpark is great. I do agree that the cookie cutter were the worst thing to happen ,especially since they took down some wonderful ballparks. Now they are replacing the cookie cutters with ballparks that look like the ones they tore down, go figure.

Sure the cookie cutters were (thankfully, were) terrible, but i would say i prefer them over the Trop. The Trop is the worst Major League Park i have ever been in... fake grass and a dome, the double wammy for me... it was even worse than the Metrodome.

G Man

[gman5431]

Growing up at Riverfront, I saw Reds and Bengals. My love for the game and my teams, it was the most beautiful thing my eyes had seen. Moved, had tickets to Astros in the Astrodome. Same-cookie-cutter-thing. I thought this was how sports was played...such a sheltered life. :noidea Then I saw Minute Maid-Astros and it was incredible. I know this is a baseball forum, but I have seen several Texans games at Reliant--holy cow!!

Upper deck Riverfront, because of circle, you feel like you are mile high and mile out. Reliant is a rectangle, sure you may be a mile up but you are on top of the field and you feel right on top of the action...same with Alamodome--saw many Spurs games and saw this year's Alamo Bowl game, Buckeyes vs. osu Cowboys. Minute Maid park--I dont think there is a bad seat in the house. The seats are very closed in and close to the field as oppose to sitting upper deck CF at Riverfront; you feel like you might be in Kentucky.

Just my perspective of it all.


This is great!! Remember the "Top Six" tickets at old Riverfront. They only sold them day of game and at one time they were $2.50. Usually you wouldnt sit in the top six but every once in a while you did and you definately were high up but it was kind of cool. This is why, every ballpark has something that makes it special... even domes, even though I still don't like them.
G Man

[skobabe8]

Sure the cookie cutters were (thankfully, were) terrible, but i would say i prefer them over the Trop. The Trop is the worst Major League Park i have ever been in... fake grass and a dome, the double wammy for me... it was even worse than the Metrodome.

G Man

I think most domes automatically have fake grass. What makes the Trop worse than the Metrodome?

[marlins739]

I think the Metrodome is the worst, and I liked the Trop a lot. At the Trop at least they try, with the all-dirt infield, baseball-only seating and dimensions, catwalks adding a little character. It was the only dome built for baseball (though it was a long time before baseball was ever played there). Have you ever been to the Trop? I've been to the Metrodome and the Trop and I liked the Trop a lot better

[Lafferty Daniel]

I think the Metrodome is the worst, and I liked the Trop a lot. At the Trop at least they try, with the all-dirt infield, baseball-only seating and dimensions, catwalks adding a little character. It was the only dome built for baseball (though it was a long time before baseball was ever played there). Have you ever been to the Trop? I've been to the Metrodome and the Trop and I liked the Trop a lot better

Many people consider Tropicana to be the worst ballpark because it's so much newer than the Metrodome and there's no reason to believe it will be replaced anytime soon...unlike the Dome. Tampa/St. Pete/MLB weren't thinking ahead when they built the Trop.

[Foppa21]

Maybe it doesn't count as a full-time baseball stadium, park, but Mile High was terrible, for anything. Like Milwaukee County, a really horrible (yet fun) park, it is gone. Today's worst are U.S. Cellular, the horrid replacement to a shrine in Comiskey, a rollercoaster looking stadium void of personality and Jacobs Field, a park that became outdated like a 70s cookie-cutter venue maybe 2 years after it opened. Yankee Stadium, soon to go, good riddance, is saved only by its history and mistique (other than the lattice work and Monument Park).

Getting out of the negative, as this topic embraces, my faves, as far as great BASEBALL parks for all the various criteria you might come up with are:

Fenway
Kauffman
Oakland Coliseum (except for how the raiders ruined the park)
Pac Bell
Coors
Wrigley

[PeteU]

Many people consider Tropicana to be the worst ballpark because it's so much newer than the Metrodome and there's no reason to believe it will be replaced anytime soon...unlike the Dome. Tampa/St. Pete/MLB weren't thinking ahead when they built the Trop.

To be fair, the Trop was concieved in 1986, which was two years before Oriole Park at Camden Yards was first put in the planning books. And even OPACY in its first conception wasn't much different than New Comiskey Park. So the paradigm shift in ballparks hadn't yet occurred. The worst the Trop planners could be accused of was simply thinking within the box.

Tropicana Field when it was first built was essentially the domed version of New Comskey Park (prior to it US Cellular Field renovations). And to be fair, the Trop was built as a baseball-first venue. They could have made a gargantian megaplex for both the Bucanneers and baseball but instead they focused solely on the baseball, resulting in better baseball oriented sightlines. And given that the Trop was actually planned and built before New Comiskey, it really stands as the first baseball-primary stadium built since Kauffman, not New Comiskey.

The Trop gets a bad rap, but I think some of it is overstated. Of all the fixed dome stadiums in baseball history (Astrodome, Kingdome, Metrodome, should we include Olympic after the roof broke?), I would venture to say the Trop was probably the best of the bunch. Which is sort of like saying Boys II Men was the best of all the boy bands--it was a pretty crummy trend all in all--but in the land of the blind, the one eye is king.

[Elvis]

And given that the Trop was actually planned and built before New Comiskey, it really stands as the first baseball-primary stadium built since Kauffman, not New Comiskey.

The Trop gets a bad rap, but I think some of it is overstated. Of all the fixed dome stadiums in baseball history (Astrodome, Kingdome, Metrodome, should we include Olympic after the roof broke?), I would venture to say the Trop was probably the best of the bunch. Which is sort of like saying Boys II Men was the best of all the boy bands--it was a pretty crummy trend all in all--but in the land of the blind, the one eye is king.

True enough. The Trop will go down as the only baseball-only dome in MLB history.

**Post 4000** :highfive: :hide: :happy:

[soxnut67]

[QUOTE=Foppa21;1025321] Today's worst are U.S. Cellular, the horrid replacement to a shrine in Comiskey, a rollercoaster looking stadium void of personality


Have you been there since the completion of the renovations?

[gman5431]

I think most domes automatically have fake grass. What makes the Trop worse than the Metrodome?

Well i hate all domes, but of the ones i have been in, the Metrodome was neat because of the way the roof is supported. I also liked the little plexiglass walls that were weird, like out of hockey. I also happened to have a good time at my games there which is unfair when rating the stadium, but hey, there is bias in everything. The Trop was totally disgusting place and the fact that it was build just for baseball is laughable but as it has been well documented here, this was before the new age of building actual "ball"parks. I have been once since the renovations and it is slightly improved and the free parking was a nice touch. The new mgmt def is heading in the right direction but competition in that division will be tough (if it is at all possible) until a real ballpark is obtained or the Rays move elsewhere.

All i'm saying is every ballpark is good and has its positives, its just out of the all MLB parks i have been in, which number 37, the Trop was the least desirable for me.

G Man

[gman5431]

Jacobs Field, a park that became outdated like a 70s cookie-cutter venue maybe 2 years after it opened.

Man thats rough on the Jake. I actually rate the Jake quite high in my "newer" ballparks list. The surrounding area is nice, the ballpark is beautiful and has great sightlines. The crowds used to be really pumped up, now you have more room to yourself, but either way i have found this to be a great atmosphere and top of the line park.

G

[J2K]

The metrodome is by far the worst.

[zengator]

The Trop was totally disgusting place

It's certainly far from perfect, but it's also far from "disgusting". It's very clean; the concourses are wide, bright, and family-oriented; and everything's relatively new and nice.

What about it irked you so?

[satchel29]

Regrettably, I am late to this board, and more specifically, this particular thread... Sadly, I spent the first 26 years of my life attending major league ball games at the Kingdome in Seattle. I grew up here near Seattle, but I never have counted myself amongst the Mariner fans. I (and my friends) would attend M's games to see our favorite players/teams from other cities. Since then, I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit many other cities and their ballparks and I MUST say that the Kingdome is the single worst stadium that I have ever seen baseball played in. Incidentally, I have been to the Metrodome in Minneapolis and the comparison isn't really all that close. I suppose that may have to do with the fact that while I was growing up the M's stunk so badly that there wasn't much enthusiasm around the park, whereas when I visited the Metrodome, the Twins were in the midst of a run at the AL central. Great parks that I have had the pleasure of visiting include Wrigley, Fenway, Dodger Stadium, Camden, Miller, and Coors. Disappointments included Yankee Stadium (dump, plain-and-simple), Philly's old Veterans' Stadium (good food, crappy yard), New Comisky, and San Diego's old Jack Murphy. By the way, I was pleasantly surprised by (but am not be upset that I won't be able to visit again) Shea (maybe we got lucky with getting to the park and getting good seats and decent food) and Candlestick (the one visit I had there seemed like a big party in the left-field bleachers)...

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Maybe it doesn't count as a full-time baseball stadium, park, but Mile High was terrible, for anything. Like Milwaukee County, a really horrible (yet fun) park, it is gone. Today's worst are U.S. Cellular, the horrid replacement to a shrine in Comiskey, a rollercoaster looking stadium void of personality and Jacobs Field, a park that became outdated like a 70s cookie-cutter venue maybe 2 years after it opened.





I agree with you 100 percent about the new white sox ballpark its a dump and a horrible replacement to the classic original comiskey park(1910-1991)

[metfan13]

Regrettably, I am late to this board, and more specifically, this particular thread... Sadly, I spent the first 26 years of my life attending major league ball games at the Kingdome in Seattle. I grew up here near Seattle, but I never have counted myself amongst the Mariner fans. I (and my friends) would attend M's games to see our favorite players/teams from other cities. Since then, I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit many other cities and their ballparks and I MUST say that the Kingdome is the single worst stadium that I have ever seen baseball played in. Incidentally, I have been to the Metrodome in Minneapolis and the comparison isn't really all that close. I suppose that may have to do with the fact that while I was growing up the M's stunk so badly that there wasn't much enthusiasm around the park, whereas when I visited the Metrodome, the Twins were in the midst of a run at the AL central. Great parks that I have had the pleasure of visiting include Wrigley, Fenway, Dodger Stadium, Camden, Miller, and Coors. Disappointments included Yankee Stadium (dump, plain-and-simple), Philly's old Veterans' Stadium (good food, crappy yard), New Comisky, and San Diego's old Jack Murphy. By the way, I was pleasantly surprised by (but am not be upset that I won't be able to visit again) Shea (maybe we got lucky with getting to the park and getting good seats and decent food) and Candlestick (the one visit I had there seemed like a big party in the left-field bleachers)...

When you visited new Comiskey, was it before the changes were made to it?

[gman5431]

It's certainly far from perfect, but it's also far from "disgusting". It's very clean; the concourses are wide, bright, and family-oriented; and everything's relatively new and nice.

What about it irked you so?

The whole thing felt so fake. The grass looked very plastic-y to me... worse than most fake turf. The roof and catwalks were weird and one even interfered with play. It looks like its almost in the circus or something. I know it came before the advent of retractable roofs so its not really St. Pete's fault, but out of all the parks i have been to, its the worst, and by far.

G Man

[hsnterprize]

[QUOTE=Foppa21;1025321] Today's worst are U.S. Cellular, the horrid replacement to a shrine in Comiskey, a rollercoaster looking stadium void of personality


Have you been there since the completion of the renovations?I'd dare venture to say that he hasn't. I've been to "The Cell" numerous times both before and after the renovations. I think anyone with an objective mind might conclude that while U.S. Cellular Field doesn't have the "old time ballpark" look of Oriole Park and other "Oriole Park wanna-be's", it's definitely MUCH better than before.

That just goes to show how folks in the press can influence opinions and such. Many people I've talked and interacted with say that after initial bad impressions of the place...once they've actually been there, their opinion of the place greatly improves.

[soxnut67]

[QUOTE=soxnut67;1025566]I'd dare venture to say that he hasn't. I've been to "The Cell" numerous times both before and after the renovations. I think anyone with an objective mind might conclude that while U.S. Cellular Field doesn't have the "old time ballpark" look of Oriole Park and other "Oriole Park wanna-be's", it's definitely MUCH better than before.

That just goes to show how folks in the press can influence opinions and such. Many people I've talked and interacted with say that after initial bad impressions of the place...once they've actually been there, their opinion of the place greatly improves.


I really don't get how anyone who has been there post-renovations can say they don't like or that it is one of the worst parks. The place reeks baseball!

[Gary Dunaier]

I really don't get how anyone who has been there post-renovations can say they don't like or that it is one of the worst parks. The place reeks baseball!
You just said it yourself, the place reeks! :laugh

sorry... :cry:

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

[QUOTE=hsnterprize;1029843]


I really don't get how anyone who has been there post-renovations can say they don't like or that it is one of the worst parks. The place reeks baseball!

What ballpark are you talking about.you have the right to like or dislike any ballpark you want. the fact is alot of baseball fans just dont like this stadium.

[satchel29]

When you visited new Comiskey, was it before the changes were made to it?

sorry for the late response... I visited the New Comisky BEFORE the changes were made (it seemed like a big, concrete pimple to me- no offense meant in that statement; just my personal opinion)... and to give you a sense of just how UN-remarkable the experience was, I have seen the Angels in Anaheim... ZERO personality in that joint, too.

Also, I forgot to mention that because I live in Seattle, I have been to Safeco Field numerous times, and while I STILL don't like the Mariners, Safeco is as nice as any of the new generation of ballparks that I have visited... good seating, great sight-lines to the field and the action, family-friendly (if you're into that sort of thing), decent (but admittedly expensive) food, clean, wide concourses, decent (not GREAT) access to the highway, cool view of downtown and the waterfront... it's pretty sweet considering the fact that I was CURSED with the Kingdome for so many years.

[soxnut67]

You just said it yourself, the place reeks! :laugh

sorry... :cry:


Ha ha. Ok, so you haven't been there lately as well.

[soxnut67]

sorry for the late response... I visited the New Comisky BEFORE the changes were made (it seemed like a big, concrete pimple to me- no offense meant in that statement; just my personal opinion)... and to give you a sense of just how UN-remarkable the experience was, I have seen the Angels in Anaheim... ZERO personality in that joint, too.

Also, I forgot to mention that because I live in Seattle, I have been to Safeco Field numerous times, and while I STILL don't like the Mariners, Safeco is as nice as any of the new generation of ballparks that I have visited... good seating, great sight-lines to the field and the action, family-friendly (if you're into that sort of thing), decent (but admittedly expensive) food, clean, wide concourses, decent (not GREAT) access to the highway, cool view of downtown and the waterfront... it's pretty sweet considering the fact that I was CURSED with the Kingdome for so many years.

Do you mean Angels stadium post renovations?

[soxfan1978]

Maybe it doesn't count as a full-time baseball stadium, park, but Mile High was terrible, for anything. Like Milwaukee County, a really horrible (yet fun) park, it is gone. Today's worst are U.S. Cellular, the horrid replacement to a shrine in Comiskey, a rollercoaster looking stadium void of personality and Jacobs Field, a park that became outdated like a 70s cookie-cutter venue maybe 2 years after it opened. Yankee Stadium, soon to go, good riddance, is saved only by its history and mistique (other than the lattice work and Monument Park).

Getting out of the negative, as this topic embraces, my faves, as far as great BASEBALL parks for all the various criteria you might come up with are:

Fenway
Kauffman
Oakland Coliseum (except for how the raiders ruined the park)
Pac Bell
Coors
Wrigley


you obviously haven't been to comiskey since it's been remodeled...

[soxfan1978]

I agree with you 100 percent about the new white sox ballpark its a dump and a horrible replacement to the classic original comiskey park(1910-1991)
old comiskey was crumbling and flat out needed to go..

have you even been in to our park since it's been remodeled???

[soxfan1978]

[QUOTE=hsnterprize;1029843]


I really don't get how anyone who has been there post-renovations can say they don't like or that it is one of the worst parks. The place reeks baseball!
that because the people who trash our park haven't even been there post-renovations.

[soxfan1978]

[QUOTE=soxnut67;1029854]

What ballpark are you talking about.you have the right to like or dislike any ballpark you want. the fact is alot of baseball fans just dont like this stadium.

so in other words,you