Stadiums I have seen a major league game in (* indicates not on
the trip) and are still in service:
- Network
Associates Coliseum (was Oakland-Alameda
Colisseum), Oakland, CA (1988) - much better before the Al
Davis overhaul. Nice view of a quarry in the hills from behind
home plate. The new seats are rather huge, and they definately
make the park unique. Good access with BART; traffic and parking
above average.
- Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (1994) - Nice place.
Terrible food. Terrible organ. Traffic is normal for LA. People do
arrive in the third inning and start leaving in the sixth. What's
the point?
- Jack Murphy Stadium (now Qualcomm Stadium), San
Diego, CA (1994) - Looks like some kind of insect from the
outside. Kind of nice inside. The palm trees have been added since
I was there, and look kind of dumb. Access is freeway only, but
there is plenty of parking, and not huge amounts of traffic.
- Kaufman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (1994) - The most
beautiful stadium pre-Camden. Waterfall is gorgeous. The upper
deck looks sliced in half diagonally, kind of like the incomplete
Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Now has grass; turf was my only
complaint. Plenty of parking; freeway access only.
- The Ballpark at Arlington, Arlington, TX (1994) - What
a weird place. Does sell Dr. Pepper in the stands. Bloody hot
there. It does have appeal, but it looks like a Hollywood set. A
piece of Fenway here, the Tiger Stadium home run porch there...
Freeway only, plenty of parking.
- Comiskey Park II, Chicago, IL (1994) - Sterile. Really
white. Music loud. Food good. View of Chicago skyline is behind
you as look at home plate; instead you get to look at the
projects. Good access on the L and with freeway; parking ok.
- Jacobs Field, Cleveland, OH (1994)- my favorite park.
Gorgeous! Good sight lines. Good mix of old-style stuff and new
structures. Blends in with downtown very well. Truly awesome
stadium. From the subway, you walk through a mall which is nice
and has a really cool fountain. Car access looks limited; subway
is cool.
- Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD (1994) - if only the seats
faced home plate. Great place. Boog's BarBQ is amazingly good.
Good freeway access and parking.
- Riverfront Stadium (now Cynergy Field),
Cincinnati, OH (1994) - Cookie-cutter. This stadium is
functionally identical to Busch, Veteran's, Three Rivers,
Astrodome, Oakland-Alameda... Still has turf. Ugly, with lots of
concrete and seats far away from the action.
- Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN (1994)-
Weird place. Overall, a negative, but you got to admire the gall
of somebody who could put up an inflatable roof that baseballs are
invisible against and can't hold snow without collapsing, a big
plastic tarp to cover the football seats, and signs on all of the
doors saying not to open them all at once. There is no
public-owned parking, so gouging seems to be common. Friendliest
people you could possibly imagine.
- Le Stade Olympique, Montréal, PQ (1994) -
Another dump. Place is one of the biggest engineering boondoggles
of the 20th century. Was supposed to have a retractable roof. The
retracting thing was eight years late, and did not work in winds
over 10 MPH. They finally gave up and just closed it permanantly.
There are many seats that don't come close to facing home plate.
Greate public access, with the subway. Sells mixed drinks in the
stands. The French announcer is weird.
- Fenway Park, Boston, MA (1994) - Loved this place too.
We had seats that would have been awful in many other stadiums. No
parking to speak of, but good "T" access.
- Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (1994) - You know, it is
rustic. I don't really see the charm, though. And rain delays with
no Diamond Vision are REALLY dull. The apartments accross the way
are cute, and I would love to live in one. Good public access with
the L, but no parking to speak of.
- Busch Stadium II, St. Louis, MO (1994) - Better than
Cincy or Pittsburg. The red of the Cardinals uniforms is so bright
that it is hard to see the edges of the caps against the green of
the turf. Oops, they have grass now. I am sure that helps the
temperature. The little arches all of the way around the top help
out. The Gateway Arch poking above left field is cool. Good
parking but only freeway access.
- Pro Player Stadium, Miami, FL (1994) - looks like what
I would expect a stadium in South Florida to look like. Teal and
orange everywhere. I was really suprised that the parking lot is
not completely paved; I would hate to have to get out of there
after a rain storm. Really works well for a multi-purpose stadium.
- Veteran's Stadium, Philadelphia, PA (1994) - See
Pittsburg or Cincy. Bleah.
- Shea Stadium, Queens, NY (1994)- Too many bleeping
airplanes. The food sucks. The stadium is not bad for something
built in the sixties. Parking is ok, no real subway access.
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (1994) - If it wasn't in the
Bronx, it would be much better. Definitely an historic place. The
monuments are cool. The fans are great. Good subway access.
- SkyDome, Toronto, ON (1994)- Dome with hotel. Roof is
cool, as is the really tall tower. MacDonald's does concessions.
Parking is good; subway access is good. Staying in the hotel would
be fun.
- Anaheim Stadium (now Edison International
Field), Anaheim, CA (1994) - Kind of nothing to say here. Not
ugly, not pretty. Good freeway access and parking, no subway. Was
damaged from Northridge quake when I was there. They have since
added some outfield decor to the place.
- Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (*) (1998) - This rather
understated stadium is a nice replacement for Atlanta-Fulton
County. The bullpens have three mounds (!). The spot where Hank
Aaron's 715th home run landed is walled off and commemerated in
the parking lot that is where the old stadium was, and the diamond
is outlined on the pavement. Freeway only; good parking.
- Pacific
Bell Park, San Francisco, CA (*) (2000) - Well, they did
it. The Giants built a nice ballpark to replace the awful thing
that was Candlestick. The first year, the music was too loud. It's
not as cold as Candlestick, but it is still cold at night. The
right field seats are awesome, with a view of the Bay Bridge and
Treasure Island. Barry Bonds keeps hitting them in the Bay; I
wondering when they are going to give him a ticket for littering!
Food is ok; parking is suprisingly easy but expensive. Public
access is awesome.
- Enron Field, Houston, TX (*) (2000) - They did the roof
right, and they do have air conditioning. The park feels a bit
sterile, though. Don't know why. The train that comes out for home
runs is cool, and the Hall of Heroes with the best Astros'
sluggers is really awesome. Access is easy; parking is ok; no
public transit.
- Miller
Park, Milwaukee, WI (*) (2001) - Wow, what a difference. I
like this place a lot. It does not pretend to be retro. The video
screen is the best I have ever seen. They decided not to air
condition the place, which makes it a little stuffy when the roof
is closed. Food is still awesome in Milwaukee; the brats are the
thing to get. Tickets are really expensive. From downtown, there
is a 50 cent trolley which comes to the ballpark; it's a dollar
bus ride back. It is in the same location as the old stadium.
Here are stadiums I have seen games in which are no longer used
for major league baseball:
- Astrodome, Houston, TX (1974) - home. Dissapointed they
took out campy sixties light-bulb scoreboard. Used to have rainbow
seats. Best parking lot in majors. Still cheap to park.
- 3COM Park (was Candlestick Park), San Fransisco,
CA (1988) - absolutely the worst baseball park. It does have
grass. That is the good part. Fog, wind, cold. Terrible parking.
Terrible traffic. Of course, the way they are playing now, this is
not a problem.
- Kingdome, Seattle, WA (*) (1993) - The second worst
stadium. Had some acoustic ceiling tiles fall out during my trip,
and the game I was supposed to attend was rescheduled. The tiles
are necessary because the noise can damage hearing. Concrete roof.
Dark. Upper deck seats have no backs. There is not much air
conditioning, so it was kind of hot. Downtown area is neat; has a
great sports bar accross street.
- Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO (1994) - Not a baseball
stadium. The field is a football field. Climbing up the stairs to
the top deck when you are not used to the altitude is not fun.
Pike's Peak stuck up beyond right field. No real freeway access or
subway, but did not seem to have a parking problem.
- Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, WI (1994) - Uggh.
Ugly. Still has video done with light bulbs. Great, great food.
Freeway only, parking not great.
- Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI (1994) - Well, it is old and
historic. Still, it is not a great stadium. The overhang is really
severe; only three rows extend from it. There are many, many
pillars, and thousands of obscured view seats, so they have
televisions on the top of the pillars so you can see the game. The
players have to go through the crowd to get to the clubhouse.
Parking is abysmal. I don't really see why everybody wants to keep
this except it is the oldest stadium in the majors. Bathrooms were
truly disgusting.
- Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburg, PA (1994) - See
Cincinnati
- Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, GA (1994) -
What a dump. Good riddance. Good parking and access by car. No
trains.
Here are stadiums which are in use now but I have not seen a game
in:
- Coors Field, Denver, CO
- Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, AZ
- Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
- Safeco Field, Seattle, WA
- Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
- PNC Park, Pittsburg, PA
- Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH
I started following baseball in 1979. These are stadiums which
used to have major league baseball but I did not get a chance to see
games in:
- Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, MN
- Exhibition Stadium, Toronto, ON
- Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL
- Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD
- Arlington Stadium, Arlington, TX
- Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, OH