Atlanta, Tampa, and Miami this weekend

That's right. I'm hitting stadiums 23, 24, and 25 this weekend, which is kinda my anniversary of starting this quest. So if you're in one of these cities, feel free to say hi. There will be reviews, of course.

The Los Angeles Times rates the stadiums

Maybe things are different in the press box, but they rank Dodger and Wrigley among the top five in the National League and Fenway the best in the American League. I think they still have the romance with the old ballparks. The new stadiums took the best of the old ones and then changed the things that didn't work well. I haven't come up with exact rankings, but Dodger, Wrigley, and Oakland are the bottom three I've been to. I liked Fenway a bit and I had fun at Angel and Kaufmann, but that's because they've brought the fan experience into this century. Strangely, I haven't been to the bottom two in the National League or three of the bottom four in the American League. I am going to Atlanta, Tampa, and Miami this weekend. If they're right, I'll be disappointed.

Game 22: August 12, 2014 Phillies at Angels

Usually when I go to games, I stay at a hotel near the stadium or one that is close to public transportation that'll be a fast trip to the game. It's the games that I can drive to that are the longest trips. My trip to Anaheim last night was nearly as long as my drive to Petco in San Diego last year. That's even though Petco is nearly 100 miles further. Petco, which is 133 miles from my home, took about 2 hours 20 minutes on a Saturday last September. Angel Stadium, which is 36 miles, took me 1 hour 55 minutes. Oh, Southern California weeknight traffic. Yuck. I didn't get there until right before the game started.

Angel Stadium has their speed pitch outside the stadium. It's always been inside at other stadiums that have that.

You can always recognize the Angel Stadium entrance by the two big ball caps out front, along with the giant posters.

When I walked in I saw the buffet spread that reminded me of the food at Great American Ballpark. Of course these tickets go for a bit more than I'm interested in paying.

So I went up the ramp. And then another ramp. And then another. It felt like I'd need a Sherpa to get up there.

It was only later that I found out that they have escalators at Angel Stadium. The ramps are a reminder that Angel Stadium is one of six stadiums from before 1989. The concessions aren't much, although they are better than at Dodger Stadium. The walkway is narrow and feels somewhat dank.

Despite a lack of food choices, they did have Jersey Mike's steaks and mine tasted like it does at their restaurants.

Finding a decent beer took a bit of work. Maybe they had more microbrews but if it's a lot of work to find those brews then they aren't really easily available.

It was cool how they honored Jim Fregosi, who managed both teams to the playoffs.

Sitting in the upper deck gave me a great spot to see the view outside Angel Stadium. So many stadiums don't bother with that, but the mountains are back there behind the Honda Center. And the rocks in centerfield are unique.

It's tough to give Angel Stadium credit for having the always funny, always entertaining Phillies Phanatic. I'm guessing he doesn't show up on most nights.

The game was a bit unexpected. The two pitchers were pitching poorly but gave strong performances. Then the Angels exploded for seven runs int he sixth. Fireworks shoot off after every Angel home run. I missed that picture and only got the smoke afterwards.

I've been critical of several old stadiums, but I'll put Angel Stadium in with Kaufman Stadium as a good one. Oh yeah. I got home in 43 minutes.

Best Beer in Baseball

I'll admit that I don't research stadiums before I go. I like to walk around, if I have time, and discover things. Like beer. The Washington Post has an article about the beers at stadiums. They've certainly done a more thorough job than I've done and their ratings are worth a look. I did find the beer selection at Dodger Stadium and Wrigley Field terrible. So maybe I missed something there.