These are stadiums that were below average but had some redeeming qualities
Comerica Park had a nice view but was mostly forgettable. Minute Maid Park tried hard but it had all the charm of a warehouse. The Rogers Centre had high quality food and drink but everything else about it reminded me that it was built before the modern ballparks. Even the hotel in the outfield didn't add to the charm. Fenway strikes me as a place where no one is trying but it has a lot of charm. And they really get extra points for singing "Sweet Caroline" every night. U.S. Cellular was a bit like the Rogers Centre if it were outside. Good food and drink but not much else going on. So here are the ratings so far:
17 Comerica Park
18 Minute Maid Park
19 Fenway Park
20 Rogers Centre
21 U.S. Cellular Field
22 Marlins Park
23 Yankee Stadium
24 Target Field
25 Chase Field
26 O.co Coliseum
27 Wrigley Field
28 Globe Life Park in Arlington
29 Dodger Stadium
30 Tropicana Field
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Saturday, July 18, 2015
July 11 and 12, 2105 Phillies at Giants
Getting to see two games while only staying over one night fit with my thrifty philosophy. The cost for LAX parking, airfare, the BART, the hotel, and game tickets both days was $394. I'm pretty proud of that.
I entered through the Willie Mays gate.
As I entered they shot out confetti because we were the 50 millionth fans at AT&T during the regular season. It took the team 15 seasons+ to get that. Apparently that's the fastest of any stadium ever.
Here's another view.
They had these little food stands in the upper deck with interesting cuisine. If you want to make a stadium fun you should have fun food stands and fun food and drink. If you want to contrast this with Dodger Stadium, they have neither of these things. Dodger Stadium pretty much has none of the things AT&T does.
I decided to try a veggie sandwich, 'cause I figure I'll try the local specialty everywhere. I was reminded why I like veggies in small amounts on the side. If you like massive amounts of veggies, it's a good sandwich. I think I like NorCal beer better.
On he lower level they had this kids' batting cage that rivals any in baseball.
And they had this bigger fun food area with even more selection.
In centerfield they had this little garden bar/longue that you'd find in an upscale hotel. At the back of it they have little knotholes so you could watch the game from there if you liked.
What about watching the game? As I mentioned last year they have a lot of seats that are in the infield. The view from below, which you can find in that post, takes you close to the action, but the view up here allows you to see McCovey Cove and San Francisco Bay. This view rivals any in baseball. I got to see Phillie Cody Asche deposit one in McCovey Cove.
Here's a night time view of the Bay. Just as breathtaking.
Photo Credit: Outward Bound California
AT&T has everything from good fun food and beer to kids' areas, bars, a view, and they even have a mascot. I'm just going to tease here but expect to see AT&T near the top of my list.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Making another trip to Dodger Stadium
My opinion of Dodger Stadium hasn't changed. It's a bad stadium with awful food, crappy beer, and nothing fun like a kids' play area or garden bar. But I do love baseball and it is my home stadium. And my Phillies were in town. Of course they are playing awful baseball this year. Still I went. I decided to try something new and got a seat in the front row of left field.
The seat was kind of cool. I was right next to the Dodger bullpen and could look in any time I wanted. I was also right above the very low left field wall. I can't find the height but I think it's under 6 feet high. Theoretically there'd be balls hit almost right at me. Unfortunately there was only one ball hit to left field all night and it was nowhere near the wall. The view is a little far from the plate. So if there are no balls hit there it's not a great spot.
One more note about Dodger Stadium. Yes, the food and beer are awful. No, they don't have a Dodger Hall of Fame Museum, Kids' play area, or fun mascot. You don't get to sing "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" in the 7th inning. But I do keep going back. As bad as everything off the field is, you are outside where it's not too hot, you do get a good view of the game, and I can get there fairly easily by Metro. If I lived in Tampa I'd probably go back to Tropicana Field. I don't and I won't. That place is a monstrosity.
The seat was kind of cool. I was right next to the Dodger bullpen and could look in any time I wanted. I was also right above the very low left field wall. I can't find the height but I think it's under 6 feet high. Theoretically there'd be balls hit almost right at me. Unfortunately there was only one ball hit to left field all night and it was nowhere near the wall. The view is a little far from the plate. So if there are no balls hit there it's not a great spot.
One more note about Dodger Stadium. Yes, the food and beer are awful. No, they don't have a Dodger Hall of Fame Museum, Kids' play area, or fun mascot. You don't get to sing "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" in the 7th inning. But I do keep going back. As bad as everything off the field is, you are outside where it's not too hot, you do get a good view of the game, and I can get there fairly easily by Metro. If I lived in Tampa I'd probably go back to Tropicana Field. I don't and I won't. That place is a monstrosity.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Rating the stadiums: Group 5
The bottom group contained three older stadiums and one newer one that had nothing going for it. There aren't too many old stadiums left, so it should be no surprise that this group contains four newer stadiums and one older one. It's no coincidence that two of the stadiums have retractable roofs that were closed when I went.
Marlins Park
Target Field
Chase Field
O.co Coliseum
Yankee Stadium
Marlins Park did have good Cuban Food and I enjoyed their bobblehead museum. Outside of that there wasn't to recommend about the stadium. It didn't help that the place was pretty dead and empty. Chase Field, also a domed stadium, also had good food and nothing to recommend it. There was the pool in right field, but I didn't swim in it.
I liked the food at Target Field, but it felt enclosed because the outfield was covered by seats and ads. O.co has the worst reputation and is probably at the bottom for most. The park did have great Northern California beers and the Athletics Hall of Famer race was kind of cute. Yankee Stadium is the most modern of the stadiums and I'm guessing probably cost the most. There was nothing objectionable about the place, unlike some of the other bottom feeder stadiums, but there was nothing I really liked. I suppose the food and experience might've been better if I hadn't sat in the cheap seats, but Yankee Stadium is so expensive that it's tough to afford nicer seats.
That's the first nine ballparks. There'll be another five in the next group.
Marlins Park
Target Field
Chase Field
O.co Coliseum
Yankee Stadium
Marlins Park did have good Cuban Food and I enjoyed their bobblehead museum. Outside of that there wasn't to recommend about the stadium. It didn't help that the place was pretty dead and empty. Chase Field, also a domed stadium, also had good food and nothing to recommend it. There was the pool in right field, but I didn't swim in it.
I liked the food at Target Field, but it felt enclosed because the outfield was covered by seats and ads. O.co has the worst reputation and is probably at the bottom for most. The park did have great Northern California beers and the Athletics Hall of Famer race was kind of cute. Yankee Stadium is the most modern of the stadiums and I'm guessing probably cost the most. There was nothing objectionable about the place, unlike some of the other bottom feeder stadiums, but there was nothing I really liked. I suppose the food and experience might've been better if I hadn't sat in the cheap seats, but Yankee Stadium is so expensive that it's tough to afford nicer seats.
That's the first nine ballparks. There'll be another five in the next group.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Rating the Stadiums: The Bottom
I’m sure I’ll get disagreement on my ratings. If you do, you could comment or you could go to all the stadiums and make your own ratings. You’re not going to do all that. Then you’ll just have to go with me on this.
This group is the worst of the stadiums. They all had bad food, mediocre to bad beer, and not much else going for them. Dodger Stadium has a nice view and Wrigley has nice atmosphere but that’s about all you have with these stadiums. There’s nothing really fun about any of them. I could go on but you can just click the links to the individual reviews.
This group is the worst of the stadiums. They all had bad food, mediocre to bad beer, and not much else going for them. Dodger Stadium has a nice view and Wrigley has nice atmosphere but that’s about all you have with these stadiums. There’s nothing really fun about any of them. I could go on but you can just click the links to the individual reviews.
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