| updated -- w/ 2009 stadiums included... cathedrals of the game...
on the inhd network, there's a series that shows the different ballparks around mlb... the host/show is kinda stupid, but i do like parts of the show, including showing the stadium, club house and suites...
i've been to games at a handful of stadiums... here is my ranking of the (active) ones i've been to --
1. pnc park -- this is the best looking stadium in all of baseball... outside, inside and the view from within toward the pittsburgh skyline... its small and intimate... i've sat in a bunch of different seats here and all have great views... its also cool how they close the bridge on game days so that u can walk over to the stadium...
2. at&t park (aka pac bell aka sbc park) -- the first base side is definitely the side to sit in... u have an awesome view of the bay beyond the park, and if ur up high like i was, u can hear the fierce wind hitting the flags above u (but not feel any of it since the stadium wall is blocking it)... i was hoping bonds would hit a home run when i was there, but being the jerk he is, he waited until the next night to hit one (on his way to 756), when i wasn't there... oh well...
3. camden yards -- THE "original" in terms of retro-feel stadiums... i remember thinking it was an awesome park when it first opened... its a bit outdated now, what w/ the newer parks, but i still think the b&o warehouse is the best feature of any new park...
4. safeco field -- i've been to one game here... the place to sit during a night game is in the right field upper deck... the sun sets kinda late out here, so around the 4th-5th innings, the sun's setting to the west and u can see it from ur seat... its pretty nice... the park in general is a step up from camden, but i wouldn't say its architecturally nicer...
5. wrigley field -- definitely an oldie, and should be appreciated for that... but the angles are bad and the seats themselves aren't great... i do like how the street (forget the name) outside the park is closed, and people are playing catch... the rooftop seats seem too commercial tho...
6. yankee stadium (new) -- my friend said it best - when you walk into this colossal stadium, it just feels grand... the designers did an amazing job in making this new version look just like the old version... i think it has to do w/ the ads... however, the feel is just different... ruth, mantle, gehrig, etc., did not play here... that said, it has about the biggest and most impressive electronic screen ever... and i've never seen as many tv screens elsewhere...
7. rogers centre (skydome) -- technically, i didn't see a baseball game here, but a cfl game... and i was in the hotel connected to the stadium, not in the stadium seats themselves... but whatever... its pretty cool to see fireworks go off at eye level during the game... but in the end, its a domed stadium, w/ artificial turf, and that always takes away from baseball... but u gotta admit it was pretty cool when it first opened...
8. citi field -- the new home to the mets is really not all that different from most of the other new stadiums opened in recent years... the stadium's name is apt tho... its very derivative of other parks (such as the brickwork, and the rotunda)... ho-hum... the acela club in the left field corner is kinda cool, as are the food choices (c'mon, shake shack)...
9. ballpark at arlington field -- went to this game w/ some coworkers... the park from the outside looked pretty quaint, and the view from behind home plate was kinda nice... however, it didn't have enough of those side scoreboards, and it was hard to tell what the score was/who was pitching and/or batting if u didn't sit in a seat w/ a view of the main scoreboard... the food choices were pretty standard... the crowd was pretty thin too, but i ain't gonna complain about my half-priced ticket for only $7.50... =)
10. busch stadium (new one) -- one of the few "retro" stadiums that don't have its food concourses open so that u can watch the game while u go buy food... the structure of the building is actually very similar to "traditional" stadiums... another weird thing is that within the lower concourses, there are old-style scoreboards for american and national league games... but the scores aren't up to date, and look random... what's the point of that?? overall, a very blase place... oh, and side note -- busch is very hockey-esque in that the only minorities u'll see there are the people selling beer and showing u ur seats...
11. citizens bank park -- this stadium has no charm whatsoever... the philly skyline looks miles away, and unlike other new stadiums, there's really nothing that's unique and special... it also gets damn hot in the summer when ur sitting a few rows from the dugout (as me and my sissy friends can attest to)... would definitely be the most disappointing park if not for the next one...
12. mcafee coliseum -- also known as the oakland coliseum, this is the only made-for-football stadium i'm breaking out on its own b/c the rampways weren't too bad, unlike the stadiums below... i was actually expecting a really sparse crowd based on feedback, but since i went on a wednesday (when they have half-price and $2 tix/$1 hot dog promos), it was fairly packed... still, w/ all the foul ground, i can't say there are many seats that feel really close to action, unless u sit right behind home plate...
13. dolphins stadium -- the home of the marlins is actually made-for-football... the crowd was pathetic, and the stadium was old... the game i went to was unique for the smog resulting from forest fires from the florida panhandle area... if/when the marlins move to new stadiums will be a good day...
note: of the non-active parks i've been to: - montreal's olympic stadium is probably the worst baseball stadium ever... even worse than club shea... but i miss youppi... =(
- the best non-active stadium ever was the old yankee stadium... i mean, where else in baseball can u walk in and know that babe ruth, dimaggio, mantle, reggie, whitey ford and a ton of other legends played there? awesome...
- parks that i'd been to and deserved to die were shea stadium (anyone miss the neon lights outside club shea?), and rfk stadium (my lasting memory is having to drink watered down hot chocolate at what was probably the coldest game i've ever attended)...
i've also been *outside* of the stadium below, but unfortunately didn't get to go to a game inside...
- fenway park -- i ran through knee-deep snow in the winter to touch the back of the green monster... i wanted to touch the wall that bucky dent's home run cleared... =)
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