OT: Favorite MLB parks & why-

[GemParty]

Which stadiums have you enjoyed games?

 

[jleves]

I would have to say without a doubt, my family room. Huge TV, great reclining leather seats, I don't have to wait in line to whizz in a trough, I can backup and pause the game at will and I don't have to pay 12 bucks for bad beer. The best part, when the game is over, there's no traffic. I'm already home.

 

[8893]

Citi Field is a great place to see a game IMO. Feels small, especially compared to Yankee Stadium, and the sight lines are great pretty much everywhere. Great food options too.

Fenway for tradition. Wrigley is on my bucket list but until then Fenway is the oldest park I know.

Pac Bell for pretty much everything. Great setting, great food, great vibe.

 

[CTBasketball]

Anything is better than Yankee Stadium.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Used to travel a lot for work and thus had the opportunity to catch games all over the place ranging from MLB to A in baseball plus NHL and AHL games. It was my 'thing' versus going out to a bar and chasing tail. So for MLB Venues...

• Arizona - Chase continues to support the fact that Phoenix is not a great sports town, crowd was so-so and what energy it did have, was lost in the vavern that tshi ball park is, though I do understand the need to have a dome in a desert
  
• Baltimore - Camden Yards is still a great place to see a game even after 20 years and I will always be thankful for its role is spurring development of today's stadiums
• Boston - Yes, it has a lot of tradition and is easy to get to; but, Fenway is too small, the seats are smaller, parts of the stadium are a dump and I am a Yankees fan
• Chicago Cubs - See Fenway; but, at least the Red Sox don't play at Wrigley
  
• Chicago White Sox - I went to US Cellur during a day game to catch the Yanks, not sure if I I am brave enough to go to a night game there, nothing to write about
• Colorado - The views while watching those little white balls fly out of the park is something and downtown Denver is a lot of fun. primarily complaint is that its a bit too big
• Detroit - Went to a lot of games at Comerica with a good friend, an underrated park in city that hopefully is turning it around
• LA Angels - Went to a pair of games here in SoCal, noting really stands out
• NY Mets - Shea Stadium - my old man is a Mets fan and went to a bunch of days games here, the stadium was junk; but, the atmosphere, especially int he mid 80's was nuts
• NY Yankees - Started going to Yankee games with my Grandfather back in the early 80's and loved the history and the energy of the old stadium and then later coming down for work and filling the pars nearby having a good time before and after waiting for the Subways to clear out. As for the new stadium, the best thing was building MetroNorth train stadium there, much easier to get to/from, the inside is nicer; but, its still crowded as very few folks can pay for seats in the lower bowl, feels like corporate America
• Oakland - Went with a Boston fan to see the A's play the Sox at the Coliseum, the stadium shoudl be burned down as the only highlight was a collection of really fine ladies while on the other end, saw 2 kids try to stab each other to death in the causeway over to the BART stadium after with one of the kids mothers swinging a pocketbook at them, no going back
• Philadelphia - Citizens is a good stadium that is easy to get to by car or public transit with an energetic crowd with the bonus of being able to score some great cheese steak sandwiches on the way in
  
• Pittsburgh - PNC is another very underrated ballpark in my opinion, good seats, has a good atmosphere, good food and the city skyline in the outfield is sweet
• San Francisco - AT&T is hands down the best baseball park in America and I am a Yankees fan. Great location, seats, food, etc.
• Tampa - The Rays actually play MLB baseball in Tropicana, really? The only good points are the tickets are cheap and Yankee fans outnumber Ray fnas 2 to 1 at most games.
• Texas - It was hot, the crowd is dull, and there is nothing around whatever that field is called now
• Toronto - The stadium is not much to write home about and one of the few dual-purposes ones left; but, I have enjoyed several games from my room or the hotel bar in the Renaissance and its has easy access to the great city of Toronto

On my still to do list are Citi Field (Mets), the National's new digs, and Target Field (Twins) and I would also go to St. Louis just because they have some serious baseball fans at Busch.

 

[Ts5034]

I still miss the old Yankee Stadium. The new stadium is just not the same.

 

[krinklecut]

Fenway because Fenway

 

[Stainmaster]

Fenway needs no explanation. Citi Field is quite nice, and I've really enjoyed the visits I've made there over the past couple of years. PNC is a pretty good one as well.

 

[Phorcys]

Seeing as I’ve only ever been to one MLB stadium, Fenway Park (on many occasions), must make it my favorite.

That loud clicking sound you hear is all the Boneyard Yankee fans putting me on “ignore”.

 

[mauconnfan]

Seeing as I’ve only ever been to one MLB stadium, Fenway Park (on many occasions), must make it my favorite.

That loud clicking sound you hear is all the Boneyard Yankee fans putting me on “ignore”.

You wish, we could care less what you think!

Fenway's whole venue is now is great for the baseball fan, the kids, Yawkey Way etc etc.. Before they changed it and the 100 years between titles no one cared about fenway except the fans who didn't jump on the bandwagon. It's an ugly stadium with poles in your way, seats that are made for super models and a left field wall which is little league distance away. But it works for the fans now and again, they did a nice job around the area, it's fun.

The old Yankee Stadium was baseball, didn't matter what was around it. The new one, well it's beautiful no doubt, much more comfortable in so many ways that the old stadiums, but it's still sitting in an awful area like it or not.

Only other one I've been to is Shea and we all know how awful that was.

 

[CTBasketball]

Fenway because Fenway

Fenway is cool because I like seeing 400lb people struggle to squeeze into their seats.

 

[8893]

Pac Bell for pretty much everything. Great setting, great food, great vibe.

I keep forgetting that it's called AT&T now. Still the best I've been to.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Fenway cuz it's got that college town vibe outside at Yawkey Way. Plus the tradition and the fact that the Red Sox play there.

 

[8893]

Fenway's It's an ugly stadium with poles in your way, seats that are made for super models

Fenway is cool because I like seeing 400lb people struggle to squeeze into their seats.

400lb? I'm "2-change" and 6'2" and I struggle to squeeze into those seats. And Mau's right, there is almost always a pole in my way.

It's like going to a Broadway play in one of the legendary Broadway theaters, whose seats were also apparently made for a time when Americans were tiny. But it's classic and nostalgic in ways that I appreciate.

 

[scotty0330]

I am a sox fan and Wrigley has it over Fenway by a mile. Has everything that Fenway...history, tradition, sight lines etc. IMO the park has been maintained better concourses are not dumpy like Fenway, neighborhood and bar scene is much more interesting and diverse. I love Fenway don't get me wrong but Wrigley is a notch above.

Still like citizens bank in philly...nice park..tons of food options and with all stadiums and Walt Whitman bridge makes getting in and out not too bad.

Camden yards still is the gold standard for all new parks. Same old charm, not a bad seat, stadium doesn't look anywhere close to almost 25 years old and ticket prices are a fraction of what a sox or Yankee fan is used to paying for games. You could literally watch a three game series for the cost of one yanks/sox game up here.

 

[auggie22]

I am a sox fan and Wrigley has it over Fenway by a mile. Has everything that Fenway...history, tradition, sight lines etc. IMO the park has been maintained better concourses are not dumpy like Fenway, neighborhood and bar scene is much more interesting and diverse. I love Fenway don't get me wrong but Wrigley is a notch above.

Still like citizens bank in philly...nice park..tons of food options and with all stadiums and Walt Whitman bridge makes getting in and out not too bad.

Camden yards still is the gold standard for all new parks. Same old charm, not a bad seat, stadium doesn't look anywhere close to almost 25 years old and ticket prices are a fraction of what a sox or Yankee fan is used to paying for games. You could literally watch a three game series for the cost of one yanks/sox game up here.

Spot on. I am a sox season tix holder for many years. But the few games I have attended at Wrigley are different and better IMHO. Better sight lines, friendlier atmosphere, and better bars outside the park. Same history to boot.

 

[GemParty]

Used to travel a lot for work and thus had the opportunity to catch games all over the place ranging from MLB to A in baseball plus NHL and AHL games. It was my 'thing' versus going out to a bar and chasing tail. So for MLB Venues...

• Arizona - Chase continues to support the fact that Phoenix is not a great sports town, crowd was so-so and what energy it did have, was lost in the vavern that tshi ball park is, though I do understand the need to have a dome in a desert
  
• Baltimore - Camden Yards is still a great place to see a game even after 20 years and I will always be thankful for its role is spurring development of today's stadiums
• Boston - Yes, it has a lot of tradition and is easy to get to; but, Fenway is too small, the seats are smaller, parts of the stadium are a dump and I am a Yankees fan
• Chicago Cubs - See Fenway; but, at least the Red Sox don't play at Wrigley
  
• Chicago White Sox - I went to US Cellur during a day game to catch the Yanks, not sure if I I am brave enough to go to a night game there, nothing to write about
• Colorado - The views while watching those little white balls fly out of the park is something and downtown Denver is a lot of fun. primarily complaint is that its a bit too big
• Detroit - Went to a lot of games at Comerica with a good friend, an underrated park in city that hopefully is turning it around
• LA Angels - Went to a pair of games here in SoCal, noting really stands out
• NY Mets - Shea Stadium - my old man is a Mets fan and went to a bunch of days games here, the stadium was junk; but, the atmosphere, especially int he mid 80's was nuts
• NY Yankees - Started going to Yankee games with my Grandfather back in the early 80's and loved the history and the energy of the old stadium and then later coming down for work and filling the pars nearby having a good time before and after waiting for the Subways to clear out. As for the new stadium, the best thing was building MetroNorth train stadium there, much easier to get to/from, the inside is nicer; but, its still crowded as very few folks can pay for seats in the lower bowl, feels like corporate America
• Oakland - Went with a Boston fan to see the A's play the Sox at the Coliseum, the stadium shoudl be burned down as the only highlight was a collection of really fine ladies while on the other end, saw 2 kids try to stab each other to death in the causeway over to the BART stadium after with one of the kids mothers swinging a pocketbook at them, no going back
• Philadelphia - Citizens is a good stadium that is easy to get to by car or public transit with an energetic crowd with the bonus of being able to score some great cheese steak sandwiches on the way in
  
• Pittsburgh - PNC is another very underrated ballpark in my opinion, good seats, has a good atmosphere, good food and the city skyline in the outfield is sweet
• San Francisco - AT&T is hands down the best baseball park in America and I am a Yankees fan. Great location, seats, food, etc.
• Tampa - The Rays actually play MLB baseball in Tropicana, really? The only good points are the tickets are cheap and Yankee fans outnumber Ray fnas 2 to 1 at most games.
• Texas - It was hot, the crowd is dull, and there is nothing around whatever that field is called now
• Toronto - The stadium is not much to write home about and one of the few dual-purposes ones left; but, I have enjoyed several games from my room or the hotel bar in the Renaissance and its has easy access to the great city of Toronto

On my still to do list are Citi Field (Mets), the National's new digs, and Target Field (Twins) and I would also go to St. Louis just because they have some serious baseball fans at Busch.

I'm going to try Marlins Park this weekend.

 

[storrsroars]

I'll qualify by saying I haven't been to AT&T Park yet, but I think that's the only current park that could rival PNC. The only issue with PNC is that as it had to fit in a specific footprint, the concourses are too narrow. When there's a full house, it's hard to move. Otherwise, it's about as perfect as you can get.

Been to Fenway dozens of times. It's historic. And it's accessible by the T. And it has a flukey LF wall. And that's about all the pluses I'll give it, although when they had the rooftop boxes in LF, those were pretty sweet (no line for beer or dogs!). Prior to the Monster seats being installed, I seem to recall some stat that less than a third of Fenway seats actually face home plate.

Wrigley beats Fenway hands down for atmosphere immediately outside the stadium and the variety of beers/foods inside. And until this year, Cubs fans were nice people.

Of the ones I've been to, Camden Yards, Progressive and surprisingly Edison (or whatever they're calling the Angels park these days) are all solid. Camden is especially fun in the bleachers as that's where the "real" Yankee fans sit and it's a blast baiting them (the traveling fans have much higher baseball IQs than the ones that go to Yankee Stadium itself!)

However, Petco Park's environs have something no other MLB park can offer. Directly across the street from right field is actual New Haven-style pizza made by actual NH-style devotees from CT . I will attest that it makes the grade as an excellent facsimile, although with slightly less char.

The worst I've been to of current parks is Toronto. At least when they had that couple making love in the hotel with the curtains open a decade ago, that could be something to look forward to.

Although I'd been to hundreds of games at Shea, dozens at the old old, and new old Yankee Stadium, and a bunch at the old Vet, I haven't been to CitiField, new Yankee or Citizens yet.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Old Yankee Stadium, Wrigley and Fenway stand out to me as I appreciate baseball's history.

Camden and PNC Park (Pirates) were my two favorite of the new wave of ball parks.

It's tough to put an exact reason as to why new Yankee Stadium feels so corporate (aside from the very high food and drink prices) but it just feels very sterile overall.

When you would go to old Yankee Stadium it even had its own smell and there was an aura there. Definitely miss going to it, but luckily my old man took me dozens of times growing up in the 90s/00s...which happened to coincide with one of the best periods of Yankees baseball in history.

 

[4in16]

Of those I've been to
Camden Yards
Fenway
Angel Stadium
Progressive Field

 

[intlzncster]

Unless you are on the Monster or box seats or something, the actual watching of the game at Fenway kinda sucks. Paying $93 for a watered down 10 oz bud light sucks too. But the whole experience around the stadium is pretty good.

Plus, guys like Babe Ruth, Williams, Dimaggio, et al played in that actual place which is pretty damn cool to think about when you are in it.

 

[David 76]

Unless you are on the Monster or box seats or something, the actual watching of the game at Fenway kinda sucks. Paying $93 for a watered down 10 oz bud light sucks too. But the whole experience around the stadium is pretty good.

Plus, guys like Babe Ruth, Williams, Dimaggio, et al played in that actual place which is pretty damn cool to think about when you are in it.

They all played at Yankee Stadium (old) too. Two of them even came immortal there along with Gehrig. So, a hunk of the great history of Fenway is that Yankees played there?

 

[methodology]

Camden Yards
PNC park
AT&T Park

Those are the best stadium in baseball hands down.

Fenway and Wrigley are great for the nostalgia and history but pale in comparison to the 3 I listed for amenities, view, etc.

 

[dennismenace]

Loved the old old Yankee stadium (prior to 19750). My first game was a doubleheader in 1959 on Fourth of July with Cleveland. Full house 63000
fans. Lost both games in extra innings. Liked Fenway because of tradition and close to field. Newer stadiums are much cleaner and bright but I guess
it is just the nostalgia for old time baseball. Tony Kubek said his salary was like $11,000 in 1960. His world series share that year was the same amount.
If you missed a sign or failed to hit behind the runner the veterans would not let you forget it. Great times.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

They all played at Yankee Stadium (old) too. Two of them even came immortal there along with Gehrig. So, a hunk of the great history of Fenway is that Yankees played there?

For some Yankee fans the facts that your immortal stars played there is huge.
For Yankee traditionalists like myself, the destruction of the Stadium was traumatic.
It's probsbly the only time since I left CT that I actually felt saddened.
When you went to the Stadium from the time you're five to adulthood with your uncle ,father,brother ,and visits there were almost pilgrimage like . I took my kids there as a grown man. The loss of that place left an emptiness that a slick new stadium can't fill.
It's almost like your old family house was razed.