BostonSportsHub.com - Major League Ballpark Review

I have been fortunate enough to have visited a total of 24 major league parks over the years (five of these no longer exist). Here are my rankings based on the parks themselves, the general atmosphere in and around the park and some intangibles such as parking and ticket prices.

Wrigley Field, Chicago
Wrigley may not have the modern amenities that the league's newer parks offer, but the incredible baseball atmosphere more than makes up for it. A Cubs game, especially in the daytime, is always a major event. The "friendly confines" offer a great seat from anywhere in the park ... and even outside the park if you are fortunate enough to live on one of the top floors across Sheffield or Waveland Avenues. During the game, kids (and some adults too) line the streets just beyond the left and rightfield bleachers hoping for a chance to catch a cherished home run ball. Part of the charm of Wrigley is that it is situated in a residential neighborhood. The park is truly part of the community. Cubs fans are incredibly knowledgable and loyal and seem to live and die with every pitch. Fenway and Wrigley are comparable in many ways but it is Wrigley that gets my vote for baseball's best park.

Coors Field, Denver
It was an unpleasantly cold April day when I visited Coors Field but I won't let that stop me from ranking the home of the Rockies third among my favorite major league ballparks. There are many things that I like about Coors field. First, the park was built so that the field is completely visible from the walkways that separate each level of seats. Even if you are in line for, I don't know ... a Sam Adams, you can still see the entire playing field. This also allows for great standing room visibility. The fountains in center field are a nice touch as well. The only truly bad seats in the house are in the deeply-discounted "Rock Pile" bleachers in center field. At the very top, I would guess that the seats must be 600 feet from home plate and maybe 200 feet above the ground (5,320 above sea level in case you're counting).

Fenway Park, Boston
I hope I haven't offended the great shrine to baseball by ranking it only fifth among my favorite ballparks. Perhaps if I had only been to Fenway Park once, I would have ranked it higher, but having been so there many times I have realized the limitations of the 91-year-old park. It is clearly time for a new baseball park in Boston. In my humble opinion, the Green Monster is the greatest ballpark feature in major league baseball. Though I was skeptical initially, I think the Green Monster seats are a great addition. Fenway's quirkly dimensions and angles have, of course, been copied in many of the newly-constructed ballparks. Unfortunately, once you leave your seat and head for the concession stands, Fenway Park becomes an eyesore. Current plans to rebuild the park with modern amenities while maintaining the park's wonderful dimensions seems like a perfect solution.

Petco Park, San Diego
I am thrilled that the country's greatest city finally has a ballpark in the downtown area. Petco Park certainly has some interesting features, including a warehouse in left field, a sandbox just beyond the right field wall and a giant hill beyond the stands in right-center field where people can throw down a beach towel and watch the game. The park's dimensions are almost silly with the right field wall about six miles from home plate. The park is located just a short walk from the great Gaslamp Quarter where there are loads of great bars and restaurants to visit both before and after the game.

Safeco Field, Seattle
Safeco Field in Seattle is the best of the new parks that I have visited. Thanks to the ground crew and nature (it never stops raining in Seattle), the field is a perfect green. Like Coors Field and Oriole Park, Safeco is a nice blend of modern amenities with an old time feel like the manual scoreboard in left field. It is very easy to get to Safeco Field as it is less than a ten minute walk from downtown and leaving the park after the game was rather painless. Unlike the retractable dome park in Phoenix, Safeco doesn't feel like a domed stadium with a sun roof. When the dome is retracted, you quickly forget that it is there. The outside of Safeco Field offers a good view of the park from three sides (one side holds the dome when it is retracted). The one criticism that I have is the lack of bleacher seats close to the fence in leftfield. The leftfield bleachers are some of the best seats in every park and the Mariners missed the opportunity to allow more people to sit there.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore
As the first new park to incorporate modern amenities with old-style features and dimensions, Oriole Park at Camden Yards became the blueprint for many of the new major league parks that have surfaced in the last decade. Oriole Park truly feels like an old baseball park, even more so than Coors Field. Not all of the seats in Oriole Park are great. In fact many face center field rather than home plate, but in general there isn't much to criticize. There is also plenty to do before and after games with the waterfront just a short walk from the stadium.

Minute Maid Park, Houston
I was very impressed with Minute Maid Park. Like Safeco Field, the retractable dome is not really all that noticable when the roof is open. The field has some quirky angles, including the hill in dead center field. The standing room only vantage point in left field is one of the best among the parks I have visited. The seats are very close to the field in most places and the concessions are better than average. On the negative side, downtown Houston is a little scary. When I visited in 2004 there was virtually no atmosphere around the ballpark. Note: Reader Derek tells me that downtown Houston has improved a lot in the past couple of years.

Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
I would say that Dodger Stadium is the best baseball park built between 1930-1990. A visit to Dodger Stadium also provides a great opportunity to upgrade from your original seat because most of the so-called Dodger fans are in their cars by the seventh inning stretch. The dimensions are symmetrical, but the view of the field is excellent and the weather is almost always perfect. The biggest drawback of Dodger Stadium, other than the fact that the fans barely care, is that there is no atmosphere outside of the park. Dodger Stadium is surrounded by a giant parking lot and there aren't any worthwhile bars or restaurants within walking distance of the park.

Tiger Stadium, Detroit
Tiger Stadium had great dimensions and a great view of the field from almost anywhere in the park. Unfortunately, you wouldn't want to spend any time in the general vicinity of the park before or after games, especially after dark. The unique dimensions, including the second deck in right field that was actually closer to home plate that the right field fence, made Tiger Stadium one of a kind. It will be missed and so will the home runs.

Edison Field, Anaheim
My opinion of Anaheim Stadium (oops, I mean Edison Field) is a bit biased because my first visit there was during the 1986 American League Championship Series. Thanks to Dave Henderson, it was a very special occasion for me. My upper deck seats were very high (like much of the Orange County crowd no doubt), but in a good location. With the renovations done a few years ago, Edison Field now looks and feels like a real baseball park. The rocks beyond the fence are a nice touch and you of course can't forget the Rally Monkey.

The Ballpark, Arlington
The first thing you notice about the Ballpark in Arlington is its size. The place is enormous, but I guess that is the Texas way. The field is kept in exceptional condition and the center field area beyond the bleachers is pretty festive including a mini wiffle ball field. My trip to the Ballpark was disappointing only because the Red Sox lost a doubleheader that night. Like Dodger Stadium and Minute Maid Park, there is really nothing going on around the park. That is, unless you want to drive the two or three miles to Six Flags.

Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix
Bank One Ballpark has one of the greatest features of any park in the majors with the swimming pool located just beyond the fence in the right field bleachers. The field has a nice look though it isn't very interesting or unique, other than the swimming pool. At the top of the park are giant pipes, which I imagine to be part of the building's cooling system (while I was in Phoenix, the locals were telling me that I was lucky that it was only 100 degrees). Between these pipes and the parking garage visible in right field, the park had a warehouse type of feel, especially from the upper deck seats. Even with the roof open, the park felt like a domed stadium. The outside of the park has very a good look and getting in and out was far easier than most parks. Bank One Ballpark is also situated next to the downtown area so there are plenty of eating and drinking options before and after the game, including Alice Cooper's Cooperstown restaurant and bar.

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
For a symmetrical, cookie-cutter stadium, Qualcomm Stadium isn't bad. The park is very clean and easy to navigate. The palm trees beyond the fence are a nice addition, giving the stadium its SoCal feel. Public transportation stops right at the park and tickets are fairly cheap. My trip to The Q was on a Thursday afternoon and there was still a pretty decent crowd. The perfect San Diego weather never hurts either. I'm looking forward to visiting the new Petco Park next season (2004).

Candlestick Park, San Fransisco
I can honestly say that the coldest I have ever been in the month of August was the night I spent at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The "Stick" was a decent ballpark, but nothing to write home about. Giants fans are certainly the best supporters among the five California teams. My trip to Candlestick probably would have been a better experience in the daytime.

Skydome, Toronto
Skydome is quite a spectacle though not really a great place to watch a game. The retractable roof is impressive and you of course have the Hard Rock Cafe, restaurants and hotel rooms overlooking the field (perfect for the Jays to steal signs from the catcher Goldfinger-style). I visited Skydome in its first year so my seats were not great. Getting good seats is clearly not a problem there anymore. Crowd atmosphere, even back in those days when the Jays were winning divisions, was nonexistent.

Shea Stadium, New York
Unlike almost anywhere in the New York area, Shea Stadium offers plenty of parking. There isn't much else to say about Shea, good or bad. My visit to Shea occurred on the 4th of the July. It was a perfect summer day and I have fond memories of my friend Kevin stuffing the All Star ballot box with votes for Mo Vaughn. The best thing I can say about the Mets is that they aren't the Yankees.

Memorial Stadium, Baltimore
The old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore wasn't much to look at but was a decent place to watch a ballgame. While watching batting practice, a coach for the Milwaukee Brewers made my then eight-year-old sister's day when he threw her a batting practice baseball. To her, that ball must have meant as much as McGwire's 62nd. Plus, how could you not love to watch a team wearing those goofy tri-colored cartoon bird caps with the halloweenish orange unis? Those are the O's that won championships.

Dolphins Stadium, Miami
I was pleasantly surprised with Dolphins Stadium. They have done a decent job turning a football stadium into a reasonably pleasant place to watch a baseball game, provided that you are not in the upper deck (which wasn't open when I visited). On the down side, the fan excitement is at a bare minimum which is unfortunate because the Marlins have won two championships in the past decade and have a decent shot to win it again this season (2005). There is nothing around the stadium other than a big parking lot. I'm sure the tailgating before Dolphins games is a lot of fun.

Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland
The best part of Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland is that it is located right off of the highway. This is important because you would never, ever, ever want to get lost in Oakland. Other than the great team on the field, the Athletics ballpark has little to offer. There aren't many good bleacher seats and even the "good" seats aren't so good because of the ludicrous amount of foul territory at first and third base. It doesn't seem to matter where you sit in the park, you are never close to the action. It's also very sad that such a great organization has so few fans that care. It's all about the Raiders in Oakland.

Old Comiskey Park, Chicago
I visited the old Comiskey Park (or as Dwight Evans would say "Cominskey Park") in 1989 just a few years before the new park was built. I wanted to see the old place before it was gone. Looking back, I wouldn't have missed much. Comiskey Park was, for lack of a better word, a dump. It had no character or unique features, except for the picnic benches that allowed for a view of the field through the outfield fence. A have yet to visit the new Comiskey, but I know that it has at least one strike against it - the neighborhood.

Municipal Stadium, Cleveland
The "Mistake by the Lake" as it was often called, was easily the biggest ballpark that I have ever visited. I think you could fit two Fenways inside of it. The place held about 80,000 but the attendance was usually more like 8,000 (on a good day). I spent most of my visit there moving from seat to seat, testing out different views of the field. There were empty seats behind home plate, as well as one row up from the dugout and in the first row of the bleachers so I had a great time watching the then hopeless Tribe from primo seats.

Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Olympic Stadium in Montreal is the true definition of a monstrosity. I'm sure it was great for the 1976 Olympics, but for baseball it is a disgrace. On the positive side, tickets were cheap and easy to come by. My second Expos game was a little better attended, in large part because of a pre-game homerun hitting contest which included a Montreal Candien or two. The Montreal fans are so lame that they make Dodger fans seem excitable. If there is one city that deserves to lose their team, it is clearly Montreal.

Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia
My first trip to the Vet in 1980 was a memorable one as my favorite third basemen, Mike Schmidt, hit a towering homerun to left field not more than 20 feet from where I sat. Unfortunately, my visit to Philly was marred by the fact that our car was broken into. Ironically enough, the same thing happened on my second visit to Philadelphia years later (the robbery, not the Schmidt homer). I'm guessing that it would be pretty hard to visit Philly and not be ripped off. I could rank Veterans Stadium as the worst baseball park that I have even been to simply based on my complete repulse at the mere mention of Philadelphia, but the truth is that the Vet gains my vote for worst park based on its own merit as an ugly, characterless joke. I saw the great Mike Schmidt cry when he retired. Had I spent my career playing in that ballpark, I would have cried too.

Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg
I visited the Trop in April of 2005, some seven years after the place opened, yet it seemed as if they were playing the first game in franchise history. The traffic getting into the stadium (sorry, I have a hard time calling a conventional dome stadium a "park") was not to be believed. I could me mistaken, but it appeared that there were only two ways to get into the stadium parking lot. On this particular night, the Red Sox were in town and they apparently were not prepared for more than the usual 10,000 fans. I finally reached my seat in the fourth inning (many people were still arriving in the sixth). What can I say? The turf field was in terrible shape. The lines at the concession stands created gridlock in the upper deck between innings. There was absolutely no atmosphere around the park. None! The sooner that this team moves to Vegas, Portland, Durham or even Boise, the better it will be for Major League Baseball. Congratulations, Veterans Stadium. You are now out of the cellar.

NOTES ARCHIVE

Sox Notes - 2007

NCAA Tournament - 2007

AFC Championship (Jan 2007)

Sox Notes - 2006

NCAA Tournament - 2006

Feb-Mar 2006

Sox Notes - 2005

Pats Notes - 2005

NCAA Tournament - 2005

Superbowl XXXIX

Jan-Dec 2005