Over the course of my life I have been fortunate enough to travel to and attend many sporting events, particularly the game I love the most, baseball. Overall I have been to 17 ballparks. A few of these ballparks have been torn down and replaced with more modern stadiums. Below is my own personal rankings of the 17 I have attended. 20 years ago, this list would be pointless as the majority of teams played in dumps of stadiums. One stadium on this list changed all of this and made ballparks and architectural must see and a new and unique experience wherever you were. Love it or hate it, here we go....
1.) Old Yankee Stadium. Truly was the cathedral of baseball, the House that Ruth built. I remember my first time at this stadium and even though the Yankees sucked and I was rooting for a great player by the name of Griffey, there was no mistaking that this stadium was something special. Before Damon and Affleck or Vince Vaughn, Yankee Stadium was the only stadium talked about in movies or TV, this was the home of the pressure, the comebacks, the history, the ghosts. Only stadium I have ever witnessed that could make or break a player, from opposing pitchers throwing up before taking the mound to Mr. October and Mr. November, this stadium was the center of the sports world. The Stadium had a special feel that was unlike any other stadium I have been to. From Eddie Layton on the organ to Bob Sheppard on the PA, this was baseball's most important venue, always was and always will be.
2.) Wrigley Field. Another old stadium at the top of this list and this is due to the beautiful venue itself as well as the "feel" of this park as well. Located in a neighborhood (awesome) the ivy, the rooftop bleachers, the lake view, the old scoreboard, the 7th inning stretch and greatest of all...the fans. No other place that we have been that had a loosing team (last place when we went) had the energy and the passion for just the simple purity of enjoying baseball. Even Old Yankee Stadium would be empty when the Yankees sucked, Wrigley has its days, particularly early spring and late fall, when it is more empty than full, but it was full and full of energy when we went. It had a similar feel to the Old Yankee Stadium. I hope Wrigley never changes. The fans hate that big toyota sign and the couple of ads in the ivy, but unlike every other stadium, it is still pretty pure. I hope the Cubs can win some more to show off this beautiful stadium.
3.) New Yankee Stadium. Gargantuan! The place is a monster of baseball, the House that George built. Biggest scoreboard in all of sports (besides Cowboys) and luxury everything. Ticket prices are insane. It feels like a resort of Yankees nostalgia and I love that stuff. We were fortunate enough to attend the first playoff game ever at this stadium and the place started to rock like the old one. The frieze all the way around the stadium is amazing, the great hall, the Yankees museum, Monument park is still here, there are 5 star restaurants in the building as well as a hard rock cafe. The stadium has it all. The classiest stadium in sports by far, just so new, and Babe Ruth never stood in that batters box, but Derek Jeter did and Mariano owned the mound so, years from now this will still be one of the best stadiums in all of sports.
4.) Camden Yards. The stadium that started it all. No stadiums looked like this or were placed downtown before Camden Yards hit Baltimore. A couple of blocks from the inner harbor, it opens right up to the city with Eutaw street and the warehouse. It was great when it was empty, it was great when it was Yankee Stadium south and its great now that the Orioles have some fair weather fans that show up now that they are winning. To me, this original got it right. Every stadium that came after has been trying to follow this one. Great place to watch baseball.
5.) PNC Park. Continuing with what Camden did, PNC park took full advantage of making one of the most picturesque ballparks out there. The river, the bridges, the skyline, PNC takes advantage of all of it. The venue stuns during the day and stuns at night. Finally, this season, people will get a chance to see just how awesome this ballpark is as the Pirates should make the playoffs for the first time since Barry Bonds was skinny.
6.) Dodger Stadium. I know Ebbets field and Brooklyn, heartbreaking stuff. The Dodgers have been in LA for some time and this is a great place to see a game. The palm trees, sight lines, mountains and hills of LA are beautiful. The skyline is directly behind the stadium. The fans are into it, the location is great which makes it a great place to watch baseball. I believe this stadium is 50 years old now and still is one of the best and only four deck stadiums in baseball.
7.) Petco Park. First time trying to find this stadium in the Gaslamp and couldn't do it, blended right in to the downtown. Left field actually makes use of an old warehouse and turned it into a bar/restaurant/shop and rooftop deck. The center field opens clear up to the city and you can see for miles. The outfield hill which allows you to bring dogs is an awesome feature that only a city as laid back as San Diego would have. Right center field even has a sand pit for kids to play in during the game! Awesome! If only the Padres could win and do something about their uniforms, this ballpark would get the attention it deserves.
8.) Citizens Bank Park. Philly fans needed to be gone with the Vet. Not only did Philly get the Linc but it got this bandbox of a beautiful stadium as well. Again, opens up to a great skyline view, incorporates the Liberty Bell and a Phillies version of Monument park but it has the freaking Phillie Phanatic and some of the craziest fans in sports. Great place to see baseball, about time for Philly.
9.) Safeco Field. The House that Griffey Built. Since the Mariners opened it, they haven't really been that good. The retractable roof is amazing to behold how fast, simple, and non invasive it can open or close. Only baseball stadium (until new Yankee) that I have seen sushi sold at, the famous Ichi-roll. Don't know if they still have it or not. Great views of the city skyline and the bay. Beats the Kingdome any day!
10.) Comerica Park. Detroit got an upgrade to a spacious old time but modern ballpark in 2000. The park has Tiger statues all over it as well as a carousel and playground for kids which is unique to sports venues. Again, using the Camden blueprint, the stadium opens right up to the downtown skyline. In recent years they have made some improvements including bringing the fences in a bit, the stadium is still spacious.
11.) Skydome. This stadium to me is dated now but was revolutionary when it first came out. A retractable roof! A hotel in the ballpark! A restaurant in the ballpark! A hard rock cafe in the ballpark! All things that were unheard of. The Bluejays were good when this ballpark opened in 1989 and its a shame that they stopped being good and how dated this ballpark got as fast as it did. Its great for cold weather Toronto, but, Turf! come on.
12.) Nationals Park. DC needed a team, it got the Expos. DC needed a ballpark and it got a gem. Unfortunately it is in the middle of nowhere in the city and there is nothing around. Tried to find a bar or restaurant before the game, NADA. Maybe this will change in a few years, but even though its DC, its feels far from DC. You can only see the Capitol building with the right view but other than that it doesn't take advantage of being located in the nations capitol. It has everything else though, all the modern amenities, but nothing stands sets it apart from say Turner Field, Great American Ballpark, etc.
13.) Great American Ballpark. This stadium was a huge improvement over the dump the Big Red Machine played in. Just like Nationals park, it has all the modern amenities but misses on taking advantage of the beautiful river in the way that PNC park or San Francisco does. They block it with outfield stands so unless you are way up top, you are unaware that it is even there. They could have used that, or turned the stadium around to open up to the skyline in the city of Skyline chili. They missed on that, but otherwise a great place to see a game.
14.) Veterans Stadium. The toilet bowl of sports. This was cutting edge at one time. The Vet was a dump but so was Riverfront and Three Rivers. I remember going here as a kid and seeing Dykstra's tobacco juice all over the turf in center field. I remember tickets being $5, which invited in Philadelphia's finest which is why there was a jail under the stadium. Not a great place for baseball, maybe not even a great place for football. But it was Philly, it was intimidating for opposing players and it was HUGE.
15.) Kingdome. The photo actually represents how I felt about it. Beautiful on the outside but you don't want to see the inside. Griffey killed in this place and it was loud! Not a good place to see baseball though, Safeco is much better and the Seahawks now play in one of the best NFL stadiums out there (you can get Top Pot, donuts that is, in the stadium).
16.) Shea Stadium. Speaking of dumps! Sorry Mets fans. Looked like they tried. The place was huge and it had character and its own unique feel but it was a dump. I don't have much else to say. I was not impressed at all. I am glad you all got a new stadium.
17.) Tropicana Field. I don't know how an expansion team in 1997 got a dump of a stadium like this one. The best part about this stadium is the Ray tank in right center field. Other than that, there is nothing appealing about this stadium. The team is great, the fans are non existent and a joke. I feel bad for Joe Madden and the star players that will soon become Yankees or Red Sox. They need to move this team to say, North Carolina or Virginia. This stadium is the worst in baseball.
Honorable Mentions: At&t park in San Fransisco. Weren't able to attend a game when we were out there, but that is one of the most beautiful ballparks in all of baseball. Cannot wait to get there someday. St. Louis plays in a great new stadium that opens up to the city and the arch and reportedly has some of the greatest baseball fans out there. They do fill that stadium even when it is 110 degrees in July. Have seen but not attended a game at Coors field in Colorado and Miller Park in Milwaukee, the beer stadiums. Both look great.
Dishonorable Mention: Fenway Park. I hate the Red Sox so minus five points there. Fenway gets points for being old, original and the Green Monster. Someday I may go, just to judge the experience first hand. Looses points for not sticking to the origins and pumping big screens and huge scoreboards into what was once an old fashioned, just there for baseball, type of venue. Also looses points for Ben Affleck. As well as their falsified sell out streak. I have also personally sat next to many Red Sox fans at old and new Yankee Stadium that have stated they come to Yankee Stadium to see the Red Sox play just because Fenway is old, crowded, tight, and the fans are rude and inconsiderate of others around them. I was surprised to hear this as you could say the same about old Yankee Stadium. Minus points for bad fans. Overall there are alot of deductions to what could be a great stadium. Seriously, who the fuck wears Red Socks?
