What ballparks have you been to?

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tugga

tugga

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Well?
I have been lucky enough to go to the two holy grails in the US, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.
Fenway was a dream come true but the Red Sox got flogged by the As, but at least we won the World Series that season. Just being in some of the bars around the ballpark before the game, on a Sunday arvo, was surreal.
Went to Wrigley on a whim and saw the Cubs beat the Braves.
Would love to hear of others' experiences.
 
Live in the States, so I've been to a few....

Philly- Connie Mack, the Vet, and Citizens Bank- grew up there
Original Yankee Stadium (way back in the 60s)
Fenway Park- several times- lived in the area
Memorial Stadium, Baltimore
Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta- may get to turner Field this summer...we'll see.
Riverfront Stadium in Cincy
Jacobs Field in cleveland (now Progressive)
Busch Stadium in St Louis
Wrigley field
Metrodome- worst place to watch a game
Kingdome- didn't see an MLB game- saw the Seahawks
Olympic Stadium in Montreal

Think that is it for MLB parks
 
ALCS Series game one at Yankee Stadium in 2009, NY v Angels.
Regular season game between CWS and Detroit at Comiskey Park.

One of the best experiences ever at Yankee Stadium, great atmosphere.
 

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I've been to new Yankee Stadium and AT&T Park, but just on a tour, missed out on seeing a game cos we were there in December / January, saw Chase Field, Rangers Ballpark too. But didn't go in.
 
In the US at the moment and have managed to catch 3 games while here, Cubs v St Louis at Wrigley, Indians v LA Angels at Progressive field in Cleveland and Yankees v Orioles at Yankee Stadium, on previous trips here I've managed to catch games at Rogers Centre (Blue Jays), Fenway and Dodgers Stadium, I love the differences between all the ballparks and little intricacies.
 
Let me see, I have been to Fenway Park twice, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, and Olympic Stadium in Montreal right before the Expos moved to Washington. I also have taken a tour of Camden Yards.
 
Went to Fenway and Progressive a couple of years ago and saw the Indians win 3 times. Both very nice stadiums :thumbsu:
 

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Coobk001 said:
ALCS Series game one at Yankee Stadium in 2009, NY v Angels.
Regular season game between CWS and Detroit at Comiskey Park.

One of the best experiences ever at Yankee Stadium, great atmosphere.
Click to expand...

New stadium is a really contrast to the old one, it's more like a marble shopping mall compared to the old YS.

I liked Citifield a lot more actually.
 
Been to the O.co Coliseum in Oakland almost 2 years ago now. Horrid stadium for baseball. We had good seats but there was zero atmosphere (didn't help it was the As up against the Twins, not a great match-up). Would be a million times better for a Raiders game, given the rabid nature of the Raiders' fanbase.

Would have gone to Candlestick Park, but unfortunately the Giants were playing away from home when I was in the States last.
 
Went to Dolphin Stadium in 2008 to watch the Marlins play the Reds. It reminded me of VFL Park. Out in the middle of some suburb in Dade County Florida. From South Beach it cost me about $80 in a cab as Miami has bugger all public transport.

The crowd was poor and it was a good night crowd wise from all reports as it was a three game series and Ken Griffey Jnr was looking to hit a 600th? career home run if I recall.

Everyone pretty much left during the 7th inning stretch. It was not all that memorable, however O crossed attending an MLB game of my wishlist.

I believe the Marlins have since moved to a new stadium in downtown Miami.

I'd love to see the Yankees, Giants or Phillies at home.
 
Grew up in Michigan and had the trifecta in old Comiskey Park, Wrigley Field and Tiger Stadium being only an hour and a half away.

Love the old stadiums (vale), more like cathedrals to a star struck kid. I remember walking through the hallways and up the ramps of Tiger Stadium for the first time in relative darkness and with the smell of stale beer pervading the place until you finally walked out into the bleachers and were hit by bright sunlight, the diamond and outfield glistening and the old roofs hovering overhead.

It would have been an orgasmic experience if I'd been older than 10 at the time!

These new fangled ballparks with all their modcons may be good, but give me a Saturday afternoon double header at Tiger Stadium with good friends and a lot of beer any day. :thumbsu:


Reggie Jackson's shot off Tiger Stadium Roof in 1971 All Star Game (563 feet from memory)

[youtube]2D9mBNnpUY[/youtube]
 
Only to the new Yankee Stadium in 2009. Went to the second game there and the Yankees first ever regular season win there. LOVED the atmosphere out with the 'Bleacher Creatures'. Got everything i wanted out of that game....Teixeira, Damon, Cano, Cabrera all went deep, then Derek Jeter broke the tie with his first home run there in the 8th. Mariano came in for the save.
 
Went to the Coliseum to watch the A's vs the Yankees. Sat in the bleachers, got a baseball, some drunk chick that passed out supporting NY got 'Go A's' written all over her face... happy days!

Cant wait to go back to the US. AT&T Park, Dodgers Stadium, Yankees Stadium, Wrigley field and Fenway park all on the radar.
 
Love reading what you all have to say about the ballparks over here. Always interesting getting the foreign opinion. Most of them dead-on....like Syd (though he grew up in Michigan...). The old ballparks are indeed, grand. Only Fenway and Wrigley are left. Dodger Stadium is actually the 2nd oldest in the National League (1958)...but is awesome. So clean, you could eat off the parking lot.

Of all the stadiums I've been to, the best:

1. Wrigley Field, Chicago. Unlike any other, set right in a neighborhood. White Sox slightly better over history (WS-2005) but would kill to have a sliver of the cache the Cubs do. Cubs are one of the few teams that don't need to win to draw fans.

2. Dodger Stadium, LA. I'm a Yankees fan and loathed the Dodgers till I saw a game there. It looks like a modern park but was built 50+ years ago. It's big but practically hovers over the field. I don't hate the Dodgers any more...ballpark was just too cool.

3. Camden Yards, Baltimore. Stadium is in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, which is very cool. 3 blocks in any direction is stright up ghetto. Baltimore is still a toilet of a city, but they did a good job cleaning up the IH.

4. AT&T Park, San Francisco. Tons of cool things here, and you won't freeze to death like at the old Candlestick Park, though still chilly. Don't go in the water to get home run balls. Water's so nasty, you'll come out glowing.

5. Miller Park, Milwaukee. Brewers are a small market team but know how to put on a ball game. Hell, you could just stay in the parking lot...the tailgates are that good.

No Fenway? No Yankee Stadium? Nope. I'm a Yankee fan and have only been to the old one. Was a bit of a dump, but it was the last year for The Stadium so they didn't exactly keep it tidy. But you could see the history dripping from it. Have yet to go to the new stadium....and a Yankee playoff game is #1 on my short list of sports "must-dos" (along with seeing any AFL at the MCG, though preferably Geelong). Fenway is a bit overrated. I sat in the outfield and all those "great fans of the game" were bouncing beach balls all over the place. Would NEVER see that at Wrigley...or The Stadium.

If you get a chance try to get to a minor league game....the smaller the town, the more flavorful. Will be cheaper to get in (they'll still gouge you for food/beer), no bad seats, much more intimate. I grew up in the city where they made "Bull Durham." Those games were awesome....movie didn't miss a thing in the ballpark scenes.
 
RiggoDiesel44 said:
If you get a chance try to get to a minor league game....the smaller the town, the more flavorful. Will be cheaper to get in (they'll still gouge you for food/beer), no bad seats, much more intimate. I grew up in the city where they made "Bull Durham." Those games were awesome....movie didn't miss a thing in the ballpark scenes.
Click to expand...

Loved your descriptions, that i cut out- Wrigley is awesome- elevated train right there and plenty of bars all around the park to get a frothy one before and after the game. I think I prefer it to fenway because it isn't quite as cramped...and you've gotta love the seventh inning "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" routine.

You are spot on about minor league ball, though most giuys coming over will want to see the major leaguers and not "waste" time in the minors. Be aware that a number of teams really do sell out, so it is not simply walk up and get a ticket at a minor league game. Check before you go. Lots of neat parks...if I had to pick a few...Durham athletic Park, of course... Kane County (west of Chicago), and Asheville, NC- lovely old park with a monster wall in RF- Babe Ruth played there.

I'll also go a step below that- if you go to boston to see the Sox, take a couple days and trek down to Cape Cod if it is mid June to early August. The cape Cod League will be in full swing- a league for the top college players who use wood bats there. Ten teams playing a 44 game schedule- on average, about 225 Cape League players get drafted every year by major league teams, and 1 in 6 guys played in the Cape League- so you are likely to see four or five guys that will make it to the bigs.

The best bit? No admission price- all teams have buckets at the gate and ask for donations- throw in a couple of bucks. Concession prices are below the minors, but quite good. Bring a beach chair with you and get there early- you can get great locations.

I'm actually about to publish a book (e-publication) on the Cape League the last five years. I've seen guys like Buster Posey, Gordon Beckham, Chris Sale, and Yonder Alonso, to anme four who are in the majors now- I've got autographed pictures of all of them. the book looks at how the league works- it is really the old style town team type of thing- the parks are mostly high school fields, but the play is pretty good, and you are seeing top players, especially as you get into July and the college playoffs have ended.
 
Forgot about the whole El train thing in Chicago. Easily the best way to get to Wrigley (and cheapest) from just about anywhere...gives you some city flavor and will remind you of those scenes from The Blues Brothers with the trains continually going by. You swear you're going to hit the houses backed up against the tracks, they're that close. But I guess I've been to Wrigley so much I forgot about how cool it is. There's a certain electricity around the stadium before every game that you'll never get at the big suburban ballparks...tons of bars/restaurants. It's great whenver but in the rare years whent he Cubs contend, few places are as fun. I knew a guy that lived nearby and said it was great...for maybe 1/2 a year. Then he grew to hate game days because of all the drunks, vomiting, peeing, yelling, etc., etc. before/during/after games.

Cape Cod League sounds great. I've been to Boston/NH/VT/ME but never done the Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard thing. Would much rather see baseball there than the Red Sox (bleecccch...). I guess I'd heard of this league but knew nothing of it. Summer Catch is a movie set in that Cape Cod League. It's dreadful...but that smokin' hot Jessica Biel is in it and is the only reason to give it a glimmer (but only if you happen by it while channel surfing).

Another friend of mine went to England recently and saw a "minor league" (not sure what they call it) soccer game, a top league game at a mid-level stadium, and one at one of their huge stadiums....so he got a taste of every level of soccer. As you alluded to, most visitors to the US may want to see only major league game(s), but if you have the time and are a sports fan in general, this strategy would be good. Hmmm...wonder how lower level Aust. footbal compares in this regard. Thoughts?

Elsewhere, I'm rolling the dice and taking GWS over the Lions this weekend. A bit out on the limb but other weird things have happened this season. Also taking Collingwood. Every time I pick against the Cats, they win. Every time I pick them to win, they lose.
 
It is easier for me to list the MLB cities where I haven't seen a ballgame - Seattle, Montreal/Washington, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Tampa.

At last count I have been to over 200 MLB games, 20 odd Minor League games and a few spring training games as well.

The ballparks I have been to the most are Angels Stadium (60+ games), Dodger Stadium (30+ games), Qualcomm Stadium (20+ games), Wrigley Field (10+ games), and Yankee Stadium (8 games).
 
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