Baseball Parks

Attempting to check out all 30 ballparks. A few notes on each one we've been to throughout the years. Will try to put together a ranking system, but for now these are in chronological order.

Metrodome

I am biased when it comes to this dome, I’ll admit that right up front. (Although I would never vote for it as the best ballpark because I have standards.) I was able to witness a lot of great Twins moments in this place, and so my ratings are much higher than the average baseball fan's.
The Metrodome overall, is not a place one should watch baseball games at. The football stadium just happened to be able to convert to a baseball field for 30 years. Seats, even the good ones, don't face the field the correct way and some seats can be very high up. If you needed to go to the bathroom or get more food during a game, be prepared to miss at least half an inning, if not a whole one. Foodwise, there was not much selection, but can you ever really go wrong with a dome dog? The answer, rhetorical or not, is no. Before the trouncings that inevitably occurred during the postseason games that I attended, the atmosphere was pretty awesome. Everyone yelling and clapping and waving their homer hankies was quite the sight to behold, the feeling was electric. The closest I came to watching a post season victory was Game 163, which occurred in 2009. The game is regarded as one of the best ever played, and I tend to agree with the experts on that one. When the game ended in the 12th inning, with the Twins victorious, 54,000 people exploded with joy. Truly amazing. There were other moments, obviously. Watching Brad Radke battle through his last regular season game, his shoulder allowing him to go one last (regular season) time, giving up just 1 run and the Twins coming back to win it in the 10th for him. The countless times they played ball the Twins way, and battled back for some miraculous 9th inning wins. Did I mention the bobbleheads? To be honest, I have not explored the cities as much as I should have, considering how many games we go to, so I don’t have a lot to say about it, other than it has potential.

Miller Park

My initial reaction to this baseball stadium was one of amazement. Having only been in the Metrodome, this park was literally a breath of fresh air. I was not impressed with the food I had at the park, (the hotdog seemed like it had been sitting in water for hours and had no flavor) but just seeing a game played “outside” was refreshing enough. Going back a second time, however, you can tell a lot was sacrificed just so a roof could be added onto the park. The shadows on the field are annoying and the park doesn’t have the closeness that other parks have. Everything had to be built straight up, so if you have upper level seats, you really have upper level seats. It’s a very batter-friendly field, and one of the times I was there, I witnessed like 5 homeruns by the Brewers. That’s fine I suppose, Fenway has the same issue.

Busch Stadium

I may like this ballpark even more than Target Field¸ perhaps for nostalgic purposes of going on that road trip. Target Field closely resembles Busch Stadium, and by doing so is a great ballpark as well. The view of the arch and the city in center field is spectacular, and you can’t find a bad seat. The food was good, the people baseball knowledgeable and friendly. On the days we were there, it was about 110 degrees, the staff made sure everyone was hydrated and moved people into the exclusive air conditioned areas, regardless of what your ticket said. It’s an excellent place to take in a ball game.

Target Field

After having the Metrodome be your home turf for so many years, going into Target Field was awesome. A wide variety of food choices, bathrooms everywhere, (so that a break only costs you the time in between innings), Target Field is hard to beat. The technology, such as the gigantic jumbo-tron and Twins Tower are pretty cool, and they’re always trying to update things, even though the park is only 3 years old. I love this place more each time we go, and we still haven’t taken advantage of everything it has to offer.

Kauffman Stadium

Truly a hidden gem of a ballpark, I’m not the first to say that, nor will I be the last. People going to the All-Star festivities this year will be in for a real treat. The city itself is pretty fascinating and the BBQ restaurants are amazeballs. The park is beautiful, with the fountains and waterfalls in the outfield. The jumbotron is ginormous and when they put the fire on their scrolling video screens for their (currently DL’d) closer, you feel the heat. The food is pretty good (mmmm Stroud’s) and they offer some great deals on other concessions. They keep you entertained during the half inning breaks with various games and prizes. There is also a museum in the ballpark which is very informative and you secretly kind of want to root for the Royals after attending some games.

Safeco

I love Seattle the city, so it’s not hard for me to love Safeco. It’s how retractable roofs are done right. Very beautiful ballpark and you don’t mind the train whistles that occur every so often. The food is delicious; I enjoyed the garlic fries for sure. For beer connoisseurs, they proudly offer over 99 different types. They have a restaurant in right field, it’s fun to watch the game from there. The roof glides easily and quickly into place, however it does not lose the sense of being an outdoor ballpark, as the sides remain open, it is never fully enclosed. It’s truly an experience.

Tropicana Field

You can’t beat the views that the city’s hotels have to offer of the gulf and the ballpark is not as crappy as the Rays would have you believe. While I can’t attest to the playing field, the rest of the dome was enjoyable (minus the cowbells). They really go all out to make you forget that you’re in what’s considered one of the worst ballparks in America. There is lots to do once you pass through the gates, including being able to visit a pool of sting rays in right centerfield. Food is abundant, and while I didn’t try anything extraordinary, I remember the food being good. The attendants are great, and really make sure nothing impedes your enjoyment of the game. Also, kudos on the catwalk. ;)

Fenway

A park reeking of historical importance (much like the city of Boston), there’s a sense of awe as you walk to Fenway and in through the gates. It’s disappointing to actually watch a game in the 100 year old monument. Pillars block a good portion of the seats and the fans are dolts. The monster is monstrous, but the field is really small. You understand how David Ortiz was able to make a name for himself as a homerun king. Other than the historic significance of the field, it was an otherwise disappointing experience. (Just the stadium, the city was unbelievable and I’m jealous of its inhabitants.)

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

As you enter the stadium, you’re greeted by two giant Angel hats and several enormous baseball bats. The surroundings of the field are neat, especially the waterfalls. For being recently renovated (within the last 15 years) it’s a little disappointing that seats along the baselines don’t really face the infield. They have the usual ballpark food, but some other interesting things as well. For example, I had a skeeter, a giant footlong hotdog in a bun, covered in pulled pork and BBQ sauce…mmmm tasty! The stadium opens two hours beforehand and you can watch the home team’s batting practice, which is a little unusual. For the three games we attended, we received a monkey beanie and a retro Angels hat, that Friday they were giving away a Cinco De Mayo rally monkey (stuffed). Fans seemed more interested in getting Torii Hunter’s attention than watching the game itself. When Jered Weaver threw the no-hitter, the group to the right of us left in the 8th inning, which seemed totally inexplicable to me.

Dodger Stadium

While we didn't attend a game here, we did take a tour. Even though it is the 3rd oldest ballpark still being used today, it did not show its age. Every year we have Jackie Robinson day, but it didn't really hit me on how cool that was that we were at this stadium until we walked in the gate. I really want to go back and catch a game or two there at some point. We were able to walk on the field and at one point of the tour, the guide made a point to tell us that we were in the hallway where Prince Fielder went crazy. Fun times. Time magazine recently published an article that listed Dodger Stadium as the 10th worst ball park in all of sports. The reasons they listed were the difficult manuvering it takes to get to the actual field (verified) and the violence that takes place there. Since we didn't get knifed or anything, I found this ballpark to be quite enjoyable.

Petco Park

Drove by the stadium but couldn't find parking and the neighborhood looked kind of scary. We could've gone to a Brewers/Padres game, while we were out there but there was an overlapping between that and the Twins game (which turned out to be the no hitter), so we passed. Next time. California has too many ballparks.

PNC Park

The best ballpark in America, and it's tough to disagree with the professionals, (although I've seen it done and it's made me weep for society). Tickets are cheap, food is good, and the view is spectacular. I would find myself staring at that beautiful view not believing that I was there. What is that building built with a big hole in it anyway? This park reminded me of Busch Stadium and how the skyline fits in perfectly with the park. There were different food items that were very local. I wish I would've tried a perogie (I did enjoy the perogie races, although thought it was unfair that the girl one had to carry a purse as she ran), and the wings looked really good too. I had another hotdog that was topped with pork and fried onions, very delicious. Their club level was very posh, leather chairs and pool tables were plentiful. Overall, a very cool experience, and it earned extra points because a casino was only a few blocks away. I was a little disappointed that there weren't any giveaways at the gate, but with the Twins in town, who needs 'em? They do have Free T-Shirt Fridays, which sounds like fun.

The Great American Ballpark

I didn't really have high expectations going into this ballpark, it just made sense to go after driving all that way to get to Pittsburgh. I didn't know ahead of time that the Reds are the oldest professional baseball team in America, so that was cool. I enjoyed their mascots, although I'm not sure any team really needs 4 of them. I enjoyed the mascot races and the running gag that they played dirty to win (even Rosie!). Since the ballpark is right on the river, the theme of the outfield is boats and smoke stacks. The smoke stacks release great balls of fire with each strikeout of an opposing player, and somehow the simplicity of that gave me great joy. Especially the Saturday the Reds got 9 strikeouts, if they would've gotten 11, everyone in the stands would've gotten a free pizza and ice cream from a local pizzeria. Of course, the first game of the first series after the Twins the Reds pitchers accomplished that feat, nuts! So close. Every Friday home game has fireworks afterwards. I was expecting something like what happens at Target Field, which is just a little ho hum show. No, Cincinnati blew even Disney World out of the water with their dazzling fireworks display. It was incredible, well worth the price of admission and then some. I also liked the free drawstring bags and bobbleheads they gave that weekend as well. The fans were not proficient in baseball etiquette, but it doesn't seem like people are in general anyway now a days. (get off my lawn!) The city is known for their five way chili, which consists of spaghetti noodles, onions, beans, chili, and a ton of cheese. It's a very good combo. At the ballpark, they offer hotdogs smothered in the chili and cheese, onions optional. The first bite seemed too sweet, but overall a delicious hotdog experience. There was a stadium fair stand and I was interested in trying the fried kool-aid, but showed some restraint and didn't go for it. They also had some funnel cake fries which looked amazing as well. This was definitely an enjoyable ballpark. It's funny to think that we've only been to 2 (3 including the Dome) AL Central parks, but have been to 4 NL Central stadiums.

Nationals Park

The first green park (but the seats are blue) Nationals Park has a few things going for it. The most glaring thing absent from the park, which is disappointing, is the skyline. DC has so many important and beautiful landmarks but you can only view the Capitol and Washington Monument when in the third base skyline concourse. Everything was relatively new, the jumbotron was jumbo and there were cool hang out spots within the park. As mentioned by another senior writer, Target Field is really crammed into its space, so there's no room for a nice fake lawn with lawn furniture spread across it casually. The jumbotron seemed underutilized, although I'm not sure what they could've done with it. Useless trivia on the batter? A kiss cam? There's a reason why I'm an accountant, someone else should be creative. They did have a one man cheerleader who seemed to have an unending supply of energy and voice. Options for food were good but not spectacular. They did offer something from each visiting team's park when there. For example, with Minnesota playing, they offered Jucy (juicy?) Lucy's. They had a Shake Shack, and the shake I had was pretty darn good. Ben's Chili Bowl had a few restaurants and their half smokes were definitely something to try (especially with onions and jalapenos). The most enjoyable part of the stadium (besides watching Joe Mauer being awesome) was the presidents. There was a President's Race similar to the sausage race at Miller Park that had the same type of hi-jinx as witnessed at GABP. My favorite was Howard Taft with his belly. I didn't think Abraham Lincoln should've been quite so jolly, but it's been a few years so I'll let it pass. A slightly random thing that was cool was playing almost walk up music for the away team. Some of the songs related to the previous outs, but cool nonetheless. I thought the ushers were excellent and they even had signs telling people not to walk up and down the aisles during at-bats. There was a bar called the Red Porch/Loft which I can only assume is where the commies hang out.
Overall, an impressive ballpark, but I think they just need a few more tweaks before it's great.

Coors Field

Please bear (bare?) with me as I attempt to review the Rockies' baseball field as we attended some Twins games mid July of 2014 and it is now September of 2015. The view was mountainous and that theme was incorporated into the stadium, there are rocks and streams just past the outfield. The concourses are nice and there is plenty of space to just chill (with some brownies) and take in the view of Denver. The vendors offered chocolate covered strawberries on a stick for $6 and I still wish I had taken them up on their offer. It was fun to see Morneau and we got to hear the announcement that he was going to be a part of the homerun derby at Target Field. #VoteMorneau I feel like I'm not giving this ballpark the kudos it undoubtedly deserves, but once you've seen a few ballparks, they kind of all blend together. There was nothing that made this ballpark stick out, it was built over 20 years ago but still had that new car smell. The things I took away most from this trip are that mountains are scary, Popeye's employees are rude, and don't go to outlet malls with Jon.

Sarah is single-handedly trying to revive the website known as the nut.