Merged: Best/Worst Ballparks -- Rank Your Ballparks

[919191]

GABP
Wrigley
Tiger Stadium

[M2]

Honorable mention: The Vet! (R.I.P)

Egad! I imagine the parking lot which sits on the old Vet site is more aesthetically pleasing.

When I was a kid we got 4th of July seats right below the cannon they used to have in CF. The Phils hit a bunch of homers that game and we left the game in a nearly deafened state.

[schroomytunes]

The one's I liked the best, and I have been to them are;
1)Petco Park-beautiful downtown stadium,perfect outdoor atmosphere
2)Yankee Stadium-the greatest of all time have played there!
3)Riverfront-I've seen so many games there, I miss the old cookie cutter, just can't give up the memories. sorry

[larryboy]

For the record biggest dump - Shea

[GIK]

Top 3 that I have been to:

1. Safeco (Mariners)
2. Wrigley (Cubs)
3. Comerica (Tigers)

And yes, larry, the biggest dump that I've sat in would have to be Shea.

[klw]

I have only been to three currently used stadiums- Fenway, Busch, and Jacobs Field. Of the three Fenway is my favorite due to the atmosphere and intimacy. The stadium I went to the most and actually really miss is Olympic Stadium in Montreal. I know that sounds crazy but I loved going there when I lived in Vermont. The exchange rate just made it that much more affordable. You could park under the stadium for $6, get bleacher seats for $4, and there were no lines for anything. Once you had the $4 seats ($6 canadian) you could move virually anywhere in the stadium to sit. A buddy of mine had a great reaction one game. He went to get something to eat and came back with a huge grin, a beer and a sausage hoagie. He said something like "Dude I love this place. I gave them $20 American and they gave me a beer. food and $24 Canadian back."
I remember walking in on game day, paying $24 to sit 5 rows behind the Giants bench, getting to see Bonds pinchhit with his 57th homer that year to win the game, and then had him wave to his daugther who was two rows in front of us. I also remember seeing the Expos and Dodgers play there right before the '94 strike in front of a sold-out crown. Now that was loud. The seats made such a cool noise when fans would bang them down. Best Reds experience was there a few years ago when I saw the Reds beat the Expos 17-3 or something like that right before the end of the year.

[RFS62]

Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards, Crosley Field

[Stewie]

Egad! I imagine the parking lot which sits on the old Vet site is more aesthetically pleasing.

When I was a kid we got 4th of July seats right below the cannon they used to have in CF. The Phils hit a bunch of homers that game and we left the game in a nearly deafened state.

Well, the lot isn't quite finished yet (it's only been a year and a half), but admittedly, it is a pretty good looking parking lot.

I am definitely not sorry I missed out on the cannon.

[Super_Barry11]

Not including GABP, my faves are-

1) PNC
2) Yankee Stadium
3) Turner Field (I like those gigantic baseballs for each team)

I've also been to Comerica, Jacobs Field, Shea Stadium, Tropicana Field, and Mile High Stadium (before Coors Field, of course).

[jmcclain19]

Maybe I'm quirky

Kingdome - Yeah, it was a concrete monster, but each time I went the atmosphere was incredible. I saw a game in late July where Griff, Edgar and Jay Buhner had back to back to back extra base hits in the bottom of the 9th to win the game, and it felt as if the roof was going to come off. This was a worthless game in the dead of summer.

Petco Park - Grass out in Centerfield is a smart, smart move. Makes it much more laid back and Spring Training esq. Lots of quirks, great views in the three different sections of the ballpark I've sat in. Not quite like LA fans, Pads fans show up on time and seem to care about whats going on in the field.

Turner Field - Smart fans, albeit ones who don't care all that much thanks to a decade of winning. Ballpark is top notch.

Fenway - Nothing quite like it.

Thumbs Down - Bank One Ballpark - Not the facility, I go to 10-15 games at the BOB a year, and the facility is great. It's the management where I find fault. I'm sorry, but when it's 85 degrees outside, and you're playing an afternoon game, you open the roof. Baseball was meant to be played outside, not inside because one sliver of fans doesn't like how bright the stadium is when it's open or pompous pitchers somehow believe that they pitch better with the roof closed. My tax dollars went to a ballpark with a retractable roof, that's rarely used. The weather in Phoenix in April, early May and late Sept is probably amongst the best in the country. And they play baseball inside during that time. Smart move. Ok, BOB rant over.

[TOBTTReds]

Not a lot of love for Comerica in Detroit. i thought it was a great stadium.

1. Wrigley
2. Comerica
3. Crosley Field (in Blue Ash, where I played my home baseball games a few years ago)
4. Great American Ballpark
5. Busch Stadium (good fans as usual, a lot of character there)
6. Jacobs Field
7. Skydome
8. Comisky Park
9. Riverfront
10. Cleveland Municipal
11. Candelstick Park

That's a solid little list, I'm only 20 yrs old. I got many more to go.

[Yachtzee]

GABP Excepted:

1. Wrigley - Before we were married, my wife lived down the street from Wrigley. You could see the light standards out her front window.

2. PNC - really is a nice ballpark. Only dig...the way they angled the seats, it's weird when you have seats down the line in the outfield. It's like the person next to you is almost in your lap.

3. Dodgers Stadium - I've been there twice and enjoyed it both times. You can hear Vin Scully in your head as you watch the game.

Honorable Mention
Tigers Stadium
Fenway
The Jake
Canal Park - Akron, OH

Me No Likey:
Old Cleveland Municipal Stadium - now there was a dump. Urine smell wafted from the bathrooms. Cavernous stadium on the lake required winter parkas for games in May. It was cool that you could just about go wherever because of the sparse crowds.

Yankees Stadium - the stadium was nice and the history is impressive. Unfortunately, when I was there it was filled with Yankee fans.

New Comiskey/US Cellular Field - very much a concrete bowl. intentionally cut off from surroundings, so that you don't have to see the (now demolished?) Robert Taylor Homes

[M2]

klw, Olympic was great. Ugly but great. 48 oz. beers, poutine and smoked meat. That's living.

[klw]

M2
Another great part about Olympic was knowing the players could hear anything in the stands. It made you want to actually yell encouragement or in the case of Carl Pavano yell to the opposing batters what the pitches were going to be. I one game I saw him throw against the Mets his pitch selection was incredibly predictable. Everytime he had two strikes he went to the same slider.

[Big Klu]

Current Stadiums:

1) PNC Park, Pittsburgh -- Absolutely GORGEOUS!
2) Great American Ballpark -- Home Sweet Home...Don't like the "Power Stacks" (a.k.a. Roman Candles), though
3) Jacobs Field, Cleveland -- OK, but I was a little disappointed after hearing all the fanfare from the Tribe fans I know.
4) New Comiskey Park, Chicago -- I had good seats, and I had a good time there, so I give it better marks than most others do. Being cut off from the surroundings is not a bad thing in this instance. (Very bad neighborhood)
5) Miller Park, Milwaukee -- Has a novel feel. The roof was open, but you still feel like you are indoors. Far away from EVERYTHING! It is literally in the middle of a cow pasture. Has the most beautiful Little League park I've ever seen, built on the grounds.


Discontinued Stadiums:
1) Riverfront Stadium -- I still occasionally miss the old girl.
2) Tiger Stadium, Detroit -- I could feel the history...I remember looking to CF and saying to myself, "Ty Cobb played there."
3) Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh -- Holds a special place for me because I saw my first Reds road game there (Game 4 of 1990 NLCS). Riverfront's sister...if you like one, you will probably like the other.