Fenway: I went in April, 2004 to see the Orioles play at Fenway and was extremely impressed. We had obstructed view seats way up the lower deck behind home plate and the seats were tiny (and they cost $75 each, even in 2004), but otherwise the experience was amazing. I guess it helped that it was a great game – it went to extra innings and Tejada hit his first Oriole home run over the Green Monster in the top of the tenth to win it. My friend and I yelled our heads off when that happened and no one hassled us or even gave us dirty looks. I wonder what the reaction would be to a similar situation today. It cost us $25 to park – a price we thought outrageous at the time but now it sort of seems reasonable – and we loved the area around the stadium.

SkyDome: I was in Toronto in 2003 and saw the A’s play the Jays. We had lower deck seats, but they were in the last row, so we were under the upper decks and couldn’t see any fly balls. Later in the game we moved down to the third base line, right next to the field and had a much better view of the field. The Dome was open for this game, but it still didn’t seem like we were outside – it basically seemed like the building had a blue ceiling. I did like how the field was viewable from the concourse, but this also allowed some asshole to reach under our seats from the concourse and steal our bobbleheads sometime during the game (we were in the last row, remember). I liked SkyDome, but certainly didn’t love it.

NatsTown: I’ve written before about my feeling about the stadium: generic, concrete, boring. I like certain design elements, like the center field entrance and the metro accessibility, But the stadium itself is underwhelming and the area surrounding the park is obviously still under construction, but at the moment I don’t have any plans to return to NatsTown anytime soon.

Old Yankee Stadium: So my friend bought us tickets to see the Orioles and Yankees around 2005. We packed up, drove to New York, got great parking, walked to the stadium – and discovered my friend had bought bleacher seats. Whoops. No alcohol and no tour of the stadium. Uncomfortable bleacher seats and unruly guidos making out life miserably all game. Actually, the experience wasn’t all that bad – some group of neanderthals did harrass us for about two innings, but we basically ignored him and they later turned their attention to a dude who wore a Boston hat to an O’s/Yanks game. We were sitting in front of a group of nice middle-aged folks from Syracuse who make the trip to the stadium once a year, and even though we struck up a friendly conversation with them, they made a point of mentioning that they weren’t going to help us if we got attacked by unruly bleacher patrons. The bleacher hallways were dank, damp, and smelled like pee, and the ushers were rude, but the Orioles won the game and it was fine. The greatest part of the game was hearing the woman next to me tell her kid that the Yankees were about to come back and win the game. They didn’t.

Tropicana Field: I drove right by it once. That’s all.

Memorial Stadium: Only For Ravens games, so can’t really compare to others. I did love the atmosphere for that though!

Oriole Park. I absolutely love it. To me it would be the best park in the majors if it didn’t have those badly obstructed view seats.. I would’ve thought for a park built in 1992 they could’ve thought of a way to get rid of those obstructed view seats..I’m never buying one again, because believe me, ll you can see is the obstruction(I’ve had a upper reserved behind home ov, and left field upper ov, I wanted to go to opening day.. Other than that, what can you say other than it started the revolution of new parks! I also love the outside vendors selling anything you would need and the fact YOU CAN BRING IT IN! I just wish oriole Park was closer to me so i could go more than the one or 2 times I get down there.

The Vet. My childhood second home. My mom raise me and my siblings, and even though we lived roughly 1 hr from baltimore and 50 from Philly with both tv stations, because she was from outside Philly she raised us to be Phillies fans. ( I am still too for those who don’t know They’re my nl team, the o’s are my al team..) We had a 14 game plan growing up. To me, this place got a bad rap, probably because of the NFL games and the fact astroturf, though not great for baseball was god awful for football with the covered cutouts. But it actually wasn’t terrible for baseball. The sightlines were only terrible in the outfield seats, where you couldn’t see directly below you(on all levels) but could see the rest of the field. The seats in between the bases had good views on all levels, even the infamous 700 level.. And one major advantage of it also being an NFL stadium was it had wide concourses, and a decent amount of mens rooms.

Citizens Bank Park: I love it, but don’t sit next to someone weighing more than 200 lbs! They’re elbows will be in your seat. I’m not kidding. But man as a result of the SMALL seats you are close to the field. Great food everywhere, open concourses, and plenty of room to stand and see the game if you wish. I also love the kids games in the outfield and the build a phanatic workshop. One final note, I love seeing the statue of my childhood heroes Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton outside, not to mention the giant phanatic picture in the outfield. Also priceless memory for me as this is where me and my 3 year old went to our first mlb game and shane Victorino game him a ball. Priceless!

Tropicana Field: Not that great, they did the best they could, i like the giant orange though..

RFK Stadium: See above. Only this parks outside, it wasn’t terrible, was very easy to get to on metro,and the prices weren’t terrible. BAD sightlines though..

Thats all for me. If you want to do a minor league park one, i’d love to share insights on that, as i’ve been to a ton of minor league parks

Citizens Bank Park: I went the other weekend when the O’s were there. I liked it, obviously because it’s basically a copy of Camden Yards. They even had their own former-player-who-now-barbeques thing (like Boog’s) but I am 100% blanking on his name. I really liked walking around the park. The only thing I did not like were the batgirls and the way they introduce them before the game, and the cameras pan in on them, and they were super-tight clothes and lots of make-up and are basically cheerleaders… did not sit right with me.

Nats Stadium: Ugh. Well, I do like it a little more each time I go and I get more familiar with it (I live in DC), but the first time I HATED it, it was so flashy and over-the-top. They do have an amazing food selection — nothing beats having local insitutions in your ballpark. Also I guess I’ve been to RFK Stadium when the Nats played there, which to me felt like a concrete block.

What a sad, short list… um, I’ve been to the Keys and Baysox stadiums loads of times too, can those count? I adore minor league parks. Anyway I plan to add to my list soon — might brave the fans up in Boston and visit some family, attend a game there this summer.

I’ll post these in order of when I went for the first time…

SkyDome: I’ll always call the ballpark in Toronto the SkyDome, because that’s what it was when I first visited in 1996. I was 9 years old and I still remember walking past the first stairway down to the seats and getting a glimpse of a real major league field, albeit AstroTurf, and being in awe. I saw the Yanks play the first time, and have since seen the Yankees at least once more, along with the O’s. I love the city of Toronto, and the fact that the SkyDome is a little bit “different” makes it a perfect fit for the only Canadian team. I think my favorite moment at SkyDome is a tie between Jose Canseco mashing one off the restaurant in center, or when a fan had a sign that read “Knoblauch throws like a girl” and a woman getting all upset about it. Good times in Toronto.

Three Rivers Stadium: This place was nothing to write home about. But, I got to spend the day in the visitor’s clubhouse and meet the whole Cardinals team, including Big Mac, J.D. Drew, and Tony LaRussa, the day after McGwire’s 500th homer. This was through a family connection with the Cardinals, who is still with the team. Yes, McGwire was massive, especially to a 12 year-old, and also a very nice guy. It was a doubleheader but I really don’t remember much at all about the games. Easily my best “experience” though, because that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Fenway Park: The first time I visited Fenway was with my dad in 2004 when I was looking at schools in Boston. We got tickets through a broker, which my dad shelled out like $100 each for, but it was well worth it. It was great to finally go to the park where the 1999 All-Star game, which I watched from a hospital bed after surgery, was played, and seeing McGwire, whom I would meet a month later, hit moonshots onto (and over) Lansdowne Street. The pitching matchup was Mulder vs. Lowe in the heart of a pennant race. Mulder would get injured this game and miss the rest of the season, while Ramon Hernandez hit the only home run in a 3-2 A’s win. I ended up going to Boston University and have since seen the O’s twice, Twins, and Angels at Fenway (Sox won all). The most unique stadium in all of sports, and also one of the most expensive food- and beverage-wise. Best memory was sitting in the sixth row behind the Twins’ on-deck circle. My friends and I pulled this off by innocently watching BP from there and when the ticketholders for the seats never came, we just sat down and enjoyed the game. Beckett vs. Johan, Ortiz hit 2 bombs. It was great.

Wrigley Field: My favorite ballpark, hands down. The history and coziness of the stadium make it what it is. Without the polls in the stands, there would be no bad seats in the house. That being said, upper deck seats seem no higher than the upper rows of the bottom section and give a better view. I know because I have sat in both as we went to 2 of 3 games last May vs. Pittsburgh. Cubs won both…I think. Just as dumpy as Fenway in the concourses, but less expensive and easier to get tickets. A must for any baseball fan.

“Old” Yankee Stadium: I wanted to get out to Yankee Stadium in its last year, and I was lucky enough to do it twice. The first was with a friend of mine who got tickets through work, about 20 rows back just on the first base side of home plate. John McCain and Rudy Giuliani were sitting below us and Rivera closed out the game, which was cool. The A’s made the last out trying to steal second base, which you don’t see much. The second time was just a few weeks later against the O’s. Another friend had tickets in the right field bleachers. I wore my O’s hat and a black t-shirt because I didn’t know how much crap I would take, but it was barely any. The fans out there were much more enthusiastic than the ones in the infield. I liked the “roll call” they did, chanting the Yankees’ names, and it was cool to sit in the outfield because I had never done that before. I have to say the stadium did look a lot different in the infield than it did on TV, but I don’t know why. It was also more of a dump than I expected. But I’m glad I got to go.

Citizens Bank Park: I went to see Radiohead in Camden, NJ and my friend at Villanova was kind enough to let me stay with him. During the few days I was there we decided to hit up a Phillies game. This would be the fifth time I’ve seen the Pirates play, after the doubleheader in Pittsburgh and two more at Wrigley. We had standing room tickets and stood straight back from home plate at a counter overlooking the field. It was a sweet place to stand for $20. The stadium is kind of different, with about 5 small sections stacked steeply on top of each other rather than the normal two or three. It was a really nice stadium, though, and I like how all the Philly sports venues are in a centralized location. A rain delay of about an hour preceded the game but there were enough seats under roofs that it wasn’t a problem finding a dry place to wait it out.

OPACY: Being from Rochester, NY, this past April was my first trip to OPACY. My friends from school and I went down to DC for the Frozen Four (BU 2009 National Champs!) and squeezed in a trip to see the O’s take on the Rays. We got our $6 student night tickets, and I really enjoyed the relatively rowdy atmosphere in the left field upper deck. This would be the first time I’ve seen the O’s win after seeing them lose to Toronto, Boston x2, and NYY. I absolutely loved everything about the stadium, especially the fact that O’s fans were the majority, which I had never experienced before. My friends got the “How Bout Them O’s” song stuck in their heads and I would randomly hear one of them, none of whom are O’s fans, start singing “We’ve got Roberts, and Markakis, Adam Jones…” Pretty hilarious. I love this place. My uncle got my family sweet seats for the August 15 game vs. LAA and I can’t wait to go back.

If I had to rank the stadiums I’ve been to, without an O’s bias, on overall fan experience they would be:

1. Wrigley
2. OPACY
3. Fenway
4. Citizens Bank
5. Yankee Stadium
6. SkyDome
7. Three Rivers

Ive never really gotten to go to many stadiums due mainly to the fact that, until recently, ive never really had anyone else in my life that cared about baseball. Here’s my list.

Camden Yards: My first baseball experience. I was in town in ‘92 on a family work vacation and we took a tour of the Yard. It was the beginning of this NJ boy’s obsession with the O’s. Just the best.

Yankee Stadium (old): This may have been the first place I actually saw the O’s play. I don’t remember, but my first visit was very soon after I discovered that I loved baseball. It was just plain overrated. Cement corridors, impersonal staff, horrible sound system, and douchy fans. Camden was my first experience with a real baseball stadium, and Yankee stadium was a humungous step down from there.

Shea: Roughly like Yankee Stadium, but without the history. They were both dumps. Always loved the apple though. Maybe 1 step up from Yankee stadium.

Citizens Bank Park: Just went this year. Great park, really enjoyed it. Felt like a more commercialized version of Camden, but it was still really nice and enjoyable. Seriously, just think of what Camden Yards and a new shopping mall’s baby would look like, and you have CBP.

I won’t list all the milb/independant parks ive been to, but I really liked Durham, if for nothing else than the “hit the bull, win a steak” sign from the movie. Pretty cool.

Haven’t been to many but, maybe I’m biased, OPACY is at the top. The Warehouse , Eutaw St., I don’t know, I just don’t think you can beat it.

Fenway- I really enjoyed my trip to Fenway Park. My seats sucked, I was turned in the wrong direction to watch the game but just walking around it felt like this is the place where baseball is supposed to be played. They usher in my section was a dick, the food was horrible, even for a ballpark, but it was a great expirence. That probably makes no sense.

The Vet- SUCKED

Memorial Stadium- Will always have a special place in my heart. First game I attended I was 5 and Rick Dempsey hit a solo HR in the 7th to win it 1-0 over the Blue Jays. I think Mike Boddicker was pitching for the O’s and I remember there was a guy in our section that started a chant of “Erine Witt is a Twit”. Boy the things that stick in your head for 25 years.

PNC- Beautiful park shitty product (Sound familier)

Great American Ballpark- My 2nd favorite behind OPACY. Its like a Minor League Park on steriods. Went with my father in law and wore my Frank Robinson jersey just to say thank you to the wonderful city of Cincinnati. I love stadiums that have the open concourses so you can wonder around and not miss any of the action. Great game that day too. Got to watch Cliff Lee and Johnny Cueto go at it. Adam Dunn hit one out of the stadium and Jay Bruce came close.

The two parks I hope to add to the list this year are The Ballpark in Arlington and PacBell.

Yankee Stadium (the old one) – I definitely saw a number of games there when I lived in NYC. Hated the stadium. Hated the fans more.

Shea Stadium - I saw a few games there during my time in NYC. I liked it better than Yankee Stadium, but it did have an impersonal, industrial feel to it. It was kind of cool that occasionally all game noise would be drown out by the sound of a jet landing at LaGuardia.

Fenway – I’ve been to Fenway a number of times, although less frequently since the Red Sox have become such a hot ticket, and their fans have gotten more obnoxious. I really like the feel of Fenway, although I am only 5’5" and the seating feels cramped to me, so I can only imagine how it feels to someone who is tall.

Other than OPACY and Memorial Stadium, I think that’s it. I should really get out more.

That is SUPER lame about Dodgers Stadium… it made me mad just reading your description of it!

Camden Yards: Hard to really be objective about it, but I don’t know anyone outside of Boston and Cub fanboys who doesn’t think it’s the best they’ve even been to. I’ll leave it at that.

Yankee Stadium II: I always had a good time there, except for that time I had to sit in a folding chair (no joke) out in right field. It was gross, sure, and sitting on actual bleachers feels cheap, but I enjoyed the crowded atmosphere.

Yankee Stadium III: Oh wait, I can’t possibly afford that shit.

SkyDome: It felt exactly like watching baseball in a sterile clean room.

Fenway: Truthfully, I only went there to see Phish last month…but while the architecture is cool and the small distance from seat to field is terrific, the tunnels were really claustrophic and the seats couldn’t possibly be comfortable for anyone of any girth.

Nationals Stadium: It was boring. You’d think that for all the talk about “breathtaking views” of the capital, you’d actually be able to see it…but you can’t. Most memorable thing was the strange bathroom in centerfield with urinals at all kinds of herky-jerky angles. It was like they took an extra storage closet and converted it.

Citizen’s Bank Park: Just terrific. Outside of OPACY, I can’t think of a better place to see baseball. I even got to experience a fight before I left, just like a real Philadelphian!

Shea: Wow. Between the neon players, the orange everywhere, and paper maiche apple – no stadium anywhere will fit the team like Shea fit the Mets.

Fenway Park: Got tix from a friend’s uncle who has season tickets. Nice feel on the outside, but even at 5’11 160, i felt like the seat i was in was wayyy too small for me.

Yankee Stadium (the old one): Smelled awful.

SkyDome: Pretty cool with the roof closed. Before all of the other retractable dome stadiums, this was def an original design.

OPACY: :-)

Tropicana Field: The orange and the catwalk are cool, but the place is a dump. However, the Devil Rays sucked at this point and attendence was way down so the tix were $5 and i moved all the way down right behind the dugout.

Jacobs Field: Basically a gray version of camden yards without the warehouse. Still a good place to see a game.

Anaheim Stadium: I was born right across the street! Saw a few games here before they added the rocks and stuff. Then again, they were also still the California Angels….

RFK Stadium: Been there for Skins games, Nats games, United games, and a few US soccer matches. Another dump that gets seemingly shittier everytime I go.

Nationals Park: I actually like this stadium. Easy for me to get to, nice look to it. Great views. Food options are fantastic. Had a crabcake sandwich w/ fries and a burrito for a relatively small cost.

Minute Maid Park: People go to Astros games because there is nothing better to do in Houston. Or so says the season ticket holder I bought my ticket from. Great game tho and nice park. I had the pleasure of watching a guy fall down on that stupid hill they have in center on a ball hit by none other than Wigs.

Dodger Stadium: Saw my first game here and I love it. Nothin like dodger dogs.

Coors Field: Haven’t been here in ages but it was a nice park. Camden Yards-like feel to it.

I’ve driven right by Shea, walked around Safeco, and toured Olympic Stadium (Expos) too.

Memorial Stadium – Have virtually no memories of the few baseball games I saw there between 1987-1991 (ages 5-9). I do remember walking back through the neighborhood to our car with my dad after my first game, which was a quaint experience in hindsight. I saw a Ravens game there in 1997, and it’s almost unbelievable now to think that they ever played in that stadium.

OPACY – I love it, and I’m always eager to bring new friends and to tell them about the park’s trivia and quirks. Preaching to the choir.

RFK – What a hole. The last time I was there was the final weekend in 2007 vs. the Phillies, and we were stuffed in a corner and had to do gymnastics just to break free and go grab a beer. Good riddance.

Nats Park – I like the openness of the park, but the dark blue seats and gray stone (WTF?) backstop make it look pretty drab, especially on TV. As for all of the bells and whistles (Red Porch, various food franchises, PlayStation crap, etc.), it’s like a shopping mall where they happen to play baseball. Plus, you can’t take in food or drinks and there are only like three overpriced vendors outside. I’ll pass.

SkyDome – I was there for Wrestlemania in 2002. The place was massive, I loved Toronto, the view of the stadium from my hotel room (Holiday Inn on Queen Street) was awesome. To non-wrestling fans, I can’t describe the atmosphere of 67,000 screaming fans hanging on every moment of the Rock vs. Hulk Hogan match. After being there for that, it’s almost depressing to me to watch the O’s play there in front of a half-full, nearly silent crowd.

I’ll also be catching two Padres/Brewers games at Petco Park at the end of this month.

Memorial Stadium – best memories ever
OPACY

Riverfront Stadium – Concrete multi-purpose stadium, awesome teams: second best memories here
Great American Ball Park – great park, crummy teams

PNC Park – Great setting and very enjoyable park

Pac Bell Park – Nice stadium, cold day. Thought they did the OPACY “thing” with the design.

Dodgers Stadium – The stadium is getting tired. Too much West coast edge with gang presence. Maybe I picked a bad day.

Rangers Ballpark – HOT. Nice looking stadium as you approach from massive parking lot. Enjoyable, but not memorable.

Rogers Centre – Has that multi-purpose stadium feel complete with nodebleed seats. Otherwise OK experience.

Veterans Stadium – Crappy stadium, like Riverfront

Fenway Park

Here’s my list. Descriptions below for anyone who has the time and inclination to read my babble.

1) Memorial Stadium
2) OPACY
3) Cleveland Municipal Stadium
4) New Comiskey Park
5) Wrigley Field
6) Miller Park
7) Old Yankee Stadium
8) Citizens Bank Park
9) RFK
10) Nationals Park
11) PNC Park
12) Dodger Stadium

Upcoming:
1) Fenway Park (this Sunday)
2) Citi Field (September 15th)

1) Memorial Stadium – The stadium where I saw my first ever baseball game. The only memory I have of Memorial Stadium is once I was at a game with my dad and some dude kept yelling at Eddie Murray during an AB, “What are you, asleep up there?!” And when I asked my dad how he could be asleep standing up, my dad rolled his eyes at me and didn’t answer. I was probably like 6 years old. I think I get my sense of compassion from him.

2) Oriole Park at Camden Yards: What can I say that you all don’t already know? Almost all of my Orioles memories take place there. I love everything about Camden Yards. I love that corner in right field, I love the scoreboard, I love the crab shuffle, I love the Bird. In the summer it’s like my second home.

3) Cleveland Municipal Stadium (The Mistake by the Lake) – In the 8th grade my dad and I took a road trip to Cleveland to see the Orioles. It was exciting as it was my first non-Orioles park. We went to two games there, but all I can remember about it was that it was so windy there, the park was old and dirty, our seats were right behind the Orioles dugout and there hardly any fans there (I guess because it was towards the end of the season).

4) New Comiskey Park – I’ve been to this stadium twice. I don’t remember the year of the first time but it was shortly after my mom and step-dad got married and I’d inherited a huge family in Chicago, middle school-ish. The White Sox played the Twins and it was Carlton Fisk commemorative cup day or something. I had that cup for years. We sat in the upper deck and it was so steep. The 2nd time was in 2001. We were in Chicago to visit family again and the Orioles happened to be in town. We went to see Cal but he didn’t play that day. We sat in the lower deck next to some other Orioles fans. I liked the park and the White Sox fans. My brother told me that when he went to a game there last year they did the same thing that zk mentioned about Dodger Stadium and wouldn’t let him leave the level that his tickets were for. Lame. BUT they have vendors that walk around with backpacks full of margaritas that they shoot into a cup from a hose. That’s awesome.

5) Wrigley Field – I’ve also been to Wrigley twice. It’s one of my favorite ballparks. First time was in the early 1990s, they were playing the Pirates. Second time was just two years ago when I saw the Orioles play there for the first time (and pretty much whoop the Cubs asses). I love Wrigley Field. It’s just what baseball is supposed to be, you know? My only issue was the sound system. They don’t have a video board (which is fine by me) but from where I was sitting the sound system was sort of scratchy and muffled. It made it difficult for me know what was going on sometimes without sound or video to rely on.

6) Miller Park – My first time seeing baseball indoors! I loved Miller Park. Brewers fans are awesome, for one thing. The stadium is unique and because both the roof and side panels retract, you’re outdoors rather than in a stadium with the roof off. It started raining mid-game and they closed the roof and the side panels and we were good to go. My only complaint was that it had a very minor league atmosphere (if JJ Hardy hits a home run section 524 gets pizza!).

7) Old Yankee Stadium – Saw two games there as well. First was in 2005, Yankees vs. Blue Jays. It was the Yankees last home game of the year and everyone thought Bernie Williams might not be back the next year. There were signs for him everywhere and at his last AB he got a long, loud standing ovation. I was never much of a fan of a Bernie Williams/Yankees/Yankees fans, but it was nice. Of course he did return the next year so it was for naught. My 2nd time was the 2nd to last game at OYS vs. the Orioles. Brian Burres pitched the game of his life and the Orioles lost 1-0 in the bottom of the 9th thanks to Jamie Walker.

8) Kauffman Stadium – Just went to the K last year. I love it there. I loved the atmosphere and the fans and how everyone was so friendly. I loved seeing Soria shut it down. I didn’t love how it was in the middle of nowhere. I prefer the stadiums be actually in the city.

9) Citizens Bank Park – Just went here earlier this year. Loved it. Very cozy and I love the promenade beyond the outfield. Love the open concourses.

10) RFK – Toilet Bowl

11) Nationals Park – I’ve heard people say they don’t like it, but I’m a fan. It’s sort of generic, but it has a lot of good amenities and open concourses. The skyline is awful, if only they could have turned that stadium a quarter turn counterclockwise and gotten a view of the capitol and washington monument and such. The fans there are sort of boring. I went to Nats games two years in a row vs the Cardinals to see Pujols and he sat out both times. Guess the Cardinals rest him when playing teams they can beat without him.

12) PNC Park – Gorgeous. The view is the best I’ve seen at any park. The city skyline is tremendous. I love how the bridge is shut down before game time for pedestrians. I went to PNC in its inaugural season so it was pretty full.

13) Dodger Stadium – Nice stadium I guess. I went to an interleague game between the Dodgers and Angels and the place was absolutely rocking.

Memorial Stadium: sentimental favorite but don’t remember much about it, other than eating too many hot half-smokes.

OPACY: the best, although with kids and increasingly insane traffic between DC and Balt, I’ve only been to two games over the last four years. I took my five year old to a Sunday game this year, and it was as good as I remembered.

RFK: both for the old Orioles exhibitions, with left field about 190 feet away, and for the Nats; it was cheap, easy to get to, and actually had some pretty good seats in the lower sections of the upper tier between first and third. The outfield seats sucked, though.

Nationals Park I like it.

The Vet: really, really bad. But at least it was incredibly easy to get to. I was a poor student then, so I always sat in the general admission 700 section, which had a lot of character(s), but was a long way from the field. Food was terrible too.

Citizen’s Bank Park: went for the first time this year — great atmosphere, completely full, as befits the defending world champions, almost everyone I saw was wearing at least two pieces of Phillies gear; good roast pork sandwiches from Tony Lukes. I like this one a lot — as people have said, it’s a lot like Camden Yards, if you put it in the middle of a giant parking lot in South Philly.

Anaheim Stadium: It’s ok. It works and is a pretty decent place to see a game. No views or character though. Like Z, I found the crowd eerily subdued.

Dodger’s Stadium: great views, but a little worse for wear. Our third base line seats were pointed about 90 degrees away from home plate. Bathrooms still had troughs instead of individual urinals, which I thought was quaint.

Also have done minor league games in Wilmington, Trenton, Reading, and Durham.

1) OPACY – No need to rehash what everybody’s said but its great and my attachment to the place makes it my favorite.

2) PNC Park (Pittsburgh) – I’ve seen like 10 games here, and been all over pretty much in the stadium. Great views everywhere, cheap tickets, cheap food (at buckaroo’s you can get hot dogs for $1, Nacho’s for $2.5, drinks for $1, pizza for $2, Ice cream for $1.5). The portions aren’t huge but its for kids so what do you expect. Also walking across the bridge after a game and walking by a dude that is always singing and playing saxophone is a really fun trait. Great park/experience, even if the baseball sucks.

3) Citizens Bank Park (Philly) – I’ve been here twice and its nice. The standing room tickets are a fun thing to do and its in a good location. I can’t complain about anything but it wasn’t special. If that makes any sense.

This is where it goes way downhill

4) The Coliseum (Oakland) – Very bad place to watch a game, the place was meant for football and its just not good. Dirty and cheap feeling.

5) Olympic Stadium (Expos!) – Dirt cheap, not crowded, not very nice but it was the only place where children got in cheaper. It was a funny experience, Pedro pitched a CG shutout for the expos and Henry Rodriguez hit a home run and Oh Henry! bars came from nowhere onto the field. It was a good experience that all 50 people in the stadium probably remember.

I was determined to visit all 30 and finished 3 yrs ago. They’ve built a few since then. I hate the new names, so I just use the cities to identify them.
Baltimore – best ballpark in the majors. Atmosphere, food, friendly, access, it’s got it all.
Cleveland – Great ballpark styled after OPACY.
Chicago Wrigley – Best pizza in majors. Friendly fans, party atmosphere, fun
Boston – another great old park but needs parking and renovating
NY Yankees – old stadium fans as abusive as they are when “guests” at OPACY
Milwaukee – Good ballpark with great food & beer
Los Angeles Dodgers – seedy old park, very over – rated hotdogs

1. Camden Yards
2. Memorial Stadium
2. Citizens Bank
3. Fenway
4. Turner Field
5. The Trop
6. Yankee Stadium (old)
7. Astro Dome (actually don’t remember it)
8. Wrigley
9. Shea
10. The Vet

1) Camden Yards – obviously incredible
2) Memorial Stadium – lots of memories with the folks
3)Veterans Stadium – played in as well as saw Phils games in :) pretty big shithole
4)Citizens Bank – blah
5)Yankee Stadium (old) – shithole – got harassed in my Roberts jersey, but did witness an awesome/vicious fight (guy got thrown down about 8 rows). One of the times I got to see Clemens pitch which was fun. Another time got to see Chris Ray close it out with a called strike 3 (that looked like a ball).
6)Shea Stadium – bigger shithole
7)Fenway – less of a shithole, but enjoyed the environment. Also when I was a kid and my folks took me I heard words I’d never heard before (and now use often)
8)RFK – horrible stadium but got to go in the clubhouse once during a game which was awesome. Hung out with Livan and John Rausch. Baerga came in too and looked like a total weirdo.
9)Nationals Stadium – blah
10)Candlestick – great memory
11) Pac Bell – loved it. Incredible place to watch a game. Too many tourists though and not a lot of interest in the actual game that I went to. Most people on their cell phones/laptops.
12) Three Rivers Stadium – no real memories of the stadium but my dad took me to some playoff games in the early 90s and it was awesome.

Oriole Park, Nationals Stadium, and I also caught a Nats game at RFK.

1. Oriole Park. It is the best stadium in baseball and also my favorite place in the whole world. I can’t remember my first game, I think my parents took me when I was 5. (I’m only 20, never really had a chance to see Memorial Stadium. WOuldn’t have remembered anyway). I love everything about Camden Yards. I love how easy it is to get there. I love the guys in front selling all that food for $3, I love the Outside Pitch.

It’s just a beautiful place. There are not bad seats in the house. Tickets are cheap, and you are practically encouraged to move down. I love the beer guys. I know some beer guys and ushers by name.

THe best thing about OPaCY is that you can take non-baseball fans to the game, and they’ll have fun, And there are so many interesting things to tell people about it.

NatsTown: A horrible place to see baseball. Seats are more expensive and farther from the field. The ushers are insane. Only like one or two exits to the stadium. If the game has over 30,000 people, it can take like 45 minutrs to get out. And then the line to the Metro flows all the way outside, so thats another 5-20 minutes. Other than that, I guess it wouldn’t be that bad. But it has a fucking room to drop of your son to play PLaystation. Can you believe that? At a ballpark? And their program talked that one hardcore.

I also don’t care for ExxonMobile.

Been to Memorial, OPACY, RFK, Wrigley, Safeco, and the new Nats stadium.

I visited Safeco a number of times while I was stationed out in WA (saw Raffy get his 3000th* hit). It’s a pretty impressive ballpark visually. A bit more corporate than most (sushi bars and Starbucks everywhere). The M’s, much like us, have trouble getting fans to come to games, so tickets are pretty reasonable. A lot of families, which can be good or bad. No hecklers in the bleachers, sadly.

RFK/NatsLand Seriously.. fuck those places. At least RFK didn’t try to hide the fact that it was a shithole. I went to the new park for that t-storm delayed Os comeback last year and it will probably be a while before I go back. Concrete EVERYWHERE.

Also, this isn’t a major reason why I dislike the Nats park, but it did strike me as being pretty stupid: their Fan of the Game selection process uses still photos. Yep.

1. OPaCY – evrything else pales in comparison

THE REST:
Memorial – I was there for all 3 of the last games against DET
PNC – very nice park, awesome setting, maybe the best now that the Hyatt ruins the OF view at OPaCY
Fenway
Wrigley
SkyDome
Yankee Stadium II – bleacher seats were fun!
RFK
Shea
Nats – going later this month

Been by PacBell on a trip to SF, but it was November, so no game. :(

It feels like I’ve been to more, but I guess that’s the list.

I grew up with Memorial Stadium and have great memories. Back in the day you could go up to the stadiium at game time plunk down $1.50 and get a seat in the 4th row of the upper deck — we went all the time. Saw the last game of the ’66 series there. Obstructed view seat but still great. Truth to tell, Memorial was a big ugly concrete bowl but we had some great teams there. And the field was so oddly shaped, with the short foul lines and deep outfield, even after it was shortened repeatedly.

I live in LA area & my Baltimore friends and I go to an Oriole game there every year. So far in ten tries we have seen them win once — when Brian Roberts hit a grand slam late in the game right after he came up from the minors. Anaheim is actually a nice park, except for the wierd outfield seats where you cannot see the opposite field.

Dodger stadium also a great place to watch a game, of course. Sort of mid-century sterile but a real ballpark.

Have been to Oriole Park a couple of times and of course it’s a great place to watch a game with great ambience and Boog’s barbecue.

A few others:

Fenway — really deservedly famous and fabulous — you feel so close to the action. I thought we were walking up to a warehouse outside, it’s so much part of the city.

Cleveland County Stadium — opposite end of the spectrum. Ugly, huge — lousy place to watch a game. Justly called the “mistake by the lake”

Minnesota Metrodome — also a mess. At the end of the game, you were blown out the door by the air pressure that holds up the dome! Like in Cleveland, the action seems far, far, away

Kansas City — really nice stadium, good scale, a real ballpark. Probably my favorite purely modern stadium (aside from the “retro” OPACY). I was in KC the summer they won the pennant, with George Brett and all, so I saw some great play. Also saw the O’s win one — from standing room at the back.

Milwaukee County Stadium — old and clunky but fun.

Shea — not bad for an all-purpose

I think that’s about it…

Memorial Stadium – I went there a couple of times with my grandparents when I was a kid. My grandad got me started on baseball mostly via TV and the 2 – 3 trips to the Stadium were the high point of each summer.

Old Yankee Stadium – mid 80’s. Trashy and loud but lots of good seats even in the upper decks. 25$ would cover the train to the Bronx, a weekday night ticket, beers and a hot dog. The Yanks fans were obnoxious and occasionally really funny.

Shea mid – 80’s. The stadium had no character to speak of. It looked like it was designed to cleaned with fire hoses, kind of like flushing a big toilet. The Mets had it going in the mid 80’s though.

OPACY was built after I moved out of the area so I get to see games there when visiting family every couple of years. OPACY is the best of the new brick stadiums I’ve been to. I’m still amazed at how well the whole place works.

Fenway – I saw one game there vs Chicago in 1992. The stadium was packed on a hot weekday night in midsummer and it was swimming in beer. The place extremely run-down at the time and seemed tiny. It was a dump in a dump of a neighborhood and the locals liked it that way. I’m not sure I’d want to be there after a bad loss.

Candlestick - Mid 90s. Cold. Games in midsummer evenings were cold enough for serious winter weather gear. The stadium is a bowl shape and the fog rolls over the top and down into the stadium so fast it is like a special effect in a movie. One minute clear sunset, next minute the players can hardly see each other or the ball.

Pac Bell- 2000s. A great stadium – feels like like OPACY and with great views of the SF Bay from most seats. The crowd has been white collar bland for years and years and the concessions reflect it (wine, micro brews, etc. The refreshing exception is the immensely popular and very, very stinky garlic fries.) The Bonds years were pretty tedious – the stadium seemed to be built around him. The place is better without the hyper focus on one guy.

Colluseum – 2000s This is a football stadium that does much better as a venue for the Raiders. It sucks as a baseball stadium in every respect. Its far too big. The playing field is lost in acres of open space. The stands are so big that the place never looks more than a quarter full. There is absolutely nothing memorable about this place.

I saw a game at Coors Field a couple years back that I hardly remember. I’ve also been to a bunch of spring training stadiums in Florida and Arizona that I like just as much as the big league stadiums. The brand new Dodgers facility is amazing but I like the older crappy ( less corporate) stadiums too.

OPACY – Delightful

Fenway (pre-John Henry and championships) – Shithole with indifferent fans

Tropicana (pre-WS appearance) – Shithole with no fans

Shea – Shithole, but I could see the game from the cheap seats

Citi Field – OPACY without any charm

RFK – home to beloved Redskins memories, Shithole, but I could see the game from the cheap seats

Nats Park – OPACY without any charm, but on the Metro, which was nice

Citizen’s Bank – Servicable OPACY clone that was on the SEPTA. Probably my second-favorite of the stadia I’ve actually been to.

…only 8. lame. I was 6 when OPACY opened, so if I was ever at Memorial I don’t remember it and thus it didn’t count.

don’t have time for a story for each one, although my visit for Memorial Stadium is a good one. and Wrigley.

1. The Vet
2. Citizen’s Bank Park
3. Memorial Stadium (first time I went to Baltimore when I was 10, the O’s were in Seattle), but a stadium hand was nice enough to give me a tour, let me sit in the dugout (I asked him where Ripken sat), and walk up to homeplate)
4. OPACY
5. Fenway
6. Yankee Stadium
7. Dolphin Stadium
8. (Old) Busch Stadium
9. PacBell Park
10. Dodger Stadium
11. Angel Stadium
12. Wrigley Field (someone sold me below face value tickets that were right behind the Cubs dugout, this was ’00)
13. Rogers Centre

Planning to do Petco at some point soon as well.

OPCY-The crown jewel of baseball stadiums in my opinion. Now if we can get the ushers and management on board the experiance will be even better.

Memorial Stadium-What can I say. Baseball roots were started there. Lots of memories and disappointments.

Veterans Stadium (Philly)-A shithole cookie cutter stadium with the meanest fans in sports.

Coors Field-I like the stadium except it seems to busy. Lots of stuff going on and lots of designs mixed in one stadium. Saw the Giants play and 9 year old kids were cussing at Bonds. Police were in the stands in LF and 3B line. Sad

Shea Stadium-Special place because I got to see my idol Robert Clemente and as a bonus the great Dock Ellis was on the mound.

Yankee Stadium-The old Yankee stadium. First game ever. Angels with the halo around the hats were the opponent. Bat day and in the 7th everyone held up their bats. Wow. We won’t see anymore bat days from the cheapo owners.

Sky Dome (Rogers Center)-Interesting to say the least. At least you can walk all the way around the concourse and still see the field. Anyfield with a restaurant and hotel built inside has to be cool.

Old Fulton County Stadium(Atlanta)-Nothing special except the Braves sucked during the time I was there. I wanted to see Benedict, Hubbard and Murphy play and took the trip just for that

RFK-Actually not a bad place to play baseball temporarily. Antiquated and very dark and small concession stand area.

Metrodome-This was for football but it is the same dump

The Diamond (Richmond)-A historical mass of cement and concrete. Designed as a replica of the parent teams stadium (Atlanta). The difference is the Diamond’s grandstand is Fulton County Stadium and the rest billboard advertisements. Chief pops out of the box and scares kids too. Either Erie or Conneticut will move there for the 2010 season.

Third Fifth Ballpark (Dayton)-Rated one of the best in minor league baseball. Built in the center of town. Fan friendly, cozy and a great place to see a game

Commerece Stadium (Harrisburg). Anytime you build a ballpark on an island that is unique and awesome. Aside from the renovations which will be completed prior to the 2010 season and the bugs that dive bomb you around the 7th inning you can not find a better place for family fun. There is a park, a train that tours around the island, batting cages, pitching booths, arcades, stables, fishing, picnicing and a huge ferris boat that takes you on hour cruises for about $7.00. You can also enjoy jet skiing. And all of this is before you go in to see a game.

Blair County Stadium (Altoona)-In my opinion the crown jewel of the Eastern League. I have yet to visit Canal Park (Akron) or Jerry Uht (Erie) so I may be wrong

I have been to many minor league parks as I find baseball more enjoyable there than at the huge major league stadiums.

Where I’ve been …

Memorial Stadium … I really miss the old place. Saw Sammy Stewart beat Nolan Ryan in 1979. Saw Scott McGregor completely flummox Reggie Jackson on his way to his 500th home run milestone. Saw, sadly, Game One of the ’83 World Series. Had great seats, had lousy seats, but any seat was great.

OPACY … It has too much of a Disney feel to me. Sure it’s wonderful, but I get sick of all the attention to food. Just give me a dog and a beer, and I’m fine.

Montreal … Went to Canada on my honeymoon and saw the Expos. Saw Tim Raines hit a grand slam. When they went through the rosters on the jumbotron before the game, they even displayed the organist.

Nationals Park … I don’t hate the place. I like the open plaza feel. Build A Bear and the arcade can go. The half smokes rock. And come to think of it, about a week after this year’s wedding anniversary I was at Nationals Park, so I saw the Expos and 26 years later saw the ex-Expos.

RFK … What a dump. Nationals Park is great if only because you get to see the Nationals play without the smell of urine.

Drove by Safeco on a trip to Seattle last year. Maybe not the worst place in the world to put a ballpark, but definitely right up there.

mt

OPACY: Most of my baseball memories are of OPACY, and I just love it. I don’t even know what to say…The Warehouse, Eutaw St, that just is baseball to me. I’ve sat all over and never had a bad seat.

Memorial: Honestly, I don’t remember the stadium itself as well as I wish I did. I loved the outside of the stadium. The ramps, the memorial itself, the way. The “HERE” flag. The EDDIE chant. It’s where I went to my first game, where I first got into an abusive relationship with the Orioles. We usually sat in the Mezzanine, so that’s what i remember best.

The Vet: My wife and I had a 10-game plan at the Vet 2 years in a row when we lived in S. Jersey. I root for the Phillies, but my enjoyment of the game wasn’t really too closely tied to them winning or losing. We had our tickets in 2002 and 2003, and our seats were in the lower level behind third base. The best thing about them was usually that our section wasn’t very crowded, so I could put my feet up on the seat in front of me, and relax and drink a couple beers.

For baseball, I thought there were a few places in the outfield upper deck where you couldn’t see huge portions of the outfield, but it was overall a pretty serviceable stadium. The cheese sauce that I used to dip pretzels and hot dogs in is still my all-time favorite (I have a small thumbprint-sized stain, which I believe used to be vet stadium cheese, on the brim of one of my old Eagles hats)

I am a huge Eagles fan, and for football, I only ever sat in the upper deck, I think it was always the 600 and not the famous 700-level. There were a few places where you couldn’t see the very corners of the endzone, but that’s probably pretty typical. There was one stand on the lowest concourse with a particularly excellent bottled beer selection.

Both new Philly stadiums are nicer, but I’ve got no quarrel with the Vet. And so…

Citizen’s Bank The first time I walked in I made my wife and friend (both die-hard Phils fans) quite mad by saying “They forgot the Warehouse”. I think it’s very nice, though stylistically derivative, stadium in its own right, but they definately benefited from 10 years of architecture/engineering improvements over OPACY. The open concourses are a grat. (And it’s funny to see the little pens they have to put smokers in to keep smoke from blowing back into the seating bowl). Great selection of food, but the wait for any of the really good stuff is insane.

Fenway I love the seating bowl. The second I walked out of the concourse, I felt like I was stepping back in time (in a good way). When I walked into the bathroom, I felt like I was stepping back in time (in a bad way). I was there in August 2001, so it was pre-renovation. It was a good time to go: It was part of the Cal Ripken “farewell tour”, and the Sox hadn’t won anything since 1918 yet, so the level of douchebaggery was really low.

We went to two games on a Friday and Saturday night. We decided to go to the Friday game at the spur of the moment and so we weren’t wearing any sports stuff. We had standing room only, but we went around sitting in different empty seats and taking pictures an, when I told people that I’d chat with that I was an O’s fan, everyone was really nice.

On the 2nd day, we got ridiculously wrecked at Cask & Flagon before the game (like, got there at 11:00am for a 7:00pm game), and my friend was threatened with bodily harm when he wore his Yankees hat in the bleachers.

Yankee Stadium hate the concourses, but loved sitting in the upper deck. It just seemed really steep like you were right over the field. (I’m probably the only one here who’s been to both HersheyPark Arena and Giant Center for Bears games — but it’s the same thing. I’ll give up some legroom to feel like I’m right over the ice). I sat in the upper deck both times, and had great views of the field.

I saw the Phillies blow a huge lead there once. I wore a Phils’ hat, and people were giving us crap on the way out. Then the next time was what was supposed to be the last game of Cal’s career. There were multiple long rain delays and the game ended in a tie.

Shea I liked Shea. I was only there once, for a Phillies-Mets game. It was a cold Tuesday night, neither team was really doing well, and so it wasn’t very crowded (I don’t like huge insane crowds at games where I don’t really care about the outcome, so this was a plus for me). It kind of reminded me of memorial stadium, and it seemed cleaner than Yankee Stadium.

Wrigley Field My reaction is similar to Fenway, though I think Wrigley is even more picturesque. The crowd seemed a mix of tourists who didn’t really care about the game (like me, I must admit, though I rooted for the Cubbies), and douchey frat guys.

Bonus:
I’ve seen NFL games at the Linc, Whatever they Call Ravens Stadium These Days, and the new Browns Stadium. They’re all nice, but they’re all kind of copies of each other.

If you love football and you haven’t been to Lambeau Field, get yourself there. I recommend you go to a game that your team doesn’t blow in the closing seconds on a muffed punt. People in Wisconsin are really, really nice, too.

Wrigley: Watching the Cubs suck (except Ernie Banks) again and again in a great, homey park is an indelible childhood memory. Comiskey was always sort of meh— basically, the place to see Mantle when NY came to town.

Oakland-Alamenda County Mausoleum. That’s what the players call it. No mistake. Watched a lot of 2-buck grandstand-seat baseball there during college— the great A’s teams. Boy did they deserve a better venue. (And better announcers: I sometimes think Ferd took his role model from the Charlie Finley shills— except they actually knew more baseball…)

Candlestick: Sucked dead elephant. Freezing, windy, NPL crap. The new park in SF: actually pretty cool. I esp. liked McCovery Cove.

Seattle: Caught a game in 2005 (I think it was) from an Obstructed View seat so far from home (deep center) that, for the only time in my life, I could see the batter make contact…and then hear about it slightly thereafter. No sh*t. Also, Ichiro hit one out – a line drive to center that could’nt have risen over 10-12 ft – which you couldn’t see go out from where we were sitting.

The Politeness Dome, Toronto. Physically, another Meh-Dome-With-A-Rug place. Yawn. But hey: You’re not allowed to take your seat during an at-bat, lest your brief passage through a row temporarily interrupt someone else’s line of sight. WTF?!? No, literally, some Extremely Polite usherette put an arm out to stop me from going to my own bloody seat while some dork was at the plate. Believe me, I’m all for good manners— but there’s such a thing as oversensitivity. p.s. Cito Cucks.

Frontier Field, Rochester: A very good minor league venue. Plus, my niece’s husband was the concession’s chief cook (til he got laid off— sh*t!) which had some terrific side bennies, as you can imagine. All of which just serves to enrage me further that stoopid *sshole Petey took Rochester out of the Orioles system. Oh how I wish that Rochester could take Petey out of the living organisms system.

Sorry, I can’t go on, my f*cking head is still splitting from last night’s Open Bar function.

Pittsburgh- Saw Tony Gwynn’s lasy homer.
Minnesota- Metrodome is not good for baseball!
Wrigley- Saw the O’s play, special present
OPACY- Season Tix, about 160 times I’ve been there!
Nats- It’s not a Stadium it’s an entertainment complex.
Jordan

In the early sixties my buddy and I would ride the trolly down from Towson to 33rd street then walk over to the ballpark. As I remember it, a bleecher seat was $1.75, but after about three innings you could sneak into the reserved seats. I remember Triandos and Gentile, Pappas & Barber. They were an up and coming team. I still remember a LA Angel firstbaseman named Bilko who hit a home run to the base of the hill in center field where the flag pole was. Longest home run I ever saw. Must have been 500 feet. Also saw Gus Triandos hit one the shortstop jumped for that still cleared the left field wall. Saw Mickey Mantle get his spikes caught in the outfield fence. I think he broke his leg. Great memories.

Memorial Stadium – Saw one game there as a Kid. Don’t remember much, but loved the experience.

OPACY – Love it, can’t get enough of going to games there.

Shea – about 4 or 5 years ago. It was a fun experience but I didn’t much care for the park. Best part of it was that in the middle of the game an “F*CK the Yankees” chant started. It was great because they were in Baltimore.

Sky Dome – crappy crappy seats, but with the exchange rate (about 5 years ago) they only cost me like $4.

KC Royals – don’t remember what their stadium is called. It’s not a great one. There was construction going on so maybe that was part of it, but it really seemed to lack the baseball feel. It lacked the feel of a city and culture.

The Vet – went their the year before they stopped using it. I had a great experience as a kid especially because they had all sorts of great games and booths and stuff because the all-star game was being held their that year (I think). Don’t remember much about the aesthetics.

Metrodome – I really only watched a football game there. I loved it for football (I’m a huge Vikings fan) but I think it would suck for baseball.

1) Memorial Stadium: Way too many memories. A’s/O’s playoff game when I was a kid. Colts game where I first smelt those funny cigarettes. Good times.

2) OPACY: A classic. The one the only.

3) PacBell: The best setting. Great food.

4) Dodger Stadium: Impressive. Food & fans suck.

5) Gwinnett Braves Stadium: Pretty cool. I think the same architects as OPACY, so you could see the similarities.

6) Rangers Ballpark: Reminded me of Camden Yards. Thought the advertising and screen locations were distracting.

7) Oakland Colisieum: The worst. Two words- Mount Davis.

As an aside, I was just in Texas and saw the new Cowboys stadium. I am not a football fan, but it was pretty sick.