In honor of the best day of the year, Opening Day, I am going to do Top 5 All-Time Baseball Parks. It should probably be called Top 5 All-Time Baseball Parks That I've Been To, because I can obviously only list ballparks that I've been to, but that just sounds to long winded and loses any punch the shorter version may have. Since I've been to more ballparks that don't exist anymore then parks still played in I had to go all-time parks. I'm figuring in look of the park, atmosphere, the crowds that attend, history, food, tradition, any form of entertainment other then the game itself and my personal bias against the team that plays there. Faltering at any of these categories hurt your chances to make the list. For example, Camden Yard does not make the list even though it is a beautiful park with a great atmosphere because they have (or at least when I went) the horrendous tradition of playing "Cotton-Eyed Joe" instead of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch. Another example is the fact neither Yankee Stadium made the list because the food cost something like $10 for a hotdog, both places are/were filled with Yankee fans and I hate everything Yankee...
5. Nationals Park
As bad as the team that plays there may be, Nationals Park is a pleasant place to watch a game. Part of it may be how easy it is to get good tickets, but outside of that, its a good looking park set in downtown DC. The food is good, the fans that show up are obviously devoted baseball fans, but what really puts this park on the list is the between innings entertainment. In most cases I'm not a fan of this stuff. Anything that takes away from the game just isn't needed in my mind. But I love the Presidents Race. It' fun and, damn it, one of these days Teddy is going to win fair and square.
4. Angel Stadium
I think I've been to more games at Angel Stadium then any other park except Chavez Ravine. There isn't a bad seat in the place. The food is priced pretty normal for ballpark food (which is higher then it should be but nowhere near Yankee Stadium prices) and there is a great selection of stuff ranging from normal park fare to Carl's Jr to Panda Express. But what really puts Angel Stadium over the top is the Rally Monkey. I know he gets a lot of shit from "baseball purists" but I love it. The movie clips they use with the monkey are hilarious. The one thing that keeps Angel Stadium from being higher is the fans. Typical Los Angeles sport fans, they show up in the third inning, leave in the 8th and that's only if the Angles are a top the standings.
3. Old Busch Stadium
I went to Old Busch after they put real grass in, so if I had gone a couple years earlier it probably wouldn't be as high on this list. Busch had a lot of haters but I loved it. It was one of the cookie cutter parks (Busch, Three Rivers, Riverfront, Fulton County, Veterans were basically all the same park built in different cities) but it found a way to avoid the stale atmosphere present at all the others. Part of it was the grass. Part was it's location downtown. If you looked one way you saw the St. Louis skyline shooting out over the park, if you looked in the other you saw the Arch. Of course the other thing Busch had going for it was one of the best fan bases in the sport. Cardinal fans go to games to watch baseball, not sit at a bar behind homeplate, not talk on their phones. The fans have a deep respect for the game and its traditions and you feel that as you sit there watching a game.
2. Pac Bell or SBC or AT&T or whatever the hell the Giants are calling their park this year
Just because they can't stick with a name doesn't change the fact it's one of the best places to watch a game. Great location, beautiful views, beautiful park. The fans aren't obnoxious. The food is amazing, especially the garlic fries!! It gets a lot of hype and all of it is deserved.
1. Fenway Park
I know, I know, this pick is extremely biased. But in all honesty, I'm not sure I would be as big a Red Sox fan if it wasn't for this place and not the other way around. I get goose bumps every time I walk up the run way and catch that first glimpse of the Green Monster and the perfectly manicured field. I admit, the seats aren't always the most comfortable to sit in, but the history that pours out of every inch of the place makes up for it. All these new parks that are popping up were all modeled after Fenway, but as beautiful as some of them are, none can capture its quirkiness and mystic. I get to sit in the same seat as someone who saw Cy Young or Babe Ruth or Ted Williams or Carl Yastrzemski or Roger Clemens or David Ortiz play this game and that in itself is special. As unpleasant as it may sometimes be for fans of away teams to visit, the fans are knowledgeable and are there to watch baseball. There's no need for gimmick entertainment between innings, being at the park is entertainment enough. Fenway is THE shrine to the game of baseball.
Parks I Haven't Been To That May Make The List In The Future: Wrigley Field, PNC Park, PETCO Park, SAFECO
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