Baseball fans! How many parks have you been to?

[Nathans_Dad]

Had an amazing baseball fan experience last night.

I brought the family out to DC to visit my dad who has been really sick in the hospital recently. Anyhow, we have been doing the usual DC thing, taking the kids to the various museums and sites. I am a big Texas Rangers fan (they suck I know) and suddenly it dawned on me yesterday morning that they were playing that night in Baltimore. So, I went onto Stub Hub (best ticket site ever, BTW) and scored two tickets 4 rows behind the Rangers dugout for $35 a piece. What a deal!

The drive from DC to Baltimore in rush hour traffic SUCKED, total of 2 1/2 hours...my poor 6 year old was going nuts in the back seat, "Are we THERE yet??". Luckily he had his Nintendo DS to keep him busy.

So we finally arrive at Camden Yards and make our way to our seats. That park is just beautiful. I like The Ballpark in Arlington too, but there is something extra special about baseball in a downtown location. Anyhow, the Orioles got out to an early 4-1 lead by the 5th inning. The Rangers bullpen was able to shut them down and the bats started to chip away at the lead, a solo homer here, a dribbler RBI there.

Top of the 9th, Orioles lead 4-3. The closer is in, apparently called the "Brim Reaper"...not sure where they came up with that one. First batter is the catcher, Jared Saltalamacchia...Salty for short. He was 3-4 in the game but struck out this time. Out #1. Next up is the rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus. He hits a little dribbler to the infield and is thrown out. Two down.

The top of the order is up, Ian Kinsler steps up to the plate. He is the best hitter on the team, batting around .380 for the season so far. The last time he faced the Orioles in Texas he went 6 for 6 AND hit for the cycle...only the second time that has been done in baseball history. Kinsler gets down 2 strikes early, the crowd is standing and cheering for that last strike. He battles back to a full count. Fouls off two or three pitches that would have been strike three. Then he gets one over the plate and knocks it into shallow left for a base hit. The crowd quiets again.

Next up is Michael Young, the Rangers All Star 3rd baseman (and my personal favorite player). He has been hot lately, he has knocked in the winning run in the 9th inning in 2 games out of the last 4 including a 9th inning walk off homer about 4 days ago. Kinsler is taking ridiculous leads at first and almost gets picked off twice. 1-1 count, 2 outs, top of the 9th. The pitch is a fastball over the plate and Young turns on it....it's going...going....OUTTA HERE!!! A 2 run dinger which puts the Rangers ahead 5-4. I swear you could feel the air get sucked out of that stadium.

Of course, here my son and I are right in front of the Rangers dugout going nuts while all the Oriole fans around us are booing...

The Rangers closer comes in and shuts down the bottom of the 9th, RANGERS WIN!

What a game. You gotta love baseball.

I was thinking about what stadiums I have been to in my life...the list is pretty short but I am going to try and make it a point to get to some games when I travel...it would be nice to say I have been in every major league stadium.

So far I have seen games at:

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
Astros Park (formerly Minute Maid Park)
The Vet (haven't been to the new Phillies stadium though)
Camden Yards
Wrigley Field
Royals Ballpark (back in the 80's...it's probably been replaced by now)
The OLD Angels ballpark (again back in the 80's)
Various AA and AAA parks.

What is your favorite baseball experience and how many parks have you been to?

[Hendog]

Funny you ask. I just got back from Chicago (Schaumburg actually). I was there for some training at Motorola. I suggested we take in a game at Wrigley field, so a guy in my class took me up on it. He got us some tickets via StubHub as well. Great seats! Down about 10 rows back from the Cubs pits. I'm not a baseball fan at all, but I thought a game at Wrigley field was a "must do"! I know enough to know this is a quaint little field, by MLB standards, with a ton of history. The Cubs lost (of course) to Cincinatti 2-0. I can't give you a break down of the game like you did, but it was a great experience to watch a MLB game at a historic stadium, where everyone sang "Take me out to the ball game"; I had a hot dog and a beer, bought the hat and sweat shirt, oh, and peanuts! Saw the guy bhind the score board change some numbers since it's still an old wooden board. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

[Hendog]

Here's a souvenir pic.

[nostatic]

Don't bother with Dodger Stadium. I'll never go back there.

I went to plenty of games at Jack Murphy Stadium in SD (before it was called Jack Murphy). I hear Petco Park downtown is pretty nice.

I frankly lost interest in baseball after one of the strikes (I lost track) and have never gotten back into it. The showboating, bad attitudes, and spoiled superstars prevent me from watching what is a brilliant game. I'd rather go to some crappy minor league park and watch players who are young, hungry, and actually trying.

[Brian 162]

Old Tiger Stadium and Fenway Park, and that crappy dome that the Blue Jay's play at.
When I was a teenager I saw the Montreal Expo's at Jerry Park.

[pwd72s]

Only one...Yankee Stadium, 1957. Part of a BSA side trip when we went to the National Jamboree.

But hey, how many others here can say they saw Whitey Ford pitch?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

1. Fenway Park (many times)
2. Yankee Stadium (the old one)
3. Wrigley Field
4. Comisky Park
5. Dodger Stadium (which I actually really like)
6. Edison Field/Angel Stadium

I'm hoping to get a lot more in.

[JavaBrewer]

Petco Park is outstanding. Too bad the product out on the field does not match the venue. The only been MLB parks I have visited are local - Angel Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Qualcom, and Petco. The Brewers and Padres have nice spring training facilities in Peoria AZ - actually my favorite time to watch them play.

A couple weeks back the son and I went to a Lake Elsinore Storm (Single A) game. Front row seats were $12, $5 parking, and on Tuesday afternoon (Fat Tuesday) the food is free. There must have been 500 or less fans there. Great baseball, lots of hitting, young men trying their best. I highly recommend.

[turbocarrera]

I saw Kirby Puckett(RIP) homer at the Met and I saw Carlos Delgado hit a pair at the Ballpark in Arlington. A-Rod went 0-4 that day and the fans were screaming, "Give-im another million!" - pretty funny at the time.

[dan79brooklyn]

Short list, but I have been to way more MLB games than any other professional sport.

Fenway Park
The Kingdome Seattle (blown up now)
Memorial Stadium Baltimore (pre Camden Yards)
Yankee Stadium
Shea Stadium

Enjoyed your story!

I'm looking forward to checking out the new fields for the Yankees and the Mets, hopefully this year.

[JE928sx4]

I have to start all over again they have replaced so many and Renamed a few.

1. Milwaukee County Stadium
2. RFK Staduim
3. Memorial Staduium
4. Kingdome
5. Fenway Park
6. Yankee Stadium
7. Shea Stadium
8. Camden Yards
9. Veterans Stadium
10. Tropicana Field
11. Royals Stadium
12. New Comisky Park
13. Dogers Stadium
14. Jack Murphy Stadium
15. Angel Stadium
16. Candlestick Park
17. Jacobs Field
18. Nationals Park

[Seahawk]

Great story.

Dodger Stadium
The Big A
The Murph
Memorial Stadium
Camden Yards
RFK
The Nats
Oakland
Candlestick
Yankee Stadium
Shea
Seals Stadium (I was four)

[Nathans_Dad]

Another thumbs up for minor league ball.

Personally I like the AA teams, we go to a couple Frisco Rough Riders games every year. You can sit nearly on top of the dugout for about $15 a ticket and there are things for the kids during every half inning. Great time for sure!

[CJFusco]

I'm a big baseball fan, but I've only been to a few parks. I'll rank them in order of preference, then list how many times I've been there:

1) Fenway Park: 50+ visits - used to have that dumpy, neigborhood park kind of feel; the Henry Group renovations are a HUGE improvement
2) Camden Yards: once - beautiful, very cool area
3) Yankee Stadium (the old one): about 10 visits - like a baseball cathedral
4) Rogers Center (Toronto): once - spent most of the game trying to see if I could look in the hotel windows
5) Shea Stadium: twice - a dump of a stadium in a *****ty neighborhood; it always looks like there is construction going on in center field
6) Olympic Stadium (Montreal): once - borrrrring; but the beers were big and cheap.

[jim72911t]

Originally Posted by nostatic

......I frankly lost interest in baseball after one of the strikes (I lost track) and have never gotten back into it. The showboating, bad attitudes, and spoiled superstars prevent me from watching what is a brilliant game. I'd rather go to some crappy minor league park and watch players who are young, hungry, and actually trying.

nostatic, I've got to disagree about the showboating comment. I think, of the big three sports (baseball, football, and basketball), baseball has the least amount of showboating, and that the players actually have respect for the game and their fellow athletes. I can't watch professional football simply because every time a player makes a routine play he dances around like he just won the Superbowl.

I agree with what you say about going to a crappy minor league contest, and that baseball is a brilliant game. When was the last major rule change in baseball? DH? I also hate the idea of instant replay in baseball, BTW. The ump is part of the game.

As far as ball parks, I've only been to a few, all on the west coast:
Dodger Stadium
The Big A (or whatever it's called now)
Candlestick
AT&T Park

I also go on mountain bike rides which conveniently take me by the local community field on the way home, where I can catch some American Legion games for free.

[Nathans_Dad]

Baseball lost me a little a few years ago with the whole steroids thing, but I would have to agree that (unless you like hockey) baseball is the professional sport with the least amount of showboating. The NBA is basically thug central these days and while NFL football is my #1 fav sport by a mile, there is much more showboating in the NFL than in baseball and there would be MUCH more showboating in the NFL were it not for the fines and strict rules they have adopted to curtail it.

Baseball right now to me seems like a much more personal and unique sport to be a fan of. There aren't that many people who really follow baseball closely anymore...I guess that makes me feel a little more like the team is "mine".

[Buckterrier]

Forbes Field - Pittsburgh
Three Rivers Stadium - Pittsburgh
PNC Park - Pittsburgh
Crosley Field - Cincinnati
Riverfront Stadium - Cincinnati
Wrigley Field - Chicago
Tiger Stadium - Detroit
Memorial Stadium - Cleveland
Yankee Stadium - NY
Shea Stadium - NY
Fenway Park - Boston
Think that's it!

[TheMentat]

Originally Posted by dmoolenaar

Petco Park is outstanding. Too bad the product out on the field does not match the venue.

I just visited Petco to see the Cubs get whooped. An outstanding venue!

[Nathans_Dad]

My thread is resurrected!

Nice timing, I just got my Father's Day present...(drumroll)...

2 Season seats for the last 35 games of the season!

They were running a buy one get one free special so I got seats in the 2nd deck, right at 3rd base for $850 for 2 seats. Comes out to $12.50 per seat per game. Not a bad deal. Plus, I can sell some on Stub Hub and hopefully get a little more than I paid, especially for teams like the Red Sox. The idea is to get back at least half of the price paid and maybe even get almost all of it back.

If it goes well, I might be in line for full season seats next year!

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by Nathans_Dad

but I would have to agree that (unless you like hockey) baseball is the professional sport with the least amount of showboating.

You can only say that because your soccer team is a bunch of whiny showboaters.


Heck, they barely qualify as a professional team. You can watch out REAL team walk all over them this weekend if you want, the game's in Frisco.