Take Me Out To The Ball Game, Take Me Out With The Crowd

A love for a sport comes from the pure enjoyment of it. However, a great sporting venue amplifies the nuances of the sport. This time, I thought I would explore some of the great and not so great ball parks of Major League Baseball. Whether it’s walking to the stadium, discussing the game; sitting in the stands waiting the opening pitch; enjoying the early exchanges whilst consuming a hot dog and a beer; the seventh inning stretch; the denouement where your team wins or loses. All these experiences and more are the lifeblood of ball parks.

I can only start at one ball park, the centennial Fenway Park, which is an icon and legend to baseball fans. It may be one of the smallest parks in MLB currently but more than makes up for in history and idiosyncrasy. The “Green Monster” for example beckons many a right-handed hitter to attempt to clear its 37 feet 2 inches. Fenway Park has been added to many times and has even survived an attempt to replace her. Other distinctions like “The Lone Red Seat”, “The Triangle” and Pesky’s Pole make Fenway a great, traditional place to watch a ball game.

Another great stadium is the Chicago Cubs home at Wrigley Field. Another classic ball park with its own peculiarities such as ivy covered outfield walls and the ‘rooftop’ view from many properties overlooking the stadium. Wrigley Field, along with Fenway Park, has hand turned scoreboards which again give a traditional feel to the ball game.

In contrast to the classic old ball parks, MLB has a brand new stadium this year with the newly branded Miami Marlins ball park, Marlins Park. The ball park is the third smallest in the league but is very much contemporary in design. It appears to be an architects plaything designed under the guise of capturing modern day Miami’s diasporic nature. One thing that is indisputable is the excellent use of technology to maximise green efficiency. The ball park is currently suffering from the well documented retractable roof malady of poor growing grass. However, it does have a feature for when home runs are scored and an aquarium in the homeplate backstop. Not all bad then….

My personal favourite ball parks are PNC Park in Pittsburgh and AT&T Park in San Francisco. Both are relatively new stadia and have great views of their environments. AT&T Park has a spectacular outlook over San Francisco Bay but that brings its own problems for players, and spectators, with summer fog bringing inclement temperatures. I imagine Giants fans were hoping this problem was cured from their Candlestick Park occupancy. PNC Park was built in a ‘traditional’ style and commands great views of the city skyline. One feat for batters to try is to reach the Allegheny River with a 443 feet blast.

I really can’t finish without reviewing the Tampa Bay Rays home park of Tropicana Field. Being based in St Petersburg, on the coast of Florida, the ball park demanded a retractable roof which is didn’t get. Instead, it’s a domed stadium with a slanted, fixed, roof. The roof has three rings as part of the design, along with catwalks, that makes it aesthetically unpleasant. It has been likened to a warehouse and I can’t disagree. There were plans to develop a new “Rays Ballpark” but this didn’t garner enough support. The final criticism is that Tampa itself should be the home of the Rays. Does seem a logical argument to me too.