Tom's Ballpark Ratings

Ballpark Ratings

There’s no getting around that fact that all Ballpark Ratings are subjective, and these are based on a lot of my memories from 30 to 40 years ago. But these are my best recollections, and I now share them with you.

Just to put some structure around this effort, I should express some of my feelings on the different types of ballparks:

Classic Ballparks - Love them. Their quirks were charming because they were generally unintentional, and are based on a romanticized time of innocence, or at least naiveté.

Multi-purpose “Ashtrays” – This will surprise you, but I generally didn’t mind them, because I guess I didn’t know any better, and also because the 1960’s were a time of concrete and steel “progress”. They were generally considered a good idea in their time, and they served a civic need. People were moving out of the cities, and baseball needed to follow.

“Retro” Parks – I really liked them at first, but then everyone on the block started getting one. What bothers me the most is when strange corners and grassy knolls are added just “because”. However, they make up some of my favorite parks.

Retractable Roofs – They’re a good idea to repel the weather, but I don’t really like what they do to the height of the structure, and they end up looking unattractive from the exterior.

City	Stadium	1st Visit	Tom's Comments
Anaheim	Angel Stadium	1993	When we visited the first time in 1993, the Rams were playing there, and I found the place to be claustrophobic, as it was enclosed. I liked it a lot in 2005 since the refitting, with the rocks and dark green seating. In '93, Tony and I said hello to Tony LaRussa, then managing the A's.
Arlington	Ameriquest Field	2001	I like the park in general, but I think they tried a little too hard to make CF look like the Polo Grounds. Be sure to sit under cover during the day: the plastic seats get really hot.
Atlanta	Turner Field	2003	I liked it, but it doesn't stand out to me. This is a recurring theme on the parks built since 1990.
Baltimore	Memorial Stadium	1971	This park had a lot of character. I'm glad that if they got rid of it, they got Camden Yards in its place.
Baltimore	Camden Yards	1992	The first, and still the standard for the "retro" park. The sight lines are great, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the food choices rival anything in the Major Leagues. In 1995, we saw a game the week before Cal Ripken broke the consecutive games record. My son also got Boog Powell's autograph that night.
Boston	Fenway Park	1978	I like Fenway Park, but I'm not rhapsodic about it, and not because I'm a Yankee fan. I just don’t like the way they’ve let it fall apart over the years. It's a great place to see a game, and I'm glad they're fixing it up; I hope to go back. I saw Ron Guidry pitch a 2-hitter in September 1978. Excellent food choices, and the 2nd best hot dog in MLB.
Chicago	Wrigley Field	1991	This is my favorite current park. I love the seating, I love the fans, and I love Wrigleyville. I have sat in the LF Bleachers, 1B Mezzanine and Upper Deck, and the Field Boxes in the RF Corner. On a business trip in 2000, I attended 3 consecutive weekday games when I got stuck in Chicago due to bad weather.
Chicago	US Cellular Field	1998	I found the park to be sterile when I went for the first time, but I really like the renovations. It was terrible that they got the "un-Camden", but like Angel Stadium, they have retrofitted it nicely.
Cincinnati	Riverfront Stadium	1994	This was probably the second worst of the "ashtrays", after the Vet. Since it was enclosed, it had the same claustrophobic feel of Angel Stadium before they fixed it.
Cincinnati	Great American Ballpark	2004	Very nice park, but they really needed to turn it about 10 degrees toward RF so that you could see Roebling's Bridge from the stands.
Cleveland	Cleveland Stadium	1990	A behemoth. You could tell it was designed Osborne Engineering who did the original Yankee Stadium, poles and all.
Cleveland	Jacobs Field	1997	A very nice park, with the best mustard in MLB. To me, the Jake is the prototype of the truly modern stadium, as HOK took the Camden design and didn’t make it look old. My only gripe is that the Upper Deck is really high because of the luxury suites that are set up in condo fashion underneath.
Denver	Coors Field	2003	I liked Coors Field a lot. A real lot. In fact, it just missed my Top 5. The view of the mountains is breathtaking.
Detroit	Tiger Stadium	1997	I had a dream seat at Tiger Stadium: RF upper deck, 3rd row, 15 feet fair. Well, that's what the lady sold me, and it's exactly as I imagined it. This was a beautiful, classic park, but appeared to be the only thing still standing in the neighborhood. I miss it.
Detroit	Comerica Park	2004	Too many people sell Comerica Park short because of the hitters complaining. I loved it. It is set up beautifully, a gr-r-r-eat place to watch a game, and I love those large menacing tiger sculptures in front.
Houston	Astrodome	1992	This was my first indoor stadium, and I don’t like them as a rule, but I thought the Astrodome was kind of neat. The hardest adjustment was getting used to not seeing the sky under a fly ball.
Houston	Minute Maid Park	2005	A nice rendering of my least favorite type of park, indoor "retro". The train is a bit much, and it appears to be too easy to hit one out.
Kansas City	Kauffman Stadium	1996	By far, the nicest park built in the 1970-89 range. It's proof that your ballpark doesn't have to be old. It’s aging very well.
Los Angeles	Dodger Stadium	1993	It's starting to show its age, but it still is baseball nirvana to me. Dodger Dogs are the best ballpark dog by far.
Miami	Dolphin Stadium	1997	On a side trip to Delray Beach from Disney, we visited my wife's cousin in Hollywood, and Thomas and I slipped out for a Cards/Marlins game. It rained very hard. After a delay, we got to see the game. The park is made for football, but they have these arepas.
Milwaukee	County Stadium	1991	I saw the old girl on her last legs, and I admit to loving her. It’s a shame they couldn't have kept such a nice old park, but that's the 1990's for you. I really liked the sight lines, and I consider the bratwursts and sauce and the fresh MGDs to be a life changing experience.
Milwaukee	Miller Park	2003	I'm not really big on the new indoor parks, as they feel cavernous and industrial to me. They lost a lot of the ambience of County Stadium, although they kept Bernie Brewer, the food, and the sausage races. A just miss.
Minneapolis	Metrodome	2002	I found the airlock to be disturbing. Not a great place to watch a game, but I did catch a ball off the bat of Torii Hunter. Change is in the air in Minnesota.
Montreal	Olympic Stadium	2002	I have nothing good to say about it. The ball didn't carry, and it looked like it had a pool liner over the hole in the roof. Did they use "Space Mountain" as a model?
New York	Yankee Stadium	1962	What can you say about the place where you grew up, and best got to know your dad? The place where you saw Mickey Mantle belt balls into the Upper Deck and Bleachers? The place where you went when you should have been in school? I attended many openers at both versions, and 7 World Series games (1978 G3-4-5; 1981 G2-6; 2000 G1; 2003 G6). I will always remember the green façade of the original; Bob Sheppard’s voice; 75 cent Bleacher tickets; popcorn in a cardboard megaphone that sounded like the ocean when put to your ear; pennants that smelled like fresh paint. I will truly be saddened when this all ends in 2008, but since that beam fell in 1998, this has been inevitable. The tears I shed will be for my dad, and for lost, yet eternal youth.
New York	Shea Stadium	1965	Shea is an underrated park. It has its share of history, and some of the best food in MLB, as it would have made 6th place on that list. They have added a number of really good Italian and Latin choices from the neighborhood. My real problem with Shea is that because it is an open circle, some of what should be the best seats -- 1B and 3B Loge and Mezzanine -- are actually some of the worst, as you are as far away from the field as you can possibly be. It does need to be replaced, and will in 2008. If you find the blue line on the exit ramp behind the plate and take it to the Mezzanine level, you will find the Mets Hall of Fame, and the World Championship trophies. The kids can run the bases after most Sunday afternoon games.
Oakland	McAfee Coliseum	2001	I don’t go for closing the Upper Deck, but believe it or not, the Coliseum has a bit of charm to it. Yes, the foul territory is ridiculous, but what ruined it is those ugly "Al Davis" seats that closed off the outfield. They also have the wildest fans outside of Philly. And after all, I was on the Jumbotron.
Philadelphia	Connie Mack Stadium	1970	Since this was my 3rd park, I didn’t have a large frame of reference, but keep in mind that I had never been to a little old park before. It was a nice place to watch a game, but it was falling down.
Philadelphia	Veterans Stadium	1971	I thought the Vet was really cool in 1971 because new was in back then. My second trip was the All-Star game in 1996. The Vet ended up looking very industrial, and felt very cold when the newness wore off. May it rest in peace.
Philadelphia	Citizens Bank Ballpark	2004	Better than the Vet, and a nice try, but this is what I was afraid of in the early 90s, new retro style parks that felt like going to another Applebee's.
Phoenix	Chase Field	2003	I liked being able to get out of the heat and have a margarita delivered to my seat. But retractable domes don't do it for me.
Pittsburgh	Three Rivers Stadium	1998	The wrong park in the right location. A big concrete donut in a beautiful waterfront setting. Second best of the "ashtrays".
Pittsburgh	PNC Park	2004	Now this is nice! Perfect setting that rivals Camden and SF. I need to go back.
San Diego	Jack Murphy Stadium	1993	Typical ashtray, although it looked more like a large septic tank.
San Diego	Petco Park	2005	This one was very nice. A little high on the slickness scale, but a very comfortable place to enjoy a game. I really like the warehouse.
San Francisco	Candlestick Park	1984	I kind of liked it, because it was 80 degrees the day I went, and because it's not symmetrical. But I could see why it was hard to watch a game there, as I did get to experience the July cold years later.
San Francisco	AT&T Park	2001	Awesome! Totally awesome! The best of the new parks, and the food is outstanding. This is how it's done. #1 since 1990.
Seattle	Safeco Field	2002	By far, the best of the retractables. Great food, and a super environment for a game. And the best coffee in MLB to boot.
St. Louis	Busch Stadium II	1993	The best of the ashtrays, hands down. The arches in the façade gave it style, and management did a great job of keeping it current. I understand the locals were upset about the demolition.
St. Louis	Busch Stadium III	2006	A very nice ballpark. They did a great job incorporating the Arch and Courthouse.
Tampa Bay	Tropicana Field	2001	Not a nice baseball environment at all.
Toronto	Skydome	1997	Cold and sterile. What did everyone see in this place?
Washington	RFK Stadium	2005	I got a reprieve on this one, since I never got there when the Senators were playing. It has some interesting, quirky elements to it, but it's falling apart, and I'm looking forward to the new park.
Washington	Nationals Park	2008	I'm of 2 minds here: the inside of the park is beautiful, with all of the modern amenities. However, unless I'm wrong, the large parking garages seem to block the view of the Capitol. Also, the exterior looks like HUD or some other government building.