parks department
by lboros on Jan 26, 2007 9:44 AM EST
in St. Louis Cardinals News
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Printby now you've probably heard that weaver is bound elsewhere; seattle, for more money. the cards have revealed their negotiating position to the media, a sure sign that the negotiations have failed:
The Cardinals guaranteed a base salary below $6 million per season but offered numerous incentives based on Weaver's innings pitched. (Weaver earned $8.325 million last season after signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels last January.) Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty and Boras negotiated this week; but the Cardinals' modified proposal failed to meet the agent's demands for up-front money.
but on the other hand, weaver isn't a very good pitcher; in his case, "certainty" amounts to mediocrity. even if he returns to his "peak" form of 2004-05 --- and that comeback can't be taken for granted --- he is a slightly above-average starter, a presentable #3. that's the best-case scenario. the worst-case is that he becomes this year's version of jason marquis, the struggling veteran hurler who stays in the rotation and gets chance after chance to turn the corner, while younger but potentially better pitchers languish in the bullpen or in the minors. to the extent that weaver might have caused tony to move wainwright back to a relief role (a not-unlikely scenario), then the cardinals are better off not having signed him; wainwright will probably outpitch weaver this year. indeed, even if the cards had signed weaver, chances are he would have been their 4th-best starting pitcher, behind wainwright reyes and carpenter.
there was a case to be made for acquiring him, and the cards might regret that they didn't --- especially when he's apparently willing to sign for 1 year. but they might have had regrets just as big (or bigger) if they did sign him. i wouldn't have been elated if they'd brought him on board; accordingly, i'm not particularly disappointed that he's going elsewhere.
thanks for last october; besta luck to you, jeff.
on a completely different subject . . . . .
a couple weeks i came across this ranking of the 30 big-league ballparks. i'm not particularly interested in the rankings themselves; they're just one man's opinion, and who really cares. to each his own. what struck me about the list was how few of these places i have seen. about 15 years ago i had attended a game at nearly half the big-league parks then in use; but there are four more teams now, and even more new stadiums. as of today i've seen barely a fourth of the active venues, and when shea and oakland-alameda (or whatever it is called now) come down a few years from now, i'll have seen just 6 of the 30 major-league stages. what a paltry frame of reference for a supposed devotee of the sport. collecting ballparks used to be a semi-serious hobby of mine, but the set is looking rather ragged and dusty at the moment. i don't know whether this is attributable to my particular life-choices and circumstances, or whether it's just another aspect of the degradation that naturally comes with age. in any case --- i thought maybe i'd feel better if i shared a few ballpark stories and threw it out there for general discussion.
these are the big-league parks i've seen games at --- still-active parks in boldface:
- busch II (stl)
- busch III (stl)
- wrigley (chi)
- new comiskey (chi)
- royals stadium (kc)
- mile high (den)
- coors field (den)
- candlestick (sf)
- oakland-alameda (oak)
- jack murphy (sd)
- dodger stadium (la)
- veterans stadium (pha)
- shea stadium (ny)
- fenway (bos)
oakland-alameda. the first game i saw at this place (and the first american-league game i ever attended) was a no-hitter by a nobody named mike warren. he threw it against tony la russa's powerful division-winning chicago white sox. oakland outfielder mike davis made the play of the game, hauling in a drive to the right-field fence off the bat off mike squires. i was in the right-field bleachers and the ball was hit right at me; the seats were deserted. had the ball cleared the fence it would surely have been mine, my first and only home-run souvenir. but it dipped at the track and davis caught it crashing into the fence; great play. i also remember this game because it was the first time i saw "The Wave" --- and the last time i ever found it interesting.
fenway park: here's the first game i saw at fenway --- also involving the athletics, by sheer coincidence (and by further coincidence, the a's were by then a la russa-managed team). i was close to field level down the left-field line, about halfway between 3d and the Monster. oakland led 3-2 with two outs in the 9th, and jim rice came to the plate with the bases empty. the crowd booed him mercilessly; he'd struck out with the sacks full to end one threat and, in his previous at-bat, had fanned with 2 on to end the 7th inning. "this guy's a great player," i said idly to the fan next to me (who was not booing). "i hope he shuts these fans up." warming to my indignation, i went on: "here's what i'd like to see. i hope he hits one over the Monster and then jogs verrrry slowly and calmly around the bases --- head down, no emotion." eckersley was on for the save; he wasn't "The Eck" quite yet, was only in the process of becoming a relief ace. he left one up, and rice took him out --- right over the Monster. then he trotted around the bases without once looking up at the crowd, now aroar with forgiveness; my prophecy fulfilled. the guy next to me was mightily impressed. eckersley gave up another homer the next inning to dave henderson, and the bosox won 5 to 3.
shea stadium: only ever saw one game there; this one. i'd just flown in from overseas the previous night and, with the cardinals in town, scheduled a couple days' layover. i'd had tickets to the previous night's game but missed it when the plane came in late. my younger brother had a friend doing a summer internship up at columbia, and we crashed at her place and rode the subway out to shea. right in front of the stadium i ran into a guy who'd been a good friend my freshman year in college --- charlie murphy of brooklyn. huge met fan. i hadn't seen him for five years, not since i switched schools and moved out to california. a lot had transpired (in our lives, and in the met-cardinal rivalry) since we'd last sat around the dorm talking baseball; we spent the game in the right-field mezzanine, overlooking the met bullpen, catching up. after the game (a blunt, dull affair) he asked: you gonna be here tomorrow night? i told him i had tickets. he said: i'm gonna call george lembesis, who's living up in poughkeepsie; he'll wanna drive down and see you. george was another old dorm-mate, an even more rabid met fan than charlie. i told him great, i'll see you guys then; went back to manhattan and became violently ill. by 6 am i was literally crawling to the john, i was so weak from throwing up. i tried to rally, but the gut wasn't up to it. this was long before the days of cellphones or the internet; i didn't have charlie's number, didn't know how to reach george. so my poor brother had to go out the next night and hang with george and charlie, reminiscing about old times he'd never had. hey mark, did larry ever tell you about the time . . . ? no, he never mentioned it. well, you should've been there. . . . the cardinals lost, 6-4, to fall 10 games back of the mets. i ate a bagel and kept it down.
never did get to see george; haven't seen charlie since.
that's prob'y enough outta me. . . . . hope a few of you'll share your own impressions of big-league parks, former and current.
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Weaver
By the way, I was Julie's roommate that summer at Columbia (and a friend of Mark's from high school), and also enjoyed the game with George and Charlie (which, if I recall correctly, featured a Curt Ford dinger as one of the few Cardinal highlights)
george and charlie are good guys
SBC-ATT-Pac Bell Park
by RosevilleRedbird on Jan 26, 2007 10:04 AM EST reply actions
ballparks...
You have to see Yankee stadium before they tear it down though. I met up with a college friend in NY last year and caught the late Corey Lidle's first start as a Yankee. Our section talked trivia with a loud (and very knowledgeable) fan sitting a couple of rows back. I was struck by the tradition of the ballpark and the fact that they don't play any of the new pop music (they play cool retro music that actually meant something to the team... think 'heat is on' with the Cardinals).
The stadium has run down a bit, and it was hot, but hearing enter sandman when Mariano Rivera came in, and then the famous New York, New York song from Sinatra (after the win) at the end was very cool (and I don't really like the Yankees). We couldn't go down and see the monuments in center after the game, but it was amazing to me that they will actually retire every number from 1-10 when Jeter and Torre retire (and they are all deserving).
It may be odd, but the thing that struck me most was their venerable announcer. This is the guy that announced Dimaggio and Mantle when they came up to the plate. His voice screems class and gave me chills when he announced a player's name. I'm telling you, he's that good.
Anyway, I've been to 7 ballparks, but that was my coolest Non-busch stadium one (last game of the W.S. last year was the best by far). Watching a friend of mine aggravate a drunk (and belligerent) Cub fan in Wrigley (getting the Cub fan kicked out), in a Cardinal blowout was pretty cool though too. :)
It isn't the stadium itself.....
I used to want to visit Fenway before 2004, but not anymore. The two LA stadium (Dodger and Anaheim) are pretty nice. Coors Field here in Denver is a good park. Wrigley and Camden Yards are next on my list (someday).
by Futility Infielder on Jan 26, 2007 10:18 AM EST reply actions
Don't be that guy....
That said, Yankee Stadium is on the list for this summer.
I'd like to interject the hidden gem that is Miller Park in Milwaukee. Good fans, who treat road vistors well. Great tradition of grilling out and tailgating in the lot, go early and just walk around with tweleve pack, total strangers will feed you.
Inside, the roof needs to be open. It feels more classy than Busch, which looks to me unfinished. The glass windows in the outfield are pretty cool, and you can stand out there and watch the game.
For one of the new parks, it sets itself apart. Well compared to Busch, Arizona, and Comerica which I've been to. I hear Seattle and San Fran are a cut above.
Fenway
by Futility Infielder on Jan 26, 2007 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
I was there two years ago....
You aren't going to for the fans, you are going for the park and the game. When you walk out into the sunlight, from under the stands that are dank, cramped and smell like urine, and you behold the green monster, you just might cry. It's that damn beautiful.
Now, I live 15 minutes from the park and pass it every day on my drive to work. I still look at it in awe.
Yankee stadium
The only point where I'll differ with you
And they do "Cottoneye Joe" by the Rednex in the middle of the 8th with a guy dancing by the Stadium Club. Other than that, where else can you get Ronan Tynen (sp?) singing "God Bless America" as well as "The Star Spangled Banner". Gave me goosebumps to hear it and the crownd reaction when I went.
by BozCardsFanSF on Jan 26, 2007 10:52 AM EST up reply actions
Point taken...
I agree with you on the overall feel
Easily the best non-Cardinal baseball experience I've had.
by BozCardsFanSF on Jan 26, 2007 11:57 AM EST up reply actions
yankee stadium ... meh
Beyond that, the stadium is run-down. Nothing special about it. I'm not entirely sold on Busch III yet (been to a handful of games so far), but Busch II was better than Ruth's place.
Roll Call
Went to a game in '99 at Yankee Stadium with my brother, who happened to be in Connecticut while I was in NY for a radio convention. Neither of us had ever heard of that tradition before. (You never hear them reference that on any national telecast--or at least I hadn't.) My brother noticed what was going on and pointed it out to me. We watched as the bleacher bums worked their chant around the horn, and the players responded with cap tips or a wave.
It's so cool, I wish it was our tradition.
My First Fenway Story....
We were seated right behind the Cardinal dugout, about six rows up, which in any other park would be the second row seeing as the seats are right on top of each other. At the end of the sixth inning, Edgar flipped me the game ball, which is sitting on my desk right in front of me, still dusty with Fenway Park infield dirt.
The Cards won and walked home as happy as a five year old. I've never caught a foul ball, so this stands as the only game ball I've ever got.
Great American Smallpark
Games
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN199808190.shtml
It was a pretty cool game to see in terms of the '98 home run race (Sosa hit 48 to take the lead, Mac fired back with 48 and 49, tying an go-ahead shots respectively).
There was a picture in the PD the next day of McGwire pointing in acknowledgement to a cluster of hysterical cardinal fans in the mezzanine behind third base (that included myself) after his shot in the 10th. Pretty cool.
I also caught a game in the metrodome... Where Frank Viola hit golf balls at home plate to win a fan a prize (???)
by Jonathan23 on Jan 26, 2007 10:24 AM EST reply actions
Probably my favorite ballpark memory occurred
We saw the game in which Ed Whitson broke Ozzie's wrist. Chris Speier took the Wizard's place, and the game went into extra innings.
My dad and I had great seats along the third base line, probably about 20 rows up or so from the field. Two twentysomething guys in the row in front of us spent the evening chugging beer at an impressive pace and by the time the game reached extra frames, they were out of their skulls.
Anyhoo -- I don't remember exactly what inning it was -- Speier cranks a game-winning home run into left field. As he rounds third, the two drunks in front of us run down to the field and scale the wall. By the time Speier nears home, the guys are within breathing distance of him, and some cops (or security guards) rush out and wrestle them to the ground before they can touch the night's hero.
Perhaps the funniest thing was watching the replay of the homer and Speier's trip around the bases on the outfield video screen. As Speier crossed home plate, you could see the guys briefly enter the frame, only to get violently yanked out of it by the cops.
by steve in georgia on Jan 26, 2007 10:26 AM EST reply actions
been to
I haven't been to all that many
Busch (astroturf and grass) - I love this park and am sad they aren't there. My birthday is in ealry April, so my dad would take me to a game in the bleachers every year for my birthday. Too many memories for me to not consider it my favorite.
Wrigley: last year's opening weekend - had a blast and Cubs fans were great to me, even in the bleachers
Pac Bell - I love this park, but it's not home and I don't have the affection for it like I do for Old Busch. But it is a great park.
Candlestick - what a dump. Cold, windswept and the fans were unruly there. Challenged my dad and I to a fight for cheering (very moderately) for the Cardinals. I never saw one Cardinals win at that park. Good riddance.
Oakland - seen a ton of games there, they have a rabid, though small, core of fans and the place was great during the days of LaRussa - I remember seeing a Dave Stewart vs. Roger Clemens duel when the A's and Sox were the giants of the AL.
Dodger Stadium: I loved this park when I was 12. I've only been there once and it might be completely different than I remember, but it seemed like such a big league ballpark
Anaheim Stadium: Eh - nondescript and it was AL baseball, a boring game between the Angels and Twins in 96.
San Diego (Jack Murphy) - an OK place with a lot of Cardinals fans when I went. I haven't been to the new park
Arizona - I went when it first opened. A lot of people, but the upper deck is STEEP. Just about induced vertigo when we were in our seats. Diamondbacks-Giants game that opening week. Can't remember who won or lost because my friend and I met a couple of girls at the park.
Yankee Stadium - went to a playoff game there two years ago vs. the Twins. Extra-inning affair where Torii Hunter put the Twins ahead in the top of the 12th I believe and then the Yankees came back to win in the bottom of the 12th. As close to a religious experience in baseball as I've had. The history, the crowd was more into it than I've ever experienced, the lights, an October chill, the subway going by just past right field. Wow. Also saw a game this year vs. the Devil Rays where Matsui returned from injury. A rout by the Yankees, but there fans were still into it. I have to say I love Yankee fans, they are passionalte and the roll call is my favorite crowd tradition hands down.
Shea Stadium: another dump. Saw Cards/Mets with Morris pitching for our boys a few years back in late April. Temp was in the high 30's, no crowd passion...
whatever.
Busch II
At Busch II, it was for games 6 and 7 of the 2004 NLCS. I may never go see another ballgame again. Nothing could ever get any better then those two games. My brother and I got tickets on a fluke because a Cubs fan bought tickets already and then they failed to make the playoffs so we got them cheap. Granted, we were in the very top row of the stadium. I am not kidding. NO ONE sat behind us for both games. We could turn around and look out of the stadium. They were the best seats I have ever been in. The section below us and to the right was where Jimmy hit the walk off in game 6.
The only other staium I have been to is Fulton Co. in Atlanta to watch Bobyy Bonilla hit a game winning homer when he was with Colorado, I think. I was pretty young and it was the first year of that stadium. They were still tearing down the old one.
by Edmonds is baseball on Jan 26, 2007 10:49 AM EST reply actions
I have been to 6 or 7 different parks.......
I went to Fenway also that same roadtrip and saw a great extra inning affair when Edmonds hit the ball over the monster in extra's to win it. I also saw Pedro carve the Cards up there the night before. The fans in Boston were absolutely brutal though. I almost got into it when 3 guys behind me were firing quarters at 3 girls (about 15 or 16)decked out in Cards gear cheering about 8 rows in front of us. Ignorance.
I went up to Chitown last year and had the good fortune of seeing that Reyes 1 hitter. That ballpark is alright. The game was great. One cool thing was that we were able to watch the game from a bar underneath the stadium that had windows looking out through the Cards bullpen. The Sox fans would pound on the glass and taunt the Cards pitchers and Izzy and Hancock were doing there best to give it right back to them. It was pretty funny. The one disappointment I had was Dye made a great catch in right field diving backword on the track and hurt himself. Hancock turned around to the fans in the window and pointed at him and started lauging. A little disappointed in that but that were razzing him pretty good.
Sorry for the novel but those were my best experiences elsewhere.
by Pujols4Pres on Jan 26, 2007 10:54 AM EST reply actions
clemens 300th
The night before was at fenway much better park. Tommy Lasorda was there to throw out the 1st pitch for something, he was staying at the same hotel I was in boston. was in the right field corner right next to Peski's (?) Pole. almost caugth two Home Run balls there was with in of 2ft or one and 10ft of another, some @$$ hole from pheonix took one from me during batting practice too. i was 17 at the time, the guy was like 35 and already had 7 other balls from BP. Sat next to some drunk Bostonian was absolutly a blast to talk to.
I would go back to fenway but not yankee stadium.
That's wild
I did see a big brawl after the game in Yankee Stadium on the way to the subway, but it was Yankee fans fighting other Yankee fans.
by Pujols4Pres on Jan 26, 2007 12:49 PM EST up reply actions
caught the same road trip
I remember being in awe at Yankee Stadium, purely based on the history of it. To think of all the greats that played there in its long history, is just amazing. I was also impressed with how we, a group of 4 decked out in full Cards gear, were treated by the hometown fans. I had been conditioned to expect the worst, but they were actually quite friendly. One jokingly consoled me after the game, saying even though the Cards lost, at least I got to see Clemens make history. That's still the way I look at it.
The game at Fenway was even better though. The Cards had been roughed up 13-1 the night before, and you knew both teams had pretty bad bullpens that year, so it was gonna be a long game. Surprisingly, Garrett Stephenson held the Sox to just 3 hits over 7 innings, and left with a one-run lead. Then the bullpens took over... Izzy made his return from the DL, but wasn't deemed ready for the pressure-cooker that is the 9th inning, so he took the 8th and pitched fine. Then the Cards tacked on one more in the 9th to have a 3-run lead, but Eldred made quick work of it. The Cards scored 2 more in the 10th on a JD Drew homer (also fresh off the DL IIRC), but Boston responded with 2 of their own off Jeff Fassero. Miraculously, both bullpens put up zeros for the next two innings, and then Jimmy put the Cards ahead for good with his 3-run job over the Monster in the 13th. Yan made it interesting, for sure, giving up 2 runs and putting the lead run on base before ending it, but we went home victorious. The best part was all the back-and-forth with the BoSox fans.
I guess that story is more about the game itself than the ballpark, but I still think it's worth mentioning. As for the park itself, it lives up to its reputation as similar to Wrigley in that it's a great old place to see a game. But it also has a reputation for terrible leg room, and some blocked sight lines due to support beams. One other notable thing - apparently there is some sort of ordinance against beer vendors in the stands, so you see a lot of people coming back to their seats with multiple beers.
Another thing I liked about both those AL East parks were the vendors (despite the lack of beer vendors at Fenway). They harken back to older times, what with the metal hot dog carriers at Yankee Stadium (also seen at Wrigley) and the rocket-armed peanut sellers at Fenway (accurate too). These are very minor things, but I just love old-timey stuff like that.
Milwaukee and KC were pretty ho-hum to me, but I do remember kind of enjoying the indoor feel, regardless of my distaste for it in principle. And I thought the fans in Milwaukee were particularly welcoming. KC fans were not so nice, but then, I wouldn't expect them to be when the Cards keep coming over there year after year and decimating them. At the time I visited, a couple of them made mention of '85, but I would imagine that's less of an issue after last October.
That swing through NY and BOS
I was on the same trip
The Game before in Fenway was one of the more exciting games I have been to. Edmonds won it in the 13th with an opo shot over the green monster. The game might have had something to do with it but Fenway is great. The only drawback was the number of fights. In the 13th inning the bleachers looked like a concert with the number of yellow jacketed security guards.
by Lucky Chew on Jan 26, 2007 2:50 PM EST up reply actions
Only been to...
The Old Comiskey game was the one in 1981 when a drug addicted Ron Leflore took a fly ball off the noggin, which caused my grandfather to laugh for the first time in his 75 years. I don't think he ever laughed after that either...
Then there was 2002 at Wrigley. My wife surprised me with tickets to what would have been my first major league game in 10 years (we go to a lot of minor league games), and damned if it isn't called because, as the guy behind me with a radio explained, the starting pitcher passed away in the night. I spent the whole rest of the day mourning Jason Simontacchi until I read the paper the next day.
Stadiums
I know I am in the minority, but I really don't like Wrigley. I lived two blocks away for a couple of years and mostly only went to Cards-Cubs games but I just didn't think it was a place you could take your family. It is just like a big frat party. Plus many of the seats did not seem to have a very good view. I can understand why people love it, but it is just not for me.
Also my one visit to KC was this game. So I don't remember much about the stadium, except crying as I left knowing my boys Tudor and Andujar couldn't get it done. (I was 9) I should go back some time, but it feels like going back to the scene of a terrible accident.
Oh, one other
I've been to
My favorite story has to be either Busch III (the only time I've been there wa game 5 of the World Series) or Roger Dean (heckling Jose Canseco while he was in Spring Training with the Expos).
by sjoshi on Jan 26, 2007 11:00 AM EST reply actions
I'd love to watch one more game at Sportsman...
by Ignatius J Reilly on Jan 26, 2007 11:02 AM EST reply actions
Great user name.
I wish I had seen Sportsman's Park, by buddy's dad took us over off (Grand I think?) back in the day, and told us a bunch of old Cardinals stories. Ken and Clete Boyer, good times.
ive been to
wrigley and ballpark in arlington i remember going to but dont really have anything to say, i was about 8 or 9...i wasn't looking for impressisons
been to the vet, camden yards and shea stadium...all on one trip. shea stadium was fun because it was an interleauge game between mets and yanks...being from kansas (and about 13) to experience new york and its people, in the heat of a "rivalry" was pretty cool...jerry seinfeld threw out the first pitch, which was awesome...and when the yanks one, someone from the top level dropped down confetti that had the yankee logo on some and the mets logo on others that said "mets suck" on it...it was hilarious.
been to busch II a couple times and III once (ws game 4...good first impression)
been to coors...coors was nice...big green outfield...i think we ended up sitting in that rockpile section in CF...and it was nice, 'cause if i recall correctly it was a early season game, and cold...but up there the sun was hitting us and made the game very enjoyable
i think thats it
My credentials
Busch II
Busch III
Wrigley
Old Comiskey
New Comiskey
Milwaukee County Stadium
Metrodome
Riverfront
Three Rivers
Tigers Stadium
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Jacobs Field
Turner Field
Dodger Stadium
Mile High Stadium
Jack Murphy Stadium
PetCo Park
Angels' Stadium
Oakland Coliseum
Candlestick Park
Kingdome
Astrodome
Arlington Stadium
Fenway Park
Shea Stadium
Kauffman Stadium
Olympic Stadium
I think Dan O'Brien's comments regarding New Busch are right on. We got hosed. For all the spectacular parks that are being built nowadays, Busch III is meerly average at best. They coulda done a MUCH better job for Joe Average, instead of putting all the niceities for the big bucks crowd.
Also, Fenway and Wrigley are both pits, and miserable places to watch ballgames.
my list
It's a tie between Fenway and Yankee Stadium. I just love the fans up there, freaking nuts. Everyone wants to judge a stadium by it's feel, but the real judge is the atmosphere. Great fans can make a bad stadium enjoyable. That's why Wrigley sucks.
Old Tiger Stadium
Tiger: what a unique park
Best seat in the house: Left and right field upper deck, which was straight above the outfield wall, about 30 feet above the field. I almost dropped my sunflower seeds on Juan Encarnacion who was patrolling LF.
Coolest part: I got to walk the bases after the Sunday afternoon game. Stood in line listening to the postgame (CJ Nitkowski was a real talker) and then entered through the outfield onto the warning track and then around the bases. Scooped some dirt and stood at 2B for a picture in my Jesus pose--arms stretched out over those one-of-a-kind centerfield upper deck bleachers. (Are there any other parks where centerfield is totally enclosed?) Good times.
The list:
Tiger
Yankee Stadium (Was told that if I ate my hot dog with catsup I'd be removed from the facility. Tried the Gulden's and have never looked back.)
Wrigley (Except for the Ivy, like it better from the outside.)
Metrodome (What an awful environment. I was in town when Kirby officially retired.)
Camden Yards (Understandably the model for the new generation of parks.)
Of course, Busches II and III.
I'd love to get to Pittsburgh, Boston, SF, LAD and KC.
couple of notable stadiums/games
last year of the Astrodome in Houston - awful, awful place. deadly quiet like a tomb.
minute maid park in Houston just last season - reverse of the astrodome - loud, loud and obnoxious. not dull though. It didn't help that the Cards got beat in both games I saw there in dramatic late inning fashion - the beginning of their near collapse. I also won't make the mistake of wearing my Pujols jersey there again.
Royals stadium several times - totally forgettable ballpark but I saw a game in 86 where Frank White got 7 RBIs (2 home runs including the walk off game winner in extra innings) and George Brett got thrown out for arguing with the 3rd base umpire who happened to be from the same small east TN town that I'm from. Brett was right. The call was terrible.
my favorite trip that wasn't my honeymoon . . .
kevin was a business major, or something that didn't require as much attention and effort. in any case, he was lounging on a couch, reading USA Today.
"hey beege," he said. "they say they're going to tear down fenway again. they're probably bluffing, but man, what if they tear it down? i've never been to fenway."
i looked up from my latin textbook. "me neither."
"we ought to go this summer."
"yeah, we should."
it had been idle conversation up to this point. just a couple of guys half a country away from one of the most storied crucibles of our chosen sport. but then something clicked. after fall break, kevin had used the still somewhat mysterious internet to find the schedule for the sox. and the yankees. and the orioles. and the indians. we developed a route that would take me and kevin and kurt and joel, a mere 4 days after graduation day, from st. louis through cleveland, boston, new york and baltimore, then back to st. louis, in 10 days. with side trips through cooperstown, niagra falls, and an MLS game at the meadowlands. (some guy had a hat trick. it was crazy.)
needless to say, it was baseball heaven. even for a quartet of staunch national league guys, wearing mcgwire and mcgee tshirts, it was a beautiful thing. we saw pedro strike out 15 in 7 innings, and we were sitting behind home plate. sat with a bunch of drum-banging fans of latin descent in the upper reaches of yankee stadium. watched as the yankees made mistake after mistake and then mashed their way out of a hole. soaked in the inner harbor district while smelling boog's barbeque. walked the freedom trail. tossed a baseball around in front of the rock & roll hall of fame, and watched as it rolled into lake erie.
spent $217 for the whole thing.
I wish getting older didn't mean...
Busch II--when I was in 6th grade and got half season tickets for christmas (when kids nose bleed seats were only $2) and I took the bus and metrolink to about 35 games..the time of my life.
Shea--I went to a game a few weeks after the Cards aquired Mark McGwire..he popped out like 3 or 4 times to my disappointment. But one moment that was kind of a shame was when I, before the game, peeked into the Cards dugout for a look at my heroes and called out, "Hey Rolles Royce" and Clayton looked up at me and said, "Shut up kid!"
Yankee Stadium--I went to a game there too as a kid and saw Ken Griffey Jr. hit 3 homeruns!
Wrigley--saw a boring game in late September and caught a glimspe of the miserable plight of Cubs fans..falling out of favor with the fans, Sammy swung for the fences only to miss by about 2 feet in a couple of his ABs.
Kaufmann--A nice looking stadium but felt like a minor league game and I didn't like the clapping hands on the scoreboard informing fans when to GET LOUD!
Nice post Iboros; if for no other reason it was fun to think back on fond memories!
by Pete on Jan 26, 2007 11:30 AM EST reply actions
My list
Busch III
Royal Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County
Turner Field
Shea Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Wrigley Field
Old Comiskey
New Comiskey
Minute Maid
Dolphin Stadium (Joe Robbie/ProPlayer)
Comerica
Great American Ballpark
Comerica Park
Great idea to process this - I'm doing better than I thought. You're right about all these new stadiums - gives one a good excuse to go and see as many of them as possible.
I've got three stories to share (sorry for the long post) - the first at Old Comiskey. I went to a few games there in 1985-86 as a graduate student on the south side of Chicago, making it more convenient than Wrigley. I don't remember much about the games themselves - the Sox were headed downhill as LaRussa's time there came to an end. But I do remember the parking. I don't know what it's like today, but there wasn't much in the way of dedicated parking so a lot of folks just parked on the streets surrounding the stadium. Not being the best part of town, that usually guaranteed your having to pay one of the locals to watch your car. Of course, not paying also guaranteed that your car - or significant parts of it - would be missing after the game. It always worked for me, as uncomfortable as it made me - but it didn't work so well for one of my classmates who was too stubborn to pay "protection money" and found his car missing wheels when he returned later.
The second was the best time I ever had at Busch II - this game in 1985:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198510050.shtml
The Cardinals clinched the NL East that day, having come in to the game 2 ahead of the Mets with 2 to play (imagine having won 100 games and still not having clinched!). Not only did they clinch against the hated Cubs, but Tudor pitched a complete game gem (2 k's, 0 BB's, 4 hits, 1 run). The other treat was the recently-acquired and red-hot Cesar Cedeno having a great game (3-for-3 with a HR, SF and SB). His shining moment came in the bottom of the 7th, when he was knocked down on a brushback from Cubs reliever Jay Baller. Cedeno brushed himself off, stepped back in and promptly hit the next pitch out of the park. Busch II erupted and the celebration basically never stopped.
Turner Field is a decent baseball stadium and I see a fair number of games there since I live in Atlanta. The best performance I have witnessed live on the diamond came in this game:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL200405180.shtml
Randy Johnson's perfect game against the Braves. He was in complete control, and the whole stadium was standing and cheering for him in the 9th. Very cool.
A quick note on Minute Maid....it's like a nice golf course with unusual, quirky holes. It's fun to check it out once or twice, but it would be a nightmare to play frequently. I like how close the fans are to the field, but that quirky LF/CF is over-the-top.
Worst of the bunch - Dolphin Stadium. Not even close to being a baseball park.
re the cesar cedeno story from 1985
that's great
Fenway/Yankee
The non baseball highlights included visiting the site of the WTC and seeing the memorial and visiting the Cheers bar in Boston.
One baseball highlight had to be sitting on the Monster at Fenway. We queued from 6am to get seats but it was worth it. They are the best seats I've ever had to a baseball game. I even snagged a baseball. I'd like to say that I caught it during the game but actually Woody threw it up to me after the pitcher's were done stretching. :)
The other highlight on the trip was seeing Clemens get his 300th win and 4000th strike out in the same game. The game was fairly uninteresting except for the milestone but at least I get to tell people that I was there.
Up to 15...
Tiger Stadium
new Comiskey
Cle. Municipal
Kauffman
Oakland
Kingdome
Shea
Busch II
Riverfront
Three Rivers, PNC
Wrigley
Candlestick
Rockies
I need to make an east-coast swing sometime soon and hit Fenway and Camden. It's been awhile since I've seen a new ballpark, but living in Pittsburgh I at least get the opportunity to see 20-25 games a year, including 9-10 Cards games! And at $10-15/ticket, you can't beat it!
by jimmye on Jan 26, 2007 12:05 PM EST reply actions
My list
Dodger Stadium
Jack Murphy
Petco
Angels' Stadium
Candlestick
AT&T
Oakland-Alameda Coliseum
Old Comiskey
New Comiskey
Wrigley Field
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Shea
Yankee Stadium
Fenway
Olympic Stadium
Exhibition Stadium Toronto
Tiger Stadium
Three Rivers
Riverfront
Veterans Stadium Philly
Busch II
DC Stadium
Royals Park
Turner Field
Fulton County Stadium
Astrodome
MinuteMaid
Metrodome
County Stadium
I think that's 29. There are a bunch more minor league parks also.
I've driven by several others that I've never been in including Jacobs Field, Camden Yard, Skydome, the Ballpark at Arlington, Dolphins Stadium, Tropicana Field, Safeco and the BOB.
My favorite, besides Busch II, is probably Dodger Stadium. There's something about sitting there watching a game with people around you listening to Vin Scully over a transistor radio decribe what is taking place in front of them
My collection
The Kingdome: Spent a couple years out in WA state, serving time in the Navy. Caught a few games out there, including this one. My brother, in the USAF at the time, came out to visit; I remember this one because I left my seat to get concessions and Blowers hits the grand slam. Great time to watch the Mariners, just as their popularity picked up.
Kauffman Stadium: Just one game - my brother & I had nice seats (eight rows up, even with the edge of the screen on the 3rd base side). Just as the Orioles were rallying in the 8th, I saw Bobby Bonilla in the on-deck circle. I yelled down to him, "I've got four letters for you, Bonilla: N-L-C-S." He actually turned around and grinned; he then hit a two-run single. I was laughing my ass off.
Fenway Park: Two games, most notably this game, the one where Rolen screwed up his shoulder sliding into third and where the bullpen blew the lead twice & almost a third time from the 9th inning on. That was also my (and my twin brother's) 30th birthday.
Miller Park: very well constructed ballpark, good concessions, atmosphere, and such. Saw McGwire's final regular season HR, Sophie's first ML game, and a few others. Home stadium atmosphere notwithstanding, I'd rather watch a game here than anywhere else I've visited.
Riverfront Stadium: I honestly can't remember a specific game at this park & I've been to at least three. Probably says a lot about the ambiance, the general experience.
Jack Murphy Stadium: Caught this game - Morris takes a shot off his leg, the bullpen takes turns giving up runs, and Painter gives up a solo shot to Miguel Ojeda in the 10th. (I do feel that every ML ballpark should be required to offer garlic fries.)
Wrigley Field: a more hallowed dump I have never seen. Most memorable game: the first game of the DH, day after Labor Day 2003. Tickets were easy to get, as it was a reschedule. Pujols gives away two runs in the 5th on defense, Taguchi saves the game in the 9th with the catch at the wall, bullpen hangs tough, but Fassero gives up a 2-run shot to Sosa in the 15th.
Actually, one of the weirdest experiences I've had at a ballpark was at Wrigley. I can't find the data to support it (either 1999 or 2000), but my department at work bought tickets for a Cubs-Pirates game on a Thursday night. The game was delayed for over an hour, then finally postponed because, get this, "the radar showed a possibility of rain". My first "game" at Wrigley was rained out without a single drop hitting the ground. (As an aside, two of the people in my department were clebrating birthdays that day as well, so almost everybody (not me - I don't drink) got thoroughly shit-faced, on a Thursday night, so it was a rough morning the next day.)
Dodger Stadium: yet another case of using "going to visit family" as an excuse to add to the collection. Saw this game, had nice seats right next to the Cardinal bullpen, in the shade (too bad I forgot my "autograph jersey", would've scored so many sigs). Eckstein gets hit in the first, hits a 3-run homer later in the game. After the game, experienced two amazing things: the panoramic view of Los Angeles from the edge of the parking lot, and the joy of trying to escape from Chavez Ravine (no wonder there is a mass exodus starting in the 7th).
Plus three games down in Jupiter, FL, at the beginning of Spring Training in 2003. Nice complex, quite a few things to do right around there. Worst part was trying to get adjusted to 95 degrees after a winter in Chicago.
Busch III, Comiskey, Yankee Stadium, SBC, & a couple others are on the list to see in the near future.
I've only been to three --
great post lb
- If you goto Yankee, don't make the mistake of buying outfield bleacher seats. Its a nice experience, but you are completely barred from the rest of the stadium, you simply dont have access to anything else, including the monuments even though they are in the outfield.
- I hit Shea this summer, and had a very similar experience, meeting up with some college friends from NYC. It was one of those brutally hot Sunday 1 PM games... does anyone like these things? Anyone?
- my list:
Arlington Stadium (loved it)
Ball park in Arlington (hate it)
Astrodome
Enron Maid
Yankee
Shea
Busch II
The Cell (love the Cell on a cold April night with 8,000 people, really... its kinda quiant)
Jacobs Field (kinda blah)
My List
Busch II/III
AT&T - SF
Citizens Bank - Phi
Bank One - Ari
Dodger Stadium - LAD
Great American - Cin
PNC Park - Pit
RFK - DC
Shea - NYM
Wrigley - CHC
Camden - Bal
Jacobs Field - Cle
Kauffman - KC
New Comiskey - CWS
Yankee Stadium - NYY
I've also seen but not gone to a game at:
Arlington - Tex
Angel Stadium - LAA
McAfee - Oak
SkyDome - Tor
Petco - SD
Dolphins - Fla
Turner - Atl
Tiger (old) - Det
Fenway - Bos
At only 18, I've seen a pretty good amount of the current stadiums, 15 for games and 22 total. Out of all of them, I think Philly, Pittsburgh and San Fran are the best new ones, as well as Baltimore since they started the new revolution.
A note on Shea. I've been there about 5 times now, and it is a complete dump, a toilet bowl if you will. But I was lucky enough to go to Game 2 and 7 of the NLCS there this year, so I will always have nothing but great memories about it.
At Jacobs Field, I went with my family when I was about 8, and I got my first ball there during batting practice.
At the New Comiskey, I saw the Red Sox play back to back years and both times they came back from deficits in the late innings to win on homers by Ortiz and Ramirez, and both times I was in the bleachers right by the GW-Homer, ending up on Sportscenter.
I went to Fenway a few years ago, got a tour, walked on the field and everything. And I had tickets for a game, but unfortunately, it got rained out. I was only in Boston for the day, so I still haven't seen a game there. It is on the top of my priority list.
I saw the last game at Busch II and the first game at Busch III, so I will always be a part of that history, which was very important to me.
Anyway, Go Cardinals! Repeat in '07
Sportsman's Park
In the 1940's my mother used to see the ballplayers on the streetcar when she was headed home from work; I guess they were doing the same. Stan Nusial and Red Schoendienst lived in our parish, with sportswrite Bob Burnes in the house between those two...can you imagine Bernie Miklasz living next door to Albert Pujols? Times have changed.
by Bay Area Bird Fan on Jan 26, 2007 1:15 PM EST reply actions
I wasn't particularly impressed by Yankee Stadium
I also wasn't particularly impressed by the overall ambiance either. Perhaps that was due to the game being a mid-season Rangers/Yankees game which had no special importance. Additionally I did also remember what seemed to be then (2005) a large number of obnoxious crowd prompts (akin to that horrid "Everybody clap your hands" cheer that got adopted during the playoffs). Also despite being a save situation, Mariano did not pitch which caused me to miss the sort of ceremony that goes into that.
Interesting article
Is that even the same stadium? Doesn't sound like it.
by themang on Jan 26, 2007 2:00 PM EST up reply actions
Wow, my intuition was right!
"That many people don't realize this is a testament to short memories and a testament to the power of the Yankees brand and its association with tradition and nostalgia; it's nonetheless true. In 1974 and 1975, Yankee Stadium was destroyed. The facade was removed, the columns and pillars supporting the upper deck were removed, the dimensions were changed, wooden seats were replaced with plastic ones, the press box and clubhouses were remodeled, luxury boxes were built, and so on. It was a new park in everything but name, and a rather ugly one. The changes were made at taxpayer expense to ensure profits for a privately held entity, and their general effect was to make the park uglier and a worse place for most people to watch baseball."
Only a few
Both modern-era Busch stadiums--highlights: the Bennett grand slam game last season, Sosa/McGwire both homered in 1998, Ray Lankford hitting for the cycle, the Donovan Osborne grand slam game...that's for starters...
Arlington Stadium: The crap hole that the Rangers called home. I cut my teeth here, and got to see the Rangers get shellacked by some of the finest teams Oakland and New York (and Toronto, and Kansas City) had to offer. I remember going on bat night in 1988 against the might A's, and having a fight with my friend (I was 8) about whether we should root for the A's because of McGwire and Canseco or the Rangers because they bought bats for all us kids.
The BOB: On a trip to Arizona in 2003 we went on kind of a lark. Got to see Raul Mondesi hit a walk-off against Montreal. Nice stadium, but the indoors thing just creeped me out.
The Astrodome: But I didn't see the 'Stros--I was five and we went to a big rodeo. Dad bought me a glow rope.
I toured Camden Yards, but it was during the strike and all I really wanted was a can of spray paint and a 40-foot ladder to have at that big warehouse.
Fun game, LB
Stadiums....
My buddy and I took a trip to Fenway and Yankee Stadium in 2003 to see the Cards play at both. Fenway was just fantastic I thought...we saw two games there and sat 3 rows behind home plate on the night the Cards won. One story is there was your typical "Chowd" sitting behind us in the latter innings and Miquel Cairo came to the plate and this guy starts going off on his number! "What kind of number is that for a 2nd baseman"? ..he wore 41 I believe?.. well he keeps going and going so I turn around and say " Well when you win a shit load of Championships like the Cards they retire numbers...something that you guys up here wouldn't understand"...He went nuts....it was great.
Then drove down to Yankee Stadium and was lucky enough to be there that cold rainy night that The Rocket won his 300th. That was pretty cool....and my favorite memory was hearing that public address announcer they have there...that guys voice is baseball history man..
Only two parks
best ballpark
At the risk of overstaying my welcome...
June 22, 2000: Pat Hentgen on the bump for the Cards facing Barry and the Giants. Hentgen gets his ass handed to him and the Cards are down something like 8-2 in the third. It doesn't look pretty, so my posse and I decide to get seriously drunk. We do. But somewhere along the line the Cards crawl back into the game, chipping away until a Shawon Dunston HR pulls them to within a run in the 6th. Enter the outfield grass.
A few days earlier, they purchased and installed a rather sizeable chunk of sod (from somewhere in Florida) for the RF corner to replace the dying grass there, and you could see it pretty clearly from the upper deck. What you couldn't see: Millions of moth eggs--stowaways in the imported Florida sod--waiting for the right conditions so they could hatch.
The right conditions came on that evening.
About the sixth inning a buddy of mine noted that there appeared to be quite a few bugs flying around--even for Busch Stadium. I agreed, but attributed this to the Budweiser and double vision. By the time Dunston reached the plate in the bottom of the eighth, with a runner on, it was an undeniable blizzard. Pitchers, batters, and catchers stepping out a couple of times per at-bat to swat their gloves and hands in the air in a futile attempt to clear a path for their eyes. It was positively surreal. Dunston got a pretty good look at a high fastball and hit a ML pop fly down the LF line in the direction of one Barry Bonds. Bonds drifts back--and back some more--before settling at the base of the wall, obviously struggling to pick up the ball in the fog of moths. He does, and reaches up to catch the ball right in front of the wall...only to have the ball pop out of his glove and over the wall! Second home run of the game for Dunston and a one run lead for the home team.
Of course, Dave Veres came on for the top of the ninth and surrendered a game tying HR, but the hometown nine pulled it out in the bottom half of the last frame to win, 11-10.
I still have that game on tape (always record games you attend--it more than doubles your pleasure) and pull it out just to watch Barry flail away at that ball, and then stand there looking all stupid with his glove on his head and his jaw on the ground. Good times, indeed.
Stadiums
Busch II: Lots of Great Memories, Favorite non-Cardinal one was watching Ken Griffey, JR. Hit his 500th homerun on Fathers Day. He got 3 Standing Ovations. My Proof that Cardinal Fans, are the best (IMHO).
Kauffman Stadium, went last year to see Cards-Royals, more Cards fans then Royals Fan. Pujols would not come out for a curtian call. Class act.
Also been to Wrigely, thought it was a dump.
And the Metrodome went there as part of my senior class trip. Sat 3 rows from the Mariners Bullpen. Probably one of the coolest experiences ever, first time, i was close enough to watch players and their mannerisms in person. Saw the game from a whole different prespective.
Went to Busch III and saw the Cards leave the bases loaded 3 or 4 times and lose in extra innings. Pretty much sumed up the regular season for me. But hell you got to go through the bad times to get to the good.
two Busch II games that i attended
This one was fun because of the 4 cub fans that came with me... and Lankford's extra-inning heroics (after striking out 5x).
And This Sunday night ESPN game because my wife (my girlfriend at the time) convinced me that we could leave after the eighth because we had to work in the morning. Edgar Renteria was the hero, i believe.
Wildman - thanks for mentioning that '85 Cesar Cedeno game. I had forgotten about that one. I remember watchin that game at my grandfather's house(huge cubs fan) on wgn. At the time we lived out in the country and rarely got to see games on TV.
BTW, does anyone remember this 1982 WS Champs vinyl record? I still have one, but have no way to play it.
Good stuff Larry, et al. I'm truly enjoying this stroll down memory lane.
there too
As for the record, I have an uncle with a turntable who's created a couple CD's for me from records. Feel free to e-mail me (john at vonbokel dot com) if you're in the St. Louis area and I'd be glad to put you in touch with him.
Oh, man...
I had 2 seats in the right field Loge Boxes, Section 219, Row 2, just inside the foul pole.
Busch II was packed when the game started, and (as expected) an impressive number of Chicago faithful were in attendance. The Cubs jumped out in front immediately, scoring 2 in the first, and then 4 more in the 3rd, including a 2-out 3-run homer by Corey-freakin'-Patterson. MattyMo was not sharp that day.
So with their team jumping out on top immediately, the Cubbie fans were at their obnoxious best, taunting the Cards fans mercilessly and generally being giddy about their prospects of taking the weekend series after their victory the day before. We finally put up some runs in the bottom of the 6th, scoring 4 to make it 6-4, trying to make a game of it...and finally giving us Cards fans a chance to cheer back / razz the Cubs fans in response to their first 5 innings of dominance.
But it didn't last long. The next inning (7th), Kline coughs up two more runs, and the Cubs are now comfortably ahead 8-4. And with the copious amounts of Bud Light now coursing through their veins, the Cubs fans were insufferable. The ones near us would all run around after each scoring play, high-fiving each other gleefully, and then taunting the Cards fans as we fell further and further behind. After failing to score in the bottom of the 7th, a lot of the red-clad fans started to leave. The next inning it got worse, with Mueller hitting a homer off of Veres to make it 9-4 in the 8th. When we failed to score in the bottom of the inning, the exodus became pronounced.
My friend and I actually yelled (good naturedly) at a lot of them, calling the departing Cards fans a bunch of "rookies", and warning them that they were gonna end up missing the most amazing comeback against the Cubs EVAR, and boy would they be sorry! Of course, that's what we always say to justify staying until the bitter end, and (obviously) it usually doesn't pan out that way. But this time we actually nailed it.
In the bottom of the ninth, trailing by 5 runs (9-4)with a mere 3 outs left, and with the taunting, merciless Cubs fans now almost outnumbering the Cardinals faithful, we mounted our comeback.
Vina led off the 9th with a single.
Cairo doubled him home. 9-5. Some hometown applause for not giving up, while the Cubs fans mocked our foolish dreams of a comeback.
Jimmy singled him in. 9-6. Some decent cheering now, only 3 runs down. The Chicago faithful snickered at our optimism.
Albert works the count, and draws a walk, but then Drew strikes out with runners on 1st and 2nd. The Cubs fans breath a sigh of relief, and there's some more running around and high-fiving with only 2 more outs...but it's less enthusiastic than before. They're starting to get nervous.
Then Tino singles, plating Jimmy while Albert takes 3rd. 9-7, with two on. The Cubs fans are now obviously nervous, and have stopped their giddy running about high fiving behavior. You can actually witness the growing fear in the eyes of the more veteran Cubs fans...they've seen this many, many times before, and they can sense what's coming. Cards fans are really excited now, anticipating the unthinkable, as Renteria steps to the plate...
...and promptly takes the second pitch from Alfonseca over the left field wall and into the Cubs bullpen! Cards win 10-9, scoring an incredible SIX runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Cubs, and win the weekend series!
The Cubs fans in our area were crushed. After three hours of merciless taunting and gleefully premature celebration, their boys in blue went all Cubbie on them and collapsed, clutching defeat from the jaws of victory. The two most obnoxious Cubs fans in the area, sitting in the 1st row Loge Boxes to our right, were so despondent they literally ripped off their blue Cubs t-shirts and threw them down onto the right field grass in disgust. They then sat there, shirtless, with their faces in their hands and bravely accepting the retaliatory taunting as the Cardinals fans who stayed the whole game celebrated one of the most amazing comebacks in years. My friend and I will cherish that game for the rest of our lives.
And that, my friends, is why you NEVER leave the game early.
Thus ends the lesson.
My List is Pathetically Small...
Busch 2: gotta love when the sun caused the arches ringng the stadium to shadow onto the field.
Wrigley: love the tradition, love the ivy, but have gotten stuck behind a pole and couldn't see the infield. There are many seats like that. That really sucked.
Miller Park: beautiful stadium, sausage races (the best ballpark tradition, in my view...right up there with Wrigley's song)...not a bad seat in the house...at all.
Ball Park Reviews -- the good, bad & ugly.
Fenway -- great nostalgic feeling and tradition. Smelled like stale beer, cigarettes and popcorn underneath the stands but loved it anyway. Crowd is really part of the experience, they are into it and the surrounding area is fun, too. Saw McGwire hit one out of the park to centerfield!!
Wrigley -- been there numerous times in both bleachers and good seats. I was there a few years ago when Pujols took Prior deep -- hardest ball I have ever seen hit and then Mizzou knocked off Illinois in football - Brad Smith's first game! Great weekend.
Pac-Bell: Great scenery and beautiful ballpark, loved watching the sailboats pull into the Marina Gate. Slid down the slide in the Giant Glove and watched kids play wiffleball on the "big screen" in the minipark next to the Glove, too. They had a fireworks show with 3D glasses and rock music --felt like the 60's & 70's again. Loved the clam chowder and crab cakes, too!
Yankee Stadium -- only thing memborable was the monument section. They don't let you walk around to different sections.
Coors -- beautiful when the sun shines off the moutains; we saw great pitchers like Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz give up 10-12 runs each when they played for the Braves. Like slow pitch softball games, 21-15, 17-11, etc.
Jacobs Field -- great place to see a game. We saw an interleague game between the Reds and Indians -- a lot like the Cards/Cubs rivalry with extra hot sauce.
Comerica - Detroit -- pretty bland next to the old Tiger stadium experience. The ballparks sits in the middle of a nice 4 sq block area inside the war zone.
Miller Park -- nice, clean but very anteseptic even with the Cubs in town. Felt like we were in a convention center not a ballpark.
Jack Murphy - Qualcomm -- beautiful, relaxing setting that was right on a light rail stop down from the gaslight district and few golf courses. Nice!!
Dodger Stadium -- fun once we finally got there, brutal traffic. Was there on the weekend when Fernando Tatis went GS twice in the same innning off Park!!
The Ted -- Atlanta -- more of a social gathering. Crowd was busy partying in the big open area in centerfield more than being into the game.
Skydome -- Toronto -- had a great time with saw several games from a hospitality suite, right behind home plate and saw a game from our room,too. Manny Ramirez hit the longest shot ever there into the 4th deck, est at 548 ft above the hotel rooms and Carl Everett hit one into the centerfield restaurant that scattered all the patrons. Boston was in town, so their fans were into the game!!
Montreal -- felt like a tomb raider after seeing a game there.
Riverfront Stadium -- during Schott's ownership was as bland and boring as it gets.
New Cominsky -- fun but not very relaxing in that neighborhood, everyone wanted to leave right after the game.
Camden Yards -- classy ballpark, but fans weren't into their lousy team. Love the Inner Harbor.
by saytreykid on Jan 26, 2007 3:06 PM EST reply actions
hardly worth mentioning, but...
i went to the game when tatis had two grand slams in one inning at dodger stadium. i was wearing cardinal gear and cheering. i had a variety of concessions thrown my way.
unless you have to, don't see the a's at home. it's a terrible stadium.
by slonim on Jan 26, 2007 3:41 PM EST reply actions
The cookie cutter tour
Busch II
Riverfront
The Vet
RFK
Somehow, I missed Three Rivers.
I've also been to the BOB (or whatever bank is sponsoring it now) in Phoenix. It was pretty nice, although I agree that upper deck is STEEP and a little scary. I would not want to be drinking up there.
Camden Yards is a great place to see a game. Or at least it was, when the Orioles were decent and the stadium wasn't half-empty. The grass, the warehouse, the smoke from Boog's BBQ, and the generally good people of Baltimore.
Great topic!
Busch II; I know its not one of the prettier ballparks in history, but having grown up in STL in the 80's, it will always mean baseball to me, nothing else seems quite right. Two great memories out of many-camping out for opening day bleacher seats at the stadium as a 12th birthday present. I don't remember a damn thing about the game, but I remember staying up all night talking to strangers about baseball, and new one day friends holding our spots in line when we went to the Eat-Rite at 6am to have burgers for breakfast. And last year, going to Homer's Landing with my wife's family reunion, and going to look at the construction of the new stadium with my wife's cousin, an equally rabid fan who's dad had poured concrete for Busch II, both of us shutting up when we were on the verge of tears.
Shea Stadium: It ain't pretty but sice I've lived in New York its been my baseball home away from home and its also the home of what will probably always remain my greatest baseball memory...The first game after 9/11, my new girlfriend (now my wife), my best friend from Saint Louis and I watched the first inning on TV and then decided we had to be in the stadium. It was the most unbelivably electric and joyous atmosphere atmosphere I've ever experienced at a ballpark. At the seventh inning stretch it was a tight ballgame, everyine was feeling rowdy (and a little on edge, as planes were flying directly over the stadium every ten minutes, as always) when a tottering and quite possibly drunken Liza Minelli stood on top of the Mets dugout and belted out "Start Spreadin the News..." the crowd started out laughing at but ended up screaming along with her and each other, it was a beautiful collective catharsis, everyone loved each other, and in the bottom of the seventh Mike Piazza snuck one over the wall, the sad little apple came out of its hat, and the Mets won the game. I could never stand Mike Piazza until that game.
The Kingdome: Wow, what an ugly ballpark. Lots of orange, no saving graces, I hate indoor baseball. Also, it was 1994 and Griffey didn't play that day. Feh.
Oakland Coliseum: Another ugly ballpark, but a lot more fun. Also, it was July fourth, a beautiful day for baseball, and we were able to call up and buy third row field boxes on the way to the game. Which is sad for the A's, but nice for me and the girl.
Yankee Stadium: I'm sad to say I agree with the negative comments on this post, for all its age and history, its just kind of...ugly. Its got no cutout, its just this great gray round monolithic thing full of Yankee fans, bleh.
Pac Bell or SBC or whatever IT company owns the naming rights now: My wife and I had a small wedding in Big Sur with just a couple of friends and my "bachelor party" was my friend Steve and me walking around San Francisco for a couple of days. The day before the wedding, we walked down to the ballpark, there was a two hour rain delay, it was against the Nationals, and there was no Barry Bonds. There was however, the ubiquitous smell of garlic fries and the most perfectly designed ballpark I've ever seen. The upper deck feels as close as the field boxes in any other park I've been to. A great day.
Sorry for the long post, but thanks for the great topic.
Best Memory
Carp gives up acouple homers in first few innings but in the 9th inning David Eckstein Walkoff Homerun it was awesome.
Ballparks
Crosley Field: I grew up in central Ohio, the Reds were our team, so this was where I saw my first game in 1965 and usually a doubleheader a year until it closed in 1970. My first game, I got my favorite player's autograph -- Pete Rose. This was so long ago that (1) he was a second baseman and (2)in the midst of his first .300 season. Other players in the game were Frank Robinson, Tony Perez, Vada Pinson, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Bill Mazeroski. Pirates won, 3-1. A couple of years later I saw the Reds and Cardinals play a doubleheader. In one of the games the Reds took an 8-0 lead, the Cardinals scored 10 runs in the 5th, and it ended 10-8. Kind of a dump, really, but I loved the sepia-toned photo murals of old Reds in the concourses, and the terrace in left field (sort of the like the one in Houston's CF, only not a gimmick -- they had to keep it there to support the LF wall.
Riverfront Stadium: Ugh. Nothing much good to say about this one, except I sure saw some great baseball played there in the early 70s by the Big Red Machine.
Busch II: I went to Wash. U. in the late 70s, the first time I'd actually lived in a big league city, so I went all the time. You could buy a nosebleed ticket (top 5 rows of the upper deck) for $2, then basically sit anywhere you could get away with. I never went near the upper deck and usually ended up in a great seat between home and first. Unfortunately, this was the Hector Cruz era, so the team sucked. I also was there for the Templeton game in 1981, although by then I'd moved to Texas for grad school.
Wrigley, Old Comiskey: Also in the late 70s. My one trip to Wrigley it was April and the ivy wasn't leafed out yet, so that was a drag. Still a great place to see a game. Small crowd that day, I had no problem getting good seats down the first base line. Saw the Cubs play the Mets. After the game I walked into a bar across the street and some total stranger bought me a beer practically before the door closed behind me, despite the fact that I was wearing a Cardinal cap. At old Comiskey around the same time, 1978 or so, I saw a White Sox-Brewers doubleheader from the front row right behind first base -- classic, great old park, even though it reeked of 70 years of stale beer and other less savory smells.
Astrodome: Didn't like it at all. My first visit was in '79 or '80, before they banned smoking, and by the end of a doubleheader the air was as thick as a nightclub at 1 am and my eyes were burning. I'm not a fan of smoking bans, but I'd make an exception for domed ballparks. In later years the air was cleaner, but the park atmosphere was still more of a shopping mall than a ballpark.
Metrodome: For some reason, I didn't hate it. It had a nice combination of intimacy and intense atmosphere, somehow. Big, friendly, knowledgable Friday-night crowd, lots of kids having fun, kind of midwestern state-fair atmosphere, if that makes sense. Saw Pedro pitch for the visiting Red Sox -- I think it was 2002, maybe 2003 -- and Nomah had a big night.
Comerica: Again the Red Sox were the visitors. Place left me cold, no atmosphere at all, and the neighborhood is ghastly once you get more than a couple of blocks away.
Coors: Now my home park -- I live 45 minutes away, so I go all the time. I love the place, I can't think of a single thing I'd do differently, although I think they need to use a special reduced-flight ball there to make the place play normally. The humidor seems to have helped but it's not enough. But the ballpark itself is first-rate in every detail.
I've been to AAA parks in Columbus, Indy, Phoenix, Tucson, and Salt Lake. Salt Lake is the best, hands down. It was designed by HOK (same as Coors and Camden Yards, among others) and the 1B seats face the Wasatch Mountains.
Perry
stadia where I've seen a game
Busch II (because it was first, it'll always be best in my mind, unless . . . see last)
Dodger Stadium
Wrigley Field
Riverfront Stadium*
Old Comiskey Park
US Cellumiskey Park
Metrodome (worst. baseball. stadium. ever.)
Milwaukee County Stadium
Tiger Stadium
Fenway Park
Coors Field
Busch III (only been to 1 game, it needs time to grow on me)
*-flew over on Opening Day, 1988; not the best seats, but the ball game was in progress as the plane flew over, so I'm counting it :-)
Kaufman (KC) now
Wrigley, if you are in the shade and the wind is blowing right, it downright sucks.
Old Comiskey was just that, OLD. It was a neat stadium, it just seemed really dirty.
I've been to only 5
3 in Dodger stadium in 1977? between the Cards and Dodgers -- don't remember much but I remember the Cards were not very good and the Dodgers were quite good; my Dad bet a box of popcorn that the Dodgers would win 3 times -- we're both Cards' fans -- and the Cards miraculously won 2 of 3. There's nothing like going to a ballgame w/ your Dad! 30 years later and I still remember that stupid bet -- Ain't baseball great!
games at the Astrodome and here at Enron, er Minute Maid putt-putt baseball park
I saw my first games in St. Louis this past summer -- never been to St. Louis before but been a Cards' fan all my life. We saw 3 games in July vs. the Braves. The first, ironically enough, was Weaver's 1st game w/ the Cards -- he stunk, we got blown out. The 2nd Marquis was on the mound -- he stunk, we got blown out. In one of those 2 games, Jorge Sosa (yes, that one) hit a HR for the Braves. Game 3 was the tornado game -- what an experience! Carp pitched and the game started around 9:30 I guess. It was over around midnight w/ the handshakes on the field. Awesome! Just one win in a pretty bad series and it's more well-known for the damage done to the stadium. But it was a hell of an experience.
Everybody should go to a game at Busch every year. It ought to be a law. I get tired of seeing Cards' games surrounded by surly Astros fans who talk trash even after losing the game. The difference in fans in Houston and St. Louis is enormous. I know a lot of people don't particularly like the new stadium but to me, it's the best one on the planet 'cause it's the only one where I can watch my team w/ 38,000 of my friends!
Amen to that!
by RosevilleRedbird on Jan 26, 2007 5:33 PM EST up reply actions
Old Tiger
My list...
Comerica
Metrodome
Kaufmann
Old Comiskey
New Comiskey
Comerica
Pro-Player (Marlins)
County
Miller Park
Busch II
Busch III
Arizona (whatever its called)
it's official-weaver to seattle
i don't really get this. weaver sucks in the al and he knows it, and says he loved playing here for a contender. yet he goes to the mariners of all teams? oh, well.
I can't believe it either.
by deanj on Jan 26, 2007 7:17 PM EST up reply actions
2-5 not league average?
if you mean individually I'd be willing to take some sort of bet that at least 2 of the pitchers are league average (which means their ERA+ is at least 100)
I'm pretty sure that Reyes will be able to keep his ERA under 4.5, as will Wainwright...
and Wells has the potential to if healthy, guess we'll see in a couple weeks when pitchers/catchers report..
by tenniseleven on Jan 28, 2007 5:17 AM EST up reply actions
Ankiel Forgets How To Pitch
as I call it. We scored 6 off of Maddux in the 1st and I was on beer number 6 when "it" happened.
The day before Game 3 in Atlanta my brother says "See if we can get tickets." We do and drive down to Atlanta to see the sweep. That was the game that Garrett Stephenson's arm fell completely off and he was never the same.
by saladdin69 on Jan 26, 2007 6:41 PM EST reply actions
I have only been to 3 parks
Dodger Statium
Bank One Ballpark
BOB was pretty cool. I saw the D'Backs in their inagral season. There were 7 homeruns hit in that game. I believe Devon White hit one into a swimming pool in the right feild bleachers.
oh, yea
I agree...
Jeff Weaver signed with Seattle?
by ilillillli on Jan 26, 2007 7:38 PM EST reply actions
I'm with you on Weaver
He made a huge statement in going to Seattle - and that's his perogative. I wonder how much of the decision was Boras vs. Weaver? It doesn't really matter, other than it's a terrible decision for all concerned IMHO. Jeff had a shot at a good couple of years in St. Louis, where his incentives would have probably been earned - making the money roughly equal. And he had a great shot at more postseason glory.
Maybe he wants to pitch a few times against his brother?
Whatever. If he didn't want us any more than he's indicated in this decision, I don't want him on the squad. The good news is Tony has to rely on the young guys more and we'll found out what they're made of - count me as optimistic that Reyes/Wainwright/Thompson/Navrveson/etc. collectively produce some good results. Not all of them will be great, but within the group there's going to be some fun baseball to watch. I think Anthony and Adam are both going to shine.
distant views, cold winds and Bob Gibson
Fenway
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) -- Underrated park. Everyone always seemed to be having a blast.
Camden Yards -- As good as advertised.
Metrodome -- Needs to be imploded and soon. My seats were down the first-base line, and they basically faced right field.
Comerica -- I went in 2003, so there were about 1,000 people in the park. Pretty much had the run of the place.
Cleveland Municipal Stadium -- Easily the farthest I've ever been from home plate.
Royals Stadium
Ballpark in Arlington -- For a tour but never a game.
Veterans Stadium -- A dump.
RFK
Busch II -- One of the games I had the misfortune of attending was this one, which Bob Gibson started with 2,997 career strikeouts.
Busch III -- Your memories as good as (and probably better than) mine.
Enron -- Biggio won the game on a walk-off 320-foot homer. (Guess where?)
Wrigley -- Friendly confines, my butt.
Candlestick -- Surely, the coldest ballpark in the history of baseball.
ball parks
Pittsburgh's park is wonderful, and the city was beautiful. Took the famdamnaly there last season and we will go back. Met a lot of people from St.Louis. 10:1 was the ratio of fans wearing Steeler gear vs. Bucs gear. Cards got swept.
Camden Yards:
Has to be the nicest park I have been to. The fans would rather chat on their phones than watch the game.
BuschII:
My wife and I flew out there and stayed at the Millenium. Really loved the town and the people. Missed our chance to try fried ravioli. Will have to come back for that, and maybe see the new Busch.
Yankee Stadium II:
I really wasn't impressed, and I lived there at the time. The amazing thing was my then two year old son raised his arms and said home run! Less then a second later a ball hit by Fred Lynn left the yard. Angels ended up losing. Sept 3, 1989.
Shea Stadium:
Not real nice either, and lousy for footbal. Last time there got pelted with hotdog bits and pretzels for wearing Cards gear. Cards were losing at the time. Final Mets 6 Cards 2
The Vet:
Been here the most. Every year the wife and I would go to Philly visit realatives and see the Cards play. Never saw them win. Saw the "Battery Game", and felt sick for Drew. Saw Scottie's first game back when he was booed for stepping onto the on deck circle, and fielding a ground ball.
RFK:
This place has gotta go. What a dump. Saw Marguis pitch a masterful game there two summer's ago, and caught another win there as well. Only time We have seen the Cards win in person.
Skydome:
Will not ever go back. It is a cold concrete lifeless stadium in a cold concrete city. Yankees scored 9 runs in the nineth to win 18-6.
losing my mind
A slight correction
by geronimopena on Jan 27, 2007 12:52 AM EST up reply actions
I am truely sorry
T-Ravs off topic
by geronimopena on Jan 27, 2007 11:26 AM EST up reply actions
Huh?
Toronto
well,
The city reminded me alot of Philly the residential housing and the trolly etc. I was born in Philly. The people in Toronto were not welcoming. So I felt it was a cold town. The city was clean and we felt safe, but the town didn't seam to have a heart.
In comparison when we came to St.Louis every passer by said hello or enjoy the game. Most people wanted to know where we were from. Pittsburgh was even more so. Even the bums were friendly. Baltimore, Philly and NYC have a personality. You might not like it, but they are not cold and aloof.
Thanks....
London is quite like what you describe Toronto, in terms of it being a very stoic city. But once I got to know people they were very nice.
New Englanders
I work for a company HQ'd in Maine. I have to
travel to Boston, and other New England cities alot. I have come to know about 80-90 people from the area quite well, and others casually. Well, I have found them to be rude obnoxious, and condescending.
The first trip I made there after the '04 series was very telling. I was greeted this way more times than I can remember. "Oh, you are from NY. THE BIGGEST COLAPSE IN BASEBALL HISTORY! YANKEES SUCK!" I would respond by saying "Well actually I am a Cardinal fan." That would start the whole place laughing.
After a while my response changed to this." That's right if the Yankees didn't COLAPSE you guys would not have won squat. Your team didn't win cause they deserved to. You guys won ONLY BECAUSE THE YANKEES COLAPSED!" Think about it.
They didn't say. "Greatest come back in baseball history!" No they had to go the other way. Made me want to be a Yankee fan and say. "Yeah we figured we'd let you losers have one. Hell we got what 24-25 who's counting."
They started to realize how stupid they sounded so then they went on about the Pats, and of course I'm an Eagles fan. OH WELL.
Old and new
Busch II
Wrigley
Old Comiskey
New Comiskey
Fenway
Tiger Stadium
Comerica Park
My most memorable was this one at Old Comiskey, when the Orioles broke an 0 and 20 start at the beginning of the 1987 season (a record at the time?).
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198804290.shtml
Tiger Stadium and Old Comiskey were definitely great old parks (lots of obstructed views thanks to all the supporting girders). I like how open the view is at Comerica Park from the concourse.
I've also seen two storied minor league teams at home: The Toledo Mudhens and Durham Bulls. Both definitely worth a trip.
My Wrigley Experience
What made it decent was being able to watch the first few innings from one of those buildings across the street. My cousin worked for one of the owners and got us up there free. It was like 100-150 per person just to watch, with all you can eat and drink. I think it was this game that Sammy Sucksa hit a homer they measured at 505 feet to dead center.
The second game I watched, the attendents moved the family in front of us because the plumbing above was leaking on them. Classy place.
I did get to see the "nuns" who walk through the stands with their Go Cub signs. They sat beside us.
And yes, I hit on one of them. Even Classier.
by saladdin69 on Jan 26, 2007 9:44 PM EST reply actions
Busch III disappoints
I live in Florida, so any day at Busch is great for me, but couldn't they see this park was kinda boring?
Another OF?
A short deal might be possible - I like the idea of him better than a Preston Wilson. He's obviously on the downhill slide, but there might be enough in the tank to help us out - he certainly knows how to win.
Talent vs. knowing how to win
I guess we'll have to compare all ex-Yankees to Tino - that wasn't a pretty move for us.
In Tino's case, his talent wasn't a fit for the role we needed him to play - middle of the order, everyday run producer. In looking at his last few years in NY compared to his 2 in St. Louis, the major difference was his drop in HR. Playing in lefty-friendly Yankee Stadium with a stronger supporting cast - and being a little younger - made the difference. Maybe he just ran out of gas, maybe the talent just had gone home...
In Bernie's case, I wouldn't want a long or expensive contract (he only made $1.5mm last year) I'd be looking at him to be our 4th outfielder - although he'd get a fair bit of playing time, playing in center or left against lefties, and maybe some time in right against righties. It would give us our 3rd switch hitter off the bench (along with Spezio and Miles), which could be nice. He may not want that, preferring an everyday starting role - which we can't offer. If the talent's gone, forget about him - knowing how to win makes no difference. But if the talent's still present then knowing how to win would definitely help.
Any thoughts on our 4th outfielder? Taguchi can't carry the load offensively, JRod is not as valuable being a lefty - we need a right-handed bat. Spezio is below-average defensively and is much weaker from the right side of the plate. I'm not sure I want Preston Wilson back - as lboros says "he's an out machine."
Parks
Bush II-my only game there. Cards lost to the Dodgers 1-0. Went with my dad though and sat behind home plate. Saw Bush III from the Arch this last summer but haven't gotten to a game there.
Old Comisky-tons of times. Remember staying at a miserable drizzly cold game with the Mariners on the off chance we might win tickets to disneyland.
Wrigley-I love it there. It's an awesome park.
Metrodome-Once long after '87.
Mile High in Denver once, not been to Coors field though I have been by it a bunch on the train.
Dodger Stadium-I thought this was a great park with a great view.
by 1985kid on Jan 26, 2007 9:50 PM EST reply actions
Connie Mack (Shibe Park)
Everything since has dancing fountains, organs, electronic scoreboards, mascots. Bullshit, not baseball.
Metropolitan Stadium (Twins)
Veterans Stadium
Wrigley Field
Arlington
Riverfront
Fenway
Dodger Stadium
Busch II
Comerica
PNC Park
Jacobs
Now I prefer adding minor league parks. Looking forward to spring training.
by Birds on the Bat on Jan 26, 2007 11:25 PM EST reply actions
I have two huge regrets
- A group of my friends went to the last game at Tiger stadium... I could have gone, randomly didnt feel like it. Never saw a game there.
- Spent multiple years saying, "i'm going to see a game in Montreal". Also never did.
Look on the bright side
by Hardcore Legend on Jan 27, 2007 1:59 AM EST reply actions
Trailing the field
I'm old enough to have attended games at Sportsman's (BI), BII, and a couple at BIII. I tell you, just from the standpoint of evaluating them as parks, I don't get the love for Busch II. I think it has to be affection for the good times people had there, and an appreciation for the Cardinals and for the players who did great things there. It was a cold, unimaginative, unlovely concrete stadium. The word "ballpark" doesn't even suit it. I'm not sold on Busch III, the retro thing is boring already and it's probably been done better elsewhere, but I admit that when I saw a couple games there in late September I liked it more than I anticipated. If nothing else the sight lines are better and the fans in the upper decks are closer to the field than in BII.
It will be interesting to see what the Nationals do in their new stadium, when they get around to building it. I wonder if they might break out of the retro fad and do something forward-looking. Washington might accept that -- some kind of interesting architectural statement -- more than St. Louis or other cities would.
Scanning the parks listed above I thought I might be the only person here to have attended a game at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore but then DCGregg listed it. He is right, it was an underappreciated park, and a fun place to attend games. Orioles fans are great.
Also, a kind word for old Comiskey. Not being a native Chicagoan, it was always a little uneasy for me to go there. Parking was rather unsettling, as Wildman described, it was a rough and stale-smelling place, as someone else said, and maybe this is more a comment on me than on Comiskey, but in many ways it seemed like a giant bar with a live baseball game going on in the foreground. I loved going to games there. Every time my wife and I would go we would try to sit someplace different; some games we'd even move around every few innings, just to experience different parts of the park, and it was striking how different, even unique, the various places could be. Just as one example, parts of the left field wall were not solid but instead made of chain-link fence, behind which was a picnic area tucked underneath the stands. Seeing that on TV as a kid it always fascinated me and when I got to go there and check it out, it was so cool to be at ground level and be able to see "eye to eye" with the outfielder. Anyway, I bet you get the idea. I liked the old place. The new Comiskey, which I have visited once, ain't nothin' special.
it's official
little known fact, central ohio gets more inches of rain per year than seattle. it's never stops raining or snowing up here. true story.
dont get his changed of mind. after what he said last week to tony, i was sure he was coming back. i guess money talks. sad really, it seams like this is yet another example of a player taking cash over a great experience. he turned down a sure playoff appearance, for what? a few million more? i was on the fence about him coming back to begin with. i thought it would be nice insurance for us. but i didnt want him to block any young pitching stud that might make his presance known. if he wanted more money, why settle for a one year deal? what the heck is scott boris thinking? i hate to say it, but schilling might be right. that man could be killing baseball.
i'll never understand this. just like a college football or basketball player leaving college early for the big cash, i'll never understand why every MLB player won't do anything to play for the Cardinals. think about it, we have the best of everything. we always win, our fans rule and dont get down on players unless they really, REALLY deserve it. we have the best player in Albert, and the best pitcher in the NL in Carp, the best mananger and pitching coach. the best GM in Walt. and a pretty good ownership group that is committed to winning. despite what many think, and a bad public belief that they are penny pinchers. they really do want to win, but not like the Yankees or red sox, or the LA teams, or chicgao teams where those teams just throw money at their problems, while the Cardinals throw reliable, mid to bottom shelf talent at Tony and Dave, who turn them into very consistant winners. i just dont get it. how much money do some people really need? isn't winning and being in a great evironment worth more than a few million more?
as far as today's orginal topic, i've been to a few ballbarks. Busch II many times. all of them in the summer. all of them hot as hell. my cousins always got free tickets for making good grages in school. they went to Pattonville High in STL,dont rememebr what elementarty school or middle schools they went too to get the tickets in the 80's, but it's a big deal in the STL where a person went to high school. if you don't know, i can't explaint it. so during the summer my aunt would come down and get me and my older sister,and we'd go to a few games on the weekends. that happend a lot during the early to mid 80's before we moved up to ohio. after that, i went back only a handfull of times. last game was 2000. me and my dad flew out to check on my grandmother in south east missouri, and saw a saturday game before we flew back. our flight was delayed because of a wicked thunderstorm. we circled STL for 45min with lightning all around the plane. the mets were in town. piazza, and todd zeil killed us. zeil hit two, TWO home runs. piazza hit one, and doubled. i forget who started that game. we sat in the section to the left of Big Mac land. Big Mac actually bearly missed two HR's of his own. he hit two very deep balls to left, and left center. anyway, we lost 7-2 i think. after zeil hit his second home run, my cousin and i walked around the stadium for a while. i had not been there since they put in grass,and shined the old girl up. i really liked what they did. too bad they had to tear her down. never saw a playoff game there. since we live in central ohio i've seen quite a few games at old river front stadium in the natti. compared to Bush II it was a hole. only good thing about it was the $1 dollar hot dogs. also been to Jacobs Field a few times. it's really nice. my bro in law's company has one of the field boxes they put in a few years ago in between the dugouts. hope to go see a game from there this season. most of the gemes i've seen there were from the cheep seats. great park though. not a bad seat in the house. that's actually the last stadium i got to watch a ballgame with my dad. before he got so bad that he could not breathe on his own, his good friend had a couple extra tickts. in 2003, and the Angels were in town. we got to see David and Speezier play. David had a couple hits. Speezier didnt do to well. dad couldn't walk or use his hands anymore, so he was in a wheel chair. so we had to sit in the handicapped section behind home plate. it was in the upper deck. but it was still a good view. and it will always be special because it was the last time i got to watch a ballgame at a park with my dad. dont know if this counts, but i've been to tons of game at Cooper Stadium in Columbus. it's one of the oldest minor league parks left. and it shows its age. haven't been there in a while, but it is what you would expect a 80 year old minor league stadium to be like. my best friends dad has season tickets right behind the third base dugout. so we always went until he moved to KY in 2002. we saw all the latest Yankee greats come up. Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Bernie,Soriano, Rivera,etc. we saw them all before they were stars. my friend was also a beat reporter for the local paper in high school,(small town paper mind you) and right before Jeter got called up, i got to meet him and talk to him for about 5min outside of the local room. great guy. Bubba Crosby came through there too. used to rag on him about being called Bubba. he didn't really like that for some reason. never could figure out why. also went to a Akron once and watched a Aeros game in 2000. same guys that did Busch III did that park. it was uber nice for a minor league park.
that's it for me. 3 major leage parks, and 2 minor league parks. i've always had the dream to drive all over the country and see every team play at home once during the season. doubt that will happen, but it's a nice dream.
Regarding Weaver.......
Wainwright
wainwright is an innings eater
and as mentioned, aside from his injury in 04 he has been a workhorse type pitcher throughout his minor league career..
by tenniseleven on Jan 28, 2007 5:27 AM EST up reply actions
hmmm
busch iii (labor day weekend w/ 3 el hombre dingers on sunday and games 3 and 4 of the ws)
mile high (many - including the first ever game in co)
coors
camden
turner field
shea (saw ken hill throw a pitch into the dugout)
citizens bank
wrigley (love it - saw cards clinch the division 2005)
arlington
fenway
kauffman
and more to come...
don't know if anybody else mentioned it
Weaves
Not sayin' I wouldn't have minded him coming back for a year.... I'm jus' sayin'
1st Night Game at Wrigley
Mariners
by wannabeGedman on Jan 27, 2007 10:07 AM EST reply actions
about yankee stadium
I will take my Busch stadiums anyday
Stadiums...
Shea Stadium - Horrible! A pit and the worse thing about the place is not the obnoxious fans, but the annoying sound of jet airplanes from LaGuardia buzzing the stadium. I SAID, THE MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT SHEA STADIUM IS...
Busch III - Ok but not as good as I had hoped.
WEAVA!
I guess Boras talked him into signing a one-year deal and then try and hit the market next year for one of those big long-term contracts.
If that's the case, he better pitch well this season or it's back to the dumpster. I think he's taking a big gamble.
He forgot....
My list is kinda short
My first game was back in 2002, the Cardinals slaughtered the Cubs like 13-2 or something like that, we left in the 7th or 8th(not my descion) and the next day we went on a tour of the Budweiser plant. Oh, and I sat 12 behind home plate.
My second game was in the box seats, not the Redbird Roost, but the other really really nice one. Dad had to host some kinda deal there for his work. Cardinals lost to the Royals, the only year they were kinda good '03.
Third one was a Cards/Reds, it was that magical 2004 year. I saw Pujols hit a three run homer, and I learned how to pronounce Isringhausen's name. Cards won like 5-10.
Then in 2005 I saw the game BEFORE the Eck walk-off slam. Andruw Jones hit two homers(one granny) to take the lead from Derrek Lee. My friend (a Cubs fan) called the granny. I saw the game when Piazza came back for the Mets, he homered and got beaned in the head by Julian Tavarez. And I saw some Giants game.
Ah, good times.
by viva el rojo pajaro 42 on Jan 27, 2007 12:50 PM EST reply actions
Forgot one
by viva el rojo pajaro 42 on Jan 27, 2007 12:58 PM EST up reply actions
Last season...
Stadiums (Stadia?)
Yankee Stadium - The first stadium I ever saw (a couple months before my Polo Grounds transformation). I can still see that first wedge of green, green, GREEN outfield grass and blue, blue, BLUE sky as I walk up the tunnel. Those colors are tattooed on my memory. Yanks beat the Senators, but Camilo Pasqual hits a line drive over Mantle's head that ricochets off the monuments on one bounce.
Shea Stadium - My brother and I start going there by ourselves during the first year it's open. We bus and subway in from New Jersey early to watch BP and get autographs. I still have a program signed three times by Dennis Ribant. My favorite games there, however, involved me taking my two young daughters to their first ML games (Cards, of course.) It's remarkable how many overpriced hotdogs two small children can eat.
Busch II - Who would hold a convention in St. Louis in August? Welfare Board workers, that's who! Who would go to a Welfare Board worker's convention in St. Louis in August who wasn't a Welfare Board worker? Me, when I learned the Cards were home that week (I was a Welfare Board attorney at the time).
I spent most of the week at the stadium. Took in four games. The best one was when I was given a ticket outside the stadium by someone who just came up and handed it to me while I was on line to buy one. It turns out it was "Webster Groves Night" and I got to sit with the whole group, and even met Miss Webster Groves. Cards win. David Green homers. Maybe the friendliest night I have ever had at a game.
Metrodome - I went primarily to see Kirby Puckett and the Heftybag wall. My first indoor game, I couldn't get over the feeling the place was just the world's largest junior high school gymnasium on a rainy lunchtime recess.
Dodger Stadium - I've already told the story about not being able to find my car after a game there. I really like the stadium and it seems to have the best sightlines from every seat of any place I've been.
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) - A cozy place when full, downright depressing when the crowd was less than 10,000. The echoes were ghostly.
Wrigley - I went undercover - two local friends and three Cubbie caps. No matter where you sit, you feel really close to the game, which can't be beat.
Fenway - Blowing off a seminar in the centerfield bleachers on a warm May afternoon in 1970. A couple shirtless drunks are hurling continual abuse at Yaz until a handful of vigilantes grab them and drag them under the stands. They do not return. A lesson learned about where the lines are in Boston.
Connie Mack - a fire trap by the time I first got there (68 or 69). The Vet was cleaner, but nothing to write home about.
I know I've been to Anaheim and Jack Murphy, but can't remember anything special about either.
I saw the Rolling Stones at RFK in 1972. Does that count?
1 year 8 million
that said, i saw him get shelled one night for 5 runs in the first inning last summer, so if he comes back to that form, good riddance
Went to one game.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07070SLN1999.htm
We left in the top of the ninth to beat the traffic; that ended well.
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