510Bear;344536 said:
Just curious what you all think. It's summer and our national pastime is in full swing.
I'll list some of my faves and least faves. Feel free to include ones that have recently been "retired" as long as they're not too old.
Faves:
1) Fenway Park, Boston - a classic, wouldn't change a thing
2) Pac Bell, SF - the best of the new parks, beautiful setting, splash hits, food, what's not to love?
3) Dodger Stadium, LA - it just has a unique feel with the hills in the distance, the history
Least faves:
1) Coliseum, Oakland - gloomy and desolate
2) Shea Stadium, NY - the East Coast version of the Coliseum, thank God they retired it
3) Tropicana Field, Tampa - it was fun the first season (when I went) but kind of a weird place, probably not nearly as fun now with 1/3 the attendance
Your picks?
If we're throwing sentiment out the window, then PNC in Pittsburgh has to win as best ballpark.
Like the China Basin/Phone Company park, it has a beautiful setting, good food, the occasional splash hit (although I'm not sure anybody can get it there without a bounce).
But it has a few advantages over AT&T. First, AT&T has terrible sight lines from the first deck. PNC is much better in this respect.
Second, there are nice views of the downtown skyline from the first deck at PNC, and at least partial views of one of the bridges, and views of nothing from the first deck of AT&T. Higher up in PNC, there are the river views along with the skyline views, just as at AT&T there are bay views from higher up. I'll take the best views from AT&T over the best views from PNC, but the truly great views at AT&T are from a limited number of seats (down the right field line high up).
Third, PNC is more spacious and comfortable outside of the seating area. If each is full, getting in and out of PNC is easier, getting around PNC is full is easier (and, of course, PNC is rarely full, although I think it unfair to give it any advantage because of that). This is because the China Basin park was limited in its space due to the location, and PNC had far more space to work with, but that's the way it is.
I also have a slight preference for the food at PNC, but that is a matter of taste. PNC did a way better job at the outset of honoring Pittsburgh baseball history. The Giants have improved AT&T in that respect, but PNC is still somewhat ahead.
Fenway and Wrigley are classics, but there are way too many things about them that make them uncomfortable, so if we throw out sentiment, they can't make the top of the list. Allow for sentiment, and they are great parks, at or near the top of the list.
Dodgers Stadium is the second best of the stadiums built in the 60's and 70's, with Kaufman/Royals Stadium the best. But that is not a great category to be at the top of. The 60's and 70's were notable for their boring stadiums. Putting sentiment aside, there is nothing to put Dodger Stadium near the top.
For stadiums that have not yet been put out to pasture, Tropicana and the Oakland Coliseum are at the bottom. There was a lot of bizarre charm about the Coliseum before the 90's remodel for the Raiders. Now, it is a horrible place to go watch a baseball game.
