Totally agree with PNC #1, SF #2 is fair too but CitiField at 25 is ridiculous unless you are really heavily weighing neighborhood/location (totally agree the neighborhood/location is horrible) Link - ( New Window )
it's a nice enough stadium, has some great amenities, but the price disparity leaves one part empty or stuffed with suits and makes the place seem a lot less involved than the old one, outside of the bleachers and the seats over the RF wall. They've got to make some changes to pricing and to the fan experience.
Agree with OP - Citifield is way too low. I'd certainly put it ahead of Citizens Bank and few others in the middle group. I've never been to AT&T but the other 3 in the top 4 are correct - PNC, Wrigley, Petco. All incredible places to see a game. Camden may be a little high on the list IMO.
Two of my kids saw their first MLB games there, the third (and maybe fourth) probably will in a month or so. Great fan experience, good sight lines, great backdrop.
time goes on, the more I hate Yankee Stadium. Sure, it's colossal and has a great hall. But on a nice day, I don't want to feel like I'm stuck inside watchign a game. It just doesn't feel open.
I havent' been to SF's park, but PNC, sitting behind the plate was the best baseball experiences I've had notwithstanding the actual game play.
Also including 5 that no longer exist (old Yankee, Shea, the vet, candlestick and Qualcomm). I'd say Old Yankee would still be in the top half - while it was run down, and the grandstand was too narrow, etc. -- you can't replicate history - it was a great place to see a game.
Obviously I'm not a Yankee fan, and maybe too much weight on "history" vs. amenities but I really loved YS1 and have a lot of fond memories there. I'm not all that blown away by YS2, not saying that as a "hater" just nothing really special about it.
4 that no longer exist I've been to 19 parks so far.
I just edge you out. I've been to 20, including 5 that no longer exist. And I'm not including Rogers Centre, because I only went on a tour and did not see a game. They were actually converting the field for the Argonauts the day I was there.
My favorite: AT&T Park. It's a cliched answer but it really is fantastic.
the original was well nigh gutted and what you had left from the 70's renovation was nostalgic only for the 90's-00's dynasty. It was dirty and the only part of the fan experience that wasn't shitty was the fans.
some of the best stadiums in the game. PNC (this year), Camden, Petco, Safeco, and Fenway. And of course both New York stadiums.
My favorite was Safeco. I just thought it was awesome. At the very least, it destroys any other Domed stadium.
And as much as I hate to say it, I agree with those of you who think CitiField is better than the new Yankee Stadium. CitiField was just an unreal improvement over Shea Stadium and the new Yankee Stadium is a downgrade over the Cathedral, so maybe that bias plays into it. But I do think Citifield should be ranked higher.
Safeco, incredible mid-May night, warm, no rain, roof open, saw Ken Griffey Jr in one of his final games, $25 seats behind the M's dugout, nice beer selection, and a friendly (but sparse) crowd for a mid-week night.
I haven't been to PNC, but it's on my list, I was at Three Rivers, what a dump.
and I love Fenway, but it's less for the park - because it's awful for watching baseball - more about the environment in and around the park (other than Sweet Caroline and the Wave which make me sad for Boston).
I agree. I'm also a huge Mets fan, but I loved Old Yankee stadium and would go watch games there whenever I got a chance irrespective of who the Yankees were playing. Unfortunately, I was born in the early 70s so I never got to see Yankee Stadium before the refurbishment - I'm sure before the refurb it was even more incredible. I have been to new Yankee Stadium only 1 time and don't have a huge desire to go again.
a few years ago and went to Oakland and Anaheim. I honestly preferred Oakland to Anaheim (Stadium wise. Nothing else). Anaheim was not nice. Oakland wasn't nice either, but I came in with such low expectations that it surprised me.
in the late-90's, maybe early 00's when Disney owned them. I was in Ontario, CA on business and a colleague and I said - hey let's go to a game.
random tuesday night we drove up without tickets, and a guy on the way in sold us two tickets with parking for maybe 50$ total. My feet were on the dugout (this was pre-World Series win).
The stadium was as clean as a disney park and before the game was ready to start we noticed it was us and 15,000 asians in the stadium, after the top of the 1st we found out why - Hideo Nomo was pitching for the Tigers.
Nondescript game I didn't care about at all, but I didn't hate the park.
I've been to worse parks - three rivers among them.
When you are in certain cities, you make it a point to check out the stadium. That's the sign of a truly great ballpark. That, and when you find out the home team is out of town when you will be there - and are disappointed. Those are true ballparks.
are insulting and moronic. I was just at Coors Field. Beautiful baseball stadium. In no way is it better than Citi. Unless you want to find reasons that you pull out of your ass.
When you are in certain cities, you make it a point to check out the stadium. That's the sign of a truly great ballpark. That, and when you find out the home team is out of town when you will be there - and are disappointed. Those are true ballparks.
Well I do that every where I go. If I'm in a city for a few nights, the first thing I do is check out the baseball or hockey teams schedules. Regardless of the stadium
Sitting in the old Yankee stadium and getting stuck behind one of those metal support beams which blocked much of your view? Stadiums have cone a long way.
when I went with my father and uncles, etc, I'd get stuck behind the obstruction.
at Fenway too.
I was sat at the old Yankees Stadium I was looking down at the foul pole. there were birds flying below us, maybe it was my youth, but that place seemed steep.
I know this will come off as corny, but I disagree about YS2. I think it was special, primarily because it was still the shell of the original park. It was modernized in the 70s, but it was Yankee Stadium. I know up until it closed, I still got goosebumps every single time I went and stepped out of the runway and saw the field and facade for the first time.
With YS3 I wanted so badly to love it. From the renderings, I loved the return to the limestone facing, the old facade, keeping the dimensions, etc. But, the place just feels cold and sterile to me. It is not exciting to be there outside of the team that plays there. As this team is becoming less special with the lack of stars, it really is a dreary place to watch a game. It is not loud partly because of acoustics, but also because there are always thousands of empty seats in the lower bowl every night.
On top of that, there is nothing in the new amenities that really makes it special to the average fan. The food selection really sucks. It is really just decent fast food, maybe a slight step up from the options that were at the old Stadium but at a much higher price. the whole stadium is catered to luxury boxes and seats and that is made very clear in the way the staff treats fans.
I don't see the neighborhood as a big enough detraction to place them in the bottom third of the league. Likewise, I don't think the big dimensions were a reason to rank them this low. The reality is, the stadium wasn't too big. It was just too big for the team they assembled. Visiting teams actually homer at a decent pace at CitiField, at least through last year. It's the power lacking offense the Mets have continued to trot out that made it too big.
But, the design is beautiful. The food is good stadium food with nice options. And, the team was receptive to fan comments about some of the aesthetics and they made changes accordingly.
I haven't been there but I agree that there was something special about knowing all the history that had been played on that very field. You never get that feeling once you bulldoze it even if the new one looks the same.
I havent' been to SF's park, but PNC, sitting behind the plate was the best baseball experiences I've had notwithstanding the actual game play.
Otherwise it looks like a concrete bunker. They desperately need a new stadium.
Otherwise it looks like a concrete bunker. They desperately need a new stadium.
Jints, your a Rays fan.. Correct?
I just edge you out. I've been to 20, including 5 that no longer exist. And I'm not including Rogers Centre, because I only went on a tour and did not see a game. They were actually converting the field for the Argonauts the day I was there.
My favorite: AT&T Park. It's a cliched answer but it really is fantastic.
My favorite was Safeco. I just thought it was awesome. At the very least, it destroys any other Domed stadium.
And as much as I hate to say it, I agree with those of you who think CitiField is better than the new Yankee Stadium. CitiField was just an unreal improvement over Shea Stadium and the new Yankee Stadium is a downgrade over the Cathedral, so maybe that bias plays into it. But I do think Citifield should be ranked higher.
I haven't been to PNC, but it's on my list, I was at Three Rivers, what a dump.
and I love Fenway, but it's less for the park - because it's awful for watching baseball - more about the environment in and around the park (other than Sweet Caroline and the Wave which make me sad for Boston).
I've been to maybe 10 - 12 stadiums.
Also, don't know why the A is ranked so highly. Talk about bland.
Haven't been to YS2 yet. Went to YS1 a few times over the years.
Shea was a dump but it had character and I kind of miss it. Citi is a billion times nicer, though.
random tuesday night we drove up without tickets, and a guy on the way in sold us two tickets with parking for maybe 50$ total. My feet were on the dugout (this was pre-World Series win).
The stadium was as clean as a disney park and before the game was ready to start we noticed it was us and 15,000 asians in the stadium, after the top of the 1st we found out why - Hideo Nomo was pitching for the Tigers.
Nondescript game I didn't care about at all, but I didn't hate the park.
I've been to worse parks - three rivers among them.
Well I do that every where I go. If I'm in a city for a few nights, the first thing I do is check out the baseball or hockey teams schedules. Regardless of the stadium
at Fenway too.
I was sat at the old Yankees Stadium I was looking down at the foul pole. there were birds flying below us, maybe it was my youth, but that place seemed steep.
haven't been to the current YS yet.
With YS3 I wanted so badly to love it. From the renderings, I loved the return to the limestone facing, the old facade, keeping the dimensions, etc. But, the place just feels cold and sterile to me. It is not exciting to be there outside of the team that plays there. As this team is becoming less special with the lack of stars, it really is a dreary place to watch a game. It is not loud partly because of acoustics, but also because there are always thousands of empty seats in the lower bowl every night.
On top of that, there is nothing in the new amenities that really makes it special to the average fan. The food selection really sucks. It is really just decent fast food, maybe a slight step up from the options that were at the old Stadium but at a much higher price. the whole stadium is catered to luxury boxes and seats and that is made very clear in the way the staff treats fans.
But, the design is beautiful. The food is good stadium food with nice options. And, the team was receptive to fan comments about some of the aesthetics and they made changes accordingly.
they had $1 bleacher seats.
I had a good time, but it wasn't a great stadium.