Worst MLB ballpark to see a game

I dunno but the TV images of "The Trop" make it look fucking foul.

also interested in opinions re: best but it seemed silly to start two polls

If this were 20 years ago I would have voted for Riverfront Stadium or Fulton County Stadium, both just horrible, steep, drafty places

Never went to Candlestick Park but I heard it was the pits.

Would rather wear a Dewayne Staats circa-WGN wig for a week than watch one game inside Tropicana Field.

I really can't say any of the 16 active ones I've been in are awful. Due to middle age, the least 'special' are probably Toronto and Oakland. Cleveland was just OK.

Sun life is okay actually... its real prob is that its just fucking massive

One advantage is that you can sit literally anywhere you want aside from like the owners box

The trop was a rather miserable experience

The Skydome--I mean "Rogers Centre"--was state-of-the-art 20 years ago, but I think it's widely viewed as a joke now. Most non-Toronto parks I've been in are gone now, so I can't vote. Exhibition Stadium was truly something.

I've been to four active ones (Turner, Fenway, AT&T, Safeco) and Turner is probably the least interesting. Candlestick was kinda sucky...I barely have any memory of the one game I went to at Fulton Co. Stadium. Stade Olympique was just plain weird, and I'm glad I got to see a game there.

Olympic was weird, yeah...I saw Maddux beat the Expos in approx. two hours flat.

Um, Greg.

I saw Dontrelle Willis get his first career loss. (WP: J Vasquez)

Olden tymes...

I haven't been to enough parks to really judge (especially now that old Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium are gone), but Oakland Alameda reminded me of Rogers Centre when it was still the Skydome and before they put some money into renovating it. Just a really depressing place. Even the drive up to the stadium is depressing. At least Rogers Centre is a downtown stadium.

only existing parks I've been to are AT&T, Fenway and TRBPIA

The Ballpark is fine - all seats are decent, food is okay, but it was a dumbass move to build a park enclosed on all four sides in Texas. There's no breeze to speak of anywhere in the stands and it's a pretty miserable experience even at night during the summer.
Fenway was Fenway. I'm glad I got to go, but my seats were just good ones on the third base side - would have loved to sit on top of the Monster.
AT&T, saw Jonathan Sanchez's no hitter from the Lexus Club seats that extend out into the field. Perfect weather, food was good, stadium is gorgeous.

was hoping to visit New Busch this year but it's not going to happen

The BART entrance/exit to Oakland Alameda is surrounded by barbed wire, prompting many a Hogan's Heroes joke

i've only been to 3 so i dont think i should vote but:

Fenway - i'm really tall w/ long legs and i just barely barely fit in the regular grandstand seats. my shins get crushed up against the edge of the seat in front of me and it's kind of agonizing. i still go once a year or so though if i luck into cheap/free tickets. the historical-ness of the park is nice and all but it's basically a dump and i'd have no issue with it being replaced with a modern park.

Nationals Park - it's pretty bland architecturally, but it's comfortable and nice enough.

Camden Yards - fantastic in every way imo, this is what i wish we had in boston

i've only been to 5. first, ciderpress otm--fenway is uncomfortable, has terrible food/beer options, and is in no way worth the ransom they charge.

dodger stadium--surprisingly beautiful and a fun atmosphere.

camden--awesome experience overall

the cell--cheap and functional but no charm to speak of.

citi--attractive, amazing food/beer, chances of a dr. m sighting!

AT&T, saw Jonathan Sanchez's no hitter from the Lexus Club seats that extend out into the field.

wow!

Candlestick was not as bad as people are making it out to be, esp compared to the home of the RAIDERS.

Also, I had no idea it wasn't called McAfee Coliseum anymore and has a non-corporate name! Pretty dope imo.

wow!

We covered this live on ILB:

A Thread For Starting Pitchers That Are Doing Really Well

iirc that no-hitter was near perfect game except for an error. i believed it had a highest game score of 2009 (higher than the truly perfect games!)

The BART entrance/exit to Oakland Alameda is surrounded by barbed wire, prompting many a Hogan's Heroes joke

― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:56 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

shit is apocalyptic, feels like walking into mad max beyond thunderdome.

Yeah the A's stadium is definitely the worst I have set foot in.. I've been in all the parks in CA, NY, Minute Maid, Wrigley and Kauffman. AT&T is probably the nicest with Dodger stadium a close second. And I hate the goddamn Giants..

Upper deck at Riverfront was a pretty bad seat as the angle was horrible, every pop fly looked like it was going out of the park. Places that would be decent seats at most parks were not bad at Riverfront as I sat in the outfield and along the third base line a couple of times and they were OK. Old Busch, the Vet and Three Rivers were pretty much the same stadium. I went to a game and saw The Who at old Busch stadium. It was better than Riverfront in that it was kind of built into the ground, so you entered about midway up the stadium.

Great American Ball Park is pretty nice, but really the changes they did to the interstates and roads around that area are the best thing, as it used to be a freaking nightmare getting out of Riverfront. It's cool to sit on the left field side as you can watch barges and boats go up and down the Ohio.

Old Commiskey Park was pretty run down looking. It was like the worlds biggest softball diamond, the whole thing kind of had a park recs feel to it. I'm glad I went to a game there and old Tigers stadium. Wrigley feels really old and the only bad thing other than having a losing club forever is that the parking around there is f-ing horrible. Old Tigers stadium was pretty nice really, it kind of looked like a warehouse on the outside and seemed less "old" as the two Chicago parks. You were right on top of the field where I sat and it looked like it would be pretty good a lot of places, might be a bit weird at spots upstairs.

I like New Commiskey OK the time I went. It does seem like in the outfield you are a bit back from the action. It is pretty easy to get out.

I thought Milwaukee County Stadium was really nice. The fans there tailgated like a football game during the weekend and were really friendly. Miller Park looks pretty well done for a retractable roof stadium on TV.

I thought Milwaukee County Stadium was really nice. The fans there tailgated like a football game during the weekend and were really friendly.

i need to do this before i die. see the brewers in milwaukee.

I just assumed most of you would have been to a lot of ballparks! I've only been to the two Chicago parks and (when I was like seven or eight) Camden Yards (which I don't remember at all. I'd like to go to Miller Park sometime too.

I've only been to Wrigley, the Cell, and Safeco Field. Cell was the worst of those. Not a very large sample size.

Yeah the Cell definitely has some weird aspects, the nosebleed seats are very high up and if you're down either side it's hard to tell where fly balls are going. The one time I sat out by the home dugout it was nice though.

and they have veggie dogs (only veggie burgers at Wrigley)

Lower is certainly better. The times I have sat in the upper deck, I felt like I got vertigo.

I understand that the Ballpark is awful because of the insane heat, but of the stadiums that I've been to that are still used for baseball then the Coliseum is the worst.

AT&T is the best designed/located ballpark, but I would rather watch a game at Fenway then anywhere else.

xp for the record Candlestick was worse than the Coliseum.

key fact: The Cell has the best corndogs ever

i had a quite good hot dog there. and yeah, we were really high up behind home plate in a slugfest and had no idea where any of the fly balls were going.

only been to 7 ML parks... i think at this point ive been to more milb parks. Petco could be worst out of the ones I've been to. It seems like the concourse area is a huge fire/disaster hazard -- it took me, literally, twenty minutes to find the staircase/elevator to my seat.

plus, y'know, padres.

Haven't been to Petco, but I do get the sense that it is an awful 'new' park. Judging from what I've seen on tv, of course.

BTW, I just want to say that I love Dodger Stadium. Love everything about it.

kinda funny how the 2 parks that absolutely everyone seems to like (camden yards & pnc) currently feature the 2 worst teams in baseball

camden is amazing. dodger stadium mid-summer twilight first pitch is insanely beautiful.

This thread is the first thing in years that's made me want to set foot in L.A.

you shd seriously do it

Might be a couple of years at this point, but it's on my list.

Biggest baseball regret: that I didn't become a fan until after I left Orange Co. in '75 -- no doubt I would have been able to go to a zillion Angels & Dodgers games.

I've been to 7 stadiums total. Out of the 4 old ones (Old Yankee/Cleveland Municipal/Milwaukee County/Tiger Stadium) I'd def. pick the "Mistake By The Lake". But of the other 3 (Comerica/Cell/SkyDome) I have to vote for Toronto. Comerica is by far the best stadium I've visited.

dodger stadium mid-summer twilight first pitch is insanely beautiful.

^^this x1000000

I really really liked Safeco, but it may be because I splashed out for a good seat at all three games, the vendors were entertaining, the food and beer were good as I recall, the weather was great, and in general I was on the most relaxed vacation I've ever taken.

haha i was just gonna add Safeco to this:

kinda funny how the 2 parks that absolutely everyone seems to like (camden yards & pnc) currently feature the 2 worst teams in baseball

― ciderpress, Thursday, September 2, 2010 6:22 AM (3 hours ago)

Safeco is maybe the best of the post-Camden parks I've been in.

I liked Safeco, but I still like AT&T better. It's cosier.

What specifically do you guys like about these parks? Like why is Camden Yard so esteemed, for example?

AT&T has a amazing location. The ballpark itself is very pretty and well maintained. The seats are uniformly close to the field with good sightlines. The food is decent. Safeco is about the same, I just don't think the park is quite as pretty and its a little bigger with a slightly higher % of less good seats.

re: camden yards - comfortable seats, great atmosphere (i was surprised at how many still-enthusiastic O's fans i saw even at ~20 games out, this was in early june). food i had was good iirc.

very pretty view of baltimore skyline if you like that sort of thing. that big old brick warehouse building that i forget the name of is integrated into the main concourse and acts as an old-timey historic tie-in to give a bit of traditional-baseball-ness feel despite being a newer park. i was sitting in the upper deck and it didn't feel too far away from the field.

and of course it's way cheaper than fenway

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/SafecoFieldTop.jpg/800px-SafecoFieldTop.jpg

Pretty much what Alex said. Great sightlines, a huge field-level swath of seats that I seem to recall being cheaper than Turner Field's. It and the football stadium next door are kinda plopped down in the middle of a sea of parking spaces, so it loses points there, but there can be only one AT&T for great location. I was about 10 rows behind the visitors dugout for a couple of games and it was more like picnicking on a hillside and watching a baseball game break out than jumping through a bunch of unpleasant "giff me your money/show me your ticket, RAUS!" hoops.

Dodger Stadium has an awesome view, insanely cheap tickets with good sightlines (top deck behind the plate $7), and its clean and well maintained in spite of its advanced age.

Drawbacks are long lines for concessions, expensive parking with no good options, no tailgating, expensive in general.

I will also say the polish sausage I got at Wrigley was the best ballpark hot dog I've ever had.

i've been to 10 mlb stadiums in my life - 4 are no longer is use (Yankee, Shea, Exhibition & Oympic). of the 6 current ones i didn't hate any (not even the dome). U.S. Cellular was the most "meh", but i'll abstain from voting in this one.
and like everyone else my fav is hands down Camden in every way.

I sat two rows back from the right side of the dugout at camden for 50 bux and there were more than plenty of options to turn it into a first-row squat situation. if they were winning that wouldn't be possible, but, y'know, 50 bux vs. 1500 for the same seat at NYS

yeah camden is like, sightlines, skyline, huge warehouse building, massive concourses, crabcake sandwiches, local beers, nice people.

Sorry, nostalgia--my first-ever game live, Anaheim Stadium in July, '69. My dad would drive me crazy trying to get me to take pictures like this--he did the same thing with Bench at spring training in 1972--but 40 years later, of course, I'm as grateful as could be. Not exactly a great view of the park.

http://phildellio.tripod.com/catfish.jpg

I think Safeco has it all. Love that park. There isn't a bad seat in the place. And there are some neat little spots to watch the game throughout the park, like underneath the left field manual scoreboard -- you can sit at a bar stool and watch the game through the peep holes through the scoreboard (if you get a spot early enough). For the single people, go out to the centerfield area -- tons of people having a good time.

Also, the food served at Safeco is incredible. Kidd Valley's Garlic Fries are awesome. And the beer selections are top notch - although pricey as hell.

I go to Safeco about 10 times a season, and try to get seats in different locations each time.

My only complaint about Safeco is the music. This year's intro song for the team is fucking terrible. It sounds like Deathcab For Cutie or something like that. It almost sounds like the Owl City song. But I guess it fits with this town, because Seattle is a city full of pussies.

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