. Fenway Park: The Boston ballpark, shoe-horned into an existing industrial neighborhood in 1912, is the oldest in the majors. Fenway is famous for its enormous left-field wall that pitchers insist is much closer to home plate than its official distance. The Green Monster, which towers over a hand-operated scoreboard, stands 37 feet high but only 310 feet deep. Repeated renovations over the last four years have expanded capacity to 37,400. For many, the experience starts hours before game time when fans in Red Sox garb converge in a street bazaar between the ballpark and a row of souvenir shops. 2. Wrigley Field: Built for Chicago's Federal League team in 1914, this venerable National League park hasn't hosted a World Series since 1945 (the longest drought among the original 16 teams). Superstitious types insist that's because of a curse applied when a local tavern owner was barred from bringing his pet goat in--even thought the goat had its own ticket. Bill Veech, who later became the owner of the White Sox, was a young executive when he built the 75-foot-wide, hand-operated scoreboard (1937) and planted the ivy that adorns the outfield walls (1937). Today, Cub fans complain that the club is in the 100th year of its rebuilding program (no championships since 1908). 3. PNC Park: Pittsburgh's park is a lot prettier than its team. While the building is relatively small (seating 38,496) it offers big sightlines that include a bevy of bridges and the best downtown view of any park. Open since 2001, PNC sits directly across from the skyline beyond the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers. Fans fed up with watching the low-payroll Pirates can take solace in the serenity of the passing riverboats and strollers on the gold-painted pedestrian bridge. 4. Yankee Stadium: The New York Yankees have won 39 pennants and 26 world championships since moving into their Bronx ballpark on April 18, 1923. Lights were added for night play in 1946 and a new scoreboard--the first that allowed messages to be changed--came along 13 years later. Because of a major renovation that forced the Yankees to share Shea Stadium with the Mets in the 1974-75 seasons, Yankee Stadium looks different form the ballpark Babe Ruth dominated during the '20s. Spectators at the 2008 All-Star Game will have one last chance to gaze at Monument Park (where retired jersey hang), take a photo in front of the park's iconic white faced, or watch a home run sail into Pennant Porch--next season, the Yankees move across the street to the new stadium. 5. Nationals Park: Too bad Washington's Cherry Blossom Festival is so short-lived; the cherry trees planted in the pedestrian concourse of this park bloom only two weeks into the season. Perched on the bank of the Anacostia River, the new home of the Nationals offers yearlong views of the U.S. Capitol Building and Washington Monument from many of its 41,222 seats. Fans like it because the field is 24 feet below street level--saving spectators from climbing stairs or ramps. Players aren't so lucky: They have to run up and down stairs to connect from clubhouse to dugout. 6. Oriole Park at Camden Yards: The first new stadium with a retro look has become one of Biltmore's biggest attractions. Not to mention, the home where Babe Ruth was born is blocks away, while the Ruth family café stood at the current site of center field. A museum, relocated from the Ruth birthplace to Camden Yards, honors both the sluggers and the history of the Orioles. The park opened in 1992, three years before Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's mark for consecutive games played. The success of the retro look spawned a myriad of imitations, with those in Texas (1994), Denver (1995) and Cleveland (1997) among the most notable. 7. Minute Maid Park: Houston's domed ballpark, which opened as Enron Field eight years ago, is almost a composite, borrowing Boston's short left-field wall, the 80-odd outfield angles of Brooklyn's Ebbets Field and even the old outfield incline from Cincinnati's Crosley Field. The Crawford Boxes, 315 feet from home plate atop the left-field wall, are a tempting target for hitters. 8. Safeco Field: The freight trains that rumble and toot by this Seattle stadium entertain spectators as much as the elaborate scoreboard system comprised of 11 electronic displays and a blast from the past: a hand-operated scoreboard. The roof keeps the Mariners' field dry but creates an outdoor feel because of the sides of the stadium stay open even when the top is closed. The park also has the best-named concession stand in the majors: Intentional Wok. 9. Coors Field: During their first two seasons in the football-friendly Mile High Stadium, Denver fans set records for single-game and single-season attendance. Designed strictly for baseball, Coors opened with 43,800 seats in 1995 but had to expand to 50,200 to meet the demand. Before the team introduced a humidor in 2002, fans spent years relishing slugfests while eying the snow-capped front range of the real Rockies By refrigerating baseballs at 70 degrees and 50 percent humidity-higher readings than typical natural conditions-scoring returned to reasonable levels and the Rockies reached the World Series for the first time in 2007. 10. Comerica Park: It takes a village: the eight-year-old home of the Detroit Tigers includes cafes, a carousel, a 50-foot Ferris wheel, a scoreboard hugged but giant tigers and a fountain that spring to life whenever a local hits a home run. The stadium also features statues of six Tiger greats, plus such open sightlines that during the 2005 All-Star Game, the riverfront Renaissance Center posted a visible sign indicating the "home run distance" from the ballpark to the top of the building at 4,612 feet. http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2008/06/ranking_minute.html
That looks about right...I don't know enough about the Nats new park to know if it belongs up there or not. PNC Park is gorgeous, though. The only notable exception is the park in San Francisco. I'd have it on my top 10 list.
My top ballparks. Only one's I have visited: 1. Comerica Park (Detroit) 2. Fenway Park 3. Wrigley Field 4. Minute Maid Park 5. Citizens Bank (Phila) 6. Ballpark in Arlington 7. Yankee Stadium 8. Jacobs Field (Cleveland) 9. Turner Field (Atlanta) 10. U.S. Cellular Field (White Sox) 11. SkyDome (Toronto) Retired: 1. Tiger Stadium (Detroit) 2. Astrodome 3. Riverfront Stadium (Reds)
Yankee Stadium is awful. If it wasn't "yankee" stadium, it wouldn't be in consideration at all. I'm so glad they are building a new one.
I miss it... watched my first ball game there... I think I was like 4 or 5. I know I was little Wrigley Field is really a neat stadium. Not a bad seat in the house and the atmosphere inside and out is something to experience.
I like our park, nice changes this season. There is no way I think MMP should be considered one of the "best" ballparks because I can pick out issues with it but I can see it being a top 10 park and at the top of the second tier for sure! Ballparks I have been to (really need to hit up some more) #1 MMP #2 Arlington #3 Yankee Stadium #4 Turner Field #5 Shea
You should... its short. Turned plenty of doubles into singles, turned plenty of would-be singles into outs, and allowed its fair share of pop-fly HR's. In 30 years, once the sheer "shock" of transitioning from the Astrodome to "ten-run" field is long gone... Minute Maid Park will be looked at similarly. Good pitching can win there (unlike Coors). Bad pitching gets rocked there (as it should in all parks).
What a dumb list, seems it's listed by historical value first then actual stadium quality. If anyone has been to Fenway or Wrigley they'd know they're not as well kept as say PNC or MMP and some of the seats even have obstructions making it difficult to see the game. I can't comment on Yankee Stadium since I have not been there but Fenway and Wrigley blow.
It's hard to beat the view from the first base side of Coors as the sun is setting on a nice, breezy early summer or early fall night. Perfect weather, perfect sunset, it is a great ballpark.
As a PNC Park admirer, i've been to Wrigley Field and I can tell you I don't give a damn about the historical value (or in the Cubs' case, lack-there-of), PNC puts Wrigley to shame in every sense.
I was dissapointed about Yankee Stadium. I went in 04 and they didn't have any tours going on, so that wasn't cool. I fell asleep from 2nd-6th innings. The fans behind me knew I was Houston and where trying to irk me by saying Beltran was a sure shot Yankee come 05. I said, "be quite, i'm dreaming about the 94 nba finals."
Not a great list, and I would be more concerned about some factual errors in this guy's writing: -It's Bill Veeck, not Veech. -Jacobs Field was built in 1994. -The inclusion of Yankee Stadium. Seriously, has he even been there?? It's really a dump.
The "top 2" on this list are easily the two most over-rated ballparks in the majors. One was just a miserable experience. Fenway is, plainly and simply, an utter sh!thole. There is nothing quaint or magical about it. It's ugly, small and uncomfortable. While I would rank it above the old "concrete doughnuts" in places like Pittsburgh, Cincy and Philadelphia, in many ways Fenway is worse. When you throw in the price of tickets and the fact that it's filled with some of the rudest, most ignorant a$$holes in the majors (and I'm not just talking about the fans), it's one of, if not THE worst, venue in MLB. I regret ever visiting that dump. Wrigley is just over-rated. Sorry, I don't get it. The neighborhood around Wrigley...yeah, that's something, but the venue itself...let's just say on one of my trips to Wrigley, we decided to hit Milwaukee as well since the 'stros were in town. Not much difference and when you take the brats (WITH the stadium sauce!) into consideration, the edge might go to old County Stadium. It's not anywhere near as bad as Fenway (it's not "bad" at all, really), it's just over-rated. It's an old ballpark. Nothing more nothing less. PNC and Camden Yards (oddly, the locals invariably call it "Oriole Park" and the transients call it "Camden Yards") are 1 and 1A on my list (actually MMP is #1, but I realize that's just the homer in me). Just made my 100 and somethingth visit to Camden last week. As enjoyable as ever...especially on "Wild" Bill Hagy Memorial Night. Boogs sure as hell ain't barbecue, but is a mighty fine roast beef sandwich. Nationals Park is on the schedule next month (11th - 13th!). Comerica is a surprising listee. While it was nice, it's best described as "cavernous". It's very spread out. I'm looking forward to inevitable future visits to Pac Be...er, SBC...oops, AT&T Park, Coors Field and Safeco. Yankee Stadium will be demolished and I will proudly say that I never once stepped foot in it. On principle alone. F the Yankees and Yankee Stadium Finally, back to Fenway and Wrigley. Old Tiger Stadium blew them both away. Not even close. Damn shame it's retired (and soon to be demolished, apparently). That place was really something. Wish I'd gone more than twice.
Colt -- Interesting takes. I completely disagree on Fenway. My experience at Fenway was among the greatest I ever had at a baseball game. It felt like college football in the south there. I was just amazed by it all. I would recommend a trip there to anyone who remotely likes baseball. Completely with you on Wrigley, though. Was entirely unimpressed..particularly with the fans. I wore my 'stros cap and no one gave me hell. The ballpark to me didn't feel special...it should have but it didn't. And a buddy of mine who doesn't hate the Cubs felt the same way. I just walked away thinking the game experience there was so ridiculously overrated. Everyone I knew who went to Yankee Stadium felt it was overrated, too. That it was old and even less charming than Fenway or Wrigley.
I've heard mixed reviews on Fenway--kind of a "love it or hate it" kind of thing. It seems Max wants people to be rude to him when he visits other parks! Is that the lawyer in you, Max? Colt, your post was great reading but I'm so jealous of you right now I'm sick.
