The parks opened since 1990
The Decade of the 1990s saw nine new Major
League parks open: Chicago; Baltimore; Arlington, TX; Cleveland;
Denver; Atlanta; Phoenix; sort of in St. Petersburg (remember when Tropicana
Field was called The Thunder Dome before its major renovations?) and Seattle.
San Francisco, Detroit and Houston opened new parks
for 2000, and Milwaukee and Pittsburgh's new facilities opened the following
year. In 2003, Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park debuted, and Philadelphia and San Diego
opened their new parks in 2004. The new Busch Stadium in St. Louis came aboard in 2006, and finally in 2008, D.C. completed the new park for the Nationals. By the way, you can check out the Ballpark Changes page for all of the
details.
With me being such an Orioles fan,
it might surprise you that I don't have Camden Yards ranked higher
. . . but here are my rankings of the 19 stadiums that opened from 1990
through 2008. Keep in mind you can take a look at what each one looks like thaks to our Major League Photo Album.
1. PNC Park
The home of
the Pirates is stunning. I know that everyone is talking about the
great view of the river and Pittsburgh skyline, but there are more great
aspects to the park than that. The statues of past Pirate greats
at the various entrances to the stadium are a wonderful touch, and the
open concourse lets you keep an eye on the action as you wander to a concession
stand. Yes, this is a ballpark that is truly beautiful inside, outside
and, of course, beyond the outfield walls. That's why it was named
the BASEBALLPARKS.COM Best New Major League
Park for 2001.
2. Coors Field
This park has it all. The exterior
is gorgeous and the interior (on all levels) is beautiful. Many
of the annoying quirks of Camden Yards were corrected here, where all
of the seats actually point toward the infield. The brick entryways
behind home and first are among the most impressive I've seen, and the
attention to detail is quite noteworthy. And no other Major League
park can offer what this one does: a great view of the Rocky Mountains
beyond left field and absolutely breathtaking, heart-stopping sunsets
as the sun drops behind those mountains (for a photo of one of those sunsets,
see the NL West Photo Album page).
3. AT&T Park
If you set
aside the park's location, you would note that AT&T Park (the former Pac Bell
Park, and then SBC Park, in San Francisco) has a nice design, with interesting variations
in the outfield dimensions, a novel area for kids beyond the left-field
seats, a gorgeous exterior and a wonderfully small seating capacity (which
has the positive impact of fewer rows in the upper deck, and less steep
of an angle). However, when you add in the incredible setting, you
have a must-see ballpark! Wow! The view of the San Francisco
Bay, the massive Bay Bridge and the mountains on the other side of the
water are like nothing else in Major League baseball. Be sure
to check out our special page devoted to this beautiful ballpark.
4. Petco Park
Like SBC Park, the location of San
Diego's new facility is fabulous. Gone is the sea of parking lots that
surrounded Qualcomm Stadium. In its place is a wonderful neighborhood
of restaurants and night life to the west, the beautiful San Diego Convention
Center and Bay behind it, the skyline of downtown to the north and the
hills of Balboa Park beyond. The exterior of the ballpark itself is exceptional,
and inside you'll find some of the best architectural touches in the Majors.
See the full review of Petco for all of the details.
5. Busch Stadium
When the Cardinals and the kings of sports architecture (HOK) decided to team up to design a new ballpark for downtown St. Louis, they pulled out all the stops! I don't know that any concept or feature on their wish list was discarded. It's all there -- and then some. Gorgeous brick exterior, solid setting, countless food and entertainment options, a clear view of the famous Arch, numerous seating choices (many include unlimted food and drink) and the best fans in baseball can all be found between Broadway and 8th Street in St. Louis.
6. Rangers Ballpark In Arlington
Like Coors Field, this is a "retro-look" park. And also like the
stadium in Denver, this one improves on Camden Yards in a couple of ways.
The architects for this park (HKS and
David M. Schwarz) didn't have
the Rocky Mountains or the B&O Warehouse to work with (like they did in Denver
and Baltimore), but they created a unique, completely enclosed environment
with commercial office space in dead center field. The exterior
of the park is among the prettiest in baseball, and the way it sits up
on a hill makes it very attractive from all directions. There's
even a miniature version of the The Ballpark for youth baseball games
just outside the real stadium -- a great touch! I, and many, many Ranger fans, are quite happy that the "corporate sponsorship" name is gone from this lovely ballpark -- at least for the time being!
7. Oriole Park At Camden Yards
This is the one that
started the "retro look" boom. Stately (a la Wrigley Field) and
well-designed, it is truly a beautiful place. By the way, the then-owner
of the Orioles (Eli Jacobs -- and what a poor excuse for an owner he was!)
desperately wanted to call it Oriole Park, while the State of Maryland
(which was footing the bill for construction) preferred Camden Yards,
referencing the historic train yards next to the stadium site. While
the compromise between the two sides combined the two names, the name
that the fans usually use is Camden Yards. And did you know
that Babe Ruth spent part of his childhood living in a building that was
located on what is now center field? Click here to see my "Camden
Collection" photo album.
8. Safeco Field
Of the retractable-roof
parks (which also include Minute Maid, the BOB, SkyDome and Miller Park),
this is the one that pulls it off the best -- by far. Even with
the roof closed, the stadium is not "enclosed," as a large opening
beyond left field remains totally open to the elements. The views
are great, the concessions are excellent and it's a wonderful place to
watch a game -- which it should be for $500 million! Click
here to see our special page devoted to Seattle's pricey park.
9. Nationals Park
It was a tough call whether to rank the Washington Nationals' new park above or below the one in Philadelphia. Both are in the same division. Both could've been located in a nicer spot. Both pulled off the phenomenal challenge of intimate-yet-great-sight-lines for their seating bowls (I give a slight nod to Washington, though).
Both required a lot of thought for their exteriors (I like Philadelphia's a little better, especially at night). In the end, my heart gives a slight edge to Nationals Park. You'll note that Citizens Bank Park is next in line, though!
10. Citizens Bank Park
In some ways, Philadelphia's new park
has the best interior features of any park in baseball. The concession
stands feature the very best food of local establishments (no McDonald's
or Burger Kings here!), there's a ton of fun things for kids to do, the
artwork and murals of baseball history are fascinating and the open concourses
and counter tops on which fans can rest their food and drink (and still
see the action) are all great. As you'll read in my extensive review
of Citizens Bank Park, I'm not crazy about the location, though. It
does have enough going for it to place it first of the parks in the NL
East.
11. Turner Field
As soon as the
'96 Olympics were completed, work began to convert this stadium into a
lovely baseball-only park. And what a conversion job it was!
During my first visit to the ballpark, I was overwhelmed with the wonderful
features of this facility . . . like the arcade-like corridor known as
Scouts Alley . . . the neat (and varied) restaurants . . . the huge high-tech
plaza as you enter the park from beyond center field . . . the view of
the downtown skyline (including the capitol dome and the Olympic Flame
tower) . . . the beautiful brick exterior . . . and best of all, the area
known as Sky Field high atop the left-field stands. In fact, it
offers so many activities not related to watching the game that
you could make the case that there are too many distractions. I
used to have this park rated more highly (it is to this day one of the
most under-rated parks in the Majors), but the deterioration of the area
around it means that its location is bringing its rating down.
12. Comerica Park
Yes, it's true that fans have not flocked
to this park since it opened, but that doesn't mean that it's not a beauty.
The wide-open outfield showcases the skyline of downtown Detroit beautifully,
and the outfield fountains are a big plus (although, in my opinion, the
fountains are under-utilized during the game). In addition, the
"circus tiger" theme is nicely done, with a Ferris Wheel and
Merry-Go-Round behind the stands.
13. Progressive Field
Although my view has softened somewhat
over the years, I still don't like this one quite as well as the other
parks that opened at about the same time (Baltimore, Arlington and Denver),
and in some respects, I'm not alone. In fact, an article on ESPN's
Website dubbed this the Major's "Most Overrated Stadium."
Not that Progressive Field (known for years as Jacobs Field) isn't a really nice facility . . . it's just that
everyone was expecting it to be another "throw-back"
park a la Camden and Arlington. Consequently, everyone assessed
Cleveland's new stadium against the "retro" standard being set
elsewhere. However, one would assume now, that wasn't the intent
of the architects. Instead, they wanted the "look" of
Progressive Field to reflect the industrial history of the city, and the girders
and light standards to be compatible with the many bridges near the park.
So what the fans of Cleveland have is a park with some old-time elements,
but with lots of modern angles (and futuristic-looking lights) and an
overabundance of glitzy, opulent touches. Also, the concourses are
really done to "excess," as every square foot has a different kind of
vendor. It is a fairly nice park in which to watch a game, though,
and the view of Cleveland's skyline is quite nice. The fans, it
goes without saying, are great.
14. U.S. Cellular Field
For the longest time, I couldn't bring myself to call New Comiskey Park -- now officially U.S. Cellular Field -- a "ballpark." I always referred to it as a "stadium." I also ranked it at or near the bottom of the "Parks opened since 1990" page. However, when the five-stage, multi-million renovation was nearing completion, it was time to re-assess the place. So I decided to spend the weekend in Chicago and thoroughly scrutinize the place. Wow, the revitalized outfield concourse and the shortened upper deck made a huge difference! I was so impressed with the place that I moved up its ranking in this list from #16 to #12 ... but then with the new Busch Stadium opening, it was pushed back down to #13. No matter how you look at it, though, it is more highly regarded now than in the 1990s. You can read all about the particulars of the ballpark in the in-depth review.
15. Great American Ball Park
Not
nearly as noteworthy as other parks designed by HOK, Cincinnati's park
suffers from a relatively low construction budget and a lack of special
aesthetics. Maybe the city's new football stadium, which opened
first, took too much money and design emphasis away from the baseball
facility. Who knows. Make no mistake, though, it is a huge
improvement over Cinergy Field, and Reds fans have a nice home to (halfway)
fill. For a more detailed review, as well as photos, check out our
page on GABP.
16. Minute Maid Park
This one has more of a
baseball-park feel than the BOB (see below), as a lot more natural light
finds its way into this park. And sometimes it's a little too
much natural light, as the setting sun is blinding to fans on the
first-base side of the stadium. That's because the park was situated
so that you could see Houston's downtown skyline beyond left field . .
. but the sun also sets directly over downtown when you're in the park.
Oh, well! A great element of the park once called "Enron"
is the locomotive that chugs high above the left-field seats. A
great idea! Click here to see our page devoted
to Minute Maid Park (the page was created when it was still called Enron
Park), and here to see our photo essay on
what the park looked like after they removed all of the signs that
said "Enron."
17. Miller Park
In considering the merits of
Milwaukee's new stadium, one can't help but dwell on the incredible amount
of time it took to construct it. Even before the tragic (and fatal)
crane accident in 1999, it was scheduled to take well over three years
to build. Well, it finally opened, the fans are coming out and the
national baseball press is fairly positive in its comments about the park.
Perhaps its most interesting aspect is the way the roof retracts.
Instead of merely sliding away some panels in the roof itself (like in
Phoenix) or moving a roof/wall combination (like in Houston), Miller Park's
roof panels open and close like an Oriental fan. I give them high
marks for doing something different here. However, the positive
element of how the roof operates is offset by a number of negatives:
all of those windows above the outfield are fairly useless, as the view
outside is terrible; in an attempt to keep the seats close to the field,
each seating level is fairly steep -- making the overall facility monstrously
high; and while all of the tailgaters keep the parking lots smelling yummy,
the fact remains that the park is located in a part of town that does
absolutely nothing to enhance the ballpark, or vice versa.
18. Chase Field
Yes, the facility known for eight seasons as "the BOB" is impressive -- but later parks improved markedly on
the retractable-roof idea. Phoenix' stadium is indeed very modern,
and its roof -- which can open or close in under five minutes and is very
quiet while doing so -- is a marvel. However, when you're watching
a game there, it doesn't really have the "feel" of being at
a baseball game -- and this is especially true when the roof is
closed (a gymnasium comes to mind). I realize that certain accommodations
had to be employed to be able to air condition the inside of the stadium,
but it does strike me as being a little too dark in the park. On
the plus side, Chase Field does have that famous swimming pool, and there
are some tickets that cost only $1 apiece. Do yourself a favor and
spend $6 to take a guided tour of the park (like I did). You'll
be very impressed. For exterior and interior views of the park,
as well as some additional observations, see our page on the
BOB (from back when it was called that) and our Major League Photo Album page on the park.
19th and definitely last Tropicana Field
I really agonized
over whether to include this stadium in the Pre-'90s area (since the main
structure was built in 1988 and 1989 and then significantly renovated
before the '98 season) or here among those opened in the '90s. Since
there was no baseball tenant here prior to '98 and because the reconstruction
was so extensive, I'm including it here -- although it by no means deserves
to be anywhere near the top of the list. I've visited the "Trop"
both before and after the renovation, and I do have to admit that they
did everything they possibly could with the place to make it presentable
for MLB. However, the roof and catwalks are still too low, and the
place doesn't have the "feel" of a baseball park (more like a big, round
warehouse).
If you've visited any of the newer parks, you probably have your own
thoughts. Let me know what they are by e-mailing
me.
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