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American
Beauties
Scenes from the best ballparks
of the American League
 
The House That Ruth Built
Sports Illustrated bestowed the coveted top spot in its listing
of "the 20th Century's top twenty sports venues in the world" to Yankee
Stadium. Sure, big boxing and football events happened here, but
it's the baseball history that makes this one of the most special places
on earth.
Before each home game, the fans line up to enter the Monument Park
beyond the outfield wall (above left). The Yankee immortals honored
here are indeed some of the biggest names in the sport itself.
On the right, Brady Anderson of the Orioles hits the very first pitch
of the game out of the park off of Yankee Andy Pettitte on Memorial Day
1997.
By the way, for more shots in and around Yankee Stadium, visit our
special World Series series of pages.
 
The Ballpark
It might seem to be presumptuous for any baseball stadium to refer
to itself as "The Ballpark," but this one is quite a beauty. The
Ballpark In Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers, has a number of special
design elements, including a double-deck, 4,629-seat "Home Run Porch" in
right field (see photo). Since there was no skyline to look at or
warehouse (a la Baltimore) to make use of, the architects created
their own outfield backdrop by inserting commercial office space beyond
center field. I can't imagine having a better view out of your office
window than this!
By the way, slugger Juan Gonzalez (now of the Tigers) is up against
the Angels in June of 1998 in the photo on the left.
Another fascinating facet of the facility isn't inside the stadium
at all. In fact, it's a stadium in and of itself. The Dr. Pepper
Youth Ballpark (in the left portion of the photo on the right above) is
designed to strongly resemble its big brother up the hill, but it's done
at the proper scale for 12-year-olds and under.
 
The Royals' Crown Jewel
At least 20 years ahead of its time, Kauffman Stadium is a baseball-only
facility built during an era when multi-purpose stadiums were all the rage.
The nice folks in Kansas City can be extremely proud of this outstanding
ballpark.
Now more than a quarter-of-a-century old, it is as pretty as any American League
park built before or since. And when they replaced the Astroturf
with natural grass in 1995, the picture was complete. "With the fading
rug removed," wrote Oscar Palacios in Ballpark Sourcebook, "Kauffman
Stadium has deservedly taken its place as one of the most beautiful stadiums
in the country."
Kauffman has always been a tough park for hitters, so the Royals
have long relied on pitching and speed -- and, unfortunately, very low
payrolls.
Between innings, the fountains (which represent one of the greatest
design elements in any sports facility anywhere) come to life. And
they are especially appropriate in a town which bills itself as "the city
of fountains."
 
The Fens
Is there any more famous wall anywhere? Dubbed the "Green Monster,"
Fenway's 37-foot-tall left-field wall is called "one of the most recognizable
features of any ballpark on earth" in the Ballpark Sourcebook.
Tom Yawkey, the then-new owner of the Red Sox, ordered a major renovation
of Fenway in 1933, and one important aspect of that overhaul concerned
left field. Until that time, deep left was a ten-foot-tall hill known
as Duffy's Cliff. That embankment was removed and a tin wall supported
by railroad ties was put in its place for the following season. Two years
later, a 23-foot-tall screen was added to protect houses which were just on the
other side of the street beyond the wall. Eleven years after that, the ads
on the wall were painted over. The color of that paint was, of course,
green.
By the way, this wall has witnessed the crowning of some World Series
champions, but never was it the home team. It has something to do
with some "curse" . . . .
Baseball Disney Style
One of the "signature" aspects of a baseball stadium is its entrance
behind home plate. When the massive renovation of "The Big A in Anaheim"
was completed in 1998, one of the best improvements was to the main entrance.
Those are two h-u-g-e sculptures of batting helmets on each side
of the plaza. Originally, they were blue, but now they've been repainted
red to match the team's new dominant color.
There is a very strong Disney influence in this facility, as you
would imagine (you halfway expect them to show the movie Angels in the
Outfield on the Jumbo-tron!). But it was HOK, the best-known
baseball-park architects in the business, that really shaped the design
of this remodeled facility. And in many respects, HOK borrowed design
elements from some of their other parks. Examples which can be seen
in this photo are the stacked bullpens, as in Camden Yards, and a la
Coors Field, the huge scoreboard and the rocks-and-fountains area.
And, yes, the towering "Big A" (complete with halo) from the old stadium, can be seen in the upper
right-hand corner.
Go to The Camden Collection
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