Ranking Ballparks

"I know what I like when I see it."  How many times have you heard someone make a statement like this when referring to art?  Well, when it comes to the stadiums where baseball is played, ballpark fans sometimes have interesting criteria they apply when figuring out which parks they like better than others.

Maybe you've never thought about this.  Maybe you think this is "over-analyzing" the subject.  But we've received lots and lots of e-mails from visitors that provide rankings of the writer's favorite parks.

Maybe the criteria you apply is very analytical, generating a "score" for each park.  Maybe your criteria involve much more subjective "aesthetics," and don't lend themselves to numerical rankings.  Either way, write us and let us know what factors you think are the most important in assessing how much you like a given park.

Oh, and my criteria?  I usually think about:  looks/aesthetics; surroundings; fan friendliness; and sense of history.  In the looks/aesthetics category, I look at the stadium's design (exterior and interior) and, to a lesser extent, whether it affords its fans any kind of "view."

Here are the thoughts of some of our visitors:

1. atmosphere of the ballpark (the fans and the surroundings, and the overall history)
2. interior looks (is the park unique, or cookie cutter look) and
3. exterior looks ... ballparks are rated on a scale of 1-10, a score of a 5 is average (nothing special)

Here are my ratings.  Hope you enjoy them!
 

	Atmosphere	Interior	Exterior	Total
1. Wrigley	10	10	10	30
2. Fenway	10	10	9	29
3. Tiger	10	9.5	9	28.5
Camden	9	10	9.5	28.5
5. Yankee	10	8.5	8.5	27.5
6. Turner	7.5	8	8.5	24
Jacobs	8	8	8	24
8. Safeco	8	7.5	8	23.5
9. Coors	7	7.5	8.5	23
10. Shea	8	8	6.5	22.5
11. Dodger	7	8	6	21
County	7	8	6	21
13. Comiskey	5.5	8	8	20.5
Arlington	6	7	7.5	20.5
15. Busch	7.5	7	5.5	20
16. Edison	6.5	8	5	19.5
17. Kauffman	6	7	5	18
18. BOB	6	7	4	17
19. Astrodome	6	6.5	4	16.5
20. Qualcomm	6	5	5	16
21. 3Com	6	5	4	15
Pro Player	5	5	5	15
Three Rivers	5	5	5	15
24. Oakland	5.5	5	4	14.5
25. Skydome	5	4	3	12
Cinergy	5	3	4	14
27. Vet	4	2	3	9
28. Metrodome	4	3	1	8
29. Olympic	2	2	1	5
Tropicana	2	2	1	5

Joe's note:  Chris is studying Urban Planning at the University of Washington, and he is quite interested in the impact of baseball parks on a city.

Being grad students, we had to try and quantify the un-quantifiable.  Anyway, we based our criteria on the enjoyability of the stadium:

• Is the game entertaining inside the ballpark (internal on a scale of 1-10)?  Domes usually got a 1, while concrete donuts (Cincy, Pitt, Philly, etc) usually got a 2
• Does the facade give you that "ballpark" feel?  (since this category doesn't contribute as much to the overall enjoyment of a game, it only counts half as much, with a facade scale of 1-5)
• What is the surrounding neighborhood like two hours before and after a game?  Does it create an overall experience?  (environs, 1-10)

Joe's note:  Charlie is a real ballpark-ranking veteran, as his own (wonderful) Web site attests.  You can visit it at: http://members.aol.com/charliezeb/stadiums.htm  Charlie's scale involves assessing a stadium using a scale of "five baseballs."

Joe, I wish I had good criteria to give you for the park rankings.  There are so many things that go into a rating.  I can't rate an old wooden ballpark the same way I rate a new "theme" park.  The experience of being at the game can sway me one baseball either way on occasion, not just the park
itself.

In other words, there's no specific rating system that says you get 0 to 20 points for this, 0 to 15 for that, and the coveted fifth baseball comes with a score of 95 or better.  (By the way, I have three major league parks with five baseballs, and two with zero.  The fives are Wrigley, Fenway and Camden; the zeroes are the Metrodome and Olympic Stadium.)

I can, however, list some factors that go into the rating:

Location and Accessibility - A park that's convenient to get to gains points; a place that's tough to reach (or tough to leave) can lose them.  This isn't a huge factor, however.

Affordability (particularly in the minors) - Reasonably priced concessions can help; exorbitant price tags can hurt.

Seating - I expect real seats (for the most part) in newer facilities.  Good example:  The Diamond in Richmond, Va. (1985) loses because it's all bench seating (the "box seats" have arm rests and backs, but they're still aluminum benches).  On the other hand, wooden benches can add to the charm of an older place.

View - Looking out on the city can be a big plus (as at Jacobs Field); looking out on three rows of advertising signs that obscure the view of anything can be a killer, but so can a "too-busy" view, like at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.

Fan Friendliness - The attitude of the staff helps, but I'm looking for more tangible things, like remembering to have a whiteboard for the standings and lineups.  I actually deducted at Coastal Federal Field in Myrtle Beach because this brand new park was missing whiteboards and also didn't have a lemonade stand (how can you be in the muggy South and not serve lemonade?!?).

Cleanliness - If it's kept clean, freshly painted, etc., even an old rat trap can pick up a few points.  It's another sign that someone cares about the park.

Intangibles - Do they care enough to have the scoreboard working properly and kept up to date (whether electric or manual)?  Is the announcer overbearing?  Have I been made to feel at home at the park?

Joe's note:  Brian is another Webmaster whose site spotlights various baseball parks.  You can find it at:  www.bestweb.net/~merzbach

So what features make a good park ?  I look for a lot of things, but a couple stand out.  First, the seats should be as close to the field as possible.  Though McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket is nice enough, their seats are too high up and far away from the action.   Wahconah Park in Pittsfield always come to mind when I think of seats close to the action -- I don't think I've found any that are closer.  Secondly, I prefer parks that have some covered seating. This is especially important in inclement weather or when it is blazing hot.  If there is no covered seating, then there must be a covered concourse.  It seems that too many parks that are beng built today have forgotten that you need some cover for the fans.  Other important features of a ballpark are a good PA announcer, cheap concessions, and non-instrusive ushers.

I have read other people's lists of favorite stadiums and I felt compelled to add mine to the argument, so here goes . . .

1.  Wrigley - the best ever, you can't top a day game from the north side
2.  Fenway - baseball shrine, cramped and uncomfortable - but a classic
3.  Dodger Stadium - beautiful setting, different fans - fun place to watch a game
4.  Yankee Stadium - history, a true thrill the first time off the subway
5.  The Ballpark In Arlington - a new classic, beautiful surroundings
6.  Coors Field - nice park, good atmosphere (you must try the oysters)
7.  Jacobs Field - cozy stadium - rabid fans
8.  Edison International - a little heavy on the Disney but a nice place to watch a game
9.  Camden Yards - love the warehouse
10. Milwaukee County Stadium - some of the best fans in baseball, great brauts
11. Turner Field - good looking stadium, but overpriced
12. Tiger Stadium - classic, many great baseball moments
13. BOB - possible overkill, do you really need to swim while watching a game?
14. Qualcomm - good fans, great weather, fun ballpark
15. Safeco - Griffey doesn't like it, therefore I don't like it
16. Comiskey - boring - how lame can a new stadium be?
17. Shea - fun stadium, I don't know that much about it
18. Candlestick - horrible weather, can't wait for China Basin
19. Kauffman - nice setting, nothing super impressive
20. Joe Robbie - not bad for a multipurpose stadium
21. Oakland Alameda - designed for football, ruined it for baseball when the Raiders came back
22. Busch - best of the cookie cutters because it has grass
23. Veterans - despise cookie cutters, almost as bad as domes
24. Three Rivers - same as #23
25. Riverfront - same as #23
26. Astrodome - baseball is supposed to be played OUTSIDE on grass
27. Metrodome - same as #26
28. Skydome - to expansive, same as #26
29. Tropicana Field - this is the second worst excuse for a place to play baseball - very disappointed
30. Olympic Stadium - the single worst thing to ever happen to baseball - luckily the team won't even be in Canada much longer

I will be happy once all baseball is played outside -- on grass -- again.  Must get rid of domes and Astroturf.  That's what's important to me in ranking ballparks.

Some of my comments:

Most underrated current park --The Ballpark at Arlington. If it were located in the more fashionable Northeast or Midwest, this place would get a lot more attention than it does. True, it doesn't have the skyline views of Cleveland or Baltimore, but what skyline is there in Arlington, Texas? As it is, the
place has the feel of great old parks like Shibe Park and Tiger Stadium.  The Rangers really did their homework here.

Most underrated older park--Old Comiskey Park. That place had atmosphere, and it always seemed the people who were there went to see baseball, not to party (unlike the park on the North Side). It was run down and needed a replacement, but it's too bad the Sox blew it. There was a proposal in the 80s to build a park just north of Comiskey; it would have been shaped somewhat like the Polo Grounds (since the White Sox won their last World Series against the N.Y. Giants in 1917, it would have been appropriate). Unfortunately, Einhorn and Reinsdorf preferred to build a Royals Stadium clone with none of its charm.

Am looking forward to some of these new parks, particularly Pac Bell and Enron. Safeco looks great, and I like hearing the trains in the background (so much more aesthetic than the jets at Shea!). Just one suggestion for these new architects--can you make the seats a color other than green? It's
getting redundant.

To rate the following ballparks I will use a system of -3 to +3:
-3  having no atmosphere, ugly and uncomfortable
0   not great but not as bad as others
+3 the only place I want to watch games ever

Three Rivers Stadium: -2  Sure it has turf and no atmosphere but at least when you sit in the lower section you can bang your feet and it sounds like a drum because it is hollow underneath.

Riverfront Stadium:  -2  Boy, it is a sad park when the seats in the outfield don't come to the wall.  The good chili dogs saved it from a -3.

Veterans Stadium:  -3  The best thing about this park is the fans.  Sure some of them are crude but least they are watching the game.

Busch Stadium:  -1  I really felt comfortable here.  Even though it is still a concrete donut it feels nicer since the addition of the grass.  This is the only of the concrete donuts in which I would not mind being my home ballpark (well, maybe I wouldn't really want it to be, but it is nice).

Milwaukee County Stadium:  +1  I know this is no Jacob's Field but it has great atmosphere, great fans, and the best secret stadium sauce in the bigs.  Oh yeah, the only secret stadium sauce.  Miller Park will be great but MCS will be missed.  Also the best buy in the bigs -- $5 for a bleacher.  Sweet!

Joe Robbie:  -2  It doesn't have the feel of a real ballpark but it was the best conversion that could be done.  I've really enjoyed watching the Marlins, though, because they really hustled and played hard.

Turner Field:  +2  It should be called Henry Aaron Field, but no one listens to me.  Sure the walls are not green and have weird dimensions, but the upper deck is close and there are a lot of seats in the outfield, and I do love bleachers.

Wrigley Field:  +2  Everyone says how great this is.  While I will not deny you the fact it is very nice, it does have its problems.  If you get a seat in the lower grandstand, chances are the sky boxes will stop you from seeing the fly balls.  On a crowded day the concourses get VERY crowded.  Also, good luck finding a person in the bleachers who knows the score.  Most people out there are there to meet the opposite sex.

Jacob's Field:  +3  My favorite park in the league.  It does not get any better than this.  You can see the game great from any seat.  I love the way the concourses are set up, and the leg room is great.

Kaufman Stadium:  +1  Sure it has no outside atmosphere, but inside it is a very comfortable stadium.  The shape of the upper deck is nice and I liked the grass and green walls.

Tiger Stadium: 0  First let me say this stadium needs to go because it is old, cramped, and there is a certain stickiness on every thing -- but it has some great views and since this is its last year, I will give it some leeway.

Metrodome:  -2  First let me say this is a real good football stadium, but oops!  They played the wrong sport when I was there!  They were hitting a white ball in a park with a white roof. What saved it from a -3 was the music, games, and food stands outside the park.

Comiskey Park:  0  All right, it is no Jacobs or Turner -- but as long as you are in the lower deck it is a nice view of the game.  Beware of the steep upper deck!  The bleachers are nice, though (but over-priced at $14) as is the Club section.

Camden Yards:  +3  My second favorite park.  I love the warehouse, the upper deck is at a nice angle and the left field seats are at a beautiful angle.  Look at pictures of the left fields of Camden Yards and Ebbets Field.  They are very close to being at the same angle.

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