Category: The 300s Reviews

The 300s Reviews: Kauffman Stadium

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The 300s Ballpark Tour moves on to Kansas City today where we check out the home of the Kansas City Royals, Kauffman Stadium.

Kauffman Stadium opened in 1973 and has been the home of the Royals for 46 of their 50 seasons. The Royals 50th Season logo was plastered all over the park, as well as that day’s giveaway item.

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Kauffman Stadium was one of only a few baseball-specific stadiums built between 1960 and 1990. [Candlestick Park and Anaheim Stadium were originally baseball-specific stadiums, but both were later modified to accommodate NFL teams.] The only other baseball-specific stadiums from that era that come to mind are Dodger Stadium and Arlington Stadium.

Maybe that’s why Kauffman Stadium has outlasted so many other stadiums from that era, including Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Busch Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium and Veterans Stadium. Those multi-purpose venues all closed down between 1996-2005.

By that time, though, “The K” had begun to show its age. Between 2007 and 2009, the stadium underwent a $250 million renovation that included a new video board, an outfield concourse and a kids’ area.

Those renovations helped the Royals get the All-Star Game in 2012, and were a big part of what made my trip to The K so much fun. The outfield concourse made it easy to walk around and access all parts of the park, and it allows fans to get up close to the famous Kauffman Stadium fountains. I can’t imagine how congested the concourses must have been before the renovations, when you couldn’t walk out in that area. And on a hot summer afternoon at the ballpark it’s nice to be able to duck into an air-conditioned bar for a half inning.

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The Royals Hall of Fame in left field was also fun to walk through (and air conditioned).

 

I ate my weight in ribs while in Kansas City, but I didn’t go for BBQ fare at the ballpark. I went with the footlong Kansas City Dog, which didn’t disappoint. Much better than the infamous Kauffman Stadium dollar dogs.

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Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and spicy mustard.

The Royals’ lease at Kauffman Stadium runs through 2030 and there have been rumors that the Royals would be interested in moving into a new downtown ballpark at that time. Kauffman Stadium would be nearly 60 years old in 2030, but it has been well kept up to this point and there’s no reason why the Royals couldn’t play there for another 20-30 years. Still, the prospect of playing at a shiny new stadium can be hard to pass up.

Whatever its future, Kauffman Stadium should be known as one of the best parks of its era. It’s not Dodger Stadium, and it’s not the destination ballpark that AT&T Park is today, but it is a fun place to catch a game at. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and wouldn’t mind making it an annual occurrence.

Big Z Ballpark Rating – 8.1

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The 300s Reviews: Double Dare

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Double Dare made its triumphant return to Nickelodeon last night and did not disappoint.

The set looked fantastic, less a modern interpretation and more a modern recreation of the classic set. The classic theme music was there and the classic format of the show wasn’t touched, only the dollar amounts for questions and physical challenges to account for inflation.

The questions were written very much like they were thirty years ago. Questions like “What chemical compound is H2O?” are still followed by questions like “In geometry, a dodecahedron is any polyhedron with how many flat faces?” It can be fun to see some kids rattle off answer after answer, but the physical challenges are what the show is known for.

[The answer is 12 faces on a dodecahedron, by the way.]

The physical challenges and obstacle course featured some classic stunts and some new stunts that fit right in. Pick It and the hamster wheel made returns, and I hope the gumball machine isn’t too far behind.

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The obstacle course bonus round is still the highlight of the show, and the grand prize last night was a trip to space camp. Who didn’t want to go to space camp when they watched this show as a ten-year-old?

Liza Koshy, a YouTube personality with more than 15 million subscribers, did a fine job hosting what I imagine is her first game show. Hosting a game show isn’t easy, but she looked at ease with the young contestants. She also looked at ease with the show’s announcer, original host Marc Summers. I was pretty disappointed when I first heard that Summers wouldn’t be hosting, but his duties included more than just normal game show announcer duties and he supported Koshy very well.

I know Nickelodeon is a kid’s channel, but there’s no way they made this show without thinking about how to get millennials to flip over to Nick an hour before the nightly Friends marathon.

Dismiss Double Dare as a kid’s show if you wish, but it will be your loss.

 

 

The 300s Reviews: Guaranteed Rate Field, Home of the Chicago White Sox

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My quest to see all 30 MLB parks has brought me to Chicago this week. To be honest, I’ve been putting off this park for a while, and like my 300s counterpart Big Z, I wasn’t jumping for joy at the chance to see what Guaranteed Rate Field had to offer.

Situated in South Chicago, I’ve pretty much only heard bad things when the White Sox stadium was brought up in conversation. But alas, I’m not in Chicago incredibly often and the quest is to see all 30, so it was time to bite the bullet and check this place out.

I’ve decided to do this review a bit different than my past reviews. Most of the time I’m writing these as a retrospective piece, trying to recall my favorite and least favorite parts of the experience. However, seeing as I was only at this field yesterday, I thought it would be a little fun to give you an exact play by play of how things went down. While I was there, I took brief notes on my iPhone to really capture the essence of what I was feeling in the moment. So I present to you, an unaltered account of my day yesterday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

12:35 pm: Just arrived at Guaranteed Rate Field. So far I feel like I am the only person at the stadium, it’s a ghost town. Checked out the team store, which has a good amount of Cubs gear for no good reason.

12:45 pm: Got a vodka lemonade souvenir cup for 10 bucks. Pretty god damn strong, good price.

12:56 pm: Apparently it’s the mascots birthday. Kind of a lame mascot. No spark, looks dead inside. Although he is named Southpaw, which I appreciate the lame pun for being on the south side of Chicago, and myself being a lefty.

1:07 pm: Decided to do the speed pitch machine. Arm is completely shot. In actual pain. Great form though and hit 60 mph.

1:08 pm: Fireworks mistaken for gunshots. South side Chicago problems.

1:10 pm: Made my way to the upper deck and we have closed concession stands! Supply and demand!

1:19 pm: First inning just ended. So far the best way to describe this place is lifeless. Guy in front of me has taken his shoes off and is reading a Chicago Tribune. I can’t tell exactly, but there also appears to be a 10 year old sleeping a few seats down from him. Beer guy came through and held up a beer, didn’t bark or try to make a sale, and then went back down the tunnel to the concourse.

1:30 pm: Mascot tricycle race. We’re getting desperate

1:38 pm: They’d like you to believe this is Frank Thomas’s number when in actuality it is today’s attendance.

1:48 pm: Apparently you can’t leave the 500s section if you have a 500 level ticket. Calling kangaroo court on this one. There’s no food open up here, so I will fight my way down to the main concourse.

1:53 pm: There are an excessive amount of people making balloon animals. Just had to mention that.

1:58 pm: Not sure if it’s the sweltering heat or last night’s hangover, but I’m starting to have an existential crisis about being at this game and killing another 7 hours til my flight home.

2:06 pm: Grabbing a vanilla cone to try and lift my spirits.

2:15 pm: Cone made things worse.

2:30 pm: Actually watching some of the game now. Moncada with a 3 run double! There’s audible cheering! We may just have life yet.

2:32 pm: And we’re back to deafening silence.

2:35 pm: Jose Abreu with one of the worst slides I’ve ever seen to kill a nice 2 out rally.

2:39 pm: Remember how I said it was the mascot’s birthday? They’re giving out fucking birthday cake. This place is so bizarre.

2:40 pm: “Overall moist and flavorful for a mass produced cake.” – Laurel B

2:44 pm: The cake has now led to heartburn. Luckily I always keep spare Tums on me.

3:16 pm: Just saw a grown-ass man spike his drink because he missed a foul ball. Hardest I’ve laughed all day.

3:18 pm: I think that’s all she wrote for my day in Chicago, overall just an incredibly strange place to watch baseball. Definitely not my least favorite stadium, but it’s probably bottom 3 for me. Crowd started coming alive as the runs were coming home, so this place has the potential to be fun when it wants to be. Time to catch a flight.

Official review: 6.4 out of 10

The 300s Reviews: Target Field

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Target Field opened in 2010 and brought outdoor baseball back to Minnesota for the first in nearly three decades. The Minnesota Twins moved to Target Field after playing 28 seasons inside the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Prior to playing in the Metrodome, the Twins played 21 seasons at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. The Twins shared both of those facilities with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. Target Field is the first home the Twins can call their own.

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Moving from a multi-purpose stadium to a baseball-specific stadium is a huge upgrade by itself, but there’s so much more to like about Target Field. The downtown ballpark offers stunning views of the city’s skyline. Sitting along the third-base line you could imagine that the 1965 World Series was played there and not in Bloomington. That’s because Target Field is a perfect example of a retro modern ballpark (a la Petco Park) as opposed to a retro classic ballpark (Camden Yards).

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Gate 29

The exterior of Target Field features limestone and glass, as opposed to the brick and green steel featured at retro classic ballparks. Also visible is the stadium’s canopy, which can help shield fans in the upper level from the elements on cold days and the sun on better days. There were talks of building a retractable roof for this ballpark, but that feature proved to be cost prohibitive.

The entrances for Target Field are numbered with some of the team’s retired numbers, and while there’s no grand main entrance like old Yankee Stadium I think it’s fair to say that Gate 29 (Rod Carew) is the de facto main entrance. At least that’s where the longest lines are on giveaway days.

Despite the ballpark’s relatively small footprint, it does not feel cramped at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. You can do a complete lap on the lower level of the ballpark and never lose sight of the pitcher’s mound and home plate. As someone who enjoys visiting and touring ballparks, I love to move around and check out everything a park has to offer. You can do that in Target Field and not lose track of the game. The small footprint might explain the steep seating in right field, but that’s a minor quibble. You still get a great view of the game from out there.

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Target Field’s concession stands don’t offer anything crazy like toasted grasshoppers, but they do a good job of delivering hot dogs, sausages, burgers, chicken fingers, french fries and all of the other ballpark standards. There are a lot of pop up stands run by local restaurants, including Red Cow and Kramarczuk’s, that feature more “gourmet” options.

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Poutine helmet from Kramarczuk’s

Lines are generally reasonable, and so are the prices. A 24 oz Bud Light draft will set you back $9.50, which seems like a bargain compared to some other parks. And if you’re in town on a Wednesday you can experience what is probably one of the last regular dollar dog nights in the bigs.

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Just $21 for this whole tray!

The park also offers seven (!) bars inside the stadium. Stadium pricing obviously still applies but it is nice to be able to walk around the stadium to grab a beer, especially if you get there early on a hot day.

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And, of course, no ballpark is complete without a mascot race these days.

The Atlanta Braves recently moved out of Turner Field after just 20 seasons and the Texas Rangers will ditch the Ballpark in Arlington in 2020, but I don’t think we’ll see Target Field fall out of favor that quickly. The Twins have already shown a willingness to tinker with and improve the stadium (and the fan experience) on an almost annual basis. There’s no reason why the Twins can’t play at Target Field for the next 50 years. It’s the best ballpark I’ve been to yet.

Big Z Ballpark Rating – 9.3

The 300s Reviews: Miller Park

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The 300s Reviews ballpark tour is back for 2018 and kicks off in the Upper Midwest at the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, Miller Park.

Miller Park opened in 2001 and replaced Milwaukee County Stadium as the home of the Brewers. Miller Park was the fifth Major League Baseball stadium to feature a retractable roof (not counting Olympic Stadium in Montreal), and in 2001 was the fourth retractable-roof stadium to open in as many years. The retractable-roof craze subsided after Miller Park opened, though, and only one more retractable-roof stadium (Marlins Park) has opened since. Globe Life Field will make it two retractable-roof stadiums since 2001 when the Texas Rangers start playing there in 2020.

The roof at Miller Park has a unique fan shape. Because of its shape, large shadows cover the field during day games when the roof is open (see above). That can make the retractable-roof stadium feel more like a dome with an opening (a la Texas Stadium). That’s not a concern for night games, and at night the stadium feels more like a typical open-air ballpark (see below). I’ve been to Miller Park three times, and the roof was open on all three occasions.

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Aside from the roof, the first thing I noticed when rolling up to Miller Park was its expansive parking lots. That made parking and getting into the ballpark relatively easy and affordable. It also made for perfect tailgating conditions.

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Milwaukee has long been known as one of the best (and few) tailgate cities in all of baseball. If you show up a few hours before the game you will see the parking lots filled with fans, tents, cornhole games, portable grills and empty cans of Miller Lite. [No lie, Miller Lite outnumbered Bud Light about 100 to 1 outside the ballpark.]

If you didn’t pack your portable grill and cooler, Miller Park has an impressive selection of food and beverages inside the park. As you’d expect at the home of the Sausage Race, they have a great selection of sausages, brats and dogs. I ordered a polish sausage and loaded it up with Secret Stadium Sauce. Secret Stadium Sauce is reportedly a ketchup and barbecue sauce hybrid, with a little mustard, smoked syrup and other ingredients mixed in.

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Made by Jeremy Jacobs’s company, so you know it’s gotta be good.

As you’d expect in Miller Park, High Life and Lite flow like wine.  If you want a craft beer instead there’s still plenty of options. Miller Park’s Local Brews stand offers two dozen craft brews from across the Badger State. If you’re looking for a mixed drink instead, try the Long Island Iced Tea at the TGI Fridays at the ballpark. Seriously.

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After figuring out what to eat and drink and getting back to my seat I was able to take in the game experience. I kept a close eye on Bernie’s Dugout (and slide) in left field. Bernie Brewer goes down the slide after every Brewers home run. Not into a vat of beer like the old days, but still cool. Definitely an underrated mascot.

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I made sure to be in my seat in the middle of the sixth inning to catch the famous Sausage Race. The Milwaukee Brewers might not be America’s Team, but most sports fans will be familiar with this in-game promotion, which has been copied by so many other teams since it started in the early ’90s. (see Nationals, Washington).

 

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And before the game was over I made sure to get a look at the Uecker Seats.

Miller Park can feel a bit like bizarro world for a Red Sox fan with it’s ample parking, wide concourses, and (more) reasonably priced beer, but it is a prime example of the retro-modern ballpark trend. The park can feel massive when your sitting in your seat, and the outfield dimensions are basically symmetrical, but those are minor quibbles. Everything else going on in (and around) the ballpark makes a trip to Miller Park an enjoyable and memorable experience. It also doesn’t hurt that I snagged giveaway items in two of my three visits.

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I wouldn’t rank Miller Park ahead of Fenway Park or Target Field (which will be the next stop on our tour), but I do prefer it to Camden Yards and Angel Stadium.

Big Z Ballpark Rating – 7.7

The 300s Reviews: Super Bowl Experience

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Super Bowl LII will be played in Minneapolis Sunday night which means thousands of fans and celebrities from across the nation and around the world will be descending on Minnesota for The Big Game. Countless thousands more who, like myself, can’t afford tickets to The Big Game will be descending on the Minneapolis Convention Center for the Super Bowl Experience.

The Super Bowl Experience has been described as an indoor theme park and, based on the lines to run the 40-yard dash or kick a field goal, that description is accurate. I spent about four hours milling around the convention center and it was eerily reminiscent of my high school football playing days – a lot of standing around. There were also a lot of younger fans in attendance, so there were a few times where I felt like Homer Simpson in the power plant model-building contest.

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Still, it was fun to run the 40, throw a Hail Mary pass and kick a field goal once I got up to the line of scrimmage.

For the record, my field goal attempt was the highlight of my night. Tucked it just inside the left upright from “40” yards out.

In between sprints and kicks I refueled with SpaghettiOs, Chunky Soup and Skittles.

If you haven’t tried Sweet Heat Skittles yet, just imagine Sriracha Skittles. (Yes, they were gross.)

There were also lots of other NFL, Super Bowl and Hall of Fame exhibits to peruse in between time spent waiting in line.

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“It is a period of civil war. Breakthrough research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, arbitrary and capricious disciplinary suspensions and declining television ratings have all cast a shadow over the game…”

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The line to see the Vince Lombardi Trophy (through glass) had to be the longest line in the building. I decided to snap this picture from outside the line, in between fans walking up to it, and call it a day.

The Super Bowl isn’t in town often, so people will put down good money to try to take in the experience without thinking twice. That’s why I’m glad I went, but at $35 a ticket I won’t be running back. Good, not great. Ready to watch the game from my couch on Sunday.

Big Z Super Bowl Experience Rating – 6.6

The 300s Reviews: Not Your Fathers Mountain Ale

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I’ve been excited about this for some time, as I wrote about the new drink when I first heard about its existence. It. Is. Here. In our first video edition of The 300s Reviews, we finally try the Mountain Dew booze we’ve been hearing so much about.

“So now theres an alcoholic Mountain Dew? I want to try it. I need to try it. But its dangerous territory. I’m gonna have to force myself to just sip it like I’m taking communion because if I black out on Mountain Dew booze and ruin the soda for myself I don’t know if I can continue on in this world.”

The 300s Reviews: Tropicana Field

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With the Red Sox in St. Petersburg this week for a quick two-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays, The 300s will take a look at the bastard ballpark of baseball, Tropicana Field.

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Though it opened in 1990, there are only seven ballparks left in Major League Baseball that are older than Tropicana Field. It’s one of only three “multipurpose” stadiums still in use and one of only two baseball stadiums that still use artificial turf. It is the last baseball stadium with a fixed roof.

The Rays website claims the venue has hosted 16 other sports and competitions. The Thunderdome, as it was known at the time, was the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 1993 to 1996.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays moved in in 1998, but not before $85 million in renovations. Renovations included the addition of a rotunda inspired by, I kid you not, Ebbets Field.

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It’s hard to forget how bad the Devil Rays were their first ten years, but the team has had some good seasons over the last ten years. They do a good job of trying to incorporate their recent success into displays throughout the stadium.

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My view from the upper level wasn’t bad. I felt closer to the field than I do in the upper level at a lot of other ballparks.

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But it can be a tough place to actually watch a game. The atmosphere was similar to the atmosphere at the South Shore Plaza on a weeknight. Very quiet and very bright. Being so far away from downtown doesn’t help generate any buzz or walk-up ticket sales. And you’re also likely to get yelled at by an octogenarian if you try to get by a slow one in the concourse.

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The Ted Williams Museum & Hitters Hall of Fame is at Tropicana Field and had some interesting items on display, but it looked like it hadn’t been updated much since Ted passed away.

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The ray tank gives fans the opportunity to pet a ray, but I passed on that opportunity. I couldn’t stop thinking about Steve Irwin.

The concourses were wide and seemed to have plenty of food options…

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But I’m going to hold back on giving them too much credit, after this came out on Tuesday:

Tropicana Field often comes in 30th in ballpark rankings, and I won’t argue with that. Teams shouldn’t play in domes where pop ups can hit the roof. It’s hard to believe that Major League Baseball actually agreed to put a baseball team here 20 years ago. It seems like the Rays have been wanting to move out since almost day one.

A lot of the “dome and gloom” talk wouldn’t be so loud, though, if the Rays could draw better crowds on a regular basis. Tropicana Field is a better experience than the Metrodome was in its last years, but Tropicana Field hasn’t hosted two epic World Series and the Rays don’t have the same fan support the Minnesota Twin have. The Twins were actually fifth in the American League in attendance in 2009, their last year at the Metrodome.

Maybe the Rays don’t have that support because it’s felt like they’ve had one foot out the door for the last decade. But a new ballpark wouldn’t fix the issues with fan support by itself. Marlins Park is only a few years old and already features large swaths of empty seats on a regular basis. The Marlins are currently dead last in the National League in attendance. The only teams behind them in attendance in the major leagues are the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays.

[Maybe Florida doesn’t need two baseball teams, but that’s another topic for another day.]

Tropicana Field may deserve a lot of the ridicule it receives, but it doesn’t deserve all of it. Tropicana Field is trying to work with what it has, but there are larger issues at play than just the hot dog stands and the scoreboard. Still, its days are numbered.

Big Z Ballpark Rating – 2.8

The 300s Reviews: Camden Yards

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Camden Yards. The mecca of the retro ballpark. This was my 12th stop on the quest for all 30 stadiums and I have to say it did not disappoint.

When I visit new stadiums, there are several factors I try to take into account: the design, the food, the crowd, and the neighborhood. It would be nearly impossible to rank anything based on one of these alone so let’s break it down.

The Design:

Fairly unique. The warehouse in right field is obviously what most people would recognize immediately. The bowels of Camden are very reminiscent to the fields of yesteryear as there is no visible sightline of the field from the inside. The brick work also made me feel like I was at an actual baseball field. In other words, it was modern without being too polished (looking at you Yankee Stadium). I also noticed it felt very clean. Who would have thought something in Baltimore would give me that vibe! Seating was pretty good as well. I took a few laps of the stadium and it didn’t really seem like there was a bad seat in the house, so kudos to the design team.

The Food:

Two words: Old. Bay. They put this shit on everything, huh? Somehow in my near 30 years of existence Old Bay seasoning has alluded me until now. Let me tell you though, it is DELICIOUS. I totally get it. I would put it on my ice cream if it didn’t make me look like a psycho. It really may be the perfect spice. I doused an italian sausage in it as well as my french fries and I’m not sure if I can ever go back. It’s that good. Seasoning aside though, there wasn’t much at this ballpark that you couldn’t find anywhere else. I saw thick strips of bacon on a strip, but alas, my curiosity gravitated towards Old Bay related eats.

Bonus Points – Their own Dippin Dots flavor!

The crowd:

Tough to judge as the Orioles aren’t exactly good this year, but I was kind of expecting more out of a day game on the weekend. It was mostly a family crowd which I kind of understand on a Sunday, but still, I was hoping to see at least one drunk fan escorted out by security. Hands down the funniest thing I saw from the crowd was after the Orioles hit a home run one of the rogue Astros fans in attendance ripped the ball away from a kid trying to snag it in the seats and he threw it back onto the field. The onslaught of boos followed by the man’s gracious bow to his audience absolutely killed me. Kind of a dick move, but still hilarious.

The Neighborhood:

Camden is located right downtown near the inner harbor of Baltimore. I tend to prefer ballparks that are right in the action as opposed to say something like Dodger Stadium or Citi Field that are just so far removed from the downtown areas that even the best of tailgates don’t really help. There are a few bars around that seem like a good time, although I’m not exactly sure how rowdy they get when your team sits in 4th place in your division. Could be better, could be worse.

Overall, I’d probably put this stadium somewhere in my top 5. It was unique enough without being too over the top. I’m actually pretty surprised it took me this long to get there even though it’s only a four hour jaunt from the NY area where I grew up. Glad I got a chance to visit and can’t wait for stop 13 in Washington DC later this summer.

Score: 8/10

The 300s Reviews: Pepsi Fire

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I don’t do these reviews because I’m a masochist, I do it because I’m a man of the people. I do it for you. I’m a big fan of obscure drinks like Surge and Crystal Pepsi. Gotta pick out the diamonds in the rough. The best pumpkin spice latte you’ll ever have will be from 7-11. But for every success theres 10 disasters. I’m here to steer the ship so you know what’s garbage and what is so good that you have to at least try it, bodily harm be damned. With that, I introduce, Pepsi Fire.

Cracking the bottle open and its immediately apparent this is not some half-assed Pepsi marketing ploy; this is something different. The smell reminds me of when you run out of ginger ale and you have to mix Jameson with coke. Not a great start.

Poured it over ice and as its bubbling up I notice an unsettling reddish hue. The things I ingest for this blog.

First sip: It tastes EXACTLY like Fireball, which would have been great for Pepsi five years ago. May have even been a hit for Pepsi had Fireball never been invented. But now the cinnamon carbonation immediately brings back memories of ripping shots at the bar at 1 am. Not exactly what I want to pair with…anything really. Take a sip of this hungover and you might as well just call into work sick ahead of time.

Hey another fun fact, this concoction is WAY worse for you than any normal soda, let alone a diet Pepsi. After I poured it out I took a quick glimpse at the nutrition label before I threw it out and I gasped. Literally gasped. Pepsi Fire has 260 calories and 69 grams of sugar of nutrition in it. Jesus christ. Now I guess thats standard for a Pepsi 20 oz bottle, which I didn’t realize because I’m a devout supporter of asparatime in my diet sodas.

My point is, if you have more than 1 of these a month you are going to be in the dentist chair repairing some serious damage. Which I’d be fine with for a respectable drink, but I cannot knowingly destroy my teeth for Fireball soda. Final verdict: I cannot recommend trying this in good conscience. Pass.