Tag: The 300s Ballpark 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: 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 MLB Ballpark Quest Final Five

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The quest to see all 30 Major League Baseball ballparks is a pilgrimage for many baseball fans. On Tuesday, Papa Giorgi wrote about his quest to see all 30 Major League ballparks and and shared some thoughts from the first dozen he’s been to. He also mentioned the next three ballparks on his itinerary.

That got me thinking about my itinerary. I’ve already been to eight current (and three former) Major League ballparks, but what would my itinerary look like if I were to start the quest from scratch today? Fenway Park, Camden Yards, Wrigley Field and Petco Park would definitely be at the top of my list. After the first dozen or so ballparks, though, my list would lose focus. Ranking parks like Safeco Field, Chase Field and Busch Stadium on the list would be a total crapshoot.

Rather than arbitrarily rank the ballparks in the middle of my list, why not eliminate some ballparks off the bat? So after some thought, if I were to start my ballpark quest today, here are the ballparks that would be the last five stops of my odyssey:

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26. PROGRESSIVE FIELD Twenty years ago, there wasn’t a seat to be had at Jacobs Field. The Indians sold out a then-record 455 consecutive games from June 12, 1995 to April 2, 2001, but that was a different time. Jacobs Field was brand new, the economy was strong, the Browns were out of football for three seasons and LeBron was still in Akron.

This is not a comment on the park, which by all accounts is beautiful. After some lean years post-Manny, the team is once again a perennial contender under Terry Francona. I’d love to see Tito again, but I’m just not sure when I’ll be driving through Ohio on I-90 again.

27. COMERICA PARK Sorry, Detroit. While it is really cool that all four of Detroit’s pro sports teams play within a mile of each other, I just don’t see myself heading to Detroit anytime soon. Cleveland has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Minneapolis (Bloomington, actually) has the Mall of America. I’m not sure what would ever bring me to Detroit.

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28. GUARANTEED RATE FIELD The last park built before Camden Yards and the retro ballpark movement, it’s hard to believe that new Comiskey Park Guaranteed Rate Field is just 27 years old. Maybe that’s because, despite its (relatively) young age, this ballpark has already undergone several rounds of extensive renovations.

I was in Chicago for a bachelor party a few years ago when the White Sox were at home and the Cubs were on the road. I drove 90 minutes north to the see the Brewers at Miller Park rather than head to the South Side. A boring team at a bland ballpark means it might be a while before I venture to the South Side.

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29. ROGERS CENTRE If I were a 19-year-old sophomore at Syracuse University I would make the trek to Rogers Centre in a heartbeat to enjoy some poutine and Labatt Blue. As a grown ass man, I don’t have the same desire to visit the original retractable roof.

While SkyDome was the first stadium to feature a retractable roof, it was the last stadium built to accommodate both baseball and football. This stadium looks like a concrete tomb on the outside, and feels more like a relic of the days of multi-purpose stadiums than the retractable roof trailblazer it was. Factor in how expensive international flights are, even to Canada, and it’s unlikely I ever visit this ballpark unless I’m invited to a wedding at Niagara Falls some summer.

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30. OAKLAND-ALAMEDA COUNTY COLISEUM Literally the biggest shit hole in the league. The A’s have been trying to get out of this place for more than a decade, so why would I visit willingly? The only thing the Coliseum has going for it is its proximity to AT&T Park. AT&T Park is a top ten park. The only way I see myself ever going to the Coliseum is if the A’s are at home the same weekend I go to see a Giants game.

Please realize that this is not a straight up ranking of the ballparks. If so, Tropicana Field would be in my bottom five. The five ballparks above are just the last five ballparks I plan to visit. If Tropicana Field were in Pittsburgh it would be on my list, but because Tampa in late March or April sounds delightful it is not.

If it seems like there is an East Coast or West Coast bias, it’s because of how many ballparks can be knocked out on one trip down I-95 or the Pacific Coast Highway. Money would no doubt be a factor on my quest and checking off more than one park per trip would be a borderline requirement. That’s what makes the AL Central such a challenge. If Minnesota still had the Metrodome, four of my last five trips would be to the AL Central.

If you’re reading this list in St. Louis obviously your feelings will be different. Seattle might be the moon to you. I did the best I could to put my coastal biases aside and just figure out which stops would be the hardest to make, and thus last. If you feel differently, let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @The300sBigZ

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

Episode 008 of The 300s Podcast (VIDEO)

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Aaaand we’re back. Episode 008 of The 300s Podcast is hot off the presses and we’re diving into the Celtics offseason, grading Danny Ainge’s recent moves and the Paul George situation. We also debut The 300s Ballpark Reviews with the Miami Marlins, how Aaron Judge has put the fear of god into Red Sox fans, the dominance of Chris Sale and we ask what is wrong with David Price? LETS GET IT.