Next summer my hubby and I are planning to begin a quest to visit all of the MLB ballparks. We have been to a handful of them over the past few years, but thought it would be fun to work our way through all of them during the course of 5 or 6 summer vacations.
We plan to start with an East Coast tour next summer, probably visiting 5 or 6 parks during a 10-day vacation. Red Sox and Yankees will be tough tickets to get our hands on, but maybe we'll save those parks for the summer of 2010.
How many MLB parks have the rest of you visited? Which ones would you be sure to see first if you planned a multi-year tour like this?
Julie
P.S. Ballparks we've been to so far:
1. Minnesota Twins / Metrodome of course, many times...we can hardly wait for the new outdoor stadium in 2010! 2. Milwaukee Brewers / Miller Park 3. Chicago Cubs / Wrigley Field 4. Colorado Rockies / Coors Field 5. Kansas City Royals / Kauffman Stadium 6. St. Louis Cardinals / Busch Stadium
Posts: 3617 | Location: Minnesota | Registered: January 04, 2003
I too want to visit them all- but with all the new parks, I feel like it is one step forward two back...
Of the current parks, I have been to:
1) SF Giants / AT&T 2) Oakland A's 3) LA Dodgers / Dodger Stadium 4) Angels / Anaheim 5) Padres / Petco 6) Seattle / Safco 7) Astros / Enron 8) Rockies / Coors Field 9) Chicago Cubs / Wrigley Field 10) Chicago White Sox / US Cellular Field 11) Red Sox / Fenway 12) Braves / Turner Field
Ones I really want to get to next based upon history and reputed quality of the fields:
Yankees Mets Cards Royals Pirates O's
" There's nothing cooler than a guy who does what we dream of doing, and then enjoys it as much as we dream we would enjoy it. " -- Scott Ostler on Tim Lincecum
Posts: 968 | Location: Monterey, California | Registered: May 28, 2004
. Pac Bell/At&T...Ain't nothin' like it...cozy feel, on the waterfront, SF Bay vista, quirks, Garlic Fries, McCovey Cove shennanigans, in town, Yacht Harbor and Bay Bridge in the back yard, Mays statue, can ride a Boat to the ballpark(notice I didn't say Ferry), palm trees...Tim Lincecum...
44 .
Posts: 2216 | Location: CA | Registered: May 15, 2005
1) Turner Field for the Olympics and the Braves 2) Joe Robbie / Marlins 3) Riverfront / Cincinatti 4) Miller Park / Brewers 5) Wrigley / Cubs 6) Busch / Cardinals
Biggest on the wish list is Pac Bell/ATT spouse grew up in Marin/Mill Valley going to the Giants games. Like 44 says "Ain't nothing like it." Also would like to get to Fenway, about too late for old yankees stadium.
Posts: 196 | Location: TN | Registered: October 24, 2006
Fields some I have been to all of the following my son and husband have been to:
AT@T (pac Bell) GIANTS Oakland Anaheim Angels Turner field (Braves) Texas (Rangers) Cincinatti (REDS) San Diego(Padres) Shea Stadium(Mets) Seattle (Mariners) Camden Yards (Baltimore) Have seen Fenway But couldnt get tickets Have heard Wrigley is a must, but are they tearing that down?
Posts: 678 | Location: california | Registered: December 17, 2007
DC Stadium / RFK Stadium (no baseball when it was RFK, though) - Senators Memorial Stadium / Camden Yards - Orioles Wrigley Field - Cubs Comisky Park - White Sox Fulton Co. Stadium / Turner Field - Braves Jack Murphy Stadium / Petco Park (timing was always bad for a game, though) - Padres Candlestick Park - Giants The Ballpark in Arlington - Rangers (off-season) SkyDome - Blue Jays Royals Stadium - Royals Miller Park - Brewers both Busch Stadiums (or Stadia ) - Cardinals
If I had to name the corporate names of most of these ballfields, I'd be lost.
I've driven by a few more. Do they count? Milwaukee County Stadium, Veterans Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Yankee Stadium, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Been to bunches of minor league parks, too.
Would love to see a game at Fenway and more at Wrigley.
Have fun!
Posts: 971 | Location: Left Out | Registered: January 03, 2007
I just returned from a trip to Oklahoma where I was fortunate to sit by a HUGE baseball fan on the plane and also met a very nice couple from AZ who were big Cards fan. They were telling me about a female friend of hers that went with her mom over a two year period to every park in America. She received a large amount of money upon her dad's death and he'd always wanted to do this. So, it was a way to honor him as well as do something she wanted. What better way to see the US!!!
I haven't been to as many parks as lots of folks around here but out of the half dozen, Comerica Park in Detroit is probably my favorite. If I could go anywhere tomorrow, it would probably be Fenway.
One day I hope to do just like you Julie and hope you discover lots of beautiful and amazing baseball parks with many other adventures along the way too!
Posts: 5352 | Location: Kentucky | Registered: December 30, 2004
Fenway Wrigley Tiger Stadium Busch I Cleveland Municipal Dodger Stadium (as Chavez Ravine) Candlestick AT&T Riverfront Kauffman PNC The Vet Citizens Yankee Stadium Astrodome Tropicana Rangers Parkin Arlington Robbie/ProPlayers.. etc SkyDome The Big A Coors Metrodome Olympic Stadium New Comiskey (before corporate branding) Jack Murphy
Expos - Olympic Stadium Yankees - Yankee Stadium Red Sox - Fenway Park Rays - Tropicana
Talk about both ends of the spectrum!
Olympic Stadium was a horibble baseball park, front row seats were a long way from play due to the track all the way around the field from the 76' Olympics. The only plus was the fact that when we took our son there he was 5, 6 and 7 at the time, he walked away with multiple baseballs every time (no kidding); there were only 4 or 5 kids sitting on the dugout roof for BP.
Tropicana... this place is a joke. The Rays may be upstart but the majority of the fans there are bad baseball fans and the idiots with the cowbells should be shot!
Sportsman's Park? Busch Stadium, built in 1963 (or thereabouts), is actually the second Busch Stadium. Before it was built, the old stadium was known as Busch Stadium. Sportsman's Park was renamed Busch Stadium in 1953.
So, with the new stadium that opened in 2006, the Cardinals are actually on Busch Stadium #3. My dad has actually been to all three.
I've also been to Yankee Stadium and Kauffman in KC. My parents made the trip out to PNC I believe it is in Pittsburg this summer when the Cardinals were out there.
"The Harder You Work, The Harder It is to Surrender"
Posts: 862 | Location: Waterloo, IL--Cape Girardeau, MO | Registered: February 05, 2006
"They" (meaning Auggie) may have renamed Sportsman's Park, but I don't know of anyone (unless employed by AB) who called that wonderful, funky, ridiculous old shrine anything other than Sportsman's Park.
I was amused when people in STL started talking about the "new" stadium. To those of us who still have our First Nighters certificates, the recently demolished bowl WAS the "new" stadium!
Bulldog! "My dad has actually been to all three." Ouch! That hurt!
"They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance." --- Terry Pratchett
Old Busch Stadium Memorial Stadium (Balt) Camden Yards Veterans Stadium Riverfront Stadium Great American Ballpark Shea Stadium Dodger Stadium Atlanta-Fulton Co. Stadium Turner Field RFK Stadium (to see exhibition football, though) Comerica Park Old Arlington Stadium Kauffman Stadium (ate in stadium club one March, so no game).
JT
Posts: 3519 | Location: Lynchburg, VA | Registered: January 15, 2003
Fenway Park Yankee Stadium Shea Stadium Jarry Park Olympic Stadium Exposition Stadium Skydome Veterans Stadium Citizens Bank Park Nationals Park Memorial Stadium Camden Yards Three Rivers Stadium Riverfront Stadium Jacobs Field Wrigley Field Comiskey Park (new) Metrodome Candlestick Park Alameda County Stadium Dodger Stadium Angels Stadium San Diego (Jack Murphy) Stadium BOB (Bank One Ballpark) Astrodome Coors Field
I used to travel a lot on business. I spent a lot of evenings at ball parks. I've also lived in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, LA and San Francisco.
Posts: 1632 | Location: Mid-Atlantic | Registered: October 29, 2007
Tguf's son started his stadium tour this Summer. Not knowing the names, I'll give the teams.
Of course the Ballpark in Arlington- Atlanta Braves New York Mets Washington Nationals Arizona Diamondbacks Cleveland Indians.
He actually met Carlos Zambrano's agent in Atlanta, had breakfast with him and talked for about thirty minutes. They were in line and he noticed son had UTA shirt on and struck up a conversation. Son said nice guy and gave him a card and told him to call if he ever needed anything. Kinda neat.
He is also a huge hockey fan and started the arena tour this past Winter. I won't bore you with all those names. Fortunately, I work for an airline and he usually just goes out to the airport, goes to a game and fly's back. Lucky him!
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
44
) - Cardinals
