Experiences - Ballpark Nerd

Marlins Park

April 28, 2012: Miami, Florida

There are few instances in my life where procrastination has paid off. Waiting five years to share my Marlins Park experience is one of them. On Friday August 11^th, Jeffrey Loria agreed to sell the Marlins to an investment group led by Bruce Sherman and former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter for $1.2 billion. Loria became owner of the Marlins after selling the Montreal Expos to MLB for $120 million. After landing the Marlins, Loria continued his questionable business practices by threatening to move the Marlins while investing very little on the field. Despite the nefarious nature of both strategies, they paid off. The Marlins won the 2003 World Series behind a number of young, cost-controlled stars, and in 2012 Loria opened Marlins Park. [Read more…]

Target Field

May 23, 2010: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota, Land of 10,000 Lakes and one of the finest ballparks in Major League Baseball. Target Field made its debut in 2010 and ushered in a return to open-air baseball for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins’ previous home, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, was a multipurpose indoor stadium with a sterile feel. Despite being low on the ballpark rankings, the Metrodome’s Teflon roof and rabid fan base provided the Twins a home field advantage throughout their 1987 and 1991 World Series runs, winning all eight home games. During my visit to the Metrodome in 2005, I was surprised by the amount of fans I spoke to who wanted the Twins to move to an open-air ballpark, one that did not include a retractable roof. That’s Minnesota tough. [Read more…]

Yankee Stadium II

June 18, 2009: Bronx, New York

If the original Yankee Stadium was The House that Ruth Built, the new Yankee Stadium is The House that Jeter Built. Derek Jeter became the Yankees full-time shortstop in 1996. His arrival launched what the Yankee Stadium Museum calls The Jeter Era. Jeter, along with outfielder Bernie Williams, catcher Jorge Posada, starting pitcher Andy Pettitte and lights-out closer Mariano Rivera, led the Bronx Bombers to four World Series titles in five seasons. The team was guided by the stoic Joe Torre and played their home games in historic Yankee Stadium, built in 1923, a venue unlike any other in sports. I waited until 2001 to make my first visit to Yankee Stadium and was blown away by the intense atmosphere: Postseason comebacks propelled by mystique and aura, and the sense that, regardless of the score or inning, the Yankees were going to win. This was real; search Byung-Hyung Kim or Grady Little. Despite the home field advantage, the old Yankee Stadium’s amenities did not offer fans the same game day experience that became standard during the ballpark boom of the 1990s and 2000s. This led to the end of an era with the old Yankee Stadium closing its doors following the 2008 season, ushering in a ballpark unlike any other.

[Read more…]

Citi Field

April 17, 2009: Queens, New York

Since becoming a Mets fan in 1988, I’ve followed them through the highs and lows of the past 28 years. Unfortunately, the highs have not been as high as the lows have been low. This was on display during the Mets’ final regular season home game at Shea Stadium in 2008. After missing out on the playoffs in 2007 with a brutal loss to the Florida Marlins, they were back playing for their postseason lives. Tied with the Milwaukee Brewers at 89-72, a win would assure at least a one-game playoff. What followed was typical Mets, coming back from 2-0 to tie the game headed to the 7^th. With the team’s bullpen running on fumes, it was only a matter of time before the Marlins took the lead, which they did in the 8^th on solo home runs by Wes Helms and Dan Uggla. Marlins 4, Mets 2. The playoff tickets I purchased became bookmarks. Losing out on the playoffs a second consecutive season (you thought the Brewers were going to lose?) was bad enough, but what followed only made the day worse. The Mets held their Shea Stadium Closing Ceremony AFTER the game in front of a catatonic crowd. “Sorry we just missed the playoffs again; here’s Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza to throw out the final pitch at Shea. See you next year at Citi Field!” I did not sleep that night. [Read more…]

Nationals Park

August 14, 2008: The District of Columbia

Since MLB relocated and rebranded the Expos from Montreal in 2005, the Nationals have carved out a niche in the nation’s capital. The Nationals played their first three seasons in the District at RFK Stadium, drawing 2.7 million fans in 2005, but the former home of the Washington Redskins and Senators lacked modern amenities and facilities. (The ticket offices, for example, were trailers outside RFK’s gates.) When MLB sold the Nationals to the D.C. real estate developer Ted Lerner in 2006, plans to build the team a new home were already in the works. President George H.W. Bush threw out the first pitch in Nationals Park history to open the 2008 MLB season. The game, played on a Sunday night in March, was a memorable and chilly one, as fans of MLB.tv can attest, ending on Ryan Zimmerman’s 9^th-inning home run to defeat the Braves. Opening night at Nationals Park may have been the highlight of the season, as the Nats finished the year with baseball’s worst record (59-102), drawing 2.3 million fans to their new home in D.C.’s Navy Yard. What might have been a nightmare to some organizations was the turning point for the Nationals. Their #1 draft pick in 2009 and subsequently in 2010 enabled the organization to select two franchise-altering players, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. [Read more…]

AT&T Park

August 29, 2007: San Francisco, California

My introduction to San Francisco was in the late 1980’s. ABC’s Full House on Friday nights, the 49ers combination of Montana to Rice on Sundays, and (if I was lucky) Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat, during the week. The San Francisco Giants won the first game I attended, a 5-0 win against the Mets, and were the home team during the World Series’ first earthquake, 1989’s Game 3. In 2000, the Giants moved from Candlestick Park, their home since the 1960 season, to Pacific Bell Park located in the China Basin section of San Francisco. Pacific Bell Park (renamed AT&T Park in 2006) served as a tipping point for the Giants organization. The Giants’ front office tailored the team to the spacious pitcher-friendly ballpark leading to 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series titles. AT&T Park also served as my final active ballpark visit before the Nationals would open their new park in 2008. The game featured Giants starter Noah Lowry, making his 100^th and final MLB start, and the newly crowned home run king Barry Bonds playing in what would be his final season. [Read more…]

Marlins Park

Target Field

Yankee Stadium II

Citi Field

Nationals Park

AT&T Park

Don't forget to check out the Ballpark Nerd Concierge section, where you can get all the info you need to make your next trip to any MLB park faster, better, and more entertaining!

What are your best and worst ballparks? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!

Check out the BPN Galleries

Concierge

Fenway Park Concierge

Globe Life Park Concierge

Kauffman Stadium Concierge

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Don't forget to check out the Ballpark Nerd Concierge section, where you can get all the info you need to make your next trip to any MLB park faster, better, and more entertaining!

What are your best and worst ballparks? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!

Check out the BPN Galleries

Tags

Concierge

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.