Nope. I can't.

In Deshnoke, India there's a temple devoted to the worship of rats.

Bah! That rankles me so much that I used the word 'rankle.' I'm one of the people that is of the opinion that the Dome is still a perfectly fine place to go see a game - screw all this new stadium stuff. I love the Metrodome - it's been a part of me life for ten years now, and I'm not willing to part with it *sniffle*

Anyhoo, yeah, I can think of a worse place for a ballgame (or for anything at all, actually) - Wichita. Shudder. Also, Lambeau Field ;) Bwaha.

P.S. Quote: few options for kids other than the game.

What's that all about? That's what they're THERE for, right?

P.P.S. I swear, I'll start remembering that there is no 'edit' option on these posts and start making sure I say everything I want to say the first time around. I'll even pinky-swear to it.

Remember, every game* in the Metrodome involves the Twins. This is a good thing.

Or conversely, every game in Kauffman Stadium involves the Royals. Who wants to watch the Royals?

* baseball game. Yes, I know they play some other game there they call football even though they don't use their feet and the ball isn't shaped like a ball.

Shea Stadium - yeah it's outside but it's crap -
Bang for your buck - the Twins offer one to the best deals for a family of four - someone else tell me what other professional team can beat the Cub Foods Family deal - hmmmmm?????

Wonder Woman

Yeah, I can think of one: Miller Park in Milwaukee. Located in the middle of an asphalt wasteland. Surrounded by fans who've been drinking in aforementioned parking lot for two hours before the game, and whose kids start whining to go to the 'playground' starting about the middle of the second inning. Where the sightlines to the beer advertisements are frequently better than the sightlines to the action on the field. Where the team is a bunch of no-hopers who haven't won anything in over two decades and haven't come close since their owner moved them to the National League by fiat hoping to earn more gate by getting more games per year against the Cubs.

Oh, wait, SI rated Miller Park the #1 'fan value' park in all of baseball? Dang. Guess we know who commissioned that study...

For a fuller, kinder, more nuanced review of the Metrodome, take a look at Jim Caple's column from the ESPN review of ballparks: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/ballparks/metrodome.html

The Metrodome has the ability to be the ugliest place in the world and the most beautiful place in the world.

We can constantly talk about wanting a new stadium...I know I want outdoor baseball...

But for now, the Metrodome is the home to our beloved Twins. If fans and people not named Twins fans can't deal with that, then who cares.

I personally love the Dome, but still hate it. But I deal with it because I know that when I go there, I'll get to see a Twins game.

I'm also incredibly sick of hearing people dump on the Dome. Sure, it's not an ideal place for baseball, but it's where we play.

And I've gotten to the point in my ranting where I'm just repeating myself over and over, so I'll stop.

well, might a crappy stadium be one that is under a 99degrees sweltering sun?????? I believe the Texas Rangers play in one hotashell place like that.

With all the hot weather we had of late it was real swell to be cool in the dome. I sit in 114 and the view of the diamond is great (ok I have to see JJ's great work on the "big" screen).

I will agree, however, that a number of the seats require us to crane our necks hard to see the action around the diamond--the angle required to SEE the game is mighty uncomfortable. Of course the dome is a FOOTBALL STADIUM!!

still like that cool air (and heat when we need that).

cool,

kal

If I knew how to do HTML, I would totally use it at this point, but I had an entry in my LiveJournal back in April....Gamenight asked a question...and I answered it in my LiveJournal (because trying to call into those shows...crazy...and pointless...) But anyway, at this point I'm completely rambling, but I thought I'd share my entry. *thinks* Or I could just give the site and not have to worry about copying and pasting!

Ignore my pointless rambling.

Click my name for the entry *nods*

And I think I'm done commenting on this entry for a while :)

[And if the clicking of the name doesn't work, since I have no idea what I'm doing:]

http://www.livejournal.com/users/lewscandygirl/108631.html

i'm really not fond of domes in general. i hate ours, but, at the very least, it's a modern dome with modern amenities. plus tickets are $3 and beers are $1 on friday nights, so you forget you're at Tropicana Field after a while anyway.

Verily, Miller Park both sucks and blows. At least Minnesota has the excuse that the Metrodome was built when multipurpose domes were in fashion. What is the excuse for building an abomination and affront to the senses such as Miller Park, after Camden Yards had shown everyone how new ballpark architecture could be done?

Tina Tuner's Thunderdome? That place SUCKS.

The thing I like about the Dome is knowing that if I make the drive to the Twin Cities, there's going to be a game. I don't have to worry about a rain out or a snow out. That's kind of nice to know when you live 400 miles away.

I just started browsing through the SI Fan Index... Why does our Team get a lowly 3/10 score, same as the sub-.500 Brewers and Mariners, while the Nats get a 6/10, the Jays get a 5/10, the Rangers get a 4/10, the Padres get a 5/10, the Phillies get a 6/10, the Reds, Cubs and Orioles get 4/10, and the Tigers get a 6/10.... WHAT?!? The Tigers on the field get a 6?

The whole thing has been invalidated. The scores are bogus.

I love Miller Park! sure, there are better places, but that's where I saw my very first outdoor MLB game, and I treasure it. there was a breeze! at a baseball game!

Yankee Stadium freakin' sucks. it's the Metrodome without a roof.

but honestly, there is no worse place to watch baseball than the Metrodome. I HATE the Metrodome. don't agree? try sitting in section 135, row 13, for a few games in a row, and then tell me the Dome is still a good place to watch a baseball game. that's where I sat for the playoffs last year, and by the end of the last game, my neck was in some serious pain just from trying to watch guys at bat. I hope they implode that place after they build a new, outdoor stadium.

god bless the dome.
you're guaranteed a game in any weather (think about it, have been that many truly great outdoor baseball nights this season?). it's minnesota, it gets cold here, and hot and muggy.
the price is right. we paid $60 a piece (we later discovered we got a bargain) for right field back breakers in fenway, and that didn't include the subsequent trip to the chiropractor. face value was $18 but who gets to pay that? when they say there isn't a bad seat in fenway, they're talking about when it's empty. since they don't sell beer in the stands people are getting up every freaking 5 minutes and climbing over everybody else and then you can't see anything. interesting history aside, the park is a bit of a dump.
and the people are nice here. nobody mentioned that in the ratings. after being among the obnoxiousness in boston, it was great to be home.
a new park would be cool but it better have a retractable roof for us out-of-towners and weather wimps.

I assume the reason no one is mentioning Tropicana is because no one actually goes there. The other Florida stadium looks ickey, too.

Also, $6 cheap seats is by and far the best deal in baseball.

Where else but the dome can you get blown out the door after a game? I have so many memories from the dome. It is the only place I have seen professional baseball game. There are so many special things about it, that no other stadium can offer, that I just have to love it.

The Dome has it's charm. The worst stadium in baseball? Hell no. No way going to Tropicana is any better. RFK is the Dome w/o a roof. And to be honest, the roof is nice--you can't sunburned under a roof. Even if it's the day before you get the cast off your wrist. Check the batcave for pics of that debacle.
Anyway, PNC is beautiful, but the team sucks. Camden--same thing. Fenway is nice--if you don't have a seat behind a pole. Jacobs isn't that nice--better than the Dome, but nothing special. Coamerica--great stadium, crappy team. Philly--nice place, horrible fans (doing the Eagles chant in August at a baseball games=big time losers)

Basically, the Dome was screwed. Dollar a Dog nights (I haven't had a better hot dog anywhere else), cheap tickets, the ability to move to better seats, games during thunderstorms. And a contending team (I'm gonna be honest--if the Twins were bad, I might agree w/ the ranking. But their not, and hopefully, by the grace of Tony Gwynn, they'll be a contender for a looong time).
It's not a top 10, or even a top 15 stadium, but it's ours. And after a season w/o the Dome, I miss it. It's ours and I like it!

Shea's a GREAT place for a game! Wonder Woman's tiara's on too tight.

Now that I'm in Florida, I'll have to check out Tropicana... on a Friday night, obviously. Actually maybe next Thursday when the Wankees are in town. Tim- you up for that?

Oh, come ON, people! You cannot be so blinded by your love for our Twins that you do not see that the Metrodome is one of the worst stadiums (stadia?) EVER. Never mind the seats and the sightlines and the roof. The Dome loses on food quality alone. I don't need sushi like they have in Seattle, but is a quality burger too much to ask for? How about a little variety for the non-meat-eaters, like our beloved BG? As she might say, the food is craptacular, and that standing alone puts the Dome waaaayyyy down on the list.

I wouldn't put much stock in these rankings. As one example (involving your least favorite team, but I think even the folks here will see the silliness of this):

They rate the parks on accessibility. Wrigley Field is on the Red Line of the Chicago El system with a stop right outside the park. There are no parking lots excepting those a few miles west of the park which require a shuttle bus to get to/from the park to the cars. The traffic around the park is a nightmare, and there is no parking in the area unless you are a resident of the neighborhood.

US Cellular Field is on the Red Line of the Chicago El system with a stop right outside the park. There is also another el stop 2 blocks away from US Cellular field. There is also a major expressway with an exit right there and 15,000 or so parking spots.

So with that in mind, what do these two parks score for accessibility?
USCF - 6
Wrigley - 7

I think the ratings were determined by the use of a 10-sided die and a monkey with some sort of crippling drug habit.

Count me as another person who has never really minded the Dome. I know where the bad sight lines are, and avoid those seats. For $6, you can't beat 214! I like it that in February I could plan to spend my birthday watching the Twins, and even if it's raining (or snowing, or 100 degrees with 80% humidity), I'll still be watching the Twins in relative comfort.

But mostly it's the sentimental value. It's the only Twins ballpark I've ever known (I was too little for Met Stadium and have a poor memory anyway).

Best place to watch baseball? Not by any means. But given the choice between a nicer park with the Brewers or Royals? I'll take my Twins in the Dome.

Dear Let's Go Mets -

My TIARA is NOT on too tight
and SHEA STADIUM is CRAP!

I have a friend lives in NY - loves the Mets - hates SHEA so =p

Wonder Woman

After spending two gorgeous evenings at Safeco in Seattle, I must agree that the Dome, it is an assheap.

It is an ugly plastic assheap with bad food, poor sightlines and uncomfortable seats that smells like basement and has a swastika on the ceiling.

But my Twins live there, so I love it anyway.

I wish I still had the article, but just a few months ago, Steve Rushin at SI said the the Dome was a nice place to watch a game because it didn't have all the extra frills, like carousels and "take your pet to the game" games. So SI obviously didn't get his opinion when putting out that article.

VIVA LA METRODUMP!

I agree with ForMorneau, when you are at the Dome you are there for a baseball game. There are no amusement parks or even nice shops.

I hate Miller Park it just looks like a giant window. I dont really like retractable roofs. The stadiums that have them dont really look good. Houstons stadium looks bad, Miller sucks, and the stadium in Arizona just looks to big.Saefco is the only stadium with a retractable roof I like.

You must be on crack, TBird. Minnesota has terrible weather for most of the year, so when it's finally nice out and the boys of summer are playing and you have an opportunity to enjoy the weather for once... you want to stay inside. Put on some damn sunscreen.

My season tickets are in section 114; one of the few decent sections in the whole "stadium". The Dome is a horrid place to watch baseball. I cannot find one redeeming quality of the Dome. I prefer Midway Stadium (St. Paul Saints) over the Dome. There is zero neighborhood to enjoy outside the Dome. Can someone please explain to me that after 25+ years that the only restaurant willing to shack up next to that pile is Hubert's with their overpriced food/drinks of sub-standard quality? The concessions are lame at best. The beer offerings are nasty, Famous Dave's (which is very bad bbq in the first place) is at its worst in the dome, and the walk-away sundae is overpriced gut-rot waiting to happen. Well, I guess the brats are okay. The sightlines are brutal. I used to sit in section 117, which is between the visiting dugout and the bullpen catcher's plate. One would think that they were okay seats. Those seats were awful! All I could see without contorting myself in un-natural positions was Torii tying his shoes (that may be a bonus for some, but not for me). So for the same price I'm about 100-150 feet farther away, but I can watch El Presidente work like Picasso on the mound with moderate comfort (don't get me start on the actual seats and their size/spacing). I feel bad for anyone who sits on the third base side for there is no relief over there. Yes, the Dome was built when our "leaders" thought multi-purpose facilities were cool. We're smarter than that now and know that baseball must be played in a baseball stadium. I can't wait for the thing to get bulldozed and a real park is erected in its place. Seriously, it's brutal. That said, I'd still rather watch the Twins there than see just about any other team in their park. I don't care how the Bitch Sox, Royals, 'Toons, et al are packaged with a stadium; I won't see them. Unless they played in PNC Park. I'd watch any baseball game played in that shrine.

Yargh, me no likey the weather arguments. Nonetheless, I'll seek common ground.

The out-staters, mostly the non-baseball game-goers, though, complain about paying taxes for a new stadium. The out-staters who go to the game complain about the rare occasion there might be a rainout. So, why not charge an out-state tax that pays for 75% (or some majority share) of a retractable roof? If there's going to be a retractable roof and if I were a Twin Cities area resident, I sure as hell wouldn't want to pay the additional cost just like the out-stater who doesn't want to pay for a stadium.

Then again, I think all pro sports should be booted from the Twin Cities so it can focus on becoming the arts-cultural mecca of the U.S. :)

I just went past the dome with some people from out of town, and they all thought it was ugly. but you know what? the twins play there. and i love the twins. therefore, by association, i love the dome! it's not that bad...

ForMorneau, I have that very article open on my coffee table. If I can't find an actual link I'll find a place to post it.

Cleveland--Outside is nice, but baking in 90+ degree heat for hours isn't that much fun. Though that's more of a problem here in DC, where summers are miserably hot and humid. Night games, however, are infinitely better outdoors--I will concede that.

I sit in 117 and I think it's a great section - huh can you see JJ when the ball gets caught in the corner from 114??

Anyway - I'm just happy we have a team even if we do play in a baseball unfriendly stadium

Colorado. Seriously...who wants to watch THAT team play?

There's also Texas, which gets ungoddly hot.

Shea.

I've been to 20 or so MLB parks past and present (Shea included), plus tons of minor league and spring training yards...have to say I enjoyed the Dome the least. In fact, I had only ever been to Jack Murphy prior to the Minn. game so I didn't have a lot of expectations either way. The game and play was FABULOUS (Puckett chasing the cycle!) But if we're talking building experience here...sorry :(

HOWEVER, I think the team makes all the difference in "bonding" with the structure. Memories are specific to time and place. People crack on the Dback's "airplane hanger" stadium all the time and I can certainly see their points...that is when I remove myself from the emotion of what that building means in the context of finally have a home baseball team and all the places game-changing hit balls landed or where amazing catches were made. The spot on the basepath where Randy Johnson went spreadeagle trying to stretch a rare hit into a double...the same place that Mark Grace painted the next day with an body outline like a crime scene. The place where Gonzo's ball landed to win Game 7. The scoreboard where Sexton hit it so far he broke the panels. My very first season ticket seats. Opening night 1998. The seat in 128 where I met somebody that occupied my life for awhile. The brat vendor that knows me by my first name. The opening video that plays before the team takes the field. The music that plays when the roof opens...yeah...good times.

You know the Polo Grounds was never considered a baseball oasis but the historical incidents of baseball specific to that that place is freakin' unbelievable. The whole is equal to the sum of the parts...and THAT'S the measure that counts.

For me, the memories I have of good times at the dome will always drown out any whining by nit-picking pseudofans who choose a baseball game on things like a stadium or the colors of the jerseys.

After reading said review, I was a little perturbed to say the least. But as I researched the rest of the list, I noticed a few things that made me feel better about the lack of "scientific merit" in this study. Safeco is #19?? My goodness, that place is 21st century baseball heaven! Miller Park #1? That is the only stadium, of many, that I have been to and been physically assaulted. And they give The House THat Bud Forced Built kudos for "giving kids the PA mic for a few batters? Sounds like the dome to me! Not to mention the fact that Mecca (Wrigley) is only ONE spot above Rodgers Centre in Toronto!?!?! They put the E after Center!

(breathing heavily over a bowl of Cap'n Crunch)
Ok, I'm better now.

P.S. Let us not forget that the dome allows so many real fans to gain access to it's hallowed grounds, while a new stadium would be "the place to be" for the casual fan and possibly price us out altogether. See also Met Center/ Xcel Center

"Let us not forget that the dome allows so many real fans to gain access to it's hallowed grounds"

I haven't been to the MetroDome so I don't know what a game is like there, but I have never seen the words hallowed grounds used to describe it before. Yankee Stadium, Wrigley, Dodger Stadium those I have seen hallowed grounds, but a 20 year old dome ? Can Astroturf be hallowed ?

I've been to 15 or so current major league parks and a couple that no longer exist. The Dome is not my favorite place (but I do like knowing if I drive 5 hours for a game, there will BE a game), but it's not the worst either.

Oakland would get my vote as the worst. Fenway would be up there. The old Texas stadium had to be the worst at the time. Tropicana isnt great but the food is better than most places. I dont care for US Bitchular, either. Not a fan of Wrigley. Love Baltimore, San Fran and the new Texas stadiums.

remeber that the kids dont care what the dome looks like atleast they get to see a baseball game and thats all they care about they dont care that its crappy or about the food or whatever they just want to go see there favorite team...and i dont want an outdoor stadiem cause like if it like rains or storms or any other bad weather then there gonna maybe have to have a double header and i kno that doesn't mean alot to us but to them it prolly kills them cause there prolly very tired..but thats just me

Wonder Woman- are you slagging Shea from personal experience or just because you have a friend who lives in NY and that person dislikes Shea? What complaints do you have about the big blue layer cake in Flushing?

I've seen at least a dozen games there and never once have I had a lousy view. I love the excitement I feel while sitting on the #7 riding above Queens when suddenly Shea comes into view... the building intensity of that feeling when I get off the train, onto the platform and see it looming large against the sky... emerging from the subway station and approaching via the walkway... getting inside the place and coming out into the seating area, seeing the grass and the diamondvision and the big top hat from which the apple appears after a Mets home run... it's exhilarating.

And the food! Sausage and pepper sandwiches, burgers grilled in front of you, knishes... they've got that little italian place on one level... I'm actually getting hungry recalling the smells and tastes.

The only problem I have with Shea is that the seats are a little cramped. Other than that, I love the place.

I take back what I said before- one time I did have a lousy view but it was during interleague play when I was seated behind this enormous, hulking, sweaty shirtless yankees fan who kept swilling beer and cursing up a storm and had enough body hair to donate some to sasquatches undergoing chemotherapy. I'm just glad she kept her bra on.

From one assheap dwelling team to another, I can say that both the Oakland Coliseum and the Metrodome are crap. It's a tossup as to which is worse.

The one positive about our place: The horrific concrete slabs provide superior contrast to Bobby Kielty's hair.

Most kids I have been to baseball games with do seem to be more interested in cotton candy, bobble heads, the Phanatic and all other forms of furry mascotty things that roam the stands, hotdogs, and any kind of toy they could buy, especially mini bats so they could hit their brother, sister, cousin, etc with.

For the most part catching foul balls seemed to be the only part of the game they were really excited about. It's hard to explain all of the nuances of the game to a little kid as they happen or why 55,000 people are chanting "Boston Sucks !" or why the umpire is an asshole to a 6 year old that just wants to get sticky from cotton candy. Around 9 they seem to understand why Boston Sucks ! and the umpire is an asshole.

Dear Let's Go Mets

Shea is a dump because the seats are bad,you need to have our neck twisted a little to the left to get a good sightline, it's in a terrible area, airplanes, it smells like the garbage dump, it's an ugly shade of purpley blue, and the number 1 reason why it sucks is the Mets play there.

Now a quick 15 minutes away is the single greatest stadium ever built for baseball that has been the home to the single greatest team in the history of baseball. There isn't a bad seat in the house in the Bronx.

Let's Go Yankees !
mike

btw- I've been to Shea, Yankee Stadium, the Vet, Camden Yards and Turner Field.

Turner Field's a lovely stadium, truly gorgeous, great place to watch a game, except beers are like seven bucks there and they have crap hot dogs. If you already know where to find off-site parking, you'll save money and not have half of the traffic headaches associated with getting into and out of stadium parking.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards was also beautiful and makes for a great day at the game (weren't they both designed by the same company?)... I don't have kids so yeah, I identify with going to the stadium just to see baseball but I'm not so selfish that I can't see the appeal of having extras at the park...

Anyway... I was glad when they imploded the Vet. Ugly stadium, artificial turf, fans from Philly...

Yankee Stadium... I detest the yankees like a sickness but you have to give them the whole aura and mystique angle... I can't complain about any of the games I've been to there... I've been ok with the views and the food's decent. Parking could be better, though, and actually, were it not for the baseball crowd creating safety in numbers, I would not chance walking around near the stadium at night. Not that Turner Field's much better...

Hahaha Mike... you're just jealous because we got Pedro ;-)

I'll give you the seats and a little bit of the neck craning and if you're that sensitive to the airplanes, ok, you can have that one as well.

But Shea doesn't reek of garbage, I haven't noticed anything wrong with the area, I like that shade of purply-blue and the number 1 reason Shea ROCKS is because the Mets play there ;-)

I feel an XM radio ad about to happen... Why can't weeee be friends, why can't weeee be friends ;-)

btw- I'll give you twenty bucks if you can make it from Shea to Yankee Stadium in "a quick 15 minutes" without the use of aircraft.

All I can say about the Metrodome is, "Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"
Or something like that.

if anyone wants 2 free tickets to tonights game in 227 row three email me

Like others I have been to many stadiums over the years--from my first game at Ebbets Field. I have never been to the metrodome--so I cant say whether its good or bad. I hope to make it next year.

I have been to many games at Shea--its a dump. Nobody mentioned the wind that blows scorecards, wrappers etc all over the place--and only one mentioned the constant over flying planes. Yankee Stadium isnt much better--never had a good view there--overpriced concessions, really bad neighborhood. Both are easily accessible via the Big Apple subway--which is an adventure itself.

Any survey that has Miller Park number 1 has to be questioned.

Dear Let's Go Mets -

I have been to Shea - and I didn't like it - it was in a word icky!! I didn't have a problem with the fans - I never have well except the one time I was in Milwaukee -pre- Miller Park and someone yahoo - spilled their beer all over me - SHEA was just plain ICKY!

Wonder Woman

Yankee Stadium is the biggest dump I have ever set foot in. "mystique"... BAH! it's a crap heap. I felt nothing when I walked in there. no awe, no wonder, nothing.

Fenway, though... oh, man, I LOVE Fenway. it's gorgeous. and I was sitting way up underneath the jumbotron, even, and I absolutely loved it. from the moment I walked through the gate, I was struck by the beauty and history of the place. I wish I could live there.

Fenway is too small, with too many bad seats, I think there are mo OV seats in fenway then the rest of baseball combined, with no headroom in the tunnels, with tiny bathrooms that were built for tiny people with annoying accents that try to punch nice guy rightfielders in the face like Gary Wiggle Bat :)

Kafumbly I can't understand how any true baseball fan can go to Yankee Stadium and say so what.I mean Ruth played there, the Iron Horse, Joe D, the Mick how could you night feel the history ?

I know that you aren't a fan of the team so that may cloud your judgement, but I have sat all over that stadium and have always had good sight lines and the crowd is always into the game and people don't leave early. That place is just alive.

Everywhere in NYC could use more parking and sure the traffic in and out is a nightmare, but for just being in a real baseball crowd there is no other place like it.

If the Twins and Yankees are facing each other in the playoffs again sometime I recommend that you try and go. October baseball at Yankee Stadium is like no where else. Maybe playoff hockey at the Joe can compare but until you experience it you aren't getting it at its best.

Concessions are over priced at every ballpark,but I guess it seems like more at YS because NYC is on a different level then anywhere else when it comes to cost. What cost $6 bucks in most places costs $10 in NYC, so plan accordingly.

I have never had any trouble being in that part of the Bronx, and there are so many cops there for a game the neighborhood doesn't play in effect and I have gone of the main path many times. No different then any big city neighborhood. I feel safe in New York City.

I R teh gud spelor

my hatred of the Yankees has nothing to do with my assessment of Yankee Stadium. I simply felt nothing when I walked in there. the seats I had for both games were good, but the first night, the people walking around were annoying. and I got pelted with Cracker Jacks quite a few times because I was cheering for my team, and the people around me didn't like that. but I felt safe in the neighborhood, and other than snotty comments from Yankee fans, the subway ride was fine.

but Yankee Stadium itself? doesn't live up to the hype. it's ugly. it has no character. and that stupid chanting crap of the players' names during every single game is the most annoying thing I have ever had to sit through.

This is all quite entertaining - especially all the people weighing in on the Dome who've never been there. It's like all the people I know who've never seen "Ishtar", yet don't hesitate to proclaim it as The Worst Film Ever Made. (I happen to love "Ishtar", but that's just me. At least I've seen it, so I feel better able to judge its relative merits than those who haven't.) Anyway, having been to a number of stadia, I can say that, while I can't be anywhere close to objective - after all, I am a Twins fan - I would like to suggest that both US Smellular and whatever they call the Oakland Cement Heap now are worse places to see a game than the Dome. The old ballpark in Cincinnati was worse than the Dome as well, as is RFK - ugh. That's not to say that I wouldn't love to see something as majestically beautiful as PNC Park in downtown Minneapolis, with the incomparable skyline glistening in the sun behind the outfield bleachers, but the Teflon home of our beloved Twins is certainly not the worst ballpark in MLB.

And for those who insist on waxing rhapsodic about Midway, let me just say that it's small and charming and it's fun that you can get a haircut behind home plate and the sight lines are pretty good - but what you'll see there on a typical night isn't really worth viewing, unless you're looking for something other than a baseball game.

Okay, this Mets-Yanks thing (as well as a countdown to a long weekend) has persuaded me to chime in:

1) People are all justified with their opinions, especially when they explain why they have their opinion. For example, those who say Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are among the tops of stadiums to see a ballgame in are correct...if you feel the way *lat's go mets" feels when approaching Shea. I get the most incredible goosebumps every time I walk through the tunnel at Yankee Stadium to see the diamond and neatly manicured grass. It literally takes my breath away, and the first game of the year, forget about it... That being said, Yankee Stadium may be one of the worst parks comparatively, when considering all aspects of the experience.

2) Everyone who said that the Dome is great because the Twins play there and they love the Twins is correct as well. Again, you have sentimental value linked to the place. Yankee Stadium holds countless games growing up (including the horror that sounded like cheers for Kevin Maas at first base when there were so many of us pining for Mattingly, but I digress) and more recent memories - I have been to three of the top 10 games of the last 10 years, and let me tell you, I wouldn't trade the Stadium for anything...

3) Then again... If the question is mauled to read "If your favorite team played at every stadium, which would be the best?" that might lead to different results. Camden Yards is a spectacular place to see a ballgame. Simply stunning. Their picnic area is delightful and the atmosphere there is like a little league game (notice the restraint regarding the division rival's play here). Citizen's Bank Park in Philly is absolutely amazing, and one of my favorite places to see a ballgame. There is simply no bad seat in the house. They seemed to build it almost vertically (like the Colosseum in Rome) so that everyone is close to the action. Behind all the seats, the corridors are entirely open (again, like the Colliseum) to allow easy transport around the stadium.

I guess what I am trying to say here is that most (if not all) stadia can claim to be a great place to play. If the Yanks played in Camden Yards, I'd vote Camden. Likewise, CBPhilly. The Yankees do play in Yankee Stadium, and it is my favorite to go to... but if they built a SafeCo in the Bronx, I'd probably like it better.

As for Shea... I go once a year and my views are askew because we always sit in a luxury box, but even so, it's a lousy place to see a ballgame. The flight plans from two airports cause annoying noise, and apart from certain sections in the park, every seat seems too far away.

The only thing Shea has over Yankee Stadium (and, frankly every other one I have been to) is that they serve Gold's mustard...best...mustard...ever.

Helpfully (hopefully),
YankeeFan

Hey YF...

What's the difference between hotdogs at Yankee Stadium and hotdogs at Shea ?

@ kafumbly: I doubt they blow up the Metrodome after the new parks are built, whenever they are. Check out the MSFC website and you'll see that even subtracting both the Twins and Vikings doesn't even cut out half of the annual event days hosted by the Dome each year.

Besides (tasteless humor alert), I think right now you'd have to judge the Superdome as the worst domed stadium in the US...

@ adidasman: Funny you should mention SBC, because that's one of the lower-rated parks in baseball according to the survey as well, though the main reason it seems to lose points is that it's one of the more expensive places to watch a ballgame, plus Barry Bonds is hurt. (?!)

@ mike: Two World Series titles the likes of 1987 and 1991 could hallow a papier-mache shack for a Twins fan. I'm not surprised that some folks like the Dome largely for the memories of the place at its best.

Personally, I look at the Dome as a couple earning $300K a year moving into a neighborhood where nobody else earns less than seven figures. They're among the wealthiest couples in the country, yet everybody around them looks at them as losers.

Appreciate the Dome for what it is, rather than denigrate it because it doesn't live up to other cities' follies.

I believe and don't believe that the Dome belongs where they put it. It's really not as bad as they make it out to be. I've sat on both the first and third baselines and haven't had a problem with a crick in my neck, although I do sit sideways in my chair, which could help the neck. I wouldn't know about the food as I've never eaten it in all my time at the Dome. I'm there to watch a game... Who cares about the food.

On another park, I have been to Coors Field (I was there July 4, and I actually played with Patriots Marching Band out in center field as part of "pregame" entertainment (the game was delayed due to rain so it became actual game playing)) and it deserves the third spot. It's an AMAZING ballpark and every seat is awesome. As the magazine says, sitting down first base line is the best seat because you can see the sun setting over the mountains. Beautiful. Great park.

All in all, hopefully when we get our new stadium (if we get it, have they decided anything yet?) the designers will learn a thing or two from the article and top all of the MLB parks to be number one. I quite like that idea. =)

Am I a doofus, or am I the only one who misses Memorial Stadium in Baltimore?

BG according to the article Shea, Miami and Detroit are all worse then the Dome, with Shea being the worst.

I think the one thing the article got dead right is that PNC Park gives you great value for your money. You can always get great seats because the Pirates generally don't sell out the park, the seats are cheap, the food is good, the stadium is beautiful, the view of the city is great, there's plenty of stuff for kids, shoppers, drinkers, what have you. Even the Outback in the Outfield is awesome. The only problem with PNC park is that there's no good places to hide when it rains in Pittsburgh.

I haven't been to the Metrodome yet (but I will be in two weeks! Whee!).

Shea Stadium is overpriced and the seats suck, but I was really glad to be able to get decent (loge box) seats in the shade for every game I saw there, as opposed to Yankee Stadium, where I got sunburned to heck and back and had very little choice about it.

Citizens Bank Park is one of the best things to happen to Philly baseball since the 1980 World Series. Though I suppose I miss the days of general admission tickets for $3 and sitting up in the 700 level of the Vet with my friends, goofing around because well, we could have a whole section to ourselves if we wanted.

SBC Park is also a great place. I'm surprised it was ranked as low as it is. I think the neighborhood is just fine, too.

And I could go on and on about how awesome Safeco is. Is there anywhere else where they let you stand right up next to the bullpen and chat with the coaches and players?

RD, why not both? (kidding)

mike - difference between hot dogs at Yankee Stadium and Shea? the mustard for one... I believe that the suppliers are varied as well. though I believe that Nathan's is the official hot dog of both teams, it seems as though Hebrew National dogs (vastly superior) re more prevelant at Yankee Stadium than at Shea...

Truth be told, I used to prefer the sausages at Yankee STadium. Hot with peppers and onions and mustard... mmmmm saaaaasage...

YF

Dear Mr. Mike,

Yes, but the article clearly says it's the worst place to watch baseball in America, as you can see if you follow the link. As opposed to the worst "value," which is supposedly Shea.

Helpfully,
BG

Dear Yankee Fan

The difference between hotdogs at Yankee Stadium and hot dogs at Shea, is you can get hot dogs at Yankee Stadium in October.

Rim Shottingly Yours
mike

P.S. And yes Hebrew Nationals are damn fine dogs and I'm not even Jewish

Dear BG

I did miss the part. Oh so sorry, but I don't like that survey. Dodger Stadium 25th ?! and every seat in Fenway being good ? I guess they weren't behind a pole or sitting next to a guy that weighs more then 140 lbs.I think their ratings were silly.

mike

Dear RD

I only ever saw a soccer game there (memorial stadium Baltimore) live but the stadium was a tad bit dirty and messy, and Pele was real old by then too, but hey I saw Pele play soccer there so how bad could it have really been ?

Nostalgically
mike

"I can't understand how any true baseball fan can go to Yankee Stadium and say so what.I mean Ruth played there, the Iron Horse, Joe D, the Mick how could you night feel the history?"
----------------------------------

Mike, the stadium where Ruth, Gehrig, Yogi, DiMaggio, and Mantle played doesn't really exist anymore, not after George stripped the park of its character in the '70s. It's the same ground, but otherwise the park has retained none of its original, classic features. I don't know how anyone could truthfully "feel the history" of a place that really doesn't look much different from the crap heap in Queens.

If they tore down the Monster in Boston, expanded the Leftfield and built regular bleachers over Lansdowne Street, would it still be Historic Fenway? If Sox fans then tried to talk about "feeling the history of the place where Teddy Ballgame and Yaz played," everyone would call BS. Yet Yankee fans wax on about the historic aura of their stadium and we're all supposed to pretend like Death Valley and the upper deck facade are still there, like it really is just as it was when the Babe played there. Horsehockey! The Yankees play in a 1970s dump, and let's not pretend otherwise.

The Stadium wasn't torn down and rebuilt, it was remodeled.If you have a '57 Vette and you get a new engine and new paint job guess what it's still a '57 Vette not a 2005. And if James Dean drove it once but you replaced the seats, it was still James Dean car.

The address didn't change and when they talk about when the stadium opened they don't say 1976 they say 1923. So it doesn't hold 70k anymore it is still the same field and its still the same great address.

Now the new one, btw that George is paying for you listening Carl, Will not be the same stadium that Ruth and Mickey played in, this one is.

RD,

Yes.

"October baseball at Yankee Stadium is like no where else." Yeah I know, I saw all those people on their cell phones not paying attention.

NO CHILD OF MINE WILL GO TO A BASEBALL GAME AND DO ANYTHING EXCEPT PAY STRICT ATTENTION TO THE GAME. COKE BOTTLE SLIDES, BE DAMNED!

I was recently at Coors Field (and saw Resto! The Restodyssey continues!), and I thought it was a great ball park. Plus, they know no one comes to the games so you can sit wherever you want, the ushers even encourage you to! And they REALLY crack down on underage drinking, as my brother can attest.

Worst ballpark? US Cellular Field. Why? You have to watch the Bitch Sox play.

I'm just old enough to have seen a few Twins games in the old Met, and have seen about 50 in the Dome. The Dome isn't a *bad* place to see a game, but it isn't very good either.

My big beef with the article is the ranking of Dodger stadium. I live in LA now, and relish the pleasure of visiting Chavez Ravine. Dodger Stadium on a beautiful summer night is every bit as good as a day game in Wrigley.

My own personal rank of stadiums I've visited:
1. Dodger Stadium
2. Wrigley Field
3. Anaheim Field
4. Petco Park
5. Metrodome
6. BOB

dub

sorry, mike, I still don't buy it.

Yankee Stadium = crap heap

my opinion, and I will stand by it.

Two words:

RFK Stadium.

I went to a game there, read about it on my blog.

SI claimed that John Patterson and Jose Guillen are worth the price of admission. That should be enough to put the Nats dead last. The concessions were bad and there was no in-stadium gift shop, as well as nothing for kids to do. Plus, seats are expensive.

Out of the places I've been, Turner Field is probably "the best place to see a game". Fans of all ages will find plenty to do before a game or during rain delays, the seats are a little comfier than other parks, the field is immaculate and the sight lines let you appreciate how sexy that is. It's a big, wide open space and I'll admit, that's probably its biggest advantage over Shea, which can feel a little cramped at times.

That being said, I'm a Mets fan, I work for my money and if I decide that I'm gonna spend a pantsload of cash on getting hammered and stuffed while watching the Mets play, by jehovah, that's exactly what I'm going to do. And I'm going to enjoy it because I happen to love watching Mets baseball at Shea.

Apparently we're getting some hot sheeyit new stadium soon so maybe I'll like Mets games even more, but until then, Shea's just fine by me. Maybe it's because I'm sentimental, maybe I'm not all that picky, maybe it's just a fun place to catch a game, they're all reasons why people enjoy certain stadia but detest others.

So I don't give a heaping teaspoon of owl poop whether SI or anyone else thinks Shea's a lousy value or an ugly crapheap or whatever else.

As for you Twins fans and your Dome, I'm sure you've got many of the same reasons for liking it as I do for liking Shea... however, I've grown to kind of like the Twins a bit from hanging out with you guys and I feel bad for you. I've never been to the Dome so I can't speak from experience but what I've seen of the place kinda makes me not want to go there... my idea of a baseball game involves seeing the sky... and actual grass... and not having to worry about whether a ball hit off of a speaker is in play or not. So I'm sorry but I'll be really happy for you guys when the powers that be pull their collective head from their collective sphincter and give you guys a new place to watch your boys.

However, as BG Herself pointed out, she was looking for worse places to watch a game than the Dome. DMW made the Superdome joke that I'd imagine many of us were thinking but we can do something about that. One.org is organizing a relief effort and if you are so inclined, please check them out at the link below or click my name:

http://politicaltechnology.com/one/blogs/one%5Fblog/

kafumbly:
As much as I loathe the yankees, even I have to admit that the chanting of the names business is pretty cool. There's something appealing about dozens of voices yelling the same thing in unison and I think it's awfully cool of the yankees players to acknowledge the fans for acknowledging them.

mike:
I've heard that joke about hot dogs in yankee stadium a few dozen times... let's see if you've heard this one:

Why do Yankee fans grow moustaches?
To look more like their mothers. ;-)

I know bashing the Sox is the in thing here, as it ever is. But...

- I would like to suggest that both US Smellular and whatever they call the Oakland Cement Heap now are worse places to see a game than the Dome.

No. Oakland seems a bit lifeless, but I've never actually been there, so I won't comment.

I've been to Qualcomm, Wrigley, and US Cellular.

If you would have said the Cell is the worst 8 years ago, you'd be 100% right. Now? I rank it way higher.

Why?

Center field concourse is amazing. It's wide open, with a European fresco cafe feel to the whole thing with tables and chairs out to watch the game on. The left field concourse will have a two-story kids baseball fundamentals area, sort of like how McDonalds have playlands. Cutting the top rows off greatly increased the acoustic qualities. No bad sightlines, although don't get caught too far away from home. Parking is freakin abundant. Area sucks, but that's a given. Food is AWESOME. Seriously, the food at the Cell is the best I've seen in any stadium for any game. Especially compared to Wrigley, which is utter crap. The jumbotrons (two of em) are plenty huge. Ticket prices are decent enough (I usually go on half-price Mondays with my dad).

The Cell is simply an all-around great place to watch baseball. If the Twins, instead of Sox, played there, I guarentee you'd love to call the place home.

Worst? As a Sox fan, you'd expect me to say Wrigley. Nah, it was Qualcomm. Thank GOD they got rid of that place. Terrible angles, no personality beyond palm trees out in center, and the volunteer workers they have at the concession centers (with mediocre food, their hotdog was tougher than beef jerky, although the presence of hard liquor was intriguing) were insanely inept, taking about 3 minutes PER order.

Wrigley has atmosphere and little else. Worst sightlines in baselines (I like being able to see the action, in case you couldn't tell). Bad food. Non-existant parking. Bad crowds ("drunk morons" is the applicable statement. White Sox games have been bonding experiences, I felt like I needed a taser at cubs games). No jumbotron at all (yes, it'd detract from the charm, but guess what, I WANT ONE). Lame traditions (Take me out...with a bullet to the brain.). Still, tradition trumps a lot of faults, and it stands as a "have to visit" place, if for nothing else than to see what amenities and atmosphere a park in 1940 had to offer. I'm pretty sure that's when the hotdog you just ate from there expired, at the very least.

I don't know how anyone can say the Dome is worse than Tropicana Field. At least we don't have that annoying heckler.

I think I want to take a trip out to see a game at the dome net summer. I mean I saw baseball at the Vet. The Dome can't be worse.

I think Lew would say that the pit of the mighty Sarlaac would be a worse place to watch a game, being slowly eaten over 1000 years and what not.

It's all good Kafumbly, at least you got to see Jeter play at Yankee Stadium. That's something you can tell your grandkids one day with a twinkle in your eye. :)

The worst place to watch baseball is on the internet using GameDay.

* Detroit is bad, if only because you're so far removed (and paying so much more) than what was at Tiger Stadium.

* I can imagine a game in Candlestick was terrible when the wind was blowing in and the Gians were really bad.

* And Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City is a great place to watch anything. I'm just not sure you'll ever see baseball.

Metrodome: Miserable. But once I'm there, I get to watch the Twins play! So I don't complain too much.

That said, I'm ragingly jealous every time I walk into SafeCo Field. It's like heaven, if heaven were all about baseball, beer, and sushi.

RD:

Geez--I thought I was the only one--I too miss Memorial Stadium--enjoyed the games there much more than Camden Yards

Wrigley Field pre-1990 or so - when you could actually afford seats and when those seats were filled with actual baseball fans - remains the most incredible place for baseball.

An as-yet-unmentioned Dome advantage: I, average unconnected fan, have been at every home playoff game for the last three years. That has to be worth a few points.