Yankee Stadium vs. Fenway Park vs. Wrigley Field

[Chris Daddy Cool]

Which is the best? Fire away.

[Dynasty]

Fenway has the best urinal troughs in the country.

[B-Man]

Pros - it is a "lyric little bandbox of a ballpark" full of history and charm.

Cons - it is ancient, the seats are cramped and uncomfortable, and a huge percentage of seats are obstructed view (look around the ballpark; the grandstand seats (everything other than box seats, luxury boxes, roof and bleachers) all have poles blocking their view of at least some portion of the field.

The Red Sox owners have done a great job improving the park the last 2 years (new Green Monster seats and right field roof seats, new concessions, etc.), but there is only so much they can do--there are less than 1,000 new seats.

I am a diehard Red Sox fan, but I think they should burn the place to the ground and build a new stadium. It is obsolete.

As for the others, I've only been to Yankee stadium once, and it was over 10 years ago, so I'm not really in a position to make a fair comparison. (never been to Wrigley).

I'll say this much--Fenway is better than Olympic Stadium! (though the seats were a lot cheaper, and it was MUCH easier to get great seats, in Montreal).

[B-Man]

LOL!

[elwoodblues]

Wrigley --- because it's the only one mentioned in the Blues Brothers.

[sfer]

Never been to Wrigley.

Fenway > The Stadium.

You're closer to the field and the hot dogs are better. Bleacher rollcall at the Stadium is pretty cool though.

This question should really include Dodger Stadium and Pac Bell.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

[ QUOTE ]
This question should really include Dodger Stadium and Pac Bell.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pac Bell (now SBC), and its not even close. Personally, I think Pac Bell is the best stadium in all of baseball.

[Homer]

I have not been to Wrigley. I like Fenway more than Yankee Stadium.

[Nepa]

I'v been too Fenway and Yankee's Stadium. I thought Yankee's Stadium was far Better. The seat are too damm small at fenway(Built when the ave weight was 120) and I only weight a buck 90. But, I did like the night life in Boston. Lotta fun with a bunch of Drunken fools.

The worst ever was The Vet in Philly.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

[ QUOTE ]
The worst ever was The Vet in Philly.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think Olympic Stadium in Montreal has it beat.

[Homer]

The worst ever was The Vet in Philly.

The Vet kicked ass. These new frilly stadiums and their bandwagon fans suck.

At the Vet, people cheered and booed. Now people sit on their hands.

At the Vet, I could buy $5 GA tickets for a Phillies game and sit ten rows from the field. Now, I have to pay $20 or more and sit in my assigned seat.

At the Vet, they had dollar dog days and you could get 10 hot dogs for $10 and be back in your seat without missing any of the game. Now, you have to wait in line for an hour to get a crappy cheesesteak and a coke for $10.

The Vet had concrete painted green, which made it hurt to slide or be tackled. Now, they have this stuff called "grass" and no one gets hurt anymore.

The Vet gave us plenty of excuses for not winning championships. "Uhh, we suck because we don't make enough money to obtain good players. Yeah, that's it." Now, we will have no excuses for losing (and we will keep losing).

etc...

-- Homer

[M2d]

The jewel on Chavez Ravine will always, no exception, be a better place to watch a ballgame than the dump at China Basin. That goes double when you include the crowds that populate each.

[sfer]

Please don't call it SBC. Mmmm, garlic fries.

[namknils]

[ QUOTE ]
Fenway has the best urinal troughs in the country.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never been to Fenway, but you should take a leak at Wrigley, their troughs are very memorable. In fact, they are one of the few things I vividly remember from my first trip to Wrigley as a young boy. Another is watching Ryne Sandburg's knees thru the binoculars while he was batting. Ahh...the memories. I love the Cubs. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Ray Zee]

nothing beat the polo grounds. and of course the old short field at fenway where a big hitter as well as a small one could knock it out..

[andyfox]

I've been a season ticket holder forever, and I don't get it. The ballpark is just plain ugly. Yeah, there are some palm trees, and the hills in back look nice. But the seats are uncomfortable and the ballpark has exactly zero character. It had no character ever. It was cleaner and newer at one time; now it's dirty and the food is beyond terrible. Even the peanuts are bad.

And BTW, it's the 4th oldest park now, with only the 3 ancient ones from this thread older.

[andyfox]

OK, I'll bite: on what do you base this conclusion?

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[M2d]

but the dodgers play there... /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[andyfox]

They hit Kerry Wood for 2 home runs in the 2nd inning tonight and beat the Cubbies. I think the Dodgers will win their division by plenty; there's just no competition.

Bad news for the Cubbies if Wood's arm is hurt. The Astros are looking awfully good. Clemens has been amazing.

[Clarkmeister]

Wrigley. But its not fair. Wrigley isn't best because of the stadium itself. It is the whole Wrigleyville scene surrounding the park.

[jdl22]

As a lifetime Giants fan I have to say that the argument that the Dodgers playing there is a good argument, but for a different discussion. I believe we are currently discussing the best ballpart and not the worst. When we're discussing the worst you can feel free to chime in about the Dodgers and you will then have a point.

/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Phat Mack]

I haven't been to Yankee Stadium since they remodeled it and took out the poles, so I can't comment on it.

I never realized what racists Bostonian are until I went to Fenway. In fact, Fenway is the last place I heard the N-word screamed out in public.

I wouldn't watch a Cubs game if you held a gun to my head.

The Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field were great places to watch ball games.
You felt right next the players in the field--when they talked to each other, you could hear what they were saying. I remember watching Casey and the Mets play at the Polo grounds before they built Shea, giving it another year of life. Ebbets field had a sloping, concrete right field wall that made for some interesting bounces when balls hit it.

Another old field with an interesting right field wall was my all-time favorite:Forbes in Pittsburgh. Clemente, with one of the best arms in baseball, would perfectly play the caroms off it and peg out unwise runners trying to make it into second. Three Rivers, the sterile monstrosity that replaced, is already gone.

[imported_Chuck Weinstock]

I grew up in Chicago so I suppose I'm biased. I've only been to one game at Fenway and, though I enjoyed being there, I thought that the seats and views were decidedly inferior to Wrigley. And the food was awful...at least what I mistakenly sampled.

I've been to the following baseball fields (Major League): Anaheim, LA, Oakland, Seattle, Colorado (didn't see a game due to a rainout), Kansas City, St. Louis, Milwaukee (not Miller), Wrigley, Comiskey (both), Cleveland (both), Pittsburgh (Forbes, Three Rivers, PNC), Atlanta (not Turner), Philly, Baltimore, Boston.

I can honestly say that, even though I was against it's construction, I prefer PNC Park to any of the others. If only they played major league baseball there. (Or rather, if only both teams played major league baseball there.)

Chuck

[Tyler Durden]

How come no one has mentioned Oriole Park at Camden Yards?

best. park. ever.

[B-Man]

[ QUOTE ]
I never realized what racists Bostonian are until I went to Fenway. In fact, Fenway is the last place I heard the N-word screamed out in public.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, one person screamed out the N-word, and that makes all Bostonians racists.

Who are you, Omerosa?

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

None of the above are even in the same league as Jacobs Field, Camden Yards, or Pac Bell (those are the new parks in which I've actually watched a game).

Living in the Boston area for over 30 years, I'm prejudiced, though not the way you might think. Fenway is last on the list you mentioned. It's a dump, uncomfortable seats, hard to get to and find parking (if you don't have my local-knowledge tricks). Wrigley has the same issues with parking, but the seats are bigger and there's actually room between the row. Yankee Stadium is fine, has adequate parking, but NYC traffic makes it a nightmare to get to. The concessions have gotten better at Fenway in recent years, but they still get the big negative because they don't serve beer in the stands (and haven't in over 20 years).

On balance, I'd vote for Wrigley, but as I said, of the major league parks I've been to (21 in all), Pac Bell is #1.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I did, but it's not quite as nice as Pac Bell, though I do like the whole inner-harbor area.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Fenway
Yankee Stadium (2) both before and after the renovations,
so I've seen games there when the monuments were in play.
Shea
Veteren's Stadium
Camden Yards
Three Rivers
Riverfront with turf and grass
SkyDome
Olympic Stadium (sold out for a weekday game vs. the Braves in '94)
Wrigley
Comiskey (new only)
Jacobs Field
Kaufman
Busch (one beer vendor for evey 10 fans!!)
Bank One
Pac Bell
Oakland (whatever they're calling it now)
Tiger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Edison Field
and lasy but not least...

The Polo Grounds.

Yes, I am an old fart /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I never thought the Vet was that bad. A bit symmetrical, but I recall the concessions were good and the seats were comfortable (but compared to Fenway, anything's comfortable).

Now Shea, there's one ugly ballpark.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

The one time I went to Dodger Stadium it was 45 degrees and raining in May of '98, but I was treated to one the greatest vendors ever.

A peanut vendor who would walk down to the bottom of the aisle, turn and face the crowd with truly insane eyes, hold up a bag of peanuts in each hand and scream "NUTS!!!!"

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Clemens has been amazing.

Not bad for a guy who's been in "the twilight of his career" since the mid-90's /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[M2d]

As a lifetime Dodger fan, I must disagree. When I moved to the bay area, I heard all about my fake team and its fake fans who showed up three innings late and left three innings early. Then I went too the stick and walked up to the counter and bought third row tickets just before gametime of a Dodger/Giant game (the one where Mondesi bowled over the Giant catcher at home and got roundly booed by the twelve or so SF fans in attendence). Now, I realize it was a weekday game, but there were less than 10K fans there. even if Dodger fans were only present for a third of the innings, and assuming that Giant fans showed up for the entire game (bigtime false), the dodgers still got more support. a third of 40K fans beats the pants off of a four figure attendance any day.

Anyway, I looked up around the sixth and saw people streaming for the exits (well, as much "streaming as that paltry crowd could muster), probably trying to get a head start on the afternoon traffic. Incredibly, I got out of the parking lot after the game with no problem, due, mostly, to the fact that the bulk of the crowd had already left.

I thought that would change with the coming of the new ballpark. Not really. If anything, it accentuated the problem. Now, there was a mad rush to the exit in the mid to late innings rather than a trickle. I've been to games where crowds stream out in the top of the ninth of a tied ball game late in the season with the giants in playoff contention. I saw "fans" rush to the exits the minute barry hit 600. I saw fans arrive late, hook up their laptop and wireless modem and immmediately start chatting online.

You want a spectacle? Go to SBC (Sucky Baseball Crap). You want to see and be seen? head to China Basin. You want baseball in a stadium with tradition? Go to chavez ravine. You want to see what a world series pennant looks like? Well, you can't find one in SF, that's for sure.

[imported_Chuck Weinstock]

I forgot Olympic.

Chuck

[andyfox]

Yes, I guess Mr. Duquette will always have that particular albatross around his neck.

Clemens is 125-49 since he left Boston.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Unlike many Sox fans, I always liked Roger. I even had a Blue Jays "Clemens" jersey I'd wear to Fenway.

[B-Man]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, I guess Mr. Duquette will always have that particular albatross around his neck.

Clemens is 125-49 since he left Boston.

[/ QUOTE ]

True. But it did seem like a reasonable decision at the time (Clemens' last 4 years in Boston were nothing like any other 4-year stretch he's ever had).

Duquette's other highly controversial decision--to let Mo Vaughn walk away at his peak--worked out a little better than the Clemens decision.

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
Clemens has been amazing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey Andy, I think the proper verb tense here is "Clemens is amazing."

[Phat Mack]

one person screamed out the N-word

One person?

and that makes all Bostonians racists.

Of course, you are right: I was being way too harsh, and this was almost ten years ago. I was just startled by the behavior and the reaction to it.

[Joe Tall]

Fenway has the best urinal troughs in the country.

Wow, you haven't been there in a few years, Dynasty. The last 'bathtubs' came out when new management took over and there weren't many left as the Trust slowly was replacing them.

Peace,
Joe Tall

[jdl22]

Having never attended a game in San Francisco I can't argue much at all with what you are saying. However, one key difference is the weather. It is absolutely freezing ass cold even during an August night game. Being from Hawaii I would expect you to concur. Do you think the dodger fans would turn out in any sort of numbers for a game in that weather? The question is non-rhetorical as I would actually like to know your opinion.

As I said I've never seen the Giants live. My mother grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and she and my grandparents are all big time Giants and 49ers fans (I'll return to the 49ers once they fire that jackass Dennis Erickson, for now I gotta go with the local Steelers). Personally I have hated the Dodgers since the %$&*ing Gibson homer against the A's. As for the fans, they seem typical LA fair weather fans. I'm sure they're really passionate these days as well as your boys are playing.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Boston is getting better. Remember, the Sox were the last team to integrate (1961?), and when the Celtics (first NBA team to draft a black #1, 1st all-black starting 5) were perennial world champs in the 60's, the Garden was half empty even during the playoffs while the last-place Bruins banged out the place.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I haven't bought a ticket to a game at Fenway since these new owners took over and decided to not build a new ballpark, and I used to average 20 games per year.

[B-Man]

[ QUOTE ]
I haven't bought a ticket to a game at Fenway since these new owners took over and decided to not build a new ballpark, and I used to average 20 games per year.

[/ QUOTE ]

The fix clearly was in when Harrington sold the team, but the new owners have done a great job. Fenway has been obsolete for a long time, but they are making the best of the situation and have made substantial upgrades the last two years. Something is better than nothing...

I'm not sure I would describe the stadium situation as the owners "deciding" not to build a new stadium--that implies that they have a choice, when I don't really think there is a realistic available option for a new stadium. They paid $700 million for the team, and can't afford to pay for a stadium on their own. The city and state certainly aren't going to contribute any money; the money just isn't there, and Tom Finneran is against contributing money to "fat-assed millionaires." On top of that, I'm not sure where they would build it--the people of South Boston were fervently against a football stadium, and I imagine they would be equally opposed to a new ballpark. If they rebuild on the current site, they need to acquire additional land around the stadium, and they need an alternate location to play during construction. It is so hard to get anything done in Boston; there's so much politics and ass-kissing involved, this project would be nearly as complicated as the Big Dig.

There are many issues which would have to be resolved before a new ballpark could be built, not the least of which is money. I just don't see it happening anytime soon, unfortunately, so I've decided to suck it up and enjoy what we have.

Bob Kraft deserves a lot of credit for what he's accomplished (even though it's a very different situation). I believe Gillette is the only (there may be one other) privately financed stadium in the NFL, and the Patriots have not raised ticket prices 3 consecutive years (including after 2 Super Bowl wins!).

[sfer]

The weather is the best part. One of the joys of San Francisco is seeing tourists in August shivering in groups with brand spanking new San Francisco sweatshirts. Helps the local economy.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I'm not sure where they would build it-

There was a proposal to build a ballpark between Assembly Square and Sullivan Square in that vast wasteland between Charlestown/Somerville and Medford that you can see while driving on I-93 N or riding the Orange Line.

The Park would cost half of what a new ballpark in the Fenway would and 2/3 what one would cost on the waterfront in Southie. The infrastructure costs to the State would be minimal, one exit/entrance ramp to I-93 and a new Orange Line station and a new Commuter Rail Station to serve the park. menino vetoed the proposal because it wouldn't be *in* Boston, even though home plate would be approx. 100 feet closer to City Hall.

Something is better than nothing

I wonder what the independent business owners who were driven out by the Sox seizing the public streets around Fenway to create a concession monopoly would say to that.

Having been to so many ballparks, and knowing what is possible, I can't help looking at Fenway as a quaint anachronism at best, an uncomfortable dump at worst (ask players about flooding and rats in the clubhouse after heavy rains).

The "Save Fenway" crowd wails about the history of the Park. I can sum up the History of Fenway with one simple calculation: 2004 - 1918 = 86

Blow it up and lets make new history.

[B-Man]

I completely agree that they *should* blow it up, but I think at present it is beyond the capabilities of the ownership to get a new stadium built.

I think they are doing a good job in the meantime with the improvements--the park is still an outdated dump, but it's a lot better than it was 2 years ago.