This upcoming season is scheduled to be the last for the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, as their contract is set to expire; prepare to call SunTrust Park, in Cobb County, Georgia, their new home come 2017. In addition, countless teams have spent the majority of the offseason improving their ballparks with renovations and new, state-of-the-art technologies and developments. With that in mind, let’s take a very subjective look at some of the best and worst venues Major League Baseball has to offer.
First off, closed-roof fields are toward the bottom of the food chain. Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, is the only ballpark that is a full-fledged dome. Others, including Marlins Park in Miami, Chase Field in Arizona, Minute Maid Park in Houston, Rogers Centre in Toronto, Safeco Field in Seattle and Miller Park in Milwaukee, have retractable roofs that allow teams to gauge the weather conditions of each game and act accordingly.
This is smart if the teams are looking to provide a comfortable climate for fans and avoid postponed, freezing, sweltering or wet games, but it takes away from the experience. Going to a baseball game should feel authentic and real, even a bit old-fashioned, like the game itself. Turf fields, artificial lighting, roofs into which pop flies disappear and a controlled atmosphere make for a day that is less than ideal.
At the same time, some of these parks offer very unique and entertaining features. Marlins Park, which opened in 2012, has an aquarium backstop and a crazy, Marlins-inspired art sculpture over the left field wall. Chase Field, home of the Diamondbacks, offers a pool beyond its outfield wall. The Brewers’ home of Miller Park has a curly yellow slide, which the mascot glides down after each home run, and twists its way through the area behind left field. The Astros’ Minute Maid Park’s center field slopes up into Tal’s Hill and showcases the old Union Station train stop in left field. Besides these, the New York Mets at Citi Field have their Big (“Home Run”) Apple, which rises out of center field. Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals, has a whole assortment of fountains and waterfalls over the outfield fences.
These attractions have helped build the character of their respective parks, but the truly great ballparks are iconic.
In 2009, the Yankees moved into the new Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York after tearing the old one down. “The House that Ruth Built” and its spirit are no more, and the updated look and overpriced – and often empty – seats may contribute to the venue having lost some of its personality. Nevertheless, the history of the franchise and landmarks like Monument Park still hold a special place in baseball lore.
Wrigley Field, long-time home of the Chicago Cubs, underwent a similar transition when it added two massive Jumbotrons in left and right fields, taking away from its famous hand-turned, center field scoreboard. However, the passionate fan base of the lovable losers and the lush ivy that consumes the outfield walls keep this park a true gem.
In San Francisco, AT&T Park houses the Giants, as well as some of the more recognizable hallmarks in the MLB. With the giant glove and Coca-Cola bottle in the left field stands and the brick right field wall bordering McCovey Cove, this ballpark makes a splash, just like home run balls that are aggressively chased down by lucky kayakers every so often.
But perhaps the greatest arena in baseball and in all of sports is Fenway Park. The home of the Boston Red Sox for over one hundred seasons, the park has seen many renovations, but its character and authenticity have stood the test of time. The thirty-seven foot tall Green Monster is as iconic a characteristic as any sports venue can have, and its contrasting seventeen foot tall center field wall and five foot tall right field wall, along with the Triangle in right-center, make for one of the most interesting sets of outfield dimensions of any stadium at any level. The famed Pesky and Fisk foul poles, the Ted Williams Red Seat, Canvas Alley and the singing of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” among other things, make Fenway Park all the more special.
The Braves’ SunTrust Park will presumably open next season, but it could take years to develop into one of the great parks in the game.
