Miller Park

Miller Park has been one of the coolest ballparks in baseball since its inception in 2001. It has a traditional ballpark look, but was centered around many modern amenities, including a $50 million dollar retractable roof to cover and heat the ballpark in both early and late season games in Wisconsin's unpredictable weather. The opening of the stadium has not gone without controversy though. The stadium's funding was 75% taxpayer funded, which Wisconsinites were not pleased with. In fact, the state senator who cast the deciding vote to publicly fund the stadium was recalled by his constituents. But wait! The controversy is still not over. The stadium was originally supposed to be opened in 2000, but the opening date was set back a year when three construction workers were killed in a crane accident. In 2001, the park was finally opened by President George W. Bush and Milwaukee native, and MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who threw out the first pitch. The taxes used to build the stadium were quickly forgotten by fans, as packed crowds gathered in Milwaukee throughout the playoff run.


When the roof is closed, there has been known to be some obstructed views behind home plate where the only poles in the ballpark help support the roof. Fans seem to love these seats though, because they are only able for purchase on game day and sell out quickly for one reason, they are for one dollar. Not a bad price for a less than perfect view of the game. These seats are nicknamed "The Uecker Seats" for the Milwaukee Brewers famed play-by-play broadcast announcer, Mr. Baseball himself, Bob Uecker. The seats are named after Uecker because he was on a popular television commercial for the Miller Brewing Company in the '80s, when he sat down to watch a Brewers game, he was informed by the usher he was in wrong seat. He then said "I must be in the front row!" Then Uecker could be seen screaming from the nosebleeds section, "He missed the tag!" There are many scoreboards throughout the ballpark, so even if you are in the Uecker seats, you won't be missing the game.


The stadium is nice and all, but it is what is inside the stadium that keeps the fans coming back, (over 3 million times in '08) like the Klement's Sausage Race that happens in the middle of the sixth inning. The Bratwurst, Chorizo, Polish, and Italian sausages all race (the sausages represent the many ethnicities in the Milwaukee area.)  Though, these sausages are far less iconic than Bernie Brewer, the clubs mascot. After every home run, Bernie slides down a yellow slide into the "Kalahari Splash Zone" where water is splashed into the air and   covers the spectators in the lower deck. This is a reminder of all of those aquaphobes who plan on going to the park. Fireworks are shot out of the center field scoreboard, while the words "Get Up, Get Up, Get Outta Here, Gone!" are lit up on the scoreboard to symbolize what the commentator Bob Uecker says after every homerun.
Though the playing field itself isn't that small, it has seemed small due to sluggers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.  Maybe the field will seem a little bigger now that Prince Fielder is gone. Though the stadium is often closed, large panes of glass below the retractable roof allow the sun to shine through so natural grass can grow. Due to its tilted dimension in the center field fence, balls often take unexpected ricochets and caroms away from the outfielders. This often results in triples, or even inside the park home runs. This keeps the loyal Brewers fans excited for every play.

Due to its local connections and sponsors, Miller Park's concessions Stands consist of a lot of sausage and beer. (Don't worry there's still Peanut's, Cracker Jacks, Hot Dogs, and Soda.) The stadiums retractable roof can open and close within 10 minutes, and is called "fan shaped" because there are two roofs that when opened cover  the first and third base lines. When closed, these roofs overlap each other. The stadium has been compared to an airplane hangar, which makes it sound cold. Apparently not though, since the stadium is always 10 degrees higher than outside. Baseball truly is a game of shadows, as shadows cast on the field can make it tough for outfielders to catch fly balls.

Some think that since it is in Wisconsin, Miller Park is out of the way from all outside life, and you will pass miles of farms and grasslands to get to Milwaukee. Not really though, as Milwaukee is an hours-drive from the urban Chicago (which makes for a great Brewers-Cubs rivalry,) and drive an hour further you will land in Indianapolis. So make no mistake, Miller Park is a great ballpark to visit, and it is definitely worth the drive "through all those farms and grasslands."

Next Weeks Edition of Ballpark Guide: Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD

Comerica Park

Comerica Park has served as the home of the Detroit Tigers since the year 2000, and hasn't disappointed. The new ballpark replaced Tiger Stadium, which housed Tigers baseball for 87 years, and was loved by fans for its historicalness. But because the stadium was on its last legs, the Tigers jumped on the chance to build a new stadium when the City of Detroit revealed their plan to revitalize. Comerica Park was built along side the Detroit Lions' stadium Ford Field.

The contrast in ballparks was criticized among fans. Tiger Stadium was known for being hitter-friendly, while Comerica Park large outfield dimensions made the park too large for hitters, even Juan Gonzalez, who averaged 37 homeruns between 1991-'99. The Tigers had just acquired Gonzalez in a trade before the 2000 season. Gonzalez has his worst offensive performance that year, and told the Tigers that if they wanted to resign him, they would have to bring the fences in. They figured trading him would cost less money, so they tried to deal him to the Yankees. Gonzalez, however, refused to play in New York so the deal fell through. Gonzalez turned back to normal form the next season when he signed with the Cleveland Indians.


Interestingly enough, they moved the fences in anyway before the 2003 season in order to boost their teams offensive production.  They filled in the right field bullpen with seats, and moved both bullpens to left field, making a wall-before-the-wall, which would decrease the distance from left field from 395 to 370. This does make the field look a little bit "makeshift" in a way.

A great thing about Comerica Park is that once you enter, you'll know what ballpark you're in. The scoreboard has the word "TIGERS" labeled across the top, and the stadium is scattered with statues of Tigers all over the ballpark. A great part about the ballpark is its scenery, as you can see straight into the Financial District of Downtown Detroit. Another feature of Comerica park is the strip of dirt that runs from the pitchers mound to home plate. This used to be very common, but now only Chase Field in Phoenix is the only other ballpark with the feature. The field also has a batters eye so the hitters cannot get distracted while receiving the pitch. The dirt area around home plate, actually is shaped like home plate, a contrast from every other ballpark that has a circle of dirt around home plate.

Comerica Park also seats over 41,000 fans to accommodate large crowds coming in order to see their star pitcher Justin Verlander, along with sluggers Miguel Cabrera, and the newly signed Prince Fielder. Comerica Park will surely seem small now thanks to this trio.

When opened in 2012, Comerica will reveal the renovations one in the offseason. These will include the renovation of the left field scoreboard. Comerica Park will also host fireworks on Fridays and Saturdays, the cherry on top for baseball fans. After every homerun a tiger roar will be heard to enhance the excitement of the fans.

Especially in 2012, Comerica Park will be a great place to visit for both watching games and walking about the stadium. It is certainly not the best ballpark, because it is not very well-known, but Comerica Park is certainly a place worth visiting for any fan.

Next Weeks Edition of Ballpark Guide: Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

Minute Maid Park

Minute Maid Park has served as the home to the Houston Astros since 2000, in order to replace the out-of -date and multipurpose Astrodome. The Houston Astros needed a stadium that was solely meant for playing baseball. From the inception of it's planning, the number one priority was to make the new playing surface natural grass. This would be a drastic change from their previous home, as the Astrodome was known for its "AstroTurf" made out of synthetic rubber that would make the ball bounce higher than on regular grass. But in order for the new playing field to be grass,  the new field would have to include a retractable roof so there could be sunlight, but the fans could enjoy their game comfortably in the blazing Texas summers.

Located in the heart of the Downtown Houston, this ballpark has all the bells-and-whistles that separate it from all the others, and is recognizable to any fan. The distance to left field is only 310 feet, so the wall is 19 feet high and equipped with a full manual scoreboard. The wall also has a short porch that hangs over the playing field and makes would-be fly balls into homeruns. On the "Conoco Home Run Porch" their is a gas pump that shows the number of home runs hit since the ballparks opening, because oil rich Houston is often called "The Oil Capital of the World" due to it's energy industry which is host to more than 5,000 oil companies. Atop the wall lays, possibly, the most coveted seats in the majors. The Crawford Boxes. They are the greatest spot in the league for fans who want to catch home runs. These exclusive seats are called the Crawford Boxes because they were built parallel to Crawford Street, which stands behind the left field entrance to the stadium. The field was built beside the grounds of Union Station, a historic railway stop that goes through Downtown Houston. The Astros wanted the ballpark to pay homage to the famous location, so their is a train located atop the left field wall that passes by everytime an Astros player hits a home run. The train carries oranges, to honor the corporate sponsor of the stadium, Minute Maid, whose most popular product is orange juice.

Though Houston is home to NASA, Minute Maid Park is not a launching pad. The ballpark's short dimensions to left field is made up for by Tal's Hill. Standing in center field, the hill is the only inclined surface in the major leagues. The stadium is also 436 feet to center field, the longest distance in the major leagues. The incline is named after Houston Astros president Tal Smith, who requested it. Tal's Hill has been home to some of the most difficult catches, and fielders also have to avoid a flagpole that is, get this, on the playing field. The flagpole is the only one in a major league stasium that is on the playing field. Some people think the hill could cause injuries to players, but this feature makes it Minute Maid Park exceptional. The team has also added a new video board, nicknamed "El Grande," as it is the second largest in the MLB.

To all the fans who have only seen this astounding ballpark on TV, buy your tickets immediately. This ballpark is too good to miss and ranks among the leagues most amazing venues. Everything is bigger in Texas, and so are the crowds. So book ahead to get the best seats avialable. Although a lot of the Astros stars have retired or been traded away, the team has potential, as the 2012 season will play host to a new owner, with new ideas. While the Astros have had many disappointing seasons as of late, the ballpark keeps the fans coming. Going to Minute Maid Park is one of baseball's finest experiences, and will continue to be for the remainder of it's existence.

Minute Maid is home to many varieties of delicious food, that caters to the diverse people of Texas. Whether the retractable roof is opened, or closed, fans still have a great view of  the buildings in downtown Houston through large paned glass windows. The roof atop Minute Maid Park is different from most retractable roofs, as it doesn't change the quality of the game. When the roof is closed, the atmosphere still remains exceptional.

Next Weeks Edition of Ballpark Guide: Comerica Park in Detroit, MI

Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium II, opened in 2009, was built in order to replace a historic (but deteriorating) old Yankee Stadium. The late General Manager George Steinbrenner even considered the old one dangerous, in order to build a new stadium. The purpose of the new Yankee Stadium was to have more suites for wealthier people. This can take away from the fact that most baseball fans are just regular, middle-class people.

The most surprising part about the new Yankee Stadium is that is costed 1.5 billion dollars, the most money spent on any stadium, behind only Wembley Stadium in London. This is coupled with the fact that most people don't even consider it one of the top stadiums in the league. When the New York Times rated their best stadiums, Yankee Stadium was rated number 21 out of 31. That's ridiculous for how much money was spent on the ballpark. Here's another crazy fact: The top 5 stadiums combined to only 1,740,700,000! That means the cost five of the best rated ballparks barely surpassed the low-rated Yankee Stadium.


One thing I admire that the Yankees did when building their new stadium, was making it so that the Yankees had a home-field advantage. The stadium quickly became known as a launching pad, or a bandbox because of how many homeruns were hit out. ESPN reporters Peter Gammons, went as far as saying "one of the biggest jokes in baseball." His colleague Buster Olney claimed the stadium as practically being "on steroids" and compared it to playing wiffleball as a child.


The distance to right field is tremendously short, only 314 feet down the right field line, with no high fence. Fenway Park's Green Monster is 310 feet from home plate. The difference is, the walls at Yankee Stadium aren't 37 feet tall. The Yankees were well aware of the criticism, and in the offseason before 2009, the Yankees went out and bought Mark Texiera, a decent power hitter, and also got Curtis Granderson the following year. Granderson was hitting an average of 20 homeruns a year before he came to the Bronx, and was more well-known for his speed, glove, and athletic ability. The following year in Yankee Stadium he hit 41 homeruns in 2011. Mark Texiera has also increased his number of homeruns since joining the Yankees.

The front entrance is limestone, and was made to look like the original Yankee Stadium when it first opened. They brought the arches from the old stadium, and added luxury suites. The seats are more angeled to the field then the old stadium as well. They also added a larger scoreboard in Center Field. Food and beverages are espensive, and Yankee Stadium has been nicknamed "Home of the 10 dollar beer" by fans. The best way to get to the game is by rail, or "The 4 train," so you can beat the New York City traffic. If you want to see memorabilia, like balls, bats, and jerseys used by greats like Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth, check out the Yankee Museuem.

Though, the stadium only seems good when comparing it to the old Yankee Stadium. When you compare it to the other stadiums around the majors, it just doesn't match up, especially for the price tag. If you are a die-hard Yankee fan, than going to a game is worth it. But if you are just going for fun, well, just remember to have your wallet handy and hope you have money well spent.

Statistics from: Baseball Reference, ESPN, Wikipedia: Yankee Stadium

Next Weeks Edition of Ballpark Guide: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX