What are your favorite baseball stadiums to visit? Do you have a bucket list? Ray Flowers lists his favorite parks that he’s been to, as well as the one that he needs to visit that he has not been able to make it to yet.
Unfortunately, with Covid-19 going on, I don’t have access to the pictures and tickets that I have from many of these trips.
BIASED HOMEFIELD ANSWERS
I can freely admit that objectively speaking, it was a s – – t hole. Yet, it was were I grew up watching baseball. You had to seemingly park a mile away. There were massive lines in the concession stands. The steps down to your seats were too wide. The outfield fence appeared to be common chain mettle fencing. It smelled bad. But the two biggest issues were the weather and the bathrooms. First, the weather. I grew up thinking it wasn’t a baseball game unless (A) there were 25 mph winds or (B) there was fog rolling in to help freeze your ass off. They even gave away a pin if you made it through an extra inning night game because of the frigid conditions (it always seemed like it was mid-November). Now, the bathrooms. Its hard enough to use a urinal when you are a kid, but try using a bathtub. Yep, the ‘Stick had these for use. I waited many a time in a long line to get a real toilet.
Couldn’t be more night and day from the old days at the ‘Stick. Dudes wear khakis, talking on their phones and bring their infants. The food is great, the weather is pleasant, and the grandeur of it all is unparalleled. A beautiful park only marred by its incessantly long, and curving, walking paths that seem to go down at a grade of about three percent as you try to exit the park. They finally got it right recently when they named it after me.
FAVORITES VISITED
*This list does not include all the stadiums I’ve seen games in. I’ve merely listed my favorites.
Was really impressed by the look/feel of the spot when my dad/bro/I attended. Had the same feel as Oracle Park, while seeming much more spacious, especially on the breezeways. Saw three games there moving around to different places in the park. Weather was great, people were friendly and the park is located in a great spot as well. Beautiful skyline when sitting in Club Level too.
Candlepin bowling below Fenway had to be one of the highlights of the trip (not the new Lucky Strike bowling alley, but the real one). Our first game we sat right near Pesky’s Pole, but still on the first base side in the field of play. About 2/3 through the game I realized my left hip/thigh was sore. Why? I hadn’t fully taken in the fact that the seats at Fenway did not face home plate, but straight out to the field. That meant I had to lean to the left to see homeplate, hence the sore thigh. Totally worth it though. The sights and sounds here were amazing, including the cramped spaces waiting in line for food. The smells too (peanuts in particular). Can’t beat the location either. A must visit for any true baseball fan (I was there before the recent renovations).
Went to visit my coworkers at SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio for the first time, and one day my co-host Kyle Elfrink, a producer Trevor Ray and I took a behind the scenes tour early in the day. We then went out behind left field to grab a few cocktails before the game between the Angels and Orioles. It was Saturday, July 23rd, 2011, the day before Mike Trout hit his first home run. It was 102 degrees at first pitch… for a night game. While drinking a ginormous beer I famously screamed out ‘it’s too hot to live’ followed closely by ‘why would anyone live here?’ Great park. Insane temperature (it was only about 93 degrees at the end of the game when the picture was taken).
Back in one of my baller times, I flew down to San Diego to meet a gal. We ended up going downtown and partying at one of those bars right out behind left field. I was able to tour the grounds, but never saw a game there (it was football season). So, while I still need to see a game there, I was able to soak in the feel of the place, and it’s as impressive as you think. There’s also a banging nightlife right around the park that shouldn’t be missed. That is unless Kyle Elfrink and Jeff Mans make you to go a cigarette bar to drink whiskey on a Saturday night instead of interacting with one of, I’m guessing, about 9.2 million hotties from the age of 23-45 that are scantily clad and looking for a good time. Thanks guys. Thanks a lot.
We were in Minnesota for an FSGA event, and we found time to sneak away to a game thanks to Jeff Mans grabbing tickets for us. We sat in the fancy pants section, of course, so we had our Club Level seats to enjoy the game. We ate $1 hot dogs, drank lots of beer (including a rookie move by me at one point when I ordered a non-alcoholic beer when I wasn’t paying attention), told stories, and enjoyed the pleasant weather. It’s always nice being on the Club Level so that you don’t have to fight for toilet space. Oh, and quick access to hooch. That is, of course, when you don’t act like a 14 year old and order a non-alcoholic beer. Don’t worry, I made up for it with a double of Maker’s and Coke. Don’t ever forget guys, the site of someone in the business, dancing in a strippers pole, while potentially wearing a g-string. Not one from a stripper, just one that was worn because it was a Saturday I guess.
If you haven’t been yet, shame on you. Here’s how it went down for me. My brother and I flew from California to the scene in Chicago (it was 1998). We didn’t even have a hotel. We showed up in Chicago, got off the plane, walked to the phone (yes, a phone booth since we didn’t have cell phones back them), started going through the yellow pages and found a spot with a room nearish to the park that we could afford (it was about a mile and a half walk). We then soaked in the great city on the walk, right up to the wonderful environs right around the stadium. We ate pizza, drank beer, saw batting practice a couple of times (I narrowly missed catching a Sammy Sosa homer by one row), and had a blast. Oh yeah, we weren’t stupid enough to fly across country without tickets. We had those. We sat first base line once, third base line once, and obviously in the bleachers once as well. Was a great experience and, shockingly, my bro and I didn’t even end up getting into anything resembling trouble. Gotta go back.
ON THE WISHLIST
Never been, but I hear that it’s Oracle Park east. That’s good enough for me.
