Pittsburgh’s PNC Park is one of baseball’s crown jewels. Where does it stand among the National League’s best ballparks? (Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post)
I’ve finally done it.
After many 6:15 a.m. flights, countless nights spent at Courtyards by Marriott and too many press box meals (I’m going to lose 20 pounds by spring training 2016, I swear) … I’ve finally done it.
I’ve covered a game at every National League ballpark. My quest came to an end last weekend at Pittsburgh’s glorious PNC Park.
I still have to visit four American League ballparks to finish by baseball bucket list: The New Yankee Stadium; Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City; Safeco Field in Seattle; and Rogers Centre in Toronto.
So, for now, I’ll rank only the NL ballparks. Yes, I’m prepared for your taunts and criticism. It’s a subjective subject.
The things I took into account: the architecture and beauty of the park; the physical setting and how it fits into a city; maintenance and upkeep; scoreboards; fan involvement and intensity; and the overall general vibe of the ballpark.
Since I don’t eat at the concessions stands very often, I am not including ballpark food as a major part of my criteria.
Without further ado, my list of National League ballparks, from worst to first:
15. Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks: I understand why they need a roof in the desert, but Chase Field feels like a big, dusty warehouse. The grass is thin and a kind of a pale green. The in-game announcements/advertisements are too loud, too many and and jarring.
Fans don’t generate much noise and although the downtown area has improved and it pretty, it’s not very vibrant.
But the pool beyond the outfield fence is kind of cool.
14. Turner Field, Atlanta Braves: It will be replaced for the 2017 season by SunTrust Park, and I can see why. Turner Field is younger than Coors Field, but it feels much older. It has not been nearly as well maintained. For a team with such great baseball tradition, it’s a lifeless ballpark. It’s very forgettable.
13. Marlins Park, Miami Marlins: At first glance, it’s funky and cool. That crazy sculpture/monument thing beyond center field is gaudy, but at least it’s unique.
I know they were going for a South Florida vibe here, but Marlins Park feels cheap, like it’s pieced together out of Leggos. There is nothing happening around the park at all.
12. Nationals Park, Washington Nationals: I feel as if I should like this ballpark more than I do, especially considering how much I love visiting Washington D.C. Yet the ballpark feels kind of sterile, and the exterior — with it’s large parking structures — is not very inviting.
Efforts are being made to liven up the area around the ballpark, but it’s still work in progress and a bit dead.
I wish they would have incorporated more of Washington into the ballpark — pillars reminiscent of the memorials, etc.
However, a big thumbs up for the Presidents Race. Very cool.
11. Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers: As you might have guessed by now, I’m not a fan of indoor ballparks. I understand the need for it in Milwaukee, but Miller Park it still feels like an airplane hanger. Plus, it’s a little ways from downtown, so it loses some points for that.
However, the Milwaukee fans are into their team, the tailgating around the ballpark is unique, Bernie Brewer’s home run slide down the slide is terrific and the Racing Sausages are one of the best sideshows in baseball. All in all, a pretty good place to watch baseball.
10. Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds: This ballpark is very red. Thomas Harding, my good friend from MLB.com, often jokes that we are visiting the the old Soviet Union when we go to Cincy. We expect to see the Reds come out with C.C.C.P. on their jerseys.
Actually, I like the red and it makes the ballpark feel unique. The setting, downtown and next to the Ohio River, is nice. The fans are passionate and there is plenty of history here. Overall, a good, not great, ballpark.
9. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies: Now we’re getting into some very special places to watch baseball. Citizens Bank is not in the heart of downtown Philly, but the skyline in the distance provides a great backdrop. The combination of colors here — red, blue and deep greens — works well. The park is very well maintained.
Yes, the short porch in left field makes for too many homers, but this is a good baseball experience. Something missing these days, however, is the crowd intensity. When the Phillies were winning a few years ago, this place was a snake pit for visiting teams. Yes, some of those Philly fans took it too far, but the place used to be electric.
8. Citi Field, New York Mets: Although the ballpark sits in Queens, Citi Field’s role model was Ebbets Field, the legendary home of the Brooklyn Dodgers before their move to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.
There is a grittiness to baseball in New York, and although Citi Field is a new baseball palace, there is a Big Apple feel to the park. As the Rockies have discovered, it can be a tough place to win. This year’s Mets have made it Citi Field a rip-roaring place. I really like the triple-decker stands in left field.
This is a good, inviting ballpark that’s about a zillion times better than the dump that was Shea Stadium.
7. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Dodgers: Some might shout “blasphemy” because I don’t have this park ranked higher. Chavez Ravine provides an incredible natural setting, but there is nothing around Dodger Stadium except a huge parking lot. Traffic can be a nightmare, which helps account for the late-arriving crowd.
The pale blues and yellows of the ballpark are meant to be authentic to the park as it was in the 1960s, but I don’t find it all that inviting.
Having said that, there is tradition in the park and the fans really embrace their team. On a nice summer night, the views are spectacular. When the Dodgers win and Randy Newman’s “I Love LA” blares out of the speakers, you realize you’re at a Southern California shrine.
6. Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals: This stadium has really grown on me.
Busch Stadium in St. Louis is home to the best fans in baseball. (Photo by St. Louis Cardinals baseball club)
When I first went to Busch, in the first year it opened, it felt kind of cheap and thrown together. I missed the old Busch, especially the arches that ringed the top of the stadium and the way they displayed all of the Cardinals history inside the park.
In 2014, they completed Ballpark Village outside the stadium and that’s really helped the environment. Busch was already a destination for the Cardinals red-clad faithful and now they come early and stay late. It’s an amazing atmosphere.
I love the statues of the Hall of Famers outside the stadium, and the brick walkway with the milestones in Cardinals history is well done.
The fans, in my estimation, are the best in baseball and that’s the most important element of Busch Stadium.
5. Petco Park, San Diego Padres: Perhaps it’s because of the location, but the home of the Padres is higher on my list than you might expect. Petco is right on the edge of the Gaslamp Quarter and it fits wonderfully into the neighborhood.
The style is kind of mix-and-match, combining early Spanish missions influences with the brick, Western Metal Supply Company Building anchoring left field. It works.
The video board/scoreboard beyond left field is the third-largest in the majors. It provide an incredible picture yet doesn’t overwhelm the park.
The one downside — and it’s a biggie — is that the fans are some of the most laid back in baseball. The Padres’ futility in recent years has a lot to do with it, but a competitive vibe is missing.
4. Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs: Blasphemy, again. I understand the history and I soak it up, but the Friendly Confines was not quite as cool as I expected, so it didn’t make my top three.
Don’t get me wrong, Wrigley is an ivy-covered American institution, but it didn’t take my breath away as I expected it would. I don’t like it as much as Fenway Park.
The new scoreboards, installed this year, are not great for information, but I don’t think they detract from the ballpark’s aura.
The ivy on the walls is fantastic, of course, and I love the left-field bleachers. The place feels old, and it’s a little run down, but that’s part of the charm.
The neighborhood around Wrigley buzzes into the wee hours of the morning, but it’s pretty dirty and I’ve had to walk around a few puddles of um … stuff.
3. Coors Field, Colorado Rockies: Call me a homer, but I love Coors Field. It’s my office and I never tire of the view.
Sunsets at Coors Fields are one of the things that makes the LoDo ballpark one of the best in baseball. (Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post)
Summer nights, set up by those amazing sunsets, are amazing. LoDo and Coors are a perfect match, and the brick exterior of the ballpark is a perfect fit for the neighborhood.
Owner Dick Monfort’s decision to add the Rooftop party deck was a wise decision. What used to be empty seats is now an attractive and energetic hot spot.
Of course, there are problems. The nature of baseball at altitude makes for some ridiculously long and high-scoring games. Until the middle of May, Coors can be a very cold place to watch baseball. But that’s the price of living in Colorado.
Coors is the third-oldest ballpark in the National League, yet it looks brand new. No ballpark is better maintained.
2. AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants: The ballpark is jammed into a small area in China Basin in downtown San Francisco — and that’s a good thing. There is an intimacy to AT&T that is remarkable and the players feel very close.
The setting is spectacular, just like the city. Sure, it can get cold, windy and foggy, but that doesn’t bother me. The over-sized baseball glove and huge Coca-cola bottle on the left-field concourse could be cheesy, but somehow it works here.
AT&T smells good, too. I don’t know if it’s the garlic fries or roasted nuts or pizza, but the ballpark makes me hungry.
The Giants fans can be obnoxious, but they are loud, into the game and they stay from beginning to end.
A great baseball experience, made better, at least for me, by the best pressbox in the majors.
1. PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates: I didn’t expect AT&T to get bumped from the top spot, but Pittsburgh’s ballpark on the banks of the Allegheny River did just it.
From any spot — approaching the ballpark while walking over the Roberto Clemente Bridge, sitting high up in the sky-high press box or walking the concourse — this place is special.
The view of downtown Pittsburgh, looming like Gotham City, is breathtaking. The stadium’s exterior, made with pale-yellow limestone is an ode to Pittsburgh’s blue-collar past. The steel truss work is a great touch and brings the city’s bridges right into the park.
There is a small, but energetic bar-and-dining scene right next to the ballpark. Walk across the bridge and there is more night life.
My one complaint, and it’s minor, is that the concourses are too narrow and the human traffic jams are a pain.
Now that the Pirates are winning, the crowds are big and enthusiastic. What a great place to watch baseball and soak up an American city.
Tags: AT&T Park, Coors Field, Dodger Stadium, Nationals Park, PNC Park, Wrigley Field
