SI Ballpark Rankings: the Cell comes in at #8.

almost 4 years ago Toonderstrook 10 comments 0 recs |

Comments

This is hysterical

What a bunch of shit. Traffic at #1? Fan IQ at #4? Has anyone traversed this site? And we are the intelligent ones?!

Food at #2 I can almost see. Affordability at #18 is consistent with folks in Chicago being cheap screws. (Yes, we are. Deal with it.)

Again, this is hysterical. I think we have the highest standard deviation of answers of all respondents. Bipolar.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 30, 2008 7:19 PM CDT reply actions

sox have the best traffic of any ballpark in the country? really? what the hell is going on outside of every other park in the mlb?

Ahh, Good times...

by MarketMaker on Apr 30, 2008 9:33 PM CDT up reply actions

Traffick is probably

rated #1 because sox fans watch games on tv so they can listen to hawk.

by Where Triples Go to Die on Apr 30, 2008 10:46 PM CDT up reply actions

traffic

at #1 totally invalidates this survey i agree. that said, perhaps there is a recent influx of fans post-2005 who are younger, reside in the city (north side probably), and take the red line down.

"I got the shotgun. You got the briefcase. It's all in the game though, right? "

by onlysoxfaninboston on May 1, 2008 9:33 AM CDT up reply actions

I just want to know about these 2 comments

“Roast beef/corned beef - served on rye bread on a bed of chips and a pickle - for under $5 in 2007.”

Where is that beef sandwich?

“They have a huge selection of foods; and, like a cruise ship, it never seems more than 50 feet away.”
The 50 feet away is correct – all I know is by the end of last season my son and I were dying for something different. (Plus they cut down this year on a few selections – but did add Comiskey dogs) – I guess if you go to a half dozen games it seems true.

by Brush Back on May 1, 2008 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions

haven't you seen the movie...traffic can mean many things.

Repeat after me: reading comprehension, even a little bit of thought before posting, and basic research are not signs of weakness.

by Toonderstrook on May 1, 2008 2:07 PM CDT up reply actions

Of the stadiums I've been to

I’d rank them like this:

Camden Yards – lives up to the hype, and you can get fantastic cheap authentic Italian food in the neighborhood around the park before the game. Seemed like knowledgeable fans, too.
Coors Field – awesome location in downtown Denver, cheap tickets, fun atmosphere, inexplicable lack of Coors beer at the concession stands
US Cellular - I take the el, so there’s no traffic factor for me, and the food is easily the best of anywhere I’ve been
Wrigley Field - what more can be said about The Shrine
Comiskey Park - great memories of the old yard despite mostly bad teams and lots of obstructed view seats
Jack Murphy/Qualcomm - uh, the weather was nice. Otherwise, no character.
SkyDome - domes suck, the legroom was terrible, and they do a “Let’s Go Blue Jays” chant and calisthenics during the 7th inning stretch instead of “TMOTTBG.” Feels like a mall.
Veteran’s Stadium - in its last year of operation. Just a total dump. My buddy and I had to sneak into an employee lounge to get a pop from a vending machine in like the 6th inning. And even when the place is half empty the ushers won’t let you trade up.

Sadly, I was on my way to see the Sox at Yankee Stadium in 2001 when my radiator exploded, and now I’ll probably never get to go. I really need to add some more parks to this woefully short list. At least Milwaukee.

So, what are everybody else’s favorites?

by Ryno on May 1, 2008 11:16 AM CDT reply actions

old vs. new

I find it hard to compare the “old” (pre Camden) with the “new” (post Camden), so I have two categories:

For the old ones, I like Comiskey, Tiger, and County. I didn’t like:
Wrigley (too many Cub fans there :)
Riverfront (I was there in ‘78, one week AFTER Rose’s hitting streak ended – damn)
Busch (although I got to go on the field because I won a Shirt-Off-Our-Backs raffle)
the Vet (you pegged the “grumpy usher” exactly right)
Metrodome (obviously)
Pro Player (obviously)

Yankee Stadium, Shea, Kaufman, and Skydome never really gave me a positive or negative opinion either way.

I’ve never been to Fenway, but that’s a must-do.

For the “new” parks I’ve been to (Turner Field, Safeco, Camden, Miller Park), I think they are all nice. I think teams have learned a lot about what they have to offer the fans in terms of “experience.”

Mosi Tatupu! Mosi Tatupu!

by Nordhagen on May 1, 2008 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions

I don't get out much (small sample size), but here's my 2 cents:

Comiskey, Tiger, Fenway, all thumbs up.

Wrigley – too many fans urinating on my front lawn (when I lived on Wilton).
County – Too many fans spitting on us after a doubleheader loss (Cecil Cooper killed us that day)
Busch – too “plasticky”, fans somewhat snooty, too much “college” rah-rah stuff (like elbirdos site – no swearing).
Tropicana – see previous fanshot
Fulton – actually pretty cool after the makeover

I took the "under".

by winningugly on May 1, 2008 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions

County stadium

Was a very intimidating place to play during the Wallbanger days. They routinely drew 45K, and the Sox-Brewers rivalry was big, even though they had our number. I remember attending all 5 games of a Brewer sweep, and my “sports fan spirit” was completely crushed.

The Sox/Brewers rivalry is something I really miss now. I don’t think the Sox have that with any other team (other than the Cubs), because of the lack of proximity.

BTW, how come they never play each other in Interleague? It seems like a natural.

Mosi Tatupu! Mosi Tatupu!

by Nordhagen on May 1, 2008 12:04 PM CDT reply actions