Ballparks on my travel list

I got to thinking the other day about all of the great ballparks that came before my time, or the ones that were knocked down before I could get to them. The one that I had a shot at visiting before it was out of use is old Tiger Stadium. It absolutely kills me that I never made that trip because of the rich history that rivals the storied pasts of Fenway, Wrigley, and the likes. I can only imagine the feeling a fan would get walking into the Polo Grounds or Ebetts Field. I definitely feel like I have missed something by not getting to Busch Stadium in St. Louis before the new one opened up recently. I would have loved to stare out at the shortstop vicinity and imagine Ozzie Smith flashing some leather.

Since many of the great stadiums are still around today and the ones in the earlier days of baseball were impossible for me to get to, because I wasn't alive, I am not berating myself for missing the boat on great pieces of baseball history. I am however eager to soak up as many places as I can before they are no longer around, and that lead me to thinking which ballparks I would most want to visit today.

Given my passion for everything baseball, it is a goal of mine to visit every stadium around the major leagues during the coming years. I love baseball, but I also love cities, their skylines, and the culture that comes with different places. I find the energy involved with metropolitan areas fascinating and my imgination runs wild when I am fully plopped into a big city that is buzzing in its own way. No city is exaclty the same and that is how I feel about baseball stadiums.

I want to experience the aura that drives the venues where baseball is played. To engulf yourself in a city and its ballpark is to truly understand the region. As my zeal for visiting the stadiums and cities will forever be present, here are five current stadiums that I am eager to visit. I have never been to any of them, and they are listed in no particular order:


1. Fenway Park

I am not sure there are many places in baseball that can rival the experience one gets at Fenway, or so I've heard. There are too many things to like about this stadium and city to not want to visit it, let alone the threat of the Red Sox possibly renovating or moving from Fenway in the future. The architecture of the park alone pulls me in, to the extent that I don't even view Fenway as a baseball stadium. It appears more like a museum.

With the Green Monster and Pesky Pole, how could you not be pumped about this place? Until recent, the seats in Fenway have been bombarded with a torrent of tears from the pain of simply living and dying anything Red Sox. I want to feel the tenor, or pure misery, that is accompanied with a night at Fenway, against the Yankees, during the middle of a playoff race. It is possible it may take multiple visits before I can fully grasp the revelation that I am bound to have when staring out at the luscious grass.

How can any baseball fan not be in awe of the place where Yaz, Fisk, Williams, Grove, Foxx, and many others, played and wrote a distinct chapter in baseball's history books? If you enjoy plays, you go to Broadway. If you enjoy the glamorous lifestyle of actors, you go to Hollywood. It is this simple, if you like baseball, you must go to Fenway. And all of that comes without even scratching the surface on the city of Boston and its emotional appeal. This could be a eureka-type of visit.


2. Camden Yards

Camden is amazing to me because it has etched its name into baseball's great ballparks in a rather short amount of time. Only 16 years old, I feel like Camden is one of the must-see places even though Fenway Park is about eight times older. It is possible that the rich history that was made during the '90s has made the climb to Ballpark Lore short.

Whether it was Eddie Murray's 500th homerun or Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games streak, Camden Yards has seen some memorable moments. It is impossible for a city not to be baseball-crazed when they are used to the likes of Earl Weaver. I have always been enamored with the high right field fence and the big, brick building beyond the stadium in right field. It is a picturesque landscpae that provides a baseball scenery that remains truly organic.

Baltimore is a city that can fall in love with its baseball team, as we saw in the days of Cal, and thus deserves to be the stage for a World Series. I would find it amazing to witness championship baseball from the seats of Camden. Baltimore is a major seaport along the East Coast, known for its Midwestern-market influence. What strikes me as a rich East Coast culture, Baltimore appears like a natural baseball town.


3. Progressive Field

The only reason the title reads "Progressive Field" is because that is the official name of the home of the Cleveland Indians, which was renamed in January of 2008. I will always remember this park as Jacobs Field, or "The Jake", as long as there is baseball in Cleveland. Cleveland would seem more like a football town if you haven't followed the Indians or been to The Jake. But the Indian fanbase is one of most passionate in all of baseball. I mean, seriously, who the hell goes to a baseball game when it is snowing in early April? Indians fans, thats who. That is certainly more than I can claim as a Southern California native.

Two things pique my interest when it comes to the Cleveland Indians and Jacobs Field. First, is the originality of the ballpark. The sui generis design is refreshing and allows for imagination when pondering its architecture. The first time I saw The Jake on TV, I was immediately bewitched by the towering wall that stretches from the left field foul line to approximately center field. The only thing comparable is the Green Monster in Boston.

I love how the stands hover above the playing field, as it gives a feel of being more ontop of the action, rather than behind the left field fence. The open walkway to the left of the bleachers is a trademark, where fans can take in the game while perusing the concourse. I loved how the bullpens sat out behind the center field wall, next to a line of trees. This is not uncommon, but for some odd reason, it struck me as a cool touch. The three-tier ballpark appears as if it extends up forever, giving the feeling that the field is the center of attention in this Valley of Baseball Mastery.

The second thing that keeps me interested in the Indians is the history of the ballclub. I spent many falls during my youth watching the Indians fight to get the World Series in the late '90s. I remember watching the '97 World Series, when they lost to the Florida Marlins, and witnessing the emergence of a young pitcher named Livan Hernandez and the closing of the great career of Orel Hershiser. Albert Belle provided an entire offseason's worth of entertainment with his monster homeruns and eruptive personality. Cleveland provides a base of baseball success to go along with a great city that includes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.


4. Turner Field

There aren't many franchises with a history as deep as the Atlanta Braves. I grew up in an era of dominance for the Braves, where three guys by the names of Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine showed what it was like to absolutely dominate an era. The history of success throughout the Braves organization is what draws me to this ballpark, as I find the stadium pretty standard with nothing to noteworthy about it.

My interest in visiting stems from the simple reality that great teams are usually put on this field every year. Fourteen consecutive division titles? That is crazy, and a line of success that I can barely fathom. I would never want to taint that feat by admitting that the strength of the division wasn't too high because the Braves rotation would have won anywhere. It seems like the Braves were either in the World series or knocking on the door every year in the late '90s and at the turn of the century. With that much success, there is bound to be high and low playoff moments. I can still see David Justice's sixth inning homerun in Game 6 of the '95 Series, handing the World Series title to the Braves. On the other side of the token, I can vividly remember the Braves getting pounced on by the Yankees in the '99 Series when they were swept. Regardless of the simpleness of Turner Field, this Atlanta sanctuary is calling me.


5. Shea Stadium

What can easily be labeled as the Step Child of New York Ballparks, Shea Stadium still remains at the top of the list of must-see ballparks because of the history thats has been made there and the obvious buzz that comes with baseball in The Big Apple. Other than that monsterous scoreboard in right center field, there is nothing that would really lure a fan to this ballpark as it is an old design that is simply outdated. Nope, not even the apple that pops up after Mets homeruns can make me fall in love with the grounds in Flushing, New York.

With airplanes routinely flying overhead and the poor design of the massive seating structure, Shea does not provide the best possible experience for the viewer. With that being said, how can you not visit the place where Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, and Tom Seaver all left their mark as great major league players? The realization that one franchise's (Boston Red Sox) hopes of escaping melancholy were thoroughly shattered by a routine groundball up the first base line is enough for me to spend at least one weekend in the land of the Amazin' Mets. As for the culture and passion surrounding the city, I am sure you have a requisite conception.