Phoenix Municipal Stadium

Arizona State Sun Devils (Pac-12)

8/10

 

The main entrance is on the 3rd base side, you need to go up a spiral walkway, across the street, then back down to get there from the parking lot.

2013 prior to my suspected "Last game at the Muni", I turned out to get one more.

A sparse crowd watches Arizona Fall League action in 2011.

I didn't make it to a game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, a.k.a. "The Muni" until 2011, my 2nd spring in Arizona. This stadium is a little different than the others in the Cactus League at the time, as it's history lends itself more to Phoenix baseball than Spring Training. This stadium hosted AAA baseball in Phoenix for 25 years as the Phoenix Giants, then Firebirds, called the Muni home. The Firebirds moved up Loop 101 to Scottsdale when Scottsdale Stadium opened in 1992. The San Francisco Giants held Spring Training here for one year in the 1960's, before the Oakland A's moved in in 1984. The A's had 20 years here before they too moved across town, to HoHoKam Stadium in Mesa, leaving the Muni open. Taking a page from their cross-state rivals in Tucson, the Arizona State Sun Devils decided to move their baseball team from an on campus stadium to the Muni.

At any rate, this is a very straightforward stadium. Stairs lead up to the main concourse, with box seats in front and loge behind. The backdrop is very much stereotypical Arizona, with red rocks and in the case of a 2011 fall league game, a large dust storm. The concessions here were not my favourite, right up until I wandered out to the barbeque stand in the left field corner. I don't remember exactly what I ended up with, but I do remember the burgers and chicken sandwiches coming out of there looking pretty good. The atmosphere here was slightly above average, as the lack of video board and really anything else going on outside of the game made it very enjoyable. The main reason the A's moved (back) to Mesa wasn't the stadium, but more the back fields, or namely the fact that they were about a mile from the main stadium via bus, across the street from the Phoenix Zoo. Now that the team has moved, everything is contained in one complex.

Overall, this was a somewhat unique Spring Training venue, with slightly above average concessions and atmosphere, which should serve the ASU Baseball program well for years to come.

Update 2019: The Sun Devils are enjoying things at the Muni, averaging 2,913 for 2019, which was 21st in the NCAA. I haven't been here in awhile, so I'm not aware of any serious upgrades. This park is highly unlikely to host professional baseball again. I'd go if I had the opportunity, but many other Phoenix area parks would be higher on my list.

Linescores

2011-03-25

                               123  456  789  R H E

Los Angeles(AL)       104  011  030  10 16 0

Oakland                   000  010  020  3 6  2

Time: 2:39  Temp: 70F  Att: 8,540

2011-10-04

                123  456  789   R H E

Mesa         005 120  000   8 7 1

Phoenix     210  602  01x  12 13 0

Time: 2:54  Temp: 91F  Att: 235

2013-03-27

                        123  456  789   R H E

Colorado           210  020  000   5  9  0

Oakland            010  320  00x  6 12 0

Time: 2:33  Temp: 87F  Att:4,795

2014-03-26

                                   123  456  789  RHE

Los Angeles(AL)           001  000  311  661

Oakland                       001  000  010  261

Time: 2:57  Temp: 75F  Att: 5,033

Nationals Park

Washington Nationals

8/10

The front entrance isn't much to look at, mostly because most fans don't come in this way, instead entering through the baselines and outfield.

An overcast day in D.C., which soon provided some showers.

From this angle, you can see the gates had just opened and a break in the upper decks, like in San Diego.

I pulled into DC in May 2017, after driving straight in after an afternoon game in Philadelphia, having started the day in Pittsburgh. I stayed here the night before the game, taking in a nice morning run past the Smithsonian, onto the national mall and pretty much to the Washington Monument before heading back to get ready for the game. This was a Sunday afternoon contest against visiting San Diego. The Nats were due to play another afternoon game the following day in San Francisco, owing to Memorial Day.

The park opened in 2008, after the Nationals played at RFK stadium for a few seasons after moving from Montreal. It was hardly an improvement, but this place is. It's modernly laid out, with a particularly noteworthy outfield concourse(the team store is out there). The park is in a older neighbourhood that according to the local I spoke with, used to be light industrial with body shops and the like. Now, a bunch of mid-rise condo towers dotted the outfield. Food was to MLB standard, but not much more. As first pitch approached, a light rain started, but only started to intensify, until(I'm sure doppler radar had something to do with it) the game was held up as a heavier rain started. I and most everyone else there, moved up to the concourse to wait it out and I ended up talking with a newfound Nationals fan who had really only started following baseball in his retirement. He had a million questions and I had nothing but time, but, I started to worry that this would be a rainout of a new MLB park and that even if the game did start, it would push my arrival time back, as afterwards, I was driving into Ohio, to be able to make an afternoon start the following day for the Chicago White Sox.

Once the game did get started after a delay of over an hour, the chatting continued as a pretty low scoring affair, which the Padres ended up taking by a run. The fans were into it and the quirky atmosphere I'd seen earlier in the year in Palm Beach showed itself again. This is MLB's youngest fanbase, with most of the people there having cheered for other teams earlier in their lives. The cheers of "Nats, Nats, Nats, Woo!" after a run are somewhat unusual, but also endearing. It was certainly something I could live with two years after the fact watching this team and their fans enjoy their first title in 2019. The atmosphere is a plus.

On the whole, this is a relatively new park with modern amenities in a neighbourhood it has given a shot in the arm. The unique atmosphere and the bucket of attractions in the U.S. capital make this a good park to visit. My only advice? If you're just coming here, leave the car at home, parking's a hassle and public transportation is plentiful, with the subway coming right to the park. I ended up coming back the next year for a hockey game and enjoyed that visit as well. I'll be back here soon.


Linescore
                    123   456    789   R H E
San Diego     210   020   000   5 14 0
Washington   110  010    000   3 8 1
Time: 3:19  Temp: 65F  Att: 30,243
Note: Start of game delayed 1:20 by rain.

Oakland Coliseum

Oakland Athletics, American League

8/10

The park has probably the plainest exterior in the Majors.

"Mount Davis" dominates center field before a 2015 game against Houston.

A crowd of just under 20,000 takes in a game in 2013 against Tampa Bay, both teams made the playoffs.

I first went to the Oakland Coliseum in 2013, on a two week trip of the western states as my only new Major League ballpark. The A's met the Tampa Bay Rays on a Friday night, two teams both leading their divisions. Attendance was an eyelash over 15,000. The A's won their division and still finished in the bottom 5 in attendance and the Giants were last in theirs and averaged 47 thousand. This is the situation in the Bay Area. We went back later in July 2015 for a mid week game against the Astros.

At any rate, the Coliseum, or the "O.Co Coliseum" after online clearance outlet, overstock.com, is another multipurpose stadium that continues to hang on. Apparently, it used to be not too bad for baseball, with a decent view of the surrounding hills. But the football Raiders, having moved to Los Angeles, agreed to move back, only if a massive stand was built in center field. "Mount Davis" lured the Raiders back to town(they are threatening relocation again, back to Los Angeles), but it really impacted the Coliseum as a baseball venue.

On the whole, the Coliseum is very old and this age shows with narrow concourses and basically no view of the field from the lower concourse. Access isn't too bad, although the rush hour traffic in and around Oakland before most evening games makes it difficult. The BART stops right outside though, so if you're already on either side of the bay, that could be better, I haven't tried it myself.

The concessions here were not too bad the first time and after doing some more exploring my 2nd time here, are some of the best anywhere. Items such as Sweet Potato pie and a gourmet noodle stand, along with some chains like Round Table pizza.  This is a place worth getting to early, to wander around a little.

The thing about the Coliseum, is that the atmosphere is incredible. Even though hardly anyone shows up. The people who go to an A's game genuinely want to go. There are not the people going to be seen like you might see in San Francisco(although the upper deck there is very passionate). My travel companion, had been to 5 MLB parks(thanks to me), when she pointed out that the atmosphere in Oakland was very raw compared to something a little more manufactured at one of the newer retro-modern parks. Case in point, it was dog night for the Houston game and about 150 pooches and their humans were in the stands of Mount Davis, far away from the rest of the crowd. During the national anthem, many of them could be heard howling along.

Stubhub tickets in the 8th row cost 40 dollars a person, plus free VIP parking. For affordability, this place is probably unrivaled. Also, there is a bona-fide supporters group, like something you'd see at a Japanese baseball game, or a Major League Soccer contest. They were very much into the game, and during my first visit here, had their angry hands going for Aussie closer Grant Balfour, who to put it mildly, had a bit of fiery personality.

This park is probably the worst for maintenance issues in the majors however, as raw sewage(i.e. poop) has backed up into the visitor's clubhouse at least once. Still, after some rumours of the Athletics moving for a 4th time, this time just down the highway to San Jose, or maybe Fremont, the A's signed on for 10 more years at the stadium, which will put them up to 2024.

At any rate, what the stadium lacks in amenities, it makes up in affordability, good concessions and a very authentic, baseball-first atmosphere. I give it an extra half point for food and atmosphere, which gives it an 8, which is pretty good for such an old venue.

Update 2019: This venue, at time of writing, is now the RingCentral Coliseum for the 2019 season after going three seasons without a sponsor. This place is as it was, the A's are a decent team of misfits, who draw poorly. The plan as of now is to build a new park in the Oakland area, possibly on the waterfront, possibly on this site, now that the Arena that's adjacent has been vacated by the Warriors. The Raiders are preparing to leave the area for Las Vegas, so the A's will soon be the only big league anything in town. The A's have recently publicly speculated about also going to Las Vegas, but this seems to be a negotiating tactic only for now. I'm rooting for them to make staying in Oakland work for them, but we will find out.

Linescores
2013-08-30
                    123  456  789  RHE
Tampa Bay    010  000  020  381
Oakland         000 030 01x   470
Time: 3:10  Temp: 68F  Att: 15,603

2015-08-06
                 123  456  789 10  RHE
Houston     100  000   030 1   591
Oakland      010 010  002  0  472
Time: 3:37  Temp: 66F  Att: 16,172

Citizen's Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies, National League

7/10

A very busy sky at the entrance to the ballpark.

A decent crowd takes in the Phillies and Reds on a Saturday afternoon.

Looking back in you can see the upper deck is sparsely populated, but the lower bowl is nearly full.

This is as close as I could get to the standard, "behind home plate" shot.

I headed out to onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike from Pittsburgh for the few hours over to Philadelphia for the Reds/Phillies. I ended up having some issues with my debit card and paying the tolls on the turnpike, so I arrived in the 2nd inning. This is another retro-modern park, located in the middle of the "Sports Complex". I paid to park in the lot directly next to the football stadium across the street. The arena hosting the 76ers and Flyers is off in another corner.

It was a muggy, overcast, spring afternoon in Philly, with a decent, but not huge crowd out to see the Fightin' Phils. The Phinatic was out and had a steady entourage of wellwishers following him around the entire day.

The park itself however, I would describe as "adequate". It's a much needed upgrade over Veteran's Stadium, with a decent view of the downtown skyline. Besides the large Liberty Bell light display in right centre field, there's nothing really unique about it. The food is also(surprisingly) average, although it's always tough to judge that in just one visit. I had the "Crab Fries", which were also very popular in Pittsburgh the night before. I'm honestly not sure why, I found them pretty average. The atmosphere, for all the lore of the rabid, borderline toxic Philadelphia sports fan, was enthusiastic, but par for the course too. The game was very back and forth. Michael Saunders hit one of very few homeruns as a Phillie and Tommy Joseph hit a walk off single in the bottom of the 9th.

Overall, this is hardly a bad ballpark, but I'd put a return trip to Pittsburgh ahead of coming back here. 7/10.


Linescores
                        123   456   789   RHE
Cincinatti           200  001    000   390
Philadelphia       110  100    001   470
Temp: 73F  Time: 2:47  Att: 30,100

Chukchansi Park

Fresno Grizzlies, Pacific Coast League

7/10

The front entrance to the park after the game.

The small crowd didn't do the park justice.

Another small crowd watches Fresno play a getaway game against Reno.

We went to Fresno in the midst of our 2014 loop of the Western States. It was our first 2 week roadie together, which meant less parks overall, but it worth it. This meant we were coming from a baseball-free night in Las Vegas the night before, headed into Fresno to watch the Grizzlies, the San Francisco AAA team at the time, take on the Oklahoma City RedHawks, who were Houston's.

It was a Wednesday night, which saw a sparse crowd, officially in the area of 3,000. Considering they would draw 10,000 for the game on Saturday, the park was very slow, the seating bowl was nearly deserted. The park is located in downtown Fresno, which is a little shady, with not much else even open after the game.

I caught this park on a bad night. Without many people, it just appeared slow, even though this wasn't an average crowd. The food wasn't particularly memorable and the facility itself looked to be maybe a little above average for the PCL. They were advertising the upcoming "Taco Throwdown" where local taco trucks would park in the left field corner, with a winner being crowned before the end of the game. The product on the field was good, with a late inning comeback by Fresno fought off by the RedHawks. I plan to swing back through here as part of a "California Retreads" roadtrip, to give some misinterpreted California ballparks(I'm up to 4) a second chance. Until then, this one's markedly average.


Update 2015: The Grizzlies got caught up in the massive affiliation shuffle in the PCL and are now the AAA stop for the Houston Astros.

Update 2019: Fresno is now the affiliate for the Washington Nationals, starting this season. I made it back in 2016 for a getaway game against Reno. The noon start time meant this crowd was possibly even smaller than the first time. I remember Socrates Brito,  A Diamondback prospect who eventually had a cup of coffee with the Blue Jays having a good day and the box score confirms that my memory is correct. I will have to go out of my way to go here a third time on a night where people might actually be present. Until then, this one is still a 7.



Linescores: 
2014-08-13
                                                          123   456    789   RHE
Oklahoma City RedHawks(HOU)                                     4
 Fresno Grizzlies(SF)                                                     3

The boxscore on MiLB.com no longer loads and I wasn't able to find an alternative. I'll dig more next time.

2016-05-05
                                            123   456    789   RHE
Reno Aces(ARI)                     000   120    000   390
Fresno Grizzlies(HOU)             000    000   101   271
Temp: 63F Time: 2:59 Att: 2,830

PNC Park

Pittsburgh Pirates, National League
9/10

 

The Facade was not actually redbrick, but was not easy to get a good picture of....

The ballpark is pointing AT downtown! Makes for an unbelievable view. Possibly the best I've seen so far.

PNC looks surprisingly normal from the outside in however.....

Bonus shot: The park sits on the shore of the Allegheny River, just across the Roberto Clemente bridge.

I came through Pittsburgh for the first time as part of my May 2017 loop that saw me go basically from Calgary toWashington DC and back. I had come in from Nashville after seeing a game there the previous night. I ended up getting a hotwire hotel about 3 or 4 blocks from the ballpark, dropped the car and walked over.

PNC Park is located right next to the Allegheny river, a few blocks from the NFL’s Steelers at Heinz Field. A boardwalk goes by the outside it’s possible for homerun balls to make it into the river, especially on a bounce. The park is very open looking out from home plate and has an unbeleivable view of the downtown skyline, which is VERY close. This is easily one of the top 3 backdrops in the majors, which only St. Louis and San Francisco can compare to in my opinion (and only from the upper deck at both of them). The stadium has a lot of concourse that the game can be viewed from, including a series of ramps from to the third deck on the left field side.


Concession was good but a slight bit pricier than I might have liked. I ended up with a gyro or something if I remember correctly. It seemed pretty good overall, with lots of offerings.

Atmosphere was a big positive of this place. It was a Friday night home game against the Mets, with Jacob Degrom starting for them. The local fans(and a good crowd for the Mets) were into the game, but avoided going totally crazy. I ended up speaking with length to a retired middle manager for US Air, who filled me in on all things sporting and Pittsburgh.There was a younger crowd, because of a post-game concert, I'm pretty sure it was Flo-Rida.

Overall, a really good night. I was expecting good things, after seeing what others had to say, but experiencing for myself, I was still surprised. A good facility in a great location, with a good fanbase and some above average food means this place would be a solid 9 in my book, bordering on 10. The only downside is that I’m not sure when I’ll be able to make it back.

Linescore:

2017-05-26
                              123   456  789  R H E
New York (NL)          012  023  000  8 12 0
Pittsburgh                000  100  000  1 6 0
Temp: 69F Time: 2:57 Att: 29,408

Coors Field

Colorado Rockies, National League

8/10

Another park with a circular rotunda for a front door, plus a redbrick facade.

Besides the forested bullpens, the right field corner has several restaurants on the upper deck.

The view from behind home plate, with the "rockpile" in center field.

I rolled into Denver in September 2015 as part of my summer loop. It was a Monday night and I drove up from Amarillo, Texas after catching an afternoon game there the previous day. Traffic in and around Denver was not the greatest, but I still showed up about half an hour before the 6:30 start time. The park is just north of Downtown Denver, in the midst of your average upscale entertainment oriented neighbourhood.It is a chip off the Retro-Modern block for sure, but it does have some things that you can only find here.

Firstly, the food here is something else. I opted for the "Jalapeno Elk Brat", which was amazing. There was lots of craft beer here too, despite the sponsor. There are some restaurants on the 3rd level in right field, which looked somewhat expensive. The game featured the Arizona Diamondbacks opening a series with the Rocks. A.J. Pollock took advantage of the thin air hitting a fly ball into the left-field alley that just kept flying. But, things came apart for the D-Backs in the bottom of the 9th, with Brad Ziegler struggling to catch the game winning out, then throwing it away, breaking a streak of something like 25 consecutive save opportunities converted. Arizona went to the bullpen, but their 2nd pitcher of the 9th couldn't stop the Colorado comeback, giving the Rockies a win they had no business getting. You don't really notice the thin air as a spectator, until you walk a lap of the concourse and come up slightly short of breath, which admittedly, was a little worrying.  The most unique architectural feature is the center field bleacher known as "The Rockpile". I found Coors Field to be a nice ballpark and all, but nothing spectacular. It gets an 8 because of it's concessions. I will likely be back sometime soon though.

Update 2019: I managed to get back here when we ended up visiting friends in the Denver area. We headed down very early, owing to Denver's lousy traffic situation and ended up eating at a pub a few blocks from the park, before heading over. This place hasn't changed that much at all, which I'd say is a good thing. The only obvious difference was, for a variety of reasons, that the latest game was much better attended.  This is hardly a bad ballpark, but I feel like if I charted out all the MLB parks I'd been to, this would be just into the bottom half. Still, our friends aren't moving anytime soon, so I can see us ending up here again, maybe even this summer.

2015-08-31
                      123   456   789  R H E
Arizona            003   010  000   4 11 2
Colorado          001  000   004   5  11 0
Temp: 68F  Time: 3:30  Att: 21,386



2018-09-12
                        123   456   789  R H E
Arizona               012  100  000  4 4 0
Colorado             002  010  002   5 13 0
Temp: 91F  Time: 3:07  Att: 31,687