Charlotte Sports Park

Tampa Bay Rays, Spring Training
Charlotte Stone Crabs, Florida State League

7/10

The relatively simple entrance to the park.

A Colombian conference at the mound.

Looking in on the refurbished stadium bowl.

I crossed Florida after a day game at Port St. Lucie, to take in a night game at Port Charlotte, featuring the Tampa Bay Rays and Colombian national team. I got hung up in the exodus from that first game of the day and traffic was somewhat unhelpful, so I arrived around the second inning or so. The evening's contest saw a pre-tournament game for the Colombian entry in the upcoming World Baseball Classic and thanks to some Rays pitchers being loaned over and a ninth inning rally, they ended up coming back and beating the Rays.

This was originally the site for Spring Training for the Texas Rangers, from 1987-2002, prior to that team pulling up stakes and heading west to Surprise Stadium. After this, the team hosted one season of the Independent South Coast League in 2007, before renovations lured the Rays to set up Spring Training and a Florida State League team here in 2009.

The park is a pretty average place, which shows it's age only in its design. It's clean and well maintined. Zaxby's chicken sandwiches appear to be the menu item of choice, because they were sold out by the time I showed up. I remember the food here being markedly average. The only thing that stands out here is the atmosphere. The Rays are the Rays, so despite being the 2nd closest MLB team to their hometown for Spring Training, they don't draw so well. But, with ticket prices substantially lower than anywhere else in Florida, actual people show up for these games, which makes the atmosphere pretty authentic. When I went on my walk to get pictures of the stands from the outfield, a woman asked the Rays' bullpen coach a question, calling him by his first name and received a prompt "Yes, ma'am.", then an answer. Bullpen coach Stan Boroski explained how the Colombian team only wanted to use bullpen pitchers in the game and the Rays had agreed to put in some of theirs once everyone in that Colombian bullpen had had a turn. I'm not sure if at some of the bigger parks, this conversation would have happened so easily.

In summary, I'm more than happy that a place like this could lose it's team, do some renos and get an MLB team back in town, but it's nothing overly impressive. I'd maybe give a half point for atmosphere, but it really doesn't matter, as everything else is average. 7/10.



Linescore
2017-03-08
                         123   456   789   R H E
Colombia            001  100  016   9 10 1
Tampa Bay          140  020  000  7 8 3
Temp: N/A  Time: N/A  Att: N/A

Wrigley Field

Chicago Cubs, National League

10/10

 Pre game photo number 1 prior to Cubs/Cardinals

 Here's #2.

During game 2 versus the Pirates, this post completely obstructed the pitcher's mound from my seat.

I had the good fortune(and judgement) to go to Wrigley Field for 2 games in 2012, on a Friday Afternoon against the Cardinals and the following Tuesday night against the Pirates, as part of a loop out of Chicago. I did not, however, have the good judgement to download the ton of photos I took before flying home, and when I returned home, my camera wasn't in my suitcase. Did it get swiped at the hotel? Out of my bag? Did I forget it somewhere? The questions haunt me still.... The good news, is unlike any other park from that trip, I did get some cellphone photos, so there's something here.

Anyway, Wrigley Field is simply put, amazing. I haven't been to Fenway Park yet, but it is likely the only one that compares to this. It is a veritable baseball time machine. Walking into the narrow concourse with numerous concession stands dotting the aisles is a real experience. Prior to 2015 at least, the Cubs had managed to keep Wrigley true to it's heritage, minimizing billboards and video screens. The atmosphere is second to none. Red shirts dotted the stands as numerous Cardinal fans from Chicago, St. Louis and all points between turned out for one of the great rivalry matchups in baseball. This happened to a lesser extent with the Pirates. The stadium and atmosphere were a big plus. The only possible knock is the presence of posts. My ticket for the Pittsburgh game was a bit of a let down after a post literally obstructed the pitcher's mound(see my photo).

Whether it was Cub fans living and dying with the Cubs/Cardinals or giving a sarcastic cheer after a recent Cub callup from Iowa (finally) broke up A.J. Burnett's no-hit bid in the 8th inning, it is an atmosphere like few others. San Francisco, St. Louis and Los Angeles(either one) are good comparisons.

And the food.....during the 2nd game especially, I stuffed my face. I cant even remember, but the highlight for me was the Chicago style deep dish pizza. It was like Pizza and cornbread? shortcake? had a love child right there on Addison, try it. Everything I ate here was great.

The only other sort of knock is the lack of parking, which shows the park's age. I took public transit the 2nd game and while it's busy, I do recommend it. The Cubs are still limited to so many night games a year, to avoid the ire of locals, so most games end around the evening rush hour. Still, I was able to get to Gary, in nearby Indiana, for a night game in time for first pitch.

I absolutely LOVE Wrigley. I love it. There's simply no comparison and if you have the opportunity, even if you don't like baseball(does that describe anyone here?) you need to go.

Update 2017:  Looking up the box scores from this game, AJ Burnett did record a 1 hitter in my second game here, which is the closest to a no-hitter I've come. Wrigley did undergo a pretty significant renovation, with ownership having to vaguely threaten to move the team into the suburbs to get it done. While a relatively small LCD screen had been added in 2012, when I went, a much larger one was added during these renos in left center field. Still, the ballpark's character appears to have been respected. I would like to go back soon, for some actual pictures and to see the renos, but wasn't willing to give up new parks on my latest trip through Chicago. This park stays at a 10, with the facility, food and atmosphere well above par. A must see.

Linescores
2012-07-27
                        123  456  789  R  H  E
St. Louis           141  110  100  9  10  1
Chicago(NL)      303  000  000  6  10 1
Temp:77F  Time: 3:03  Att: 40,778

2012-07-31
                         123   456  789  RHE
Pittsburgh           400  000   100  580
Chicago(NL)        000  000   000  013
Temp:75F  Time: 2:50  Att: 33,158

First Data Field

New York Mets (Spring Training)
St. Lucie Mets, Florida State League

7/10

The crowd files in for Red Sox/Mets.

Allen Craig ended up capping this at bat with a home run.

Most of the crowd was still here nearing the 7th inning stretch.

I took in a Grapefruit League game in Port St. Lucie as part of my FL trip in 2017, after having done Dunedin the day before. I arrived relatively early, after having stayed a few hours away from the ballpark. I got to the right exit on I-95 at around 1215 and then hit a wall of traffic, around a mile and change from where I actually parked. Ingress was slow, but nothing compared to what came later.

This park is also a little older, opening in 1988, but it doesn't show it's age as much as Dunedin. Seating is a little cramped. With the opponent being Boston and the pitching match up featuring Porcello v. Syndergaard, it was always going to be a game where good seats were above market value. I was lucky to get a seat in the upper corner of the grandstand on the third base side. For lunch, I grabbed an order of pulled pork nachos, where I was surprised with the amount of food I ended up with, similar to San Bernardino. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The ballpark has the usual features, a party/BBQ deck down the left field line and a separate concession for the berm. I ended up having to leave early for Port Charlotte, but it was no use, I spent nearly an hour trying to get out of the parking lot and the game wasn't even over. The team has got to figure out something regarding ingress and egress being so bad.

Overall, this is a pretty serviceable park, which is nice to see, given it's age and it's location on the Atlantic coast of Florida, which seems to be less and less popular. I'd say the park is a half point off because of its poor parking situation, good, but still average atmosphere and a half point for food, which totals up to a 7. I'd come back here before some of the others for certain.

Linescore

2017-03-08
                           123   456  789  R H E
Boston                 000   400   201  7  11 1
New York(NL)        100   313  00x  8  13 1
Temp: 78F  Time: 3:09 Att: 6,538

Progressive Field

Cleveland Indians, Amercian League

8/10

 Progressive has a welcoming, well-styled entrance.

 Another downtown park with a low profile allowing for a good view of the skyline? Sure!

You can make out the enclosed, angled suites in left field on the right of this shot.

We rolled into Cleveland in the middle of a Saturday Afternoon as part of a Great Lakes loop that saw 

us come down from Toronto that morning. The weather in Toronto had featured a torrential downpour
so it was greatly appreciated to have a clear evening that felt more like late summer than early fall. The Indians were in the midst of a Wild Card run, sending the eventual Cy Young winner for the AL, Corey Kluber, to the mound. 

The park is in the middle of downtown Cleveland, almost right next to the NBA Cavaliers’ home court.
 If Balitmore’s Camden Yards was a groundbreaker in terms of ballpark design, Progressive Field,
 or as it was known when it opened, Jacobs Field, reinforced that the trend would continue.
 Walking in, it is hard to believe that this park was 19 years old when I visited it. 

The park has a relatively common three decked layout. The high wall in left centre is the most 
unique feature as far as the field dimensions are concerned. The enclosed suites on the left field side, 
presumably to fight Cleveland’s cooler springs are also an interesting design. The large, open 
concourse in left field, evokes the similar one on the right field side in Baltimore. 
The Cleveland skyline is clearly visible, although Tower Plaza, arguably the most famous building
 in the city was not, at least not without leaning forward. 

A neat quirk was how in the program, all concession items anywhere in the park were listed, 
along with what concession stands sold them. No more walking around looking for Corn Dogs for you. 

A weird quirk was how the outer sections of the upper deck were closed. I can understand not wanting to open 5 sections, that will just need to be cleaned which there are 
unsold seats from better vantage points, but it served to make the park look emptier than it was.
There were still 30 thousand in attendance, who weren’t disappointed, as the Indians eked out a win.

On the whole, I liked this park. It’s downtown, which is always a plus and the fact that it was
slightly ahead of it’s time to begin with means it is aging nicely. Recommended.

Update 2017: Haven't been back here to date. There were apparently only 17 thousand and change in attendance, which is surprising, given the fact it was September and Cleveland was still in it. Under the new ratings, the park still earns a plus, with the somewhat flat atmosphere not actually affecting the score. Cleveland doesn't seem to draw well until basically the playoffs, finishing 28th in average attendance for the 2016 regular season, ahead of only pariahs, Tampa Bay and Oakland. With such a good team, it's amazing it's not in the top half.

Linescore
2014-09-07
                       123   456   789  RHE
Chicago(AL)  001   000   000   151
Cleveland        000  100   20x   391
Temp: 69F  Time: 2:46  Att: 17,367   

Florida Auto Exchange Stadium

Toronto Blue Jays, Spring Training
Dunedin Blue Jays, Florida State League

6/10

The main entrance to the park is pretty nondescript.

The best view from behind home plate I could get without blocking someone.

A decent crowd hangs around to watch the Blue Jays get polished off by the national team.

I finally finally made it to Dunedin after many years of ballparking for a spring training match up in 2017. The game saw the Jays taking on the Canadian entry for that year's WBC. The Jays were missing a few regulars to other WBC camps and a few to injury, so it was a Quadruple-A roster to start. J.A. Happ was shelled right out of the gate as the Canadian nationals went on to win their only game of the 5 pre-tournament and round robin games they played, with little struggle.

The park itself is quite old, opening in 1990, although it somehow looks older than that. It's a facility that is definitely lacking in many areas, the least of which is the cramped team store, in an outbuilding off the concourse, seats that are benches, with not much room between people or in the aisle and a general lack of parking in the area. I ended up parking about 3 blocks away on the lawn of a bar for about 10 dollars(free drink ticket included!). The concourse is a little narrow, but is mostly kept clear.

Concession, on the other hand, is also lacking in options, but at the very least, prices are comparatively low. Atmosphere was tough to judge with the non-MLB opponent for this one, but I'd say it's slightly above average, but not deserving of special recognition. Overall, I'd take off a full point for facility, which would leave this as a 6. It looks more like a bigger, dated, minor league park, as opposed to most of the other Spring Training ones. It's way too big for the High-A team it hosts in the Florida State League, which usually averages just under 800 fans per game.

But, the Blue Jays themselves are well aware of the park's shortcomings and are working on it. More of concern to the team is that the minor league complex and training fields are a 15 minute drive away. A 5 minute drive was enough to have the Oakland side desert Phoenix Municipal for Mesa. This was a big bone of contention for the Jays, but it appears they're willing to live with it, as a tentative deal will see this stadium and the training complex both heavily renovated, even if they remain a fair distance apart.

I will likely give this one a pass until renovations are completed and try to see the Blue Jays in Clearwater or Tampa.

Linescore
2017-03-07
                         123  456   789   R H E
Canada             122  000   011   7 13 0
Toronto             000  000  100   1  2  2
Temp: N/A  Time: N/A Att: N/A

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers, National League

9/10

Large photos of Dodger players line the outside of the Stadium in 2009.

The view from the upper deck pre-game vs. Arizona in 2009.

Packed house on a hot summer night versus San Diego in 2013.

I have been to Dodger Stadium twice. I went in 2009 to watch LA play the Diamondbacks and again in 2013 where they played San Diego on a Saturday Night. I found the first visit quite a bit better, but it was mostly not the ballpark's fault. Anyhow...

In '09 I was already in the LA area having been to Anaheim twice and Rancho Cucamonga the night before. I ended up going up Pacific Coast Highway and exploring Malibu, before checking out Will Rogers State Park before driving to the ballpark and arriving pretty early. I didn't know the aggravation I'd saved myself at the time. I was in the upper deck and remember a real cultural mosaic in our section. People from all different backgrounds just sat and watched baseball.The game was close, with a few lead changes, I enjoyed a Dodger Dog and it ended up going 10 innings. Ronnie Belliard(was it Ronnie Belliard?) hit a homer in his first at bat as a Dodger, Manny Ramirez hit a home run and utterly mangled a routine fly ball to left.  ESPN quipped after the game that it "looked like the ball was chasing Manny and he was trying to get away from it."  The game itself went into an extra inning before the Diamondbacks pulled out a win. After the game ended, I was caught up in the legendary Dodger Stadium traffic and funneled onto the Long Beach Freeway. Pre-GPS, I had no idea where to go and ended up in East Los Angeles, doing a U-turn via Olympic Blvd, before heading north and out of town.

In 2013, I came down from the North Bay area, having seen the A's the night before. My scenic detour along the Pacific Coast Highway and Monterey really hosed me and I got into the area 20 minutes before the first pitch. I promptly ended up stuck in traffic trying to exit the 110 Freeway. Then, out of nowhere, I decided to hit the detour button. I ended up getting into Chavez Ravine by driving past the LA Fire Academy and after stop for food and souvenirs, got to my seat in the bottom of the 2nd. It was a Saturday night game against San Diego in the midst of a pennant race, so it was crowded. I ended up with an obstructed view seat at the back of the 1st level, next to a very angry Japanese tourist, clutching his Japanese language guide to the MLB rosters. It was very hot and my Dodger yearbook ended up going for a walk, although I ended up getting a free jersey and a t-shirt for my stepfather, who lived in the LA area for a few years as a kid after his family emigrated from Northern Ireland. When he passed away that winter, the Jersey was buried with him. He and his very English father ended up watching Sandy Koufax pitch at the LA Coliseum......anyway.

On the whole, I really like Dodger Stadium. The only negative in my mind, is the location. Traffic, is horrendous. You need to be here a minimum of 90 minutes before the game starts to actually get parked and to your seat before first pitch. The park is basically built into a big hole. There is nothing around here but parking lots. Public transportation is just not a thing in this part of Los Angeles.

On the plus side. It's Dodger Stadium. It is the mecca that the Dodgers moved to the west coast to build. Sight lines are not bad, concessions are still above average, but the big thing is atmosphere. In the 2nd game, it was intense the people watching were in a borderline frenzy. They would not have looked out of place in the Roman Colosseum.

I gave this park a 10/10 the first go through, but after my experience at game #2, I had to take it down to a 9. Still a fantastic ballpark.

Update 2017: I have not been back here since my two visits, by coincidence, four years apart to the day. Rating it again based on my past memories, I'd give it a plus for both the facility and atmosphere, with the concessions being somewhere between average and a half point, so it stays at 9. Maybe in a few more years, I'll try and head back.

Linescores
2009-08-31
                                123   456  789  10  R H E
Arizona                    020  000    010 2  5  10  1
Los Angeles(NL)     010  002   000  0  3 5  1
Temp: 88F  Time: 3:02  Att: 45,211

2013-08-31
                               123   456  789 R H E
San Diego              000   100  000  1 10 1
Los Angeles(NL)  000    000  11x  2 13 0
Temp: 85F  Time: 2:53  Att: 53,121

Hammond Stadium

Minnesota Twins (Spring Training)
Fort Myers Miracle, Florida State League

No Rating

The park has a short, palm tree lined boulevard walking up to the main entrance.

A good crowd waits between innings of Cardinals/Twins.

A quick shot back at the press box.

I ended up having quite the day on my scheduled visit to Hammond Stadium. I had flown into Miami the night before, to find that my suitcase had hung back in Houston. I ended up waiting around until nearly 11 before the airline called, to let me know my case had hit town. After a quick run to MIA, I headed out for the drive across Alligator Alley to Fort Myers, knowing full well I would be very, very, late. After a grassfire in the area of I-75 slowed things down a bit, I arrived after the parking attendants had left and snagged a spot for free. A short usher conference determined I was still allowed in and I set an all time lateness record, walking in in the bottom of the 6th inning. By the time I arrived at my seat, the top of the 7th awaited me. A relatively large crowd greeted me, as the Cardinals( who always seem to have a following) were the opposition for the day.

My visit here was so rushed(I might have been inside for an hour) that I can't offer a whole ton of insight. It looks like a decent place, the concession appeared ok, but not great and the atmosphere was not bad, especially since as I mentioned, the Cardinals seem to drag a few fans from park to park with them. A tight  1-0 game into the bottom of the 9th saw the Redbirds get the first two outs, before the wheels fell off and the Cardinals threw away the game winning ground out twice in a row. The Twins won it in the 10th, which arriving so late, I was pretty excited was actually played.

Overall, looks like a decent place, but just way too rushed to really get to know it. I only have a few Grapefruit League parks left to do, this one is top of the list for a 2nd trip.

Linescore
2017-03-06
                       123    456   789 10 RHE
St. Louis           001   000    000  0  173
Minnesota         000  000    001  1  290
Temp: 76F   Time: 3:18  Att: 8,615