Top Three: MLB Stadiums

I am going to start my "Top Three" series again that my old blog followers remember. And I'm starting, in honor of Opening Day on Sunday, with my "Top Three" MLB Stadiums.

3) Petco Park - San Diego, California

I was lucky enough to go to this park in 2007 after a business trip in San Diego, doing dorky Engineering stuff aboard the USS Ronald Reagan while cruising out in the water for a week. I stayed in the Gaslight District in downtown San Diego and laughed when the concierge said to me that while there, I should take a walk and go see a game. The reason it was funny is that seeing a game at Petco Park was the 2nd reason I was staying a few extra days in the city (the first was to go to the world famous San Diego Zoo).

Walking to the stadium, I got to view the beautiful downtown area and especially loved the grandness of Petco Park in the middle of the city. The ticket window attendant was surprised when I said to her "Just 1 ticket, but make it a good one!". Is it really that hard to imagine a girl wanting to go to a game by herself? That night the Padres were playing the San Francisco Giants (both teams I had never seen in person before). I got my ticket and shuffled into the stadium.

I first did a complete 360 of the stadium so I could check out everything. I thought the concrete bleachers where fans could bring their dogs was awesome. How great to share America's favorite pasttime with Man's Best Friend! I talked to a few people who looked like they were seasoned fans and got the scoop on the best fare at the park: Rubio's fish tacos and the garlic fries. And man, were they right!

So I get to my seats, and I'm sitting with the opposing teams' families! In fact, I found myself sitting right next to Dave Robert's wife. And yes, I was decked out in Yankees gear and she laughed and said "Oh, you probably don't like my husband very much, do you?". We had a good laugh, and I enjoyed a great game. I especially enjoyed the fact that in the later innings, the ushers for the areas closer to the field were amicable and would point out empty seats that you could go sit in (or maybe this was just for me, since I'm so nice).

2) Rangers Ballpark (formerly Ameriquest Stadium) - Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas

I traveled to Fort Worth, TX a lot for a previous Rocket Scientist job, and if it was during the baseball season, you could always find me at least one night at Ameriquest Stadium (as it was called at the time).

This park (until #1 came along) was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. The aesthetics from the parking lot were breathtaking, and I especially love the wide open feel of the grandstand area and the walkways. One thing not to miss, if you have kids, is the pre-game festivities on the lawn outside the park. They have lots of baseball drill activities and even a mini-field where they can play in an organized game.

Something that really struck me as amazing, and don't laugh, were the bathrooms. As a girl used to going to Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium for years, the Women's bathrooms were always kinda shady and not always the cleanest places in the world. These bathrooms were GORGEOUS! Tile floors, shiny fixtures and so clean you could see your reflection!

One memorable game I went to, I had the same ticket window experience that I had in San Diego. The look of surprise when I ask for 1 ticket. But this time, the attendant smiled and said "I have just the seat for you!". So I get my ticket, which by the way are cheaper than I'm used to, and haul my Yankees-wearing butt to the section. Row 1, can't beat that. Turns out I'm sitting in a single seat, right along the wall, next to the ball boy. It was a phenomenal view and I was amongst all season ticket holders. They said that the seat usually goes empty because it is a single seat, and they were happy to have someone new at the game, even if I am a Yankees fan. The only down side of the night, the ball boy refused to give me any foul balls, saying everyone would hate him if he gave a ball to a non-Rangers fan. Oh well...

1) Yankees Stadium - Bronx, New York

I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but this #1 is for the new stadium, not the old. While the bleachers in the old stadium were my favorite spot to watch the Bronx Bombers play, the new stadium just blew it away.

My first time to the stadium, my brother and I caught a ride with a friend of his and his friend's dad. We had a beer across the street as usual, then headed into the stadium, 2+ hours ahead of game time. The Yankees were playing the Red Sox that night, so it was a madhouse, even that early. I was actually thrilled to be there that early, because I wanted to see EVERYTHING!

When we walked in, and got to the ground level concourse, I swear I almost started crying. I was so excited and so in awe that I was moved. The cool part was that the Yankees were in right field warming up and throwing around, and the ushers were letting anyone who wanted to go down to the wall to watch the practice. We all went down and were bantering with the players, specifically Aceves and Cano, and a great time was had by everyone there.

Next we went to Monument Park. Pictures taken with the monuments, rubbing the Babe Ruth one, all so extremely exciting. There's nothing like that kind of respect and tribute for former greats.

My favorite part of the park is the Museum. I couldn't believe the amount of memorabilia there for anyone to see, take pictures of and even be a part of. World Series Championship trophies, player gear, a replica of a locker from the locker room, and my favorite part - the baseball wall. We had so much fun finding the signed baseballs by our favorite players and taking pictures for those who weren't with us (Paul O'Neill for my mom, Tino for me, Donnie Baseball for many)...

Gametime was approaching so we made our way to our bleacher seats and were thrilled with the new addition to the outfield - BEER! The only downfall was that it was hard to see the big screen from our seats, but seriously, we can see just about everything from where we sit. The seats that I'm working on getting for this year are the Batter's Eye seats. There are two rows of seats, located up high, in dead center field, right above the Mohegan Sun Sports bar. That's gotta be an amazing view.

The game was awesome, the Yankees led from the beginning and ended up winning, just as I had hoped. While I loved the old Yankees Stadium, I can't help but feel that we're gonna see even more championships in this park than in the old, and that just makes it feel like home.