Just a couple weeks back I traveled to PNC Park to watch my beloved Cincinnati Reds take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in a Memorial Day matinee.  While the Reds lost the game, it was overall an enjoyable trip. Here are some of my thoughts about Pittsburgh highly-touted ballpark.

WHAT I LIKED
--Close to the action: The second smallest ballpark in the majors is the first MLB stadium built since 1953 that only has two levels. The upperdeck is as close to the action as you can get. The press box is above the upper deck and the stadium’s luxury boxes are limited and snugged tightly.

--The view:  No doubt one of the best views I’ve seen yet. Sitting on the third-base side of the stadium provides picturesque views of downtown Pittsburgh.

--Concession options:  From the Primanti Brothers Sandwiches and Quaker Steak and Lube wings to the Crabfries and extended Sweet Spot Sundae stand the variety of food is great. I also liked the option to spend extra on the souvenir soda and have it include one free refill.

--Outside the ballpark: There are plenty of restaurants and bars located at the ballpark and just outside of it, providing plenty of entertainment and dining options for before or after the game.

--Access to stadium: The Roberto Clemente Bridge takes you right into the stadium and allows plenty of options for downtown parking. It was easy to get on multiple highways within blocks of the stadium.

--Ushers/Team Staff: From the ushers to the ticket office reps, I was really impressed by the kindness and support received from the team’s staff. It was refreshing.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
--High prices: The ticket prices and concessions were above average and surprising for a smaller market like Pittsburgh, particularly for a team that is approaching three decades without a winning season.

--Parking Garages: I hate parking garages anywhere, but the one we parked in and others by we poorly designed and took forever to get out of. It didn’t help that the Pittsburgh Police department did nothing to help direct traffic.

--Historical Tribute: There were some cool statues outside of the ballpark paying tribute to the legends like Robert Clemente and Willie Stargell and a pretty cool tribute to the city’s Negro League roots. In addition, the team did have its retired numbers on display. However, I was expecting more given the rich tradition of baseball in the city.

OVERALL GRADE: 92

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In honor of the World Champion San Francisco Giants, I wanted to repost my trip to AT&T Park earlier this year:

Orginally posted on 06/29/10...

This past weekend I paid a visit to AT&T Park for the first time and was on hand for an Interleague match-up between the Giants and Red Sox.  It was the first of a three-game set and both teams’ fan bases were represented well within the sellout crowd.

WHAT I LIKED
--Ambience: From the sailboats in the Bay to the trains rolling into the ballpark, AT&T park unique pier setting give the stadium a one-of-kind touch.  There are a ton of bars around the stadium, but enough options are available if you wish to wet your whistle.

--Views: Whether it is a view of the Bay from the upper levels or a look inward from the outfield area, the sights are amongst baseballs finest to take in.

--Scoreboard: The 100-plus foot HD scoreboard is crystal clear and one of the best I’ve viewed. I really liked how they scored the inning in real time in the main batting order feature. It made it real easy to catch up on something if you missed a batter.

--Concessions: There’s no doubt the smells rivaled Safeco Field as amongst the best I’ve ever experienced inside a stadium. There was no shortage of good food to choose from including garlic fries, crab cake sandwiches, sushi, seafood, and our personal favorite the Cha Cha Bowl (grilled chicken, rice, black beans and four choices of salsa).

--Passion: It was something I noticed during my entire time in the city – Giants’ fans are passionate. It was extremely evident at the game itself as they jawed back and forth with Red Sox fans.

--Colors: I didn’t realize how much I like the Giants’ colors until at the park. The decorations and fan gear was cool and the Giants even wore their orange jerseys on this night.

--Dimensions: The odd dimensions of the bark are as different as they come. It’s only 309 feet down the right field foul line and 399 to center, but 421 feet to the deep right field alley. They make up for the differences with a 25-foot wall in right field, but just an 8-foot wall in center and left field.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
--Weather: While it’s a big improvement over Candlestick Park, its cold in San Francisco. If you plan to go to a night game be sure to bundle up. Between the fog and the winds it is going to be chilly. Fans were decked out in gear that resembled a football game in late June.

--Ushers: I’m not sure if Fort Knox is guarded more securely than many of the sections at AT&T Park. I make a point of canvassing the entire stadium upon a visit, but that simply was not possible here as ushers prevented us from entering lower sections and McCovey Cove and some of the other outfield spots.

--Prices: Considering San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities to visit anyway, it came as no surprise that the ticket, concession, parking, and other purchasing options at the park were some of the highest I’ve ever seen. Add to it that I was watching them host the Red Sox and we paid a premium.

--Home Run Celebration: I am always interested in seeing what home teams do for a homerun. At  AT&T Park when the Giants go yard, strobes flash in the Coca Cola bottle in left field as bubbles appear to float on top in the bottle’s mouth. In addition, there was steam come out of some smokestacks. It was pretty cheesy and mostly uneventful.

OVERALL GRADE: 95

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I made my first trip to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum this past week to catch an Interleague match-up between my favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds, and the hometown A’s.  It was an enjoyable experience overall and impressed me more than I thought.

WHAT I LIKED
--Transportation: We were staying in downtown San Francisco and took the BART directly to the stadium ($3.80 per person from our entry point) in less than 30 minutes. There was also plenty of parking all around venue (estimated $20) for fans to drive to the game too.

--History:  If there is one thing Oakland has is a long and storied history and that was put on display throughout the ballpark. From banners boasting milestones to the numerous World Championship tributes, the A’s organization made it clear to their fans that they are proud of their history.

--Bullpens: With so many new stadiums having the bullpens in the outfield, it was nice to go to a game where the bullpens were still down the foul lines. We sat three rows back right on the A’s bullpen on the third base side and had a great seat to see Oakland’s pitchers warm-up up close.

--Fans: I was surprised and appreciative of how many hardcore fans surrounded our seats in Section 126. Most of the fans I spoke to were not only extremely passionate about their team, but also possessed an above average knowledge of the game of baseball and the history of their franchise.

--Concessions: Though it didn’t blow me away like some of other parks I visited, I did enjoy a great variety of foods and beers that were available. The stadium offered more than just your typical hot dog and Cracker Jacks and most everything was fairly based, especially by California standards. I recommend the chicken nachos and pork barbecue!

--Top Deck Closed: The stadium holds nearly 65,000 fans for Raiders’ games, but the A’s close out the entire upper deck to make the setting a bit more intimate for baseball action. Covering the seats are circles with the years inside of them for all the teams championships both in Oakland and previous to the team’s arrival among other tributes.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
--Outside the ballpark: There was some decent tailgating going on, but not much of anything else to do in the area where the stadium was located. With time to spare we went in early and watched batting practice.

--Mount Davis:  Many locals told me that the stadium isn’t as good as it used to be and all of them blame it on the same thing – Mount Davis.  They are referring to the luxury boxes that consume the outfield that Raiders’ Al Davis insisted be built when he brought his team back to Oakland after 14 years in Los Angeles back in 1995.

--Too Much Field: Because the stadium is a multi-purpose facility it possesses one of baseball’s largest foul territories. Despite having third-row seats along third base it seemed as if the field of play was a miles away.

--Scoreboard: Not only was the scoreboard visible quality a bit behind the times, it lacked some of the in-game and real-time data that other stadiums have spoiled me with. I wasn’t overly impressed with the graphics either.

OVERALL GRADE: 87

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I spent the weekend in Seattle and caught a pair of Reds-Mariners at Safeco Field. Despite watching my beloved Redlegs get swept, the stadium itself brought plenty of joy.  I’ve been to many MLB stadiums and Safeco is certainly unique.

WHAT I LIKED
--The smells - I’ve never been a stadium the smelled better.

--The food – A great variety of concessions are available. Our favorites – The Ichiroroll (sushi), the garlic fries (a staple of the park) and the Shishkaberries (chocolate dipped strawberries on a skewer).

--The beer – Few ballparks offer the variety of libations on tap and with so many great local microbreweries I had a chance to try a few (Manny’s Pale Ale – my favorite).

--The roof – Despite it being a washout weekend in Seattle there were no delays due to the retractable roof. The cool part is that while it covers the field the park remains an open-air facility.

--The views – From Lookout Landing to the Bullpen Market, there are so many great places to take in the game from around the stadium and we checked them all out. The most unique place had to be the Bullpen Bar with a unique view from underneath the scoreboard.

--The sound – It was hard to walk anywhere in the stadium without hearing Hall of Fame announcer Dave Niehaus. The Mariners’ radio network is piped through nearly every part of Safeco Field.

--The neighborhood – The Seattle waterfront is packed with great views and plenty of options for fans before the game. There are plenty of street vendors and fan friendly activities as you head into the game.

--The staff - Everyone at the park was so friendly. We actually had a worker walk up to us (seeing we were in Reds’ gear) and talk to us about the park and give us recommendations. As a welcome gift he gave us a Rick Mahler and Bill Gullickson Reds’ baseball card. The cards themselves may be worthless, but the gesture was priceless.

--Hall of Fame - Though it was nothing like the Reds' Hall of Fame in size or history, the Mariners' edition was easily accessible and put together nicely. I really enjoyed the tribute to great announcers from baseball history.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
--Ushers – When I visit ballparks for the first and often only time (went to two games at Safeco), I enjoy walking around and checking out the game from many angles.  Not at Safeco. These ushers, or at least the ones which we encountered, acted as if the President was sitting in the section.

--Ticket Prices – Not that it wasn’t worth every penny to me, but when we decided to go on Sunday the cheapest ticket in the house was $24. Granted the bleachers were sold out, but that makes it awfully tough on the wallet if you plan on bringing your family to the game.

--The Dimensions – While it doesn’t look like the right-center and left-centerfield power alleys are deep. Couple that with the mid 50-degree temperatures and the ball didn’t carry at all. If you like low-scoring games it’s ok, but if you like offense, or at least a little bit of it, not the park to go catch a game.

OVERALL GRADE: 95

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