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My 5 favorite Major League ballparks:
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Fenway Park
Boston Red Sox
Venerable. Beautiful. Historic. Well-cared for like a beloved antique. The reds and greens took my breath away. The walk to the park from the T station is a carnival that sets the scene perfectly, and the experience at the ballpark is quiet, stately, and with no detractions from the game. I'm glad this park endures.
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AT&T Park
San Francisco Giants
They totally got this one right. From the way a home run can splash down, to the red-brick outfield walls, even the way that fans can watch the game for free through a fence (from a suitably crappy vantage point), this is uniquely baseball and uniquely by the bay.
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Camden Yards
Baltimore Orioles
Not one, but TWO baseball-themed pavilions--one behind the right field wall and one on Eutaw Street. I especially like the way they mark the spots where a baseball landed on Eutaw Street with who hit it. It's a fun atmosphere from top to bottom--a celebration of baseball.
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Jacobs Field
Cleveland Indians
Another gorgeous new ballpark. Unlike many of the new wave of ballparks, this one has exterior views from the concourse. A left-field pavilion area provides a carnival-like feel as well. Tribe fans deserve this ballpark after all those miserable years at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
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Rangers Ballpark
Texas Rangers
A fantastic place to watch a game. I love the museum--the largest collection of baseball memorabilia outside of Cooperstown. The ballpark is more aware of its local history--both Ranger history and Texas history--than any other in the majors. The facade of the ballpark has symbols of Texas carved into the stone, and the stats of every Texas Ranger from every season in their history. All of that makes it a fantastic ballpark even before the first pitch is thrown, and it stays good from there.
Paul Hamann is a high school teacher who lives in Redmond, Washington. He has visited 25 of the 30 current Major League ballparks, and seen games in another 13 MLB parks that were later abandoned or demolished. His ballpark photos and stories are found on his Major League Baseball Stadium Page. |
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