Because of my tireless efforts in improving the baseball experience for fans, I frequently get asked what my favorite ballpark is, and while I do have my favorite ones to visit, I really don’t have a definitive answer to the question. Which has kept me from actually writing a list of ballpark rankings. Until today, anyway.

You would think it would be easy for me to pick a favorite, but it’s not. Just the opposite. I could literally say that my favorite ballpark is whichever one I’m sitting in at the time, or whichever one I’m visiting next.

I truly mean that. I was in Tropicana Field recently, a venue that almost no one ranks among their favorites. I don’t care what anyone says, the Trop rocks! For one, the dome makes everything louder, from the cheering to the announcers to the cowbells that fans ring whenever an opposing player has two strikes.

But there was a much more important ballpark rankings attribute. I took my family there on a 96-degree July day, and that evening there was a powerful Florida thunderstorm. Yet we saw nine innings of exciting baseball, with my daughter cheering two home runs off of Chris Sale, without interruption or discomfort. My little ones had a blast…but I seriously doubt they would have patiently waited out a rain delay.

No one loves Camden Yards more than I do, but baseball is better without rain delays or postponements. And for road trippers, it’s nice to know there will be a game while you’re in town.

Anyway, before I forget where I was going with this, my point is that every ballpark has something special about it…the Green Monster in Fenway, the warehouse at Camden, the ivy at Wrigley. The reason I have trouble picking a favorite is simply because it’s not my job here to prefer one ballpark to another…my purpose is to make your baseball experience great, whether it’s at PNC Park or Guaranteed Rate Field.

OK, that’s a cop out. I have to get on with making ballpark rankings decisions and probably irritating a few people. So here we go…Kurt’s ballpark rankings of the 15 he has thoroughly researched and written about.

Starting from the bottom:

Hey, where’s my Guaranteed Rate?

Ballpark Rankings: #15) Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago White Sox. The new Comiskey opened a year before Camden Yards, making it almost instantly obsolete as a modernized ballpark. They’ve made some great improvements to the place over the years, but it’s still symmetrical and doesn’t really catch the eye.

What I Love About It: The best thing I can say about Guaranteed Rate is that it’s the anti-Wrigley…there are no obstructed views, troughs in the men’s rooms, trains packed abominably full of fans and other overrated classic ballpark “features” that many places like Wrigley were demolished to get rid of. It’s a place where people go to see baseball, not visit one of the big tourist attractions of Chicago, and it’s built to be far easier to access. White Sox fans are there to watch a game, not socialize. And they do now have a taste expert to help you decide what beer goes with your gourmet burger. That’s pretty cool.

What I Don’t Love About It: Guaranteed Rate just lacks visual appeal. I think “sterile” is the word. There isn’t much to see beyond the scoreboard, and the exterior of the place is a dull beige concrete. There’s some decent tailgating, but there isn’t anywhere near the post-game tavern and restaurant scene found at Wrigley.

The concrete could have been used for a very long sidewalk.

Ballpark Rankings, #14) Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays. SkyDome was an impressive monument when it was built, and like Guaranteed Rate, it opened a few short months before Camden Yards turned ballpark-building upside down. Nowadays it feels dated and designed to pack the fans in rather than give them a great experience.

What I Love About It: Rogers has a great outside food scene nearby; there are hot dog carts everywhere selling dogs with a long list of toppings, and you’re not too far from some very cool food trucks. It’s also great if the Blue Jays are contending, because Toronto is a loud and proud baseball city and it can get very noisy when the roof is closed. If you don’t mind using public transit, you have a great deal of choices…commuter train, subways, streetcars, high speed rail from YYZ, you name it, and all of them stop at Union Station just a few steps away from the venue.

What I Don’t Love About It: Driving to Rogers Centre can be exasperating, especially on a weeknight, and parking is expensive and spotty. Rogers is also one of the last of the “multipurpose” stadiums, formerly hosting the CFL Argonauts, and the place sacrifices too much baseball friendliness to football.

Well, thanks. I’m just happy to be out of the heat!

Ballpark Rankings, #13) Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay Rays. Yes, I know I just said the place rocks, and in many ways it does. But I while I do prefer baseball to no baseball, it can be depressing to go indoors to watch a game on a beautiful April Florida day…like I did in my first trip there.

What I Love About It: As with Rogers, it is nice to know that a game will be played regardless of the weather, but unlike Rogers, the Trop isn’t loaded with awful seats far from the field. Well, ok, maybe it is, but the Rays don’t usually sell those. And I have been saved by the roof from vicious Florida heat and a pounding thunderstorm. The Trop is also pretty kid-friendly; tickets are very affordable and there’s interactive games for the little ones around the concourses. And I know it gets on some folks’ nerves, but I love the cowbells…and baseball-wise anyway, it’s a unique Tampa Bay thing. They’ve turned indoor baseball into a positive there at least.

What I Don’t Love About It: Indoors on artificial turf just isn’t how baseball is meant to be played; a roof is great on hot and/or rainy nights, but baseball is most enjoyable outdoors on a beautiful temperate summer evening. It’s also a long drive from the population center in Tampa, which at least partly explains the team’s attendance problem.

From the new train station that is “convenient” to the Stadium.

Ballpark Rankings, #12) Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees. The new Yankee Stadium does a great job reminding everyone what happened at the old Yankee Stadium, and it’s a great monument to history, but it’s also a monument to big, big money, purposely dividing affluent fans from the proletariat.

What I Love About It: Even though the history didn’t happen in this building, the Great Hall, Monument Park, and the Yankees Museum are all impressive, and even though I am an Orioles fan with antipathy for all things Yankees, a lot of great, great players spent their careers in the Bronx. It’s a compliment when fans of other teams despise you. I also like that they kept the dimensions and returned the frieze to the upper level, giving the place the same look as the original, pre-remodeled Yankee Stadium. It’s nice to have the Metro-North option for getting to the game now.

What I Don’t Love About It: Yankee Stadium is the most unfriendly-to-middle-class fans ballpark in baseball. If you don’t have triple digits to spend on a ticket, prepare to be up in the rafters or in the bleachers…which in the new venue have been moved to behind the field level seats. The Yankees are more willing to have their best seats go unfilled than charge a more reasonable price for them, while less affluent fans sit further away.

A code of conduct in D.C. That’s a hoot. If only.

Ballpark Rankings, #11) Nationals Park, Washington Nationals. They got a lot of things right at Nationals Park; the steel exterior is sleek and the entrance from Half Street (where the Metro train drops off most arriving fans) is one of the more visually appealing in baseball. But some things could have been done better, like the distance of the upper level seats, especially towards the outfield.

What I Love About It: The designers avoided creating a copy of Camden Yards just a few miles north, and instead built a nice steel modernized ballpark on the beautiful Anacostia riverfront. The pre- and post-game scene on Half Street is improving all the time, as is the selection of nearby eateries, and there is a great selection of food inside the ballpark too…Ben’s Chili Bowl half-smokes are among my favorite of ballpark foods. And with no disrespect meant to the Milwaukee sausages, I think the President’s Race is the best mascot race in baseball.

What I Don’t Love About It: Could the upper level seats be any higher here? The 400 level of this ballpark is at a vertigo-inducing height (although Rogers Centre in Toronto tops it in spots). There’s a lot of outfield seating and standing areas that are pretty distant from home plate. Parking here is way too expensive, even spots a good walk away.

This pic was taken just after a miserable thunderstorm. But I wasn’t worried.

Ballpark Rankings, #10) Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers. I love that Brewers fans stepped up and helped their home ballpark win a “Best Ballpark” competition on ESPN’s website. I’d love to rank Miller higher, because I love Milwaukee and think the city’s fans are the best in baseball. But as terrific a venue as Miller is, this huge retractable dome doesn’t feel right in a small market.

What I Love About It: It’s nice to know a game will be played of course, but Milwaukee also is full of folks that really, really love baseball…as evidenced by not just a football-level tailgating scene, but also by the numerous taverns and eateries that will give their patrons a ride to the ballpark…both of which are actually encouraged by a very fan-friendly Brewers team. By the time fans are in the ballpark, they’re ready to be loud…great if the roof is closed but fun anytime. Lots of kid-friendly stuff here too…you won’t have a problem keeping the little ones occupied. And the Sausage Race, of course.

What I Don’t Love About It: There are a lot of cheap seats, which is nice, but Miller is also a place with a lot of seats that are either too high or too far from the field. If you get into the outfield seats of the upper level, you are really out there. It’s also just on the edge of feeling like a multipurpose venue with its enormity and “roundness”.

This tiger looks menacing, but if you tickle his feet he’s not too ferocious.

Ballpark Rankings, #9) Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers. I loved Comerica when it opened, but that’s because I had never been to Tiger Stadium and wasn’t missing the old place. But Comerica is a place that hasn’t been improved all that much over time like some of the newer parks. It’s still a great ballpark, but it’s at the point where it feels dated without feeling historic yet.

What I Love About It: The dark green steel is a great color, especially when it’s in the construction of a huge scoreboard. The front gate…which is actually the right field entrance…is the most striking in baseball, with the huge statues of tigers, bats and balls. The view of downtown Detroit inside the ballpark is superb. There are also some great taverns nearby, like Cheli’s and the Elwood Bar & Grill, and like Milwaukee, there are some great eateries in Detroit that will give you a lift to the ballpark. Z’s Villa on Piquette Street is my favorite…great pizza. Oh, and are you looking for bucket bangers like there used to be at Wrigley? Check out Comerica…they’re here, and they’re good.

What I Don’t Love About It: I suppose it isn’t something a middle class fan should complain about, but why not make the best seats behind home plate more comfortable? People are shelling out quite a chunk for them. Comerica’s food selection is just ok; they really ought to focus on Coney dogs that are a staple of this town. The outfield seats are a bit too far away.

It bongs loudly whenever a Phillie hits a home run, just like the actual Liberty Bell did.

Ballpark Rankings, #8) Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies. As a South Jersey native who spent his childhood and early adulthood going to games at the Vet, any reasonably decent ballpark would have been an improvement. But Citizens Bank Park is way beyond that…it’s a beautiful ballpark in every way, and it’s always a terrific baseball experience.

What I Love About It: Despite that it wasn’t placed downtown, the visual appeal of the Bank is fantastic; the bright red bricks and blue seats make a great color scheme, and the city is still visible in the distance without the parking and traffic troubles. Ashburn Alley is a great feature, especially with the Phillies opening that area before the rest of the ballpark. I also like that there’s no roundness in it…from above Citizens Bank Park has an octagonal shape with no curves, and I can’t think of any other ballpark that has that. And the Phillie Phanatic is always worth the price of admission.

What I Don’t Love About It: There really isn’t much going for Citizens Bank Park’s location, other than the relative ease of getting there by car (and even that isn’t always easy). Other than the overpriced Xfinity Live across the street, there aren’t a lot of nearby joints to celebrate a Phils win (or more importantly, order a cheap beer).

Do people still know it’s the Ultimate Answer?

Ballpark Rankings, #7) Citi Field, New York Mets. I know a lot of people would disagree with my ranking Citi so high, but this place just keeps growing on me. I love the outside façade, the dark green seats, the big scoreboards, even the signage. Visually it’s as great as any ballpark in baseball, at least on the inside if you’re not looking for a downtown city view.

What I Love About It: The Mets got some grief for honoring the Dodgers and Jackie Robinson rather than paying tribute to the Mets history, but I think it’s great that the ballpark honors the history of National League baseball just as Yankee Stadium honors American League baseball in the Big Apple. Plus the blue fence with orange trim, the orange foul poles, the huge Coca-Cola sign, the dark steel and dark green seats…it’s just a superb place to look at. Oh, and if you asked me to pick the best ballparks for food selection, I might rank Citi at the top…and I say that even as someone who thinks the Shake Shack isn’t near worth a two-inning wait.

What I Don’t Love About It: By 2009, after they had designed something like 20 ballparks in the wake of Camden Yards, there wasn’t any excuse for Populous (then HOK Sport) to screw up so many views in the upper level like they did, with an unacceptable number of seats losing the view of the infield to a glass landing. This is also a place where you have to shell out some cash for a decent seat.

A multi-million dollar video board to say one word.

Ballpark Rankings, #6) Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati Reds. Great American is such an underrated ballpark in so many ways, and I think it may be because it didn’t seem like anything special when it opened in 2003. But having extensively explored the place, I can tell you that it just keeps getting better, and it’s lacking nothing in the baseball experience.

What I Love About It: You may not agree with this high ranking, but at least let me explain it. Name everything you could possibly ask for in a baseball experience…numerous transportation options including boats and streetcars, lots of decent and affordable well-angled seats, a striking backdrop from inside the ballpark, a pre- and post-game restaurant and bar scene rivaled by few in baseball (including lots of entertainment in Newport across the river), even a great team Hall of Fame…and Great American has you covered. People talk about what a blast a game at Wrigley is? You can have just as much of a great time at a ballgame in Great American Ball Park…for much less money, I might add. I can put the experience at Great American up against the best of them.

What I Don’t Love About It: I wish they constructed the ballpark with something other than bright white steel on those hot Cincinnati summer days. It’s also not as nice to look at as other ballparks with a darker colored steel, like the dark red in Philadelphia.

Before 1994, the idea of 455 consecutive sellouts in Cleveland was about as likely as two hit TV shows being based there. (Yes, that happened too.)

Ballpark Rankings, #5) Progressive Field, Cleveland Indians. I first visited the Jake in 1994, the year it opened, and declared it my second favorite ballpark at the time (I had yet to visit Fenway or Wrigley, and PNC wasn’t opened yet). It fell some in my mind, but with the recent renovations, the Tribe has made the Prog a top baseball destination again.

What I Love About It: The huge scoreboard (I love big scoreboards) with the large “Indians” at the top blends perfectly with the downtown Cleveland backdrop. They’ve done a great job with making the bullpens close to the fans, and the standing areas are great…especially that fire pit in “The Corner” bar on cold April nights. The Indians have a lot of affordable tickets, even on the club level, and there are lots of places nearby to have a burger or brew after the game…not that you should be hungry at that point, because Progressive Field does the best job in baseball of showcasing local foods and brews, from Melt grilled cheeses to Barrio nachos to Cleveland Pickle sandwiches.

What I Don’t Love About It: I don’t know how this ballpark can be so close to three interstates and still be such a pain in the ass to get to. Maybe it’s just the ways I’ve tried to do it, but after several fuming experiences behind the wheel I just use the RTA now to get there. I also think the big storage containers in what used to be the outfield upper level are a bit weird.

Would you rather bring back Wrigley Field Smokies, or have a hi-def video board in left field?

Ballpark Rankings, #4) Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs. I haven’t seen the current product of the Friendly Confines…my last visit was in April of 2015, when they were still reconstructing the bleachers and had not yet put in the right field video board. I do know I was distressed by how out of place the left field video board seemed there, and how it took away the neighborhood feel of Wrigley that the rooftops offered. It knocked Wrigley out of my top slot. That said, I think Cubs fans are happy with the tradeoff of finally fielding a World Champion.

What I Love About It: The place still has green seats and red bricks and ivy on the outfield walls and a hand operated scoreboard and people sitting on rooftops across the street and raucous bleacher fans and an entire neighborhood dedicated to North Side baseball. Yes, the Ricketts are disturbing a lot of the century-old ambience, but give them credit for preserving the place, making Wrigley the home of a champion for the first time, and offering Hot Doug’s dogs, Giordano’s pizza and Wrigley Field Smokies. Wrigley Field has been on the corner of Clark and Addison for over a century…the neighborhood will adapt too.

What I Don’t Love About It: If you’re going to sell this place on how historic it is, find a better way to include two super hi-def videoboards other than on either side of a hand-operated scoreboard, which now looks out of place. Those big video boards also took away the visual appeal of the rooftops, which to me was no small thing. But again, you know, World Champions.

Imagine being a B&O warehouse employee and going forward in time to 1992.

Ballpark Rankings, #3) Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore Orioles. Here is something I’ve noticed about the most revolutionary and influential venue in sports history: when it first opened in 1992, it was everyone’s favorite ballpark, undisputed. As new ballparks were built in its wake, it dropped in a lot of fans’ rankings, but now that that novelty has worn off, the Yard is back in the top five of most lists I’ve seen…including taking the top spot with my friends at Stadium Journey for three straight years.

What I Love About It: The B&O Warehouse. Do I need to go any further? OK, no problem. Camden has all of the classic elements of places like Fenway and Wrigley…without the obstructed views, expensive tickets (for the moment anyway), or cramped concourses. Even with that big Hilton there now, the view of the city is still fantastic. Camden Yards was heavily influenced by Fenway in many ways, but in a cool turn of events, Camden has now influenced the renovations at Fenway…most notably in the closing off of Yawkey Way before games, a nod to Eutaw Street in Baltimore. And the scene of families walking to the ballpark from every direction, stopping for a dog at dozens of outside vendors. You see it and you feel as though this is how baseball has always been.

What I Don’t Love About It: The most depressing thing about Camden Yards…for an Orioles fan anyway…is that it’s the oldest ballpark to have never hosted a World Series. A ballpark as great as this deserves a team with better ownership. Parking in the downtown garages north of the ballpark used to be a bargain, but no more. There are some good food selections here, but the menu could be better, especially with the sad departure of Stuggy’s and Gino’s.

This is why you park across the bridge. The cheap parking lot and peanuts are just a bonus.

Ballpark Rankings, #2) PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates. Joe Mock at Baseball Parks, who is arguably the Ballpark Authority of Planet Earth, once told me that one of his attributes in ballpark rankings is a “sense of place”, in that it wouldn’t fit anywhere else. He cited PNC Park as an example…because it’s obvious. As I’ve said elsewhere, if you were going to build a ballpark first and then build the city around it, you’d probably end up with something very much like PNC Park in Pittsburgh. And that’s kind of what it’s all about, isn’t it? What, ultimately, does a ballpark do more than represent its home city?

What I Love About It: When I first saw models of the design of PNC Park, I was stunned at the visual just from the model of it. Seeing it in person is eye-popping…and you couldn’t ask for a better centerpiece of the view than the Roberto Clemente Bridge stretching across the backdrop and leading to the skyline. The bridge is closed off to vehicular traffic for games, and many fans park cheaply downtown and stroll across the bridge to see the inside of PNC Park…blue letters, dark blue seats like at Forbes Field, and the Kasota limestone exterior. If you think that’s amazing, wait till you see it at night when you’re leaving. By the way, they arranged the seating very well here too…there’s not only a small number of seats, none of them are too far from the field. And lots of pre- and post-game places to get your baseball party on.

What I Don’t Love About It: I suppose the Primanti Bros. sandwich is iconic and all that, but I’m otherwise disappointed in the food selection at PNC. Other than Primanti and BRGR, there isn’t a whole lot of Pittsburgh on the PNC menu…they’ve even taken away the Polish Hill Cheesesteak! Chickie’s and Pete’s fries are great, but they’re a Philly thing…leave them on the other side of Pennsylvania.

Often imitated, never duplicated…the necessary alteration of field dimensions due to ballpark location.

Ballpark Rankings, #1) Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox. In my first two visits to Fenway, pre-renovation, I didn’t get it. I proudly didn’t get it. I paid way too much for tickets, suffered the indignity of obstructed views, and I openly complained about too many seats in the outfield and taking two innings just to get a hot dog. When I researched the place thoroughly and visited the place a third time, knowing what I was doing this time, I completely fell in love with Fenway Park. The renovations helped, I’ll admit.

What I Love About It: You hear people talk about seeing the field and the Green Monster as you enter from the concourses, but until you experience it you cannot describe the feeling. The moment leaves an indelible stamp on a baseball fan’s mind every time they enter this shrine, and it never gets old. Nor does 40,000 Red Sox fans singing “Sweet Caroline”, or “Dirty Water” following a Red Sox victory. Red Sox fans have no problem understanding Jimmy Fallon’s crazed fandom in the movie “Fever Pitch”. Yawkey Way being closed off for games was a brilliant masterstroke…it added to a baseball atmosphere that was already established over a century, and it created some much needed space in the place too. Sausage vendors on Lansdowne Street, Cask-N-Flagon, and the sound of “Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Welcome to Fenway Park”. And at no other venue do you feel the history. Babe Ruth pitched on that mound.

What I Don’t Love About It: It’s hard to be critical of a place lacking modern amenities when the whole point of that is to weed out folks who think baseball games are clambake outings. But those Grandstand seats are awfully darn small, with little leg room. Bring a lot of money to Fenway…the experience may be priceless (truly, it is, trust me), but it does come at a price.

That I’m ranking Fenway #1 in spite of this tells you everything you need to know. Go.

There you are, baseball fans, my long overdue ballpark rankings list of the ones I’ve written about. Despite my feeling that my favorite ballpark is whichever one I’m in at the time (which is the benefit of research), I have found a way to rank my favorites. And this list is just that…my own insights. I’m sure you have a different opinion…e-mail me and let me know your thoughts. I may publish your opinion in my newsletter though, so make sure you’ve thought out your response!

And if you’re distressed at any of your own favorite ballparks missing from the list, be sure to spread the word and keep the Ballpark E-Guides train going…I’ll get to your favorites one of these days!

Fans whose yearly vacations revolve around a baseball road trip probably know the name Joe Mock. If they don’t, they should.

Mock is the author and webmaster at Baseballparks.com, the premier website for baseball roadtrippers. He is also the author of 2001’s “Joe Mock’s Ballpark Guide”, a delightfully illustrated book about the 30 MLB parks in use at the time. He regularly contributes to USA Today’s Sports Weekly about the North American homes of baseball.

His credentials for all of this?

How about visiting all 203 of the professional ballparks currently in use – that’s major league, spring training and affiliated minor league ballparks – a total that Mock will reach when he visits Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colorado, this July 12th.

Yes. Two hundred and three ballparks.

Joe Mock of Baseball Parks, at the Rickwood Classic in Birmingham, Alabama.

I caught up with Joe when I heard about this milestone, and he was kind enough to share with me his thoughts about the feat and how the journey started.

“About 20 years ago, I got the crazy notion that I’d like to see how many different ballparks I could visit in one season,” he remembers. “My first year of trying I was overjoyed when I got to ten ballparks, with the tenth being in Cleveland. At the time, I wondered if I’d ever be able to reach such a lofty perch again, because ten seemed like so many.”

Visiting all 203 wasn’t initially his goal, “but as I kept knocking them off, I kept getting closer. Along the way, I achieved the objective of seeing games in all 30 MLB parks. That happened in 2001, when I went to the Metrodome in Minneapolis.” (note from Kurt: yes, Joe has been to Target Field.)

Over time, his touring pace increased. Significantly. Imagine visiting 47 ballparks in one season – and calling it a down year. That was Mock in 2009, when he was challenged with two new venues in New York City, three new spring training facilities, new ballparks in Gwinnett, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Reno, and Bowling Green, and two significantly renovated baseball stadiums.

By this point, with a ballpark book and website in his name, plus dozens of ballpark-related projects – like publishing a poster – visiting new venues and sharing his insights about them had become his norm.

Joe Mock’s website is full of detailed reviews of dozens of ballparks. In each, he describes the ballpark’s setting and design, along with his likes and dislikes, all from the perspective of a dedicated fan of both baseball and its architecture.

After scrutinizing over 300 ballparks (the larger total includes non-affiliated and college ballparks), including venues that have now been replaced, he’s come to the conclusion that there are two things he likes to see in a park.

“First, I want to see something different,” he points out. “In the 1990s, the vast majority of new minor league parks looked the same. Most looked like you could lift them up and drop them in another market, and it wouldn’t have made any difference. That’s why one park of that era, the one in Altoona, has always stood out to me. It was very distinctive and picked up on the area’s fascinating railroad history.”

Which brings Mock to his second most-desired ballpark attribute, which in some ways is related to the first. “I want the park to have a ‘sense of place,’ so that it looks like it belongs in its city. I want it to have the appearance that it couldn’t have been built anywhere other than where it is.

“PNC Park in Pittsburgh is an obvious example of this. In the minors, Altoona, North Little Rock, Corpus Christi and Stockton have always struck me as really belonging where they were built. With the exception of Altoona, the whole Eastern League looks like any park could’ve been built in any of its markets.”

Needless to say, he has his favorites and not-so-favorites. Tops on his list is Wrigley Field in Chicago — a structure that Mock, who isn’t afraid to use a touch of exaggeration occasionally, calls “the greatest structure ever built by man.”

Mock believes that Wrigleyville, the neighborhood that surrounds the Cubs’ beloved home, “certainly offers the greatest setting in sports. The structure itself is stately and the sense of history is overwhelming. I truly love every visit I’ve ever made there, and I’ve been there plenty of times, almost freezing to death at several early-season games.”

He is conflicted, of course, about the planned renovations there, since like many Wrigley fans, a part of him doesn’t want a single change to be made. “However, when I come to my senses, I realize that a baseball franchise has to make money, and the ad signs and video screen will provide revenue streams that other teams have had for years, and the Cubs haven’t.

“And if that revenue helps keep the Cubs in Wrigley for another couple of decades, then that’s good enough for me,” he added emphatically.

While he doesn’t often get an argument over his opinion of Wrigley’s greatness, Mock has gotten occasional grief from website visitors over his rankings of other ballparks. One example was his favorable piece about the new Marlins Park in Miami, which was an architectural risk that didn’t go over well with some ballpark fans.

“I didn’t like its location, but its bright colors, fantastic food, liberal use of art and miraculous engineering truly make it a marvel. And it’s perfect for South Florida. Baseball fans should go to Miami to see it.

“However, mostly because folks around the country tend to hate the Marlins, their owner and their former manager (Ozzie Guillen), they couldn’t accept that the team’s ballpark is any good. Interestingly,” he adds with a chuckle, “most of the harshest criticism of me came from people who had never been to Miami.”

Mock, of course, is happy to entertain the opinions of his readers, providing comment sections at the end of his reviews. And he does engage dissenters, thoughtfully and respectfully. After all, talking about visiting ballparks is the next best thing to doing it.

To visit upwards of 50-60 baseball cathedrals a year is indeed a challenge, especially when it’s not a full-time job.

“It helps that I never lose my motivation to travel long distances to visit baseball facilities. Once I realized how passionate baseball fans are about parks, it gave me even more incentive to visit and report on them.

“Truly, if there is a ballpark I want to see, I find a way to make it happen – like Grand Junction, for instance. Sometimes, it just takes me a while to work a place in.”

Many of his readers don’t realize it, but ballpark chasing isn’t his primary job. “I operate an agency that deals with health insurance, and I have clients all around the country. Therefore, some of my travel to see ballparks is actually part of my day job, while frequent flyer miles accumulated doing the business travel help get me to ballpark destinations later on.”

It also helps that his website is successful. “By no means does this (the frequent-flyer miles) cover all of the costs, but I’ve been fortunate that my freelance writing has generated revenue that I then spend on going to more ballparks. Also, Baseballparks.com has gotten more and more popular, and ads that appear on it add to the incoming revenue.

“I don’t do all of this ballpark visiting because it’s my job to do it, because it isn’t. I do it because I really love visiting and assessing ballparks.”

Having visited all of the ballparks currently in use is a remarkable achievement indeed — and it’s a reflection of just how much we baseball fans love the game. To all of us, nothing beats seeing it live with a favorite local sandwich sitting in our laps. (Joe’s favorite concession stand, by the way, is Turkey Mike’s BBQ in San Jose.) It’s hard to imagine that Joe Mock would have any plans to slow down – and he doesn’t.

“I will continue to go to every new ballpark as soon as it opens,” he predicts. “And soon thereafter, readers can expect an in-depth review of the park along with dozens of photos. I’ll also continue to provide updates on all of the ballpark news of the day, on my site and via Twitter. And as long as the USA Today sports editors keep wanting me to write ballpark-related pieces for their publications, I’ll gladly take on their assignments.”

While it’s true that only a handful of brand-new baseball palaces open each year – except in the aberration of 2009 as Mock reiterates – the changes made to existing venues never stop.

“The ballpark renovations will continue to keep me running around to see all of them, and when the changes are major enough, I will do an in-depth review of them for my readers.”

So while having seen all of the 203 current parks is truly impressive, Joe reflects that “the fun is in the chase more than the achievement of the goal. I’ve truly had a blast along the way, and met a lot of outstanding people. Some of my best friends today are guys I met at ballparks.”

People who, no doubt, were fascinated by the depth of Mock’s baseball travels. And probably a little envious, too.

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I deliberately haven’t put information on how to save money on souvenirs in Ballpark E-Guides. I may mention what ballparks have an outside vendor scene, where a fan can buy cheaper T-shirts or caps or pennants. But for the most part I don’t go beyond recommending against buying anything in the team shop. Rarely will you find the best deal there.

But since Mike Gagliardi of “Garris and Gagz” informed me that the my Yankee Stadium info is lacking in souvenir buying options—which I can’t argue—I thought I would offer three tips on how to acquire your mementos without shelling out a nice meal’s worth of money.

So here we go:

Here’s the best part: you’ll have a shirt to wear to the block party!

Save Money On Souvenirs, Tip #1) Use Giveaway Nights. The team website is your best friend when it comes to getting a cap or T-shirt. Every team has a promotional schedule in the “Schedule” section of the website. There are always giveaways of T-shirts, caps, bobbleheads, tote bags, whatever. The Cubs actually give away gloves for those early months in Chicago.

The best part is that very often giveaway nights include a souvenir because they’re typically not the kind of night that fills the ballpark. Many teams have things like “T-Shirt Tuesdays”, largely because Tuesday isn’t a great attendance night for most of them. So not only do you get a free team lunch box, you can often get tickets very cheaply for that game. On two occasions I took advantage of my free Orioles birthday ticket on T-shirt nights.

An Orioles game and a T-shirt absolutely free. And they say baseball isn’t affordable.

I’m just here for the gear.

Save Money On Souvenirs, Tip #2) Find a Local Sporting Goods Store. If you’re looking for a T-shirt, cap, jersey or other gear especially, you can pull up a map and dig up the nearest Modell’s or Sports Authority, or even a Walmart for that matter, and in those stores you can find these things far cheaper than in the ballpark.

As common as such stores are, if you’re visiting a city you shouldn’t have any problem finding one, and it’s usually worth the side trip to get a T-shirt for $12 instead of $30 in the ballpark. The only drawback is that the selection might not be as good. If you’re looking for selection, try one of the touristy areas of the city, e.g. St. Louis Union Station or Underground Atlanta, and see if any stores there have what you’re looking for. It might be a little more, but still cheaper than at the game.

Help your fellow man and win prizes. Win-win!

Save Money On Souvenirs, Tip #3) Volunteer For A Team Function. This is a lesser known option but is a great way to score T-shirts, autographed memorabilia, even tickets with some teams. In the Community section of each team’s website, there are usually functions like a 5K run or a blood drive that includes gifts for participants. Teams with troubles at the gate, like the Pirates, will even throw in tickets for people giving their time.

Plus you’re helping out the community and making the team look good, and at least one of those two things is worth it on its own.

So there you go; three ways to save money on souvenirs at the ballpark. Perhaps I should start including these tips in Ballpark E-Guides…but I’ll try to come up with some more deals before I do so.

If you are the proud possessor of a gluten allergy, you might think it’s next to impossible to eat gluten-free at the ballpark. But fortunately, that is not the case anymore.

The MENU is there. You have to look harder for the food.

Because my wife is afflicted with celiac disease, it makes finding food at any recreational event somewhat difficult. Obviously the classic hot dog with the bun is out, as is pizza, soft pretzels (in most cases), pretty much most of the menu—and perhaps most sadly, beer, although that is a big money-saver.

Fortunately, baseball teams are far more customer-oriented these days. Teams are not only expanding their menus in a big way, they are also going above and beyond to accommodate people with needs: peanut-free suites, vegetarian and kosher items, and yes, gluten-free selections.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare for a day at the ballpark, so here’s a few things you should do before you go.

It’s amazing how much stuff can be had without wheat.

1) Gluten-Free at The Ballpark Tip #1: Visit the Team Website. Many teams will tell you what foods are available at the ballpark for vegetarians and celiacs; some teams will even have a stand dedicated to serving gluten-free items only. The Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, Braves, Rays, Yankees and Nationals all have stand alone concession stands for celiacs, with things like dogs or BBQ sandwiches on gluten-free buns, gluten-free cupcakes or brownies, pizza sometimes, nuts and other snacks, and Redbridge or another brand of gluten-free beer.

In the ballpark section of the website, there’s usually an Amenities Map. This will tell you the location and items sold at each concession stand; if they don’t have a stand for gluten-free items they might have some items at their regular concession kiosks.

If you don’t see any of this information, it doesn’t hurt to e-mail the team and ask them what they can do for you. Usually they’ll get back to you with all the information you need; it’s highly probable they’ve heard the question before.

From Turner Field. Wife was able to enjoy a ballpark dog.

2) Gluten-Free at The Ballpark Tip #2: Bring Your Own. It’s not much of a secret anymore that you can bring your own food into the ballpark, so it’s no problem to bring a small bag of Cheetos, Rice Chex, peanuts or anything else your stomach will allow you to legally snack on. You can’t bring alcohol, but at most ballparks you can bring in sealed drinks.

This is an especially nice thing at a place that doesn’t have a dedicated stand for celiacs; you can bring in your own hot dog roll and ask for that footlong dog without the bun.

I feel better already!

3) Gluten-Free at The Ballpark Tip #3: Watch for Awareness Nights. I’m seeing this more and more these days—Celiac Disease Awareness Night at the ballpark. It usually just means they’ll tell you where the gluten-free food is, and you might get a discount on tickets. If you sign up for the team’s ticket alert newsletter, they’ll let you know when it’s coming. I know the Phillies and Mets do this, and I’m sure they’re not the only ones.

Didn’t have enough chalk for the gluten-free specials.

4) Gluten-Free at The Ballpark Tip #4: If All Else Fails… You can always try the ballpark restaurant for a meal before or after the game. Most all ballparks have a restaurant attached these days, and they’re often part of a chain that should have at least some experience in serving folks with allergies…Miller Park in Milwaukee has a TGI Friday’s, Yankee Stadium has a Hard Rock Café, and Comerica Park in Detroit has the Beer Hall and Corner Tap Room attached. Most times you can enter and exit the restaurant without having to leave the ballpark.

The ballpark restaurant is much more likely to be able to accommodate your allergy needs, since they’re serving different kinds of food all day long. If you can’t go for a burger without the bun, there will probably be nachos, chili, chicken salads, and a selections of other things that should be safe.

So there’s four tips that should make going gluten-free at the ballpark much easier on you, since it’s awful tough to enjoy the game without at least a hot dog. Teams are great about this these days, so the ballpark is at least one place where you shouldn’t have to worry about what to eat.

Finding healthy food at the ballpark isn’t easy. The multitudes of food offerings at ballparks, often celebrating local flavor, are wonderful but can be overwhelmingly tempting, especially when one knows they’ll be doing some walking off of the calories.

Despite what I do here, I’m not at as many ballgames as people think. And since I make an effort to eat healthy most of the time, when I’m at the game I usually think it will be okay to have a dog or two and maybe one of the popular sandwiches or fries at the ballpark. I love a good Federal Donut or AJ Bombers Burger, so I’ll park farther away if that helps me walk it off.

Well, someone’s gotta eat it.

But daily sustenance of this kind probably isn’t a wise choice (or an economical one, for that matter) for someone with season tickets, or for someone who is on a baseball tour and needs to stay sharp and not get sick before they point their car at the next ballpark.

So just so you have an idea, I’ve provided some tips to help you keep it healthy when you’re cheering on your heroes at your or another ballpark.

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Healthy Food at the Ballpark, Tip #1) Look At The Menu. All teams now feature “concession maps” on their websites; these maps will not only help you find food stands, they’ll also let you know what’s offered at each of these stands. In most cases, you can find veggie dogs or veggie burgers, and you can find out where they’re handing out smaller (and cheaper) portions for the kids. They even list the drinks, and you may find a spot where something like juice is available as opposed to beer or soda.

The underrated star food item.

Healthy Food at the Ballpark, Tip #2) Seek Out The Deli. Most ballparks have something of a delicatessen-style concession stand—there’s the Boar’s Head Deli in Yankee Stadium, the East-West Delicatessen at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, or the popular Mama’s of Corona at Citi Field in New York. Most of these places will offer either a vegetarian sandwich of some kind or a wrap version of whatever sandwich they make. Sometimes both.

Two bags of peanuts were sitting on the table, and one was a-salted.

Healthy Food at the Ballpark, Tip #3) Bring Your Own. As you certainly know if you’ve bought a Ballpark E-Guide, most all ballparks will let you bring in a bag of goodies of some kind. It’s a given that you can bring in trail mix (which is the S&M of snack food in my opinion, but some people like it) or fruit or another healthy snack.

There’s usually some eateries near the ballpark, or at least near a train station you might be using, that can sell you a healthier sandwich than what is available inside. Yankee Stadium in New York, Wrigley Field in Chicago, Comerica Park in Detroit, and Progressive Field in Cleveland among several others all have Subway stores within a short walk of the ballpark (a few ballparks have Subways inside as well, but don’t pay those prices if you don’t have to).

Should it be “All you care to eat”?

Healthy Food at the Ballpark, Tip #4) Avoid All You Can Eat Seats. This probably goes without saying. I don’t care that at some ballparks, like PNC Park in Pittsburgh, salad is one of the all you can eat offerings. To have unlimited access to possibly uncooked hot dogs, burgers, heavily buttered popcorn and nachos with that thick mystery liquid they call “cheese sauce” is asking for a stomach that will be very angry with you, and a lot of calories that you aren’t going to walk off heading back to your car unless you parked in a rival city.

It’ll get packed once the vegan burger is added to the menu.

Healthy Food at the Ballpark, Tip #5) Try The Ballpark Restaurant. Instead of buying a hot dog and some nachos and sitting them on your lap or on a counter where they risk bird droppings, try one of the sit-down restaurants that all ballparks have today. Yankee Stadium has a Hard Rock Café and NYY Steak; Miller Park in Milwaukee has a TGI Fridays; Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Citi Field in New York both have a McFadden’s. Most of the in-ballpark eateries aren’t likely to be much more expensive than you’d expect at a typical restaurant, and with a full menu of choices in front of you, you can order a chicken sandwich and some vegetarian chili before the game, making that cheesesteak far less tempting later.

That’s five tips that should help you the next time you’re at the game and thinking that maybe you should back off of the two-foot chili and cheese dog or the loaded Old Bay extra salty fries. Those things might be okay as an occasional indulgence, but they won’t help your chances of winning a triathlon.

$219.53.

That’s how much it cost a family of four to see a major league baseball game in 2016, according to the MLB Fan Cost Index.

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Or would you rather keep paying more than you have to?

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Few things were funnier than my father’s occasional profanity-laden philosophy.

Before baseball’s last collective bargaining agreement, I asked him if he would quit watching if the players went on strike again. Like everyone else, he was angry as hell about 1994 and once said to me that he wouldn’t care if he never saw another millionaire play baseball again.

But this time he said, “You know Kurt, I’ve been thinking about that. In life you have to give up s***. I gave up smoking, I gave up drinking, I even gave up ice cream, and you know what, it’s tough giving up ice cream! F*** it, man, I’m tired of quittin’ s***!”

My dad believed that we should spend our short time here being happy, and nothing made him happier than baseball.

I remember way back when cable television first appeared, and one channel just showed line scores of progressing games throughout the league every night. It was the equivalent of just staring at the out-of-town scoreboard at a ballpark. He’d leave that channel on all night if he couldn’t find anything else to watch, and it was just fine with him.

Later I couldn’t count how many times he told me how much his own father would have loved the baseball packages that today enable fans to watch any game around the league. I never doubted that, because Dad sure loved it. He’d sit in his chair, keep score of two games a night and be happy as a clam.

Dad was baseball smart enough that his fantasy team won him $400 one season. Most years, though, his teams were hobbled by injuries. It drove him nuts. In our phone conversations he would spew his frustration: “You aren’t gonna believe this Kurt, this is beautiful!” And then he’d list his dozen or so stars that were on the DL. Sure enough, when they healed, his team would climb up the standings, but often too little too late.

I really believe he might have made a decent GM. Two seasons in a row he predicted the World Series winner in July.

In 2003 he declared the Marlins to be the team and didn’t blink twice when Josh Beckett shut down the Yankees in Game Six of the Series. He probably wasn’t the slightest bit surprised at the Cubs’ collapse in the Bartman game, either.

The following July he went out on a limb, defied the baseball gods and picked the Red Sox.

Back then I bought into the Curse—not so much because I really believed it existed, but because so many people did that it affected players and managers on the field.

Take the 2003 ALCS (please), when Red Sox manager Grady Little was too paralyzed to notice that the Yankees were pounding everything Pedro Martinez was throwing, and the Sox lost a game they should have easily won. I e-mailed Dad the next day and said “it ain’t the Curse of the Bambino, it’s the Curse of the Bad Manager!”

He agreed, adding that the confusing part was that he’d been bitching all year to his girlfriend Carole…who wouldn’t have had a clue what he was talking about…that all year long Grady spent games changing pitchers until he found one the other team could hit.

So when he picked the Red Sox, I said “OK, talk to me in November.” On October 28, 2004, the day after the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years, Dad sent me this e-mail:

Hey Kurt—

Remember when I picked the Red Sox to win the World Series and you said “Talk to me in November?”

I can wait until Monday.

Love,
Pop

Despite the dig, I was duly impressed. His streak ended in 2005 though; he picked the Braves.

Not long ago Dad told me that he’s in trouble if God is a Yankees fan. His father was a Red Sox fan who used to root for the Yankees’ plane to crash. My father grew up a Yankees fan who idolized Mickey Mantle. Somehow the two still spoke to each other.

In his thirties Dad outgrew his misguided support of the Evil Empire and became an Orioles fan, while the Smiths lived in Towson just minutes away from Memorial Stadium. With the switch he raised a family of loyal O’s fans, who by definition despise the Yankees.

But after about ten years of Peter Angelos, Dad had had enough and switched his allegiance again…reaching the legal limit for one lifetime…this time to the Red Sox, his father’s team. He may have played a part in breaking that Curse. After all, he believed in the Red Sox in 2004. Maybe that was all it took.

During the mini-uproar when Derek Jeter was busted pretending to be hit by a pitch, my father shared with me something his father once told him: “Bill, ain’t none of them Yankees are any damn good.” He added, “You know what, Kurt? He was right.”

Dad possessed a typical Red Sox fan’s attitude toward the Yankees, but he especially disliked Derek Jeter…and the obligatory gushing press towards the Yankee great. He never bought into the Jeter Is God mentality, ever, never missing a chance to point out how overrated a fielder he was, and always letting me know when “the greatest player ever hit another 200-foot pop-up over that bull**** right field fence in Yankee Stadium again!”

That was Dad. He loved the game of baseball and especially loved going against conventional wisdom. He knew that Cole Hamels was the real ace on the Phils; that Rick Ankiel’s switch from being a pitcher to an outfielder was far more historic than the press it got; that Tony La Russa was overrated as a manager and that the American League was always superior. In June of last season, he dismissed the Yankees’ strong start and assured me they wouldn’t make the playoffs. He was right about that, too.

Dad could forgive you for not knowing the game like he did, so long as baseball knowledge wasn’t part of your job description. His disdain for the Philadelphia sports media was legendary. He had no patience at all for WIP hosts or Inquirer writers—people who were somehow paid to cover baseball while knowing so little. Throughout the season Dad could always tell you what was really going on with the Phillies or any other team, and if you gave a hint of parroting something Angelo Cataldi said, he would dedicate the next few minutes of his life to making sure you never did it again.

He would have been great on the radio, especially in Philly. Whether he was talking baseball, politics or anything else, Dad didn’t have a PC bone in his body.

For those who knew him well, it was one of the most endearing things about him. His notorious cantankerousness effectively masked a sensitivity that could melt the coldest of hearts. No one who dared argue baseball with him would ever believe it, but he really was a sweet, generous, kind-hearted man. Carole, his children, and his closest friends all knew that.

I’m not going to just miss my father. I’m also going to miss the most knowledgeable and dedicated baseball fan I ever knew.

Welcome to heaven, Dad. Go give those lazy sportswriters hell, if there are any.

William D. Smith 1939-2014.

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People often come up to me and matter-of-factly ask, “Kurt, I’ve been thinking of buying baseball tickets on Craigslist. But should I? Can that medium be trusted?”

They don’t say WHICH signs…

Sports fans love to tell the story of the great deal they scored on tickets once…be it through a scalper, great timing on StubHub, a classified ad, whatever. We love it. It makes us feel so much smarter than the suckers who paid three times the price for the same seats.

Frequently when I am poring through ballpark reviews, one or two folks will talk about getting their tickets on Craigslist, and saving a bundle of cash.

In case you’ve never used it, Craigslist is a website that falls somewhere between eBay and newspaper classifieds. It’s people trying to sell stuff they can’t use to people who can. Sports and concert tickets are routinely sold there, probably in the millions.

I did some research on the deals available for baseball tickets on Craigslist, by looking into what was available for the Phillies Opening Day game last year.

Exclusively for millionaires and Craigslist members.

I saw Diamond Club seats in Section C, Row 9, being sold from a season ticket holder, for $395 apiece; seats in Row 7 of the same Section went for $849 on StubHub (that StubHub figure, in my opinion, is ridiculously inflated, and it will probably come down if no suckers are found).

Another person had four tickets going for $125 apiece in Section 116; similar tickets on StubHub were $237—this person said they were willing to meet close to their house to deliver the tickets.

So if these people are legit, then indeed there are some great deals to be had for baseball tickets on Craigslist. Sellers and buyers also avoid the fees associated with brokers, which drops the prices, especially on high end tickets.

The catch is that unlike with official brokers like StubHub, there are no guarantees to protect you from being scammed, and you don’t have to look very hard for stories about people being taken to the tune of hundreds of dollars buying very authentic-looking tickets.

Check the date…check the date…

In those stories, I’ve noticed that you’ll often read a quote from someone who works for Ticketmaster or another broker, preaching about the dangers of buying tickets on Craigslist. When the Yankees started their own Ticket Exchange, they tried selling the public on the dangers of StubHub.

I didn’t read a lot of articles about Craigslist victims, but the stories I did read made the problem seem a lot bigger than it probably is. One story mentioned a Patriots game where 50 people were turned away with fake tickets. When you think about it, that number is small enough that one clever scammer could have nailed all of them. And that story, incidentally, almost blatantly plugged the “official” NFL Ticket Exchange, even linking to it. Have a look here.

So should you risk Craigslist? I’ve never tried it, but there are ways to minimize the risk. Craigslist advises meeting with the seller in person, in a public place, and they say this will help you avoid 99% of the scams. A blogger added to this…get the person’s phone number, license plate number, any info you can. And bring someone with you, since you’re meeting with a stranger that knows you are carrying cash.

“Authorized” meaning “more expensive”.

Now, if the seller is a season ticket holder, you can verify that with the team. Teams have accounts and information about their best customers and you can ask them if the person you’re dealing with is a legit season ticket holder. You can also ask the seller what other games they’d have. There are ways to flush people out.

Look at the tickets carefully and don’t buy them if your gut tells you something is wrong. Check the date and the opponent. It’s not difficult to produce excellent counterfeits these days, but smudged ink, shoddy paper, or scissor marks are easy to spot. Be especially wary with high demand games, like playoff or Opening Day games.

For the most part, I’m guessing most folks on Craigslist are legitimate, and you can always do some investigation on the seller, especially if they are season ticket holders.

The rules for buying baseball tickets on Craigslist, in my opinion, would be the same as patronizing scalpers, which I’ve done a few times. Use your best judgment, and accept the possibility that you could get ripped off. If it’s happened to you, feel free to air me out and I’ll update this.

If you find the right seller, you might have a great story to tell about the deal you got on Opening Day tickets.

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If you’re visiting the ballpark in our nation’s capital for the first time, or if you’re coming from out of town, there are definitely a few things you should know…here are five Nationals Park tips for a great ballpark experience. If you want to know more, there’s plenty where this came from in my complete Nationals Park guide!

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Nationals Park Tips, #1: Check the Nats website for deals. The Nats offer some decent deals on tickets for a team that has been contending. If you subscribe to the team newsletter, they’ll send them to you in e-mails. For low demand games especially, the team will often offer buy one get one or discounted food deals, great for families.

We all need something we can lean on.

Nationals Park Tips, #2) Consider standing room. I could give you some seating recommendations (I’ve done just that with this post and this post), but if you really want to go cheap, you can go to the Nats box office on game day and get those Grandstand seats for almost nothing.

But you don’t have to sit way up there…in the upper level in the outfield are some great food items and lounge areas, and quite a few spots where you can grab a stool and sit and rest your food on a counter. If you don’t mind standing, there are rails to lean on almost everywhere else in the ballpark, just make sure you’ve taken care of business before you stake a good one.

Never Drive To Nationals Park Without A Plan…

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The “alternate” entrance to the Navy Yard Station.

Nationals Park Tips #3) Take the Metro. Advice varies on the best way to get to Nats Park, but the parking situation there is among the worst of ballparks I’ve visited. There are a limited amount of lots, and even the ones that are a mile or more away can be $20. The traffic situation for games has been improved, but it’s still not much fun if you are there less than two hours before gametime. Even street parking is scarce and expensive.

Just take the Metro. It isn’t perfect, but it beats the traffic and parking prices, and it drops you off right there at the very cool center field entrance.

If you still want to drive and park at the game, by all means book your parking ahead of time.

There’s lots more to know about getting to the ballpark, by the way…and I discuss many of them in much more detail here!

Nothing like sloppy ballpark food.

Nationals Park Tips #4) Get a Ben’s Chili Half-Smoke. It’s not cheap…ballpark food never is…but save the Shake Shack and Box Frites and that Danny Meyer stuff for your next trip to Citi Field. Ben’s is a real, genuine D.C. institution, and their spicy sausages with chili and cheese are still a go-to item here if you can handle the kick.

There are lots of great choices for food at Nationals Park, like the Jammin’ Island jerk chicken and the unusual nachos, but try the Ben’s dog first.

They would be proud of their legacy.

Nationals Park Tips #5) Be in your seat in the middle of the fourth. One of the stories you want to share with people about your first game at Nats Park, of course, is not only who won the famous President’s Race, but also the spectacular fashion with which Teddy Roosevelt lost. And you’ll want to read about it in the excellent “Let Teddy Win” blog the next day.

Finally, if you’re a visiting team fan, expect the locals to be respectful so long as you’re not in their face. Nationals fans have to deal with visiting Phillies and Mets fans, and they tolerate a lot. They’re nice people, but don’t push them. At least unless you plan on buying hot dogs for an entire section. (Yes, I saw a really loud and obnoxious Mets fan do that once. Baseball is a goofy goofy game.)

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The Nationals Park seating chart features a wide range of seating and a wide range of pricing. Here are a couple of tips…one to try and one to avoid.

(Hey Baseball Fans – Find out how to get cheap tickets, pick a great seat, get to the ballpark and choose what to eat at the game…and save money on all of it! Check out my complete Nationals Park Guide here!)

As you can see, standing room is popular here.

Nationals Park Seating Tip #1: Use The Standing Room. Yeah, I know. You don’t want to stand for the whole game. I get that. I don’t either. But Nationals Park, in my opinion, has probably the best standing room options in baseball for several reasons.

The first is that unlike Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park, the standing room spots aren’t designated (and priced accordingly). You can pretty much choose any spot. At Nats Park, you not only have the open concourses in the lower level, but on the mezzanine in the outfield there are numerous places to sit on barstool type seating, and have a place to sit your food or beer. As far as I can tell, no ballpark has more places to sit and watch the game that aren’t designated paid seats than Nats Park.

The second Nationals Park seating tip is that up on that mezzanine level in the outfield is everything you need for that social scene that the millennial baseball fans love…there’s a full bar with occasionally discounted brews, several lounge areas with misters for hot days, and as great a food selection as you’ll find, with not only the popular Shake Shack and Box Frites, but also that Jammin’ Island BBQ.

If you prefer just a fun time to seeing the pitcher’s facial expression, the cheapest ticket to get into Nats Park works just fine.

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I’m sure they have “RBI Nachos” or something like that.

Finally, you also have access to the Budweiser Brewhouse (formerly the Red Porch) restaurant and the covered loft on the upper level. It gets packed during rain delays, but on a nice day in the later innings you may be able to snag a table or even outdoor seating with a center field view and have a decent meal with your baseball.

Well, at least you’re in the shade.

Nationals Park Seating Tip #2: Avoid Lower Right Field Seats. The lower right field seats in Nationals Park are completely covered by the second deck overhang and certain sections are tucked underneath the second deck behind the bullpen. The only advantage of such seats would be being able to watch pitchers warm up, which isn’t a bad thing, but otherwise you should avoid these seats.

It’s not a big deal to miss the flight of fly balls, but in today’s ballparks especially you’ll want a view of the entire field, and obviously you’ll lose a lot of it here. On top of that, you’ll have no view whatsoever of the big scoreboard in right field…and this is a key thing here, because I couldn’t see anywhere else where you can see who’s batting or what the score is. The LED boards surrounding Nats Park show mostly ads, even during play. There are TVs in this section to keep you posted on the action, but you probably have one of those at home.

So if you have a choice, you’re better off either sitting in the upper level in the infield, or in the left field seats if you’d like to be closer to the Bud Light Loft and such. But for viewing the game these are not good seats. Unless Strasburg is pitching and you want a close-up of his warm-up tosses.

That’s just two tips for finding the best spot to stay for nine long innings…for more Nationals Park seating advice, check out my tips here and here.

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This post has moved!!

Sorry for the inconvenience, but I’m in the process of moving the content on this excellent website to an even more excellent one, a collection of musings called “A Great Number of Things“.

You can read the story of what happened to the Montreal Expos here, in all its original and highly informative glory. Enjoy!

If you’re visiting Rogers Centre in Toronto for the first time, there are a few tips you definitely need to know. The home of the Blue Jays is unique in many ways, some of which present some interesting challenges for the fan.

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Foiled by the bicycle rack roadblock again!

Visiting Rogers Centre Tip #1: Consider demand when buying tickets. When the Blue Jays are good, they draw very, very well. That means you should plan ahead and buy from the team first. Most weeknight games against opponents other than the Yankees or Red Sox don’t sell out, so you can pick up tickets at the box office where the fees are lowest.

Should you be looking for a low demand game…say, if the Jays are having a disappointing season…sites like Gametime will help you find the best deal on tickets. Weekends sell far better than weekdays, partly due to the insane rush hour Toronto traffic.

The ushers are fleet of foot in the empty sections.

Visiting Rogers Centre Tip #2: Try the mezzanine level. The mezzanine level at Rogers isn’t as close to the field as you might like, but the seating is much lower than the 500 SkyDeck level, and the seats have cup holders. The seats are around the same price as the field level seating below them, and it will be easier to duck out of the elements there should you have the need.

One caution though, don’t sit in the outfield on the 200 level…way too many ways to lose the view. Stay in the infield if you can.

You have a ton of seating options here though, so if you want to find out more, check out my detailed guide to Rogers Centre seating.

The Force is with you, young Skywalker.

Visiting Rogers Centre Tip #3: Use public transit (TTC or GO). Rogers is in the heart of downtown Toronto, and there are two major highways that both run south of the ballpark that get jammed at rush hour. During the week especially, you don’t want to be driving there; instead use the TTC from elsewhere in the city or the commuter-friendly GO Transit trains from the suburbs.

The Yonge-University-Spadina line of the TTC stops at Union Station; all of the GO lines from every direction also stop there. Union Station is a short walk to the ballpark through a covered walkway, and there’s a whole lot of cheap places to fill up a pre-game doggy bag.

Public transit is almost always your best option…I tell you a whole lot more about that here.

If you do decide to drive to the ballpark, book your parking beforehand…

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Note the gentleman’s backpack, suitable for carrying veggie dogs.

Visiting Rogers Centre Tip #4: Get the street meat. Rogers Centre has great food items, especially if you’re into nachos…check them out at the Muddy York Market, the King Club or at the 12 Bar. But to get a good-sized dog at a much cheaper price, Torontonians will tell you to get the “street meat”…dogs from the numerous hot dog carts that surround the stadium.

You can get a good-sized dog for about half the cost of one inside, and you can pile on a great choice of condiments. There are even veggie dogs from Yves out there if you look. If you want more variety, check out Front Street north of the ballpark; there are always some unique food trucks there.

Really? You’ve been expecting moi?

Visiting Rogers Centre Tip #5: Remember you’re a foreigner (if you’re visiting Canada). Toronto isn’t very different from most baseball cities, but remember a few things…like checking with your phone service provider about using your phone abroad, getting your money exchanged at a bank or hotel and not at the exchange centers that take an exorbitant cut, and check with your credit card company about overseas purchases. Gas is much more expensive in Canada too, so if you can, fill up stateside. Oh, and don’t forget your passport!

There you go; five tips to help you for your first time visiting Rogers Centre. If you’re bringing the kids, remember Saturday is Jr. Jays day, and that’s when the kids can get their face painted and run the bases and stuff.

And relax, because you know a game will be played in this ballpark whatever the weather.

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The Rogers Centre food situation has been improving, and today the Jays’ home features a fairly impressive menu, even if it’s not quite as varied and full of gourmet options as some ballparks. After doing my customary and thoughtful walkthrough, I found three items that are certainly worth trying if you’re wondering what to eat:

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Because the 3.048 decimeter long dog doesn’t sound as tasty.

Rogers Centre Food, Tip #1: The Garrison Creek Home Run Footlong Dog. OK, just call it a Home Run Dog or Garrison Footlong if you don’t want to say all that when you’re debating what to get with your date. But this puppy is one nicely dressed dog, different from any I’ve seen at a ballpark.

It’s a footlong dog obviously (and come to think of it, why isn’t it a two-decimeter dog or whatever the metric version of it would be?), but it’s thicker than most ballpark footlongs…and it’s adorned with maple flavored baked beans, cheddar and bacon bits.

You could just put bacon bits in maple baked beans and I’d be happy, but add that big dog to it and I might even pay to see a losing team.

Be like Deion and have “both”.

Rogers Centre Food, Tip #2: Sweet Potato Fries. At the Gourmet Frites stands (and at other stands around the ballpark), you can find appetizing looking sweet potato fries. Judging by the amount of people I saw carrying them around, they’re a pretty popular item here.

The sweet potato fries come with a chipotle style dipping sauce, so it’s not something you can walk around eating, but it isn’t healthy to walk while eating anyway. And I’m guessing that people who choose sweet potato fries are looking for a healthier choice over just plain old potato fries.

Bacon gravy…there’s no wrong amount.

Rogers Centre Food, Tip #3: The Hogtown Stak. The Hogtown Stak, so I’ve read, is a creation of executive chef Elizabeth Rivasplata, who the Blue Jays hired both for her cool name and to answer the knock on the lack of gourmet options here.

It’s a truly amazing plate of baseball food…russet potato fries smothered with pulled pork, farmer’s sausage and smoked bacon gravy. Red jalapenos too, so be ready for the kick. It’s big; you’re probably want to share it. Find them at the Muddy York as I write this.

There are plenty of other choices of Rogers Centre food; I mean no disrespect to Liberty Village sausage poutine or the multitude of choices at the Muddy York Market. Or the impressive selection of nachos.

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There’s no shortage of a selection of food at Rogers Centre, but as in any ballpark, it’s expensive. Fortunately, if you want to bring food into Rogers Centre, you can…and you have some great alternatives just outside.

(Need more Rogers Centre help? I got ya! Check out this complete seating guide, the best ways to get to the ballpark, and this helpful post for bringing the kids to a Blue Jays game!)

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Free hot dog if you can properly pronounce the name of this cart!

Some ballparks have a better outside vendor scene than others. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are among the best, but so are Yankee Stadium and Camden Yards…which would suggest that a good choice of outside vendors is actually more due to a ballpark’s location than its age.

Being in the heart of downtown Toronto, Rogers Centre fits into this category, but it’s not quite the same sort of activity. Outside, the food carts selling hot dogs and sausages are plentiful largely because the Blue Jays allow them on the grounds. Torontonians refer to the vendors’ wares as “street meat”, an appropriate appellation.

I like “street meat” better than the dubious sounding “meat in the street”.

In Toronto, Rogers Centre is surrounded by such carts. Many of them are operated by Shopsy’s, a popular local deli, or Yves, a manufacturer of veggie dogs and burgers. But some of them are operated by local Joes just making a buck.

The carts on the Rogers Centre grounds don’t differ much in their offerings: they mostly sell large dogs, sausages, and veggie versions of both.

I don’t think any of us truly appreciate what our world would be like without condiments.

The neat thing is the condiment choices; you can pile anything from chopped onions, hot peppers, pickles, sauerkraut, even bacon bits if you’re lucky. The dogs are also hefty, making them well worth the price.

While the carts on the grounds of the stadium certainly can handle your hot dog or even your vegetarian “meat” fix, there are some extra options if you’re willing to venture onto Front Street north of the ballpark: during my visit, there was a Don Juan’s truck, whose fries are very popular, and I also spotted a truck called Crazy Fries, which sells burgers along with dogs and the ever-popular poutine (fries with gravy and cheese).

The policy to bring food into Rogers Centre is quite lenient. You can even bring a whole pizza, I’ve read. If you’d like to see what’s in the neighborhood as far as street food, check out the “Toronto Food Trucks” website.

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How do they get that pig roaster inside the truck?

It’s not that the inside food at Rogers Centre is awful by any means—they have good-sized dogs, popular sweet potato fries and an impressive selection of nachos among many other things. But as always, the stuff is quite overpriced inside, and maybe it’s just me, but it seemed even more so at Rogers.

So if you not only want to save a buck but get a tasty hunk of ballpark food, talk a walk around and go for the street meat.

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A quick glance at a road atlas reveals that unlike any other MLB city, Toronto isn’t in the United States. If you’re headed to Toronto for a Blue Jays game, you should probably be aware of some tips for visiting Canada.

(Need more Rogers Centre help? I got ya! Check out this complete seating guide, the best ways to get to the ballpark, some tips for bringing in outside food, and this helpful post for bringing the kids to a Blue Jays game!)

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What’s all that French stuff on the schedule?

That’s a cool thing, of course, because it makes you the ballpark roadtripper an international traveler! But it also means that you’ll be entering a foreign country, maybe for the first time, and if you do there are definitely some important things to know.

Here are three that I consider pretty important:

Someone forgot to bring quarters again. Happens every day.

Tips For Visiting Canada, #1: Have a passport. Yes, you’ll need one of these even just driving your car across the border into Canada, and you’ll have to go through a customs service if you’re flying so they want to know you have permission to enter. This didn’t used to be the case, but it’s something you need to know now.

Sometimes there are long delays at the border because someone forgot something pretty important. Don’t be one of them.

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Use your Canadian credit card.

Tips For Visiting Canada, #2: Be sure you can use your phone. I learned the hard way that my phone service didn’t cover me in Canada…I had to send e-mails to my wife from the hotel and tell her to call me there. Eventually I got myself a phone card which helped, but it will save you a big headache if you know beforehand if you can use your phone there.

And you’ll be surprised at how much you miss it.

It’s that American dollar sign that throws off foreigners.

Tips For Visiting Canada, #3: Be aware of money transactions. Get your money exchanged for Canadian money at a bank or at your hotel; do not use the exchange centers that take a big cut of your cash. Also, check your credit card company and see if they add foreign transaction fees, and if they do, use cash as much as you can because those fees add up.

Remember that you can use American money at most establishments, but you will get Canadian money in return, so as you’re leaving don’t pay for your cup of coffee at Tim Horton’s with an American twenty. It’s a headache turning Canadian dollars back into U.S. dollars, even at TD Bank. Take it from me.

There are some more things to know, but these are the important ones.

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The Blue Jays of 1993, who played in what was then called the SkyDome, and the Blue Jays of 2014 were similar in that the majority of either team’s superstars weren’t home grown talent.

You’d think they never lost a game. Actually, back then they didn’t lose very often.

Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor and several other stars on the 1993 champs were acquired from other teams, while recent Jays teams featured Colby Rasmus, Melky Cabrera, and R.A. Dickey among others, all of whom were stars before they came north. But it doesn’t seem the same as it did in 1993, when everything seemed to go the Blue Jays’ way.

And like the team, the perception of their home ballpark has changed too.

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Is it still “modern”?

When the Blue Jays consistently finished atop the AL East, their ginormous brand new home had a different name— SkyDome (not “the” SkyDome, just SkyDome). It was named through a fan contest, with the winner receiving lifelong tickets to any events there.

SkyDome was seen as modern, futuristic, the spark of change in baseball venues from stadiums to entertainment centers. SkyDome influenced today’s ballparks in more ways than you probably think.

Sit-down restaurants with a view and chain eateries are common in baseball venues today, but they were a novelty when SkyDome first opened. It was also the first ever venue with a working retractable roof. Today six major league parks have opening roofs, rendering “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain” obsolete as a managing strategy.

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At least we’re closer to the field than the hotel rooms…

And there was that hotel attached to the ballpark, with rooms overlooking the field—apparently without consideration that folks may tend to amorous desires in front of thousands, as some did before the hotel made guests sign an agreement not to share their wares in the window. That hasn’t caught on as a ballpark feature, but it still could someday, especially in the minor leagues.

SkyDome, and its features and prices, was the future of ballparks. But just a couple of years later Camden Yards would open for business to rave reviews in Baltimore. Almost overnight, concrete and artificial turf became a serious liability with fans.

This 180-degree change in ballpark design trends coincided with the declining success of the team.

The Jays had won several AL East titles before finally taking the World Series crown in 1992 and 1993, with a team that could pitch, field and hit like few in history. The 1993 Blue Jays roster read like a who’s who of baseball’s biggest stars at the time: Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor, Joe Carter, John Olerud, Juan Guzman, Jack Morris, Rickey Henderson, the list goes on.

So…did the Blue Jays win?

After coming up short in the playoffs a few times, they finally came out on top of the baseball world two years in a row. One of the most iconic moments of baseball history is of Joe Carter leaping into the air running the bases following his World Series-winning home run. A packed-to-capacity crowd that night made so much noise you could barely hear the fireworks in the ballpark.

In its early years, SkyDome was filled to capacity almost every night, and for three seasons the Jays topped the four million mark in attendance, averaging a still today unheard-of 49,000+ per game. This was in the days before the Internet and StubHub…so Blue Jays tickets were extremely tough to get.

But less than a year after Carter’s home run landed into the deliriously ecstatic crowd, baseball went on strike, and like with many teams, the Jays’ attendance crashed as fans everywhere shunned a sport that had sacrificed a World Series to the altar of palpable greed.

Maybe if it was “Mister Rogers Centre”, people would warm up to the name.

The Blue Jays never did bring four million through the turnstiles again, many times averaging just half that amount, especially as the 1993 stars departed and the team’s win totals went downhill for several years. In their recent return to contention with a division title in 2015 and a wild card victory in 2016, they’ve definitely increased their numbers, but in 2016 they still only reached 3.3 million.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the name of the venue has changed. Baseball is still very popular in Toronto, but looking back at the atmosphere and novelty of SkyDome, Rogers Centre almost feels like a different ballpark. It’s still a fine venue in its own right and houses a competitive team, but things seem different today.

People nostalgic for the SkyDome name are no doubt also nostalgic for capacity crowds and World Series games. Any fan can appreciate that. It was a wonderful time in Toronto baseball.

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If you’re going to a Tampa Bay Rays for the first time, there are a few things you should probably know, and I’ve included some of my favorite Tropicana Field tips here. The Trop is one of the more wallet-friendly venues in baseball and won’t break your bank, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few ways to save on a trip to the game.

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Stay to the right!!!

Visiting Tropicana Field, Tip #1: Check the secondary market. The Rays are the lowest drawing team in baseball, so with the exception of a few high demand games like Opening Day and weekend Yankees games, you can almost always score a great deal on secondary outlets like with my friends at Gametime. If all you care about is getting in, though, you can buy the cheaper seats at the box office.

You can spread out a bit here.

Visiting Tropicana Field, Tip #2: Buy the cheap seats. As stated, the Rays don’t draw big crowds, so you can almost always move to a better seat if you don’t get greedy. The upper level especially is almost universally the same price for seats, so no one is likely to care if you move a few rows down and closer to home. In the lower levels the ushers are more likely to give you a hard time, but you could probably find a decent place to sit.

Everyone chip in here.

Visiting Tropicana Field, Tip #3: Take advantage of parking options. The Rays no longer offer free parking to cars with four or more people riding in them.But you have plenty of parking options that can help you save money, walk less, and enjoy good times before or after the game. Check out my complete Tropicana Field parking guide here!

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“Cuban?” “No, Dutch Irish.”

Visiting Tropicana Field, Tip #4: Try the Mac Bat or a Cuban sandwich. The Mac Bat is probably something you’ve never seen before; it’s a breaded cone shaped like a baseball bat (obviously) full of mac and cheese, which is then topped with chili, layers of bacon and jalapenos. Yes sir.

But there’s also the classic Cuban sandwich, which is as good a go-to items here as any…ham and gooey Swiss cheese on pressed bread. There are other cool food stuffs too, but the Mac Bat and Cuban are best for first time visitors.

And when Ferg talks, people listen.

Visiting Tropicana Field, Tip #5: Post-game at Ferg’s. Ferg’s is more or less the only tavern within walking distance of the Trop…it’s right across the street in fact, and you can park there fairly cheaply if you don’t have enough folks in your car for free parking. Ferg’s has decent wings and other food, inexpensive drinks (at least compared to inside the Trop), and it’s an indoor/outdoor bar with a great atmosphere. Most Rays fans always make Ferg’s part of the game day experience.

There you go; five useful Tropicana Field tips to make your Rays game experience a better one. The Rays are happy to get people into the ballpark, so they offer lots of deals on tickets and parking. All you need to worry about is what you’re spending your food dollar on.

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Here is my best Tropicana Field seating tip: Don’t pay more than you have to.

OK, let me start this by saying I don’t necessarily condone moving into a seat that you didn’t pay for. It really isn’t fair to people who did pay for those seats, especially when they are the premium seats that cost a second mortgage.

However, I don’t recall ever minding someone keeping a good seat warm that belonged to me, so long as they get out of it immediately and didn’t break wind too much.

My philosophy on moving to a better seat is this: it’s okay so long as you don’t get greedy. If there’s 10,000 people in the ballpark, and you move from a seat that’s in the upper level in the outfield to an upper level seat behind home plate, that’s not going to bother me.

If I paid for the Legends seats at Yankee Stadium and someone who bought a bleacher seat distracts an usher enough to sit next to me, I might not be too happy about that. And there are some premium spots on the Tropicana Field seating chart.

(continued below)

Chance of catching a foul ball: Excellent.

Anyway, to my point. The Rays average about 15,000 a night for most games. When the ballpark is barely half full on a good night, and if I wasn’t planning to sit in a premium seat, I would just get the cheapest ticket in the ballpark (which, at present, is for the tbt* Party Deck in left field) and move somewhere behind home plate out of everyone’s way.

In my last trip to the Trop my seat was behind home plate anyway, and it wasn’t too expensive. But the three of us moved around and checked the ballpark out from different perspectives (all part of the job) with no problem whatsoever. By the end of the Tampa Bay loss we were sitting in seats that probably cost three times what I paid.

My guess is that by the second or third inning, you can improve your lie to a much better seat, so long as you’re not trying to get the field level seats in the infield. Just be ready to move if the nice usher asks you to.

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More about Tropicana Field:

Visiting Tropicana Field – Five Tips For Newbies

Free Parking at Tropicana Field

Three Foods to Try at Tropicana Field

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Tropicana Field doesn’t have a lot of retro classic ballpark feel going for it, which is what makes the Tropicana Field Party Deck special. Sorry, forgot the sponsor, the GTE Financial Party Deck.

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Just a few rows to get to the all-important private concourse!

The Rays, like most teams in baseball, have to offer special enticements to get people to sit in the worst seats in the venue. In this case those seats are in Party Deck, formerly known as the Beach.

These seats are in the highest level in left field; imagine the view from the Green Monster seats at Fenway without the prestigious experience (or the prestigious cost!). Not to mention that they’re bench seats, great for touching cheeks with your neighbor.

So what’s the advantage of the Party Deck? Well, they cost the same as the upper reserved tickets and are as such the cheapest seats in Tropicana Field. And being separate from the rest of the ballpark, chances are you won’t have to wait in line for your Cuban sandwich, always a plus.

The Trop has colorful concourses.

But it’s a very different atmosphere…the concourse area behind the Party Deck is designed like Ybor City, with bright colors, gas lamp style lights and concession stands like the Ybor Cantina selling Cuban sandwiches. The bench seats give the area a bleachers feel, as if you were channeling your inner Wrigley Bleacher Bum.

In other words, the Tropicana Field Party Deck wouldn’t be the section of choice for most fans.

But here’s what’s cool about baseball. You still see people sitting in there. There seems to be a sense of belonging here. In the same way that the super-royal-Legendary-Lexus box seats in the newer ballparks give people a sense of belonging to an exclusive club distinguished entirely by income level.

Why pay $500 more to bond with someone, especially if they’re not even into baseball? It is, after all, still a ballgame.

The exclusive and prestigious tbt* Party Deck, now sponsored by GTE Financial. No cell phone dwellers allowed.

I know which group I’d rather hang out with, especially if I’m picking up the tab for my ticket. A smartphone addicted salesman who is still hashing out major deals in the top of the sixth of a one-run game with two men on is not my type of ballgame companion.

College kids could go just about anywhere outdoors in Florida and have a better party atmosphere. People could network anywhere in the Ybor City area in Tampa or somewhere in downtown St. Petersburg. But for whatever reason, they’d rather go to a ballgame and sit miles away from the action in an indoor stadium with artificial turf.

That’s my kind of fan.

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Like most ballparks, the Tropicana Field food menu is varied and goes well beyond hot dogs and popcorn, but the Trop is unique in that I’ve seen several items lately that I’ve never seen anywhere else…or more correctly, the popular items here aren’t featured much in most other ballparks.

Here are three food items that you could try when you talk about your visit to Tropicana Field; two of them are definitely unique to Tampa Bay baseball, and the Cuban Sandwich is pretty rare elsewhere too.

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And if you finish all of these sandwiches, you get a free dessert.

Tropicana Field Food, Tip #1: The Cuban Sandwich. You have several choices of Cuban sandwiches at the Trop; there’s the stand that actually is called “Cuban”, but if you don’t like things too obvious, you can get one at the Bay Grill or at Pipo’s Café. I don’t know if they’re all different, but it seemed to me like the Pipo’s edition was heftier.

The Cuban sandwich is something of a go-to food thing in Florida; it’s ham, pork, and Genoa salami with Swiss cheese, pickles and yellow mustard on bread that is pressed to make the sandwich flat. Gooey Swiss makes any sandwich good.

In addition to the classic, the Cuban stands feature Cuban-style burgers with two patties added to the rest of the ingredients, or a veggie version with grilled vegetables and mozzarella. Remember, gooey cheese.

You’re not staying for dinner? I cleaned out my whole fridge for this!

Tropicana Field Food, Tip #2: Pipo’s Chicken Paella. I picked this one simply because I’ve never seen paella at a ballpark before, and if they’re gonna serve wings and chili, I see no reason why paella wouldn’t be included as a “ballpark food you need to sit at a table to eat”.

Pipo’s Cuban cafeteria joint has been in the Pinellas County area since 1979, so they’re pretty well known around here. At the Trop they offer Cubans, fried plantains, and beef empanadas, but the paella is the standout thing. I tried the empanada and it wasn’t great, but it was easy to eat at least.

In case you didn’t know, chicken paella is a mixture of chicken, rice, peppers and onions, with other meats like sausage and ham. Something like jambalaya but without the Cajun flavoring. A nice filling thing and obviously, something different at a ballpark.

It’s time to go beyond fork and spoon. This thing requires a more advanced utensil.

Tropicana Field Food, Tip #3: Ducky’s West Tampa Bowl. Ducky’s Sports Lounge is Evan Longoria’s Tampa restaurant; it’s known for “creative cocktails” and four lanes of mini-bowling. The menu at the restaurant features unusual bar food like roasted Buffalo cauliflower, duck fat fried sweet potato tots, and quinoa burgers.

The menu isn’t nearly as varied at the Trop outpost of Ducky’s located next to the outfield porch, but Ducky’s does have the “West Tampa Bowl” here…marinated pork with sautéed onions in a bowl of brown rice and black beans. All served with plantain chips and mango vinaigrette. Try listing those ingredients when telling people about your ballpark meal.

Ducky’s is also a spot for healthier stuff, incidentally; they have turkey wraps and California salads here too.

There you go…three foods to try at Tropicana Field that you probably won’t find at most ballparks. (I’ve never seen paella anywhere else, anyway.) But there’s also gourmet grilled cheeses, the amazing mac bat, the hefty grilled cheese burger and of course, Chicago-style dogs. Stay tuned.

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Hopefully elsewhere on this site I’ve helped you with a few Tropicana Field tips. Worth the trip just to learn how to make your World Series cheesesteak Philly-style, right? Here are a few more things not to miss at your next Rays game:

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Because nothing is more baseball than touching slimy fish in the outfield.

Extra Tropicana Field Tips, #1: The Rays Tank. In the ongoing effort to add entertainment value to a ballpark that lacks retro feel value, the Rays collaborated with the Tampa Bay Aquarium to build the Rays tank, a 10,000 gallon tank in right field next to the Everglades BBQ restaurant.

People get in line to touch and feed the cownose rays swimming around happily, and you can watch the game while you’re petting the slimy critters. If that’s not baseball, I don’t know what the heck is.

Time in the area is limited and there is hand cleaner to use afterward. If you’re interested in the Rays Tank, it’s not far from the main rotunda entrance, and you should get in line early because the lines get long.

When the kids get bored, have them count the tiles.

Extra Tropicana Field Tips, #2: The Mosaic Tiles Path. Splitting the parking lots east of the big white dome is a walkway of mosaic tiles, with over a million tiles depicting an aquarium of tropical fish. It’s a good reason to use the Rays parking east of the ballpark.

It’s captivating anytime, but it is especially cool at night when lit up by the streetlamps above it. And if the Rays pull off a victory, you can have a look at the orange lit dome over the ballpark from outside. A nice two-fer.

Can’t get this view outside of Florida.

Extra Tropicana Field Tips, #3: Cuesta Ray Cigar Bar (And The View). The Cuesta Ray Cigar Bar is a room for cigar smokers, with its own humidor, a billiards table, TVs to watch the game on, lounge sofas and a full bar. A great idea, and it is the only place other than the ramps where smoking of any kind is allowed in the Trop, although there is no view of the game from the room.

But the coolest thing about the Cuesta is the patio outside, in an area where weather is often very nice, and a view of St. Petersburg that is boffo at dusk. If the game isn’t quite holding your attention, it’s a nice place to see a fine view.

That’s a few things to check out at the Trop; there’s a lot more helpful advice on this page.

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Tropicana Field doesn’t often get near the top of most fans’ lists of favorite ballparks. Indoor baseball, which was a novelty for a few minutes after the Astrodome opened, isn’t nearly as popular for a summer pastime as it once was. But I think some props for Tropicana Field are due.

Then there’s that artificial turf that once threatened to take over everywhere when baseball seemed to care far less about tradition (unlike today, he says sarcastically).

But as someone who has enjoyed a few games at Tropicana Field, in the ballpark’s defense I will say that it’s not all bad. In fact, it can be a perfectly nice place to see a ballgame for a few reasons.

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The Trop makes you feel welcome.

The Trop has greatly improved in recent years. The Rays have done a lot to fix up the place and make it more appealing for fans, and they deserve a shoutout for that. It has bright blue seats, which blend well with the green turf on the field.

There is the the Porch in Center Field, a party area that replaced the Everglades BBQ, with drink rails and a full bar to watch the game party-style. The upper deck in the left field corner is a separate section called the tbt* Party Deck, and for lousy and mostly empty seats it’s got a neat bleachers feel to it.

The concourses, in this observer’s opinion, are the best in baseball. There’s more entertainment for the kids than I’ve seen in most ballparks, like interactive games, comic book style representations of baseball history, picnic areas, and of course, the Rays Tank…because what’s more baseball than feeding some fish and sliming up your hand in a tank in the outfield? I know that sounds sarcastic, but it really is fun.

Then there’s the huge statue of a Rays player sticking out of the wall to make a catch, appropriate for a defensive minded team and something that has to be seen to be believed.

This is now the 162 Landing, for those who remember Game 162 in 2011.

If you’re into partying with your baseball, Tropicana is great for that, too. There are plenty of great party areas, like the multi-leveled deck in center field and the 162 Landing and Papa John’s bullpen areas that are decorated accordingly. If you don’t mind the possibility of getting clocked by a foul ball (pay attention!), the view is great and the party is very affordable.

Then there are the cowbells that clang whenever an opposing player has two strikes on him. I don’t care if they are professionals, I know it gets under the skin of some players, which is exactly the point. The cowbells are a uniquely Tampa Bay thing (at least in baseball), and it wouldn’t work as well in an outdoor venue. When there’s a full house (which, granted, is rare), the cowbells can really rock the place.

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Who knew all they had to do was drop the “Devil” from their name?

The Rays have even manage to put a good team on the field fairly often, which can override the flaws of any venue. Despite one of the lower payrolls in the game, the Rays have been playing pretty well, contending for an AL East title quite a bit in recent seasons. Not an easy thing to do when sharing a division with the big-spending Yankees and Red Sox.

Best of all, the Trop is an affordable fun for the family deal. Between cheap tickets (no need to spring for great seats for a Rays game), free parking for cars with four or more, and being able to bring in your own food, the kids can have a memorable experience for a fraction of the cost of a day at Disney World, or any major attraction in Orlando, for that matter.

So while Tropicana Field may not score points for great views or neighborhood atmosphere or “retro feel”, in truth there’s no reason a baseball fan can’t enjoy a great day of baseball. One could argue that it’s even unique in its own way these days, with all of the retro-style ballparks across the country. The Trop is something different.

Enjoy it. At least you’re not sweating or ducking out of a thunderstorm. And get the most out of the experience when you read more great tips here.

More about Tropicana Field:

Visiting Tropicana Field – Five Tips For Newbies

Free Parking at Tropicana Field

Three Foods to Try at Tropicana Field

Never Drive To Tropicana Field Without A Plan…

Book Your Parking Spot NOW With My Friends at SpotHero!

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No one will get an argument from me that Philly sports fans can be tough, but the record should be known regarding the Philly fans and Santa Claus story.

Yes, Philly fans can be unsentimental. I’ve seen Flyers fans boo their own team plenty at losing efforts, and as an adolescent at a game at the Spectrum I admit I once joined in an “Islanders suck” chant.

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A place no hockey team wanted to visit.

Phillies fans have often been tough enough to chase some more sensitive athletes–like Scott Rolen–out of town…although “Mr. Baseball” Bob Uecker, who had a short stint as a Phillie, praised them for always letting you know where you stood.

Eagles fans are probably the most ruthless of all—a football-mad city that has never seen a Super Bowl trophy, every year their team being good but never good enough, having to watch championship after championship be won by the hated Cowboys with their own endlessly crowing fans or by the divisional rival Redskins and Giants.

Every so often the frustration boils over and an incident happens—ripping into Ricky Watters for a lackadaisical effort, cheering an injured and motionless Michael Irvin, trashing a Packers fan’s SUV in the parking lot. I have seen Eagles fans surround a Giants fan chanting “A**HOLE!” and viciously hounding a Cowboys fan in the parking lot of Veterans Stadium—in July—with words I won’t repeat.

But very often Phillies fans, most of whom are decent people and passionate, knowledgeable fans, take the brunt of criticism for the “Philly Fans and Santa Claus” incident that happened over 40 years ago and is frequently taken out of context.

But they could play hockey too.

Howard Cosell showed a short replay of Santa Claus being pelted with snowballs on his national NFL highlights show, commenting on the dis-grace-ful behavior of Philadelphia fans. Since the moment the story went national, for 40-plus years it has been the most cited example of the general hideousness of Philly sports devotees.

“There’s nothing that sounds worse than throwing snowballs at Santa. It’s like spitting on Miss America.” – Glen Macnow, author of The Great Philadelphia Fan Book

What actually happened was that the once-proud Eagles were playing in the last game of a miserable 2-12 season, where they were just good enough to win two meaningless games and lose the first-round draft pick—which would turn out to be O.J. Simpson—to the Buffalo Bills.

A heavy snowfall had happened the night before, and already irritable Birds fans had to clean off the snow and slush from their seats to sit when the team couldn’t be bothered to do it.

At halftime there was supposed to be a Christmas show featuring a float carrying Santa Claus down the field with the Eagles cheerleaders dressed as elves. But the mess of a field made moving the float nearly impossible, and to make matters worse, the man who was to play Santa was stranded in the snow.

The Eagles asked Frank Olivo, a 20-year old fan who dressed as Santa for the last game of every Eagles season, to take the role of Santa Claus, and to run down the field with the cheerleaders. He obliged.

When a crowd that had just watched the Vikings score a game tying touchdown, threatening another of too many losses, and still sitting on wet, cold seats, saw that the halftime show was going to be a wash, the booing started. Then one snowball was thrown, then another, then 300, several of which hit Olivo.

It’s not a coincidence that it’s Flyers orange.

Olivo, who has since passed away, unfortunately, joked even then that some of the fans had better aim than the Eagles’ quarterback. He shook his finger at the fans and yelled that they weren’t getting anything for Christmas. “I was a Philly fan”, he said, “I knew what was what.”

Before you condemn Philly fans for throwing snowballs at Santa, is that not something you think that maybe you might have participated in, even if it might take a beer or two? I have followed a crowd into doing far more regrettable things in my life.

More importantly, I don’t have a problem believing that this could have happened in New York, Cleveland, or even Pittsburgh or Green Bay. Yet it has created a reputation around the City of Brotherly Love, and the story is given new life whenever a Philadelphia sports fan behaves badly.

I won’t say that Philly fans aren’t tough on their athletes, but why shouldn’t people paying the price for tickets expect millionaire athletes to work hard at what they are paid so handsomely to do?

Philly is the home of the Rocky movies. The city has always loved scrappers like Pete Rose and Lenny Dykstra, whatever character flaws they exhibited from time to time. Great as he was, Mike Schmidt, with his apparent lack of emotion, was never really embraced in Philadelphia like he should have been. (I once saw an Old-Timer’s game where Mike Schmidt grounded into a double play. Staying true to their rep, the Phillies faithful booed him soundly, in a loving way of course.)

Drive safely, and watch out for snowballs.

Remember that this is a city 90 miles from New York, a city with more glitter, more notoriety, and yes, more sports championships. And Philly always seems to have an inferiority complex about it. At least their sports fans are more intimidating than those in New York.

I will never condone vomiting on someone, or even throwing snowballs at people on the field for that matter, but would you enjoy being at a Yankees game next to a cell phone yakking corporate bigwig who doesn’t even know who’s playing?

I’ve been to close to a hundred Phillies games. I’ve seen a fight or two, but I have never seen opposing fans attacked or severely mistreated, or cars trashed in the parking lot. (I’m talking about at Phillies games, not Eagles games.)

I’m not saying none of it ever happens or that there aren’t any over-the-top idiots. But the reputation of Philly fans, based on one incident mostly taken out of context, is not a reason to avoid coming to beautiful Citizens Bank Park to see exciting baseball.

Remember, as Sting might say, Philly fans love their children too.

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No one in the Philly area would even argue who is the best mascot in sports. The Phillie Phanatic tops them all. Easily.

I wear several writing hats in addition to this, one of which is as a staff writer for an excellent publication called JerseyMan magazine. Some time ago they offered me a very cool assignment; I had the privilege of interviewing Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic. You can read the article here or order the April 2015 edition of the magazine.

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Imagine if this guy was reading a Shakespeare script.

It was an honor to interview Raymond, because as a Philly-area native I have always loved the Phanatic. Every night he rides on onto the field recklessly on an ATV, trips up grounds crew members, thrusts his ample hips at umpires, and dances provocatively on the Phillies’ dugout.

But best of all, he has no qualms about taunting the opposition…to the point where Tommy Lasorda, one of the game’s most beloved figures, once snapped at his antics, and came out of the dugout to beat the s*** out of the Phanatic. Lasorda even once wrote a blog post called “I Hate The Phillie Phanatic”.

It wasn’t until I was putting together questions for Raymond that I realized that one of the reasons the Phanatic worked so beautifully was because of his hometown.

Chicks dig the costume.

Philadelphia fans aren’t the hideous monsters that they are often made out to be (see the real story of their throwing snowballs at Santa Claus here), but they can definitely be tough. Wearing Penguins gear at Flyers games isn’t very wise, and showing up anywhere within a five mile radius of Lincoln Financial Field wearing anything Cowboys-related is justification for a sound beating in many fans’ opinions.

Raymond is a Philadelphia fan himself, and he brought that mentality to the Phanatic character. That is commonplace behavior for mascots today, but back then it was unheard of. Imagine a grounds crew worker taunting an opposing manager to the point of a fist fight; at best he’d be severely reprimanded. But put someone in a big furry green costume to do it, and it’s the stuff of baseball legend.

The Phanatic constantly pushes boundaries of acceptable mascot behavior, yet at the same time he puts a lighthearted cartoon character face on the Philly sports fan. He is anything but the harmless, forgettable costumed character that you’d expect to see prancing around a field playing with kids. He is like no other mascot you’ll ever see…unless, of course, another mascot learned his shtick from the Phanatic, as so many today have. But none of them are nearly as funny or endearing.

The Phanatic dances and falls on his big behind, and kids love him for it. He also hassles and badgers opposing players and managers, and Philly adults really love him for it.

Few pictures make me more proud to be a Philadelphian.

Today the Phanatic is portrayed by Tom Burgoyne, who is every bit as good at the performance as Raymond was; a fan would scarcely know the difference. Burgoyne does a great job, but the costume, both Raymond and Burgoyne would probably admit, seems to have a mind of its own.

I’ve often said that the Phillie Phanatic is worth the price of admission to a Phillies game. I still think so. He’s a blast like no other mascot, and he fits perfectly in a rabid sports town.

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Every baseball fan remembers his first ballgame. Except this one.

I don’t remember how old I was; probably five or so. The family all got in the car and drove to Memorial Stadium in Baltimore from Willingboro. The Orioles were taking on either the Brewers or Twins; according to my brother Tom, the O’s lost 5-3.

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Site of my first ballgame, but I don’t remember much.

I only remember a couple of things about my first ballgame. I remember my oldest brother Doug telling me how when it gets dark they turn the lights on and it looks like it’s daytime on the field, and seeing that he was right. I remember Mom trying to point out to me where they were selling hot dogs–probably a vendor in the stands–and looking for a grill that I couldn’t find.

My first game at the Vet, now that’s a different story.

One of the last concrete donuts.

I found the game’s box score on Baseball Reference, which jogged a few memories that I did forget, like Jim Kaat being the starter for the Phillies and Gene Garber getting a win he probably didn’t deserve, and the date, July 1, 1977.

But even three and a half decades later, I still remember an awful lot about that night.

I was nine. The Phillies were playing the Pirates, at the time a tough NL East rival. It was just Dad and me; we sat in Section 320, in the lower level on the first base side. The small scoreboards that showed the linescore of the game called the Pirates the “BUCS”, probably because the word “Pirates” didn’t fit. (The Phillies were called the “PHILS”.) Back then the Vet had a huge scoreboard in right field.

I still refuse to dance to “We Are Family”.

John Candelaria was the starter for the Pirates. Dad said “He’s their ace”; I was proud of knowing what “ace” meant. Even at nine, Dad talked baseball to me like I was an adult, and sometimes it was tough to keep up–as it is today.

Kaat and Candelaria both had relatively strong outings. At the end of nine innings the score was knotted at 4-4. The game continued on into the 14th, still tied. Tug McGraw, one of the most popular and excitable Phillies, pitched three innings of scoreless relief.

In the top of the 14th the Pirates scored two runs. 6-4 Pirates going into the bottom of the 14th. I don’t remember if people headed for the exits at this point or not; they probably did.

But the Phillies didn’t give up. In the bottom of the 14th someone led off with a single, and the big scoreboard proclaimed “It’s only the beginning…”.

A couple of batters later, with two on and one out, first baseman Richie Hebner came to bat. He hit a ball that bounced off of the top of the right field fence, went over the wall and hit the black draping. A home run, without question, for anyone that knew the Vet’s ground rules. But the ball bounced back and right into the glove of the Pirates right fielder, who threw the ball back into the infield.

Ah, artificial turf. Baseball would never be the same.

The umpire called the runner at third out, which made the Phillies very unhappy. I remember Larry Bowa in particular furiously screaming at the umpire at second base.

At one point earlier in the game I had asked Dad for another hot dog or something and he said, “Absolutely, Kurt. This is your night. You can have anything you want.” Probably not the best thing to say to a nine-year-old at a ballgame. By the 14th inning, I had a pretty rough stomach ache from several hot dogs, popcorn and ice cream. I was probably the only person sitting down in the stands during the argument. Even Dad was standing, for the first time all night.

After a long argument and a conference with the umps, they appeared to reach a compromise. Dad turned to me and said “They’re gonna call it a double.”

One batter later, Ted Sizemore would get a game winning base hit. Phillies 7, Pirates 6.

It remains today one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen. I replayed it in my backyard for weeks, complete with stepping up onto the mound and holding my cap on my heart for the national anthem.

I was having dinner with Dad on July 1, 2012, and I told him that it was the 35th anniversary of that game. Despite that my father was sharp as a tack at 72, he had no memory of it. I couldn’t believe it.

I had some great memories at the Vet; the 1996 All-Star Game with the long ovation for Cal Ripken and the mammoth home run by Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling’s one hitter, fireworks nights, the Phillies shutting down the Yankees to help the Orioles in ’97, jinxing Donovan Osborne’s no-hitter. And the concerts–Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Genesis. I had a lot of great times there. But that first ballgame, the first visit to the ballpark with Dad, is still the most memorable.

For obvious reasons.

If you’re visiting Yankee Stadium for the first time, there are, of course, a few things you should know…about getting there, getting tickets and what to eat. There are lots of choices with all of it, but here are some recommendations for newbies.

(Taking your car? Check out my Ultimate Guide to Yankee Stadium parking.)

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In addition to scoring a great deal, you can give a bored Yankees employee something to do.

Visiting Yankee Stadium, Tip #1: Get a MasterCard. A MasterCard is a great thing for Yankees fans to have; if you’re planning on attending a Yankees game you should get one too.

The Yankees offer great deals to MasterCard holders, including two for one deals and $5 tickets. If you can, get a Citi card…that will help you score a bunch of discounts if you’re planning a game at Citi Field while you’re in town.

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“Who’s winning?”

Visiting Yankee Stadium, Tip #2: Avoid the higher rows. In the higher rows of the Field Level, the overhang of the main level can block views of the scoreboards and skyline and other things you might want to look at. If the choice is a high row in the Field Level (say, 20 or above) or a low row in the Main Level, take the Main Level seat.

Similarly, the high rows in the Terrace level are significantly more costly than the Grandstand seats just behind them, and the highest rows of the Grandstand level are definitely up there and acrophobia-inducing. The Yankees have a nifty virtual seating map on their website; you can see which rows are the higher ones with this.

A special station built just for Yankee fans.

Visiting Yankee Stadium, Tip #3: Use the Metro-North or MTA. You can drive to Yankee Stadium if you plan ahead and anticipate traffic, but if it’s your first time, it’s probably better to use public transit.

The B, D, and 4 trains all stop at Yankee Stadium/161st, so it’s very easy to reach from the five boroughs that way, just know whether you should use the B or D (MTA’s website will explain if you need it).

The Metro-North Yankee Stadium-153rd Street station was designed just for the new stadium; it’s a nice way to get there from the northern suburbs. The Hudson Line especially features a nice view of the Hudson River.

If you do decide to drive to the game…

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Corned beef too. Just in case.

Visiting Yankee Stadium, Tip #4: Get cheap eats at the Court Deli. There’s a lot of great food at Yankee Stadium, like Lobel’s steak sandwich, garlic fries, Jersey Mike’s cheesesteaks and the Barnyard Wedding. But if you want to get a cheap sandwich to take in (yes, you can do that), the Court Deli on 161st is ideal and just a block and a half away.

They sell sizable, tasteful and very inexpensive sandwiches, knishes and deli items, and you can put them in your knapsack to take into the ballpark. There are peanuts and bottled water sales on 161st Street too, so you can save a bunch on that.

In the days before Facebook ads.

Visiting Yankee Stadium, Tip #5: Get there early to see the history. Yankee Stadium never lets you forget that it’s the home of the most successful franchise in sports, but that’s to be expected. If you’re a baseball history buff, definitely take the time to see Monument Park and the Yankees Museum.

You’ll want to get to Monument Park early; it gets very crowded quickly. The Yankees Museum features artifacts throughout the team’s history, Thurman Munson’s locker, and statues of Don Larsen throwing the final pitch of his perfect game to Yogi Berra.

You can visit the Great Hall and the Babe Ruth Plaza too…the Yankees will always be happy to tell the stories.

There you go; five tips for visiting Yankee Stadium for the first time. Oh, there’s also a new kids’ play area and a nursing room, so you have a great opportunity to sell this to the new mom.

Want to plan your trip to Yankee Stadium right? Check out my complete guide to Yankee Stadium here!

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