Tropicana Field-Home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
My Rating 1 out of 5-Worst stadium in baseball.
Opened March 3, 1990
Capacity 43,500 (2004)
Dimensions
Left Field - 315 ft
Left-Center - 370 ft
Center Field - 404 ft
Right-Center - 370 ft
Right Field - 322 ft
Backstop - 50 ft
Tropicana field is probably the worst stadium in baseball. It is so ugly both inside and out.
Criticisms
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Among the most cited dislikes about the stadium are the four catwalks that hang from the ceiling. The roof was slanted in order to reduce the interior volume and make the stadium cheaper to air-condition. Therefore, the dome is tilted toward the outfield, resulting in the catwalks being lower in the outfield. The upper catwalks are Ring A and Ring B; these catwalks are entirely in play and balls bouncing off them can be caught for outs, or drop for base hits. Ring C and Ring D are out of play; if they are struck between the foul poles (each one has a yellow post marking the relative foul line position), then the ball is ruled a home run. A few hits have been lost in them – for example, Devil Ray Jonny Gomes was called out during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 12, 2006, when a ball he hit landed in Ring B and rolled off to be caught by Toronto shortstop John McDonald. By the time it was caught, Gomes was already headed for home plate. Although Rays manager Joe Maddon tried to argue that it should have been at least a ground rule double since it stayed in Ring B for a while before coming loose, umpires eventually ruled against the Devil Rays and called Gomes out.
Another criticism of the stadium is the drab interior environment; although the stadium is located in a subtropical climate, one cannot tell from inside the dome.
Tropicana Field consistently ranks at the bottom of lists rating the various MLB ballparks. BaseballParks.com ranks it as the worst ballpark opened since 1990 (taking into account its renovation prior to the Devil Rays arriving, since the park opened in 1989). [1] It was second-to-last ahead of U.S. Cellular Field (formerly New Comiskey Park) in Chicago prior to its extensive renovations through 2005.
The dome was built on the former site of a coal gasification plant and in 1987 hazardous chemicals were found in the soil around the construction site. The city spent millions of dollars to remove the chemicals from the area.
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Credit:
http://derekmiller.us/baseball/tropicana.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicana_Field
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Oriole Park at Camden Yards-Home of the Baltimore Orioles
My Rating-4 out of 5 Stars-One of the best stadiums in baseball.
Opened April 6, 1992
Capacity 48,262 (1992)
Dimensions
Left Field - 333 ft (101.5 m)
Left-Center - 364 ft (110.9 m)
Left-Center (deep) - 410 ft (125 m)
Center Field - 400 ft (121.9 m) (Not posted)
Right-Center - 373 ft (113.7 m)
Right Field - 318 ft (96.9 m)
Most memorable games
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* September 5, 1995: Cal Ripken, Jr. tied Lou Gehrig's streak of 2130 consecutive games played and homered.
* September 6, 1995: Cal Ripken, Jr. broke of the streak of 2131 games and hit another home run. It should be noted that both President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore attended, along with Cal Ripken, Sr., who had not been to a game since being fired by the O's.
* September 6, 1996: Eddy Murray hits his 500th career homerun in a game that fell exactly one year after Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak.
* October 6, 2001: Cal Ripken, Jr.'s final MLB game. Ripken's last game was originally scheduled to be played against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. However, the tragic events of September 11 forced this game (previously scheduled to be played on September 15) to become his final game. The Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-1, while Ripken went 0-3. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Red Sox pitcher David Cone recorded the final out against Brady Anderson while Ripken waited on deck. Former President Bill Clinton and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig were in attendance.
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The only no-hitter thrown at Oriole Park at Camden Yards to date was tossed by Hideo Nomo, then with the Boston Red Sox, on April 4, 2001. Nomo faced 30 Orioles batters, walking Mike Bordick twice and Chris Richard once, as the Red Sox won, 3-0.
My Experience:
I didn't exactly see a game here but I did walk in on an Oriole off-day. The allow you to walk into around the stadium. The longest building on the east coast lies in right field of the stadium the B&W Warehouse and they have little baseball markers in the ground or on the wall to show you the longest home runs at the park. I think Ken Griffey Jr. hit the longest which hit the wall. Also Babe Ruth's monument is located there. Overall a nice ballpark.
Credit:
http://derekmiller.us/baseball/oriole.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriole_...t_Camden_Yards
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Kauffman Stadium- Home of the Kansas City Royals
Opened April 10, 1973
Capacity 40,625 (1973)
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Dimensions
Left Field - 330 ft
Left-Center - 385 ft
Center Field - 410 ft
Right-Center - 385 ft
Right Field - 330 ft
History
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In 1968, Ewing Kauffman purchased the Kansas City Royals expansion team. After playing four seasons in Kansas City Municipal Stadium, on April 10, 1973 the Royals inaugurated Royals Stadium with a win over the Texas Rangers.
On May 15, 1973, the stadium, barely a month into its existence, saw Nolan Ryan, pitching for the California Angels, throw the first of his seven no-hitters, blanking the Royals 3-0.
On July 24, 1973, Royals Stadium hosted its first and only Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
On October 9, 1976, the Royals competed in their first post-season game in franchise history, losing 4-1 to the New York Yankees at Royals Stadium in the 1976 ALCS. The Royals came back to win the next game on October 10, 6-3, for their first post-season win in Royals Stadium.
On October 17, 1980, the first World Series game held in Kansas City featured the hometown Royals against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his first at-bat following hemorrhoid surgery, George Brett hit a home run down the right field line. The Royals would go on to record their first-ever World Series win, 4-3 in 10 innings. However, the Royals would lose the World Series that year in six games.
On October 11, 1985, in the 1985 American League Championship Series, George Brett had a game for the ages. He hit two home runs off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Doyle Alexander, made a back-handed stop at third base to throw out a runner at home, and recorded the final out to give the Royals a much-needed 6-5 win. The Royals went on to win the American League pennant in seven games.
On October 27, 1985, the Royals clinched their first World Series in franchise history, winning Game 7 in Royals Stadium. Led by the pitching of Bret Saberhagen, Darryl Motley's two-run home run, and George Brett's four hits, the Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-0. The Royals were the first team in the history of the World Series to lose the first two games of the series at home and come back to win.
On July 2, 1993, Royals Stadium was renamed Kauffman Stadium in honor of Ewing Kauffman, who died the following month at the age of 76.
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Kaufmann stadium is the 9th oldest stadium in MLB.
Credit:
http://derekmiller.us/baseball/kauffman.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauffman_Stadium
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Angel Stadium of Anaheim Home of The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Opened April 19, 1966
Capacity
43,000 (1966)
64,593 (1979)
45,037 (2005)
Dimensions
Left Field - 330 ft (100.5 m)
Left-Center - 387 ft (118.0 m)
Center Field - 400 ft (121.9 m)
Right-Center - 370 ft (112.8 m)
Right-Center (shallow) - 365 ft (111.3 m)
Right Field - 330 ft (100.5 m)
Backstop - 60.5 ft (18.4 m)
My Experience:
I was at Angels stadium the year after they won the World Series on ring night. It is a nice ballpark with a waterfall in center field that explodes during home runs. On the scoreboard they show a rally monkey which rallies the crowd and gets them loud.
Credit:
http://derekmiller.us/baseball/angel.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Stadium_of_Anaheim