Ballparks Change Like Clothes

Guilty as charged in advance. I admit to the prejudice. My favorite ballpark is Fenway Park. Not only is it charming and well-preserved, I grew up in Boston, the first Major League game I ever saw was in Boston, I lived two blocks away in my college dorm at Boston University, and I have visited the place for parts of every decade since the 1960s, missing by just one year the 1950s, too.

I also lived in Chicago for about nine years, so I saw plenty of the inside of Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park II, aka U.S. Celullar Field, or Sox Park as the stop is called on the Red Line El. Nothing can beat the ivy on the outfield walls at Wrigley, but you know something, I had more good times at the other place across town, especially since the White Sox won a World Series during my residency.

Here’s one other plug for U.S. Cellular Field. When I first saw it in 2001 I was not impressed at all. It had all of the distinction of a Ramada Inn. But although I hate when baseball stadiums are named after products, the fact that Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf poured the payoff from naming rights into upgrading the ballpark was a huge plus.

When Comiskey II opened in 1991 it received negative reviews and when I saw my first game there in 2001 it didn’t do much for me. However, the renovations, in more than one stage, have turned the park into a much friendlier, pleasant place, and one of the great things that adds to the ambience is the addition of lifelike statues honoring White Sox greats of the past. Anyone who disses U.S. Celullar’s viewing experience is stuck in the past.

Comiskey I was constructed in 1910 and Comiskey II was built before the new wave of plush, stylish parks that have popped all over the country. Camden Yards blew Comiskey II out of the water when it opened in 1992, but nobody saw that nouveau/retro combo look coming. The White Sox adapted marvelously playing catch-up.

Once upon a time when I traveled more miles the country, I had a pretty good life list of Major League parks (and some minor league parks, too) going. But then they went and closed a ton of them on me and built new ones so I had to start over. Suddenly, stadiums seemed to change more swiftly than fashion styles.  So I am probably 100,000 miles and several years behind now.  So now my life list is very condensed. I have seen games at Fenway, Wrigley, Comiskey II, the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Chavez Ravine in L.A., Safeco Field in Seattle, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, the Oakland Coliseum, or whatever it’s called now, and…and…jeez, maybe that’s it.

The old Yankee Stadium? Yup. The new one? Nope. Shea Stadium, yes, the repacement no. Veterans Stadium in Philly, yes, the new one no. The old Busch Stadium, yes, the new one, no. The Astrodome, the Kingdome, Three Rivers Stadium, Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, I saw ballgames in all of those goner structures. Candlestick Park, too. Wait. I saw games at the Ballpark at Arlington when that was its name, and at Miller Park in Milwaukee, as well as County Stadium before it. I know I saw a game in Anaheim, but I don’t know how much relationship the stadium of the 1970s has to the stadium of today.

Laments, I have a few. I’ve never seen a game in Cleveland or Detroit and must. Got to get to the new Yankee Stadium. Wish I had seen games in the Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Forbes Field, Crosley Field, but I would need a time machine.

Whenever I get the chance I will try to add to my life list, but it’s tough to start over and catch up without more time off than I expect to have before retirement, and I am not planning to retire.