Is it Fenway or Dodger Stadium?
I spent a fantastic week in Boston and one of the better experiences was going to see the Red Sox play the Rangers on a cool Friday night. The old ball park is a great experience and the Sox have done a great job giving it a true "throwback" flair. The signs are crisp and clear but still have a 50's decor. The brick is pretty and the Monster looks good as new. I'd been told the ballpark felt really old and was quite dirty, but other than the fading paint on my wooden chairs, it was very well maintained and a fun place to watch a game.
However, I was disturbed by the sense that this was another Dodger stadium:
1) They both have organs. I still can't get behind these things. Old timers love them, but I'm clearly not an old timer. I just don't get excited by hearing "When you're happy and you know it clap your hands" at a baseball game. I love churches with organs but not ballparks with them.
2) They both have beach balls bouncing up the stands (but not onto the field on Friday). It seems like every Dodger game has a few 1 minute beach ball stops.
3) They both have the wave (some view this as cool for football, but clear a mistake in a baseball stadium)
4) Fans come late and leave early in both places. I was surprised how many empty seats there were at first pitch and last pitch. Granted, it was raining and the Sox lost 5-1 in a game that wasn't as close as the score would make it sound.
Fenway had a lot of vendors, selling everything from chowdah to hot dogs. We were on the aisle, and it was hard to see past all the people running up and down the walk way. I loved the walk ways on the roads leading into the stadium and the positive vibes all the Sox fans had. They cheered passionately for slumping star David Ortiz every time he came up to the plate. Barry Zito doesn't quite get the same positive support. The scoreboard in the Green Monster is seriously cool.
To be honest, I also love Dodger Stadium (other than the 4 points mentioned above), so any true baseball fan needs to make their pilgrimages to both ballparks.
However, I was disturbed by the sense that this was another Dodger stadium:
1) They both have organs. I still can't get behind these things. Old timers love them, but I'm clearly not an old timer. I just don't get excited by hearing "When you're happy and you know it clap your hands" at a baseball game. I love churches with organs but not ballparks with them.
2) They both have beach balls bouncing up the stands (but not onto the field on Friday). It seems like every Dodger game has a few 1 minute beach ball stops.
3) They both have the wave (some view this as cool for football, but clear a mistake in a baseball stadium)
4) Fans come late and leave early in both places. I was surprised how many empty seats there were at first pitch and last pitch. Granted, it was raining and the Sox lost 5-1 in a game that wasn't as close as the score would make it sound.
Fenway had a lot of vendors, selling everything from chowdah to hot dogs. We were on the aisle, and it was hard to see past all the people running up and down the walk way. I loved the walk ways on the roads leading into the stadium and the positive vibes all the Sox fans had. They cheered passionately for slumping star David Ortiz every time he came up to the plate. Barry Zito doesn't quite get the same positive support. The scoreboard in the Green Monster is seriously cool.
To be honest, I also love Dodger Stadium (other than the 4 points mentioned above), so any true baseball fan needs to make their pilgrimages to both ballparks.
Labels: baseball
posted by beatdodgers at
9:54 PM
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