Road trip ballparks

I took an awesome road trip to see the Cardinals and also to see some different stadiums in Minnesota, California and Arizona. With the exception of Oakland all the parks I visited were all "green" stadiums with efforts on recycling and waste management.

I know I am biased when I say this but Busch Stadium is my favorite place to see a game and the way the stadium opens up to the Arch is simply awesome. With that being said there are plenty of other stadium views that are unique in their own right.

Minnesota Twins' stadium, Target Field, was my first stop and it is a really nice stadium. On the tour we learned that the field is actually heated by the next door HERC (Hennepin Energy Recovery Center) which burns the city wide trash and turns it into energy or in the Twins case, heat. With the tubing placed under the grass they can turn up the temperature of the field to around 65 degrees to "trick" the grass into growing at the beginning of the season or at the end of the season. The skyline view of the tall buildings from the field is a nice feature of this park. The food was great, the staff was nice and overall it was a very good experience.

O.Co Coliseum in Oakland was my first stop for some Cardinals' games. The stadium is old and the last one to be shared with a football team, which makes it a cookie cutter stadium with no view of the outside. The ticket prices are inexpensive which is the main positive of this stadium. The fans and staff were rude and very passionate to the point of being confrontational. As with older ballparks, the concourses are really small and the food was typical ballpark fare. To go straight to the point about this stop would be: avoid it.

San Francisco's AT&T park across the bay from Oakland was my favorite on this road trip because of the great view of the ocean and McCovey Cove. All around the park there are several baseball quotes on the walls which is a really cool idea to share with old and young fans alike. I toured the park but didn't see a game so I am unable to talk about the service or food but from the tour there are some great selections to choose from and I am looking forward to going back to seeing a game there. AT&T Park is a must see in my opinion.

Anaheim, Calif., is home to Angel Stadium which is just down the road from Disneyland. I was able to see all three Cardinal games here against Albert Pujols and his new gang. My first reaction to entering the stadium was how neat and clean it is. One other thing that stands out in my mind is, parking is only 10 dollars. The seats behind and around home plate are expensive, however other sections like the bleachers were only $20 which is family friendly. Good food, friendly staff and fans give this ballpark a thumbs up and I recommend seeing Angel Stadium.

Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles is unique because of its history and views from the stadium. Located in Chavez Ravine you are able to see the Hollywood sign from a distance, the skyline of LA and the San Gabriel mountains while enjoying a game. It is a big ballpark with 56,000 seats and over 17,000 parking spots in a huge lot surrounding the park. I enjoyed the tour of the ballpark, however, it would have been better if we were given a Dodger Dog and the tour was given by Vin Scully who has been announcing Dodger games for 62 years. If you feel the need to fight traffic to get to the stadium, find your car in the huge lot and then fight traffic to get out after the game then by all means I recommend going to a game at Dodger Stadium.

Petco Park in San Diego is home to the San Diego Padres and another great park. Petco Park has a nice skyline view of the surrounding skyscrapers and the old Western Metal Supply Co building which is part of the stadium. This is a family friendly park with a small park for picnics in centerfield as well as a small "beach" for the kids to play in the sand during a game. The seats are all angled toward home plate which makes viewing the game easier than having to keep your head turned the whole game. Another interesting fact about the stadium is the tarp is not on the field like other stadiums. San Diego has averaged a little over seven inches of rain a year since 2000 so there is a slim chance of a rain delay, much less a rainout. I didn't see a game here but Petco Park was also a favorite of mine on this trip and another stadium I recommend.

Chase Field in Phoenix was my last stop on my road trip. This is a nice-sized stadium that unfortunately remains empty a lot of times with a small fan base. The seats are also all angled toward home plate which is supposedly the first ball park to do so. There is a TGI Friday's restaurant in the outfield which is a nice place to watch the game and see the whole field. The most unique part of this retractable stadium is the pool in right field. The question would be if the fans come to swim or watch the game. With the size of the crowd on an average basis the answer would probably be to swim and catch a home run if you are lucky. Chase Field is a nice park in the middle of the desert and if you go to a game there will be plenty of tickets if you arrive late. I recommend coming here if you are already in Phoenix for other reasons.

The stadium trip was fun and I saw lots of pluses with just a few negatives in Oakland. Obviously I didn't go into great detail with the stadiums but hopefully if you get the chance to visit some parks in California, Minnesota or Arizona you take it. What are some of your favorite stadiums?