Dodger Stadium was without a doubt the most anticipated ballpark visit on my west coast trip.  Since I was a little boy I have always wanted to go there.  I was fascinated with the palm trees, the sunsets, the zig-zag roof over the outfield bleachers and Vin Scully’s sultry tones.  I attended a Tuesday night game between the Dodgers and the ...]]>

Dodger Stadium was without a doubt the most anticipated ballpark visit on my west coast trip.  Since I was a little boy I have always wanted to go there.  I was fascinated with the palm trees, the sunsets, the zig-zag roof over the outfield bleachers and Vin Scully’s sultry tones.  I attended a Tuesday night game between the Dodgers and the Rockies and the experience was like that of a kid in a candy store.  It exceeded all of my expectations.

Dodger Stadium has been home to the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1962 and the ballpark has not changed much since then.  Perfectly symmetrical, the 56,000 seat Dodger Stadium is a pristine relic: a sun-bathed jewel tucked into the Los Angeles hills.  In fact the stadium is built directly on a hillside only a mile north of downtown LA.  From the southwest side of the park the profile of the stadium is very low and a visitor might wonder if they actually have the right address.

The exterior architectural design is elegant, with clean lines and no bells and/or whistles.  Despite being perched in the middle of a sea of concrete, one never really feels like it with the strategic placement of trees – palm or otherwise – that surround the ballpark.

To get there I took a free shuttle from Union Station in downtown LA. If travelling by car, the rush-hour traffic snarl makes it so that the best that fans can hope for is to get there by the 3rd inning. As you can see, there is ample parking available.  However, no tailgating is allowed.

Since my hotel concierge wouldn’t let me walk around the neighbourhood (she deliberately withheld directional information from me to deter me from exploring the area due to the probability of me ending up face down in a gutter) I would say the party zone is less than satisfactory. If you are in a car, take a trip down the Sunset Strip and see what’s poppin’. There’s a bar there called the Shortstop. Although I’ve never been, it sounds like a good post-game party spot to check out based on its name alone.

Dodger Stadium was at one time the only stadium with 4 decks.  It also has the smallest lower deck in all of baseball, allowing all of the higher decks to be much closer to the field than a typical stadium.  An unfortunate aspect of the design is that there is a disconnect between the different levels and the outfield bleachers – fans are restricted to their own section and are not free to roam the entire stadium.

This is probably the only flaw that can be attributed to this fine ballpark.  Unlike the other ballparks I have visited on this trip, the Dodger Stadium experience is rooted in baseball with very little outside distractions.  There are no sideshow diversions.  No contrived attempts at “character.”  It’s an open air theatre to watch the greatest performance invented:  unscripted high drama in the warm night air.  If you are looking for party patios, merry-go-rounds, skewered escargot or unabashed gimmicks - this is not the place for you.  Dodger Stadium does one thing and it does it well: baseball.

The first thing that I noticed when entering the stadium was the unmistakeable voice of Vin Scully. 

Scully is probably the best announcer of all time.  At the very least, he is the best announcer alive today. Taking on both play-by-play duties and colour commentary, Vin breathes life into the narrative of every game seamlessly and smartly, informing and entertaining inning after inning with a voice and a tone and a pace that are perfect for the sport.  And at Dodger Stadium, Vin is omnipotent; all around you on tv and radio in the concourses and in the bathrooms.  It’s like watching the game with a lifelong friend, or grandfather you never had.

Once in the concourse, you are reminded of the Dodger franchise’s storied history, both in LA as well as Brooklyn through posters of old and current players that line the entrances to the aisles.

While touring the concourse there is the unmistakable aroma of 50-year-old sweat, dirt and tears.  You know you are in a place where much baseball history has taken place. You can see the game from the concourse.  This is a must; it should be an industry standard in all ballparks.

The variety of concessions is not as diverse as other ballparks, but in keeping up with the theme at Dodger Stadium, they do only a few things but they do them well.  The signature item is the Dodger Dog – a hot dog which is boiled first and then grilled. 

It’s long, it’s thin… and it’s better than a straight up steamed weenie.  Other than the grilling aspect it is unremarkable.

There’s the ever popular Carl’s Jr as well as a healthy alternative set up by health-insurer Kaiser Permanente that offers salads, fruit and sushi.  Churros can be had but they were not as good as the ones I had at AT&T Park or Angel Stadium.

Beers.  All the standard fare is here: Miller, Bud, Coors.  I did see one “Beers of the World” stand that has Fosters, Heineken, Dos Equis and others.  What more do you need?

There are various team shops on the concourses and the official team shop resembles a portable classroom just outside the ballpark. Just like the baseball experience, there are not a lot of extraneous frills – just like the Dodger baseball experience.  The shop features the core Dodgers gear: t-shirts, jerseys, hats and jackets.  You’ll even find a few Brooklyn Dodgers-branded articles of clothing.  Some Jackie Robinson merchandise is available as well.  The one oddity that they had was the LA Dodgers fake-tattoo sleeve.  I’m not sure why anyone would want one of these.

As for the bathrooms, Dodger Stadium is no different than any of the other old ballparks.  The trough is in full effect.  The trough is a very bizarre situation.  There are some who like to get in there and flap their junk all around for all to see, like it is some sort of urinary dog show.  Others will go to great lengths to go into full on stealth mode – that is to say they will do anything humanly possible to make sure noone gets a glimpse of their own Dodger dog. These people will try to hide into the corner of the trough.  It is always a weird scene and I try to get in and out as fast as possible (that’s what she said!)

You really know you are in a throwback when you see the seats – a creamy lemon colour.  For an old ballpark, the legroom is surprisingly ample.  The armrests, however, are curiously short.

The scoreboard is small out of necessity; thankfully the designers were cognizant of the beautiful skyline and made the scoreboard with the intent of having fans be able to see as much of it as possible.  The spectacular view of the palm-treed chapparal hills (and mountains on a clear day) makes for a unique skyline that must be witnessed in person. 

The highlight is the DodgerVision screen stationed above the left field pavilion.  High-res highlights and stargazing in the stands makes for a fun combination.

The DodgerVision also takes full advantage of the celebrity contingent who are loyal Dodger supporters.  Every inning some LA celeb will come on DV and urge the fans to make noise.  Some of the celebs I saw included Snoop Dogg, Larry King, Kobe Bryant, Kathy Ireland, Cheech Marin, Jillian Michaels, Nikki Sixx, Alyssa Milano, Brett Michaels, Kim Kardashian, Lauren Conrad and Oscar de la Hoya.

Jillian Michaels

That brings me to the fans, who are a much different crowd than the one I encountered in Anaheim at Angels Stadium.  Here at Dodger Stadium, the fans in my section were predominantly chicano or of latin-american descent.  There was a lot of “pinche cabron” and “chingaderra” being thrown about.  I had always heard that Dodgers fans were apathetic and uninformed but that didn’t seem to be the case when I was there.  In fact, on the shuttle ride back to Union Station I encountered a particularly passionate group of cholos and vatos.  Instead of shanking me, they threw verbal barbs at my Toronto Blue Jays.  We engaged in a passionate baseball discussion the whole ride back and it continued on even after we were dropped off. It was a lot of fun.

The old adage about Dodger fans showing up in the 3rd inning and leaving in the 7th is true.

Here is the Dodgers game in the 2nd inning:

Now lets move to the 5th:

And here we are in the 9th:

Although Dodgers fans are not particularly loud, they are extremely hard on their own players.  George Sherrill was booed from the point he began warming in the bullpen.  Jon Broxton was booed when he came in to close the game out after blowing a save a few nights previous.  They are hard on their players because they love them so.

The Dodgers have the best opening sequence in baseball: the players rock out to Motley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart” as they run out onto the field.

Ticket availability: It was difficult to get a single  ticket and they are very expensive.  I ended up paying $76.25 for a ticket on the second deck in the rightfield area of the 1st base side.  There is no opportunity for “trading up” at any point in the ballgame.

The 7th inning stretch at Dodger Stadium is also bare bones with “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” played on an organ while the crowd sings along.  It’s nice.  That’s followed up by a full on sing-a-long to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” that’s led by a young Dodgers fan named “Deuce.”

At the end of the game Dodger Stadium kills it by serenading departing fans with Randy Newman’s “I Love LA.”  It blows the Yankees’ “New York, New York” right out of the water.  There is no comparison.  Full marks to Dodger Stadium for this one.

Unlike other ballparks built at the same time as Dodger Stadium, it remains a true classic and I hope that it remains for many years to come, much like Wrigley and Fenway.  The night air in Chavez Ravine (as it was called when the Angels played there) is a unique and wonderful thing. The way the night wraps itself around you, the electricity in it, the feeling you get from feeling it on your skin.  The feeling that for 3 hours there is nothing bad that could happen - just in this place — that’s a Dodger Stadium trademark.

Since everything old is new again and Alex Anthopoulos is the next coming of Pat Gillick, lets look to the 80′s for inspiration as to what to do with future cornerstone Travis Snider.  Platooning is not the answer.  Hey, if it’s good enough for Barfield and Moseby it’s good enough for Snider.  It’s best to let him develop during a time ...]]>

Since everything old is new again and Alex Anthopoulos is the next coming of Pat Gillick, lets look to the 80′s for inspiration as to what to do with future cornerstone Travis Snider.  Platooning is not the answer.  Hey, if it’s good enough for Barfield and Moseby it’s good enough for Snider.  It’s best to let him develop during a time when the team is not contending as opposed to being on the cusp.  Let the kid play every day.

This was an interesting experience for me.  Growing up as a Blue Jays fan, my heart was ripped out in my tender formative years when the Oakland A’s nearly swept the Blue Jays 4 games to 1 in the 1989 ALCS.  To add insult to injury, I had read that upon shutting the door on Toronto, A’s closer Dennis Eckersley ...]]>

This was an interesting experience for me.  Growing up as a Blue Jays fan, my heart was ripped out in my tender formative years when the Oakland A’s nearly swept the Blue Jays 4 games to 1 in the 1989 ALCS.  To add insult to injury, I had read that upon shutting the door on Toronto, A’s closer Dennis Eckersley turned towards the Blue Jays dugout and flipped the team the bird.  I seethed.  I wanted him dead.  Scratch that - I wanted the whole team dead.  From that point on I hated the Oakland Athletics and always would.

I took great pleasure in the fact that the A’s struggled through the mid-to-late 1990′s.  I revelled in it.  When they failed in the playoffs in the early 2000′s, I relished it.  Currently they are in a weak division yet still have no hope of making the playoffs.  I take extreme gratification in it.  Or so I thought.  Until I made it to the Coliseum.

Initially, I didn’t even plan to come to the Coliseum on my west coast swing - that’s how little I thought of it.  Lucky for me the Blue Jays happened to be in Oakland when I was so I changed my mind.  I say lucky because I was able to witness a near no-hitter from Shaun Marcum, broken up by a single Conor Jackson HR.

I believe my perspective of the Coliseum would have been a lot different had I not been taken on a guided tour by the Oakland A’s biggest fan, @ElliNSweeneyD (this translates to Ellis & Sweeney D, named after the defensive stylings of A’s players Mark Ellis and Ryan Sweeney).

Heading to the ballpark my expectations couldn’t have been lower.  The Coliseum has consistently been ranked as the worst ballpark in all of baseball.  Visiting team announcers carve it to bits.  On television it looks dreadful.

As I drove through the neighbourhood that surrounds the Coliseum, I was surprised how much of a barren wasteland it is.  There is no party zone around here.  The ballpark is located between two freeways and it looks more like a war zone.  It is a ballpark for the bridge and tunnel posse, if you will.  I parked my car and quickly made my way to the ballpark, a circular stadium that was clearly designed with football in mind as much as baseball.  The Raiders of the NFL are also current tennants of the Coliseum.

Walking the perimeter of the Coliseum on my way to will-call to pick up the ticket that ElliNSweeneyD left for me, I noticed many banners hanging from the concrete exterior of the run-down, outdated ballpark.

When I saw all of these tributes to the A’s rich and storied history, I felt a pang of pity for the team I loathe so much.  It was here that I began to draw the first parallel to the A’s and my own team, the Blue Jays.  They both possess some pretty impressive accomplishments.  But what have they done for their fans lately? Not much.

The Oakland A’s moved to the Coliseum in 1968 after moving from Kansas City and Philadelphia before that. After moving to Oakland the team began to find success, led by stars such as Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers & Catfish Hunter.  The A’s do a good job of paying homage to these past greats with murals and pictures throughout the different concourses, though I did need my trusty tour guide to point them out to me as some are in hidden nooks & crannies.

Like the SkyDome, the Coliseum’s seats are laid out in a circle  with the seats not necessarily angled towards the diamond.  In order for the Raiders to return to Oakland from Los Angeles, an agreement was reached to increase the capacity of the ballpark from 54, 500 to 63, 000.  As a result the centrefield bleachers were demolished, markedly degrading the baseball experience.  Where a grassy slope and trees used to stand now lies thousands of empty seats in plain view.  This creates a cavernous and unpleasant ambience.

However, the expansion didn’t turn out to be all bad.  The outfield fence was altered to create some interesting angles, including a 15 foot high fence in the power alleys.  The distance to the RF power alley is the shortest in all of baseball at 362 feet.  As well the foul territory is enormous, perhaps the biggest in all of Major League Baseball.  This means the action on the field is much too far away, even from the good seats.

With all those extra seats the A’s were able to do something pretty neat.  On the rightfield side of the upper deck they honour the World Series championships that the franchise won when located in Philadelphia.  The leftfield side displays the Oakland ones.

The field itself looks pretty good, similar to AT&T Park across the Bay.  The grass is an beautiful shade of green and the field well manicured.  I imagine that will change though when the Raiders chew up the field with their pre and regular season games.

People often refer to the SkyDome is a concrete toilet bowl, but that description is more apt when applied to the Oakland Coliseum.  It is stiff and bland.  Architecturally this is the most unimaginative park I’ve been to.  There is nothing to look at, no statues, no signs, no clocks, no artifacts. Nothing.  Just stained concrete walls.

The theme carries on inside. Bleak, dimly lit concrete concourses (I would prefer to call them corridors) with most of the concessions closed and covered up by ugly aluminum garage doors.  If you are able to find a concession that’s open then you are in luck.  The Coliseum is home to some of the best hotdogs and sausages in all of baseball.  I tried the sweet italian sausage with onions and peppers. 

The onions were a little “limp” as @EllinSweeneyD pointed out to me, but the total package itself was delicious.  Apart from the typical fare there isn’t much variety for food options.  None that I could find, at least.  They do have garlic fries but I was too scarred from my bad experience at AT&T to give them a go.

Surprisingly, there is a Windows Restaurant-type place on one of the upper levels.  It is pretty bare bones but is open to everyone.

While there may not be a variety of concession items, there is a vast selection of beers.  All of the typical American brews: the Anheuser/Busch conglomerate, smaller brews like Sam Adams & Sierra Nevada as well as imports like Guinness and Dos Equis.

The scoreboard in this ballpark is terrible.  There are 2 of them and are not worth mentioning.  The only way to make them look good was to put the box score of Shaun Marcum’s one-hitter on them.

The team store is about the size of my bathroom with a terrible selection of merchandise.  Very disappointing.  But they do sell stuffed elephants as a tribute to John McGraw’s famous quote.

The usher staff were very pleasant, helpful and engaging.  Almost all were on a first-name basis with @ElliNSweeneyD.  They even hugged it out once or twice if I am not mistaken.  Though I imagine that happens when there aren’t that many fans to speak of, the opportunity is afforded to build one-on-one relationships.

@ElliNSweeneyD and her crüe have established a relationship with the A’s outfielders.  Much like the bleacher creatures in Yankee Stadium, these A’s fans have established a call and response system with the players.  Of course, they don’t give credit to the bleacher creatures for starting the fad.

This brings me to the fans of the Oakland A’s.  They are an extraordinarily small bunch but they are smart and rabid.  After @ElliNSweeneyD’s personal tour and seeing the passion in those Oakland fans, I began to identify with them – shockingly enough.  I hated them in the 80′s for their World Series win in 1989 and the “Bash Brothers.”  Yet my team was the subject of great hatred for the back to back championships in 1992/93 and “WAMCO” (White, Alomar, Molitor, Carter, Olerud).  Like the SkyDome, the Coliseum is misunderstood.  When seen through the eyes of a true fan, it’s not such a bad ballpark after all.  Oakland fans make the most of what they’ve got.   That is something I can relate to and appreciate.  I no longer hate the A’s but sympathize with their fans.

At the end of the night I felt bittersweet about the Marcum one-hitter.  It was sad to have to do it to the A’s.  Frankly it is a tragedy that a storied franchise such as the Athletics is saddled with such a shady ownership group in addition to the lacklustre ballpark.  They are, after all, 5th all time in World Series appearances with 14.  They deserve better.  After being dumped on consistently, their fans deserve better.  @ElliNSweeneyD deserves better.  To them I say good luck, and keep supporting your team.  Your A’s are lucky to have fans like you.

El Rascacielos Cubano (the Cuban Skyscraper) Pedro Luis Lazo announced that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 Cuban National Series season.  The “37″ year old pitcher owns the Cuban National Series record for wins,with more than 250, spanning a 21-season career.

The 6’4″ 240 lbs. Lazo also has four Olympic medals, 2 gold and 2 silver.  Lazo plans to ...]]>

El Rascacielos Cubano (the Cuban Skyscraper) Pedro Luis Lazo announced that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 Cuban National Series season.  The “37″ year old pitcher owns the Cuban National Series record for wins,with more than 250, spanning a 21-season career.

The 6’4″ 240 lbs. Lazo also has four Olympic medals, 2 gold and 2 silver.  Lazo plans to work with children at the end of his baseball career.

“My dream is to work with the children. My soul is that of a teacher, a coach who wants to train young champions,” Lazo said to Prensa Latina September in Haarlem during the World Cub where Cuba placed second.

The Pinar del Rio stud, Pedro Lazo has pitched in both World Baseball Classics.  In 2006 he went 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. In 2009 he pitched 4.2 innings in relief, walking 1 and striking out 7.  He had 1 save.  Here’s some footage of his performance.

He’ll participate as part of the Cuban National Team at the Pre-World and Pre-Pan-American tournaments, which starts tomorrow in Puerto Rico.

AT&T Park (formerly known as Pac Bell Park) is the current home of the San Francisco Giants and has been since 2000.  It is widely regarded as the crowning achievement in the neoclassical ballpark movement spearheaded by the HOK sports/Populous architecture firm.  For me, the best part about AT&T Park is that there is water directly beyond the right field ...]]>

AT&T Park (formerly known as Pac Bell Park) is the current home of the San Francisco Giants and has been since 2000.  It is widely regarded as the crowning achievement in the neoclassical ballpark movement spearheaded by the HOK sports/Populous architecture firm.  For me, the best part about AT&T Park is that there is water directly beyond the right field perimeter since the ballpark is situated adjacent to the Bay.

As much as Petco Park was designed to prevent home runs from left-handed sluggers, AT&T Park was built to favour the left-handed slugger – particularly Barry Bonds.  The right field fence is a short 309 feet away from home plate, however the fence stands 20 feet tall to give it some level of respectability.  Whether you are young or old there is no denying the attraction of seeing a “splash hit” home run.

The distance increases markedly to the right corner of centre field at 421 feet.  This makes it a haven for triples and inside-the-park home runs.  This corner was definitely in the thick of things on the day I attended a game between the Giants and Padres.

While the park is situated directly on the Bay, it is also bordering on downtown San Francisco which is key for pre and post-game festivities.  Public House, Nova, Momo’s and Palomino are all great places to grab a drink and unwind.. or wind up, as the case may be.

When you go to the game, don’t make the same mistake as me – dress appropriately.  Over the duration of my trip to San Francisco, the thermometer never rose above 15°C.  Once the sun came out the weather was pleasant enough, with a nice sea breeze while the ballpark was bathed in sunlight.  Still though, a little too chilly for my liking and this a typical summer’s day in San Fran.

AT&T park is definitely a gem of a ballpark and is easy on the eyes. With its scenic bay backdrop, palm trees and red brick construction, it is as warm and inviting as a ballpark can possibly be.

The ballpark is also packed on a daily basis.  The capacity of the park is 41, 500 but there were more than that on the day I went – all standing room only sections were full.  The right field concourse is a popular section for general admission patrons to take in the game as well as watch the kayakers in the bay below.

I was able to get a seat for $65 about 5 rows from the field on the 3rd base side through StubHub.  As I made my way to my seat I became filled with anticipation as to how great a seat it was going to be to watch the game.  I really lucked out, I thought to myself.  But it didn’t turn out to be such a great seat after all.  Surprisingly, for a baseball-only stadium, the seats are not angled towards the play.  Everyone in my section had to sit back in their seat and watch the game through the side of their eyes because if one fan were to lean forward, it would block the view for everyone else.  Very disappointing.

Concessions? AT&T Park has got it on lock.  Anything you want you can pretty much get here.  Regular BBQ. Caribbean BBQ. Crabcakes.  Sausages of all shapes, sizes and flavours.  Ghirardelli chocolate sundaes. Lemonade.  Sushi.  Mexican. Krispy Creme donuts.  Fried calamari. Of course, there is always the famous Gilroy’s Garlic Fries.

From ESPN’s Best Signature Ballpark Food and Hot Dogs

Gordon Biersch’s now-classic creation of ground garlic, herbs, and parmesan cheese served over French fries has been imitated but not yet duplicated at ballparks across the country. Hot, spicy, and chock full of flavor, garlic fries are just the thing to ward off the chill of a nippy night or to give a chilly post-game “boo-ya!” to an opposing pitcher heading for his car. At one time, Gordon Biersch used fresh garlic cloves exclusively and if you couldn’t handle the zing — tough luck for you. But the fries left patrons with breath worse than Thurman Munson’s after a three-day bender, so out of necessity, Gordon Biersch replaced the fresh garlic with minced. But believe us, these fries are still plenty strong.

Gilroy's Garlic Fries

These fries were an abomination; absolutely terrible.  At their core this “signature food item” is a pile of soggy fries with minced garlic and parsley dumped on top.  What’s the point?  If the garlic was fresh and roasted it would have raised the bar exponentially.  The garlic was bitter and vinegar-y tasting.  I love garlic and it was a shame to have disrespected one of my favourite flavours in this fashion.  The only saving grace were the breathmints that came with the fries.  I eagerly chomped on them post-haste to get the terrible taste out of my mouth, which is not their original intent.

The scoreboard is pretty nice, a mix of new and old with a high-definition digital screen and an old school analog clock.  All of the pertinent stats can be found pertaining to each player along with pitch counts for each respective player.  Radar gun readings on pitches can be found all over the park.

As for baseball related merchandise, the Giants do a pretty good job of it.  The store has two levels (similar to the one at Comerica Park) and has lots of old jerseys that pay homage to former Giants greats like Willie Mays and Will Clark.  The Giants jersey itself is very visually pleasing, especially the cream-coloured home jersey that gives a classic look as opposed to the typical white.

There were a few oddball items as well.  San Francisco Giants t-shirts emblazoned with Jerry Garcia’s face or Grateful Dead logos.  Sure, Jerry Garcia was born in San Francisco but what did he really have to do with the Giants.. or baseball in general?  This is most likely a case of the Giants trying to ca$h in by associating themselves with the marketing machine that is the Grateful Dead.  Just like at Angel Stadium, the Giants need to GET PAID like everyone else.  If it was a shirt with Steve Perry‘s mug on it, I would have bought 2 right away.

Another item that is different but fun is the Tim Lincecum wig. For only $10 you can get a ratty old wig so that you can pretend you are a pot-smoking diminutive former Cy Young award-winner.  Where was this when Dave Stieb was in Toronto?!

AT&T park has statues of all the greats. Willie Mays, Juan Marichal and Orlando Cepeda.  In this case I you are best served by viewing the pictures than having me describe them.  A picture says 1000 words…

Willie Mays

Juan Marichal

Orlando Cepeda

Willie McCovey

The field itself is expertly manicured.  Perhaps it is the cool, temperate weather in San Francisco that is conducive to grass growing, but I have never seen a field so green.  Whoever the head groundskeeper is, I hope that the Giants signed him/her to a long term deal.  Seriously, the playing field itself is magical.

Usher staff were SUPER friendly. Is it any surprise that one of them was a Canadian? Prince, a Canadian who left Georgetown, ON for the warmer California climate is now an usher at AT&T and he took the time to talk with me about Blue Jays baseball as well as the nuances of this fine ballpark.  As far as the vendors in the stands, I am going to have to agree with Early’s review in that there were far too many of them and that they were extremely annoying and distracting.  Especially the “ice cold lemonade” guy. 

Again, as Earl said, there was never a guy actually selling beer in the aisles.  The absence of a roaming beer vendor is very peculiar.

If you are one of those casual baseball fans who gets “bored” with the game, well.. you are in luck.  There is a tonne of fun stuff to do: watch the white caps dance on the bay while sailboats and kayakers pass by.  Drink a beer while walking in the bright sunshine on the right field concourse while singing along to (San Francisco’s own!) Journey.  For the kids there is a mini AT&T beyond the Coke bottle/glove and right underneath are slides and a playground.

Fans not all that loud, but it could be because the Padres took them out of the game early.  Although quiet, the fanbase is very knowledgeable with a solid grasp of the game and an endearing loyalty to the Giants.  The way it was a sea of red in Anaheim, it was the same in San Fran: a lot of very unattractive orange-and-black ensembles.  That being said that sea of orange and black never had a ripple; not once did fans participate in “the wave.”

When discussing or reviewing ballparks, many fans will reference the skyline beyond the outfield.  To me, AT&T does it right with a simple skyline of… pure, unadulterated sky, thanks to the Bay.  Left field corner is picturesque with palm trees and the Bay bridge. 

A nice touch that adds character to the ballpark is the abundance of baseball related quotes all over the ballpark

At the end of the day, it is difficult to improve upon the baseball experience had at AT&T Park and really, it is the cove that seals the deal on a solid baseball experience here.  If my neck wasn’t so stiff from the bizarre seating layout and the weather was a bit nicer, it would be close to a perfect ballbark.  Alas, those are things that probably won’t change in the coming years.  A little bit more passion from the fans would have been nice, but on the other hand the west-coast-laid-back attitude has its charm.  Regardless, I highly recommend AT&T Park for all baseball fans.

One of the highlights of my west coast trip was actually getting to San Francisco, and I did so by driving from LA up the Pacific Coast Highway.  The PCH is famous for running adjacent to some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world and it did not disappoint.  The scenery is stunning and the drive is exhiliarting.  From beautiful beaches to beautiful cars, you will see it all. 

I even had the opportunity to drive through clouds during the early morning.

You will also encounter surfers, wildlife and picturesque houses along the way.  My journey had me start in LA, travel through Malibu and up the coast to San Francisco in a total of 11 hours.  Some points of interest that I encountered included: Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Zuma Beach, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Pepperdine University, Ventura Highway, Big Sur and the Presidio of San Francisco.   The reason fo the length of the time it takes is that for most of the trip, you will be limited to speeds of 20-30mph due to steep and winding roads that run along cliffs that plunge into the sea.

If you are limited to the Bay area, make sure to take the 17-Mile Drive, just between Carmel and Monterey.  Golf fans will know that this route leads into the famed Pebble Beach golf course.  The road runs beside scenic beaches and up into coastal hills, providing plenty of photo opportunities.

The best photo op probably lies with the Lone Cypress, the official symbol of Pebble Beach.

Evenings also provide the opportunity for spectacular sunset-watching.  Half Moon Bay is a great spot – especially when the moon has reached the halfway point of the lunar cycle!

I finally made it to a California ballgame.  Unfortunately it was National League.  I will try to keep this to a ballpark review rather than commenting on the game.  As this is a Toronto based blog and many of the readers are familiar with the Blue Jays I like to use Rogers Centre as a baseline or reference for my ...]]>

I finally made it to a California ballgame.  Unfortunately it was National League.  I will try to keep this to a ballpark review rather than commenting on the game.  As this is a Toronto based blog and many of the readers are familiar with the Blue Jays I like to use Rogers Centre as a baseline or reference for my ball park reviews.

This was my first trip to San Francisco.  My hotel was located in the Union Square/Chinatown neighbourhood.  From here it was an easy walk to the ballpark.  I didn’t need it but I saw that parking in the area was very expensive, with most lots asking $30.  The San Francisco underground has a couple stops that make the park easily accessible to the rest of the city.  The Embarcadero streetcar also has stops close to the park.  This situation reminded me of the RC as it does not restrict fans accessibility to the ball park.   The park is also walking distance from the Ferry terminal.  Giant fans also can take the ferry from other Bay Area communities and avoid the commute.  Very unique! 

The walk to the park is pleasant and easy.  There are museums shopping opportunities and many restaurants and bars.  As you get closer to the field more and more fans on foot join the jaunt.  I noticed very few scalpers and none on the block the park is on.  I wouldn’t consider the area around the park a “ball park neighbourhood”.  San Francisco is not a city that has extensive suburbs and there is no urban renewal that many of this newest wave of ballparks led.  San Francisco downtown is vibrant, people live, work, play and shop in the city, much like Toronto.  The restaurants and bars in the area would be able to support themselves without the Giants playing around the corner.   

When you come to the ball park it is a small park but is a solid and imposing structure.  It reminded me more of a classic hockey arena than a retro ballpark.  The solid red brick construction does not give fans on the street a view to inside the park.  This is different than what I have seen in Detroit, Cleveland and other retro style parks where there is an open theme, giving the impression of several building put together. 

Attached to the stadium are two bars, the Public House and Mijito.  Both are overpriced but very fun and lively.  This is what the Hard Rock Cafe could have been!  The Giants Souvenir shop is next door.  They sell all Giants gear with some Seals gear mixed in.  The Grateful Dead logo with GIANTS emblazoned over it is popular and an eyesore.

I purchased tickets walk-up.  The line was short and the ticket agent was sincerely helpful and friendly.  I don’t think the Giants get many walk-ups.  They sell out games alot and I am sure they presell many seats.  Prices are very high compared to anywhere else I have been.  For $31 you sit along the third base line about 8 rows up in the upper deck.  There is some cheaper seating the in bleachers and the corners of the upper deck but these are very limited and were sold out.  If you are looking for a great value ticket, this is not the place.  The Giants use a dynamic ticketing price which brackets the price of tickets and then they will move with demand.  This is a good idea but since the demand is high, I think it will artificially paper the crowd by luring cheapskates into lower demand games. 

The park’s name, AT&T Park, is not generally used in San Francisco.  The park opened in 2000 and has had three name changes along with SBC Park and Pac Bell Park.  Perhaps AT&T will stick and develop into a more stable name but everything from the fans and even the tourist guides and transit maps identify the park as Giants Ballpark (AT&T Park).  Transit signs direct fans to “Ballpark” or “Giants Baseball”.  I realise that classic parks and even the stadiums that I grew up with had different names but everyone knows Comiskey Park, Candlestick Park and that the Rogers Centre will never be the civic symbol of Toronto that the SkyDome was (is). 

But let’s not judge a park by its name.  AT&T is unique in its location on a large body of water.  This is not totally present from the street but anyone is conscious of the water in SF.  You can enter through the main gate “Willie Mays Gate” there is a large statue of the Say Hey Kid outside the namesake gate. 

Early and the Say Hey Kid

The ramps and elevators are inside and have the open steel cantilever gimmick that many parks have now.  The club concourse is enclosed and seems it is probably climate controlled.  The upper deck concourse gives spectacular views of the city and the Bay Bridge.  I attended an afternoon game and the park was bathed in bright sunshine.  The upper concourse has any type of food you can think of.  San Francisco is a very cosmopolitan city, and like Toronto, it is reflected in the ballpark fare.  You will not get the Americana food selection of red hot, frankfurter, kosher or footlong that some stadiums offer.  Here you can get all the above or any ethnically named sausage that you can imagine.  You can get Mexican food, gourmet ice cream or normal ice cream.  I even saw a sushi stand.  Like all ballparks, food is expensive.  The AT&T experience, as a trend, is expensive.  The concourse also shows pictures and stories of great moments in Giants history and great baseball quotes.  The Jays could incorporate this.  A giant mural of Jose Molina in the concourse just doesn’t get the same generate the same interest.  There were a few small tv’s in the concourse.  If you are standing in line or moving around between innings it is hard to follow what is happening on the field.  The Jays always have Jerry Howarth blasting in the concourse and in the washrooms.

Once you walk into the seating area you are over taken by the vast blue Bay that really the only visual that you get.  The hills across the bay are very distant and giant freighter and tiny sailboats slowly come into detail once you take it all in.  The sightlines are good and there is something in the pitch of the upper deck that made me feel that I was hovering over the field.  The scoreboard is huge, colourful and full of data that would make the novice and the student happy.  I could not see a pitch count or speed clock anywhere. 

The grandstand layout reminded me of Cleveland but I noticed the leg room is poor.  Also, there is one entrance per two or three aisles.  I have seen this elsewhere and I find that there will be railing obstructing the view.  This was not the case in my seats but there were some seats that had this.  This, I feel is a design flaw and I do not know why the one tunnel per aisle ratio isn’t an industry standard.  This was amplified by how much people move around during the game.  All the distractions and variety on the concourse must make people need to go every other inning.  Also, there are so many hockers trying push garbage food and drinks it is distracting.  And again, not once was there a beer guy in the aisles.

Between innings the Giants had funny and real fan contests.  If you win you get a Giants cap!  Much better than $5.00 off you next Purolator purchase like at the RC.  There is a small field for kids to play at beyond the left field bleachers. 

My Giants experience was sun soaked but the location on the bay makes it notoriously chilly at night.  San Francisco in general experiences a very moderate temperature and fog often rolls in during the afternoon.  Giants’ fans are casual and quiet.  The bay area in general is probably not large enough to support two MLB teams.  However, there has been a struggle between the two for 40 years now.  It seems to me that the Giants fad has caught on and the A’s are now ready to look to move further away from the Giants.  If the A’s had not been so successful, 4 World Series, 6 AL Pennants, 14 West Championships and 2 Wild cards in 42 years compared to the Giants 2 NL Pennants and 4 other playoff appearances and no World Championships in the same period.

Also while in San Francisco, you can see Candlestick Park, still used by the NFL 49ers.  It is well to the south of the city closer to the airport.  Also, SF legend Lefty O’Doul has a bar near Union Square.  It is a must for any ballfan visiting; the posters are blown up photos from private collection or other notables, such as a USO ID of Norma Jeane DiMaggio!  DiMaggio is also a SF legend.  I went by the Joe DiMaggio North Beach playground and there is also a Joe D. Chop House that I didn’t go to.  Also, if you venture to Alcatraz Island do not hesitate to go out into the recreation yard.  The backstop and infield base paths are still worn down.  It is so windswept and exposed it is a testament that it has not eroded completely.

In 1966 the expansion California Angels made Anaheim Stadium their home.  In this post I will be referring to the home of the Angels as both Anaheim Stadium & Angel Stadium but really they are the same thing.  In fact, the current name of the ballpark is Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  Add to the mix the numerous name changes of ...]]>

In 1966 the expansion California Angels made Anaheim Stadium their home.  In this post I will be referring to the home of the Angels as both Anaheim Stadium & Angel Stadium but really they are the same thing.  In fact, the current name of the ballpark is Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  Add to the mix the numerous name changes of the team and things can get pretty confusing.  This organization has a serious identity crisis.

Anaheim Stadium was basically a carbon-copy of Dodger Stadium (where the Angels had played from 1962-1965) with a symmetrical layout and three decks.  There were no bleachers in the outfield, just a vast expanse of parking spaces.  The gaudy large “A” served as the scoreboard.

The ballpark underwent a drastic renovation in 1979 to accomodate the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, adding 22,000 additional seats.  Still, the ballpark was not a stellar place for football games to be played and the Rams left in 1995.  As the New York Mets (at Shea Stadium), the Florida Marlins and the Oakland A’s will tell you, it is no great shakes playing in a stadium that is used to accomodate football.  Luckily for the Angels the Walt Disney corporation purchased the team in 1996 and they quickly went to work in remodeling the stadium yet again.  Most of the seating sections added in 1980 were demolished. 

Once again HOK sport/Populous was granted the contract to renovate Angel Stadium into a baseball-only facility. The major feature of their design is their “outfield extravaganza” – fake boulders, fountains/waterfalls and a picnic area/food court.  Outfield dimensions were altered to generate considerable asymmetry.  There is an 18 foot tall wall in RF which presents quite a challenge for left-handed hitting sluggers – a remnant of the “hybrid” period of the stadium.

As you can see in the first picture of this post, where Anaheim Stadium was once a concrete can floating in an ocean of asphalt, Angel Stadium is now somewhat of a baseball oasis with palm trees, oversized baseball helmets, a baseball courtyard and an attractive earth and forest green motif.

Inside the stadium the trademark is definitely the boulder waterfall. Ever wonder what is behind the boulder waterfall? This is it:

Here is a panoramic view from the inside:

The capacity of Angel Stadium of Anaheim is approximately 45,000 and there were 42,000+ on hand to see the Angels play the Toronto Blue Jays.  As for the actual fans themselves, they are  tough to peg.  They show up early, wear their team’s colours (the ballpark was literally a sea of red), scream their lungs out, know the game and have long memories.  For example,  I wore my Kelly Gruber jersey to the game in honour of Gruber having played 18 games for Anaheim in 1993.  A handful of fans recognized this fact and chatted with me about Gruber’s career and his less-than-stellar stint as an Angel.

That being said… Angel fans are not particularly knowledgeable about what’s going on in baseball.  I spoke with a number of Angel fans as they expressed curiosity at the fact a Toronto fan could be found in Anaheim. They didn’t think that Toronto had any fans at all and that the team would most likely fold, like the Expos had years before, at season’s end.  I had a few conversations that went something like this:

Angels Fan: So, you’re from Toronto?!

Me: Yes! It’s great to be here.

AF:  Your team isn’t doing very well up there.  Not getting any fans?

Me: The ballpark isn’t full, but we do okay.

AF: You’re probably going to lose the team pretty soon, huh?

Me: wut.

AF: The team is going bankrupt, just like in Montreal.

Me: wut.

AF: It’s too bad that they’ve never been able to generate any support for a team up in Canada.

Me: LOL WUT.

And so on….

Angels fans have no grasp on what is baseball ettiquette, similar to Wrigley Field.  Fans stand up and/or move around during play and are oblivious.  The ushers at Angel Stadium facilitate these egregious faux-pas by having embraced the west-coast-lifestyle long ago.  They are very laid back and don’t really do much of anything, especially enforce proper baseball ettiquette when it comes to fans arriving from the councourse and attempting to find their seat in the middle of a play.  For once I appreciate the ushers at the SkyDome.

Another bizarre fact about Angels fans is that they LOVE hitters counts.  They are loudest when the count is 2-0 or 3-1.  Runners in scoring position with a full count and 2 out? Nary a peep.  As well, they share a commonality with Toronto fans when it comes to having a passion for “the wave.”  Especially at key points in the game, like the 7th inning with the home team down by 3 runs and runners on base.  Perfect! Let’s do the wave!

One redeeming quality the Angel fans brought was their ability to pronounce Toronto.  It was refreshing to hear the enunciation of Ontario’s capital instead of the typical Canadian mumble of Torana or Trono. Tor-on-to. It sounds nice when you say it right.

The sea of red was particularly helpful in finding fellow Blue Jays fans.  They were from all over, but mostly from BC and Alberta.  There were even some LA born and raised Blue Jays fans (two in fact).  They said they became fans of the Jays in the early 1980′s after watching Tony Fernandez play shortstop.

One more note on the fans.  Angels fans are easily the best looking fans in all of baseball, at least in my experience.  There was a blend of model/actress types, natural beauties and surgically enhanced ones.  This may or may not be a microcosm of what it is like in Los Angeles in general, but the difference from other ballpark fans is clear. Oddly enough, they all looked a certain way.  That is to say they fit a certain mould.  The blondes looked like Jenny McCarthy.  The brunettes looked like Rhona Mitra, Kristian Alfonso, Ana de la Reguera or Dania Ramirez.

It was tough to get a decent ticket for the game.  Considering I only needed a single, it was surprising I was unable to get any tickets on the lower level.  For $50 I sat on the 2nd level on the third-base side.  The sightlines were great with plenty of legroom.

The scoreboard is nice, but it would have been even nicer if the powers-that-be took some of that $100 million renovation money and put it into moving the big “A” back to CF with a new scoreboard attached.  Currently the “A” stands by its lonesome in a 12,000+ space parking lot.

On the scoreboard in the late innings you will inevitably find The Rally Monkey if the Angels are down.  Many people find this gimmick kind of annoying but I think it was fun.  The fans lose it over the Monkey and the kids love it.

He didn’t work in this game, though.

The surrounding-neighbourhood party zone? There isn’t one.  Unless you count the bar at the hotel you are staying at post-game. Speaking of hotels, I have to give a shout out to @jeffinvan and @eyebleaf for hooking me up with the best discount hotel website going: Priceline.com.  Priceline allows you to bid on hotels – they call it “naming your own price.” And I did.  I stayed at the Double Tree in Anaheim, a 3+ star hotel within walking distance of Angel Stadium in an executive suite.  I was fluffed up in a $175 a night hotel room for only $50, taxes and fees in.  Speaking of eyebleaf, he tipped me off to this magical website in his own series of ballpark reviews in his ongoing series “Stealing Home“.  He was able to make it to all 30 MLB ballparks this summer and shares his experiences over at the Globe & Mail.  Check it out for a different perspective on the same ballparks that we’ve reviewed here.  Be sure to check out his Toronto-based sports blog, “Sports and the City” as well. /plug

A concession stand at the original Anaheim Stadium

There is a wide variety of concessions at Angel Stadium. Traditional fare as well as plenty of BBQ, sushi and healthy california cuisine.  As (bad) luck would have it, after a day at Petco with too many beers and too much sun, my weakened immune system succumbed to a cold.  I thought it would be a good idea to search out some OJ to give the cold a kick in the ass.  Maybe even a little green tea for the precious polyphenols and antioxidants.  But there was no juice or green tea or anything other than beers, soda and water in the entire ballpark.  Strange, no?

If I had been feeling better I would have partaken in Angel Stadium’s diverse beer selection.  Even the Japanese beer, Sapporo, was readily available.  While you are on the concourse hunting for your favourite non-juice related beverage,  you will be treated to walls and displays filled with Angels memorbilia.  The Angels have officially laid claim to Nolan Ryan like the Danes have the Canadian Arctic.  Though Ryan spent 8 seasons of his 27 year career in California, you will find many pictures and artifacts of the legend in an Angels uniform and oftentimes a cowboy hat.

One thing about the concourse is that once you are out there, it is very difficult to see what is going on in the game since it is closed, unlike the open concourses of the SkyDome.

The merchandise store is a little bit of an eyesore with so much red, but offers typical Angels gear.  Nothing special really.  What was interesting though is that they sell Derek Jeter jerseys, especially interesting after what he has done to them in the playoffs.  That would be like the Blue Jays selling Dennis Eckersley jerseys in the Jays Shop in 1990.  Oh well, everyone needs to get PAID and the Angels are no different. If you are in the team store when they anthems begin to play, you are trapped.  Employees guard both entrances until the conclusion of both anthems.

Much like Petco played “Afternoon Delight,” Angel Stadium loved to play “California Love” at every opportunity.  What can I say? California knows how to party.  And the same way I lucked into a Throwback Thursday at Petco, I lucked into “Fireworks Friday” at Angel Stadium.  The gimmick is pretty straightforward: fireworks after the game.  But these were good fireworks! With a Journey soundtrack!  I walked away impressed.

Fireworks Friday: Any Way You Want It 

Fireworks Friday: Don’t Stop Believing

Firweorks Friday: Separate Ways

In the end my overall experience at Angel Stadium was a good one.  The Jays won, the weather was nice, the ballpark had some character and I saw some good baseball.  Nothing about the ballpark was really remarkable, though.  It is worth seeing but not worth going out of your way to see.  The location of the stadium as it relates to having no pre or post-game party zone really detracts from the overall experience.  As does the absence of any semblance of baseball ettiquette.  That being said, a sold out crowd does wonders to make up for those weaknesses and enhances the overall baseball experience.  That concludes the ballpark portion of this post.  Stay tuned for my next review of AT&T Park in San Francisco. I’ll now explore whether or not California really knows how to party.

On Keith’s advice I went with the Lechon Asadao  (not to be confused with Lechona, a savoury and delicious Columbian dish).  Lechon Asado is roasted Cuban pork marinated in a garlic mojo criollo sauce.  For an extra $1 you can have it served with maduros – sweet grilled plantains.  The meat was fall-apart tender and infused with a delicious garlicky flavour.

 

Service was incredibly fast.  I was served in under 10 minutes from placing my order, probably closer to 5.  Most dishes come with a cup of black bean soup, as is the Cuban tradition.  It was unremarkable and could have done with a shot of chorizo to make it pop.  Versailles even had its own in-house Lazarus.  Based on that fact alone, I highly recommend it.  Next time I’ll be sure to try the Ropa Vieja and Cuban flan with coconut and guava.

 

Following my meal at Versailles, I took a turn down the Sunset Strip to see all of the great Rock n’ Roll clubs. Gregg Zaun’s  favourite spot on the Sunset Strip is the Whisky a Go Go, an old club that was the proving ground for bands such as The Doors, Guns n’ Roses, Motley Crue and The Cult.  It was pretty neat to see a piece of rock history that is still going strong.

When in LA, it is a must to go to Venice Beach, if for nothing more than the people watching alone.  Once you get there, make sure to hit up the rooftop bar at the Hotel Erwin for a drink.  From the rooftop vantage point you will be able to take in breathtaking views of the beach as well as the greater Los Angeles area.  Not to mention you can creep on all of the people down below.

 

 

 

 

One thing to keep in mind is that the traffic is hellacious in LA.  It takes a minimum of 45 minutes to get to wherever you want to go.  If I had a do-over I would have given myself another day in this fine city because I spent more time stuck in a gridlock than actually urban spelunking.