Spring Training Ballparks
	Steinbrenner Field Tampa - Yankees McKechnie Field Bradenton - Pirates Hammond Stadium Ft. Myers - Twins Maryvale Baseball Park Phoenix - Brewers	Hohokam Park Mesa - Cubs Scottsdale Stadium Scottsdale - Giants Tempe Diablo Stadium Tempe - Angels Peoria Sports Complex Peoria - Mariners & Padres

The Classics
	Fenway Park Boston Red Sox The smallest, oldest and most charming ballpark in the Majors has been baseball nirvana for over 90 years. From the Green Monster to the Pesky Pole, no ballpark has more unique features or loyal fans than Fenway Park, the proud home of the 2004 world champion Red Sox.		Yankee Stadium New York Yankees The most famous stadium in the world has been steeped in the lore of Yankee mystique since Babe Ruth and the Bronx Bombers opened it in 1923. The allure of championships continues to bring in great players, while fans flock to Yankee Stadium for a taste of baseball history.
Bay Area Ballparks
	McAfee Coliseum Oakland A's Oakland's ballpark was altered to woo the Raiders back to town and the Coliseum has a decided football feel to it after undergoing $200 million worth of renovations in 1996. But the A's no-frills stadium is a good place to watch a ballgame, primarily because there aren't any other distractions.		AT&T Park San Francisco Giants The privately funded ballpark on the 'Frisco Bay has been a splash hit with Giants fans. Due to wind patterns, the orientation of SBC Park can't take advantage of downtown buildings or the Bay Bridge, but the waterfront park is a must-see for baseball fans.
2005 World Series Ballparks
	Minute Maid Park Houston Astros This downtown ballpark celebrates the long ball and Houston's railroad history with its signature feature: the home run alley that connects to Union Station. Full of unique features, Minute Maid Park is a beauty when its retractable roof is open, which isn't often enough during the summer.		U.S. Cellular Field Chicago White Sox A decent ballpark plagued by bad location and timing, U.S. Cellular Field was the last stadium built before the retro ballpark craze began, and millions of dollars in renovations since can't bring back the charm of Comiskey Park.
Retro Ballparks
	Camden Yards Baltimore Orioles Baltimore is the birthplace of two baseball icons that forever changed the sport: Babe Ruth and Camden Yards. The Eutaw Street walkway is fabulous and the Warehouse phenomenal at the ballpark that started a renaissance. If there were a Six Degrees of Separation ballpark game, Oriole Park at Camden Yards would be the link to any ballpark built since 1992.		PETCO Park San Diego Padres The home of the Padres is open and inviting with pockets of exclusivity, just like the city of San Diego itself. Petco Park, with one of the best downtown locations in the Majors, has turned San Diego into a baseball town.
	Coors Field Colorado Rockies Built on the edge of downtown Denver, Coors Field doesn’t provide the sweeping views of skyline and mountains you’d expect, unless you sit in the right areas. The ballpark does pay homage to the city's elevation and has a purer baseball atmosphere than most of the retro breed, and the experience is all the better due to the host city.		Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia Phillies One of the best ballparks in baseball, Citizens Bank Park was nearly built to perfection with a perfect mix of charm and openness. It's an absolute joy to watch a ballgame here and my only wish is that it had been built in downtown Philadelphia.
A Bygone Era
	RFK Stadium Washington Nationals The original cookie cutter stadium returns to Major League use 33 years after the Senators abandoned it. Unfortunately, RFK Stadium suffers from more than just its bland design; even simple things like buying a ticket and hot dog are handled poorly in what is baseball's worst facility.		Shea Stadium New York Mets It's large and located in the flight path of neighboring La Guardia Airport. But size and noise are a part of life in a city with eight million inhabitants. Like New York itself, Shea Stadium is big and not very intimate, but a fun place to visit.

Book Excerpts

10 Myths of Spring Training Joe Connor dispels ten myths about attending baseball's spring training. Watching Baseball Smarter Zack Hample writes about situations that umpires encounter during a baseball game. The Chattanooga Lookouts & 100 Seasons of Scenic City Baseball Stephen Martini writes about how Clark Griffith shaped the history of baseball in Chattanooga by bringing Joe Engel to town. Florida Spring Training Alan Byrd writes about Holman Stadium in Vero Beach, most commonly known as Dodgertown.

Featured Articles

The Rickwood Classic Baseball's Ultimate Throwback Game - Birmingham, AL It's one thing to "turn back the clock" and wear retro uniforms, quite another to play in a throwback ballpark. But every year that's what the Birmingham Barons do, much to the delight of ballpark fans everywhere. Rickwood Field, built in 1910, is an ageless wonder, a baseball playground of generations past. Lovingly restored, it is the oldest ballpark in the nation to host professional baseball thanks to the annual Southern League game that's played there. That game is known as the Rickwood Classic.  Read the full article  See the photo gallery

115,300 Los Angeles Coliseum - March 29, 2008 One hundred fifteen thousand three hundred. That was the announced attendance for an exhibition game played at the LA Coliseum. Meaning what happened didn’t count in the standings, just in the stands, where the crowd was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest ever to attend a baseball game. But were there really that many people there? Here's a fair and balanced account of the small game in the big stadium.  Read the full article

A Taste of International Baseball Estadio Calimax - Tijuana, Mexico Ever wonder what it's like to watch America's pastime somewhere where the English language is scarce? In the Mexican League, the game on the field looks familiar but the experience in the stands is anything but normal. Girls dressed like strippers on top of the dugout, a mascot on the field during the game, and lots of music are just a few things that will detract your attention from players you've never heard of. But it all adds up to a very lively, and intoxicating, atmosphere.  Read the full article

Opening Day PNC Park in Pittsburgh - April 4, 2005 A baseball season is a long six month journey, which makes it hard to imagine that a single game every April can inspire so much anticipation among fans in 28 Major League cities. Yet every spring the unofficial holiday known as Opening Day captures the imagination of fans in markets large and small, especially in places like Pittsburgh where the game is more than just one of 162....  Read the full article

Batting Practice Catch It If You Can The average life of a Major League baseball is only six pitches, but the likelihood of catching a foul ball is very remote due to the size of the ballpark and competition from thousands of fans. For most fans, batting practice is the only chance to get a ball as players successfully swing for the fences in front of small gatherings. With balls landing in relatively empty seats the likelihood of catching – or at least retrieving – one would seem simple. At least that's what I thought while trying to snag a souvenir during BP in Houston.  Read the full article

A Ballpark Tour Fueled by Vegetable Oil 215 Days, 260 Ballparks, 1 Car Running on Veggie Oil Joe Connor is fueled by his dreams. His dreams just happen to be fueled by the vegetable oil he needs to drive his 1984 lime green Mercedes to a different ballpark every day. Connor is spending seven months - the entire 2006 baseball season - driving a two-decades old automobile to a ballpark near you. His Fuel of Dreams tour will cover more than 40,000 miles and take him to 48 states and 260 ballparks, but thanks to 9 sponsors it won't cost him a dime.  Read the full article

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