The Jake ranked as the Best Ballpark in America!!!

[salsadancer7]

I've been to Wrigley once, in a suite. Free food and beer, but it looked like a lot more fun down in the stands. Where do you get your tickets? Most games are sold out on MLB.com.

When I use to live in Chicao, it was always soldout during the nicer months of the year(June, July, August), but was always able to get game day tickets right at the field. I lived there(and help cover alot fo games with the now dead Chicago Sportschannel) during the Sammy Sosa hey days. I have been to more than 3/4 of the stadiums in the Major Leagues and there is NO BETTER after game experience than Wrigley.....none! All the great little neighborhood bars within 200 yards of the field was just amazing. I use to live about 4 blocks away. Next time anyone watches a game, when you get a view behind home plate...there was this HUGE apt. building that you could see tower over the centerfield wall/scoreboard....good ole Irving Park Place....that is were I use to live. From what I here, it's gone condo...but the best view of the city in ALL of Chicago. From the 37th floor, we had a view of MOST of the field except centerfield. We use to have a telescope to watch some of the games and listen to Harry Carry on the Radio. During night games, when it was nice(and it always was because of the awesome breezes up there)...we could hear Harry Carry sing "Take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch....and then always RUN to the telescope whenever we would hear the loud roar of the crowd.

...ah memories.....

Sorry for getting nostalgic folks.....

 

[Ilya]

The Jake is a great ballpark! It's been awhile since I went there, but one thing that surprised me the most, was the great variety of food and drinks offered there, like some good choices of imported beer, or even good sushi. It's kind of odd to eat sushi in the ballpark, but I couldn't resist.

 

[Ramy]

Too bad the Jake isn't the Jake anymore.

 

[salsadancer7]

Too bad the Jake isn't the Jake anymore.

That my friend, is a thing of the past.....in the future, you will see ALOT of ballparks selling the name to the highest bidder!

 

[Ilya]

Personally, I don't mind if they change the ballpark name once in 15 years or so and get $57.6 M for doing that.
If that helps the team - fine with me!
Besides, since Dick Jacobs was no longer the owner, it only made sense to change the name of the field.

 

[DSpud]

I've been to Wrigley once, in a suite. Free food and beer, but it looked like a lot more fun down in the stands. Where do you get your tickets? Most games are sold out on MLB.com.

Western Illinois University (my alum) does an Alumni event every year and rent out a building for the rooftop game i go to. Thats usually on a Saturday. Then I hit stubhub.com and get a couple tickets for the Friday game. (A friend and I go up every year) If I can, I get the tickets from the Chicago Cubs website but for Cards/Cubs, you pretty much have to be waiting, mouse in hand, on the morning they go on sale, and hope for the best. I was not available to do that this year. Stubhub usually isn't TOO bad. I can't complain, I pay for them, and its only once a year!

 

[Chinatown]

Beer prices

PNC and Miller Park are my two favorites so far (I haven't been to Progressive or Busch yet).

If there was a ranking for the cost of a beer however, I think all the parks would tie for 30th. I was at PNC this past weekend and a beer bought in the stands was $7.00 a bottle; $7.50 for a draft at the concession stands! That's a fricking crime if you ask me, especially if you have a poor product on the field. The Succos went down in the first by 5 runs (good riddance Morris), and I just couldn't make myself buy a beer to drown my sorrows in. Darn shame.

Are outrageous at every park. One of the reasons, probably, is to limit people from getting blind. And don't all ballparks shut off the spigots in the 7th inning?

 

[mccoyrj]

One of the reasons, probably, is to limit people from getting blind. And don't all ballparks shut off the spigots in the 7th inning?

You're probably right about limiting the drunken fools, but it's still a ridiculous price if you ask me ($6 was enough).

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the MLB require no beer after the 7th in all parks, and plastic bottles as well?

 

[DSpud]

Matt Morris was a great pitcher when he was with the Cardinals, and like so many other pitchers, once they leave the Cardinals, they are never any good again. Morris, Weaver, Bud Smith, need i go on?

 

[Ramy]

Western Illinois University (my alum) does an Alumni event every year and rent out a building for the rooftop game i go to. Thats usually on a Saturday. Then I hit stubhub.com and get a couple tickets for the Friday game. (A friend and I go up every year) If I can, I get the tickets from the Chicago Cubs website but for Cards/Cubs, you pretty much have to be waiting, mouse in hand, on the morning they go on sale, and hope for the best. I was not available to do that this year. Stubhub usually isn't TOO bad. I can't complain, I pay for them, and its only once a year!

I remember the game the Reds played the Cubs and Tom Browning was on one of the rooftops during the game. The camera went up to him and it was just odd to see a player in uniform up there during the game. Well he got suspended for leaving the park even though he wasn't pitching that day.

 

[boston area dtv]

If they're winning, which is a treat these days, pretty happy.


No shite boston area dtv? Wonder why.

Actually, I find major league baseball to be pretty slow as a sport, even though I enjoy watching and pulling for my favorite team. I need that vested interest (i.e., my favorite team) to keep me interested, unless I'm at a nice ballpark and getting a decent freebie promotion or free food and drinks in a suite. Watching the Yankees or Red Sux does nothing for me unless the Pirates are kicking their arses (I know...that rarely happens these days).

What I was getting at is how flawed the survey is. The survey isnt about how great a ball park is.

If we were rating ball parks on their own merits team quality, parking and tradition wouldnt be included. Things like seat comfort and quality views would be part of the equation.

The survey basically was talking about your baseball experience. I think if you took a national pole people would rather watch the cubs play at wrigley than the Royals at ?whereever>(do they have a name for their park?)

BY THE WAY... I hate the seats at Fenway. My knees get crushed!

 

[mccoyrj]

What I was getting at is how flawed the survey is. The survey isnt about how great a ball park is.

If we were rating ball parks on their own merits team quality, parking and tradition wouldnt be included. Things like seat comfort and quality views would be part of the equation.

The survey basically was talking about your baseball experience. I think if you took a national pole people would rather watch the cubs play at wrigley than the Royals at ?whereever>(do they have a name for their park?)

BY THE WAY... I hate the seats at Fenway. My knees get crushed!

:up I get you, and I agree. Comfort especially isn't in the equation. Never been to Fenway, gut the seats at "Great American" (a newer stadium) or so close together that it's really hard to allow someone to cross in front of you without falling back over your seat. PNC is almost as bad. They seem to cram more and more seats into smaller spaces to make bigger dollars.

AND THEN THEY HAVE THE GALL TO CHARGE $7+ A BEER!!!!

 

[iceturkee]

Yep....here ya go!

And the link:

Miami ballpark

But I must admit...I LOVE the idea of the new stadium they are proposing in Tampa/St. Pete.

And the link:

The Official Site of The Tampa Bay Rays: Ballpark: New Ballpark

much, much better than tropicanna field. rays are playing great ball, deserve a better stadium but so do the fish!

 

[iceturkee]

wrigley is great....i loved watching games at wrigley.

 

[Chinatown]

What I was getting at is how flawed the survey is. The survey isnt about how great a ball park is.

If we were rating ball parks on their own merits team quality, parking and tradition wouldnt be included. Things like seat comfort and quality views would be part of the equation.

The survey basically was talking about your baseball experience. I think if you took a national pole people would rather watch the cubs play at wrigley than the Royals at ?whereever>(do they have a name for their park?)

BY THE WAY... I hate the seats at Fenway. My knees get crushed!

Thats the way it was at the old county stadium.

That is one of the pluses of the newer stadiums. They are built for our overweight society.

 

[salsadancer7]

Thats the way it was at the old county stadium.

That is one of the pluses of the newer stadiums. They are built for our overweight society.

I lived in Chicago and LOVED games at County stadium....AND...THE BEST ORGANIZED parking lot attendants I have EVER SEEN!! I mean no other stadium got people in and out of park and on to the highway better! WOW!

 

[Paul Wozniak]

They are very good at Ann Arbor at getting everyone out after MICHIGAN games. 110,000 people on the freeway within an hour.

 

[mattsarz]

Progressive Field? When did that happen???

How long until Progressive is bought out and the name changes again?

Rights are owned by Progressive for 16 years at around $3 million per year.