8 down, 22 to go. (New Yankee Stadium-NYC)

Here it is, the cathedral of baseball, well the new one at least. Yankee Stadium is pretty amazing in a lot of ways. It's amazing to look at, amazing to see a game in, amazing to eat a hot dog at. (Though I don't recommend the chicken sandwiches.) It's easy to get to on the subway, the stop is right across the street.

There's the usual New York hubbub surrounding the park on game days, dudes playing soprano sax for money, cute girls handing out strip club flyers, you know, typical fare. I was in an obstructed view seat, behind a fair pole in the upper deck, and it was still a pretty good seat. The game that I saw wasn't that amazing, the Yankees whooped the A's, but it was still an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone to partake in.

7 down, 23 to go. (Petco Park-San Diego)

Welcome to Petco Park in San Diego. I saw a Marlins vs. Padres game here, which the Marlins won. It's a really nice place to take in a game. It's famous for the old Western Metal Supply building integrated into leftfield, and for being a pitcher's park. It should also be famous for its super nachos, but that's another story. (See above.) Somehow I avoided gaining 10 pounds after gnawing through those bad boys.

It's one of those new downtown parks that really livened up the area around it, in this case the Gaslamp District. I definitely recommend going there after a game and taking in the sights.

So the food is good, the fans are knowledgeable, and the park isn't bad to look at, all in all a nice getaway for the family.

6 down, 24 to go. (AT&T Park-San Francisco)

Welcome to AT&T Park. It's an incredible place to see a game. I saw two games here, both Giants vs. Marlins. The Marlins were losing 9-2 in the first game, tied it 9-9, then lost in 10 innings. Anibal Sanchez threw a one hitter in the second game and the Marlins won.

The park itself has a great view, all baseball fans know about McCovey Cove in right, where sailboats can be seen in the distance on a clear day. (Barry Bonds' 756 plaque has been relegated to a dark corner.) There are really no bad seats in the house. Walking around the concourses, you can see great Giants players of the past on the walls, on your way to get some garlic fries, which are frickin' amazing. Outside there are statues of the great Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda.

So sit back, enjoy the ball game, and the view.

5 down, 25 to go. (Angel Stadium-Anaheim)

Welcome to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, home of the elusive Rallius Monkeyius, a.k.a. the Rally Monkey. I saw an Angels vs. Red Sox game here. There were a lot of Red Sox fans in attendance, and a good percentage of them were obnoxious. (Not a huge fan of the Sawx, in case you couldn't tell.) The Angels lost their brand new acquisition Dan Haren to a linedrive off of the arm, gave up two homeruns to Big Papi, and despite breaking out the Rally Monkey, still fell to the Red Sox that night.

You gotta love the Rally Monkey though. What I liked about this place is you didn't have the canned noise that you see in a lot of ballparks, telling fans when to cheer, when to clap, when to go to the bathroom, etc. If you don't know when to cheer, I don't know what to tell you.

The stadium is really nice, despite being 40-odd years old, it still looks like new, the rockpile in center, the big A hats out front, good parking, all lend to a nice ambiance. The food is not that bad, but pretty expensive in my experience. Maybe I bought the wrong thing, I had a grilled chicken BBQ sandwich.

It's certainly a world apart from its LA neighbor Dodger Stadium, but not in a bad way, just different.

Till next time-

4 down, 26 to go. (Dodger Stadium-Los Angeles)

It's been a while, huh? Don't worry, there will be several posts upcoming.

Welcome to Dodger Stadium. It's a great place to see a game. My first thought when seeing the field was, "damn, this is a big stadium." It's huge, but somehow has kind of a homey feel to it. It's kind of shoehorned into a canyon (the erstwhile Chavez Ravine). The sightlines are good, there are plenty of concession stands and bathrooms, and the crowd is pretty knowledgeable, late-arriving as they are.

Of course you know I couldn't get away without extolling the virtues of the Dodger Dog (good, and frickin' huge) and the garlic fries. Get them both. They also sell water in this cool souvenir bottle. Make sure to slather on sunscreen when you go, as my epidermis can attest to.

See you all soon-

3 Down, 27 to go. (Turner Field-Atlanta)

It's been a while, but I didn't wanna blow all my posts at once and not have anything else to talk about for a long time, because this is my last major league ballpark to post about. That's right, 27 to go. I do have plans to see four in California in July, (all except Oakland, couldn't work that in) so that will help my total, but I do have a ways to go. Nothing I can't handle though. For now, time to report on ballpark #3, Turner Field in Atlanta.

The ambiance is really neat, there's a nice plaza at the entrance with statues of all the retired Braves. The ballpark itself is, okay I guess would be the best word. The sight lines are good, and they do show you a good time, but it doesn't really inspire you the way I get inspired seeing the shrines of baseball on TV. For what it is though, it succeeds. Oh, and the food was okay too. (Had to sneak that in.)

Baseball's never been hotter. (Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville-Jacksonville)

Hello again baseball land-

So a couple of years back I was living in Jacksonville for work and I went to a Jacksonville Suns vs. Carolina Mudcats game. (This is Southern League, Double A, back then the Mudcats were a Marlins affiliate.)

The stadium is easy to get to and really nice, and, you know where I'm going next, the concessions are well placed and yummy. I had a great time with the sumo contest on the field refereed by Hooters girls and the fireworks display after the game.

Definitely an experience I would recommend. :)