Touch Them All
The idea started on a beautiful day in Seattle in 2001. The Minnesota Twins and I were in town to take in the views of Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park). It was only my third baseball stadium but the wild childish dream of chasing 27 more ball parks was appetizing. The rich colored bricks and northwest green steel placed perfectly under a retractable roof with the warm buzz of friendly chatter was simply too inviting. I knew I had to dream.
Seven years earlier, the Baltimore Orioles opened the doors to Camden Yards, a bucket list for any enthusiast. It was the first to break away from the modern multipurpose stadiums that didn’t age well. Instead of moving forward and looking toward tomorrow’s design, they went backward to the jewelry box stadiums with character, manual score boards, and vintage advertisements. Nostalgic — like a Mitchell & Ness jersey, like seeing a black and white photo come to life. It was such a success, other teams grew jealous and invested in their own fields of dreams.
Sadly, when new stadiums go up, their current (and older) homes get repurposed into parking lots, little league fields, or just memories. It was just as important for me to see the Metrodome, the ballpark in Arlington, and both New York stadiums to feel the mystique and spirit of the past before it became exactly that. I did a few ballparks solo when I couldn’t convince anyone to see these dilapidated pieces of crap. It felt like visiting the grandparents by myself. But, I naturally hit a lull. Not sure if it was lack of drive, money, or time — but likely all three.
Over those next 14 years, the count was 15 ballparks (19 total). Then Wendy got interested and became my chasing partner. We would fly into Chicago and rush to a White Sox game, next day do a Wrigley Field tour, then train to Milwaukee. She made the four hour drive from Houston to Arlington bearable. The count swelled to 28 by the end of 2019. In 2022, I added Globe Life Field. Then, on June 5, 2023, nearly 34 years to the day Roger Centre (SkyDome) opened, I got to touch them all.
My takeaway…every ballpark has a story. From the city approvals, to ground breaking, and even celebrating a World Series clincher — stories we keep and pass down. I can tell you about the time we left a combined-no-hitter in Anaheim because we didn’t realize the Mariners were hitless, or the game we witnessed Aaron Judge tie and then break the rookie homerun record from the Yankee Pepsi lounge. Or that one time I took my father to AT&T park to see them raise the 2010 World Champion flag and blamed the jalapenos for me tearing up. Being the person he was, he left in the 7th, missed the Giants losing the lead, and the Cardinals walk off win. The lady behind me put her hand on my shoulder and said “sorry he missed this.”
Shade side > being under the sun. Humidity can ruin a baseball experience.
If the stadium tour is available, take it. It opens the closed doors to the public. You see dugouts and club houses, all curious questions have honest answers, and you have the park to yourself, or at least to a small group of peers. And you learn stuff. I learned the Miami Marlins had to blow another $1 million on art to access a city grant, so they spent it all on one piece — the polarizing home run sculpture that sat in left center field. It’s like the people that built the house, share their home.
It’s still impossible to say which stadium is tops, any fan’s ranking is biased (only Dodger fans will say Dodger Stadium is beautiful). They all have their charms though: the W flag, misting stations, water fountains in the bleachers, and city view backdrops. I take into account the year it was built and who followed — a 1981 Honda Civic will feel different than a 2006 model, after all. Globe Life Field should feel like a 20 year upgrade to Minute Maid Park, and I will say Great American Ball Park is underrated.
All parks, stadiums, or home away from home are built as cathedrals. Maybe not a place to worship but to come together as family. It’s a place to connect, share, and make memories, even by yourself. You can spot the birds on the floor in Toronto or on the bricks in St. Louis.
It’s still a timeless place even if you don’t like baseball. Being honest, I was a little sad knowing my chase is over. I didn’t have a passport book to get stamped and photos taken with the flip phone is forgotten, and my signature on Pesky pole is likely written over. Anything lost can be found again. Except time wasted.