Baseball Stadiums I Have Visited, Part 1

In a comment related to my previous post about the start of Spring Training, Lil Sis asked which major league parks I've visited in all my years as a fan. So herewith begins a series in which I identify them all, along with what (to me at least) are some pertinent comments about the respective experiences I associate with each. The list will be more or less in the order that I visited the various parks.

1. Exhibition Stadium (Toronto Blue Jays)

When the Blue jays (along with the Mariners) joined the American League in 1977, they became my de facto home team, since Toronto was only 90 miles away from Buffalo. My friends and I would go up to see the Blue Jays play two or three times a year in what was easily the worst park to watch a game I've ever experienced (at any level). Exhibition Stadium was built for football, and the sightlines were terrible unless you were seated immediately adjacent to the infield (the right field seats were the worst of a bad lot). Since we didn't have a lot of money, and the team was pretty popular, especially as they got good in the early 80s, we often got stuck out in those right field seats. I remember one home opener in particular, where the seats were crummy, the weather was terrible (Toronto in April is a pretty iffy proposition in that regard) and it seems like we (my brother Nick and my friend Jeff were with me as I recall) spent most of our time huddling around cups of hot chocolate under the stands. But we also saw a lot of great games, and some fine young players (Jesse Barfield was a particular favorite) as they came of age. Oddly, by the time the Blue Jays were really good (and winning World Series), they were playing in the modern Rogers Center, and I never found the time to go see them play there. There was something about the rinky-dinkiness of Exhibition Stadium that made it charming, and I always saw the newer stadium as kind of cold (in atmosphere, not temperature-- it has a dome) and so of little appeal. maybe this year, when I'm back east I'll think about giving it a try.

2. Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh Pirates)

The second major league stadium I visited was with Nick in 1979. We drove down to Pittsburgh for a doubleheader between the Pirates and Braves. During the game, there was an announcement that the Pirates (then a very good team) had adopted the Sister Sledge song "We Are Family" as their theme song. Led by an aging but still effective Willie Stargell that team would go on to win the World Series that year. The Braves (who I was really more interested in seeing) were a bad team, but Phil Neikro did win one of the games, confounding the Pirate sluggers with his knuckleball. Another announcement during the game was that the following night was dollar night-- with general admission seats all going for a buck. We had planned to drive back to Buffalo after the doubleheader, but instead went to visit our cousins in Johnstown to see if any of them wanted to come back the next night with us. I don't believe any of them took us up on the offer, but we were back the next night sitting in the left field bleachers for another Braves loss. I remember that Dale Murphy, a highly touted Braves prospect, looked really bad over those three games (though later he'd develop into a two time MVP), but I was glad to have had the opportunity to see him in person nonetheless.

3. Atlanta Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Braves)

My senior year in college, I got it into my head that I should pursue a career in public relations for a major league ball team (I was a communications major, and the other options weren't all that exciting). So I wrote a letter to Wayne Minshew, who handled p.r. for the Braves, and he graciously wrote back inviting me to visit if I were ever in Atlanta. So naturally, I made the arrangements to fly down as soon as I could. I met Mr. Minshew and he showed me around the team offices, giving me a rundown on what he and his staff of one did. The Braves first round draft choice that year, pitcher Ken Dayley, was also on the premises that day, though I didn't get to meet him. Mr. Minshew was very hospitable, but in the end, they just didn't have any openings. I stayed for the better part of a week, at a hotel right across the street from the stadium, and saw four games against the Reds and Mets (if I recall-- I don't have my friend Jeff's memory for those kind of details), again all Braves losses except for the one started by Phil Neikro. Those were the wilderness years for the Braves, and I haven't been back to the city in the summer since, so haven't checked out Turner Field, though it's definitely on my to-do list.

That's part 1-- the next installment should be posted tomorrow or the next day.