Quest for 30 Stadiums

Turner Field: Redux

2011-09-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

OK, we'd been to Turner Field before. And yes, the banners of all the division and league wins (and that one World Series win) continues to loom large over the field. And no, Bobby Cox was no longer in the dugout.

But it doesn't change the fact that a baseball game with (relatively) cheap seats in the shade is a great way to spend an afternoon.

...even if the food and beer at Turner do call for an upgrade...

...still, that's three generations of Bischof men paying respects to the Braves, who won 5-1.

Wrigley Field: Windy City, Friendly Confines

2010-05-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Took the red line train from our hotel on Harrison to Addison, the stop for Wrigley Field.

To say that Wrigley Field is unique, is a throwback to an early era, is old school -- just somehow doesn't seem to tell the story.

From the ivy-covered wall...

...to the fans sitting in makeshift bleachers on rooftops across the street......to the bullpen that was actually part of the field (not beyond the outfield wall)...

...to the manual scoreboard with a guy who posts the numbers by hand (no jumbotron here)...

...to the live organ...

...to the posts throughout the seats that block the view...

...it really is unlike any stadium I have been in. The closest stadium would have to be Shea when I went in 2008. If anything, it reminded me of the old Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.

But my nostalgia for a bygone era (so that's why people keep score in their programs -- there was a time when the lineups were not posted on jumbotrons in center field) was tempered by all of the amenities that modern stadiums have that are, well, kind of nice...and Wrigley, frankly, doesn't.

Good draft beer.

Enough women's bathroom stalls. (Dana said she waited forever to get in.)

Room in the concourses to move around freely.

The mph of each pitch.

Something to eat that reflects the city.

That said, we had a great time. The attendants at Wrigley were extremely nice. At so many stadiums, I have been "Move along"-ed by stadium attendants when I moved close to take a photo or two. Turner Field and Yankee Stadium come to mind. Not at Wrigley. "Sure, go right ahead, move on down close, take your time." It really is "The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field."

Lots of Cubs fans. Attendance was 41,366, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't count the people sitting on the rooftops across the street.

And it was bloody cold. The forecast called for 67 degrees, but if felt like barely 50 out there. There's a reason this guy is wearing a winter cap.

Cubs lost 4-3 in a thriller that went down to the last pitch. With the tying run on third, the last two Cubs were retired.

Insert your own joke about long-suffering Cubs fans here.

Camden Yards: Thanks for the Tix

2010-05-15T17:32:00.001-07:00

Took the fam up to Baltimore to see my sister and her SO, Tom. We parked a block away from the stadium because we knew they were staying near by. We met them at the Babe Ruth statue on Eutaw Street and walked up to Lexington Market together.

We ate lump crab cakes at Faidley's then had ice cream at the Inner Harbor. A bird crapped on Megan's head. I think in some societies that's considered a good omen.

We're back at the parking deck saying goodbye when a car pulls up and a man rolls down the window.

"Here, take these tickets. They're good seats," he said shoving through the window a handful of tickets. "I'm a season ticket holder. Take the kids to the game; it's great foul ball area."

And so, on a rainy Wednesday night in early May, we went to the game. And it was fantastic. Six tickets, eleventh row, directly behind the visitor's dugout. Ike had a great time, and really showed interest in keeping track of the game. It was a school night, so we only stayed until the sixth inning, but we saw the winning run, and the Orioles won 5-2.

Yankee Stadium: The House that Steinbrenner Built

2010-05-02T20:17:00.001-07:00

I took the Subway to Yankee Stadium, not getting lost too much, while Dana and Madison went to see 'Wicked.' I got the better end of that deal, I think.

It was a spectacularly beautiful day. Eighty degrees. Sun. Me in the highest row of the grandstand behind home plate (Section 423, Row 14, Seat 10).

New Yorkers to the left of me. New Yorkers to the right.

Yankee Stadium is the first stadium that I've seen that lists the calorie content of all of the food in the park. Nathan's Beef Frankfurter? 464 calories. Nathan's Cheese Fries: 1,341 calories.

I had a Lobel's beef sandwich.

They put these guys behind glass to show you the meat is real.

It's real. 464 calories. I had a Blue Moon as well. 342 calories. Later I had a Brooklyn Lager, which very well could be my favorite lager.

After two home runs by Andruw Jones and some poor pitching by the widely-booed Javier Vazquez, the White Sox were up 5-1 in the fourth. Then Vazquez got, ahem, yanked. And the home team put up 5 runs to take the lead, capped by a Nick Swisher home run.

And the crowd went wild.

Don't worry, haters, the Yankees lost anyway, 7-6.

It was fun to see the fans, some of the strongest that I've seen sporting jerseys with great names on their backs: Munson, Jackson, Mantle, Gehrig.

Nice jersey, Jeter.

Nationals Park: Redux

2010-04-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been here before. But going to the Nats game with old friends was the perfect start to a busy few weeks. Between now and the middle of May, I should see games in seven new parks, including the new Yankees Stadium.

Joining me for this game were two friends from our time in Vientiane, Laos: Mike Sweeney and the Lao head of the building and maintenance department, Somboun Inthavong. It was Somboun's first baseball game.

We each had the Ben's Chili Bowl half-smoke smothered in chili, onions and cheese. Heart attack on a bun washed down with Miller Genuine Draft. Great stuff.

Nationals won behind two home runs from Adam Dunn, who had been slumping. Before the first home run in the fourth, I turned to Mike and said, "Boy, he's really got a low batting average." Boom, upper deck. So, I did it again in the sixth. Boom, gone.

Citi Field: Not Quite Shea

2009-07-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

I visited Shea Stadium last September, and at that point, it was the best baseball crowd I had been in. Up, down, no matter what was happening on the field, the crowd let the players know what they thought. Especially after apathetic crowds in Atlanta and Washington, it was so refreshing to be in a baseball city.

That said, Shea was a pit. Lousy food, dingy walkways and horrible seats. But I hadn't been around a crowd so energetic and engaged since Atlanta in 1992. And I loved it.

Tonight, Citi Field. The stadium I could see from Shea last September. Like so many of the newer stadiums, it's bright, beautiful, huge jumbotrons (two of 'em!), great food and beer...and yet I wonder what happened to the crowd I was in last year. The loudest the crowd got was when they flashed the Yankees defeat on the scoreboard.

I had a Goose Island Pale Ale and a Budweiser. Check out this beer list; it may be the most impressive beer list I've seen on this tour. Tiger! Hoegaarden! Widmer! Stella Artois!

Again, like so many stadiums, the good food is beyond centerfield and at the club level. Good luck getting anything better than sausages and dogs in the upper deck. I had an italian sausage with onions and peppers and my game mate Dana had a Nathan's hot dog. Check out the condiments available, though.

Johan Santana pitched masterfully, new Met Jeff Francouer hit a two-run single, and the Mets won 4-0.

Camden Yards: "This is awesome!"

2009-05-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

The weather was cloudy, even foggy. I pulled Ike out of school to go to an afternoon game, and we drove to Baltimore. We wore jackets because the temperature was below 70 degrees.

Ike is learning baseball more and more. He said, "I like the view much better in the stadium. On TV you can only see small sections, but at the stadium you can see everything."

This time, I didn't leave. Twice the Orioles battled back from deficits. The first time, down 8-3, they tied the game with five runs in the 8th inning.

And then in the bottom of the 11th inning, Nolan Reimold hit a three-run walk-off home run to win it, 12-10. Ike's reaction: "This is awesome!" Also, he is near-hoarse from chanting, "Let's Go, O's!"

An afternoon game in Baltimore means a small crowd. Attendance was just 13,000.

Ike and I each had two(!) Hebrew National hotdogs, which were nothing special. I also had a Wild Goose IPA and a Clipper City Gold Ale.

Progressive Field: Bad Team Makes Good

2009-05-25T20:12:00.001-07:00

I'd like to say I stayed to the not-bitter end. I want to tell you that I didn't leave before the Indians scored seven in the 9th inning to beat the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays.

Did I learn nothing from the Oakland game last summer? Remember, it ain't over 'til it's over? Oh no, not again...yes, again. The Indians, who were getting clobbered about for eight innings, somehow managed to pull out an amazing win...and I left in the 8th inning.

I will say that I left after most, and that the leaving of so many people allowed me to move right down to the first base line directly behind the dugout to get some decent photos.

It was cold. After a day when I got sunburned at the park, today I regretted wearing shorts and a tee-shirt because of the wind off the lake. 62 degrees at gametime. And the seagulls were swirling the field, occasionally landing, and always a concern for anybody with a hotdog or wanting to keep a clean shirt.

I'm not a Native American, but even I know this logo is not good. The older Indians head logo, which has become popular again, is even worse. Even the Braves got away from using 'Chief Noc-A-Homa.'

I had a brat with onions, and kraut, and most importantly, Stadium Mustard, which is unique to Cleveland and spectacular, and apparently is now called Bertman Ballpark Mustard.

Oh, Bertman Ballpark Mustard (sometimes still called Stadium Mustard in your local grocery)! How I love thee! Let us never again be apart even for a week! I will put you on my hot dogs and on my ham sandwiches! I will put you on my hamburgers and my pork chops! I will put you on my fingers and simply lick them clean!

I also had a Great Lakes Burning River pale ale, named after the famous fire of the Cuyahoga River in 1969. Yes, you read that right: the river caught fire.

Great American Ballpark: A Sense of History

2009-05-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

I love the sense of history in baseball, and they do it well in Cincinnati. From the old school logo, like in the below hat, to hearing fans call the team the "Red Legs," to seeing the tile murals at the entrance highlighting world series wins, when you are in Cincinnati, you are reminded that this is a team with a long, long history.

Out of deference to my game mate, Eric Heinzer, a Cleveland Indians fan, I broke tradition on the quest and rooted for the visiting team. Battle of Ohio, and we wound up rooting for the losing team as the Tribe's bullpen failed in the 11th, and Cleveland lost 4-3.

Extra innings meant extra time in the sun, and I got a little sunburned.

I had the Skyline Chili coney dog. Hey, if it's good enough for Anthony Bourdain. It had a strange flavor like cumin or cinnamon. It's an Indian cuisine flavor that I couldn't quite place.The chili meat was finely ground. And there were mounds and mounds of cheese. Cheese, Grommit, cheese!

As for beer, I had the Goose Island Honker's Ale, a Chicago beer, which was o.k.

Between beer and chili dogs, there was occasionally baseball.

Comerica Park....Detroit: Better Than You Think

2009-05-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Detroit: Home of the auto industry and poster city for economic collapse, CEO arrogance, bailouts, bankruptcy. I had low expectations in going to Detroit. My visual image? 8 Mile. I expected blight. Ruin. Whatever the city equivalent is of a rusty Pontiac.

And boy was I wrong.

Comerica Park is beautiful. It reminded me of AT&T Park in San Francisco. Statues of Tiger greats like Ty Cobb, below, and Al Kaline stood beyond left field.

Attendance was 37,000; it was packed.

Food was average to good. I had the Hebrew National dog and a bratwurst with onions. Yellow mustard. According to one of the vendors, the best food in the house was the turkey leg. Next time.

Draft beer offerings -- after a bit of searching -- were good. I had the Leinenhugel Summer Shandy and the Atwater Block Michigan Lager.

After the game: fireworks. On-street parking a few blocks away: free. This guy: selling stuffed tigers and foam tiger claws.

There were some cheesy things: the small ferris wheel with baseball shaped cars. The carousel that had nothing but tigers.

My mate for this game was my old friend Markus J. Bluebird, whom I hadn't seen in nearly 20 years. Our seats were third base side, just outside the screen, maybe 20 rows up. Foul balls fell just ahead and just behind us.

My only complaint was how long it took us to get to the freeway. Poor signage and no police help caused us to take 40 minutes to get to the freeway from the stadium.

Tigers lost 4-3, final batter Gerald Laird lamely swinging at strike 3 with the winning run on first base.

Nationals Park: Dead Presidents, Dead Nationals

2008-09-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

The Washington Nationals are bad. They have been bad. They will continue to be bad.

The Nationals Park, on the other hand, is quite nice. Good seats (we bought them at the box office on day of...that should tell you something). Good commute to the park (Metro Navy Yard). Good food. Good company (my partner this time -- and for the first time this summer -- was my oldest, Madison).

I had the foot long with kraut (Hebrew National -- excellent) and a Leiner's wheat beer (again, excellent). Madison had the cheese pizza and the famous Noah's "W" pretzel (that refers to the Washington Nationals, not the President!). She also had her first Dippin' Dots, and said she liked them -- unlike Ike, who was not fond of them at Turner Field.

One nice touch: the Nationals have the team's signature "W" cut into the outfield grass.

The dead presidents made their appearance. I can't say I'm fond of them. Neither is the Post's Stephen Hunter. They didn't even run; they rode Segueways. Lame. Is there any doubt but that -- were they actually to compete -- Teddy Roosevelt would simply kick the $hit out of the other 3?

The Nationals' offense was anemic, but the weather was perfect, and it's hard to say this was anything but the perfect day at the park. Check out more photos at my Multiply site.

Turner Field: Too Many LOB; Braves Season DOA

2008-08-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Braves are not a good team. It pains me to say so, because I was around for -- or at least following -- a good number of the 14 seasons that the Braves reached the playoffs. Ron Gant unfairly pulled off first base by Kent Hrbek in 1991! Sid Bream chugging around for home in game 7 of the NLCS in 1992! David Justice hitting the home run in 1995 to win the World Series! Ryan Klesko! Marquis Grissom! Terry Pendleton! Javy Lopez! Mark Lemke! Glavine! Smoltz! Maddux! Wohlers! Rocker! I almost get choked up thinking about it. Those days are clearly gone. Even Chipper Jones sat the bench for this game.

The Braves were clobbered 9-0 by the Brewers. Too many left on base. Mark Teixeira traded before the trade deadline, and the Braves have clearly given up on the season.

So...on to more important topics. First, they confiscated my 70-300mm lens at the park entrance. I had to make due with a 100mm lens that really is a portrait lens. As I walked around the park, the ushers kept asking me to move on, too.

Next, there is a giant cow in left center field that does the tomahawk chop. Thank you, Chick-Fil-A.

Also in left field is a giant Coca-Cola bottle that is decorated with bats, balls, gloves, bases, and Braves jerseys.

Joining me for this game were my Dad and Ike, who has now seen games at three stadiums. They had a home-to-first base run out in the outfield upper deck, so Ike "ran to first." He was also fond of the cow, but not so fond of the "dippin' dots" ice cream. He had cheese pizza, which he said was good. Dad and I had hot dogs; he had the Georgia dog (Vidalia onion relish and cole slaw), and I had the New York dog (sauerkraut and onions). Washed mine down with a Budweiser Select. Beer selection was not too good here.

More photos on my Multiply site.

Chase Field: "Throw him out!"

2008-07-23T23:36:00.001-07:00

Chase Field probably is the most impressive stadium I have seen yet. The park had a retractable roof (closed tonight), was air conditioned, and was located in downtown Phoenix. It has the same sort of newness feeling that so much of Phoenix has.

The scoreboard was like nothing I have ever seen. Call it what you want: jumbotron, scoreboard, or the big screen; it seemed like a giant plasma television in centerfield. It is 144 feet by 55 feet and cost more than $10 million.

In the sixth inning, the screen became the "kiss cam," and those couples captured on camera and put on screen were expected to, well, you know, kiss.

I had the Gordon Biersch footlong brat with sauerkraut and an order of garlic fries, both of which were excellent. Ike had the Peter Piper 8" cheese pizza, which he gave the thumbs up to, but did not look too appetizing to me.

Our game companions were David and Jacob Allen, Dana's first cousins, and David got us excellent seats on the third base side. For the second game in a row, the visitors probably were louder than the home team. The Cubs were in town, and they had a good number of fans in our section. Late in the game tensions between fans ran high. This girl was defending the honor of her boyfriend, who brought in a sign that said, "Cubs have stubs," which was stolen by a Cubs fan, nearly caused a fight, and then got shown the door when the whole section (including Ike) started chanting, "Throw him out! Throw him out!"

The game had lots of home runs - 4 - including a Cubs grand slam that was appropriately tossed back onto the field. The Cubs avoided a sweep in Arizona by winning 10-6.

More photos on my Multiply site.

Angel Stadium: Let's Go...Red Sox?

2008-07-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

I think it's been since I was a kid watching the woeful Cleveland Indians in equally bad Municipal Stadium that I saw the visiting team so fill up a stadium. Thus it is when the visitors are the world champion Boston Red Sox. For the first 4 innings or so, at least in our section, the Boston fans out shouted the locals. "Let's go, Angels!" was getting drowned out by "Let's go, Red Sox!"

Things started to turn in the fifth and sixth when the Angels put together two big innings. By the time the Sox fans were heading for the gates in the eighth, the Angels fans really let them have it. It was great. This Sox fan, though, when heckled mercilessly as he was leaving, reminded the locals who won the AL last year.

My game partner was our youngest, Megan, who ate two hot dogs, drank a bottle of water, was wowed by the post-game fireworks, and fell asleep in the car on the way home.

I, on the other hand, had in-stadium vendor Ruby's Diner's chili bowl and onion rings and chased it with a Pyramid hefeweizen. Damn good chili.

Manny Ramirez made one of the strangest plays I have ever seen in left field, which involved charging a pop up, missing it, crawling for it, and then falling on top of the ball. Watch the clip on ESPN. The final score was 11-3, Angels.

More photos at my Multiply site.

Dodger Stadium: The View from the Cheap Seats

2008-07-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

We drove down to Anaheim from Berkeley starting at 5 a.m. and arriving just before noon. Dana and the girls went to sleep at the hotel, and Ike and I hopped back in the car and headed back to L.A. Arriving at the park just before opening pitch, we went to the Dodgers game on almost no sleep. Parking was a ridiculous $15. Hey, I can get a crab sandwich at AT&T Park for $15!

It was Ike's first baseball game, and he was a champ. He learned balls and strikes, practiced singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the car, and ate root beer and popcorn. He really liked watching the batting, he says.

NYTimes said don't eat the Dodger Dog. The guy next to me at the Giants-Dodgers game on the 6th said to get it, that it was a good dog. So I did. I shouldn't have. Washed it down with a Gordon Biersch Marzen. Then another. It almost fully removed that waxy taste from my mouth.

Stadium filled up three-quarters to 42,213. Somehow it seemed emptier. The stadium is atop a hill, but oddly there is no view. Our seats were cheap, and way, way, way up there. The stadium seating was segregated. Our "top deck" tickets would not have allowed us into any other part of the stadium, even to buy food.

I have to say that Dodgers fans seemed the most spirited out of any that I've seen so far. Lots of blue and white jerseys, hats, painted faces, and...ummm...this hair.

There was a lot of scoring in the first, some great pitching by Chad Billingsley, and the Dodgers picked up the win, 9-1.

Check out more photos on my Multiply site.

Mama's Got a Squeezebox...

2008-07-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

There is at least one Californian I know who has sampled both "In 'N Out" and my current favorite burger joint, Washington DC's "Five Guys," and swears that "In 'N Out" is far superior. I, of course, object to anything Californian, home of sprouts, arugala, and avocados (mushy, flavorless, and neither fruit nor vegetable). How could such a place get beef right? Or at least more right than Five Guys? Or the Pacific Northwest's Burgerville? Or the make-your-own burger chain Fuddruckers? And because it's been so long since I had a burger done right, this took on particular significance for me.

Thanks to my brother-in-law Jared (that's his head in the first photo), who took me there after (er...during) the A's-Mariner's game, I now can speak with some authority on the matter. The fries definitely lose out to Five Guys, which stuffs a brown paper bag full of giant greasy fries for you. As for the burger...well...it's close. In 'n Out belongs in the above list, but may not be atop. This definitely requires more research. I am just the man for the job.

McAfee Coliseum: It Ain't Over 'til It's Over

2008-07-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I went and did it. I ignored one of the cardinal rules of baseball: it ain't over 'til it's over. My brother-in-law Jared and I left McAfee Coliseum in the ninth with the A's down 2-0. Turns out the A's came back with two home runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie it and one more in the eleventh to win it.

That said, from what we saw it was a pitcher's battle, with the Mariners' knuckleballer R.A. Dickie throwing great stuff for seven innings. A's pitcher Brad Ziegler pitched a scoreless seventh inning for now 19 scoreless innings pitched, his first 19 in the majors. Greg Smith also tossed six scoreless innings and picked Miguel Cairo off first.

I rented a 300 mm / f2.8 lens for this game and a 1.4x extender, and we had excellent seats (Sec. 125, row 1, seats 4-5). So, some of the photos I got are not bad. I would have liked to be a bit closer toward home -- we were two sections down from the A's dugout -- but still pretty good.

I didn't eat at the park, only had a Dr. Pepper. Which was fine. If you don't mind paying $4 for a Dr. Pepper. They also had something called a "Squishy," which appeared to be nothing more than a frozen lemonade. I don't think I could sell something called a "Squishy" and still respect myself.

See more photos at my Multiply site.

Top 10 Ballparks

2008-07-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

According to Draft Magazine, these are the top 10 ballparks. But how can a supposed magazine about beer not have any comments about the beers available?

1. Fenway Park
2. Wrigley Field
3. PNC Park
4. Yankee Stadium
5. Nationals Park
6. Camden Yards
7. Minute Maid Park
8. Safeco Field
9. Coors Field
10. Comerica Park

AT&T Park: "Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!"

2008-07-07T00:07:00.000-07:00

AT&T Park is beautiful, and the weather could not have been better. Capacity is 40,900 and the once-cross town rivalry pulled in 38,290. Above is the view from our seats, which were between first and third.

I was surprised by how many "diversions" there were from the game. There was a PS3 set up in the concourse, a small diamond for small children to play a mini game, and even a bat making demonstration.

I ate the Crazy Crab'z Sandwich, and it was damn good. But $15! $15 for a sandwich! That's just not right. Chased it with an Anchor Steam. Earlier, we had the Prohibition Ale, which was a bit hoppy for me, and peanuts.

There is an area in the outfield where anyone can walk up for free and watch the game. We walked inside just as the players had finished warming up, leaving a couple balls on the field. One resourceful fan rigged up this can and rope tool to snatch two balls from the field. Hey, it worked.

In the end, the Dodgers held off a ninth inning Giants rally, and took the game 5-3 and the series 2-1. See more photos at my Multipy photo site.

Breakfast and the End of Prohibition

2008-07-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

I met Curtis at 11:00 at the 21st Amendment near the park. I tried the Watermelon Wheat; I am not that fond of fruit in my beer, but it was especially light and good.

From there it was eggs Benedict with an English mild beer. I like my eggs Benedict with a bit more lemon juice than they put in, but the eggs were soft boiled just right and the Canadian bacon was nice and salty. The potatoes could have been fried a little crispier, but topped with Tobasco, and they were great. All in all, a great choice for breakfast.

AT&T Park: A Preview

2008-06-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Two weeks from hitting American soil, and less than three weeks until the Quest for 30 starts in AT&T Park in San Francisco.

What to say about the park that will start it? The only stadium in the U.S. with free wireless.
Great eats, says the SFChronicle, outside the park, as well as in. Here are the views in the stadium.

The Giants are absent the juicer, 10 games under .500 and 7 games out. The Dodgers also are falling behind the surging DBacks, 7 under .500 and 5.5 games out. But it's Independence Day weekend, and there's a rivalry on.

Pre-game meal: 21st Amendment, 563 Second St., San Francisco
Seats: Section 110, Row 24
Food to look forward to: Crab cake sandwich.
Along for the ride: Curtis Allen, my brother-in-law.

NYTimes on ballpark food

2008-06-09T05:08:00.000-07:00

The NYTimes has a great three-part piece on food at ballparks.

Buy Me Some Sushi and Baby Back Ribs. by Peter Meehan

THE sandwich was perfectly executed: an overgenerous helping of fresh Dungeness crab meat, dressed in a gossamer coating of mayonnaise and piled between two warm slices of sourdough bread that had been scrubbed with garlic and griddled crisp. The drinks were excellent, too: a split of Laurent-Perrier Champagne for my girlfriend; a tall, ice-cold glass of hoppy Anchor Steam Beer for me. And the view at our walk-up, alfresco table was impossible to beat: palm trees swayed, sailboat masts bobbed and, in the distance, the Bay Bridge stretched out across foggy San Francisco Bay.

The service was unobtrusive, except for one thing: we were encouraged to put down our sandwiches and stand up when the national anthem came over the public address system. We were, after all, dining in the company of about 40,000 other people, at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Read More

Finding the Hits, Avoiding the Misses.

An interactive map showing all 30 parks and their best and worst food.

Ballparks Step Up Their Food Game.

A slide show highlighting ballpark eats.