Before this year, I had not gone to a baseball game since I was three. 20 years later, I would break my drought and attend
two games in two very different ballparks; Fenway Park and Yankees Stadium.
Fellow contributor, Kyle, has an excellent piece on Petco
Park and from the looks of it many more experiences to share. I want to do a
little compare, contrast, and see who really has the upper hand when it comes
to the ballpark experience amongst the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry.
Being a Red Sox fan, I had long ago decided my next game (that I would actually remember) would be at Fenway Park. After coordinating
with my best friend, we picked a game, mapped our route, and embarked to Boston
the first weekend of August. Our hotel was less than a mile from the ballpark,
a quick hop, skip, and jump down Brookline. As we approached Fenway, the
atmosphere was electric. Fans packed the streets, a variety of bars surround
the stadium, plus ballpark food and merchandise is at your finger tips.
My first impression of the stadium? It looks WAY bigger on
TV. Fenway Park can seat 37,065 fans. It sounds like a lot, but when you
compare it to new Yankees Stadium which seats 50,287, you really see the
difference. Food and souvenirs were located all around the concourse, there
were surrounding areas outside the building for picnicking, and the view is
great from every location. Well, except the Pesky Pole, but the tradition alone
is enough to make those seats bearable. Through a pretty sweet hook up of mine,
our seats were 20 rows behind home plate. You could not ask for a better way to
experience your first ball game in 20 years. However, Fenway Park did have some
undesirable qualities I was not expecting.
The beer line. Whether it was before the first pitch, during
the third inning, or in between the 6th and 7th for last
call, the line took FOREVER. A 20 minute wait for a bottled beer in my opinion, is unacceptable. Secondly, the food left much to be desired.
Before making the trip, everyone I spoke to said to try a Fenway Frank. Well I must have found the wrong place,
because my hot dog was nothing special. Next time, I defiantly want to make the
extra effort to find the chowder stand. My final negative criticism of Fenway
is without a doubt the seats. They are made of wood and are extremely uncomfortable
to sit in for an extended period of time. If you are going there, bring a
seat cushion. You’ll thank me later.
Fenway Park Experience
Scale 1-10: 8
While I never planned on attending a game at Yankees
Stadium, I had the opportunity to this past
weekend. Fellow Pond Scum Sports contributor, Ray Ray Marz, and I took the 25
minute ride up the D line from Midtown to 161st St in the Bronx. The park is only a few blocks from the Subway station and besides a handful of
bars and food places, there is not much else to do. Considering the area, it
really does not promote exploring either. When you approach the park, it’s like
looking at a Roman palace from the past. It really is majestic. Once inside, the concourse is enormous. Much
more room to walk and peruse the different food selections, then compared to
Fenway. It is extremely clear, the Yankees built their new park to fit as many
people as possible and succeeded. The bleachers go as high as the eye can see.
Our seats were located in the Mohegan Sun Bar, an indoor lounge
with about three rows of seating in the middle of center field. There were pros and cons to this section. It
was awesome because we had a bar right in front of our seats to set our stuff, waiter service at our seats (no 20 minute beer lines YAY), and the bathrooms were always clean with no lines. However,
two main factors made this section not as fun, as say, sitting in the
grand stand. One: You cannot hear the stadium PA, so no walk up music, no contest
winners, which takes from the ballpark experience. Two: You
cannot see the scoreboard. Not to mention, the tiny pitch count graphics
we could see from our seats, were located behind home plate, about 408 feet
away. While a unique, kind of VIP experience in this section, I think if I make
another trip to Yankees Stadium I’ll opt for the general seating.
However, Yankees Stadium does have my new favorite sporting
event food that made the trip a complete grand slam; Garlic Fries. Perhaps they
were even tastier because they were delivered to my seat, but I would trade my
left pinky for an unlimited supply. Only $8, you get a ton and their crispy,
garlic goodness.
Yankees Stadium
Experience Scale of 1-10: 7 (1 extra point added for Garlic Fries)
Two historic franchises make up two very different
ballparks. Perhaps my ranking of Yankees Stadium would be different had I sat
in a different section, but I would not change one thing from either of my
trips. Now, I know I am not the only person on the Internet that has been to one
and/or both stadiums, so if you agree, disagree, or have your own tips and
feedback, let me know. Leave a comment; write an email, hit up the Twitter if
that’s your thing. Perhaps Kyle will be
nice enough to give us his feedback of the parks. Until then, I am going to
continue to day dream about Garlic Fries, mmhhhmm Garlic Fries.
Two-Time, Two-Time Pond Scum Sports Podcast Champion,
Joan “J-Dubs” Fahrenkrug
Joan “J-Dubs” Fahrenkrug
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