6. U.S. Cellular Field
Let's be perfectly honest, U.S. Cellular Field is a terrible name for a park. It's so terrible that I'm going to refer to it as Comiskey for the rest of this post as it was up until 2003.
Unfortunately, the park is pretty much as terrible as the name. This was the third and final stop on the first ballpark tour. Mike and I took the El south to this park, which had the misfortune of being the last new park built before the retro-classic fashion was launched by Camden Yards. In other words, this stadium was essentially obsolete a year after it opened in 1991. According to Wikipedia a lot of renovations were done between 1991 and our visit, but it is still frankly was not very nice. Supposedly they've done a lot more renovations since then. I guess I might check it out again, but if it isn't much better, well, in a city that has Wrigley Field, I cannot imagine going back here unless there was some more than usually compelling reason.
For starters, let's talk about the upper deck. It goes up. Way up. While our cheap seats high above the third base line had a pretty good view, they also felt like they were on the side of a mountain with incredibly steep stairs. Fortunately, I'm not particularly worried by heights, but if I was I sure wouldn't want to sit up there. Apparently they've cut some of the top seats off since, which might have helped.
Beyond that, I don't recall too much about my trip to the park. I remember the retired numbers splayed out over the outfield with pictures of the players, and I remember the game we saw being a sloppy mess with the White Sox barely pulling out the win by scoring three runs in the ninth. The Big Hurt, who would later stop in Oakland on his way to Cooperstown, played, but I don't specifically recall him doing anything noteworthy.
Honestly, I've probably spent more time in traffic on the Dan Ryan outside this park than I did in it. It probably doesn't deserve the low rating I've given it here, but at least thinking about The Metrodome gives me a sense of nostalgia. Comiskey mostly depresses me for being a complete waste of a new stadium. Of course, new is relative. With the new stadium boom starting in 1992, Comiskey is now the seventh oldest park in Major League Baseball despite being only 24 years old.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
2 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
3 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
4 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
5 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
6U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
Unfortunately, the park is pretty much as terrible as the name. This was the third and final stop on the first ballpark tour. Mike and I took the El south to this park, which had the misfortune of being the last new park built before the retro-classic fashion was launched by Camden Yards. In other words, this stadium was essentially obsolete a year after it opened in 1991. According to Wikipedia a lot of renovations were done between 1991 and our visit, but it is still frankly was not very nice. Supposedly they've done a lot more renovations since then. I guess I might check it out again, but if it isn't much better, well, in a city that has Wrigley Field, I cannot imagine going back here unless there was some more than usually compelling reason.
For starters, let's talk about the upper deck. It goes up. Way up. While our cheap seats high above the third base line had a pretty good view, they also felt like they were on the side of a mountain with incredibly steep stairs. Fortunately, I'm not particularly worried by heights, but if I was I sure wouldn't want to sit up there. Apparently they've cut some of the top seats off since, which might have helped.
Beyond that, I don't recall too much about my trip to the park. I remember the retired numbers splayed out over the outfield with pictures of the players, and I remember the game we saw being a sloppy mess with the White Sox barely pulling out the win by scoring three runs in the ninth. The Big Hurt, who would later stop in Oakland on his way to Cooperstown, played, but I don't specifically recall him doing anything noteworthy.
Honestly, I've probably spent more time in traffic on the Dan Ryan outside this park than I did in it. It probably doesn't deserve the low rating I've given it here, but at least thinking about The Metrodome gives me a sense of nostalgia. Comiskey mostly depresses me for being a complete waste of a new stadium. Of course, new is relative. With the new stadium boom starting in 1992, Comiskey is now the seventh oldest park in Major League Baseball despite being only 24 years old.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
2 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
3 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
4 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
5 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
6U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041