Joey's Ongoing Sporting Event PTR Thread

I haven't eaten at a Round Table Pizza since I was in high school. Used to like them, but didn't know they were still in business.

Still very much alive and awesome on the West Coast!

^Here's one thing I miss about living the in Central Valley of California--linguica pizza. Just can't get that in Virginia.

Chuck, At Cal Poly we used to drive out to Los Osos for Round Table because that was the only one around. They aren't as good as they used to be.

^Our go-to pizza joint was Eddie's on Foothill Blvd. It was run by this guy from the Philippines with a scar on his face--but he made a good pizza.

After an ever so slight technical delay (read: updated my phone to jelly bean and thought I lost all my photos), I return with the second part of my Coasting for Kids adventure: AT&T Park. Home of that team with the guy who just got caught using Testosterone. As much as I hate said team (I am a Dodger fan), I have to admit their park is really nice.

Now onto the photos!

Welcome to AT&T park. Conveniently located a couple blocks from the CalTrain station (which I easily took from San Jose).

Dodgers scouting report (got to love Ned Coletti) or Giants "hall of fame" that is outside the stadium? You decide.

The stadium just so happens to be located right on the Bay, as you can see here from the top row of the stadium

...And here. Where people try to get "Splash hits" (home runs over the RF wall and into the bay)

Speaking of RF, It also has a free viewing area in RF where you can catch the game for a maximum of 3 innings.

Said view during batting practice (or "BP" if Elissa is reading this!)

They also allow re-entry. Which is freaking awesome. Since in LA, people are too stupid to allow such a thing.

Here's the obligatory family play area that all new stadiums seem to have now.

Virgin America club level concourse. The whole level was climate controlled, which was awesome since it was like 95 degrees outside.

Hooray for more alcohol on the club level!

I took this picture just for Elissa. Wonder why? (more fancy food you can only get in the club level)

The club level also features a museum, where this is by far the coolest thing (I chose to ignore that pennant they have on display )

Instead of a "dugout club" fancy restaurant, AT&T park just features a upgraded food court area for its seats behind home plate. Which is awesome, because it keeps prices down.

...So you can get views like this for $110!

...and food like this not normally available in a ballpark setting!

Speaking of food, here's AT&T Park's signature item.

Seems like a good note to end this report on. Sign from a bar outside the stadium.

Great report, AT&T park looks like one of the absolute nicest anywhere in professional sports. I've kinda of stopped following baseball over the past couple of years but if I ever wind up in San Fran during the summer I really want to catch a game there.

One a side note, I've always thought it would be a cool idea for a baseball stadium to build a small wooden roller coaster on site that could operate before and during home games. I mean baseball and wooden roller coasters are about as synonymous with summer time as fire works and apple pie (excuse my bad cliches), so why not build a small Big Fun style GCI or Wooden Warrior style coaster at a ball park? Charge $5 per ride, half off during the 7th inning stretch and before the game or something. The organization might not make a ton of money off of it, but being able to provide a unique experience like that at the ball park for the guests would be well worth it in my opinion. How cool would a small midway with a coaster, ferris wheel, and a drop tower be in straight away center field? If anyone out there owns a MLB franchise, build a wooden coaster!

^You can almost get that experience in Altoona, PA. The Pirates AA team (Altoona Curves) play in a stadium where the Lakemont Park Skyliner is just on the other side of the right field fence.

Yeah I've seen pictures of that place and it looks like the coolest baseball stadium ever. If you could only access the load station from the outfield bleachers that place would be perfect .

First Elissa Picture - Die!

Second Elissa Picture - Yum!

I think they call that lagoon where the kayakers hang out "McCovey Cove." But the last time I attended a Giants game was at Candlestick Park.

^You are correct.

Great report, I love ATT park I would have to say its in a two way tie for my second home, between disneyland and at&t park. I find my self prowling the bleachers on a weekly bases there. Not being a homer or having a biased opinion, i can say there is no other baseball experiance better than attending a game at At&t park. I have attended Home games for the red sox, yankees, angels, A's, rays, marlins, mariners, diamondbacks and dodgers. They all lack in comparrison to the Giants and At&t park. I will give credit to the phillies, there game was pretty fun to attend.

Anything Barry Bonds-related at the park? Or have they completely distanced themselves from that mess.

Does look like a pretty cool park to watch a game.

Great report, I love ATT park I would have to say its in a two way tie for my second home, between disneyland and at&t park. I find my self prowling the bleachers on a weekly bases there. Not being a homer or having a biased opinion, i can say there is no other baseball experiance better than attending a game at At&t park. I have attended Home games for the red sox, yankees, angels, A's, rays, marlins, mariners, diamondbacks and dodgers. They all lack in comparrison to the Giants and At&t park. I will give credit to the phillies, there game was pretty fun to attend.

You obviously need to see a game at Wrigley. I know Wrigley and Fenway always get good marks, but it was amazing to me how much better the gameday experience was at Wrigley compared to Fenway.

Anything Barry Bonds-related at the park? Or have they completely distanced themselves from that mess.

 

Does look like a pretty cool park to watch a game.

naw, there not many bonds related items in the park, besides the whole left field, was designed for bonds..lol, The only thing I can think of is out in the bleachers they have it marked where his record breaking home run landed, im starting to doubt he will get a statue in front of the park with all the rest of the greats.

Great report, I love ATT park I would have to say its in a two way tie for my second home, between disneyland and at&t park. I find my self prowling the bleachers on a weekly bases there. Not being a homer or having a biased opinion, i can say there is no other baseball experiance better than attending a game at At&t park. I have attended Home games for the red sox, yankees, angels, A's, rays, marlins, mariners, diamondbacks and dodgers. They all lack in comparrison to the Giants and At&t park. I will give credit to the phillies, there game was pretty fun to attend.

 

You obviously need to see a game at Wrigley. I know Wrigley and Fenway always get good marks, but it was amazing to me how much better the gameday experience was at Wrigley compared to Fenway.

yes, I will attend a game at Wrigley field one day, but of all the teams i listed, i must say that fenway was by far the most boring experience I have ever had at a ball park, the fans where boring as heck, they where yelling at me for yelling at the opposing team, then I was cheering for cody ross because he was a giants hero, and they told me not to cheer for him it may distract him. it was weak. the ball park it self was cool, but the total overall experience just lacked for me.

Great report, I love ATT park I would have to say its in a two way tie for my second home, between disneyland and at&t park. I find my self prowling the bleachers on a weekly bases there. Not being a homer or having a biased opinion, i can say there is no other baseball experiance better than attending a game at At&t park. I have attended Home games for the red sox, yankees, angels, A's, rays, marlins, mariners, diamondbacks and dodgers. They all lack in comparrison to the Giants and At&t park. I will give credit to the phillies, there game was pretty fun to attend.

 

You obviously need to see a game at Wrigley. I know Wrigley and Fenway always get good marks, but it was amazing to me how much better the gameday experience was at Wrigley compared to Fenway.

yes, I will attend a game at Wrigley field one day, but of all the teams i listed, i must say that fenway was by far the most boring experience I have ever had at a ball park, the fans where boring as heck, they where yelling at me for yelling at the opposing team, then I was cheering for cody ross because he was a giants hero, and they told me not to cheer for him it may distract him. it was weak. the ball park it self was cool, but the total overall experience just lacked for me.

kinda felt the same way about Fenway. Was really disappointed in how corporate it was. That experience just proved to me how much better Wrigley was.

Awesome thread Joey, It's always been a dream of mine to hit every MLB park in a season. Maybe one day when I'm rich and old haha.

So far I've been too

Yankee Stadium (New)

Yankee Stadium (Old)

Ranger Stadium

Turnpike Stadium (Old Rangers(Notsure if I should count this I was a toddler when visiting))

Astrodome

Minutemaid Park

Rockies Stadium

Shea Stadium

Citi Field

Veterans Stadium

Citizens Bank Park

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand Turner Field

Now to visit these and more in a single season.

They need to seriously remove t hat coke bottle and glove though (won't happen cause it's a playground) totally ruins the atmosphere.

It's alive! This thread is making a return...only two months after I actually visited the venues! Hopefully I'll be sober enough at one of the remaining games to document a USC game @ the Coliseum, finally go back to the freshly re-modeled Pauley Pavilion, and maybe even the northern california arenas this season.

But anyways...

USC played a game @ MetLife field against Syracuse, so naturally I had an excuse to visit NYC for the first time. Dan and I flew into LaGuardia, which just happens to be a short cab ride away from CitiField...So far this is the least favorite of the newer stadiums I've been to. It's not horrible by any means, but it just really lacks the charm of other stadiums. It feels like they just threw in every modern amenity for revenue purposes and didn't really do anything besides the rotunda entrance to distinguish itself from any of the other stadiums out there.

Welcome to CitiField. Here is the famous rotunda modeled after Ebbets Field (go Dodgers!)

Here's the inside of said rotunda. As I said, probably the most unique part of the stadium.

Random concourse photo. See? Nothing exciting!

Obligatory stadium feature #1: kids play area

Obligatory stadium feature #2: fancy club area (this is the Delta 360 skyclub)

Obligatory stadium feature #3: fancy full service restaurant in the club area

Finally something not found everywhere else: old school baseball card posters above the snack stands of famous mets.

Back to your regularly scheduled obligatory features: Dan and I sat in the champions club section, an all you can eat club area. Here's the bar area.

...And here's the buffet for all you ACEr's out there. It was pretty good. Fresh cut turkey sandwiches, some fresh sides, bacon wrapped hot dogs, unlimited soda, and ice cream for dessert.

...And the view from our face value $150 tickets.

View from the outfield.

OK, it's not all bad. This neon sign was cool. And Shake Shake makes any stadium better.

I leave you with the world famous backside of the scoreboard!

Looks like a pretty decent stadium, but I get what you are saying about it lacking some of the "charm" of other modern facilities. Still looks pretty nice, nice enough for the Mets I guess.

I've never done one of those "club level" experiences for any sport with the food and drinks inclusive but really want to one of these days. I can probably find some cheap club level tickets for the Jaguars here in a few weeks, might have to give it a try .

Looks like a nice ballpark. I like how they use stanchions in some lines. I hate it when the lines are a free for all and you have fight everyone likes it's a coaster line in Italy.

^^I used to be against the idea, as I preferred the true fan experience. But then I actually went to one and was absolutely spoiled. Just the convienence alone of not having to wait in lines to buy food is worth it. But then you add in the fact it is usually gourmet food AND you can get in-seat waiter service and it is even better. Some stadiums (such at PETCO Park) even include the booze!

So the real reason I came to NYC...USC vs. Syracuse! And Metlife field! Which is incredibly bland, but full off all the modern amenities teams need to make a fortune. It's pretty clear they went with function over style, since it had to serve both NY teams. Sight lines are good all around, you can get to it by train (or in our case bus, since so few people came to the game they didn't even run the line), and it's got plenty of bathrooms and food options. But it's basically the modern day equivalent of the cookie cutter stadiums of the 70s.

Now onto the photos...

This is what all the entrances look like. Nothing exciting. It is lined with LED's to match the color of the home team at night.

The parking lot is home to the currently mothballed, but maybe not for much longer amusement park/indoor skiing/mall/whatever complex known as Xanadu

This is what the concourses look like. Again, left as plain as possible to be decorated for the home team.

The view from our seats. Notice more Cardinal than Orange for a Syracuse "home" game. We purposely got tickets in the coaches club section...

...So we could check out the club. This one is the NY Jets one. Usually its a buffet, but for lowly Syracuse it was just a normal snack stand...

...You also usually would get to see the coaches postgame press conference from the club if this was an NFL game...

...But you do get to "go on the field" (read: an outdoor patio area behind the benches), which was kind of cool.

...and last but not least, you would get to see the players come out of the locker room

Oh, and this happened too. Definitely not something I am used to visiting from California!