Stadium Report Cards: Jones AT&T Stadium

Our good friend TC went to a Texas Tech game last season, and he said he could do a report card for us.

Team: Texas Tech Football
Location: Lubbock, TX
League: Big Twelve(South)
Built: 1947
Capacity: 60,454
My event: Regular season game, vs North Dakota Fighting Sioux

1. Outdoor Design

1. I like the new entrance they built, but other than that it was pretty normal. Every thing was laid out nicely, and tan bricks gave it a western vibe, at least to me.
6/10

2. Indoor Design

The stadium is laid out like a bowl, with the end zone sides cut out of it. On one side they had suites and all that good stuff, and on the other side was a taller section of seats for students. There were large concourses that ran around the stadium, but if you wanted to get food you had to go underneath the stands, blocking your view of the field.
6/10

3. Prices
The prices were actually pretty cheap compared to other sporting events I've been to.
7/10

4. Food
The food wasn't anything special at all, anything you bought there can be found at any stadium in the country. I had nachos that were exceptional though
6/10

5. Staff
Holy crap, those people were nice! It was probably because I was wearing a Sioux shirt, but still. They were so friendly. Probably the nicest staff of any stadium I've been to.
10/10

6. Cleanliness
The place was really clean, but it was the opening game of the season.
7/10

7. Parking
There was a lot of parking around the stadium, and lots scattered around the city within simple walking distance.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
The atmosphere was great. The fans were all really into it, with creative chants and all that good stuff you get at college games. Football in Texas, there's nothing like it.
9/10

9. Playing Surface.

I really like the field they have. The turf is more like one shade of green instead of splotches of different shades of green like you see at some stadiums. The black colored end zones really popped, so did the midfield logo. Sidenote, they installed a new FieldTurf field in 2006.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

They have a main scoreboard that is in the shape of the double T logo, which is pretty unique. On the opposite side of the field they had a small video board dubbed "Raider Vision". It wasn't flashy or anything, but it got the job done.
6/10

Overall I really liked the place. I liked the vibe it gave off. Lubbock is a really cool town with nice people.

So TC gave this a 72, which I kind of agree by seeing the pictures. He's said that he could do TCF Bank Stadium, the Metrodome, Xcel Energy Arena, and the Ft. Myers Miracle stadium.

The mess that is New Marlins Ballpark

Awesome! the Marlins are getting a new ballpark! Since 1993, their first season, they've been playing at Dolphin stadium, a converted NFL stadium.

Too bad they went overboard.

It really looks great on the outside, theres no denying that. They just went crazy with little things. They did a lot to tie into the city with latina colours, and design. But the thing is, the team is dropping teal and going black and orange, so its kinda unnecessary.

The owner approved this monstrosity. A big piece of art that moves when a home run is hit. To me, it seems ugly.

But there is more! an aquarium will be located behind home plate for everyone to enjoy!


Also the letters from the Miami Orange Bowl will be put at the main entrance, and depending on where you are, it says different words are something.


But it is an improvement over the current ballpark, no matter how gaudy it is.

Rays Stadium Concept

I had this done, just never posted this. I might update it sometime later, but whatever.

As you may, or may not know, the Trop is getting old. The Tampa Bay Rays need a new stadium, soon. Me being a Rays fan, and a drafting 3 student, decided to just see what I could come up with.

Some things that it need is a roof of sometime. Tampa Bay is the lightning capital of the world, thus it means rain. If it was open air, rain outs would be all too common. It is also hot as hell some days, and humid. My first idea was a retractable roof. I tried fan designs, like Milwaukee. I tried square designs, like Houston. But I eventually settled on the way Toronto is. The stadium is round with a blocky end where the roof is located above. It would also need to be located in a place that would be accessible by both Tampa and St. Pete. The location I put it in is right off the bridge that connects Tampa to Pinellas county.

Some things I considered is that during dry games, atleast there would be some cover with an overhang over the upper deck, unlike the Rogers Centre. I wanted a non warehouse look, so the outside is covered with brick, also throwing a little tie into the region(many older buildings are brick) In center field, above the batters eye cafe, a large window would be used. Said window would be facing east, so no sun would be shined into the eyes of people. The stadium would close like the Rogers Center from what I've put together. I thought I'd throw another quirk in there by possible having a glass roof(or something with the same effect) to let in some light, and provide a cool view during rain.

The inner bowl, upper deck, and some other things are based off of Tropicana Field. The aqua box would be a touch tank in the same place as Tropicana, and a back wall based off of it too. To the leftof the batters eye cafe is a party deck of some kind. A model of what the deck would be like is in the top right. I'm not sure if I've missed anything, just ask if you have a question


Here is where it'd be located, right in the middle of Pinellas County/North St. Pete. TC asked if it was accurate, and that it looked big. I went on Google Earth, found Tropicana Field, and scrolled to my location, and infact, what I originally had was too BIG. I sized it down, and this should be what it would be like. The stadium would have a plaza(in brown) surrounding it with fun things. The local area would have lots of shops pop up around it too.


Here is a view from the broadcast booth, hypothetically. I did kinda leave some details out, but I had the main jist done.


There is is!

Stadium Report Cards: Miller Park

Bmac has offered to do five new stadium tours for us! Get excited people!


Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Location: Milwaukee, WI
League: Major League Baseball(NL Central)
Built: 2001
Capacity: 41,900
My event: Regular season game, vs New York Mets

1. Outdoor Design

It doesn’t exactly look like a baseball stadium, but it still looks pretty cool. They did a nice job of making the roof fit in with the design. It is a very unique looking building.
9/10

2. Indoor Design

It looks really cool inside. The overall look is sweet. The entire outfield is awesome, from the scoreboard area, to the giant windows, to Bernie Brewers Dugout and water slide. The stadium is cool when the roof is open, but kind of dull when it is closed.
8/10

3. Prices
The prices were nice for an MLB game. Just about perfect.
9/10

4. Food
Miller Park has some cool, unique foods. There are all sorts of variants of your typical ballpark food. You have so many choices, and you can always smother your food in cheese! The sausage selection is great as well.
9/10

5. Staff
Everyone was very nice and helpful. No problems with anything.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
About what you would expect, only a little cleaner.
8/10

7. Parking
The parking was excellent. There are nothing but parking lots around the stadium. You can find a spot fairly easily, and everyone out tailgating is very friendly.
10/10

8. AtmosphereIt was pretty cool inside the ballpark. Everyone was into the game, and there was always a good deal of noise. People were pretty excited toward the end of the game when the Brew Crew had a chance to win. And the sausage race gets people on their feet. However, compared to some of the other stadiums, it wasn’t quite as exciting.
7/10

9. Playing Surface.
The field looked well kept. They do a good job with it being under a roof.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

It was good, and it looked cool. Nice graphics, good quality, and a good size.
8/10

And if you total up his scores, that gives you a 84. I think MLB parks are the best stadiums around. These stadiums are all different, and neat in their own way. Oh, and Miller Park got a new scoreboard for this year. Just pointing that out.

Bmac has Wrigley Field, US Cellular Field, Kauffman Stadium, Busch Park, and then Miller Park from a road trip last summer.

My North Carolina Stadium Tour

I went to nine, NINE stadiums total on my trip. I thought i'd be cool to compile a pic of me in, or outside each one. Enjoy!

Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium- Kannapolis Intimidators


Bowman Gray Stadium


Carter Finley Stadium- NC State


Flemming Stadium- Wilson Tobs


Five County Stadium- Carolina Mudcats


Durham Bulls Athletic Park- Durham Bulls


War Memorial Stadium- Former Minor League Park


Aggie Stadium- North Carolina A&T


New Bridge Bank Park- Greensboro Grasshoppers

The Story of Bowman Gray Stadium

Bowman Gray Stadium is a race track in Winston-Salem, NC. It's a race car track? So what? Well actually there is a deeper story.

Bowman Gray has a track along the grandstands, but on the inside is a big field. Wake Forest football played at the stadium until 1968. The first NASCAR-sanctioned event took place on May 18, 1949 and was won by Fonty Flock. It hosted Nascar top series events from 1958 until 1971.


Now, it is home to "NASCAR's longest running weekly race track". Every week, in season they have multiple series race here. The main event is the Whelen Modified series. The series was featured on History Channel's "Madhouse" show. It followed some of the top drivers around for a season.


It was really fun to go to. It was like a mini Nascar event. Everyone had their favorites, and rivals. T-shirts of weekly drivers were all around. Every time Burt Myers, the points leader, would drive by he'd have the bird shot at him from every direction. It even had the old veteran, basically a Dale Earnhardt. A 15 time champion in Junior Miller.

If you're into racing, I advise checking out Madhouse, just to see what I'm talking about. It's the south at it's finest.

Stadium Report Cards: Five County Stadium

Team: Carolina Mudcats
Location: Zebulon, NC
League: Southern League(North)
Built: 1991, renovated 2000
Capacity: 6,500
My event: Regular season game, vs Chattanooga Lookouts

1. Outdoor Design
From what I saw, there wasn't much of one. It was just kinda normal.
6/10

2. Indoor Design

I've never seen this, and there's a good view of it. The upperdeck is tall, and is directly above the lower deck. The lower deck was about 6 rows, and then broke into the concourse. I thought that was really neat. The outfield wall was pretty cool too.
8/10

3. Prices
The cheap general admission tickets were just 5 dollars, but the food prices were pretty high for what the quality was.
6/10

4. Food
So, I HAD to get a catfish sandwich there. The thing is, it was small and kinda meh.
4/5

5. Staff
The guy doing the peanuts was pretty cool I guess just interacting with the crowd. But nothing else stood out to me.
6/10

6. Cleanliness
It was clean from everything I saw. So theres a plus.
8/10

7. Parking
Parking wasn't free but it was a pretty big lot that was easy to get in and out of.
8/10

8. AtmosphereI thought that it was pretty dull, AND THEN

A fight broke out. After that, it was actually really into it. It helped that they were winning.
7/10

9. Playing Surface.
As you can see, nice pattern and pretty well done. But the infield was kinda chalky near the grass.
6/10

10. Scoreboard

I thought it was pretty cool. there was ads all over, and big.
7/10

I went inside in like 2006, just to go to the gift shop to get some swag. Then it looked really awesome. Now that I've been to it, idk I thought it'd be better. 65/100, but still thought it'd be around a 74.

Stadium Report Cards: Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Team: Durham Bulls
Location: Durham, NC
League: International League(South)
Built: 1995
Capacity: 10,000
My event: Regular season game, vs Indianapolis Indians

1. Outdoor Design

Just a simple brick layout, then had places like above.
7/10

2. Indoor Design

Beautiful. 2 modern office buildings located in the outfield really brought it together. But there was still other things. The "blue monster" is a tall wall in left field, then a playground, lawn seating, and a bar just made it epic.
9/10

3. Prices
It was alright. Simple seats under 10 dollars, and a discount that day for students.
8/10

4. Food
Ballpark food, ballpark food everywhere.
6/10

5. Staff
They were pretty nice. They let us roam without any objections. One offered to take My dad, and I's picture.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
It was really clean, I thought. There were trashcans, and recycling cans at every section opening.
7/10

7. Parking
We parked in a parking building behind the left field building, but if we didn't leave in the 8th getting off the third floor would be terrible.
6/10

8. AtmosphereIt really was great, I thought it was better than the Rays. The thing is, there wasn't any announcer or fun noises that got me into the whole thing. It could've been a 5!
8/10

9. Playing Surface.
See below for the surface, it was nice.
9/10

10. Scoreboard

It's there in the middle of the "blue monster" It's pretty basic, nothing special though.
6/10

I gave Durham Bulls Athletic Park a healthy 74. It was deffinatly the best park I visited on the trip. I wasn't expecting much, just because I've never been inside before. But it really was nice. I'd go if you're up there and like baseball.

Stadium Report Cards: NewBridge Bank Park

I just got back today, and here is just one of the couple posts to share!


Team: Greensboro Grasshoppers
Location: Greensboro, NC
League: South Atlantic League(Northern)
Built: 2005
Capacity: 7,499
My event: Regular season game, vs Hickory Crawdads

1. Outdoor Design

A simple brick layout all the way around, but nothing crazy.
6/10

2. Indoor Design

It was kind of simple, and a lot like the park in Clearwater. There was a bar in the left field corner, and also a berm. A playground was located in right field. Also the view was nice.
7/10

3. Prices
Pretty basic, cheap to get in for certain seats. The night we went, hot dogs and drinks were just a dollar. That happens every Monday
8/10

4. Food
Simple ballpark food, nothing crazy.
6/10

5. Staff
Staff was pretty cool and nice. The guy that ran the games defiantly got the crowd into it.
6/10

6. Cleanliness
No complaints, pretty clean as a whole.
7/10

7. Parking
The parking was really close. There were entrances and exits right there. It was easy to get out once the Grasshoppers lost.
8/10

8. Atmosphere
The guy that did the little games with the crowd got everyone into the game. It was a lot of fun to go to and watch the games.
7/10

9. Playing Surface.
Real nice checker pattern, and the infield was sweet.
7/10

10. Scoreboard

I thought it was clean and good for a minor league park. It was pretty funny cause they'd try to get into the other player's head's. When a Cradads player's name was Jared, BAM Jared from Subway would be their picture. They also got a player named west(Adam West), and the last name Prince(Prince, obviously.
8/10

70/100 is a good score. Right in the middle. I have a few more posts to make!

Fun News

I'm going on a little road trip this weekend, so no new posts.

HOW EVA. I'm visiting 3+ baseball games at new parks. I have my camera! See you followers later.

COMMENT

Dubai Sports City

Or, otherwise known as the coolest thing ever.


One day in Dubai, they got bored and decided to build the coolest thing ever. A 50 million square foot development named Dubai Sports City. The area will have a cricket stadium, an athletics stadium, field hockey fields, indoor stadium, and an 18 hole golf course designed by Earnie Els. On top of that, a huge mall, and apartments. Here is a model.


But, just watch the video. It is mind blowing.

Silver State Arena

In Las Vegas, there are plans down to build a new arena to maybe draw a sports team there. The project is called the Silver State Arena, and would be located where the closed Wet 'n' Wild is. What they're saying is that it would bring 10,000 new jobs to Nevada which would help a lot. The stadium would be 844,306 square feet, and would hold up to 23,014 for basketball games. Here is an aerial view of the model.

Some teams that could possibly move there are the Sacramento Kings, or maybe a hockey team down on their luck. The Kings' had the second lowest attendance in the NBA last season, and the owners of the team own a hotel in Las Vegas already. Several years ago, the NBA's All-Star Game was hosted at the UNLV basketball arena. I think that if this does get built, some team would be loured there. Plus, the video board is 360 degrees.

Thoughts? I think it'd be very cool. Here is the site for the plans.

Stadium Report Cards: Rogers Centre

Our good friend Bmac recently went up to Toronto for vacation. I saw he posted some pics at a Jays game. So I asked if he wanted to do a report card on the Rogers Centre


Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Location: Toronto, ON
League: Major League Baseball(AL)
Built: 1989
Capacity: 49,539
My event: Regular season game, vs Boston Red Sox

1. Outdoor Design

It has a modern look to it, but does not fit in with the way most ballparks do. The roof looks cool when it is open, but kind of awkward when it is closed. It looks really cool next to the CN Tower.
6/10

2. Indoor Design

Other than the hotel and scoreboard in center field, nothing really stands out. It is all just circular patterned seating. Also, the roof design does not look too great from inside.
5/10

3. Prices
Everything is a little more expensive in Toronto to begin with. The Rogers Centre is no exception. Most of the souvenirs, for example, were about $3-4 more than most of the other MLB Stadiums I have been to.
5/10

4. Food
The food selection was very good. They had the regular ballpark classics, as well some more interesting stuff. The Muddy York Market and Roundhouse Carvery and Bar were pretty unique for a baseball stadium. They both had some interesting food.
8/10

5. Staff
There were no issues, and everyone was very nice. Nobody really went out of their way to help you though, compared to other stadiums.
6/10

6. Cleanliness
Everything was extremely well-kept and clean. The entire city was, and the Rogers Centre looked great.
10/10

7. Parking
We didn’t need to park, as we walked from our hotel. Most people around the stadium were also walking to the game. I didn’t see any parking garages nearby, though.
4/10

8. Atmosphere
On the one hand, there was not a whole lot of support for the Jays until towards the end of the game. It wasn’t exactly a dead atmosphere though. Everyone was in a good mood, too, even though the Blue Jays lost.
6/10

9. Playing Surface.
It looked great for being indoors. It was just panels of grass though.
6/10

10. Scoreboard

The Rogers Centre scoreboard is pretty good. It is a great size, and has very good quality. The graphics were nice.
9/10

65/100 sounds about right.

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