Stadia Arcadia

JetBlue Park

2012-02-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

So the Red Sox opened up their new Spring Training facility in Ft. Myers, Florida today with the reporting of pitchers and catchers. It has a mix of new design, and a giant Fenway-esque monster. Seen below.

Here is a link to a video that takes you on a tour!
http://www.nesn.com/2012/02/tom-caron-tours-jetblue-park-gains-insight-on-what-makes-red-sox-new-spring-training-facility-specia.html

So in blog news, I've been busy, but I'll try to post some stories I see. I also might have a report card for the Citrus Bowl for you all.

A look at Marlins Ballpark

2012-01-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

Here we go! It's shaping up down there in Miami. The first home game is Opening Day, with the Cards in town for a 1 game series.

New Impact Stadium

2012-01-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

So Montreal is getting their MLS team this summer. Here is their stadium before

And here is what it will eventually look like this season!

The team will expand Stade Saputo from 13,034 seats, to 20,341, by building large stands that wrap around 3 sides of the field. As you can see from the pictures above, one side will remain the same, with the 17 million dollar renovations taking place.

The Impact are going to be the only tennant. The stadium is too small for the CFL's standards, so that rules out the Alouettes. They'll remain in the 25k seat Molson Stadium that was built in 1925.

Here are some pictures of the building process, and renderings on Stadium Porn.

Tulane's Stadium Proposal

2012-01-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

Tulane is in the process of raising money for a new on-campus football stadium. The stadium will seat 30,000 fans. It will be the first on campus stadium since the mid 70s, when was used for not just Tulane, but the Saints and Super Bowl 4 & 6.

Some things I noticed from the renderings, they have a party deck in one of the corners, which is unique. There is also a scoreboard in a corner of the endzone. The whole stadium is completely enclosed, and sort of is like a soccer specific stadium. The concourses empty at field level, and the fans have to climb up.

I think it will be a nice stadium, and get the team out of the Superdome. If you want to read up on the stadium, here is the official website! http://www.tulanestadium.com/

Tulsa Basketball

2012-01-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

Interesting find, but Tulsa's basketball arena's new scoreboard is different than any other arena I know of. The scoreboard is elongated along the length of the court. It resembles the scoreboards at Cowboys Stadium, and BC Place.

I'm willing to bet that this starts a new trend in arena scoreboards.

2012 Winter Classic

2012-01-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

Today is the 2012 NHL Winter Classic! The game will take place at the Phillies' Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia. The picture above is from the Legends Game on Saturday between the Rangers' legends, and the Flyers legends.

The game is today at 3 on NBC after being pushed back a few times due to weather. Here is a post about the previous Winter Classics.

Future Report Cards

2011-12-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

Last week, I was accepted into Florida State University, so naturally, the best part will be posting stadium report cards for you all. Here are just the major facilities that will soon have a post about them.

Doak Campbell Stadium

Dick Howser Stadium

Donald L. Tucker Center(Basketball)

National Stadium: Warsaw

2011-12-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

Poland's new National Soccer Stadium is almost done! The opening game of Euro 2012 will take place at Warsaw’s new 58,000 capacity National Stadium, now almost completed. It will also host two other group matches, a quarter-final and a semi-final.

The outdoors is paneling that make the Poland flag. Which is really nice for the new National Stadium. Even though it's very similar to the new major stadiums popping up in Europe, and the renovations at BC Place stadium in Vancouver

There are some additional pictures over at Stadium Porn, which you should look through!

BBVA Compass Stadium

2011-12-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

Major League Soccer sources told Houston’s FOX 26 Sports the financial institution, BBVA Compass, has acquired the naming rights to the Houston Dynamo’s new downtown soccer-specific stadium. League sources also confirmed the Dynamo’s naming rights deal with BBVA Compass is for 10 years and is worth $20 million.

The Dynamo’s stadium, is scheduled to open on May 12, 2012 when the Dynamo play their first home game of the upcoming season.

Since their move from San Jose, the Dynamo have been playing at the Houston Cougars' football stadium. But following everybody else, they got the soccer specific stadium they've been dreaming of. They have one of the best fans in the MLS, and they will be very great full.

Wrigley Field Triangle Building

2011-12-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

A proposed idea for the triangle lot adjacent to Wrigley Field along the 3rd base grandstand - a thesis project developed with the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. Really dig the ideas, renderings, floor plans, and elevations for this Triangle Building to enhance the Wrigley Field experience.

The main idea is to liven up the Wrigley experience, since the stadium is starting to ware down. It features a lot of things such as a Cubs Museum, Pro Shop, and a deck at the very top that connects.

It's a proposal, but it looks VERY nice.

Report Card-less Venues

2011-12-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

I'm up in Greensboro, NC visiting family for the holidays. My dad and I were driving around downtown and I wanted to go by the Greensboro Coliseum, because I'm a stadium nerd. He last lived up here in 1975, when he was at NC State, so he hasn't been to some newer stadiums. I asked him, "Have you ever been to a game there?" He told me he would go to basketball and hockey games when he lived here, and it sat about 8,000. Then I remembered, I've been to a game there! Obviously, it was a long ass time ago, so I can't remember much, but here are some stadiums that I haven't been since I've been really into stadiums.

Greensboro Coliseum- Greensboro Prowlers-Roanoke Steam

Victory Field x2- Indianapolis Indians- Rochester/Toledo

Germain Arena- College Hockey Tournament/ BC-Cornell

Homestead-Miami Speedway- 2003 Ford 400

Daytona International Speedway x2- Daytona 500 qualifying, Pepsi 400 qualifying

Capital City Stadium- Columbia Blowfish-Some team

I wish I could remember these enough to report! But those are the ones I've been to. I went to Wrigley one time, after 5th grade, but I didn't think I'd post it here because Bmac did a report card for us.

Caesar's Palace

2011-12-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, you're seeing that right. During the 1991 NHL Preseason, the Kings and Rangers faceoff'd at an outdoor rink at Ceasar's Palace. The Las Vegas strip provided the background for the first ever NHL exhibition game to be held outdoors. The Kings and the Rangers battled under the lights outside Caesars Palace - the first hockey game played in Las Vegas since 1968 - in mid-80 degree temperatures. The game drew a crowd of 13,000, most of whom wore shorts and t-shirts to take it all in.

I finally found pictures of this event, and that's why I'm showing you all. It all started with me posting my concept for a winter classic in Tampa, and people started discussing this. I knew about this, but I hadn't seen pictures. They had trouble with the ice cooling system, and had to slightly raise the temperature, and had to put water down and freeze it regularly.

But it wasn't the first event hosted at Caesar's Palace.

In 1981 and 1982, F1's American Grand Prix was on a circuit at the parking lot of the casino. Drivers hated the course because of the desert hear, and has been described as one of the worst F1 courses in history.

So that's just some quick history of Las Vegas's Caesars Palace sporting events. O fcourse they've had boxing and poker, but these are much cooler.

Renovated St. Pete Times Forum

2011-12-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

Last month, I went to the newly renovated St Pete Times forum for the Tampa Bay Lightning-Philadelphia Flyers. Here is some photos, starting with banners!

View from the new party deck

The new pipe organ bar

A view from the bar

Just a picture from down low

Post game

And the piece-de-resistance, the Tesla Coils!

The future of the Ti-Cats

2011-12-18T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will have a new stadium ready for the 2014 season. Thing is, it's not that easy. After about 2 years of debates and arguing, they decided on the new stadium. The stadium will be a part of the Toronto Pan American Games, just 40 miles down the road.

The team and the city couldn't come to an agreement on where they would put the new building. The city wanted it near the water, the team wanted it in the suburbs. But they decided on putting them in the same location as the current stadium. The problem with that, is that they wont have a stadium. For 2013, the Tiger-Cats will potentially be a traveling team. But it's better than losing the team. The stadium's capacity has dropped to around 28k, but whatever works. They won't be in the 80 year old Ivor Wynne Stadium much longer.

New Blue Bombers Stadium

2011-11-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

In honor of the Grey Cup today, I will make some posts about the new era in CFL stadiums!

Tonight's game is at the renovated BC Place, which hosted it's first game in September. It is the first step into making the CFL more modern. The BC Lions are playing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, which are getting a new stadium next season.

I've had my eyes on this for a while, because they've had this plan for a few years. However they revised the plans, and dropped the arches. The stadium of 34k will be like a miniature version of a stadium like LP field or Raymond James. Upper decks on the sidelines, with a lower bowl on the endzone.

There was an option to view a virtual stadium on their website, but it isn't working now. They do have this demo video, which shows it pretty good, minus the overhangs.

The Bombers are one of the teams with a stadium well overdue to be replaced. Built in 1957, Canad Inns Stadium is part of the stadium trend being phased out for the better.

Later tonight, I will post about the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' situation.

New Baylor Plans?

2011-11-22T10:19:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, Baylor announced the plans of building a new on-campus state of the art football stadium. The stadium will replace Floyd Casey Stadium. Floyd Casey is off campus, and one of the smaller ones in the Big 12 at 50,000 seats. This whole thing was being led by head coach Art Briles, who wants the hot Bears to have an on campus stadium so their students can be closer to games.

A few things. The open ended stadium will have a view of the river, and campus. There will be a pedestrian bridge from Baylor, across the river to land that the University purchased from the city of Waco. Pedestrian bridges are great, any Titans fans would know. You park once at a major location(ie Baylor, Nashville), and walk to the stadium. After the game, you walk back, without having to move your car.

Lastly, it will be roof, which very few teams have. But some shade in September in the middle of Texas isn't a bad thing.

Populous does the best work on stadiums, no denying that.

Cal Bears Stadium

2011-11-22T09:58:00.001-08:00

For the 2011 season, the Cal Bears have been playing at the Giants' AT&T Park. The reason for this is, one, they're renovating their own stadium. And two, it is the only professional stadium not currently in use. Since 1923, Memorial Stadium hasn't been renovated. It's stood the same, for nearly 90 years. They finally decided to make minor updates and turn this...

Into this.

The first part of the renovation was to redo the student facilities and locker rooms. Next, they redid both endzones, and pressbox side. The west side was completely demolished, except for the outer wall and redone. Also, they put expansion joints on earthquake safe blocks because in 1923, they built the stadium on a fault line...But it's all good and it's a nice renovation to one of those old Pac 10 stadiums you see in California.

#HailState

2011-11-22T07:49:00.001-08:00

Who likes twitter? Mississippi State does. In an attempt to get a trending topic, they put #HailState in the endzone, hashtag and all. Anyway to draw attention between the match up between the 5-6 Bulldogs and the 2-9 Rebels. The nameplates will also have HailState on them. No word on hashtags for that one.

Here's my personal twitter if you want it.
https://twitter.com/#!/MichaelDanger94

IT WORKS.

2011-11-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Tesla Coils at the St. Pete Times Forum got hooked up last weekend when the Buffalo Sabres came into town. Here is a sweet picture of one of them going off.

On a related note, since the St. Pete Times is being renamed to the Tampa Bay Times, the arena will have a new name starting early next year.

MSG Looking sharp

2011-11-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Madison Square Garden's $850 million second renovation will take place mainly over three offseasons. The more significant portion of it was set to begin after the 2009-10 hockey/basketball seasons, but was delayed until after the 2010-11 seasons. New features include a larger entrance that will include interactive kiosks, retail, climate controlled space, and broadcast studio; larger concourses; new lighting and LED video systems with HDTV; new seating; two new pedestrian walkways suspended from the ceiling to allow fans to look directly down onto the games being played below; more dining options; and improved dressing rooms, locker rooms, green rooms, upgraded roof, and production offices, among other upgrades.

The in-arena walkways will be eliminated, and portals will be installed between each section. The lower bowl concourse (to be known as the Madison Concourse) will remain on the 6th floor. The upper bowl concourse will be relocated to the 8th floor, and will be known as the Garden Concourse. The seventh floor will house the new Madison Suites. The upper bowl will be built on top of these suites. Existing 300 and 400 level seating will be combined to create the new upper bowl.

Construction of the lower bowl (Phase One) was completed for the 2011-2012 NHL and NBA seasons. An extended off-season for the Garden permitted some advanced work to begin on the new upper bowl, which is scheduled to be completed for the 2012–2013 seasons. This advance work includes the West Balcony on the 10th floor, taking the place of sky-boxes, and new end-ice 300 level seating.

Plans are underway to relocate systems in the periphery of the arena to permit city views. Renovation will be done in phases with the majority done in the summer months to minimize disruptions and will remain operational throughout the NHL and NBA seasons. While the Rangers and Knicks will not be displaced, the summer-competing Liberty are playing at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey during the renovation. Because of the renovation, the Rangers will start the 2011-12 season with seven games on the road before playing their first home game on October 27.

I just copied that from Wikipedia, because I just wanted to get it out there. I did notice some differences about updates that I knew about. Just the atmosphere is better on TV. I remember watching Lightning games and the arena just seemed bleak. Here, compare last night's video

To this game last season.

So lets see, they redid the lower bowl, fixed the lighting, and redid the concourses!

St Pete Times Forum Update

2011-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Monday is the Lightning's home opener against the Florida Panthers. Well, other than being my team, the renovations are looking like they're coming along nicely. There's more to it on the inside, but where the ice is, that whole part should be done. They replaced every seat, redid the boxes, and took out a few sections for a pipe organ. OH YEAH. They also have f'ing Tesla Coils that will shoot off lightning every home goal.

They were saying how they might not be ready, and they want it to be perfectly completed instead of risking safety. The video above is a test. Imagine the goal horn and lightning going off at the same time. It should be a great atmosphere.

2005 New Orleans Saints

2011-10-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

So I was on the Chris Creamer boards, looking at the "Best football fields" thread. This guy posted some oddities at LSU's Tiger Stadium. One of them, was this gem of the New Orleans Saints playing there after Hurricane Katrina.

I remember they did this. One of the 4 games they played there was against the Bucs. I remember, actually we were driving home somewhere going through St. Pete on the highway that passes the Trop. The announcer said something to the effect of, "If anyone wants to come watch a game, there are a lot of seats left at Tiger Stadium." Obviously the stadium wouldn't be to capacity, and just now I'm seeing a picture of it. Well, in that game they're either playing Carolina or Miami. You can't make out details but it's an all light uniform set, and Chicago and the Bucs wear navy and pewter.

The team had 3 regular season home stadiums. The hurricane came the week after a preseason game at the Superdome vs the Ravens. But still recovering, in week 2 they played the Giants at the Meadowlands. Week 4 and 6, they played Buffalo and Atlanta at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The next 4 home games were at Tiger Stadium, then they rounded the season out back in San Antonio against Detroit.

Then they fixed the Superdome, and it still looks like a dump.

But there is your history lesson everybody!

Mini Jerry World

2011-10-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Remember the Super Bowl?

I'm not sure if this is awesome, or just really really sad, but this guy made a New Cowboy Stadium in his living room. COMPLETE WITH VIDEO SCREENS. I thought my stadi-bros would like this.

Keeping Stadium Neighborhoods Alive in the Off-Season

2011-10-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

There’s only one thing more depressing come October than the end of baseball season: the sight of an empty ballpark. All those vacant seats, the hot-dog concessions closed, the field empty, and the gates padlocked until the following spring.It’s a bitter scene for baseball lovers.

But it’s an economic conundrum for cities, too.

Progressive Field in Cleveland may have come up with the best solution yet to the empty ballpark. Last year for the first time, the team converted the field into a vast winter playground. The Indians laid an ice track around the field for skaters and built a snow-tubing hill from the bleachers onto the outfield. “Snow Days” drew to downtown Cleveland last winter about 50,000 people who otherwise would have been bundled up at home. And because Progressive Field sits nestled in the city’s downtown (when it was constructed in the early 1990s, planners intentionally spurned surface parking lots), the event fed into the surrounding entertainment district and restaurants.

Here's the article.

Marlins Ballpark Update

2011-10-11T18:45:00.001-07:00

The new ballpark in Miami is starting to come together. It looks really small, at 37,000 people, but I think it will look good in the end...

...other than the home run celebration thing...

Yeah, every home run hit by the Marlins, this thing will go off a-la apple at Citi Field. Here's a youtube video.Yuck. Hopefully Mike Stanton does his thing on the road.

BC Place for the Whitecaps

2011-10-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

One little update on the last post, the Whitecaps tarped off the upper deck. I had to find this out after I called bullshit the picture below.

http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2011/10/vancouvers-bell-pitch-downtown-featured-fifa-12The Whitecaps are saying that the new BC Place will be on Fifa 12. I saw it, and figured they had a generic stadium and called it BC Place because the upperdeck and windows weren't there. Turns out it's legit, and you can now play there on Fifa 12, the only MLS stadium in the game.

The New BC Place Stadium

2011-10-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

This is actually pretty funny. I was looking at some stadiums on worldstadiums.com, and was looking at Vancouver. I knew they were renovating BC Place stadium, and so I looked it up. Turns out, the first game played there with the new renovations took place Friday. The BC Lions hosted Edmonton and won 33-24. Then the Vancouver Whitecaps hosted the Portland Timbers today, but lost 1-0.

The renovations took place from April 2010 to September 2011. All together, over $150 million took place in major renovations. These included seating replacements, washroom and concessions renovations, and replacement of the ETFE roof with a new retractable roof. The work was done in two phases. The first phase involved upgrades to seating, washrooms, concessions, and luxury suites, as well as the reinforcement of the existing ring beam at the top of the building and was completed in October 2009. Work on the retractable roof began in May 2010, shortly after the completion of the 2010 Winter Paralympics and the final deflation of the air-supported roof. 1,140 tv screens were added, and the second largest hanging video board is located hanging above the field(only Dallas has a bigger one.)

Originally built in 1983, it was one of those crappy generic domes like the SIlverdome, RCA dome, and Metrodome. In one of the videos below, the host said when he played, the air just seemed to sit and it felt like you were running through mud. The stadium was always known to be very loud, but it wasn't that state of the art. The Winter Olympic ceremonies took place there, which is probably the biggest moment. Unless you think 7 Grey Cups might contend. The dome actually collapsed Metrodome style in 2007, not because of snow however.

Empire Field is a temporary stadium that housed the Lions and 'Caps for the last two and a half seasons. They built it in... 3 months. Which is very speedy. Especially for a stadium with 27,500 seats. Sure, it probably wasn't that amazing, but it's impressive. The stadium will be torn down now that BC Place is all new and shiny.So from now on, the Lions and Whitecaps will play games at the new stadium, and it really looks great. The 2011 Grey Cup will be hosted there, and that should be very nice.

Here are some videos on the renovations from the BC Lions' website.
Second level, concessions- http://bclions.com/video/index/id/21033
Fourth level, seating, presentation, and roof- http://bclions.com/video/index/id/20997
The field, and scoreboard- http://bclions.com/video/index/id/20971
Gates, and locker room- http://bclions.com/video/index/id/20949

Stadium Report Card: Everbank Field

2011-09-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Our friend Nick went to the Jags-Titans game and did a report card for Everbank Field for y'all.

Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Location: Jacksonville, FL
League: National Football League(AFC South)
Built: 1997
Capacity: 76, 867
My event: Regular Season Game, vs Tennessee Titans

1. Outdoor Design

The exterior has a nice façade made of glass and features a statue of a jaguar named “Touchdown” sitting in front of it. The Everbank Field logo is on the top of the façade as well as plastered around the top of the stadium. Nothing else really stuck out though.
6/10

2. Indoor Design

The interior looks really good especially with the Bud Light Party Zone added to it when the stadium hosted the superbowl. You can tell you are at a Jaguars game with the look and feel of the interior. Teal blue seats, the “Pride of the Jaguars” Ring of Honor featuring Jaguar great Tony Bosselli honored in it. There are lots of activities for people of all ages. Just wish the field walls had a unique design to them instead of black with the helmet logo.
7/10

3. Prices
Very inexpensive for an NFL game. The Jaguars have probably one of the least expensive ticket prices. $75 a ticket for section 100 seats, in my mind that’s real good. Food prices were average for a sporting event. 7/10

4. Food
They had your typical stadium food of burgers, chicken, nachos, and hot dogs but they also had a Sonny’s stand and different variations of everything. I had a big plate of chicken tenders and fries, the chicken was spicy and it was good, I only wish I could have tried all of the food.
8/10

5. Staff
The staff was very friendly. They talked to you and helped you if needed. At the end of the game someone stole my souvenir cup and when we found a stand that had the cup my dad was willing to buy it but the manager just gave it to me for free. Great service.
9/10

6. Cleanliness
For a stadium almost 15 years old it was very neat and well kept.
8/10

7. Parking
the only downside to the day. My dad went with me and he needs handicap parking. The handicap section was at a baseball field across the street from Everbank and we still had to walk to the gates. If I didn’t have to pay $25 to walk the same distance we would have walked from the $10 garages I might not have been as mad.
2/10

8. Atmosphere
I’ve heard people say that Jaguar fans don’t care about the team. WRONG!!! The crowd was very into it the whole game. They love this team and support them. Every first down you can hear the famous Jaguar home game chant “MOVE THOSE CHAINS, MOVE THOSE CHAINS, MOVE THOSE CHAINS, MOVE EM!!!!!! The 9/11 tributes also made this a very emotional experience. The pre-game and half time ceremonies were very touching. In the end the crowd was loud and having fun, especially when the Jags won a nail biter..
9/10

9. Playing Surface

It was good. Nothing special but no complaints about it.
7/10

10. Scoreboard
There are two identical scoreboards, one on each end of the field. Both were good quality, full of ads, and solid. 7/10

Overall I give Everbank Field a 76 of 100.

Extreme Sun Life Stadium Makover

2011-09-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

So the Marlins are officially out of this stadium for good. After their entire history in a football stadium that just happens to fit baseball there, the Marlins will move to their new stadium. Everyone down there is excited, which makes me jealous, but it's still nice to look at.

But wait! word on the street is that the Dolphins are trying to renovate the now 20 year old Sun Life Stadium, to make the Super Bowl committee tingle with their shiny new renovations. The whole stadium and seats looked worn and an update was needed. So after 20 years of sharing, and rain outs, the Dolphins decided to make it their stadium and it looks REAL nice.

They want to make it a football only stadium. Which makes so much sense, and looks really attractive. The overhangs would cool the stadium significantly, because it does get toasty in the day. I really like the whole new seats too. I'm on board for this if they can get it passed

.
Article here

Stadium Report Cards: Louisville Slugger Field

2011-09-05T19:42:00.001-07:00

Team: Louisville Bats
Location: Louisville, KY
League: International League(West)
Built: 2000
Capacity: 13,131
My event: Regular Season Game, vs Indianapolis Indians

1. Outdoor Design

By now, you should know I like bricks. This was really cool. The area like this was a huge hall, and actually had a wedding set up there. The ticket windows and stuff were inside that. So it was like this was a separate building entirely, but I loved this.
8/10

2. Indoor Design

Also cool. A bug lower deck, overhang seats, with box seats above that. The outfield(scroll down) was nicely put together. It just was a cozy ballpark.
8/10

3. Prices
For a AAA park, it was pretty good. The ones online say 10 for where we thought. I thought it was higher, but it was okay. The 59fifties were 32, when they're normally cheaper at minor league parks.
7/10

4. Food
You know already. They did have local made ice cream that was really good. So better than average!
6/10

5. Staff
They did have some ticket Nazis, but they were nice about it. I found my seat, and the old man who showed me to my seat actually wiped it down. I thought it was nice of him. The store people were pretty cool too, even thought I didn't buy anything.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
It was solid. Some parts were iffy, but overall good.
7/10

7. Parking
A lot of people parked for free right behind the left field wall, on the street. but there wasn't much of other parking that I saw.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
I liked it! The team was about 8 back, but the crowd was into the game. They had their guys who's limit is AAA ball, and they all loved their team. Also the one guy who is obnoxious and tries to start every cheer. He was there.
8/10

9. Playing Surface

Kentucky Bluegrass. Get it?
8/10

10. Scoreboard

There was a video board, and a scoreboard. You can see both above, but no complaints, but the video board was shotty at points.
7/10

74! I love AAA parks. Theyre just a nice atmosphere with local flair, and no huge names. That's the last one from my trip, and for the first time, the home team was undefeated. A perfect 4-0, and 7-2 on all my trips.

Stadium Report Cards: Bowling Green Ballpark

2011-09-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Team: Bowling Green Hot Rods
Location: Bowling Green, KY
League: Midwest League(Eastern)
Built: 2009
Capacity: 4,500
My event: Regular Season Game, vs South Bend Silver Hawks

1. Outdoor Design

A lot was happening, and i wasn't impressed. A lot was brick, and then there was metal. it looked thrown together, and not all that attractive. The overhead view might show what I'm talking about.
5/10

2. Indoor Design

It was pretty nice. Simple. It somewhat falls into a cookie cutter MiLB park, like Greensboro, and Clearwater. But the outfield was nice to look at. It had a wide range of things happening, and I thought right field being inverted was pretty cool.
7/10

3. Prices
To sit in the seats for a game is 10 dollars. The berm in the corner is just 5. The reserved seats seemed kind of much for a regular season minor league game. The drinks were cheap though, so not all bad.
6/10

4. Food
The menu was basic, but they had car puns! There was a bar called the garage on the 3rd base side, so there was some variety.
7/10

5. Staff
The staff was pretty cool. The ticket window man wasn't that amazing, but other than that they were pretty cool. They knew what they were answering when I asked them questions. Good job.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
A new ballpark, and it was very tidy!
8/10

7. Parking
There was a large lot behind right, where the grey building is in the first picture. That was paid parking, but we found some open spots a block away, and even behind the left field wall there was a large open area.
8/10

8. Atmosphere
For a Sunday game, it was bleak. I don't know what it was, it just wasn't impressive. Looking at pictures, the team sells out their games, which is great to see. But what I saw wasn't one of those games. There's nothing to do in Bowling Green, so you think some people would show.
6/10

9. Playing Surface

I thought it was good! Real good. Not sure if you can see through the screen, but I applaud the grounds crew.
9/10

10. Scoreboard

A large board, with a box score. That's all you need in a scoreboard. There was ads all over, and it was solid as a whole.
7/10

71. I think I might be jaded, but that seems about right for a minor league stadium.

Stadium Report Cards: LP Field

2011-08-31T19:48:00.001-07:00

Team: Tennessee Titans
Location: Nashville, TN
League: National Football League(AFC)
Built: 1999
Capacity: 69,143
My event: Pre Season Game, vs Minnesota Vikings

1. Outdoor Design

Pretty football like. Basic stadium with areas in the endzones. It reminds me a LOT of Raymond James. Big Red lights overhung over everything.
6/10

2. Indoor Design

We showed up real early, as you can see. Big Bowls and upperdecks, and large areas on the end zone areas. The concourses were pretty dull. Lots of cement, and old NFL designs. That bugged me, hahaha.
7/10

3. Prices
Preseason games are generally cheap. The cheapest were about 5 dollars, and the upperdeck was around 30. We scalped 30 dollar tickets, but sat at the lower bowl.
7/10

4. Food
Just guess what they had. THE REG.
5/10

5. Staff
The people working the rows were nice and talkative, and they didn't check me for tickets. My dad also had pictures for his birthday with cheerleaders who were pretty nice, so that counts!
7/10

6. Cleanliness
I really didn't have a problem with it. Well kept for sure.
7/10

7. Parking
This was great. They had areas around the stadium, obviously. But there is a pedestrian bridge going from downtown Nashville to LP field. That is probably the source of 2/3rds of the people who was at the game. 20 dollars, and we parked for a downtown parking spot for the whole day.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
These people missed football. Typical NFL crowd wanting to have fun. The whole town was in light blue and navy. Also, the wave went around at least 15 times. I thought it was great.
8/10

9. Playing Surface

I thought it was nice, clean, and well maintained. Too bad there wasn't any logos or anything. But it was the first week, so I guess that's normal.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

2 huge boards on each endzone, though the presentation was kind of crappy.
7/10

69, which was about right. It wasn't that mind blowing, but it was a nice one never-the-less.

Stadium Report Cards: AT&T FIeld

2011-08-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

Team: AT&T Field
Location: Chattanooga, TN
League: Southern League(AA)
Built: 1999
Capacity: 6,340
My event: Regular Season Game, vs Birmingham Barons

1. Outdoor Design

The outside of the stadium was pretty meh. It had just a few lights, brick, and looked pretty simple with metal plating.
4/10

2. Indoor Design

The inside did it justice. The first post was the great outfield covered in ads, and had mountains overlooking the field. The seats were simple seats, over metal floors, like bleachers.
7/10

3. Prices
The tickets were super cheap, my dad had a senior discount, and it ended up being 2 dollars. The store was a little bit more expensive but getting in was real easy.
8/10

4. Food
Really basic baseball food, obviously.
5/10

5. Staff
I mean, they were pretty cool. Just the one guy I saw the most yelled at kids. The medical staff acted fast. A kit was hit in the eye with a foul ball line drive, and they got there fast.
7/10

6. Cleanliness
Really nice and well kept.
7/10

7. Parking
There was a few parking garages downtown, and one lot next to the stadium. But other than that, it was okay. The stadium is at the top of a hill, so there's no room for large parking. We actually walked to the stadium, but I took notes.
5/10

8. Atmosphere

The best one of my trip. Friday night, kids give away, and Chattanooga was rocking. The whole place was electric the whole game, which was great to see.
9/10

9. Playing Surface
I thought it was nice, clean, and well maintained.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

It was good! Had the basic info that you needed. But, the sound quality was loud and pretty bad. i add it to this category, because it was worth noting.
7/10

67. That seems about right. I didn't have high hopes, but I really liked things about this park. Chattanooga was a really cool city, too. I recommend it!

My Road Trip!

2011-08-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of stadiums that I took on my trip, I will do some posts about it soon. I didnt take a picture of Bridgestone Arena, and Rupp Arena.

UT-Chattanooga Football

Chattanooga Lookouts

Tennessee Titans

Vanderbilt Football

Western Kentucky Football

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Louisville Football

Churchill Downs

KFC Yum! Center

Louisville Slugger Stadium

Kentucky Football

Tennessee Football

My FINAL Rays stadium

2011-08-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

I'm done. FINALLY.

First, before looking down, look at my first version. The comments were like, oh this is nice! Just wait till they see this.

If you don't know me, you should know how I have to be perfect in things like this, symmetry wise. I didn't post what I did since the stadium concept I last posted, because I was always tweaking. Lemme tell you what I did.

I started over. COMPLETELY. Nothing but the ideas are from the first stadium. It started out with the plaza area along the 3rd base side. I added more and more, and made it the right size. My last stadium, I didn't realize down the line was like, 215. So I made it actual size, for one. I made it actual height. I was told the ballpark in Phoenix is 200 feet high, which helped a lot. Originally, the top of the stadium was flat across. I had the idea to arch it, just for effect. I decided that if I angled the roof, the stadium would have a unique look. In my head, the top of the roof would be the same material as the Trop, just to be quirky. From the top, you can see I made the structured side part align with the seats, rounded. I added this later, but I put an overhead tarp over the seats. They host a lot of mid day games during the summer, and its normally really hot. So why not have coverage for day games that isn't raining. Originally, the first base line upper deck was 35 feet closer to the field. The far back lower bowl seats had a limited view. I moved everything back, and that literally took half my time because it just wouldn't work out. I didn't like how it was a beige monstrosity. I changed it to brick. To avoid brick overload, like St. Louis, I made the top arch section metal , just to have it appealing to look at.

I made the stadium completely surrounded by glass. When it's raining, it would make sense to be completly inside. The glass would give unique views 360° around the stadium. Some other things, the entire walk around part of the stadium is 25 feet up, and the field is at 0 feet. The places with black boxes on them are simulated restaurants. I added another whole row of seats, its not just lower and upper seats, its a line of box seats on both sides, then a middle deck in right field, which is my favorite part of the stadium. Some things I didn't do was add like entrances to the upper deck, but there really isn't a way you can simulate a section entrance. The basic layout of the outfield is the same, with the party deck, touch tank and bullpen in deep center.

Lastly, I decorated with some ads all over, giving it a final touch. I added 6 video boards. A jumbo tron, which everyone has. Then I put a scoreboard bug in deep center. Then on the right field wall, I put 2 line up cards, and 2 division standings boards. All the ads here sponsor the rays in one thing or another. My personal favorite, is the Bright House ad with the distance marker. I thought that was cool. I added a few quirks like a clock over everything, too.

So enough reading, LOOK.

Here is where the stadium would be located, with an out of date model of it. The location of the stadium, located in St. Pete, near Gandy Bridge, which would open up the Tampa Market, and shorten the drive by 20 minutes for places in Hillsborough, and North Pinellas. With parking exits connecting to the highways, making an easy exit after Rays wins.

I need to send this to someone, just no idea who. I will show my drafting teacher when I go back to school, but thats about it.

Stadium Report Cards: Sun Life Stadium

2011-08-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Team: Sun Life Stadium
Location: Miami, FL
League: Major League Baseball(NL East)
Built: 1987
Capacity: 38,560(Baseball)
My event: Regular Season Game, vs New York Mets

1. Outdoor Design

I was somewhat surprised, they have a modern glass outside, with a south Florida beach vibe. From the outside, it really looks nice.
7/10

2. Indoor Design

When I walked in, I really was surprised. It seemed pretty cozy. But it wasn't AMAZING. The wall in left was pretty awkward, especially with the seats that you can't even go in. The seats also were more football orientated, and not angled.
5/10

3. Prices
I got a cheap ticket in the fish tank, which is the right field seats. The prices for drinks and food were high though.
6/10

4. Food
They had basic Ballpark food, and had a nice Latino menu.
6/10

5. Staff
I didn't have that much of a run in with them. The lady who I bought a drink from, lets just say, English wasn't her first language. However, the venders walking around were very cool. I liked that.
7/10

6. Cleanliness
One thing I noticed when walking to my seat was that the floors were pretty dirty. You think all the rain would wash it...
3/10

7. Parking
There was a lot of parking all around. We did get there early, but we parked close to the stadium, which is always good.
8/10

8. Atmosphere
This team has the worst attendance in the MLB. They closed off the upper deck for the rest of the season. On top of that, most people there were Mets fans. They did have a Cuban band playing that caused dancing.
3/10

9. Playing Surface
It was pretty good, i thought. Nothing bad. It was just kind of quirky, and there was parts that had, like, tarp or carpets in fair territory.
7/10

10. Scoreboard

There was two huge awesome video screens that had different information on each, on both ends of the stadium.
9/10

61, which really is a good score for this stadium. Their new stadium should be MUCH better.

MLB Summer Tour: Busch Stadium

2011-08-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Name: Matthew Call
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Stadium:Busch Stadium

How many times a year do you make it to a game?:I usually try to get to a couple games a year, sometimes more. I attended 3 in 2010. This does not count the numerous games I have worked there as a visiting manager with SportService. I don't know for sure if you include those. I didn't get to really watch those games, but got to stop every now and then a see a few batters. Unfortunately, this was not the case during the 2009 All-Star Game. I was busy the entire time the game was going on. Same for the day before during the home run derby.

What is your favorite part of the ballpark?:
Probably now the view of the buildings and the arch. Having an open ballpark like it is now is perfect for St. Louis. Old Busch, after renovations, had a really nice outfield area considering it was an enclosed, multipurpose stadium. But seeing such a great view of downtown St. Louis is just amazing.

What makes the games special?:
The fans. I know some maybe sick of hearing it and may not agree, but St. Louis really does have the best fans in baseball. They have such a high respect and love for the game, that, coupled with the great history of the team, makes for such an amazing experience.

Favorite memory at the stadium?:
So many even though it's only 5 years old, but probably watching them win the World Series in 2006 was one of my personal highlights. I was working, but got to watch the final few batters and celebrate for a few minutes before me and some of my co-workers had to get back to work. We were then there working until 6:30 the next morning, but you would never know because of the adrenaline from having experienced that.

Second may be the first ever game there, an exhibition game between the Springfield Cardinals (where I worked) and the Memphis Redbirds. I was working it, my Dad was attending it. This is important to me because he was at the very first game at Busch II in 1966 and I worked the final game there in the 2005 playoffs. We were then both at the first game at the new one. It was special because as a family, and especially with my Dad, we have always been such huge Cardinals fans and have made many trips there. It's one of the reasons why the Cardinals are so important to me.

Picture of you:
Picture of you: Don't have one at the moment. I'll try and find one.

KC? I think so.

My Rays Stadium Gallery

2011-07-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

I made my stadium on Google Sketch Up, and after many tweaks, here are some views of it.

Stadium Report Cards: Rosenblatt Stadium

2011-07-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

Team: Rosenblatt Stadium
Location: Omaha, NE
League: NCAA
Built: 1948
Capacity: 23,145 (College World Series games)
My event: numerous CWS games from 1996 to 2010

I finally sat down to write this up for my hometown ballpark. Well, the old one, that is. I based this off of College World Series games, as that is what the Blatt was known for. The oldest ticket I can find is from 1996, but I based my report off the most recent version of Rosenblatt.

1. Outdoor Design

It is a nice looking stadium, but it is very obviously pieced together and not planned out.
6/10

2. Indoor Design

The concourses were small and cramped. The seats were somewhat uncomfortable. Overall comfort was not great.
5/10

3. Prices
Fairly reasonable, but not great. The NCAA has jacked up the prices on everything but it wasn’t terrible at the Blatt.
6/10

4. Food
The Blatt had the best fresh squeezed lemonade in the world. After that, it was still great. There were many great ballpark foods, plus unique items like ice cream and Famous Daves. Quite delicious!
8/10

5. Staff
If you’ve never been to the Midwest before, the friendliness of the staff might surprise you. I didn’t notice this until I went on vacations and such, but everyone here is so outgoing and friendly. Rosenblatt is no different, everyone loves to help out and talk. The staff seemed a little stricter the last couple years though.
7/10

6. Cleanliness
Well, its about what you would expect for such an old stadium. Not too good.
3/10

7. Parking
There really wasn’t much parking right by the stadium. Most people had to park across the interstate and walk.
4/10

8. Atmosphere
The CWS atmosphere is one of a kind. It truly one of those things you just have to experience for yourself. Rosenblatt was special.
10/10

9. Playing Surface
It really started to get bad toward the end, but they kept it up.
6/10

10. Scoreboard

The latest edition of the left field scoreboard was great. Huge, great graphics.
10/10

According to my math, that equals a 65.

This weekend

2011-07-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

Guess where I'm going! It rhymes with Shun Shife Shtadium. Report card!

FC Tampa Bay stadium

2011-07-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

A pro team needs a pro stadium, right? So I made a stadium concept for fun. A location there are talks about for the Rays' stadium is the Florida State Fairgrounds. Sure enough, there was enough room for a stadium there. I made a horseshoe type stadium. I was going for 3 sides, then a section for members of the Supporter's group, Ralph's mob. I might make a logo for them actually. Pretty Simple I guess. I wanted to try something new, and have a the big piece of grass connecting to the outside. The seats go in a green and yellow pattern, as you can see. Also, I positioned the stadium in view of the whole complex, with the fairgrounds, ampatheatre, and Hard Rock Casino

I did a complete rebrand, which can be seen on Sports Logo Spot.

Rays Stadium Concept 2

2011-07-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Last year, I made a concept for the Rays' new stadium. I realized how much of an eye sore it was. Here it is.

Part 1. Retractable roof, which is one thing a new stadium would need. This field would have similarities to the Trop. The field is similar shaped. The new Batter's Eye Cafe will be moved back for a party deck. The deck will be the place where the sting ray touch tank is located. The bottom deck will run all the way around, and the upperdeck goes 3/4th of the way around. The part without the deck will be where the scoreboard and video screen would be located. Underneath the right field deck, would be offices for the Rays. The Bullpens won't be on the field anymore. The area with the TB logo would be a rotunda area. The Trop has one now, but in my head, I'm thinking glass all the way up.

Part 2. The stadium from home plate. The batters eye cafe located in center witha party deck and touch tank. The executive offices are located above the right field, lower deck, and under the upperdeck. The glass above the batters eye is glass that shows a view of Tampa Bay

Part 3. The location of the stadium, located in St. Pete, near Gandy Bridge, which would open up the Tampa Market, and shorten the drive by 20 minutes for places in Hillsborough, and North Pinellas. With parking exits connecting to the highways, making an easy exit after Rays wins.

Improvement over last time?

Stadium Report Cards: Consol Energy Center

2011-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Tex from hockeyconceptcentral.blogspot.com contacted me and offered to do some report cards. He said he could do Pittsburgh's stadiums, and the Horseshoe at Ohio State.

Team: Consol Energy Center
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
League: National Hockey League(Atlantic Division)
Built: 2010
Capacity: 18,087
My event: Regular Season game, New York Rangers

1. Outdoor Design

The CEC has a beautiful, modern glass front and is in a very nice, well kept area of Pittsburgh.
9/10

2. Indoor Design

Inside, the concourse is larger than two at the Mellon arena. The open design is a welcome change. Great view almost anywhere, even in the upper bowl, you have a great view of the game. The Mario Mosaic was really cool, and the rest of the arena was very high-tech.
10/10

3. Prices
About normal for a hockey game, candy was a rip-off, but other than that pretty average.
6/10

4. Food
Great selection of food, from normal stadium food to The Smokehouse, and Primanti Bros. There is a wide variety of choices.
8/10

5. Staff
The staff was friendly and helpful, as should be expected.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
Extremely clean, inside and out, even the sidewalk outside was very clean. Not one speck of dirt, the cleanest stadium I’ve been to.
10/10

7. Parking
It took a long time to find a place to park, and when we got there it wasn‘t cheap. Wish they would put in a parking deck close to the arena.
6/10

8. Atmosphere
An incredible atmosphere, very loud and passionate fans. The building shook when the Pens scored, and the chanting for Fleury was great.
9/10

9. Playing Surface
By the time I got there, they had fixed all the ice problems, so the ice looked great, and there were no issues.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

One of the best scoreboard in the league, HUGE display and phenominal graphics. Provided an excellent look at replays n'at. Awesome screen!
8/10

So that gives the Penguin's new arena an 84, up their with the class of the list. Look forward to more report cards soon.

Old Yankee Stadium

2011-07-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I do not like the Yankees. But, I do like what they did with the old Yankee Stadium site. They turned the old stadium into a park, including baseball diamonds where the old diamond was. Demolition of the original Yankee Stadium was completed on May 13, 2010. A 10-acre park complex called Heritage Field will be constructed on the old stadium site, accounting for 40 percent of the original parkland that is now occupied by the new Stadium. The groundbreaking ceremony for Heritage Field took place on June 29, 2010.

Obviously it isn't done yet, but just from my estimations, it looks like it should be done by 2012. They really just have to do the landscaping outside. I think it wouldve been soooooo cool if they used old Yankee Stadium seats in the park.

And just for comparison's sake...

Credit to DexterMorgan from the CCSLC boards for the pictures, and the story.

New Road Trip plans!

2011-06-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

http://stadiaarcadia.blogspot.com/2011/01/blog-post.html

So the 2011 one wasn't official, apparently. My dad and I were going to go to just those three, but we made some changes. We WERE going to see the Nashville Sounds between Chattanooga and Bowling Green.

WELL, the Tennessee Titans POSSIBLY would be hosting the Minnesota Vikings that weekend. My sister is also playing softball in South Carolina the next weekend, so that opens up several days for more games. My dad talked about the Tennessee Smokies, and Asheville Tourists.

That would be 6 games for sure. I want to maybe see some in South Carolina depending on where they play. I'm thinking Augusta Green Jackets.

MLB Summer Tour: Turner Field

2011-06-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Name: Demetrius
Team: Atlanta Braves
Stadium:Turner Field

How many times a year do you make it to a game?:At least 10, and it's mostly the Sunday games. Nothing like day baseball, no matter where you are.

What is your favorite part of the ballpark?:
Probably the Hank Aaron statue that is just inside of the park. Having a statue of the Home Run King not only in the ballpark but prominently featured is a shining beacon for the club & just knowing that it's there & I can go look at it for every visit gives me a sense of pride as a Braves fan.

What makes the games special?:
Two words: Tomahawk Chop. Some may think it's racist, some may think it's monotonous, some may think it's lame and a direct rip-off of the FSU warchant...but when 50,000 people are standing in unison & doing it (without a PA system prompting them to do so), it's an unbeatable experience for a baseball fan in this town.

Favorite memory at the stadium?:
Definitely when I got to go to Bobby Cox's final regular season series against the Phillies. Every game I had standing room only tickets, which basically meant that I had to hang from any rafter you could think of just to get a good view of the game. I almost ended up in the Phillies' bullpen for one of the games. But all of the craziness of trying to find some sort of suitable viewing place was well worth it. The Braves won the Sunday game to clinch their first playoff spot in 5 years, and Bobby Cox received one of the loudest ovations I've ever heard. Crazy times.

Picture of you:
(Got none that's relatively current, nor of me at the stadium. I'm lame.)

Instead, here is a picture of Me at Turner Field!

Off to St. Louis!

Soccer Specific stadiums

2011-06-09T21:23:00.001-07:00

A Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States, Canada and Australia, coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium either purpose built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to an all purpose stadium which is primarily used for soccer. These mostly refer to soccer stadiums in the USA. In the early history of the MLS, a lot of teams used NFL stadiums. Eventually, they got chased out. Some went to smaller stadiums, other football stadiums, or baseball stadiums. Some had the money and built their own park. With the opening of Livestrong Sporting Park, there's 11 soccer specific stadiums(for 12 teams). The first was in Columbus, then in 8 years 10 new stadiums were built. Here's a gallery.

Columbus Crew Stadium
Columbus Crew
Columbus, OH
22,685 seats
1999

The Home Depot Center
Los Angeles Galaxy, C.D. Chivas USA
Carson, CA
27,000 Seats
2003

Pizza Hut Park
FC Dallas
Frisco, TX
21,193 Seats
2005

Toyota Park
Chicago Fire
Bridgeview, IL
20,000 Seats
2006

Dick's Sporting Goods Park
Colorado Rapids
Commerce City, CO
19,680 Seats
2007

BMO Field
Toronto FC
Toronto, ON
23,000 Seats
2007

Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake
Sandy, UT
20,008 Seats
2008

Red Bull Arena
New York Red Bulls
Harrison, NJ
25,189 Seats
2010

PPL Park
Philadelphia Union
Chester, PA
18,500 Seats
2010

Jeld-Wen Field
Portland Timbers
Portland, OR
18,627 Seats
2011

Livestrong Sporting Park
Sporting Kansas City
Kansas City, KS
18,500
2011

Those are the current ones above, but there are two still coming. Houston spent their history in the Houston Cougars' football stadium. The Earthquakes spent their recent return in the San Jose State Spartans' football stadium.

Dynamo Stadium
Houston Dynamo
Houston, TX
~21,600 Seats
2012*

New Earthquakes Stadium
San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose, CA
~15,000 Seats
2013*

The teams sharing stadiums are(not counting the Dynamo, and Earthquakes)
New England Revolution(Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots)
DC United(RFK Stadium, built for baseball)
Seattle Sounders(Qwest Field, Seattle Seahawks)
Vancouver Whitecaps(Empire Fields/BC Place, BC Lions)

In 2012, the Montreal Impact will be playing in a Soccer Specific Stadium of their own. They aren't in the league yet, and they built it in 2008, so it goes down here!

MLB Summer Tour: Tropicana Field

2011-06-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Name: Kaity Lathbury
Team: Tampa Bay Rays
Stadium: Tropicana Field

How many times a year do you make it to a game?:
Once a month!

What is your favorite part of the ballpark?:
Besides the field itself, it would definitely have to be the Ted Williams museum. I get this nostalgic feeling where I get goosebumps when I go up the stairs and see all the jerseys and memorabilia of players from the past. While I wasn't there to watch all of them play, it's all preserved and put on display, but still tucked away so not many people are up there. It's not a secret so much as an under-appreciated part of the ballpark.

What makes the games special?:
The noise level, by far. The roof, combined with the cowbells and vuvuzelas, make games crazy loud. It really gets you pumped up when the guys are winning, and I haven't left a game yet without a raspy voice from cheering at the top of my lungs with a bunch of die-hard Rays fans.

Favorite memory at the stadium?:
My first game on April 9, 2000. I was 6, it was my first pro baseball game, and they got slaughtered by the Indians. While the outcome was horrible, and I cried because I fully expected them to win, I had the time of my life. I was able to attend my first game with my family, and it's a tradition that we've been carrying on for the last 11 years. I actually still have the thunder sticks they were handing out that night and they're proudly on display in my room!

Picture of you:

2 down, and now up to Atlanta for the Braves.

Livestrong Sporting Park

2011-06-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight, against the Chicago Fire, Sporting Kansas City(Formerly Kansas City Wizards) opened their new stadium. The 18,500 seat stadium is the first soccer specific one in team's history. KC played in the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium from 1996-2007, then played at the KC T-Bones' CommunityAmerica Ballpark for 3 seasons. Originally going to be built on the Southeast side of KC, Missouri, but ultimately decided to build it in Kansas. They pretty much gave the stadium name to Livestrong, and donated 7 million to the foundation

The new 160 million dollar stadium opens to a lot of games. Still working on it, Sporting KC played 12 strait road games. Following this one, 13 of 15 will be at home.

Oh, and Chad Ochocinco didn't make the team, so in case you were wondering what he's up to. The team actually renamed their team "Sporting" to, yes, be more European. But they wanted to do something more. Over there, they have whole clubs. FC Barcelona is under a club that has a basketball team, here's David Villa, and Ricky Rubio for examples. The MLS announcer said "looking for a possible Rugby, or Lacrosse team"

Ballpark Pictures

2011-05-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

stadium-love-.tumblr.com

Hey guys, on tumblr, I came across this site. It has people send in pictures of different stadiums. It's really neat if you're into this kind of stuff. I went through pages and I got to about page 30 before I realized it.

Stadium Report Cards: Shea Stadium

2011-05-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

The last of Nick's 3 reviews. This is the Mets' old dump.

Team: Shea Stadium
Location: Queens, New York, NY
League: Major League Baseball(NL East)
Built: 1964
Capacity: 57,333
My event: Regular Season game, New York Yankees

1. Outdoor Design

An old and crappy look for an old and crappy stadium. It had a nice touch of blue going around it but it always looked like the paint was wearing and chipping. You could see in the supports as well how old Shea really was. It is not good looking on the outside.
4/10

2. Indoor Design

The stadium had a nice color scheme with the seats but it is one of the very few qualities I found to be enjoyable. Otherwise the inside is as crappy as the outside. The team store was in a tent and the seats had bars going around the top of them making me feel trapped and uncomfortable in my own seat. Not a feeling I want to have at a ball game. If you sat in the upper rows you could feel the stadium rock anytime a plane flew over and I thought to myself that the stadium could give way and collapse at any time.
4/10

3. Prices
Prices were fair for an MLB game. Good seats at an affordable price .
6/10

4. Food
Overly priced average ballpark food that some Met fans deemed un-edible. One guy sitting next to me had a burger and after taking one bite he said it tasted like “regurgitated ass”. Even the beer was not worth the price. My dad and I had only two each and we both left Shea that night sick to our stomach’s and we did not chug them or anything. Just two.
2/10

5. Staff
Staff was friendly and somewhat welcoming. Did smile once in a while but not often. They were at least very helpful.
5/10

6. Cleanliness
Shea was never clean. It was an old stadium but it seemed to me like no one even tried to take care of it. The bathrooms smelled so bad I couldn’t even go in there to take a leak. A fellow Met fan said “If you get past the smell the floors are another challenge. There is so much piss and vomit on the floors that you need a rowboat to get through it all. Trash and spills everywhere you went; It was disgusting.
1/10

7. Parking
Not bad but most fans took the train in because it was easier and cheap too. Caused long lines at the gates.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
It was a Subway Series game so fans were into it. The Yankee fans did get quiet after the Mets went up big early and didn’t make much noise at all in a 11-2 Mets win. The Mets fans were electrified and excited the whole night. The win led to the teams first ever sweep of their pin striped rivals and would be the highlight of their underachieving season so Mets fans enjoyed it.
8/10

9. Playing Surface
Shea used Kentucky blue grass and had a nice design of the cap logo in the outfield.
7/10

10. Scoreboard

Good quality on a nice scoreboard that stood out. Had the Manhattan skyline on it with a ribbon on the twin towers, that now sits on the Shake Shack at Citi Field, and I felt it represents the team well for Mets is short for Metropolitans so it represents the city like the team.
8/10

A harsh 50/100. That is 4 worse than the Metrodome. I never thought it was any good, but this was kind of surprising. I predicted 63, but that's still 13 more than what it was. I'll try and get another part of the stadium tour done tonight. My sister better do this for me, if not I can have someone I know to fill in.

Stadium Report Cards: Citi Field

2011-05-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

The second of Nick's 3 reviews. This is the Mets' new stadium.

Team: Citi Field
Location: Queens, New York, NY
League: Major League Baseball(NL Eaast)
Built: 2009
Capacity: 41,000
My event: Regular Season game, San Diego Padres

1. Outdoor Design

The stadium itself is a tribute to Ebbets Field so the exterior looks like Ebbets. The brick design with the arch windows and entrances are very beautiful. The old home run apple from Shea is located right out front by the home plate gate and the exact spots of where the home plate, pitching rubber, and bases from Shea are marked as a tribute.
8/10

2. Indoor Design

The Jackie Robinson rotunda at the home plate entrance was very well done. Again I love the brick layout and how the words Excellence, Commitment, etc circle around the rotunda. You will also find the Hall of Fame and Museum where the best moments in Met history are honored from the greatest players in franchise history to the two World Series titles, rings, and even the infamous ball from game 6 are enshrined. Yes the ball that went through Buckner’s legs is there. The ballpark itself has a nice look. The classic orange foul poles were brought over but the red and orange seats were not. Also the fence is very tall and oddly shaped. It looks kind of like a broken glass bottle. The look of the interior does not scream Mets like Shea did but you have more leg room with the seats and guests with disabilities can be better accommodated. There is a new Home Run Apple in dead center field that looks nice too. Some seats though are best to be avoided. The infield seats are excellent but the outfield seats aren’t. Particularly if you sit in the upper left field section or in the lower right and center field sections. The levels above are so sharply angled that your view becomes obstructed. In the left field upper level, the view is obstructed by the out of town scoreboards. They put TV’s in all of the obstructed view areas but if I’m going to have to pay to watch the game on TV I’ll stay home and do it for free. Overall though the park is beautiful.
7/10

3. Prices
The prices were better than I expected. Our seats in the promenade club on the 3rd base line were only 28 dollars a ticket and the view was nice.
7/10

4. Food
The food variety is amazing. Taste of the City, located behind the center field scoreboard, has so many choices. The most popular choice is the Shake Shack. Best burger, fries, and shake I have ever had. Worth the long wait, which is common at Shake Shack. Want Tacos, Belgian fries, Italian, Seafood, Barbecue, Sushi, you can have it. There is also many different beers you can try, Subway also has stands, Sausage and Peppers, and of course Carvel for desert. Prices are average for a ball game but it’s worth it. Many choices available on all levels.
10/10

5. Staff
Staff was very helpful in guiding fans to their seats. A very happy and welcoming staff. Very stiff in making sure you were in the section your ticket assigns you but that is expected; You had to show your ticket in order to advance but they were nice about it. I couldn’t find mine when we came back from getting food but they let me through anyway.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
Extremely clean compared to Shea. The bathrooms were clean, did not smell of piss and vomit, and even had a unique floor design consisting of the team colors. So nice to actually go into the bathroom and use it when I needed to. The Mets take care of this park. Little trash could be found on the floors.
9/10

7. Parking
Parking was okay. A bit of a walk from our spot to the park but no difficulty getting out. Getting in was a pain but we were arriving close to the first pitch.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
It was a pitcher’s duel between Clayton Richard for the Padres and Mike Pelfrey for the Mets. Although the game did not sell out the stadium was ¾ full and the fans were really into the game. In the bottom of inning 7 Jose Reyes hit a ball that was ruled a double and the fans went crazy cause it left the park even though it barely cleared the fence. It was reviewed and then ruled a home run and the crowd was excited. I’m sure it depends on the opponent and how the team is doing but when I went it was a very electrified atmosphere.
8/10

9. Playing Surface
The grass surface looks great and the players didn’t seem to have an issue with it.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

The main scoreboard in center field is nice. Below the Citi Field logo it says the famous “Let’s go Mets” with Mets written just like it is on the team Jerseys. It is smaller than the one at Shea but the screen, made by Sharp, is of better quality and it adds uniqueness to the park.
8/10

Another one down, that's 80/100. I never noticed how awesome the interior of the stadium really is.

Stadium Report Cards: Amway Center

2011-05-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Our friend Nick offered to do some Report Cards, for the Amway Center, Citi Field, and Shea Stadium

Team: Orlando Magic
Location: Orlando, FL
League: National Basketball Association(Eastern Conference)
Built: 2010
Capacity: 18,846
My event: Regular Season game, Los Angeles Clippers

1. Outdoor Design

The outside is amazing. A portion of the outside by the main entrance is made of glass. Still nice looking though. It is so much bigger that Amway Arena and so much nicer looking even if it is new and it adds spark to Downtown.
9/10

2. Indoor Design

Can you say jaw dropping. The concourses are very nice and include paintings of current and former players. The arena itself really has the feel of the team with the seats all in the team colors and the O-Zone located in the upper level. The view is incredible and I have not seen anything better this so far in my sporting ventures.
9/10

3. Prices
The prices were a little more expensive than your average NBA ticket but still fair. My seat was $50 and we were in the lower rows of the upper bowl which was still a great seat.
7/10

4. Food
A variety of choices. Your traditional Hot Dogs, popcorn and burgers, and Papa John’s Pizza. There are other choices on the different levels of the arena from tacos to Chinese pan noodles to what they call a Magic Burger and even Deli Sandwiches. It all seems good.
8/10

5. Staff
Staff was very friendly and out-going. One staff member was a friend of mine from high school. The staff members always had a smile on their face and had no problem helping fans.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
No problems here considering it is a brand new arena. I don’t see cleanliness being an issue here but we will see over time.
8/10

7. Parking
Downtown Orlando has many lots within walking distance and there is also a lot attached to Amway. It’s $20 for that garage and $10 for the others so we parked within walking distance. Getting in was no problem but getting out was a pain.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
I can never question the loyalty of Magic fans. They were into the game from start to finish even early when the Clippers were controlling the game. The fans rallied the team and Orlando ruled the 2nd half to win. The fans in Orlando love this team.
9/10

9. Playing Surface
Very nice design on the floor surface and no issues occurred with it.
7/10

10. Scoreboard

The tallest scoreboard in NBA history and one of the nicest I have ever seen. This thing is huge. It has more than 10 screens and all of them provide crystal clear quality on replays, scores, etc.
10/10

That would be an 83! Very nice score for a very nice stadium. Up there with Wembley Stadium.

MLB Summer Tour: Sun Life Stadium

2011-05-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Name: Derek Reese
Team: FLORIDA Marlins
Stadium: Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphins/Dolphin/LandShark/Dolphin/Sun Life Stadium

How many times a year do you make it to a game?:
Usually 5-10 times per year, sometimes more, since the inaugural season in 1993.

What is your favorite part of the ballpark?:
Definitely the quirks in the outfield, namely the (formally) Teal Tower in left
field. The giant teal out of town scoreboard with the analog clock and lineups
was the only thing that gave Joe Robbie that ballpark feel. It made you briefly
forget you were really in a cavernous football stadium. For every home run it
took away from the good guys in Teal and Black, it took one away from the
opponents. But the small gap where the Tower ended down the left field line
always let a few sneak over the wall(just ask Alex Gonzalez). The loud metal
bang when the ball smacked into it surely meant extra bases. Unfortunately this
unique feature was covered up with giant ads in 2010(thanks to the stadium nor
the team wanting to pay for repairs)

Another fun spot is the “Bermuda Triangle”, the notch in the outfield wall in
deep left center, jutting out to 434 feet from home plate. Triple-city for the
speedsters over the years like Chuck Carr, Luis Castillo or Juan Pierre. Every
time a ball was caught in the triangle, the inevitable “That ball is out in any
other ballpark” comments would spring up, from the stands to the press box to
the guy on his couch.

Sadly, these unique outfield features, one of the few true South Florida MLB
traditions, are not being transferred to the new ballpark at the site of the
Orange Bowl.

What makes the games special?:
Marlins games at Joe Robbie Stadium were always special to me growing up. There
has always been a unique camaraderie between the Marlins fans, we always have to
fend off the transplants from out of town, regardless of who we are playing. Be
it New York, Philly, Atlanta, LA, Chicago, there are always some loud mouth out
of towners in attendance that bring out the best in Fish fans. Win or lose, rain
or shine(usually rain), I always have a good time at a Marlins game at Joe
Robbie. I've been soaked while sitting in the rain watching the tarp crew go to
work, come home with sun burn on hot Sunday afternoons, but you never regret
heading out to the stadium. Even if only 6,000 people show up, you can enjoy the
ample legroom and it feels like they are playing the game just for you.

When driving down the Florida Turnpike, as you round the curve at Hollywood
Boulevard going southbound, the lights and scoreboard come into view on the
horizon. I still get excited even if I'm not going to a game. And that's what
baseball and sports is all about. A stadium, even the 3rd oldest stadium the
National League, and the very worst in baseball, is a special place and it can
bring out the kid in you.

Favorite memory at the stadium?:
I've seen too many games to single out one memory. It's really been just an
entire experience, from my first ever baseball game in 1993 at the inaugural
season finale, to seeing Mark McGwire hit home runs #58 and #59 in 1998, to the
excitement as the club marched towards the playoffs in 1997 and 2003. I can
remember several occasions huddling under the overhangs on the concourse, hiding
from the rain. Trying unsuccessfully to snag a BP home run from everywhere
possible in the outfield over the years(best I ever got was a ground rule
double). I got to sit in a skybox and meet Tony Perez one year, I've seen a
handful of great walk off wins, stayed for doubleheaders late into the night,
and watched many careers get their start on the diamond at Joe Robbie Stadium.
The 19 years of the Florida Marlins at Joe Robbie Stadium are something I'll
never forget.

Picture of you:

MLB Summer Road Trip Criteria

2011-05-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

Here is what I will ask you when being interviewed for the Summer Road trip

Name:
Team:
Stadium:
How many times a year do you make it to a game?:

What is your favorite part of the ballpark?:

What makes the games special?:

Favorite memory at the stadium?:

Picture of you:

MLB Summer Road Trip Sign up Sheet

2011-05-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

So in order to do the Summer Road trip, we need some volunteers. I have a handful of people who are willing to, but theres still about 25 left. These are all people from the CCSLC boards. You can sign up on the comments, or contact me at my email.

Marlins- Fishheatcats
Rays- My friend Kaity
Braves- TFoA
Cardinals- McCall
Royals-
Rangers-
Astros-
Rockies-
Diamondbacks-
Padres-
Angels- Still MIGHTY
Dodgers-
Giants-
A's- Anthony
Mariners-
Twins- TC
Brewers- KDubK414
Cubs- MDC
White Sox-
Reds- Joshmings
Pirates-
Indians- Infared41
Tigers-
Jays- mr.negative15
Red Sox- gingerbreadmann
Yankees-cameroncrazie07
Mets- metfan19862003
Phillies-
Orioles-
Nationals-

How to score a 10 for Atmosphere on a SRC

2011-05-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is a video from the first MLS home game for the Portland Timbers. They rebuilt the stadium to make it soccer specific, instead of multi use with the Portland Beavers.

They decided to sing the national anthem, as a whole. 20,000+ people singing at the same time. I watched this on ESPN when it was going. The thing is, I had headphones in studying. I watched it, but missed the song. The whole game though, the crowd went wild for the 3 goals I saw, and after each, the official mascot of the Timbers(Timber Joey) would use a chainsaw and cut a piece of a tree off.

Absolutely crazy.

Non BCS Stadium Expansions

2011-05-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

So two of the biggest BCS Busters in history, Boise State and TCU will renovate their stadium.

In late August 2010, new expansion plans were revealed for Bronco Stadium. The first stages will include adding a new facility to the north endzone, which will house the football offices, weight room, training room, equipment room and locker room. This would also include a 13,200 seat grandstand. The later stages of the expansion plan include: removing the track, lowering the field, and adding 3,300 seats in front of the first deck of the stadium; completing the south endzone horseshoe; building an east side skybox; and renovating the east side concourse. BSU's only holds 33,500 people, when it probably could hold much more. The expansions may be divided up into as many as six phases. The total cost for all planned expansions is around $100 million. The total seating capacity for a fully-expanded Bronco Stadium is estimated to be around 53,000. The Boise State athletic director aims to have the north endzone complex open in time for the 2013 season.

On Monday, August 16, 2010, TCU announced a $105 million renovation of the west side and north end zone of Amon G. Carter Stadium to better enhance football fans' experience, upgrade amenities and transform the historic Fort Worth icon into the "Camden Yards" of collegiate football stadiums.
Work on the renovation, which is funded by donor support, began with the implosion of the west stands on December 5, 2010. It will be fully completed in 2012.

My Rays Game

2011-05-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

A few sundays ago, I went to the Rays-Twins game. I Loooooove going to Rays games. I really do. The ballpark has a feel about it every time i go. I took some pictures from my seat to show all around the field. I'll tell you a little bit about each.

Here is the home plate view. You can see fields tarped off that have blocked site lines by the catwalks. Also note the new turf.

The outfield is really colorful. When the new ownership came in, they redid a lot of this. Imagine it outdoors, it would look like an actual ballpartk.

The infamous cat walks around the roof of the stadium.

Finally, the banners and party deck. The party deck have some of the cheapest tickets in the MLB, and the 2010 banner is new.

people say the whole stadium is a sty, but it really isn't. It's a fun place to watch a game with a big crowd there. Believe me.

Stadium Report Cards: Wembley Stadium

2011-04-21T20:48:00.002-07:00

When I was in England, Ghana and England had a friendly. One of my friends was actually at the game, and we have him to do a report card.

Team: England National Soccer Team
Location: London, ENG, UK
League: UEFA
Built: 2007
Capacity: 90,000
My event: International Friendly, vs Ghana

1. Outdoor Design

Wembley Stadium is one of the most recognizable stadiums in the world. The Old Wembley had the iconic "twin towers", while the New Wembley Stadium has the iconic arch. You see the arch and know you’re at Wembley. Heck, you can even see it from the London Eye miles away.
10/10

2. Indoor Design

While there’s nothing too unique about the interior of Wembley, other than the retractable roof, the bowl design allows for every seat to be facing the center of the pitch, and additionally for there to be no poles blocking the views like in the Old Wembley.
7/10

3. Prices
The prices were actually fantastic, in my opinion. We sat about 35 rows up behind the goal to the side in the lower bowl for only 25 pounds, which is like $40 a ticket. To see an NFL game here in Indy at those same seats, it’d probably cost $150. So compared to everything else in London too, prices get a good score here.
9/10

4. Food
I personally didn’t have anything at the match itself, but there are plenty of different choices for food at Wembley. They have, like, over 600 kiosks in the pace for food, so that’s pretty good as far as most stadiums go.
7/10

5. Staff
The staff was very friendly, and it was nice to see that they let the Ghanan fans that hat tickets in the England sections stay there unless there was an issue. When I toured Wembley, the tour guide was very nice and insightful.
9/10

6. Cleanliness
Wembley Stadium was top-notch as far as cleanliness goes. Felt like I wasn’t in a stadium with how clean it was, to be honest. Really nice, and a deserved really good score here.
10/10

7. Parking
Nobody really parks at Wembley. Of the 80,000 that go to a match at Wembley, I’d say 70,000 at least are taking the Tube (subway) home. The parking is limited, as Wembley’s in a residential area, and those places that you can park are very expensive. Parking is reserved for residents of the area, so everyone drives to a Tube station and takes the Tube to Wembley.
5/10

8. Atmosphere
I’d give this a 20/10 if I could to be honest. The best atmosphere I’ve ever been in at a game, and that includes hockey games in Toronto and Montreal as well as 3 Final Four games. Seriously, if there’s one place you’ve gotta go for a game, it’s Wembley.
10/10

9. Playing Surface
The pitch at Wembley is top-notch. You can’t beat it. Getting close to it on the tour was really cool, and the grass is beautiful.
10/10

10. Scoreboard

The scoreboards at either end of the stadium are just kind of generic, although that’s typical for soccer stadiums, they just tell you the score of the match in essence. But the screens themselves are nice and high quality, just there’s nothing unique about them.
6/10

So if I counted that up right, that gives Wembley Stadium an 83, good for third overall on the rankings. I think that’s a bit deceiving, because of the whole parking thing, but hey that’s just me.

Summer MLB Tour

2011-04-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

I had this idea awhile ago. I interview real fans about their team. I'll ask what the ballpark experience. I want to know what about the ballpark makes the experience, from a fans point of view.

I will get this started sometime soon.

London's New Digs

2011-04-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

If you don't know, the city of London is hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics. That means, new things! Yay! The main feature is the 80,000 seat stadium hosting the Track and Field events, opening, and closing ceremonies. The London Olympic Stadium.

That picture is old. They actually completed it when I was in town. They even had a foiled terrorist attack on it. But with a few cleaning supplies, lights, and Christmas spirit, this is what it will look like next summer.

The break down is simple. Field, lower deck, box seats, upper deck, outside design, arches. Easy.

They are not just opining the main focal point of the games. There will be 6 new stadiums in "The Olympic Zone". The Olympic Zone will encompass all of the facilities within the 500 acre Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. This park was developed on existing waste and industrial land. It will include an Aquatics Center...

Basketball arena...

Handball Arena, Cycling Center...

Field Hockey, and finally the Olympic Stadium.

Thats quite a bit of money, but it's cool, so it is worth it. Enjoy it, Brits.

Tropicana Field's New Carpet

2011-04-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

Despite the crappy start, the Rays look good on the field. No, I mean like them standing on it looks good. They put in a new rug! It's hard to call it a rug when so much design went into the grass. They played on synthetic turf from 1998-2001. Then they put in astroturf. That got all gross, as you can see below.

Thats the old, here is the new!

Up close, this grass is ridiculous. THey made it as close to normal grass as they could. Here is what I can tell you about it.An upright fiber has the best aesthetics and playability.

Fibers that tend to lay over, wear out sooner. The Horseshoe is thicker and stronger, not just at the spine. This creates a more durable field.
The Horseshoe fiber is made with the "XQ" polymer. It is tough, but not on athletes. The XQ polymer has been used successfully for years around the globe, and when in combination with proper field fiber density and infill height, has never failed. The same cannot be said for the many failures associated with non-QX polymer, "spined" field fields, especially in high UV areas.
Light is properly reflected, resulting in better looking field, both live an on film.
Ball roll is similar in performance to natural grass.
Low slide resistance is assured, eliminating rug burns.
Footing is uniform and predictable.
Cleats penetrate and "release" properly for good biomechanical function.

This turf looks good, but is bad luck. 0-5 on it thus far. Yuck.

I have a few London posts coming up!

St. Pete Times Forum Renovations

2011-04-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

Since the Bolts' season is over, this is some plans that I never posted.

At one point in his presentation announcing at least $35 million in renovations to the St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment CEO Tod Leiweke said, "This building needs help. It hasn't been properly maintained." What is planned, most of which will be done, Leiweke said, by next season but will all be done by the time the Republican convention is in town in August 2012, is a massive makeover.

While Leiweke acknowledged TBSE has had discussions with the county about reimbursement through the tourist tax, he said the team and owner Jeff Vinik are prepared to finance the renovations. Leiweke did have a message to the county, though: "When and if the tourism tax returns, help us safeguard this investment into the future."

The renovations include:

A rebuilt "grand" entrance on the plaza.

Elimination of eight of 28 lower suites, two in each corner, so that fans ion the concourse can see down onto the ice.

Renovating every suite.

Eliminating two entire sections (323 and 324, totaling 574 seats) for the construction of a bar and stage area that will be home to the new pipe organ.

Adding an 11,000 square-foot outdoor deck and party area with a stage that overlooks the plaza.

A new air conditioning and heating system inside the arena.

New lighting inside the arena.

Resurfaced concourses.

All seats replaced; all seats will be padded.

Modernize restrooms.

More concessions areas on the terrace level.

Combining Icons and Medallions restaurants into one venue.

Finally, Leiweke said the renovations will not spark ticket increases.

"This is not a ploy to achieve a double-digit price increase," he said, and added, "At the end of the day, this arena is going to have a great sense of space."

I just copy-pasted this article. http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/lightning/content/tampa-bay-lightning-announces-35-million-renovations-st-pete-times-forum

The Oval

2011-04-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

So the place I stayed while in London had one stadium, and it wasn't even soccer! Reffering to the map in the last post, I was in LA(or Lambeth). No stadium, but there was a cricket ground two blocks away from the apartment. One day I walked around it, and got the picture above.

The stadium was built in 1845(Woah), which the right side of the picture above is from. The old brick foundation dates back to that time, which is pretty remarkable.

But the left side of the second picture was built after the 2002 season, which increased the stadium size to 23,000. That actually makes sense, because I was confused about the dramatic architectural difference while walking around.

I honestly didn't see another stadium. I saw lights to one in Edinburgh, Scotland, but I don't know what that was to.

London Soccer

2011-03-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Not sure if I told you, but I'm going to England and Scotland this Wednesday. I'm flying into London. Not sure if you know this either, they like soccer.

Unlike here, where 2 teams per market is the norm, London has 15 teams. Not everyone is huge, but they pretty much half are. When I'm there I will try to snap as many pictures as I can!

My Ticket Collage

2011-03-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

So one of the constant variables when going to games is the tickets! I added a new one today, the Transitions Golf Tournament. I've collected all my stubs for a while, but they just sat in a box. Then when I went to the UCF-NC State game, I came up with this idea.

Here is all the games

Loads of Rays games
Bucs Season tickets
UCF Football
Clearwater Threshers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Old Spice Classic, NCAA Preseason Tourney
Montgomery Biscuits
USF Basketball
Blue Jays Spring Training
Greensboro Grasshoppers
Atlanta Braves
Indianapolis Indians
US National Soccer Team
Dunedin Blue Jays
Montreal Canadiens
Durham Bulls
Carolina Mudcats
My high school's football
Transitions Championship

Whew. I have a few more posts planned, and a few report cards.

Padres AAA Team's New Home

2011-02-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

The historic Portland Beavers had a fall out up in Portland. PGE park being renovated for soccer full time, and a new stadium deal not cut, they had to move. Tucson had a AAA void when the Sidewinders moved up to Reno and became the Aces. The Beavers moved down to Tucson since Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium was already built. Former spring training home of the D-Backs and ChiSox, the stadium can't seem to find a team of it's own.

The Padres original plan was to skip town and go down to a suburb of San Deigo called Escondido, which has a deal pending, and could move the team in a few years. The Diamondbacks and Rockies now split a new Cactus League home, which I might post about.

Read about PGE Park here

2011 Heritage Classic

2011-02-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

Up in Calgary, the Flames and Habs had a little version of the Winter Classic themselves. In the first Heritage Classic since 2003, the two teams played at McMahon Stadium.

The arena was set up football style, which is no surprise. The game sold out, which is also no surprise. The CFL capacity is 35,650, with possible expansions. The hockey game had 41,022 people in attendance. Also, the Flames looked sweet. They had fireworks, concerts, and air hockey outside.

Seems like a party. No way one is held down here, but what ever, if I wanted to go I'd go on a vacation!

The flames won 4-0 in the first NHL outdoor game to end with a shut out.

Email me for any scoops on local stadiums or something!

Stadium Report Cards: Xcel Energy Center

2011-02-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

I got a chance to attend a Minnesota Wild game at the Xcel Energy Center a year ago after crossing paths with a bar owner from Brainerd, Minnesota. The seats were amazing, but the arena was even better. Here is my report.

Team: Minnesota Wild
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
League: National Hockey League (Western Conference)
Built: 2000
Capacity: 18,064
My event: Regular season game, vs Ottawa Senators

1. Outdoor Design

It has a typical arena/event center look outside. The large window section in the front is pretty cool, though. The building fits in nicely with the beautiful city of St. Paul.
8/10

2. Indoor Design

I don’t think it gets much better than this. Everything is perfect. The view from inside is incredible, both from the seats and the concourses. There are so many cool things around the arena, it is a very unique experience.
10/10

3. Prices
The prices were fine for an NHL game. Not as cheap as St. Louis, for example, but respectable.
7/10

4. Food
The food around the arena was great. I ate in the restaurant at the main entrance and it was excellent. It was above average for stadium food.
8/10

5. Staff
The people at the Xcel were great. Everyone was very helpful and friendly.
7/10

6. Cleanliness
It was very clean and well kept.
7/10

7. Parking
There were numerous parking garages around the arena, but there was a good deal of walking to be done from our spot. That isn’t the greatest in freezing Minnesota cold.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
The atmosphere was incredible. The fans proved why Minnesota is the state of hockey, even though the Wild lost. Everyone was into the game the entire time, every detail end everything.
10/10

9. Playing Surface
The ice looked great and the logo at center ice was nicely done.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

The hanging scoreboard at the Xcel Energy Center is great. Multiple high quality screens with great graphics. Plus the cool trees around the bottom. It is easy to see all around the arena. I’d say it was an excellent scoreboard for a hockey arena.
10/10

According to my calculations, that is an 82.

The Finnish Winter Classic

2011-02-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

The Finnish SM-liiga hopped on the bandwagon with the outdoor hockey games. In February two Helsinki-based teams, Jokerit and HIFK, are going to play a league game at the Helsinki Olympic stadium.

I think the promotional poster is quite nice

They even have the seating chart in the same style.

The game was played yesterday with HIFK winning 4-3. Here are a couple of pictures...

And here is video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxhBGAXB5No

It seemed like a good game. Go NHL for something pretty much every hockey league could do. The KHL did it, I know. But its neat seeing rowdie fans, like a soccer game, at an outdoor hockey game in Finland.

Super Bowl!

2011-02-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

So this is the 45th Super Bowl, and the first in Dallas. A billion dollar stadium goes up and its hosting a Super Bowl in it's second year. Known for it's ridiculous capacity, and trillion inch big screen. The stadium had about a thousand new seats installed. The fire Marshall deemed it unsafe, so many people were not allowed in. Some were given standing room only seats, and some were given a refund 3 times the face value of the ticket. the official attendance was marked at 103,219. A lot of debate is always on the field during the big game. Some have the NFL shield at the 50, some have the game's logo. Then in the endzone, some have the helmets, some just have logos. Here is the Super Bowl's field looked like last night, for everyone to see.

FC Tampa Bay's new home

2011-01-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

The other day, I was wondering what the Rowdies were up to, since it isn't soccer season. I go to the page on facebook I'm a fan of, and it linked me to another page. The only difference was the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and FC Tampa Bay. I caught this the day it happened. The team will now play games at Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Pete. The team played in Tampa at the Yankees' A-ball team, and they were never happy with it. Now they moved down onto the water to another baseball field. Atleast this field will be the actual size of a field, and not distorted like at the Yankee complex.

And for you, I will try to make it to a game this year. I wasn't able to last season at the Tampa field, which sucked. I really wanted to.

Design Weber State's Football Field

2011-01-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205072702&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=8600&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=

This year Weber State will be installing a new turf football field at Stewart Stadium and now it's your chance to be involved in the project.

Weber State is looking for design ideas for the new field. The top design selected will be included in the pool of other designs used by the university to make a final design. The person submitting the top design will also receive two season tickets to the 2011 Weber State football season.

Download the Field Design Sheet and hand draw/color in your field, or submit your own unique artwork.

You can submit your entries in three ways:

• Email: weberstatesports@gmail.com
• Deliver to the WSU Athletic Offices on the 2nd floor of Stewart Stadium
• By mail: Weber State Athletics, 2701 University Circle, Ogden, UT 84408.

Include your name, phone number, and email address with your design. Ideas must be submitted by January 20, 2011 for inclusion in the contest to win season tickets.

Get your ideas ready and help design the new football field for the Wildcats.

So someone linked this to me, and I thought it'd be a good chance to make a football field. I don't really expect to win. I mean, it'd be cool if I do but what would I do with season tickets to a team in Ogden, Utah. Here is my entry!

Road Trip!

2011-01-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

Summer of 2009, my Dad said "We need to go somewhere." We both love baseball, and decided to head out. I jokingly said lets go see the Biscuits! But, we did. We drove up from Tampa through Tallahassee then went to Montgomery, Alabama. The next day, we drove to Atlanta to watch the Braves. Then that Sunday we drove back to the Bay area. Here is the map!

We had to have a sequel. We had a lot of fun, and needed a good follow up. My Dad has family in North Carolina, so we were due. We drove up to Atlanta, just to see family, but then we were on our way to Greensboro, North Carolina. From our base camp at my Uncle's house, we hit 3 games in 3 days. Mudcats one Saturday, Bulls on Sunday, and Grasshoppers on Monday.

Unlike Shrek, this 3rd part of the series will not suck. We wondered where we could go for our trip today, and these places intrigued us. Driving up, going to Chattanooga, Bowling Green, Louisville, and back. You know what that means! Stadium Report Cards!

But yeah, I'd thought I'd share.

ESPN Wide World of Sports

2011-01-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

Over in Kissimme, Florida, there is a magical land of wonder and talking animals. I'm ofcourse talking about Disney Land. 4 theme parks, tourist places, but thats not my favorite part. This is. A 220 acre athlete utopia.

A complex that has...

Spring training baseball stadium

Indoor Sports arena

A smaller indoor arena

14 baseball diamonds

countless soccer fields

Track and field

Tennis court

and a restaurant.

I've been here many times. I mostly go for my sister, who plays soccer. But I've gone for other reasons. I've been to Buccaneers training camp, and a pre season NCAA basketball tournament. The place has hosted Braves spring training, Under Armor Football All American practices, World Baseball Classic, and the Rays played series there in 07 and 08.

AAU games are hosted all over here. The Baseball stadium gets used a lot. In the indoor arena, I've seen hem have backetball, hockey, volleyball, even gymnastics.

I've never personally played there(yet...?), but still, it's an awesome place to be if you like sports.

A look back at the Winter Classic

2011-01-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of the history of the Winter Classic
2008 Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 Buffalo Sabres (SO)

2009 Detroit Redwings 6-4 Chicago Blackhawks

2010 Philadelphia Flyers 1-2 Boston Bruins (OT)

2011 Washington Capitals 3-1 Pittsurgh Penguins

A look at the Winter Classic

2011-01-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

Last night, Pittsburgh hosted the 4th Winter Classic. But it was almost not going to happen. Leading up to Saturday, Pittsburgh has weather fore casted as rainy and in the 50s. The game was moved from 1 to 8, in order to miss the storm, but it still was pretty slushy on the ice.

For the first time since the first Winter Classic in Buffalo, the game was held in an NFL stadium. Also, the first played at night since that game. Both of which the Penguins played in.

Here is a time lapse of the rink being set up.

The Capitals won the game 3-1.

Stadium Report Cards: Wrigley Field

2010-12-29T14:49:00.000-08:00

Final entry from my summer road trip.

Team: Chicago Cubs
Location: Chicago, IL
League: NL Central
Built: 1914
Capacity: 42,157
My event: Regular season game, vs Atlanta Braves

1. Outdoor Design

One of the most classic ballparks in baseball, the outer design is awesome. It is very unique, easily identifiable as the great Wrigley Field. The classic red sign out front is priceless. Of course, it also looks old.
8/10

2. Indoor Design

Once again, it is a classic look. It isn’t quite as nice inside though. The concourses are small and old, the transportation system (ramps and such) is bad. The seating is awful. Our seats were right below the upper deck, and you can’t see much of the field. Despite the tradition, it was an uncomfortable experience inside the stadium.
6/10

3. Prices
The prices were very respectable.
8/10

4. Food
The Wrigley Field food was awesome. All of the ballpark classics, plus some great Chicago classics.
9/10

5. Staff
The people at Wrigley are part of the reason it is so great. We went on a tour hours before the game, everyone was so nice and helpful. When we went on the field, the staff was very calm and easy-going, as were the Cubs players themselves.
10/10

6. Cleanliness
Well, you can’t be too clean when you’re almost 100 years old.
4/10

7. Parking
The parking around the stadium is kind of a mess. My tour bus just parked on the street nearby, there aren’t many lots nearby.
3/10

8. Atmosphere
The atmosphere was basically a 15/10. It was incredible. It was the type of thing you could feel, and everyone was having a great time. I thought it couldn’t get any better, until the Cubs won. I wasn’t a Cubs fan going into the game, but I was when I came out.
10/10

9. Playing Surface

The one field I have actually been on. It is ok, but still has an old feeling to it.
6/10

10. Scoreboard

It couldn’t see the scoreboard very well from my seats due to the overhang. There are small scoreboards under the decks for the people in the seats, but they are bad quality. The classic scoreboard was pretty cool, they still change the numbers out by hand.
6/10

Wrigley gets a 70, thanks to a great atmosphere and a great staff. And that concludes my summer road trip!

Stadium Report Cards: US Cellular Field

2010-12-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

Bmac continues with his roadtrip a summer ago.

Team: Chicago White Sox
Location: Chicago, IL
League: AL Central
Built: 1991
Capacity: 47,098
My event: Regular season game, vs Cleveland Indians

1. Outdoor Design

It has a unique look from the outside, but nothing too great. It follows a modern/retro mix that offers a unique look.
7/10

2. Indoor Design

There are a few unique aspects such as the scoreboard, but overall, it is very basic. The outfield area is very nice. There are interesting statues and pieces of history scattered about that provide a nice feeling of tradition.
8/10

3. Prices
Just about average for an MLB park.
7/10

4. Food
Most of the food could be found at any old park. They did have some unique food though. Nothing too great.
7/10

5. Staff
Perhaps it was because I was wearing a Twins hat, but everyone seemed…the opposite of friendly. No one helped out or spoke much, it seemed a little unwelcoming.
4/10

6. Cleanliness
About what you would expect.
6/10

7. Parking
There is tons of parking around the stadium, lots right outside. They were fairly priced.
9/10

8. Atmosphere
The only time I even noticed there was a crowd was when the White Sox homered. The rest of the time, is was almost silent, the only noise coming from the PA system. Music was played during every pause in the action. It was not exciting at all.
4/10

9. Playing Surface.
It seemed fine, but appeared to be a little worn out. It did have a cool pattern though.
7/10

10. Scoreboard

The famous scoreboard was cool, but the graphics quality wasn’t too great.
7/10

So that's a 66. Things like the Staff and Atmosphere did bring it down a lot to the level of the Trop, and Rogers Centre.

TCF for MNF

2010-12-20T16:23:00.001-08:00

Well! as a result of the last stadium related post, the Vikes are playing at the U of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. It's really the high point of the whole season so far, it's fair to say everyone is excited about this game. About a week ago, the stadium looked like this.

They swept it up, and got it to playing condition. I got a text from TC today saying it was snowing. Now, it looks like this.

As you can see from the picture above, people are excited. Apparently Old Man Favre is starting, so that should make fans even more excited. Unless you wanted him out. Which I could understand...

New!

2010-12-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Stadium report cards are now on a scale of 100! It was getting too crowded with 20 stadiums within 10 points. I'm in the process of changing them, so gimme a minute.

Metrodoomed

2010-12-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Well, the 29 might've gotten worse. A snow storm last weekend has broken the Metrodome. 17 inches of snow fell on the bubble, and that was enough to make it break. As you can see from this video, things went down.

The roof broke just in time for 2 home games. The Giants were in town to play that Sunday, which was rescheduled to the next day. Now, the Vikings will play the Bears at TCF Bank stadium. 15,000 man hours were put in to ready the on campus stadium.

This is a call to Viking ownership. The team has been linked to moving to Los Angeles, and as the last post I made says, the Dome is old, and crappy. A new stadium is needed. Maybe they can play at TCF while they build it, and then have a new state of the art stadium.

Here is a proposal they once had, and should be built. It would be weird not having a team in Minnesota, I hope they stay.

Stadium Report Cards: Metrodome

2010-12-18T19:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a segway to my next post... Our resident Minnesotan TC comes up again.

Team: Minnesota Vikings
Location: Minneapolis, MN
League: NFC North
Built: 1982
Capacity: 64,111
My event: Regular season game, vs Dallas Cowboys

1. Outdoor Design

It looks like crap. It's just dirty, old cement. While the roof was still up, you could see that it was on it's last legs. Certain panels were beginning to bulge out and it was starting to look deformed. Just a really boring and uninspiring place.
4/10

2. Indoor Design

Equally crappy. The only thing I like about it it the fact that everything is symmetrical. Otherwise it's just blue seats and more dirty cement.
4/10

3. Prices
Prices are just average, maybe a bit better than most NFL stadiums.
6/10

4. Food
Again, more averageness. Burgers, hot dogs, brats, etc. Tastes fine.
5/10

5. Staff
. Everyone is helpful, and more than happy to escort the occasional drunk fan. Can't complain with any of them.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
Not really all that clean. Dirty cement that they try to look nice by buffing it out and polishing it. But there are always muslims sweeping up the concourses, constantly, never seen anything like it.
6/10

7. Parking
There are plenty of lots around the stadium, but kind of spendy. Getting in is easy, getting out is a nightmare. We literally waited 45 minutes to get out of the lot.
3/10

8. Atmosphere
It's incredible, really I can't describe it. They crank up the music to unnecessarily high levels and the crowd's just into it the whole game. It makes up for how crappy the building is. Dome field advantage right there.
10/10

9. Playing Surface.

They just got new turf this year, so it looks better than past years where you could see more wear around where the infield used to be when the Twins played. Just a pretty average looking field.
7/10

10. Scoreboard

don't know if it actually qualifies as a scoreboard. There's like this videoboard that's barely bigger than the TV in my living room, and the scoreboard is the same size, but in plain yellow light bulbs. Really professional, eh? There were ribbon boards installed along the edge of the upper deck a few years back, and they look nice. But still...
1/10

TC Counted... 54. Ouch. Well, luckily he went to a game before the accident. I'm sure it would be worse now.

Stadium Report Cards: TCF Bank Stadium

2010-12-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

Our friend TC comes through for us!

Team: Minnesota Golden Gophers Football
Location: Minneapolis, MN
League: Big Ten
Built: 2009
Capacity: 50,805
My event: Regular season game, vs Southern California

1. Outdoor Design

It's beautiful. The brick exterior matches both the basketball and hockey arenas which are right next to TCF Bank Stadium. The only thing I wish they did was use gold lettering like they do on other venues.
9/10

2. Indoor Design

The inside layout is nice as well. I like how the seats are maroon and gold and spell out "MINNESOTA" on both sides. The stadium is in the shape of a horseshoe, and at the "top" of the horseshoe there's a charming little plaza with some shrubs and things, it's also where the main scoreboard resides.
8/10

3. Prices
The prices are a little on the expensive side, if you ask me. We sat in the upper level and the tickets were $60, which is at the most pretty fair. But $5 footlongs cost $10 there, so you tell me if that's right
6/10

4. Food
The food is just regular stuff. I had a brat and kraut, which was tasty.
8/10

5. Staff
The staff was really, really nice. Everyone was really helpful and friendly. There's this museum area that you need to show your ticket to enter and exit, and my friend didn't have his but they let him in anyway.
9/10

6. Cleanliness
It rained the previous night, so the ground around the seats had some puddles. Other than that everything was clean as a whistle, like every stadium should be.
8/10

7. Parking
There are lots surrounding the stadium, but they seemed like a pain to get into. The traffic is horrible so getting out was also a struggle.
4/10

8. Atmosphere
Sports Illustrated put free magazines in everyone's seats, so after every touchdown people would toss them in the air and it was raining SI's. That was pretty cool. But other than that no one was really into it during the 4th quarter when the Gophers were done for.
6/10

9. Playing Surface.

The field is turf, and it looks pretty good compared to the condition of other turf fields. They outline the numbers in maroon, which I like, the rest of the field was pretty standard.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

This thing is awesome! It's one of the largest in college football, I think in the top 5. There's also a smaller one on the other side of the field, which has closed captioning.
10/10

That is a 76/100 which is pretty good. The aesthetics like parking brought it down.

Take me out to the Bowlgame

2010-12-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a little look at some MLB stadiums that hosted a college football game. In the same weekend, Northwestern and Illinois played at Wrigley, with Notre Dame and Army hooking up in the Bronx. As far as I can remember, those games are the only regular season games played in a converted stadium. 5 current MLB stadiums hosted a bowl game in the 2000s. Here are 4 of them, because Sun Life Stadium hosing a football game isn't that special, because they have one nearly every weekend.

Northwestern-Illinois @ Wrigley Field

Notre Dame-Army @ New Yankee Stadium

Beef O'Brady's Bowl @ Tropicana Field

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl @ AT&T Stadium

Former International Bowl @ Rogers Centre

And finally, for one year in 2000, the Insight Bowl was played at Chase field.

I might do a post on the new Qatar Stadiums for you all! Comment, please.

Stadium Report Cards: Raymond James Stadium

2010-11-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Location: Tampa, FL
League: NFC South
Built: 1998
Capacity: 65,857
My event: Regular season game, vs Carolina Panthers

1. Outdoor Design
As you can see above, it's nothing real special. There is modern architecture along the sides where the club seats are.
7/10

2. Indoor Design

It's pretty basic, but there are some cool things. Behind the stands in each endzone are pirate-y village type things with bathrooms and food. Plus, there is a freaking pirate ship.
7/10

3. Prices
They're okay. Typical NFL stadium prices. I was actually given a free ticket by my Dad's friend. 99 dollar place value to sit 12 rows from the field.
5/10

4. Food
I've always liked the food there, typical food, but they do taste pretty good.
8/10

5. Staff
Pretty nice, they were smiling when they checked my ticket... and while patting me down...
8/10

6. Cleanliness
I actually noticed how clean it was. Great job.
9/10

7. Parking
They had a grassy area behind both endzones, they park 2 cars, then leave space. It was kinda bad getting out though. Well, we got on the street fast, just got caught in traffic.
6/10

8. Atmosphere

For a team that has been blacket out a lot, it was pretty fun atmosphere at the game. The whole lower bowl was filled, just the upper decks had open spaces. They did TAMPA
BAAAAY, and then got loud when the pirates on the ship would throw beads and launch shirts.
7/10

9. Playing Surface.

Damn, look at that field. And the cheerleaders I guess. The picture was taken in the 4th, so thats why it looks kinda torn up. I loved it, it looked really clean and soft.
7/10

10. Scoreboard

They have 2 large scoreboards on each endzone, with scores, ads, and fantasy updates every 15 minutes. Neat.
8/10

Nice, a 72. Some more NFL stadiums should have report cards soon. Hang tight.

Future(?) NFL Stadiums?

2010-11-06T10:53:00.001-07:00

Sup? A while ago, I was looking on worldstadiums.com, and under future stadiums, there was all these NFL ones. Now armed with a stadium blog, I thought that I could post some of them here. But they're gone! But have no fear! I found them on ballparks.com. The first 3 were on there, but apparently they fell through. Which is a shame, the Metrodome, Superdome, and San Diego Stadium are all outdated. Until recently, these team's future was uncertain. The Saints now have a bunch of new fans(that's all I'm saying), but the Vikes and Chargers are still talking about possibly moving. If these went trough, no way they would, but they didn't.

San Diego Chargers

New Orleans Saints(LOVE this one)

Minnesota Vikings

This is what the 49ers want to do. They're unhappy with Candelstick park, and want to build a new stadium in Santa Clara. 58% of the vote went their way, so this looks very possible. The NFL asked if the Raiders would want to share maybe, similar to the Jets/Giants, but I doubt that happens.

San Francisco 49ers

The Kansas City Cheifs want to remodel Arrowhead stadium, similar to the cross-parkinglot Royals

Where would these teams go if they can't land a new stadium? Obviously LA. THis one is very cool, it is connected to a large shopping place, similar to Dubai Sports City. Here is a video of it.

This is new to me. Apparently people wanted to redo the Coliseum, which would be neat. But I'd prefer the one above.

BAM there is the post! I'll think of more to do.

Friendly Confines Football

2010-11-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

On November 20th, Northwestern and Illinois will play at Wrigley Field. The matchup will mark the first college football game at Wrigley Field since 1938, when DePaul University played home games at the ballpark. The contest will be the first football game of any kind at the Friendly Confines since the Chicago Bears last played there in December of 1970. This will be the first time in more than 87 years that Northwestern and Illinois will play at Wrigley Field. On October 27, 1923, the Wildcats and the Illini squared off at the Friendly Confines (then called Cubs Park) in front of 32,000 fans. This year's Northwestern-Illinois game with mark the 104th game between the Big Ten Conference rivals since the two first met in 1892.

The set up will be flipped from what the Bears set up was. The Bears field went towards left field, I remember this because a corner of the endzone was going into the first base dugout.Here are some views of the stadium now. They're prepping by putting grass on the infield, because frankly, infielded football fields are lame(AHEM MIAMI AND OAKALND)
They had to dig down to make a base for the field goals so the posts will be stable.

I like games like these, just for novelty. I'm a fan of the Winter Classic set up, and any bowl game at a baseball stadium. Wrigley has a classic feel, which gives this game a nice old feel. Hopefully they wear throwbacks. Now the Bulls need to get it together and host a game here.

Stadium Report Cards: Kauffman Stadium

2010-11-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Team: Kansas City Royals
Location: Kansas City, MO
League: AL Central
Built: 1973, renovated 2009
Capacity: 40,052
My event: Regular season game, vs Chicago White Sox

1. Outdoor Design
Not too bad, the spiral walking ramps give it a unique look from the home plate side. The outfield area looks incredible from the street. I think it’s one of the cooler looking ballparks around.
8/10

2. Indoor Design

It’s actually quite beautiful from the inside. The recent renovations really went a long way. The concourse are great, everything flows well.
9/10

3. Prices
Typical prices. Everything is a bit more expensive at the team shop, but that’s what you get at a stadium.
8/10

4. Food
It was pretty much your regular ballpark food. They don’t have as much BBQ anymore, but they did add a few new things with the renovations.
7/10

5. Staff
Everyone was friendly enough, but nothing too great. Maybe if the Royals ever won a game, they would be a little nicer.
6/10

6. Cleanliness
It looked much better than pre-renovation, but it’s still not great.
6/10

7. Parking
You can’t go wrong with the huge lots between Kauffman and Arrowhead. They are cheap and right next to the stadiums. The walking distance can be bad if you arrive later and have to park at the very top of the lot.
8/10

8. Atmosphere
The fans don’t have much to cheer about, but they do cheer on their team. This is the perfect place to bring kids, it’s a pretty family oriented park. Not too minor league, though.
6/10

9. Playing Surface.

Nothing too special. They did a good job with the renovations, it looks a little healthier.
9/10

10. Scoreboard

The giant crown scoreboard at the K is awesome. It is HUGE. The graphics are great, too, huge improvement over the old one.
10/10

A decent 69. There are a few more ballparks coming soon, and I'll sprinkle in some posts for some readers maybe!

Announcement!

2010-11-01T18:51:00.001-07:00

Our good friend Bmac will be joining my team as an admin of the site. He posts a lot of report cards, which is very helpful.

He has a few lined up, so hopefully this gets posts flowing.

A Magical Opening

2010-10-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Orlando Magic began play in their new state of the art arena this week. They played a Preseason game against the Hornets, then a regular season opener against the Wizards. But it was kind of a long road.

The stadium plan included building a new arena, updating the Citrus Bowl, AND remodling the performing arts center. On September 29, 2006, after years of on-and-off negotiations, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the Magic announced an agreement on Amway Center, a new arena in downtown Orlando. The arena received its final approval on July 26, 2007. The new 18,500-seat arena will be located at the southwest corner of Church Street and Hughey Avenue, with construction starting in early 2008 and is estimated to cost around $480 million.

I say off and on because the project fell into debt, which is never good. But ultimately they got it fixed. On May 4, 2010, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that Orlando would host the 2012 All-Star Weekend in the new Amway Center

I've driven past the arena a few times, and that was when they were constructing it. The pictures of it do look pretty cool though

Olympic Fever: Vancouver 2010

2010-10-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hello again! It's been awhile. I thought it'd be cool to post some venues of the past Olympics. You in?

BC Place Stadium
Vancouver, BC- Opening and Closing Ceremonies

Canadian Hockey Place
Vancouver, BC- Ice Hockey

Cypress Mountain
West Vancouver, BC- Freestyle skiing, snowboarding

Pacific Coliseum
Vancouver, BC- Figure skating, short track speed skating

Richmond Olympic Oval
Richmond, BC- Speed skaiting

UBC Thunderbird Arena
University of British Columbia- Ice Hockey

Vancouver Olympic Centre
Vancouver, BC- Curling

Whistler Creekside
Whistler, BC- Alpine skiing

Whistler Olympic Park
Whistler, BC- Biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping

Whistler Sliding Centre
Whistler, BC- Bobsleigh, luge, skeleton

I'll get to some more later. I have some report cards by friends and will hopefully get them soon.

Stadium Report Cards: Busch Stadium

2010-09-28T21:11:00.001-07:00

Bmac emailed me a report card for his trip to St. Louis!

Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Location: St. Louis, MO
League: NL Central
Built: 2006
Capacity: 43,975
My event: Regular season game, vs San Francisco Giants

1. Outdoor Design

It is absolutely beautiful. Easily one of the best outdoor designs I have ever seen. And it fits in with the city so well. A nice brick layout all around.
9/10

2. Indoor Design

The view from inside is pretty awesome. The ballpark itself it great and the St. Louis Arch in the background looks pretty cool. The stadium is laid out nicely as well, nice concourses and everything.
10/10

3. Prices
Not too bad, fairly priced, compared to other MLB parks.
7/10

4. Food
They had some good food, but nothing too exciting that you couldn’t find anywhere else. Which seems to be the case at a lot of ballparks.
6/10

5. Staff
The people working there were some of the nicest people I have ever met at a ballpark. Everyone was so friendly and helpful.
9/10

6. Cleanliness
It was nice, but nothing too great.
6/10

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
It was nice, everyone was into the game. The fans weren’t overly noisy, but they cheered on the Cardinals often. They're often called the best fans in baseball for a reason.
8/10

9. Playing Surface.

About average for an outdoor field. Nice, crisp lines, as seen above.
7/10

10. Scoreboard

Good size, nice graphics. I didn’t have a great view of it, but it looked pretty nice.
8/10

77! Thats one of the lower MLB stadiums so far. I think it's right around this range, but who know, It's really nice from the pics I've seen. He still is going to do more reports from his MLB trip for us to enjoy.

I'll get a story on the new Penguins arena up this week too.