Stadium Report Cards: Amway Center

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.