Stadium Report Cards: Dunedin Stadium

Team: Dunedin Blue Jays
Location: Dunedin, FL
League: Florida State League(North)
Built: 1990
Capacity: 5,510
My event: Regular season game, vs Ft. Myers Miracle

1. Outdoor Design
Above shows it all, it's just kind of an older minor league park all the way around.
5/10

2. Indoor Design

Pretty much the same from the inside. Just kind of basic, but thats all you really need. The building you see is a hotel for players, and that I thought was cool
5/10

3. Prices
Not bad really, 6 dollars can let you sit anywhere your heart desired.
7/10

4. Food
The food here is really good, it I think. They have a long list of food with lots of variety.
8/10

5. Staff
The staff was pretty cool too. They were nice when we talked, and one of my buddies got asked to do a contest. Shout out to Astrobull from the boards, who I met there. He works in the press box.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
Fairly clean, not like SUPERSUPER clean, but not dirty.
6/10

7. Parking
There was a smaller lot right infront of the stadium, where I parked. Not far away, and free.
7/10

8. Atmosphere


As you can see from the pictures, not a lot of people show up to regular games. They host spring training games, where it is filled, but that only lasts a month.
4/10

9. Playing Surface.
I actually think the surface is really good. It seems well maintained.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

Again, really basic. It showed the box score, and stats. Nothing special though.
3/10

61 out of 100 is the score, and happens to be one of the lowest. I think the thing is that with Clearwater having a team close by, with fancy logos, and a newer stadium, that draws most fans in the area. If they rebranded with a non MLB name, and maybe did something to the stadium the score would defiantly improve.

Stadium Lists: Oldest MLB Stadiums

Bringing this back for now, just trying to change up the posting here. I thought this topic would be neat, because there are 2 REALLY old stadiums, 4 stadiums from the 60s and 70s, then the rest are fairly new.

#10
US Cellular Field
Chicago, IL
1991


#9
Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
1990


#8
Rodgers Centre
Toronto, ON
1989


#7
Sun Life Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
1987


#6
Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City, MO
1973

*Note, they upgraded the stadium after the 2008 season

#5
Oakland Coliseum
Oakland, CA
1966


#4
Angels Stadium
Anaheim, CA
1966


#3
Dodgers Stadium
Los Angeles, CA
1962


#2
Wrigley Field
Chicago, IL
1914


#1
Fenway Park
Boston, MA
1912


So there it is. The Marlins are getting a new ballpark for the 2012 season, while the Rays are looking for a place to put one. Boston got the 1999 MLB All-Star game, because they thought that Fenway would be replaced any day now, but it has survived 10 more years.

Stadium Report Cards: Brighthouse Field

Team: Clearwater Threshers
Location: Clearwater, FL
League: Florida State League(North)
Built: 2004
Capacity: 8,500
My event: Regular season game, vs Charlotte Stone Crabs

1. Outdoor Design
Seen above, there is a classy look about the stadium. All the buildings are a cool sandy colour. But thats really it, and pretty basic.
7/10

2. Indoor Design

Pretty neat for a minor league park. They have a hill behind left and right fields, with a bullpen snuggled in between the bar and the hill.
7/10

3. Prices
4 dollars can get you a hill ticket, which you can sit in the stands. BAM easy.
9/10

4. Food

Normal ballpark food, but with an added branch of locals restaurants. Philly Cheese steaks here are seriously the best.
9/10

5. Staff
Really nice to the fans, and will talk to you in a nice way.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
Clean.
7/10

7. Parking
Parking down the sides with foul lines. One is a big lot shared with a plaza. The other is a few grassy lots. Thought parking could cost more than tickets.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
Pretty good atmosphere on a good night. The Rays' farm team was in town last game, and the fans cheered for local hero Rocco Baldelli when he batted. Mini games going on in between innings, and kids running on the hill. Though, for most games, it's pretty meh.
7/10

9. Playing Surface.
The field is always well maintained with patterns. I love it.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

Just pretty basic for a minor league park.
6/10

75 out of 100. It really is a nice place to see a ballgame, despite what I say. It may be me being jaded from a bunch of games.

Stadium Report Cards: Centre Bell

I went to a game in late 2008, and I'm not going to Montreal anytime soon, so here's what I thought based on memory


Team: Montreal Canadiens
Location: Montreal, QC
League: National Hockey League (NE)
Built: 1996
Capacity: 21,273
My event: Regular season game, vs New York Islanders

1. Outdoor Design
As you can see above, It's kid of basic. It was just built in a small space in the middle of the city. The stadium was built connected to a subway(?) station, and underground Montreal. That alone is neat.
9/10

2. Indoor Design
Normal stadiums have 3 different levels, Centre Bell had 4! I sat in the farthest seat you could in the very back. Very high up.
8/10

3. Prices
When ESPN ranked the 122 teams in the 4 major sports, one criteria was Affordability, and Bang for your buck. THe Habs finished 109, and 108 in both of those categories.
3/10

4. Food
From what I remember, it was pretty basic food for an arena.
6/10

5. Staff
The staff spoke both French, and English, which helped a lot.
8/10

6. Cleanliness
It wasn't bad, and pretty clean. The whole city was fairly clean too.
8/10

7. Parking
I stayed at a hotel in downtown Montreal, so we walked. But walking up there wasn't any big lot, just tiny small ones that were expensive.
5/10

8. Atmosphere
Best atmosphere I've experienced. The chanting, and partying was one of a kind.
10/10

9. Playing Surface.
It was nice. They had it all prettied up for the 100th anniversary of the team, so that was cool.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

I like it. Clean simple, and affective.
8/10

When I went, they had to take my friend's camera, because it was too big. So I have no picture of me at the game. All these pics were found online. From my calculations, Centre Bell recieved a rating of 73/100.

Qatar Bid 2022

Qatar entered a bid for the 2022 World Cup. It's one of those Middle Eastern oil rich countries, that means they can come up with some crazy stuff. The 5 stadiums they designed for the bid look fantastic. Here is the link to the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcAi3GLQyOI
What do you think? If the US doesn't get the bid, I hope it goes here.

Stadium Report Cards: Target Field

My bud up in Minnesota gave his honest opinion on Target Field, lets see how it did.


Team: Minnesota Twins
Location: Minneapolis, MN
League: Major League Baseball(AL)
Built: 2010
Capacity: 41,000
My event: Regular season game, vs Tampa Bay Rays

1. Outdoor Design
I think the limestone looks great, the glass panels and huge canopy give it a modern look that set it apart from recently opened stadiums
10/10

2. Indoor Design
alright i gave it a 9, everything looks nice, limestone and brushed metal railings add character to the park, but i like things to be symmetrical, and with the cramped quarters in downtown minneapolis, that can't be achieved.
9/10

3. Prices
prices are a little higher than the dome, but still pretty average for a sporting event
6/10

4. Food
They have absolutely everything. all the ballpark classics, plus well-known fast food and restaurants have stands at target field. they really emphasized minnesota foods too, state fair favorites like pork chops on a stick, and things like walleye and wild rice soup. Kent Hrbek even has a restaurant named after him inside the park
9/10

5. Staff
I suspect everyone is happy because of the new stadium, so this might be a little skewed. in the 3 trips i've been to target field so far, i've never seen a staff member without a smile on their face. i've made small talk with a lot of them, and the lady that checks tickets at our section recognized me, made it seem like everyone was family.
9/10

6. Cleanliness
Again this is probably skewed because the park is still too new to be wrecked by fans. the concourses were clean as a whistle, but the isles and steps had your typical beer spills, peanut shells, and hot dog wrappers
8/10

7. Parking
there are three large parking ramps all within easy walking distance from the park, as well as seperate lots that charge a couple bucks more. the ramps were relatively cheap, i think they were around $5, and getting in and out was simple.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
Obviously this is also jacked up because of the new field. the dome was a boring crap hole unless it was an important game, but with the sellout crowds every game at target field, it's always electric. everyone's coming out to celebrate the return of outdoor baseball in Minnesota
10/10

9. Playing Surface.
They keep it nice and neat looking, typical grass patterns and groomed infield. i did noticed that they spent an extraordinary ammount of time raking the infield. went over it twice with the little tractor, then some guys drug it by hand, then some guys went through and raked it all. too much work if you ask me
8/10

10. Scoreboard

Target field's video board is the 7th largest in the world, and its in hd. plus its brand spanking new so it uses the best technology available. you could be sitting anywhere in the stadium and it feels like its right in your face. there is also a big out of town scoreboard set into the right field wall.
9/10

A total of 85 points, and Target Field takes over the top spot. Widely regarded as the best new park in the country, it will be hard to beat.

A look at South Africa

Not sure about you, but I was so into the World Cup. Seeing as they have to play somewhere, here is a look at the venues for the 2010 World Cup.

Soccer City Stadium/ Johannesburg/ 94,700
Built in 1986, Soccer City Stadium had a capacity of 80,000 seats, and hosted some matches from the 1996 African Cup of Nations. Renovated for the world cup, it took on a completely new look. It resembles an African cooking pot on the fire. Which explains the bronze coloured panels, with red fire like panels mixed in. SSC will host the first and last matches of the 2010 World Cup

Moses Mabhida Stadium/ Durban/ 70,000
Opened specifically for the World Cup, Moses Mabhida Stadium is tied for 2nd largest stadium hosting games. It resembles Wembley Stadium, in the sense that both have large arches going over. The Stadium was named after Moses Mabhida.

Green Point Stadium/ Cape Town/ 70,000
This new stadium, finished in 2009, was built ontop of the area where the previous Green Point Stadium was located. It is also covered with noise-reducing cladding, for Vuvuzelas.

Ellis Park Stadium/ Johannesburg/ 62,500
The second stadium in Jo-burg is mostly known for the upset at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, where South Africa upset the New Zealand All Blacks. The movie Invictus was based on it.

Loftus Versfeld Stadium/Petoria/ 50,000
Originally built in 1906, Loftus is the oldest stadium in South Africa. 6 games were hosted there this month. 5 group play games, and 1 round of 16 games. One of those games happened to be the USA-Algeria match, which was awesome.

Nelson Mandella Bay Stadium/ Port Elizibeth/ 46,000
Named after Nelson Mandella, obviously, the South African President during the Apartheid. Another stadium built for the cup, which broke ground in 2007. The roof is made up of a series of white 'petals' making it look like a flower. This is the reason for the stadium's nickname, The Sunflower.

Free State Stadium/ Bloemfontein/ 45,000

Free State Stadium was built for the '95 Rugby World Cup. This was the site of the USA's 2-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup. A second tier of seats has been added since. year.

Peter Mokaba Stadium/ Polokwane/ 45,000
Opened for the World Cup, the stadium's design was inspired by the iconic baobab tree. Also named after Peter Mokaba, a former leader of the ANC Youth League

Royal Bafokeng Stadium/ Phokeng/ 42,000This stadium was opened in 1999. A new roof was added with renovations, but still remained the second smallest stadium in the field. The US played 2 games here. One vs England, one against Ghana.

Mbombela Stadium/ Nelspruit/ 40,929
The smallest stadium, just happens to be my favorite. It has metal Giraffes around the outside, and the seats have a zebra pattern. Mbombela means "Many people together in a small space" in the Swahili language.