# International Ballparks



## hngcm (Sep 17, 2002)

^ you'd win........hahaha


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## DrJoe (Sep 12, 2002)

BobDaBuilder said:


> It would be nice if the best USA team toured places like Oz. So we could pit our best against their best. Maybe a 5 test series like in cricket. I reckon we'd win too.




Im sorry but there is absolutely no way you would beat the US. It wouldn't even be close.


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## BobDaBuilder (Jun 7, 2005)

^^^^^^^^^

That sounds like how the Yanks were chirping before EVERYONE whipped them in basketball.


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## DrJoe (Sep 12, 2002)

The US only sent a fraction of its best players to the Olympics if thats what you're talking about.


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## BobDaBuilder (Jun 7, 2005)

^^^^^^^

More like, they sent the best players they could get. The rest just were not patriotic enough to bother.


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## DrJoe (Sep 12, 2002)

Ok well it really doesnt matter. If the US had all its top basketball players at the Olympics it likely would've won it quite easily. Actually alot of their top baseball players have declined going to the WBC also.


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## 40Acres (Jul 6, 2005)

I've must have missed the list of aussies in MLB, since they're taking over the sport

:|

Also, olympic basketball is gay. Play with the real rules and maybe we can tap our better players to go play in your little tournament. Its not about patriotism, its about being loyal to your employer and not going out and blowing your achilles on some clumsy Euro. 

If we collected, not only our best talent, but a cohesive team, no one would stay within 40. Same with baseball. Like some Aussie puss could swing a wooden bat and even foul off a Clemens fastball. Please.

We would absolutely destroy your team, presumably dubbed with some goofy name like the base-eroos. puke.


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

The MLB all-stars play the J-League all-stars each year after the season. I don't know the exact record, but they usually win.

The juiciest thought I had in the Olympics was throwing Barry Bonds into that tournament!!!!! 

This will be interesting as far as the tournament goes. This will make the Olympics laughable. The level of pitching alone will simply be light years ahead of olympic play. Not to mention the MLB sluggers that will be playing this time. It will also have these MLB and J-League players while they're at a playing peak pretty early in the season, but late enough to eliminate any early season slumps. Imagine basketball as a winter olympic sport and NBAers were hitting the Olympics at midseason form. Whole different ballgame.


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## Brent H. (Feb 7, 2006)

BobDaBuilder said:


> ^^^^^^^^^
> 
> That sounds like how the Yanks were chirping before EVERYONE whipped them in basketball.


Is baseball a big sport in australia? Are there that many players? Im sure there are some, but the teams which beat us in basketball had NBA or at least NBA quality players on them, also they were playing by their rules that they grew up with in europe, US has different rules and a completely different style of play from international ball. Also poor preparation was at fault, Larry Brown was finishing up with the NBA finals in june then had to get the team together for the olympics in august, not alot of time to build a cohesive team and teach them the fundamentals of international ball. I dont keep up with every baseball player and I am only a casual fan, but when I think of the best non-US baseball players I dont think of aussies (maybe I am mistaken). I know the sport is very popular in Japan and Latin America, and I think those teams could beat us, especially with some of the best MLB players coming from those countries.


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## kronik (Aug 12, 2004)

40Acres said:


> Also, olympic basketball is gay. Play with the real rules and maybe we can tap our better players to go play in your little tournament. Its not about patriotism, its about being loyal to your employer and not going out and blowing your achilles on some clumsy Euro.


And what about being loyal to your country? 

More than loyalty to the employer, i think its the fear of losing the dolleritos. They don't want to get injured playing for the country because that might get them a gold medal, but if they are hurt, then the millions from their club will go.

I think its a much better state in the NHL, where the teams prepare for the player shortage during the Winter Olympics and Hockey World Cup. 

Alright, Australia might be a long shot, but i expect a lot from the islands.


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## BobDaBuilder (Jun 7, 2005)

Cocky Americans I see. 

40Acres: International basketball is about teamwork and applying pressure in defense. US "style" basketball is all about show-ponys and individualism. Pretty to watch but ain't terribly effective when you have 3 or 4 7 foot tall Europeans putting up a wall around you and you fail to land all your outside shots. Any wonder the Yanks don't send out their best teams, they are chicken of getting beaten and thus it would downgrade the perception of the almighty NBA. The British soccer teams used to have that attitude until WW2 whem they started getting belted regularly. 

What I love about you guys is that you have ready made excuses for when you lose. So and so won't play because he is redecorating his locker or something which is more important than playing in the Olympics or World Champs. Fair enough then, when the USA team gets stuffed that is not our problem either. Your "best" team was whipped. GAME OVER!


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

Sorry, dude, but out best would kill anyone. The last time the US fielded a real basketball team was '96. They have never fielded a real baseball team in the olympics. 

And yes, the rules for international basketball are teh suck. NBA players from anywhere in the world can tell you that its watered down basketball and eliminates certain aspects of the game. Dirk Nowitski says it all the time. You put those international teams in the NBA and they have a seriously hard time keeping up with how physical and fast the game is. He talks about having to prepare his body for the physical beating and how much more disciplined one must be as if your man beats you, his speed likely makes team recovery impossible without having true zone defense. Want to think otherwise, go ahead. Just know that it is very naive. Perhaps the NBA is about the show, but I'd take a real NBA all-star vs a world all-star team anyday.

Chauncey
Kobe
T-Mac
Shaq
Duncan

Wade, Garnett, Allen, Detroit Wallace's, J. O'neal, James off the bench

I'd take that team all-day, no matter the rules.

Its not about excuses, but you believe what you want to believe. Especially about baseball, when the tiny Dominican Republic is throwing A-Rod in midseason form out there. This tournament should be eye-opening when it comes to baseball. I had passing interest before this post, but now I'm ready. Should be quite shocking and funny to those that think they are good in baseball. This includes Cuba.


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## Zorba (Sep 7, 2005)

^^
Um..... what happened to GILBERT ARENAS!!! Why isn't he on your list? The #4 scorer in the league and he still doesnt get any recognition.


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## BobDaBuilder (Jun 7, 2005)

^^^^^^^^^

Australia utterly pumped the Japan/Asian World Series Champion last night 14 to 2 in baseball.

Pretty good effort considering Oz is putting together its team for this baseball comp.

Baseball is a very simple game and anything can happen on the day.


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## 40Acres (Jul 6, 2005)

BobDaBuilder said:


> Baseball is a very simple game and anything can happen on the day.



spoken like a person who has NO IDEA the subtleties of nuances of baseball. Baseball is very much a chessmatch of strategy, moreso than any other popular worldwide sport, not to mention the sheer athleticism necessary to perform at the top level. Hitting a baseball remains the most challenging feat in worldwide sport.

Things like, when do you pitch a lefty vs. righty, when to send a batter to an open base with an intentional walk, shifting your defense according to hitter tendencies, not only for the season, but for the current game, specific pitcher vs. specific batter averages, when to play small-ball vs. when to play gorilla-ball, and so on. 

Of course i wouldnt expect anyone from an isolated island nation, home of the socceroos (dorks), to understand much about intricacies of anything.


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## Iain1974 (Jun 16, 2004)

40Acres said:


> spoken like a person who has NO IDEA the subtleties of nuances of baseball. Baseball is very much a chessmatch of strategy, moreso than any other popular worldwide sport, not to mention the sheer athleticism necessary to perform at the top level. Hitting a baseball remains the most challenging feat in worldwide sport.


These Aussie baseball players will have grown up playing cricket which is a far more tactical game than baseball. I like baseball and have been to a few games but the level of tactics simply doesn't compare to cricket. For a start baseball is only played on a 90 degree arc of a field. Cricket is played round 360. Baseball seems to have little variation in fielding positions. A captain in cricket need to constantly set and re-set his fielder depending on his chioce of bowler and the batsman. Look at all these positions (over 30)and rememebr that only nine fielders may cover all places the captain feels are important enough. 










We often hear about how 'hitting a 90mph fastball is the hardest thing in sports'. It's not. Facing a top quality spinner is far more difficult.

The top speed of a fast bowler in cricket is about 102mph (Shoaib Akhtar - Pakistan) so the speed of a baseball pitcher, while consistently faster without doubt, are not going to intimidate a decent cricket player. You have far less reaction time because you really can't know where a ball is going to go until after it's bounced.

In fact with 20/20 cricket becoming much more popular worldwide which is much closer to baseball than 5 or 1 day games I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of decent baseball players coming out of cricketing nations.

I like baseball and am looking forward to seeing some great games in this tournament but it is not a tactical game. It's a game of high impact hitting with few risks associated in dismissal for the batter.


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

- There are pitchers who throw over 102 mph.
- 90 mph is fast, but that is pretty average
- You don't know where a pitch is going. Pitches just aren't thrown straight. There are different types of fastballs and different types of pitches. 
- Ironically, the slower pitches are hardest to hit: knuckle ball and curve ball.
- The actual hitting surface of a baseball bat is very hard
- Baseball is much more tactical than it looks just sitting there. There is strategy for getting out every single batter as well as how to attack each pitcher. Pitch and hit baseball ends at about age 12.

- Obviously from the last post you know nothing about baseball


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## ASupertall4SD (Jun 6, 2005)

i watched a cricket game and was both confused and fascinated. looks like a cool sport. 

but back to the wbc. petco is a world class venue, and we are still 4 yrs or so from seeing the sightlines utterly transform into an urban heaven. skyscrapers totally and utterly encompassing the stadium. it will be the best stadium in the US bar none, and that is counting pittsburgh.


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## Iain1974 (Jun 16, 2004)

rantanamo said:


> - There are pitchers who throw over 102 mph.
> - 90 mph is fast, but that is pretty average
> - You don't know where a pitch is going. Pitches just aren't thrown straight. There are different types of fastballs and different types of pitches.
> - Ironically, the slower pitches are hardest to hit: knuckle ball and curve ball.
> ...


It's much easier to predict the path of a ball that doesn't bounce compared to one that does.
Who pitches at over 102mph? Nolan Ryan holds the record as far as I can tell at 100.9mph. Anecdotal evidence is meaningless because the we get started about Jeff Thompson bowling at 110mph.

The ball is certainly pitched consistently faster in baseball but you don't get the variation that ocurrs. That's why hitting 6's is so much rarer than hitting home runs.


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## DrJoe (Sep 12, 2002)

Im sure someone has/can throw over 100.9 mph. That is fast but I doubt its any kind of record.


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

This thing is starting to pick up lots of steam. I think many started out disinterested, but some of the games have been great. Especially with the Latin American teams. The next round should be very interesting as the crowd grows. Very, very strong competition in the coming weeks. I must say, I really like it. Much more fun to watch for me than the MLB.

BTW, I hadn't watched much baseball at the former B.O.B., but what an awesome looking stadium. The retractable walls/outfield windows look really cool, and the grand stand is really intimidating compared to other recent ballparks. Looks like a pitchers park, but the scoreboard has really been lit up there. I guess the pitchers just aren't there yet for everyone but Mexico. Anyways, This is a stadium that is always forgotten when people are talking the great stadiums. Unique exterior, Unusual shape, nice touch with the outfield pool, retractable roof and wall, and it looks(appears) to be a pitchers park. Doesn't seem as basebally to me as Safeco, but definitely up there. For those who have been there, when the outfield wall is open, is there some sort of view out of the stadium whether it be mountains or a skyline?


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## dave8721 (Aug 5, 2004)

Of course you knew Cuba competing on U.S. soil in Puerto Rico would cause some problems:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/03/10/wbc.cuba.ap/index.html



> International incident
> Anti-Castro sign at WBC sparks furor in Cuba
> 
> SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- While Cuba played the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, a spectator in the stands raised a sign saying: "Down with Fidel," sparking an international incident that escalated Friday with the velocity of a major league fastball.
> ...


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## The Game Is Up (Jan 2, 2004)

Hey, all's fair in the battle of hand-made signs. 

Btw, reality finally hits the Cuban team. The real men of the Puerto Rican team showed them how to play. Not that it matters to us as we'll never get the game. But we do have a good roller hockey team.


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

*2009 World Baseball Classic venues*

The venues and brackets are being selected for the March 2009 World Baseball Classic...

Teams and fields of first round:

Pool A-
China
Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)
Japan
Korea

Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan (42,000)



















Pool B-
Australia
Cuba
South Africa
Mexico

Foro Sol Stadium, Foro Sol, Mexico City, Mexico (29,000)










Pool C-
Canada
Italy
United States
Venezuela

Rogers Center, Toronto, Canada (49,500)



















Pool D-
Dominican Republic
Netherlands
Panama
Puerto Rico

Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico (18,000)



















(Big lack of grass in the first round...)

Possible second and final round venues discussed:

Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, USA (56,000)



















Petco Park, San Diego, USA (42,445) [Site of 2006 Championship)


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

it should be dodger stadium for the final, petco is too themed IMO


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## Carrerra (Mar 13, 2008)

42,000? Isn't Tokyo Dome's capacity 50,000?


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## LosAngelesSportsFan (Oct 20, 2004)

Dodger Stadium was selected for the final last week wasnt it?


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## nyrmetros (Aug 15, 2006)

When will teams start having to qualify for this tournament ?


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## Carrerra (Mar 13, 2008)

Around on early March next year


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## hngcm (Sep 17, 2002)

en1044 said:


> it should be dodger stadium for the final, petco is too themed IMO


Too themed? 

What do you mean?


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

hngcm said:


> Too themed?
> 
> What do you mean?


like with the warehouse and the whole western theme. I think its great for MLB games but for an international competition i think they should just stick with something more standard, like dodger stadium. It would be easier to play in IMO.


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

They had the finals there in 2006, so I don't think there's a problem with international games. I'd personally like to see it somewhere else though, just for variety.


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## Quintana (Dec 27, 2005)

I guess it makes sense to put us in the Caribbean group. After all, 90% of our team is from the Netherlands Antilles or Aruba.


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## nyrmetros (Aug 15, 2006)

Think we will ever see something like this at a USA baseball game??


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## Carrerra (Mar 13, 2008)

Baseball has less nationalism than football or other sports by nature. I think it's basically oriented for domestic competition not international competition, though I'm also a baseball fan.


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

nyrmetros said:


> Think we will ever see something like this at a USA baseball game??


nope, and i hope we never do


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

The finals are in the USA AGAIN? If this championship wants to be taken seriously as a World Championship it should start acting like one. This just comes off as a championship organized by the US for themselves.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

The finals are in the USA AGAIN? If this championship wants to be taken seriously as a World Championship it should start acting like one. This just comes off as a championship organized by the US for themselves.


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## Canadian Chocho (May 18, 2006)

C,mon Canada! I must say the SkyDome is quite sexsy.


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## koolio (Jan 5, 2008)

isaidso said:


> The finals are in the USA AGAIN? If this championship wants to be taken seriously as a World Championship it should start acting like one. This just comes off as a championship organized by the US for themselves.


Where else could it hold the finals though? Aside from Japan and Toronto, there is a lack of world class baseball facilities worthy of holding the finals anywhere else in the world.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

ryebreadraz said:


> That is the stadium being built for the Kansas City Royals minor league team in Omaha and the College World Series.


Actually, the O-Royals could not come to terms with MECA on a lease, so they're looking to build a smaller park in Sarpy County, while MECA is looking for an independent league team to play in the CWS stadium.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Scba said:


> Watch it get locked for not having large enough stadiums. Seriously.
> 
> Also, this Omaha stadium seems like it will be a White Elephant if it gets built. The Omaha Royals, the AAA team in the city, won't even be playing there! There's some disagreement leading to them building their own park in the suburbs. So how often is the thing going to get used, other than the CWS?


The three indy leagues MECA are courting, the American Association, Northern and Frontier leagues, are good for about 45-50 home dates each.

Creighton University, located just a few blocks west of the new stadium, will likely play their home games there, which could fill another 25-30 dates on the calendar (especially when Nebraska comes to town).

Personally, I think the O-Royals should relocate to Wichita and see if they can get a deal ironed out that would bring Lawrence-Dumont Stadium to AAA standards, but they look to be dead-set on Sarpy County.


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## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

KingmanIII said:


> Personally, I think the O-Royals should relocate to Wichita and see if they can get a deal ironed out that would bring Lawrence-Dumont Stadium to AAA standards, but they look to be dead-set on Sarpy County.


Wichita didn't support the AA-Royals so they moved to Arkansas so why would they be given the AAA-Royals?


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

*Japanese baseball stadium*

Hanshin Koshien Stadium - 47,100～50454?








Tokyo Dome - 45,600～55,000?








Sapporo Dome - 40,572～41,484?








Nagoya Dome - 38,414～40,500?








Osaka Dome - 36,477～55,000?








Seibu Dome - 35,879








Fukuoka Dome - 35,773～36,253?








Meiji Jingu Stadium - 35,650








Skymark Stadium - 35,000








Chiba Marine Stadium - 30,011








Yokohama Stadium - 30,000








Kurashiki Muscat Stadium - 30,494
Matsuyama Central Park Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Nagano Olympic Stadium - 30,000
Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Iwaki Green Stadium - 30,000
Utsunomiya Kiyohara Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Toyama Municipal Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Nagaragawa Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Shizuoka Kusanagi Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Hamamatsu Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Sun Marine Stadium Miyazaki - 30,000
Kamoike Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Kitakyushu Municipal Baseball Stadium - 27,111
Chiba Prefectural Baseball Stadium - 27,000
Tuyama shiei Baseball Stadium - 26,800
Yamagataken Baseball Stadium - 25,012
Yamagata Zao Spa Takamiya hotels Stadium - 25,000
Asahikawa Starffin Stadium - 25,000
Sapporo Maruyama Baseball Stadium - 25,000
Akita Komachi Stadium - 25,000
Iwate Prefectural Baseball Stadium - 25,000
Hitachinaka Municipal Baseball Stadium - 25,000
Matsumoto Municipal Baseball Stadium - 25,000
Shimonoseki Baseball Stadium - 25,000
Nagasaki Big N Stadium - 25,000
Kumamoto Fujisakidai Baseball Stadium - 25,000
Kounoike Baseball Stadium - 23,250
Obihiro no Mori Baseball Stadium - 23,004
Kleenex Stadium Miyagi - 22,187
Kagawa Prefectural Baseball Stadium - 22,000
Chiba kouen Baseball Stadium - 22,000
Fukui Prefectural Baseball Stadium - 22,000
Toyama Prefectural Baseball Stadium - 22,000
Aomori Prefectural Baseball Stadium - 21,016
Omiya Park Baseball Stadium - 20,500
Gunma Shikishima Baseball Stadium - 20,100
Kushiro Municipal Baseball Stadium - 20,000
Hakodate Chiyogadai Baseball Stadium - 20,000
Mito Municipal Baseball Stadium - 20,000
Okazaki Municipal Baseball Stadium - 20,000
Kyoto Nishi-kyogoku Baseball Stadium - 20,000
Takasago Municipal Baseball Stadium - 20,000
Ube Municipal Baseball Stadium - 20,000
Tokushima Naruto Baseball Stadium- 20,000
Ounoyama Baseball Stadium - 20,000

Under construction
Shin hiroshima shimin Stadium - 30,350
Niigata Prefectural Baseball Stadium - 30,000
Ounoyama Baseball Stadium - 30,000


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

weava said:


> Wichita didn't support the AA-Royals so they moved to Arkansas so why would they be given the AAA-Royals?


Who knows how much better the attendance would be with a new stadium (or renovated Lawrence-Dumont) in place?


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

japanese001 said:


> *Japanese baseball stadium*
> 
> Hanshin Koshien Stadium - 47,100～50454?
> Tokyo Dome - 45,600～55,000?
> ...


Even the better Japanese stadiums don't have the luxury seats to host a semi-final or final. Even if they did, there's a question as to whether or not people would show up for games not involving Japan. In the last WBC games that didn't involve Japan drew 5,193, 3,925 and 4,577.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

SIC said:


> *cough*
> I was just pointing out that there's other, less inflammatory reasons this is being held in the US for the 2nd time. The next one wont be until 2013 for some reason. Theres already talks of hosting the next one outside the US.


Alright, I see why you made that conclusion, but MLB don't speak for the American people, only their own organization. Their actions do rub people as US centric arrogance. You shouldn't extrapolate that to infer anything about the other 299,999,000 people in your country.

It's also important to acknowledge why the optics of this are important. I fully understand why the World Series is called the World Series, but many people outside of north America, do not. They assume that it's because the US doesn't see past its border and only made the competition for that title open to their own teams, Canada excluded. 

Baseball already has that baggage. If we are going to have a 'World Championship of Baseball', the organizers need to be smart about this. After all, the end goal is to help increase the popularity of the game around the world. Anything that smacks of this being a US controlled event is going to make that goal harder to achieve.

For starters, any World Championship of Baseball shouldn't be run by MLB, but an independent international body. That's not smart long term planning. Would people take this seriously if it was run by the Cuban Baseball Federation (or what ever it is called), or the Japanese counterpart?

I want to see this event succeed, but they've made some poor choices right off the bat.


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## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

KingmanIII said:


> Who knows how much better the attendance would be with a new stadium (or renovated Lawrence-Dumont) in place?


Wichita State baseball is popular so they would have to compete with them for fans.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

weava said:


> Wichita State baseball is popular so they would have to compete with them for fans.


Not necessarily. The college baseball regular season ends around mid to late May, whereas minor league baseball starts in early April and doesn't end until early September, so the overlap isn't all that long.

University of Nebraska baseball shares Haymarket Park with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association, and the two teams coexist perfectly.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Bought 6 tickets to the Canada - United States game at the Skydome (Rogers Centre) on March 7th. It's going to be awesome! There was disappointment in Beijing. Time to set things right. Go for Gold! Go Big Red!








http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/sports/photos/2008/08/24/canada-baseball080824.jpg
:cheer:


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

ryebreadraz said:


> I wish all our players would have agreed to play. It would have been awesome to see Roy Halladay don the red, white and blue, then toe the rubber versus Canada at Skydome.


There are always top players who don't play for various reasons. It would be great to see the very best players for every country, but I doubt we'll see that in the near future.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

isaidso said:


> Bought 6 tickets to the Canada - United States game at the Skydome (Rogers Centre) on March 7th. It's going to be awesome! There was disappointment in Beijing, so now it's redemption time. Go Big Red!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I wish all our players would have agreed to play. It would have been awesome to see Roy Halladay don the red, white and blue, then toe the rubber versus Canada at Skydome.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

ryebreadraz said:


> I wish all our players would have agreed to play. It would have been awesome to see Roy Halladay don the red, white and blue, then toe the rubber versus Canada at Skydome.


It would be weird seeing him play for the other side, the USA. For Toronto crowds, we're used to seeing him play for the us.


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## AnthonyS11 (Feb 2, 2009)

I dont think anyone will beat the DR this year. Their lineup is absolutely ridiculous.


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## larsul (May 26, 2007)

AnthonyS11 said:


> I dont think anyone will beat the DR this year. Their lineup is absolutely ridiculous.


well there are allways surprises.. ask brasilians about worldcup 1982 or 1950..


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## Canadian Chocho (May 18, 2006)

larsul said:


> well there are allways surprises.. ask brasilians about worldcup 1982 or *1950*..


It's probably better he doesn't ask Brazilians about this one!


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## BobDaBuilder (Jun 7, 2005)

The Americans and Japanese should 'tour' nations like cricket teams do. It would do wonders to spread the gospel of the game.

Say the best American players come down to Oz for a series. I'd pop along if it wasn't too pricey.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

BobDaBuilder said:


> The Americans and Japanese should 'tour' nations like cricket teams do. It would do wonders to spread the gospel of the game.
> 
> Say the best American players come down to Oz for a series. I'd pop along if it wasn't too pricey.


Shouldn't the Dominicans, Cubans and Venezuelans also be doing the touring?


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

KingmanIII said:


> Shouldn't the Dominicans, Cubans and Venezuelans also be doing the touring?


That's what I was thinking. You should add Korea and Canada to that list as well. I suppose people in 'Yarck', Australia don't care to see ball players unless they have a US or Japanese passport. :|


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## #obert (May 6, 2008)

japanese001 said:


> *Japanese baseball stadium*
> 
> Hanshin Koshien Stadium - 47,100～50454?
> Tokyo Dome - 45,600～55,000?
> ...


Stuning to see all these Stadiums, very well Japan


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

isaidso said:


> It makes sense, but I imagine bizarre to most people outside your country to not have a passport. A passport is usually the most important and basic ID people have. It's practically standard to get that before any of the other ones. I'd find it less strange if you were without a driver's license.
> 
> France? Japan? Cuba? Egypt? I suppose a lot of Americans just don't travel to other countries like other nationalities do, and when they go, they tend to border hop to Canada and Mexico.


Yeah, people seem to be suprised at the number of Americans without passports. I believe its around 20-25 percent that have them. Its understandable in my opinion, considering the amount of stuff to see within the country (I haven't even been to NYC, L.A., or Alaska!), the outrageous cost of flying outside North/Central America, and until recently---not needing a passport to go to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. 

I imagine things would be different if we were like Europe--bordering a bunch of small, travel friendly nations. That and having 3 months off of work to go to all these exotic places.


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

BobDaBuilder said:


> They actually used to play baseball as a curtain raiser to our Aussie Rules football matches a 100 years ago and we have had quite a few major league players going back to the early days of the pro baseball in the USA.
> 
> .


Grant Balfour (Tampa Bay Rays) is a current Australian player who is pretty good. He had a good run in the playoffs. Got a temper on him and is fun to watch.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

BobDaBuilder said:


> The Chicago setup is so cool. Wouldn't you just love to own those buildings. It would be a lot of laughs. I guess until the baseball club decides to erect a large sign, scoreboard or grandstand right in front of you.


The Cubs actually tried to erect a "spite fence" that partially obscured most of the rooftop views in 2002, as many clubs had done in the past (like the Philadelphia Phillies and Athletics at Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium), claiming that, by charging admission for the seats, the operators were pirating a copyrighted product, and threatened to sue for royalties. Most of the rooftop owners eventually settled with the Cubs out of court, agreeing to pay 1/6th of gross revenues to be endorsed as "Official Rooftop Partners" of the club, and the "wind screens" were taken down.


----------



## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Judge Phillip Banks said:


> Grant Balfour (Tampa Bay Rays) is a current Australian player who is pretty good. He had a good run in the playoffs. Got a temper on him and is fun to watch.


:lol: I'll never forget Balfour punking Orlando Cabrera in Game 1 of the ALDS last year.


----------



## sauronbcn (Jun 16, 2008)

Fans of Mexico will support like this one in the Serie del Caribe (tournament between the winter leagues champions of Venezuela, Puerto Rico , R. Dominicana and Mexico teams) Venezuela won this year


Casas Geo Stadium
Mexicali, Baja California
20 000 cap


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## BobDaBuilder (Jun 7, 2005)

There is talk that the MLB(USA) is going to bankroll an Aussie league.

They would be better served by having the best of the best Americans come down and play us in a series to really promote the sport.

If it is world class we'd all get along.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

BobDaBuilder said:


> There is talk that the MLB(USA) is going to bankroll an Aussie league.
> 
> They would be better served by having the best of the best Americans come down and play us in a series to really promote the sport.
> 
> If it is world class we'd all get along.


I think an Aussie League would be great. The difference in seasons would allow it to be played in the MLB offseason so players who are recovering from injury or top minor leaguers can play there (the Caribbean Leagues and AFL only do so much). Also, a team of MLB All-Stars could make a trip to play an exhibition series there like they've done in Japan.


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

KingmanIII said:


> :lol: I'll never forget Balfour punking Orlando Cabrera in Game 1 of the ALDS last year.


Yeah, that was a great battle they had. That Sox-Rays series was pretty good.


----------



## nyrmetros (Aug 15, 2006)

I'd love to see a USA baseball vs Aussie cricket test series.


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

I'm wondering why Foro Sol was chosen as the stadium in Mexico. It's big, but seems kind of strangely shaped and dumpy.


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

Scba said:


> I'm wondering why Foro Sol was chosen as the stadium in Mexico. It's big, but seems kind of strangely shaped and dumpy.


Because it's in Mexico City.


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## Canadian Chocho (May 18, 2006)

I prefer Monterrey's


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

Bobby3 said:


> Because it's in Mexico City.


If people thought the ball flies out of Coors Field in Denver at 5,200+ feet, imagine what Mexico City at 7,000+ feet will be like. And Mexico City won't have the humidor.


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

Canadian Chocho said:


> I prefer Monterrey's


Im liking those bullpens


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## larsul (May 26, 2007)

I would choose Monterrey as well.. Foro Sol for me is just a metallic structure with seats.. it is just ugly however it would be more realistic to fill the foro due to the (over)population of Mexico City than Monterrey. 
For sure most of the games will be packed specially when mexico plays..


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Yeah, and I guess if they put it in a city too close to the US, people would complain again about it being too US-centric. 

It seems like Mexico City should have something better and newer by now.


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## gugasounds (Jun 7, 2007)

^^^^^^

Yeah, I agree Foro Sol is a stadium that originaly was disigned for events like concerts and shows, not for baseball, but the thing is that Diablos Rojos the local team, played at a very old stadium and they needed to change to a larger and modern venue, so in 2000 they modified the stadium in order to be a baseball venue. A couple of years ago there were some studies about constructing a new state of the art stadium, but that´s all it was a proyect that failed.hno:


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

*USA - College Baseball Stadiums*

Here's a thread for all the college baseball stadiums out there. With college baseball's popularity on the rise and new stadiums and renovations poppoing up around the country, there are some pretty cool ones out there. Post your pictures, descriptions and thoughts.

Baum Stadium, University of Arkansas (10,737 cap., built 1996, renovations '03, '04, '06, '07)


















New Alex Box Stadium, LSU (9,200 cap., built 2009)


















Reckling Park, Rice University (5,368 cap. built 2000)










Dick Howser Stadium, Florida St. University (6,750 cap., built 1983, renovated 2004)


















Tony Gwynn Stadium, San Diego St. (3,000 cap., built 1997)


















New Boshamer Stadium, University of North Carolina (5,000+ capacity, built 2009)










Goss Stadium, Oregon St. University (3,600 cap., built 1907, renovated 1999 and 2008)


















Carolina Stadium, University of South Carolina (9,000 cap., built 2009)


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

You forgot granddaddy...

Rosenblat Stadium, Omaha, Nebraska 
Home of the College World Series


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## Ganis (Jan 3, 2009)

The College world Series stadium needs to be a MLB size stadium in my opinion. I also think that the CWS should move from venue to venue every years like the NCAA Basketball tournament.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

Ganis said:


> The College world Series stadium needs to be a MLB size stadium in my opinion. I also think that the CWS should move from venue to venue every years like the NCAA Basketball tournament.


The CWS couldn't fill a MLB sized stadium. Also, the CWS is an institution in Omaha and one of the better experiences in sports. It's absolutely amazing there for the week and a half and I couldn't imagine it anywhere else. The local Omaha people fill a lot of the seats there and if it moved around, attendance would suffer.

They are moving it to a new stadium in Omaha though. The stadium will permanently hold 24,000 and can be expanded to 35,000, which is just short of a MLB sized stadium. The first CWS at the new stadium will be the 2011 CWS. Here are the renderings


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## Ganis (Jan 3, 2009)

aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. I like that new stadium. The old stadium looks like a sad place to crown a champion. That new place will be worthy. When does or has construction start/started?


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

They broke ground on it sometime in the fall of '08 I believe (going off memory here so I'm not 100% sure). The stadium will keep the CWS in Omaha for 25 more years. Rosenblatt Stadium is old and has it's issues, but it's been the home of the CWS for almost 60 years and will be missed when it leaves. The history of the place is unmatched by an non-MLB stadium and probably has more history than all but three or four MLB stadiums. Some of the players who played at Rosenblatt Stadium include Roger Clemens, Dave Kingman, Todd Helton, Frank Viola, Barry Bonds, Lance Berkman, Barry Larkin, Dave Winfield, Nomar Garciaparra, Will Clark, Rafael Palmiero, Bobby Thigpen, Jeff Kent, Paul Molitor, Ryan Braun, Jason Giambi, Fred Lynn and Mike Schmidt. It may not be the prettiest place, but it's awfully historic and will be missed.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

University of Texas: UFCU Disch-Falk Field


















Showing off the new and improved turf:


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

ryebreadraz said:


> Carolina Stadium, University of South Carolina (9,000 cap., built 2009)


It's a nice stadium. Shame USC is basically the mafia when it comes to sports.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

Here's Pepperdine's Eddy. D Field Stadium.


















The stadium itself isn't much to look at, but it's my favorite place in the country to watch a game because of this:


















You have a great view of the ocean right behind left field. It's absolutely amazing.


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

ryebreadraz said:


> Here's Pepperdine's Eddy. D Field Stadium.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've been there! Its fantastic!


----------



## westsidebomber (Feb 5, 2009)

Here's Kansas Hoglund Ballpark. Not the biggest or nicest, but all the fans are close to the field, has a nice video board, and the fans show up when the team is good.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

westsidebomber said:


> Here's Kansas Hoglund Ballpark. Not the biggest or nicest, but all the fans are close to the field, has a nice video board, and the fans show up when the team is good.


I read somewhere that Hoglund will be getting an upgrade soon. Any word on what they'll be doing to it?


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## westsidebomber (Feb 5, 2009)

ryebreadraz said:


> I read somewhere that Hoglund will be getting an upgrade soon. Any word on what they'll be doing to it?


They just completed one prior to this season. A new clubhouse and indoor batting cages were built down the first base line, but nothing more than that. I'm not sure if anything else is planned in upcoming years, though.



















Here's another good view of the field. This is what it looks like from the dorm where I live. And another note is that the building behind the field on the third base side is historic Allen Fieldhouse


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## ihav3nofri3ndzz (Feb 17, 2009)

wow.. that grass isn't very good at Kansas, atleast in the last one.

Lindsey Nelson Stadium... University of Tennessee not sure of the capacity since they renovated it, but it was 3,712








picture is before the renovations.


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## hngcm (Sep 17, 2002)

KingmanIII said:


> University of Texas: UFCU Disch-Falk Field


Why oh why does an outdoor stadium have turf...


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

hngcm said:


> Why oh why does an outdoor stadium have turf...


They've since upgraded their turf, but it's still ridiculous that they have turf at all.


----------



## B'moreOrioles (Feb 21, 2007)

I just love the look of Omaha's new stadium!


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

I don't like Texas' stadium because of the turf.

I'm not a big baseball fan but I've always felt it needed to be played outdoors and on grass, otherwise it just feels wrong.

I guess that's because it represents the American summer, and field turf just doesn't have the same feeling as a well cut grass diamond.


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

Bobby3 said:


> I don't like Texas' stadium because of the turf.
> 
> I'm not a big baseball fan but I've always felt it needed to be played outdoors and on grass, otherwise it just feels wrong.
> 
> I guess that's because it represents the American summer, and field turf just doesn't have the same feeling as a well cut grass diamond.


Being one of the storied programs of college baseball, Texas has had turf for a long, long time. Disch-Falk has large dimensions compared to most ballparks and has influenced the style of play of Texas since it was built. Texas has always played small ball because its pretty much useless trying to be a power team there. The turf simply adds to that speed game, and always has. Would purists like grass? yes, as would some UT fans, but its just part of UT baseball.


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

Yea, I understand that.

I was just saying a grass baseball diamond is as much a part of our national identity as anything.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

hngcm said:


> Why oh why does an outdoor stadium have turf...


They could've at least gone with the faux-dirt infield like other installations:


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## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

I really love college and minor league ballparks. So very charming, gives a similar feeling to the quaint cricket grounds of the anglosphere. Beautifully iconic and romantic.

Oh but you need a grass field.


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

UT's field looks like it always has with the only dirt(now faux but apparently slides better) around the bases. We've all as UT alumni asked for grass, but as soon as the last two surface changes were brought up, carpet was simply not even up for discussion. If they ever go to grass they will have to reconfigure the power alleys and centerfield. Its 406 in the gaps there and centerfield is far enough that you simply don't see but a couple ball go out each year. But there are lots of triples and doubles even with turf. With grass those would be inside the park home runs. So othere would definitely have to be a reconfiguration.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

After 27 years without a program, Oregon revived their program this year. They installed the playing surface, lights, dugouts, scoreboard and temporary stands for this year, then will complete the construction of their stadium for next season. Here's what the stadium for this year with the temporary stands:


























This is what it will look like, capacity 4,000-5,000.


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## tenaciousdale (May 9, 2009)

Eck Stadium @ Wichita State




















Concourse Mural


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## max_cool (Jun 15, 2007)

Packard Stadium is a collegiate baseball park and has endured upgrade renovations since 2001. The construction of a $1 million players clubhouse and events plaza down the left field line was completed in August 2004. The structure features a state-of-the-art clubhouse for the Sun Devil Baseball players, including custom hardwood lockers, a training room, video room and an equipment storage area. The top level of the clubhouse serves as an events plaza for hosted outings during games and also features an office for the coaching staff. The outfield wall, including a center field green monster, is lined with orange trees and just beyond the left field fence lies the Tempe Town Lake.

With an all-time 2,358-1,154 (.671) record in 93 seasons of Sun Devil Baseball, ASU ranks sixth among all major colleges. The Sun Devils have made 30 post-season appearances and rank fifth with 20 College World Series appearances. With five NCAA titles (1965, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1981), ASU is tied for third. In 46 years of varsity baseball dating back to 1959, ASU is 2,025-809-1 (.714).


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## DeMaroon (Apr 28, 2009)

*The nation's larget on-campus facility ...*

I am an alumnus of Mississippi State University, and I love this forum, so for my first post, I'll post some pics from the largest on-campus baseball stadium in the US: Polk-DeMent Stadium at Dudy-Noble Field. DNF has hosted the top 13 all-time on-campus crowds in college baseball and has 21 of the top 23. It also holds regional and super regional tournament attendance records. It's an awesome place to watch baseball. One of the unique things is that it officially seats only about 7,200, but another 8,000 bring their own fan-built seats and claim spots in the outfield which lets us pack in up to 15,000 people. For college baseball, that is still unmatched.

A view of the Leftfield Lounge. It extends around the whole ballpark, but that's what it's called.









DNF









Another









Enjoy!


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

I've heard a lot about Dudy-Noble. By all accounts it needs a major upgrade. The amenities just don't match many of the top stadiums so hopefully they can get that done soon and the stadium itself can match LSU, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, N. Carolina, Arkansas, etc. The atmosphere there is second to none though.


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## DeMaroon (Apr 28, 2009)

*Renovations, coming ...*

Over the next 3 years DNF will get some major renovations. 

After baseball camps this summer, homeplate will be moved 12 feet outward away from the grandstand. The field itself will be lowered about 2 feet. That will be in place for the 2010 baseball season.

After 2010, a major renovation is planned. Including bringing the seats down to the field, and adding additional chairbacks down the lines, eliminating the bleachers, and adding more skyboxes. The facade of the stadium will also be enhanced.



ryebreadraz said:


> I've heard a lot about Dudy-Noble. By all accounts it needs a major upgrade. The amenities just don't match many of the top stadiums so hopefully they can get that done soon and the stadium itself can match LSU, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, N. Carolina, Arkansas, etc. The atmosphere there is second to none though.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

DeMaroon said:


> Over the next 3 years DNF will get some major renovations.
> 
> After baseball camps this summer, homeplate will be moved 12 feet outward away from the grandstand. The field itself will be lowered about 2 feet. That will be in place for the 2010 baseball season.
> 
> After 2010, a major renovation is planned. Including bringing the seats down to the field, and adding additional chairbacks down the lines, eliminating the bleachers, and adding more skyboxes. The facade of the stadium will also be enhanced.


Awesome! A fan base as devoted as theirs deserves a top notch stadium.


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## Goothrey (Jul 31, 2006)

University of Texas with new turf:


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## Pimpmaster (Mar 10, 2009)

nice


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Top 5 ballparks in Major League Baseball*

IMO
1. Safeco Field. (1999). Home of the Seattle Mariners.
2. AT&T Park (2000). Home of the San Francisco Giants
3. Coors Field (1995). Home of the Colorado Rockies
4. Oriole Park at Camden Yards (1992). Home of the Baltimore Orioles
5. Angel Stadium (1966, renovated in 1998). Home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Here are some stadiums I think could host in the future:









Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Seoul, South Korea









Sydney, Australia









Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan









Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Taichung, Taiwan









BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada









Isotopes Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

I've never seen BC Place configured for baseball before. Bizarre!


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Here are a few more choices:









Estadio Roberto Clemente Walker, Carolina, Puerto Rico









Hardoff Eco Stadium, Niigata, Japan









Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico









Estadio La Ceiba, San Felix, Venezuela


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

i thought Aloha Stadium was already locked.


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

Commandant said:


> Estadio La Ceiba, San Felix, Venezuela


Those are some horrible sightlines.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More:









Estadio Latinoamericano, Havana, Cuba









Nagoya Dome, Nagoya, Aichi









Fukuoka Dome, Fukuoka, Fukuoka

And a ballpark that would have been a nice host:









Aloha Stadium, Aiea, Hawaii


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Commandant said:


> Here are some stadiums I think could host in the future. I chose either the largest stadium in each country, or the largest stadium in the largest city (except for last two):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like Munhak Baseball Stadium in Korea. It has a capacity around 30k or so.


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

This thread is incredibly old, if we want to talk future venues, let's create a new one.


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

I think baseball is the only US sport where the stadiums used to be infinitely cooler. Though there are exceptions, Chattanooga has an awesome park.


----------



## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

isaidso said:


> I've never seen BC Place configured for baseball before. Bizarre!


It looks a lot better than the HHH metrodome for baseball, maby thats because CFL has a larger field?


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

Not all American cities have massive parking lots around the stadiums. Seattle, Chicago and Charlotte come to mind.

LA is just car obsessed.


----------



## salaverryo (Apr 3, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> The $1.5 billion NYS's ramps already has chipped concrete. Despite that it will host Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday.


Imagine canceling a World Series game because the stadium ramps have chipped concrete... hno:


----------



## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

ReiAyanami said:


> This picture fully explains why the world hates America





Severiano said:


> That parking lot is crazy! So sad that the parking is larger than the actual attraction





Billpa said:


> "They" can afford cars and live in a much-less cramped environment in Australia and I don't recall this kind of nonsense there.
> The fact is that parking lot is insane and a shame. It's not like baseball has a tail-gating culture.





Bobby3 said:


> Not all American cities have massive parking lots around the stadiums. Seattle, Chicago and Charlotte come to mind.
> 
> LA is just car obsessed.


Dodger Stadium was built in the early 1960s, a time where Americans were moving out of decaying urban centers in droves and into the suburbs. Within the last couple of decades, efforts have been made to revitalize and bring people back to the urban core, and this is reflected through many new sporting venues being built in or near downtown (the 'central business district' in other parts of the world).

Take Target Field, for instance, which is being built on a small parcel of land northwest of downtown Minneapolis and will be served extensively by public transit:


----------



## ReiAyanami (May 14, 2008)

El Mariachi said:


> if they could either afford cars or didn't live in cramped European/Asian nations, they would do the same thing.


No they wouldn't


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

ReiAyanami said:


> This picture fully explains why the world hates America


no, it doesnt. It shows why YOU hate America. And thats sad.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More:









Munhak Stadium, Incheon, South Korea









Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama









Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana









Cohen Stadium, El Paso, Texas (Why not give an independent league ballpark a chance to host some games?)


----------



## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

ReiAyanami said:


> No they wouldn't


They would if the stadium had limited access due to hills and valleys completely surrounding it.


----------



## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

ryebreadraz said:


> If they ever do it, yes, but it looks doubtful that they do the project planned.


 It is on hold as of now?


----------



## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

nomarandlee said:


> It is on hold as of now?


Technically they say they're going ahead with it, but they've yet to secure funding, aren't actively pursuing any funding plans in this economy and with the impending divorce of the owners, the little money they had already is now in flux so it won't be happening in the near future.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Dodger Stadium renovation*



nomarandlee said:


> It is on hold as of now?


The ongoing divorce of the McCourts won't help things.


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Dodger Stadium model*

Too bad the real Dodger Stadium doesn't look like this


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*The top MLB ballpark in California*

AT&T Park in San Francisco, home of the Giants since 2000.

Stunning!








from mrakbaseball


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Dodger Stadium*



Scba said:


> The renovation coming up is putting some garages in, right?


Doesn't look like there are any garages in this rendering


----------



## ReiAyanami (May 14, 2008)

en1044 said:


> no, it doesnt. It shows why YOU hate America. And thats sad.


Where I come from huge parking lots are a sign of a failed public transport systems, failed eco-friendly and social policies and thus of a failed state. And that is sad. A stadium without public transport connection should be considered illegal.


----------



## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> Doesn't look like there are any garages in this rendering


There are going to be two parking garages, one on each side of the stadium. Those two structures with the wavy roofs that you see will have below ground parking as well.


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Yankee Stadium demolition*

Yankee Stadium: Home of the Yankees from 1923-1973 and 1976-2008


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Dodger Stadium*

Dodger Stadium and the automobile









from the City Project (Flickr)

despite Dodger Stadium's proximity to downtown Los Angeles, it is the ultimate suburban environment.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Safeco Field*

Safeco Field in Seattle, is the most dependable and reliable ballpark in baseball. It's the only outdoor ballpark that guarantees no rain-delays and postponements. If you purchase a ticket 2 or 3 months in advance, you know that game will be played.on-time and without delay to completion. It's the only outdoor ballpark that can say that.









from mrakbaseball (Flickr)


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

http://www.digitalballparks.com/Southern/Bellsouth.html

Gallery of BellSouth (AT&T) Park in Chattanooga, TN. Tiny but beautiful. It's right on the Tennessee River.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> Safeco Field in Seattle, is the most dependable and reliable ballpark in baseball. It's the only outdoor ballpark that guarantees no rain-delays and postponements. If you purchase a ticket 2 or 3 months in advance, you know that game will be played.on-time and without delay to completion. It's the only outdoor ballpark that can say that.


Sorry, but I don't consider it an outdoor ballpark. I know that it's not completely enclosed even when the roof is rolled out, but I've been there and it still felt indoors. It's a fantastic ballpark and one of my favorites, but I'm not going to call it outdoors.


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

ryebreadraz said:


> Sorry, but I don't consider it an outdoor ballpark. I know that it's not completely enclosed even when the roof is rolled out, but I've been there and it still felt indoors. It's a fantastic ballpark and one of my favorites, but I'm not going to call it outdoors.


If you stand outside with an umbrellla, you're outside right? Same with Safeco, just think of the roof like it's a giant umbrella, which it is.


----------



## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> If you stand outside with an umbrellla, you're outside right? Same with Safeco, just think of the roof like it's a giant umbrella, which it is.


With the roof over, there isn't that much open air left. It's more the equivalent of it raining with a few windows open than it is being under an umbrella. It doesn't give you the feeling of being outdoors, which is fine. It's still a fantastic stadium.


----------



## koolio (Jan 5, 2008)

ryebreadraz said:


> With the roof over, there isn't that much open air left. It's more the equivalent of it raining with a few windows open than it is being under an umbrella. It doesn't give you the feeling of being outdoors, which is fine. It's still a fantastic stadium.


Agreed ... the whole "outdoor stadium" thing with Safeco Field seems like a marketing gimmick to me ... in my eyes, if you have a stadium with a retractable roof like that, it is a disadvantage to not have absolute climate control. I still think its a terrific stadium ... I like Minute Maid Park better though.


----------



## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

Billpa said:


> "They" can afford cars and live in a much-less cramped environment in Australia and I don't recall this kind of nonsense there.
> The fact is that parking lot is insane and a shame. It's not like baseball has a tail-gating culture.


why is it insane for people wanting to park their cars when they go to a stadium? And there is tailgating culture in baseball. I don't know about L.A., but there are huge parkings lots here in Milwaukee and people make good use of them.

As for Australia, they might not have as much of a car culture---but it is something that developing countries want. The only reason why people harp on America is jealousy and general anti-Americanism.


----------



## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

ReiAyanami said:


> Where I come from huge parking lots are a sign of a failed public transport systems, failed eco-friendly and social policies and thus of a failed state. And that is sad. A stadium without public transport connection should be considered illegal.


A failed state because we have wealth and choose to drive cars, rather then live our lives according to when the government chooses to run trains? The very fact that you claim that it should be illegal is further proof why I am glad I live in this country.


----------



## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

ReiAyanami said:


> Where I come from huge parking lots are a sign of a failed public transport systems, failed eco-friendly and social policies and thus of a failed state. And that is sad. A stadium without public transport connection should be considered illegal.


Like I said in post #191, Dodger Stadium was built during a completely different sociopolitical era...the majority of new stadiums and arenas here are being built near city centers, with ample access to bus and rail transit.


----------



## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

> As for Australia, they might not have as much of a car culture---but it is something that developing countries want. The only reason why people harp on America is jealousy and general anti-Americanism.


If jealousy of America is true, it certainly doesn't apply to Australia. As for Car culture, Australia has one not much different to America. The colossal car parks around stadium's are obviously from a different era but Australian's shouldn't think it only a US phenomena, just look at the old Waverly Park in Melbourne.


----------



## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

KingmanIII said:


> Like I said in post #191, Dodger Stadium was built during a completely different sociopolitical era...the majority of new stadiums and arenas here are being built near city centers, with ample access to bus and rail transit.


There was talk of building a new stadium here that was quickly shot down because of Angeleno's love for Dodger Stadium, but the idea was to get it downtown and closer to public transportation. When Dodger Stadium does go, that's the direction the new stadium will go in. You're 100% correct in that it was a different sociopolitical era and a new stadium would be public transportation accessible and encourage the use of it.


----------



## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Walbanger said:


> If jealousy of America is true, it certainly doesn't apply to Australia.


After reading the children's book titled _Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day,_ you'd think it's the other way around.


----------



## Billpa (Feb 26, 2006)

El Mariachi said:


> why is it insane for people wanting to park their cars when they go to a stadium? And there is tailgating culture in baseball. I don't know about L.A., but there are huge parkings lots here in Milwaukee and people make good use of them.
> 
> As for Australia, they might not have as much of a car culture---but it is something that developing countries want. The only reason why people harp on America is jealousy and general anti-Americanism.



You know it is POSSIBLE to have a criticism of something in America without it being an-American comment. I'm an American and I hate the way that looks.
And it's not 'insane' for people to want to park their cars when they go to the ballpark but that doesn't mean there has to be a sea of tarmac 20 times the size of the actual stadium.


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

ReiAyanami said:


> Where I come from huge parking lots are a sign of a failed public transport systems, failed eco-friendly and social policies and thus of a failed state. And that is sad. A stadium without public transport connection should be considered illegal.


ANd clearly you dont come from a place where the country is so big that public transportation isnt always feasible.

Come on, you can do better than that. Leave the anti american bias at the door you tool.


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

Billpa said:


> You know it is POSSIBLE to have a criticism of something in America without it being an-American comment. I'm an American and I hate the way that looks.
> And it's not 'insane' for people to want to park their cars when they go to the ballpark but that doesn't mean there has to be a sea of tarmac 20 times the size of the actual stadium.


ReyAyanami is about as anti american as it gets.


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## Billpa (Feb 26, 2006)

en1044 said:


> ReyAyanami is about as anti american as it gets.


Don't know him, but I'm NOT and I hate that parking lot. I also disagree that America is so big that public transportation isn't always feasible. Well, I suppose it's not ALWAYS feasible, but certainly when you're within earshot of the downtown of America's second biggest city it should be more than possible to have decent public transit.


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## eMKay (Feb 2, 2007)

Billpa said:


> Don't know him, but I'm NOT and I hate that parking lot. I also disagree that America is so big that public transportation isn't always feasible. Well, I suppose it's not ALWAYS feasible, but certainly when you're within earshot of the downtown of America's second biggest city it should be more than possible to have decent public transit.


Of course it's possible, just not necessary.


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## Billpa (Feb 26, 2006)

eMKay said:


> Of course it's possible, just not necessary.


Very little in life is "necessary"; doesn't mean it's not desirable or even preferable.


----------



## Kenni (Jul 26, 2007)

mrakbaseball said:


> Too bad the real Dodger Stadium doesn't look like this


Dodger Stadium has survived earthquakes because they sunk it in the hill. Tho I will admit I love this rendering, looks beautiful!

It's still a "cathedral of baseball".


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Watching the telecasts, it sometimes seems like the hills are just over the outfield seats. Good illusion.


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

Walbanger said:


> If jealousy of America is true, it certainly doesn't apply to Australia. As for Car culture, Australia has one not much different to America. The colossal car parks around stadium's are obviously from a different era but Australian's shouldn't think it only a US phenomena, just look at the old Waverly Park in Melbourne.


alot of people around the world are jealous of America's position in the world--thats why they harp on us so much. Same people doing that aren't for other places. Not saying that its common amongst Australians or anything.


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

Billpa said:


> You know it is POSSIBLE to have a criticism of something in America without it being an-American comment. I'm an American and I hate the way that looks.
> And it's not 'insane' for people to want to park their cars when they go to the ballpark but that doesn't mean there has to be a sea of tarmac 20 times the size of the actual stadium.


I know your an American, but I am saying that the reasoning behind some of these criticisms from foreigners is anti-Americanism. People hate us because we are happy with ourselves for the most part. That includes using our wealth to purchase the freedom of mobility----rather then waiting for some train or bus like they do.

As for Dodger Stadium---who cares? Know anyone in L.A. that can't get to the game? Its a car dominated city---we all know that. The reasons why the stadium is built like that have been discussed.


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## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

Billpa said:


> Don't know him, but I'm NOT and I hate that parking lot. I also disagree that America is so big that public transportation isn't always feasible. Well, I suppose it's not ALWAYS feasible, but certainly when you're within earshot of the downtown of America's second biggest city it should be more than possible to have decent public transit.


Your right it should be, however do to the time and location it was built a car centric friendly stadium made a great deal of sense even if by the sentiment of today we find fault with it.

To claim make declarative judgements about a whole nation or society because one is ignorant of time and geography is more a reflection on the critic.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

isaidso said:


> That's not even close to being true. Skydome (aka Rogers Centre) in Toronto was the first stadium with a fully retractable roof. Last time I checked, Skydome was still standing.


I said outdoor ballpark. Safeco is an outdoor ballpark even when the roof is "extended", Rogers Centre is an indoor facility when its roof is closed.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Dodger Stadium*

Chavez Ravine: What's not to love?








from kla4067


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## Kenni (Jul 26, 2007)

mrakbaseball said:


> *photo by ????*
> 
> Dodger Stadium used to have a lot of foul territory before the box seating was installed several years ago. I miss seeing the guy with the radar gun behind home plate on television.



Photo's are signed.




Billpa said:


> This guy I believe:




Yeah, he was a staple of the game back then  Even after the reduction of alot of the foul territory, it is still one of the roomiest around.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Kenni said:


> Even after the reduction of alot of the foul territory, it is still one of the *roomiest* around.


Are you talking about the foul territory? It's night and day compared to what it was. It's pretty small right now. Back in the day it was pretty expansive, certainly not in Oakland's league, but a pretty fair amount to be sure.


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## Billpa (Feb 26, 2006)

mrakbaseball said:


> Chavez Ravine: What's not to love?from kla4067


What's not to love?
That bloody parking lot!

I like everything else about that picture, however.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*An Observation*

Something that I've noticed here in this particular thread was the lack of discussion regarding New Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and Shea Stadium. That is very good IMO.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

mrakbaseball said:


> I said outdoor ballpark. Safeco is an outdoor ballpark even when the roof is "extended", Rogers Centre is an indoor facility when its roof is closed.


How can Safeco possibly be considered an outdoor stadium when the roof is closed? Even if you do make that bizarre classification, it's ridiculous to claim *at the same time* that it has an advantage over all other baseball stadia on the planet because it's covered. It's open air and it's covered? Having a roof affects reliability and dependability, open air *has no bearing* on that.

It's like Skydome claiming it that it's _the most dependable and reliable ballpark in baseball. because it's the only ballpark that guarantees no rain-delays and postponements_ *with a circular sliding roof segment*.

You're using some irrelevant quality to dependability and reliability.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Dodger Stadium and downtown Los Angeles*

A view of Chavez Ravine. You can also see the Staples Center at the top of the photo.









from kla4067

Only in SoCal can you have a suburban style ballpark so close to a downtown area.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

isaidso said:


> How can Safeco possibly be considered an outdoor stadium when the roof is closed? Even if you do make that bizarre classification, it's ridiculous to claim *at the same time* that it has an advantage over all other baseball stadia on the planet because it's covered. It's open air and it's covered? Having a roof affects reliability and dependability, open air *has no bearing* on that.
> 
> It's like Skydome claiming it that it's _the most dependable and reliable ballpark in baseball. because it's the only ballpark that guarantees no rain-delays and postponements_ *with a circular sliding roof segment*.
> 
> You're using some irrelevant quality to dependability and reliability.


Safeco is an outdoor ballpark. I made the analogy comparing Safeco with a giant umbrella and carports. It's not like being inside a house with the windows open.

Being open air certainly has bearing on dependability. If you're rained out, that's it. If you planned on attending a game that day, you're out of luck.

You mentioned SkyDome again, but Skydome isn't an outdoor stadium with the roof closed. We've already been through that.


----------



## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

I guess you're correct, on a technicality at least.

You're not correct that there is a guarantee that there won't be a rain delay, though. Safeco Field has already had at least one rain delay:



> Safeco Field's roof wouldn't close during a thunderstorm one afternoon, forcing a 51-minute rain delay.


http://www.seattlepi.com/baseball/mmts03.shtml


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## Seattlelife (May 15, 2007)

mrakbaseball said:


> Safeco Field in Seattle, is the most dependable and reliable ballpark in baseball. It's the only outdoor ballpark that guarantees no rain-delays and postponements. If you purchase a ticket 2 or 3 months in advance, you know that game will be played.on-time and without delay to completion. It's the only outdoor ballpark that can say that.


There was no reason to build that roof. Seattle is one of the driest baseball cities during baseball season. It cost 550 million dollars for a roof used once a season? Give me a break. I really don't like how the roof looks when it's open too. It's like a giant monolith towering over right field. It just seems unbalanced from a design perspective. On top of all that Safeco is just kind of bland on the inside. It's only unique feature is the roof. As a Mariners fan I have to say I'm not a Safeco Field fan.


----------



## Seattlelife (May 15, 2007)

Oh and mrak, what about the stadiums in Toronto, Milwaukee, Houston and Phoenix? They all have retractable roofs. Are you talking about how Safeco is still open to the elements on the sides?

EDIT: Looking back I see that's exactly what you mean.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> Only in SoCal can you have a suburban style ballpark so close to a downtown area.


Well, when Dodger Stadium was built, downtown was very tiny. A number of city laws barred any buildings taller than city hall and downtown wasn't too much busier than a bunch of other places in the city. This is really a case of an urban center developing next to a ballpark.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Safeco*



Seattlelife said:


> There was no reason to build that roof. Seattle is one of the driest baseball cities during baseball season. It cost 550 million dollars for a roof used once a season? Give me a break. I really don't like how the roof looks when it's open too. It's like a giant monolith towering over right field. It just seems unbalanced from a design perspective. On top of all that Safeco is just kind of bland on the inside. It's only unique feature is the roof. As a Mariners fan I have to say I'm not a Safeco Field fan.


You're right that during the baseball season, Seattle doesn't get much rainfall. The roof is used more than "once" a season however, 10-15 times seems more likely. It's just good insurance. 

I remember the game where there was a rain delay at Safeco in 2000. That's *1 game* in parts of 11 seasons.


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

Dodger Stadium looks great from aerial views. I think it looks better with the parking lot from those angles.. 

What would you anti-car people have them do? Tear out the majority of the parking and build a bunch of garages? Talk about a nightmare to get in _and_ out of the stadium. Outdoor parking is a breeze for me at Miller Park---as you are just guided to a spot in rows. Able to hang out with your friends outside the car and drink/throw the ball around---until the lot clears. Apparently some of you have never tried to park in a garage at a sporting event. Its a disaster, people are honking endlessly, nobody is letting people merge, people can't park in tight spaces, etc. L.A. has beautiful weather, year round, and I think I would rather walk outdoors to my car then be trapped in a garage for an hour.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Southern Californian ballparks*



El Mariachi said:


> Dodger Stadium looks great from aerial views. I think it looks better with the parking lot from those angles..
> 
> What would you anti-car people have them do? Tear out the majority of the parking and build a bunch of garages? Talk about a nightmare to get in _and_ out of the stadium. Outdoor parking is a breeze for me at Miller Park---as you are just guided to a spot in rows. Able to hang out with your friends outside the car and drink/throw the ball around---until the lot clears. Apparently some of you have never tried to park in a garage at a sporting event. Its a disaster, people are honking endlessly, nobody is letting people merge, people can't park in tight spaces, etc. L.A. has beautiful weather, year round, and I think I would rather walk outdoors to my car then be trapped in a garage for an hour.


Which ballpark is worse to get in and out of, Angel/Anaheim Stadium or Dodger Stadium? Both are surrounded by large parking areas, Dodger Stadium has a larger capacity; 56k vs 45k, though.


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> Which ballpark is worse to get in and out of, Angel/Anaheim Stadium or Dodger Stadium? Both are surrounded by large parking areas, Dodger Stadium has a larger capacity; 56k vs 45k, though.


I've seen multiple games at both..Angel Stadium was much easier to get out of.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> Which ballpark is worse to get in and out of, Angel/Anaheim Stadium or Dodger Stadium? Both are surrounded by large parking areas, Dodger Stadium has a larger capacity; 56k vs 45k, though.


Angel Stadium, easily. The smaller capacity accounts for part of it, but mostly it is because the way Dodger Stadium is built in the ravine, there are only four exits out of the parking lots.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Angel Stadium*



ryebreadraz said:


> Angel Stadium, easily. The smaller capacity accounts for part of it, but mostly it is because the way Dodger Stadium is built in the ravine, there are only four exits out of the parking lots.


Well, I found this pic by kla4067 of Angel Stadium and The Pond arena in Anaheim.


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## Billpa (Feb 26, 2006)

El Mariachi said:


> Dodger Stadium looks great from aerial views. I think it looks better with the parking lot from those angles.. .


No matter how you feel about the parking situation at Dodgers Stadium, I can't understand how you think it looks better with a parking lot than without one. I'm not questioning that you do- I just don't get it.
Maybe if they had a few trees between rows?


----------



## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Billpa said:


> No matter how you feel about the parking situation at Dodgers Stadium, I can't understand how you think it looks better with a parking lot than without one. I'm not questioning that you do- I just don't get it.
> Maybe if they had a few trees between rows?


That's the plan.


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## 504souldja (Oct 26, 2009)

> That's the plan.


Are they planning on building up the ground outside of the home plate side so high that you enter at the very top?


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## Billpa (Feb 26, 2006)

KingmanIII said:


> That's the plan.


Well, that certainly is a huge improvement over the acres of blacktop we see today. Here's hoping it happens.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

504souldja said:


> Are they planning on building up the ground outside of the home plate side so high that you enter at the very top?


I'm not quite sure what you mean here. I think you mean if you can enter behind home plate at the top of the stadium, but you can already do that.



Billpa said:


> Well, that certainly is a huge improvement over the acres of blacktop we see today. Here's hoping it happens.


Sorry, but I've been hoping it never gets done and it looks like it won't be done for a while. Dodger Stadium, for all its charm and history, is an outdated ballpark with some poor sightlines and space limitations that can't be fixed no matter the renovations. If they want to continue playing in it, fine, but if you're going to spend what will likely be upwards of $600 million, I'd rather see a new stadium. Because the McCourts didn't have any money already and are deep in debt before the divorce, odds are this won't get done for a while, if at all.


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## LosAngelesSportsFan (Oct 20, 2004)

ryebreadraz said:


> I'm not quite sure what you mean here. I think you mean if you can enter behind home plate at the top of the stadium, but you can already do that.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, but I've been hoping it never gets done and it looks like it won't be done for a while. Dodger Stadium, for all its charm and history, is an outdated ballpark with some poor sightlines and space limitations that can't be fixed no matter the renovations. If they want to continue playing in it, fine, but if you're going to spend what will likely be upwards of $600 million, I'd rather see a new stadium. Because the McCourts didn't have any money already and are deep in debt before the divorce, odds are this won't get done for a while, if at all.


Exactly right. i love Dodger Stadium, but we need a new stadium and it should be Downtown either by Union Station, Near the Cornfields park or near Staples center. All these locations are next to multiple rail lines.


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

Billpa said:


> No matter how you feel about the parking situation at Dodgers Stadium, I can't understand how you think it looks better with a parking lot than without one. I'm not questioning that you do- I just don't get it.
> Maybe if they had a few trees between rows?


I like how the parking lot is surrounded by density---it looks cool from an aerial perspective. Yeah, I think they can spruce up the parking lot and remove some of it, add some trees/park, etc.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

ryebreadraz said:


> Sorry, but I've been hoping it never gets done and it looks like it won't be done for a while. Dodger Stadium, for all its charm and history, is an outdated ballpark with some poor sightlines and space limitations that can't be fixed no matter the renovations.





LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> Exactly right. i love Dodger Stadium, but we need a new stadium.


Well, I don't necessarily disagree, but I've read elsewhere (Baseball Fever) that Dodger Stadium is the greatest building ever constructed. :lol:


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*New Yankee Stadium*

I don't believe NYS will ever be able to justify these views from the bleachers. No excuse to have this level of obstructed views








yankeefan


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## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

^^ wow, that is really bad. It would be better if they just made much of that upper section a public patio area of some sort. Either that or charge no more then two dollars for those tickets.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

nomarandlee said:


> ^^ wow, that is really bad. It would be better if they just made much of that upper section a public patio area of some sort. Either that or charge no more then two dollars for those tickets.


Well, originally I believe all bleacher tickets were $12 for regular season games. The bleachers which were obstructed by the CF restaurant were reduced to $5. The Yankees added television monitors on the restaurant walls for the fans who sat in the obstructed-view seats.


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## Kenni (Jul 26, 2007)

mrakbaseball said:


> I don't believe NYS will ever be able to justify these views from the bleachers. No excuse to have this level of obstructed views
> 
> 
> 
> ...


omg! are you freek'n kidding me?

I'm astonished, they spent $1 Billion on a Stadium and came up with this crap out in the bleachers?

I'm,.....I can't even say. Wow.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*New Yankee Stadium's ramps*



mrakbaseball said:


> The $1.5 billion NYS's ramps already has chipped concrete. Despite that it will host Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday.


Well, here's visual proof










The ramps were built by a company accused of having links to the mob.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Yankee Stadium renovation*

Old Yankee Stadium in 1975


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## Alx-D (Oct 21, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> Well, here's visual proof
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Mob construction company? in New York? well I never!


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## GuyIncognito (Apr 6, 2003)

Alx-D said:


> Mob construction company? in New York? well I never!


Reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons where the mob (Fat Tony) built all those new wheelchair ramps at Springfield Elementary School. Of course they all immediately collapsed, and it turned out they were built out of breadsticks.


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

mrakbaseball said:


> I don't believe NYS will ever be able to justify these views from the bleachers. No excuse to have this level of obstructed views
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that is a joke.


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

GuyIncognito said:


> Reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons where the mob (Fat Tony) built all those new wheelchair ramps at Springfield Elementary School. Of course they all immediately collapsed, and it turned out they were built out of breadsticks.


or when they supplied the Springfield public schools with rat milk.


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## andru04499 (Dec 1, 2008)

Minute Maid Park










New Yankee Stadium










Safeco


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

*MINNEAPOLIS - Target Center (20,500)*

Target Center

Minnesota Timberwolves - NBA

Hsted 1994 NBA All-Star Game

Opened October 13, 1990



















In 2009, the Target Center installed a green roof - the first in any indoor arena.


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## Paule (Jul 24, 2005)

The outside design of the building I like but the green roof needs work. Plant some frickin trees already!! If it's not possible to do so than it will remain, um, dare I say ugly? Maybe that's too strong?


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## Alx-D (Oct 21, 2008)

is there a rule in Japanese baseball about field dimensions? All of these stadiums seem to have the same rounded outfield fence.


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## salaverryo (Apr 3, 2008)

The're kind of cookie cutter and they have artificial turf. But they can't go back to traditionally designed ballparks because they never had traditional design to begin with!


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

It's a product of the 70's stadium boom in Japan. Like the ones built in the US during that time -- the infamous concrete doughnuts -- they all look the same.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

This is an article by simoncurrie (http://jhockey.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/japanese-ballparks-are-bandboxes-truth-or-myth/) that has some interesting facts about Japanese ballparks.

Japanese ballparks are often accused of being tiny bandboxes where routine outfield fly balls slapped by weak hitters turn into homeruns. Is this actually true, or is this just an outdated myth similar to “Tokyo/Japan is expensive” (it’s not, especially now with the weak yen, tax inclusive pricing, various deregulations that brought down tariffs and prices, and the no tipping culture.)

Central League teams play in older and smaller ballparks, while Pacific League teams play in modern stadiums (unfortunately they’re mostly multipurpose domes in the vein of Metrodome and SkyDome), Seibu added a roof and pushed back the outfield walls to its current dimensions a few years back. Swallows’ Jingu stadium is undergoing renovations this offseason where LF/RF walls will be pushed back to 101m (331’) and wall height will be raised to 4.5m (14.9’), turning it into a more conventional stadium from a hitters’ paradise.

PL stadiums have almost the same dimensions as an average MLB stadium, but with higher walls. So, this makes PL as a whole more pitcher friendly, as many potential homeruns are turned into doubles. Combining this with the Japanese style of small ball (utilizing bunts, steals, and hit and runs to get that first run on the board to put pressure on the opposition, instead of waiting for the 3 run homer and big innings that is more popular in the majors), the lowest scoring team in the PL won the pennant and the playoffs. That team is the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (often mistakenly shortened as the Ham Fighters but “Nippon Ham” is the sponsor and “Fighters” is the team name) which was led by the now-KC manager Trey Hillman who embraced the Japanese style of play and often won low scoring 1 run games like 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 thanks to his superior pitchers led by the 21 year old man-child Darvish Yu whose father is Iranian. I still think that OBP is an underrated skill amongst NPB management, so if some manager in a hitter friendly park can collect moneyball type players of its first incarnation (good plate discipline and power), then his team can have some success at the plate for bargain prices.

CL parks, on the other hand, are very friendly to hitters. Especially old Jingu and Hiroshima stadiums with short porches and low walls. Outfield flies that should turn into outs elsewhere in Japan (and in the majors) can become homeruns here. I can’t remember how the Rays’ Akinori Iwamura hit majority of his homeruns (even though I’m a Swallows fan) but this partially explains his significant power drop off when he went to the majors. But this makes the new Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda’s record even more impressive, as he had to contend with the fences being so close behind him. Yokohama is also hitter friendly with its cozy confines and minimal foul territory (see below).

On the whole, NPB stadiums are boring when compared to their MLB counterparts. Almost all stadiums built or renovated within the last 20 years feature 100m (328’) LF/RF and 122m (400’) CF walls and artificial turf. On top of that all stadiums are perfectly symmetrical. Japan missed the boat on the HOF type quirky modern retro ballparks. But then again NPB has nowhere near the financial clout of MLB to get fancy new baseball only stadiums (with retractable roofs and natural grass) built for them with mostly municipal tax payer money. Apparently the near 20’ wall of Fukuoka Dome is called the “Japanese Green Monster” sometimes, but I’ve never heard this reference before reading it on Wikipedia. Older ballparks that were used before the current ones built or renovated within the last 20 years were smaller bandboxes like Jingu and Hiroshima today, so that is where the reputation comes from, I’d reckon. Homerun king Sadaharu Oh’s 868 career homeruns while playing home games in the smaller Korakuen Stadium (Giants’ and Fighters’ home before Tokyo Dome) are equivalent to 527 MLB homeruns according to this great analysis by Jim Albright.

There are nice fairly modern outdoor stadiums with natural grass and large enough capacity in Japan. But unfortunately they’ve either been vacated like the Kobe stadium (BlueWave’s former home before they merged with the Buffaloes and gradually moved all games to the Osaka Dome), or have been built in rural locations and are only used by the NPB in neutral site barnstorming games every year (Botchan Stadium in Matsuyama on the relatively sparsely populated Shikoku island, and Sun Marine Stadium in Miyazaki on the southern island of Kyushu where the Giants hold spring training camps).

Unfortunately, the proliferation of domed stadiums in NPB means that most playing surfaces are artificial turf, with Hiroshima and Tiger’s Koshien stadiums being the only exceptions out of the 12, whereas there are only 3 artificial turf fields out of 30 MLB stadiums. These two stadiums feature something interesting that is not seen in North American pro level diamonds, completely dirt infields.

Foul territory sizes range from big in Sapporo Dome to tiny in Yokohama Stadium. Tokyo Dome’s gaps are not rounded like other stadiums, so that makes it easier to hit homeruns to left centre and right centre gaps.

So, there are bandbox stadiums in the CL, but there is no such thing in the PL where parks are modern with MLB dimensions but have higher walls. Interesting factors to consider when translating NPB player performances into MLB equivalencies (there are 24 interleague games each season now, 2 games each home and away, so PL teams get to play a few games in those small CL parks.)


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More pics of this very nice ballpark:

























Niigata Albirex (Baseball Challenge League), Hardoff Eco Stadium (cap. 30,000), Niigata, Niigata


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

Interesting because there are all of these high tech baseball stadiums in Japan, yet this thread is rife with the worst it seems. No Fukuoka? Nagoya? Sapporo?


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

If you've seen one, you've seen them all.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

rantanamo said:


> Interesting because there are all of these high tech baseball stadiums in Japan, yet this thread is rife with the worst it seems. No Fukuoka? Nagoya? Sapporo?


Why don't you post pics of these ballparks?


----------



## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

I still gotta giggle a bit at "Hard-Off."


----------



## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

Certainly less embarrassing than the alternative!


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

The Osaka Gold Villicanes, the inaugural champion of the Kansai Independent Baseball League, have joined another upstart organization, the Japan-Future Baseball League, which is set to debut in April. These 2 ballparks in Ōsaka may house the franchise:









Osaka Nanko Central Stadium (cap. 10,000), Ōsaka, Ōsaka









Maishima Baseball Stadium (cap. 10,000), Ōsaka, Ōsaka









Nagano Prefectural Stadium (cap. 18,000), Ueda, Nagano


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

Mazda Stadium










Fukuoka Dome



















Tokyo Dome



















Nagoya Dome



















Kyocera Osaka Dome




























Sapporo Dome


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

Nagoya Dome can host rectangular sports too, the seats slide I believe.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Bobby3 said:


> Nagoya Dome can host rectangular sports too, the seats slide I believe.



















Nagoya Dome converted (cap. 40,500), Nagoya, Aichi

More:









Stadium Ocean (cap. 20,000), Hakodate, Hokkaidō









Nishi-Kyogoku Athletic Park (cap. 20,000), Kyōto, Kyōto

















Hyōgo Prefectural Tajima Dome (cap. 9,700), Toyooka, Hyōgo


----------



## koolio (Jan 5, 2008)

In Japan, they seem to design their ball parks just like how football stadiums are designed here in North America. I think the concept of a "unique" and a stadium with "personality" only applies to American ball parks.


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## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

^The new Hiroshima ballpark is going in the "right" direction for variety and a more intimate feel. Yes many are cookie cutter bowl designs and I have no love for artificial turf but I do like some. The Fukuoka Dome looks great to me. I really like the older Japanese ballparks like Koshien Stadium which dictated the design venacular for Japan. It's Japan's Wrigley or Fenway and has a beautiful ivy covered exterior.

For a multipurpose venue, the Osaka Dome is interesting with a ceiling that can be lowered if the event dictates. The Sapporo Dome looks very bare inside but was the first to employ the movable field which has since been used for Schalke's Arena and Uni of Phoenix Stadium. It also uses a inovative and complex movable and colapsing teir in the outfield which slides under the fixed stand to let the Soccer field inside.

The Seibu Lions ballpark lost a lot of character when they built a dome over it. It was a simple beautiful amphitheatre tucked into the hill side with striking vista of green forest and a lake. I guess in needed more income sources than just baseball.

This seems a good website:http://home.n00.itscom.net/kbt-t/yakyujo_e.html


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Thanks to http://www.ysbp.com/e_index.html for pics.

More:









Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (NPB Pacific League), Kleenex Stadium Miyagi (cap. 28,000), Sendai, Miyagi

These multi-purpose domed stadiums are built for community use:









Sapporo Community Dome, Sapporo, Hokkaido









Shellcom Sendai, Sendai, Miyagi


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

Have to consider space a consideration in Japan. Its proobably no wise to have 3-4 large venues in a city. Plus I'm tired of MLB's unique. Thankfully Target Field and the new Marlins stadium have restored my faith. Nice stadiums in MLB but most are not really unique, but derivatives of the same design. Thankfully a few decided to do their own thing design wise.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More community domes:

























Ōdate Jukai Dome, Ōdate, Akita









































Komatsu Dome, Komatsu, Ishikawa

























Okayama Dome, Okayama, Okayama


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More:

















Saitama Seibu Lions (NPB Pacific League), Seibu Dome (cap. 35,655), Tokorozawa, Saitama


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Does anyone have pics of the Gwangju Dome? Or info regarding these ballparks:

















Daegu Dome, Daegu, South Korea









Ansan Dome, Ansan, South Korea


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Guro Baseball Stadium, Seoul, South Korea









Seoul, South Korea









Taipei Dome (cap. 40,000), Taipei, Taiwan

















LG Dome (cap. 45,000), Seoul, South Korea


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

http://chinesebaseballstory.tistory.com









Guangdong Tianhe Stadium (cap. 1,500)









Wuxi Baseball Stadium (cap. 3,000)









Tianjin Dodger Stadium









Shanghai Sports Palace









Lucheng Field









Chengdu Jinniu Stadium (cap. 1,400)


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Skin fields...eh.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More:









Queen Sirikit Baseball Stadium (cap. ?), Pathum Thani, Thailand









Wuxi Baseball Stadium (cap. 3,000), Wuxi, China









Onoyama Stadium or Okinawa Cellular Stadium (cap. 30,000), Naha, Okinawa, Japan









Nago Baseball Stadium (cap. 4,000), Nago, Okinawa, Japan


----------



## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

*Best baseball stadium vista (MLB)....Poll*

Best baseball stadium vista (MLB) 



*San Francisco*













*Chicago*




























*Pittsburgh*












*Baltimore*










*St. Louis*












*Minneapolis*



















*Detroit*




























*Washington D.C.*










*Philadelphia *










*San Diego *



















*Los Angeles*










*Cleveland* 




























*Seattle*



















*Cincinnati*




























*Houston *










*Atlanta*










*Boston*


----------



## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

damn thing was supposed to have a poll and it conked out on me :bleep:


----------



## krudmonk (Jun 14, 2007)

so easily Pittsburgh


----------



## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

how I rank them
1. St Louis; the arch
2. Chicago; the neighborhood with rooftop stands
3. Pittsburg; bridge and downtown
4. San Fransico: bay and bridge


----------



## eMKay (Feb 2, 2007)

I vote Pittsburgh


----------



## parcdesprinces (Feb 15, 2009)

del


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## mattec (Aug 2, 2009)

Pittsburgh


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## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

Benn to Baltimore, been to Pittsburgh, been to Philly, been to San Francisco, been to DC.

The only two that have ever really impressed me is Baltimore and San Francisco.


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## JYDA (Jul 14, 2008)

San Francisco. I love how the water is right there


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## El Mariachi (Nov 1, 2007)

this is a tough one. I like San Francisco alot for the waterfront views, L.A. for the trees/hills, and Wrigley for all the buildings with the rooftop stands.


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## reprises (Apr 15, 2010)

best stadium is yankee stadium. duh


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## krudmonk (Jun 14, 2007)

reprises said:


> best stadium is yankee stadium. duh


best reply is not yours. duh


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## GunnerJacket (Jan 25, 2008)

krudmonk said:


> best reply is not yours. duh


I bothered to log on just to say - Friggin genius! 


I'm still laughing!! 



:cheers:


----------



## GunnerJacket (Jan 25, 2008)

Count me among the Pittsburgh votes, with a tier right behind that includes St. Louis, Minnestoa, Detroit and Cleveland right behind. Baltimore is up there but it's less of a vista and more just a setting, as half the view is the warehouse across the street. 

Great venues, all. If it's one thing MLB has going for it these days it's a raft of quality venues in good settings.


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## soup or man (Nov 17, 2004)

Pittsburgh or San Diego.


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## broncoempire (May 28, 2008)

And I believe we can all agree with that. The poster who made the point about the window and the house and thus being "outdoors" several pages back makes a perfect analogy. There is no issue itself with indoor baseball, lets just not make it out to be up there with the greatest inventions by humanity of all time. I just think one of the biggest problems with indoor baseball is no matter what is done with the roof the pure scale makes every building feet vast and warehouse-like. I've been in five different indoor parks over the years and there's really not a whole lot that can be done. 

The fact is every park built in the last 20 years is nearly the same. The all have the relatively similar facades, similar dimensions, and similar bowl design that is making them the new cookie cutters of today. The indoor parks are much the same too. Since Camden Yards, I could potentially argue that the only truly innovative parks built in the last 20 years may in fact be Chase Field (Roof, windows, amenities, air conditioning, etc) and Miller Park (fan roof, outfield windows, deck structure, glass, etc), and those follow a similar template as well. Lets just not get crazy about things that are supposedly so vastly superior when the truth is they are all distant relatives rather than complete strangers.


----------



## Seattlelife (May 15, 2007)

OK, this Safeco Field dude's a bit over the top. I'm a Mariners fan and I think Safeco Field's dull as hell. It's just dark green metal, dark green seats and a dark green outfield fence. Not to mention the roof is enormous and completely over powers the visual experience.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Seattlelife said:


> OK, this Safeco Field dude's a bit over the top. I'm a Mariners fan and I think Safeco Field's dull as hell. It's just dark green metal, dark green seats and a dark green outfield fence. Not to mention the roof is enormous and completely over powers the visual experience.


If the Mariners were winning, the ambience would be better. I already mentioned here and at BBF that I wish Safeco had a different color scheme and suggested a different facade. The ambience was better between '99-'03, a combination of the novelty factor and above .500 records for the Mariners. I still have Safeco in my top 5 despite that.


----------



## Archbishop (Aug 18, 2009)

Obviously you have Safeco in your top 5. You worship the place like Jesus built it himself.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Archbishop said:


> Obviously you have Safeco in your top 5. You worship the place like Jesus built it himself.


No doubt about it. My current MLB ballparks top five consists of, in no particular order, 

Safeco Field
AT&T Park
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Angel (Anaheim Stadium)
Coors Field

I refuse to be censored.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

T74 said:


> has been just announced that a national baseball competition will be returning to Australia for the first time in some while, with the ABL to resume from November this year (finishing just prior to the start of Spring Training).
> 
> this time it is getting financial support from both the Australian Sports Commission and Major League Baseball, so hopefully it will make a better go of it this time around.
> 
> ...


Whatever happened to the Sydney Showground?


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

BTW who the hell is stealing my posts and placing them in Baseball Fever's forum:
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?98389-International-Ballparks&p=1753539

At least give me some credit if you're gonna use my posts!
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1055845 & http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=642936&page=9


----------



## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

The showground is still there. It was used for rugby for a few seasons, I believe, before the team moved to ANZ Stadium. I don't think it's hosted baseball since 2000, but it's used for other shows and events now.


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

It's funny that although there seems to be little public interest in baseball in Australia, they're starting to crank out MLB-quality players.


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Commandant said:


> BTW who the hell is stealing my posts and placing them in Baseball Fever's forum:
> http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?98389-International-Ballparks&p=1753539
> 
> At least give me some credit if you're gonna use my posts!
> http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1055845 & http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=642936&page=9


Anubis2051, no surprise that he doesn't credit anyone. He has also posted at skyscraper city, using the same name.


----------



## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

broncoempire said:


> And I believe we can all agree with that. The poster who made the point about the window and the house and thus being "outdoors" several pages back makes a perfect analogy. There is no issue itself with indoor baseball, lets just not make it out to be up there with the greatest inventions by humanity of all time. I just think one of the biggest problems with indoor baseball is no matter what is done with the roof the pure scale makes every building feet vast and warehouse-like. I've been in five different indoor parks over the years and there's really not a whole lot that can be done.
> 
> The fact is every park built in the last 20 years is nearly the same. The all have the relatively similar facades, similar dimensions, and similar bowl design that is making them the new cookie cutters of today. The indoor parks are much the same too. Since Camden Yards, I could potentially argue that the only truly innovative parks built in the last 20 years may in fact be Chase Field (Roof, windows, amenities, air conditioning, etc) and Miller Park (fan roof, outfield windows, deck structure, glass, etc), and those follow a similar template as well. Lets just not get crazy about things that are supposedly so vastly superior when the truth is they are all distant relatives rather than complete strangers.


I kind of disagree. Ballparks from the last 5 or 6 years are different from ballparks of the late 1990s. The retro theme was overdone in the 1990s after Camden Yards and there has been some scaling back in this decade. Consider Citizens Bank Park, which I know well. It is not traditional, and doesn't add kitchy oddities that were done out of necessity back in the early 1900s but aren't needed today (the hill in the outfield in Houston is a good example of this). It is contemporary architecture that reflects this time, not past times. Many baseball historians, purists, etc have found citizens Bank Park to be refreshing for simply being a good place to watch the game from any angle, and not fancy it up. Similarly, Petco Park has few retro characteristics (the incorporation of the warehouse is an exception), and is known more for both being a simple park that doesn't overwhelm you, and for providing a great fan experience (the "park inside the park", for example). Busch Stadium and Target Field seem to be in this same mold but I haven't heard as much about them.

On the other hand, I think that stadiums with roofs aren't really favored as much, despite the obvious benefits that having a roof brings. I think that Miller Park will be seen as somewhat of an eyesore in 30 years because of the big bulky roof and what appears to be a drab interior. To be fair, I have not experienced it in person. But, I think a better ballpark could've been built in Milwaukee.


----------



## broncoempire (May 28, 2008)

^^
I acknowledge there are differences in the parks built in the last several years but my only point I am making is that even though the facades are different, the insides of the parks are all still quite similar. Almost every park built in the last two decades still possess asymmetrical dimensions and a similarly designed seating bowl of approximately three decks with a suite tier sandwiched at either above or below a designated club level. Nowadays even the newer parks are finding new elements that they are all copying and implementing between all of them, whether it be the split level upper decks to allow people to see the field from the concourse (allegedly), to the ultra expensive premium seating section behind home plate with accompanying lounge behind the seats, to the mammoth video boards perched atop the outfield pavilions, among other things. Some parks do a better job than others at disguising these things but there is only so much that can be done.

Citizens Bank Park is an excellent place to take in a game, and does attempt to buck many trends but still contains a lot of similar elements utilized before. Ashburn Alley is really a modified version of Turner Field's Outfield Plaza as a primary retail/concession promenade. The split upper deck areas are similar to the upper deck at Comerica Park, and later copied further at Nationals Park. The two level bullpens in the outfield are copied from Angel Stadium of Anaheim, while the tall outfield wall is an item that makes an appearance in too many parks to count these days. I have no objection to Citizens Bank Park, and on the times I have been there enjoyed it considerably enough to consider it to be one of my top five or six parks in the league. 

I'm glad you brought up Petco Park because it is probably the finest park I have visited in the league and attempts to break the mold better than most. The facade is attractive and open, and the building allows great views of the city from any part of the park. The outfield park is pleasant and attractive and is a lovely, low key attraction that is unique to the area as well as constructive within the overall footprint of the park, and the way it relates to its neighborhood around it. Good seats can be found all over the park, and the premium seats aren't so numerous so as to completely displace those sitting in the lesser areas of the park. It does a wonderful job fitting within the existing grid, even with the Western Metal Building, and my only real objection to its configuration is its right field corner which feels contrived and unnecessarily quirky. 

I don't have an objection to the idea of indoor baseball but it ultimately comes down to whether some parks really do need roofs and whether others do not, as it does change the overall makeup and design of the facility. The Twins just opened a park in Target Field without one, judging that the potentially poor weather in parts of the early season and potentially in October wasn't enough of an issue to warrant its inclusion. The Astros play in an environment with tremendous heat and humidity that would make it counterproductive to not have one. It's a similar decision that has been made in places like Phoenix, Miami, and would also occur in my own place of residence of Las Vegas in the event they secure a team in the future. The roof does change the nature of the experience but it is up to the individual viewer's preference to determine whether it is a positive or a negative. You may very well be correct about their perception within the coming decades and whether they may be retained well into the future or not.

The point I would make is they are all ballparks and what goes with that is that there simply isn't a whole lot that can be done as there are limits to what works and does not. When we look back at the previous generation of stadia in the league, no matter how similar or different our current parks are they represent a vast improvement for all parties involved.


----------



## T74 (Jun 17, 2010)

Scba said:


> It's funny that although there seems to be little public interest in baseball in Australia, they're starting to crank out MLB-quality players.


this is one of the hopes with the new ABL

instead of players going to south america for the winter off-season, the aussies can come home, keep up their conditioning, and promote the game


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

broncoempire said:


> ^^
> I acknowledge there are differences in the parks built in the last several years but my only point I am making is that even though the facades are different, the insides of the parks are all still quite similar. Almost every park built in the last two decades still possess asymmetrical dimensions and a similarly designed seating bowl of approximately three decks with a suite tier sandwiched at either above or below a designated club level. Nowadays even the newer parks are finding new elements that they are all copying and implementing between all of them, whether it be the split level upper decks to allow people to see the field from the concourse (allegedly), to the ultra expensive premium seating section behind home plate with accompanying lounge behind the seats, to the mammoth video boards perched atop the outfield pavilions, among other things. Some parks do a better job than others at disguising these things but there is only so much that can be done.
> 
> Citizens Bank Park is an excellent place to take in a game, and does attempt to buck many trends but still contains a lot of similar elements utilized before. Ashburn Alley is really a modified version of Turner Field's Outfield Plaza as a primary retail/concession promenade. The split upper deck areas are similar to the upper deck at Comerica Park, and later copied further at Nationals Park. The two level bullpens in the outfield are copied from Angel Stadium of Anaheim, while the tall outfield wall is an item that makes an appearance in too many parks to count these days. I have no objection to Citizens Bank Park, and on the times I have been there enjoyed it considerably enough to consider it to be one of my top five or six parks in the league.
> ...



I still disagree. Of course stadiums will copy each other a bit. That's how you compete. But the latest ballparks seem to be very unique from each other and are taking on more local character. A lot of lessons were learned and applied. They are sort of similar because of lesson's learned in the 70s and 80. But they still look different. Far better than the 90s parks that really do look alike. Name the last 10 parks built and really compare them. They may have all the new elements, but they are very unique. You could probably extend that to the last 20. How many parks really look alike? 1.)Arlington, Camden Yards, Coors, Safeco(if it didn't have a roof), AT&T. That's really it. Citi Field sort of looks like those, but it has the new amenities the aforementioned don't. I guess the retro trend is a little overblown if you really think about it.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

mrakbaseball said:


> Anubis2051, no surprise that he doesn't credit anyone. He has also posted at skyscraper city, using the same name.


hno:

Back to the ballparks in Australia issue, is there anyway we could see footy, rugby, or cricket grounds converted over to baseball? I know a few used to host:









Waverley Park (former home ABL Melbourne/Waverley Reds)









WACA Ground (former home of the ABL Perth Heat)


----------



## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Commandant said:


> hno:
> 
> Back to the ballparks in Australia issue, is there anyway we could see footy, rugby, or cricket grounds converted over to baseball? I know a few used to host:
> 
> ...


It would be pretty tough, except maybe on smaller grounds like WACA like you showed.

You'd either have a huge foul territory or Dead Ball Era distances to the power alleys and straightaway center.


----------



## T74 (Jun 17, 2010)

Off memory I think the Melbourne Monarchs used to play at Waverley

location is a good one, but Waverley Park was a very large ground, so probably not the best viewing location


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Blacktown Baseball Stadium looks like a nice stadium:


















Do you think more ballparks this size would help the new league or larger stadiums?


----------



## T74 (Jun 17, 2010)

Commandant said:


> Blacktown Baseball Stadium looks like a nice stadium:
> 
> Do you think more ballparks this size would help the new league or larger stadiums?


I don't think its larger stadiums that are needed, but "better" ones

in convenient locations, not on windswept wasteland like the Altona one

as mentioned before, the ABL is only expecting to get crowds in the low thousands initially, so its more about having the grounds family friendly and of a condition that encourages good baseball


----------



## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

broncoempire said:


> ^^
> I acknowledge there are differences in the parks built in the last several years but my only point I am making is that even though the facades are different, the insides of the parks are all still quite similar. Almost every park built in the last two decades still possess asymmetrical dimensions and a similarly designed seating bowl of approximately three decks with a suite tier sandwiched at either above or below a designated club level. Nowadays even the newer parks are finding new elements that they are all copying and implementing between all of them, whether it be the split level upper decks to allow people to see the field from the concourse (allegedly), to the ultra expensive premium seating section behind home plate with accompanying lounge behind the seats, to the mammoth video boards perched atop the outfield pavilions, among other things. Some parks do a better job than others at disguising these things but there is only so much that can be done.
> 
> Citizens Bank Park is an excellent place to take in a game, and does attempt to buck many trends but still contains a lot of similar elements utilized before. Ashburn Alley is really a modified version of Turner Field's Outfield Plaza as a primary retail/concession promenade. The split upper deck areas are similar to the upper deck at Comerica Park, and later copied further at Nationals Park. The two level bullpens in the outfield are copied from Angel Stadium of Anaheim, while the tall outfield wall is an item that makes an appearance in too many parks to count these days. I have no objection to Citizens Bank Park, and on the times I have been there enjoyed it considerably enough to consider it to be one of my top five or six parks in the league.
> ...


Some of those things are standard just because fans don't want to be 300 feet away from home plate when they are sitting down a base line in an upper deck. You'll also find split tiers in arenas and football stadiums. I wouldn't really call this a new, novel concept; it's fairly old and conventional now. On that note, though, PNC Park in Pittsburgh has only two tiers, in order to make the ballpark more intimate. (Too intimate, in my opinion; it has the scale of a big AAA ballpark, in my mind, and a third deck would display the prominence that you expect from a big league park.)

Ashburn Alley is probably just an idea from another stadium, but from what others have said, it combines the idea of a promenade area with offering great views of the ballgame (the overriding theme throughout CBP). Compare it to Eutaw Street in Baltimore, which is bigger, older and offers more room for more fans. From my memory of being there, views of the game aren't as good as they are from inside the stadium, and Ashburn Alley has responded to that. I have not been to Turner Field, and can't analyze your comparison on those.

The outfield wall is accepted as mandatory now across Major League Baseball, and I wonder if it is mandatory. The outfield wall, or similar blank areas in center field, are batter's eyes. You'll find blank areas in all stadiums now. Fenway Park covers their "triangle seats" for many(all?) games to provide a batter's eye; the old Yankee Stadium covered sections of bleachers, as did Wrigley Field.

I understand that the southern teams need roofs and need to play indoors out of necessity, but I still think that indoor baseball will continue to be scorned. I expect that in another generation, when new stadiums are in order again, people will try to find a way to play outdoor baseball in Phoenix, Houston, et al, and keep fans comfortable. Retractable roofs are nice and convenient now, but I think that they'll be looked at as this generation's domes in 25, 30, or 40 years.


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

xzmattzx said:


> I understand that the southern teams need roofs and need to play indoors out of necessity, but I still think that indoor baseball will continue to be scorned. I expect that in another generation, when new stadiums are in order again, people will try to find a way to play outdoor baseball in Phoenix, Houston, et al, and keep fans comfortable. Retractable roofs are nice and convenient now, but I think that they'll be looked at as this generation's domes in 25, 30, or 40 years.


Unless the baseball season is played from November thru March, I don't see how that's possible.


----------



## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

Scba said:


> It's funny that although there seems to be little public interest in baseball in Australia, they're starting to crank out MLB-quality players.


Well Baseball in Australia has a small but strong community. It's a very popular sport for children as is T-Ball. I guess it just comes down to Australia already being a pretty saturated market for spectator sports and the bat and ball nieche was filled by Cricket. 

Crowds to this new ABL will bearound 1000 to 3000 I imagine.



KingmanIII said:


> It would be pretty tough, except maybe on smaller grounds like WACA like you showed.
> 
> You'd either have a huge foul territory or Dead Ball Era distances to the power alleys and straightaway center.


Zero chance of this happening. Australia is too small a market for most sporting clubs to grow robust enough to fund their own major stadiums and the governments be local council, state or federal would only give Baseball a token grant.

The Venues in the pics above would never happen. Waverly has been demolished. The only part of the main stand remaining has been striped of seating and has been converted in the Hawthorn Football Clubs HQ. The WACA Ground is only of the world most famous Cricket grounds and is owned soley by the Western Australian Cricket Association, they aren't going to compromise their games prefered dimensions to suit Baseball. It's like having Wrigley Field drastically altered to fit Cricket to the detriment of Baseball.

Baseball doesn't have the support to demand the altering of a current major stadium. The ABL needs venues around Single A size. A possible solution is to target the 2nd tier league grounds of the WAFL, SANFL,VFL etc. They only pull around 1000 to 5000 (the odd one will get 10 000). Their Ovals take up a lot of underutilised land. Now that they don't attract in crowds what they used to to since the emergence of the AFL, there is some public and private pressure to revitalise the land as part of urban infill. So one new stand seating say 2500 remains to serve the Football club but could serve Baseball during the southern Summer. The old terraces and grass banks are replaced with shops, businesses and appartments and the Oval itself becomes something of a public common. Another option is to play out of each cities showground main arena. Brisbane played at the "EKKA" showgrounds for the odd season.

South Australia have often played out of Norwood Oval, home of the Norwood Redlegs in the SANFL (Aussie Rules). Capacity of 22000 but seating for 3500.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More:









Sagamihara Park Stadium (cap. 16,064), Sagamihara, Kanagawa


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

What are all these stadiums in Japan used for? I thought there were only a handful of teams in a small handful of leagues.


----------



## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

mrakbaseball said:


> Unless the baseball season is played from November thru March, I don't see how that's possible.


Like I said, technology will improve in 30 years that something that we can't envision right now would work. Back in the 70s, having a retractable roof that worked and allowed outdoor baseball in an indoor staduim seemed like a dream, but now it seems pretty normal.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

^^ Baseball is the most popular spectator sport in Japan (although soccer is quickly gaining ground). They build these stadiums to showcase the sport at all levels. High school teams use these stadiums the most (for Spring and Summer Koshien Tournament games), but they also get plenty of use from NPB (exhibition games), universities, and semi-pro teams.

More pics of the Tokyo Dome:









Korakuen Stadium:









Osaka Stadium:


----------



## HoldenV8 (Jul 18, 2005)

Actually baseball in Adelaide has been played at Norwood Oval since the 1940's. Because the ground has television standard lighting and with the convenient but great placement of the stands around the oval it almost makes for a perfect makeshift baseball stadium. Right field only had a short (290ft) line but left & center were around 315 and 380 respectively so it wasn't a small ground by Aussie baseball standards, unlike places such as the hugely inadequate Parramatta Stadium in Sydney.

The Adelaide Giants of the original ABL played every single home game they had there and the South Australian Claxton Shield team has traditionally played their home games there. The Australian side has also played there a number of times.

The biggest baseball crowd I can recall at Norwood was around 1993 when about 18,000 turned out for an ABL double header between the Giants and the Brisbane Bandits. The Giants regularly got crowds of 3,000+ in the ABL which was a feat in itself since baseball was competing with cricket for the summer crowds. I also remember that the ABC here in Oz showed Giant's game's late every Tuesday night on TV.

BTW, for those interested in the orientation of the baseball diamond at Norwood, the photo of the players shows them standing at 1st base. I think from looking at the 3rd photo people can work out the rest. And the fence shown in photo 3 isn't the LF fence, its just the oval's perimeter. The baseball fence is usually located as far in as the light tower in the right of the photo.


----------



## Sonrise (Oct 20, 2009)

Commandant said:


> ^^ Baseball is the most popular spectator sport in Japan (although soccer is quickly gaining ground). They build these stadiums to showcase the sport at all levels. High school teams use these stadiums the most (for Spring and Summer Koshien Tournament games), but they also get plenty of use from NPB (exhibition games), universities, and semi-pro teams.
> 
> More pics of the Tokyo Dome:
> 
> ...


What the heck!?!?!? :eek2:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Thanks to http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~braves/ for pics.

Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Jim856796 said:


> The only baseball stadiums in Asia are in Japan, the Republic of Chinese Taipei, and South Korea. China had one temporary baseball stadium built for the 2008 Olympics.


What is your point?


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Nandinee Phookan Architects is designing the first ballpark in India:

_The Regional Baseball Complex in Imphal, Manipur in northeast India is a project initiated by First Pitch, a US- Manipur collaboration involving Major League Baseball and the local government to build the first baseball park in India. The baseball project includes coaching camps conducted by MLB coaches, contribution of equipment by Spalding and the filming of a documentary. The program for the baseball complex includes offices, dormitories for visiting teams, meeting and exhibition areas as well as performance spaces and guest lodges. NPAs design approach is based on a contemporary interpretation of existing building typologies that are local and sustainable. Planning principles from architectural manuscripts, passive energy systems, and local materials and construction methods are used to create an architecture that is contemporary yet accessible and rooted in Manipur's unique cultural and historical context._

http://firstpitchusa.org/projects_ballpark.html

I really hope this ballpark comes to fruition. Hopefully we will see more ballplayers like Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Nishi-Kyogoku Athletic Park (cap. 20,000), Kyōto, Kyōto









Himeji Stadium (cap. 12,000), Himeji, Hyogo









Shimanami Stadium (cap. 16,000), Onomichi, Hiroshima









Okayama Prefectural Baseball Stadium (cap. 13,199), Okayama, Okayama


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

University of Nebraska Haymarket Park (cap. 6,500), Lincoln, NE: 









Penn State Medlar Field (cap. 5,406), State College, PA:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Georgia Tech Russ Chandler Stadium (cap. 4,157), Atlanta, GA:









Baylor Ballpark (cap. 5,000), Waco, TX:









Auburn Plainsman Park (cap. 4,096), Auburn, AL:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Long Beach State Blair Field (cap. 3,238), Long Beach, CA:








www.digitalballparks.com

Hawaii Les Murakami Stadium (cap. 4,312), Honolulu, HI:









Texas A&M Olsen Field (cap. 7,053), College Station, TX:









Ohio State Bill Davis Stadium (cap. 4,450), Columbus, OH:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Utsumi-Shimaoka Ballpark (cap. 250), Fuchu, Tokyo









KAIT Stadium (cap. 700), Atsugi, Kanagawa









Okazaki Municipal Stadium (cap. 20,000), Okazaki, Aichi

Kawasaki Stadium:


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Commandant said:


> Hawaii Les Murakami Stadium (cap. 4,312), Honolulu, HI:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like Les Murakami Stadium, formerly Rainbow Stadium. All the seats are in the infield. It's basically a smaller version of the Texas A&M facility. Murakami Stadium was indeed the best ballpark in the history of the summer collegiate Alaska Baseball League. I wish Mulcahy Stadium was a clone of Murakami Stadium.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

mrakbaseball said:


> Murakami Stadium was indeed the best ballpark in the history of the summer collegiate Alaska Baseball League.


:lol: I forgot about the Hawaii Island Movers. Whatever happened to them?


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Texas Tech Dan Law Field (cap. 5,050), Lubbock, TX:









Fresno State Pete Beiden Field (cap. 5,757), Fresno, CA:









Abilene Christian Crutcher Scott Field (cap. 4,000), Abilene, TX:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium:

















Sai Tso Wan Baseball Field, Hong Kong









Senayan Baseball Field, Jakarta, Indonesia


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

*BALLPARKS - Europe & Latin America*

This is a thread for ballparks in Europe and Latin America.

Estadio Latinoamericano (cap. 55,000), Havana, Cuba:









Neptunus Familie Stadion (cap. 2,760), Rotterdam, Netherlands:









Estadio Chihuahua (cap. 14,500), Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico:









Stadio Nino Cavalli (cap. 5,000), Parma, Italy:









Estadio Roberto Clemente Walker (cap. 12,500), Carolina, Puerto Rico:









Stadio Paschetto Baseball 1 (cap. 1,000), Torino, Italy









Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey (cap. 27,000), Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico:









Armin Wolf Baseball Arena (cap. 1,100), Regensburg, Germany:









Estadio Casas GEO (cap. 19,500), Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Mestsky Stadion, Brno, Czech Republic:









Estadio Quisqueya (cap. 16,500), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic:









Baseballstadion Rheinaue (cap. 1,500), Bonn, Germany:









Enrique Trapo Torrebiarte (cap. 8,000), Guatemala City, Guatemala:









Stadio Cerreti, Florence, Italy:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio Once de Noviembre (cap. 12,000), Cartagena, Colombia:









Fanny Blankers Koen Sportpark (cap. 6,000) Almere, Netherlands:









Estadio de Beisbol Lic. Eduardo Vasconcelos (cap. 7,200), Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico:









Baseballstadion Heerenschürli (cap. 500), Zurich, Switzerland


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## JoseRodolfo (Jul 9, 2003)

Municipal Baseball Stadium "Mie Nishi" - Sao Paulo - Brasil


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio Nacional Dennis Martínez (cap. 30,100), Managua, Nicaragua:









Estadio Nacional de Panama (cap. 27,000), Panama City, Panama:









Estadio La Ceiba (cap. 30,000), San Felix, Venezuela:









Estadio 5 de Septiembre (cap. 30,000), Cienfuegos, Cuba:


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

weava said:


> WHAT? It still looks like a brand new stadium to me. From what I read its just sports writers complaining, there is no real interest from the team in a roof but that could change with the new owners. Just play more road and nights games in august to avoid the heat, boom, problem solved.


I gets dark at 9pm in Dallas and is usual still close to 100 by opening pitch even for 7:30 games. The new ownership has addressed that they want to do something to the stadium using technology to cool things down. Nolan played in Texas and he knows. Anyone that has played at any level of baseball in Texas knows its a beating. Its that perfect balance of high temp and humidity. Its unhealthy. Even after losing the auction, Cuban said it was talked about and something has to be done because they are losing money. 

Realize, the lease is up in 10 years apparently. Its a nice stadium, but if they can't retrofit it they will probably move on.


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## Benn (Jan 10, 2007)

rantanamo said:


> Basically you just built the case that most ballparks were replaced. There are already articles talking about Rangers Ballpark being replaced. Especially since the Ranger just got a new ownership group and the lease is up in 10 years. It will either have to get a retrofit for a retractable or be replaced.


Well all of the Multipurpose ones short of Oakland have (which was a good portion of league) which largely replaced undersized parks. Yankee, Comiskey, County Stadiums and the old Rangers park coming down furthers your point. But the Metrodome, Cinergy, Busch, Shea Stadium, Astrodome, Stade Olimpique, Metropolitan, Kingdome, Qualcomm, Three Rivers, RFK, Municipal stadium ect are/were multipurpose and never all that well suited to baseball. My point is that unlike the NFL needs for capacity, roofs ect, things that are difficult to change are fairly static. In very hot or rainy areas retractable roofs have become the norm, but elsewhere aren't wanted or needed. A BALLPARK of about 40,000-55,000 seems likely to last longer than 30 years, even if demands for premium amenities and technology change.

Also the thought of Rangers ballpark getting the wrecking ball in the next decade seems a little ridiculous, like the talk of Georgia Dome or Edward Jones Dome getting torn down after 20 years because they are no longer happy with the roof situation. Retrofitting a retractable one seems much smarter. Although all of the concourses would need to be enclosed and a massive new cooling system as well as the roof. But thats probably $250 million total, as opposed at least $700 million for a new retractable one of similar size and amenities.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Stadio Steno Borghese (cap. 8,000), Nettuno, Italy:









Estadio Carlos Pérez de Rozas, Barcelona, Spain:









Stan Musial Stadium, Kutno, Poland:









Pim Mulier Stadion (cap. 4,500), Haarlem, Netherlands:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio Metropolitano (cap. 22,000), San Cristobal, Venezuela:









Estadio de Beisbol Calimax (cap. 18,500), Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico:









Estadio Universitario (cap. 25,690), Caracas, Venezuela:









Estadio Luis Aparicio (cap. 23,900), Maracaibo, Venezuela:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More pics (thanks to www.fotorondleiding.nl):

Neptunus Familie Stadion (cap. 2,760), Rotterdam, Netherlands:

















































Pim Mulier Stadion (cap. 4,500), Haarlem, Netherlands:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio de Beisbol (cap. 4,322), Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico:

















Estadio de Beisbol (cap. 2,500), Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Mexico:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Središće Baseball Park, Zagreb, Croatia:









Athletics Ballpark am Spitzberg, Attnang-Puchheim, Austria:









Stadio Primo Nebiolo, Messina, Italy:


----------



## eMKay (Feb 2, 2007)

Some of the Mexican ones are very nice, and seeing ballparks in Europe is just weird.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez (cap. 20,450), Barquisimeto, Venezuela:









Estadio Adolfo López Mateos (cap. 7,000), Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Stadio Gianni Falchi (cap. 2,500), Bologna, Italy:









Orvallen Stadium, Sundbyberg, Sweden:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio Tomás Oroz Gaytán (cap. 13,000), Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico:









Stadio J.F. Kennedy, Milano, Italy:









Estadio Nueva Esparta or Estadio Guatamare (cap. 16,100), Porlamar, Venezuela:









Krc Altron Baseball and Softball Complex, Prague, Czech Republic


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## bd popeye (May 29, 2010)

Thanks for posting such excellent photos Commandant!

My San Diego Padres played the NY Mets at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico in August of 1996. It was a three game series. I think the Padres won two of three games..I'm not sure. But I know they did win two. 

wiki incorrectly gives a date of April 16 1996..hno:


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## fizicki neradnik (Mar 7, 2010)

European ones are pretty crapy.


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## ImBoredNow (Jul 2, 2008)

^^Do you think people watch Baseball as much there?
Stadio Primo Nebiolo in Italy is wicked. The homes are way too close!


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio General Angel Flores (cap. 16,000), Culiacán, Sinaloa, México:









Estadio José Bernardo Pérez (cap. 15,500), Valencia, Venezuela:









Estadio Isidoro García (cap. 10,500), Mayagüez, Puerto Rico:


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## Phriggin' Ogre (Aug 3, 2003)

Hey some of these venues look pretty decent. I'm pretty surprised by their small capacities though!


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## Phriggin' Ogre (Aug 3, 2003)

Hmm, the European ballparks look totally out of place. I was pleasantly surprised with the stadiums in Latin America though, especially the ones in Mexico.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Kangbei Baseball and Softball Stadium, Pudong, China









Chuo Park Garden (cap. 1,600), Higashi, Osaka









Akashi Stadium (cap. 12,000), Akashi, Hyogo


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Aqua Stadium, Rome, Italy (thanks to www.baseballinternational.com)

















Stadio Renato Reatini (cap. 1,000), Anzio, Italy:


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Campi da Gioco, Codogno, Italy:









Campo Comunale di Via Di Vittorio, Sala Baganza, Italy:


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Kandy Nelson Ball Park, Toulouse, France:

















Stade Pershing ou Mortemart, Paris, France:


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Phriggin' Ogre said:


> Hey some of these venues look pretty decent. I'm pretty surprised by their small capacities though!


Really? Husky Ballpark (U of Washington) will not be mistaken for Husky Stadium anytime soon. College baseball doesn't have anywhere near the fanbase of college football or basketball.


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## SJAnfield (Jun 18, 2009)

Commandant said:


> Sacramento State Hornet Field (cap. 1,200), Sacramento, CA:



The best thing about Hornet Field is the parking garage in left field. Game time you see more people watching from the parking garage than the seats. Its like having box seats. I know once or twice after class there would be a game going on and I'd park up by the side, sit on my hood and watch the rest of the game. there would be people doing the same on every floor. Nice and shady in the Sacramento heat.


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## B'moreOrioles (Feb 21, 2007)

These are all fine-looking stadiums!


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Hoeschpark, Dortmund, Germany:









Le Terrain de Gellainville, Gellainville, France:


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Coastal Plain League ballparks (thanks to www.ballparkreviews.com & mysite.verizon.net/charliesballparks):

Fleming Stadium (cap. 3,000), Wilson, NC:









Hicks Field (cap. 1,500), Edenton, NC:









Finch Field (cap. 2,200), Thomasville, NC:









Texas Collegiate League ballparks:

Driller Park (cap. 3,000), Kilgore, TX:

















Gabe Nesbitt Field (cap. 1,027), McKinney, TX:


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Ahorn-Ballpark (cap. 1,200), Paderborn, Germany:









Parque 18 de Marzo de 1938 (cap. 7,500), Minatitlán, Veracruz, Mexico:









Estadio Universitario Beto Avila (cap. 7,782), Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico:









Estadio de Beisbol Monclova (cap. 9,000), Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico:


----------



## Hia-leah JDM (May 7, 2007)

FIU baseball Stadium (cap. 2K), Miami, FL


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

South Alabama Stanky Field (cap. 4,500), Mobile, AL:









Coastal Carolina Watson Stadium (cap. 3,000), Myrtle Beach, SC:









USC Aiken Roberto Hernandez Stadium (cap. 1,000), Aiken, SC:


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

The rendering above for Jackie Robinson Stadium (UCLA) is not current or even plausible. The rendering has the LA River right beyond right field when the river isn't anywhere near the stadium site. It also doesn't take into account the topography of the site. I'm not quite sure what that rendering is.

The stadium could get a major renovation soon though. It's desperately in need of one and the team's run to the College World Series last season, which saw larger crowds at home games all season than ever before, has pushed the administration to actively investigate a renovation. Talk of a $5 million+ renovation are flying around right now that would increase capacity, upgrade the press box and build a new clubhouse.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

^^ My mistake I put the wrong picture up there :lol: That pic is of Jackie Robinson Stadium in Gonzales Park, Compton. Sorry for the confusion.

More:

Tyler Junior College Mike Carter Field (cap. 4,000), Tyler, TX:









Lamar University Vincent-Beck Stadium (cap. 3,500), Beaumont, TX:


----------



## ADCS (Oct 30, 2006)

University of Oklahoma - L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park (cap. 2,700)


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio de Beisbol Francisco Madero (cap. 16,000), Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico:









Estadio de Beisbol Beto Avila (cap. 9,000), Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico:


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## Mr_Dru (Dec 15, 2008)

Baseball is popular in Italy and the Netherlands. The Dutch and Italians dominate the European competition. The Netherlands won 20x and Italy won 9x the European Championship. But still baseball is relativ a small sport comparing other sports such as fieldhockey or volleyball.

Why the Dutch are so good? Baseball players from Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles joining the Netherlands team. Like Chicago White Sox player Andruw Jones.

But I'm still suprised that the Netherlands has a small ballpark, they are one of the best baseball countries in Europe. At least a ballpark of 20k should be nice.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

New stadium in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico:


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

mrakbaseball said:


> When was Candlestick ever considered a great ballpark?


Opening Day, 1960, President Richard M. Nixon called Candlestick Park "the finest ballpark in America..." :lol:

I think I like Yankee Stadium better as a football venue...


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## Welshlad (Apr 22, 2003)

Commandant said:


> We used to have several threads regarding ballparks outside of the US (I know because I started or posted in most of them)... They were all unceremoniously merged into the Ballparks/Baseball Stadiums thread. You should check in there for more examples of ballyards outside of the US.


Tis a shame theyve been merged, its interesting to have a separate thread because we all know that USA have dozens of Ball Parks which I'll be honest I don't hugely care about.


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## seyer1000 (Aug 21, 2010)

Commandant said:


> We used to have several threads regarding ballparks outside of the US (I know because I started or posted in most of them)... They were all unceremoniously merged into the Ballparks/Baseball Stadiums thread. You should check in there for more examples of ballyards outside of the US.


Thanks for all the great posts you made . It's unfortunate that they've been merged. hno:


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Commandant said:


> Opening Day, 1960, President Richard M. Nixon called Candlestick Park "the finest ballpark in America..." :lol:


Nixon wasn't President in 1960, but I'm sure his opinion changed by the 2nd game.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Commandant said:


> Opening Day, 1960, President Richard M. Nixon called Candlestick Park "the finest ballpark in America..." :lol:
> 
> I think I like Yankee Stadium better as a football venue...


Hell, I think I like Yankee Stadium better as a football venue than a baseball venue! :lol:


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

mrakbaseball said:


> Nixon wasn't President in 1960


hno: But he was president wasn't he? It's an honorific. If I'd have said THEN President you would have had a legit reason to bitch...

Some future ballparks...

Atlantic League Loudoun Hounds:









Atlantic League Sugar Land Skeeters:


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

Is that an ice rink on the Loudoun one?

Sugar Land seems like a really weird place for an ALPB team.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

*Royals tabbed to host 2012 All-Star Game. Kansas City awarded Midsummer Classic for first time since '73.*

Since Kansas City is the home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum wouldn't it be great if the players wore jerseys from Negro League clubs?










I'd love to see those Chicago American Giants jerseys one more time:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Bobby3 said:


> Sugar Land seems like a really weird place for an ALPB team.


According to a press release from the city of Sugar Land "Sugar Land is to be the first club of a planned western division of the Atlantic League." Also, Opening Day Partners, the owner of the Skeeters, operates several teams in the ALPB (Camden Riversharks, Lancaster Barnstormers, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, York Revolution).


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Commandant said:


> Atlantic League Sugar Land Skeeters:


lol skeeters


----------



## Archbishop (Aug 18, 2009)

Skeeters? For real? That's better than the Pennsylvania Stoners!


----------



## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

Doesn't hold a flame to Montgomery Biscuits though. My all time favorite.


----------



## bd popeye (May 29, 2010)

Nope..nuthin' but nuthin beats the Atlanta Crackers


----------



## bd popeye (May 29, 2010)

News on the new Escondido CA minor league ballpark in San Diego county..Looks like the Padres will run the operation.

Escondido Ballpark





> A new Triple-A ballpark in Escondido (Cal.) is one step closer to reality after the city and a group led by San Diego Padres owner Jeff Moorad signed a 47-page Memoradum of Understanding for a new ballpark slated to open in 2013. Check it out, as well as our list of highlights.
> 
> The City Council will discuss the proposal on Wednesday. Even if the council approves it -- and right now approval looks likely, though we're expecting some tweaks along the way -- both sides will have several opportunities to back out before a shovel hits the ground.
> 
> ...


----------



## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

Archbishop said:


> Skeeters? For real? That's better than the Pennsylvania Stoners!












A high school in he DFW area that we were rivals with. They had a big mosquito with a siren on it that they'd drag around when they scored touchdowns.


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

rantanamo said:


> A high school in he DFW area that we were rivals with. They had a big mosquito with a siren on it that they'd drag around when they scored touchdowns.


That must've been the most annoying thing ever.


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

Bobby3 said:


> That must've been the most annoying thing ever.


Nope, our natural rival, South Garland, was the Colonels. At the time, this meant Confederate Colonel. They had a dude dressed like Robert E. Lee, their band played Dixie all game long, and they flew the Confederate battle flag. There would be thousands of them in their crowd. Thankfully a student of theirs would take the matter to much higher authorities and have that sort of thing banned. Our other rival was North Mesquite. Like Mesquite, they had a statue they dragged around, but this one was a Big white stallion that blew smoke out of its nose and made a locomotive horn sound. Both were infinitely more annoying than the Skeeter.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*The Top Half*

Rank of MLB ballparks 1-15

1. Safeco Field
2. AT&T Park
3. PNC Park
4. Angel Stadium
5. Oriole Park at Camden Yards
6. Fenway Park
7. Wrigley Field
8. Coors Field
9. Kauffman Stadium
10. Jacobs Field (Progressive)
11. U.S. Cellular Field
12. PETCO Park
13. Dodger Stadium
14. Turner Field
15. Target Field


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## Anubis2051 (Jan 28, 2010)

mrakbaseball said:


> Rank of MLB ballparks 1-15
> 
> 1. Safeco Field
> 2. AT&T Park
> ...


According to whom? You? Because I have more than a few problems with this list. How many of the 30 have you even been too?


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

mrakbaseball said:


> Rank of MLB ballparks 1-15





Anubis2051 said:


> According to whom? You? Because I have more than a few problems with this list. How many of the 30 have you even been too?


:bash: Whose brilliant idea led to the merger of all the ballpark threads into this one? This thread is nothing but you two constantly getting into a pissing contest... I'm sick of seeing pages and pages of this stupid back and forth! My friend taiki24 once said "Whatever you guys put in your lists is entirely subjective. If that's what you think and if you believe it should be in this thread, then post it. Otherwise, don't shit all over what other people decide to post." Are you both listening? Besides... There are so many other great ballparks in the world, we don't need to hear about Safeco Field and Yankee Stadium over and over, again and again. Let's MOVE ON!!!!!!


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Asahi Baseball Field, Koror, Palau









Estadio de Béisbol Nelson Fernández, San José de las Lajas, Cuba

















Tony Solaita Stadium, Tafuna, American Samoa


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio Cristóbal Labra, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba









Estadio Tetelo Vargas, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic









Estadio Municipal Pedro M. Caratini de Coamo, Barranquitas, Puerto Rico









Estadio Municipal Luis Tite Arroyo, Penuelas, Puerto Rico


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Faleata Sporting Complex, Apia, Samoa









Noumea Baseball Field, Noumea, New Caledonia









Yap Sports Complex, Colonia, Federated States of Micronesia









Baseball Park (near TFL Stadium), Suva, Fiji









Airai Baseball Field, Airai, Palau









More pics of Asahi Baseball Field, Koror, Palau


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Estadio Nacional de Chile, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile









National Sports Institute Complex, San Luis, Lima, Peru









The other "major" baseball stadium in Peru (Callao)


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Yarkon Sports Complex, Petach Tikva, Israel









Gezer Field, Kibbutz-Gezer, Israel









Sportek Baseball Field, Tel Aviv, Israel


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Emirates Little League Baseball Complex, Dubai, United Arab Emirates









Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field, Oleai, Saipan, Northern Mariana Island


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Seibu Stadium (now Seibu Dome):


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Some pics from Latin American forums:



magdielinho said:


> *Nombre Oficial*
> Estadio de Beisbol
> 
> *Ubicación*
> ...


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Miyagi Baseball Stadium before









Miyagi Baseball Stadium after









Proposed Miyagi Domed Baseball Stadium


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

John Cropp over at Baseball Fever found the link to this website on the Uni Watch Blog Ticker:

http://desdemipalcodefanatico.wordpress.com/estadios/


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Some more from the Latin American forums:




Juan_G said:


> Estadio Teodoro Mariscal casa de los venados de Mazatlán:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Zona Deportiva de Can Torelló, Gavà, Spain

















Ballpark in Grenada


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

The Championship Game of the 2010 9th Asia Baseball Cup between Pakistan and Hong Kong at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad, Pakistan


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Barcelona 1992 Estadio Olímpico de Beisbol (cap. 8,000), Hospitalet de LLobregat, Spain










This stadium is now a soccer facility:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Campo Municipal de Béisbol Carlos Pérez de Rozas, Barcelona, Spain


The other stadium used during the 1992 Olympics, Estadio Municipal de Béisbol de Viladecans, Viladecans, Spain


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Parque Kukulcan, Mérida, Yucatán, México









Parque de Béisbol, Humacao, Puerto Rico









Parque Deportivo Municipal, Delicias, México









Estadio de Béisbol, Delicias, México


----------



## Roug3 (Dec 4, 2010)

Foro Sol, Mexico City, México



















This photos are from last year's play offs














































maybe i will add more pics later


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

IMO, Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey in Mexico and Munhak Baseball Stadium in South Korea are the finest ballparks outside America, at least ballparks with a 25,000+ capacity.


----------



## bd popeye (May 29, 2010)

mrakbaseball said:


> IMO, Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey in Mexico and Munhak Baseball Stadium in South Korea are the finest ballparks outside America, at least ballparks with a 25,000+ capacity.


Hum? Don't you like any of the ballparks in Japan?

I like this one..










Last year Commandant posted some photos of Japanese ballparks ..

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=51165573

ps..I'm not crazy about those Japanese domes..not at all.


----------



## SJAnfield (Jun 18, 2009)

bd popeye said:


> Hum? Don't you like any of the ballparks in Japan?
> 
> I like this one..
> 
> ...


I really like this one. I think this stadium resembles a park you would see in the MLB.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

HUSKER said:


> Colombia is going to play in the Caribbean Series??? (in which Mexico, RD, Venezuela and PR play)
> That's new to me...


Colombia is trying to join the Caribbean Series (their goal was to host in 2012) but Caribbean Confederation commissioner Juan Francisco Puello said the stadiums in Cartagena and Barranquilla need to be improved before he will consider adding that country. I haven't heard of any progress regarding the renovation of these stadiums and the Dominican republic has already been announced as host of the 2012 series...


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

*South Korea adds first pro baseball team in 20 years*

SEOUL — South Korea Thursday added a new team to its professional baseball league -- the first for 20 years -- in a bid to strengthen the appeal of the country's most popular spectator sport. Online game company NCsoft received a letter of approval from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to launch the country's ninth professional club and signed an agreement with its home city of Changwon. "A new history has been written" in South Korean baseball, said KBO commissioner You Young-Koo at a launching ceremony at Changwon, 400 kilometres (250 miles) southeast of Seoul. The KBO has said it wants to add a 10th club as soon as possible so it can run a two-division league. South Korea's professional baseball league started in 1982 with six teams. It was expanded to eight in 1991, all of them owned and operated by business companies including major conglomerates such as Samsung, SK and LG. Baseball last year drew an all-time record of 5.9 million fans to KBO games. NCsoft will have to pay five billion won ($4.5 million) in league entry fees and will have to build a new stadium in Changwon with at least 25,000 seats within five years. The Giants of the Lotte Group have strongly objected to the creation of a ninth team for fear it will undermine their fan base. Changwon is close to Busan, the Giants' home.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

No more baseball at this facility:

















Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium

*La New Bears become the Lamigo Monkeys*

La New Corp announced the renaming of its professional baseball team in a press conference in Taipei yesterday afternoon, opting to change their identity from the La New Bears to the Lamigo Monkeys in the upcoming CPBL season. Company president Liu Pao-yu introduced his new coach, Hong Yi-fong, and three of the players — Chen Chin-feng, Chung Cheng-yu and Tsan Chih-yao — in their new Monkeys uniforms to the local press, stressing the importance of team values despite the change in name. “Our commitment to placing a winning team on the field will never change, even though we’ve decided to move from Kaohsiung to our new home in Taoyuan,” Liu said at the press conference. The brand Lamigo is well represented in the local sports and recreation industry, with a members-only health and fitness club, a health clinic, a wedding plaza and a fully operational travel agency under its wings. One of the immediate benefits that the baseball team will enjoy under the new name will be a detailed physical assessment of their players by the health clinic to help improve the team’s overall physical condition. The new team will also have the full support of Taoyuan County officials, which in its recently completed baseball stadium held the highest attendance figures in the 17 regular-season games played there last season.

Their new home ballpark:
















Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

mrakbaseball said:


> Rank of MLB ballparks 1-15
> 
> 1. Safeco Field
> 2. AT&T Park
> ...


Hard to believe Camden Yards is in its 20th season.


----------



## Marckymarc (Jan 24, 2008)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/m1a9366b/5075136984/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/edgyjapan/4950082143/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4819334765/


----------



## michy (Oct 31, 2010)

Stadio Steno Borghese, Nettuno, Italy. (Cap. 8000)


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Pretty big for Italy.


----------



## en1044 (May 4, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> Hard to believe Camden Yards is in its 20th season.


That's the beauty of Camden Yards. It was the first, so it's a no frills park. People added more and more stuff as more parks were built, but Camden Yards is like the control subject. It's never out of date because it doesn't have anything that could be out of date.


----------



## michy (Oct 31, 2010)

Scba said:


> Pretty big for Italy.


It's true... there is sold out maybe 1 time every years


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Sports Park Baseball Stadium (cap. 12,000), Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan

















Sports Park Baseball Stadium, Ishige, Ibaraki, Japan









Nishi-Kyogoku Athletic Park (cap. 20,000), Kyōto, Kyōto, Japan


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Todoroki Stadium, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan









Dream Stadium (cap. 12,000), Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan









Kashiwanoha Park Baseball Stadium (cap. 12,000), Chiba, Chiba, Japan


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Camden Yards concourse*



en1044 said:


> That's the beauty of Camden Yards. It was the first, so it's a no frills park. People added more and more stuff as more parks were built, but Camden Yards is like the control subject. It's never out of date because it doesn't have anything that could be out of date.


Some people point out the fact that the main concourse doesn't have a view of the field, which is kind of ironic since New Comiskey (USCF) has one and it opened a year _before_ Camden Yards, but I don't think that's a big deal.


----------



## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

Come on, Bring an MLB exhibiton to Australia. Would certainly get a decent crowd at what ever Cricket ground they play it. For just a one off, the deep foul territory shouldn't be a problem.


----------



## bd popeye (May 29, 2010)

Wallbanger I agree with you. Just one game or a three games series. I get as many folks down in Oz to email MLB. I think it would be great.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/help/contact_us.jsp


----------



## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

Absolutely. Marketed right, and played at the MCG, us Australians may feel obliged to take back our long held Baseball crowd record. The MCG capacity is 100 000, get a few thousand more in a "party zone" on the unused areas of field. Australia has a dedicated Baseball community but to get a crowd like that it would have to appeal to the uninitiated so a game involving LA, Boston, a NY team or Chicago team would do the job, legendary Baseball clubs slugging it out on one of Crickets hallowed turfs. Get one of our Cricketers to deliver the first pitch.


----------



## ArnageWRC (Mar 8, 2011)

Walbanger said:


> Absolutely. Marketed right, and played at the MCG, us Australians may feel obliged to take back our long held Baseball crowd record. The MCG capacity is 100 000, get a few thousand more in a "party zone" on the unused areas of field. Australia has a dedicated Baseball community but to get a crowd like that it would have to appeal to the uninitiated so a game involving LA, Boston, a NY team or Chicago team would do the job, legendary Baseball clubs slugging it out on one of Crickets hallowed turfs. Get one of our Cricketers to deliver the first pitch.


Yeah, as long as it's not Shaun Tait - his radar might not be working and the ball will end up in the crowd.....:lol:

Wish there was the same enthusiasm here in UK.


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Walbanger said:


> Absolutely. Marketed right, and played at the MCG, us Australians may feel obliged to take back our long held Baseball crowd record. *The MCG capacity is 100 000*, get a few thousand more in a "party zone" on the unused areas of field. Australia has a dedicated Baseball community but to get a crowd like that it would have to appeal to the uninitiated so a game involving LA, Boston, a NY team or Chicago team would do the job, legendary Baseball clubs slugging it out on one of Crickets hallowed turfs. Get one of our Cricketers to deliver the first pitch.


Is the 115,000 figure for the 2008 Red Sox/Dodgers exhibition at the L.A. Coliseum an official mark?


----------



## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

I assumed so but never really thought about its legitimacy


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Yankee Stadium/Mallpark*

http://www.digitalcentrality.com

What was old should have been new. HOK/Populous and the Yankees should have brought aboard Kaplan as a consultant when designing the Yankees' new home.


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Time to get over it.


----------



## nyrmetros (Aug 15, 2006)

mrakbaseball said:


> http://www.digitalcentrality.com
> 
> What was old should have been new. HOK/Populous and the Yankees should have brought aboard Kaplan as a consultant when designing the Yankees' new home.


Thank you !! New place is junk!


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Ballparks of Color*

Why is it, that ballparks in the U.S. have become so stale, so conservative, so stagnant, so monotone, whille ballparks in Central America and Asia aren't afraid to be colorful?


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

mrakbaseball said:


> Why is it, that ballparks in the U.S. have become so stale, so conservative, so stagnant, so monotone, whille ballparks in Central America and Asia aren't afraid to be colorful?


Eh?


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Scba said:


> Eh?


The large majority of ballparks that have opened in the U.S. have brick facades, green seats and green OF walls. This isn't limited to major league ballparks, but also minor league and college. Even New Comiskey/USCF has green seats and a green wall. Give me variety. My favorite ballpark is Safeco Field. It has green seats, the fascia of the suite level and upper deck is green, the OF wall is green, the facade on the 3rd base side along Dave Niehaus Way is "traditional" brick. I wish now more than ever that Safeco Field would alter its color scheme to match its tenant. Give me navy blue seats, change all the exposed steel that is currently green, to navy blue. Change the OF wall from green to blue. Even the yellow line at the top of the OF wall I'd switch to teal, heck make the foul poles teal. Yankee Stadium had red foul poles in the '60s. Change the fascia of the suite level and upper deck to either silver or teal. The green trim on the brick facade I would change to navy blue. Safeco Field has too much green, for my taste anyway.


----------



## Marckymarc (Jan 24, 2008)

mrakbaseball said:


> The large majority of ballparks that have opened in the U.S. have brick facades, green seats and green OF walls. This isn't limited to major league ballparks, but also minor league and college. Even New Comiskey/USCF has green seats and a green wall. Give me variety. My favorite ballpark is Safeco Field. It has green seats, the fascia of the suite level and upper deck is green, the OF wall is green, the facade on the 3rd base side along Dave Niehaus Way is "traditional" brick. I wish now more than ever that Safeco Field would alter its color scheme to match its tenant. Give me navy blue seats, change all the exposed steel that is currently green, to navy blue. Change the OF wall from green to blue. Even the yellow line at the top of the OF wall I'd switch to teal, heck make the foul poles teal. Yankee Stadium had red foul poles in the '60s. Change the fascia of the suite level and upper deck to either silver or teal. The green trim on the brick facade I would change to navy blue. Safeco Field has too much green, for my taste anyway.


I agree.

I blame two things: The enormous success of Camden Yards when it debuted and the lack of imagination of team owners who all wanted to copy elements of Camden.

In the 60s and 70s ballparks were very colorful with seating. Most parks had multi-colored seating. Even the few that did have monochrome seating had something more interesting than dark green (mint green OYS, Lime green Comiskey). 

I think the change to dark green was for the most part a backlash against the cookie-cutters multi-color designs they were replacing. 

I think it's about time someone shifted back. The bland monochrome green, blue or red seating is boring.


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Made in Korea*

I like this ballpark and wouldn't mind seeing more like this in America instead of the tired ballparks made from the mold of Comerica, Citizens Bank, Citi, new Busch, Great American, basically anything that opened after 2001. Simple stands the test of time.

From Flickr, but located at http://www.baseballjourneyman.com
*Munhak Baseball Stadium*, Incheon, South Korea


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

From the Taipei Times:

*Taipei Dome gets a green light*
By Mo Yan-chih
Fri, May 27, 2011​
A review committee yesterday gave conditional approval to the Taipei Dome construction project, paving the way for the construction of the long-stalled building amid ongoing protests by environmental activists who oppose the 500,000m2 commercial complex in downtown Xinyi District (信義). Taipei City’s Environmental Impact Assessment Review Committee, by a vote of eight to five, approved the project on the condition that the developer reduce the size of the commercial facilities at the complex and increase the number of parking spaces. The size of the commercial facilities, including a shopping mall, movie theater, hotel and office space, should be cut by 17.4 percent to 202,610m2, while parking space should be increased to 187,965m2, the committee said. The conditions also included adding another lane to Zhongxiao E Road, presenting a traffic plan that avoids traffic congestion in residential areas along the road and acquiring environmentally friendly building certification. Committee chair Wu Sheng-chong (吳聖忠), commissioner of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, said after the three-hour meeting that the developer should meet all the requirements before construction can begin. The decision put an end to the long-delayed environmental impact assessment for the project. Committee members expressed concern about the profit-driven design of the complex and said the developer should devote more space to sports, while presenting comprehensive solutions to traffic congestion, among other environmental impacts. Farglory Group, the developer, signed a contract with the city government in 2005 and planned to invest more than NT$23 billion (US$700 million) in the complex at the abandoned Songshan Tobacco Factory on Zhongxiao E Road, which would include a 40,000-seat indoor stadium. Tsai Chung-i (蔡宗易), vice president of the group’s public relations department, said the company would estimate the impact of reducing the size of the commercial facilities on future profits, declining to confirm whether the company would continue with the project. “[The conditional approval] of the Taipei Dome project is good news for the public because Taiwan needs a professional sports venue to host international events,” Tsai said after the meeting at Taipei City Hall. “However, as the contractor, we need to make sure for our shareholders that the operation of the complex is profitable.” Environmental groups were not satisfied with the outcome. Taiwan Green Party spokesman Pan Han-shen (潘翰聲) said city officials accounted for seven of the 13 committee members and Pan accused the city government of hijacking the review process. “The review process and the voting were against procedural justice,” he said. Farglory should send a revised project plan to the city’s urban development committee for approval, before applying for a construction license if it decides to cooperate with the requirements, the committee said.


----------



## Bigmac1212 (Nov 2, 2004)

mrakbaseball said:


> Why is it, that ballparks in the U.S. have become so stale, so conservative, so stagnant, so monotone, whille ballparks in Central America and Asia aren't afraid to be colorful?


Most ballparks built after 1990 has followed the Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore, MD) look and feel to them.


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## bd popeye (May 29, 2010)

Bigmac1212 said:


> Most ballparks built after 1990 has followed the Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore, MD) look and feel to them.


He knows that. mrakbaseball just does not like many of the ballparks built after 1990. Except for Safeco Field. He is entitled to his opinion.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

bd popeye said:


> He knows that. mrakbaseball just does not like many of the ballparks built after 1990. Except for Safeco Field. He is entitled to his opinion.


I have a Top 10 and a Top 15 list of current MLB ballparks somewhere in this thread.

I like Safeco Field, but I'm bored to death with dark green color scheme it possesses. It's what drives to demand more color from current ballparks. Basketball courts are usually the color of the home team, except OKC. I want Safeco to look like the home of the Mariners, not Coors Field with a roof. The Mariners should incorporate their team colors into Safeco Field. A ballpark with a navy, teal and silver color scheme can be achieved and not look ridiculous. They have proper colors to move away from the tired green motif. Not all teams could do this, for example Oriole Park @ Camden Yards and [email protected] Park can retain the green seat, red brick look. Target Field has green seats. Yawn. Baseball is run by old, tired, WASP, inside the box thinkers. Very ironic that many new ballparks that replaced multipurpose stadiums that were criticized for looking alike, look alike as well.


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Can anyone tell me more about this ballpark?

Ulsan Munsu Ballpark, Ulsan City, South Korea


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Proposed ballpark in Gwangju, South Korea:


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Proposed ballpark in Busan, South Korea:


----------



## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

^^ now that is just too cool


----------



## caco (May 25, 2006)

*São Paulo, Brazil

Mie Nishi Staduim:*


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## caco (May 25, 2006)

*Ibiúna, Brazil

Yakult Baseball Complex*:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Cheongju Stadium, Cheongju, South Korea









Masan Baseball Stadium, Masan, South Korea


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Gunsan Stadium, Gunsan, South Korea


Mokdong Baseball Stadium, Seoul, South Korea

















Uiam Basball Stadium, Chuncheon, South Korea


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Seibu Lions Stadium before the roof:









(Images courtesy of http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/newsbox/box/etc/2010/04/20100413org00m040018000c.html)

































(Images courtesy of http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/765evening/diary/201008170000/)


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Korean ballparks look so much better than Japanese ones.


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## adeaide (Sep 16, 2008)

*Daejeon , Korea*


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## adeaide (Sep 16, 2008)

*Seoul , Jamsil (Korea)*


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*2011 MLB Postseason Ballpark Rankings*

Ranking postseason ballparks 1-8.

1. Miller Park: '01. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Chase Field: '98. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. NYS: '09. New York Yankees
4. Rangers Ballpark: '94. Texas Rangers
5. CBP: '04. Philadelphia Phillies
6. Comerica Park: '00. Detroit Tigers
7. Busch Stadium: '06. St. Louis Cardinals
8. Tropicana Field: '90. Tampa Bay Rays


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## adeaide (Sep 16, 2008)

*2011 Baseball World Cup in Panama*











Panama City , Estadio Nacional de Panamá o El Rod Carew , 27,000 












Santiago de Veraguas , Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera , 7,000 












Chitre , Estadio Rico Cedeño , 2,500 












Aguadulce , Estadio José Antonio Remón Cantera , 2,500 













if you want to see more stadia pictures , Please visit below URL.


2011 Baseball World Cup Stadiums in Panama (10.1~10.15)


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

adeaide said:


> Panama City , Estadio Nacional de Panamá o El Rod Carew , 27,000


That looks like if Atlanta Fulton County Stadium was cut in half. I don't get these foreign circular baseball parks, you'd think they would realize they don't work by looking at Oakland.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Renderings of Estadio Sonora, future home of the Hermosillo Naranjeros & the Serie del Caribe 2013...


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Another rendering of Estadio Sonora...



Plus, an image of the proposed ballpark for the Yaquis de Obregón in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora


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## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

^^ Including the pics I posted above, 5 or 6 teams in the Liga Mexicana del Pacífico, are trying to build new ballparks... The Governor of Sinaloa, Mario López Valdez, wants to build new ballparks for the 4 teams that play in his state. This is the new stadium for the Tomateros de Culiacan:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

A tiny pic and a video of the Tomateros de Culiacan's new ballpark:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Renderings for a new ballpark in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México


----------



## adeaide (Sep 16, 2008)

*Gwangju (Korea)*


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Plans for a baseball academy in Nicaragua:


----------



## erka (Apr 26, 2003)

Neptunus baseball stadium, Rotterdam


----------



## jwmann2 (Nov 13, 2011)

It is my dream to have attended all 30 mlb stadiums. Only been to one so far. Great american ballpark in cincinnati. Wish I could have caught the old Tiger and Yankee stadiums.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Barbagallo Ballpark, Perth, Western Australia


----------



## snoopyy3k (Jan 5, 2011)

*Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, DR*


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More pics of Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium just outside of Taipei, Taiwan...


















and Tianmu Baseball Stadium, located in the Shihlin District of Taipei...


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

A few more pics of Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium...









(Image courtesy of http://photo.xuite.net/soarstar/3500683*2)









(Image courtesy of prince470701)


----------



## iamawesomezero (Feb 2, 2012)

Cuba!!


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Lotte Giants training ground in Gimhae, South Korea









Kia Tigers training ground in Hampyeong, South Korea


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

More renderings of the Kia Tigers new ballpark...


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Renderings of the NC Dinos ballpark in Masan, South Korea...


----------



## nyrmetros (Aug 15, 2006)

Dream dome ehh?


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Commandant said:


> Lotte Giants training ground in Gimhae, South Korea
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Would SkyDome look better on television if it had a playing surface like these fields? A brown synthetic infield area with dirt cutouts around the bases.


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

I HATE the full-synthetic fields. A youth stadium here just got one and it looks cheap up close.


----------



## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Scba said:


> I HATE the full-synthetic fields. A youth stadium here just got one and it looks cheap up close.


Where is here? I'm sure they're fine for youth. Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage, Alaska had FieldTurf installed several years ago in the infield and the only real dirt is the mound. Where the infield dirt would normally be and even the area around home plate is synthethic.


----------



## RaiderATO (Jan 6, 2010)

mrakbaseball said:


> Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage, Alaska had FieldTurf installed several years ago in the infield and the only real dirt is the mound. Where the infield dirt would normally be and even the area around home plate is synthethic.


That's how I've normally seen synthetic infields. I would rather have dirt at home too, and most preferably dirt basepaths too. I don't like changing from dirt to synthetic on the basepaths.

In a professional league, the field would be maintained to a level where it wouldn't be an issue. At a youth facility, it'd get more difficult to maintain adequately.


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

But this was a major stadium (Cal Sr's Yard in Aberdeen, MD) which has plenty of money to maintain a nice grass field - and it was grass, previously, and looked pristine. Also ruins the idea of the place looking like a miniature Camden Yards, which was the original intent. And I dunno, kids should grow up playing on real grass and real dirt. The full turf setup still looks cheap and hokey to me.

Makes a lot more sense in a place like Anchorage where upkeep of the grass in their main stadium would be a problem.


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## andydirk (Feb 9, 2012)

nice！


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Baseball at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane, Australia


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Blacktown Baseball Stadium, home of the Sydney Blue Sox









Image by English ST


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

A couple renderings of the ballpark they're building near the Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands (MLB is eyeing a game there in the future):










The stadium will be located in Hoofddorp and will be the home of the Pioniers. The park will have 3,000 permanent seats but room for temporary seating of 25,000...


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## Darloeye (Jun 15, 2010)

Looks nice.


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

Rendering of the proposed ballpark in Dalian, China:










Another proposed ballpark rendering from Jinan, China:


----------



## Commandant (Aug 25, 2009)

The 2014 MLB season opener could be played at the Sydney Cricket Grounds in Australia:


----------



## Luigi742 (Apr 13, 2012)

Commandant said:


> The 2014 MLB season opener could be played at the Sydney Cricket Grounds in Australia:


that's such a cool idea, I would actually love to go to that


----------



## luiscaraqueño (Aug 4, 2005)

Some of the biggest ballparks in Venezuela:

*Estadio La Ceiba (30.000)*



















*Estadio Universitario de Caracas (25.700)*



















*Estadio Luis Aparicio (24.000)*










*Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez (22.000)*




























*Estadio Metropolitano de San Cristobal (22.000)*










*Estadio Nueva Esparta (16.100)*



















*Estadio José Bernardo Pérez (15.500)*



















*Estadio José Pérez Colmenares (15.328)*


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## oscaldd (Jul 5, 2011)

Caracas Venezuela


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## fenerty (Jul 29, 2007)

I really like the aesthetics of non-North American baseball stadiums. They have a lot of clean, elegant lines and non-busy appearances (especially the Asian parks). That sort of thing regrettably disappeared from the USA 20 years ago when the über-hokey "retro" parks came into fashion and it became all the rage to imitate the idiosyncrasies of early 20th-century facilities.


----------



## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

What's with the poles in the outfield wall?


----------



## bd popeye (May 29, 2010)

> What's with the poles in the outfield wall?


^^ they look like flagpoles..minus the flags.


----------



## adeaide (Sep 16, 2008)

*Daegu , New Stadium for Samsung Lions*


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Looks like a tennis stadium and a soccer stadium collided


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

*Samsung Lions*

You will be unable to see the OF corners from many seats, a flawed ballpark.


----------



## bd popeye (May 29, 2010)

mrakbaseball said:


> You will be unable to see the OF corners from many seats, a flawed ballpark.


Yes those sitting down the right field and left feild lines won't be able to see the corners in the respective out field. but many ball parks have similar problems. Personally I like the look of this stadium.


----------



## EdooGdl (Aug 28, 2009)

some mexican stadiums

Ciudad Juarez









Chihuahua


















Hermosillo (under construction)



























Mexicali









Monterrey


----------



## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

^^ I might be a bit bias, but the new Hermosillo baseball stadium should be the best in Latin America when finished next month.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Legomaniac said:


> ^^ I might be a bit bias, but the new Hermosillo baseball stadium should be the best in Latin America when finished next month.


Why generic green seats?


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## Lumbergo (Nov 17, 2009)

adeaide said:


> Daegu


I like the way this park looks. Good sight lines overall (many modern parks are much worse). I like seats down the line that make an effort to point toward the infield. I don't even mind that the corners may be obstructed.


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

mrakbaseball said:


> Why generic green seats?


They were a recommendation by the MLB. Im not sure why, but that's what it was announced. Originally they were actually going to be orange, the color of the home team.

a 3 week old picture of the stadium:


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

*Update of the Hermosillo besibol stadium*

MORE PICTURES HERE​




































Pictures by cuidado_mojado of Urbanfreak.


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## oscaldd (Jul 5, 2011)

Beautiful new Hermosillo baseball stadium

El estadio de hermosillo es Hermosillo


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

Here's another picture of the Hermosillo stadium, 3 weeks til opening.










Picture by Vicente Segrastano


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Legomaniac said:


> Here's another picture of the Hermosillo stadium, 3 weeks til opening.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, it looks like a lot of minor league parks in the U.S., specifically the seating layout. You get used to individuality with non-American ballparks so it's kind of shocking to see a Mexican ballpark resemble an American one so much.


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

I don't think it's unfortunate, it's just about the size of the crowds and people that attend. While Mexico's baseball league do attract many, it is still regarded as #2 after soccer, big stadiums are not really needed. The only I would not include in that comment (and reason why their stadium resembles more an MLB one) it's in the case of Monterrey.

It's just like soccer in the U.S, most stadiums are still quite small and resemble second tier arenas.


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## EdooGdl (Aug 28, 2009)

Legomaniac said:


> I don't think it's unfortunate, it's just about the size of the crowds and people that attend. While Mexico's baseball league do attract many, *it is still regarded as #2 after soccer*, big stadiums are not really needed. The only I would not include in that comment (and reason why their stadium resembles more an MLB one) it's in the case of Monterrey.
> 
> *It's just like soccer in the U.S, most stadiums are still quite small and resemble second tier arenas*.


EXACTLY


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

Lets revive this thread...

Pictures of the inaguration of this baseball season in Monterrey, home of the the Sultanes de Monterrey.










Picutre by espn sports.










Picture by Sultanes de Monterrey oficial facebook


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

Meet the Estadio Sonora


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

Tijuana- Mexico.


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

More from Monterrey.

The stadium home to Sultanes. Average game attendence is around 17,000.










Picture by the forumer tepicense


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## adeaide (Sep 16, 2008)

*Changwon (Korea)*


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Finally, something that's not a blob-looking dome, even if it is...square?


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

It looks like Munhak Baseball Stadium in Incheon.


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## Leonesmd (Mar 1, 2008)

The project of the new ballpark in caracas.


*La Rinconada Stadium
Caracas, Venezuela*

Gensler was selected to develop new sports facilities in La Rinconada Park, a new public park master planned by Rogers Stirk Harbor + Partners. The park will include world-class sports venues, public plazas, and a hotel and convention center, all located just outside the capital city. *The new sports venues include a 50,000-seat soccer stadium, a 15,000-seat basketball arena, a Venezuelan Sports Hall of Fame, a National Sports Center of Excellence, and a 36,000-seat baseball stadium. Gensler has designed the baseball stadium as the first phase of this project, which is located on a prominent site with views to the city.* This project is currently under construction.























Thread of the project:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1788461


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## miguelon (Oct 25, 2006)

Leonesmd said:


> The project of the new ballpark in caracas.
> 
> 
> *La Rinconada Stadium
> ...


This ballpark could give a run for their money to most MLB parks.


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## GTR66 (Aug 3, 2010)

miguelon said:


> This ballpark could give a run for their money to most MLB parks.


If they would build that in the mountains of LA with home plate facing the city man they would have an amazing view of the LA metro area and the surrounding areas unlike dodger stadium that faces the mountains or hills.


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## mrsmartman (Mar 16, 2015)

*Sai Tso Wan Baseball Field (Natural Grass Pitch)*


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## will101 (Jan 16, 2011)

miguelon said:


> This ballpark could give a run for their money to most MLB parks.


Aside from the fact that the parking is a long, loooong way away, and probably over 100 meters in elevation lower. And without any escalators or solar panels to be seen.


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## SJAnfield (Jun 18, 2009)

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/news/06-10-2015/1109/center-of-mexico-city-becomes-a-baseball-stadium

They are building a temporary stadium at the main square (the Zocalo) in Mexico City. It will be built as part of the Mexican League's 90th anniversary celebrations. It will be used for batting clinics, special events and a home run derby.


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## mrakbaseball (May 6, 2009)

Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey. The greatest stadium in Mexico.









https://twitter.com/LigaMexBeis/status/615363249576411136


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## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

Farnham Park London, UK


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## cinquante (Sep 3, 2007)

This is a new ballpark for winter Baseball in Culiacan, Mexico. Home of the Tomateros de Culiacan. It will host the Caribbean Series in 2017. It is also a candidate for hosting either WBC Qualification Round or the 1st Round of the tournament in 2016/2017, along Estadio Sonora in Hermosillo or B-Air Stadium in Mexicali. (Both from teams in the Winter Pacific League)
MLB Commisioner Rob Manfred attended the presentation of the stadium, in the Mexico's National Baseball Convention.

Capacity 20k. It is the 2nd largest Ballpark in Mexico after Estadio Monterrey.



Jolubame said:


>


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## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

Commandant said:


> Barbagallo Ballpark, Perth, Western Australia


According to the Perth Heat, City of Gosnells and the WA Department of Sport and Recreation, the master plan drawn up for the 11 year old Barbagallo Ballpark states it will have $20 million worth of improvements over the next 8 years. A permanent seating capacity of 7500 (common in AA Minor league Baseball) and provision for temporary seating (to what capacity I don't know). Perth wants to attract more international Baseball, particularly fixtures of the Asia Series.
Perth Heat is currently averaging around 2000 people a game, best in Australia.

I'm yet to find any pictures online but looking on google earth, early 2015 it appears they have already brought in the side fences from a pretty standard, bland foul ball territory to one far more snug and intimate.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

7,500? That's simply too big for any team in such a fledgling league that struggles to draw 1k/game.

The ABL don't need bigger grounds, they just need BETTER grounds. 

IMO, a short-season A-sized park somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5-3.5k permanent seats with berm seating that could be expanded in the future would be ideal.


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

Perth is one of the better drawing teams in the league. 3k size stadium is not really the long term solution. Building larger up to 7500 leaves plenty of growth potential.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

^^
That's what berm seating is for.


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

KingmanIII said:


> ^^
> That's what berm seating is for.


Nah, going to build a stadium do it right.


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## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

Calvin W said:


> Nah, going to build a stadium do it right.


what's wrong with berm seating? I thought that sitting out in the grass trying to catch homeruns was the coolest part about baseball games as a kid.


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Calvin W said:


> Nah, going to build a stadium do it right.


Umm...do you have any idea just how many newer minor-league parks employ some sort of berm seating?


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

KingmanIII said:


> Umm...do you have any idea just how many newer minor-league parks employ some sort of berm seating?


Yes I do. Do you know the Perth market?


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## KingmanIII (Aug 25, 2008)

Calvin W said:


> Yes I do. Do you know the Perth market?


Somewhat. It's about the same for baseball as Guadalajara is for hockey.


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

KingmanIII said:


> Somewhat. It's about the same for baseball as Guadalajara is for hockey.


Well considering Perth has two hockey teams, I'll take your comment with a big grain of salt.


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## parcdesprinces (Feb 15, 2009)

I know they look miserable (to say the least), but here are some of the major Baseball venues we have over here in France (AFAIK) :



Terrain de Baseball du Stade Pershing, Paris (XIIth Arrondissement):



















----


Terrain de Gellainville, Chartres (a town located 100km south west of Paris and more famous for its Gothic Cathedral than for its Baseball ground I must admit):










----

And the newest one (built in 2012)...


Stade des Templiers, Sénart (outer Paris suburbs):


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Gocheok Sky Dome - Seoul, South Korea


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## Double Duty (Aug 20, 2012)

2014 proposal for a retractable roof ballpark in Yokohama:


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## inno4321 (Dec 10, 2007)

Phantom Dreamer said:


> Gocheok Sky Dome - Seoul, South Korea


^^
I was dancing in there when edm party held

btw seoul city is going to built another baseball stadium beside han river(35,000 seats)
It will be design to see river views


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

inno4321 said:


> ^^
> I was dancing in there when edm party held
> 
> btw seoul city is going to built another baseball stadium beside han river(35,000 seats)
> It will be design to see river views


What team is going to play there? It seemed like the Nexen Heroes were pretty tentative to agree to play in the Gocheok Sky Dome.


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## inno4321 (Dec 10, 2007)

Phantom Dreamer said:


> What team is going to play there? It seemed like the Nexen Heroes were pretty tentative to agree to play in the Gocheok Sky Dome.


YOU ARE RIGHT
OFFICIALLY the Nexen Heroes play in GOCHEOK SKY DOME 

and LG TWINS &DOOSAN BEARS probably plays in new jamsil baseball stadium
Actually seoul is going to built ordinary stadium in jamsil(35,000 seats) 
But still ongoing discuss about decision whether to built it as Dome or open stadium.
So second dome park still possible but I'm not sure what will


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## Acidline (Feb 26, 2016)

I like that Yokohama plan. Right field kinda reminds me of the failed plans for Cisco Field.


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## Double Duty (Aug 20, 2012)

Samsung Lions new ballpark:


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Some more from Gocheok Sky Dome. Something about a stationary dome that just puts a smile on your face. A lot of possibilities.


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## Bigmac1212 (Nov 2, 2004)

Double Duty said:


> Samsung Lions new ballpark:


Looks eerily similar to Citizens Bank Park...


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

But thankfully not one red brick to be found.


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Hard-Off Eco Stadium in Niigata, Japan!


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Munhak Baseball Stadium in Korea and that new interactive scoreboard measuring 208 feet long and 59 feet wide!


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

If Rob Manfred is serious about possibly expanding into Mexico one day, Monterrey would be better choice than Mexico City for just baseball reasons. Mexico City is over 7,000' above sea level, while Monterrey is around 1,700'. Plus Monterrey Baseball Stadium still stands and it has already hosted MLB games before.


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

The scoreboard at Munhak is impressive but not the largest.


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Beautiful blue ballpark in Mazatlán, Mexico. The people want Safeco Field to have this color scheme too!


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Hard-Off Eco Stadium, one of our favorites. Blue skies, blue seats and modern green grass.










Thinking about those sunny Sunday afternoons.🌞


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## Bigmac1212 (Nov 2, 2004)

Phantom Dreamer said:


> Some more from Gocheok Sky Dome. Something about a stationary dome that just puts a smile on your face. A lot of possibilities.


What's your freaking deal against retractable-roof ballparks? And which is it, are you for indoor or outdoor baseball? You are so inconsistent. icard:


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