Baseball Diamonds Will Sparkle This Spring
By Tom Downs
Posted Feb. 21, 2008, at 1 p.m.
America's National Pastime emerges each spring with expectations for a break in the weather and new hopes for defending champs and cellar dwellers alike. The sound of bat meeting ball is always a call to take yourself out to the ballgame, and today, it's more than just the game. Ballparks command cheers, too, whether it's the chic cuisine served in place of franks and stadium mustard or the coveted naming rights to an entire park, most recently an honor given to Cleveland-based Progressive insurance, who have turned the home of the Cleveland Indians into Progressive Field.
We'll always love the game — here are a few reminders why.
Baseball players in action at Yankee Stadium, The Bronx.
© Michael Taylor. Lonely Planet Images.
Spring Training in Arizona and Florida
Hard-core fans get a jump on things by heading south for Spring Training, in the fair weather lands of South Florida and the Arizona Desert. The games, which are scheduled throughout the month of March, give young prospects an opportunity to prove themselves, while older veterans work out the kinks before regular season play begins. Off the field the atmosphere is relaxed and even intimate, as players and fans interact more easily. Florida's Grapefruit League includes 18 Major League teams, while the Cactus League in Arizona hosts 12 teams. Either way, you can see a great variety of ballclubs within a short three- or four-day trip and most likely catch some sun as well.
Yankee Stadium
The 2008 season will be a farewell party at the House that Ruth Built, which is due for demolition once the schedule is played out. The Bronx Bombers have called Yankee Stadium home since 1923. It has it all: history, vociferous fans, an eternally competitive team in pinstripes and elevated IRT trains groaning beyond the right field stands. This year, to commemorate the stadium's final season, the All-Star Game will come to the Bronx.
Baseball Hall of Fame
Fans in need of a jolt of baseball history need only journey to quaint Cooperstown, in upstate New York. If the Smithsonian is America's attic, the Hall of Fame must be baseball's basement, where heroes and artifacts of the past are cherished. The stern faces and antiquated names of Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Cy Young speak for a more innocent, but no less gritty golden age. An exhibit called "Sacred Ground" evokes the magic of some of the game's beloved ballparks, with ancient scoreboards, clubhouse lockers, dugout bat racks and home plates from many a long lost stadium.
San Francisco's AT&T Park
The San Francisco Giants' home is a contemporary classic with a clear nod to tradition. Constructed of red brick and featuring an oversized right field arcade, the ballpark's opening in 2000 was regarded as a decisive departure from the soulless multipurpose stadia of the '60s and '70s. The home nine may be a wobbly outfit coming into the '08 season (having finished last in the National League West in '07), but first-time visitors won't get over the fantastic (though hefty-priced) food and the stunning view of San Francisco Bay.
San Diego's PETCO Park
On the edge of San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter stands another modern gem: PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres. The park is a refined blend of tradition and modernity. Incorporating a 100-year-old warehouse into its design evokes the neighborhood's history and also serves as an homage to past ball yards, which were crammed into dense urban areas. The design eschews traditional red brick in favor of Indian sandstone, and includes stucco and exposed metal beams. Rooftop bleachers are an obvious nod to Chicago's Wrigley Field. However, the sandy "beach" beyond the centerfield wall, where fans can catch some rays or toss a beach ball, is pure San Diego.
Bio: Tom Downs is the author of Lonely Planet's "New Orleans 4," which won the Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas Gold Medal for Guidebooks in 2007.
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