Now that the NFL previews have been written and posted and the season is underway, it’s time to begin another collection of features. This time, as you might have guessed by the title, we’re going to look at the most difficult venues that opposing teams have to face. As it is nearing the postseason, we’ll begin with baseball, and then move onto college and pro football, by which time we should be entering into the beginnings of hockey and basketball, so we’ll have every sport covered.
With these articles, I’ll rank the top 5 most difficult places to play, and give some honorable mentions as well. These rankings are, as is always the case, merely my opinion, but I will try to provide as much fact-oriented information as I can to support my decisions and rankings. So, with that in the background, and keeping in mind that I can actually claim to have watched a game at every one of these parks…
5. Petco Park, San Diego Padres – You’re probably already dismissing this list, but there’s a legitimate reason for this ballpark being at number 5 on this list. First off, everyday is absolutely beautiful in San Diego. As a visiting team, the allure of the beach and the wonderful scenery can be a bit distracting. The bigger reason, however, is the sheer size of the park itself. The dimensions are easily the largest in baseball, and with most of the new ballparks being built smaller than before (and, as is the case with Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park and Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, in such a way that the ball carries into left and right field, respectively, like a balloon on a windy day), the disparity between Petco and the rest of the league is rather large. It takes a completely different style of baseball to win games in SD, as evidenced by the fact that for most of the year Jake Peavy and Chris Young were 1-2 in the NL in ERA and no one on that team has had a 20 HR season since the park opened. It’s a totally different series for each and every road team than anywhere else, and it can play with your mind as a hitter (and a fielder) if you let it.
4. Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs – This would be higher if everyone on the North Side wasn’t collectively waiting for the other foot to drop every single season. Outfielders for opposing teams risk having beer dropped on their heads, as happened to Ryan Spilborghs during the game I witnessed, and the bleacher seats in general produce some of the rowdiest fans in all of sports, period. The amenities are few and far between, the bullpens precariously close to the field (just ask the Phillies’ Michael Bourn), the walls are made of sheer brick, and ball carries well on a windy day, there’s very little foul ground – again, it’s just an entirely different ballpark than any other stadium around. The downside is the atmosphere, which feels more like a party than a baseball game. Plus, the aforementioned feeling of doom that lingers over the fans adds to the opponents’ confidence slightly (see: Florida Marlins, 2003). If the Cubs were to ever actually WIN a World Series, this place could easily become number 1 on the list.
3. Shea Stadium, New York Mets – Only at Shea Stadium could one fan call up a sports talk radio station and jokingly suggest having a John Rocker Battery Night for the first Mets-Braves game in 2000, after Rocker’s infamous Sports Illustrated interview, and over 55,000 people show up, batteries in hand, waiting for the first sight of the hated lefthander. Add to that unbelievable fan passion an extraordinarily loud PA and sound system, coupled with a decrepit and decaying structure, and you get a very difficult atmosphere for visitors. Again, this is a stadium that could easily be number 1, if not for the fact that when this team struggles, the fans leave in the seventh inning, and sometimes earlier. That detracts from the emotion in any sort of comeback scenario against the visitors, so it can’t be any higher than number 3.
2. Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees – If I have to explain this one to you, stop reading because you clearly know nothing about baseball. History, tradition, talent, passion, excitement – it’s all there. If you ever happen to go to a game and don’t feel goose bumps walking into and out of the same stadium as DiMaggio, Mantle, Ruth, Maris, Berra, Gehrig, Mattingly, Jeter, Jackson, Ford, Clemens, Martin, Larsen – the list is endless, and you simply can’t help get excited. Even a mid-August Yankees-Royals contest was electric. It’s an amazing ballpark in an amazing city with amazing fans and amazing tradition. It simply doesn’t get any better. Well, except for…
1. Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox – Sure, I love Yankee Stadium, but there are no better fans, no more passionate crowds, and no bigger homefield advantage in baseball than in “Bah-stahn.” The “Sawks,” and yes, you must pronounce those two words in that manner, constantly sell out homegames, and I believe they will one day soon pass the Cleveland Indians mark of consecutive sellouts that occurred back when the Indians mattered and Jacobs Field had just opened. The fans are knowledgeable and passionate, and they’re on their feet from the first pitch of the game. Couple that with some awkward outfield dimensions – namely, the deep crevice in centerfield, the absurdly low wall in right center, and the ridiculously short distance down the right field foul line – and that’s before you even get to the most distinctive feature in all of baseball, the Green Monster, and you get a really hard place for outfielders to play defense effectively. That thing is the single biggest producer of doubles in all of baseball history. For opponents to win in Fenway, they not only need talent to compete against the Red Sox, but they also need a strong-willed starting pitcher with good intestinal fortitude, a good center fielder who can cover lots of ground, and a good closer to prevent the now famous Boston Red Sox 9th-inning comeback. Oh, and they also have that thing called “tradition” too, just like NY. Pretty good home field, I’d say.
Honorable Mention: Angel Stadium, Los Angeles Angels – Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies – Coors Field, Colorado Rockies – Jacobs Field, Cleveland Indians – AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants
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