There's no place like domes
So, that quick overnighter to Miami this past weekend got my ballpark tour, phase B, underway. It brought me up to 41 ballparks and left me with two to go. It was a drizzly weekend down there, which led to the roof of Marlins Park being shut.
That got me thinking about domes, and wondering how many of these 41 ballparks had lids. Since many of the domes are retractable, it became a trickier question, as I've seen some of them closed and some of them open. The quick answer is that I've been to eight domed ballparks, with all but two capped for at least part of the game. If knowing when a roof would be open or shut were possible, seeing a game with the ballpark in each configuration might be a goal. That didn't really strike me until Miami, since I really liked the look of the place from both outside and inside, and wanted to see it wide open.
Anyway, as far as domes go, here's a quick rundown of what I both saw and missed.
-First, I never made it to the Astrodome, the Kingdome, or Olympic Stadium. Friends who have been to the first two like to remind me of that.
-The Trop and the no-longer-used Metrodome simply rank as two of my least favorite ballparks. I'll leave it at that...
-I've been at games where the retractable roof at the Skydome (Rogers Centre) and Minute Maid Park closed during the games. Rain led to the closure during the Blue Jays game my brother and I attended. Likewise, showers were the cause of the closure during the Astros game. What I recall there was hoping for a home run by the home team so that the train along the outfield wall would move, and thinking it would look better with the lighting from the closed roof. Within an inning or so of the closure, a homer was smacked, and I got my wish.
-I was at a game where the retractable roof of Chase Field opened during a game. It was 99 degrees or so at first pitch, and I guess cooled sufficiently after the sun went down to let in some fresh air. Fans got excited, and everyone started pointing their cell phones upward. Yeah, I did too...
-As mentioned above, the retractable roof at Marlins Park remained closed the entire game...and I would really like to see a game with it open! (The skyline of Miami is what those behind home plate would see with the outfield wall retracted, which occurs when the roof is opened.)
-The retractable roofs were open for my games at Safeco and Miller Park. I remember a beautiful spring afternoon game at Safeco, and don't recall wondering about the place capped. Likewise, it was a pleasant enough September evening in Milwaukee for my game at Miller, so the roof was open and that suited me fine. Do I want to see these parks again with the roof shut? Sure, why not, but not as much as I'd like to see Marlins Park with the roof open. I guess seeing these ballparks both ways just isn't a bucket list thing for me.
Anyway, the two remaining ballparks on my to-do list don't have roofs. Let's hope there's no rain in the forecast for my scheduled games...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
That got me thinking about domes, and wondering how many of these 41 ballparks had lids. Since many of the domes are retractable, it became a trickier question, as I've seen some of them closed and some of them open. The quick answer is that I've been to eight domed ballparks, with all but two capped for at least part of the game. If knowing when a roof would be open or shut were possible, seeing a game with the ballpark in each configuration might be a goal. That didn't really strike me until Miami, since I really liked the look of the place from both outside and inside, and wanted to see it wide open.
Anyway, as far as domes go, here's a quick rundown of what I both saw and missed.
-First, I never made it to the Astrodome, the Kingdome, or Olympic Stadium. Friends who have been to the first two like to remind me of that.
-The Trop and the no-longer-used Metrodome simply rank as two of my least favorite ballparks. I'll leave it at that...
-I've been at games where the retractable roof at the Skydome (Rogers Centre) and Minute Maid Park closed during the games. Rain led to the closure during the Blue Jays game my brother and I attended. Likewise, showers were the cause of the closure during the Astros game. What I recall there was hoping for a home run by the home team so that the train along the outfield wall would move, and thinking it would look better with the lighting from the closed roof. Within an inning or so of the closure, a homer was smacked, and I got my wish.
-I was at a game where the retractable roof of Chase Field opened during a game. It was 99 degrees or so at first pitch, and I guess cooled sufficiently after the sun went down to let in some fresh air. Fans got excited, and everyone started pointing their cell phones upward. Yeah, I did too...
-As mentioned above, the retractable roof at Marlins Park remained closed the entire game...and I would really like to see a game with it open! (The skyline of Miami is what those behind home plate would see with the outfield wall retracted, which occurs when the roof is opened.)
-The retractable roofs were open for my games at Safeco and Miller Park. I remember a beautiful spring afternoon game at Safeco, and don't recall wondering about the place capped. Likewise, it was a pleasant enough September evening in Milwaukee for my game at Miller, so the roof was open and that suited me fine. Do I want to see these parks again with the roof shut? Sure, why not, but not as much as I'd like to see Marlins Park with the roof open. I guess seeing these ballparks both ways just isn't a bucket list thing for me.
Anyway, the two remaining ballparks on my to-do list don't have roofs. Let's hope there's no rain in the forecast for my scheduled games...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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