Submitted
By: Daniel Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: This is one of the best ballparks I
have ever been to. I grew up with those cold nights in the Stick,
and they have really fixed that problem. If you people think it is
cold here, you wouldn't have lasted half an inning at the Stick.
The Field Level access is amazing. We love going down and getting
autographs in the tunnel before the game. The brick in right field
is beautiful.
Cons of the ballpark: The name! I understand that you need
to be able to pay the overpriced salaries of the players, but how
about Willie Mays somewhere in the name?
Additional Comments: The idiot who said there should be a
retractable roof must not really be a baseball fan. Last I checked,
baseball was an outdoor sport! A million thanks to the ownership
group! St. Petersburg Giants just sounds so wrong!!!!
Submitted
By: James Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: The look of the stadium is awesome.
When I first saw AT&T Park, formally known as Pacific Bell Park in
2000, I couldn't stop looking at the 28ft wall in right field. It
was nice to know that a shot over that wall would land in the bay of
San Francisco. There is a good perspective of stadium from each
seat in the ballpark. The park is family oriented and turns into a
public park on the days the giants are not playing there. The
location that the park is located always has the best weather in San
Francisco (usually sunny for day games). Extreme fans would have
fun at this park. It is fun to go to batting practice in left
field, autographs are fun and easy to get behind the dugouts, and if
you can't get a ticket the right field pavilion is always available
(where you can also get a ball). It is a fun park, period. =)
Cons of the ballpark: If you don't have sunscreen in some
parts of the stadium, you will get a sufficient amount of sunburn.
There are some seats where you loose the view of the park in the
corners. Tickets can be expensive and hard to get for the rival and
weekend games. Everything is so overpriced! You have to be willing
to spend money to get the outstanding food.
Additional Comments: Water cannons, classic ball park field
and a great ball team are some of the few things that make this park
one of the best, if not the best. There are subtitle changes to his
park that show how the organization is trying to make this stadium
the best ball park in baseball. For four years, more seats have
been added to try to raise attendance at the sold out games. The
Giants and AT&T Park have the biggest restroom complex in all of
baseball. It is located near the centerfield gate. Last but not
least, AT&T Park keeps the Giants flavor with the San Francisco
touch. There is that Fan Lot in left field for kids (slides, mini
baseball parks, green screen pictures and speed throws). There is a
cable car in right-center field to illustrate the San Francisco
touch. The final touch is when the Giants win. The sounds of the
San Francisco Fog Horn, and Tony Benitt's famous song, I Left My
Heart in San Francisco fills the park with joy.
Submitted By: Stevie Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: Being from New York, and an avid Mets
fan, me and my family decided to go see the Mets play out in San
Francisco in August. And let me tell you, that is the greatest venue
in all of sports. You can look in basketball, hockey, football, or
even baseball. You won't find a park with more touch than this one.
The beautiful views of the city, the bay, the Bay Bridge. Good food.
Friendly people. The fact that, even in pictures, San Francisco
never has one cloud in the sky. Ever. If you are a baseball fan,
going to AT&T Park is an absolute must. You won't find a better
stadium. Its the best.
Cons of the ballpark: There aren't any con's about this park.
Its quite simply the nicest venue in all of sports.
Additional Comments: I stress to everyone that follows
baseball: You have to see this park. I traveled 5 hours and 45
minutes to see 3 baseball games. Believe me, it was worth wild. It
is an incredible sight. But if you're going to a night game, bundle
up! It can get cold!
Submitted By: D. Twombly Grade: F
Pros of the ballpark = It has a decent hotdog, and the soda
is good. Oh the coffee is ok, and you need it because it is below
freezing in July at night.
Cons of the ballpark: It has more contrived garbage then you
can possibly imagine. The seats don't angle very well toward the
infield. The concourses are small and cramped. They lack sufficient
bathrooms. The grass looks sickly. The out of town scoreboards are
only visible in about 1/2 the park at best. The fountains the shoot
for homers are annoying, especially if you wear glasses.
Additional Comments: Don't go, all you will get is sick.
Submitted By: Kendrick Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: Wow, what a beautiful classic design
with all the comforts and conveniences of modern public spaces. The
entrances are nicely located, especially if you are using one of the
many choices of public transportation available to you (bus,
regional rail, SF tram-cars, ferries, etc.) so you don't have to
walk around the entire circumference of the park just to get where
you're going. Walking around inside the park is not only easy, but
it is part of the enjoyment with nicely laid out stores, clean
restaurants, and clean restrooms. You feel safe in this ballpark,
you won't be inclined to keep looking over your shoulder to tapping
your pockets to see if your wallet is still there. Compared to
other ballparks I've been, to, and most notably for contrast, the
Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland just across the bay, the fans
at Pac Bell are civil, polite, and friendly. Fans also show good
sportsmanship and won't boo at their own team nor an opponent
team...
only at inconsistent umpires. It's also nice to see lots of
families going out to the ball game, and I this park has a lot of
young kids in attendance regularly; no, I don't mean the teenage to
post-teenage wannabe thugs sporting bling bling. The nice ones.
Cons of the ballpark: Expensive and tickets, and they are
hard to get. Then again, you're in San Francisco where studios
currently (2003) rent for $1000 and used to rent for $2000
(1999-2001). I just wish people wouldn't buy up all the tickets
from the giants then turn around and sell it for 330% on eBay or
Craigslist.
Additional Comments: Regarding cel phone use, you are in year
2003 and you are in San Francisco. This isn't Hicksville, USA where
people have pulse-dial phones tethered to their kitchen walls and
every home has a pickup in the driveway. I've noticed people using
cel phones at the park, but I've also noticed equivalent percentage
of people using cel phones on the street, on the train, or any other
public space. Cel phone users are not evil... only the loud
talking, environment-disturbing, abusive-language ones are... of
which I have noticed none so far at PacBell. I go to games once a
week. :) Go Giants!
Submitted By: James G. Grade: B
Pros of the ballpark = Beautiful view from the top deck, of
the bay and golden gate bridge. More family friendly, and not as
cold and windy like the dreaded Candlestick Park.
Cons of the ballpark: They do not provide straws or covers
for your drinks. I tried to get someone who works their to give me a
reason why this was so, they just said it was the policy of the
giants organization. Not five minutes passed after I sat at my seat
when the fan next to me accidentally dropped peanut shells in my cup
of soda, to me this a health concern. If some knows why they do not
provide covers for the drinks please let me know. The lack of
parking is a joke and 16.00 for a space is totally ridiculous. And
finally the stairs that lead you up to the top deck are very steep
and narrow. Oh! the organist must of been asleep or on a long break,
because when their was organ music it had a lot to be desired.
Additional Comments: None.
Submitted By: Tat Hui Grade: B
Pros of the ballpark: The views of the Ballpark are second to
none. I believe that there are no other football or baseball stadium
that can match the views of Pac Bell Park. Also, I liked the Coca
Cola Fan Lot because most kids have a short attention span and it is
a area where the kids can enjoy themselves with the miniature Pac
Bell Wiffle Ball Field and the slides, as well as some amusement
park type games that they can play. I also liked the Main Concourse
because fans can walk around the stadium and take in the breath
taking views of the bay, and watch the ballgame. Finally, they got
great food with great concession stands. The best being those Yummy
Gilroy Garlic Fries.
Cons of the ballpark: I still think that they made a mistake
on having backless bleachers because those bleachers are what you
see in Minor League Parks or in very old stadiums. There is no need
for backless bleachers in a new stadium. Also, it is too bad that
the bullpens are in foul territory because players can get hurt if
there is a foul ball and it ends up in a collision with the person
warming up in the bullpen. Finally, it would've been even better if
there were more side scoreboards. Sure they have the Main Scoreboard
for just about every stat, but they might want to add a side
scoreboard for how many runs each team scored in a certain inning as
well as a scoreboard for more info on certain things
Additional Comments: None.
Submitted By: Scott Rand Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: Great park, easy to get to, not too
big, about 43,000 seats, so you feel like your right on the field.
Cons of the ballpark: Being that it's in San Francisco, a
retractable dome probably would have been smart, but I think it's
perfect as is.
Additional Comments: I lived in New York City for the first
36 years of my life (I'm 39), so the only stadiums I ever went to is
Shea and Yankee Stadium ( I'm a die-hard Yankee fan). Though they
are both great stadiums, people who go to Yankee Stadium know that
is in a terrible neighborhood. She stadium also isn't in the
greatest neighborhood. New York City is probably the greatest city
in the U.S., but San Francisco is probably the nicest. Therefore,
build an awesome ballpark in nicest city, and you have a smash hit.
This is without a doubt the greatest ballpark I've ever been to, and
I dare to say the best ballpark in baseball. Sure there are other
great parks, PNC comes to mind, but it's in Pittsburg!!!....To each
his own, but I'll take Pac Bell over any other ballpark. As they
say, location, location, location.
Submitted By: Antonio Bonds Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: This thing is absolutely gorgeous.
Seeing AT&T on Tv so much I got the feeling it was just another
40,000 seat look alike with no originality to it. Boy oh boy was I
ever wrong. Flying up to San Francisco last Friday with my Dad I
said we should do the Giants game; bonds has a shot at 700. And
wouldn't you know, Barry would hit his 700th in the 4th inning to
give the Giants an astronomical lead. But back to the stadium, the
food is excellent, being next to the bay is scintillating,
especially at night. Park has it's own feel and flow.
Cons of the ballpark: They did everything right at this
ballpark except for the concourses: they're all too small. It was
hard to walk around the park and enjoy all it's novelties because I
kept bumping into people left and right. Parking, I have no clue
where that is, I walked anyways. Lastly if you don't like cold
weather all year long, then don't go to a Giants game. San
Francisco doesn't necessarily have the freezing weather of say a
Chicago or a Boston but nevertheless if you're a typical
Californian, you will be cold, very cold!
Additional Comments: A definite must see, I recommend going
to a game when the Giants are playing Brooklyn.
Submitted By: Gil Grade: D
Pros of the ballpark: Nice Views of the Bay. Much warmer then
Candlestick. Less windy the the stick, less garbage flying around
hitting you. There is a playground for the kids in RF. Bleachers are
close to the field. The free view area is nifty.
Cons of the ballpark: The Fans Suck, They either don't know
anything about baseball or want to fight with you. The tickets are
too expensive ($28 to sit in the "Arcade" aka Bleachers in right?. I
*HATE* these new ball parks that restrict fan movement. Try to get
to the second deck or the infield. It is cold and wet at night
(welcome to Frisco) Stay away from the bleachers or arcade seats at
night, it is brutal. Concessions are expensive ($1 or more per item
compared to across the bay) Parking is expensive, and the park is
not easy to get to from the East Bay except for the ferry service.
There is no train service from the south bay on the weekends.
Additional Comments: This is one of the "Authentic Genuine
Replica Ballparks" that HOK has been designing all over the country.
It is a carbon copy of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore
(with the SF Bay as a backdrop, not the warehouse) It suffers from
the same problems all of these parks do: A) Seats in the upper deck
facing seats. B) It is optimized for rich folks, not families (the
"club" level, the infield seats having separate access) C) it is
EXPENSIVE. When the Giants aren't winning 100 games a year, they are
going to have big problems with the financing they got to privately
build this stadium. The concourses are very narrow for a brand new
park (contrast with the lower deck concourse at Baltimore). I am
tired of this same design being built in different cities. Visit
Safeco in Seattle, it is a nicer new park. Kudos to Giants Mgmt for
getting this park done, it is much nicer then Candlestick, but most
of the "Candlestick" fans can not afford to come to this park. This
however is not something that they are probably worried about
though.
Submitted By: Nick Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: I don't know what the people above are
talking about when they speak negatively of this ballpark. I have
been to many ballparks and PacBell easily takes the cake as the
nicest of them all. The park is small enough that there is hardly a
bad seat in the house. The food is nothing short of amazing for
ballpark food, ranging from garlic fries to clam chowder in a bread
bowl. Also, unlike other parks who restrict their fans to certain
areas, PacBell invites all fans to explore the entire park. There is
even an area in the right field wall for walkers-by to watch the
game for free for an inning or two. The views from inside the
stadium of the surrounding areas are unparalleled by any other
ballpark. Finally, where else can you take a ferry across the bay to
within 100 feet from the center field entrance?
Cons of the ballpark: A few minor cons: There are about 20
seats in left-center at the very top of the bleachers that get very
windy at night games. Since the stadium was entirely privately
funded, the Giants are forced to charge more than average for their
tickets. It would be nice if PacBell was a better hitters' ballpark,
or at least better suited to Barry's slugging ability.
Additional Comments: If PacBell and its fans are so horrible,
why is it the number one ballpark in MLB in attendance per game?
Also, everyone complains about cell phones, but I've never really
noticed it being a problem... besides, most people who complain
about cell phones own one themselves.
Submitted By: Joe Larrea Grade: B
Pros of the ballpark:This is one of the most beutiful
ballparks I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. Outside the front
gate is a statue of the greatest athlete to play the game, Willie
Mays. Around him are bricks with the names of the honored Giants
players of the past, from Christy Mathewson to Barry Bonds. Upon
entering you smell all the wonderful food and drinks such as honey
roasted Almonds, garlic fries, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, frost
brewed beer, and of course jumbo stadium dogs. The grass is a
brilliant shade of green, the infield dirt is light brown and shows
the marks from each drive or steal. The right field wall over looks
the bay, and you can often see ships stationed in the harbor, not to
mention the fans in canoes hoping to catch a blast to right field.
the sky is seldom grey and the weathers always nice.
Cons of the ballpark: Entering and exiting the park is nearly
impossible. You have to walk up and down a seemingly unending
network of ramps. You also move very slowly due to the thousands of
people around you. Good tickets are hard to come by you often have
to settle for standing room. the worst thing about AT&T is the Jumbo
vision. It's loud and flashes "Make Some Noise" twice every half
inning, it often distracts from the game.
Additional Comments: None.
Submitted By: D-Backs Fan Grade: B
Pros of the ballpark: It was nice to see the Cove from the
upper deck. Was a pretty nice atmosphere. I liked the Coke bottle
slide and the big glove, even though it was metal. The way the right
field wall was set up, with the chain fence and brick, was cool.
Cons of the ballpark: What were they thinking when they
forgot to put the bullpens in the empty center field area ahead of
the scoreboard! That's whats the plans called for! Expensive
tickets, food. It can get boring when the crappy Giants starters
(Hennessy, Rueter) pitch though. Watching the games on TV were
almost as good as actually going there.
Additional Comments: Is a little better than all of the "new"
parks that soon followed (Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh) that
all looked the same.
