20. Kauffman Stadium
After my visit to St. Louis, I woke up and drove across Missouri to Kansas City to knock off the second major league park on my 2013 baseball road trip. Even with a stop in Columbia to have brunch with my fraternity brother Jeff, I still had plenty of time to kill in Kansas City before I went to the Friday night game at Kauffman Stadium.
I spent much of that time at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which was made known to me through multiple profiles of Buck O'Neil, most notably in the excellent book The Soul of Baseball. Alas, Mr. O'Neil passed long before I made this trip, otherwise I most likely would have found him greeting guests at the museum, which he helped found. He and everyone else did a great job putting the museum together. Anyone who enjoys baseball history will find much to reward their visit here.
I made a quick stop at Arthur Bryant's for some BBQ and then headed out to the edge of town. Of the all the parks I've visited thus far, Kauffman Stadium and Miller Park are the only two that reside out on the edge of town. It is in a huge complex right next to Arrowhead Stadium; appropriately, many Royals fans were tailgating as I pulled into the parking lot.
I was actually there so early that the gates weren't open yet. As soon as they did, I found my seat in left field and then checked out the Royals Hall of Fame. The Royals have a successful history, which was hard to remember in 2013 when they finished above .500 for the first time in a decade, albeit short of the playoffs for the 28th year in a row. The museum showcases that history quite well. In the outfield concourse there are statues of Royals greats George Brett, Frank White and Dick Howser, as well as of the stadium's namesake Ewing Kauffman and his wife Muriel.
However, there are two features that really makes the stadium stand out. The first is the giant fountain/waterfall in right field, which have been there since the stadium opened in 1973. I've never seen anything quite like them in a major league ballpark, but it is undeniably beautiful. The fountains go in-between innings and the waterfall runs all the time. The second feature is the giant new screen added in 2009 renovations, which was briefly the largest LED screen in the world. According to wikipedia, the screen is so large it takes 17 people to operate on game day.
From my seat in left field I couldn't easily see the screen in center field, but I did have a great view of the game. At first the Royals looked they were going to get spanked by the Red Sox, but they had an exciting six run sixth inning to put the Sox down 9-6.
One thing that was pretty cool was the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat. In honor of Buck and his contributions to baseball, one member of the community is honored in each game for their contribution to the Kansas City area. The seat itself is a single red seat among a sea of blue. This is cooler than throwing a ball out, although they do that too.
All in all, Kauffman Stadium is very enjoyable. The view from the seats was good, the fans were loud, there were plenty of good food options, and while the stadium was out on the edge of town instead of the heart of the city, at least the parking was plentiful. I'd definitely go again if I was in Kansas City, or even vaguely near it.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
2 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
3 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
4 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
5 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
6Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
7 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
8 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
9 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
10 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
11 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
12 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
13 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
14 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
15 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
16 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
17 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
18 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
19 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
20 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude
I spent much of that time at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which was made known to me through multiple profiles of Buck O'Neil, most notably in the excellent book The Soul of Baseball. Alas, Mr. O'Neil passed long before I made this trip, otherwise I most likely would have found him greeting guests at the museum, which he helped found. He and everyone else did a great job putting the museum together. Anyone who enjoys baseball history will find much to reward their visit here.
I made a quick stop at Arthur Bryant's for some BBQ and then headed out to the edge of town. Of the all the parks I've visited thus far, Kauffman Stadium and Miller Park are the only two that reside out on the edge of town. It is in a huge complex right next to Arrowhead Stadium; appropriately, many Royals fans were tailgating as I pulled into the parking lot.
I was actually there so early that the gates weren't open yet. As soon as they did, I found my seat in left field and then checked out the Royals Hall of Fame. The Royals have a successful history, which was hard to remember in 2013 when they finished above .500 for the first time in a decade, albeit short of the playoffs for the 28th year in a row. The museum showcases that history quite well. In the outfield concourse there are statues of Royals greats George Brett, Frank White and Dick Howser, as well as of the stadium's namesake Ewing Kauffman and his wife Muriel.
However, there are two features that really makes the stadium stand out. The first is the giant fountain/waterfall in right field, which have been there since the stadium opened in 1973. I've never seen anything quite like them in a major league ballpark, but it is undeniably beautiful. The fountains go in-between innings and the waterfall runs all the time. The second feature is the giant new screen added in 2009 renovations, which was briefly the largest LED screen in the world. According to wikipedia, the screen is so large it takes 17 people to operate on game day.
From my seat in left field I couldn't easily see the screen in center field, but I did have a great view of the game. At first the Royals looked they were going to get spanked by the Red Sox, but they had an exciting six run sixth inning to put the Sox down 9-6.
One thing that was pretty cool was the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat. In honor of Buck and his contributions to baseball, one member of the community is honored in each game for their contribution to the Kansas City area. The seat itself is a single red seat among a sea of blue. This is cooler than throwing a ball out, although they do that too.
All in all, Kauffman Stadium is very enjoyable. The view from the seats was good, the fans were loud, there were plenty of good food options, and while the stadium was out on the edge of town instead of the heart of the city, at least the parking was plentiful. I'd definitely go again if I was in Kansas City, or even vaguely near it.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
2 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
3 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
4 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
5 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
6Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
7 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
8 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
9 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
10 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
11 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
12 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
13 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
14 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
15 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
16 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
17 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
18 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
19 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
20 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude