32. Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Angels Stadium is actually located in Anaheim, which is why the team's name is officially the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The practical impact is that if you are coming from Los Angeles proper you will inevitably have to drive through several hours of traffic to reach the ballpark. According to wikipedia there are some mass transit options which might let you bypass the traffic nightmare that is the L.A. freeways. Pragmatically, I didn't see it anywhere near the park when I drove in past the Disneyland exit.
The stadium itself is the fourth oldest active park in Major League Baseball, although it had a major renovation in 1998. For the most part, it felt pretty generic. There are a few neat things, like the giant ball caps outside the park that act as a sunshade for the plaza surrounding the park (size 649½), and the batters eye in center field that is full of trees and rocks. In a nod to Disney, apparently fans call that Pride Rock. All of this sits in the middle of the glorious southern California summer. My seat by the right field foul pole were shaded from the sunset, which is probably why some of the people near me had blankets even though to my North Dakota / Ohio sensibilities the weather for the game was nice as any I had ever been to.
On the downside, although the ballpark was nearly full, the fans seemed pretty checked out mentally even though the interleague game against the Nationals was very exciting, with the Nationals scoring runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th to take a 4-2 lead, and the Angels rallying to score one in the bottom of the 9th before Albert Pujols flew out with the tying run in scoring position. Pujols, of course, was once the consensus best player in the National League. The current leading candidate, Bryce Harper opened the scoring with a home run and came about an inch away from hitting for the cycle; he tried to stretch a single into a double and was thrown out by a hair. The consensus best player in the American League, Mike Trout, matched Harper with his own first inning home run and added another RBI on his bobblehead night. I will say that although the fans weren't always paying attention, Mike Trout got a lot of love from the hometown crowd, and Harper was booed relentlessly.
All in all, it was a pretty fun game. It was so fun that I didn't take my traditional walk around the park during the game, and I didn't have time beforehand. I did get to walk through one of the plazas and saw the statue of original owner Gene Autry. There's not much else to see outside the park, as it is surrounded by giant parking lots, and then suburbia. I myself parked in an office lot a few blocks away, and talked to M on the phone for quite a while before heading out onto the interstate, which was still quite crowded at 11pm on a weekday.
Overall, I would say that there is nothing particularly outstanding about Angel Stadium other than the weather. I'd certainly go again, but it would have to be a particularly good reason for me to brave that traffic regularly.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits (at time of article)
1 Marlins ParkMiami MarlinsMay 23, 20141
2 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
3 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
4 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
5 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
6 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
7 Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
8 Petco ParkSan Diego PadresApril 27, 20151
9 Fenway ParkBoston Red SoxJuly 1, 20161
10 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
11 Minute Maid ParkHouston AstrosMay 21, 20161
12 Chase FieldArizona DiamondbacksApril 25, 20151
13 Safeco FieldSeattle MarinersAugust 25, 20141
14 Coors FieldColorado RockiesApril 20, 20151
15 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
16 Target FieldMinnesota TwinsJuly 25, 20141
17 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
18Angel Stadium of AnaheimLos Angeles AngelsJuly 18, 20171
19 SunTrust ParkAtlanta BravesMay 6, 20171
20 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
21 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
22 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
23 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
24 Globe Life ParkTexas RangersMay 27, 20161
25 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
26 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
27 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
28 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
29 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
30 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
31 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
32 Tropicana FieldTampa Bay RaysMay 21, 20141
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude
Original Series End
The stadium itself is the fourth oldest active park in Major League Baseball, although it had a major renovation in 1998. For the most part, it felt pretty generic. There are a few neat things, like the giant ball caps outside the park that act as a sunshade for the plaza surrounding the park (size 649½), and the batters eye in center field that is full of trees and rocks. In a nod to Disney, apparently fans call that Pride Rock. All of this sits in the middle of the glorious southern California summer. My seat by the right field foul pole were shaded from the sunset, which is probably why some of the people near me had blankets even though to my North Dakota / Ohio sensibilities the weather for the game was nice as any I had ever been to.
On the downside, although the ballpark was nearly full, the fans seemed pretty checked out mentally even though the interleague game against the Nationals was very exciting, with the Nationals scoring runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th to take a 4-2 lead, and the Angels rallying to score one in the bottom of the 9th before Albert Pujols flew out with the tying run in scoring position. Pujols, of course, was once the consensus best player in the National League. The current leading candidate, Bryce Harper opened the scoring with a home run and came about an inch away from hitting for the cycle; he tried to stretch a single into a double and was thrown out by a hair. The consensus best player in the American League, Mike Trout, matched Harper with his own first inning home run and added another RBI on his bobblehead night. I will say that although the fans weren't always paying attention, Mike Trout got a lot of love from the hometown crowd, and Harper was booed relentlessly.
All in all, it was a pretty fun game. It was so fun that I didn't take my traditional walk around the park during the game, and I didn't have time beforehand. I did get to walk through one of the plazas and saw the statue of original owner Gene Autry. There's not much else to see outside the park, as it is surrounded by giant parking lots, and then suburbia. I myself parked in an office lot a few blocks away, and talked to M on the phone for quite a while before heading out onto the interstate, which was still quite crowded at 11pm on a weekday.
Overall, I would say that there is nothing particularly outstanding about Angel Stadium other than the weather. I'd certainly go again, but it would have to be a particularly good reason for me to brave that traffic regularly.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits (at time of article)
1 Marlins ParkMiami MarlinsMay 23, 20141
2 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
3 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
4 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
5 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
6 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
7 Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
8 Petco ParkSan Diego PadresApril 27, 20151
9 Fenway ParkBoston Red SoxJuly 1, 20161
10 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
11 Minute Maid ParkHouston AstrosMay 21, 20161
12 Chase FieldArizona DiamondbacksApril 25, 20151
13 Safeco FieldSeattle MarinersAugust 25, 20141
14 Coors FieldColorado RockiesApril 20, 20151
15 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
16 Target FieldMinnesota TwinsJuly 25, 20141
17 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
18Angel Stadium of AnaheimLos Angeles AngelsJuly 18, 20171
19 SunTrust ParkAtlanta BravesMay 6, 20171
20 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
21 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
22 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
23 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
24 Globe Life ParkTexas RangersMay 27, 20161
25 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
26 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
27 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
28 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
29 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
30 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
31 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
32 Tropicana FieldTampa Bay RaysMay 21, 20141
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude
Original Series End