From: trn@warper.jhuapl.edu (Tony Nardo)
Subject: Re: Camden Yards
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Date:  6 Apr 92 17:03:53 GMT

areid@mary.fordham.edu (Darin Reid) writes:


>This ballpark is the most beautiful park!!!  It has the feel of the old
>parks (I'm only 18, but I've seen films! :-). It's made of steel (iron)!!!
>It has those nice overhead girder-work thingees, a treat in the modern age.
>I also love the seats, the 1890 logo, the color, and the overall surrondings
>of the park.  That huge warehose looks like it was made to face one side of
>a ballpark!  

I went to the Orioles' open house (open stadium? :-) ) last Thursday.  Camden
Yards is, indeed, a beautiful ballpark.  Others have already enumerated its
many virtues, so I will refrain on that front.  But the new park does have some
drawbacks:

      - Unlike its predecessor, the ramps and upper deck concession areas
	are open to the outside air.  On clear, warm days this makes for
	grand views of the city.  On rainy days, however, the only retreat
	for upper deck fans will be the least exposed areas of the ramps
	and the lower deck concession stands.  A rain delay is never an
	enjoyable experience, but it will be far worse at the new park.

      -	The term "no obstructed seats" only applies to the lack of view-
	blocking support columns.  However, I'd swear that the view of the
	right field corner is *worse* in the new park for fans seated on
	the right hand side of the stadium.  And there aren't many people who
	can convince me that a seat behind the left field foul pole isn't
	obstructed.

      -	As of Thursday, there were still pressure gauges (and valves to control
	the devices associated with same) openly accessible on the upper deck
	veranda.  These look rather quaint, but I have to wonder how long it
	will be before someone tries fiddling with one.

      -	The open-air upper deck, as stated before, provides grand views.  It
	also looks like a prime place for tossing cups of sodas, beer bottles
	(which somehow manage to get into stadia), and whatnot over the edge
	onto the sidewalk below.  Also, there are spots on the upper deck's
	"railing" wall which look suspiciously like ladders.  It is possible
	for a suitably daring and reckless fan to climb the railing, then
	hang well above the sidewalk from the *outside* of the stadium.  Given
	human nature, I expect a safety screen (similar to the one around the
	rim of Memorial Stadium) to go up soon -- spoiling the city views.

      -	The lower reserved seat has been effectively eliminated from the new
	park.  (The Orioles are selling something called "lower reserved"
	seats, but thoses seats would have been considered bleacher seats in
	Memorial Stadium.)  You can't sit *anywhere* in the lower deck on the
	home plate side of the home run fence for less than $12 -- if you're
	lucky enough to sit there at all.

      -	Getting out of the parking lot onto route 95 promises to be a grand
	adventure for the DC-area O's fans.  The entrance ramp from the stadium
	lot to the park is long, and one lane wide -- period.  If a car stalls
	out near the top of that ramp, expect chaos.

This said, I'm still looking forward to attending a game or three at the new
stadium.  It blends in well with the Camden Yards site, and is considerably
more comfortable (on a clear day) than Memorial Stadium.  Definitely a park
well worth seeing a ballgame in!
--
Tony Nardo,		   INET: trn@warper.jhuapl.edu, trn@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu
 Johns Hopkins Univ./APL   UUCP: {backbone!}mimsy!aplcomm!trn
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball