Sometimes the place is as cool as the game

Hey, you check out the new ballpark in Miami?

Fish tanks behind home plate? Some kind of zany sculpture out in the outfield? Retractable roof? Far more convenient location where the old Orange Bowl was instead of out in the boonies where the football team plays?

Nice place, by all accounts, and with a night off there during a HOTH trip in a week or so, maybe I can find a ticket or four and take in a game.

After all, isn’t baseball more about ballparks more than any other sport is about its playing facilities?

Think of it.

We wax poetic about the old parks, like Tiger Stadium (still right there at No. 1 on my list) or Wrigley, or the old Yankee Stadium, or Forbes Field or Shibe Park.

Why?

Because baseball, better than other sports, has idiosyncrasies in its parks that make them memorable and make a day there a lovely experience.

You can soak in history at Fenway with the Green Monster and the Pesky Pole. You can sit at Wrigley and feel the history and recall a pre-game spent in a saloon talking to Bill Veeck before sitting in the bleachers.

You can see weird corners and odd dimensions and, really, no two ballparks are the same.

Thankfully, they’ve gotten away from the cookie cutter monstrosities of the past, Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, The Vet in Philly, Riverfront in Cincinnati that were true abominations and did nothing to enhance what should always been a pleasurable day at the yard.

Now we’ve got Safeco in Seattle, perhaps my favourite of the new ones; the park in Phoenix that is gorgeous, the nice new place in San Francisco by the water and, as I’m told, the best of them all in Pittsburgh.

It truly is a sport that mixes its history with a modern touch, all the new parks try to be as intimate as the old ones while folding in some modern amenities and it’s a wonderful thing.

Part of the joy of going to a game is the park, the feel, the smell, the sights. You can’t say that about basketball or football or the pucks where the playing fields are cookie cutter (at least now that they’ve taken the old square corners and tiny surface out of Buffalo) and lack any semblance of unique.

I have no idea what the true “feel” is at the Marlins ballpark and it’s only in the news now because it’s new but I can safely say this:

The place the game’s played is almost as important as how the game is played if you’re looking to while away a few hours watching baseball. And that’s not a bad thing.

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To recap:

16-inning game won on homer after the guy botches bunt without a bunt sign on.

11 shutout innings from bullpen.

One-pitch double play out of a five-man infield in extra innings.

Guy walked to load the bases in extra innings.

Three-run top of the ninth.

Bautista plays right, first, right; Omar Vizquel at first.

Longest Opening Day game ever.

Guy bunting into double play by standing at home plate, frozen and forgetting to, you know, run to first.

Oh yeah, this is shaping up to be some kind of wild season and if Team Of Destiny ever looked like TOD, it was yesterday.

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Right. Don’t forget we’re at 7:30 tonight thanks to TV and its golf coverage.

Can’t pre-empt the pucks over on TSN2, it seems.

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There’s some of what I think about the latest episode of Orlando Idiocy that came up yesterday in here – Nothin’ But Net had to get cut down for space considerations – but, really, there is so much more to say.

How about Dwight Howard coming out last night and scoring a whopping total of eight points while looking horribly disengaged in Orlando’s loss to the Knicks.

Big time game from a big time guy when he had to know everyone in the basketball world was going to be watching him, wasn’t it? Don’t true greats elevate themselves in such instances to prove their worth to their teammates and fans and to, you know, put your money where your mouth is?

Howard?

He all but bailed on his teammates and his confidantes in the front office and ownership and once again showed that at some very basic level, he just doesn’t get it.

Look, I’ve long had problems with Dwight Howard’s game. It struck me as impossible to believe that a player so obviously talented couldn’t extend his offensive game past the distance it took to dunk (although that’s getting a bit better) and that, to me, spoke to his work ethic.

But he always struck me as a good guy who never took himself too seriously and played the game with a fun attitude.

Now? Now he looks like just another petulant star who has no idea how good he has it. Stan Van Gundy can probably be a bit irritating if you have to deal with him every single day but that’s what good coaches are: They get on stars and subs alike, they make teams greater than the sum of their parts and I cannot imagine Dwight Howard will be coached by a better tactician or strategist for however long he plays.

We all have an idea how this is going to play out. Van Gundy will hold his nose and coach his butt off until the Magic flame out in the post-season and then will quietly go away.

Howard will be very good some nights and invisible the next and when it comes time a year from now to decide his long-term future, if I’m the Magic, I let him walk; and I most certainly do not let him pick the team’s next coach.

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Mail? Yes, please.

And outside of Mickey Mantle’s, I’ll take Bricktown suggestions in OKC for tomorrow night since it’s going to be a rare “wandering around town with nothing to do on the road” kind of evening.

Thanks.

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Raptors? Dead quiet yesterday, no sense even doing anything with the 10-day guys since you don’t want to blow a day on a contract for a day that didn’t include even a practice.

We’ll get some news this morning, I’m sure. Figure, as oft-said, we get Alan Anderson back, Justin Dentmon in, I can’t get a true feel for what they’ll do with Ben Uzoh and I fully expect the waters to be calmed and James Johnson back in his usual role.

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Comments

[Eric-in-NS]

Thank you for your good thoughts re: baseball parks.
However, you didn't give credit to Camden Yards, the first of the new parks to follow the old tradition of following the shape of the surrounding downtown buildings. Before I was a Blue Jays fan (remember the Expos!) I would watch Toronto games in Baltimore just to see the park.

Blogger's note: Great ballpark; covered a Jays series there last year, loved it

[doug]

the Marlins could play in the Taj Mahal and I'd never go see them 2 words Jeffrey Loria he can go pound salt....good take on Dwight Howard that guy has some major issues and in turn the Magic do, talk about a diva the guy can't stay out of the limelight and he could care less about his teammates or coach who he has thrown under the bus numerous times all season, the guy has the leadership qualities of a gnat (and I apologize to gnats)...that baseball game was a humdinger, a good start to the season but really that Indians manager is no Sparky Anderson or even Mike Hargrove, let's see you have your top reliever from last year, who has pitched a total of 3 innings in the spring, out with a oblique problem, you then bring him in (after your starter was unhittable) and have no one else warming in the pen, no one, nada,zilch, proceed to let him pitch to a slew of hitters, game is tied, plus never started a runner all game, even Buck and Pat were questioning him, but good resilient win and hell of a bullpen performance, I was just listening to Bob McCown go on and on the other day how about how Villanueva will be wasted in long relief, well yesterday proved why he is there......Masters prediction after watching yesterday and seeing form of players etc, usually first round leaders there mean squat, this year I think winner is either Westhood or Oosthuizen one of them may run away from the field, and congrats to Weir for persevering and having a solid round..and can someone please do something with Jim Nantz like a muzzle maybe....

[jon]

Stuff like this Howard nonsense make me really dislike that majority of superstars in the NBA today. Doug, are there any superstars out there with strong character? I have hopes for Durant and Rose....

Blogger's note: I'd say Durant; the whole "vacate the one year at Memphis record because of grades scandal" might take Rose some time to get over

[Gary]

I was pleasantly surprised to see your blog today and while I always enjoy your thoughts, I think you have earned a nice day off to enjoy with your family.
Happy Good Friday Doug.

Blogger's note: Thanks. But with shootaround and game it's kind of a typical day.

[Dave B]

It will be interesting to see if Stan lasts this weekend. I think it was a preemptive move on his part. After he is released, he wouldn't be able to say much as a part of some non-disclosure clause. This way he is able to get his comments out there ahead of the firing.

Do you think there is any chance that Orlando trades Dwight this summer when there aren't any trade deadlines and teams have Cap space?

[ditch]

Were we ever told what the story was with James Johnson?

Blogger's note: Nope, and don't know that we ever will. Internal issue but Dwane said he'd likely play tonight

[marc in panama]

Hola Doug,

Why let Howard walk next year? Why not trade him to the Nets? Isn't that where all the petulant stars who quit on their teams go? I'm thinking though, that the return might be better than what HWSNBN brought to Toronto, how could it not?. All the Magic would need is one player who could pay legitimate minutes in the NBA to trump that deal. In light of what Toronto got back in that deal, and compared to say what Denver got in the Melo trade, (both players had to be moved, both were moved by rookie GMs) I still maintain that one deal set Toronto Raptors basketball back 10 years.

Cheers amigo

marc in panama

[David in Oakville]

Nice read on a day off. I can't imagine what it would be like to be in that room in Orlando to have SVG say Dwight wants him fired only to have Howard come in 5 minutes later, hug SVG and deny reports. SUREAL! I thought Superman was about Truth, Justice and the American Way. Still stand by my earlier remarks.. both SVG and Otis Smith are gone this summer and the Magic's only chance is if they can find a strong coach (like Phil Jackson) and a respected GM (like Gerry West). At least it will be an interesting summer for all in Florida as I don't think this is the Heat's year either.

[Kate C]

I'll add Kevin Love as a young superstar who seems to be refreshingly well-grounded in his character.

Kate C

[hg]

Good piece on Deadspin regarding the new stadium in Miami, particularly agree with this line: "It would have been silly for the Marlins to go retro—there's no history to speak of with South Florida baseball, so an old-school park would have felt more out of place than a garish animatronic sculpto-pictorama." The retro-ballpark craze was getting tiresome and were becoming very homogeneous. The new ones in New York, just don't do it for me. While the new stadium in the Bronx is beautiful on the outside, it feels as cold and stark as the post-73 Yankee Stadium.

With the Marlins getting a new ballpark, that effectively makes the Rogers Centre the third worst ballpark in the league (it looks like Oakland's Coliseum is going to be number one for a while, followed closely by Tropicana Field, though the Rays deserve better).

"Because baseball, better than other sports, has idiosyncrasies in its parks that make them memorable and make a day there a lovely experience."

Auto racing, golf, and cricket fans may disagree with that one, but certainly agree in relation to the other Big 4 North American sports.