providence pawsox idea

8/9/2019 Providence PawSox Idea

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Situation:

The greater Boston area, including Rhode Island, is the dominant sports market in the

country, particularly for professional baseball, where fans have a fever pitch for the

Boston Red Sox. However, historic Fenway Park does not have enough supply to meet

the demand of the local market, and the stadium was built in a different era. Fans pay thehighest price in baseball - 30% more than the next closest city, and 70% more than

average - for a sub-par experience that too often includes cramped seats, blocked views,

a lack of concessions and long lines for disgusting bathrooms.

Pawtucket is home to Boston's AAA minor league team. Ownership changes in Boston

have committed the team to a new philosophy of developing its player talent largely from

within, making Pawtucket an exciting team that boasts many "major" stars despite its

"minor" status. Tickets to the AAA Red Sox cost less than $10. However, the Pawtucket

ballpark is located in an obscure location with no surrounding retail or supporting

development, and no access to public transit. The team's ownership may change in the

near future if the team's present owner retires or dies.

The area of Providence's waterfront near Aliens Avenue is a dilapidated eyesore that is

home to strip clubs, abandoned warehouses and corpses of an industrial past. This

waterfront neighborhood represents a prime redevelopment opportunity that could

encourage a mix of residential, affordable housing, and supporting retail to create an "all

within walking distance" neighborhood. The site would also support a large marina that

would benefit the city with a new revenue stream and attract "water tourism" to better

compete with Newport and Greenwich Bay. What the site lacks is an "Anchor Tenant."

Opportunity:

Move the AAA Red Sox franchise from Pawtucket to Providence. Build a miniature

version of a new Fenway Park (on par with San Francisco's "Pac Bell Park" or

Baltimore's new Camden Yards) on the Providence waterfront as the new "Anchor

Tenant" to catalyze urban renewal of the area. Attract Sox fans throughout the greater

Boston region with an affordable and fun family baseball experience. Use the venue to

attract big-name acts for outdoor concerts to compete with the likes of Tweeter Center.

Give Red Sox fans the baseball experience they've always wanted with unblocked views

from comfortable seats, clean restrooms and top of the line concessions. Surround the

"anchor tenant" ballpark with coordinated redevelopment including retail, restaurants and

residential. Link these areas with a family boardwalk to encourage a "walkable"

neighborhood. Tie the neighborhood into Amtrak / MBT A with a light rail solution, and

extend existing bike paths to the area. Build a large marina for "Red Sox Cove" to attract

boaters from throughout the state and add a stop here for the Newport-Providence fast

ferry. Get local neighbor Johnson &Wales into the act by developing an educationprogram in "sports hospitality" and offer students opportunities in park operations.

This project has many similarities to the redevelopment of Rincon Point / South Beach, a

neighborhood at the southern end of San Francisco, California where I lived for three

years. Enclosed find various supporting materials for this concept.

August 3, 2006

Angus Davis ([email protected])
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Projects

San Francisco Redevelopment AgencyRincon Point - South BeachSee Map of Survey Area (image)

72 Townsend Street Draft Environmental Impact Report WDF)

72 Townsend Street Comments and Responses WDF)

Rincon Point-South Beach is a 115-acre redevelopment project composedof two non-contiguous geographic areas along San Francisco's northeasternwaterfront. Much of the area was formerly characterized by dilapidatedwarehouses, open cargo storage yards, abandoned or underutilizedbuildings, several piers in unsound condition and an extensive network ofunderutilized street rights-of-way. Since 1981, the area has been

transformed into a new mixed-use development. It is located south of theFerry Building and adjacent to both the Financial District and the City's

waterfront.

The purpose of the project is the conversion of this once blighted areainto a new mixed-use waterfront neighborhood incorporating rehabilitationand new development. Implementation of the project began in 1981. Ithas been funded by a combination of Community Development BlockGrants, tax-exempt revenue bonds and property tax increments. To date,2,556 residential units have been constructed with 26%of the units setaside for low- and moderate-income households, over 1 million square feetof commercial space has been constructed, including Rincon Center andGap Inc. headquarters office building, and the 700-berth South Beach

Harbor is fully occupied. Additional publicly oriented facilities includePacific Bell Park and Rincon Park at the foot of Folsom Street and theEmbarcadero. Completion of the Rincon Point-South Beach project isanticipated to occur by 2006. To date, there has been a privateinvestment of over $1 billion to the area.

HISTORY OF THE PROJECT

The Rincon Point-South Beach redevelopment project had its start withthe designation by the Board of Supervisors in 1977, of the NortheasternWaterfront Survey Area. Following the designation, a joint planning studywas undertaken by the Department of City Planning, the RedevelopmentAgency, and the Port of San Francisco with the assistance of theNortheastern Waterfront Advisory Committee (NEWAC). Based upon the

recommendations of the study, the City Planning Commission selected theRincon Point-South Beach Redevelopment Area and approved aPreliminary Redevelopment Plan in January 1980.

Working with the Rincon Point-South Beach Citizen Advisory Committee(CAC), the Redevelopment Agency prepared a Redevelopment Plan, acompanion document entitled Design for Development, and other requiredreports. The redevelopment program for this area was recommended bythe CAC, the Port Commission, the City Planning Commission, and theRedevelopment Agency Commission. It was approved by the Board of


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Supervisors and by the Mayor in January 1981.

KEY ELEMENTS

The major elements of the Project include:

1. Mixed-Income Housing

The development of 2,800 new units of housing units to meet the needs ofall income groups.

2. Historic Rehabilitation

The historic rehabilitation and commercial reuse of five buildings:

Rincon Annex Post Office, Oriental Warehouse, Cape HornWarehouse, Dunn Instruments Warehouse, and the Hooper's South End

Grain Warehouse.

3. Waterfront Parks

The provision of two waterfront parks: about 3+ acres betweenHoward and Harrison Streets and about 4+ acres between Pier 40 and

China Basin.

4. Boat Harbor and Pier 40

The development of a 700 berth marina, and the use of Pier 40 formarina-related commercial development and public access.

5. Corporate Headquarters Office Building

The development of a corporate headquarters office building onSteuart Street between Howard and Folsom Streets.

6. Ballpark at China Basin

The development of a 41,000 seat ballpark at China Basin for ballpark

and complementary uses.

7. Embarcadero Roadway and local streets

The reconstruction of the Embarcadero roadway into a boulevard,including the realignment in two places to allow for the developmentof the waterfront parks. Boulevard to include a new mass transit lineusing historic streetcars and light rail vehicles.

The reconstruction of certain streets, including street surfacing,sidewalks, landscaping and utilities servicing properties within theproject area.

COMPLETED HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL PROJECTS

Construction has been completed on approximately 1.2 million square feetof commercial space, 2,473 residential units, and a 41,000 seat Ballpark.In the aggregate, 25%of all the new residential units constructed arepresently for low and moderate-income households.

Bayside Plaza: Development completed in 1985 of a 90,000 square footoffice building located at the corner of Howard and Steuart Streets.

Owner/Developer: J-Dart Development/Johnson Wax Development


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Architect:

Engineering:

Contractor:

Tower Architects

Martin Middlebrook & Nishklan/Yannell &

Associates

William & Borrows, Inc.

Rincon Center: Development completed in 1989 of 532,000 square feet of

retail / office space and 320 residential units at this site bounded by

Mission, Howard, Spear, and Steuart Streets. 20%of the units arecurrently for low/moderate income households.

Owner /Developer:

Architect:

Contractor:

Perini Land & Development Company

Pereira Architects

Tutor /Saliba and Perini Company

Bayside Village: Development completed in 1989 of 868 residential unitsand 15,000 square feet of commercial space, which is located along theEmbarcadero at the corner of Brannan and Beale. 20%of the units arecurrently for low/moderate income households.

Owner / Developer:

Architect:

Engineering:

Contractor:

Forest City Dillon, Inc. & General Atlantic Corp.

Fisher Friedman Associates

G.F.D.S. Engineers

William & Burrows, Inc.

South Beach Marina Apartments: Development completed on this site,located at the corner of Townsend and Colin P. Kelly, Jr. Streets, in 1989of 414 residential units and 8,000 square feet of commercial space. 23%ofthe units are currently for low/moderate income households.

Owner /Developer:

Architects:

Engineering:

Contractor:

South Beach Marina Apartments, Ltd.

Fisher Friedman Assodates

Robinson, Meier Jully

Rudolphe & Sletten

Delancey Street Foundation: Development completed in 1990 at thissite, which is located along the Embarcadero between Delancey and BealeStreets, of 177 residential units and 65,000 square feet of commercialspace. All of the units are designated for approximately 450 low incomeDelancey Street Foundation residents.

Land Owner:

Lessee/ Developer:

Architect:

Contractor:

Port of San Francisco

Delancey Street Foundation

Backen, Arrigoni & Ross

Apersey Construction

Steamboat Point: Development completed in 1992 at this site, locatedalong the Embarcadero between King and Townsend Streets, of 108residential units and 1,500 square feet of commercial space. All units areset aside for low income households.

Land Owner:

Sub-Lessee/ Developer:

Architect:


BRIDGENon-profit Housing Corp.

Backen Arrigoni & Ross


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Contractor: Obayashi Construction Inc.

301 Bryant Street: Development was completed in October 1998 of 38loft-style residential units, including 7 affordable units at this site locatedat the corner of Bryant and Delancey Streets.

Land Owner:

Developer:Architect:

Contractor:

SFRAI 301 Bryant Street Homeowners Association

Rincon Point Development CompanyTanner Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

Oliver Construction

Cape Horn Warehouse: Development was completed in 1997 of 16 loft

type condominium residential units of this privately owned landmarkbuilding located at the corner of Delancey and Bryant.

Developer:

Architect:

Contractor:

Thompson Brooks

Pfau

Thompson Construction

Oriental Warehouse Project: Construction of the first phase of this 402unit housing project, the rehabilitation of the Oriental Warehouse, locatedat Delancey and Brannan Streets, into 66 condominium loft type units, wascompleted in February 1997. Construction of a nO-unit condominiumtower adjacent to the rehabilitated warehouse was completed in April2000, with phased construction over the next year for a total of threehigh-rise towers.

Land Owner:

Developer:

Architect:

Contractor:

SFRAI Reliance Oriental Warehouse Associates

Reliance Development Company

Fisher Friedman Associates

Cannon Constructors

One Embarcadero South: Development completed in April 2000 of 233condominium units and 7,000 square feet of neighborhood-servingcommercial space at this site at King and Second Streets.

Land Owner:

Developer:

Architect:

Contractor:

Lone Star Partners II, L.P.

One Embarcadero South Venture

Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates, Inc.

Neilson Dillingham

The Gap Headquarters: A development agreement was executed to builda 540,000 square foot headquarters office building for the Gap, located atthe corner of Folsom, Spear, and Steuart Streets, over looking SanFrancisco Bay. The Agency conveyed property to the Gap in September1998 and construction was completed in the first quarter of 2001.

Land Owner:

Developer:

Architect:

Contractor:

Gap, Inc.

Gap, Inc. I Wilson Meany Sullivan

Robert A. M. Stern

Swinerton & Walberg Co.

Giants Ballpark: The Board and Agency amended the Redevelopment Planfor the Rincon Point - South Beach Redevelopment Area in 1997 to expand


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the project area boundaries to incorporate certain Port parcels and topermit ballpark and complementary uses to be developed. Construction of

the 41,000 seat Pacific Bell Park was completed in April 2000.

Land Owner:

Sub-Lessee:

Project

Developer:Architect:

Contractor:


China Basin Ballpark Company LLC

Kajima Urban Development

HOK Sport

Huber, Hunt and Nichols/Kajima Construction

Services

HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT

Brannan Towers/(Oriental Warehouse Project Phases 2-4): Phasedconstruction of 336 condominium units in 3 high-rise towers, located onBrannan Street between Colin P. Kelly and Delancey Streets.

Tower I - Construction of 130 units completed in 2000.

Tower II - Construction of 103 units completed in 2001.

Tower III - Construction of 103 units completed in 2002.

Land Owner:

Developer:

Architect:

Contractor:

Reliance Development Company/The BrannanOwners Association

Reliance Development Company

Stavi Architects

Cannon Constructors

200 Brannan/One Federal Street "Brannan Square": This site at thecorner of Delancey, Brannan, and Federal Streets has been designated forhousing development. The Agency has an Owner Participation/Dispositionand Development Agreement with LNR-Lennar Brannan Street, LLC for the

site. The project include aggregation of private-owned parcels with theAgency owned parcel at One Federal Street for the development of 240 forsale units, including 51 affordable units, along with 1,300 square feet ofneighborhood-serving commercial. Construction began in mid- 2002 withanticipated completion in January 2004.

Land Owner:

Developer:

Architect:

SFRA/LNR-Lennar Brannan Street, LLC

LNR-Lennar Brannan Street, LLC

MBH Architects

Hooper's South End Grain Warehouse and Kelly Street Warehouse:The Agency has Owner Participation Agreements with the owners,Northshore Resources IV Limited Partnership, for rehabilitation of theHooper's South End Grain Warehouse and the Colin P. Kelly Warehouse forcommercial development of this site, which is located at the corner ofTownsend and Colin P. Kelly, Jr. Streets. The rehabilitation of theHooper's South End Grain Warehouse was completed in 2002, whichprovides for approximately 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail usesand 35,000 square feet of other commercial uses. The Colin P. KellyWarehouse will be rehabilitated to contain approximately 13,000 grosssquare feet of commercial uses.


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Land Owner:

Developer:

Architect:

Contractor:

Northshore Resources IV Limited Partnership

Northshore Resources IV Limited Partnership

Lerner + Associates Architects

Fine Line Construction

PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS /COMMUNITY FACILITIES

Infrastructure Improvements: Reconstruction of local streets,

underground utilities, landscaping, and public open spaces in the SouthBeach sub-area has been completed. Construction funding was providedthrough a Community Facilities District.

South Beach Marina: The 7oo-berth South Beach Marina has beencompleted and has been in operation under Agency management sinceNovember 1986 and is fully occupied. The project was financed through

$24 million in revenue bonds and an $8 million California Department ofBoating and Waterways loan.

Land Owner:

Developer:

Site Planning & LandscapeArchitect:

Architect:

Engineering:

Contractor:


San Francisco Redevelopment Agency

Robert laRocca

Hardison Komatsu, Ivelich & Tucker

Winzler & Kelly

Riedel International

South Beach Harbor Park and Harbor: South Beach Park is a 5-acre site,which will be developed into a park with flexible urban open space,parking for boaters, and landscaping. The 3-acre first phase of the parkbegan in March 1995, and was completed in November 1996. Theconstruction was financed primarily by a Community Facilities District.

Children's Play Area: The Play Area, which is a 3,000 square foot

play area oriented toward pre-school aged children, is located withinSouth Beach Park. Construction of the Play Area was completed inApril 2002.

South Beach Park and Harbor Improvement Project: Planning isalso underway to complete the public improvements associated withthe Park and Harbor including the completion of the waterfrontpromenade and public access upgrades, construction of a Harborsupport building, the addition of a new guest utility dock and dinghydock, disability access upgrades, as well as related Park and Harborimprovements. Construction is expected to commence in fall 2003with anticipated completion by early 2005.

Rincon Park: The 2-acre waterfront park, located on the Embarcaderobetween Howard and Harrison Streets, is on land leased from the Port ofSan Francisco and was developed by Gap Inc. in conjunction with theconstruction of its headquarters office building. The south end of the sitewill accommodate a restaurant to be built under the auspices of the Portof San Francisco. The Gap has provided $1 million for security of the parkduring the first 10 years of operation. Construction of Rincon Park wascompleted in February 2003.

Land Owner:

Sub-Lessee:


San Francisco Redevelopment Agency


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August 28, 1988

NATIONAL NOTEBOOK: San Francisco; A South Beach 'Urban Village'

By JULIA GILDEN

LEAD: TWO national developers are building an 863-unit, mixed-income, rental apartment complex herein a rundown waterfront district of decaying warehouses. The site is in one of the last developable areasin a city with a vacancy rate of 2 percent or under.

TWO national developers are building an 863-unit, mixed-income, rental apartment complex here in arundown waterfront district of decaying warehouses. The site is in one of the last developable areas in acity with a vacancy rate of 2 percent or under.

The companies, General Atlantic Development Corporation of New York and Forest City of Cleveland,specialize in urban development and management.

Built on eight acres, Bayside Village is a wood-framed, stucco-finished low-rise complex of studios andone- and two-bedroom apartments in the South Beach section of the waterfront district.

The project, which the developers call an "urban village," will have restaurants, a dry cleaner, agrocery-delicatessen and recreational facilities.

The complex is part of the local Redevelopment Agency's master plan to rebuild Rincon Point, whichincludes South Beach. When its planned projects are complete in 1994, there will be 2,500 apartmentsand 1 million square feet of commercial space in five restored historic buildings at a cost of $550 millionin private investment.

The total cost of Bayside Village is $100 million, $80 million of which was financed by tax-exempt

bonds issued through the Redevelopment Agency. The remaining $20 million is a joint equity investmentin equal shares by the two developers.

The Bayside apartments rent for $650 to $850 for studios, $795 to $1,095 for one-bedrooms and $1,100to $1,500 for two-bedrooms. These rents are considered on the high end of middle-income affordability.

As a condition of participation in the Federal bond program, 20 percent of the units must be rented atbelow-market rates, and occupants must have incomes of $20,000 to $27,000. These units rent for $595for studios, $657 for one-bedrooms and $760 for two-bedrooms. A total of 200 units of 282 completedin the 863-unit project so far have been rented.

All units are single-level, with floor-to-ceiling bay windows and some have protruding greenhousewindows.

Baths are tiled in ceramic, and kitchens include European-style plastic-laminate cabinetry and microwaveovens. Carpets, track lighting and blinds are also standard features.

The architects, Fischer Friedman Associates of San Francisco, have set aside four of the eight acres aswalkways and parkland in the complex, which is enclosed by buildings and security fences. Entry toapartments and the three pools, clubrooms and underground parking is by magnetic cards issued toresidents.


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:

AT&T ParkCoordinates: 3746' 42. 14" N, 12223' 22.88" W

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AT&T Park (formerly SBe Park and Pacific Bell Park) is an

open-air baseball stadium, home to the San Francisco Giants of

the National League. The park is located at 24 Willie MaysPlaza, at the corner of 3rd Street and King Street in the South

Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California.

The stadium was officially renamed AT&T Park on March 1,

2006, just two years after it adopted the SBC Park name. SBC

Communications, the flagship sponsor of the park, rebranded

itself as AT&T Inc. when it merged with AT&T Corp. in late

2005. This marks the second renaming for the park since its

opening in 2000.

AT&T Park

Pac Bell Park, SBC Park

Facility statistics

Location 24 Willie Mays Plaza

San Francisco, California

94107

Contents

1 History.2 Features.3 See also 4 External links

Broke ground

Opened

Owner

Surface

Construction

cost

Architect

December II, 1997

March 3 I, 2000

China Basin Ballpark Corp.

(San Francisco Giants

subsidiary)

Grass

$357 million

HOK Sport

Former names

History

The 2007

All-Star Game

will be held in

San Francisco.

Groundbreaking on the ballpark began on

December 11, 1997 in the industrial

waterfront area of San Francisco known as

China Basin. The stadium cost $319 million

to build and supplanted the Giants' former

home, Candlestick Park, a multi-use

stadium in southern San Francisco. Fans

had shivered through 40 seasons at "The

Stick." In contrast, this new ballpark was

built in a sheltered and relatively warm area

of the city's topography.

Pacific Bell Park (2000-2003)

SBC Park (2004-2006)

Tenants

San Francisco Giants (MLB) (2000-present)

San Francisco Demons (XFL) (200 I)

Seating capacity

41 ,503 (2000)

Dimensions

Left Field - 339 ft (103 m)

Left-Center - 382 ft (I 16 m)

Left-Center (deep) - 404 ft (123 m)

Center Field - 399 ft (122 m)

Right-Center (deep) - 421 ft (128 m)

Right-Center - 365 ft (III m)

Right Field - 309 ft (94 m)

When it opened on March 31, 2000, the ballpark was the first

Major League Baseball stadium built in the U.S. without public funds since the completion of Dodger

Stadium in 1962 (though the Giants did receive a $10 million tax abatement from the city, which also paid

for upgrades to the local infrastructure, including a connection to the Muni Metro). The park opened with a

seating capacity of 40,800, but this has increased over time as seats have been added. The opening series

took place between April 11, 2000 and April 13, 2000 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where the Giants

were swept in 3 games.


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In just its first few years of existence, the ballpark has seen its share of historic events primarily due to

veteran Giants outfielder Barry Bonds. On April 17, 2001, Bonds hit his 500th career home run at then

Pacific Bell Park. Later that year, he set the single season home run record when he hit home runs number

71, 72, and 73 over the weekend of October 5th to close the season. On August 9, 2002, Bonds hit his 600th

career home run at the park. On April 12,2004, Bonds hit career home run 660 at SBC Park to tie Willie

Mays on the all-time list and on the next night, he hit number 661 to move into sole possession of third

place. On September 17, 2004, Bonds hit his 700th career home run at the park to become just the third

member of baseball's 700 club. On May 28, 2006 Bonds hit his 715th homerun at the park to pass Babe

Ruth for second place on the all-time homerun list. The stadium has also hosted the 2002 World Series

against the Anaheim Angels, which the Giants lost 4 games to 3, and will host the 2007 MLB All-Star Game.

On the facing of the upper deck near left field are the retired numbers (or "NY" designation for players of

the pre-number era) of Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell, Willie Mays,

Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Jackie Robinson, Willie McCovey, and Gaylord Perry.

Pacific Bell, a local telephone company in the San Francisco Bay Area, purchased the

naming rights for the park for $50 million over 24 years when the park opened.

Pacific Bell's parent SBC Communications eventually dropped the Pacific Bell name

and reached an agreement with the Giants to change the park's name on January I,

2004. The name change upset some fans, leaving them in the awkward position of

desiring the park's former corporate name.

San Francisco vs.

Philadelphia (August 23,

2005)

An artist's conception

of the new signage.

J. l.,

Barry Bonds passes

Harmon IGllebrew

for 7th on all-time

homerun list (April

13, 2002)

After SBC merged with AT&T on

November 18, 2005, the name of

the merged company became

AT&T, Inc. As a result, the

stadium was given its third name in six years: "AT&T

Park." Many fans still refer to the stadium as "Pac Bell

Park", due to Pacific Bell's San Francisco roots and

tendency to have corporate named stadiums, especially

ones with as many name changes as AT&T Park. Others

have named the stadium "Telephone Park" due to theconstant name changes since its opening.

A grass-roots fan campaign (http://www.maysfield.org/) is promoting the alternative name "Mays Field" to

honor the former Giants' star Willie Mays.

Giants Enterprises, a wholly owned subsidiary of the San Francisco Giants created and headed by longtime

team executive and marketing legend Pat Gallagher, brings non-baseball events to the stadium on days when

the Giants do not play. The stadium was home to the XFL San Francisco Demons in 2001, was the home of

the Shrine Bowl (until 2006) and is the current home of college football's Emerald Bowl (since 2002).

Numerous concerts are also held at the park.

FeaturesThe stadium contains 68 luxury suites, 5,200 club seats on the club level and an additional 1,500 club seats

at the field level behind home plate.
http://www.maysfield.org/http://www.maysfield.org/


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Splash Hits sign

on right field

wall

McCovey Cove

(2002)

. .

The most prominent feature of the ballpark is the right field wall, which is 24 feet (7 m)

high in honor of former Giant Willie Mays who wore number 24. Because of the

proximity to San Francisco Bay, it is only 309 feet (94 m) to the right field foul pole.

The fence angles quickly away from home plate; right-center field extends out to 421

feet (128 m) from home plate. Atop the fence are four pillars with fountains atop. These

four pillars will burst jets of water when a Giant hits a home run. To some old-timers, the

right field area vaguely suggests the layout at the Polo Grounds. This deep comer of the

ballpark has been dubbed "death valley," "triples alley," and most recently, "Finley's

Alley" after center fielder Steve Finley. Like its Polo Grounds counterpart, it is very

difficult to hit a home run to this area, and a batted ball that finds its way into this comer often results in a

triple.

Beyond right field is a section of the bay, dubbed McCovey Cove after famed Giants first

baseman Willie McCovey, into which a number of home runs have been hit on the fly. As

of September 18,2005,40 "Splash Hits" [11

(http://sanfrancisco. giants. mlb.com/N ASA pp/ml b/sf/ball park/splashhi ts.j sp) have been

knocked into the Bay by Giants players since the park opened; 32 of those were by Barry

Bonds. Opponents had hit the Cove on the fly 12 times; Luis Gonzalez of the Arizona

Diamondbacks and Cliff Aoyd of the New York Mets are the only visiting players to do

so twice. On game days, fans take to the water of McCovey Cove in boats and even in

kayaks, often with fishing nets in the hope of collecting a home-run ball (this echoes what

used to happen during McCovey's playing days. Before Candlestick Park's upper deck

was extended, the area behind right field was occupied by three small bleacher sections

and a lot of open space. Kids in those bleachers would gather behind the right field fence when "Stretch"

would come to the plate). Just beyond the wall is a public waterfront promenade, where fans can watch three

innings of a game through the wall's archways, free of charge, albeit with a somewhat obstructed view.

Across the cove from the ballpark is McCovey Point and China Basin Park, featuring monuments to past

Giants legends.

Close up of the

old fashioned

glove al AT&T

Park.

The ballpark also features an 80 foot (24 m) Coca-Cola bottle with playground slides

that will blow bubbles and light up with every Giants home run and miniature version of

the stadium behind the left field bleachers. Next to the Coke bottle is a giant baseball

mitt, a replica of a vintage 1927 glove. Right-center field features a small cable car, with

a label that states "No Dodgers Fans Allowed", and a fog horn - a feature transferred

from Candlestick Park - that blows when a Giants player hits a home run.

In addition to automated scoreboards, the park also has enormous, manually operated

boards in right-center field, which display the scores of MLB games played elsewhere.

These manual scoreboards are operated by three employees, whose work on gamedays

starts at least two hours prior to the first pitch.

Outside the ballpark are three statues dedicated to San Francisco Giants all-time greats. The Willie Mays

Statue is located in front of the ballpark entrance at Willie Mays Plaza and is surrounded with 24 palm trees,

in honor of his jersey #24, retired by the Giants. Another statue is located at McCovey Point across McCovey

Cove, and is dedicated to Willie McCovey. A third statue, dedicated in 2005, honors former Giants pitcher

Juan Marichal, and is located outside the ballpark at its Lefty O'Doul gate entrance.


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Starting in 2004, the Giants installed one hundred and twenty-one 802.11 b wireless

internet access points, covering all concourses and seating areas, creating one of the

largest public "hotspots" in the world. The stadium could thus be said to be one of the

largest "Internet Cafes."

See also

49-Mile Scenic Drive

External links

Willie Mays

Statue in front of

AT&T Park

(2002)

Ballpark Digest Visit to AT&T Park(http://www.ballparkdigest.comlvisits/pacbell.htm )

WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia(http://www .wikimapia.org/maps ?1I=37.7788,-122. 3898&spn=0.OO5 ,0.007 &t=h)

Close-up color aerial from TerraServer-USA(http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx ?t=4&s= 10&lon=-122.3898&lat=37. 7788&w= 1)or Google Local(http://maps.google.com/maps?II=37 .7788,-122.3898&spn=0.005 ,0.007 &t=k)

Surrounding area map from the United States Census Bureau(http://ti ger .census. gov /cgi -bi n/mapgen ?lat=37. 7788&1 on=-122.3898& wid=.25&ht=.25&i ht=400&i" AT&T Park (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.comlNASApp/mlb/sf/ballpark/sCballpark_history .jsp) AT&T Park splash hits

(http://sanfranci sco.giants.ml b.comlNASA pp/ml b/sf /ball park/sCball park_splashhi ts.j sp) Recent USGS aerial showing ballpark

(http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=4&S=II&Z= IO&X= 1384&Y = 10452& W= 1&qs=%7csan PET A's 2005 Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks (http://www.goveg.comlfeat/ballpark/l.asp) Momo's Restaurant across from AT&T park (http://businessimagegroup.com/Momos.html)

Preceded by:

Candlestick Park/3Com Park

1960-1999

Home of the

San Francisco Giants

2000-present

Followed by:

Current

Current ballparks in

National League

AT&T Park I Busch Stadium I Chase Field I Citizens Bank Park ICoorsField I Dodger Stadium I Dolphin Stadium I Great American Ball Park I

Miller Park I Minute Maid Park I PErCO Park I PNC Park I RFKMemorial Stadium I Shea Stadium I Turner Field I Wrigley Field

Major League Baseball

American LeagueAmeriquest Field I Angel Stadium of Anaheim I Comerica Park IFenway Park I Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome IJacobs Field I

Kauffman Stadium I McAfee Coliseum I Oriole Park at Camden Yards IRogers Centre I Safeco Field I Tropicana Field I U.S. Cellular Field I

Yankee Stadium

Retrieved from ''http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT%26T_Park''

Categories: 2000 establishments I College football venues I Major League Baseball venues I Sports in SanFrancisco I Sports venues in California I Tourism in California I NCAA Bowl Game Venues I MLB All-Star

Game venues

This page was last modified 00:55, I August 2006. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)

Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
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8

[ P R I N T ] ESPN.com: Page 2

Monday, July 21, 2003Updated: August 15, 2:34 PMET

Time stands still at Fenway

By Jeff MerronPage 2 columnist

Editor's Note: This is the ninth report card in Pa~e 2's summer/oug series rating all 30 ballparks in Major League Baseball.

BOSTON -- "I love Fenway," wrote Red Sox fan Stephen King. "I love it in spite of the things about itthat I hate."

My feelings are pretty much the same. In the late 19708, I attended myfirst games at Fenway. I'd go with my future brother-in-law, whoattended nearby Northeastern University, and we'd just head to the parkon game day and stand in line and buy bleacher tickets for a buck or

two.

It was good fun -- plenty of beer, fine baseball and a small sense thathistory happened here.

But in the years since, everything about Fenway has changed by,paradoxically, remaining pretty much the same. By just standing still,Fenway Park has become a national treasure.

You're in a living, breathing time capsule. For three hours, you share theair with 34,000 real people and tens of millions of friendly ghosts whowere once in the same exact spot They watched Babe Ruth pitch, or TedWilliams hit, or Yaz play the Green Monster like a pinball wizard, or

Carlton Fisk slam his 12th inning homer to win the sixth game of the1975 World Series.

Or they saw Tony Conigliaro. Rico Petrocelli. Walt Dropo. Oil CanBoyd. Names -- names -- that just ooze Red Sox red.

I'll resist getting all weepy. But if they could put Fenway in a pill, thefolks who make Prozac would be out of business.

The ratings:

REPORT CARD

Fenway ParkCapacity: 33,993 (night);

33,577 (day)

Opened: April 20, 1912Surface: Grass

Our Ratings:Seat comfort: 0Hotdogs: 5Concessions: 1Signature food: 5Beer: 2.5Bathrooms: 2.5Scoreboard: 5P.A. system: 5Fun stuff: 5Souvenirs: 3.5

Tickets: 3Exterior: 5Interior: 4Access: 4Ushers: 5Trading up: 2Fan knowledge: 57th inning stretch: 4Local scene: 5Wild card: 10

Total: 81.5

1.Seat comfort: Fenway's seats give real meaning to the cliche "sittight" I've seen some people explain that the tiny, cramped seats are a historical artifact -- the gist being

that the average fan in 1912 was much smaller than today's average Joe. I don't buy it,. I'm the size of anaverage male, circa 1912, but by the end of the game I'd been squeezed so much for so long that I'd losttwo inches around the waist, and gained two inches in height

My right field grandstand seat directly faced the outfield and the Monster. For the first four innings(until the sun went down), we all did the Fenway Salute: right hand angled low over furrowed brow,paying grand honor to the visitor's dugout Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca must have thought we weretaking the term "field general" literally, and paying the ultimate honor by saluting the enemy.


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, I

Even with the effort of a steady 70-degree neck turn and thesalute, my view of the entire infield was blocked for mostof the first four innings, just by the fans sitting in front ofme, vendors and people walking the aisles. And there was,of course, a Monster Green pesky pole, necessary tosupport the awning above, but hiding from view at leastone infielder at any given moment.

I later learned my section was among the worst in thehouse. The bleachers cost less and afford a much betterview. But the actual seats are awful everywhere. Points: 0

2. Quality of hot dogs: Fenway Franks. You can't do anybetter. 5 Jeff Merron found out that The Green

Monster is larger than life at Fenway.

3. Quality/selection of other concession-stand fare: Remember the Fenway scene from "Field ofDreams"? Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) and Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) are walking and talkingafter they enter the ballpark. They stop. It's an intense moment. There's a concession stand in thebackground.

Ray: "So what do you want?"

Terence: "I want them to stop looking to me for answers, begging me to speak again, write again, be aleader. I want them to start thinking for themselves. I want my privacy!"

Ray (gesturing toward the concession stand): "No, I mean, what do you want?"

Terence: "Oh. Dog and a beer."

That's realism. There just aren't that many other choices. 1

4. Signature concession item: They stick with what they know: theFrank. 5

5. Beer: Bud Light on tap. Amstel Light in cans. Sam Adams at one ortwo stands. $4.95 for the Bud and Amstel, $6.25 for Sam. Long lines,but slightly lower prices than most parks. 2.5

FENWAY PARK BUDGET

Here's what Page 2's Jeff

Merron spent during his dayat Fenway Park.:

Ticket: $33 ($27 face value,$6 Ticketmaster charge)

Papa Gino's Pizza: $5

6. Bathrooms: Based on rumor and hearsay, I was ready to don a Level4 biohazard suit before entering the men's room. But under the Parking: $0bleachers, at least, the 100 was passable.

A longtime Red Sox fan told me recently that the only thing she doesn'tlike about Fenway is that she can't drink beer during the game, becauseshe will not enter a woman's room there.

Poland Springs Water, 24oz. "sport" bottle: $4.25

"Cool Dog" ice cream

But at the game a gracious young woman hawking Red Sox "affinity" thingee: $4.75credit cards offered a second opinion of the ladies' rooms. "They'reTwo 'T' tokens: $2

clean," she said. "They're pretty good. Especially here under the outfieldseats, where they have newer fixtures. The closer you get to home plate, Total: $49though, the worse they get. And they get pretty bad." Lines were also ofvarying length, from long behind home plate to nonexistent under the bleachers. 2.5

7. Scoreboard: The old manually operated board does the job in classic fashion. At one point, the bigvideo scoreboard showed Nomar, live, coming up swinging a bright green bat. Then, for a while at


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, I

least, everything had a greenish tint

Another scoreboard provides pitcher info (ERA, pitch count, strikes, strike percentage), and batter info,including timely situational stats which offer plenty of fodder for in-game chatter. 5

8. Quality of public address system: I've never heard a more beautiful rendition of the NationalAnthem. Opera singer and teacher Todd Angilly sang it on the night I attended, and it soundedmiraculous. Note to MLB: Book Mr. Angilly for the World Series.

When the PA system rocked, it faltered a bit, but all spoken info was crystal. 5

9. Fun stutTto do besides the game: Between-innings scoreboard entertainment was excellent, withhigWight films (the All-Smr Game, a tribute to Ted Williams, bloopers) providing a terrific way to passsome time. But New Englanders don't go in for much nonsense, so I people-watched and soaked it allin. To me, that's a heckuva lot more fun that watching three Cheetos in a fake scoreboard race. 5

10. Price/selection of baseball souvenirs: Seems that MLB licensed"collectibles" have taken over the business inside every stadium -- go tothree ballparks, and you've seen it all. And sports souvenir prices maybe the only thing keeping deflation at bay.

That said, I didn't have enough time to really look for one at the ballpark,but I really covet a Red Sox bullpen car. 3.5

11. Ticket price/availability: About 10days before the July 17 game Iattended, I logged on to the Red Sox Web site to check out what wasavailable. Early in the morning, I could have scored a pair of mid-levelbleacher seats for $20 each. By noon, the bleachers were sold out,although you could get a pair of ducats in a couple of other spots. By 4p.m., only singles were available, in the far section of the right-fieldgrandstand.

I grabbed one. It was an expensive mistake; I should have waited and

paid a scalper an outrageously high sum for a good seat. That way Iwould have actually seen the game. 3

JfJ'F

Life's is a party on YawkeyWay outside Fenway Park.

12. Exterior architecture: It doesn't get any better. The Green Monster looms large as you approachthe park. Take time to circumnavigate the stadium and savor the real old brick exterior, chipped andaged and all. Look at all those old metal vents and grates installed, back in the 19108,by some companythat's probably gone the way of the horse and buggy. The main entrance to the stadium, on YawkeyWay, is a sight to behold, with "FENW AY PARK" etched in red stone above the colorful bannerscelebrating Beantown's salad days a century or so ago. 5

13. Interior architecture: If you haven't been there, you've seen it on TV: the playing field, the GreenMonster, the seats, even the poles that hold the whole thing up -- classically beautiful. For fans, though,the interior is a practical nightmare. Picture Kate Moss and Tyra Banks trying to walk past each other.They couldn't do it in a Fenway aisle without stripping down and greasing up.

There's plenty of new space in a big concourse under the bleachers, though, with picnic tablessurrounded by concession stands. Nice addition, but it would help if they'd scatter a few TV monitorsaround out there. 4

14. Access: I took the "T" from my hotel near State Street, and even in a packed subway car, I was gladnot to be driving. Finding anything in Boston's street maze isn't easy, even if you know the city. And thepark could be renamed, as Dan Shaughnessy once wrote, "Fenway No-Park." But if you're smart and


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t I

use public transport, it's easy as pie, cheap, and you get to know Boston natives up close and personal.

The streets circling Fenway are closed off to most traffic before and after the game. The big crowd got abit backed up in some narrow gateways on the way in, and on the way out Yawkey Way came to astandstill, even though fans were heading one way on a wide street The crowd buzzed about a brawlsomewhere among the masses ahead, and after that broke up, the jam eased. 4

THE GRADESGrades for ballpark we've visited

so far on our summer tour:

Pac Bell (Giants): 93Camden Yards (Orioles): 92

Edison Field (Angels): 84

Kauffman Stadium (Royals): 84

Wrigley Field (Cubs): 84

Dodger Stadium (Dodgers): 82.5

Comerica Park (Tigers): 82Fenway Park (Red Sox): 81.5

Safeco Field (Mariners): 81.5

Jacobs Field (Indians): 81

Turner Field (Braves): 81Pro Player Stadium (Marlins): 78U.S. Cellular Field (White Sox):

74

Yankee Stadium (Yankees): 73.5

Bank One Ballpark (D-Backs): 72SkyDome (Blue Jays): 67

Qualcomm Stadium (Padres): 58

Tropicana Field (Devil Rays): 56

Veterans Stadium (Phillies): 53.5

Olympic Stadium (Expos): 49

19. Pre-and-postgame bar-and-restaurant scene: Yawkey Wayis a street fair before the game, with sausage vendors, souvenirshops, and lots of boisterous Red Sox rooters. Don't miss the theUpper Deck store on Yawkey Way, which features a tremendous

selection of real Red Sox memorabilia -- baseball cards, old photos Complete rankings by categoryand posters, yearbooks and programs from years past. The same

store also carried a $45 life-size cardboard standup of ... Derek Jeter. I can only imagine what Sox fanswho buy that item do with it.

17. Knowledge of local fans: Suffering leads to insight. 5

18. Seventh-inning stretch: The Park became eerily quiet after

people rose in the middle of the seventh. As the stretch neared theend, I made out the faintest murmurs of "Take me out ..." I don'tknow if it was the acoustics (I was standing behind home platenear a concession stand at the time), or the fact that the Blue Jayswere shutting the Sox down. I suspect the latter. Which is kind ofcool. 4

16. Trading-up factor: There is none -- the game was sold outand nobody leaves until it's over. There's no free space to stand formore than a few minutes to get another view of the game. But youcan't blame the ballpark for attracting hordes of dedicated faithful.And you can give it some credit for putting most seats very close tothe action in the first place. 2

15. Ushers: Nice, helpful and, it appeared, as happy as the fans tojust be inside the old ballpark. 5

Surrounding the park, Boston Beer Works, Cask 'n Ragon, and other bars and restaurants do boffopostgame business. 5

20. Wild-card: The field (85 percent Kentucky bluegrass, 15 percent perennial ryegrass) is like acanvas cut for Picasso, maintained by turf maestro David Mellor. The fans are polite and friendly andfull of good, useful info (as in, what happened when that guy blocked my view?). The skinny: There'ssomething in the air. Fenway lifts you up and holds you in baseball heaven long after you've left thepark. 10

TOTAL SCORE FOR FENWA Y PARK: 81.5

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a[ P R I N T ] ESPN.com: Page 2

Monday, July 7, 2003Updated: August 15, 2:28 PMET

Always a good day at Pac BellBy Eric NeelPage 2 column,st

Editor's Note: This is the third report card in Page 2's s/lfnmerlong series rating all 30 ballparks in Major League Baseball.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Once upon a time, the San Francisco Giants played baseball in Candlestick Park,a stadium only Jack London could love. It was cold, windy and remote. Fans were bundled and bitter,hovering over their last sorry, soaked matches, desperate for a spark of heat and light. Whole familiesroutinely perished crossing the trail from their seats to the concession stands and back.

These days, the Giants play in Pacific Bell Park, a stadium everyone

loves. Folks walk around the place with dopey grins on their faces, likethey can't believe their good luck, like they know every minute theyspend here is a lifetime they don't have to spend in the barrenCandlestick wilderness. You look at them and you think at any minutethey might just raise up their collective voices and shout out a few barsof "Zippidy-Doo-Dah. "

Anything would have been better than the Stick, but Pac Bell is a gem.It's easy on the eyes, easy to get to, and easy to feel at home in. It fits theneighborhood, sports some funky angles and clear sight lines, andoffers up some fine grub.

My brother-in-law Roger and I strolled through the blissed-out masses

last week on one of those days -- clear sky, 72 degrees, and a lightbreeze coming off the bay -- when baseball ain't a game but a poem.

We saw the Giants and A's do the Battle of the Bay thing, saw EricByrnes hit for the cycle, saw one guy in the seats behind first base catchtwo foul balls, saw a 3-year-old named Mason poke a whiffle ball overthe left-field fence in the miniature ballpark out behind the bleachers, andsaw the whole thing unfold against a backdrop of sailboats cuttingthrough the bright blue water of San Francisco Bay.

It was, as Ice Cube likes to say, "a good day."

So I'm going to break down the experience in categories for you now;

but really, I got nothing to say beyond this: Go. Now. You'll be gladyou did. Not as glad as the Candlestick survivors maybe, but real glad.

REPORT CARD

Pacific Bell ParkCapacity: 40,800Opened: April 11, 2000Surface: Grass

Our Ratings:Seat comfort: 5Hotdogs: 5Concessions: 4Signature food: 5

Beer: 3.5Bathrooms: 4Scoreboard: 4.5P.A. system: 5

Fun stuff: 5Souvenirs: 5Tickets: 3.5Exterior: 5Interior: 5Access: 5Ushers: 5Trading up: 3.5Fan knowledge: 47th inning stretch: 3Local scene: 5Wild card: 8

Total: 93

The ratings:

1. Seat comfort: Easy on my 6-foot-2 frame and forgiving of my bony backside. Cup holders? Yes.Bun warmers? No. Bonus points for clean, though. And super-bonus points for concave bleachers inthe cheap seats. Points: 5


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2. Quality of hot dogs: It's hard to order something called the "SuperBeer' with a straight face -- "Excuse me, ma'am, I'll have the 'SuperBeef,' please" -- but it isn't hard to eat it. Good stuff, Maynard. Big,bready sesame seed buns are good too. (Polish sausage also available.)5

3. Quality/selection of other concession-stand fare: Folks make the

trek from all over the park to Orlando Cepeda's food stand out behindthe center-field bleachers for the "Cha-Cha" bowl -- a beans, rice,chicken and pineapple salsa thing. Fresh lemonade is a good call longabout the sixth inning, and the fried calamari is a good call any time. (Soare the Krispy Kreme donuts!) Demerits, though, for a rather tragicice-cream-on-a-stick experience I had in the eighth in which I bit into aBen and Jerry's Peace Pop and had a river of Heath Bar Crunch comegushing out. There were tears, there were curses, there were stickyhands in the mid-day sun. 4

4. Signature concession item: If the annual Gilroy Garlic Queen Eric Neel, meet Willie Mays.competition in beautiful downtown Gilroy, Calif., is the NO.1 garlic-related experience in NorthAmerica, the garlic fries at Pac Bell are a close second. 5

PAC BELLBUDGET

Parking: $0

Here's what Page 2's EricNeel spent during his day atPac Bell Parle

Garlic Fries: $5.50

Ticket: $30

Anchor Steam: $7.25

Super Beef hot dog: $4.50n

1-S00-555-TELL

5. Beer: I'm a good spor I /;2 .I e ballpark. But $7 for a CoorsLight? I don't care if I do tU1JitL. ~ r;1tLf /;1 fir o 'llfJ{)1ce) t's obscene. 3.5

6. Bathrooms: Spacious 4 1 1 I I< . ~ /f : ' ~ ~communal washbasins. ) . b , . . w . . ( ~ D/l I~ j ,. .J , tthen a weird thing happe >.lines out the door ... at th - D d 2 f S

_ 1\J _ r((}.../jtV'tce-f!- eier7.Scoreboard:Lights~ IV~' ~

shore, an old-time analog _ (Jilt-lit)\. . O - C , u , 1 > . ~ "IA. ~\ slugging percentage, wal _ vl~ r-neo-retro hand-turned ou " elf)(1\. c . t tJ e ~ ~

wall, and supplemental s.balls and strikes -- that's; -r:eI Ifre.every other square inch c .,4.5

8. Quality of public adaress system:Kenel Brooks-Moon, wno lastyear became the first woman to announce a World Series game, handles Lemonade: $4.00the p.a. duties with enthusiasm and aplomb. She's fresh. So's the littleleaguer they pulled out of the crowd to announce the third inning the day Peace Pop: $4.00I was there. And the tunes are great -- no Weekly Top 40, no Smokin' .Oldies, just an unpredictable mix of salsa, big band, jump blues, Frank, Total. $55.25

Prince and the Chili Peppers. Game had a good beat and I could dance to it. I gave it a 98. Which means... 5

9. Fun stuff to do besides the game: Fun stuff to do besides the game. You mean besides lolling forhours on an inner tube and trailing your fingers in the cool waters of McCovey Cove? You mean otherthan watching white caps dance on the bay? You mean instead of catching up with old friends on thebreezy, wide concourse above the right-field wall, with a beer in your hand and a song in your heart?All right, beyond all that there's a speed pitch (which is always a great place to hear conversations like,"Dude, I was up there -- I was hitting 84, 85" and "No, man, that was a 6 ... 64, not 84") and theaforementioned miniature Pac Bell for the little ones. And you know that big Coke bottle you see onTV? It's full of slides -- short winding ones and long, steep ones. Lines are long but the grins are wide.


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5

10. Price/selection of baseball souvenirs: I had a lot ofnotes on this section, but they all became irrelevant in thelight of the following two items: Giants souvenir thong,$10~Ladies Giants insignia satin pajamas, 30 percent off. 5

11. Ticket price/availability: The Bell sells out routinely,which means you can do the SRO thing for $10 ... if youget to the park at least four hours before game time, stand ina line with a bracelet on your wrist and get your numbercalled. You can also do the broker thing, try the auctions onthe Giants' Web site, the EBay thing, or troll for tickets onCraig's List (We1:rbased classifieds). Or, if you roll intotown an hour or two before game time, as I did, you do the

scalping thing. For $30, Eric got a poet's view ofMcCovey Cove (and saw a ballgame to

It isn't easy to score a scalped seat here. The park is located boot).on a small bit of land along the San Francisco Embarcadero -- the park is pretty much all that's there (noneglected outposts, no hidden comers or shadowy nooks and crannies) and the Giants and the city are

serious about discouraging a ticket-based market economy. There are signs all around the park sayingscalping is punishable under California Penal Code Sec. 346 (which I think gets you three years hardtime with Paul Crew's crew) and the fuzz patrol the place like they don't know that the Krispy Kremesare actual Iy available inside the park.

Brother Roger and I were patient, though, and Ocean's-Eleven smooth, of course -- secret phrases,disguises, timing moves, and so on -- and with about an hour to go until game time, we found a manwith View Level seats and an itch to move 'em.

SOUNDS OF THE PARKHe asked for $80 for a pair, we offered $50, he asked for $70, we stalled,and he said, "O.K., $50." We paid him with three twenties and he wentdigging through his pockets for our ten back, and just then the scene started ~to get hectic. Sellers muttering and turning, buyers sweating and spinning,

and the boys in blue closing in from all sides. It was like the end of"Midnight Run." Chaos, danger and adrenaline running wild. Rog and I gotthe hell out of Dodge, whispering "Serrano's got the discs! Serrrano's gotthe discs!"

What's better than JonMiller calling another of < I~Barry Bonds' home runson the Giants radionetwork.

12. Exterior architecture: Red bricks and green steel in keeping with thewarehouse-industrial vibe of the area Plus (is this architecture? I don't care -- call it art), a slammin',swingin' statue of Willie the Mays in amongst the palm trees outside the entry plaza, where eager young

goofs like me can stand all tall and happy-to-be-here, and cool, casual vets like the guy behind me cansoak up the sun and prep their scorebooks in the shadow of greatness. 5

So we ended up with two view level box seats for 60 bones, which is fivebucks per ticket above face. We were up high along the third-base line, witha great view of the field and a spectacular, write-poems-about-it view of thewater. 3.5 (for thrill value and aesthetics)


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rMake this my default Yaho locationSearch

< Back to SBC Park (Formerly Pacific Bell Park)

User Reviews for SBe Park (Formerly Pacific Bell Park)

' l !Average Rating: (11)

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Best Ballpark in the US

Rate t:

1- 8 of 8

August 09, 2004

Overall: *****

Best park In the bigs!

Overall: *****

SBe park is a great place to take the family for a ballgame. There is so much to do there in addition to

watching great baseball. There isn't a bad seat in the house. The views of the bay are amazing from the

upper dcck. The slides and miniture ball park in center field are vcry kid fricndly. Bring warm clothes.

1 of 1 found this review helpful

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August 06, 2004

Pros. the garlic fries

Cons: ticket prices

Barry, Barry, Barry! This is the greatest ball park in the L'S.

1 of 1 found this review helpful.Was this review helpful to you? ~ -!:!2 Report Abuse

Beautiful City Beautiful ParkSee 99 snaps' reviews

December OS,2005

Overall: ***** It doesn't get more beautiful than San Francisco, and an afternoon at SBC Park (especially if you cancatch it on a nice day) is positively outstanding. I don't e\'en like baseball, but something about the

excitement, the f:ms, the exquisite design of the stadium, Barry, and, yes, the killer view, is unbeatable.

Was this review helpful to you? ~ -!:!2 Report Abuse

Take MEout to the ballgame!

aDot See aDot's rev iews

September 25, 2005

Overall: ***** This park is fantastic!I visited my first Giants game a few months ago at the new SBe Park.

It was very easy to reach using BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), it drops you off basically right at the front

gate! Oh, and ...

Full ReView ~


36/42

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Great Ballpark

Kavita Mehta (aka: kavita mehta) See Kavita Mehta (aka: kavita mehta)'s reviews

August 29, 2005

Overall:

****I'm not a huge baseball fan but when the weather is nice (which is rare), going to see a game at sse park is

awesome. The food is good, the view amazing and the myriad of activities unbeatable. And, with itsproximity to the train line, it's easy to gctthcre and get back.


Still the best ballpark

Michael See Michael's reviews

August 16, 2005

Overall: *****

great

sse is now what, 4 years old? [ know that's just a toddler for the old parks, but it's clear that sse was builtto stay, unlike say Candlestick. The weather is better than the stick, the food is good, the beer is expensive

but the lines ...

Full ReView ~

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June01, 2005

See darknfern012's reviews

Overall: *****

The Best In Baseball

Overall: *****

sse is a great ball park to watch your favorite team the SF Giants. It has a beautiful view of the Bay, all theseats ha"e a great \'eiw of the game. [fyou have a chance to go to sse GO and injoy


November 01, 2004

The best ballpark in baseball is SSC park. the reason is more than just the design of the park. the overall

experience is a great one for the family as the food is great, the scenery from the seats is great, there are no

blind spots.


1- 8 of 8

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"/,, , 6)[ ~J\.I Team r : : : : - MarketingReport resources

ProduCl. Resources Job.

. ,Order l:ahl~cl

TMR's

Fan Cost Index

~

!i!!.a

~

till!:

Minor League Baseball

Major League Baseball: ~

TMR'sexclusive Fan Cost Index'" survey, now In ItSfourteenth year, tracks the cost of attendance for

a family of four. The FC! includes: two adult average price tickets; two child average pnce tickets;

four small soft dnnks; two small beers; four hot dogs; two programs; parking; and two adult-size

caps.

You can navigate to older FCr surveys by clicking on the gold arrows to the left or right of the year

listed above.

For questions regarding the survey, please call BeckyVallett, at 312-280-2311; or contact her via

e-mail at:[email protected].

S6.00 12 S2.75 14 $4.00 S23.00 S5.00

ss.OO 16 S2.S0 15 S2.75 SI7.00 S5.00

ItJt

Be.. (oz.) Sod. (oz.) Dog ParicingProgram

2.27

4.13

11.64

9(,

Cap ro Change

S15.~4.20

S12.00 219.21 4.38

S4.00 S16.00 186.03 8.14

S5.00 S22.00 180.32

S5.00 S12.00 170.41

S7.75 SIS.00 208.57 7.59

S2.S0 S14.00 207.21 10.65

$3.89 $13.62 171.19

S5.00 S12.00 175.36 10.31

S5.00 S15.00 201.62 S.36

S4.SS S13.65 182.71 729

S4.00 Sl1.00 191.78 5.0

S4.00 SI3.00 191.26 2.44

S4.00 S18.00 207.13 11.88

S5.00 SI5.00 193.91 1.36

S8.00 20 $4.25 12 $4.50 S10.00

S5.7S 16 S3.00 16 S3.75 S25.00

S6.50 21 $4.75 32 $4.50 S12.00

S7.00 16 $4.00 21 $4.00 S1O.00

S7.75 24 $4.50 14 S3.5O SI0.00

S5.00 16 S3.75 22 S3.50 $4.00

S5m 14 S2.94 24 S3.17 S18.24

S5.00 21 S3.25 20 S3.50 SI0.00

SS.75 16 S2.75 14 S3.00 SI8.00

S6.00 16 S3.50 16 S3.00 S12.00

S5.00 12 S2.5O 16 S3.25 S17.00

$5.42 16.7 $3.07 16.9 $3.31 $11.41

S5.5O 14 S2.25 12 S3.5O SI4.00

19.61

24.01

20.83

20.09

22.1

26.19

26.73

2S.28

34.3

24.53

28.27

28.57

26.23

Z Z .O O

46.46

Avg.

O*l

Ttelcet

4

9

6

11

17

16

10

13

TICket

Rank

26.73 0.55

20.83 0.0

23.40 15.29

22.10 2S.17

20.09 6.08

25.28 6.86

2221 5.36

34. 3 720

24.01 0.0

29.78 12.09

46.46 427

24.53 5.64

28.27 3.38

26.66 7.37

26.19 2.50

Avg. 9(,

TIclcet Chonge

T O RO N TO 4

S A N D I EG O

PHIlADLPHtA

NY YANKES1

L A D O D GE R S

ST. LOUlS3

HOUSTON

TEAM

LEAGUE AVERAGE

BOSTON

OAKLAND

SAN FRANOSCO

CHCAGO WHITE SO

SEATILE

NY METS

You can navigate to older

FC! surveys by clicking on

the gold arrows to the left or

nght of the year Iisted~

j1APS~ e f f ~ A '~ ~

td~t ~ Q-f~l!rt ~e,

i -r l n _ bu- \ '>tJL~


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NLWAUKEE

T A M PA B A Y 5

K A N SA S O T Y

18.11 7.40 Z1

17.09 24.n 24

13.71 0.0 ~

18.11

13.85

13.71

$4.75 16 S2.00 12 S2.75 $7.00

$5.00 16 $3.75 16 $3.25 $0.00

$3.75 12 $2.00 14 $2.50 $6.00

$0.00 $12.00 131.94

$0.00 $15.00 129.87

$5.00 $12.00 120.35

0.74

-9.69

0.0

Average ticket price represents a weighted average of seasonticket prices for general seating

categories, determined by factoring the tickets in each price range as a percentage of the total number

of seats in each ballpark. Luxury suites are also excluded from the survey. Season-ticket pricing is used

for any team that offers some or all tickets at lower prices for customers who buy season tickets.

TheFanCostIndex'Mcomprises the prices of two (2) adult average-price tickets, two (2) childaverage-price tickets, two (2) small draft beers,four (4) small soft drinks, four (4) regular-size hot

dogs, parking for one (1) car, two (2) game programs andtwo (2) least expensive, adult-size adustablecaps. Costswere determined by telephone calls with representatives of the teams, venues andconcessionaires. Identical questions were asked in all interviews.

1 Numbers listed as on team's Website or provided by outside sources.

2 TheChicagoCubsand ChIcagoWhite Sox have variable pricing at different price levels - Cubs:Value (6

games), Regular (31 games) and Prime (44 games). White Sox: Monday(6 games). Regular (38 games).

Prime(15 games) andPremier (22 games).

3 Theticket prices for the new BuschStadium did not 'ncrease dramatically. The 12.1 percent average

ticket price increase is a result of the addition of several new seating categories and additional

capacity. The stadium will not be at full capacity until July 13. Theteam does not control any parking

around the stadium.

4 Pricesfor the Canadian teams are converted to US dollars and comparison prices were converted using

the current exchangerate of $IUSD=$I.11 CAD.The 2005 exchangerate was $lUSD=$1.15 CAD.

5 TheTampa Bay Devil Raysonly provided ticket prices for this year's FCI. Concessionsand parking prices

were added later thanks to reports from the St. Petersburg Times.

6The Texas Rangers adjusted seating capacities prior to the 2005 season, which was not reflected in the2005FCI.

to 2006 Team MarJ..ermgReport, Inc. ChICago, fIImo/s. all fights reserved. any unauthorIZed publicatIOn or repurpose of thiS mformatlOn 15 ISstrictly prohibited. All inqUiries 35 to republicatIOn or repurpose of TeamMarAeting Report. Jnc.'s Fan Cost Indextm shouldbe dJrected to Team

MarAetmg Report. Inc. 1653 N. Wells Street. SUIte 2F. ChK:ago. IllInots 60614. Phone; 312.280.2311.


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====2006 Giants Individual Ticket Prices ====

. . . ::- ~ " , ~$( II n ~', ~ G t J t ~

',- , [ ~ "Ill lHn

:. ! .., Sl ) : = , \11'\",

~Premium Fie ld Club $75 $80 $85 VIeW Box $27 $29 $32

~Field Club $68 $73 $78

~View Reserve $20 $25 $28

~ClubInfield $62 $67 $72

~Arcade $28 $33 S38

(sections 207-225)

~~

LeftFiel d Bleache< $18 $25 $28

ClubOutfield $51 $54 $59

(sectioos 202-205 & 226-231) ~Center Field Bleacher $13

$18 $20

~Club Left Field $40 $45 $50 SRO $10 $12 $15

(Sedions 232-234)

~ JrtSr Bleachers $6 $7 $7P re m ium L o w e r B o x $42 $47 $52(sections 105-126, Rows 1-30) ~

Oracle Suite Level

~L o w er Bo x $34 $39 $44

~ 'M1ee1chair Acc:esstble locations

Sed:ion numbers are the same as the adjacent Vif!W Reserved sedion.

PREMIUM GAMES include Opening Day, Oakland A'S series June 23-25, and the Dodgers series May 12-14 and August 18-20.


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ML8.com~ POWfRED 8r SUfZ

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s~,...t a'~ ~landlngs $tats hedule ~F0'u- C"..."" ...,,', "'::... ~

MlitlfTled'a News Roster Fenway Pan, Fantllsy Mobil!' ShOp Auctton

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FENWAY PARK IS A SMOKE FREE FACILITY

2006 TICKET PRICES

A $25 fee to pre-f)lIrdlase food ~ beY eRge ts induded in

thepriceoflhe_.

T he Red S ox intr oduced Red and B lue G ames . 2004. T he

2D06 Red games are as foIows: 04111, 4117 , 3'1, 512.5122, &23.

5124, 6/23, 6124, 6/25, 6rZT. 60'28, &'29, 7f1B, 7f1SJ, 700, &'18,

8t19, 8I2lJ, 8121

Green Monster 2llO6

S tan di ng Roo l1\ Bl ue G am es S2 5

St and ing ROO I1\ R ed G am es $3l

Front Row, Blue Games $110

Front Row, Red Games $1:D

2 nd & 3r d RO M; , Bl ue G am es $00

2nd & 3rd ROM;, Red Games $110

Right Field Roof Deck Tables

D S ta nd in g R OO I1 \ B lu e G am es S tan di ng Roo l1\ Red G am es $3l

.8kJeGames SOO'

Red Games $115"New Premium "Pavilion Level" Seating Areas

Pavilion Slanding Room $25

Pavilion Sac $00

First Base Pav~ion Club $150

Thfd Base Pavilion Club $150

I-Iorre P1a1ePavilion QJb $195

EMCQJb S275

S in gl e S ea so nColor Section Game TIckels-

DFteIdSac $ll5 $00Loge Sac Sll5

Rigl't Field Box $45

DRigl't Fleld Roof Sac $45Infield Grandstand $45

DOutfield Grandstand W $25EIeachefs $Zl $21

UpJler 8IeadlefS $12 N 1 A

Standing Room S20 N 1 A

- Ifpaid in U by December 16, 2O(lj.


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Box Seats

A I 8n>< SeRLa .. ..General Ad . ..... .. . .. . . ....5 9.00

Adults rTllSSlon

: C",ld~~,~'~~~'~"ul~~~ri' ff i 6.00

\l'"0" ,t.." H. . . $4.00" f f i 4.00

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