7/5 Gamethread: Sox @ Rox Game 2

[The Mighty Mite]

7 hours ago, Buehrle>Wood said:

Yes. Don't care for old stadiums

 

7 hours ago, SouthChicagoBorn said:

Have you ever been to Fenway? 

Saw a game there in 1978, it’s overrated and cramped with horrible sight lines down the right field line. They have really ruined it with all the advertising, for decades the only sign in the place was for the local Jimmy Fund. Back in the day both Fenway and Wrigley were each just another ballpark. The  first guy I remember gushing over Fenway was Red Sox announcer Curt Gowdy who did the 1967 World Series on TV calling it Pinball Baseball, why people rave over Fenway and Wrigley now is because they’re old and represent a different era, neither come close to PNC Park which IMO is the best ballpark in MLB with Oriole Park a close second.

Edited July 6 by The Mighty Mite

[The Mighty Mite]

7 hours ago, Ducksnort said:

I know it's the Rockies but...this scoring is a lot of fun. And the lineup looks so much better without Robert in it. Just trade him and move on. 

I agree, it’s hopeless thinking Robert will figure things out, he’s not as bad as TA but close.

[The Mighty Mite]

8 hours ago, fathom said:

Noda, Rojas and Amaya..oh my

Noda has been a complete bust, let’s go with Sosa at third and Vargas at first the rest of the season, the coaches will have to do some intense work with Sosa but the Rays Junior Caminerro was pretty bad early this year but has worked like a dog and is now doing a super job at third while hitting the crap out of the ball.

[PaleAleSox]

30 minutes ago, The Mighty Mite said:

Noda has been a complete bust, let’s go with Sosa at third and Vargas at first the rest of the season, the coaches will have to do some intense work with Sosa but the Rays Junior Caminerro was pretty bad early this year but has worked like a dog and is now doing a super job at third while hitting the crap out of the ball.

Yeah for now that seems to be the play. 

[nrockway]

3 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

 

Saw a game there in 1978, it’s overrated and cramped with horrible sight lines down the right field line. They have really ruined it with all the advertising, for decades the only sign in the place was for the local Jimmy Fund. Back in the day both Fenway and Wrigley were each just another ballpark. The  first guy I remember gushing over Fenway was Red Sox announcer Curt Gowdy who did the 1967 World Series on TV calling it Pinball Baseball, why people rave over Fenway and Wrigley now is because they’re old and represent a different era, neither come close to PNC Park which IMO is the best ballpark in MLB with Oriole Park a close second.

Yeah, we like historical preservation! Even better when the structure remains functional. 

I see your point though, I think Wrigley is 'just another park', but old, whereas Fenway is genuinely unique. I've never been, I think you're probably right that it sucks to see a game there compared to a new park with 'optimized' sight lines, but it's such an interesting baseball field with wacky dimensions largely because of the historical moment when it was built, when the builder might've had to conform to an asymmetrical site because urban land was limited. Didn't have some giant site in the countryside because you couldn't just drive out there in 1912.

Wrigley is similar in that its a key fixture of its neighborhood whereas, I dunno, Dodger Stadium or SoxPark or even Yankee Stadium are 'placeless' and could exist anywhere. The sites are gigantic, most of which is devoted to parking spots, which function like buffer between the ballpark and the neighborhood. You might just walk past Wrigley or Fenway on your day-to-day and not even like baseball whereas the only reason you're walking past Dodger Stadium or SoxPark is to see a game.

Of course, the new style is 'cookie-cutter nostalgic'. Every park is designed to evoke nostalgia and they all do it in the same fucking way because only one firm designs them and every team wants the same thing. The parks are "more intimate" but that just seems like marketing speak for "there aren't as many seats because we needed that space for box seats and restaurants, anything else besides watching baseball."

[WestEddy]

4 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

 

Saw a game there in 1978, it’s overrated and cramped with horrible sight lines down the right field line. They have really ruined it with all the advertising, for decades the only sign in the place was for the local Jimmy Fund. Back in the day both Fenway and Wrigley were each just another ballpark. The  first guy I remember gushing over Fenway was Red Sox announcer Curt Gowdy who did the 1967 World Series on TV calling it Pinball Baseball, why people rave over Fenway and Wrigley now is because they’re old and represent a different era, neither come close to PNC Park which IMO is the best ballpark in MLB with Oriole Park a close second.

Sure, they're not designed well, and don't have the amenities of modern stadiums. In 1999, I had time on my hands, and decided to go see the White Sox A-ball affiliate, the Burlington Bees, at every Midwest League stadium. Kane County was new and nice, but when I traveled to John O'Donnell Stadium in Quad Cities (now Modern Woodman Park), or Veterans' Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, I felt like I was in an old French church. 

I understand the wonder over Wrigley and Fenway. The Rate's still a better baseball experience. 

[ptatc]

5 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

 

Saw a game there in 1978, it’s overrated and cramped with horrible sight lines down the right field line. They have really ruined it with all the advertising, for decades the only sign in the place was for the local Jimmy Fund. Back in the day both Fenway and Wrigley were each just another ballpark. The  first guy I remember gushing over Fenway was Red Sox announcer Curt Gowdy who did the 1967 World Series on TV calling it Pinball Baseball, why people rave over Fenway and Wrigley now is because they’re old and represent a different era, neither come close to PNC Park which IMO is the best ballpark in MLB with Oriole Park a close second.

Best thing about Fenway is that you can get Clam Chowder.

[Ozzie for Manager]

4 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

Noda has been a complete bust, let’s go with Sosa at third and Vargas at first the rest of the season, the coaches will have to do some intense work with Sosa but the Rays Junior Caminerro was pretty bad early this year but has worked like a dog and is now doing a super job at third while hitting the crap out of the ball.

I was really hoping to see who would end up with a lower average.  I didn't think anyone could challenge Crapa. But Noda was like, " Hold my beer"

[joejoesox]

12 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

They said the distance on the MAT HR was 460?  Is that right or just John making stuff up?

464ft according to the Rockies booth

[joejoesox]

double post Edited July 6 by joejoesox

[SouthChicagoBorn]

2 hours ago, nrockway said:

Yeah, we like historical preservation! Even better when the structure remains functional. 

I see your point though, I think Wrigley is 'just another park', but old, whereas Fenway is genuinely unique. I've never been, I think you're probably right that it sucks to see a game there compared to a new park with 'optimized' sight lines, but it's such an interesting baseball field with wacky dimensions largely because of the historical moment when it was built, when the builder might've had to conform to an asymmetrical site because urban land was limited. Didn't have some giant site in the countryside because you couldn't just drive out there in 1912.

Wrigley is similar in that its a key fixture of its neighborhood whereas, I dunno, Dodger Stadium or SoxPark or even Yankee Stadium are 'placeless' and could exist anywhere. The sites are gigantic, most of which is devoted to parking spots, which function like buffer between the ballpark and the neighborhood. You might just walk past Wrigley or Fenway on your day-to-day and not even like baseball whereas the only reason you're walking past Dodger Stadium or SoxPark is to see a game.

Of course, the new style is 'cookie-cutter nostalgic'. Every park is designed to evoke nostalgia and they all do it in the same fucking way because only one firm designs them and every team wants the same thing. The parks are "more intimate" but that just seems like marketing speak for "there aren't as many seats because we needed that space for box seats and restaurants, anything else besides watching baseball."

Fenway is a “ballpark” as opposed to a “stadium.”  For me and my love of baseball history, it’s a standout.  Just realizing I’m standing in the place where so many all-time greats played is a profound experience.  The sight lines are bad only in a tiny minority of seats.  You’re close enough that you can see just what a giant Frank Thomas really was.  And you can have Nomar Garciparra look you in the eye when he acknowledges your complementary cheer as he returns to the dugout.  If you see old photos of ballparks, the outfield walls were covered with billboards.  Not so any more.  Just seeing the green of Fenway as you enter out of the concourse is amazing.  It’s beautiful to look at, fascinating for its history, and the environment makes attending a game today extra special as it feels connected to the long historical lineage.  It is unique, and represents the foundation on which the game was built.  It also has a connection for me to memories of Comiskey, and as a park from the same founding era. 

Wrigley is the only other remaining park of this type, but it will never hold the same appeal for obvious reasons.  I regret never having seen a game at Tigers Stadium (misnamed imho).  I did see a game at Candelstick but I was so young I don’t remember much of it.  Saw many games at old yankee stadium and Shea (Mets) as a kid, since we moved from the South Side.  I’ve been to Camden which is nice, although I had a bad experience there – they made me remove my “Yankees Suck” shirt (the yankees weren’t even playing) – so I’ll never go back.  I think I’ve seen a game at Citi field (Mets), but it was so unmemorable I can’t speak to it.  New Comiskey is nothing special as a venue, except for its location.  I understand progress and all that, but I have yet to get that same feeling at any other stadium, or be as excited at a regular season game since I was a kid.

I’m really surprised at the disapproval of Fenway and old parks, but to each their own.  Let’s go SOX!

[Ozzie for Manager]

58 minutes ago, SouthChicagoBorn said:

Fenway is a “ballpark” as opposed to a “stadium.”  For me and my love of baseball history, it’s a standout.  Just realizing I’m standing in the place where so many all-time greats played is a profound experience.  The sight lines are bad only in a tiny minority of seats.  You’re close enough that you can see just what a giant Frank Thomas really was.  And you can have Nomar Garciparra look you in the eye when he acknowledges your complementary cheer as he returns to the dugout.  If you see old photos of ballparks, the outfield walls were covered with billboards.  Not so any more.  Just seeing the green of Fenway as you enter out of the concourse is amazing.  It’s beautiful to look at, fascinating for its history, and the environment makes attending a game today extra special as it feels connected to the long historical lineage.  It is unique, and represents the foundation on which the game was built.  It also has a connection for me to memories of Comiskey, and as a park from the same founding era. 

Wrigley is the only other remaining park of this type, but it will never hold the same appeal for obvious reasons.  I regret never having seen a game at Tigers Stadium (misnamed imho).  I did see a game at Candelstick but I was so young I don’t remember much of it.  Saw many games at old yankee stadium and Shea (Mets) as a kid, since we moved from the South Side.  I’ve been to Camden which is nice, although I had a bad experience there – they made me remove my “Yankees Suck” shirt (the yankees weren’t even playing) – so I’ll never go back.  I think I’ve seen a game at Citi field (Mets), but it was so unmemorable I can’t speak to it.  New Comiskey is nothing special as a venue, except for its location.  I understand progress and all that, but I have yet to get that same feeling at any other stadium, or be as excited at a regular season game since I was a kid.

I’m really surprised at the disapproval of Fenway and old parks, but to each their own.  Let’s go SOX!

My fiance' and I are heading to Fenway next year for a White Sox series with another couple who are Red Sox fans. Going to make the trip from North Carolina. I went about 20 years ago, I was at a wedding up there and it was the day Ted WIlliams died. Interesting day to be at Fenway, we had the worst seats in the house in the last row of the lower level of right field behind a big post in our sight line. It was still a lot of fun. Hope to have better seats this time.