I have been twice to the new Comiskey Park. The first time was 1993 during its’ third season of play. This was the last of the concrete donuts. The locals were calling it the Comiskey Mall. On the plus side, they recreated the fireworks things over the scoreboard. That about does it for the plusses. The competition in terms of other new ballparks was Camden Yard in Baltimore – the first of the back-to-the-future designs – and Jacob’s Field under construction in Cleveland. In comparison, the new Comiskey was a dump. An additional problem was the height of the upper deck seats. This may not have been the newest design, but they did make sure to include luxury suites. The end effect is the upper seats (where I have attended both games) are really high up there.
The first game I saw was a great matchup. The Sox played the Blue Jays and both teams would win their divisions. The Jays had won the World Series the previous year and would win again this year. The White Sox had Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, George Bell, and Tim Raines. For pitching they had Jack McDowell, Bobby Thigpen, and Jason Bere in his rookie season. The Jays had Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar, Tony Fernandez, Paul Molitor, John Olerud, and Devon White. Pitchers included Juan Guzman, Dave Stewart, Jack Morris, and Pat Hentgen. If it seems like the offense was better that the pitching, this game bore that out. Dave Stewart gave up 14 H&W, 7 ER and still got the win. Every starting player except one had at least one hit in this game. Molitor went 4 for 5. Olerud, Thomas, Ventura, and Bell had home runs. [Don Denkinger was the home plate umpire.]
The second game I saw was in 2007 as part of the Butthead Ballpark Tour. This happened to be the Cross-Town Classic against the Cubs. A tough ticket to get. We were in the last row of the upper deck around first base. The Sox had won the World Series two years ago but would finish second to last this year. They had Jim Thome and Paul Konerko. The Cubs were the better team and would win their division that year. The Cubs had Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs would win a close game. Javier Vasquez had a strong start only giving up a lead-off HR to Soriano. The Cubs pitchers were equal to the task and Bob Howry got the save.
This is not that nice of a park. To draw an analogy, the new Comiskey is like a well constructed sailing vessel designed for shipping cargo. The problem is they built it at the beginning of the steam powered revolution. It was outdated before its’ time. If you’re heading to Chicago, go see a game at Wrigley.
UPDATE 05/25/2012: I was in Chicago for a conference and my friend Melissa and I went to a Sox game against the Indians. It was early in the season but last year the Tigers ran away with the division so expectations were tempered. Neither club had any substantial star power unless you want to include Paul Konerko or Shin-Soo Choo. The game was a blow-out for the home team with 4 home runs total between both clubs. The good news is we had really nice seats in left, 3rd row.
The first game I saw was a great matchup. The Sox played the Blue Jays and both teams would win their divisions. The Jays had won the World Series the previous year and would win again this year. The White Sox had Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, George Bell, and Tim Raines. For pitching they had Jack McDowell, Bobby Thigpen, and Jason Bere in his rookie season. The Jays had Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar, Tony Fernandez, Paul Molitor, John Olerud, and Devon White. Pitchers included Juan Guzman, Dave Stewart, Jack Morris, and Pat Hentgen. If it seems like the offense was better that the pitching, this game bore that out. Dave Stewart gave up 14 H&W, 7 ER and still got the win. Every starting player except one had at least one hit in this game. Molitor went 4 for 5. Olerud, Thomas, Ventura, and Bell had home runs. [Don Denkinger was the home plate umpire.]
The second game I saw was in 2007 as part of the Butthead Ballpark Tour. This happened to be the Cross-Town Classic against the Cubs. A tough ticket to get. We were in the last row of the upper deck around first base. The Sox had won the World Series two years ago but would finish second to last this year. They had Jim Thome and Paul Konerko. The Cubs were the better team and would win their division that year. The Cubs had Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs would win a close game. Javier Vasquez had a strong start only giving up a lead-off HR to Soriano. The Cubs pitchers were equal to the task and Bob Howry got the save.
This is not that nice of a park. To draw an analogy, the new Comiskey is like a well constructed sailing vessel designed for shipping cargo. The problem is they built it at the beginning of the steam powered revolution. It was outdated before its’ time. If you’re heading to Chicago, go see a game at Wrigley.
UPDATE 05/25/2012: I was in Chicago for a conference and my friend Melissa and I went to a Sox game against the Indians. It was early in the season but last year the Tigers ran away with the division so expectations were tempered. Neither club had any substantial star power unless you want to include Paul Konerko or Shin-Soo Choo. The game was a blow-out for the home team with 4 home runs total between both clubs. The good news is we had really nice seats in left, 3rd row.
No comments:
Post a Comment