Gen X's Rock Revolution

When people talk about seminal, groundbreaking periods in rock ‘n roll history, they often talk about 1967, specifically the first 6 months of that year.  It was the height of psychedelic rock and a time in which rock ‘n roll expanded its horizons.  Between January and mid-June 1967, such iconic records such as The Doors (January 4), Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane (February 1), The Grateful Dead (March 17), Are You Experienced? by the Jimi Hendrix Experience (May 12) and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (May 26) hit the charts and turned pop music and rock ‘n roll on its head.  These releases were followed by the legendary Monterey International Pop Festival in Monterey, CA from June 16-18, a renowned music festival remembered for the first American appearances of the likes of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and The Who which also featured Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Buffalo Springfield, The Grateful Dead and The Mamas & The Papas.  It was six months of some of the most groundbreaking and creative pop and rock music to ever have been recorded and released.  Nearly 60 years later, many Baby Boomers and music critics hail 1967 as once-in-a-lifetime explosion of musical creativity and envelope-pushing.

While there is no denying the importance of those 6 months of music history, I would submit that we Generation X folks had something similar in the late summer and fall of 1991.  In a span of just 14 weeks, 6 groundbreaking and paradigm shattering albums were released, albums that shook the very foundation of rock ‘n roll.  Albums that ended the hair band and glamor rock eras and pushed heavier, grittier, angrier rock to the forefront.  Between mid-August and mid-November of 1991, these albums changed rock ‘n roll and had impacts not just in America but around the world.  So, on the 35th anniversary of these halcyon days of music, I wanted to pay tribute to these albums – in the order in which they were released in 1991.

 

Metallica – Metallica (aka The Black Album). Released 8/12/91. Sold 20 million copies in the U.S. and 30 million copies worldwide. Prior to the release of this album, heavy metal was largely a fringe, underground segment of rock ‘n roll.  While bands such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest had forged successful careers in the 1970s and 1980s, they weren’t exactly topping the charts.  Even Metallica, the most successful and well known of the “Big 4” thrash bands, was largely successful via word of mouth and underground channels.  That all changed with this album.  Powered by the lead single and opening track “Enter Sandman,” this album blew open the doors on the accessibility and popularity of heavy metal.  While some deride this record as not being as heavy as its predecessors, I disagree.  It is every bit as heavy – it is just a different KIND of heavy.  While the material on …And Justice For All, Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning and Kill ‘Em All were intricate and blisteringly fast, Metallica features a wall of heavy but slower riffs.  Whereas Metallica’s earlier stuff paid tribute to and was undoubtedly influenced by the British New Wave of Heavy Metal licks of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, this album leaned more into the Black Sabbath side of metal.  I would offer that “Sad But True” is as heavy as any Metallica song before it – it was just a different kind of heavy. Three of its songs (“Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters”) actually charted in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 while those plus two others (“Wherever I May Roam” and the aforementioned “Sad But True”) charted on the Mainstream Rock Charts, achievements that were essentially unheard of for a heavy metal band.  Metallica brought metal to the masses in a way that had never been seen before.  While some metal heads dismiss the album as being too commercial and brand the band as sellouts, it’s not a coincidence that many of those who first came to hear and love Metallica via this album subsequently went back and discovered some of their earlier albums. I include myself in that category and many of my favorite Metallica songs actually come from the first four albums, the releases prior to Metallica.

 

Pearl Jam – Ten. Released 8/27/91. Sold 13 million copies in the U.S. and 16 million worldwide. The “Seattle Sound”, more commonly known as “grunge” was a term originally applied to a number of rock bands in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  It was always a misnomer, though, because within the “grunge” category, there were different types of grunge.  Some were heavier and showed heavy metal influences while others owed a clear debt to punk rock while still others were grounded in big, arena rock chops.  This album falls in that latter category.  Ten offered the guitar hooks and big, anthemic choruses of arena rock but paired it with more serious, downcast lyrics and subject matter. With three huge hits in “Alive” (which deals with some, shall we say, delicate family dynamics), “Even Flow” (about a homeless man) and “Jeremy” (about a school shooting), Ten helped put Pearl Jam individually and grunge collectively on the rock ‘n roll map.  The crunching guitar riffs helped replace those from hair bands while the darker, more serious lyrics resonated with a generation of young people who were raised as latchkey kids and many of whom were the product of broken homes and divorce.  Instead of singing along to songs about having a good time and partying, rock fans had an outlet to sing along to songs about serious real world concerns with which they or their friends had likely experienced. For many of them, it was quite cathartic. Three of the most famous Seattle grunge bands released records during this 14-week period – this just happened to be the first and it spawned the longest lasting bands of the three, as Pearl Jam continues to record music and tour more than 30 years later.

 

Nirvana – Nevermind. Released 9/24/91. Sold 13 million copies in the U.S. and 30 million worldwide. Nirvana had been a part of the Seattle scene for a few years – and had previously released an album on Sub Pop Records – before Nevermind hit record stores.  But, more than any other album on this list, this one is the one that REALLY shook things up. Propelled by its iconic, genre bending lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nevermind blew the doors off the rock ‘n roll world.  Residing more on the punk rock side of grunge, Nirvana mixed fuzzy, crunchy garage rock guitars with brash, sometimes screamed vocals. Whereas ‘80s rock and hair bands were polished and theatrical, Nirvana was imbued with a gritty, do-it-yourself vibe reflected in the grubby attire (flannel shirts and unkempt, seemingly unwashed hair) and the simple, straightforward songs.  But make no mistake – as loath to be commercial and popular as Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was – he had innate, undeniable pop rock sensibilities.  He knew how to write a hook and build a catchy 3-minute song around it.  Filled with legendary songs like the aforementioned “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come as You Are,” “Lithium” and “In Bloom,” Nevermind is unquestionably the seminal alternative rock album of the ‘90s, the one that helped catapult alternative rock to the forefront of the music world. Even though Nevermind was released a few weeks AFTER Ten, its success was the thing that got the likes of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden noticed outside of the Pacific Northwest.  For example, while Ten was released in August 1991, its first single (“Alive”) wasn’t released until the Spring of 1992, following the overwhelming success of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come as You Are” off of Nevermind. Without Nevermind, there’s no telling how successful some of the other Seattle and grunge groups would have been.  Nirvana was the match that lit the rock music world on fire and Nevermind was the gasoline poured on it to make the blaze catch and spread.

 

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Released 9/24/91. Sold 7 million copies in the U.S. and more than 13 million worldwide. Incredibly, this record was released on the same day as Nevermind.  What are the chances of two imminently influential albums – both of which have sold tens of millions of copies- both being released on the same day?  The Chili Peppers had been around for nearly a decade and had released four albums and an EP prior to this release. They had had some minor success on the alternative music charts, most notably with their blistering cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” in 1989, but they will still largely unknown by most music fans.  That all changed with Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Produced by the esteemed Rick Rubin, who had a wealth of prior experience working with both rock and hip-hop artists, the album took the Chili Peppers to unexpected heights.  Rubin was the perfect person to shepherd the band’s unique blend of funk, punk, rap and rock into a new decade.  Songs like “Give It Away” and “Suck My Kiss” delivered the funky grooves expected from the band but those brash numbers were paired with and buoyed by more melodic songs like the monster hit “Under the Bridge” and “Breaking the Girl.” This variety brought in hordes of new fans.  “Under the Bridge” was a Top 3 hit in the U.S. and peaked in the Top 5 in countries around the world.  Blood Sugar Sex Magik made the Red Hot Chili Peppers a household name and helped push a funkier side of alternative rock into the mainstream.

 

Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger. Released 10/18/91. Sold 3 million copies worldwide. If Pearl Jam represents the arena rock side of grunge and Nirvana represents the punk rock side, Soundgarden – especially their first 3 albums – represents the heavy metal side of grunge. This album wasn’t as commercially successful as the other albums on this list but it is still incredibly influential. Similar to Metallica, this album helped bring metal to the masses.  With alternative tunings and a wall of guitars supporting Chris Cornell’s soaring, one-of-a-kind vocals, Badmotorfinger showed a band that was maturing, honing their craft and hitting their stride on their third album. “Jesus Christ Pose” offers deft political criticism, while “Rusty Cage” offers distorted guitars and odd time signatures that keep up with any thrash band out there.  The album’s biggest hit, “Outshined” – in addition to showcasing Chris Cornell’s vocals – provided us with one of rock’s all-time great lines: “I’m looking California and feeling Minnesota.”

 

U2 – Achtung Baby. Released 11/18/91. Sold 8 million copies in the U.S. and more than 18 million worldwide. Unlike the other groups on this list, U2 was a well-established, world-famous band long before 1991.  One could argue that, following the success of 1987’s The Joshua Tree, U2 was the biggest band in the world. However, some of that shine wore off with the clunky follow-up, Rattle & Hum, and even the band themselves was at a crossroads.  After nearly breaking up, the band spent nearly a year recording Achtung Baby. They wanted to create something that sounded different than what people expected of U2. They wanted to reinvent themselves to show that they were still relevant for another decade.  With Achtung Baby, they did just that.  The band leaned into European dance music while also channeling the sounds of the emerging alternative music of the late 1980s.  In the mid-1980s, with The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree, U2 had a distinct sound that was different from almost anything else on the radio while still being very accessible.  With Achtung Baby, the band created an album that didn’t sound like much of anything else on the radio but that also didn’t sound like U2…while still being very accessible.  Anchored by the funky beats of “Mysterious Ways”, the crunching guitars and conversational vocals of “Until the End of the World” and the unifying, anthemic “One,” Achtung Baby took a band that was on the precipice of dissolution and proved once again that they were the biggest band in the world.  Along the way, the new sound U2 put forth on the record lent credence to and helped further acceptance of alternative rock in the early 1990s.

 

Honorable Mention:

In addition to those 6 iconic albums, the aforementioned 14-week period also produced some other great, popular albums:

·       Spin Doctors, Pocket Full of Kryptonite. Released 8/20/91. Some fun funk rock that produced monster hits is “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Two Princes”

·       Toad the Wet Sprocket, fear. Released 8/27/91. Jangly, folk alternative rock at its finest.  Produced two big hits in “All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean.”

·       Guns ‘n Roses, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. Both released 9/17/91. The two records pushed Guns ‘n Roses from the gritty blues hard rock of their earlier releases into more of an art rock direction, with longer songs and elaborate videos for massive hits like “November Rain” and “Don’t Cry.”

Thanks for joining me on this trip down memory lane of one of the most consequential 3-month periods of rock history.

Ranking the MLB Ballparks

I love baseball.  While I love most sports, baseball has and always will hold a special place in my heart.  Coming of age in St. Louis during the Whiteyball era of Cardinals baseball in the ‘80s certainly didn’t hurt, nor did being raised by two baseball lovers.

One of the great things about baseball is the fact that every stadium is different.  In football, basketball, hockey or soccer, the playing surface is always the same – same dimensions and measurements from one stadium or arena to another.  With baseball, that’s not the case.  While the measurements between the bases (90 feet) and the distance from home plate to the pitching rubber (60 feet, 6 inches) are always the same, the rest of the field varies from stadium to stadium. Some of have abundant foul territory; others have minimal.  Some have deep fences that are shorter, while others have shorter fences that are taller.  These differences make each stadium unique and, in my opinion, makes it extra special to attend a game in each of them.

Over the course of my life as a traveler and baseball fan, I have been fortunate enough to attend games at 21 different Major League Baseball ballparks.  Several of them have been demolished since my visit, while many are still standing and in use.  Some I have visited recently (I’ve attended games in 8 MLB stadiums in the last 4 seasons) while others I haven’t visited since I was in middle school or high school.  Regardless of the status of the stadium or when I visited it, I wanted to share with you my ranking of all of the MLB stadiums that I have visited.

Full disclosure: Another thing that I love about baseball is its unmatched history.  No other professional sport in America can even come close to the history of baseball and its longevity.  Toward that end, I’m a sucker for the old, historic baseball cathedrals.  They may not be as comfortable as the newer stadiums and they may not have the amenities that modern ballparks have, but they have history and lore that newer ballparks cannot recreate. Sitting in the stands and realizing that legendary players like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays and Stan Musial played in the very same stadium where you are sitting…there’s just something awesome about it.

Additional disclaimer: Because I hate dumb corporate names for stadiums, I will be referring to the stadiums by their original or most well known non-corporate name where possible.

Here we go, my ranking of the MLB Stadiums that I have visited, from worst to first:

21.        Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA. Visited in 1987. Demolished in 2015. – This was, without a doubt, the WORST stadium I’ve ever been to.  While the location on Candlestick Point, jutting out in San Francisco Bay, was neat, the stadium was terrible.  The concourses were cramped and dingy. Despite the fact that we were there in the middle of the summer, the stadium was freezing for the night game we attended.  Part of the chill was the wind, which caused the same hot dog wrapper to float around above the field for nearly the entirety of the game.  It was a multipurpose stadium that was ill-suited for football or for baseball, with unused seats in the outfield and a temporary, chain link fence for the outfield wall in left field. Loathed by both visiting players as well as Giants players, there was, quite simply, nothing redeeming about this dump of a stadium.

20.        Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, OH. Visited a few times in the late 1980s. Demolished in 2002. – It had a great location, right on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, but you’d never know it once you got inside.  It was a bland, cookie cutter, concrete bowl with artificial turf. No charm and no character.

19.        Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, GA. Visited in 1993. Demolished in 1997. It was a bland, cookie cutter, concrete bowl surrounded by a big parking lot - but at least it had grass.

18.        Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, CA. Visited in 1987. Demolished in 2021. It was a bland, cookie cutter, concrete bowl surrounded by a big parking lot - but at least it had grass and palm trees.

17.        Busch Memorial Stadium (aka Busch Stadium II), St. Louis, MO. Visited more than hundred times, most recently in 2005. Demolished in 2005. For the most part, it was a bland, cookie cutter, concrete bowl.  A few things made it a little better than our number 17-20 entries: the “crown of arches” around the top of the stadium and a more open feel in the outfield.  It also was located in the heart of downtown St. Louis and wasn’t surrounded by a sea of parking like #18 and #19. With the addition of grass and a hand-operated scoreboard in the late 1990s, you could make the argument that the stadium looked the best it ever had at the end of its time.  Obviously, the nostalgia of this being the ballpark I grew up going to games at may also be causing me to rate it higher than it should be.

16.        New Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL. Visited in 1991 and 2015. This was the last new ballpark built before Camden Yards made retro ballparks all the rage and it shows.  There’s not a whole lot here to like.  It’s largely an enclosed bowl and there isn’t much to look at. The upper deck was ridiculously high when it first opened, though some subsequent renovations have improved that.  Located between an interstate and a rail yard and largely surrounded by a parking lot, it’s arguably the worst new stadium built in the last 50 years.  Having said that, it’s not completely enclosed and it has some decent amenities, so it rates above the cookie cutter stadiums built in the 1960s and 1970s.

15.        Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX. Visited in 2023. This one may surprise some of you, since it’s the newest stadium on this list.  It’s nice in terms of amenities and such, but it’s just a bland suburban box. It’s like going to a game at a shopping mall.  They replaced a beautiful, retro classic (more on that later) with something sterile and corporate…all because the old place was “too hot.”  This one has a retractable roof and fake grass.  It’s nice and new but it has no character.

14. Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX. Visited in 2004. Similar to our #15 entry, it’s a retractable roof dome that is a little bit like going to a shopping mall.  This one, however, rates marginally higher because it has a more open, spacious feel in the outfield and it has a natural grass playing surface. Small bonus points for removing the stupid hill in center field, too.

13.        SkyDome, Toronto, ON, Canada. Visited in 1991. The stadium was groundbreaking and futuristic when it opened, the first stadium to have a fully functional retractable roof.  It also featured (at least when I was there) a hotel and a Hard Rock Café in the stadium, rarities at the time.  While some of the “awe” factor has been diminished by the subsequent introduction of newer, fancier stadiums with retractable rooves, it was still an impressive place to watch a game. It gets the nod over the other domed stadiums in #15 and #14 because it was the first of its kind.

12.        Citi Field, New York, NY. Visited in 2026. The ballpark itself is pretty good.  The scoreboards are great and the mini scoreboards in the Jackie Robinson Atrium that display the Mets batting order alongside the entry escalators and stairs were a really nice touch.  Bonus points for using team colors for the outfield walls and the foul poles.  Unfortunately, the area around the ballpark doesn’t offer much to do or see. Perhaps that will get better as the new soccer stadium opens next door. Also, the public address announcer sounded like she was 12 and the DJ incessantly playing hip-hop music (plus the utter absence of an organ) knock it down a notch or two as well.

11.        Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH. Visited in 2024 and 2025. The location alongside the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati is great.  The view of the river and Kentucky from the upper deck is great as well.  The concourses are nice and the food options are plentiful.  The view of the interior of the stadium from the seats is solid if not quite as impressive as some of the others. Still, compared to the concrete bowl it replaced, it’s definitely a big improvement.

10.        Yankee Stadium (new), New York, NY. Visited in 2026. I will always regret never getting to visit the original Yankee Stadium but this one does a nice job of paying tribute to it.  Monument Park is very cool and the airy Great Hall with banners of Yankee legends is likewise impressive.  They have done a great job of paying tribute to the most decorated American professional sports franchise – with one exception.  While Monument Park, the Great Hall and the retired numbers all pay tribute to the franchise’s legendary players, the only nod in the seating bowl to the actual 27 World Series championships are small metal pennants along the façade between the lower and upper decks that don’t stand out at all.  Whereas the Cardinals prominently display flags for each of their championships, the Yankees do not.  It seems like a missed opportunity, especially for such a star-studded franchise.  The limestone exterior and white-painted metal give the stadium a clean, unique look.  Unfortunately, similar to Citi Field, the area around the ballpark is not great and doesn’t offer much to see or do. I also think this stadium has more ads than any ballpark I’ve visited.  The outfield wall is almost completely covered with them and what could be huge scoreboards above the left field and right field seats are instead covered with ads.

9.          Jacobs Field, Cleveland, OH. Visited in 2005. One of the earlier “retro” ballparks, this one foregoes a brick exterior in favor of a more modern look featuring metal and steel.  It has good site lines and a nice view of part of the Cleveland skyline.  It’s right next to the arena in Cleveland, too, with a plaza connecting the two.  There are several bars and restaurants nearby, helping to make the most of its downtown location.

8.          Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO. Visited numerous times, most recently in 2019. Kauffman is a bit of an anomaly, a baseball-only park built in the multipurpose cookie cutter days of the early 1970s.  Structurally, from foul pole to foul pole, it is – for all intents and purposes – half of one of those concrete, cookie cutter stadiums.  The outfield, however, it what sets the stadium apart.  The fountain and waterfall displays are unique amongst baseball stadiums and arguably the stadium’s most famous and noteworthy feature.  It also features a main scoreboard in the shape of a crown in center field, another unique feature.  The area around the stadium doesn’t offer much besides asphalt (a huge parking lot it shares with Arrowhead Stadium on three sides and Interstate 70 on the remaining side), but the stadium itself has held up quite well and it remains a good place to watch a ballgame.

7.          The Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, TX. Visited in 1995 and 1996. One of the earlier new retro ballparks, it replaced a glorified minor ballpark that had been home of the Rangers since they arrived from Washington in 1972.  It featured nods to several older ballparks like Tiger Stadium (roofed stands in right field), Fenway Park (scoreboard in a taller left field wall) and Yankee Stadium (decorative frieze running along the top of the stands). It had spacious concourses and an office building incorporated into the outfield design.  Unfortunately, its suburban location meant a lack of bars, restaurants or entertainment options within walking distance.  Sadly, this gem was replaced with our #15 selection.  It is, in my opinion, a big downgrade.

6.          Busch Stadium (aka Busch Stadium III), St. Louis, MO. Visited dozens of times, most recently earlier this summer. Built partly on the site of its predecessor stadium (see #17) in downtown St. Louis, the red brick stadium offers a great view of the Gateway Arch and part of the St. Louis skyline.  The stadium also features a nod to the Eads Bridge over its primary entrance near third base, above the famous Stan Musial statue.  It’s a nice, retro ballpark fit for one of the best baseball cities in America.  The Cardinals have done a great job of recognizing the team’s World Series titles as well as their retired numbers. The addition of Ballpark Village just outside the stadium has helped complete the look and feel of the stadium. My biggest complaints are scoreboards which aren’t as big or as informative as the scoreboards in some of the other newer stadiums.

5.          Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA. Visited in 1987. Opened in 1962, it is now the third oldest MLB stadium and it remains a classic and a gem.  Ringed by palm trees and offering views of the San Gabriel Mountains, it is known for wavy rooves atop each outfield pavilion and the Dodger logo on the elevator shaft behind home plate.  It was the last baseball-only stadium built before the proliferation of cookie cutter multipurpose in the ‘60s and ‘70s and it remains as iconic now as when it was built more than 60 years ago.  It is the perfect stadium for Southern California.

4.          Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI. Visited in 1991 and 1999. Closed in 2001, demolished in 2008-09. With double decked, roofed stands in which the upper deck actually extended over the lower deck by 10 feet, it had a one-of-a-kind unique look.  The double deck and accompanying support posts allowed fans to sit closer to the field than in any other ballpark. Even seats in the last row of the upper deck behind home plate felt very close to the field. The only thing that keeps this one from being ranked higher was the area around the ballpark, which wasn’t as nice as those around our #3 and #1 selections.

3.          Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL. Visited in 1986 and 1988.  The iconic ivy-covered, brick outfield walls. The memorable red marquee outside the stadium.  The flagpole the has flags of all of the teams in the division hanging in order of the current standings. The rooftops across Waveland Ave. The less-than-desirable piss troughs in the men’s restrooms.  (OK, maybe not that last one.) The seats may not be the most comfortable  and the support beams cause obstructed views in some seats, but there’s no denying the longevity and history of the place. What it lacks in modern amenities, it makes up for in character and history.  Add in the surrounding bars and restaurants of Wrigleyville and you have a great baseball experience.  I plan on getting back to a game there sometime soon.       

2.          PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA. Visited in 2025.  This is the nicest ballpark on the list.  It combines the cozier size of those old ballparks with the amenities of modern ballparks.  It offers amazing views of the downtown Pittsburgh skyline surrounding the Roberto Clemente bridge.  It has a large, clear, informative scoreboard in left field. The only thing that keeps this ballpark from topping the list is the lack of history and the fact that the atmosphere inside the ballpark isn’t great due to the small crowds and the team’s historically lackluster play.  When the team hasn’t even won a playoff series since winning the World Series in 1979 (yes, they technically won the NL Wild Card Game in 2013, but that was just one game), there isn’t a lot for the fans to get excited about. Setting that aside, this ballpark is an absolute gem and it should be a must visit for any baseball fan.

1.                  Fenway Park, Boston, MA. Visited in 2000 and 2024.  Yes, the seats are old, cramped and uncomfortable. Yes, the support posts create obstructed view seats.  Yes, it lacks some of the shiny, modern accoutrements of the newer parks.  But it has unmatched history and walking inside this baseball cathedral is like going back in time.  The Green Monster with the iconic Citgo sign beyond it.  The Triangle in Center Field. Pesky’s Pole. Williamsburg.  The crowd singing "Sweet Caroline." The fact that the team closes off Jersey Street prior to, during and after games and essentially makes it part of the stadium – complete with security, ticket takers, vendors and concessions – helps make the cramped corridors of the old ballpark easier to navigate and helps create a street festival feel surrounding the ballpark. The neighborhood around Fenway offers shops, bars and restaurants that enhance the feel of going to a game there.  Pro Tip: Take the T to the game and soak in the atmosphere while listening to that famous Boston accent in the wild.

There you have it – my ranking of the MLB stadiums that I have attended.  As I attend games at additional stadiums in the future, I will make a new post and add those new ballparks to the rankings.

As always – thanks for reading!!