Dan DaranciangLooking for the best place to watch a game live? Ever wonder where you can find the rowdiest fans? Here’s a glimpse of some of the best sports venues around the country. Check ’em out.
Yankee Stadium
Walking into Yankee Stadium is like coming home. Watching Derek Jeter run sprints through the impossibly green outfield as the red, white, and blue post-season decorations hang from the upper-deck is a nearly religious experience. The “mystique” that people used to talk about during the recent Yankee dynasty hangs in the air, and the crisp pinstripes on the Yankee uniforms shine under the lights.
Monument Park, a memorial to legends of Yankee past, lies just beyond the wall in left field. The bleachers, infested by super-fans known only as the “bleacher-creatures,” lie in right. Batters watch their monstrous shots to center-field fade into a dark hitters’-eye known only as “The Black.” These things and the 26 World Series Championships, the voice of Bob Sheppard, the myth of Babe Ruth and the stadium he “built,” make Yankee Stadium a cathedral, a sanctuary, a second home for those lucky enough to share a love for the Bronx Bombers.
-Alex Schwartz
Jacob’s Field
Jacob’s Field is truly an amazing baseball park. Since it opened in 1994, Indians haven’t been the same. It’s almost as if Jacob’s Field is responsible for the Indians’ six division titles in eight years. The stadium has seen some incredible feats, like Albert Belle hitting 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the strike-shortened 1995 season. The greatest comeback of all time took place at the Jake (a nine-run deficit, 9-0 and 11-2) in 2002 vs. Seattle. Two World Series – in 1995 and again in 1997 – have taken place at Jacob’s Field. The stadium was also home to the 1997 All-Star Game. The All-Star Game was particularly satisfying since hometown favorite Sandy Alomar Jr. hit a game-winning home run to ice the game in favor of the American League.
Aesthetically, Jacob’s Field is quite pleasing. There are no bad seats and the field is gorgeous. There’s a miniature green monster in left field, which houses a top-notch glass-enclosed restaurant where my senior prom was held. Some of my favorite memories of Jacob’s Field include the ballpark’s opening day in 1994, and witnessing Jaret Wright beat the Yankees in game five of the 1997 division series. Jacob’s Field is home to one of those unbreakable records- 455 consecutive sellouts. Yeah, and you thought Red Sox or Cubs fans were the best in baseball. So come to Jacob’s Field sometime. Sure, our river (the Cuyahoga) catches on fire sometimes, and our football fans throw beers at the refs, but our baseball stadium is a “diamond” in the rough. Pun intended.
-Justin Davidson
The St. Louis Arena
I’ve been to and experienced great sporting venues that range from classic stadiums, like Michigan Stadium (The Big House) and Wrigley Field, to the more modern stadiums like Camden Yards and Conseco Fieldhouse. However, memories make sports and sporting events, and there is no place I would rather watch a game than at the St. Louis Arena.
The Arena, the Checkerdome, and The Barn were all common names for the site at 5700 Oakland Ave. that was built in 1929 and welcomed the St. Louis Blues in 1967. Originally constructed to house dairy and agricultural events, the St. Louis Arena became one of the Midwest’s classic venues. Mainly known for St. Louis Blues Hockey, The Arena also housed several indoor soccer teams, a roller hockey team, and Saint Louis University Athletics. The 20,000 seat venue was said to be one of the loudest stadiums because of its wooden ceiling and The Arena Lounge – a place right out of a scene from Goodfellas – that served beer in a glass and was noted for having a shorter restroom line.
Although The Arena hosted Three Stanley Cup Finals, the most notorious games were Blues-Blackhawks games. Memories of fights in the stands, Brett Hull scoring 50 goals in 49 games and several classic Blue notes like Garth Butcher and Harold Snepsts are still with fans. The Arena became vacant in 1994 and was demolished in 1999 due to the opening of the Kiel Center (Savvis Center).
-Derek Winters
Madison Square Garden
It’s the “World’s Most Famous Arena.” Right in the heart of the Big Apple, Madison Square Garden has been the promised land for New York sports fans for generations. Originally a passenger depot for the Harlem and New York railroad in 1871, the Garden has come a long way. Four Madison Square Gardens later (it has been rebuilt three times in different locations, but with the same name), it stands atop the famous Penn Station and is the home of the New York Knicks, Rangers, and Liberty, and hosts a slew of music and entertainment events throughout the year.
From the front row to the nosebleeds, the Garden is nothing but noise. The 19,500+ person venue can shatter ear drums when those Knick and Ranger faithful show their New York pride. It’s where Willis Reed, dragging a wounded leg, willed the Knicks to the NBA title in 1970, where Joe Frazier knocked out Muhammad Ali in 1971, where John Lennon performed his last live performance in 1974 with Elton John, where Mark Messier broke the 54-year-old “curse” in 1994, delivering the Rangers their first Stanley Cup since 1940. And the list goes on. On so many nights over the last 125 years, the Garden has been THE place to be, and it will continue to be just that.
-Justin Davidson
Shea Stadium
Ever since I was an infant I’ve been going to Shea Stadium to see the Mets play. For a long time I thought it was the greatest stadium in the world, until I went to Camden Yards. Then I went to Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Jacobs Field. The more stadiums I visited, the more I realized Shea is a disgrace. The new parks have beautiful views – PNC Park in Pittsburgh, SBC Park in San Francisco and the new Cardinals Stadium. At Shea you have a view of three things. Left field has a gorgeous view of the parking lot. In center you get a peak at the hideous black TV towers, and in right field nothing other than the good ol’ New York subway.
The field itself is a pitcher’s park, which probably cost Mike Piazza about 100 home runs, and has just one redeeming quality: The apple in right center field goes up everytime the Mets hit a home run. The stadium lacks history, memorable moments and scenery, and it’s always a pleasant surprise when a plane flies directly overhead coming to JFK airport and you cannot hear anything for 30 seconds. I love the Mets, but, needless to say, don’t go to Shea for a great sports experience. That’s for sure.
-Scott Kaufman-Ross
Assembly Hall
University of Illinois Basketball Champaign, Ill.
Upon first glance, Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois looks like a giant white UFO making crop circles in the barren cornfields of Champaign, Ill. But venture inside to the home of the defending national runner-up Fighting Illini, and you’ll be overwhelmed by more screaming, orange-clad maniacs than a Tropicana convention. The crowd is relentless, cheering just as loud for a lay-up against Arkansas-Pine Bluff as a game-winning alley-oop against Michigan State. and they’ll never let the opposing point guard forget about that off-season DUI. So if you’re looking to watch the nation’s most exciting team in the most dynamic atmosphere possible, pile in the car, head to Champaign for a game, and hit Green Street late-night. Who knows, maybe you’ll see a football player you can make fun of.
-Joe Ciolli