Ballpark #15- Shea Stadium, New York, NY

Stadium Opened: 1964
Team: New York Mets
1st Visit: 4/24/05
Last Visit: 5/31/08
# Games: 2
Food: 5/10
Stadium: 3/10

It's hard to overstate how awful Shea Stadium was. I often wondered why, when I was a kid, my grandfather ran bus trips to the other 2 close-by MLB stadiums (Phils and Yankees), but never to the Mets' home. In 2005, I finally found out why. Shea Stadium was a non-descript concrete multi-use stadium, like many parks of the 1970's, but somehow it was worse than the others I saw in Philly and DC.

The saving grace, of course, was going to New York City. Our first trip was a spur-of-the-moment trip after a wedding in New Jersey. It can also be considered Staci's and my first baseball road trip- and the seeds of what would become a big part of our travel and relationship. But that's where the good feelings end- there was zero personality, and if you weren't lucky enough to sit in the expensive seats, you were probably going to have some of your view obstructed. We sat in the lower level and couldn't see any of left field. The scoreboard was severely outdated. The food was okay, but certainly not worth the price. I can say that the parking, while expensive, was close by the stadium, which is not always the case in the inner city ballparks.

The horror finally ended in 2009 when the Mets moved into Citi Field, a state of the art facility built right next door to Shea (more on that later). The irony was that Citi Field was built to resemble and honor the Brooklyn Dodgers' Ebbets Field. If the Dodgers had stayed in New York, there would have been no Mets, and Brooklyn would have moved to Queens, and into..Shea Stadium.

View from the 9 Train

Even from the outside..not so much

Citi Field being built beyond the Shea outfield walls

Staci & I watching the Dodgers-Mets in '08

Ballpark #14- RFK Stadium, Washington, DC

Stadium Opened: 1962
Team: Washington Nationals
1st Visit: 4/14/05
Last Visit: 9/23/07
# Games: 49
Food: 5/10
Stadium: 6/10
Important Games Seen:
Washington Nationals' 1st-ever home game (4/14/05), Jimmy Rollins' 36-game hitting streak (10/2/05), got engaged to Staci (7/4/06), last-ever game at RFK (9/23/07)

When I first visited RFK Stadium in 2004, it was not for baseball- it was, for all things, soccer. How did that happen? Well, I wanted to see an old-school ballpark that had little hope of ever seeing a baseball game played in it again. But 3 weeks later, MLB announced the Montreal Expos would be moving to DC. Despite the excitement of that, I could have not have realized how very special this concrete behemoth would become over the next three years.

2005 was a magical season for the new Nationals- at least the first half was. And we were there for alot of it- Mari, Ian, Staci and I became partial season ticket holders. The Nats were much better than anyone expected, and the crowds were bigger than anyone could have hoped for. Chad Cordero was the biggest star, the "Chief" as he was known, the closer who would come in to great applause. And we loved every second from our perch in the right-field seats.

There were major issues with RFK however- there was a major lack of amenities, lines for food were always ridiculous, and for the first season, the team store was a tiny trailer outside the park. The video board was tiny, and searching for a ball-strike count was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Basically, it was often like watching a game in 1971, except it was 2005. But for a place that hadn't hosted baseball in 34 years, and hadn't hosted any major sport in 10 years (the Redskins left in '96), the Nats did the best with what they had to work with.

As great as 2005 was to watch, 2006 was even more special for us personally, as Staci & I got engaged there on the 4th of July. And while the Nats weren't as good, they had the one-year wonder of Alfonso Soriano. Of all the games I've been to, few players were more embraced and exciting than Soriano. Staci's man Ryan Zimmerman had his break-out season in 2006 as well, and we got to see two incredible walk-off home runs by him- one against the Yankees on Father's Day, and the other on July 4th- at the game we got engaged. And of course, Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson was the manager for 2005-06.

But with all the great memories, RFK was a short-term solution and we said goodbye for good in 2007. Nationals Park is a state-of-the-art stadium and is a new favorite, but it will be hard to replicate the 3 magical years at RFK Stadium.

Dodgers-Nats- 2006

Opening Night at RFK- 2005

Staci & I- Nats Finale 2005

Nats Attendance 2005- they'd kill for this now

Staci & her folks- 2006

The mural at the new park- the walk-off from our engagement!

Our RFK Buddies Mari & Ian- Nats Finale 2006

Frank Robinson says goodbye- 2006

Staci and her Screech bobblehead

Screech helps me with the proposal- 7/4/2006

Staci, Ian & Sharon- final RFK game 2007

Colleen, Hillary & I- 8/2007

Staci & I- Last RFK game

The Popular Racing Presidents

Ballpark #13- Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Stadium Opened: 2004
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
1st Visit: 4/4/05
Last Visit: 6/15/11
# Games: 12
Food: 8/10
Stadium: 7/10
Important Games Seen:
Washington Nationals' 1st-ever game (4/4/05), 1st one-hitter seen- Tim Redding (4/2/08), 1st Dodgers playoff game seen (2008 NLCS), 1st game with Dad (5/12/09)

I've had alot of great moments at Citizens Bank Park (see above), and it is a great ballpark, my complaints are with the Phillies' abuse of a fan base that has become stronger with the success of the team in the last 5 years. The Phillies, circa 2004-06, were much like the Nats or Pirates are today- an up-and-coming but still-struggling team that had a beautiful new ballpark. There were plenty of fans out at games, but nothing like it is today after 4 (soon to be 5) consecutive playoff appearances. I decided 2 days before Opening Day 2005 that I was going to drive up from DC to see the brand-new Nationals. I went online and purchased a good seat with no problem. Now every game is sold out by May, which is great. Where's the problem? That the Phils have seen fit to triple their ticket prices in 5 years. Success has driven this greed, but when the inevitable down-cycle happens in a few years, will they lower their prices? Of course not. I only hope that Washington and Pittsburgh don't do the same and screw the true fans.

Now to concentrate on the good things- Citizens Bank Park is an excellent place to see a game. This is one of the first parks to lean and face all seats in such a way as to make you feel close to the action, even from the nosebleeds. I have sat in most areas of this park and can say I really don't have a favorite- a true sign that they have accomplished that goal. The food is fantastic, the only problem is innings-long lines if you want Tony Lukes or Chickie & Pete's. Their regular food is much less of a wait and above-average, taste wise. And any place that offers Turkey Hill in a bottle is a friend of mine.

What about the notorious fans? Overblown...mostly. I typically see more drunk people at a Phillies game as compared to other places, but most of the fans are just passionate and knowledgeable. I've worn my Dodgers gear to every LA-Philly matchup and only encountered a problem when we went to the 2008 NLCS. We were barely out of the car when we were met with curses and slurs. We were even told that we should say we were from LA instead of PA because we'd have less trouble. Really ridiculous behavior, but 1 out 12 games isn't bad I suppose.

The best game was, of course, finally having a chance to go to a game with my Dad. All of his kids took him to see his Dodgers for the 1st time in 2009 and he seemed to have a great time. It ranks with Addie's 1st game as one of the 2 most special games of my life.

Our view from a suite! 2008

Opening Day 2005

1st pitch in Nationals' history- 4/4/05

Overlooking the parking lot where the old Vet stood

Guys' Day Out- 2007

The Kenney Boys at Dad's 1st Dodgers game- 5/12/09

Staci & I at the 2008 NLCS- Dodgers v. Phillies

2008 NLCS

Kenneys Everywhere! 2009

Addie's 1st Dodgers-Phils game- 2011

Opening Ceremonies for Game 1- 2008 NLCS

Ballpark #12- Pfitzner Stadium, Woodbridge, VA

Stadium Opened: 1984
Teams Seen: Potomac Cannons (Reds) 2004; Nationals (Nationals) 2005-present
1st Visit: 4/8/04
Most Recent Visit: 9/4/11
# Games: 215
Food: 4/10
Team Store: 4/10
Stadium: 6/10
Future/Rehabbing Stars Seen: Pudge Rodriguez, Drew Storen, John Lannan, Jordan Zimmermann, Dmitri Young, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinoza

This may be the toughest review I have to write. How do you separate a place that has meant so much to you emotionally, but also happens to be one of the worst stadiums in baseball? I don't know, but I am going to try..

Both my gameday and professional baseball career started with Potomac. I spent the 2004 season as a cook/ beer guy for the Potomac Cannons, and 3 years later my front office career commenced with the Potomac Nationals. Those first days of 2007 were the most exhilarating of my working life. I had 3 wonderful, exhausting, exciting years (2007, 09, 10) as Assistant Director of Food Service, Director of Merchandise and Group Sales Executive with the Nationals. Great friends were met in that time, and I got to be a part of the inner workings of baseball. I even got to be a part of a championship season in 2010 and have the ring to prove it. Now that I got that out of the way...

The stadium is horrible. Plain and simple, the Pfitz, as it is commonly referred, is a concrete slab with mostly bleacher seats and no cover from the rain or sun. Until recently, it had a field that would not drain, causing rainouts to happen 12 hours after the last drop fell from the sky. The food stands are antiquated with no variety to speak of. There has been talk for 15 years of a new stadium, to no avail.

Now, does all that mean you will not have a good time seeing the Potomac Nationals? Not at all- in fact, quite the opposite. Speaking from personal experience, working in a run-down place like Pfitzner means you have to work that much harder to give fans a great experience. And this is where the P-Nats shine. And with the Washington Nationals 30 miles away, Potomac gets a ton of rehab assignments and rising stars. In my 3 years there, I saw no less than 3 dozen current and future Major Leaguers.

So if you're in the DC area, go catch a game at the Pfitz. Just don't expect much in the way of comfort or amenities.

A great view from Center Field- 7/4/09

Addie spent alot of her 1st summer visiting Daddy at the Pfitz

Staci and I at her beer stand

The '09 P-Nat Posse

2010 Champs!!!

Meeting Pudge Rodriguez

P-Nat Night at Nats Park

Ballpark #11- Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

Stadium Opened: 1992
Team: Baltimore Orioles
1st Visit: 4/6/04
Last Visit: 6/30/10
# Games: 5
Food: 8/10
Stadium: 9/10
Important Games Seen:
Staci's & my 1st game together (9/11/04), Opening Day '04 against Red Sox, best catch I've ever seen (Coco Crisp- 6/30/10)


Camden Yards should be know as the stadium that saved baseball stadiums- every stadium for the 3 decades from 1963-1991(after Dodger Stadium, before Camden Yards) was cookie-cutter, bland, concrete, and/or domed. Camden should also be given credit for creating traveling baseball freaks like me. As much as I love seeing all these cities and parks, it is hard to envision a road trip just to see Riverfront, Three Rivers, Memorial Stadium, etc. They all looked and felt the same. Camden Yards changed all that.

Known as a retro-park, Camden was the first modern park to incorporate a large plaza (with high-end restaurants and food stands, almost separate from the ballpark). Eutaw Street is a great place to find Boog's BBQ and to see the warehouse that is a big part of the view here (and can be remembered for "2131" hanging on the windows during Cal Ripken's streak). Babe Ruth's birthplace is right around the corner as well.

The inside of the stadium is fantastic as well. A sea of dark-green seats awaits you (a part of the new trend that Camden can take credit for as well- what WAS up with all the multi-colored seating in cookie-cutters?), and there really isn't a bad seat in the place. A new video board installed in 2006 has only made the view better.

The other food here besides Boog's is very good- Crabcakes are a local staple, an above-average sandwich shop is out on Eutaw, plus all the normal ballpark food.

Camden is worth seeing, a top-10 MLB stadium for me. It will always hold a little special place for me since it was mine and Staci's first game together back in 2004.

Staci & I at our 1st game together- 9/11/04

Babe's Dream- Babe Ruth Statue

Schilling pitches Opening Day 2004 against the O's

The Knepleys and Kenneys at an '08 game

View from Left Field

P-Nat Posse Road Trip- June 2010

Addie's 1st Camden Yards game- June 2010