Ode to AT&T Park

I have attended major league baseball games in 21 ballparks, including two facilities that have since been demolished (Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis) and one that is no longer used for baseball (Houston Astrodome). Therefore, I believe I have the breadth of personal experience necessary to proclaim that AT&T Park in San Francisco is the best ballpark in Major League Baseball. Here are ten reasons why I became so enamored with this ballpark when I visited it for the first time on July 30, 2009:

1. Location, location, location - The view of San Francisco Bay is memorable. Coors Field in Denver comes close with its beautiful vistas, but I think AT&T Park has it beat.

2. Female PA Announcer - I had never thought about the fact that every other PA announcer at every other sporting event I have ever attended was a man. What a pleasant surprise to hear a woman's voice for a change!

3. Weather - I realize that the majority of folks think that San Francisco's weather is a drawback rather than an attraction, but I loved the chilly night air and the ever-shifting mist.

4. Giant Coca-Cola bottle - I have a Coca-Cola kitchen, so I obviously loved the giant Coke bottle that loomed over the left field wall. (Of course, I love the giant Coke bottle at Turner Field in Atlanta, too.)

5. Concessions - I always take note of the unusual culinary fare sold at various ballparks. AT&T Park offers garlic fries at the concession sessions plus roving vendors selling churros and hot chocolate. Yum!

6. Willie McCovey - Nicknamed "Stretch," this Hall of Famer made his debut for the San Francisco Giants exactly 50 years ago on July 30, 1959. When the PA announcer noted his presence at tonight's game and he waved to the crowd from his box seat, the Giants fans gave him a standing ovation. Over the course of 22 years, McCovey hit 521 home runs, and he is one of only three players to hit home runs in four different decades (along with Ted Williams and Rickey Henderson).

7. McCovey Cove - No other ballpark provides kayakers with the opportunity to catch a home run ball. Lacking the steroid-induced firepower of Barry Bonds, there are no longer hoards of kayakers circling just outside of the right field wall in hopes of snagging a souvenir, but there were two kayaks present tonight, and one lucky lady did fish a home run ball out of the water.

8. Ferry service - I loved watching people arrive at the game via ferry. It reminded me of the Vol Navy - the folks who arrive at Neyland Stadium via boat and "sailgate" prior to UT football games.

9. Evacuation Announcement - I had never been in a ballpark before where instructions were given about how to evacuate. Clearly, this is a necessary precaution in San Francisco because of the ever-present threat of earthquakes, and I found the instructions reassuring rather than frightening.

10. Seagulls - As soon as the game was over and the crowd began to disperse, a flock of seagulls descended upon the park to scavenge for scraps of concessions. Hitchcock would have loved it!

For the record, the Giants defeated the Phillies 7-2. Go Giants!