An observation from a Rangers fan

H

hookem2102

250+ Posts
Let me start off by saying as far as the stadium itself goes Rangers Ballpark is way better than tricked up Minute Made. I have been to MM a couple times and 'it just doesn't sit well' with me. I love the Ballpark it's beautiful, spacious, and open. It just looks more like what a ballpark should.

However, I love the fact that there are well dressed business men (& women) behind home plate and elsewhere in the stadium. At Rangers games you see people in jorts and cut off shirts on camera and it just looks trashy. A downtown ballpark (and Jerry World for that matter) would have been so kick *** in Dallas. The fans could have come straight from work to the game like they can in H-Town. There is no way someone can get off of work at 6-630 downtown and make it to Arlington by 1st pitch, and the hassle of getting there and back almost makes it not worth it to many that would otherwise go.

Then again I live in Austin so it doesn't really effect me anymore. I'll go ahead and say 'Dallas sucks' and 'Houston Sucks' to get that thread hijack out of the way.

/rant...Oh wait. F Laura Miller

Now...

/rant.
 
No smack here. I think the ballpark in Arlington is very nice, but I'll take the cozy confines of MMP (and the 5-10 minute drive down Memorial/Texas to get there) any day.
 
As a Dallas resident, I regret the Ballpark being in Arlington more than Jerry World. 81 games a year, walking distance from my office...Nirvana
 
I can't think of much that is more ridiculous than sitting through baseball game wearing a suit and tie. It's a baseball game, for crissakes, not a board meeting. Give me shorts, jorts, T-shirts or tank tops anyday, because we're watching a BALLGAME, not some corporate hotshot give a presentation.

I much prefer the Ballpark to Minute Maid, even with the sun and the temperatures. Minute Maid is so contrived, like it is trying very hard to be significant. The Ballpark is just beautiful.

And what is with the train?? Yes, yes ... I know the stadium is built on the location of the old Union station, but the team's mascot is a salute to Houston's forward-thinking, futuristic identity, yet the ballyard and everything else pays tribute to an outmoded form of transportation that is now best used to move large shipments instead of propelling the nation into the future.

They should change the name of the team to the Houston Engineers or Houston Conductors or Houston Railroaders, for all the train worship that goes on there.
 
The Rangers have always drawn a large percentage of their fans from Fort Worth and the mid-cities. Those are a lot of the people who continue to attend, jorts and all, in these down years. I always wanted the park in Dallas also, but if they didn't win the crowds would be a Pittsburgh style embarrassment.
 
Im a Dallas resident and I went to an Astros game at MMP a few years back.

I was sitting in the stands and thinking to myself this stadium was a nice stadium, but nothing really special.......until they opened the roof.

Once they opened the roof I thought it kicked the **** out of the BallPark In Arlington. That stadium goes from Alright to awesome in a span of 10 minutes. Once the glass panels in the outfield are lifted you have an absolutley awesome view of downtown Houston. At the Ballpark you have a view....of an office building (woohoo).

The Ballpark is a nice stadium, but it just sits out there next to a bunch of parking lots. No cool attractions outside of the stadium, no cool bars or watering holes, zero atmosphere.

Once I started traveling and seeing other ballparks did I realize how lame the entire Rangers game presentation is.

I think MMP and the Ballpark are pretty comparable, but MMP gets the nod for the retractable roof and the downtown, urban location.

I would love for the Ballpark in Arlington to be downtown at the Farmers market. how kickass would it be to able to take the Dart Rail to a ballgame like fans of real teams can do.
 
I think the Ballpark itself is better than MM, but the location is so so ****** that I almost like MM better overall.
 
1) The Ballpark is a substandard facility due to two things: (1) the lack of a retractable roof in the Texas heat and (2) the inferiority of its audio-visual presentation. I have to admit that I have not been to MMP, but I have spent time at the BOB in Phoenix. That is what a ballpark in a Texas or Arizona city should look like: retractable dome, great sightlines, outstanding video boards. The Ballpark, in contrast, is open air, has poor sightlines, and has a single ****** video board that is perched halfway between the seats and the MD-80's on final approach into DFW.

2) If the Rangers had to build a ballpark in a soulless suburb, why make it look "retro." A retro looking ballpark makes sense if you're putting it in Camden Yards or downtown Houston. It looks stupid if you plop it down in the middle of a bunch of parking lots in Arlington. They should have instead gone with a modern look akin to JerryWorld.

3) Of course baseball in Arlington is dumb. Football has its own experience--you drive out to the parking lot, tailgate for a few hours, go to the game, then tailgate for a few more hours. Baseball has a similar experience in most cities: take a train or walk from your office ot the ballpark, go to a bar near the ballpark for a few beers, go to the game, and then visit another nearby bar before going home. The Ballpark deprives the fan of the whole "experience" (the Rangers deprive the fan of anything approaching competent "baseball"). Instead, Arlington gives you a drive-in/drive-out baseball show that has no surrounding atmosphere.

4) Gas prices are going to ******* kill the Rangers' attendance.
 
I have attended many games at both venues and I am an Astros season ticket holder. I have always liked the Rangers as well and I root for them anytime except when they are playing the Astros. I guess I just don't buy into the rivalry that much because I would love to see one of us win the WS.

That being said, we are very lucky in Texas to have two of the Top 10 ballparks in the country. The Ballpark and MMP are both awesome. However, if I had to choose one it would be MMP. MMP has the location, the roof and the technology. Arlington is great in its own right as well, but I would call it a throwback to old ballparks more than MMP.

IMHO, there is not real reason to compare because they are both great and I love going to either.
 
I didn't realize that seeing downtown buildings was so important to a game-going experience.

Silly me, I've been too busy watching the game!
 
I agree that I like both ballparks.

To the poster complaining that MM was too hot and stuffy...I kind of agree. It is 1:15 right now and they have not closed the roof for tonight's game. When it's hot outside, I think they wait too long to close the roof and the inside is never cool enough for me.

But, I am going to the game tonight and walking directly from my office, so I won't complain too much.
 
The Rangers selling point has to happen between the lines. Grand Prairie, Frisco and even the Ft. Worth Cats siphon off some families just looking for the crack of the bat, hot dogs and a jungle gym. Remember, the Rangers were pushing 3 million per year until Hicks got a hold of them.

Current MLB Attendance

Note that five of the seven teams averaging 40K or more play in non-neighborhood settings (Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Angels, Phillies). Now most of those guys have some obvious tradition advantages over Texas, but the fact remains that the best formula for success is to field a good team for at least a few years time.

Neighborhood stadiums haven't done much for bad teams in Pittsburgh, Minnesota, or Cincinnati. Even Cleveland and Baltimore are seeing attrition.
 
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