This is my first post about reviewing a Major League Baseball ballpark. The picture above is of Tropicana Field during opening weekend of the 2012 season. This ballpark used to be my “hometown” stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida so I’ve traveled there a lot over the years. The stadium used to be used for hockey when the Tampa Bay Lightning played there, which was taken over by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998.
Exterior
From the outside, Tropicana Field looks like a giant warehouse, let alone a baseball stadium. There are really no designs or entertaining aspects of the outside of this stadium. A big plus about not just the stadium, but the surrounding aspect is the giant lot for parking. Aside from the lot in front of the stadium, there are plenty of places to park that is a short walking distance. The unique look to the outside of the stadium is that the roof appears slanted. I believe Tropicana Field is the only major league ballpark left as a closed roof dome, which makes sense since Florida has extreme humidity and rains at random times for the majority of the summer months.
Interior
The inside of Tropicana Field has definitely improved over the years. I remember this stadium looking the same way inside as it did outside. A warehouse that just so happened to have a green patch with dirt in the middle. From the game I attended on April 7, 2012 against the New York Yankees, the inside doesn’t look much different from the previous year, but it does give it more of a baseball feel. The Rays mixed some classic vintage and some new school to beneath the stands near the concessions and also in center field and right field. Its hard to make the inside of a domed stadium look attractive, but I can’t see them doing anything much different. The one downside to the inside is the catwalks and the white roof. Some of the catwalks are in play if the ball hits it, but depends which catwalk it hits. For a fan attending a game, its a rare possibility that a moon shot home run gets knocked down by a catwalk and would be called a dead ball. Also, for those high pop ups that go foul or even home runs for the fans in the outfield may lose the white baseball in the white roof. If you don’t bring a glove or are able to shield your eyes from the lights, you might end up with a nice shiner.
Fan Experience
The fan experience is ALWAYS important when you go to a sporting event. It definitely makes it more enjoyable to go into a stadium sitting comfortably in an air conditioned environment during the summer. Also, no worries in sitting during a long rain delay or getting postponed. The Rays, among other ball clubs, always have games with fan interaction between every half inning. Tropicana has two sit down restaurants inside: The Brewhouse and Everglades BBQ (batters eye restaurant in center field). On the left and right field lines, behind the bullpen area, there are seats set up like a picnic area where fans with a large party can buy tickets for those areas and to enjoy the game as close as you can get to the field. In right center field, there is Rays Touch Tank, where up to 50 fans can touch and feed cow nose rays. Additionally, for any home series that is played over the weekend, generally on Saturday’s, after the game there will be a live concert of a musical artist. I’ve also seen in years past of laser light shows inside the dome. These additional perks of going to a game is always enjoyable, especially when you bring your kids or go with a large group of people.
Surrounding Location
The area around the stadium isn’t too awful. From what I’ve noticed is that a lot of ballparks aren’t in the best locations, but directly across from The Trop are a line of sports bars that fans can enjoy before, during, and after ball games. Also in the area, but not exactly walking distance from the stadium is the Pier, Vinoy Park, Salvador Dali museum, Museum of Fine Arts, the Holocaust Museum, BayWalk, and Jannus Landing.
Tropicana Field definitely isn’t my favorite ball park that I’ve seen in America, but its one of the many. Overall, games are enjoyable to go to because you’re comfortable in the A/C and you don’t have to worry about getting soaked. Majority of the games are fairly on the empty side unless they are playing inter-league games or when they play the Yankees or Red Sox. Concession prices aren’t too bad considering what I’ve seen at other ball parks and the area around the stadium can keep you busy for one full day if you traveled to St. Petersburg on vacation.
Rating: 4 out of 10
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