Photo: Thechased at English Wikipedia
The flights are booked. I’ll be in Atlanta and St. Petersburg the weekend of June 8-11, attending the following games:
- Friday 6/9 – NY Mets at Atlanta, 7:35 PM
- Saturday 6/10 – Doubleheader, A’s at Tampa Bay, 2:10 PM (Game 2 30 minutes after Game 1 ends)
- Sunday 6/11 – NY Mets at Atlanta, 1:35 PM
Though it’s a fairly hectic travel schedule, I’ll still have to time to explore the areas around both ballparks. Cobb County’s SunTrust Park is being hailed in some corners as the future of ballpark building. I’m not much of a fan so far based on pictures and renderings, but I am interested in seeing in-person how everything is integrated, from sightlines to food and beer to transportation. A SunTrust Park tour will also happen, probably on 6/9. Tropicana Field, which I haven’t visited since before the blog started, remains unloved despite some recent renovations. A future park in the region could be at the current location near downtown St. Pete, or perhaps around Tampa.
I’ve spoken with some of you who may be in the Tampa area and could meet up during the double-dip. Hit me up on Twitter if you haven’t. If you’re in Atlanta and would like to chat during one of the Barves games, I’m game.
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P.S. – I originally planned to go to Nashville to check out the Sounds. They’re out of town for the weekend and won’t be back until the following Tuesday, 6/13. Nuts.
newballpark.org 
I’m a diehard A’s fan (born/raised in the East Bay) but now live in the Atlanta area. I will be in the Bay Area that weekend, and unfortunately the A’s are in Tampa.
I’ve been to SunTrust Park a couple times so far. The stadium/field itself is great, however it lacks some character since it’s not in a downtown location and was built in the suburbs. I do like some of the bar and restaurant options in the adjacent area known as “The Battery”.
Also, it appears that the Braves have done a good job in spreading out the parking lots and there are several different routes to get to the stadium. There is no mass transit like BART. MARTA does not run to Cobb County, so the only realistic way to get there is by driving. The Braves encourage you to purchase parking before arriving and using the Waze app which gives you the best route to your specific parking lot. This seems to have avoided the traffic nightmare people thought it would become on game days.
Just wanted to write a thank you for this great blog. I’ve only been to our Bay Area stadiums and your “ballpark reviews” when you travel over the summer are an annual summertime treat for me. Great pics and analysis of how they are built and the various considerations. After I read them, I feel almost like I’ve been there.
Tim K’s most recent espn article predicts the MLB in 20 years, and he interviews 12 people in the game but doesn’t quote them directly.
It’s just a throwaway speculative line, but I thought it was interesting that he wrote that the A’s and Rays would eventually be contracted and that the remaining 28 teams would play each other exactly 6 times each (27×6=162).
Let’s get a shovel in the ground quick, Oakland.
@Jacob Jackson: I bet you a big mac that Tim K asked Larry Baer before writing that piece.