Most of those that are interested in stadiums, fall on the ballpark side of things and thus this week is significant as it is Opening Day for Major and Minor league baseball. The big leagues kicked things off (mostly) today and most of the affiliated minors begin later this week. The independent and short-season leagues resume in May and June. Though I will admit baseball is at the lower end of my sports following priorities, I am excited to get back to the ballpark. To all whose passion lies with the game and ballparks, welcome back!
I finished this month’s stadium updates on The List and April usually is a big month with all of the baseball leagues back. Also, soccer returned and any changes have been updated there. Some more minor-league basketball also came back and there were a few updates on that end too. One of the most frustrating things I encounter when updating minor-league baseball stadiums is trying to figure out what the official seating capacity is. Many times, it’s not listed on the team’s website and typically ballparks don’t have their own page. Meanwhile, there are even a few that list both the total number of seats AND the capacity of outfield grass seating, so your not really sure what is the “official” seating capacity. Somebody needs to set the standard and decide how “Seating Capacity” should be interpreted for all ballparks.
Lastly, I will be tacking on two visits this coming weekend as we’re heading off to Texas for a friend’s wedding. We’ll be spending sometime in Austin Friday-Saturday and then San Antonio for Sunday-Monday. The University of Texas’ Disch-Falk Field and San Antonio’s AT&T Center are on the itinerary. I may try to post a few times out there, but that idea failed the last two trips (New England and the Southwest). So in all likelihood, I’ll have a wrap-up sometime later next week.
Stadium and Arena Visits 