FAVORITE STADIUM TO CHEER YOUR TEAM.....AS A VISITING FAN

I'm sure one of the things you've done in your baseball travels is followed your favorite team on the road. If you told me that you'd never been razzed on the road for cheering for your team, i'd say you're lying. Being razzed can be fun so long as it's kept in good taste ( Some fans do tend to have their own definition of taste ). As a Dodgers fan I've had the chance to follow my team in the following places

Turner Field

Minute Maid Park

Old Busch Stadium

Angel Stadium

Bank One Ballpark ( as it was known back in '03 )

Jack Murphy/Quallcom Stadium

Candlestick Park

Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T or whatever their gonna call it today ( Spoken as a Dodger fan !!! )

The Dodger Fans Road Experience in SoCal

Watching a game as a Dodger fan at either Angel Stadium or PETCO Park really isnt much of a challenge given L.A's proximity and the strong Dodger following here in SoCal, though one thing I can say about watching the Dodgers in Anaheim is that Angel Stadium is the only place i've seen the Dodgers use the DH ( Something i'm really not to crazy about )

PETCO PARK, APRIL, 2006

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

In both Houston and Atlanta, I noticed that two things 1) Lots of transplants and 2) Southern hospitality. I got to see the Dodgers in the A-T-L in May of 2007 and back in the days when the Braves we're in the NL West these two had some good battles amongst each other. Though the following of Dodger fans many not have been as much as you would see in parks out west, there was actually a good number of them in both cities, especially Houston. Oh yeah, did I mention Southern Hospitality ? It also seems the fans take the same approach when viewing the games as well, not being too raucous but still enjoying themselves in yet a leisurly fashion.

With my souvenier tomahawk, May, 2007

Outside Minute Maid Park, July 2008

BASEBALL IN THE DESERT

Got to take in a couple of games in 2003 . Again, another stop where not much in terms of being heckled with a third of the crowd pulling for the Dodgers. With the many transplants in the Phoenix area, if you're cheering for the visiting team, especially the Dodgers and the Cubs, you'll be in good company.

Bank One Ballpark, as it was known as, July, 2003

OK, MY TOP 2 VISITING YARDS, FROM A DODGER FAN

BASEBALL , BUD, and SOME OF BASEBALL'S BEST FANS

In May of 2005 my buddy and I decided to venture into St. Louis to check out Old Busch Stadium in it's final year and had heard plenty about the great fans of St. Louis and the baseball experience there. Though our expectations we're high, the people of St. Louis really went out of their way to exceed our expectations. We would attend all 4 games of the series between the Dodgers and Cards and it wasnt that difficult to spot us in blue. After all, everyone ( Ok, almost everyone ) at a Cards game is decked out in red. During all 4 games and throughout our visit in St. Louis, we we're approached by numerous Cards fans about our ballpark journey and some even ribbed us about wearing blue ( Remember, the Cubs are their rivals ) . But all in all, it was non-stop baseball talk ( I even felt guilty about stopping conversations due to time ) And of course, being in St Louis, a fan even bought me a Bud ( In St Louis, Baseball and Bud are a perfect marriage , you even here the old " Here Comes the King " jingle )

Kickin' it with Cards fans, May, 2005 , Old Busch Stadium's final season

And now, finally, my favorite place to be a visiting Dodger fan...

AT&T Park, San Francisco

A lot of this also has to do with my love for the city of San Francisco. Yes, wearing the wrong shade of blue can draw the wrath of the locals here, and some may even get into my face for wearing the Dodge Blue, but for the most part, it's been all in good fun and hey, it wouldnt be a rivalry without a little good natured ribbing, would it. Besides, San Francisco is a great city to catch a game. It's also a great city if you love to eat. San Fran for whatever reason just seems to have a charm of it's own. Of course, part of the reason for me having such warm feelings for the city of SF could be because for the most part I'm usually solo up there, and for some reason, single guys always get treated very warmly up there....( Meant to be humorous....) . Oh yeah, back to the SF experience, as a Dodger fan...I've seen my Dodgers play up here many times, the first time in 1994 back at old Candlestick ( Why havent they imploded that dump yet ? And I'm a Niner fan !!!! ) Back at old Candlestick, a Dodger fan really did enter at their own risk. These day's , at Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T, or whatever their naming it today ( Remember, Dodger fan speaking here...), not so much, though it's still exists. And Giants fans, for those of you who have asked while walking on the 3rd ST bridge, yes, I do know how to swim, thank you very much. And as for the BEAT L.A. chant, it doesnt really bother me. In fact, I love it, because it screams R-E-S-P-E-C-T !!! The BEAT L.A. chant may have originated in Boston Garden, but when it comes to who yell's that chant with such passion, it's our neighbors to the north. And why not ? The teams that hear that chant the most, the Lakers, especially during the playoffs, and the Dodgers. I mean, c'mon, when was the last time you heard or saw any red faced fan yell with such ire BEAT L.A. when the Clippers were in town ? Yeah, didn't think so.

Some of my favorite Dodger highlights at PacBell/SBC/AT&T during my presence.

Dodgers sweeping the Opening Series in 200 to open up Pac Bell Park

Seeing Gagne get out of a bases loaded jam in April 2002 and save a 4-3 win, making him our official closer

Seeing the look on the usher's face and getting some kind words from the fans in left field, for our own chant... GO L.A. GO L.A.

INVADING NOCAL, SEPTEMBER, 2004

Sweeping the final series of the year, 2006, to clinch the wild-card, on thier turf

Blue Invasion Ii, Early October, 2006

Seeing Andre Ethier tie the game up on a rbi single with two out in the top of the 9th off The Freak, and later hearing the Giants team, mainly Mike Krukow, of blaming the umps on an earlier call ( Krukow is such a homer ). We lost in the 11th on Juan Uribe's 2 run walk off, but we still took 2 of 3 in that series. It was also my sisters first Dodgers/Giants game in enemy territory

Me and the lil' sis, August, 2009

So, where's your favorite stadium to be a fan of the visiting fan ? If you're a Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, or Cardinals fan, have you ventured into rival territory ? What was it like for you ? And if you're a Giants fan, I definately want to hear your experience at our beloved yard. How much ribbing did you get ? Did you make it out all in one piece ? Hopefully it wasnt too bad. Let's hear your " visiting fan " experience. OK , more SF pics

IKE's Place, Castro district, great sandwiches

You guys after 52 years in SF finally win a WS and you still feel inferior to us

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Comment by Dre Diaz on February 22, 2011 at 8:20pm: @ Craig, I'm surprised you would get crap from Mariners fans given 1) There wouldnt really be a reason for M's fans to hate on the Reds and 2) Seattle fans reputation for being so welcoming, and it's not only from word of mouth but from personal experience as well having gone to games at Safeco, Husky Stadium, and Key Arena ( saw the Sonics against the Sixers there on '04) .

On one of my recent visits to Safeco back in '08 one of the fans offered to save my spot out in the standing room area in center field so I could walk around. As for being a football fan in other venues, the worst I had it surprisingly was at Sun Devil Stadium back in '99 to see my Niners and Cards. That was Steve Young's last ever NFL game, he was knocked out with a concussion in the 2nd quarter. The Niners won that game, but after the game a lot of the younger fans, particularly the ASU students, we're just ruthless. As I was walking through the dorms and being taunted I just had to yell " IT'S ALL ABOUT THE NINERS AND UofA, BEAR DOWN BABY !!! " A couple of beer bottles went flying by me.

Good to hear your stories, any more out there ?

Comment by Dre Diaz on February 22, 2011 at 8:12pm: @ Jason...Cubs fans are everywhere, especially out here in the west. Go to a Dodgers/Cubs game here in L.A., and a good 25-35 percent of the crowd is pulling for the Cubbies. Amazingly, a good majority of them are from Chicago. But they dont get treated as harshly as say the Giants fans largely because there really is no bitter rivalry between these two teams, it's always a fun time when we host the Cubs

@ Jack....Doesnt everyone like a winner ? Seeing your profile pic I dont question your loyalty to the Yanks but we all gotta admit, a team with a long history of winning is going to have it's share of bandwagon fans ( Being an L.A. guy, I will admit too that the Lakers have their fair share of them too, even here in L.A. ) . So Yeah, everywhere you go there will be a great amount of fans cheering for that Evil Empire !!!...LOL....

@ Meg....It looks like you've seen the Rockies in every NL West park. I too have been to every NL West Park, however I've yet to see the Dodgers at Coors Field ( Saw the Mets there back in August '06. Got to see some shortstop make his ML Debut, some kid who played his college ball out here in Long Beach named Troy Tulowitzki ) As for keeping score, I'm one of the few to who still do it, it's become a lost art especially with all the stats and extra info that stadiums provide now. Though when it comes to keeping score, if I miss an inning or arrive late, with todays info in our hands ( aka our mobile phone...) I can always check MLB game tracker and it will say precisely what the batter in that half of the inning did, if he struck out swinging, lined out, homered to right. It may not be the same because you may not have witnessed it, but if you we're at that particular game, it counts !!!

@ Craig... I'm very surprised you would get crap from Mariners fans given that 1) the Reds and Mariners have no longstanding history between each other and 2) Given Seattle fans their and

Comment by Craig (17) on February 21, 2011 at 8:42pm: I loved your blog and pictures, Andrea! This has been the story of my life! Growing up in Colorado and seeing my Reds every season certainly made me a stronger fan. I recall Rockies fans being pretty nice, but that was probably due to the fact that the Reds seem to win win I was there. Now living in Seattle, I only get to see the Reds every 3 years. This past season was the worst I can remember. The Reds got swept here even though we had our best year in the last 20 and the Mariners were garage. I got a lot of crap for wearing my Eric Davis jersey during the game. I enjoy getting heckled as I can just ask the Mariners fans, "how many rings do you guys have"? :)

Oddly enough, I have never seen the Reds play in any other ballpark (except at home in Cincy).

I think the worst is seeing your football team on the road. As I get older, the home fans get more aggressive. I have heard from numerous fans that they refuse to see their favorite football team on the road because home fans are so drunk, stupid and down right mean. I grew up watching my Bucs play in Mile High Stadium every 3 to 4 years and remember getting peanuts thrown at me! Now in Seattle, the Bucs have been coming here quite frequently and if the Bucs lose, it makes it so much worse to have to listen to Seahawks fans. But once again, my response, "how many super bowl trophies do you have"? :)

Comment by meg minard (30/44/205) on February 17, 2011 at 6:55pm: Agree with Jack. This is a superb post!

I've had three teams I've followed in my life (based on where I was living): Yankees, Braves, Rockies.

- I did not travel to see the Yankees play outside of the old Yankee Stadium (I was young and had no $$$ to travel)

- Nor did I travel to see the Braves play outside of Fulton County Stadium/Turner Field - those years were my 'visiting minor league stadiums' watching the G-Braves play (AA Braves at the time) and visiting many of the minor league stadiums in the SE.

- Following the Rockies, however, I have traveled and have seen them play in PNC Park, Petco Park, AT&T, Dodger Stadium, and Chase Field. My favorite of those is PNC Park.

Funny story on my visit there. I had treated myself to a 'club level' seat at PNC for one of the games. Turned out, I was sitting directly behind home plate, right next to the TV camera man. I keep score at the games and after the Rockies gave up something like 9 or 10 runs in one inning, I looked at my scorecard and saw all those colored in triangles. I showed it to the camera man and he filmed me and my scorecard on TV (not jumbotron). I've never seen my 'TV debut' but a Pittsburgh friend of mine said he saw me on TV while watching that game.

If anyone knows how to go about getting a TV video recording of a game (think it was FOX) please share.

At all stadiums I visited as an 'away fan' I was treated well wearing my Rockies gear.

Comment by Jack (6) on February 16, 2011 at 10:34pm: What a great post Andrei and I enjoyed your pictures. I have had the luxury of being a yankees fan so wherever I go half the stadium is cheering along with me.