I'm in San Fran for a week in September and have booked club level tickets to watch the Giants.
Anyone Been To Oracle Park ?
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I'm in San Fran for a week in September and have booked club level tickets to watch the Giants.
Anyone Been To Oracle Park ?
I went with the family to see a Blue Jays game and it was boring most of the time. They put live footage of several scantily clad female dancers on the big screen during the breaks, and had a DJ. Most of the fans seemed to be there for the footlong hotdogs and beer,😂
If you're not into baseball or don't really understand it, don't bother. It's a long night. And expensive. Oracle Park is nice though. Home runs can go out of the park and into the bay.
nope
Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs is on my list of sporting venues I’d like to visit
I have never seen it live but like basketball , American football and ice hockey it's utter bollocks
Someone walking down the street in this country in a Boston red sox replica Jersey is lost or very odd
My only visit to see the New York Mets play was in the company of my wife’s cousin who lives in Hoboken. Had he not been there explaining the finer points and what was happening I probably wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on and been bored to tears. Especially as it was a low scoring game short on incident.
I went to watch San Diego v San Francisco in San Diego a couple of years ago, with my wife and son and we all enjoyed it. It was expensive mind, I think a can of beer was 11 dollars ? The guy wouldn’t sell my wife the beer because she didn’t have ID and she was 48 at the time and some guy in the queue had to get it for her. We booked to go and watch the Boston Red Sox but the holiday was cancelled because of Covid.
Been there a few times, but don't think its ever been called the same any time ive been, was AT&T Park then something else, and maybe something else the 3rd time. Its a fantastic stadium, worth going just to say you've been there. Last time i was there was on my 50th birthday and saw a grand slam!
Personally I love it. Can see how it would be a hard watch for non fans though. Might be worth having a read through some of the basics just so you know what is going in.
It's a pitching oriented game, so expect more defensive than hitting action.
I've been to one baseball game (minor leagues) and one basketball game (Knicks at MSG) and even though I prefer basketball as a sport, I had a better time at the baseball. That's just because I liked walking around with a beer and hot dog. The game was secondary. The experience of the whole thing - the actual game, the food, the atmosphere, the mascots, the crowd games, the view, the U S A - was just better at the baseball.
I’m off to New York next weekend and bought tickets for the Mets v the Braves on Sunday and looking forward to it.
I’ve been to Fenway to watch the Red Sox and saw the Yankees v the Red Sox at the West Ham ground the other year so I understand baseball although the rules aren’t that complicated
I like all American sport and when I’m in the States I generally go to an NBA or NFL game
I enjoy the day with a few beers and a hot dog watching sport especially at the basketball as there’s loads going on during time outs and halt time etc
you can catch a live game weekly on the MLB channel on youtube, including recordings of previous games, so you can get a feel for it if you don't know it. The jargon takes some getting used to. Try this link for some background.. I wouldn't watch it live without knowing at least the basics. It's a great sport IMHO. Anyone beats anyone, really.
The fans like to do 'tailgate parties'. They turn up into their huge carparks with the SUV loaded with a barbie, burgers, beer, chairs etc and have a get-together. They'd most likely welcome you.
https://www.howbaseballworks.com/TheBasics.htm
I first went in ‘06 and saw the Yankees play Kansas City.
Loved it.
The atmosphere was great. The crowds leading up to the stadium reminded me of 6Nations game and once inside it was like an ODI.
It was a high scoring game so plenty to see.
I’ve been back since and watched loads of games. That first experience definitely got me interested.
Take in the full culture. The beers (yeah might be a touch pricy) the food, the Crackerjack, the 7th Inning Stretch. Chat to the locals - wear your City shirt, it’ll get noticed - especially those next to you who can help with some of the subtleties of the game.
The game itself will probably be long, and a little slow. But the speed of the action in the big plays is electric with fielding skills way above what we see in cricket.
Just how I see it. The breaks between innings are for the TV ads and they slow it down, but in youtube you don''t get them. They are always searching for ways to speed the game up as they are losing fans. I mostly like the Mets as they rebuilt a new team after the Brooklyn Dodgers and Giants were taken away from them. Some fan power there. They really hate foreigners who say they are Yankees fans!
Just wondering if there's enough of us to ask Mike to set up a Baseball sub-forum here. After all it's not so long since we had our own version of baseball, fondly remembered. Whadda ya think Mike?:wales:
I know 🤣
Been back to see the Mets too at Citi Park. Worth going just for the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.
However, I’ve been back to see NYY too at the new stadium. And got to say it was a better experience all round. A better experience walking up to the ground, place is steeped in history, the ground is fantastic, the Yankees weren’t playing the Marlins (God, they are bad!!) and the locals were more chatty at Yankee stadium than Citi Park.
Also saw the Mets play the Nationals. Cheered the Mets on, obviously.
Week later went to DC and saw the Nationals play the Brewers. In the first innings the team in the grey kit hit a huge home run. So I cheered loudly and enthusiastically. Only the Nationals weren’t wearing grey this time. 🙄
It’s easy to move stands at Nationals Park.
We (the whole family) went to see the Dodgers when we were in the US a few years back and surprisingly all found it quite dull (and my eldest son is a sports journalist and loves American sport).
I'm glad that we went but I wouldn't be desperate to go again or say that you'll love it. It is worth seeing as a traditional US pastime, but not much more than that. And it goes on......
Probably exactly like an American going to a cricket match!
saw the Yankees play a while back and was bored rigid. I think part of the issue was a lack of real atmosphere due to there being few away fans in US sport. On the other hand I watched the Philly Flyers play the New York Rangers (Ice Hockey) in Philly a couple of years ago and that was superb. Great sport, great show, and a bit of banter between the fans as they are local rivals.
Definitely go. I've been following the Giants for over 30 years, long story. Oracle Park is rated as one of the best in MLB. The only problem is that they probably won't have much to play for by September. The season has fallen away badly after winning 107 games last season, the most in baseball.
I've never been to Oracle, I went to their old stadium at Candlestick Park but that was for an NFL game. I have been to Fenway Park which is full of character. Oracle is too, just several decades newer.
Saw a women’s basketball match at Madison Square Gardens four years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Giants MLB team are the San Francisco Giants. They used to be in New York until 1958 but them and the Brooklyn Dodgers moved West around the same time, the Dodgers went to LA.
The NY Giants are the NFL team, although they play in New Jersey. Strange lot aren't they.
Yes I do follow the NFL - 49ers fan since NFL first came onto Channel 4. I like San Francisco you may have gathered by this. Good fishing there too
So you reckon ice hockey is bollocks then? You must be a boring person,have you not been to watch the Devils very often then? Most of the time ice hockey is far more exciting then football.Not only that ,the games last 60 minutes,60 minutes of actual action not like football when one third of the ninety minutes involves no actual play at all.
Yeah ice hockey is fantastic as a spectator sport. Rules are relatively straight forward and it's action all the way through. I got into it 5 or so years ago after a trip to Canada and saw the Leafs while in Toronto. Went to see the Kings when in LA a few years ago too, which was also great.
However, I saw the Clippers play Golden State at Staples Center on my first visit to the States in 2012 and fell asleep in the 3rd quarter. Impressive skills no doubt, but I found basketball pretty boring.
Yeah ice hockey is fantastic as a spectator sport. Rules are relatively straight forward and it's action all the way through. I got into it 5 or so years ago after a trip to Canada and saw the Leafs while in Toronto. Went to see the Kings when in LA a few years ago too, which was also great. The skill coupled with the speed is just unbelievable.
However, I saw the Clippers play Golden State at Staples Center on my first visit to the States in 2012 and fell asleep in the 3rd quarter. Impressive skills no doubt, but I found basketball pretty boring.
I've been to many American baseball games. Obviously, it helps if you understand what's going on. Baseball is a very studied, mathematical game, advancing through nine innings, three outs per innings, four balls or three strikes on each batter. It's slow but methodical, a bit like cricket in that sense. When I go I usually take a book, and glance up when things get scary, like when the pitcher is trying to dig out of a bases loaded, no-outs situation, always interesting.
And then there are the oddities. I took my dad to a game once and he wanted to know why the pitcher deliberately threw the batter four balls (bads), thus conceding first base. "He walked him," I said. "What's that?" "He's a very good hitter, and they're afraid that if they throw him something he can hit, he'll hit it out of the park. So they gave up first base instead of potentially something worse."
He was amazed. Thought it was cheating.
I don't think it'll take off enough to require a forum of it's own. Maybe an MLB thread like the Glammy one.
Only live sport I've seen in the USA was Brooklyn Nets v Washington basketball in Brooklyn. Glad I experienced it.
I like baseball but it can be a bit tedious. I like NFL as well.
It’s the only movie where I know every word in the script and receipt it in time with the actors.
Weirdly I’m not a fan of modern baseball by I love baseball history & have probably watched every available film / documentary.
Ty Cobb wanted to play, but none of us could stand the son-of-a-bitch when we were alive, so we told him to stick it!