I sadly took my first venture to Comerica Park this season on Saturday night and I immediately made my way to my favorite place.
When the ballpark first opened in 2000, I went to 43 games and I sat in pretty much every seat and corner that the stadium had to offer. I frequently found myself in sparse crowds and it was pretty easy to get from one part of the stadium to the other. In those first days, I found the quiet location beneath the fountain as the best place to stay out of the heat, stay dry and get a great view of baseball.
Sometimes I become so “nostalgic,” that I can name all of the different restaurants that have called the right field location home. It is during these nostalgic moments that I recall how the centerfield “batter’s eye” had a number of spots that you could look through to watch the game from a unique vantage point. In the years that followed, crowds would begin to build up in this area and the club decided that a deep green tarp covering the fence would be the best plan of action. I no longer watch games from this location, instead this area has become a cool location to transition between left and right field.
On a side note, at Saturday night’s game I sat alongside my 3-year old nephew who was attending his second baseball game. I have mentioned previously that I am not a fan of the carousel or Ferris wheel as features at a ballpark. However, bringing a young child to a game will likely mean more times than not, that you will go round-and-round on one of these rides. Sitting for three hours of baseball is an acquired taste and I think encouraging children to enjoy baseball can come in different forms. A carousel in the middle of a food court may be one small part of Detroit’s version of enjoying baseball.
Let us know what your favorite location is within Comerica Park!