Ballpark #28 Review: Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros), June 15, 2013

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Yes, I realize this blog hasn't been touched in many years. Yes, I'm also aware that this ballpark review was for a game I saw nearly 3 years ago! I'm hoping to dust off the blog and put together some interesting entries. At the time of publication, I have visited 30 different MLB ballparks, and it's my goal to have them ordered at some point soon. In the meantime, I thought I'd post reviews of the few more recent parks I have seen.



Ballpark: Minute Maid Park

Team: Houston Astros

Date: June 15, 2013

Score: Astros 4, White Sox 3



The Good: Park is in downtown Houston with quite a few restaurants/bars within a short walk (I had a couple beers at the Home Plate Bar, nearby, which I recommend -- it also had a bartender who was originally from Long Beach -- my current city -- so there were some good vibes all around). Air conditioning (thank goodness)! The Astros were absolutely terrible that year (51-111!), but they still had a decent crowd for this Saturday night game (over 21k paid attendance). It was easy walking around with its big concourses. The ushers didn't seem to care if I snuck in several different sections.

The Bad: Maybe it was the extreme Texas heat that sapped my energy, or maybe it was the fact the team was so awful and that obviously would affect the fans mentality, but I don't remember there being anything memorable about the park. It's nice, it has good sightlines, etc. -- it just seemed run of the mill in most ways. Of course it has the train and the CF hill, but nothing else really stood out.

Miscellaneous: Crazily, a buddy I met ~4 years prior flew to Houston to catch his White Sox that weekend with one of his buddies. I knew about this via his numerous posts on social media. So it was really cool to be able to watch the game with him, his buddy, and his buddy's dad (hardcore White Sox fans). Although a few bonus points were lost when the dad did mention that Fidel Castro tried out and did not make the Yankees (a horrible old wives tale). I hated Houston when I first visited in 2005. However, more than 8 years later, I found a lot of really interesting and fun neighborhoods and attractions to the point where I kind of like Houston. So there you go.

Final Grade (and yes I have the right to change this in the future): B-

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