Sports - The Enquirer - August 29, 1999

A BALLPARK COMPARISON - 3

• Denver - Baltimore •Arlington - Phoenix • Seattle - Atlanta


• SIGNATURE FEATURE

NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T: The roof — 13,000 pounds and nearly nine acres — is more of an umbrella than an enclosure. When closed, fans can see the Seattle skyline over left field. When open, Safeco Field is like any other open-air ballpark.

PLAZA EFFECT: The 2.5 acres' worth of main-gate plaza inside — and outside the park — is the opening entree to a terrific overall conversion of the former Olympic Stadium into a fan-friendly ballpark. There's something to do for everyone within the huge footprint.


• FOR THE FANS

STANDING ROOM: This is a stadium for strolling and exploring. The Mariners sell no standing-room tickets, but there are people standing all around the ballpark. There are two dozen good balconies, walls and other perches for watching the game.

FAMILY ZONES: The fan-friendly family fun center (Scout's Alley) beyond the left-field wall includes a well-done museum that costs only $2 on game days; Coca-Cola Skyfield (upper-deck, left field) features a kids' baseball playground that includes a popular 90-foot base path for running.


• NON-BASEBALL ACTIVITIES

FANS CAN BAT: Who needs Disney when you can grip a chain-link fence at the bullpen and watch pitchers warm up? The Bullpen Market has a batting cage and speed pitch. The restaurant is so casual it seems like an afterthought. A museum and tour theater are planned.

SURF'S UP: Tooner Field, a play-and-food area for toddlers. Why? Because they, too, are future fans; the Chophouse, a two-tier bar and grill just above right-field bleachers; above that, Turner Beach for fans who crave the tropics and fruit drinks (but where's the sand?)


• COMMUNITY IMPACT

WAS IT WORTH IT? Community impact remains to be seen. Critics preferred a site a few blocks closer to downtown. The wrangling over who's going to pay for $100 million in overruns is leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

OLYMPICS LIVE FOREVER: Turner Field is in a tough neighborhood that won't likely be transformed. But the conversion of Olympic Stadium into a solid ballpark that keeps the Olympic spirit alive through the ballpark's plaza approach and big, well-used, public space is to be lauded.


• FINANCIAL IMPACT ON FRANCHISE

GOODBYE, JUNIOR? Safeco proves that 77 luxury suites and 4,200 club seats don't solve everything. The club has intimated if it has to pay for the bulk of the ballpark's cost overruns, it can only afford to keep one of its two superstars (Ken Griffey Jr. or Alex Rodriguez). Junior's not happy.

CAN'T GET MUCH BETTER: It's hard to imagine the Braves could be any happier. The Olympics brought them a stadium people are still eager to visit ... and the Braves did the rest. By providing diversions for everybody from toddlers to seniors, the Braves open their gates at 4 p.m. for night games, and fans are already lined up.


• REDS SHOULD COPY

'THE TEMPEST': An outstanding public art program that includes the ballpark's main entrance, a rotunda behind home plate. It's called “The Tempest” and it's meant to make fans feel as though they are walking up the Seattle shore. The bullpens, end to end along the outfield concourse, are the most accessible in baseball.

RUN VS. GAME: Fulfilling the fun quotient of their fans, without detracting from the game. It will be a delicate balancing act in Cincinnati, where it is still believed that many fans, deep down, still love the game ... and will expect it to be waiting — with a carnival as the sideshow, not the main event — upon their return.

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