As my significant other constantly reminds me, if the team's wearing grey uniforms, it's a road game, even if it takes us less time to get to the stadium in the Bronx than it takes us to get to our own ballpark. The new Yankee Stadium looks beautiful on the outside. It also looks beautiful when you're sitting at your seat (for the most part - I will not go into the season ticket holder contretemps because I am not one). The park accurately reflects the identity of the team. You have zero doubt whatsoever whose stadium you are in. In terms of branding, they nail it. But in terms of creating a fan-friendly experience, in what's likely not a surprise to most people, they have a long way to go.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards has a legendary reputation that is entirely well-deserved. It's a downtown ballpark with convenient highway and transit access, and was the first to capture the old-time ballpark feel in a modern facility. It is a wonderful place to watch a baseball game, and has become an immediate favorite.

Fenway is billed as "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" and I guess it's easy as a NL fan to give it credit where it's due. I don't have to fight for tickets to Fenway on a regular basis, I don't have to sit in its tiny, cramped seats every week, and I don't have to deal with the drunken gauntlet to get to and from the ballpark. I'm a big fan of the old ballparks. Fenway has managed to capture the best of both worlds: the old, original ballpark, upgraded within an inch of its life. The seats may be uncomfortable and you may be jockeying around poles to see the game on the field, but there are ample bathrooms, concessions and space to walk around.

Finding ourselves in Boston with nothing to do for a couple of hours in November, we decided to take the Fenway tour. On a grey Monday morning with gentle almost-snowflakes falling out of the sky, we took the T to Kenmore (appreciating the signs at every stop that had a picture of a baseball player [...]