U.S. Cellular Field (renovations) – page 2

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The Essentials

So the look of the Cell has been drastically improved. Is the game-day experience for the fans better? For the most part, I would say yes.

First, it’s fun to wander through the parking lots surrounding the stadium prior to Sox games to take in all of the tailgating activities. It might be second only to Milwaukee in the amount of pre-game fun happening in a stadium’s lots.

One odd activity that you’ll encounter between row after row of the lots is something called “baggo” (see righthand photo below). This is a game of skill where contestants heave beanbags at angled, flat pieces of wood some distance away. These wooden platforms have a hole cut into the top, and the hole acts like the stake in a game of horseshoes — i.e., the hole is your target. It appeared that the contests were pretty lighthearted. I know I found them fun to watch.

The quantity of on-site parking seemed adequate to me. I attended two games where the attendance was at or near a sellout, and the parking lots were not full (of course, the lots were probably designed with the park’s former capacity in mind).

But it’s not the number of parking spaces that is so noteworthy. It’s what you have to pay to put your car into one of the spaces that might cause a bad case of heartburn: $18. Now, when I have to pay $20 to park somewhere near Fenway, it doesn’t trouble me greatly because of the way that park is shoehorned into a neighborhood. But at most other big-league stadiums, you can usually find a space for $10 within a couple of blocks. At a place like Dodger Stadium, where you have almost no choice but to park in one of their lots, the cost is indeed $10. In other cities where there are a variety of lots — and prices — you often find parking for $15 right next to the stadium, and $5 or $10 within a few blocks. So $18 for all of the spaces at U.S. Cellular strikes me as pretty unreasonable.

Of course, you can venture out in the neighborhoods to the west of the stadium in search of entrepreneurs selling parking spaces in private lots. What you will find, though, are not less-expensive spaces. To the contrary, I found these other lots charge an almost uniform $25. The premise is that while you will probably have to walk farther to the stadium, you will get to avoid the extensive wait to get out of the main lots following the game. To find cheaper parking (or perhaps even a free space on a street) you’ll have to search on the other side of the Ryan Expressway.

So the high price of parking is your first indication of just how expensive it is to attend a Sox game. Hold on tight, because the tickets will be the next thing to hit you.

As you would expect, box seats in the infield are pretty expensive, costing at least $45. Infield seats in the uppermost deck come in at $18 and up (note, though, that if you hold a ticket for the upper deck, you are not allowed on the lower level of the stadium at all). Here’s the shocker, though: the “reserved” seats in the outfield start at $28! More amazingly, the bleachers in left-center are at least $27.

The reason I characterize the ticket prices as “starting at” or being “at least” a certain figure is because the White Sox have gone with a “tiered” approach, as have some other Major League teams. What this means is the cost of the seat depends on who the opponent is and whether the game is on a weekend. For instance, an outfield reserved seat for a weekday contest against the Royals or Devil Rays costs $28. For a weekend game against the Twins or Indians, that ticket is $32. If you can’t live without seeing the Yankees or Cubs, the price jumps up to $37. Again, these are for seats in the outfield.

I’ve always thought that White Sox tickets were on the expensive side, but this is really getting ridiculous. An independent firm assessed the average cost for a family of four to attend a game at each of the 30 MLB stadiums last year. When you include parking, tickets, food and souvenirs, that family could expect to pay an average of $188.07 at the Cell in 2005. That’s the sixth highest figure in the Majors, a pretty lofty ranking.

Is the team taking advantage of the fact that they gave their championship-starved fans a World Series triumph last year? Undoubtedly, but the Sox do give their fans a break on Mondays, when most tickets are half price. Keep that in mind when planning to attend a game at the Cell.

So if you’re spending so much money to see the Sox play, you would expect to have a really great time, right? I think that assumption is accurate, as the features at U.S. Cellular Field give fans ample opportunity to enjoy themselves.

I really can’t over-emphasize how wonderful the FUNdamentals area is in left field. In this three-level, 15,000-square-foot zone, kids can race a wooden replica of a streaking White Sox base runner. They can take aim at moving catchers. They can swat away at balls suspended in a kid-sized batting cage. They can practice fielding while receiving instruction from Sox staffers. And it is all free. Helps take the sting out of those ticket prices.

Kids do receive special treatment at the Cell. Not far from the FUNdamentals area is the Rookies Club concession stand with kid-size items, including peanut butter and jelly. The mascot, Southpaw, is also a big hit with the younger set.

If you like baseball history, you’ll love the huge mural that covers the walls of the upper concourse. Here you’ll find a chronological narrative in text and photos of the history of baseball in Chicago (photo below left). The Hall Of Fame Gift Shop on the lower level behind home plate also provides items and images from the White Sox’ glorious — and not-so-glorious –past.

This brings up an important point about U.S. Cellular Field and the White Sox game-day experience. This is a place that pays homage to its past, and I love the fact that it does. From the exterior arches that resemble “old” Comiskey Park (see above), to the upper-concourse mural and gift shop, to the extensive video introduction prior to each game, to the statues in center field (see Charles Comiskey below right), to the special way the location of home plate of the old park is displayed, the past is anything but forgotten here. And baseball is a sport where the past is every bit as important as the present.

There’s even a shower stall on the outfield concourse so baked bleacher bums can cool off during those day games in August. Just like at old Comiskey.

Another example of this are the statues on each side of the Fan Deck in center field. Here you’ll find the patriarch of the franchise, Charles Comiskey, as well as all-time greats Carlton Fisk (below right) and Minnie Minoso. It’s also a delight that the video board high above center field (below left) is topped with colorful pinwheels reminiscent of the ones on top of the exploding scoreboard at old Comiskey Park.

There are other facets of the Cell not to be missed. There are wonderful vantage points from which to catch some — or all — of the action on the field. These include the waiting areas of the FUNdamentals area and the Fan Deck in center field. You should also wander down below the right-field stands to the Bullpen Sports Bar. Here is an expansive drinking and socializing area under the stands, and a two-level patio situated outdoors just beyond the right-field fence, adjacent to the home bullpen (see the photo below right). It lets you see what it’s like to watch a game from within the bullpen itself … but you’ll need to be ready to “bring it” if the bullpen phone rings and you’re asked to warm up. Just kidding, of course.

And I’ve saved one of the most wonderful features of the Cell for last. Please make a point of stopping by the organist booth, which is a glassed-in area on the field side of the main concourse behind home plate (above left). Although she doesn’t play at every game, you’re in for a real honest-to-goodness-baseball treat if Nancy Faust is sitting there. She is a wonderful organist! I for one have complained for years about the disappearance of organ music at baseball games, so enjoy Nancy if you attend a game where she’s playing. And pay special attention to the snippets of songs she plays when certain players are introduced or when specific events happen on the field. Her song selections are clever beyond belief!

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Summary

What a turn-around! From the sterile whipping boy of the 1990s to the re-born classic ballpark of today, U.S. Cellular Field has come a long way. And because of the improvements, I’m moving the park’s ranking (of ballparks opened since 1990) up four full notches. Where it had been next to last, now it is 13th out of 18. Maybe you’re not impressed, but for me, this is a significant movement!

So if you haven’t seen the White Sox play a home game in awhile, make the trek to Chicago. You’ll be impressed with the re-invented ballpark that awaits you!