Our staff was stoked to visit Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Yankees series on Memorial Day of 2014. It had been many years since the Yankees had made the trip to St. Louis, their 1^st at the new ballpark, so we knew we had to take advantage of the rare opportunity. We’re fans of all MLB teams but we’ve seen the New York Yankees in 4 different Major League cities which is more than most New York Yankees fans could even say. Busch Stadium was a massive stadium and all of the new additions that make up a development called “Ballpark Village” adjacent to the stadium were top notch. Ballpark Village quickly made Busch Stadium one of the 5 best ballpark experiences in Major League Baseball and their fans deserve it!

Our staff was fortunate enough to be able to see the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons at their home stadiums all in one weekend. Me being the Major League Baseball fanatic that I am, I was especially excited to finally get to visit Comerica Park to see the Tigers. One of the neatest features you will see at Comerica Park are the giant tiger statues that sit atop the Comerica Park rooftops near the stadium entrances. They’re intimidating but works of art, nevertheless. There is tiger themed décor all over Comerica Park, almost to the point of excess but I liked it. I especially liked the tiger’s heads outside of the stadium that have baseballs in their mouths.

Our staff was fortunate enough to visit Nissan Stadium during a Titans home game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. While it’s certainly not that memorable of a venue, its proximity to downtown Nashville, TN makes Nissan Stadium one of the most enjoyable NFL trips a visiting fan could make.

Our staff made the trip to PNC Park during the 2014 MLB season to see the Pittsburgh Pirates face off against the New York Mets and the trip was everything we could have hoped for it to be. What a ballpark! It’s common knowledge that PNC Park is arguably the most beautiful ballpark in professional baseball and it’s definitely the best we’ve seen in person of the 8 Major League ballparks we’ve visited. So what’s so great about it?

You know the saying..."you never know what you'll see at the ole ballpark". That's true. But there are some faces that you can always count on seeing at the ballpark. Actor Paul Rudd, pictured above, is a Kansas City Royals fanatic. Ben Affleck loves the Boston Red Sox. Jerry Seinfield loves the New York Mets and Dick Vitale loves the Tampa Bay Rays. These figures, however, are stealing all of the "Super Fan" limelight. That's why we wanted to pay tribute to Major League Baseball's most well known and respected "true" super fans. We'll first start with Fenway Park. 

Turner Field was the 8^th Major League Ballpark our staff has visited in person in our effort to see all 30. The Atlanta Braves were hosting the New York Yankees in what turned out to be a very lopsided Inter-league series in favor of the Yankees. Going into the game, I was positive that the Atlanta Braves did not need to tear down a ballpark that isn’t even 20 years old in exchange for a brand new ballpark. The truth is, Turner Field wasn’t originally built for the Atlanta Braves; it was built to host the 1996 Summer Olympics. In fact, the Braves organization had to completely downsize and reconstruct Turner Field to accommodate baseball. By the time the game had concluded, I saw exactly why there is a need to construct Suntrust Park, future home of the Atlanta Braves.

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It wasn't that long ago that the Pontiac Silverdome was home to the NFL's Detroit Lions; 14 years ago to be exact. The Lions began playing at Ford Field in downtown Detroit in September of 2002. The Lions had been playing in suburban Pontiac, MI since 1975 and the move to Ford Field in 2002 was motivated by a number of things. Firstly, Lions ownership had the desire to own their home stadium outright. They also wanted more club and luxury seating installed at their new home, something that the Silverdome did not adequately provide. There was also some encouragement from the city to bring commerce and crowds back to downtown Detroit. 

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Traveling and seeing all 30 Major League Ballparks is the summertime goal of many baseball fanatics. Attaining this feat is a little different than visiting venues of any other sport. Each ballpark is so different and unique, varying in size, age and character. You have the nostalgic ballparks like Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium. You have the new era ballparks like Camden Yards, Progressive Field and the Rogers Centre. And then you have the shiny new ballparks like Marlins Park, Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. Did I mention it all takes place during the best weather of the year? From This Seat is going to show you how to cut down on costs on your quest to see as many ballparks as possible next summer.

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There are 30 Major League Ballparks and the beauty of visiting all 30 in person is that they are all so different. There are many features at every ballpark that could have made this list. Some of the more popular being the fountains at Kauffman Stadium, the swimming pool at Chase Field (pictured above), the train atop Minute Maid Park, the Green Monster at Fenway Park or the hideous home run sculpture at Marlins Park. However, From This Seat wanted to honor the hidden gems at ballparks across the country that may not get the recognition of those others. See if your favorite ballpark made our list.

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It was announced two months ago the U.S. Bank had purchased the naming rights for the new Minnesota Vikings football stadium. The agreement will span 25 years and is believed to be in excess of $200M. This is a positive considering the stadium's construction costs will exceed $1B dollars by the time it is completed in 2016 making it the most expensive construction in the state's history. The Minnesota Vikings and U.S. Bank have wasted no time in attracting big acts to the Twin Cities. The venue is already scheduled to host the 2018 Super Bowl and the 2019 Men's NCAA Final Four and that's only the beginning. 

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The Sunday Night Baseball crew consisting of Dan Shulman, Buster Olney, Aaron Boone and John Kruk decided to take a break from the press box for four straight Sunday night baseball games on ESPN. The break would give baseball fans a first hand look at some of the most unique seating areas in all of Major League Baseball without leaving their sofa.

Ever since the movie "Rookie of the Year" with Gary Busey hit theaters, I've been intrigued by Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Some 20 years later, I was fortunate enough to see the Chicago Cubs take on the San Diego Padres this past weekend. The excitement I felt seeing Wrigley from the subway was hard to explain. However, I may have chosen a terrible time to form an opinion on this historic ballpark. There was a ton of construction going on, especially in the famous bleacher area. The Chicago Blackhawks were also hosting the Nashville Predators at the United Center that day during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a result, the stadium was pretty dead.

View of U.S. Cellular Field's Exterior from Gate 5

After attending a Chicago White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field (now called Guaranteed Rate Field), I saw firsthand the differences between the White Sox and Chicago Cubs fan bases that I had heard so much about. I also saw the difference between both of their ballparks. And to be honest, I think the Chicago White Sox have the Chicago Cubs defeated in both categories.

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It's no secret that the Nashville Predators and their fans don't particularly like the Chicago Blackhawks organization. When playoff tickets went on sale for Game 1 of the divisional semifinals tonight in Nashville, no tickets were sold online, all tickets had to be purchased locally. The Predators organization also allowed their season ticket holders to purchase additional playoff tickets rather than issuing a limit. In years past, if you wanted tickets for a Blackhawks/Predators game at Bridgestone Arena, you had to also purchase tickets for a second Predators game later that season. Not only does the Predators organization try to find ways to hinder Blackhawks fans from invading Bridgestone Arena but they're also copying their traditions too. For Game 1 tonight in Nashville, Predators President Sean Henry asked the Nashville crowd to sing during the national anthem before the puck dropped. At the United Center in Chicago, Blackhawks fans are known to cheer loudly when the national anthem is performed by Jim Cornelison.  As Henry put it "it would be against God to cheer during the National Anthem while fans are singing it". 

Modern Woodmen Ballpark - Davenport, Iowa

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The dynamic of what makes a great Minor League ballpark is a little different from what makes a great Major League ballpark. Minor League ballparks typically don't come with all of the bells and whistles that the Major League venues have. If you ask most people, history is what makes a ballpark - Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) and Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) are two of the most iconic stadiums in Major League Baseball. They're also the two oldest. 

Barry Bonds

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Steroids. Gambling. Lying. Cheating. Like any other professional sports league, Major League Baseball has seen it's share of questionable characters. The league has done an excellent job at reprimanding it's players and keeping them in check. But when it's all said and done, whether or not that player should be allowed into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown always comes up. Newly appointed baseball commissioner Robert Manfred is currently in talks with former Cincinnati Red Pete Rose and his attorneys to decide if he will lift Rose's ban from the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose is baseball's all time leading hitter with 4,256 hits. If the ban is indeed lifted, why stop with Pete Rose? 

George M. Steinbrenner Field

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Every summer, Florida sees some of it's largest baseball audiences invade Marlins Park and Tropicana Field to see two New York teams; the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. The New York Yankees have a minor league affiliate known as the Tampa Yankees. The New York Mets have a minor league team in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Native New Yorker Dick Vitale is a season ticket holder for the Tampa Bay Rays. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter lives in Tampa during the off-season. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez lives in Miami during the off-season. But why? New York City is 1200 and 1500 miles from Tampa and Miami. To understand why there are so many New York Yankees fans in Florida, you must first understand why there are so many New Yorkers in Florida to begin with. 

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Have you ever thought about how cool it would be to be a season ticket holder of your favorite sports team? Few sports fans have the disposable income to make that dream a reality these days but let's admit, we've all thought about it.  The many opponents and players you would see in your hometown. The many friendships you would make in your section. The legendary tailgates you would throw beginning during the wee morning hours on game day. Unfortunately, buying season tickets is not always as simple as just sending a personal check to your team's ticket office. Many teams these days, especially NFL teams, are now requiring fans to purchase what's called "personal seat licenses" or "permanent seat licenses" before even spending a dime on tickets for the season. What exactly are PSLs?

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For whatever reason, sports fans see ticket scalpers as mystifying people. How do they get tickets? Do they sell tickets for a living? How do I know if the tickets they sell me are real? These are questions we hear all of the time. And for those that cannot afford tickets on websites like StubHub or maybe don't even know how to use them, ticket scalpers are their only hope.

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Not since 1988 has the city of Cincinnati, Ohio hosted the MLB All-Star Game. At the time, the game was played at the former home of the Cincinnati Reds, Riverfront Stadium. 12 years after the opening of Great American Ball Park (2003), the organization is gearing up for this year's "Midsummer Classic". The first order of business; replacing the old seats with brand new ones.