Maybe LeBron's Not Who We Thought He Was

Who could forget Arizona Cardinals' coach Dennis Green yelling at the media that the Chicago Bears "are who we thought they were!!" That line has become quite popular but in this case it must be changed around a bit because could it be that LeBron James isn't who we thought he was? It sure seems that way after watching his disastrous fourth quarter performances and his ill-advised comments in the postgame press conference. The pressure that James has been under this year is unlike any other that we have seen. Tiger Woods, Michael Vick and Kobe Bryant were all under the microscope, but that stems from off-the-field problems. In LBJ's case he technically did nothing off the court to keep people from liking him, but he has taken a series of actions that have greatly affected his reputation to the fans and media. After another failed attempt at an NBA title it is time to re-evaluate how we perceive LeBron and what we think he will become.

There has been much discussion, and it's pointless arguing, about whether James is already better than Michael Jordan or if he will ever be considered better. Scottie Pippen offered his opinion and was blasted for saying such blasphemy. However, then we took a step back and thought maybe Scottie knows what he's talking about. After all, the guy played with Jordan every day and knows him very well. On top of that, LeBron was a monster in the Eastern Conference Finals against Chicago. He looked so dominant and was on top of the basketball world for the time being. And then the Finals came...and we immediately knew that James will probably never reach the heights of His Airness. The great ones bring it in the fourth quarter. That's when it's Winning Time and the best players know how to close a game out. Sure, MJ or Kobe can't be a hero every game (see Game 4 of the 1996 Finals or Game 7 of the 2010 Finals) but nearly every game they TAKE and MAKE the big shots. With James we were left scratching our heads because, at times, it appeared he didn't even want the ball late in the game. If you go by the name of King you should never defer to somebody else. Jordan never deferred and Kobe never deferred. Neither LeBron nor Wade wanted to take the big shot and, as a result, the ball looked like a hot potato in the fourth quarter of Game 7.

I'll say this, LeBron James is a great athlete and he can be a great player. However, he doesn't have some of the skills, such as a reliable shot, nor does he have the intangibles. By intangibles I'm talking about that assassin mentality. When it's the fourth quarter you would like to see the fire in his eyes that says, "I'm going to make sure we win this game." In the series against Chicago that's exactly what he did and he routinely buried the Bulls late in the game. In the Finals Miami would have been better off with him on the bench for the final period. LeBron averaged only 2.2 points in the fourth quarter of the Finals and most of his buckets came when the game didn't matter because Dallas had sealed the deal. That simply cannot happen from James. For a man who is supposed to be the best player that we have today, he has routinely disappointed us with his disappearance in playoff games. This is the second time it has happened along with the Boston series last year and it begs the question: What is wrong with him?

There has to be some psychological problem with him and sports psychologists will try to figure it out this summer. It's something that we haven't seen before. We are so used to seeing the greatest athletes hit the big shot, make the perfect pass, blast the game winning homer or sink the tough putt under the highest pressure situations. For so long the media has put LeBron in that group but it is clear he is not on that level. His poor performances have hurt his image on the court but his off the court, yet still basketball related, antics will ultimately be his biggest downfall.

No one will ever forget last summer when they think about LeBron James or the Miami Heat franchise.It was two moments of selfishness and ego that brought about the strong backlash against James and the Heat. Kevin Durant went on Twitter to announce he was staying in OKC and others called a simple press conference to announce their decisions. That's all fine and good, but to take an hour television spot on ESPN and dub the event The Decision is way over the top. That right there lost him thousands of fans and that was before the South Beach party with James, Wade and Chris Bosh. The three stomped around stage, shirt-popping and screaming before sitting down to discuss the future. That was when James predicted not 5...not 6....not 7 championships!! And not only would they win, but it was going to be easy! Why would somebody say that?? I still can't figure out why he would say that. He couldn't have been thinking when the words left his mouth. Talk about putting a target on your back.

It's fitting that he closed the season with another soundbyte that left people scratching their heads. LeBron basically said that his life was better than all of ours so he was just going to be happy and live how he wants while we had to go back to our daily problems. He has since apologized, and I commend him for that, but he still said it. Whoever is advising LeBron is doing a terrible job. He needs a PR person because he isn't good around a microphone and he is constantly digging himself a deeper hole.

Is LeBron a bad player? Not by any means. He is still a dominant player but the knock on him is that he is a different kind of player in crunch time. He isn't the closer we expected him to be and he has behaved very childish off the court, perhaps a testament to the company he keeps that advises him. LeBron is still young and he is on a very good team. They will win a championship soon but LeBron must figure out his fourth quarter failures and he must work to improve his image as a selfish guy. When he does that maybe then we can finally open our arms and accept him as one of the greats.

Read Tom Haberstroh's article on LeBron's fourth quarter performances by clicking the link below:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/8778/the-lebron-james-4th-quarter-experience

Dirk Leads Dallas to First NBA Championship

One player left the floor a few seconds early to escape the crowd because he was overcome with the emotion of victory. The other player left the floor immediately after the buzzer, head down and the look of defeat spread across his forlorn face. It was polar opposites between the two biggest stars of the NBA Finals as Dirk Nowitzki needed a moment after his Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in Game 6, 105-95. On the other bench, LeBron James was foiled again and took the long, quiet walk back to the locker room knowing that he once again was second place. Where did it go wrong for the Heat? That's debatable but one thing that isn't is Dirk's greatness. With a championship under his belt he has cemented his status as one of the best players to ever play the game while LeBron continues to struggle under the microscope he has put himself under.

Dirk Nowitzki put on a clinic the entire playoffs and when he came under the weather during the Finals he still performed well. In Game 6 he was 1-12 shooting for the first half which was so un-Dirk-like that it seemed there was no way the Mavs could win. However, Jason Terry brought his jumper and kept Dallas in the game and in the second half we saw the Dirk we all know and love. It was clear that Terry and Nowitzki were on a mission to get their rings and not have a repeat of the 2006 collapse in which they lost four straight to Miami after going up 2-0. This was a totally different Mavs team and three key pieces that weren't there in '06 helped win the title. First, Jason Kidd has showed that he still can play as he climbs up in years. While he isn't as quick anymore and the dazzling plays become less and less, Kidd is a steady point guard and one of the greatest point guards ever. He will someday be in the Hall of Fame and he can now add a ring to his resume after two failed attempts with the New Jersey Nets. The experienced floor general found the open man and came up with timely steals throughout the playoffs. His backup, J.J. Barea, was also a big factor for Dallas with his quickness and his shooting. The undersized Barea averaged nine points and three assists in the postseason and irritated teams with his drives to the hoop. Tyson Chandler was perhaps the most important piece to the puzzle as he supplied muscle, athleticism and size in the post. He grabbed boards and blocked shots, but maybe the best thing he did was keep possessions alive with his tip outs off of misses.

For the Heat, they will have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong. They should take a piece out of Dallas' book and try to find a veteran point guard who doesn't need to score and they need a more reliable center. Joel Anthony did nice things but at the end of the day he is an energy guy who comes off the bench. Chris Bosh stepped up his game in the postseason and, for the most part, quieted his critics but he will need to find consistency in the offense next season. The point guard position is the main problem for Miami as they recycled players through that position. Sometimes it was Carlos Arroyo, other times it was Mike Bibby and then other times it was Mario Chalmers. Somebody has to be brought in or a current Heat player needs to step up and accept the role if Miami is to win as many championships as they have promised to their fans. Lastly, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have to figure out how to play together. At times they look fabulous sharing the ball and feeding off of each other but other times they are too unselfish. A prime example would be the fourth quarter of Game 6 when the ball was passed around like a hot potato because nobody wanted to take the shot. That problem has to be solved or one of them will have to hit the road.

Dwyane Wade

Obviously criticism has already come the Heat's way as it should. There are no excuses for the way they performed, especially late in games. LeBron was particularly awful with an average of only 2.2 points in the fourth quarter of the Finals. That simply can not happen when he is supposed to be the closer. However, if he is not getting the job done then Erik Spoelstra needs to bench him. Last night he came out of the game and the Heat took the lead midway through the 2nd quarter. It was the perfect scenario for them because it looked as if they would open up a big lead before the half. And then....LeBron came in and the Mavs regained the lead before the half. The stats don't lie from last night: the Miami Heat played better when LeBron James wasn't on the floor. Something had to be wrong with him in the series because he wasn't the same player. In the Chicago series he was the closer and took the big shots but he was M.I.A. in the fourth quarter of the Finals. Rarely was LeBron good at the end of games and next year the ball needs to be in DWade's hands come crunch time.

Was the season a total failure for the Heat? I don't think so but I do think it was a partial failure. They may not have had the right pieces but they were certainly good enough to win the title. But give Dallas credit, they played phenomenal basketball and it's nice to see them win after so many years of heartbreak. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd can now put a ring on it after all these years and the Mavs have a great team that works together and plays hard. Those are qualities of a team that can be a dynasty if they perform how they are capable.

Dirk Cements His Legacy

Well congratulations Dirk, you’re officially the most loved player in the NBA. Why? Because you sent the Heat, as well as the whole city of Miami, a reality check. But was it simply one city that was affected by Dirk’s recent Finals victory? The League, players, and fans can all learn from how Dirk went about winning his first ring.

He was labeled as being a soft player, he lost to the Miami Heat in his first Finals appearance, and he lost literally every teammate from that Finals team with the exception of Jason Terry. Yet Dirk took it upon himself to get better and improve his game. He became a better off-the-ball player on offense, he developed a post-game, and he developed a true leadership role. When Jason Terry left Mario Chalmers wide open for that baseline three that tied the game in Game 2, Dirk got in his face and let him hear it. He then proceeded to win the game with his left hand, which was sporting an injured finger. After dropping Game 3, Dirk once again had late game heroics and had the game winning bucket, this time with his right hand.

Dirk took charge and led the team by himself. He was even bold enough to say in a press conference that he needed more support from his teammates. Not to let their leader down, the bench as well as other starters stepped up in the next few games. Tyson Chandler cleaned the glass like Windex, Jason Terry embarrassed the Heat defense by continually burying jump shots, and Jason Kidd stepped up for a few clutch threes down the stretch. His teammates respected him and played solely for the reason of getting Dirk his first ring; Jason Kidd, who had been in the Finals twice before, even said that he wanted to win for Dirk, not himself. Dirk Nowitzki gained their trust and failed only one out of three times to make the go-ahead shot in the NBA Finals.

Another reason you can’t help but respect the German 7-footer is because the man never asked out of Dallas. Even when he was left playing with scrubs like Tony Delk and Eric Dampier, Dirk stayed right at home. MJ never asked out of Chicago when they were awful at the beginning of his career, and Kobe never left Los Angeles when his starting power forward was Chris Mihm and Smush Parker was his point guard. Alongside those two, Dirk is a superstar that decided to endure criticism and do things the hard way, we all know LeBron James can’t say the second part.

Ten-time All-Star, one-time NBA MVP, NBA champion, and a Finals MVP; Dirk has cemented the legacy he’s been trying to leave since he entered the league. He’s never even wanted to leave Dallas, he worked harder than nearly every other player in the league to achieve his goal, and he delivered in the clutch. Dirk Nowitzki has silenced the critics and proved that hard work is how you succeed. Congratulations Dirk, you’ve earned it.

Jeter and Thome Approach Milestones Amid Fanfare

Milestones in baseball are something to cheer about most of the time. When a player passes 500 home runs, 300 wins, 3,000 hits or 4,000 strikeouts we all stop and think about the magnitude of that particular achievement. It really is unbelievable. Lately though we haven't been so impressed or happy with MLB players passing milestones due to steroid use. Barry Bonds broke arguably the most glorified record in sports when he passed Hank Aaron's 755 home run mark, but as a nation we could only frown upon his feat because of his alleged steroid use. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were heroes in 1998 and they treated us to one of the most exciting summers ever yet they are villains now after their steroid use and embarrassing showings on Capitol Hill. The same can be said for several other hitters such as Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez and maybe even Alex Rodriguez. Thankfully the steroid era seems to be over and in 2011 two players who have remained clean and have always been fan favorites are chasing major milestones. Derek Jeter, the New York Yankee captain, is approaching 3,000 hits and Jim Thome, a rare home run hitter never linked to steroids, is coming up on 600 home runs.

For all kids who aspire to be a baseball player Derek Jeter is the prime example of how to play the game and how to behave off of it. Name the last time Jeter's name popped up in a police report that ESPN got a hold of....never. Name the last time Jeter ripped his team, teammates or organization publicly....never. He is the ultimate class act and he defines the Yankee way. He is currently 14 hits shy and would be the first Yankee to reach the hit milestone, an incredible accomplishment considering the hitters that have put on the pinstripes. Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio and Mantle were all short and when Jeter's playing days are over he must be considered one of the top three Yankee hitters of all time. That may sound absurd but the man knocks out hits and comes up in the clutch. We can cheer Jeter also because he a great man and he has always been a positive example on and off the field. His name has never come up in steroid talk nor does he have any legal blemishes. Every ball fan can stand and cheer when Jeter does reach 3,000.

The same can be said for Thome. He is a great example and he has been voted by his peers as one of the nicest guys in the game. When he does reach 600 home runs he will join Bonds, Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey, Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa in the club. Three of those players have used or allegedly used PEDs (Bonds, Rodriguez and Sosa) but Thome has never been linked to them despite playing the prime of his career in the Steroid Era. He has played for the Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers and Twins and been a clubhouse favorite at every stop. With the exception of Griffey's 500th and 600th home runs and Frank Thomas' 500th dinger, every home run milestone since 1998 has been tainted by steroids. That's seven players that reached the 500 mark and beyond with steroid use/suspicion. Thome's 500th homer was greeted with applause and his 600th should be an even happier occasion.

It's exciting to watch this unfold because for so long baseball fans have had to watch as a cheater rounded the bases in celebration and then lied when asked if steroids were of any help to reaching that milestone. Now don't get me wrong, I think all of those players were great and they definitely did have outstanding skills but when steroids aid a player's performance it makes that milestone less significant. 500 home runs has become a routine thing in baseball and that's sad. With Jeter and Thome, fans can cheer for both because both are clean and on top of that have always had a good reputation on and off the field. It's the perfect thing for the game of baseball as they exit the Steroid Era.

Jeter could reach 3,000 hits in the next two weeks and Thome could have 600 by the end of the month. It would be amazing if they both could do it on the same day somehow but that might be asking for too much. One thing is for sure and that's that both of these feats will be celebrated across the nation and that hasn't happened to two players since Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs reached 3,000 a day a part from each other.

College Softball Needs Change

Okay every now and then something in sports comes to my attention and I just have to scratch my head because it doesn't make sense. Lately I have watched a little bit of the Women's College World Series for softball and, while the games usually are close and go down to the wire, I can NOT stand the field dimensions those girls are playing on. With fences that measure 200 feet and bases that are only 60 feet apart, the game is either going to be a slugfest or a strikeoutfest. I've watched the World Series for a few years now and every year it is the same story and the NCAA needs to do something about it to better the game.

When boys, and girls for that matter, are nine years old they are playing on fields with 200 foot fences and 60 foot bases and these girls who are in college play on the same size fields. That is absolutely ridiculous to me. There is no such thing as a triple in college softball because with a field that small who could scamper all the way around the bases before the throw comes in? On the other hand, the bases are so short that sometimes these slap hitters place a ball perfectly on the infield and beat the throw. If the field were bigger they would surely be thrown out but it takes maybe 15 steps to get to first!

However, the main problem is the distance of the mound. The mound is so close and these pitchers throw at speeds in the 60s which means the ball is to home in the blink of an eye. As a result there are numerous strikeouts every game and also several groundouts. If the mound were moved back a few feet it would do two things: make the game safer for the pitchers and help the scoring. As I sit here typing this I am watching Game 1 of the Final between Arizona State and Florida. ASU took a 7-0 lead after two and they did it by the home run and a few extra base hits off the wall. The game is so predictable you could probably guess what will happen before it starts.

At the beginning of the tournament Baylor and Missouri played 13 innings before Baylor won by a walkoff home run. That was the only run of the game! Missouri only managed two hits in the whole contest and one run was all the two teams could muster in 13 innings. I'm all for the occassional pitchers' duel but that is outrageous. In my mind, that happens all too often and the NCAA has to do something to make the game more like baseball. It seems that softball is all or nothing. There's either an abundance of strikeouts or it is a slugfest to see who can hit the most home runs. That's not real baseball to me.

If I were the head of softball for a day I would take the approach that Little League has taken with their field dimensions. Move the fence back 25 feet so that it is 225 all the way around. That is a reasonable distance because players could still hit home runs but it opens up the outfield a bit more which allows runners to go from first to third more often and there could be more extra base hits. Along with that I would say move the bases back to 75 feet. This would mean more stolen bases because second is further from the plate and fielders would also have a legitimate chance to throw out a runner. Last but not least, the mound needs to be pushed back to 50'6" which is ten feet closer then a Major League mound. That allows hitters to have more time to read a pitch and it is safer for the pitchers.

Those changes may sound very offensive minded but they would help a pitcher greatly. A farther fence means less home runs. Further bases mean more time for fielders to gather and throw across the diamond and a mound at 50'6" gives the pitchers' ball more time to do it's action. A rise ball can rise more and the ball can naturally tail more if it is given time. That would make it trickier for the hitters. That said, there would also be many benefits for the hitters. Altogether, I think those moves would be very beneficial for the game of college softball and the games would be more interesting. Don't get me wrong, I think that these games can be entertaining but it's not the ideal way to play the game. Sometimes change is good and I think this is a game that could use some change.

Fixing the High School Sports System: Part II

A few days ago I posted Part I of my suggestions to fix the high school sports system and that was to eliminate half of the classes. So for Illinois high school football there would be four instead of eight and all other sports would have two. However, as much as I wish that would happen, I don't think it will anytime soon and that brings me to Part II of how to fix the system. If the IHSA wants more classes then I propose that they go to three classes and make two for public schools and one for private schools. They could make a small school division and a large school division and then the private schools could be grouped together in a third class. It makes perfect sense and I would have no arguments to that change.

As it is now, the IHSA has struggled mightily with what to with private schools. They have based their class solely on enrollment but for a short time private schools were placed in the class system by the multiplier rule. That meant that the IHSA looked at the average enrollment of their opponents and place them accordingly. That's a good way to do it but it's not the best. The best way is to separate the public and private schools completely when it comes playoff time because of the recruiting factor. Private schools have the ability to recruit players to their school and it doesn't matter where your address is. Public schools don't have that benefit and that can make the differences of the rosters very glaring.

If the high school heads separate the private schools it would level the playing field. Now I understand that public schools bring in a higher enrollment typically but the ability to "recruit" kids to their school is such a greater advantage. Think about the talent some of these schools can bring in and it's much easier to build a powerhouse program that way. I am not naive enough to think that some public schools aren't bringing in a few kids from out of the district but there are consequences for that. Separation is the best thing.

Or is it?

What about changing the rules so that all schools can recruit kids who live within 30 miles of their school? That seems fair and it would surely balance it all out. However, I can not see this happening any time soon. I do think it would be a positive move for high school sports but perhaps it opens up more cheating. I don't know and we can't know until they try it out. Yet, it seems this would be a great move.

As I stated at the very beginning of this discussion I loved high school sports and I think they are great, but I think there are a few things that could change for the better. If half of the classes were eliminated and public and private schools were separated in the playoffs then that would make all high school sports better. I doubt either of these things will happen because separating the public and private schools is too much work and eliminating classes would mean loss of money. Still, it seems to be best for sport and shouldn't that be what matters most?

Fixing the High School Sports System: Part I

High school sports have come to an end for the most part and the summer camps are starting. As a kid who played three high school sports, I can speak from experience when I say that they are awesome. To be part of a competitive team and be around a group of guys for a whole season is special and it's something that not every kid has the chance to do. Some of my fondest memories and best friends are from my high school sports teams and I crossed paths with people that I never would have had I not taken the court/field with them. I say all this because I really do love the high school sports and everything that comes with it such as the band, the cheerleaders, the bus trips and the team dinners, but there is something wrong with the high school sports system. There are two major problems that bother me these days and they are this: there are too many classes and there needs to be separation of public and private schools, a topic that I will cover in Part II later on. For now let's focus on the watering down of winning a championship by adding more classes.

I'm from Illinois so that is what I am basing my examples off of but I am sure most states are similar. For the longest time the Illinois High School Association went by two classes, 1A for the smaller schools and 2A for the larger schools. However, that changed a few years back when they decided to go to four classes for some sports and three for others. For football in Illinois there are eight. To me it is ridiculous how many classes there are. What is the point? People want to say that the small schools can't compete but when there were two classes there was a nice competition level and there were not many unreasonable matchups due to size. I think it all comes down to one thing and it relates to a blog post that I wrote several months ago. The youth sports nation has gone soft. There are now four state basketball champions and EIGHT football state champions. Give me a break. How many do you really need??

To me, there should be two for all sports and four for football. I realize that in football that size really can make a significant difference but not enough to warrant an eight class system. I never had the chance to go to the state tournament in any sport but I rarely did I ever feel that my team didn't belong in the gym with another school and we played a very tough schedule. Two years ago Meyers Leonard and the Robinson High team won the 1A state championship for basketball and somebody wants to try and tell me that that team couldn't have competed against the 2A or even 3A champion? I'm sure they could have but not now.

I don't get this whole movement to expand everything in sports. We want more Little League divisions so more kids can be All-Stars, we want more high school classes so nobody feels like they were unfairly matched and more teams can go to state, and worst of all the NCAA may expand to 96 teams for March Madness because why not let everybody in the Big Dance? No that's all wrong in my eyes. It should be something of an honor to be make a team, win a state championship or get invited into a tournament. I'm sure that it still is, but it just seems watered down. With eight high school football state champions who could remember who won in 2007? You couldn't because there's too many teams to remember. That's sad to me.

But money always wins and it's money that drives the leaders of these organizations to expand. With four classes the IHSA can make more money. With these small-town 1A schools coming to state they bring their whole town with them but when a Chicago Public League school makes it they bring maybe a bus or two of fans. Well that's simple, which makes more money? Now there are four schools in each of the four classes that go to the state tournament and that eliminates some of the big schools from Chicago that don't bring as many fans. Oh and did I mention that everybody now gets a trophy when they leave the state tournament. How nice.

As long as money drives sports, and that will be forever, competition will step aside if more money can be made. Is it right? No, I don't think so but I'm not the one rolling in the dollar bills. I am a big fan of competition and when there were two classes I thought that made for the best competition but now that it's different I don't think so. I almost find it boring to watch at times but more people get a trophy now and that must be nice.

Stay tuned for Part II of the series which will be posted in the coming days

What is the Best MLB Ballpark?

Fenway Park: Home of the Red Sox

Baseball season is in full swing now and, while some fans haven't devoted their full attention to the diamond yet because of the NBA and NHL Playoffs, there have been many headlines thus far in the MLB. To me, baseball is a great game. I know many others find it boring and slow and sometimes it can drag on a bit but baseball is America's first game and since the Steroid Era has ended, the game has become great again. On Sunday I had the chance to attend a Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs game at historic Wrigley Field on the northside of Chicago. The chance to take in a game at Wrigley is amazing with the ivy covered walls, fans sitting in rooftop seats and the iconic scoreboard in centerfield. It got me thinking about different ballparks of MLB teams and the question is: What is the best MLB ballpark ever?

This is a debate that will certainly have many opinions, especially between generations. I have been to 16 Major League ballparks to date so those are the ones I can speak of with first-hand knowledge. Five of the ballparks I have been to have been torn down or are no longer in use and the other eleven are currently used by their respective team. There are two different types of ballparks these days and one of them is a dying breed. There are the newer ballparks that were built after 1990 and then there are the older ones that came before then. The baseball world lost one of it's biggest charms when Old Yankee Stadium was torn down after the 2008 season but new ones are springing up every year.

Wrigley Field: Home of the Cubs

Judging from the people I have talked to, fans either love the old parks or absolutely hate them because of the inconveniences and lack of amenities. Personally I love the old ballparks of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. I have been to Wrigley several times but every game I see there is a treat. The ivy-covered walls and scoreboard are unique to the park and to look out of the stadium and see hundreds of fans sitting on bleachers on top of buildings is something else. At Fenway I can remember getting chills as I walked on to Yawkey Way and saw the old brick of the stadium. As fans walk into the park the Green Monster rises up over the field and, despite only being 310 feet away from home plate, appears so menacing. The Red Sox fans are brilliant and the singing of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" is not something you want to miss. Along with those two I would include Old Yankee Stadium. It's hard to describe the feeling around the Stadium. There is so much history inside the park and too many great players put on the pinstripes to name them all. While all three of these parks may have/had narrow aisles and some small, uncomfortable seating, I think it is totally worth the price of admission. Those three parks are phenomenal to be at because of the history.

Memorial Park in Old Yankee Stadium

That's not to say that I don't enjoy going to the newer ballparks. Last summer I had the opportunity to travel to Baltimore and Washington D.C. and I took in a game at Nationals Park and Camden Yards. Nationals Park is brand new and the huge video boards and interactive games around the stadium are great. Camden Yards is outstanding and I would recommend that any baseball fan makes it a point to visit it. It was built in 1992 but it has an old park feel. The B&O Railroad warehouse provides a great backdrop in right field and the city skyline is visible beyond the centerfield scoreboard. Along with the great ballpark, Baltimore is also home to the house that Babe Ruth was born in and that sits about three blocks away from Camden Yards.

Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia was also a nice park and U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago is very nice after they did some remodeling. Miller Park in Milwaukee is beautiful and the famed Sausage Race is a must-see. The newer parks definitely are nice and there are more on the way such as the Florida Marlins new park, scheduled to open next year. The features around these new parks and the views of the city skylines are the best part and each park has something unique to it.

Camden Yards: Home of the Orioles

Rarely do I visit a baseball park and walk out thinking that it was a bad place to watch a game. I think almost all parks are great with a few exceptions, such as stadiums that are used for football and baseball. Those need to go as soon as possible. I would have loved to visit older parks such as Tiger Stadium and Ebbets Field and if anybody has a comment about those two I would love to hear it. I would love to hear comments and opinions about your favorite ballpark and how many MLB parks you have been to. Below are the parks I have visited so far.

• U.S. Cellular Field (formerly known as Comiskey Park): Home of the Chicago White Sox
• Wrigley Field: Home of the Chicago Cubs
• Fenway Park: Home of the Boston Red Sox
• Old Yankee Stadium: Home of the New York Yankees [torn down in 2008]
• Busch Stadium I: Home of the St. Louis Cardinals [torn down in 2005]
• Busch Stadium II: Home of the St. Louis Cardinals
• RFK Stadium: Home of the Washington Nationals [no longer used for MLB]
• Nationals Park: Home of the Washington Nationals
• Cinergy Field (formerly known as Riverfront Stadium): Home of the Cincinnati Reds [torn down in 2002]
• Citizens Bank Park: Home of the Philadelphia Phillies
• Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Home of the Baltimore Orioles
• Turner Field: Home of the Atlanta Braves
• Progressive Field (formerly known as Jacobs Field): Home of the Cleveland Indians
• Kaufmann Stadium: Home of the Kansas City Royals
• Old County Stadium: Home of the Milwaukee Brewers [torn down in 2001]
• Miller Park: Home of the Milwaukee Brewers