Fansided

Ranking the 10 best ballparks in Major League Baseball

By Will Osgood

May 23, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; General view from the press box as the Pittsburgh Pirates take batting practice before hosting the New York Mets at PNC Park. The Pirates won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; General view from the press box as the Pittsburgh Pirates take batting practice before hosting the New York Mets at PNC Park. The Pirates won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 30, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; A fan sits in the rain during a delay in the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; A fan sits in the rain during a delay in the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Busch Stadium

Busch Stadium—the third such baseball park with the same name in St. Louis—is home to one of baseball’s proudest franchises. The park has its picturesque elements—like in Seattle with the Space Needle, a fan sitting above home plate can look out beyond the outfield and see what was for so long the tallest structure east or west of the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch.

Busch, though, is of course an ode to the Busch family—the founders of Anheuser-Busch. Again, and it cannot be stressed enough, baseball and beer are an unbreakable pairing. While we could argue about the quality of beer Anheuser-Busch provides, we cannot argue about the success it has had marketing its product.

If you go to Busch Stadium and you’re 21-years-old or older, you almost have to buy a Budweiser or Bud Light. Not to do so would be to miss out on the complete experience of attending a game at Busch Stadium.

But it isn’t only the connection with Busch and beer that makes the stadium a good time for watching a baseball game. Cardinals games are fun because the locals are as knowledgeable, friendly and loyal as any bunch in baseball.

A Cubs fan like myself can—and has—watch a Cubs-Cardinals game at Busch and perhaps be ribbed a bit. But it does not get out of hand. Cubs and Cardinals fans may not be natural friends, but they’ll put up with one another. It is a good ole Midwest, good-natured, well-mannered rivalry.

And it carries over to the way Cardinals fans treat all opponents. They of course want their team to win, but they also appreciate good baseball.

About a mile walk from the Arch and the river, Busch Stadium is another ballpark in the downtown area of its city. The only way to really describe the downtown area and the park is to say it has a southern-Midwest feel. And it works.

Next: There isn't a more naturally beautiful site in all of baseball

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