Fansided

MLB Power Rankings: Top 30 stadiums of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

Aug 14, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; The sun sets over Wrigley Field during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 14, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; The sun sets over Wrigley Field during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 27, 2016; Williamsport, PA, USA; A general view of the stadium during the national anthem prior to the game between the Southeast Region and the Mid-Atlantic Region at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 27, 2016; Williamsport, PA, USA; A general view of the stadium during the national anthem prior to the game between the Southeast Region and the Mid-Atlantic Region at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

22. Howard J. Lamade Stadium

  • Year Opened: 1959
  • Capacity: over 40,000
  • Defining Features: hill sledding, international flair, kids playing the game the right way

Let’s take a quick break from discussing the standard MLB stadiums and give some love to Howard J. Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, home of the Little League World Series. Yes, the field is 2/3 the size of a standard MLB field, but dozens of big leaguers have passed through the most famous youth sports facility in the United States.

No one would have ever predicted that over 40,000 fans would pack the hills of a small Central Pennsylvania mountain town to watch 11 and 12-year olds play baseball every summer, but the LLWS has taken off in popularity, especially after it was expanded to an international format.

Lamade Stadium has a special atmosphere, and you should have it on your bucket-list baseball trip. If you’re over the age of 13, still swallow your pride and take a ride down the hill on a cardboard sled. That’s Americana at its finest.

Williamsport and the surrounding areas live for the yearly tournament that takes place in August. ESPN and ABC have commercialized it, but everything that makes the LLWS special remains in place. There are international chants, the ping of aluminum bats, youthful exuberance, and an innocence of the simplicity of a game of baseball. This summer, the Pirates and Cardinals will play a regular-season game in Williamsport in conjunction with the Little League World Series.

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