Finally . . .

About 3-4 months ago, I posted my stadium rankings for the current ballparks. Someone suggested in the comments section that I should post a list of places where I would have liked to see a game, and I said I would. Other things have prevented me from getting to that task - until now. I'm not going to go into much detail, but here are the five ballparks in which I would most have liked to see a game.

#1 - Metropolitan Stadium - Minnesota Twins (1961-1981)
It sure doesn't look like much in the pictures I've seen. But that's really not the point - this is the ballpark that my dad first went to a game in. This is the ballpark that my beloved Twins first played in when they moved to Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat - so many great players called this place home. If I could pick one ballpark to visit on a crazy time travelling jaunt, this would be the place.

#2 - Forbes Field - Pittsburgh Pirates (1909-1970)
Forbes Field was located on the ground on which the building I spent the majority of my time as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh is located. The building is Forbes Quad (or Wesley W. Posvar Hall, for the younger set), and you can see home plate on the ground floor (moved slightly so as not to be in a supply closet). The fact that, had I gone to school 30-35 years earlier, I could have rolled out of my bed and walked across the street to see a major league ballgame is kind of cool. The setting is fantastic, with the landscape-dominating Cathedral of Learning providing a backdrop. Plus the place had a hill in left-field before hills were cliche (I'm talking about YOU, Minute Maid!).

#3 - Ebbets Field - Brooklyn Dodgers (1913-1957)
Simply one of the most reminisced about ballparks out there. It has to be on the list.

#4 - Polo Grounds - Several New York Teams (1883-1911)
There were several versions of the Polo Grounds, but all of them were weird. I think at one point, there was a 500-ft. distance to the Center Field wall. The place was built for polo, not baseball. But wouldn't it be fun to watch a game played in such a weirdly shaped monstrosity?

#5 - Tiger Stadium - Detroit Tigers (1912-1999)
Lot of history in this ballpark. Of the now-defunct stadiums that survived into my lifetime, this is the one that most intrigues me, what with the overhanging upper-deck seats in right field, and the ability to actually hit the ball completely out of the park (and forget about Fenway for such purposes - that's just not nearly as much of a challenge). I loved watching games from Tiger Stadium on TV, and I regret that I never got to see the place in person.