...and I put RBIA in my Top 5, even with the lousy scoreboard, etc. (Fenway has to be #1 on any list, simply because of the history, atmosphere, etc., and we all know that place is a dump…) The atmosphere at a Rangers game (when we’re playing well) is amongst the most enjoyable sporting experiences I’ve ever had.

I haven’t looked at the entire SI-CNN list, but I would presume that Angels Stadium ranked highly, since it seems to have all of the amenities that are considered “new and innovative.” However, I live in Southern California and see more games in Anaheim than anywhere else, and I can say unequivocally that that ballpark is one of the WORST places to watch a game. The upper decks feel like they’re a 4.0 earthquake away from collapsing, the obscene homerism throughout the stadium, and the complete lack of baseball knowledge from 95% of the fan base makes that a place that I hate to go to, but I make the trek because it’s typically the only place I get to see my beloved Rangers on an annual basis.

Maybe it’s because I’m a diehard Rangers fan, but RBIA will always feel like my HOME stadium, and that makes it one of the great places to watch a game for me. I even liked old Arlington Stadium for the same reasons. If you’re watching YOUR team in their home park, who cares if the concession stands don’t offer the latest and greatest food choices. I’m there to root, root, root for the home team, and the stadium will always look great to me when the Rangers are the team in the home whites…

agree with the seating, I really like it. You always feel close to the action of the game. I went to Minute Maid Park, and it is exactly the opposite. You feel far away from the action there.

But the food thing. It may not seem like a big deal, but it is to a lot of people. I guarantee you the park would be more popular if they had some local or chain places there instead of the genetic tasting food.

The Spurs have Whataburgers in their arena, and it is a huge hit. It is the most popular thing there, and I think something like that at the ballpark would thrive even more.

I love the nostalgic feel to the ballpark. I’ve been coming to Rangers games since I was 6 or 7 and seeing TBIA for the first time has been one of my greatest baseball experiences. I am usually only able to visit once or twice a year since I’m from Oklahoma City and my job likes to limit my vacation.

I got the chance to come down for the Tornoto series earlier in the year with a group of friends. We sat under the porch in right the first night and down the 3rd base line the second. LOVED the right field seats – we were on the second row, about 20 feet off the foul line… it was too bad we couldn’t see the scoreboard, but that was a price worth paying. Hamilton’s upperdeck shot that Friday night seemed like it went on forever (in my mind it’s still going). The 3rd baseline wasn’t quite as good an experience. The ushers seemed pushy and destined to stand right in our line of sight for a large chunk of the game (we were back almost under the overhang).

We also took the tour of the stadium for the first time and it gave us a greater appriciation for the park. I would highly recommend the tour to any Rangers fan.

I would only ask that you put a better product on the field, but I think that’s kinda out of your hands. People talk about the great stadiums such as Wrigley, Fenway and New York. A lot of the love comes from the history – not necessarily the ballpark. This history comes from a consistent commitment to the fan base for many years. This is something the Rangers have failed to consistently do.

I don’t want to feel like I’m being sold Rangers baseball. The billboard around Dallas seem to suggest that. Come to the game and buy a hotdog – or whatever. I need to WANT to see Rangers baseball. I don’t necessarily know the solution to that, but I don’t believe there is any short term solution. Maybe cutting prices, maybe emphasising the postive history of the Rangers more. Tell the fan you care about them more than you care about their money.

I have only been to 3 stadiums: Minute Maid, RBiA and Camden. (Yankee and Shea coming this summer). That being said, the ballpark is my home away from home. Like miles said, there’s not a bad seat in the house, a terrific, safe atmosphere, plenty of activities and a staff that is all about making you feel at home.

My only complaint’s are scoreboard related, no biggy. Traffic has been addressed this season with more roads connecting, making it easier to get in and out of the park.

I agree with everyone else about the team improving the rank of the stadium. Nobody sees RBiA in playoff games, or frequently enough on television to realize what a great park it is. We’re not on weekend national broadcasts and we’re not in the playoffs. Therefore, to most baseball fans, we’re just the hitter’s paradise that teams play at once or twice a year. I think some division rivals (Namely, the A’s) fans might have some more appreciation for our ballpark.

And on that note, thank you for your time Chuck. I appreciate your generosity and hard work for this franchise. The fact you make yourself this accessible to fans means a lot to me, as well as many others.

Now I haven’t been to any other major league parks but I enjoy going to the park and I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job than Chuck Morgan at entertaining the fans during the game.

The Ballpark is a fun place and it is a great atmosphere. It is a place, too, where I enjoy taking my family and where my family enjoys going. And my wife even loves going and she hates sports. But she loves going for the amenities and the atmosphere and she enjoys watching the things that are put on the scoreboard.

I actually just moved back to the Metroplex from Louisville, KY and it is great to be back but I will tell you that I didn’t feel truly “back” until I went to the game a couple weeks ago. To be in the Ballpark and to hear all of the “Texas”-themed music that you play, Chuck, really made me feel like I was truly back in the great state of Texas.

Chuck, to me, when I think of the Rangers I don’t think of Michael Young or Pudge Rodriguez or any of the players, but I think of you and Eric Nadel. You two guys are my favorite Rangers. So, while the stadium might be lacking in certain areas, you are the best at what you do and we would all be lost without you. Keep up the good work and don’t take the rating to heart. If I remember a couple years ago Page 2 on ESPN.com ranked the stadiums and the Ballpark ranked pretty high then.

the part where you go woohooo!

get rid of it, its a decade old and doesnt hold up over that time.

superstar for Laird on the into…

it drives me nuts.

id honestly go with a mix of more traditional music and more modern music. there are a lot of times when im at the ballpark that the music makes me think its 1999…

gotta get an update.

Opposing manager comes out to the pitcher’s mound… “Jeopardy” theme plays. Pitcher leaves… “Hit the Road, Jack” plays. New pitcher throws warm-up pitches… “Nowhere Man” by the Beatles plays.

I think the music selection is fine – a good mix of Texas, stadium classics, and new music.

But there are two things that really, really bug me.

1) The outfield walls. I completely understand how advertising is a part of every stadium now. I just think it’s bad how almost every space of outfield ball is covered (with the exception of the hitters’ eye). Also, the wall’s padding looks to be needing an update, as I noticed lots of tears, miscolorings of panels, loose padding, and the distance labels don’t all match (vertical, horizontal, bolded, not bolded. The wall should be revamped, and try to limit the advertising’s noise factor by limiting the colored backgrounds. Try to do white text on the green background with maybe a colored logo.

2) The scoreboards/video boards. While the main scoreboard is not great, it’s passable. The video board definitely needs to be enlarged. What drives me crazy is how bad the mini-scoreboards in the infield club level. The LF board is pretty bad too. What the stadium needs is the LED ribbon boards that are now commonplace. They would be best placed in LF and on the RF ledge (replacing the 4 advertisments on the upper deck).

Thanks for all your hard work Chuck, without a doubt you’re one of the bright spots in the organization!

-local food – if there can be a starbucks in tBIA why cant there be a what-a-burger or some other local food?

music -> your at a baseball stadium, i mean my dad hates rap but he understands when its an intro its a guys choice and there isnt anything anyone can do about it really

-must say, my fav seat in the park is still section 232.

-question: why was it changed back to “rangers ballpark in arlington” instead of “the ballpark in arlington”? i figure if anyone knows this its gotta be mr morgan…

-i think if they would (overall) update the park there would be a HUGE difference – even if its not the jumbotron, but as stated above the led ribbons, “normalize” the OF fence, etc.

As mentioned before, Local foods would be great. Whataburger, Joe t’s , some local bbq.

And I said in the other thread, local beers would be cool too, theres a good brewery in ft worth named rahr and some good ones in the austin area. Not sure if deals with sponsor would prohibit that, but I think it would be a great idea to support the smaller breweries in texas.

And as we all know, the park desperately needs new videotrons. Place another one somewhere thats easier to see and is high def. While i’m not really a fan of the screens on the outfield walls they are at least easy to see.

Keep up the good work Mr. Mogan, and remember for many fans your voice over the loud speakers is one of the biggest parts of the ballpark experience. I to this day remember the way certain players were announced at the old stadium.

The jumbotron should be a lot bigger, but other than that things are pretty much okay. If you put the exact same structure downtown it would rank much, much higher.

Here something that you kind of asked for, the video/sound thing…

For when a pitcher is getting a little crazy and there is a mound visit, you could play the scene from Old School when Will Farrell is in the locker room screaming “WE’VE GOT TO KEEP OUR COMPOSURE…” and is hitting all the lockers around him with a chair…

Also, if a opposing pitcher throws a wild pitch you could play the “JUUUUUST a bit outside…” from Major League…

Also when a pitching coach goes to talk with a pitcher, you could play the scene from Bull Durham where the pitching coach comes out and the infield proceeds to tell the coach that they all are dealing with some really serious personal stuff…

This would help speed up the game because mound visits are one of the times where fans just sit back and fume for 45 seconds or so… This could help.

Also, song choice… “Centerfield” by John Fogerty, definetly should be added to the list.

The home run song is from the natural, but what is the song called or who wrote it

A better team might help.

First of all, you are awesome. I love going to Rangers games, and I look forward to hearing your voice not only everytime I go to the ballpark, but also when I play All-Star baseball 2003 on my PS2! HAHA!

Thank you for being so open to our suggestions. The only thing I suggest is that the “Let’s-Go Ran-gers” clap clap clapclapclap organ music is played way too often. I know that you’re trying to play something to keep fans involved in the game when the game is moving slowly, but it seems like sometimes it’s played almost every time a batter steps out of the batters box.

Once again, keep up the good work. The ballpark experience is much better than what it was rated.

dose anyone think will ever get the all-star game back again?

My biggest complaint is the lack of bars/restaurants right by the stadium. There’s no place to meet up and hang out before and after a game. But that’s essentially by design, which was a poor design. Perhaps that will change when the new complex is built.

I’ve heard complaints about the music/video boards. Not to sound elitist, but when I’m at a game, I’m just there to watch the game. And I think RBiA is great as far as that goes. Granted, my only two games were just a couple rows off the right field line or on top of the visitor dugout, but I thought the fan experience was very nice. It reminds me of a coliseum instead of a stadium. Very close to the action.

and the job Chuck Morgan does is the best. Other places may have us in tradition and setting but the in-game stuff here is the best. Music, dot race, kiss cam, cotton-eye-joe… it’s all great, and he’s the best announcer to boot. The main problem with rbia is the heat and there’s nothing to be done there unless they could build in some more shade somehow. And my two cents on the scoreboard…..i don’t come to the park to watch tv. Our scoreboard is fine, i’m there to watch the game.