Obstructed Views

[stlfan]

The subject of obstructed views has started to make its way into many threads, especially that of the ballparks being built in NYC and Minnesota. I figured we could discuss all aspects of obstructed views in all ballparks past, present and future. Also, which parks have the least amount of obstructed views. Not to mention there are various forms of obstucted views. From support posts of older parks to the large obstructions that block your view of a significant portion of the field (NYS centerfield restaurant doing just that). We could also discuss easy plans to fix such obstructions.

Personally, support posts never really bothered me much at the parks I have been to that had them. When it comes to Busch III, I have yet to find many obstructed views. The places that are obstructed are the right field and (especially) the left field upper deck. It's so close to the field (and in left field the front edge of the upper deck is in line with the outfield wall) that the stands block the view of your respective field. I've sat pretty much all around the ballpark and there aren't many places with vertical obstruction, meaning losing the sight of a fly ball because of the deck above you. The only places are in the lower seats and mini deck in left field. Busch II had vertical obstruction if you sat near the back of the loge level. It looks as though all cookie-cutters designed had this problem since the seats were tucked under the upper level so much.

[Paul W]

after walking around the giants telephone co. name park i found several single seats in the back of the field level which are separated from their row by large columns. nice spot if you aren't interested in seeing what is happening at the plate. i'm sure that they sold at the same price as the seat in front if it which has full view.

[marlins739]

The front edge of the left-field upper deck at the Dolph is lined up just behind the outfield wall, so on the rare occasions in October when anyone sits up there, a good bit of left field is cut off. The Coliseum has the same problem with the seats on Mount Davis, especially the ones higher up.

[Power Wally]

I see a lot of people prefer the old stadium with obstructing posts over the new stadium without, such as Tiger, Yankee before renovation, Ebbets, Cominsky, etc. Some of these older parks might have had better sight lines if a post wasn't directly in front of you.

Its hard to imagine that they added some posts to the Cell to help give it a "retro" look. If baseball was really true to its origins, there would be a place outside to tie up my horse.

[Paul W]

in the 50's in n.y., none of the 3 clubs had problems selling obstructed seat tix for world series games...

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

These are bad.....













But this is the worst

[nymdan]

At Yankee Stadium, basically no matter where you sit in the upper deck, part of the field is cut off because of how close the upper deck is:

[Pelt]

At Yankee Stadium, basically no matter where you sit in the upper deck, part of the field is cut off because of how close the upper deck is:

I'm sure lowering the playing field from the 70's renovation didn't help that.

[Power Wally]

In the 21st century, certain things should be excused and some things should not.

Columns holding up seating and roofs - Tickets behind these should be given to charity groups.

Big, fat fans - Admission should be charged by the pound.

Foul poles, backstop - part of the game, deal with it.

Flag pole - Freedom isn't free.

Stadium deck - its all about view of infield vs view of outfield.

Fan walkways - they could eliminate restrooms, concession stands, video game arcades, merry-go-rounds, etc. to keep people in their seat.

[LetsGoMets687]

In the 21st century, certain things should be excused and some things should not.

Columns holding up seating and roofs - Tickets behind these should be given to charity groups.

Big, fat fans - Admission should be charged by the pound.

Foul poles, backstop - part of the game, deal with it.

Flag pole - Freedom isn't free.

Stadium deck - its all about view of infield vs view of outfield.

Fan walkways - they could eliminate restrooms, concession stands, video game arcades, merry-go-rounds, etc. to keep people in their seat.

1. Asking every woman entering the stadium to step on a scale would go over reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal well.

2. People would just piss and sh** in their seats....imagine the smell on a 95 degree day in the 8th inning...

[JohnCropp]

My wife and I had "obstructed view" seats at Fenway in 2005. When we got to our seats out by the Pesky Pole, we were relieved to see that there were no barriers, columns, poles, etc. in our way. "It must be a mistake," we thought.

A mistake, that is, until the National Anthem ended but the flow of people from the tunnel to our right did not.

Three innings of people checking their ticket.
Three innings of teenagers taking pictures with their camera phone.
Three innings of everyone in our section (including the quiet asian couple beside us) shouting as many obscenities as we could think of at the unknowing masses who mistook out tunnel for a photo op.

The view was obstructed, but the Boston experience was not.

[MSchvatz44]

In the 21st century, certain things should be excused and some things should not.

Columns holding up seating and roofs - Tickets behind these should be given to charity groups.

Big, fat fans - Admission should be charged by the pound.

Foul poles, backstop - part of the game, deal with it.

Flag pole - Freedom isn't free.

Stadium deck - its all about view of infield vs view of outfield.

Fan walkways - they could eliminate restrooms, concession stands, video game arcades, merry-go-rounds, etc. to keep people in their seat.

yea, it costs a buck o' five

[HollandsComet]

Granted, this is slightly off-topic, but I'm attaching a pic I snapped while parked in a seat at venerable Boston Garden prior to a Bruins game in 1994, and from where I sat, you could literally not see half of the ice surface! This wasn't my assigned seat, mind you, but if it was, I'd have been cheesed-off more than a little bit...

[Kentucky Bomber]

Granted, this is slightly off-topic, but I'm attaching a pic I snapped while parked in a seat at venerable Boston Garden prior to a Bruins game in 1994, and from where I sat, you could literally not see half of the ice surface! This wasn't my assigned seat, mind you, but if it was, I'd have been cheesed-off more than a little bit...

The old Boston Garden and the old, 49th Street, Madison Square Garden were built when boxing was king and the sight lines were for all the seats to see the middle of the floor. If you had hockey seats in the old MSG side balcony you could not see the half of the ice under you. So the technique was to stand on you seat, put one foot on the seat back in front of you and rest your hand on the shoulder of the fan in front of you to steady yourself. This was all expected and lived with. If you got in with your school organization card the seat only cost 75 cents, so nobody cared much anyway. Simpler times.