Padres vs. Cubs May 23rd

PetCo Park is without a doubt my favorite park so far on this trip. Located in the GasLamp District of downtown San Diego, it already meets my first requirement of not being a commuter park. The surrounding area is full of restaurants, bars, and old warehouses. These old warehouses lend the Park its most prominent and unique feature. The Western Metal Supply Co. Building is not only an imposing figure in left field, it serves a dual purpose as both the foul pole and team shop. Further out in centerfield is a park where you can picnic on grass and let the little heathens run amok, or even let them play baseball on their own diamond.

One last thing that I really liked about the park was the fact that the bullpens were located alongside the foul lines. Having the ridiculous job of pitching minimal innings on random days for exorbitant amounts of money, I love that they make these guys sit in folding chairs in the field of play directly in the line of fire. Insignificant detail? Yes, but one of the little things that makes this trip and baseball so fun.

As for the rest of the game, the incredibly slow service at the concession stand made me miss the scoreboard race. Considering my current losing streak at this it was probably best. I would have hated to make a scene in front of the quiet, polite Cubs fans who were timidly taking in the match up.

The nail in the coffin for cementing this park as number one was the Fan of the Game. Dylann, my Farm System player, had warned me about him, but I could never have guessed at the stupendousness which he rained down upon the ballpark like some Pac-Man Petco Park Groundskeeper. Be warned, this video gives no justice to the greatest entertainer in MLB today.

(Photobucket is hassling me putting the video in this post, so if it doesn't work for you, here is the link)