Great American Ballpark vs. Progressive Field

Serious Business Backup 9 replies 658 views
Apple's avatar
Apple
Posts: 2,620
Jun 13, 2010 4:35pm
Just got all the way home from seeing the Tribe play the Nationals at Progressive Park Saturday night. Tribe won and we got a Shin-Soo Choo bobblehead that will now take a place in my man cave.

We had bleacher seats tickets... not bad seats all things considered, and comparable to the seats we had at Great American Ballpark in April when the Reds played the Cubs. At both games, we explored the park and sat in a variety of locations.

Both ball parks are top notch and great places to see a game. We had a great time before the Tribe's game this weekend, hitting Flannery's (I think?) then the Hairy Buffalo across the street and down the block from Flannery's ($2 drafts!!!!). Awesome pregame... and the walk to gate A was easy. At the Reds game, we went to Willy's across the river after the game (no pregame) and that was cool.

Here's the thing... At GABP, they have scoreboards that can be seen from practically any seat (bleachers included) where you can see pitch count, batter number, score, info on other games etc. At Progressive, they only put info on the main scoreboard.

Like I said, both ball fields are fun and great places to go. I give Progressive the nod on location and pregame/postgame experiences. I give GABP a better game/fan experience.

I highly recommend either as a fun, summertime thing to do.
sherm03's avatar
sherm03
Posts: 7,349
Jun 13, 2010 4:55pm
I agree with everything you said...except for the pregame/postgame experiences lacking at GABP.

O'Malley's in the Alley and Gameday Cafe are awesome spots for pregame...and really close to the stadium.
Hooter's and the Beer Sellar are great post game spots and just a short walk across the river into Newport.

I've seen games at both...and I prefer GABP.
Apple's avatar
Apple
Posts: 2,620
Jun 13, 2010 5:08pm
Good info sherm... unfortunately, I haven't had the experience of the pregame bar scene when going to GABP. Living north of Dayton and going to Cincy and not knowing what's really down there is a hindrance. It was cool be able to park ($5) there on Huron St in Cleveland and then be able to walk a couple blocks to get to a bar scene that's right there at Progressive. If Cincy has the same situation, then all the better! Our Reds are on a roll this year!
wes_mantooth's avatar
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jun 13, 2010 5:32pm
I prefer pnc over the Jake....but I hope to make it to gabp to a game...soon

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GoPens's avatar
GoPens
Posts: 2,339
Jun 13, 2010 6:26pm
I'm sorry, but GABP doesn't impress me.
BRF's avatar
BRF
Posts: 8,748
Jun 13, 2010 6:32pm
IMO, the bleacher seats are really good at The Jake (yes, that's what I still call it). Back in the hey day, I once sat in the right field upper upper deck. Now THOSE are some bad seats! (Of course, BRF worked his magic to move down!). BTW, who is "we"? Hmmmm....I wonder. ;-)
Mooney44Cards's avatar
Mooney44Cards
Posts: 2,754
Jun 13, 2010 6:41pm
I hate the bleacher seats at Jacob's Field. They feel like they're too steep and if its packed in the bleachers its obnoxious because of the lack of individual seats combined with the steepness. I sat there for the ALCS a couple years ago.

My biggest pet peeve with GABP is the disjointedness of the park. I wish the Sun/Moon Deck weren't separated from the rest of the park pretty much.

Overall, Jacob's Field is pretty dated as far as new parks are concerned, but holds up pretty well despite its age. I like both, but the edge goes to GABP.
Apple's avatar
Apple
Posts: 2,620
Jun 13, 2010 6:43pm
BRF;388628 wrote:... BTW, who is "we"? Hmmmm....I wonder. ;-)
An awesome, beautiful angel told me it's none of your business!!! :)
D
dave
Posts: 4,558
Jun 13, 2010 7:06pm
I've been to both over 50 times. To me game atmosphere is almost all about the size of the crowd, a sold out stadium and I don't really care about the other stuff. Things I prefer about the Jake: more bars to walk to, louder, not many gimmicks. Things I prefer about GABP: much easier access, cater to families/kids more, better view (seats closer to field, scoreboard much nicer, and view of river/newport).

It's really a tossup but PNC has the best of both of these stadiums. If the banks ever gets done in Cincy it will be much better. BTW Gameday isn't around anymore as THE place to go before a game. In Between is nice but way too expensive.
Laley23's avatar
Laley23
Posts: 29,506
Jun 13, 2010 7:24pm
1. PNC
2. Jake
3. GAPB

All three are in my top 5 though (Ive been to about 15 of the current MLB parks)