Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks: The Ultimate Guide to America's Top Baseball Parks

by Bob Wood

Rates the layout, ball field, seating, scoreboard, food, facilities, and atmosphere at each major league ballpark

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Travel, Nonfiction

347 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Richard Krafty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Wood was my middle school history teacher and football coach at John Sedgwick Jr. High in Port Orchard, Washington. Mr. Wood made this road trip between my 8th and 9th-grade years and the book came out when I was a junior in high school. I remember when he was on David Letterman promoting the book also. Even though the book is completely outdated, the majority of the stadiums are gone, it is still an entertaining read. This is an absolute gem of a travel diary. Every time I read this book it takes me back to sitting in his class or at practice talking about sports and listening to his stories about his travels with his great humor peppered in.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books, it is incredibly out of date. Only four of the stadiums that the author visited are still in use but it illustrates the flavor of the game of baseball in a time when stadiums were old school multipurpose (multiple sports in one place) and not the new school multipurpose (any activity you can imagine under the sun). Also provides a description of how baseball stadiums can become sacred space.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

shared with Sarah - very good travel writing - I learned to never begin a trip in Seattle

[Mary Molicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stadium ratings are out of date but still fun to read. Purchased on Ebay and re-sold on ebay after reading

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a baseball fan in my youth, I was especially fascinated by the stadiums. Unlike other sports, baseball fields encourage architects to be creative in their designs. Bob Wood took a pilgrimage I still can only dream of taking. He visited all of the Major League stadiums at the time, 26 total. And he did it in a single summer.

His experience yielded much more than a nerdy discussion of which ballpark had the best views or hot dogs. Along the way he had quite an adventure and met some great people. This book is a delightful slice of Americana, not just an insiders-only baseball discussion.

Perhaps my favorite chapter is Mr. Wood's harrowing experience trying to find parking near Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MD. Camden Yards may be prettier to behold, but in the 1980s this standard horseshoe configuration park was a wonderful place to see a ballgame. I know from many visits. But it was an awful park to find, and when you finally found it, it was even harder to find parking. Wood's story, involving police, is great.

If you love baseball, this book is not to be missed.

[Chris Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen this book many times over the years and recently got around to reading it. This was a time when my interest in the game was at its highest and it was nice to read about ballparks at that time. It is looking like an old photograph of friends. Dated by today's standards it is still nice to read about old "friends"

[Kareem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember reading this book the summer after my sophomore year in high school. Obviously a lot of these ballparks don't exist anymore but I've always remembered this book and how much I enjoyed learning about these stadiums and what made them so unique.

[Chip Jamerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly my all time favorite book. I still skim 26 years later.

This is for those that not only love baseball, but also traveling the highways of America.

5 of the 26 stadiums are still in use in 2015

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obsolete now since most of these venues have been replaced, but still a well written road trip of all the major league parks at the time.