Libertarian Librarian

In honor of this glorious time of year when football is starting, baseball is approaching the playoffs and the NBA and College hoops aren't far away, I give you my top 25 sports venues. I have not been to all of these-- actually, I have not been to most of these. So, I guess its more a list of the top 25 sports venues I'd like to see before I die. Unfortunately, some of them no longer exist-- so I guess I'll never get to all 25. Sigh.

25) Williamsport, PA. Home of the Little League World Series. This event is getting commercialized, sadly, but it's still sports at close to a pure level.
24) Binion's Horseshoe. For the World Series of Poker, of course. I've been to the Horseshoe but not during the WSOP. And, of course, I never will, as it has become so big they now hold it at the Rio. Vegas, baby!
23) Daytona International Speedway. I am not a huge racing fan, though I do see the appeal of NASCAR and have been following it a bit this last year, and if you're going to a NASCAR event, the Daytona 500 would have to be the one.
22) Candlestick Park. Not called that any more, of course, but it's still Candlestick. The echoes of Willie Mays, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young still bounce around in that place, I bet.
21) Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame. It's only one team-- but it is the most storied and one of the oldest. Plus, it's my home team. A pilgramage all Packer fans should make. I have.
20) The Orange Bowl. The old stadium, not necessarily the bowl game. Would've loved to see Marino to Clayton and Duper, or Csonka rumbling up the middle there.
19) TPC at Sawgrass. Great course, but mostly it's just this hole. Though any Pete Dye design is going to be fun-- and frustrating-- to play. I would love to play it, and I would love to watch the pros play it at The Players' Championship.
18) Yankee Stadium. I really don't like the Yankees at all. But... well... it's the Bronx Zoo. Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle. Gotta go once if you can.
17) Fenway Park. I really don't like the Red Sox, but I dislike them less than the Yankees. And Fenway Park has a bit more "atmosphere" with the Green Monster and all.
16) Madison Square Garden. Timeless and all that claptrap. One of those must see places.
15) The L.A. Coliseum. So much stuff happened there-- the Olympics, the Rams, USC football, and, yes, da Raiders. Plus, it's huge. I've driven past it, but I don't think that counts.
14) Dodger Stadium. Beautiful location, nicely maintained structure. Lots and lots of history, and I don't have any particular dislike of the Dodgers the way I do the Yanks and Bo Sox.
13) The Great Western Forum. Wilt, Magic... the duels against Bird and the Celtics in the finals. So many concerts there. Actually, I did get there in the late '90s for a Rush concert. By then, it was a tad rundown-- but seeing all those world championship banners and retired numbers was still pretty awesome.
12) Boston Garden. Gone, but not forgotten. Parquet floor, six zillion championships. Bird, Russell, Auerbach. So much history and glory in those old wood slats.
11) Wrigley Field. The Cubs haven't been so loveable just lately, but they're still losers, and Wrigley Field is still the coolest baseball park in the land. The field itself, the neighborhood its in, the lack of lights until very recently. And oh so many losses.
10) The Rose Bowl. It's the granddaddy of 'em all. It's set in the gorgeous ravine. And, until the BCS screwed pretty much everything about college bowl games up, it was the promised land for Big Ten schools. The parade is awesome too-- particularly in person.
9) Baseball Hall of Fame. I came to my enjoyment and admiration for the game of baseball a bit late in life-- I was quite disparaging of it until... oh... maybe ten years ago. Now, I would love to go to Cooperstown and drink in the whole experience.
8) Churchill Downs. During the Derby, of course. I don't follow horse racing at all... but the Kentucky Derby, mint juleps... yeah, all that crap would be good to be part of once.
7) Pro Football Hall of Fame. The NFL is always the big daddy of all professional sports. Heck, all sports period. So, Canton is a bit of a pilgramage for folks of my ilk.
6) The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the 500, preferably, with half a million of my closest racing buddies. Much like Churchill Downs and the Derby, there's just something special about this place. Plus, I'd be there right around my birthday.
5) Lambeau Field. Lifelong Packer fan. This is the promised land for us. And it is a really cool stadium and atmosphere during a Packer game. Had I not already been several times, this might be at the top of my list.
4) All England Club. During Wimbledon, natch. Strawberries and cream, whistling vollies-- heck, you might even see a few royals. Plus, it's a fortnight. Gotta a love an event that's a full freakin' fortnight long.
3) Pebble Beach. Glorious course, glorious setting, some of the richest history in all the long years of golf. To play it would be grand on so many levels. Just walking it during a U.S. Open, or even the Pro-Am would be very, very cool.
2) St. Andrews. Royal and ancient indeed. The birthplace of modern golf, and probably the most storied links in the world. I've used pilgramage in other entries. This is another. If it's not Scottish, it's crap!
1) Augusta. Not the oldest. Not the hardest. Not even the prettiest. Simply the place to be if you love golf-- which I do. I would love to go there for the Masters, and to play that lay out-- to walk over Rae's Creek, to play Amen Corner. That would be blissful.

So, there you have it. My bias towards football and golf is evident, but I don't think I missed any huge sporting events that are held in one place. Obviously things like the Olympics would be great to go to, but since they travel, they didn't really fit the list. If I have missed a monster sporting venue, let me know.

And also, just so you know, I did consider volleyball-- but it didn't quite make the cut. If it had, however, I would've included shots like these:

Labels: Lists, Sports