Originally published February 18, 2014
This January, SB Nation's Grant Brisbee attempted to rank all 30 MLB ballparks by home-run aesthetics, to answer the question, "where do home runs look best". What followed, was a fascinating seam-head worthy journey into why we love home runs, and frankly...why some look better than others. It was early January, and his timing couldn't have been better.
"It's January. Aside from the stray Winter League videos, you probably haven't watched too many baseballs sail over fences recently. Your soul is cold. You might think everything is cold because you live in some godforsaken part of the country where birds are freezing mid-flight and plummeting to the ground like little, adorable, feathered hailstones, but no. Your soul is cold. There are no dingers to warm it up. So let's spend the next week or so talking about home runs. Specifically, let's debate what makes for an aesthetically pleasing home run."
Brisbee qualified his rankings based on the following agreeable ballpark factors:
- Odd dimensions/ballpark features
- Degree of difficulty
- Upper decks
- Can you hit the durn thing completely out of the park
What followed was a great trip around the big leagues, complete with memorable long balls, and thought-provoking arguments on why some parks are simply better for bombs. You might - I did - disagree with some of his rankings, but that's why you'll enjoy it. Skip ahead if you want to, but you shouldn't. GO >>
