Opened: 1973
Capacity: 38,177
What the authors say: ”Built in the middle of the cookie-cutter era, Kauffman Stadium somehow escaped the conventional thinking of its time and through the years has continued to shine.”
Learned from the book:
• When opened in 1973, Kauffman was well ahead of its time as a modern, baseball-only stadium. It has continued to keep abreast of the times, most recently with a $250 million renovation that is three times more than it originally cost to build the park.
• Although there is no public transportation to the ballpark, the authors call it the “easiest ‘driving park’ in the bigs,” with convenient access off two major Interstates and an affordable and well managed parking lot.
• One of the most refreshing and spectacular sites in all of baseball is the 322-foot-long waterfall/fountain that runs from right to center field.
• The scoreboard tower in center field is 12 stories tall, impressive by any standards.
• In a nice touch, the Royals have one red seat among a sea of blue seats behind home plate, meant as a tribute to Buck O’Neil, the former Negro League star of the Kansas City Monarchs. The gentlemanly O’Neil became the first African-American coach in the majors.
• The Outfield Experience, a children’s entertainment center on the left-field concourse, has a carousel, batting cages, and live entertainment on weekends.
• The atmosphere is very much in keeping with Midwest sensibilities. As the authors put it, there is a calmer, more laid-back pace and mellower fans than you’ll find in Boston or even Chicago.
