At the cramped old Stadium and the gaudy new one that is more of a theme park than a ballpark, visiting managers greet Phyllis Merhige, the longtime baseball executive who conducts the interviews.
REYES'S AVERAGE BELOW.300 José Reyes says he loves hitting at Citizens Bank Park more than at any other ballpark he visits, and the statistics back him up.
According to MacMillan, whose website TheBallparkGuide.com chronicles the different ballparks he visits every year, it's not just minor league parks that are using food to capture fans' attention.
Because of the strong base of Yankees fans living nearby, Tropicana Field is the only visiting ballpark where the reaction to Rodriguez is, at worst, mixed.
Monday's game was Rodriguez's first attempt to hit No. 600 in a visiting ballpark, and many among the crowd of 27,224 jeered him before he batted.
Millions of fans visit ballparks or watch from a TV, a computer, or a handheld device because they love the game.
Andy Viano, president and general manager of the Gary South Shore RailCats minor league baseball team, said it was a struggle to persuade people to visit the ballpark.
For foodies, opening day signals the debut of innovative and creative edibles that provide a whole other reason to visit the ballpark.
Thirty fathers, one per franchise, will be honored around June 19; Torre will visit four ballparks in the preceding days — Coors Field, Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park and Wrigley Field.
Even though Steinbrenner rarely visited the ballpark the last two seasons, Rivera said he could always take comfort in knowing he was watching.
