Customer Reviews

Fields Of Dreams: A Guide to Visiting and Enjoying All 30 Major League Ballparks

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book proves to be mildly informative about the main subject matter, the baseball stadiums of the major league. However, I believed that the author spent too much time being a tour guide of the city of each stadium instead of the stadium itself. I wanted a lot more information about the stadium of each city instead of the city itself. I can find other books on the city if I need to. I don't need to read about it in a book I thought would be about major league baseball stadiums.

Each stadium is given a very short review and rest of the chapter centered around the sights, sound and places to stay. I really wanted to know bit more about the stadium, best seats, worst seats, food, and that sort of thing.

I got the 2001 edition and it does feel dated already. I think this book have been effectively replaced by "The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip" book that came out this year and contain a huge wealth of information about each stadium and its suroundings. But in that book, the stadium and baseball remains the main focus; in "Fields of Dreams", it seem to be the city. In many ways, "Fields of Dreams" should have read like the "The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip" but the author wasn't ambitious enough to do it right.

Overall, it does have useful information but they are rather minor and its dated. The "other" book have effective replaced it so I don't see why any one wants to buy this book any more.

Like other reviewers said, much of the information is outdated, but I like what the book tried to do: collect both baseball and nonbaseball information in one volume. The 'closest major league city' section are a nice touch for someone planning a road trip, and the top ten lists scattered throughout the book are a nice touch

of reviewing the major league ballparks in the United States. I enjoyed reading this book and finding out more about the cities that the ballparks were in. A good book for any fan interested in traveling to the games.

I picked this book up as a gift for someone who has talked about traveling to visit all ballparks over the next few years. Enjoyed reading about some of the ballparks that I have recently visited, but was disappointed to see that while this book was reveised in 2001, he did not visit BOB in Phoenix. The information is all pre-opening and is even written as if the park is not yet opened. Good discriptions of Pac-Bell and Safco field both which opened after BOB.

I'm a big baseball fan, I always have been. My father was a big fan and part of the reason I married my husband is because he's a big fan of America's favorite pastime. When I saw this book Field of Dreams it was in the travel section at a bookstore and it caught me by surprise. They let you read the books right there in the store and I read several "chapters" out of this one before i bought it for my husband. Each chapter describes a ballpark and the major league city that it's in. Ahuja tells you where are the best seats in the stadium so you can see all the action, watch all the scoreboards and even have a better chance of catching a flyball or getting an autograph. We live in LA and his account of Dodger Stadium was right on and the places he suggests you go before or after the game are big hits here in LA. I wonder how he found some of the little out-of-the-way places he recommends, like Figtree's Bar & Grill in Venice Beach. I live here and didn't know about that place. My husband is from Boston and he had the same things to say about this book's review of Fenway and Beantown. The author actually traveled to every stadium in the big leagues and watched games and really checked out the town. My husband is reading the book like it's a novel and not a travel guide, he's reading it from cover to cover. I hope he plans a trip using this book. Oh, and I hope he takes me.

Great guide to America's baseball parks, Ahuja's recommendations about the parks, nearby hotels, city attractions, purchasing tickets, seating guide and how to get to and from the baseball parks is extremely helpful. Field of Dreams is more than just a book about baseball parks. Field of Dreams is a helpful guide to resturants, nightlife and hotel for cities with baseball teams.

Not a very entertaining or informative book. Also, a lot of the information is outdated.

I agree with some other reviewers. Much of the information in this book is seriously outdated. As a native Chicagoan, I was surprised to see that the China Club was listed as a hot spot. Well, I hate to break it to you, but the club doesn't exist anymore. As a matter of fact, the China Club was turned into residential lofts at least 3 years ago! Overall, this is an adequate reference guide, but double check your info before embarking on a trip.

I really enjoyed Jay's book and only wish I could have gone traveling with him. I can't wait for Pittsburgh's new ballpark to open.

In response to one of the earlier reviews, I have also read "Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks" and found it to be a much better book. Fields of Dreams definitely has entertainment value and is fun to look through, but hardly a ground-breaking or thought-provoking publication. Most dissapointing was a disturbing number of flaws and factual errors in the book. I counted four errors alone in the section on the history of Toronto's SkyDome, including an incorrect year on when the stadium opened and the mention that Joe Carter's series-winning homer in game six of the 1993 World Series "prevented the Series from returning to Philadelphia for a seventh game." Every baseball fan should know that when you're in one town for game six, you stay there for game seven--- this isn't the NHL playoffs. Overall, I got some enjoyment out of this book, but the errors and the fact that I had seen this topic treated better before detracted from it.