It has been almost a week since the "Field of Dreams" game. It was a fantastic event and gave MLB some positive publicity (for a change). It was only a matter of time that MLB would announce there will be another one next year in Iowa. While it is a terrific site, it got me thinking of some other venues (cities) that would be great for MLB to showcase a game (specifically where there is no MLB team). Here is my top 5 places I would like to see a game (North American cities only. And will not consider Las Vegas, which will most likely be the A's new home in a few years).
5.
Birmingham, Alabama- The minor league park Rickwood Field is the oldest
ballpark in the US. This would be a terrific setting with the Atlanta Braves as
the home team. And this would be a great opportunity for MLB to market the deep
south more.
4.
Mexico City, Mexico- A hot steamy August night in Mexico City with the Los Angeles Dodgers
as the home team. And of course Fernando Valenzuela throws out the first pitch!
3.
Honolulu, Hawaii- Would be cool to see a game where the old Hawaii Islanders
minor league team played. The San Francisco Giants would be the home
team.
2.
Anchorage, Alaska- Would be a great chance to bring professional sports to the
state of Alaska for the first time. A regular season game in Alaska would be a
really exciting for the whole state. The Mariners would be the home team.
1.
Cooperstown, NY- They used to play exhibition games at Doubleday field and it's time to play a regular season game there. With the backdrop of the Hall of Fame, this would be an amazing event. They could schedule around the Hall of Fame ceremonies. The Yankees would
be the home team.
There are so many great opportunities for MLB to be creative. Let's hope they expand. No need to travel overseas (which would create a lot of logistical travel challenges during the season). Keep it in North America. And my hope is MLB doesn't start scheduling multiple games per season. MLB obviously took the NHL's idea of a 'special event' regular season game. The Winter Classic was a terrific event, but, unfortunately, the NHL got greedy, and decided to schedule some times up to 4 outdoor games a season. The novelty wore off quickly. The best thing for MLB to do is start scheduling in different venues and keep to one game a season. Would keep the fan interest for this going for quite a while.
