New parks, but better seats?

A very interesting read in Newsday on obstructed view seating in newer MLB parks. Yankee Stadium received criticism last month for being a state-of-the-art ballpark that still has seats with partially blocked views of the playing field. The new stadium is not the only one. In fact, it's not even one of the few.

Of the 11 major-league ballparks - including the new Yankee Stadium and the Mets' new Citi Field - that have opened since 2000, eight have obstructed-view seats. Seven teams sell those tickets to the public; most wait until the rest of the stadium is sold out, and some sell them only at the box office.

One team, the Cincinnati Reds, has about 300 obstructed-view seats at Great American Ball Park but does not sell them, according to team director of media relations Rob Butcher.

The Mets will not be marking any seats as obstructed view, according to executive vice president Dave Howard. Citi Field apparently will have spots with less than perfect looks at the field because of structures such as staircase railings. Howard said every effort was made to minimize such issues through the use of see-through materials, but he said some of those seats were not offered as part of season-ticket plans.

Of the 30 ballparks that will be used in 2009, 23 have obstructed-view seats and 22 teams sell them to fans.

Six ballparks do not have any seats that are marked as obstructed view. Aside from Citi Field, they are Nationals Park (Washington, opened in 2007), Busch Stadium (St. Louis, 2006), Turner Field (Atlanta, 1997), Dolphin Stadium ( Marlins, 1987) and Dodger Stadium (1962).

One of the perks of newly constructed stadiums is supposed to be the lack of structural obstructions with regard to viewing the field. Beams and pillars would become things of the past, and I'm guessing they are. My guess is that the new obstructions are mostly things that give the newer ballparks character. Overhanging eves, odd grandstand construction and unique outfield walls probably lend themselves to obstructed views. I'd hope the blockages are minimal.