Yes, SBC Park is a gorgeous Baseball Field....Great view, kind of windy tho'. Yet nothing at all like Candle Stick was.
The atrocious winds plagued the Giants in Candle-Stick. I recall when Candlestick had only chain link outfield fences. The winds had to of cost Mays maybe 100 additional HR's (as well as Death Valley in the Polo Grounds).
I first saw the Giants in 67 in Candle-Stick. At that time, being a pretty new Stadium, (almost all Concrete), it felt great to be in, yet was a bad place to see a MLB game in. The seating was to far from the field, the winds wreaked havoc on not just the ball being hit or thrown, but on Fans, often blowing my hat off my head, or program out of my hands. On top of that, their was little to no escape from the constant misty rains. With those onshore bay winds, came cold as well as fog. Yet, when your a kid, and Mays, McCovey, Marichal, Perry, McCormick, Cepeda, were playing, I felt as the kid I was watching Hall of Famers in the making, & thought not so much about the park, as I did merely the excitement of seeing my heroes.
Candlestick for the 49ers, can be one of the worst landfill mushy sod turfs in the NFL. Although I took great delight in driving 4-5 hours north to watch Montana, Rice, Craig, Lott, Solomon and company play, when I wouldn't drive 2 hours to watch the Lambs. Candlesticks harsh elements were meant more for a Football game, than the crazy notion of putting the Giants in a new home.
keep in mind too, when the 49ers moved out of Kezar (a real joke and tiny NFL stadium); The wrap around Football Arena was built, the Arena, wreaked even more havoc on MLB games. The winds were even stronger in the Arena than the simple chain link. The Arena caused a wind tunnel wrap around cyclone effect, with even heavier/stronger swirling winds didn't just blow in hard off the bay, but would cause swirling winds. I will never forget one game, when the pitchers hat flew off his head in 50 mph winds, and rolled all the way to the RF wall before it could be caught.
SBC is re-clocked so it doesn't face the same windy direction as Candle Stick. Access in and out is better, tho' still not great, the field much better kept, (since they don't have to share it with heavy footed cleats of NFL Teams). Concessions pricy as all parks are, but the games are much better.
Seats are alot closer to the field, with mezzanine cover from the rains, and sun, in at least half the park. It's alot easier to hear what's being said on the field at SBC vs. Candle Stick. It's basically a carnival compared to Candle Sticks prison like confines. Overall, SBC has all the amenities the old park did not have. SBC is also a heavy local Giant homer fans park. You will almost see as many Giants Fans in Dodger Stadium as you will Bums fans. Not so in SBC, the fans are predominately home town fans. Yet, if you do show up to a Giants game in say opposing team jerseys and hats. I found you won't be hassled, only in fun jest.
SBC, has many things Candlestick does not have, or had. Good wall barriers to slow down the torrential winds. You rarely see the winds as the major factor they were in Candlestick. Concessions, games for kids, better everything overall, including parking. Although no where in Frisco is a built it seems to drive your own car.
Old Candle Stick was but approx. 1/2 mile from the Airport also, which created a helluva lot of noise. AC constantly fly over old Candle Stick as its directly in the flight path. Not a problem in SBC. Overall I'd give SBC a pretty good grade, by eliminating all the negative features of Candle Stick. SBC was well thought out IMO. Candle Stick by comparison seemed quickly thrown together. Not the kind of park one would like to see games in like Wrigley 100 years from now. SBC, yes, I can see that park withstanding the tests of time.
Candlestick at one time, with those chain link fences only had a few bleacher in the open. Now the OF seats are spectacular IMO. All seats seem good in SBC, not so in Candle Stick. Nosebleed seats were 1/3 of the park, not so in SBC.
