The Fan is in the process of buying a new home and it's a funny thing. I love my current home. The place is warm and homey and appealing. I have worked for years on the landscaping and it's really pretty. I enjoy my time here and there are good memories here. But I love my new home. There is a little bit of terror that though it's bigger and nicer and has more features, that it won't feel like home. Two teams will experience that feeling this year as the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies open new ballparks in just a couple of week's time.

San Diego has built what looks to be one of the most beautiful parks in baseball. Petco Park (see http://www.padres.com/NASApp/mlb/sd/ballpark/sdballpark_index.jsp) seems to have everything. The park seats 42,000 and the seats down the line will be angled toward the infield. Well...nevermind my descriptions. Just go to the site and see it. I believe it will rival the San Francisco ballpark and surpass Camdon Yards in Baltimore.

The Vet was imploded last week and I don't think many will miss it. Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia was the last remaining of the cookie cutter parks of the 70's where Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh all had the same bowl stadium with terrible astro-turf and uniform dimensions. All three cities now have new parks with Citizen Bank Field in Philadelphia opening this season (see http://www.phillies.com/NASApp/mlb/phi/ballpark/phi_ballpark_2004ballpark.jsp).

What seems great about Philadelphia's new ballpark is how the field is 23 feet below street level so when you walk in, the first thing you see is the field. Most of the seats are below your entrance except for ten rows above ground. When you go to the site to see the park, take the tour to get a feel for the new home of the Phillies.

Some things I noticed about the new home of the Phillies is that there is a lot of foul ground on the infield. That will help the pitchers whereas the dimensions are not that deep with dead centerfield being only 401 feet away from home plate. I think you'll see a lot of home runs there and a lot of pop foul outs.

The Padres' new home seems to have even smaller dimensions that Citizens Bank Park but word is that the ball doesn't carry there very well. The Padres aren't a team built for pop though and they have a lot of line drive hitters. So that should play into their game.

Unlike my dilemma concerning leaving a nice home for a newer and better one, the Phillies and Padres both leave terrible facilities and have to be excited about playing in their new clubs. The only question will be if the parks give the teams a home field advantage until their new homes become...well home. I know the feeling.