Kansas City Royals tickets

THE KANSAS CITY ROYAL played their first four seasons in Municipal Stadium, for many years the home of the old Kansas City Athletics. In 1973 the Royals moved here, to what was then called Royals Stadium. For twenty-three years, the stadium, one of the better places to watch a major-league game, was covered with an artificial surface. In 1996, the turf was replaced with natural grass, turning a fine facility into one of the top five ballparks in baseball.

The only drawback to Kauffman is its location, virtually in the middle of nowhere. Built during the era of suburban stadium construction, it is a good distance from downtown Kansas City, with no sense of connection to the city. This could barely be called suburbia; rural would be a better description. The setting, though distant, is lovely, located amid grass and trees, situated in the Harry S Truman Sports Complex adjacent to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL's Chiefs. Inside, the ballpark is intimate, with wonderful sight lines and a fan-friendly atmosphere.

Probably the best-known feature is the waterfall behind the outfield wall; the cascade of water can be seen throughout the game. Spanning the distance from center field to right field, the waterfall measures 322 feet across and is said to be the world's largest privately funded fountain. Between innings, the water spouts high into the air, an effect that is even more spectacular at night, when the falls are backlit by a multicolored display. There is nothing else quite like it in baseball.

The installation of grass here finally gave renowned groundskeeper George Toma a field worthy of his skill. The surface is among the lushest in baseball, a far cry from the artificial turf with dirt cutouts for bases of a few years ago. With a capacity that has remained at 40,625 since the ballpark opened, Kauffman is among the smallest parks in baseball. As a result, the seating is superb, and only the farthest rows in the upper deck offer distant views.

Unfortunately, Kansas City is a small-market city, and the resultant lack of revenue has prevented the Royals from fielding a contender since the glory days of the eighties. Sellouts are rare, and it remains to be seen how the changing financial climate of baseball will affect this franchise and its won¬derful ballpark.

TODD JONES "Kauffman Stadium is actually one of my favorite ballparks in the country because it's maybe thirty to thirty-five years old and it's built just like these brand-new ones are today. It makes me wonder about the marvel that it had to have been, with the restaurant out in left field, thirty years ago. It had to be unprecedented. And the fact that once they changed it from turf to grass, just how beautiful the playing surface is. There's never a bad hop there. I go running prior to the game up on the concourses of all the ballparks. Outside of Dodger Stadium, it is the cleanest concourse I've ever seen. It's a great place. It's a beautiful ballpark, way ahead of its time."

FRANK TANANA "One of the prettiest ballparks I ever played in-I remember it was my first game in the big leagues-was Royals Stadium. Royals Stadium was a gorgeous stadium with the fountains and even the turf, which I'm not a big fan of, but it was a gorgeous place, and I remember losing my first ball game there. But still, it was quite a thrill to walk out there, with probably about 110 degrees off that turf, early-September day. The other amazing thing about that ballpark: I never won there. Nineteen, twenty years of pitching in the American League, and I never won a game in Royals Stadium."

GLENDON RUSCH "It's one of the most beautiful baseball stadiums to play in any league. It's got the waterfalls in center field, the best groundskeeper in baseball, I think, George Toma. It's a great pitcher's park, a good mound, too."