For baseball fans, if not for a wider audience, a little-known program worth the price of admission is the INHD channel’s show, Cathedrals of the Game. I stumbled upon it myself while browsing my cable program guide without even realizing there was a network called INHD.
If you are lucky enough to have the network on your system and love baseball, I recommend stepping up to the plate and sampling an episode. Host Michelle Beadle is the tour guide through almost all of the new "retro" generation of ballparks (such as Seattle's Safeco Field, Pittsburgh's PNC Park, and Philadelphia's Citizen's Bank Park), as well as venerable stadiums such as Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, and Fenway Park.
Each half-hour episode features a single ballpark, with the general format including a guided tour of the stadium (with special emphasis on the home-team clubhouse and each park's special features), a chat with a local baseball historian who shows off the city's baseball-related historical sites, and a closing segment shot during a game.
The program (like all programs on INHD) is designed to be viewed in high-def (although it is still enjoyable in normal def). The episodes feature expansive shots of the interiors and exteriors of the ballparks and lots of wide-angle images (some of them almost fisheyed). Anyone who has an HD set will enjoy the show even more.
While I'm on the subject of ballparks, let me also recommend a great website called “Ballparks by Munsey and Suppes”. Not restricted to just baseball parks, the site also has sections on basketball courts, hockey arenas, and football stadiums.
Additionally, it includes past, present, and future stadiums and arenas. There are even sections on international soccer stadiums and college football stadiums. The pages for each of the stadiums or arenas typically have a few images, vital stats, a timeline for the venues for that sport in that city, and links to exterior articles or websites about the venue.
I've been a big ballpark aficionado since I was a kid. Anyone with a similar interest in ballparks or baseball history will like Cathedrals of the Game even more than garden-variety baseball fans. If you're a ballpark fan and plan on checking out Cathedrals of the Game, "Ballparks" is worth a look, too.
Article comments
1 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been placed on Advance.net
2 - Delbert Donald
If you liked "Cathedrals of the Game" be sure to check out "Fields of Glory" which should be starting up again pretty soon.
It's basically the same as "Cathedrals" except they visit college football stadiums instead of baseball parks. Among the rotation: Penn State, Ohio State, LSU, Florida, USC, Texas, Michigan.
There's also a college basketball version during the winter that featured Kentucky, UCLA, Oklahoma and one other program I cannot recollect.
3 - Chris the MediaLogger
Where can "Fields of Glory" be seen? Is it also an INHD program?
4 - Ray Delgadillo
this is a great show for baseball fans. i have went to games at a couple of the parks because i saw them and the cities on cathedrals of the game. michelle is really hot and does a great job. i think the show could go for an hour so they could show even more of the cities and stadiums next stop for me petco field and san diego