Camden Yards remains atop the rankings

No matter how many years pass, Camden Yards continues to age like a fine wine or Jim Palmer.

Stadium Journey released its annual rankings of all 30 major league baseball stadiums. The top 10 reads as follows:

1. Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore Orioles
2. PNC Park - Pittsburgh Pirates
3. Busch Stadium - St. Louis Cardinals
4. Fenway Park - Boston Red Sox
5. Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs
6. Chase Field - Arizona Diamondbacks
7. Target Field - Minnesota Twins
8. Coors Field - Colorado Rockies
9. AT&T Park - San Francisco Giants
10. Great American Ball Park - Cincinnati Reds

I've been to eight of the 10, having missed Busch Stadium and AT&T Park.

I visited Coors Field for the 1998 All-Star Game (Tim McGraw performed at the gala) and was impressed. I visited Chase Field in June 2007 for Dave Trembley's first road trip as Orioles manager after Sam Perlozzo's dismissal and was unimpressed.

The Orioles also played in San Diego on that trip and I quickly noticed the difference in temperature.

Yes, it's a dry heat in Phoenix. The same is true of a pizza oven. I wouldn't want to play a doubleheader in either one.

Chase Field earns points for having natural grass to go with its retractable roof, the first of its kind in the U.S.

Target Field is vastly underrated and deserves to be on this list. AT&T Park seems a bit low, just from what I've heard and seen on television. PNC Park has a gorgeous view from the press box and they served pierogies while I was covering games. That alone is reason for me to make a return trip.

Fenway Park is quaint and I appreciate the history, but the working environment is far from comfortable and I detest the walk from the media elevators to the visiting clubhouse - where you have to fight your way through the swarm of fans coming at you in the opposite direction. You really need a blocking fullback to clear a hole.

Manager Buck Showalter loves to quote the signs promoting Fenway Park as "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" There may be a tinge of sarcasm.

My first trip to Wrigley Field last season was special and I slipped into tourist mode on a couple of occasions. I can't imagine trying to cover 81 games there - I've become spoiled by the comforts and conveniences of Camden Yards - but it was a memorable experience and I highly recommend it to fans. It just took a lot of restraint to keep from watching a few innings in the center field bleachers.

I also discovered that the Chicago reporters who said "enjoy the spiders" weren't kidding. Well, the eight-legged creatures aren't enjoyable, but they happen to be everywhere. They're especially prevelant in the press box - I almost took a few home with me in my laptop bag - and I saw webs the size of billboards while walking the ramps (there are no elevators from the press box to the clubhouse).

Here's what Stadium Journey wrote about Camden Yards, which opened in 1992. The ballpark is No. 1 for the second year in a row and achieved a rare perfect score:

"Oriole Park at Camden Yards was a bold statement in that the overall fan and family experience became more and more important. Since its opening every major league stadium built has taken its cues from the Baltimore Orioles home field. Sure, some stadiums do some things better (and some much worse) but they owe it all to Baltimore's crown jewel. When people think of baseball, Oriole Park at Camden Yards is often one of the first places to come to mind. Baseball and the fan experience were changed dramatically upon its opening, and it still offers a great, traditional place to watch a baseball game."

You can see the complete list of rankings here. Practice your shocked face when you discover that O.co Coliseum, home of the Athletics, is 30th. And feel free to share your experiences outside of Camden Yards.