I see great things in baseball. It’s our game – the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us. – Walt Whitman

What defines and unites America more than the national pastime? While NASCAR and the NFL draw wider television audiences, baseball is the quintessential sport of the country, no matter what the bean counters at Nielsen Media Research tell us.

Major League Baseball may have the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers but to connoisseurs, all the romance and unadulterated charm of the game is in small, minor league ballparks spread out across the United States. These intimate parks have yet to price the average family out of the seats and still offer the kind of wholesome (for the most part), pure entertainment inherent in the bygone, glory days of Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson. Before $250 million contracts. Before steroids. Before there were a dozen sports channels to choose from and the nightly highlights show was like a jock version of Cops.

So as the $1.6 billion New Yankee Stadium opens in the Bronx this season, with the $850 million new home of the New York Mets over in Queens, what better time to think small and take a minor league road trip across America? As you do so, keep these supreme ballparks in mind.

Centennial Field, Burlington, Vermont

One great feature of minor league baseball is the creative team names. Take the Vermont Lake Monsters for example. The former Class A affiliate of the Montreal Expos and currently, Washington Nationals, have a great home in the Green Mountain state city of Burlington.

AutoZone Park, Memphis, Tennessee

The most expensive minor league ballpark ever built, by a moonshot, AutoZone Park proves that sometimes $80 million is money well-spent. The home yard of the Memphis Redbirds, Triple A squad of the iconic St. Louis Cardinals, rivals some major league parks but still remains intimate and accessible to the action on the field.

Riverwalk Stadium, Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama is a pretty town with a lot of history. Riverwalk Stadium was literally built into a piece of history – a heritage train station – and has a capacity of 7,000 for Montgomery Biscuits home games.

Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Bricktown Ballpark is the main attraction in the warehouse and entertainment district of the same name in Oklahoma City. Home of the Oklahoma City RedHawks, Triple A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, the 13,000 capacity stadium hosts many other events throughout the year as well.

Hammons Field, Springfield, Missouri

Springfield, Missouri is a superb small city of 150,000 people, with a great ballpark to boot. Hammons Field was a veritable gift to the town from charismatic hotel mogul John Q. Hammons. In fact, Hammons built the park without a tenant on paper. Today however, the Double A Springfield Cardinals play to big home crowds.

Cheney Stadium, Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma’s chief ballpark has a wonderful history that dates back to 1960. Cheney Stadium, home of the Tacoma Rainiers Triple A Pacific Coast League team, has seen talent like Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry and Alex Rodriguez. The park seats 9,600, with nary a bad sightline in the house.

Banner Island Ballpark, Stockton, California

For a measly Class A team, the Stockton Ports have a world class ballpark. The city of Stockton, just 79 km south of Sacramento, built the $22 million facility in 2005 as part of a revamp of the downtown waterfront.

KeySpan Park, Brooklyn, New York

Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York City, has more than great hot dogs and amusement park rides to attract visitors. KeySpan Park brought baseball back to Brooklyn again in 2001, with such high demand for tickets that 1,000 extra seats had to be put in. Forget the New Yankee Stadium – take the Subway to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play on Coney Island instead.

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