Spent three hours touring the park yesterday. Initial reactions:

• The stadium has a very open feel to it. The marketing folks have been saying that Petco takes advantage of what San Diego has to offer and they’re not kidding. Where the Q felt a bit monolithic and claustrophobic (particularly after the lone view of Mission Valley was obliterated to accommodate the Super Bowl), Petco feels intimate and open. The place is going to rock.
• What little breeze there was came straight off the harbor and across the field almost directly from left to right field. The wind was less pronounced closer to the field, where the structure is not as open. If you’re sitting in the upper deck, you’ll want to bring a jacket regardless of the time of day or year. What effect this wind has on hitting remains to be seen.
• Right field is goofy. I don’t know that pictures do it justice, but between the visitors’ bullpen, the little section of seating that juts out to the left of the foul pole, and the deep corner in right-center, this is going to be a bear to cover. Center field looks pretty spacious in itself, but just from the looks of it, a compelling case could be made for sticking one’s best defender in right. There’s a lot of ground to cover, obstacles to avoid, and caroms to learn. I don’t envy Brian Giles (or anyone else who plays there).

Enough talking. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here you go:

• Petco Pix

I’ll be taking the next few days off to finish up a season preview piece I’m working on for Primer. Meantime, my buddy Jeff has been good enough to start us up a Ducksnorts fantasy baseball league on Yahoo. Drop me a line if interested, and I’ll give you the dirt.

Until then, enjoy…

Tagged as: brian giles, petco, san diego, season preview