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KAUFFMAN STADIUM
Kansas City, Mo.
Opened: 1973
Capacity: 40,793
Average Ticket Price: $13.71
Average Cost of Concessions and Souvenirs: $65.01

Pluses:
Easy access from the highway to the 19,000-car parking lot the Royals share with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL Cheifs (spaces there are priced at $9 per car).

Minuses:
Fans better have wheels because aside from some limited bus shuttle service from two downtown hotels, there is no public transportation available.
Although the Royals have given fans little to root for after Opening Day in recent seasons, Kauffman Stadium is still beloved by Kansas Citians more than 30 years after its debut.
Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Average number of restrooms (54); fairly tight concession space leaves fans often waiting an inning or more to get food; good disabled access (400 seats) for a stadium this old; Little K offers a mini interactive ballpark behind right field with everything from batting cages to miniature golf.
Unlike many stadiums of its era, Kauffman has aged gracefully, helped in part by its iconic outfield fountains and the fact its artificial turf surface was replaced with grass in 1995. While wins have been rare of late, the ballpark denizens remain friendly; Royals pitchers still talk to fans from the bullpen before games and the grounds crew sprays water on the crowd on hot days. Although long lines at restrooms and food stands have helped fuel some efforts to build a new stadium downtown, local fans have eschewed the idea so far - a welcome reprieve for a park that hasn't lost any of its inviting charm. -- Chris Fiorello  
Simply put, there isn't one, unless you consider an empty football stadium and lots of parked cars a neighborhood. There's a hint of tailgating before games; the postgame ritual usually involves a 30-minute wait in traffic followed by a 20-minute trip to downtown. -- Chris Fiorello  
2005 Record: 42-87 (all statistics through Aug. 29)
Player worth the price of admission: Mike Sweeney (.300 average, 19 HRs, 69 RBIs).  
This is yet another pretty park and loyal fan base betrayed by a penurious owner more interested in squeezing every last penny out of the franchise than in producing a competitive team. Despite its age, Kauffman holds its own aesthetically with any of the new generation of ballparks. And for what it lacks in modern comforts, it makes up for in one of the majors' most family-friendly surroundings.  

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