The 25 Coolest Minor League Ballparks in America

Team: Brooklyn Cyclones
Affiliate: New York Mets (Low A)
Address: 1904 Surf Ave., Brooklyn

After 40-plus years and several million broken hearts, baseball returned to Brooklyn at the turn of this century, and it's been a love affair between the borough and the Cyclones ever since. MCU (nee Keyspan) is a pretty no-frills ballpark: average food with not much of a beer selection, but there's this lil' ol' ocean (called the Atlantic, ever heard of it?) and a beach out beyond the right field fence. The views are spectacular and the breezes, especially on steamy days, are even better. It's literally 10 degrees cooler in Coney Island, and unlike every other ballpark and stadium in the Big Apple (except for—spolier alert—the other one on this list), you won't have to deal with a bunch of drunk jerk-offs acting the fool at sporting events to compensate for the holes in the rest of their lives. (Yup, that's a shot, we get to take those, we're New Yorkers, too.)

Team: Bridgeport Bluefish
Affiliate: N/A
Address: 500 Main St., Bridgeport, Conn.

Sure, we like a nice ocean or bridge to look at when we take in a game, but this is the Coolest Ballparks list, not a prettiest one, so we're giving props to the slightly dystopian backdrop in Bridgeport, which opened in 1998. Yes, that's some crazy factory in the background (we're not sure what they make; we'll pretend it's munitions), and yes that's the Metro North train humming by beyond the right field wall. Hey, you wanted urban ballparks, right?