Sunday, July 13, 2008

Kyle's Thoughts

Now that we’ve had time to reflect on the magnitude of our trip, it is really quite remarkable what we did. Just looking at some of the numbers amazes me: 6,000 miles driven, 4 groups of relatives visited, about 100 hours on the road, and lots of threatening rain. I can not believe we were crazy enough to dream up this trip and then actually go through with the plan. We as brothers got closer (even though we got on each other’s nerves) and it was just all a great time. I’ll take a closer look at some of our experiences, as I list my top 5 experiences.

5. Texas Rangers vs. Washington Nationals, Day 11 (June 21st)- I love Washington DC, so I had some good expectations for this experience, and I wasn’t disappointed. The brand new stadium was beautiful, as expected, and our seats were great because we were right next to the Rangers bullpen. We were around a bunch of Rangers fans so that made the game more fun. The famous President’s Race was hilarious, as Teddy Roosevelt, the loveable loser of the event, had an early lead but got last after getting distracted by a kangaroo. The Rangers winning the game was awesome, and the beautiful stadium and easy access to the Metro help this get in the top 5.

4. Baltimore Orioles vs. Chicago Cubs, Day 15 (June 25th)- We hoped we could get tickets to Wrigley Field, one of the most classic stadiums in the MLB, and our relatives delivered. We got to go to the game with our aunt, uncle, and cousins who live just outside Chicago, so that was fun. Also, the Cubs winning made this experience amazing, because when their team wins, Cub fans go insane. Everyone brought out their W towels, which was cool to see. We got to see Kerry Wood close out the game, which was fun because he has come back from countless injuries to finally make a name for himself in the league. Wrigley Field was cleaner and nicer than I thought it was going to be, too.

3. San Diego Padres vs. New York Yankees, Day 9 (June 19th)- Going to historic Yankee Stadium was the reason we started talking about the trip, so this has to go in my top 5. Also, Joba Chamberlain, the next big thing in baseball, was pitching for the Yankees, so the buzz around the stadium was electric. We had the pleasure of sitting in front of a lady with a classic New York accent, so that was fun to listen to the whole game. Also, someone from Seattle (I think) was sitting next to us. He said he brought his kid to see the stadium before it was gone. The game was an exciting pitcher’s duel, and, in the end, New York won and the fans went crazy. Going to Yankee Stadium in it’s final season alone would rank this in the top 5, but a Yankee win and a chance to see Joba live bump it up even higher. Plus, the rest of the day in the city was fun, too!

2. Texas Rangers vs. Kansas City Royals, Day 2 (June 12th)- This ranks up there for a multitude of reasons. One is, of course, because the Rangers were in the game. This made the game much more interesting for us because we actually cared who won the game. Also, the starting pitcher was Eric Hurley, a great prospect who was making his first major league start. He did a pretty awesome job for his first major league start, but the Rangers ended up losing which is why this is not higher up on the list. Being in Kansas City (one of my favorite cities) helps this rank higher than it would if it was in Cleveland or something.

1. Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles, Day 7 (June 17th)- This is number one no doubt to me. The stadium was awesome, the fans were awesome, the game was awesome, and the city was way better than expected. Baltimore won the game in the 8th inning after fighting back and forth with Houston the entire night. Miguel Tejada was making his return to Baltimore after betraying them in the offseason by demanding a trade. He got a mix of boos and cheers from the fans that were crazy for their Orioles. I never knew Baltimore loved their team so much. We sat in our seats for a couple innings, but then we went down to the standing room only area in right field and had an amazing view for the rest of the game. This was the best stadium and experience by far.

So there you have it, my top 5 experiences in a trip I will never forget. The trip is something I will talk about for the rest of my life, and every time I watch Baseball Tonight and see a stadium I have been to, I can say, “Hey, I’ve been there!”

-Kyle

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Day 19 - Arlington

Start: Jackson, TN
Stop: Arlington, TX – Rangers Ballpark in Arlington – Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers
Finish: Cedar Hill, TX

We had to get up early to make it to the game on time. We also had to drive about 9 hours, so we drove in shifts. Jason got up last and drove the first 2.5 hrs. Then Kyle drove until lunch and I finished off the drive. We were glad to be back in Texas, and even happier to be back at The Ballpark in Arlington.

Once we got to the stadium, we parked and walked up and met up with Mom, Dad, Stephanie and Jake. We had to avoid the retail booths because Jason got scheduled to work today because of a miscommunication with his boss. Because of that, Mom went and bought Kyle and Jason’s souvenirs.

The game was good…the Rangers young starter (Eric Hurley) did very well, and a recent call-up (Chris Davis) hit his second Major League home run. We were glad to be back in a familiar stadium and enjoyed all the things about the Ballpark that make it unique, including the dot race, good nachos, and the best PA announcer in the game, Chuck Morgan. One thing we realized on the trip is that the scoreboard at RBIA is by far the smallest we saw. Hopefully it will be getting an upgrade soon, and the Ballpark should start ranking at least in the upper half of stadiums around the league.

We got home and gave our family and friends their gifts we had picked up along the way, and then went to bed. As you can see, it’s Tuesday and I’m just now posting this, and that’s because we’ve needed a couple of days to get back and get settled in. In a few days, we’ll post our reflections on the trip as a whole and our rating system for the 12 major league stadiums we visited.

Result: Rangers win 5-1
Final Record: 8-7 (0.533)

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Day 18 - Louisville

Start: Rolla, MO
Stop: Louisville, KY
Finish: Jackson, TN

Today was pretty much a travel day. We traveled to Louisville, Kentucky so Eric could go to his friend Drew’s wedding. While Eric was attending the wedding, Kyle and I went to play putt-putt and go on the go-karts.

We first headed to Kart Kountry, the home of the largest go-kart track in the United States (1.5 miles). First, Kyle and I played a round of putt-putt. It was a tight match, but I ended up getting the victory. After that, we engaged in a tough battle of go-karting which I won as well. It was really fun to have some down time.

We liked putt-putting so much, we decided to head to a “Putt-Putt: Golf and Games” that had 3 different courses. Kyle won 2 of the courses, but I won the last one by strokes, giving me the overall win by one stroke. After that, we went to pick up Eric and head to our last hotel stop in Jackson.

Eric enjoyed the wedding and he also enjoyed his time with Rachel. In the car, however, we all decided it was just about time to go home. We are definitely ready to be back home and back in our real lives. We will be home tomorrow!!!

Record (still): 7-7

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Day 17 - Springfield

Start: Galesburg, IL
Stop: Springfield, MO – Hammons Field – Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers AA minor league) at Springfield Cardinals (Cardinals AA minor league)
Finish: Rolla, MO

Today we woke up around 9 to leave Galesburg at 10. We had to drive 7 hours before the 7 o clock game in Springfield, MO. After stopping at a Wendy’s for lunch, we stopped at our hotel in Rolla on the way to drop off our stuff and check in. Then we drove the last 1 ½ hours to Hammons Field in lovely Springfield. We were there before the gates opened, so we got out our gloves and ball and started throwing the ball around in the empty part of the parking lot. A photographer from the local newspaper came over and asked if he could take pictures of us throwing the ball around. He said he likes taking pictures of the fans having fun before the game.

After we finished throwing it around, Grandpa B showed up, we got our tickets and headed inside. The stadium was really nice for a AA stadium. We were there to see the Rangers AA team play the Cardinals AA team. When we got in the stadium, we found out that Tommy Hunter was pitching for the Rangers farm team. Hunter is the best pitching prospect on the team, so we were very excited. The game started off really nicely for Hunter, as he struck out the side in the first inning. He ended up striking out 8 in 6 innings, which was great. The game was great for the Rangers team, as they won 5-1. We had a great time with Grandpa B, and seeing all the great Rangers prospects was great fun. We’re almost home, whoo hoo!

Result: RoughRiders win 5-1
Record: 7-7

Friday, June 27, 2008

Day 16 - Clinton

Start: Wheaton, IL
Stop: Clinton, IA – Alliant Energy Field – Beloit Snappers (Twins low-A minor league) at Clinton Lumberkings (Rangers low-A minor league)
Finish: Galesburg, IL

After getting back from the game last night, we got our things together and went to bed. We slept for a while and then woke up to go to brunch at the Egglectic Café. It was more like lunch time, but most of us had breakfast food. Actually, all of us had some sort of eggs or pancakes, except for Jason, who had the Barbeque Bacon Cheddar burger. We all enjoyed the food very much, so we decided we needed to work it off. We packed up the bats, gloves and balls and went off to the baseball field. Kyle, Jason, Duncan, Eean and I went to go play some baseball and Aunt Diane came along to watch. The McNaughtons had some wooden bats, and we had never used wooden bats before, so we all took a few hacks with the lumber. We all got a couple of good hits, and then around 2:30, we went back to their house to cool off before we had to leave.

We left town around 3:30 to make the drive to Clinton. We got there around 6, and we were one of the first people there. We got our tickets (2nd row behind home plate on the 3rd base side) and went in to the stadium. We walked over to where the team was warming up and tried to look out for a couple of the top prospects. We saw a catcher running some blocking drills (the coach was throwing the ball down a few feet in front of the catcher, and he had to block the ball), a few guys doing some laps, and a few guys playing a game of hot potato with a baseball. We were standing over the dugout, and there were some balls sitting on top, so when a coach walked by, he picked one up and threw it to Jason. Not exactly the way we envisioned getting a ball at a game, but it’s the best we’ve got so far.

Once the game started, we watched in our seats. At this stadium, there was netting running from one dugout to the other to keep foul balls out of the stands, so we had to watch the game through the net. This made it a little hard to take pictures, but we made the best of it. Nearly all of the Lumberkings starters are top prospects in the organization, and tonight’s starter, Kennil Gomez, isn’t quite at the top of the list, but he’s pretty good. He pitched 7 innings and only gave up 2 runs, which isn’t bad, but the best part of the evening was the top of the third inning, where Gomez struck out all three batters in order.

As you know from our first game, minor league games have various on field activities in between innings. Tonight Birdzerk, “the craziest show in sports”, entertained the crowd between innings with his crazy hijinks. At one point, he tricked the opposing team’s third baseman into taking off his glove, then he stole it, jumped in a go cart and drove to the outfield fence and threw his glove over the fence. He did some other crazy things, but that was the best. One other quick note from the game was that the opposing team’s third baseman was very short. I saw him warming up with the team and thought he was a batboy or something, but then I looked at their roster and saw a 5’3” infielder, and sure enough, that’s who it was. Really odd seeing someone that short.

After the game, we started driving south to Galesburg. The highway we were trying to take was closed for construction, so we had to go around, but since we were in the middle of nowhere in Iowa, we had to drive 4 miles west, a few miles south, then 4 miles back east to get around the roadblock. Now we’re at the hotel, getting ready to store up on sleep for the next few days.

Result: Lumberkings lose 2-0
Record: 6-7

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Day 15 - Chicago

Start: Milan, OH
Stop: Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field – Baltimore Orioles at Chicago Cubs
Finish: Wheaton, IL
After examining the schedule for today, we had high hopes that it would be a pretty easy and fun day. We didn’t have to wake up too early and we didn’t have too much to drive. Plus, we would have the honor of seeing a Cubs game at Wrigley Field with our aunt, uncle and cousins. Now that the day is over, it is pretty easy to say that we were correct in our prediction.

We left Ohio around 10:15 Eastern Time so we could arrive at the McNaughton’s house at around 3 Central Time. On the way, we stopped at a Fazolis to eat lunch. It was mighty tasty! We then got back on the road and arrived in Wheaton only about 10 minutes late. When we got there, only Aunt Diane, Duncan and Eean were at home, so we just hung out for a bit waiting for Lesley and Uncle Scott to get home. When they did, we packed up our Gatorades and headed for downtown.

When we got to downtown, we parked in a parking garage, walked to a subway station and rode it to the famed Wrigley Field. When we got there, we went to the home plate gate with the famous “Welcome to Wrigley Field, Home of the Cubs” sign is located. After taking a few pictures, we walked to our seats down the right field line and in the upper deck.

Our view was pretty good and uninhibited. The Cubs have been playing good at home, so needless to say, we were expecting a win. They came out fast, scoring 6 runs in the first 3 innings. The game was pretty good and the Cubs won so it was a successful evening.

We then rode the train back to the car and drove home! Tomorrow we are planning to eat breakfast early and then just hang out until we need to leave for Clinton, IA. It should be another easy/fun day!

Result: Cubs win, 7-4
Record: 6-6

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Day 14 - Cleveland

Start: Harmarville, PA
Stop: Cleveland, OH – Progressive Field – Cleveland Indians vs. San Francisco Giants
Finish: Milan, OH

Today we woke up at around 10 in the morning and made our way out of the hotel at around noon. It was a lazy morning, but after eating lunch at Subway we headed to the Duquesne Incline, the famous place to take photos of downtown Pittsburgh. The ride up the incline was quite enjoyable, as was the view and picture taking. The whole experience was a great time. After coming down the incline, we headed to a Pittsburgh sports store so Jason could buy some souvenirs. I went in and bought a Roberto Clemente shirt for myself. I wanted to buy one in PNC Park, but they ran out of mediums. Luckily they had them at the store!

After leaving the store, we found a park with the help of the GPS and brought out the gloves and ball to play some baseball. After playing for about 30 minutes, we packed back into the car and got on the way to Cleveland. When we got to the city, we found some pretty cheap and close parking and made our way to the stadium. We passed the building with the famous (at least to me) LeBron James “We are all witnesses” banner draped over it.

We arrived at the gate at 5:50, when we then found out that the gates did not open until an hour before gametime. We found this quite ridiculous and minor league-esque. Anyways, we got into the stadium at 6 and sat down in our bleacher seats in left field. After the pregame, we decided to move to the upper deck behind home plate so we could see the video board. This was a wise decision. The game was a bit of a snoozer, and it ended up as a 3-2 loss for Cleveland. Traffic wasn’t that bad getting out, and now we’re about ready to go to bed. Until tomorrow!

Game Result: Indians lose 3-2
Record: 5-6

Monday, June 23, 2008

Day 13 - Pittsburgh (pt. 2)

Start/Finish: Harmarville, PA

Today was a much needed day off. We slept in past breakfast and woke up to go to lunch with Grandpa and Grandma Goldkette. They had to be in Southwestern Pittsburgh by 1, so we went to lunch around 11:30. We went to a place called Kings Family Restaurant. It was pretty good, but the weird thing about it was their “Frownie Brownies”, which is a weird brownie with a sad face on it. There was a sign on the table with a picture of the frownie with a speech bubble that said “I’ll be waiting for you after your meal”, which was a little creepy. We didn’t have a frownie, but the lunch was good.

After lunch, we went to Target to browse and waste some time. After that, we came back to the room and took a nap. I got up around 4 and Kyle and Jason woke up about an hour later. After watching some TV, we went to dinner at Arby’s, came back and threw the ball around, then went back inside to watch more TV. We had been planning to see Get Smart on one of these days, so we went tonight. The plan was to do outside-y things today and see a matinee of the movie tomorrow, but it rained today, so we just slept instead and saw the movie tonight so we could do outside-y things tomorrow before we have to be in Cleveland. The movie was really fun. I wouldn’t expect a really deep, meaningful story line or strong character development, but it was enjoyable.

Hopefully the rest we got today will help us get through the rest of the trip. After tomorrow afternoon, we’ll be pretty busy until we get home on Sunday night, so hopefully we can still get enough sleep for the rest of the week.

Record: (still) 5-5

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Day 12 - Pittsburgh

Start: Silver Spring, MD
Stop: Pittsburgh, PA – PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Finish: Harmarville, PA

Waking up after our successful night in Washington D.C. was very difficult (waking up at 7 should only be required for school days!) After falling out of bed, we left around 8 in order to give us enough time to get to Pittsburgh even if there was traffic. We got to the city around 12:15 and we were feeling pretty good. While following the route TomTom gave us, we ran in to a gay pride parade which was pretty weird to see. That forced us to drive around for an extra 30 minutes. We arrived at a parking garage right across the Roberto Clemente Bridge and parked the car ($5 garage parking=awesome!)

We walked across the bridge, bought some water and walked in to one of the most beautiful parks in the MLB. We then got to our beautiful seats (thanks Grandpa B!) and sat down to enjoy the game. The Pirates couldn’t complete the sweep of the sorry Blue Jays, but it was still a great game to see and a great view. We got some great pictures and enjoyed the wide variety of food. Eric and I got Philly Cheese steaks and Kyle got some buffalo wings.

After the game we walked down the rotunda and back to our car. We then checked in at our Days Inn about 15 minutes away from the downtown Pittsburgh area and sat down to relax for a bit. Grandpa and Grandma Goldkette were in the area visiting Grandma’s family, so they invited us to eat dinner with them. We went to Denny’s and it surprisingly tasty! I had the buffalo sub which was awesome.

All in all, it was a very good day. The next few days are looking even better. Tomorrow is a complete day off here in the city and we don’t have to leave until 4 PM on Tuesday! It should be very good for us to get some rest! Until tomorrow everyone!

Game Result: Pirates lose, 8-5
Record: 5-5

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Day 11 - Washington DC

Start: Cranston, RI
Stop: Washington DC – Nationals Park – Washington Nationals vs. Texas Rangers
Finish: Silver Spring, MD

After waking up in the smallest state in the nation, we grabbed a quick breakfast and got on the road once again. After getting in tons of toll road traffic, we finally made it to the Silver Springs Days Inn at around 5:45, when we were hoping to get there at about 4. I hate traffic. Anyways, we got on the Metro train, (Red Line towards Shady Grove) took a change to the Green line, and made it to Nationals Park at around 6:30. We took our pictures outside and tried to make our way into the stadium, but Eric’s ticket wouldn’t scan. He had to go to the ticket booth and wait for a long time, but in the end he got a cool looking ticket, so it was worth it. We bought our souvenirs and made our way to our seats next to the Rangers bullpen in left field.

As the game got underway, Jason guessed that a Ranger would hit a home run into our section. Eric even said that Ian Kinsler, the Rangers’ leadoff hitter would hit one out as the first batter. Sure enough, Kinsler jacked one into the Rangers bullpen just 20 feet away from us. Unfortunately, the guys in the pen threw it in another direction, so we didn’t get the ball. After that, we settled down in our seats and enjoyed the game. The stadium was very beautiful (it is a brand new park) and the game was enjoyable. Jason got some nachos, Eric got a Frito pie, and I got chili cheese fries, and they were all very tasty. We sat back and enjoyed the Rangers kill the Nationals in the 7th inning, in which they scored 7 runs. They ended up winning the game in easy fashion, 13-3. It was a great win for the Rangers!

After the game, we headed towards the Metro station and got on the train with the rest of the remaining crowd. On the way back, we had a nice discussion with some general baseball fans that were at the game. They had been to Fenway, Yankee Stadium, and Oriole Park in the past couple of days, just for fun. We joked around and then got off the train at our stop. Now we have to get up early tomorrow to go to Pittsburgh so good night!

Game Result: Rangers win 13-3
Record: 5-4

Day 10 - Boston

Start: Stamford, CT
Stop: Boston, MA – Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Finish: Cranston, RI

Today we slept in a bit (just until 10 AM) to get back some much needed energy that we lost in New York City. We got on the road around 11 so we could get to our hotel in time enough to relax a bit before heading to Boston for the Red Sox game. On the way we stopped at Taco Bell to eat lunch. There was a new item that we all tried called the Queso Crunchwrap Supreme. It was quite enjoyable and we went on our way to Rhode Island.

We got to the hotel around 2:30 and crashed on our king sized bed for 2 hours. To pass the time we ended up watching the late, great Bob Ross paint a masterpiece right before our eyes on PBS. It was pretty awesome to see how simple he made painting and we shared a couple of laughs of amazement at his work.

After watching Mr. Ross, we left at 4:30 so we could get to Fenway around 6. Even though we planned for traffic in to our ETA, we still got to our parking garage (which was 1 ½ miles away from Fenway Park) at 6:30. We got to the stadium in time enough to see the scheduled first pitch. However, rain delayed the game for over an hour so we were stuck under an awning for that time.

When the game started we took some great twilight pictures of one of the most picturesque parks in the MLB. Go to our Flckr account soon to see some of them.

The game was very well played. We got to see a knuckleballer (Tim Wakefield) which was exciting. The Sox ended up losing 5-4, but it was still a very enjoyable experience. It was a special day at the ballpark because the Boston Celtics were there to celebrate their newly won NBA Championship (booooo!). Because of that, the Red Sox wore green jerseys. We enjoyed our time at the historic ballpark but on the flip side it was very crowded and very hectic there. This week in the northeast has taught me that I have absolutely no interest in living here.

Tomorrow should be a great day because we get to see the Rangers again! Look for us on FSN Southwest, we will be sitting 4 rows up in the left field seats right next to the Rangers bullpen.

Game Result: Red Sox lose 5-4
Record: 4-4

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Day 9 - New York City

Start: Stamford, CT
Stop: New York City – Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees vs. San Diego Padres
Finish: Stamford, CT

Today started out with breakfast at 10 am, but it was kind of cutting it close to make our 10:37 train. We made the mile walk to the station and arrived at…10:37:02. The train doors had just closed as we got to the platform. Luckily there was another express train just 10 minutes later, so we hopped on that one. We got off the train and got an all-day subway pass and got on a train with a bunch of Yankees fans headed towards historic Yankee Stadium. Once we exited the train and got to street level, the stadium was right before our eyes. I was just honored to have the opportunity to watch a game in “The House That Ruth Built.”

While walking to our gate of entrance, we saw the brand new Yankee Stadium across the street. It looks really good, but the field is really just a replica of the original stadium. That’s fine with me, since it is so iconic. Let’s hope they have wider concourses there, because it was crammed in the current stadium.

We got to our seats in upper deck in right field and found out we couldn’t see the video board, which kind of took a little bit away from the experience. Still, watching Jeter and Posada play in Yankee Stadium was just awesome. The game was a great pitcher’s duel (we saw the young phenom Joba Chamberlain!) and ended in a 2-1 Yankee win. I felt kind of dirty cheering for the Bronx Bombers, but hey, I can see how a lot of people like them. After the game was over, we walked out to the sounds of “New York, New York.”

After the game, we got on the subway and headed down to Wall Street and headed down to the World Trade Center site. They are building the “Freedom Tower” at Ground Zero, so there was a lot of construction. The WTC #7 building has already been completed and it looks pretty good. After taking a few pictures, we walked down to Battery Park to get a view of the Statue of Liberty. We were a little far away, but the lighting was nice so we got some good pictures. After that, we bought some souvenirs and got on the 8:37 train back to Stamford. After getting back to the hotel around 10, we headed to McDonald’s to finally get some dinner. Whew, what a day!

Game Result: Yankees win, 2-1
Record: 4-3

Day 8 - New York City

Start: Newark, DE
Stop: New York City – Late Show with David Letterman taping
Finish: Stamford, CT

We woke up early this morning to drive around New York City to take the train into the city from Stamford, CT. We left early in case there was traffic, but we got through pretty smoothly, aside from having to pay about $15 in tolls to go over some bridges. We then went to the train station and caught the train into Grand Central station. Unfortunately, we got on the local train, which made a lot of stops and was about 20 minutes longer than the express train, which just goes from Stamford to Grand Central. Once we got into the city, we walked down 45th street until we got to Broadway, saw Times Square and continued up Broadway until we got to 54th street, where the Ed Sullivan Theater is. We ate lunch at Rupert Jee’s Hello Deli, which is a sandwich place outside of the Ed Sullivan Theater which appears on the show about once a week.

After lunch, we got in line to get our ticket vouchers, and they told us to be back in an hour. So we stopped by the small CBS store, then walked down to Rockefeller Center where the NBC studios are. We stopped by the NBC store, and there was a lot more merchandise to choose from. They had merchandise from nearly all of their current shows (including The Office, 30 Rock, Law and Order, etc) and some old shows (Seinfeld, Will and Grace). After wasting enough time there, we went back to the theater and stood in line to get inside. We were told to laugh at everything, even if we didn’t think it was that funny…and only to clap, cheer and laugh…no “Spring Break woo-ing”. We got to our seats in the balcony and immediately noticed that the set looks a lot smaller than it seems on TV. The warm-up comedian came out and told a few jokes, then he introduced the CBS orchestra. They played a song or two, and Paul Schaffer came out and finished the song out, and then Dave came out. He talked to the crowd for about a minute before it was 4:30 and time for the taping. He seemed in a really good mood, because he ran out when his name was called and hopped over the raised part of the stage where his desk is. Also, after his monologue, when it cut to Paul and the band, he jogged to his desk and put his hands on one of the guest chairs and spun his body around it to hop up on the stage.

We got to see Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, fresh off their Game 6 victory of the NBA finals, Jane Krakowski of 30 Rock and some new American Girl movie, and Martha Wainwright. One thing that was interesting was that, while filming, they took breaks during the commercial break (rather than stopping for a second and going right back to it), and the band played to keep the audience pumped up. We were done at 5:30 sharp and went back on the town. We went to Central Park for a bit, then walked back down to the NBC store to pick up some things. It started raining and we made our way back to Times Square via the Fox News studios, where we saw Neil Cavuto (of Your World with Neil Cavuto) finishing his show and Shepard Smith (of The Fox Report with Shepard Smith) starting his show. We got some rainy pictures of us at Times Square (hopefully we can get better pictures tomorrow), and went to a pizza place on 45th street, near Grand Central Station. We got a big Sicilian pizza, which took about 45 minutes to cook, but it was pretty good. After dinner, we got back on the train and came to the hotel to rest up for our second day in the city tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Day 7 - Baltimore

Start: Scranton, PA
Stop: Baltimore, MD – Oriole Park at Camden Yards – Baltimore Orioles vs. Houston Astros
Finish: Newark, DE

This morning, we had to be out of the hotel by 11am, and it was only a 3 hour drive for a 7:05pm game, so we wasted some time around Scranton. Scranton is where the TV show The Office takes place, so we drove around looking for landmarks from the show. We found the Penn Paper tower that can be seen in the opening montage, and at the Steamtown Mall, there is the “Welcome to Scranton” sign that is also in the opening of the show. Also, on the elevator in the mall, there was a picture of a Dwight Schrute bobblehead that is in a couple episodes of the show.

After wasting time at the mall, we went to get lunch and found a baseball field where we killed some time pitching and fielding. Then at 2:30, we made our way to Baltimore to get to the game early. It’s a good thing we did, because there was a lot of traffic and it took a while to find good parking. We walked to the stadium and immediately noticed the iconic warehouse that can be seen in right field. We walked around the stadium to get a good shot of home plate, then went in to our seats. Today was a promotion day, so we all got Orioles t-shirts that were made in honor of “Wild Bill Hagy”, a rabid Orioles fan from the late 70s and early 80s. This promotion added to the ambiance by filling the stands with orange-shirted fans.

One thing we noticed was that the fans were very involved in the game. It wasn’t even close to a sellout, but it seemed like the loudest game that we’ve been to yet. After 5 innings, we walked down to Eutaw Street, which is a street right outside the stadium, between the stadium and the warehouse. On Eutaw Street, they have markers on the ground where home run balls have been hit. If the game is a sellout, you can buy standing room only tickets and stand up over the right field wall and watch the game. When we moved down, we stood down there to watch the rest of the game. The Orioles were losing 5-3 when we got down there, but we had a feeling something would happen. They hit a home run in the 7th to make it 5-4, and then a 2-run double in the 8th put them ahead for good. We were surprised how loud the fans got and felt that they were the most involved fans so far. The park was beautiful and it was a really enjoyable place to watch a baseball game. If you’ve never been there, I’d recommend stopping by if you’re ever in the area.

Game Result: Orioles win 6-5
Record: 3-3

Monday, June 16, 2008

Day 6 - Cooperstown (Baseball Hall of Fame)

Start: Weedsport, NY
Stop: National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum Cooperstown, NY
Finish: Dunmore, PA

Today we woke up in our nice hotel (thanks Dad!) and ate breakfast around 10 AM. We got back to our room, packed up and headed to the place where baseball players strive to end up: Cooperstown.

We pulled in to the city with storm clouds looming heavily overhead. The final "Hall of Fame Game" was to be played today (Cubs vs. Padres), but it ended up being rained out. The place was so crowded because of the game, we had to park a half of a mile away from the museum. It was all good though because the walk gave us our exercise for the day.

We went into the Museum and were awed by all of the baseball history that was contained in that one building. The first thing we did was go to the room that has the plaques of all the Hall of Famers. I found it amazing that people could be so good at playing a simple, fun game. For example, Nolan Ryan struck out 5,714 batters in his career, which are 1,000 more than any other player in history. It was awesome to see all of the greatness contained in one room.

Next, we went to all the exhibits that chronicled the history of baseball. Baseball was officially invented in 1836. People hit a ball with a stick way before then, but that year was the first year that someone made rules to go with their game. Baseball finally evolved into the basic game we see today in about 1900. That’s when the game saw their first star, Honus Wagner.

In between viewing exhibits, we went outside to a vendor to get something to eat. During the time we were eating outside, it began to rain as hard as I have ever seen. Then it started to hail a little bit as we were trapped under an awning. The weather was absolutely crazy today.

We went back to view more history of the game and finally called it a day after about 4 hours at the museum. We left around 5 to head towards Pennsylvania. Once we got there, we decided to treat ourselves to Chili's (thank you Hill Family!). We then checked in at the hotel and now we are about to go to sleep!

All in all, it was a good day because of all the things we learned about baseball’s past. It was also a cool to see all the greatness that baseball has created. We can’t wait to see more baseball history made on the rest of our trip.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Day 5 - Toronto

Start: Novi, MI
Stop: Toronto, ON –Rogers Centre – Chicago Cubs vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Finish: Weedsport, NY

Today we left the Carson residence at about 8:20 AM in order to make the 1:07 start in Toronto. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the game on time because traffic in downtown Toronto was absolutely ridiculous and parking was a nightmare. That didn’t start the experience in Canada off too well. We finally got to the stadium in the 3rd inning and basically climbed a mountain to get to our seats. The steps in the upper deck are the steepest in all of Major League Baseball. When we walked in, they were closing the roof because of some oncoming rain. After watching a little bit of the game, we went down to the concourse to buy some food and our souvenirs. There was no food unique to Rogers Centre, which was kinda crappy. The souvenirs were a bit pricey but I got a really nice pin. Jason has been getting a bat keychain that is supposed to be at every stadium, but it wasn’t at this one. Also, they ran out of programs, which was ridiculous.

After getting mad in the concourses, we found some open seats in the outfield and took in some of the game. The fans were in the game as much as they could be in a 7-1 shellacking. When an ump missed an obvious call in the 9th inning, a fan screamed ‘Hey ump! I got your cell phone! It’s got 3 missed calls!’ Everyone clapped and gave the fan support, which I found hilarious. After the game concluded, we got out of the stadium and started heading back to our car in the parking garage. Halfway to the car, it started pouring rain, so we had to run back in flip-flops. We exited the garage and pushed our way through an hour of traffic in downtown and finally got on our way back to America.

At the US-Canada border, the officer was suspicious that we came all the way from Texas to go to a Toronto Blue Jays game, which was funny. Eric explained our trip, he checked the trunk, and then we left. We finally got to the hotel at around 10 and flicked on the Lakers game. What a day!

Game result: Blue Jays lose 7-4
Record: 2-3

Day 4 - Detroit

Start: Greenfield, IN
Stop: Detroit, MI – Comerica Park – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Detroit Tigers
Finish: Novi, MI

After the game on Friday night, we got in the car and headed towards Indianapolis to stay at my fiancĂ©e’s apartment with her and her roommate. Unfortunately, Indy is 4 hours away from St. Louis, and in the Eastern Time Zone. So we got to her apartment at 3:30am and promptly got our stuff together and went to bed. We woke up around 8am, had breakfast with Rachel and her roommate at McDonald’s and headed off to Detroit to make it to the 3:55pm game at Comerica.

This was the second game we would be attending with a bigger group than just the three of us. Our aunt and uncle and their family, as well as our grandpa and grandma, met us at our aunt and uncle’s house. Our uncle was able to get very good seats to the game, so we were able to enjoy the game from 5 rows behind the Tigers’ dugout. We got there in time to see the Dodgers batting practice, but it wasn’t very flashy. We figured they may have been practicing opposite field hitting or something, because we didn’t see any go over the fence.

We have all been to Comerica Park before, so we were familiar with the park and with the area. Kyle wasn’t overly impressed with the park in the preview a few weeks ago, but once we got there, he seemed to change his mind a bit. There’s something nice about a downtown ballpark, and Comerica is definitely a downtown ballpark. You get to see all the fans walking to the game and all the local businesses showing support for the team (including a church sign near the park that says “Pray for the Tigers here!”). Inside the park was also nice. The scoreboard wasn’t anything to write home about, but we may have our standards too high after seeing the new high-definition board at Kansas City. The stadium was packed (sell-out game) and the fans were very into the game. It certainly helped that team was winning, but we were still impressed with the level of fan interest and knowledge.

The Tigers took the lead in the fourth inning, scoring six runs to make it 7-4. They allowed more runs, but never gave up the lead. Fan favorite Pudge Rodriguez went 3-4 and Miguel Cabrera and Marcus Thames both hit home runs.

We had a good time with our family there as well. Our youngest cousin, Evan, had just come from a picnic and he got his face painted to look like a tiger, in hopes that he could get up on the video board at the park. He didn’t get on by himself, but when the woman sitting in front of us held up a poster with something written on it, he got up next to her and got on the board for a second. We also got him to go talk to Paws, the Tigers’ mascot. Paws autographed his program and he took a picture with the four of us.

After the game, we went out for food at a Greek restaurant, which took a while because we had a big party, but overall, it was pretty good. We had the saganaki, which is usually a flaming cheese dish, but they didn’t set it on fire at this restaurant. My lamb chops were excellent. After dinner, we went back to our aunt and uncle’s house, and Kyle, Jason and Alex (our cousin) went outside to throw a ball around. It was late, but they had a light so we could see everything. At one point, Jason was standing in front of my car, because they were throwing in that direction, and he was in charge of keeping a ball from hitting it. So then the ball got thrown very quick in that direction, and Kyle couldn’t make the catch and Jason wasn’t paying attention, and when he looked up and saw it, he stuck his bare hand out on instinct and it bounced off the heel of his hand. Jason immediately went down, wincing in pain. It got swollen fairly quickly, but it looks like it’s just a bad bruise and nothing’s broken.

All in all, we had a good time with our family in Detroit and were very appreciative that we got to spend the day with them at the game as well as dinner and our post-dinner activities. We then went to bed to get up for our trip across the border.

Game Result: Tigers win, 12-7
Record: 2-2

Day 3 - St. Louis

Start: Columbia, MO
Stop: St. Louis – Busch Stadium (III) – Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Finish: Greenfield, IN
Today began a crazy 36 hour stretch in which we would drive for 10 hours while attending 2 games. We woke up around 8 AM in order to take advantage of the free breakfast in our hotel. After eating we went back to our room to lie down and get prepared for our tough times ahead.
We checked out at noon, but still had about 4 hours to waste in Columbia. We took Eric around the Mizzou campus because he had never been there before. We showed him where we will be living in the fall (Mark Twain Hall), the famed University of Missouri columns and the new journalism institute that will be opening next year.

After going to Mizzou, we found a park where we could play baseball. We got Eric running around which has been one of our goals in the time he has spent with us. Some of us (Kyle and I) made some great diving catches and plays, while other people (Eric) gave a nice effort but didn’t quite make as outstanding plays. I am just kidding, of course.

We then left Columbia to head to St. Louis for our next game. I had high hopes for the stadium since it is fairly new (2006) and I wasn’t disappointed from the outside because it was very beautiful. However, the park was in a pretty trashy part of town which did not help my feel for the park. We went to the home plate gate to meet one of Eric’s teachers from college, Don Bagert, and his friend, Charlie. We then trekked to our $32 seats in the upper deck near the left field foul pole. These outrageous ticket prices pretty much summed up the pricing around the stadium ($28 dollars for a baseball????).

Once we got to our seats, the promise I saw on the outside of the park quickly faded. The scoreboard did not have much good information on it, we could barely hear the announcer’s dull voice and the pump up tactics usually seen in MLB ballparks could not be found here.
The experience was not all bad, though. Eric and Kyle had the toasted ravioli and they both enjoyed it. I had a bratwurst which was very juicy and very tasty. Also the park was just as beautiful inside as it was outside. View our Flickr profile for a closer look at the stadium.

Finally, time to talk about the crazy game we saw. It started good for the Phillies, scoring 3 in the first inning. However, they would not slow down there. Philadelphia then blew the door off of the game in the fourth inning, scoring 9 runs. They ended up winning 20-2, which was pretty awesome for us to see even though we were cheering for St. Louis. We got to see back to back to back homeruns by the Phillies which was also pretty special. Although Kauffman Stadium was better overall, the New Busch Stadium wasn’t too shabby!

Game result: Cardinals lose 20-2
Record: 1-2

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Day 2 - Kansas City

Start: Ottawa, KS
Stop: Kansas City, MO – Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers
Finish: Columbia, MO

Today we woke up at around 9 AM and got ready to leave the hotel at 10:30 AM. After the hour drive, we arrived at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. As we were driving towards the parking lot, Arrowhead Stadium popped up out of nowhere. It is truly a sight to behold. Kauffman Stadium, which is right next to it, is not so bad itself. There is currently construction going on at both Arrowhead and Kaufmann, which kind of took away from the experience. However, when the construction is complete, the stadiums will both be better for it. Kauffman is getting wider concourses, which is a must. I described them as ‘cozy,’ which is the nice way to put it. Also, they are finally getting outfield seats, which will make it feel more like a major league stadium.

When we entered the park, we went to our seats in the left field corner. The Rangers were warming up right below our seats, so we took that in for a while. Then, we went and stopped by the pro shop to buy our daily souvenirs. Jason bought a mini-bat keychain, Eric bought a program, and I bought a Royals pin. Then, we scouted out the concessions around the lower concourse and decided to get some classic KC food: barbeque. As we sat in our seats, the Leapfrogs from the Navy did a short show. They are parachuters who do stunts as they glide to the ground. One was wearing a Royals jersey, which made the fans there happy. The show was really cool, and they topped it all off with flying the plane over really low.

When the game started, Eric, Jason, and I were very excited to see the Rangers starter because it was his first major league start. All in all, he had a pretty good game. He gave up 4 runs on 2 home runs in 6 innings, which gave him a no decision. In the 8th inning, the Rangers took the lead, 5-4. Then, in the bottom of the 8th, the Royals got 2 runs off of our bullpen and went on to win the game, 6-5. The fans there were pretty fun to be around, and they seemed to be interested in the game. A couple behind us were joking with us all game, which was fun, even though the guy was a University of Kansas fan. They were quite vulgar, too.

This stadium visit was fun and relaxing, just what you want in a baseball game. The facility could be nicer, but they are working on that. I give Kauffman Stadium a passing grade!

Game result: Rangers 5, Royals 6
Record: 1-1

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Day 1 - Oklahoma City

Start: Cedar Hill, TX
Stop: Oklahoma City, OK – AT&T Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma Redhawks vs. Nashville Sounds
Finish: Ottawa, KS

We woke up at 5am to leave town early enough to avoid the traffic and get to Oklahoma City in time for the 11:05am start. We avoided the traffic so well that we got to Oklahoma City around 9:30, and the stadium gates didn’t open until 10am. So we bought our tickets (field level, 3rd base side between the dugout and the net behind home plate, 10 rows back) and wandered around outside for a bit until the gates opened. It was a field trip day, so there were a lot of young kids there from schools and day cares, and they all got Lunchables (we, unfortunately, had to pay $4 for a soda and $4 for nachos). We had planned on bringing drinks in, but when we got there, we found that they don’t allow outside food or drink inside the stadium, which is much more restrictive than most of the major league stadiums we’ll be going to.

Once we got inside the park, we went to our seats, then got up to check the park out. We first went to the gift shop, where I got a hat, and Kyle and Jason got the first of their round of souvenirs. We decided we wanted to get one (cheap) thing at each stadium. Jason is getting keychains, Kyle is getting pins, and I’m getting programs to keep score of the game. Jason got a keychain bat, Kyle got a Redhawks pin, and I got the “program”, which was just two sheets of paper: a roster for both teams and a scorecard. I’m hoping the other programs are more substantial, but at least this one was free.

Jason found a game where you can throw four balls and it shows you how fast you pitched. He was throwing in the upper 50s and touched 60 on the last pitch. After that, we wandered to the first base side to check out the rest of the park. We were stopped by some promotion people to participate in one of the mid-inning games. Minor league games, unlike Major League games, have contests and games between innings to keep people entertained. We got to do the “build-a-burger” game. They rounded up another kid and split us into two teams (me and Kyle against Jason and the other guy, Dillon). We then split up and went down to the two dugouts. Kyle and I were hanging out in Nashville’s dugout and got to see a former Ranger (Laynce Nix) walk by a couple of times. Between the top and bottom of the fourth inning, we ran out on the field to play the game. The way it works, is both people on the team have a big bun costume on. At the start of the game, both “buns” run down the foul line to a “plate” near home plate and a pile of burger toppings (including tomatoes, but none of us got salmonella). So I flopped down on the “plate” while Kyle ran back and forth, grabbing one topping at a time and putting it on top of me. Once he finished adding the toppings, he jumped on top to complete the burger. Unfortunately, Jason’s team beat us, and we walked off the field. It was still pretty crazy and pretty fun.

After the burger game, we got some food and changed seats so we were out of the sun. We sat behind home plate, about 15-20 rows back. There were some scouts sitting in front of us, and it was interesting to see all of them raise up their radar guns when certain players were pitching (some of the younger players for the two teams, not the Sounds’ washed-up Jeff Weaver). We also think we may have seen Matt Harrison’s (the starting pitcher for the Redhawks) fiancĂ©e, because she was wearing an engagement ring and was yelling “come on, baby!” a few times, only when he was pitching.

The lead changed a few times throughout the game, and we got to see a few of the Rangers’ good prospects play some pretty good ball (Warner Madrigal finished the game with 1.2 IP and no runs allowed, pitching up to 96mph, John Mayberry, Jr. went 3-4 with 3 doubles, and Harrison got his first win in AAA), and the Redhawks ended up winning 8-6, so I’d say it was a successful day.

Game result: Redhawks win, 8-6
Record: 1-0 (we’ll keep track of the record of the team we’re rooting for, which will usually be the home team or the Rangers/Rangers minor league team)

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Stadium Preview #10


Stadium: Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field)
Date Opened: April 4, 1994
Date of Visit: June 23
Game: San Francisco Giants vs. Cleveland Indians


Jacobs Field was one of the wave of stadiums built in the early 90s (Oriole Park, Rangers Ballpark, US Cellular Field) and is just as interesting as the rest of them. It was ranked as the best ballpark in a 2008 Sports Illustrated poll, mostly due to the atmosphere and promotions. We'll be able to experience the whole atmosphere, as we'll only be a few hours away the night before and can get there early. Also, the game we're going to has a Travis Hafner mini-bobblehead as a giveaway, so that makes it even better.

The teams haven't been doing so well this year, but it will be a good place to go see a game. It's one of the few games where we're sitting in the outfield, so there should be some colorful characters to make the game interesting. This is also one of the last stadiums we're visiting, but it's after a few days rest, so we should be energized and ready to go for the last leg of the trip.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Stadium Preview #9


Stadium: PNC Park
Date Opened: April 9, 2001
Date of Visit: June 22nd
Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Looking at the picture to the right, it is pretty evident that PNC Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the major leagues. The park is across the 3 rivers from Pittsburgh's downtown area which creates a stunning view from the ballpark. Our seats (which are located on the first base side thanks to Grandpa Brynsvold!) will give us a great view of the river, skyline, scoreboard and field!

Although this game will be a bit of a yawner, the park will more than make up for it. Because I am a Steelers fan, I hear about all the great stadium food in Pittsburgh, so this day will be good for us to try some nice food.

The giant scoreboard in left field is one of the biggest and best in the MLB so that is a big plus. Also, there is a concourse in the outfield that you can walk on to get a great view of the downtown area without the stadium blocking your view.

All the way around, this stadium should be one of the most picturesque and enjoyable of the whole trip.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Stadium Preview #8


Stadium: Nationals Park
Date Opened: March 30, 2008
Date of Visit: June 21th
Game: Texas Rangers vs. Washington Nationals

Nationals Park is a brand-new state of the art facility, replacing RFK Stadium as the National's home park. The stadium is simply beautiful. From the 101x47 ft HD scoreboard to the cherry blossoms behind the left field bleachers, everything in this place just screams 'awesome.' I can not wait to walk into this masterpiece of a building.

When we arrive in our nation's capital, we'll be taking in our second Rangers game of the trip, which makes this visit even more fun. That is, of course, if they win. We will be sitting right next to the Rangers bullpen, so we can talk to CJ Wilson, Eddie Guardado and the gang.

Flashy Nationals Park is just one of a slew of new ballparks that have opened or are opening in the next few years. Citi Field (Mets) and New Yankee Stadium (Yankees) are set to open next year, and the unnamed Twins Ballpark is set to open in 2010. The A's and Rays both have proposed stadiums set to open in 2012 and the 'Miami' Marlins will have a new stadium in 2011.

This game will be fun not only because the stadium is great but also because it is a Rangers game. Can't wait to get to DC!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Mailing List

As we go along on our trip, we'll be updating this blog daily. But, if you want a note in your inbox reminding you of this daily, we can add you to our mailing list! Email me at fightingengineer@gmail.com and I'll add you to the list. The daily email will likely be a link to the blog and a link to our Flickr photo album for the day as well as a short message.

So send an email to fightingengineer@gmail.com if you want to be kept updated throughout the course of our trip.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Stadium Preview #7


Stadium: Fenway Park
Date Opened: April 20, 1912
Date of Visit: June 20th
Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox

Almost 100 years after it was constructed, Fenway Park is still going strong as one of the best and most unique stadiums in all of baseball. It has seen its share of changes, from adding seats to the famed Green Monster to adding thousands of seats around the park since its opening. This stadium is the crown jewel of Boston for good reason: it has everything you would want in a classic stadium. It has history, crazy quirks, interesting seats, and a great team to play in the stadium.

Every way you turn in Fenway Park, something catches your eye. Whether it is Pesky's Pole, the Green Monster, the press box, or the triangle, this place is just an amazing facility dripping with history. We will be sitting in the new 'roof seats' in foul territory next to right field, which will be good because these seats are more comfortable than the original seats closer to the field. Those seats were definitely built for a 1912 American, not a 2008 one.

The fans are very much connected to the team, which will be a fun experience for us since the fans in Arlington do not have much to cheer about (although we are hovering around .500 this year!). Also, seeing Manny Ramirez in front of his home crowd will be electrifying. Too bad David Ortiz won't play in the game since he just got put on the DL.

This stadium visit will be the most memorable in my eyes not only because the stadium is just simply amazing, but also because the game will be a good one. St Louis is a premier team in the NL, and likewise, Boston in the AL. This interleague matchup should be one of the best played games of the trip.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Stadium Preview #6


Stadium: Yankee Stadium
Date Opened: April 18, 1923
Date of Visit: June 19th
Game: San Diego Padres @ New York Yankees


This visit is the whole point of the trip. It has been 85 years since Yankee Stadium has first opened, and in those 85 years, it has hosted famous boxing matches, papal visits, 26 World Series champion teams and countless Hall of Famers. And after this season, the Yankees will be moving across the street into their new stadium. So, since we have never been to Yankee Stadium, we decided to take a trip up here to see it in its final season.

The House that Ruth Built was opened in 1923, which was the first season the Yankees won the World Series. Since then, it has been renovated numerous times, to upgrade the seating, change the field dimensions and add capacity to make it the Yankee Stadium we know today. As one of the oldest parks in the league (ranking behind Wrigley and Fenway), it contains a lot of history. Monument Park is a section of the stadium dedicated to the history of the Yankees players and other members of the organization. 17 numbers have been retired and 26 people are honored with monuments or plaques. We will definitely stop by Monument Park on our way to our seats to learn more about the Yankee greats.

Another aspect of the stadium that will be fun is the fans. There is a reason that ESPN focuses a lot on the Yankees...they have a lot of passionate, die-hard fans. The "bleacher creatures" in the right-field bleachers are especially rowdy. After the first pitch in the top of the first inning, a fan in Section 39 starts the roll call, where they chant the name of each Yankee starter in order until the player acknowledges the fans. The fans are also well known for harassing members of the opposing teams as well as fans of the opposing teams. One of the schedules I had drawn up included a Rangers/Yankees game at Yankee Stadium, but I didn't feel like going there and supporting the opposing team. I figured if the Rangers won, the fans would give us crap because their team lost, and if the Rangers lost, the fans would give us crap because our team lost. So we went with a Padres/Yankees game and will be cheering whole-heartedly for the Yankees (with as much energy as a Yankee-hater as myself can muster up).

All in all, it will be a great experience and this is one of two stadiums I am really looking forward to visiting. (#2 is Fenway Park, which will be previewed next)

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Stadium Preview #5


Stadium: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date Opened: April 6, 1992
Date of Visit: June 17th
Game: Houston Astros @ Baltimore Orioles

Regarded as one of the most beautiful parks in all of baseball, Camden Yards houses the Baltimiore Orioles. It is similar in style to our home ballpark (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington) which will be sure to make us happy.


An interesting quirk of this stadium is that over the 25 foot wall in right field, there is a huge warehouse that looks on to the field. It is the most reconizable part of the park and gives the stadium more of the "old time" feel that the designers were looking for. This park started the trend of placing ballparks with old-time feels in downtown areas.
Though the stadium has a nice feel, the scoreboard just seems a little bit too small for my liking. We are sitting in the upper deck though, so we will be able to see pretty much everything nicely. Also, the out of town scoreboard is good for us because the Rangers will be playing and we need to know the score!

The game may be an interesting one between two teams that no one really knows too much about. They are both playing well now, but are they for real or fluking?
Overall, this stadium is reviewed as one of the best in the MLB and i can't disagree. It seems like a great place to watch a baseball game and we should enjoy ourselves a lot. Let's hope the food is good!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Stadium Preview #4


Stadium: Rogers Centre
Date Opened: June 3, 1989
Date of Visit: June 15th

Game: Chicago Cubs @ Toronto Blue Jays


At first, I was going to say that Rogers Centre was simply another boring park and the only reason we were going was because it's in a different country. Then, as I started to research the Centre, I found out that although it looks bland on TV, it could be very fun and entertaining in person.

First of all, there will not be that many fans there (most likely, I could be wrong since it's interleague and the Cubs) so we can move down from our original seats to some that are closer to the action. This is a nice perk which will make the experience that much more fun. Also, there is a Hard Rock Cafe inside the stadium, which is pretty cool. Random sports tidbit: I remember when Frank Thomas hit a homerun off one of the windows one time.

Second, if the roof is open (i really hope it is) then you have a pretty cool view of the CN Tower, the trademark building of Toronto. I had no idea that the building was that close to the stadium.

The downside of this stadium is the actual playing field itself. The Blue Jays had stuck with the AstroTurf from it's first game all the way to 2004, but finally they switched in 2005 to....FieldTurf. In my opinion, they should have gone to grass, because baseball needs to be played on a natural surface. It is a big injury risk to play baseball on turf. Sure, football does it, but that's a different sport. Also, they do not have a real infield, just little patches of dirt around each base, which frankly is quite dumb. I don't like watching baseball games without the teams playing on a real baseball field.

The teams playing in the game will make it interesting, though. Both are teams who could either be really good or underachieve greatly. It should be interesting to see which team shows up. The Blue Jay fans are not the loudest by any means, but with the Cubbies in town that could change for this series.

The field is not the best, but going to Toronto should be fun and seeing this stadium will be an experience. It might be one of the worst we go to, but it will still be fun, eh? (A little Canada reference there in case you didn't notice)

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Last Schedule Update

Well, we've finally got tickets for all the Major League games, and with only a month or so to go, we're getting everything finalized. For Christmas and our birthdays, we've been getting a lot of helpful giftcards, which is awesome. It's nice to know that a bunch of our meals are already taken care of, and we've got some money to spend at Academy for sunglasses, coolers, or whatever we think we need. Kyle and Jason also got some baseball statistics books (2008 Baseball Prospectus and 2008 Bill James Handbook) so we will be able to know a little something about the teams that we're seeing but don't know too well.

Here's the final schedule:

6/11 - Nashville Sounds [Milwaukee AAA] at Oklahoma Redhawks [Rangers AAA]
6/12 - Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals - Outfield Plaza next to the Rangers' bullpen
6/13 - Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals - LF Upper Deck
6/14 - Los Angeles Dodgers at Detroit Tigers - 3B side, 5 rows behind the dugout
6/15 - Chicago Cubs at Toronto Blue Jays - Upper Deck, 1B side
6/16 - Baseball Hall of Fame
6/17 - Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles - Upper Deck, behind home plate
6/18 - off-day in New York City
6/19 - San Diego Padres at New York Yankees - RF Upper Deck
6/20 - St. Louis Cardinals at Boston Red Sox - RF Rooftop Box
6/21 - Texas Rangers at Washington Nationals - LF Outfield next to the Rangers' bullpen
6/22 - Toronto Blue Jays at Pittsburgh Pirates - 3B side, infield
6/23 - off-day in Pittsburgh
6/24 - San Francisco Giants at Cleveland Indians - OF bleachers
6/25 - Baltimore Orioles at Chicago Cubs - LF Upper Deck
6/26 - Beloit Snappers [Twins low-A] at Clinton Lumberkings [Rangers low-A]
6/27 - Frisco RoughRiders [Rangers AA] at Springfield Cardinals [Cardinals AA]
6/28 - wedding in Louisville, KY
6/29 - Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers - Unknown, but Jason gets free tickets from working at the ballpark

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Stadium Preview #3

Stadium: Comerica Park
Date Opened: April 11, 2000
Date of Visit: June 14th

Game: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Detroit Tigers


After spending almost 80 years in the classic Tiger Stadium, the Tigers decided to build a new state of the art stadium to please their loyal fans. They delivered, in my mind, an average stadium at best.

Comerica Park is located in the heart of Detroit, MI, Right next to Ford Field. When you first glance at a photo of the park, you think "Oh that's a pretty nice stadium," but nothing really catches your eye. That is my whole problem with this stadium, is that it is somewhat bland. The outfield dimensions are ones you could find in MLB 2K5 as the standard setting. The only thing that catches my eye at first glance is the huge scoreboard in left field,which is quite bland and really is more of an ad space than a scoreboard.

It is not all bad in Comerica Park, though. Some nice features can be seen when walking through the park. There is an area with statues of all the players who have their jerseys retired with the Tigers. Even Ty Cobb is included, even though he never wore a number for the Tigers, as is Ernie Harwell, long time announcer for Detroit. This is a nice touch to remember and honor past Tiger greats.

Originally, the flag pole in left field was in play, just as it was in old Tiger Stadium. Unfortunately, the Tigers chose to move the left field wall in (and they later added the bullpens in that empty space) and the flag pole is no longer in play. I see no reason why the Tigers did not simply move the flag pole along with the wall to keep that nostalgic element in play.

Although I said earlier that the outfield dimensions are terribly bland, they do provide a 'triple alley' in right field. If a ball gets in between the center and right fielders, a semi fast person can easily reach third base. This can provide some exciting baseball, especially in the later innings if there is a close play at third base.

When we travel to Detroit, we'll be meeting up with our aunt, uncle, and cousins, so the game should be a blast. Even if the park isn't the best ever made, baseball is still baseball, and that is the main focus of this stadium. They take away all the hoopla you see now days in stadiums around the league, which is nice, and they pay homage to past Tiger greats.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Schedule Update

Well, as we're getting closer to the summer, the schedule's firming up more. We're missing the Phillies/Boston game and spending an extra day in NYC, and we're extending the trip by a day to make a wedding in Kentucky on the way back. We're also still working on getting a couple of the tickets. Getting reasonably priced seats at Fenway has proved difficult, as they're going on eBay for about $300 for 4 seats. I keep waiting for a good deal, but sooner or later I'll just have to give in. We're also not buying the tickets to the minor league games in advance to avoid the "convenience fees" they charge for buying it online. I don't think we'll have much trouble getting good seats for a low-A game in Clinton, IA on a Thursday night...

Here's the updated schedule with purchases in bold:

6/11 - Nashville Sounds [Milwaukee AAA] at Oklahoma Redhawks [Rangers AAA]
6/12 - Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals - Outfield Plaza next to the Rangers' bullpen
6/13 - Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals - LF Upper Deck
6/14 - Los Angeles Dodgers at Detroit Tigers - not sure, but my uncle got them from someone who got them from Mike Illitch (the Tigers' owner), so they're probably pretty good
6/15 - Chicago Cubs at Toronto Blue Jays - Upper Deck, 1B side
6/16 - Baseball Hall of Fame
6/17 - Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles - Upper Deck, behind home plate
6/18 - off-day in New York City
6/19 - San Diego Padres at New York Yankees - RF Upper Deck
6/20 - St. Louis Cardinals at Boston Red Sox
6/21 - Texas Rangers at Washington Nationals - LF Outfield next to the Rangers' bullpen
6/22 - Toronto Blue Jays at Pittsburgh Pirates
6/23 - off-day in Pittsburgh
6/24 - San Francisco Giants at Cleveland Indians - OF bleachers
6/25 - Baltimore Orioles at Chicago Cubs
6/26 - Beloit Snappers [Twins low-A] at Clinton Lumberkings [Rangers low-A]
6/27 - Frisco RoughRiders [Rangers AA] at Springfield Cardinals [Cardinals AA]
6/28 - wedding in Louisville, KY
6/29 - Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers - Unknown, but Jason gets free tickets from working at the ballpark

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Stadium Preview #2

Stadium: New Busch Stadium
Opened: April 4, 2006
Date of Visit: June 13, 2008

Game: Philadelphia Phillies @ St. Louis Cardinals

New Busch Stadium is one of the newer and nicer stadiums in the MLB. Cardinals fans were sad to see the original Busch Stadium be demolished, but most were happier to see this state of the art stadium be built in its place.

One great thing about this stadium is that nearly every seat in foul territory has a picturesque view of the St. Louis skyline, including the famed Gateway Arch. The outside of the stadium is pretty picturesque too. It follows the sucessful mold of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in that is composed of red brick and high arching doorways. Also, there looks to be a good choice of food including Hardee's, The Plaza Grill, Broadway BBQ and Ballpark Favorites.

A bad thing about this park is the lack of things to do beside the game. This may sound like a comment from a non-baseball fan, but when I am at a game, I want to be entertained. The game could be boring, so other attractions are a must.

Overall, this game should be pretty fun because it is a good matchup (Phillies vs. Cardinals) and because the park is a new one. However, there are definitely better stadiums than this one.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Stadium Preview #1

Stadium: Kauffman Stadium
Date Opened: April 10, 1973
Date of Visit: June 12th

Game: Texas Rangers @ Kansas City Royals

Kauffman Stadium, aka the K, is half of the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, with the other half being Arrowhead Stadium, where the Kansas City Chiefs play. As you can see by the picture, Kauffman is a unique looking stadium. With its curvy exterior and personalized scoreboard (which is receiving a makeover this offseason), this stadium is instantly recognizable. It's age might show in some points, but the city of Kansas City is looking to fix that. Starting this offseason, Kauffman is undergoing major renovations. Upgrades include a HD scoreboard, a kids' area, a right field restaurant, wider concourses, left field hall of fame, and better vertical circulation of the stadium for all levels. Some of these renovations may be completed when we arrive on June 12th, but I'm betting most will not be finished. We might have to see Kauffman in a state of construction, which is disappointing.

Still, Kauffman will be a fun stadium to visit not only because we will be able to sit a little bit closer to the field, (cheaper seats) but also because it is quite picturesque. In center field, there is the iconic scoreboard, which hopefully will still look the same with the new HD scoreboard. On either side of the scoreboard are fountains, because Kansas City is known as the City of Fountains.

Since there are no outfield seats, Kauffman has a bit of a minor league feel to it, but I'm sure that this stadium will be a good place to spend 3 to 4 hours of our wonderful trip!

-Kyle

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Update

We've bought our first tickets (SD@NYY, 6/19), but we've also had our first cancellation. Unfortunately, because we're going during interleague play, a lot of these games are in demand. And the Phillies decided that, rather than selling tickets to their Red Sox series first come, first serve, they're raffling off the chance to buy them in a drawing in a few weeks. It's not even a weekend series, but they've deemed it important enough to do this whole raffle thing. So, unless we find some good deal on eBay, or we get something out of this raffle, or we get some substantial funding, we're not going to the Red Sox @ Phillies game on the 18th. But, I suppose it'll be good to have a break, and we can spend some extra time in Baltimore or NYC. Also, we'll divert those funds earmarked for the Phillies game towards buying tickets for Fenway, which are also going to be more difficult to get than originally hoped.

Look for more updates from my brothers regarding previews of the stadiums we'll be visiting.