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

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) fiancée, 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)

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.