For many years, my brother Keith and I have talked about going to other stadiums to watch professional baseball games. Both of us have missed outdoor baseball since the Metrodome was built in 1983. Keith was even a vendor at Metropolitan Stadium – first home of the Twins.
Last December, we started investigating the possibility of a road trip to the East Coast to take in some ball games. The research began in earnest and the possibilities arose. I started to investigate a somewhat organized trek across the country trying to make the best use of our time. In February, tickets were bought and hotels were reserved. None of us has been to any of the ball parks we are visiting on this trip. Also, none of us has ever been to the baseball Hall of Fame.
To make the trip more interesting, my daughter Abby (age 13) was asked if she would like to make this excursion with us. After asking what excursion meant, she accepted. Abby and I have taken two very successful summer road trips previously (Route 66 – 2006 and the Great River Route – 2008) and both were extremely fun.
Since we were headed to New York for a Yankees and Mets game in the middle of our schedule, my wife Jane was invited to join us in New York. How cool it would be to have Abby AND Jane in New York to see a baseball game. They also could have the opportunity to see a Broadway play. After looking at the schedule, Jane and Abby decided that they would stay in New York an extra couple of days – mostly for shopping – after Keith and I left for more ball games and Abby would fly home with Jane from New York.
Keith hopes to see a no-hitter and I hope to see an unassisted triple play. Abby hopes to see some “hot” guys and free Dippin’ Dots and Nachos.
EDITORS NOTE: Click on the picture to see the rest of the pictures for that day
June 12
Left home at 6am. GPS says we will be at Wrigley 70 minutes before game time. 30 miles out of Chicago the GPS says we will be to Wrigley 60 minutes before game time (pretty good for taking two short pitstops). After navigating through Chicago traffic and construction, we missed the first two innings.
We didn’t miss seeing Mauer’s opposite field homerun (interestingly, that homerun ball was not thrown back onto the field by the left field bleacher bums as Wrigley tradition requires of an opponent’s homerun). Cubs right fielder Milton Bradley had one of the worst days in the field I have ever seen [botched diving catch, fly ball drops in front of him when the ball was lost in the sun, and (the best) catching a lazy fly ball and throwing it into the right field stands when he thought there were three outs when there was only two.] Twins win 7-4.
Wrigley is an awesome, old-school park. We sat about 40 rows up from first base under the second deck. We could see the whole field (the person next to us couldn’t see the batter because one of the 2nd deck supports was in his view). Recommended – sit in the “sunny” seats!! Half of the 40,000 that showed up seemed to be Twins’ fans, so it made it more like an outside home game. The ambiance inside and out is one everyone should experience – especially if you think Metrodome is a baseball venue.
We decided to leave Chicago after the game, get some supper on the road, and head to our next destination – Cleveland. ETA – 10pm. With a few stops, road construction unforeseen by the GPS, and some wrong ideas for where to eat for supper (30 miles out of the way – with construction – to realize the place was closed) we got to our Cleveland hotel at 2am. That’s the learning of a road trip. We’ll laugh about it in years (maybe 10) to come.
One of the great things about this trip is that all of the games we will be seeing (except our last one) are inter-league play. Lots of different teams playing many familiar teams…and the pitchers hit in the National League parks!!
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 0
Away Team – 1
American League – 1
National League – 0
We didn’t miss seeing Mauer’s opposite field homerun (interestingly, that homerun ball was not thrown back onto the field by the left field bleacher bums as Wrigley tradition requires of an opponent’s homerun). Cubs right fielder Milton Bradley had one of the worst days in the field I have ever seen [botched diving catch, fly ball drops in front of him when the ball was lost in the sun, and (the best) catching a lazy fly ball and throwing it into the right field stands when he thought there were three outs when there was only two.] Twins win 7-4.
Wrigley is an awesome, old-school park. We sat about 40 rows up from first base under the second deck. We could see the whole field (the person next to us couldn’t see the batter because one of the 2nd deck supports was in his view). Recommended – sit in the “sunny” seats!! Half of the 40,000 that showed up seemed to be Twins’ fans, so it made it more like an outside home game. The ambiance inside and out is one everyone should experience – especially if you think Metrodome is a baseball venue.
We decided to leave Chicago after the game, get some supper on the road, and head to our next destination – Cleveland. ETA – 10pm. With a few stops, road construction unforeseen by the GPS, and some wrong ideas for where to eat for supper (30 miles out of the way – with construction – to realize the place was closed) we got to our Cleveland hotel at 2am. That’s the learning of a road trip. We’ll laugh about it in years (maybe 10) to come.
One of the great things about this trip is that all of the games we will be seeing (except our last one) are inter-league play. Lots of different teams playing many familiar teams…and the pitchers hit in the National League parks!!
 |
| Recently Updated |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 0
Away Team – 1
American League – 1
National League – 0
June 13
We started the day by taking a short trip through the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They are having a Bruce Springsteen exhibition now at the museum. Recommended, you should allow 6-8 hours to tour the whole museum. Young people might find that it has too much “old music” stuff. They may demand to be shown some “new” material
The only thing that really hurt Cleveland’s chance for a win today was the Cardinals all-star Albert Pujols (3 for 4, 2HR, double). St. Louis wins 3-1.
Progressive Field is state of the art. Their scoreboard is high tech and gives much information. We sat in the third deck right above home plate and had a bird’s eye view of the action while sitting around many devoted Cardinal and Indian fans. Very enjoyable except they wouldn’t allow bottled water into the stadium and all the rest of the stadiums will. I didn’t know Cleveland was such a hotbed for water terrorists.
I questioned if they could squeeze anymore advertising into that park – it was even on the foul pole. Coincidentally, Cleveland still has quite an eastern European heritage and there was a foul Pole sitting right behind us, also, who had to be reminded repeatedly there were children in the vicinity. I guess I will see what the other ball parks have in the promotion area before making a final judgment on the amount of advertising.
We will be seeing the Cardinals for three games at the end of our trip when they play the Twins.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 0
Away Team – 2
American League – 1
National League – 1
The only thing that really hurt Cleveland’s chance for a win today was the Cardinals all-star Albert Pujols (3 for 4, 2HR, double). St. Louis wins 3-1.
Progressive Field is state of the art. Their scoreboard is high tech and gives much information. We sat in the third deck right above home plate and had a bird’s eye view of the action while sitting around many devoted Cardinal and Indian fans. Very enjoyable except they wouldn’t allow bottled water into the stadium and all the rest of the stadiums will. I didn’t know Cleveland was such a hotbed for water terrorists.
I questioned if they could squeeze anymore advertising into that park – it was even on the foul pole. Coincidentally, Cleveland still has quite an eastern European heritage and there was a foul Pole sitting right behind us, also, who had to be reminded repeatedly there were children in the vicinity. I guess I will see what the other ball parks have in the promotion area before making a final judgment on the amount of advertising.
We will be seeing the Cardinals for three games at the end of our trip when they play the Twins.
 |
| June 13 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 0
Away Team – 2
American League – 1
National League – 1
June 14
Drove a couple hours from Cleveland to PNC Park.
What a beautiful day for a ball game. 77 and sunny. Pittsburgh has the cheapest “good” seats in baseball and we sat about 20 rows behind home plate for what a parking lot seat would cost at Yankee stadium.
The new Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins were introduced before the game. They even brought the Stanley Cup with them. Very cool. It was the closest any of us had ever been to the Stanley Cup trophy. Interestingly, the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the championship series and this baseball game was against Detroit…there was a lot of jabs from the Pirate fans at the Tiger fans in attendance.
Poor pitching by A.L Central Division leading Detroit led to a 6-3 win for the Pirates. The game lasted 3 hours and unfortunately we spent 2 hours in the parking ramp after the game trying to get out. We heard that the delay was caused not only by the crowd at the baseball game but there was a Gay Pride parade going through town (not that there’s anything wrong with that). We stopped driving to our next destination about 10:30 pm to make up for some lost time.
We will be seeing Detroit in their home ballpark later in our tour.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 1
Away Team – 2
American League – 1
National League – 2
What a beautiful day for a ball game. 77 and sunny. Pittsburgh has the cheapest “good” seats in baseball and we sat about 20 rows behind home plate for what a parking lot seat would cost at Yankee stadium.
The new Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins were introduced before the game. They even brought the Stanley Cup with them. Very cool. It was the closest any of us had ever been to the Stanley Cup trophy. Interestingly, the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the championship series and this baseball game was against Detroit…there was a lot of jabs from the Pirate fans at the Tiger fans in attendance.
Poor pitching by A.L Central Division leading Detroit led to a 6-3 win for the Pirates. The game lasted 3 hours and unfortunately we spent 2 hours in the parking ramp after the game trying to get out. We heard that the delay was caused not only by the crowd at the baseball game but there was a Gay Pride parade going through town (not that there’s anything wrong with that). We stopped driving to our next destination about 10:30 pm to make up for some lost time.
We will be seeing Detroit in their home ballpark later in our tour.
 |
| June 14 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 1
Away Team – 2
American League – 1
National League – 2
June 15
We started the day with about a 4 hour drive to Cooperstown.
If you go to the Hall of Fame, here is a little warning – there is really no off-street parking. The Hall of Fame does not have a parking lot…it’s all on street, 2 hour parking. They do have a shuttle into town. It sounds like a good idea now. There is a little parking lot about 4 blocks from the HoF…cost $5…we parked there for the day.
The Hall of Fame should be a pilgrimage for every baseball fan. Start on the second floor, then third, then 1st floor where all the Hall of Fame trophies are arranged by year inducted. It’s an amazing museum to the history of professional baseball.
I thought it was interesting that the VFW has put a little plaque under the Hall of Famers main plaque who were veterans. Many WWI, WWII, and Korean vets in the Hall of Fame (even one Civil War vet)…there wasn’t one Vietnam vet.
It rained most of the day, but who cares – we were inside.
We traveled 2 hours to Kingston,NY to stay with my stepdad’s daughter and son-in-law (now that’s being related through marriage). Pat and Margaret Ryan live in a beautiful home in the foothills of the Catskills. What Hospitality!! Nice to not to stay in a hotel.
The best kept secret for the Pennsylvania and New York travel bureaus is the western parts of their states. The major cities get all the press, but it’s the wonderful wilderness away from the major cities of these states that is dazzling.
If you go to the Hall of Fame, here is a little warning – there is really no off-street parking. The Hall of Fame does not have a parking lot…it’s all on street, 2 hour parking. They do have a shuttle into town. It sounds like a good idea now. There is a little parking lot about 4 blocks from the HoF…cost $5…we parked there for the day.
The Hall of Fame should be a pilgrimage for every baseball fan. Start on the second floor, then third, then 1st floor where all the Hall of Fame trophies are arranged by year inducted. It’s an amazing museum to the history of professional baseball.
I thought it was interesting that the VFW has put a little plaque under the Hall of Famers main plaque who were veterans. Many WWI, WWII, and Korean vets in the Hall of Fame (even one Civil War vet)…there wasn’t one Vietnam vet.
It rained most of the day, but who cares – we were inside.
We traveled 2 hours to Kingston,NY to stay with my stepdad’s daughter and son-in-law (now that’s being related through marriage). Pat and Margaret Ryan live in a beautiful home in the foothills of the Catskills. What Hospitality!! Nice to not to stay in a hotel.
The best kept secret for the Pennsylvania and New York travel bureaus is the western parts of their states. The major cities get all the press, but it’s the wonderful wilderness away from the major cities of these states that is dazzling.
Jene 16
We traveled about 5 hours from Kingston, NY to Baltimore. We got to Oriole’s Stadium at Camden Yard about an hour before the game started for our first evening game of our trip. This is one of the most beautiful parks in baseball. It is not very big which makes in quite intimate. The scoreboard is very clear and we could actually follow the Twins’ game virtually out-by-out.
Saw legendary Oriole first baseman Boog Powell at his Boog BBQ stand. Signed an autograph for Keith.
Lots of errors and poor starting pitching by the Orioles led to a 6-4 Mets victory.
We will see the Mets play again on Friday at Citi Bank Park.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 1
Away Team – 3
American League – 1
National League – 3
Saw legendary Oriole first baseman Boog Powell at his Boog BBQ stand. Signed an autograph for Keith.
Lots of errors and poor starting pitching by the Orioles led to a 6-4 Mets victory.
We will see the Mets play again on Friday at Citi Bank Park.
 |
| June 16 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 1
Away Team – 3
American League – 1
National League – 3
June 17
We traveled to JFK airport (about 3 hours) to pick up Jane. We are all glad to see her. Our plan was to drop off the girls at the New York hotel and the boys head to Boston. We were three blocks from the N.Y hotel and it took us 40 minutes to get there. How can anybody drive day-after-day in Manhattan? I was stressed out after about 10 minutes of driving in the “Big Apple.” Our NY hotel was right off Broadway just a few blocks from Times Square…perfect location.
Here is something to remember…bring a lot of cash if you are going to travel the east coast. We have spent $50 on tolls and we are not done with east coast stadiums yet.
3 ½ hours driving to Boston. At the game, the Red Sox celebrated 500 consecutive regular season sellouts (how many have the Twins had…in their entire history?). The Red Sox fans seem to be the most passionate of all the teams we have seen so far…you gotta hear their rendition of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline as they all sing it as it plays over the public address system…they really get into it and it seems to bring the crowd together. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house and standing room (where we were) was packed. We sat in the 8th row on the third base side the last two innings. If I wasn’t a Twins fan, I would be Red Sox fan.
They announced during the game that each ticket holder would get a commerative baseball with the number 500 on it as they left the park. When we left the park, they had run out of baseballs. I thought there was going to be a riot. Even I could have figured out how many baseballs to order…it was a sellout. Maybe we will get one if I write a letter when I get home
We both agreed this stadium has the most mystique and interest in the league – and the best smells. A very fun place to watch a game and its fans. Boston had some timely hitting a pretty solid pitching to win 6-1.
Note to bucket list: Add a Yankees at Fenway game.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 2
Away Team – 3
American League – 2
National League – 3
Here is something to remember…bring a lot of cash if you are going to travel the east coast. We have spent $50 on tolls and we are not done with east coast stadiums yet.
3 ½ hours driving to Boston. At the game, the Red Sox celebrated 500 consecutive regular season sellouts (how many have the Twins had…in their entire history?). The Red Sox fans seem to be the most passionate of all the teams we have seen so far…you gotta hear their rendition of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline as they all sing it as it plays over the public address system…they really get into it and it seems to bring the crowd together. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house and standing room (where we were) was packed. We sat in the 8th row on the third base side the last two innings. If I wasn’t a Twins fan, I would be Red Sox fan.
They announced during the game that each ticket holder would get a commerative baseball with the number 500 on it as they left the park. When we left the park, they had run out of baseballs. I thought there was going to be a riot. Even I could have figured out how many baseballs to order…it was a sellout. Maybe we will get one if I write a letter when I get home
We both agreed this stadium has the most mystique and interest in the league – and the best smells. A very fun place to watch a game and its fans. Boston had some timely hitting a pretty solid pitching to win 6-1.
Note to bucket list: Add a Yankees at Fenway game.
 |
| June 17 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 2
Away Team – 3
American League – 2
National League – 3
June 18
We drove back from Boston in the morning and settled into our New York hotel with Jane and Abby. Today is an afternoon game.
It rained the whole way from Boston to New York (4 hours). We dropped our stuff off at the hotel and took the subway to the Bronx for the game. We were a little late for the 1:05 start…RAIN DELAY. They really wanted to play this game because the teams did not have a common day to make the game up if it was canceled.
We sat in our seats (under the 4th deck canopy behind home plate) until 5:20. It did not stop raining once. The temperature was dropping and the rain was not letting up. We went back to our hotel to warm up and plan our evening. The sad thing about this rainout was this was the only game Jane had an opportunity to see on the trip.
We picked John’s Pizza (highly recommended) just off Broadway – not a play, but a restaurant. The place was packed on a Thursday night, but the wait was well worth it. The pizza was great!
As we were sitting down we noticed the Washington-New York game on the TV. We figured they must have started about 6:30 and we all agreed none of us could have lasted that long. It was an afternoon game that turned into a night game. The game got over at 1:05 am. In retrospect we should have gone to the game when they started playing. It was still great to see the new Yankee stadium…a billion dollars goes a long way when building a shrine to baseball and its winningest post-season team.
In the that’s-why-they-play-the-game category, the winningest team in baseball history lost to the worst team in baseball 3-0
After eating we spent the evening in Times Square people watching, window shopping, and buying some souvenirs.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 2
Away Team – 4
American League – 2
National League – 4
It rained the whole way from Boston to New York (4 hours). We dropped our stuff off at the hotel and took the subway to the Bronx for the game. We were a little late for the 1:05 start…RAIN DELAY. They really wanted to play this game because the teams did not have a common day to make the game up if it was canceled.
We sat in our seats (under the 4th deck canopy behind home plate) until 5:20. It did not stop raining once. The temperature was dropping and the rain was not letting up. We went back to our hotel to warm up and plan our evening. The sad thing about this rainout was this was the only game Jane had an opportunity to see on the trip.
We picked John’s Pizza (highly recommended) just off Broadway – not a play, but a restaurant. The place was packed on a Thursday night, but the wait was well worth it. The pizza was great!
As we were sitting down we noticed the Washington-New York game on the TV. We figured they must have started about 6:30 and we all agreed none of us could have lasted that long. It was an afternoon game that turned into a night game. The game got over at 1:05 am. In retrospect we should have gone to the game when they started playing. It was still great to see the new Yankee stadium…a billion dollars goes a long way when building a shrine to baseball and its winningest post-season team.
In the that’s-why-they-play-the-game category, the winningest team in baseball history lost to the worst team in baseball 3-0
After eating we spent the evening in Times Square people watching, window shopping, and buying some souvenirs.
 |
| June 18 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 2
Away Team – 4
American League – 2
National League – 4
June 19
The day started with a 2-hour tour of a Hudson and East River with a great view of the Statue of Liberty. We took the circle bus tour that goes through lower Manhattan…east village, soho, ground zero, etc.
Took the subway to Flushing in Queens and the new Citi Field. We were in the top row of the top tier on the first base side. It looks like every seat has a good view. Another new park this year. All the new retro parks have many things in common – state of the art scoreboard, wide concourses/mezzanines, huge eating/picnic areas, much handicapped seating, and great views from all seats.
Interestingly (at least to me), this was the most ethnically diverse crowd we have seen this trip…and there weren’t very many empty seats.
We heard at the Mets game that the Yankees are offering a rain check on the last night’s tickets due to the long rain delay – whether you went to the game or not…I will have to check that out. As we were leaving Yankee Stadium, scalpers were asking for our ticket stubs – we said no, but I wonder how many people just gave them the tix – actually free tickets now.
Timely hitting by the Mets led to 5-3 win.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 3
Away Team – 4
American League – 2
National League – 5
Took the subway to Flushing in Queens and the new Citi Field. We were in the top row of the top tier on the first base side. It looks like every seat has a good view. Another new park this year. All the new retro parks have many things in common – state of the art scoreboard, wide concourses/mezzanines, huge eating/picnic areas, much handicapped seating, and great views from all seats.
Interestingly (at least to me), this was the most ethnically diverse crowd we have seen this trip…and there weren’t very many empty seats.
We heard at the Mets game that the Yankees are offering a rain check on the last night’s tickets due to the long rain delay – whether you went to the game or not…I will have to check that out. As we were leaving Yankee Stadium, scalpers were asking for our ticket stubs – we said no, but I wonder how many people just gave them the tix – actually free tickets now.
Timely hitting by the Mets led to 5-3 win.
 |
| June 19 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 3
Away Team – 4
American League – 2
National League – 5
June 20
We were planning on doing some sightseeing in New York, but the monthly street fair selling bonanza on Broadway was taking place. One Saturday a month, sellers come to New York to sell Guci, Prata, Versase and, well you get the point. It was fun way to spend the morning. Then we left the girls and headed to Philadelphia for the evening’s game.
We took a couple hour drive to Philly. This game marks the half way point of our trip.
Citizen’s Bank Field is one of the first retro fields that was built in 2004. It has some unusual angles to the outside wall that I found interesting and gave a different look to the ballpark instead of having a perfect semi-circle for the outfield wall.
Keith and I tried a couple of different sandwiches and both were delicious. We both agreed that overall CBF had the best food so far of any ball park. We sat behind homeplate in the upper row of the top deck. Every seat we have had so far on our trip has been under some sort of overhang. It was nice today because it rained the entire 5th inning and we didn’t get wet.
The game was the best one we had seen so far. Baltimore ended up with 16 hits. Philly was leading 5-3 going into the 9th inning, but three runs in the top of the 9th gave Baltimore the 6-5 win. Man, were there a lot of ticked-off Philly fans. They take their sports very seriously and this was not a kind way to lose a game for the Philly faithful.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 3
Away Team – 5
American League – 3
National League – 5
We took a couple hour drive to Philly. This game marks the half way point of our trip.
Citizen’s Bank Field is one of the first retro fields that was built in 2004. It has some unusual angles to the outside wall that I found interesting and gave a different look to the ballpark instead of having a perfect semi-circle for the outfield wall.
Keith and I tried a couple of different sandwiches and both were delicious. We both agreed that overall CBF had the best food so far of any ball park. We sat behind homeplate in the upper row of the top deck. Every seat we have had so far on our trip has been under some sort of overhang. It was nice today because it rained the entire 5th inning and we didn’t get wet.
The game was the best one we had seen so far. Baltimore ended up with 16 hits. Philly was leading 5-3 going into the 9th inning, but three runs in the top of the 9th gave Baltimore the 6-5 win. Man, were there a lot of ticked-off Philly fans. They take their sports very seriously and this was not a kind way to lose a game for the Philly faithful.
 |
| June 20 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 3
Away Team – 5
American League – 3
National League – 5
June 21
We took a short trip to Washington from Philly. We took the Metro Subway into this afternoon game from out hotel and it took about 15 minutes. It’s always easier if one can take public transportation to the game.
Nationals Stadium is another modern and beautiful stadium. I believe Target Field in Minneapolis will look something like this one and baseball fans will be impressed. We had excellent seats behind homeplate in the third deck, but it appeared there were no bad seats in the ball park.
This was the first game in our tour that we have not been under the some kind of roof and it was good for today’s game. Temperature at game time was an uncharacteristic (for June in Washington DC) 75 degrees and partly cloudy.
When the locals found out we were from Minnesota, they all had to let us know how mad they were the the Griffiths moved them from Washington to Minnesota. WOW, that was in 1961...and I thought the South still complains about the outcome of the Civil War.
The Nationals had a three game winning streak going into this game, but showed why they have the worst record in baseball by giving up four runs in the first inning and losing 9-4.
We took the Metro into DC and walked around the Capitol and down to the Washington Monument before going back to our hotel.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 3
Away Team – 6
American League – 4
National League – 5
Nationals Stadium is another modern and beautiful stadium. I believe Target Field in Minneapolis will look something like this one and baseball fans will be impressed. We had excellent seats behind homeplate in the third deck, but it appeared there were no bad seats in the ball park.
This was the first game in our tour that we have not been under the some kind of roof and it was good for today’s game. Temperature at game time was an uncharacteristic (for June in Washington DC) 75 degrees and partly cloudy.
When the locals found out we were from Minnesota, they all had to let us know how mad they were the the Griffiths moved them from Washington to Minnesota. WOW, that was in 1961...and I thought the South still complains about the outcome of the Civil War.
The Nationals had a three game winning streak going into this game, but showed why they have the worst record in baseball by giving up four runs in the first inning and losing 9-4.
We took the Metro into DC and walked around the Capitol and down to the Washington Monument before going back to our hotel.
 |
| june 21 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 3
Away Team – 6
American League – 4
National League – 5
June 22 -- Visiting Washington DC…driving to Detroit
Major league baseball takes Mondays off (for the most part) during June, so the two Mondays of our inter-league trip we had to find something to do. The first Monday we went to the baseball hall of fame. This Monday we did a little sightseeing in Washington in the morning and we have our longest trip from one venue to another, so it was a good traveling day.
I have been to Washington DC the last seven years with the 8th graders from Lake Jr. High so I knew my way around pretty good. Since Keith had never been there before, I thought a good place to start was the Washington Monument to get a birds-eye view of some of the attractions.
We also took in the WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. Our initial plan was to drive part way to Detroit today and get to our Detroit hotel tomorrow, but we are having so much fun driving, we did the whole route today.
I have been to Washington DC the last seven years with the 8th graders from Lake Jr. High so I knew my way around pretty good. Since Keith had never been there before, I thought a good place to start was the Washington Monument to get a birds-eye view of some of the attractions.
We also took in the WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. Our initial plan was to drive part way to Detroit today and get to our Detroit hotel tomorrow, but we are having so much fun driving, we did the whole route today.
 |
| June 22 |
June 23
This is our first game that we will see two teams we have already seen on the trip.
For some reason, I ordered some fantastic tickets for this game. We sat behind homeplate in the area called the Tiger Den. Three seats per row and the chairs were padded. We were hoping for extra innings since the seats were so comfy.
Comerica is also a beautiful park. A little older than then the rest of the “retro” parks, but nicely designed, nonetheless. They have very few outfield seats (I would guess 10 percent of the seats are between the foul poles). When the Tigers homer, they have a center field fountain that goes off. For an inner city park, they make you feel you are “away from it all.”
We had a gyro from Leo’s (behind the right field foul pole). Highly recommended and reasonably priced as far as major league ballparks go.
The game was very good. Lots of Cubs’ fans in attendance. The weather was perfect for the game – 85 degrees with a slight breeze. The Cubs led all the way until the bottom of the ninth when a Detroit pinch hitter hit a two run walkoff homerun to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 4
Away Team – 6
American League – 5
National League – 5
For some reason, I ordered some fantastic tickets for this game. We sat behind homeplate in the area called the Tiger Den. Three seats per row and the chairs were padded. We were hoping for extra innings since the seats were so comfy.
Comerica is also a beautiful park. A little older than then the rest of the “retro” parks, but nicely designed, nonetheless. They have very few outfield seats (I would guess 10 percent of the seats are between the foul poles). When the Tigers homer, they have a center field fountain that goes off. For an inner city park, they make you feel you are “away from it all.”
We had a gyro from Leo’s (behind the right field foul pole). Highly recommended and reasonably priced as far as major league ballparks go.
The game was very good. Lots of Cubs’ fans in attendance. The weather was perfect for the game – 85 degrees with a slight breeze. The Cubs led all the way until the bottom of the ninth when a Detroit pinch hitter hit a two run walkoff homerun to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory.
 |
| June 23 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 4
Away Team – 6
American League – 5
National League – 5
June 24
We made the short four-hour trip from Detroit to Chicago. Philly, Milwaukee, KC and this park are the only games we parked at the game. The last hour was through Chicago traffic at two in the afternoon. You think rush hour was a few hours off, but it’s always rush hour in Chicago.
Cellular Field was probably the least interesting of all the parks we have been to up to this point. There is not really anything outstanding about this park compared to the others. With only half the seats filled for this game, there certainly was an emptiness to the stadium.
We sat in the third deck behind home plate. This has been a popular spot for us in these stadiums. Cellular’s third deck does not overhang the deck below, so one sits a bit farther back than the rest of the stadiums.
When a White Sox player hits a homerun, the scoreboard lights up and fireworks are set off. There may have been a chance of running out of fireworks tonight at the White Sox hit FIVE homeruns and beat the best team in the National League 10-7. The game lasted over three hours and the temperature was still 80 degrees by the end of the game. Quite a nice night for baseball. Man the weather has been nice on this trip.
After the game, we made our way closer to Milwaukee for tomorrow’s afternoon game. Still rush hour traffic at 10:30. The traffic in Chicago is worse than in New York. Chicago traffic delays are on the interstates and they go all day long. The joke must be that the speed limit on I- 90/94 through Chicago is 55 mph. I think the last speeding ticket on this stretch of Chicago interstate must have been back in 1973. New York traffic is just on the city streets. The highways are more like Los Angeles…70 mph bumper-to-bumper.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 5
Away Team – 6
American League – 6
National League – 5
Cellular Field was probably the least interesting of all the parks we have been to up to this point. There is not really anything outstanding about this park compared to the others. With only half the seats filled for this game, there certainly was an emptiness to the stadium.
We sat in the third deck behind home plate. This has been a popular spot for us in these stadiums. Cellular’s third deck does not overhang the deck below, so one sits a bit farther back than the rest of the stadiums.
When a White Sox player hits a homerun, the scoreboard lights up and fireworks are set off. There may have been a chance of running out of fireworks tonight at the White Sox hit FIVE homeruns and beat the best team in the National League 10-7. The game lasted over three hours and the temperature was still 80 degrees by the end of the game. Quite a nice night for baseball. Man the weather has been nice on this trip.
After the game, we made our way closer to Milwaukee for tomorrow’s afternoon game. Still rush hour traffic at 10:30. The traffic in Chicago is worse than in New York. Chicago traffic delays are on the interstates and they go all day long. The joke must be that the speed limit on I- 90/94 through Chicago is 55 mph. I think the last speeding ticket on this stretch of Chicago interstate must have been back in 1973. New York traffic is just on the city streets. The highways are more like Los Angeles…70 mph bumper-to-bumper.
 |
| June 24 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 5
Away Team – 6
American League – 6
National League – 5
June 25
This was the only park I pre-purchased a parking pass. I thought with an afternoon game, we would be parking for sure at the stadium, and I was right…it was the right move. This is our first true afternoon game. Cleveland started at 4:10 and the Yankee game turned into a night game after the rain delay. All the rest of our games on our trip, we will be seeing the Twins play.
The first thing that one notices when entering the parking lot is all the tailgating. People enjoying the day with brats, hamburgers, and some cold drinks. Fathers playing catch with their children, college kids throwing the Frisbee, and some playing a bean-bag-toss game. Just a great atmosphere.
In the game we sat about 20 rows up on the third base side. I felt very squished in these seats, probably because it was 95 degrees at game time, and we sat in the sun for the first time on our trip, and there were over 40,000 in attendance for a Thursday afternoon game. I loved it!!
There were many Twins fans in our section so it was a great place to sit and cheer for the “home” team. Miller Park has a retractable roof and the entire right field side of the stadium is always covered. This gives the park a somewhat closed in feeling. There are few outfield seats.
The Brewers hit three homeruns and we got to see their mascot go down the Brewer slide. Even with the homeruns, the Twins won 6-4.
After the game, we decided to take the six hour trek to St. Louis. The hotel we had booked for three nights had openings, so we got another night at the same hotel without switching rooms. Nice when we got there at 11pm.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 5
Away Team – 7
American League – 7
National League – 5
The first thing that one notices when entering the parking lot is all the tailgating. People enjoying the day with brats, hamburgers, and some cold drinks. Fathers playing catch with their children, college kids throwing the Frisbee, and some playing a bean-bag-toss game. Just a great atmosphere.
In the game we sat about 20 rows up on the third base side. I felt very squished in these seats, probably because it was 95 degrees at game time, and we sat in the sun for the first time on our trip, and there were over 40,000 in attendance for a Thursday afternoon game. I loved it!!
There were many Twins fans in our section so it was a great place to sit and cheer for the “home” team. Miller Park has a retractable roof and the entire right field side of the stadium is always covered. This gives the park a somewhat closed in feeling. There are few outfield seats.
The Brewers hit three homeruns and we got to see their mascot go down the Brewer slide. Even with the homeruns, the Twins won 6-4.
After the game, we decided to take the six hour trek to St. Louis. The hotel we had booked for three nights had openings, so we got another night at the same hotel without switching rooms. Nice when we got there at 11pm.
 |
| June 25 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 5
Away Team – 7
American League – 7
National League – 5
June 26 -- Game One
We took a tour of the Anheiser-Busch brewery in the afternoon before the first game. Of course the highlight was the tasting room at the end of the tour.
Game 1 – Friday Night
Busch Stadium sits in the downtown area of St. Louis in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. The stadium is of the cookie-cutter variety – very round with multiple decks…I counted five decks behind home plate. The seats are all red, so it is difficult to see how many seats are empty because most of the Cardinal fans wear red. For this game, however, there was over 41,000 in attendance and it appeared there were very few empty seats.
We got to the game early to check out the park and watch batting practice. Here is something I didn’t know. Teams use their own baseballs during batting practice. While the Twins were taking batting practice, Keith caught a ball in the right field bleachers. The ball had the Metrodome stamped on the ball.
We tried the Bratzel. It was a bratwurst wrapped in a crescent roll. I think it was supposed to be more like a pretzel, but it wasn’t and it was probably the worst stadium food we have had.
When we got to our seats, we were a long way from home plate. We were about 20 rows up directly behind the right field foul pole. When you’re old like us [I am just a year younger than Michael Jackson (RIP) and Keith is more in the range of Farrah Fawcett (RIP)] you need to sit closer to the action to see the ball. It didn’t help that we were looking into the sun the first three innings and it was 95 degrees. Suggestion – don’t sit in the outfield at Busch stadium. I guess you can’t be too choosy when the tickets are part of the hotel package.
Many Twin’s faithful were in attendance and it’s always good to hear them cheer…and they had a lot to cheer about. Minnesota won 3-1 on a Perkins/Nathan 7-hitter. Nathan even struck out Albert Pujols (top player in the league) in the ninth inning with a runner in scoring position.
Tomorrow and Sunday are afternoon games. Both games game time temps are expected to reach into the upper 90’s.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 5
Away Team – 8
American League – 8
National League – 5
Game 1 – Friday Night
Busch Stadium sits in the downtown area of St. Louis in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. The stadium is of the cookie-cutter variety – very round with multiple decks…I counted five decks behind home plate. The seats are all red, so it is difficult to see how many seats are empty because most of the Cardinal fans wear red. For this game, however, there was over 41,000 in attendance and it appeared there were very few empty seats.
We got to the game early to check out the park and watch batting practice. Here is something I didn’t know. Teams use their own baseballs during batting practice. While the Twins were taking batting practice, Keith caught a ball in the right field bleachers. The ball had the Metrodome stamped on the ball.
We tried the Bratzel. It was a bratwurst wrapped in a crescent roll. I think it was supposed to be more like a pretzel, but it wasn’t and it was probably the worst stadium food we have had.
When we got to our seats, we were a long way from home plate. We were about 20 rows up directly behind the right field foul pole. When you’re old like us [I am just a year younger than Michael Jackson (RIP) and Keith is more in the range of Farrah Fawcett (RIP)] you need to sit closer to the action to see the ball. It didn’t help that we were looking into the sun the first three innings and it was 95 degrees. Suggestion – don’t sit in the outfield at Busch stadium. I guess you can’t be too choosy when the tickets are part of the hotel package.
Many Twin’s faithful were in attendance and it’s always good to hear them cheer…and they had a lot to cheer about. Minnesota won 3-1 on a Perkins/Nathan 7-hitter. Nathan even struck out Albert Pujols (top player in the league) in the ninth inning with a runner in scoring position.
Tomorrow and Sunday are afternoon games. Both games game time temps are expected to reach into the upper 90’s.
 |
| June 26 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 5
Away Team – 8
American League – 8
National League – 5
June 27 -- Game Two
The game started just after noon. The bad news was the temperature was 99. The good news was we were now in the second deck just in back of the left field pole…it was called the Casino Queen section. It was in the shade which made the game bearable. The attendance was just under 43,000 but many of the paid guests must have stayed at home or were in the concourse watching the game and staying away from the heat.
As in Cleveland, Albert Pujols singlehandedly beat the opponents. His TWO two-run homeruns were enough to beat the Twins 5-3. Mauer did not play – he pinch hit in the ninth and grounded out.
St. Louis has a Metro which is really nice. It takes you right to the game and they have many park and rides along the route. This is the way we are getting to the games.
We ate at Phil’s Bar B Que in St. Louis – the are known more for their steaks. They were highly rated so we tried it out for dinner.
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 6
Away Team – 8
American League – 8
National League – 6
As in Cleveland, Albert Pujols singlehandedly beat the opponents. His TWO two-run homeruns were enough to beat the Twins 5-3. Mauer did not play – he pinch hit in the ninth and grounded out.
St. Louis has a Metro which is really nice. It takes you right to the game and they have many park and rides along the route. This is the way we are getting to the games.
We ate at Phil’s Bar B Que in St. Louis – the are known more for their steaks. They were highly rated so we tried it out for dinner.
 |
| June 27 |
RUNNING RECORD WINS
Home Team – 6
Away Team – 8
American League – 8
National League – 6
June 28 -- Game Three
As we were getting to our seats one thing was obvious…it was 15 degrees cooler. What a great day for a ballgame. I was wondering if I would see anybody I would know during these Twin’s away games. Just then, who do I see? John Hoven, fellow math teacher in South Washington County Schools. He said he also would be in Kansas City on Monday. Maybe we will see him there.
We were sitting in right field, but this time NOT behind the foul pole and NOT in the sun. There was a slight breeze which made it perfect baseball weather.
Justin Morneau took advantage of the breeze blowing in our faces and hit a first inning, 3-run homer. That would be all the Twins would need for a 6-2 victory. Just over 42,500 in attendance…a very good weekend series for the Cardinals as far as brining in the crowd.
So in the interleague play that we have seen the Twins, they had a 3-1 record. They are now over .500. Tonight I will rest up for our 4 hour trip to Kansas City, write some blog, eat some pizza and watch some TV…the good life.
Both Keith and I were talking about what a great trip this has been, but we are both missing our respective wives.
FINAL RECORD WINS
Home Team – 6
Away Team – 9
American League – 9
National League – 6
We were sitting in right field, but this time NOT behind the foul pole and NOT in the sun. There was a slight breeze which made it perfect baseball weather.
Justin Morneau took advantage of the breeze blowing in our faces and hit a first inning, 3-run homer. That would be all the Twins would need for a 6-2 victory. Just over 42,500 in attendance…a very good weekend series for the Cardinals as far as brining in the crowd.
So in the interleague play that we have seen the Twins, they had a 3-1 record. They are now over .500. Tonight I will rest up for our 4 hour trip to Kansas City, write some blog, eat some pizza and watch some TV…the good life.
Both Keith and I were talking about what a great trip this has been, but we are both missing our respective wives.
 |
| June 28 |
FINAL RECORD WINS
Home Team – 6
Away Team – 9
American League – 9
National League – 6
June 29
We made the cross-state four-hour trip from St. Louis to Kansas City. Since we had a bit of time before the game we decided to try out one of the legendary restaurants in the area – Arthur Bryant’s. Their trademark is bar-b-que. They have burnt tip sandwiches. They were awesome and their sauce was drinkable. This was the some of the best food we had our trip. Highly recommended. I could not finish my meal, so I asked for a take home container. The lady at the counter gave me a piece of butcher paper and some tape…awesome.
Kaufman Stadium is the second smallest park in the major leagues (Oakland is smaller). It is made mostly of cement. Lots of gray cement as you look around. Their trademark is the fountains in the outfield which are real cool. In fact, I think they keep the park cooler.
Game time temperature was 85 and not a cloud in the sky. One of the most beautiful evenings we have had on our tour. Our seats were 10 rows up from third base. There were many empty seats and many Twins’ fans in attendance. With the size and the low attendance, it had a minor league ambiance for this game.
The Twins looked and played tired. In the fifth inning, Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire argued a call by the ump and got thrown out. It was one of the those games! Twins lost 4-2 without much effort.
Kaufman Stadium is the second smallest park in the major leagues (Oakland is smaller). It is made mostly of cement. Lots of gray cement as you look around. Their trademark is the fountains in the outfield which are real cool. In fact, I think they keep the park cooler.
Game time temperature was 85 and not a cloud in the sky. One of the most beautiful evenings we have had on our tour. Our seats were 10 rows up from third base. There were many empty seats and many Twins’ fans in attendance. With the size and the low attendance, it had a minor league ambiance for this game.
The Twins looked and played tired. In the fifth inning, Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire argued a call by the ump and got thrown out. It was one of the those games! Twins lost 4-2 without much effort.
 |
| June 29 |
Conclusion -- THE BEST - THE WORST
We are finished with our baseball tour with memories galore. Every game we watched we stayed until the end. It seems like the Cubs game was months ago.
If you ever want to plan one of these trips, let me know. I would be happy to help you with your decision-making.
Total miles driven -- 4800
Total number of games – 15
Total number of stadiums – 14
Number of Twins’ games – 6 (4-2 record)
Number of extra innings – 0
Number of shutouts – 0
Number of foul balls caught during game – 0 – None of our seats were in fair territory (Keith caught a batting practice “homerun” ball in St. Louis)
Newest park – Yankees and Mets (1st years)
Oldest park – Fenway (built 1912)
Most opposing fans at game – Wrigley (It seemed like half the fans were from Minnesota).
Total toll costs -- $131
Best food – Aurthur Bryant’s (BBQ) in Kansas City. A close second was John’s Pizza in New York.
Best stadium food – Philadelphia
Best brats – after the game in Boston from street venders. Make sure you wait til after the game when the brats have had time to soak up all of their flavors.
Best seats – Detroit (PNC was a second)
Best parking lot ambiance – Milwaukee
Best city to be in after/before game – New York (it never sleeps AND if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere)
Best ball park atmosphere – Boston (we saw their 500th consecutive sellout, so there’s a lot of love there…this place even smelled like baseball)
Best stadium traditions – singing Sweet Caroline at Fenway and the beer slide and sausage race at Miller Park.
Best ending to game – Chicago White Sox walk off homerun.
Best opposing player – Albert Pujols from St. Louis. He singlehandedly won two games we saw with his hitting.
Best tour – New York Harbor tour
Easiest public transportation – Washington, DC (St. Louis is a close second. New York might be easy if you have lived there a couple months)
Worst fans for player support – Philadelphia. They support the players if they are playing good, but make a mistake – the players hear about it!!
Longest time to get out of parking – 2hrs in Pittsburgh
Worst water policy – Cleveland. They were the only park that did not allow outside bottled water into the park…we had to throw it away.
Most ballpark advertising – Cleveland
Worst driving city – Chicago…24/7 rush hour
Biggest disappointment – Rain out at Yankees game
Wish it would have lasted longer – time with Abby and Jane
Best overall memory – bonding time with my brother
If you ever want to plan one of these trips, let me know. I would be happy to help you with your decision-making.
Total miles driven -- 4800
Total number of games – 15
Total number of stadiums – 14
Number of Twins’ games – 6 (4-2 record)
Number of extra innings – 0
Number of shutouts – 0
Number of foul balls caught during game – 0 – None of our seats were in fair territory (Keith caught a batting practice “homerun” ball in St. Louis)
Newest park – Yankees and Mets (1st years)
Oldest park – Fenway (built 1912)
Most opposing fans at game – Wrigley (It seemed like half the fans were from Minnesota).
Total toll costs -- $131
Best food – Aurthur Bryant’s (BBQ) in Kansas City. A close second was John’s Pizza in New York.
Best stadium food – Philadelphia
Best brats – after the game in Boston from street venders. Make sure you wait til after the game when the brats have had time to soak up all of their flavors.
Best seats – Detroit (PNC was a second)
Best parking lot ambiance – Milwaukee
Best city to be in after/before game – New York (it never sleeps AND if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere)
Best ball park atmosphere – Boston (we saw their 500th consecutive sellout, so there’s a lot of love there…this place even smelled like baseball)
Best stadium traditions – singing Sweet Caroline at Fenway and the beer slide and sausage race at Miller Park.
Best ending to game – Chicago White Sox walk off homerun.
Best opposing player – Albert Pujols from St. Louis. He singlehandedly won two games we saw with his hitting.
Best tour – New York Harbor tour
Easiest public transportation – Washington, DC (St. Louis is a close second. New York might be easy if you have lived there a couple months)
Worst fans for player support – Philadelphia. They support the players if they are playing good, but make a mistake – the players hear about it!!
Longest time to get out of parking – 2hrs in Pittsburgh
Worst water policy – Cleveland. They were the only park that did not allow outside bottled water into the park…we had to throw it away.
Most ballpark advertising – Cleveland
Worst driving city – Chicago…24/7 rush hour
Biggest disappointment – Rain out at Yankees game
Wish it would have lasted longer – time with Abby and Jane
Best overall memory – bonding time with my brother
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)