June 24, 2008
Year of the Rat
Yesterday was "Year of the Rat" night at the St. Paul Saints game. Thus, in true Saints fashion, there were a ton of gags involving rats and not just the animal. As we walked into the stadium the sides of the concourse were plastered with photocopies of famous rats. The Rat Pack got several mentions, there was a guy dressed as Benedict Arnold and the entertainers at the game frequently mentioned the type of rat that snitches and goes into the Witness Protection Program. Their favorite target however, was Norm Green. Perhaps the most hated man in Minnesota's entire 150 year history, Green was the guy that moved the North Stars hockey team to Dallas in 1993.
The most amusing moment came during the "Is it a Fish?" game, in which a fan is given a bunch of names and he has to decide if it's the name of a type of fish or not. The final name the fan had to decide on was Bonpensiero. This name sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it. Then they showed a picture of the actor Vincent Pastore and I realized that they were referring to the character Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero from the Sopranos, who betrayed the family by becoming a rat and wearing a wire. Of course he was then murdered and tossed off Tony Soprano's boat. So, although Bonpensiero is not a type of fish, he certainly does sleep with the fishes. Ha!
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June 9, 2008
Officially Minnesotan Again
It's been nearly a year since I returned home to Minnesota after four years in New York. However, I didn't really consider myself officially Minnesotan again until last week when my new driver's license arrived. Until last week I had been carrying around a New York license, but my birthday is just ten days away, along with the expiration of the license, so it was time to get a new one. I was a bit shocked when they told me I had to take a test, but I passed with an 80% which isn't too bad considering that I wasn't exactly prepared.
I'm also going to be ditching my New York cell phone number in favor of the local 651 area code. This will be a nice change because I also got a new cell phone to go along with the new number. Despite being a bit of a tech geek, I've only ever owned one cell phone and after several years it's a bit worse for wear. I'll pass along all the technical details of the new phone in a separate entry.
Finally, I went to my first St. Paul Saints game. Someone was nice enough to hook me up with some free tickets, and despite the 35 degree weather, the game was very enjoyable. Everyone is so nice at Midway Stadium and we feasted on beer, cheese curds and hot mini doughnuts which kept us warm. There were plenty of entertainers (including a pig) and promotional games to watch between innings and the freight trains passing by beyond the left field fence give the place a nice, homey atmosphere. I'll be going to another game in a few weeks and am excited to see what the place is like when it's actually warm and full of people. I expect the atmosphere will be even better.
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November 29, 2007
The New "Minnesota Nice"
The Twins just acquired Delmon Young from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Fortunately, Young is a pretty good ballplayer. Unfortunately, he's also the guy that did this when he was in the minors:
For Minnesota's sake, let's hope those days are over for Delmon Young.
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November 22, 2007
Angels Sign Hunter
Although everyone pretty much assumed that the Minnesota Twins wouldn't be able to afford Torii Hunter as a free agent, this morning's news is still a bit of a shock: he signed with the Angels.
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July 23, 2007
First Day at Twain's House
Today was the first day of a workshop on Mark Twain that I'm attending in Hartford at the Mark Twain House and Museum. Today we took a tour of the house which was nice despite the crabbiness of our guide and photography ban. I'm always disappointed when a place like the Mark Twain House doesn't allow photos to be taken inside, especially when they don't give a good reason for it.
Throughout the week all of the workshop participants will get to use the library and archives at the museum which could yield some really cool stuff. Since I'm a Ulysses S. Grant fanatic, I'll be using much of my free time to look at the correspondence between Grant (1822-1885) and Twain (1835-1910). Since Twain published Grant's wildly popular memoirs, hopefully there is some correspondence between them that I'll be able to pore over, or maybe even an original copy of a letter in Grant's hand that I could look at. I would get a real thrill out of that.
This afternoon we took a bus tour of Hartford in which we stopped at some historic places around town like the Asylum Hill Congregational Church (Twain attended regularly and sat in the third pew on the left), the city's oldest cemetery, the now abandoned Colt firearm factory and the Old State House (site of the beginning of the Amistad trial). Another highlight of the tour was when we drove past the site where the Hartford Dark Blues used to play. The Dark Blues were a baseball team in existence from 1874-1877 and were a part of baseball's first professional league, the National Association (now known as the National League). Not only that, but one of the people hosting our workshop is a member of the modern, recreated Dark Blues that "are a member of the 8 team New England Vintage Base Ball League (NEVBBL), which plays by 1861 rules!" I'm hoping to get a chance to talk to our host and learn more about how the national game was played back then.
Finally, we were all very excited to hear that First Lady Laura Bush will be visiting the museum tomorrow. Now I have absolutely no love for her husband but I have to admit that it would be sort of cool if she popped in to our classroom to say hello. Maybe it will get us on the news again.
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July 6, 2007
No Luck for Neshek
If you voted in MLB's Final Vote for Pat Neshek of the Minnesota Twins, thank you. Unfortunately, our efforts fell a bit short and he didn't get the final spot on the American League roster. His case probably wasn't helped by giving up two runs to the Yankees yesterday afternoon in the eighth inning and getting the loss. Maybe next year.
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July 3, 2007
Vote Neshek: He's A Blogger!
Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek is on a list of five candidates in the Final Vote for the 2007 All-Star Game. The rosters have been almost completely set but the MLB picks five players and allows fans to vote an unlimited number of times to get their favorite player the final spot on the roster. Neshek is one of the five.
Here's why you should vote for Pat Neshek:
1. Right now his ERA is 1.37 and he's struck out 47 in only 39 innings this year. More stats.
2. He has a crazy windup and delivery that is absolutely unique. Watch it.
3. He wants you to: "I'm calling on all Myspacers, all Facebook Users and even the most skilled of You Tube Directors to help me out, the funnier the better!"
4. He's a blogger!!! And if he gets to the game he has promised to write about the entire experience in great detail. Read all about it.
permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 11:12 AM
October 6, 2006
I Can't Believe It's Over
A beautiful season in which the Twins triumphed over adversity, injury and bad defense to become the best team in baseball since early June was brought to a sad, pathetic end today as they were swept by the A's. How could the best Twins season in recent memory end like this? This was supposed to be the year. How could the team that fielded the season's likely Cy Young winner (Santana), batting champion (Mauer), and maybe even MVP (Morneau) choke and die with hardly a whimper?
It's a sad day for Twins fans everywhere. But for this Twins fan who lives in New York City, it's an even tougher loss to take.
My only consolation is that I have a three day weekend to try and forget that the postseason ever happened. Instead, I'll remember the game in April I was at where the Twins beat Mariano Rivera in a walkoff win. Or the Joe Mauer home run last week with two outs in the ninth which tied the game and ultimately led to the division championship. Or all the great Torii Hunter catches. Or Morneau's bombs over the fence. Or Mauer's sideburns.
Yes, this is how I will remember the Twins 2006 season.
All that's left to say is... GO METS!!!!
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September 29, 2006
2006 Twins Highlight Reel
I don't usually post videos, but I found this one on YouTube and had to put it up.
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September 26, 2006
Is This The Year?
Yes, this is the year.
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July 30, 2006
Driving Down the 101: A Day at Dodger Stadium
Click here to view the photo gallery.
I would like to go into great detail about the baseball game I saw at Dodger Stadium last Wednesday but I'm not going to for several reasons:
1. The stadium is the most plain MLB stadium I have ever been in.
2. It was 102 degrees when the game started at noon and it got much, much hotter as the game progressed.
3. I was sitting in the sun.
You get the idea. Just look at the photos.
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June 23, 2006
Miller Park
Click here to view the photo gallery.
I just realized, as I prepare for another summer of travel, that not only did I not write about the last few days of the last trip - Going West - but I also neglected my most recent road trip to Milwaukee with my brother back in April. It's a bit too late to finish last summer's travelogue but I felt Miller Park deserved a few words and a photo gallery, so here goes...
I had the sort of crazy idea to drive all the way from Minneapolis to Milwaukee and back in one day to see a baseball game and my brother was willing to go along so we set out very early on April 22nd, tickets in hand, to see the Brewers take on the Reds. My brother was pretty much dead to the world all morning but that was fine by me since I love driving, plus my iPod was loaded with podcasts.
We got to the ballpark, which looks like an alien spaceship, with no trouble since it's basically right off the interstate and did a little tailgating. I use the word loosely because all we had were sandwiches, chips and maybe a banana or two - no alcohol. The people parked around us, on the other hand, had come prepared. They had grills, picnic tables, coolers, and lots and lots of beer. People in Milwaukee definitely know how to tailgate.
As we made a circuit around the stadium were sad to see that the dome was closed - it would have been my brother's first outdoor professional baseball game. The weather wasn't bad but there were a few gray clouds so I guess they weren't taking any chances. Despite the dome being closed, the stadium feels as if it is in the open due to the gigantic sliding wall in the outfield which remained open throughout the game.
After taking a look around the stadium we found our seats which were excellent as you can see in the photos. We had a great view of home plate and, despite being in the second deck, felt very close to the game. The seats allowed me to snag (well, it fell on the ground first - I didn't catch it on the fly) a foul ball which I gave to a little kid sitting next to us. Someone gave me a foul ball hit by Randy Bush at the Metrodome when I was a kid and I wanted to ensure good karma. I'm keeping the next one, though!
In addition to the great view from our seats, Miller Park also offers a fantastic range of food and drink. Everything from mixed drinks to premium beer (including one of my favorites - Leinenkugel's Honeyweiss). They also have a great food selection which we didn't sample much because of our sandwich feast in the parking lot.
The game itself was crazy. The Brewers won 11-0 behind an excellent pitching performance by Dave Bush. He threw a complete game shutout allowing just four hits and striking out nine. The Brewers tied a MLB record when they hit five home runs in one inning. This gave us a good look at the fireworks and also exhausted the mascot who slid down a slide in the outfield every time a Brewer hit one out.
In the end, the crazy amount of driving we had to do to get there and back was well worth it for the quality time with my brother and another ballpark checked off the list.
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May 21, 2006
New Twins Stadium Approved!
At nearly 5 a.m. this morning the Minnesota State Senate finally approved a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins. It's scheduled to be ready by Opening Day 2010, which means that I have to start saving. I'll certainly be living in Minnesota again by then (probably sooner) so I figure if I start saving now, I can get season tickets to watch the Minnesota Twins, outdoors, with the beautiful skyline of Minneapolis beyond the center field fence. Today is a great day for Minnesota baseball.
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March 6, 2006
#34 Kirby Puckett (1961-2006)
I just received word from a friend in MN that Kirby Puckett passed away this afternoon in an Arizona hospital after suffering a massive stroke yesterday morning at his home in Scottsdale. He was 45.
It goes without saying that this is a sad day for Twins fans and for all of baseball. Kirby was in icon to me when I was growing up in Minnesota. I was 11 years old when he hit his famous home run in game six of the '91 World Series (pictured above). He was the perfect gentleman and one of the nicest guys to play the game. One of the coolest things that ever happened to me was being able to shake his hand at a Timberwolves game shortly after he retired from baseball in 1996. Despite his legal troubles in 2002, he will always be one of my favorite ball players. We'll miss you, Kirby.
Related links:
Star Tribune story and full coverage
Twins statement
Career statistics
Twins blogger Batgirl remembers Kirby
KFAN tribute page which includes audio clips
Twins tribute page on mlb.com
permalink | comments (3) | TrackBack | posted at 8:19 PM
August 18, 2005
Going West: Angels in Anaheim
I reached Angel Stadium in Anaheim around 7:30, a few minutes late because of, you guessed it, traffic. So I finally got to my seat in the bottom of the second inning. In less than one minute, the guy next to me, John, introduced himself. He was the guy who owned the season tickets, one of which I had purchased yesterday night via the internet. He owned four seats in fact, which meant that he knew everyone within several rows of us. So they sort of brought me into the fold once they realized that I wasn't a Boston fan and kept up a nice running commentary throughout the game once they realized that I was from out of town.
All this made the game very enjoyable, and it also helped that the game was completely sold out and that the Angels ended up destroying the Red Sox. I didn't get a chance to explore the stadium because I arrived late but I did find out from the nice folks in my row that it was built in 1966 and completely renovated in time for the 1998 season. Some of the interesting features include fireworks when an Angel hits a home run, a water feature (fountain) in center field, terraced bullpens in left, and a nice, large scoreboard that updates averages and ERAs during the game. The scoreboard allowed us to literally watch Steve Finley's batting average go from a despicable .222 down to .216 with each passing at bat.
There were a lot of Red Sox fans at the game who were making a lot of noise. At one point, the Boston fans in the crowd spontaneously began chanting, "Let's go Red Sox" followed by "Let's go Angels" from the rest of the fans. This went on for several minutes before everyone in the stadium found something to agree on: "Yankees suck!" I happily participated in that one.
The final score of the game was 13-4 and because the Angels scored double digits, everyone at the game gets free wings at Hooters for the next 24 hours. Everyone seemed very excited about that. Overall, I have nothing but nice things to say about Anaheim, the stadium, and the team's fans. It was a great time and I'm glad I got to sit next to some cool people.
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June 7, 2005
Another Pitching Gem
I went to my third baseball game of the season tonight and saw my third pitching gem of the season tonight. I don't know what the odds of this happening are, but so far this season I've seen a one-hitter, two-hitter and three-hitter. All three were thrown by the home team which was, in each case, the team I was rooting for:
4/15/05 Mets 4, Marlins 0 (Heilman gives up 1 hit) box
5/5/05 Twins 9, Indians 0 (Radke gives up 3 hits) box
6/7/05 Mets 3, Astros 1 (Martinez gives up 2 hits) box
Add all three of these performances together and you get:
3 Wins
27 Innings
6 Hits
1 Earned Run
4 Walks
27 Strikeouts
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January 17, 2005
Roger Maris and the Hall of Fame
Fargo, North Dakota, where I went to college, does not often make the news so I was excited to see this piece about Roger Maris. Maris was born in Hibbing, MN but grew up in Fargo. Since he is perhaps the only notable person to come out of North Dakota, the House of Representatives at the state capital in Bismarck decided last Wednesday that he should be in the Hall of Fame and passed a resolution which orders the Secretary of State to send a letter (or should I say "plea"?) to all members of the baseball veterans committee.
The consensus seems to be that Maris is not worthy of the Hall. After all, he has been eligible since 1992 and hasn't made it. He probably would have been voted in by now if he deserved the honor. I took a look at his stats and was surprised to see that he wasn't all that spectacular. He only hit .260 over his twelve year career and he never hit more than 13 homers in his last four years playing the game. I don't want to take anything away from his 61 home run season, as great an accomplishment as that is, but it's perhaps the only thing that distinguishes his career. Bill James only ranks him #28 on the list of the 50 best rightfielders.
If you're ever in Fargo, check out the Roger Maris "Museum" in the West Acres mall. It's not really a museum actually - just a few display cases lined up along the wall in one of the corridors. They do have some neat stuff on display though.
permalink | comments (0) | posted at 6:38 PM
November 20, 2004
Minnesotans in the Baseball Hall of Fame
I started a great book about baseball statistics today on the subway ride to work and, as I was reading it, began to wonder if there are any players from my home state of Minnesota in the Hall of Fame. If I had been thinking I would have known that Dave Winfield and Paul Molitor were inducted in 2001 and 2004, respectively.
But there is a third Minnesotan in the Hall - a pitcher whom I had never heard of before today. Charles "Chief" Bender (he was half Chippewa) was born in Crow Wing County, MN in 1884 and had a productive 16 years in the majors. Two of his career stats speak for themselves:
W-L: 212-167
ERA: 2.46
(source: baseball-reference.com)
I'd write more about him but there is already a great article about Bender at nickelcurves.com or check out his Hall of Fame plaque.
permalink | comments (0) | posted at 2:16 AM
September 28, 2004
Possible Playoff Preview Postponed
I never thought I'd end up writing about the weather but here I am writing about the deluge of rain that has prompted flood warnings and forced me to walk through several inches of water pooled on the landing of my subway station during the afternoon commute. Normally, I wouldn't comment on some rain but tonight was the scheduled opener of the Twins-Yankees series which will undoubtedly be postponed.
I had planned to go to a few of the games but held off buying tickets because I'm saving for an iPod and because going to Yankee Stadium in a Twins hat is only worth the trouble in a playoff situation (like last year). Now, I'm glad I didn't buy tickets because the rainout will likely mean a doubleheader during the day which I wouldn't be able to attend.
Typical New York bluster has radio stations and one particular co-worker of mine yelling and screaming about how the Yankees are going to wipe the floor with the Twins. I however, predict the Twins will take two out of the three games, just like they did when they faced the Yankees in August at the Metrodome.
There will be a lot of strategizing in this series and it will likely determine who will face who in the playoffs. Right now the Yankees will either face the Twins or the winner of the West which would be either the Angels or the Athletics.
Regardless of who the Twins face, this week will bring three exciting regular season games followed by the first round of playoffs next week. I hesitate to even speculate, much less predict, what might come after that for fear of jinxing the whole thing.
For more detailed analysis of the postseason (which I'm not knowledgeable enough to provide), I highly recommend the best Twins blog on the 'net: aarongleeman.com.
permalink | comments (2) | posted at 5:46 PM
September 22, 2004
Moneyball and O Zone
I could feel my understanding of baseball changing as I turned each page of "Moneyball". Michael Lewis is a very good writer who explains how the small market Oaklad Athletics, managed by the irascible Billy Beane, took everything they knew about baseball and, with the help of people like Bill James, turned it upside down. Batting average is not important; on base percentage is. Drawing walks is preferable to being fast on the basepaths. They turned out to be right, and the A's won a lot of games (100+ in 2001 and 2002) and made it to the playoffs several years in a row.
The book is hardly all about statistics however, and Lewis provides biographies of several players by telling the personal stories of Jeremey Brown, Scott Hatteberg, Chad Bradford and Beane himself. The chapters about individual players and Beane's antics give the book the glue that holds it together and allows Lewis to blend in the statistics and theory without boring the reader.
The only notable drawback of this book is that it doesn't touch on the batting order. As I understand it, traditional baseball knowledge says that you put your fast runner first, a good bunter or hitter second, a high batting average player third, and your power hitter fourth. The goal is to get as many runners on base so that your cleanup hitter can drive everyone in. Considering that Beane does almost everything different than most general managers, I would guess that he has a very different way of putting together a lineup but, sadly, this is not mentioned in the book.
Since he is so interested in stats, I'd be interested to hear Beane's opinion of the new MLB statistic, O-Zone Factor, unveiled on MLB.com a few days ago:
"The O Zone, a creation of MLB.com, measures a team's ability to score runners once they have reached second or third base, as well as its ability to prevent opponents from scoring runners from second or third."
I think he would say it has some merit because it compares runs scored to runs allowed, but he would also ridicule the whole idea of "scoring position" and "clutch hitting" as a way to determine how good a team is. Not to mention the fact that plenty of runs score when a runner has started on first base in the case of the triple, homerun, and even double. It seems that MLB is trying to come up with some sort of catch phrase statistic that TV announcers can spout off like they do in some other sports. They even tried to give it a catchy name which, as far as I can tell, means absolutely nothing but sounds like it might. The news release on MLB.com even acknowledges that it's basically just a buzzword, or buzzstat if you will:
"It is a statistic not unlike football's red zone and hockey's power play statistics -- stats that have become the accepted standards when measuring a team's ability to succeed when inside the 20-yard line, in the case of football, or when it has a man advantage, as in hockey. And conversely, in preventing opponents from cracking the end zone or finding the back of the net."
Time will tell if the new stat will stick around and be an accurate model of a team's success but I wouldn't be surprised to see it fade away when it doesn't catch on.
permalink | comments (2) | posted at 6:57 PM
August 26, 2004
Riding Around America: Minnesota Baseball
Since I've been writing about all the ballgames I've attended during my current rail journey, I think it's only fair to write about the Minnesota baseball experience. If you've been following along, I'm a Minnesota native so I am certainly no stranger to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the Twins ballclub. In fact, I can rightly say that I know more about the Metrodome than most Minnesotans because I actually worked there, as a part time maintenance man, for a few months last year.
The Metrodome enjoys the dubious distinction of being perhaps the worst baseball stadium in the major leagues. It was opened in 1982 and is a multi-purpose stadium which means it is used for baseball, football, basketball, concerts, trade-shows, conventions and other big events that come to town. It's most distinguishing feature is the roof, which is made of 10 acres of Teflon coated fabric, held up by air pressure.
The biggest complaints about the Dome are that it's ugly (it's all unpainted concrete and plastic), the generic seating plan provides unsatisfactory views of the action during baseball games, it's a multi-purpose stadium that's not actually good at hosting any type of event, the turf and concrete floor underneath is tough on the knees, the white roof makes it hard to see flyballs, and a host of other things - the list is long.
Most of the major complaints about the Dome are true. However, after spending several months learning the workings of the place as an employee and seeing three Twins games there this season (keep in mind I live in NYC), I've decided that the Metrodome is actually endearing. Yes, you read that right.
First and and foremost, it's unique. There are no ballparks like it and there never will be, ever. Watching a game at the Metrodome is as unique as watching a game at Fenway Park or any of the highly rated ballparks, past or present. Watching a game at the Dome is a completely new experience for a baseball fan who has never been there, just as an outdoor stadium is a new and strange experience for a Minnesotan who has never watched a ballgame not under a roof.
This same theory applies to the opposing team as well, which brings me to reason number two: homefield advantage. There are few teams in baseball who can claim a distinct home field advantage due solely to their stadium. All ballparks in baseball, with a few exceptions, provide the same advantages and disadvantages to both teams who play in them. At the Metrodome, opposing teams can not only lose the ball in the bright white of the roof but they might have try and catch it after it has bounced off of a speaker. At the Metrodome it is even possible for a ball to defy the laws of physics and not come down at all. Another component of this Dome-field advantage occurs during big games, when players are subjected to astonishing volumes of crowd noise. A playoff game in late innings at a jam packed Metrodome is the last place opposing teams want to be, especially when the noise levels are comparable to a jet engine (125db) and are enough to cause hearing damage if sustained long enough. Even during the regular season, opposing pitchers routinely step off the pitching rubber to compose themselves during tense situations when crowd noise is bombarding them from every direction. When filled with fans during a major sporting event it is the loudest stadium in America - possibly the world.
I've seen dozens of games at the Metrodome throughout the years and, despite all it's shortfalls, I love it. Believe it or not, I get that same mushy feeling and quickening heartbeat when I see the flourescent green turf as I did when I saw Wrigley Field for the first time last week. I still, after all these years, look up at the roof and am amazed that air is holding up all those heavy speakers and sheltering us from the rain and snow. When I worked at the Dome I walked past the main control room every day and marvelled at the dials and switches and toggles that control the blowers that hold up the roof. And who doesn't enjoy being thrust out of the building by the release of air pressure when exiting the building?
These are not what you would call "traditional" baseball experiences. Of course the Metrodome is no Wrigley Field, Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium (which I hate). But it's still baseball, and it is most definitely Minnesota baseball.
Plans are underway to build a new ballpark for the Twins. Although the effort is bogged down in the state legislature as of this writing, the new stadium will become a necessity in the next ten years if the Twins are to remain a competitive team. I am OK with that. A new, modern ballpark that gets more Minnesotans excited about the Twins is definitely a good thing. But I'd be lying if I said that I won't miss that big concrete and plastic monstrosity known as the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
permalink | comments (1) | posted at 1:59 AM
August 23, 2004
Riding Around America: Chicago Photos
These have been delayed for days but I've finally put up photos from Chicago. There were quite a few so I divided them into two sets:
- Chicago Baseball: photos from the Cubs game and the White Sox game I attended
- Chicago: these are general photographs taken around the city
permalink | comments (2) | posted at 8:32 PM
August 18, 2004
Riding Around America: The Other Chicago Ballpark
Yesterday was Pepsi half price night at U.S. Cellular Field, formerly known as Comiskey Park so I picked up a ticket for a seat in the upper deck for a mere $8. Originally built in 1991 to replace the original Comiskey Park, the stadium was renamed last year and has had a host of improvements recently which make it a pretty good place to see a ballgame.
When I arrived, the Detroit Tigers were taking batting practice. They had just finished when dark clouds started to roll in and the few fans in the ballpark were treated to thunder and lightning. Soon, rain was falling and I was experiencing my first rain delay. The grounds crew pulled a large tarp over the infield, the fans ran for cover and we waited. Around game time the skies really opened up and the downpour made it look like the game would be cancelled. After taking some photos of the rain I stood in one of the entrances to the upper deck and watched the Twins game on the big screen in center field. Of all the ballparks I’ve been to, U.S. Cellular has the biggest and best jumbotron I’ve ever seen. Watching the Twins while waiting for the game to end was a pleasure.
As quickly as it had begun, the shower ended and the clouds drifted off over the lake. The grounds crew rolled up the tarp and fans started brushing the rain off their seats. The game started off with a bang when the Tigers hit the second pitch of the game into left field for a home run. There were lots of Tigers fans in the crowd and they all cheered. This made me feel good because I, being a Twins fans, was naturally cheering for the Tigers also.
In addition to having a great scoreboard, the stadium also has some really nice grass. This may seem like a strange thing to say but I am fascinated by baseball fields and the stadium has beautiful deep green grass, neatly mowed in straight vertical lines.
This game was the first time that I’ve kept score, which was a nice way to stay “in” the game. Keeping score also appeals to my obsessive-compulsive side. Although I was concentrating on filling in the scorecard it was impossible not to miss the large group of loud fans in my section. These guys were hilarious. They were all drinking and yelling and screaming. When a kid nearby had his birthday displayed on the big screen in center field, the group, who didn’t know him beforehand, chanted his name and sang Happy Birthday to him in the eighth inning.
Eventually the White Sox bats came alive, the game ended up being quite a slugfest and I was finally able to see the famous exploding scoreboard in action. The term is actually a misnomer however because the scoreboard itself doesn’t actually explode. It did at the old Comiskey Park but these days that’s probably a lawsuit waiting to happen. Today’s scoreboard does have spinning pinwheels and flashing lights which are complemented by fireworks that explode over left field when a homerun is hit, which happened twice last night. The fireworks added a nice touch to the ballgame and the fans love them.
During this game I found several reasons to dislike the White Sox (as if I didn’t dislike them enough already). Basically, they look sloppy. They show no hustle on the base paths or when taking the field which is why, in the end, the Tigers prevailed.
Overall, U.S. Cellular Field is a common ballpark. It’s a nice place to watch a ballgame but it isn’t spectacular like Wrigley Field or Camden Yards. The fans are fickle and didn’t hesitate to boo when the White Sox made bad plays. They also went home in the seventh and eighth innings despite the fact that the Sox had rallied to within a few runs of the Tigers. But despite all this, U.S. Cellular Field is a nice place to watch a Chicago baseball team, especially if you refuse to pay exorbitant ticket prices to see the Cubs.
permalink | comments (1) | posted at 11:03 AM
August 16, 2004
Riding Around America: Baseball at Wrigley Field
After checking the Cubs schedule yesterday morning and realizing that I would have to see them that afternoon before they hit the road, I got on the red line train and headed north to Wrigleyville. I knew from the website that tickets had been sold out long ago so my only hope was to purchase a ticket outside the field before the game. I arrived at Wrigley at noon, which would give me over an hour to buy a ticket. No problem, I figured.
One hour later I was still without a ticket. I had walked around the stadium half a dozen times and walked down some of the side streets. The cheapest ticket I had found was about $80. The problem with buying tickets for an event in Illinois is that it’s one of the few states that allows ticket “brokers” to resell tickets significantly above face value. I discovered this a few years ago when I was attempting to purchase tickets to the final Smashing Pumpkins concerts.
So I continued looking for a ticket. At 1:20 the game began and I was still outside. Brokers had dropped their prices a few dollars but it was still more than I wanted to pay. A few of the unlicensed ticket sellers had pulled me aside wanting to negotiate. At this point, they were willing to sell tickets for $40 but it was the fourth inning and the game had been going for a full hour. I knew the Cubs had scored a couple of runs due to the roar of the crowd. I started to think that I should probably give up and leave.
I was literally walking down the street towards the El to go back downtown when a guy came up to me and asked if I needed one ticket. He showed me the ticket and said he wanted $40. I talked him down to $30, then $25. I made my final offer: $20. He started to walk away but his partner in crime eventually convinced him to give me the ticket for $20. He wasn’t too happy but I slipped him the twenty and he gave up the ticket. I was in!
I rushed up to the gate, handed over the ticket and walked into 90 year old Wrigley Field. It took me awhile to get my bearings but I eventually started upstairs to the upper deck. I had no idea if the seat was any good and I really didn’t care; I just wanted to see this place before the game ended. I walked up a bunch of ramps, stopped quick to buy a cold beer to celebrate my good fortune, and walked out into the stands along the right field line.
My first impression of Wrigley? It’s tiny! I knew immediately why it’s known as the “friendly confines”. I looked around in amazement for a few minutes and then asked an usher for directions to my seat. Section numbers are on small, unobtrusive signs but I eventually found my section and started hiking up the stairs to row nine. I got to the top of the steps and there was row nine with a chain link fence behind the seats and the Chicago skyline beyond. I found my seat, sat down, and took my first long look at the field.
I must have sat there with my mouth open for several minutes. Although I was in the last row, I was very close to the field. I was sitting in the upper deck but the players didn’t look like ants. From what I could tell, every seat in the place is good. Another great thing about Wrigley is that it actually feels old. Old wooden beams hold up the roof, which is also wood. The wall around the field itself is red brick. Ivy covers the outfield walls. The main scoreboard in center field is hand operated. Every so often you see a number on the board disappear and someone in a red shirt puts up the new one. There are only three small electronic scoreboards in the entire place. There is no Jumbotron. Beyond the ballpark, rooftops are crowded as people watch the game from their homes. The field is actually uneven in places.
As I watched the game I came to the realization that baseball really is timeless. By looking at the field and watching the game it felt like it could have been 1914. There is very little that has changed at Wrigley and that’s why watching the game there was so incredible. The ticket I bought was worth every penny.
In the end the Cubs lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the cold wind coming through the chain link fence behind chilled all of us in the top row to the bone - but that was secondary. For me, just being inside the ballpark and seeing the game was most important.
After the game I walked around the stadium. The ushers were in no hurry and they let me walk down to first row, right next to the field. The stadium is so intimate that I was only a few dozen feet away from home plate. The low brick wall in foul territory was barely taller than my knees. Fans lucky enough to sit that close could have a conversation with the player in the on-deck circle and look right into the dugout. I can only imagine what it must be like to sit that close and what those tickets must cost.
I filled my camera with photos and left the ballpark, walking out under the sign that simply reads:
Wrigley Field
home of
Chicago Cubs
Short, simple and too the point. Like baseball is meant to be.
permalink | comments (0) | posted at 11:00 AM
August 11, 2004
Riding Around America: Baseball in Seattle
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I approached Safeco Field with some trepidation yesterday at 5:00 pm to see my beloved Minnesota Twins take on the Seattle Mariners. The outside of the stadium with it's boring brick facade doesn't look like much but thankfully the inside of the park is another story. I entered at the home plate gate, my ticket was scanned by a friendly gate attendant and I proceed inside, underneath a giant bat (of the Louisville variety) sculpture, and up the stairs to the first level.
As I reached the concourse my eyes were immediately drawn to the field where I saw the Mariners taking batting practice and the Twins stretching and throwing in front of the dugout. I walked down and joined the crowd of Twins fans who were watching the team and looking for autographs and there they all were: Hunter, Koskie, Jones, Rivas, Guzman, Lecroy, Ford, Stewart, Santana. The whole team, standing right there, hanging out, joking around and clearly having a good time.
Soon the Twins were up for batting practice and I stayed down by the field, watching them spray hits all over the field. Corey Koskie launched several baseballs into the upper deck in left field, to ooohs and aaahs from the crowd.
Eventually the grounds crew started to clean up the field. The batting cage was pulled away, ground covers were picked up and water was sprayed onto the infield dirt to keep the dust down. There were still a few minutes before the game so I took a quick walk around the stadium. The right field concourse provides an interesting view due to the stadium's retractable roof. When the roof is open, it sits out beyond the confines of the park, over the railroad tracks. I noticed this when I arrived a few days ago when the roof blocked out the sun as my train rolled into Seattle. The roof is interesting from a technological standpoint but it's location above the tracks provide atmosphere as well. At several points during the game the roof made passing train whistles echo into the stadium and the trains could be seen beyond the right field bleachers.
Finally I walked up several flights of stairs to my seats in the upper deck behind home plate. Section 329, row 4, seat 10. For $24 the seat provided an excellent view of the field. The Seattle skyline loomed in the background, the sky was clear and the temperature perfect. A perfect day for a ballgame.
Before the game began a short tribute to Edgar Martinez was shown on the video board in center field. He had just announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season and the crowd gave him a standing ovation for a full three minutes. He was obviously moved as he stood out in front of the dugout tipping his hat to the fans who supported him during his 18-year career. During the first inning he showed why he's a fan favorite when he hit a two run homer to left field much to the crowd's delight.
Sitting next to me for the entire game was Dave, a Mariner's fan who knew a lot about baseball. Dave was a twitchy, analytical fan who had a laugh somewhere between a guffaw and a grunt that sounded like he was trying to clear his throat. He was a nice guy and our conversation covered the downfall of Kirby Puckett, the problem with the last place Mariners, financing for the stadium, September 11th, politics (he was a Libertarian) and education. The woman sitting next to him was Peggy, a friend of his brother's from Connecticut who was a social studies teacher and Yankees fan. Between the three of us we had a lot to talk about which was just as well considering the lack of excitement on the field after the Mariner's four run first inning.
The game ended in a Mariner's victory which wasn't too disappointing to me. I told Dave, "You guys have such a horrible record that we have to let you win once in a while." He smiled and nodded because he knew it was a lucky win, then we sat back down and continued talking until most of the other fans had left. Fwe shook hands all around, went our separate ways, and I was reminded once again why I love baseball.
permalink | comments (0) | posted at 2:00 PM