Detroit Tigers

 

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And for the grand finale… A Tigers game at the new(for me) CoMerica Park.  I had been to the old Tigers stadium, maybe 12-15 yrs ago.  Comerica is another HOK designed stadium with the green seats, lots of brick and open concourse behind the first level of seats.  The Tigers were playing the Twins, who were challenging them for first place, so the game was a sellout, so we had to get standing room only seats. As luck would have it, that meant that we got to stand behind the first bowl of box seats, first base side, and in the shade.  As annoying as it was to have to stand it was a good view.  Another open outfield, showcasing the Detroit Skyline.  Not too great right now and not in the day, but it would be nice to be lit up at night, and maybe if some of the buildings were occupied.  Another nice scoreboard, plenty of info, and secondary scoreboards were also available.  The one thing I did not like was the lack of the out of town scoreboard that would show all the scores at once.  They only had one that would show 4 scores at a time.  Another nice touch was the batters eye had some nice hedges and ivy-type backdrop, flanked on both sides by brick walls, where the retired numbers and famous names on them.

The game was good, the Tigers hit 4 homeruns, and Bonderman pitched a decent game, and the Tigers won 7-4.  There were some defensive gems here too.  A good experience in general, and it was great to have a sellout.  41461, a lot better than 61 fans we had last night.

Oakland County Cruisers

 

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I was able to start the day up north by going to the Cherry festival in Traverse City.  Anything you can think of involving cherries, plus more was going on or being sold.  Also plenty of boats were out in the water, a beautiful day to do it, indeed.

It was a longer drive than the past few days, getting back down south.  But we arrived at Eastern Michigan for the Oakland County Cruisers game.  They were playing here because there stadium is still in the process of being built.  The stadium is much smaller, and it looks old.  It was built in 1971 apparently, but has a nice covered concourse, but with only bench seats.  At one point, I counted 62 people in the stands.  There were some kids playing in the grass too, but ticket sales couldn’t have topped 100.  There were no concessions at all, and a folding table was there souvenir stand.  No mascot either, but there was some entertainment.  The owners are not trying very hard right now.  Hopefully they will care once they have a stadium.  This field was also a field turf infield, but with real grass in the outfield, and a dirt mound.  All that said though, it was an interesting place to see a game.  A bit reminiscent of what I think games in days gone by would have been like.  The game itself was another pitching duel, and the game was tied by the Cruisers in the bottom of the eighth, 2-2.  Just like yesterday.  The away team was the Southern Illinois Miners.  Just like yesterday.  The game started to go into extra innings.  Uh-oh.  I wasn’t ready for another 16 inning game, especially sitting on those benches.  But in the bottom of the 11th, on a wild throw from the catcher to 3rd base, the Cruisers scored, sending us home victors!  So in the past two days we have seen 27 innings, the equivalent of 3 games in two.

Traverse City Beach Bums

 

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Awaking to a rainy morning, a bummer, but after sleeping a little more, reading a bit, and eating lunch, the skies cleared, and we were able to go out on the boat.  And I was bale to try my hand at water skiing.  After many failed attempts, I got back in the boat to warm up.  After some discussion about technique, I jumped back in and was able to get going for a few minutes, and when my arms got too tired of holding the rope, I dropped off.  One more run, and my body was too tired to keep going.  But it was a lot of fun and a new challenge.

Up in Traverse City, we met up with my cousin and my aunt for the Beach Bums game.  This is a independent league team, same as Kalamazoo.  The stadium is kind of by itself in a field, easy to get to and see.  It was a unique one with the suite level not being the standard style, but rather the look of a beachfront cottage, with the concession stands built underneath.  Somewhat reminiscent of Frisco TX.  They had two mascots, teddy bears that were named Sunburn (the red one) and Suntan(the brown one).  The field itself was standard size and shape, but the craziest thing was the turf.  The grass was the green field turf which I don’t necessarily have a problem with, but the dirt was too!! And home plate and the pitchers mound were all field turf! Crazy!

Well the game started, somewhat of a pitching duel.  Some fine diving catches, and probably the best defensive play I’ve seen all week.  A diving stop of a grounder by the second baseman, who flipped the ball,just using his glove to a barehanded catch and throw by the shortstop to turn the double play.  Great play.  At the bottom of the eigth, the Bums were down 2-1 when we hit a home run to tie the game.  Everyone cheered.  Later they would regret it.  A fast moving game, 9 innings were done by 9:40.  But it was still tied.  It was also tied at 11:00 when we sung Take Me Out To The Ballgame for the second time.  After 16 innings, at about 11:45, the Southern Illinois Miners, won 3-2.  There were only a few hundred fans left at that point.  The Bums put on a fun show for 9 innings, but the cheerleaders got boring soon after.  But overall, a fun experience.

Great Lakes Loons

 

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After some great omelets this morning, off and running up to Higgins Lake.  We got a nap and a boat trip out of the afternoon, with rain early on.  Off to Midland, home of Dow Chemical and the Great Lakes Loons.  Funny enough, it is called Dow Diamond.  How creative. Round Rock (Dell Diamond), I am looking in your direction.  But the park was beautiful.  Another HOK design.  Had great lawn seating throughout the outfield, and a large space in right field, and it had a great row of adirondack chairs.  The concourse was very wide, with plenty of concessions for how few people the stadium holds at capacity (4500 ish?)  The team store also was spacious. And sold cool hats.  They had a picnic area down the left field line that reminded me of the GrandStand in Greensboro.  The field seemed like it had a lot of foul ground, and the way the dugouts were made you seem a bit further from the action.  But there was plenty of legroom, and that means a lot when I say that.  Not much of a view beyond the outfield fence, just a few trees in left and a chemical plant in right.  Great speaker system, had one posted every twenty feet all the way around the stadium(See Kalamazoo, not hard.)  It was ‘Polish Heritage Night’ at the ballpark, but they didn’t do as much for it as I had hoped.  The between inning entertainment was weak at best, but the fans that were there (~3012?) were into the game, and the stadium looked more full because it is smaller to begin with.The game itself, the Loons got out to an early lead, and ended up winning 8-0, and it probably should’ve been 15-0.  Also, the Loons pitcher threw a 3-hit complete game shutout, the first CG for the Loons franchise.

Lansing Lugnuts

 

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Well, I climbed Mt. Pisgah again today.  This one was a lot easier, a stairway right to the top! (and the top wasn’t above 6000’ either)  A nice view of the Holland Beach and lighthouse.  According to the Holland Tourism people, it is the most photographed lighthouse in Michigan.

The Gerald Ford Museum is in Grand Rapids, and has a wealth of information and stuff about his life and presidency, even as short as it was.  I had been to Clinton’s library a few weeks ago, and this was more of a traditional style museum.  Well done and well laid out, easy to navigate.  A good thing to see if you are ever in Grand Rapids.

With some time still to spare before the game, I decided to walk around the Michigan State campus. (If a shudder just went down your spine, I understand)  Driving into campus, East Lansing didn’t impress me, and I came into campus near the Breslin Center(basketball).  It seemed very sparse and somewhat boring.  I ended up parking at the football stadium and walking up to the Union and back.  There it got a bit more traditional campus looking, with the Red Cedar running through it.  Passable, but UM and Illinois are better, obviously.

The Lansing Lugnuts stadium is in downtown Lansing, a few minutes walk from the capitol building(which has a nice dome on top).  Unfortunately, it is oriented that the skyline is behind home plate, not past the outfield.  But the stadium has some nice unique touches.  The two outfield corners had tall walls and short dimensions due to having to fit between two roads.  Off one of the walls towards the lawn seats, there was a nice ivy covered wall.  The entertainment was good, but unfortunately the announced attendance was 2615 and they never got that loud.  Even for dollar hot dog day.  I wish there would have been more fans, I feel like Lansing would have a great experience.  It was cool that I had 9 people there!  Cousins, aunts, uncles, and new Australian cousin-in-law that hadn’t seen a full baseball game live before!  Enjoyable time indeed

West Michigan Whitecaps

 

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The beginning of the day was a trip down memory lane, with a stop in South Haven.  Sherman’s Dairy, the best ice cream I’ve ever had, and Conner and I had some blue moon.  Go figure.  We then ventured towards Van Buren SP, near where our grandparents cottage once was.  When we parked and hiked toward the beach through the woods, we ended up very close to the cottage, and Beth saw that the owner was there and talked us into a tour of the place.  It has gone from a simple cottage at the beach to a beach house with all the trimmings.  He has spent a lot of money making it what it is now.  The old shape and style can be seen in some parts, but it is no longer the place me and the cousins played in.

I’ve been looking forward to this game for a couple of years, since the last time I tried to go, but it was sold out due to a Tiger’s rehab assignment.  Easy to get to off the highway, but had to pay for parking.  The stadium has a new feel to it, but not the red brick and green seat type.  Being consistent with the Whitecap name, it feels a bit beachy(even being an hour away from the beach.)  Lots of light brick or siding and blues everywhere.  Great hat also.  The field itself is rather normal, no funny walls or anything, and actually a good sized foul territory.  A lot of general admission bench seats, with backs though. But if you go down to the box seats, they are foldable.  And if you sit in the three sections, right behind home, they are padded!  The game was fun, with good between innings game, two mascots and a announcer that was having some fun with the fans.

For the game itself, there was an early Whitecaps homerun, and a late comeback attempt, but they lost 6-5.

Kalamazoo Kings

 

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Pulling up to the Kalamazoo Kings stadium, it doesn’t look like much.  It is amongst some other city parks & rec fields.  Free parking though.  Walking up, there is a statue of Homer Stryker, who the field is named for.  The park has aluminum temporary looking grandstands, with mostly bench seats, although they do have backs.  There are some box seats with fold down seats.  The crowd was pretty good sized, and they got into in pretty well.  The speakers were terrible, only having speakers behind home plate.  They had giveaways throughout the game, cheap frisbees, tshirts and stuff thrown into the crowd.  It looked like there were a lot of diehard Kings fans.  Not bad for a independent team.  The Kings ended up winning 5-3.  Being 4th of July, there were fireworks after the game.  They allowed all the fans to sit in the outfield for the show, which was over the 3rd base grandstands.  The show started over 30 minutes after the game, which is too long.  But there was also a autograph line, which we had to wait on.  The fireworks were pretty good, about 20 minutes worth.  A slow pace, but good variation.

Another great part about this game was a lot of family was there.  My parents, two aunts, and uncle, and Beth and her family.  So this was Conner’s first live baseball game.  Being 5, he did get a bit antsy, and tired too as the game went on.  But It was fun to have everyone there.

Toledo Mudhens

 

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This morning, I went back into Pittsburgh to do a little sight seeing.  I went to the Heinz History Museum.  There was a good exhibit about George Washington, as well as some good Pittsburgh History, and the Western PA Sports Museum.  Good place, although a bit hard to find your way around at times.  And of course, a whole exhibit on the history of Heinz.

On my way to Toledo, I took a little side trip through downtown Cleveland.  Nice little place, has the Rock and Roll HOF right on the lake, next to Browns Stadium, and some museum or something.  Not far away are the Indians park, and where the Arena where the Cavs play.  I must say that I love the fact all these new stadiums tend to be built downtown.  Definitely better than in the middle of the suburbs.  They should be an integral part of the city.

I got to Toledo a bit early, so I decided to go to Ned Skelton Stadium, where the Mudhens used to play for a few pictures.  I ended up seeing a grounds crew guy watering the field, and he let me on the field to take a few pictures.  Apparently they still play some baseball there.  It still looked good.
Downtown was the new Mudhens stadium.  Another nice new one, and it had some cool quirks.  There was a short porch in RF they called the Roost, which I think they used old Tiger Stadium as that idea, and they had a building just past the RF fence also that looked old, and I believe had a restaurant.  The Toledo '”skyline” was out past the centerfield fence, but as the sun went down, it didn’t light up much.  Two big scoreboards, with good graphics and plenty of info, but oddly enough, couldn’t (or wouldn’t?) show video.  The place was packed, a sold out game almost.  But unfortunately, it didn’t seem like the crowd was very into the game.  They had some between innings games, but not much during gameplay to get the crowd involved, so it was a quiet 9500 people.  The Mudhens ended up losing 6-3. 
After the game, there were fireworks!  Unfortunately, we had to wait for probably 20 minutes at least for them to start, and there wasn’t much entertainment during that time.  And then when it started, it was pretty weak.  Only 3 1/2 minutes, and the fireworks were short.  As a neighboring fan said, “They were leftover from the Superbowl” (Where they would have to be shot in a dome, thus the low altitude.)

But in general, it was a nice park, and good to see a game in Toledo again.

Pittsburgh Pirates

 

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Well, after a little bit of paperwork for work, I hit the road at about 9:30, a little later than I had hoped.  I was not even 30 miles in when I got pulled over for speeding.  I had done a 4800 mile trip with no problems, and now the stupid Winston police are being buggers.  Argh.  But moving on, I got to travel through beautiful West Virginia, actually on a route I had never been.  US19N past Fayetteville, through Morgantown via I-79.  Once again, WV did not disappoint.  Beautiful country as always.

I made it to Raccoon SP in PA with just enough time to pitch my tent and head in to Pitt.  I still had to buy my ticket when I got there at 7:00.  Who knew traffic could be so bad going into Pittsburgh?  While I was waiting in line though, A man came up wanting to get rid of a ticket.  I asked how much, and he said $10, he had season tickets and he wasn’t going to be using both.  I only had $6 cash though, but that was good enough for him.  I saw that it was a $26 face value, and figured the seats might be OK.  They ended up being about 20 rows right behind home plate.  Absolutely great seats.

The park is pretty.  The great skyline backdrop with the yellow pedestrian Clemente bridge in the background.  It seems small, although it does seem, sitting in the bottom part, that the front row of the upper deck seems far back.  A couple complaints though.  The food service seemed very slow, and thus the long lines clogged up the concourse, making it hard to walk around.  But the chili cheese dog wasn’t bad for 5.50, and pierogis (apparently uncooked ravioli looking things) weren’t too bad either.  And if you looked hard enough, they had some good beer selection beyond the bud light junk on tap.  The game was close, a 3-2 win over the Phillies.  And since it was the Phillies, the stadium was probably 3/4 full (and 1/2 Phillie red) which I’m sure is a high for them this year.

Now that I am back at the campsite, I realize that this park is in the flight plan of the airport.  Too bad.

Yes! Michigan

What do they say about Americana?  Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet?  Well, I am going to live up to that phrase (except maybe cherry pie instead) next week.  I have another trip coming up, this time mostly in Michigan.

My schedule:

July 1 Pittsburgh Pirates

July 2 Toledo Mudhens

July 4 Kalamazoo Kings

July 5 West Michigan Whitecaps

July 6 Lansing Lugnuts

July 7 Great Lakes Loons

July 8 Traverse City Beach Bums

July 9 Oakland County Cruisers

July 10 Detroit Tigers

This will be fun, because I will be joined by family members along the way, some for multiple games.  See you soon!

Kane County Cougars

This is another one from a long time ago.  In the suburbs of Chicago, we watched the Cubs. (Or if you were odd, the White Sox)  But in 1991, we got the Kane County Cougars to give the suburbs a low cost family outing.  It has been a long time since I have been there, and I believe that they have done some rather extensive renovations since then.  I do have a hat though!  Our church would have outings to the games every so often, and I remember once going with my friend Matt Blanton.  I remember that there was no overhang over the concourse, and lots of metal bench seats.  Also, they had a pitcher that was named Matt Anderson, and we waited to get his autograph.  Who knows where that is now.

A long, long, time ago

Well, upon request, I will write a few posts about past minor league parks that I have attended.  According to my spreadsheet, I have gone to 52 parks.  One of the first was in Appleton, WI.  My family was on a camping trip through Wisconsin, so I somehow persuaded them to go to an Appleton Foxes game.  None of us can remember what year it was, but I think somewhere between 87-91.  I don’t really remember much, other than their logo, posted on a sign in the stands to watch out for flying baseballs.  A game never to be replicated, since the Fox Cities area in WI has a new stadium and different franchise in the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

The next one I can recall was the Toledo Mudhens.  Located not too far from Saline, my grandpa took me, two of my cousins, and an uncle to a game.  I remember it being exciting, because we were able to sit first row behind the 3rd base dugout.  I also remember a foul ground ball going in front of us on the field, and either my uncle or my grandpa saying, “That’s probably as close to catching a foul ball as you’ll ever get.” I’ve got 2 now, although I didn’t really ‘catch’ either. The Mudhens have also gotten a new stadium(which I will see in a couple of weeks).  This also happened probably early 90’s, since my cousin David was there, and I bet he was more than 5?  Carsons, any memories of this one?

Epic, Extraordinary – by the numbers

 

4619 Miles(Averaging 271/Day once I left home)

21 Ballparks

20 New hats

20 games

19 days

0 Speeding Tickets, 0 Pillows

540 Pictures

15 campsites (2 near floods)

11 States

10 National Park System sites

Countless miles hiked

1 Epic and Extraordinary road trip

23 days until the next one- Michigan, here I come!

Greenville Drive

 

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Well, after a good game last night, Russ gave me some tips on where to hike between his place and Greenville, tonight’s game.  So I got to go to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  And boy, was it hard to get to.  You had a few options. A) park at a state park and walk 8.5 miles (one way) B)Drive up some unlabeled and seriously unpaved roads in the middle of nowhere, then hike 1 mile.  I chose option B, and took a wrong turn a couple of times, but I found the parking lot.  Then I hiked north on the AT instead of south.  I got 1.6 mi in to the first shelter when I turned around. I finally made it to the trailhead, a small vista over the mountains, with two plaques inlaid into the stone.  Nothing big, fancy, or very informative.  But really cool.  Maybe I should hike the whole thing.  But that’s another blog.

Then i went off to find Brasstown Bald, the highest point in GA.  Speaking of some crazy roads, definitely some nice winding roads to get there.  At least these were paved.  You could drive to within .6 miles of the peak, which was a steep but paved hike, up to a nice 360 observation deck, with views of TN, NC, GA. I’m not sure you could see SC. Then to Greenville- according to my calculations, it would be close for me getting there on time.

Well, it was close, and I missed the top of the first.  But I really enjoyed this game.  A beautiful stadium.  It is the low-A affiliate for the Red Sox, and this field was built like Fenway, with the same dimensions in the outfield.  It had the Pesky Pole, the Green Monster, the bullpens in right-center, and the weird jog out in center, with the 420ft. corner.  There were offices and/or apartments past leftfield, with people on the rooftops and balconies.  The crowd was large, and into the game.  Concessions were affordable, and there was a parking shuttle to a parking lot two blocks away, that was free.(not sure if the shuttle cost anything, I walked).  The lawn areas were pretty full of people.  A great park, and the Drive won.

So this was the last game of the trip.  I’ve had a great time, and seen so many things.  That said, I am going to be happy to be at home.  When the last out was made, a fly ball to RF, I actually felt a tinge of sadness.  But hey-  In three weeks, I get to do this again-  in the beautiful state of Michigan!  I am going to write a couple of summary blogs about this trip, then tune in July 1 for the next installment!!

Gwinnett Braves

 

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In the morning, I went back into Auburn, to walk around campus a bit and get a hat.  Very pretty campus, but boring football stadium. Just concrete from outside.  Onto the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site(not much) to the Tuskegee Institue NHS (George Washington Carver museum, nicely done).  Horseshoe Bend NMP, the site of Andrew Jackson’s battle against the Creek Indians(one of the last stands before the whites ran them off their land) was well done.  I’ve seen a variety of battlefields over the past couple of years, and it always amazes me how small they are.  I couldn’t imagine 5000 people there, let alone there at war.  Yikes.

So onto Gwinnett. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while, since my cousin Russ and his family live nearby.  So I met up with Russ and Brandon(age 8), and we got to the game just in time.  The stadium was average, nothing special.  Although it did have a 20 ft retaining wall behind LF, which didn’t allow for any lawn seating.  But plenty in RF, with a nice view of the bullpens.  It was great to see Russ and Brandon, and get to see a game with them.  Russ sure had fun.  He was up to no good, and talked to the MC, who does the between innings entertainment.  He told him about my trip, so I got announced about during the break, and my face on the big screen sitting next to the MC.  I didn’t have to answer any questions, but it was cool.  The Braves won.  The hat, as with other Braves’ affiliates, was a knockoff of the Braves’ tomahawk.  Kind of boring.  It was great to finally have someone to watch a game with!  Almost home…

Montgomery Bicuits

 

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Hitting the road, I jog off the direct route, to go through Florida for a few miles.    Upon coming into Montgomery, it is a nice city.  It has some good architecture downtown, at least around the capital where I went. I also saw MLK’s church.  It was a 2:05 game, and I was a little early, but headed to the park.  Right away, I liked it.  From the outside, it doesn’t even look like a stadium.  It looks like the old railroad station that it once was.  Going inside, there is nice wide concourse, and all the Biscuits (yes, that is there name) employees said “Hi, welcome”  The stadium didn’t really have a view of the skyline, bug it had a functioning train line within homerun distance out left field.  The rightfield wall also was odd, having a semicircle coming into the field.  The suites were also in the train station, so they looked unique from the field.  It also is a fun hat, with a biscuit peeking out from behind the M.  The game was good, with Montgomery winning 3-2.  There was hardly anyone there though, which was unfortunate.  It seems like it would be great if they had a full crowd.

Going on to my State park, I figured I would have a relaxing evening, but on the way there, I heard an Auburn baseball game on the radio.  Coincedentally, my campsite was about 5 minutes from their campus.  So I went to the game.  I got a ticket free from a passing motorist, which was good since it was packed.  This was an elimination game for the College World Series for Auburn, which was hosting their regional.  I had never been to a college baseball game before.  College baseball is not nearly as big up north.  But this was one of the most exciting games I have ever been to.  A back and forth game between Auburn and Clemson.  Auburn ended up getting a homerun in the ninth inning to win it, 11-10.  As you can imagine, the crowd went crazy.  The stadium was nice too, had a green monster type short leftfield. So add another game onto the list! 18 in 17 days so far.  Must have been karma from the rainout yesterday.

Mobile Bay Bears

 

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Well, today was pretty ;ame from the get go.  I knew I had the longest drive of the trip ahead of me, so I got an early start.  (Which was good, because last night’s campground was sketchy) Upon hitting the Louisiana border it started to get darker, and I ended up driving in some terrible storms. Like 100 yd visibility.  But I got through fine (fortunately, since I saw some bad wrecks on the side of the road) To my campsite in Mobile.  I set up my tent, knowing that the weather was going to cause a rough night.  I had time to heat some soup up and enjoy it, with thunder in the distance.  I went to my tent to change for the game and didn’t leave it for 45 minutes.  That was the worst storm I had ever felt in a tent.  It was very high winds and driving rain.  My tent, which now had gotten two cracked poles already(out of two) was being blown inward, on the verge of collapse.  Good thing I know how to drive a tent stake.  My tent is 9x7, maybe 4ft tall in the middle.  Plenty big for 1.  During the storm I was squatting in the middle, and the left side was being blown in so much that it was touching me.  Thunder and lightning all around, which I generally don’t mind, and the tent was holding up well, all things considered.  Then a bolt of lightning hit, I swear, 50 ft away.  at least that is what it sounded like.  I thought a RV had exploded or something, one of the loudest things I’ve ever heard.  And I have been to a Metallica concert.  But the storm blew by, and off I went to a sunny, rainbow filled Mobile Bay Bears game. This would be game number 17 in 16 nights, thus surpassing last year’s trip.  Hank Aaron Stadium(he was born in Mobile) was one of those weird ones that the stands start 10 ft off the ground(Like Carolina Mudcats and the PawSox)  I don’t like that at all.  This one looked better than the other two, but its a no-go. And they had no cupholders.  By 830, after watching people squeegee the field for an hour and a half, they cancelled the game due to the condition of the outfield.  I understand, but I was livid.  My streak was broken by a poor drainage system. Argh.

Houston Astros

 

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Well, I haven’t been anywhere to see a picturesque sunrise in quite a while.  I am glad I was awake for this one.  I went to the USS Lexington this morning, which is docked in CC.  It is a WWII era aircraft carrier.  It has some cool planes and quite an extensive tour and museum.  I kept finding more and more things to look at.  It did reaffirm the fact that I am too tall to have been in the navy.  Short bunks, short ceilings, it would have been terrible.

Some people have asked about how many hats I have, or past parks I have been too.  So when I get home, I think I am going to try and write something up about the past parks I have seen.  Although I believe my count for minor league ballparks is 46 and majors 13.  But some of those were before my hat souvenir binge, and some of the majors I just took tours(5) at, no games.

Houston- big city again, also non-conforming Texas toll again.  Argh.  Minute Maid Park is right downtown, and it is a dome.  Very odd, I had never seen a game in a dome before.  One foul ball actually hit the roof.  It was pretty nice, I got there when the Cubs were finishing up batting practice, so I waited in the outfield for a homerun, but none came near me, although one hit off the second deck’s facade above me.  Big concourses, lots of place to get food or souvenirs, A Train above the left field wall for excitement when the Astros hit a homer.  Not sure what a train has to do with astros.  Neat having the window behind it, seeing the skyline.  I sat in the second row of the upper deck, pretty good seats for $22.  But the stadium was 70%full (yeah right) so I was able to move down later, and the ushers didn’t care.

Zambrano started the game, but the Cubs couldn’t swing the bats, so they lost 3-1.  It is amazing how well cubs fans travel.  Everywhere you see a Cubs game, you see plenty of Cubs fans.  That was even true for the Iowa Cubs.  I remember when I saw them in Atlanta in 2003, walking in downtown before the game, Cubs jerseys everywhere.  Quite cool.

They opened up the roof after the game for some fireworks.  Still only 8 minutes worth, compared to the average 7 min for the minors that I have seen.  I thought they might go a little longer, seeing that they are the bigs and all.  But still fun as always.

Corpus Christi Hooks

 

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There were  a couple more missions to see in San Antonio before I left.  The one with the bells is San Juan Capistrano.  They are actually still functioning as Catholic parishes.  Traveling down to Corpus Christi, I decided to get off the interstate again.  I think there are less people traveling back roads here than in IL. The roads are in better condition in IL.   A town here looked like it had all dirt roads.  Through Corpus Christi (a surprising population of 277,000) to Padre Island, my site for tonight.  That picture is my tent on the beach.  Cool, huh?  Just wait for the sunrise pictures tomorrow.

I took a long walk on the beach.  There was a ton of seaweed out, but no oil!  Lots of little crabs scurrying around, and gulls above.  I actually walked far enough to get blisters on my big toes.

The stadium is called Whataburger Field, after a fast food chain.  I am going to go home and see if we can get our stadium Cookout Field, then maybe we can get shakes all the time!  The exterior wasn’t brick, and not particularly inspiring.  But once inside, there are some nice touches.  You have the bridge past centerfield, and part of the scoreboard is mounted on this seaport-looking metal hut thing, which was nice.  There were tons of things to have kids do so you wouldn’t have to have them watch baseball, even a basketball court.  And lots of the restaurant seating was where you couldn’t see the game, also odd.  But the game was good, the Hooks beat the dreaded Springfield Cardinals into the ground, 8-1.  I’ve noticed a few stadiums recently that have an organ playing.  I don’t know for sure if it is really an organ, or a recording of one.  I think it is real though.  They still have their piped in music too, but it is great to hear an organ at the park.

San Antonio Missions

 

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So I decided to get off the interstate today, and used some back roads, since Austin –> San Antonio isn’t too far.  I ended up near Canyon Lake, which finally gave me a little bit of the look I was hoping for in TX, the low scattered brush on gray hills that you tend to see in the movies. In San Antonio, saw a mission that is part of the National Park, then the Alamo, which isn’t.  The commercialism at the Alamo was a little sad, but they did have plenty of good historical signs around as well.  I was warned that it wasn’t much to see, but I was impressed none the less.  I then toured the Riverwalk, which I could imagine to be quite nice on a Friday night.  Wednesday at 4, with it being 90 degrees, it was ok, and even kind of stinky at points.

Onto the game.  Nice park, but no cupholders at any seats.  I am beginning to enjoy everyone’s “who cares you bought the $5 grass seat, sit in the $15 front row” policy.  Another nice hat, has the Alamo on it.  Good game going on, decent show and such.  Then you hear a little rumbling.  I thought maybe it was a plane or something.  Then I look over the 3rd base stands, and it looks a bit dark.  Well, it is 8:30 pm.  The San Antonio pitcher is throwing a hitter through 6 innings, and then a gust of wind comes up.  And by gust I mean a sustained 40 mph wind that blows everything everywhere, knocks out power to the stadium, and sends people running for their cars.  I didn’t, because I like seeing a little rainstorm every now and then.  After about 2 minutes, I am looking for shelter to run to if a tornado dropped down.  Seriously.  Thankfully it didn’t but it was fun to watch the ground crew get the tarp down in the dark and the wind.  I think some of the players actually helped.  They did a good job considering.  After about 45 minutes of monsoon, I run out to the parking lot only to realize I can’t see in the dark parking lot.  So A) where is my truck and B)where are all the puddles.  I was able to answer these by B) stepping in all of them and A) Running from end to end of the parking lot. So I was wet.  Oh yeah, and I left my sleeping bag in the back of my truck.  Good thing it is warm here.

Driving back to the campground, I realized that I had left my tent windows down to promote airflow.  So I got pretty worried that I was going to be drowned out.  But blessed Walmart tent held up quite well, just a few drops here and there.  Note the picture of the pond about 4 feet from my tent.  As of 11pm, I’m still dry!

Round Rock Express

 

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Well, I had the highlight of my trip today.  But we’ll get back to that.  I hustled to break camp early, to get to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for a tour.  With poor signage on the roads, I barely made it, but it was a decent tour.  Got to see the clubhouse, press box, suite, dugout.  Not bad, although I would have like to see a view from above like we got in SF.  The new Cowboy Stadium is next door, and is awfully large, but looks good.

Hitting the road, poor signage once again had me take a little longer than necessary to get on the interstate.  At one point, I had signs on either side of the street pointing to different directions.  Down towards Waco, I had some free time and went to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.  For how much history there was here, I was a little disappointed.  Baylor is also in Waco, and the 3 minute driving tour, it looked nice.

The game at Round Rock was against the Iowa Cubs, so another chance to see our future stars.  And Ryno.  This time I was able to get there a bit before game time, and he was singing autographs near the dugout.  I had brought my Cubs cap and a sharpie in anticipation of this.  So I stood in line, not knowing what to say when I got there, but it ended up something like this- “Can you sign this?” (no response) “Thank you sir”, Ryno-“Sure” And those 5 seconds were the greatest moment of this trip and I now have a Ryne Sandberg autographed Cubs hat, that I will never wear again, and will be displayed in a glass case. (maybe not a glass case)

Round Rock has a nice stadium, although kind of small for AAA I think, it did start out 10 years ago as a AA stadium.  Has a lot of berm in the outfield, which the Cubs hit two homeruns to, and a cool Homerun porch in LF.  Nice scoreboard, and two RHE boards on both 3rd and 1st base sides.  The people seemed to be into the game a bit more, and the stadium was maybe 2/3 full at best.  And the Cubs won 3-2, with Micah Hoffpauir getting a 9th inning HR and Schlitter saving the game.  Compared to Nashville where Hoffpauir got tossed and Schlitter blew the game in the ninth.  GO CUBS!

Frisco Rough Riders

 

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Started the day by going to Little Rock Central HS, the site of the school desegregation battle, which is now a national historic site.  So there was a small visitor center, with a museum.  Nicely done.

On the road to Texas, for the first time!  So part of the reason I came to Texas was to mark it off my list.  Crossing that border(which doesn’t have a big Welcome to Texas sign), I hit #37!  Unsurprisingly, I have a spreadsheet that lists what states I have been in, and also tallies how many I have built in (12) and done some sort of baseball-related activity(26)  I had always counted AR, but had really just driven through on the short stretch of I-55 on a work trip in college.  So it is fully legit now. All states touching the Mississippi River and east, I’ve been too.  I need to head west.  Unfortunately, road trips from NC are expensive to go to Idaho(sorry Tim) Someday, though.

Anyway, after a solid drive to Frisco, I got to Dr Pepper Ballpark.  It is next to a mall, so plenty of free parking!  Thats good, since I had to pay $3 in tolls to get there. (I’ll get back to that).  The stadium was really cool.  Another new one(I think 2008) but it is different.  Instead of a normal suite level, they are individual buildings, with cupolas on top of each.  Very neat.  I don’t know if that is Texas-y or what, but a cool change of pace.  There was even a pool past the right field fence.  Nice having the scoreboard being in a different place than the video screen, makes it seem a little more old-school.  The mascots were fine, and the inbetween entertainment was fine.  They had a $10 meal plan, where you could get a burger and fries and a Dr.Pepper product, so I thought, yum, maybe a burger instead of a hotdog.  Bad idea. After a couple of bites, I actually double checked to make sure it wasn’t a veggie burger for its lack of taste.  Nope, it was meat(sort of) that was just bad.  One bad thing about the stadium was there were no overhangs, so in the brutal Texas sun, it was hot.  So after a little bit (game was a 4:00 start) all the fans were sitting on the 3rd base side to get what little shade was offered by the suites. It was odd having half the stadium full, and the other half virtually empty.

Decent game, Frisco won 9-6.  8 runs in one inning pretty much sealed the deal.  Although the game wasn’t close, this was still the lamest group of fans.  Very quiet throughout the game, even when they were knocking the ball around that inning.  Love the hat though, simple, yet more than just letters.

Drove through Dallas on my way to the State Park.  Absolute ghost town.  I know it was 7pm on Memorial Day, but really, it was kind of creepy.  And back to the tolls.  I don’t mind tolls at all, they are underused in America, and most people have figured out the I-Pass or whatever they call it in your state.  But in TX, they don’t want to play with others so their ‘Tolltag’ isn’t compatible.  Boo.  Get with the program.  And why don’t you have a sign up to welcome me into the state? I was stoked about getting a picture of it, #37 and all, and then nothing.  Just construction. Lame.  TXDOT, you are on my list right now.  You have 5 days to redeem yourself.

Arkansas Travelers

 

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Well, let me back up a little and tell you all why this trip is.  When I moved to NC, I realized that there were a lot of minor league teams within 3 hours of me.  So I figured, I could make a Sunday journey out of this.  So every so often, I would take a Sunday and go to one of the parks around me.  I would get a hat to prove that I had been there.  Then I had something in MI that I wanted to go to, and figured, why not see a ballgame on the way, or 6.  So thus began my first trip in 2008, seeing some games in WV, OH, IN, and IL.  I called it ‘Road of Dreams’ trip, combining road trip and Field of Dreams.  And it has ballooned ever since.

Didn’t do anything in Memphis this morning, just hit the road for AR.  It hit me back.  Bumpiest stretch of I40 west I’ve hit.  Terrible.  I get a state map every time I enter a state for the first time.  So I was able to stop at the visitor center and ask about AR.  She said Little Rock had a party every Memorial Day Weekend called Riverfest, with music and food.  So I went.  It was a decent time, had the Jesse White Tumblers, which I remember from 20 years ago in Wheaton.  They had dog jumping, which will be on Versus in August. Then they had a downpour.  Thankfully, I timed my visit to the Clinton Presidential Library around the rain.  It was nice, but I see why people call it a trailer.  But I was kicked out due to closing time, and didn’t quite see all of it.  But onto the baseball game…

Another game delayed at the start by rain.  I think the last 4 have been delayed by rain at some point.  But the stadium is another nice one, has a view of the “skyline” off of right field.  Another one with a brick facade and dark green seats.  The scoreboard is nice and big, but there isn’t a secondary RHE scoreboard elsewhere, so if you are sitting in the lawn seats, you can’t see a scoreboard.  The game was over in 2 hours, a pitchers duel.  Arkansas won 2-1, off of 2 solo homers.  Those were big homers too, no-doubters.  Another nice thing about this park was that the concessions were affordable.  $3 beer and $3 sausages, popcorn $2.  Not the major league prices Memphis had last night.

After the game, I went back to RiverFest for the closing acts.  They had fireworks at 9:00 over the river.  Billed as the largest firework show in the state of Arkansas, it was ok.  At least they mixed up their styles of fireworks, which many minor league shows don’t do.  But then the music happened.  Rapper Ludacris was a big draw.  I skipped him to see the Steve Miller Band!  Much better, and he played the good stuff, but some other blues songs.  I didn’t stay the whole time, since I didn’t want to get locked out of the campground.  But impressive.  I am not good at estimating crowds, so I won’t put a number on it, but tons of people were there, both for SMB and Ludacris, and everything else at Riverfest.  Who knew Little Rock could put on such a show?

Memphis Redbirds

 

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Left Nashville, and got to Memphis early enough to do some sightseeing before the game.  I went to Sun Records, where Elvis, among others, was discovered.  Definitely cool.

The stadium was definitely worthy of a AAA team.  Nice facade, Classic brick look, with the dark green seats, light standards, etc.  Had plenty of suites to make the corporations happy, a nice lawn area in the left field home run area(they got 2 tonight) to make the families happy, and $7 beers to make the brewers happy.  Major league prices thats for sure.  I think I read that HOK architects designed this one.  I definitely see that.  (They have done a lot of the new-retro pro stadiums)  And it is right downtown, just a couple blocks off of Beale St.  So I woefully got their ballcap, since they are a Cardinals affiliate.  I usually wear the cap all the next day until I get to the next game, but I won’t tomorrow.  Seeing all that Cardinal red made me sick.  So I think I will wear a different cap until I get to Little Rock.  The game itself was a blow out, the Albuquerque Isotopes(yes, that is right Simpsons fans) won 16-6, and Andre Ethier was on rehab from the Dodgers tonight, and he was 2-4 I think. 
While I was in Memphis I went to Beale St and heard some music.  Some blues at BB King’s club before the game and some Dueling Pianos at Silky O’Sullivans after.  It is another cool town to walk down the street and hear so much music.  They actually closed off Beale St to car traffic, creating a mini (and less debaucherous) Bourbon St.  Lots of people, lots of open containers.  Fun time, and I should probably come back sometime to see more music.  I saw in the bar after the game that the Blackhawks won!  3 more to go, too bad I can’t watch them.

Nashville Sounds

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Well, I started the day hiking at Monte Sano SP in AL.  I am figuring I did about 6mi or so.  Nothing spectacular, not a technical hike, just a couple of steep areas, often flat and wide-ish paths.  But I would like to commend them on a fine trail map.  This is the way it should be done.  Have a legit map, color coded, that says difficulty ratings(although I think they overated some), and that has different blazes for different paths.  It is hard when in the woods you have a diverging path, that both have white blazes.  Here, choose the yellow or the red path.  Although the forks here had nice signposts. I don’t understand why all trail system aren’t like this.  The guide also was topographic, which was great.  But oops, they spelled ‘scenic’ wrong in the key.

Onto Nashville-  I was hoping to stay at a state park, but it is Memorial Day Weekend.  TN State parks are first come first served, so that didn’t work. I called when I first drove into TN and realized this before I drove to it, so i ended up staying at Yogi Bear Jellystone Resort right near Opryland.  I like state parks better, but in the big city, this was actually kind of convenient.  And its Yogi Bear!

Now the game…. Nashville was playing the Iowa Cubs, our AAA affiliate.  And my childhood hero, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is the manager.  So that was awesome.  Before the game, he had a line of fans getting his autograph.  I wonder what it is like to be a player on that team, and seeing your manager sign autographs for half an hour while you are warming up.  The sky was threatening, but the game got underway.  In the bottom of the first, it started raining, and pretty hard.  They played through it.  Before the top of the second, it started to taper off.  So they decided to put the tarp out then!  Ryno was not happy- a theme for the night.  After about 20 minutes, they took it off.  It started raining again.  Nice job umps.  But this time it wasn’t too bad.  But I was wet and cold the rest of the game. 

It was neat to know some of the players, the Cubs who have been in the bigs.  Like Micah Hoffpauir.  He was up to bat, and struck out on a check swing.  He wasn’t happy and made a gesture(which had to have been accompanied by some words) and was immediately tossed out.  I was sitting in the fourth row behind the dugout, and I couldn’t hear anything.  It must of been bad, because just pointing at the ump, while stupid, seems like something that could be let go.  Then he got mad.  Getting up in the umps face.  Then Ryno, who was coaching 3rd base as most minor league managers do, came down to get between Hoffpauir and the ump.  It got a little heated, but everyone went on their way.  The next inning, when Ryno was in the dugout, the ump called a Nashville player out on strikes, with an unconvincing strike 3 call.  As an ump  myself, that sounded like the ump forgot it was strike 3 when he started the call, and then had to make it sound good at the end.  Ryno must have said something, about the ump goofing, because the ump in his most grown up voice turned to the dugout and told him to be quiet.  Anyway, the game continued, and the Cubs made a great comeback, and were up 5-4  when in came Brian Schlitter to save the game.  Oops.  After a base hit, they got a walkoff homer.  Cubs lose, 6-5.  The stadium was a 30 yr old stadium, not a great scoreboard(although cool shape).  Not a good pro shop, or concessions.  Once again, kind of empty, but I’ll blame that on the weather.  The in game promotions were fine, and being able to sit where I wanted was nice.  I like ushers that don’t care.  And really, when 1/4 of the stadium is full, who cares?

Mileage: 94395

Tent takedown: 4:40

Tent setup: 10:31 (I spent the time and cleaned out the ends of the poles, one of which has a crack that is getting bigger)

Nashville itself seems like a fun place.  I don’t even like country music, but it is neat to walk down the street and hear so much live music, regardless of the time of day.  Also, you saw some places closed due to flooding rehab, and saw a lot of construction trucks around.  It is hard to believe that downtown had that much water covering it.

Huntsville Stars

 

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Well, I had some bacon and eggs, closed up camp and went on another cave tour.  This one had the cool formations.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to go on the ‘Wild Cave Tour’ where you actually have to have a helmet and headlamp, and their are size restrictions due to tiny passageways.  Maybe next time.

At Piggly Wiggly, I found Dr. Wham! great name, although Dr Pig would’ve been great too.  I am up to 4 Drs now.

Mileage: 94164

Tent down: 4:17

Tent up: 7:22 (There is dirt in the end of the poles that make it harder to stick on the corner pins)

So Huntsville.  Hopefully there are better parts than I am driving through.  A lot of commerce.  And not sparkly stuff either.  And the stadium fits in with that analysis.  It is there.  It is functional.  It is boring.  Huge though, can seat a lot of people.  Yesterday was a rainout, so today was a double header that started at 5, and had two 7-inning games.  I got there at about 5, and for the majority of the first game, there were 150 people there.  Weird  by itself, then add a big stadium and it is creepy.  I sat down the left field line for a while, and had 8 sections to myself.  I decided it was too far away, I think I could scrounge up another seat somewhere.  I got some food(a good Philly cheesesteak) and walked towards behind the first base dugout.  Right on cue, a foul ball gets hit over my head, bounces off an empty seat and comes down near where I am about to sit.  Thank you very much, almost a legit foul ball!  Now I just need to get one while it is still moving.  The in-game entertainment was spotty, the sound system fritzy and their big screen was turned off.  Weird game.  Nice classic hat though.

Bowling Green (KY) Hot Rods

 

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Well, I left Taylorsville SP without hiking, to go see Abe Lincoln’s birthplace and boyhood home (That is the spring you see in the picture)  Kind of small, but neat to think one of the greatest Americans ever started right there.

But the big reason to get going this morning was to get to Mammoth Cave NP.  I wanted to get in a tour this afternoon before my game.  I went on the Violet Lantern Light tour.  Instead of the usual lights they have for the tours, the had us carry old school lanterns.  A little spooky, although with 40 people and 15 lanterns, you weren’t tripping over anything in the dark.  The moment you are in the cave, it went from 85 and muggy outside to a crisp 54 inside.  And let me tell you, from minute 1 of this 3 hr tour, I knew why they call it Mammoth Cave.  I also know that I am going to try and go on another one tomorrow.  And maybe become a spelunker.  WOW!  And I haven’t even gone to the part with the stalactites and stalagmites yet.  WOW!  Absolutely amazingly huge.  I don’t remember exactly the numbers on some of the rooms, but he was talking in acres! And they were like 100 ft tall also.  Although he said if Niagara Falls was flowing into it, it would take just 30 seconds.

The game – it started late due to the passing storm we got(must’ve happened when I was in the cave)  So I got to the store to get my hat and saw a poster of all the minor league hats!  Unfortunately, it was an ad and not something I could get.  But another cool hat here, and their alternate was pretty sweet too.  The game had a lot of strikeouts by the BG pitcher, I lost track how many.  Small and not lively crowd.  Also, for a new stadium, it didn’t look to pretty from the outside, and just average from the inside.  I don’t know much about BG, but hopefully they can support a team better than this.  Because it was an enjoyable atmosphere, all that minor-league entertainment stuff was there.

Louisville Bats

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Another day started with some more moderate hiking, about 5 miles.  At the top I had a nice view of the lake formed by a TVA dam.  A nice viewing area you could drive too as well.  But after that, hit the road towards Louisville.  Some nostalgia here- going up I75, I passed by Caryville, TN, where I went on ASP in ‘95.  Ah, back in the simpler days. 

The past couple of times I have done this minor-league trip, I have had a notebook in the truck to take notes on as I am driving, or at the end of the day.  I like to take note of funny things I see, pieces of Americana that are as much a part of this trip as baseball.  It makes me a bit sad that I may be losing a bit of handwritten history in favor of this e-history.  What could we have known about history if Thomas Jefferson had a blog?

Anyway, the other crazy part of my drive was in my rear mirror.  All of a sudden, I see a pickup careening all over the road, then into the median grass at 70mph!  He keeps swerving, and almost goes into the oncoming side of traffic.  He stops after a bit, and I kept driving.  Yikes.

The game- a bit humdrum.  Bats won, 3-1. I usually don’t mind a pitching duel, but I didn’t even realize it was one until about the 4th inning.  Curtis Granderson was on rehab from the Yankees, he went 0-3.  Nice stadium, although it was in a odd neighborhood.  It seems like one of those ‘If we build it here, maybe this will make it better’ stadiums, but it hasn’t worked out.  Has a nice view of the I-65 bridge, and more $1 hot dogs.  I had only 5 tonight.  Good thing tomorrow isn’t that promotion again.  It says a crowd of 7400? 3500 at best I say.  It could be cool if they had more people in the stands though.  I guess Tuesdays aren’t hoppin in Louisville.

Another hat with purple. Yuck. And a ripoff of the old Greensboro Bats.

When I got to my campsite to pick it out, I heard a noise in the woods, and looked in 15 yards to see a deer turn, raise its white tail and bound away.  I chose that site.  Now I have a symphony of frogs, crickets, and who knows what else.

Tennessee Smokies

 

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I started the day by climbing Mt Pisgah, 6mi round trip from the campground.  A tough uphill, and it was a foggy mountain top.  I was thinking on the hike, ‘It isn’t always about the destination, but about the journey.’  I don’t know who said that first, but it is a good philosophy that can be taken towards so many different aspects of life.

Mileage starting:93411

Tent takedown: 5:36

Tent up:8:22 (a regression… not good)

Uneventful trip to the next campground, which isn’t totally tent friendly(sloped sites better suited to popups) but with a little bit extra time before the game, I went to visit UTennessee in Knoxville.  Very underwhelming, honestly.  Average architecture, no central area that I could distinguish(like the quad at Illinois) and Neyland Stadium was kind of blah.  Good thing Knoxville has the sunsphere, or it might have been a waste of time. 
Onto the game… When I was waiting in line to buy my ticket, some lady came around with an extra ticket to give away.  I got it.  That is karma for giving the free tickets I won on last year’s trip to some little kid. Tennessee is the Cubs’ AA affiliate, which is the first Cubs minor league game I have ever seen.  The stadium is another one with a hilly backdrop, although I’ve seen better.  Low attendance, but maybe it is the in between of UT being in session and summer’s vacation rush to nearby Dollywood. 

$1 Hot dog night was a godsend, although they start to get expensive when you eat 6 of them.  Another perk of being a Cubs affiliate- Old Style on tap. I’m not sure I am a huge fan of the tricolor hat, kind of reminds me of the Expos.  Especially when the alternate hat has a growling bear on it.  But I like the script TS, and it is associated with the Cubs, so it is ok.

The Smokies won 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, on a sac fly after being down 2-1 going into it.  The crowd, who had been rained on for the 5th-8th innings, finally got into it.

Asheville Tourists

Mileage starting the trip: 93207

Well, I got off a little bit later than I wanted, but only missed the top of the first inning. It was a wild game, Asheville won 13-11 by scoring the last 9 runs. Decent stadium, but small dimensions, only 373 to center. There was a 15 foot wall though, and they couldn’t make it any bigger because there is a mountain in the way! I caught a t-shirt from the slingshot. Actually I picked it up off the ground after someone else dropped it.

Another odd thing was that both teams were wearing red. Kannapolis had their away reds on, and Asheville had their Sunday alternates on. It was very confusing. After I figured Kannapolis had black sleeves, it worked out better. Great hat. Trees, a river, big A. Cool.

Camping at Mt Pisgah Campground off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nice site, very empty campground. Made a nice fire, cooked a steak and potato, then had S’mores. Life is good. And it is getting cool at night, which is nice. I realized a couple things I’ve forgotten. A pillow and a chair for by the campfire. Oops.

Tent setup time: 7:11 (slow, but I haven’t done it in a year)

Greensboro Grasshoppers

So this is my hometown park, of course. So these comments will be more about all of it. Enough with the woo-woos every two seconds. They lost 11-5. But the park is beautiful as always, with a nice view of our skyline. The seats are good, they keep you entertained in between innings. I don't have any pictures here, because I went after work and didn't have my camera. It rained a bunch late in the afternoon, so the game started a little late. We had fireworks after, and they were loud and sparkly and a lot better than Winston-Salem (as most stuff in GSO is) So now I have to pack and get on the road, start doing the fun part of the trip. I'm not sure I am totally ready, but too bad. The time has come!!

Winston-Salem Dash

So tonight was the first game, at the new stadium in Winston.  A few things to say.  I know W-S is only half an hour away, and each time I go there, I know why I don’t go there much.  No matter where I’ve been in WS, it always seems sketchy.  The park is on the outskirts of downtown I think, and maybe it will spur an urban revival.  Let’s hope so.  The park is great, has a quirky outfield wall.  A little Fenway-ish.  Not too many nice concession stands it seemed.  Worst pretzel ever.  Very dry, and it didn’t help that I didn’t have a beverage.  The game was good, they won 13-3.  A scary moment at the end though.  With one strike left to go, the Lynchburg batter got beaned in the head, and dropped like a sack of potatoes.  He got up after a minute, and walked off under his own power. Fireworks after, 7 minutes worth.  Not bad, but no turkey killers.

Road of Dreams Trip, May-June 2010

So I am starting my string of 21 parks in 20 days tomorrow night. Here is the schedule:

Fri, May 21 Winston-Salem Dash

May 22 Greensboro Grasshoppers

May 23 Asheville Tourists

May 24 Tennessee Smokies

May 25 Louisville Bats

May 26 Bowling Green Hot Rods

May 27 Huntsville Stars

May 28 Nashville Sounds

May 29 Memphis Redbirds

May 30 Arkansas Travelers

May 31 Frisco Rough Riders

June 1 Round Rock Express

June 2 San Antonio Missions

June 3 Corpus Christi Hooks

June 4 Houston Astros

June 5 Mobile Bay Bears

June 6 Montgomery Biscuits

June 7 Gwinnett Braves

June 8 Greenville Drive

June 9 Thomasville HiToms

I am cheating a little bit by doing Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Thomasville (a college summer league) around home to pad the stats. 10 states(1 new: TX) , probably 4000 miles, at least 8 State Parks, at least 4 National Parks. Dont ask about the budget. I will try to post a bit each day. I'm not sure if I will feel like doing it at 11pm, or if the computer will let me, but hopefully I will try.

Until tomorrow night....

Baseball travelling

So this is going to become a "I've just been to a ball park and this is what it was like" page. It might be a while until my first one this year. Thanks to work for a laptop and 3G access.

So yesterday I went to a Greensboro Grasshoppers game. Not my first, since I live here. But it was an exhibition against their parent club, the Florida Marlins. The Marlins had there starters in for 5 innings, then stopped caring. Apparently, the umps did too because in the bottom of the 10th, the ump blatently blew a call to let the Grasshoppers win, rather than a tie and ending the game, which was going to happen if he had called him out. Whatever, a good show put on, good weather, ready to start some real baseball now. Oh, and Cantu of the Marlins hit the furthest homerun I have ever seen here, over the Natty's lawn (and sidewalk and beer vendors and maybe another hill and sidewalk and fence) in left field. I can't build in Iowa in June, so I am contemplating my summer road trip options..... I've never been to Texas, it is Rosenblatt's last year, but that's a big drive. We'll see