BallParks 2004

THE BOX SCORE

2004-09-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Total Games: 30
Extra Inning Games: 1
Results of intra-league contests: NL 4 wins, AL 3 wins
Total Rain-outs: 0
Total Rain Delays: 4
Total Games with Rain but without a delay: 2
Total Runs: 326
Total Hits: 600
Total Errors: 37
Total Left-on-base: 380

Average Away Team Line: 5.4 runs, 9.7 hits, 0.7 errors, 6.1 left
Average Home Team Line: 5.4 runs, 10.3 hits, 0.5 errors, 6.5 left

Average Winning Team Line: 7.6 runs, 11.7 hits, 0.5 errors, 6.6 left
Average Losing Team Line: 3.3 runs, 8.3 hits, 0.7 errors, 6.1 left

THE ALL-BALLPARKS2004 LINEUP:
Catcher – Toby Hall of Tampa Bay, 3 for 4 with 2 rbi vs the Yankees on July 11

First Base – Tony Clark of the Yankees, 2 for 3 with 2 homers, 3 rbi and 2 runs vs Tampa Bay on July 11

Second Base – Mark Loretta of San Diego, 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a run vs Tampa Bay on June 16; also 3 for 5 with a triple and a run vs Colorado on September 10

Shortstop – Michael Young of Texas, 2 for 4 with 3 rbi, 2 runs and a triple vs Seattle on June 22

Third Base – Corey Koskie of Minnesota, 3 for 5 with the game winning home run, a double, 2 rbi and 2 runs vs Cleveland on August 15th

Left Field – Carl Crawford of Tampa Bay, 4 for 5 with 2 triples, 2 rbi, 3 runs and a stolen base. Also successfully tagged from first to second in the first inning vs Brian Giles and the San Diego Padres, June 16

Center Field – Willie Mo Pena of Cincinnati, 2 for 5 with 2 homers, 4 rbi, 2 runs, and a circus catch to rob Khalil Greene in the 2nd against San Diego on August 14.

Right Field – Bobby Higginson of Detroit, 3 for 3 with 2 homers, 5 rbi, 2 runs and a stolen base vs the White Sox on August 17

Starting Pitcher (3-way tie – 3 different pitchers with complete game shut outs):
Mike Maroth of Detroit, 1 hit, 2 walks, and 7 strike outs vs the Yankees on July 16
Brian Anderson of Kansas City, 2 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strike outs vs the White Sox on August 4
C. C. Sabathia of Cleveland, 5 hits, 1 walk and 8 strike outs vs Seattle on September 6

Relief Pitcher – Eric Gagne of Los Angeles, 2/3 of an inning, 1 strike out, and save #76 in his consecutive game save streak vs Baltimore on June 15

Special Mention/DH – Barry Bonds on San Francisco, 1 for 3 with 1 homer (the 700th in his career), 2 runs and an rbi

THE ROAD TRIP FINAL STATISTICS:
Approximately 27,000 miles with total gasoline costs of $1,508.38 over 98 days
Tickets cost for 30 games: $1,355.80
Passed through 48 U.S. States and 3 Canadian Provinces
Number of International border crossings: 4
Number of State/Provincial crossings: 69
Number of Time Zone changes: 14
Number of Mississippi River crossings: 8 (4 of which were in the Twin Cities area)
Number of animals hit on the road: 0
Closest call to animal vs auto contact – prong-horned antelope in South Dakota
Other wildlife sightings -- Buffalo in Minnesota, Coyotes, wild turkeys, etc.
Number of Oil Changes: 9
Number of other car repairs: 0
Lodging costs: that’s classified, but next time I’ll take a camper instead of a tent
Number of Speeding Tickets: 0
Number of Parking Tickets: 0
Number of Times “flipped-off” by obnoxious motorists: 0
Number of times robbed: 0
Number of times I encountered foul trouble of any sort whatsoever: 0
Best road trip side-effect: not being able to tell a weekday from a weekend
Best hotel stay: Wyndham Resort in Key West Florida
Worst hotel stay: Super 8 in “downtown” Memphis
Biggest disappointment: The Rendezvous barbeque restaurant in Memphis closed on Mondays!
Best ballpark food: Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Houston, Boston
Worst ballpark food: Pro Player Stadium in Miami
Best non-ballpark food: Corky’s barbeque in Memphis
Weight gained: about 20 pounds
Biggest actual cause of weight gain: mid-trip addiction to Pearson’s Nut Roll candy bars
Best parks for after-game entertainment: San Diego, Colorado, Baltimore
Most beer bars around a park: Wrigley Field
Worst place to be after the game is over: Detroit, Yankee Stadium
Most over-rated parks: Boston and Wrigley
Best park: PNC in Pittsburgh and it’s not even close

THE FINAL STANDINGS

2004-09-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

NL EAST
Philadelphia
New York Mets 1 Game Behind
Atlanta 3 GB
Florida 12 GB
Montreal 14 GB

NL CENTRAL
Pittsburgh
Milwaukee 3 Games Behind
Chicago Cubs 9 GB
St. Louis 14 GB
Houston 18 GB
Cincinnati 19 GB

NL WEST
Colorado
San Diego 3 Games Behind
Arizona 4 GB
San Francisco 6 GB
Los Angeles 7 GB

AL EAST
Baltimore
Boston 4 Games Behind
Toronto 5 GB
New York Yankees 12 GB
Tampa Bay 14 GB

AL CENTRAL
Cleveland
Detroit 8 Games Behind
Minnesota 12 GB
Chicago White Sox 15 GB
Kansas City 15 GB

AL WEST
Seattle
Anaheim 6 Games Behind
Texas 8 GB
Oakland 12 GB

NL PLAYOFFS:
Pittsburgh defeats Colorado 4 games to 2
Milwaukee (wild card) defeats Philadelphia 4 games to 1

Pittsburgh defeats Milwaukee 4-1 to win the NL Pennant

AL PLAYOFFS:
Baltimore defeats Seattle 4 games to 2
Cleveland defeats Boston (wild card) 4 games to 2

Baltimore defeats Cleveland 4-3 to win the AL Pennant

PITTSBURGH DEFEATS BALTIMORE 4-2 TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES!

(winners determined by set of 7 criteria: Food, View from Seats, Fans, Area around the Park, Price, Traffic/Hassle to get there, and "Other")

Game #30 – San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants: The Grand Finale – Bonds Hits Number 700

2004-09-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

Friday September 17th, SBC Park, San Francisco California

Barry Bonds waited until Friday night September 17th to hit his 700th home run so that I could be in the crowd to see it. That’s the way I’ll be telling this story a few years hence. Why not? It seems that way to me. I had first noticed that Barry stood at 699 back on Monday while I was driving across the Nevada desert en route to Oakland. I figured if he could hold off during 3 mid-week games in Milwaukee’s Miller Park then he would hit it on Friday night in front of the hometown fans.
The San Francisco crowd was crazy that night, to be sure. I walked by scalpers several blocks from the ballpark begging for tickets to buy, and I could have doubled the investment on my ticket if I had chosen to. Once inside SBC, ushers restricted movement across the porch overlooking McCovey Cove so that Standing Room Only ticket holders could claim their spots. Meanwhile a fleet of yachts and kayaks waited in the water below, hoping that that special ball would come splashing their way. I think everyone was expecting it to come tonight.
Only two others, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth, had ever hit 700 homers, thus the occasion would require a little drama. So in his first at bat, in the first inning, with the whole crowd on its feet, Barry may have just purposely extended his right arm a bit into the path of Jake Peavy’s third pitch, allowing the ball to hit his heavily padded arm and taking first base on the hit batsman call. The Giants scored 3 runs in that first inning on 3 hits, 2 hit batsman, and a sacrifice fly.
Bonds’ next at bat came in the third as he led off the inning. On an 0-1 pitch, Bonds turned an outside fastball from Jack Peavy into a deep opposite field fly ball which somehow carried over the outstretched glove of left fielder Ryan Klesko and into the first row of fans behind the wall. It reminded me of Mark McGwire’s famous 62nd homer a few years ago since it was so atypical of the hitter’s trademark – instead of a towering shot that splashed down in McCovey Cove this milestone went the opposite way and just barely carried into history.
I’m not a Giants fan, nor especially a Barry Bonds fan, but a baseball fan. As a baseball fan, there is no better echo of my sentiments than the SBC advertisement shown on the right side scoreboard which read, “Can you imagine any place you would rather be right now?” You can see that phrase in the picture below where I caught Bonds’ swing and the ball’s path in blurred white streaks.
After all was said and done, Barry’s 700th held up as the Giants beat the Padres by a final score of 4 to 1.
The San Francisco Gearhard Line was one colossal dog, one order of Gilroy Garlic Fries, an Anchor Steam and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The garlic fries are the specialty of the house, and I can recommend them even though I sometimes try to do the low-carb thing. But really, I’ve had at least one carb-laden brewski at every single game, so how ridiculous is it to avoid potatoes? For what it’s worth, Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada are two of my favorites.
I paid $15 for parking next to a Bank of America branch a few blocks away from the park and consider myself lucky. You have to get there early or you can easily pay $25 for parking at SBC – formerly known as “Pac Bell Park”. A decent box seat cost me $37.
The San Francisco fans are also Oakland A’s fans and I overheard them inquiring about the A’s score during the game. You would never hear such talk among Cubs/White Sox fans or Yankees/Mets fans, but in California it’s OK to be ambi-fan-drous. Also, it seemed a little weird for them to call for giving Peavy a warning after his second hit batsman in the first inning with the bases loaded drove in a run. Sharper fans would know that he was just a little wild.
No foul balls came anywhere near me. The only time I’ve ever caught a foul ball was in the last inning of the last spring training game I attended in 2003. But Spring Training doesn’t officially “count” so I guess I’ll have to keep attending ball games in the quest for my own white whale.
No one was ejected as far as I can tell, but a bunch of people left right after Barry hit his homer. A group of guys behind me kept talking about going back to “The Antler” which is a tavern I guess. See how the Bay Area fans are?

Next up: The Box Score and The Final Standings

Tim

2004-09-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Game #30 -- The scoreboard at SBC Park, now featuring (at left) a banner of Barry Bonds' 700 home runs and (at right) a banner for Aaron's 755 and Ruth's 714.

2004-09-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Game #30 -- Fan bedlam after Bonds' 700th homer is hit

2004-09-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Game #30 -- Barry Bonds in left field the inning after his 700th homer. The painting on the wall says 'A Giant among Legends'

2004-09-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Game #30 -- Barry Bonds swings and hits his 700th career homer. You can see the ball and bat as white streaks. Note the ad in the background says 'Can you imagine anywhere else you would rather be right now?' (e-mail me at ballparks2004@yahoo.com if you want a copy of the jpg)

2004-09-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Game #30 -- A fleet of yachts and kayaks await Bonds' homer in "McCovey Cove"

2004-09-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

Game #30 -- SBC Park, San Francisco California

2004-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Game #30 -- The view from my seat at SBC Park

Game #29 – Texas Rangers @ Oakland Athletics: Playing Baseball in the Raiders Dog House

2004-09-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday September 14th, Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland California

There are only 4 major league ballparks that are really multi-purpose stadiums – the Skydome in Toronto, the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Pro Player Stadium in Miami, and the Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland. Of course it goes without saying that the baseball experience is diminished in these circumstances.
Oakland, however, sinks below the other three. This facility reminds me of an oversized little league park because it’s so plain. The interior walls are plain cinder blocks and some unused concession stalls have been bricked over with grey cinder blocks. All the steps and pillars are plain poured concrete. Even the men’s rooms are little league – no urinals, instead you just pee into a wall-length tub.
I figure that the reason for the Spartan accommodations is that the A’s must share the Coliseum with the Oakland Raiders, whose fans are renowned as the rowdiest of all NFL fan rabble. Having Raiders fans in your “house” is like having unruly dogs that must be relegated to an unfurnished basement lest they destroy the carpeting upstairs!
So, as you can tell, I don’t like the Coliseum. The final straw, however, can only be blamed on A’s management. It’s this: No one sung the National Anthem, instead they played a recording of the Anthem performed by a local Marine Band. How tacky -- Old Glory got better treatment in Montreal.
Early on in this trip I saw both the Anaheim Angels and the Texas Rangers and remarked that the Angels excellent outfield and the Rangers fantastic infield would carry them both down to the wire in September. But now that September has come, Oakland’s superior pitching staff (Hudson, Mulder and Zito) has put the A’s 2 games ahead of Anaheim and 5 games ahead of Texas.
Speaking of that pitching staff, I was hoping to see one of the big three tonight against the Rangers, Blalock, (Michael) Young, Soriano, and Teixeira. Instead, former Florida Marlin Mark Redman started for the A’s and the result was a wild 12-9 Texas victory. In fact neither starter pitched well – each lasted only 3 and 1/3 innings. Redman allowed 7 runs on 6 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batsman; Ranger starter John Wasdin allowed 5 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks and a hit batsman. The hit batsman was in fact retaliation for Redman’s hitting Mark Teixeira in the third. Both benches were warned, blah, blah, blah. As a curiosity, Ranger designated hitter Eric Young was hit in the 6th by Oakland pitcher Chris Hammond, but the pitch actually hit his ankles and no one believed it to be retaliation.
On the offensive side of the plate, my fantasy team hero Michael Young went 2 for 5 with a homer. Each Ranger batter scored at least one run and second baseman Alfonso Soriano had three hits.
There was an interesting scoring situation that came up in the top of the fourth. (WARNING – if you find baseball scoring tedious and boring then skip to the next paragraph!). The Rangers were up 4-3 with one out and the bases loaded (Barajas on 3rd, E. Young on 2nd, M. Young on 1st). The infield was playing “mid-way” to try to get the double play. Mark Teixeira hit a one-hop shot to first baseman Scott Hatteberg. The ball kicked off Hatteberg’s glove in the direction of second baseman Mark McLemore, who grabbed the ball and tossed it toward pitcher Mark Redman covering first. But McLemore’s throw sailed over Redman’s head. Barajas and E. Young scored on the play. M. Young wound up at third and Teixeira was safe at first. The official scorer gave 2 errors – one to first baseman Hatteberg for botching the grounder and one to McLemore for the overthrow at first. Apparently he ruled that McLemore had no chance of getting Teixeira at first after Hatteberg had botched the original grounder, but was at fault for allowing E. Young to score and M. Young to advance to third. The rest of the inning continued with a solid single from Alfonso Soriano to score M. Young and then the next 2 hitters hit fly outs. Now I’m going to try to reconstruct the inning for purposes of determining Mark Redman’s earned run responsibilities. Having ruled that Hatteberg should have gotten an out from the grounder (we can never assume a double play even though he was playing for one!), the scorer should assume that he throws to second to get M. Young, rather than going home or to first, since he was positioned for the double play. Barajas scores on the play so that run is earned. E. Young stops at third and Teixeira reaches first. There are now two outs. When Soriano singled E. Young would have scored and Teixeira would have reached second, so E. Young’s run is earned. The next batter would have made the last out. The final tally for the inning then is 3 runs, only 2 of which are earned. The assumption of what Hatteberg would do is key. If you assume he comes home then you end up with 2 earned runs, but if you assume he takes the easy out at first you end up with 3 earned runs. Of course, if one is able to assume the double play on a hard hit grounder you could calculate 0 earned runs.
The Oakland Gearhard Line was one lousy polish sausage, one mirror pond pale ale, and two bottles of water.
I paid $13 for parking at the stadium lot. A field box seat cost me $32.
No foul balls came anywhere near me. Again.
No one was ejected as far as I can tell. However, there was one nice looking lady in my section who was very drunk for the whole game. Wearing a tiny denim mini-skirt and pink high heels she approached most of the people sitting near her, and really wanted me to tell her everything about scoring a baseball game. I felt sorry for the guy who was with her and who really had no choice but to let her burn herself out.

Next up: San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants, Friday September 17th

Tim

2004-09-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Game #29 -- Network Associates Coliseum and the Oakland A's are comparing Hudson, Mulder, and Zito to Babe Ruth

2004-09-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Game #29 -- Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland California

2004-09-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

Game #29 -- The view from my seat at Network Associates

Game #28 – San Diego Padres @ Colorado Rockies: There Can’t Be Anything Bad About a Ballpark Named After Beer

2004-09-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Friday September 10th, Coors Field, Denver Colorado

By the time September comes around the contenders play for serious and the pretenders play for next year. The San Diego Padres are just a few games out of the National League Wild Card spot. They’re a young team and I think at least a year away from having a playoff year, but they’re playing with all the intensity of a playoff team. On the other hand, the Colorado Rockies are 20 games behind the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers. They’re taking full advantage of the expanded 40-man rosters, playing the youngsters, and hoping that not too many opposing longballs fly through the thin air at Coors.
So it was to be expected that the eventual outcome would be a Padres win by the score of 10-4, or something like it. Ryan Klesko, Khalil Greene, and Xavier Nady homered for the Padres. (Note that K. Greene hails from Butler P A.) Starter Brian Lawrence got the win even though he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits and a walk through 6+ innings of work.
Rockies starter Shawn Estes, a veteran, pitched 6 innings allowing 4 runs but didn’t incur the loss. He did, however, set my unofficial record for most 55 foot curveballs thrown in a single game – I counted 5. One of them hit Jay Payton on a bounce for the easiest hit-batsman I’ve ever witnessed.
After Estes left after 6 and a third, Colorado brought in a series of three youngsters to test their mettle:
1) Tim Harikkala, first full year in the majors. The line: 0 innings pitched, 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk. Suffered the loss.
2) Allen Simpson, rookie. The line: 1.2 innings pitched, 0 runs, 0 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. Has a mean fastball when he can master it.
3) Chris Gissell, 3rd appearance in the majors. The line: 1 inning, 4 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout. Not ready for prime time.
As I said, there can’t be anything bad about a ballpark named after a beer. But, before you go inside Coors Field spend some time in the “Lower Downtown” (or “LoDo”) area next to the park. This is the best after-game entertainment area for any of the major league parks, with San Diego’s “Gas Light” district coming in second. Of special interest is the Wynkoop Brewery (18th & Wynkoop). It’s one of the oldest microbreweries I know of, and has a darn fine pool hall on the second floor. It’s good for dinner before or after the game as well. There’s now at least a dozen other bars and restaurants in the area, many using some or all of the following words in their names: steakhouse, brewery, chop house, etc.
Once inside Coors, you can’t help but notice that they have their own “brewpub” on the main concourse near the right field corner. It features brews of the Sandlot Brewing Company, which I think is really just a specialty subdivision of Coors Beer Company, but it have some fine ales anyway.
Perhaps my only complaint about Coors is that they have too many seats. They built a huge outfield seating area behind right field, including upper deck seats. Tickets for these seats were easily sold in the early days of the Rockies existence but now they just sit empty and block the view of the city behind it.
Of special note, I encountered a deaf lady working the cashier’s spot at the hot dog stand inside Coors. Her colleagues had a series of hand signals to help her in case she needed it. You wouldn’t even realize she was deaf unless you were paying attention.
Tonight’s Gearhard Line consisted of one large Chicago Dog and a pint of Sandlot ESB from aforementioned on-premises pub. Ever notice that a food named after a place is “over-done” whenever you buy that food far away from that place? I have anyway, and I found the Coors Field Chicago Dog spicier than any dog I’ve had in Illinois.
I paid $10 for parking at the first lot I could find near Coors. Then I saw $8 parking advertised around the corner from the Wynkoop. Oh well. A field box seat cost me $36, which is about league average.
No foul balls came anywhere near me.
No one was ejected as far as I can tell. In fact, few people even left their seat for cover while it was raining in the late innings.

Next up: Texas Rangers @ Oakland Athletics, Tuesday September 14th

Tim

2004-09-11T12:18:00.001-07:00

Game #28 -- Outfield fountain and main scoreboard at Coors Field

2004-09-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Game #28 -- Coors Field, Denver Colorado

2004-09-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Game #28 -- The view from my seat at Coors Field

Game #27 – Cleveland Indians @ Seattle Mariners: Ichiro’s House

2004-09-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Monday September 6th, Safeco Field, Seattle Washington

Believe it or not, Safeco Field reminds me of Yankee Stadium. The reason is that Yankee Stadium is “the House that Ruth Built” while Safeco should be called “the House that Ichiro Built.” Well, he didn’t build it, but he is responsible for filling it every night and he’s the very soul of the crowd at the game.
Safeco is the most unique ballpark I’ve seen so far. At Safeco, you commonly see families of Japanese tourists who have crossed the ocean to see him. For their benefit, many of the scoreboard announcements are in English and Japanese. Also unique to Safeco is the “Sushi and Sake” stand where you can choose from the “Ichiro Roll” or the “Ichiro Combo”. Japanese waiting staff are available to help with your selections. (I did partake in some Sake, see the Gearhard Line section below.)
The night started with an award presented to Ichiro for having reached 200 hits in the 2004 season. Reaching 200 hits in each of his first four years in the bigs ties a major league record. Currently, Mariners fans are watching Ichiro closing in on George Sisler’s old record of 257 hits in a single season.
Ichiro had 224 hits to start the night and added two more during the game against the Indians C.C. Sabathia. Unfortunately for the M’s, Sabathia allowed only 3 other hits to the entire Seattle line-up (2 to Edgar Martinez) and the Tribe won 5-0. Despite the Ichiro hoopla, C.C. was the real star, pitching a complete game shutout while striking out eight and walking only one.
Sabathia throws in the upper 90’s, but he seems to be most effective when throwing his curves and off-speed pitches and using his heater only when he needs a 3rd strike.
On the other side, Mariner starter Gil Meche also struck out eight but allowed even fewer hits – 4 – than Sabathia’s 5. Unfortunately 3 of those 4 hits were home runs by Omar Vizquel, Travis Hafner, and Casey Blake. Indian left fielder Matt Lawton hit another homer in the 9th against M’s reliever George Sherrill to make the final tally for both teams 5 hits.
There were no errors or other weird plays.
Game time temperature was a mere 65 degrees Farenheit. Fall is here.
The ballpark is in an old industrial area just south of downtown Seattle. The bad news is that there’s no tailgating. The good news is that there’s a decent brewpub right across from the entrance called the Pyramid Ale House. Try the Apricot Ale – it’s widely marketed throughout the Northwest.
Safeco has a sliding “running roof” rather than a “retractable” roof. The roof was open tonight, but I’m told that when it’s closed the ballpark gets that warehouse feeling that others have complained about at MinuteMaid and the Bob.
My Gearhard Line before the game included a Rain City Stout and an Unfiltered Amber Ale from the Alehouse across the street. Inside the park I had one polish sausage, a 5-inch Papa John’s pizza, a chili bread bowl and a small Starbucks coffee ($2.75!!). I had missed breakfast and was also trying to keep warm. Rounding out the Gearhard Line was a glass of warm Sake from the Sushi and Sake stand. Count me as someone who calls sushi “bait”. They poured my sake from a cooled plastic jug – no brand names whatsoever. I wonder if they sell moonshine this way in Tennessee? Anyway it was good, and kept me warm all night.
I paid a mere $5 for parking in some warehouse lot a few blocks away. The ticket, however, set me back a whopping $50.
One foul ball whizzed directly over my head and hit a guy right in the hands 10 rows behind me. The guy next to him got the rebound. Foiled again!
No one was ejected as far as I can tell.

Next up: San Diego Padres @ Colorado Rockies, Friday September 10th

Tim

2004-09-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Game #27 -- Ichiro is honored before the game for yet another 200-hit season, tieing the record for most consecutive 200-hit seasons to begin a career.

2004-09-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Game #27 -- Safeco Field, Seattle Washington

2004-09-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

Game #27 -- The view from my seat at Safeco Field

Game #26 – Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs: How I Came to Hate Wrigley Field

2004-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday August 25th, Wrigley Field, Chicago Illinois

When it came time to schedule Wrigley Field on this tour, I was determined that it be a mid-week day game. Day game – that’s the first thought that enters my mind when I think of Wrigley.
There are fewer day games at Wrigley these days, and I’m not sure why since the place will sell out regardless of time or opponent. Luckily, I went ticket shopping for this game back in May. Today’s date, August 25th, was the only date I could find that was a day game and wasn’t sold out. That was back in May!
The seat they gave me, aisle 204 Reserved, didn’t look bad from the seating chart. It was far down the left field line and in the middle of the second level. However, as you can see from the pictures below, my seat formed a straight line with the pitcher’s mound, 3rd base, and a steel support I-bar, with the girder in the middle of that line. I could only see Greg Maddux by leaning far to the left; I couldn’t see 3rd base at all.
I can’t forgive Wrigley Field for the sin of support girders. After all, I paid the see the game and I can’t even see the pitcher – all the “ambiance” and so forth comes extra.
As the sightlines were aggravating me, I came up with a list of other things I didn’t like:
-- The scoreboard is too small to list all the games in the major leagues (it can only show 12 at a time).
-- There’s no scoreboard to display the lineups.
-- They didn’t even announce the starting lineups!
-- The big promotion of the day was an Andy Pafko card giveaway. Who is Andy Pafko? He hit .298 with 110 RBI in 1945 – the last year the Cubs won the pennant. The Cubs have to reach back 60 years to get heroes.
Now I’m an official Wrigley Field hater. Coincidentally, it’s been in the news this week that a small piece of concrete fell from the stands onto a fan below and that Wrigley’s foundation may be crumbling!
To fix Wrigley the need to remove the upper deck entirely and replace it so that the girders don’t obstruct fans views. They also should add some more scoreboard space somewhere. It’s 2004 and the newer parks just make Wrigley look like crap.
After waiting an hour and a half for the rain to clear, I saw Greg Maddux duel Milwaukee’s Doug Davis to a 1-1 tie through 7 innings. (I wish I could have seen more of it!) The relievers took over in the 8th – Luis Vizcaino for the Brewers and LaTroy Hawkins for the Cubs. Hawkins allowed a run in the 9th but Vizcaino surrendered 3 runs (2 homers) in the 8th and 9th and the Cubs won 4-2.
My Gearhard Line during the rain delay was a Chicago-style dog (yum), an Italian sausage (avoid!), 1 Old Style beer, 1 peanut and chocolate covered ice cream bar.
I paid $1.75 each way on the Red Line from downtown. I stayed at Hotel 71 on East Wacker Drive across from the Chicago Sun-Times building for actually a reasonable rate considering it was mid-week. My view of the steel girder from the 2nd level cost me $20.
No foul balls nearby and the steel girder gave me an extra sense of security. Not!
No one was ejected as far as I can tell.
Andy Pafko sung “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
There’s one last note that I’d like to mention. I left my obstructed view seat in the 8th and moved one row down and seven seats over so that I could see the pitcher again. My new neighbors commiserated with me about the views and also told me that they get to go to PNC occasionally and think its great.
I sat with these guys as LaTroy Hawkins gave up the tying run in the top of the 9th, blowing Maddux’s chances for the win (“We need Borowski back,” they complained). Then in the bottom of the 9th, Mark Grudzielanek doubled and reached third on right fielder Brady Clark’s throwing error. Man on third and no out. Perfect opportunity for a Cubs choke! Catcher Paul Bako popped out for the first out. I’ll never forget what the guy next to me said about that. As many were booing, he said, “That’s OK, That’s OK Bako, you hit a home run earlier today and we can’t expect you to do everything.” After a pop out from Todd Walker Corey Patterson hit a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall to win the game. And there was much rejoicing!
It’s rare to see such positive thinking among Pirate fans. Maybe the Cubs aren’t so bad after all.

Next up: Cleveland Indians @ Seattle Mariners, Monday September 6th

Tim

2004-08-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Game #26 -- The crummy view from my seat at Wrigley Field. The steel girder is actually 10 rows in front of me; I had to lean to the left to get Greg Maddux in the picture on the mount; there are thousands of seats in Wrigley with similar "girder" issues

2004-08-27T20:38:00.001-07:00

Game #26 -- Near rainout this afternoon at Wrigley

2004-08-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Game #26 -- Wrigley Field, Chicago Illinois

2004-08-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Game #26 -- Statue of broadcaster Harry Caray in front of Wrigley Field

Game #25 – Arizona Diamondbacks @ Pittsburgh Pirates: The Best, The Best By Far

2004-08-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Monday August 23rd, PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

PNC is the best ballpark in the land. I’ve seen 25 parks on this trip so far, and I’ve previously been to all 5 of the remaining parks on the trip. There’s no surprise about my conclusion, even though I’m biased in favor of my hometown park since fact many other unbiased published travelers have already said the same thing.
What’s actually surprising is that PNC is so MUCH better than anything else out there:
LOOK AND FEEL – No other park can compare with the view from a seat at PNC Park, which includes a great view of downtown Pittsburgh and the gold-painted Clemente Bridge over the Allegheny River. San Diego, St. Louis, and Atlanta are the closest comparions and they don’t compare.
SEATING – There are no bad seats at PNC which is a trademark of the newer parks, except for some centerfield seats at Camden Yards have obstructed views of right field. Older parks have seats built for football and don’t face toward the infield. The much vaunted Wrigley Field and Fenway Park both have obstructed views behind steel girders.
PRICE – I spent a combined $28 for a Field Box seat and close by parking. The average is about $35. Food prices at PNC are in line with other parks around the league.
FAN FEATURES – PNC has a Riverwalk that’s actually stone-throwing distance from the river (unlike Great American Ballpark). PNC has Pierogie races, Miller Park in Milwaukee has Sausage races, and no one else has anything like it. Many of the between-inning scoreboard games are standard amongst the parks (cartoon races, find the ball under the hat, etc.), but PNC’s version of a reality TV show featuring Bucs, ex-Bucs and the Pirate General Manager David Littlefield is really unique.
FOOD – Like other parks you have a wide variety of foods and beers available at PNC, but you can’t get pierogies anywhere except PNC Park.
TRAFFIC/HASSLE – All downtown ballparks have a disadvantage here, but at least at PNC the parking is spread among many nearby lots and garages, rather than confined to just a few.
CROWDING – No such thing at PNC, the concourses are wide and easy to get through. Citizens Bank Park, Petco Park, and Miller Park are also very good in this respect.
Now for the team. We have a couple of .300 hitters and a couple of good young pitchers, but there are still some holes. Rookie Jason Bay looks good batting third for the Bucs and Craig Wilson is a bona fide power hitter in the 4th/5th slot. What the Bucs need are some left-handed power and some improvement in hitting out of the second and third baseman. Oliver Perez is already an all-league ace, and I have high hopes for Sean Burnett and John Van Benschoten, who pitched tonight.
Johnny V, as I hear he’s been called in AAA Nashville, allowed 4 runs and 6 hits in the first 3 innings. Then he settled down to retire 13 batters in order between the 3rd and Danny Bautista’s single in the 7th. The Bucs also scored 4 runs in the first 3 innings, highlighted by Johnny V’s 2-run homer. Although a pitcher, JVB has quite the hitting capability. On a side note, I absolutely hate the expression “helping his own cause” when discussing a pitcher’s batting exploits. It’s a team game and it should always be everyone’s cause.
The game was decided in the 9th when the Diamondback’s Carlos Baerga pinch hit and opened the inning with a single. He was sacrificed to second and scored on Alex Cintron’s bouncer up the middle. Sometimes that’s all it takes – two little hits and a bunt. That’s why you need closers who STRIKE OUT people. The Bucs have future closer Mike Gonzalez, who pitched the 8th, but John Grabow pitched the 9th and he wasn’t good enough.
My hometown Gearhard Line was a Penn Golden Ale washed down with an order of cheese/potato pierogies and some cinnamon roasted almonds. The pierogies were great. I originally asked for one order each of cheese pierogies and potato pierogies, but was able to sweettalk the nice lady into giving me one order of half each type when I saw how much food I had actually ordered. They wouldn’t do that for you in Miami.
We paid $5 for parking in the garage at the downtown end of Clemente Bridge. Front row Field Box seats cost only $23 – the lowest Field Box prices I can think of.
No foul balls came screaming near my head. However, an infield warmup throw got past Craig Wilson, hit the railing right in front of me and bounced all the back to the foul line. No dice on that souvenir, and besides it wouldn’t have been an “official” foul ball anyway.
No one was ejected as far as I can tell. Are you kidding?

Next up: Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs, Wednesday August 25th

Tim

2004-08-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Game #25 -- The Pirate Parrot greets fans, while the first base umpire glares.

2004-08-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Game #25 -- The view from my seat at PNC Park. That's the front row railing in the left foreground. It's great having front row seats.

2004-08-25T21:29:00.001-07:00

Game #25 -- Playland batting diamond at PNC Park. The only major league park where your youngster can hit a homer into the river.

2004-08-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

Game #25 -- Clemente Bridge (formerly the 6th street bridge) connecting PNC Park with downtown Pittsburgh, taken from within the River Walk at PNC Park.

2004-08-25T21:26:00.001-07:00

Game #25 -- PNC Park with Clemente Bridge and downtown Pittsburgh in the background

2004-08-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Game #25 -- PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

2004-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Game #25 -- There's absolute bedlam at the finish line of the Pierogie races at PNC Park

Game #24 – Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles: Two Teams out of Contention

2004-08-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Friday August 20th, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore Maryland

T.S. Eliot wrote that April is the cruelest month. Instead, I think it’s August in Baltimore when the O’s are out of contention. At game time the temperature is in the 90s (92 tonight) and so is the humidity, making my blood pressure rise into the 90s as well.
Baltimore is one of America’s consummate baseball towns, so it’s depressing to have to see a game between two teams that are both far out of contention behind the Yankees for first place in the east, and also far out of contention for the wild card spot.
Well, that’s enough complaining for one post.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the ballpark most often cited as first instance of the “new-old style” ballpark. This was my second visit here; whenever my third visit comes it will be well worth it also.
Here’s a chronology of tonight’s visit to Camden Yards:
1) Start early by dropping by the Wharf Rat microbrewery on Pratt Street across a few blocks from the park. They’ll have about 10 varieties of beer on tap under the brand name “Oliver’s brews.” If you’re lucky like I was tonight, you’ll get to meet the Bud girl and the Bud Light girl passing out Budweiser stuff. (Sidenote: winner of the BudGirl Bowl tonight is Bud).
2) Before entering the park, review the food possibilities offered by the street vendors in front of the park, including grilled sausages, etc.
3) Review the statue of Babe Ruth, and the numbers of retired Orioles.
4) Enter the gate.
5) Stroll down Eutaw street. Choose among Boog’s Barbeque, a ribs stand, a Guiness stand, and an Irish pub inside the old warehouse.
6) Walk around the wide concourse to your seat. Be thankful that you don’t have a seat in the centerfield outfield section – the right field wall would jut out in front of you and cut off your view of plays in the right field corner.
7) Stand at attention during the “Star Spangled Banner.” Cringe as the crowd loudly yells “O’s” near the end of the song at the line “Oh Say …”
As for the game, the O’s lost 14-4 to the Blue Jays. During the nine innings the O’s somehow managed to surrender a grand slam to ninth-hitting shortstop Chris Woodward of the Jays, who is very happy just to be above the Mendoza line. In the 5th with a runner on second base Baltimore right fielder Jay Gibbons fielded a single off the bat of Toronto’s Orlando Hudson. The runner, Alexis Rios, at first held at third. Then Gibbons inexplicably made a throw to third and Rios scampered home as the Oriole’s third baseman received the throw. The crowd booed, and rightly so. Toronto’s third baseman Eric Hinske hit a 3-run homer.
The Gearhard Line tonight consisted of a much awaited sample of Boog’s barbeque, together with beans and coleslaw, a Breyer’s ice cream cone, and washed down with a pale ale and a bottle of water. I also stopped for a pint at the Wharf Rat on Pratt Street outside the ballpark before the game and had a polish sausage from a street vendor after the game. I successfully avoided Max’s at the Yards, next to the Wharf Rat, which boasts over 100 different beers on tap.
I paid $10 for parking in downtown Baltimore and somehow found my way out. My cramped seat set me back $55 but it did have padding.
No foul balls came anywhere near me which is just as well since I was so wedged into my seat that I wouldn’t have been able to fight for one.
No one was ejected as far as I can tell.

Next up: Arizona Diamondbacks @ Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday August 23rd

Tim

2004-08-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Game #24: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore Maryland

2004-08-22T17:46:00.001-07:00

Game #24: The view from my seat at Camden Yards

2004-08-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Game #24: Statue of Babe Ruth at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore but never played for the Orioles)

Game #23 – Detroit Tigers @ Chicago White Sox: Southside Slop

2004-08-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday August 17th, U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago Illinois

It was a very sloppy day on the south side of Chicago. After waiting an hour for a thunderstorm to pass, I watched the Tigers beat the hometown White Sox 11-8 in a game that had ten pitchers, four wild pitches and three total errors. There were a few more questionable fielding plays, but the official scorer chose to blame those on the puddles in the field. Each of the starters was sloppy too. Recent Chicago acquisition Freddie Garcia pitched four and a third innings allowing 9 runs on 11 hits including 4 homers. Tiger left-hander Mike Maroth, often referred to as “the crafty lefthander or the Glavine-like lefthander, had trouble finding the strike zone and was charged with 5 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits and 4 walks in five and a third innings. (I was hoping for better from Maroth, who pitched a 1-hitter against the Yankees when I saw him in Detroit in July.) With Detroit clinging to a 9-8 lead in the 9th, ex-Buc prospect Damaso Marte allowed the Tigers 2 ninth-inning insurance runs on a homer, a hit batsman, and a single.
The lowlight of the game came in the 5th when White Sox reliever Neil Cotts threw three wild pitches in the same inning. He allowed a total of two runs to score that way, including one by a runner who started at first and was advanced to each successive base, and ultimately home, by a wild pitch. Both of Cotts’ “wild pitch” runs were actually charged to starter Freddie Garcia and none to himself, and so I wonder if Cotts might have done this intentionally so as to further damage the statistics of his overpaid teammate.
What a mess.
The south side of Chicago is no better than their team, and anyone who has been there or driven the Dan Ryan Expressway will say the same. You’ll notice that while many new ballparks have open outfields to show off a city skyline, U.S. Cellular has placed large advertisements to block the view beyond the outfield wall. See the picture below. However, they have an outfield deck and a concourses here as an homage to the “new ballpark” style.
When I was in Chicago last year I had tickets to a Friday night game at U.S. Cellular and had a great time. They had Elvis impersonators entertaining the crowd outside the stadium before the game, a fireworks show after the game, and an Elvis concert after that. There wasn’t anything special tonight though.
Today’s Gearhard Line included 1 Polish Dog (good) and 1 Brat (not), most of a bag of peanuts, a Leinenkugel’s Red Lager (good - from Chippewa Falls Wisconsin) and a Miller Genuine Draft (not). I don’t order Thai food from Chinese restaurants and I should have known better than to order a bratwurst when outside Wisconsin.
Being paranoid about Chicago traffic, I arrived at 5:30 for a 7:05 game and found parking next to the stadium for $16. If you can find a way to park and ride in the Chicago area you can take the Red Line train directly to the Field for just a few bucks. I paid 28 bucks for my seat and felt cheated. One big problem was that I was sitting on the aisle and was constantly having to look around people walking to and from the concession stands. There are some ballparks that have ushers stopping foot traffic down the aisles until the end of the inning. What a good idea that would be here. Additionally, four ten-year-old boys sat next to me and had to get out of their seats every other inning to check if better seats were available further down. All in all, it was a sloppy, unpleasant experience.
No foul balls came anywhere near me and so I had no chance to knock over the kids next to me.
No one was ejected as far as I can tell, but scores of people left early, including a strikingly pretty tall, lithe brunette who sat with her father and boyfriend about 5 rows in front of me.

Next up: Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles, Friday August 20th

Tim

2004-08-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Game #23: The view from my seat at U.S. Cellular Field

2004-08-19T12:10:00.001-07:00

Game #23: The scoreboard and outfield ads at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago

2004-08-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Game #23: U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago Illinois

Game #22 – Minnesota Twins @ Cleveland Indians: Blame the Tribe’s Loss on the Guy in the Green T-Shirt and Grey Cap Who Sat in Front of Me

2004-08-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 15th, Jacobs Field, Cleveland Ohio

Superstition plays a big part in baseball. You never see a pitcher step on the foul line between the mound and the dugout no matter how fast his fastball. Each batter has a catalog of movements he goes through before each at bat. Ask the Chicago Cubs about black cats and the Boston Red Sox about the “curse of the Bambino”. For those of you reading this outside the United States, the “curse of the Bambino” was the curse put on the Boston Red Sox by Babe Ruth after the 1918 season in retaliation for them selling his contract to the New York Yankees – a very disrespectful act towards the best baseball player of all time. Adding insult to injury, the Red Sox owner wanted the money so that he could finance a Broadway play called “No No Nanette”. The Red Sox have not won a world series since that year. For my wishes I hope the Sox are never “un-cursed” – there’s no forgiving selling baseball for a sing-song musical!
So here’s the story: the game between the first place Twins and the second place Indians (known affectionately as the “Tribe” in these parts) is all tied at 2-2 after nine innings. For my part I’m nervous because it’s time for extra innings and my scorebook only has columns for 10 innings, no more room after that. The batters have been anemic all afternoon and we might go another nine innings before anyone scores.
This is a big game for Cleveland – they’re only one game behind Minnesota for the American League Central Division lead, far exceeding pre-season expectations. The crowd is going wild with anticipation; no one has left early. I’m pulling for the Tribe as well – with few exceptions it’s more fun to pull for the home team unless the Pirates are involved.
Leading the cheers is the guy sitting in front of me. He’s wearing a green T-shirt and a grey baseball cap. He’s the crowd instigator, being the loudest yeller and the first to stand up in crucial spots. He has his two young daughters with him. During the game we had chatted about scoring, he asking me why scorers use a “K” for a strikeout and me not having a ready answer.
Now comes the moment of fate. With one out and one on base in the top of the 10th, Twins third baseman Corey Koskie swings and misses at strike two from Cleveland reliever Rick White. The guy in the green t-shirt and grey cap turns to me and says “you can just put a ‘K’ in that book right now.” “No!” I corrected him, “You never score anything before it happens because it’s bad luck.” Just as the guy in the green t-shirt and grey cap turns back to face the action, Corey Koskie hits the next pitch deep to center field and over the wall for a 2-run homer. The guy in the green t-shirt and grey cap holds his head in his hands and just stares at the ground below him.
The Indians failed to score in the bottom of the 10th against Minnesota closer Joe Nathan and Minnesota won 4-2.
It was a memorable afternoon where one little thing might make the difference. Old timer Terry Mulholland held the tribe to 2 runs (1 unearned) and 6 hits over eight innings. Cleveland trotted out five effective pitchers before settling on Rick White to pitch the 10th. Regardless of the outcome, it was a glorious summer day with a strong wind blowing in off the lake that made the center field American flag flap and unfurl, dominating the view of the Cleveland skyline behind it.
2004 is the 10th anniversary of the opening of Jacobs Field. Along with Camden Yards in Baltimore, Jacobs Field was one of the first “old-style” new ballparks in major league baseball and it’s been much copied. I think I can summarize the main features which go into one of the new “old-style” ballparks:
-- open outfield with a view of the city behind it;
-- fewer total seats but improved views for all;
-- wide concourses (20 feet or more) behind the seating areas, allowing for ample walkspace and extra concessions;
-- steel girder construction rather than formed concrete, giving the structure a more open look and feel;
-- uneven outfield walls and other playing field quirks intended to give the field a unique character;
-- extra details on the scoreboard for out-of-town scores;
-- natural grass instead of artificial turf (even for parks with retractable roofs);
-- a picnic area for families;
-- an open outfield deck;
-- finally, built for baseball only with the seats angled and positioned for best views of the game.
Some of the newer ballparks have improved on Jacobs Field, so I couldn’t say that it ranks among the very best ballparks any more, although it beats the hell out of Cincinnati. Regardless of comparisons to newer parks, it’s still a great treat to see a game here because of all the things that were designed so well.
For today’s game, the venerated Gearhard Line is as follows: 1 Jumbo Hot Dog with brown mustard (brown mustard is standard at Jacobs Field); 1 order of excellent Onion Rings; and 1 bottle of Eliot Ness Porter from the Great Lakes Brewing Company (unfortunately not so good).
Parking near the field cost $10. I paid $40 for my seat behind home plate. After the game there are only a few places you can go to for a beer, etc. Expect to spend a lot of time in traffic leaving the area. If it’s a Sunday, expect everything to be shut down in downtown Cleveland. It happened to me today and I haven’t seen anything like it. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is 10 blocks away and strategically closes at 5:30 – allowing baseball fans after the game to walk from Jacobs Field to the Hall of Fame just in time for the doors to be locked.
No foul balls came anywhere near me, again.
No one was ejected as far as I can tell.

Next up: Detroit Tigers @ Chicago White Sox, Tuesday August 17th

Tim

2004-08-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Game #22: Chad Durbin pitching for Cleveland. The grey cap of the Indian-jinxer is in the foreground (see story)

2004-08-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Game #22: The view from my seat at Jacobs Field

2004-08-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Game #22: Jacobs Field, Cleveland Ohio

Game #21 – San Diego Padres @ Cincinnati Reds: Who Needs Ken Griffey Jr.?

2004-08-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 14th, Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Ohio

First of all, I didn’t know that there was such a thing as the “Great American Insurance Company” until I saw its sign at the top of a Cincinnati skyscraper. The Cincinnati Reds have the distinction of being the first professional baseball team in the world and I thought they had named their brand new ballpark as an indicator of that status. I had thought I would be going to “The Great American Ballpark” featuring “The Great American Baseball Team” in “The Great American Middle West”. If Jack Armstrong hadn’t retired I could also see “The Great American Boy” pitching for the Reds as well.
Now that I’ve seen it and know its name doesn’t have a “The” in front of it, the sportswriters’ moniker “Pretty Good Ballpark” makes perfect sense. I got the feeling that Cincinnatians desired very little else than a “new-look” park and that it be built on the same section of river front that Riverfront Stadium occupied. Here’s what’s wrong with the Riverfront replacement:
-- there’s no view of anything special beyond the outfield wall. See my picture below – there’s nothing there. From an upper deck seat you might see an empty Kentucky shoreline though.
-- it’s surrounded by a vacant lot, an arena, and 2 roadways so there’s no place to park/tailgate. The closest after-game watering hole is several blocks away in downtown Cincy.
-- you can’t find many specialty foods or beers inside. Why can’t the massive German population in Cincy produce a “Big Red Machine Red Ale”?
-- just as in the insurance business, the ballpark’s designers took very few risks vis-a-vis special features and as a result there’s very little that’s memorable about the experience.
My Gearhard line was an anemic Big Red Smoky hot dog and 2 bottles of water. Of course, I didn’t have much of an appetite after having a full dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery before the game.
I have a good thing and a bad thing to say about the Cincinnati fans. The bad thing is that they need to get with the program and wear more red clothing. About 90% of the St. Louis fans wear red to Busch Stadium while only half the Reds fans wear their home team’s colors.
The good thing is that they’re pretty knowledgeable about their baseball. Here’s a trivia question that flashed on the scoreboard in the 5th: “Name the four pitchers who pitched perfect games during the 1990s.” I remembered David Wells’ game for the Yankees but didn’t know if it came during the 1990s and so couldn’t name any of the four for certain. Then I overheard the people in front of me say, “Call grandma Tisch, she’ll know.” Out came the cell phone. A call was placed. I overheard them repeating the first three names, “Dennis Martinez, David Wells, David Cone.” A few innings later the scoreboard provided the fourth name, Kenny Rogers of Texas. Lesson: Don’t argue baseball with any grandma from Cincinnati.
There was a pretty good game today and the star of the show was one Wily Mo Pena, centerfielder for the Reds. Wily Mo was taking over center for the recently injured, perennially injured once-upon-a-time superstar Ken Griffey, Jr. Wily Mo first impressed by making a spectactular 2nd inning catch that robbed the Padres Khalil Greene of a sure double or triple. The catch looked like someone running straight into a brick wall and hitting it at the same time the ball hits his glove. Somehow, miraculously, the ball stayed in the glove and conscious thought stayed in Wily Mo’s brain.
Later on, with the score 5-2 Padres in the 5th, Wily Mo hit a ball some 470 feet into the upper deck in center bringing in two runners before him to tie the game at 5. He added another blast in the 7th. Fellow Reds outfielders Adam Dunn and Darren Bragg each homered as well. The final score came to 11-5 Cincinnati over the San Diego Padres. Brian Lawrence took the loss for the Pads, falling apart in the bottom of the 6th after having to do a little base running in the top of the inning. The ageless Rod Beck pitched one inning for San Diego and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits. All in all, the Padres don’t play like they believe they’re in a pennant race.
I unintentionally bought a seat in the full-service section and so had waiters waiting on me even though I wasn’t hungry. It cost me $65 for the privilege. A normal Field Box ticket costs $30. On the bright side, a couple of the players’ swimsuit model girlfriends/wives sat nearby.
The tycoon sitting next to me ordered a $3.50 bottle of water, paid with a 10 dollar bill, and when the vendor brought his change he let him have the bills but kept the 50 cents for himself. He’s a state quarter collector I guess.
I parked in a downtown Cincinnati garage (it was a weekend day) and paid a mere $1.
No foul balls came anywhere near me. It’s getting late in the tour and I’m concerned I won’t get one.
No one was ejected as far as I can tell.
I was listening to Cincinnati sports radio while driving away after the game and heard the Cincy guys speculating about Wily Mo’s future with the Reds after Griffey comes back next year. Griffey would move to first, they thought, since the Reds now have five good outfielders – Pena, Griffey, Dunn, Austin Kearns, and Bragg. Current first baseman Sean Casey would be traded for some pitching help. Could the Bucs trade Kip Wells for Sean Casey? I’d take the deal in a heartbeat.

Next up: Minnesota Twins @ Cleveland Indians, Saturday August 15th

Tim

2004-08-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Game #21: Mural of the 1976 Reds, known as "The Big Red Machine" who some claim to be the best team ever. Left to right: Griffey, Perez, Bench, Morgan, Rose, Concepcion, Foster, and Geronimo.

2004-08-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

Game #21: Mural of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team

2004-08-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Game #21: Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Ohio

2004-08-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

Game #21: The view from my seat at Great American Ballpark

Game #20 – New York Mets @ St. Louis Cardinals: A Difference in Middle Relief

2004-08-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 7th, Busch Stadium, St. Louis Missouri

I think there has to be something about playing a day game after a night game that affects all the hitters, not just the old guys who get a day off. Today’s game, a Saturday afternoon affair, started at 12:20 pm which is just about the time the first cup of Starbucks coffee was wearing off. Starters Kris Benson (Mets) and Woody Williams (Cards) pitched nearly identical 7-inning outings, each allowing one run, striking out five, and hitting one batter. Benson allowed 4 hits and one walk; Woody Woodpecker, er, I mean Williams, allowed 2 hits and 2 walks. Nevertheless neither of these 2 guys seemed to be throwing dominant stuff, although ex-buc Benson was consistently in the 90s.
After 7 innings of weak hitting it came down to the bullpens. With the game tied 1-1 in the 8th neither manager was willing to bring out his closer. Instead, it became middle relief Russian roulette – trot out your middle relievers one by one and whoever gives up a run first loses. First up is Cal Eldred for the Cardinals and he gets through the top of the 8th allowing only one hit. Mets turn. Ricky Bottalico completes the bottom of the 8th with 2 strikeouts. Next up are Steve Kline and Julian Tavarez pitching the top of the 9th. Kline strikes out fellow left Cliff Floyd while Tavarez strikes out the next 2 righties.
As we go to the bottom of the 9th Bottalico stays in to face right-handed Scott Rolen and strikes him out. Mets manager calls for the left handed Mike Stanton to pitch to Jim Edmonds. Stanton is the bullet in the chamber, the weakest link, as he walks Edmonds and then John Mabry. Hector Luna, the next hitter, grounds out to second but the runners advance to second and third. New Cardinal Larry Walker is given an intentional pass to load the bases for rookie Yadier Molina. Molina blooped a single to center that, from where I sat, I thought should have been caught by Mets centerfielder Mike Cameron. But it wasn’t, and the Cardinals won the game 2-1. Actually, it all seemed inevitable, and it was nice to see the rookie be the hero.
I have to say that the Cardinal fans are just as cocky as the Yankee fans I saw a few weeks ago. I don’t know if this is a one-year thing or not. These folks are already looking forward to playing the Yankees in the World Series.
The fans gave Larry Walker a standing ovation before his first at bat as a redbird, and then he struck out.
Ex-buc Tony Womack had a lousy game, going 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Busch is one of the last cookie-cutter stadiums. The layout is round and without special features, expect for the replacement of the far upper deck outfield seats with an extra scoreboard and 2 pennant gardens – one for each World Championship and another for each retired number. The playing field is set one story below ground so from a Field Box seat you can see the St. Louis skyline, and the Gateway Arch, soaring above the arches in the stadium roof.
They’re currently digging up an adjacent parking lot to create the new Busch Stadium, set to open for the 2006 season. Trouble is that I can’t see how they can build the new Busch without tearing up the current one first, but I’m not an engineer.
Food at Busch lacks all the imagination of the round multi-purpose stadium. It’s the Budweiser baseball cathedral. I looked long and hard and found the one beer stand selling microbrews and had a Schlafly Pale Ale. I also found a Super Smokers bar-b-que stand in an outdoor area near the main entrance. So my Busch stadium Gearhard line was 1 order of St. Louis ribs, one corn-on-the-cob, 1 pale ale, all washed down with a footlong hot dog and 2 bottles of water. It was an afternoon game in St. Louis so most of the water went to cool off my hatless head.
I sat in the Field Box area, more than halfway down the right field line for $38. I got Saturday afternoon parking in a downtown garage for $4.
Several foul balls came near me, but I didn’t get one.
No one was ejected from the park as far as I can tell.

Next up: San Diego Padres @ Cincinnati Reds, Saturday August 14th

Tim

2004-08-09T15:00:00.001-07:00

Game #20: The view from my seat at Busch Stadium. Kris Benson pitching to Jim Edmonds.

2004-08-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Game #20: Artists view of the new Busch Stadium, to be ready in April 2006

2004-08-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Game #20: Busch Stadium, St. Louis Missouri

2004-08-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

Game #20: The outfield pennant garden at Busch Stadium with the Gateway Arch in the background.

Game #19 – Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City Royals: Who is This Guy?

2004-08-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday August 4th, Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City Missouri

Royals starter Brian Anderson began the night with an embarrassing 6.94 earned run average. Starter Scott Schoeneweis of the White Sox came in with a not-so-hot 4.89 earned run average. I figured I was in for a slugfest with slight advantage to the Sox.
Batting first and leading off the game for Chicago is Aaron Rowand who promptly doubles on an 0-1 pitch. Slugfest on? No, Anderson retires the next 3 White Sox in order. Then he sets them down 1-2-3 in the 2nd and gets the first 2 outs in the 3rd until Rowand comes to bat again. Anderson issues him a walk on a 3-2 pitch. From that point onwards Brian Anderson retires the next 17 batters in a row -- including Rowand on a fly to center in the 6th. Rowand’s turn comes around again with one out in the 9th and he promptly doubles on the first pitch, and later reaches third on a passed ball. Not flustered, Anderson strikes out Juan Uribe and gets Carlos Lee to fly to left to complete his complete game shut-out. Final line for Rowand: 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and a walk – not bad. Final line for the other eight spots in the White Sox lineup: 0 for 26 with seven stikeouts – pitiful! No post-season for you!
Who is this guy Brian Anderson? He doesn’t crack 90 mph on the radar gun and throws a curve or change in the low 70’s. His only mistakes all night were to Rowand and to Willie Harris who had a 6th inning home run taken away by Abraham Nunez’s leap over the right field wall. A southpaw, Anderson may have been helped by a stiff wind blowing left-to-right and knocking down the flies off righthanders bats.
There was a slugfest tonight but it was entirely at the expense of Sox starter Scott Schoeneweis. He suffered through a 7-run first inning capped off by a 3-run homer off the bat of ninth-hitting catcher John Buck (batting average .185). Schoeneweis was tagged for 2 more runs in the second and was sent to the showers after only one and one-third of an inning pitched. Kansas City added 2 more in the 7th to make the final score 11-0. John Buck went 3 for 4 and raised his average above the Mendoza line.
They drew 16,000 fans tonight to Kauffman Stadium, namesake of the owner who brought the Kansas City Royals into existence in 1969. There’s nothing spectacular about Kauffman -- no quirky mounds in center field, no old buildings down the left field line. It wouldn’t be Midwestern to have that. It is very pleasant though. Beyond the outfield wall are a series of fountains behind which lies a grassy hill and some rows of trees. Most of the fans get a good view of this as they’re watching the game, usually quietly, but with appropriate enthusiasm for a home team blast.
My Gearhard line came to 1 “Colossal” dog (not so colossal really), 1 Gates BBQ ham sandwich with sauce for a whopping $6.50 (so-so), and 1 corn-on-the-cob (can’t screw that up), washed down with a Boulevard Pale Ale (only ok). Boulevard Brewery is the “big” local microbrewer in KC and one of the original micros established in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. I was a little disappointed in the Gates and Boulevard fare I got at Kauffman so I’m going to stay in KC an extra day and see if I can find some better local food. KC, along with St. Louis and Memphis, is famous for barbeque and I want to taste the goods.
Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium (KC Chiefs football) make up the Truman Sports Complex right off I-70 east of downtown and are easy to find. If every venue were to be allotted at least one award then Kauffman would get the “easy to find” award. You have to park in the stadium parking lots which will cost you $8. Tailgating is expressly permitted – the signs say so -- but I didn’t see any going on. Maybe because it was a weekday night game and not a Sunday, or maybe only Chiefs fans tailgate, I don’t know.
I sat in the Club Level for $25, in a regular seat but near some luxury boxes. The Royals consider this level special and charge the same amount as a Field Box seat. I’d prefer the lower level seat any day.
No foul balls came anywhere near me.
No one was ejected from the park as far as I can tell, but I saw a family of Chicago White Sox fans leave early.

Next up: New York Mets @ St. Louis Cardinals, Saturday August 7th

Tim

2004-08-05T09:13:00.001-07:00

Game #19: View of the fountains and beyond from the Club level at Kauffman Stadium

2004-08-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Game #19: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City Missouri

2004-08-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Game #19: The view from my seat at Kauffman Stadium

Game #18 – Pittsburgh Pirates @ Milwaukee Brewers: A Good Time Was Had By All

2004-08-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 1st, Miller Park, Milwaukee Wisconsin

For pure excitement this was perhaps the best game I’ve seen so far. The score was tied 3 times and the lead changed twice in the 8th and 9th innings. There was a suicide squeeze, a put-out at home from right field, a blown save from a top major league closer, and a sacrifice bunt that became a single when Pirate third baseman Ty Wigginton watched it roll down the 3rd base chalk line all the way to the bag.
This game looked like it was going to be a Ben Sheets/Kip Wells pitchers duel until Randall Simon (SHOCK!) blasted a 2-run 1st inning homer. Kip Wells of the Pirates nearly returned the favor in the bottom of the inning, allowing 2 singles and a walk, but got out of it unscathed when Wigginton turned a hot shot to third into an inning ending double play.
Wells notched his fourth strikeout to lead off the fourth then allowed a double and 3 singles giving the Brewers 2 runs. It would have been worse except that Pirate outfielder Rob Mackowiak nailed Brewers second baseman Bill Hall with a rifle throw from right field.
Things degenerated for the starting pitchers. Ben Sheets left after 7 innings, 5 runs and 11 hits. Wells lasted through 6 innings, giving up 4 runs, 9 hits, and 3 walks. I fired Kip Wells from my fantasy team the next day. I just don’t have much faith in him any more.
The fireworks started in the bottom of the 8th with the Bucs leading 5-4. Solomon Torres surrendered a leadoff double to Bill Hall. Hall reached third on a fly ball to right that Mackowiak got to somehow. John Grabow relieved Torres. Hall then scored on a suicide squeeze by Craig Counsell, who reached first safely. After pinch-hitter Trent Durrington wiffed, Scott Podsednik seemingly broke the game open with an RBI triple followed by a run-yielding wild pitch from Grabow. The scoring left the hometown Brewers leading 7-5 going to the ninth.
With all the fanfare of an Eric Gagne appearance, Mr. Dan Kolb of 30 saves in 2004 fame came in from the bullpen. Scoreboard lights flashed: K O L B. See Dan Kolb running toward the mound. See the scoreboard flash again: K O L B. See Dan Kolb’s wicked face gripping a ball with his two-finger grip. See the scoreboard flash, and so on.
I’ve seen Eric Gagne. I’ve seen one of the games Eric Gagne saved in his record-setting streak. Dan Kolb, you are no Eric Gagne.
Today Dan Kolb pitched one-third of an inning and blew the save opportunity allowing 2 earned runs on one hit, one walk, and one hit batsman. Jack Wilson had an RBI double and Rob Mackowiak followed with a sacrifice fly. Randall Simon popped out with Wilson on second to end inning (Simon was 3-4 for the game up to that point).
In the bottom of the ninth, realizing that I was getting nervous about extra innings because my scorecard only has columns for 10 innings, the Brewers broke the 7-7 tie with a double, a single, an intentional walk to load the bases, and a game-ending single from Bill Hall. Brian Meadows got no outs in the 9th and took the loss.
For pure cheer this is probably the best baseball park I’ve been to so far. Come early to a game on a Sunday afternoon and you’ll see a sea of tailgaters clogging the aisles between the parked cars. I haven’t tried this, but I’m sure if you bring a couple of six packs to the game you could trade among the tailgaters for the various cheeseburgers, brats, and whatnot being grilled all over the place. There are picnic areas and “Sausage Hauses” before you even cross the turnstiles into Miller Park. Once inside, you can have a simple hot dog, or choose between the bratwurst, Italian, and Polish sausages available at the grills. Make up your culinary mind regarding which is best and cheer for the appropriate one during the 6th inning Sausage Race. For those keeping track, Bratwurst has the cumulative season lead in the Races. In today’s 6th, Bratwurst again took the tape followed by Polish and Italian sausages with Hot Dog last. I don’t know how you can come here and not have a great time.
Instead of a Gearhard line today I can give you my own personal sausage race: Bratwurst with the “Secret Sauce” was first out of the gates and looked a winner until caught and surpassed by the Polish sausage with Italian coming in third. Plain Hot Dog did not appear in the race. The three contestants were washed down with a Leinenkugel’s Red Ale.
“General” parking at Miller Park goes for $6 and “Preferred” parking goes for $12. I ponied up for the cheap parking and the longer walk to the Park. You get a better tailgating atmosphere in the General lots anyway. There aren’t any city streets around Miller so you have to park in the stadium lots. $35 gets you a decent Field Box seat.
No foul balls came anywhere near me.
No one was ejected from the park as far as I can tell; then again I can’t say how many people simply came for the tailgating and never came inside.

Next up: Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City Royals, Wednesday August 4th

Tim

2004-08-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Game #18: The retractable roof at Miller Park still allows a lot of light into the field

2004-08-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

Game #18: The view from my seat at Miller Park. Kip Wells deals to Scott Podsednik.

2004-08-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

Game #18: A sea of tailgaters in the parking lot outside Miller Park.

2004-08-04T11:57:00.001-07:00

Game #18: Miller Park, Milwaukee Wisconsin

2004-08-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Game #18: Remembering the notoriouos Randall Simon incident of 2003, Pirates first base coach Rusty Kuntz keeps a safe distance from today's Sausage Race. Bratwurst won; Hot Dog (pictured) finished last.

Game #17 – Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins: Defense Wins Ballgames

2004-08-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 31st, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis Minnesota

The final here was 5-4, the Minnesota Twins beating the Boston Red Sox. This was the Sox first game following their trade of star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra (to Chicago) and their acquisition of (former) Minnesota star first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. Mientkiewicz played first for the Sox, and received a standing ovation from the Minnesota crowd.
Garciaparra was replaced by Gutierrez who made the game’s only error – an overthrow to first on the back end of a double play ball. However, the error made no difference to the game’s outcome.
What did make all the difference was the respective outfield defenses of the 2 teams. On my scorecard, I mark an exceptional play with a star (*) and the Minnesota outfield earned 2 stars tonight. In the 2nd, Jacque Jones made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch to rob Jason Varitek of a leadoff double. Varitek’s scorching line drive, only 20 feet off the ground, came directly at Jones who turned and ran toward the wall, tracking it down over his shoulder at the warning track. The second star goes to Twins centerfielder Lew Ford for his jumping, crashing catch against the center field wall to rob Bill Mueller of a 3rd inning leadoff extra base hit. This certainly saved a run as Johnny Damon singled later in the inning off Minnesota starter Brad Radke.
On the other side of the ledger are missed opportunities – not necessarily errors. With the game tied at 1 in the 5th, Boston leftfielder Manny Ramirez (famous for cutting off an outfielder’s throw in the outfield) couldn’t make a tough, against the wall running catch on catcher Henry Blanco’s drive. Corey Koskie scored on the play, Blanco ended up on second and later scored on Shannon Stewart’s double. Ramirez didn’t make an error on the play, but an exceptional outfielder would have made the catch and saved at least one, if not two, runs. That makes all the difference when you’re trying to win one-run games on the road. After the teams traded runs in the later innings the final was 5-4 Minnesota.
Game time was 6:10 Central Time and they set up a pre-game street party outside the Metrodome on this fine Saturday afternoon. There was a band, some games for the kiddies, and a bunch of food booths. So my entire Gearhard line came from here: a small bag of those cinnamon-coated roasted almonds, 4 bones of St. Louis style ribs, 1 excellent ear of roasted corn-on-the-cob, an order of “Fried Cheese Curd” (chewy and pretty good), and one large Leinenkugel’s Red Lager.
The street party made the whole evening and may help explain how the Twins drew a whopping 40,288 fans to a domed stadium. For some reason there were few Red Sox fans in the crowd and a good time was had by all.
I noticed the Twins’ retired numbers are for Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, and Kirby Puckett. All are hitters. In contrast, the faces painted on the Dodgers’ outfield wall are all Cy Young winners. I just found that interesting.
Inside the Metrodome you see all the typical disadvantages of a multi-use venue: seats face forward; field box seats are at a very steep angle to the field below; and the hallways and exits are very narrow. The seats are so steep, in fact, that I nearly tripped and fell as I was trying to step over the seats as I took a shortcut down to my own seat. I somehow managed to maintain my balance even with a half-finished beer in one hand, scorecard in the other, and camera dangling from my neck. The spectacle drew a disapproving glare from the patriarch of a family of four sitting nearby. Minnesotans are reputed to deplore excesses of anything, getting all the excess they can manage from their harsh winters.
I parked near the stadium for $10 and paid $35 for a Field Box seat. Traffic was thick as I was parked so close to the venue, but I’ve been through worse (i.e. Yankees in the Bronx). There are one, maybe two, little bars/restaurants near the Metrodome if you want to hang around after the game.
No foul balls came anywhere near me.
I saw one guy ejected from the Metrodome as soon as he came in the door. This happened before the game actually started. He was so drunk already that he could barely walk and security sent him right back out through the revolving doors. He was the oddest looking guy, having an Arabic visage and wearing a Fedora and an Hawaiian shirt, and just didn’t seem to belong in the Mary Tyler Moore show.

Next up: Pittsburgh Pirates @ Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday August 1st

Tim

2004-08-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

Game #17: The view from my seat at the Metrodome, Brad Radke pitching to Johnny Damon

2004-08-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

Game #17: The Twins' Wall of Fame -- Jackie Robinson, Killebrew, Carew, Oliva, Hrbek and Puckett

2004-08-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Game #17: Hubert Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis Minnesota

Game #16 – New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays: The Evil Empire and its Minions

2004-07-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday July 27th, Skydome, Toronto Ontario, Canada

Skydome is, I think, the original retractable-roof stadium. The good news is that you can play baseball on a July night in Toronto even when it’s cold and drizzly, with the day’s high temperature reaching only 61 (18 degrees metric). If July weather is fit only for the moose, what might April and September be like?
The bad news is that it’s still Astroturf, it feels like you’re inside a bigger, rounder version of the Civic Arena, and the very narrow seats are made for football – facing straightforward for better views of the Toronto Argonauts Canadian Football League team.
I’ve now seen the Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees on the road and have come to the conclusion that large contingents of fans supporting the road team are annoying. They cheer and boo at the opposite of the right times and try to intimidate the hometowners who are trying their best to be polite. You just wanna smack them.
This was a really good and close game for the first 7 innings. I was pulling for the Blue Jays but was afraid that it would be a mismatch since O. Hernandez was pitching for the Yanks against the Jay’s Ted Lilly. At first Lilly was rocky giving up 3 walks and a single in the first 2 innings but he never let a run score. A-Rod connected with a solo homer in the 3rd but Lilly retired the next 10 Yankees before bowing to reliever Kevin Frederick who pitched a scoreless 7th. Meanwhile Vernon Wells and Eric Hinske blasted solo shots for the Jays to make the score at the end of seven innings Blue Jays 2, Yankees 1.
Then reality set in. In the 8th the Yankees top of the order produced a single, single, walk, sacrifice fly, and 3-run homer by Jorge Posada. Bernie Williams and Gary Sheffield added solo shots in the 9th. Hinske hit a 2-run triple in the 9th for the Jays but the final was 7-4 Yankees. The Yankee fans in the row in front of me cheered while the rest of the crowd looked at their feet and shuffled toward the exits. It just seems out of place.
My Gearhard line: 1 good hot dog with relish & mustard, 2 cups of a local IPA, and 1 excellent thin slice of pepperoni pizza. Skydome has an actual condiment bar with several types of pickles and a crock of sauerkraut for all your hot dog needs. The nice lady at the beer stand will dump out the foam from your newly poured beer before topping the cup. It’s all very civilized in Skydome. They were selling potato latkas, which look like potato pancakes and looked very good, but they sold out before I could get one. If I come back here I’ll make it a priority to have one.
I didn’t spend too much up here. I took the bus and the train from my hotel room for $2.25 CAD each way ($1.75 US) and travel time was about an hour each way. If you don’t want to travel you might consider one of several extremely expensive looking hotels in the Skydome area. Maybe you’ll run into a Yankee in the hallway! My ticket was a bargain at $37.50 CAD ($28 USD).
No foul balls came anywhere near me.
By the way, it’s as true on the road as it is in Yankee Stadium – all female Yankee fans wear a Derek Jeter jersey to the game.
2 teenage boys were ejected one section over and 3 rows behind me. They were ratted out by a middle-aged guy who was built like a linebacker. Once security arrived he shouted “You’ve been swearing all night and now you’re outta here!” He raised his right hand and thumb like an umpire tossing an arguing manager. The boys were marched away sheepishly. It was great to see.
In my case I sat for seven innings elbow-to-elbow with an old smelly hippie with long gray hair pulled into a waist-length ponytail. He stunk of stale cigarettes when he sat down, when he left for a smoke in the 4th, and especially when he came back. Unfortunately, Skydome doesn’t kick out old draft dodgers.

Next up: Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins, Saturday July 31st

Tim

2004-07-31T13:56:00.002-07:00

Game #16: Inside Skydome

2004-07-31T13:56:00.001-07:00

Game #16: Skydome, Toronto Ontario, Canada

2004-07-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

Game #16: The view from my seat at Skydome -- Ted Lilly pitching to Derek Jeter.

Game #15 – Florida Marlins @ Montreal Expos: The Expiring Expos

2004-07-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday July 25th, Olympic Stadium, Montreal Quebec, Canada

The Olympic Stadium experience is far different from other major league parks. First of all, everything is in French from the concessions to the entrance/exit signs. (The scoreboard is in both English and French). It’s dark inside, like a movie theatre. Many of the fans, such as the couple sitting next to me, sit quietly during the game with their hands in their laps.
There were only 9,688 people in attendance on this Sunday afternoon to watch Livan Hernandez mow down the Marlins. So it’s a foregone conclusion that Major League Baseball won’t be long for Montreal. There is a core group of diehard fans here trying to save the franchise – they passed out flyers to all the fans entering the stadium. I feel sorry for them because they seem to be a small minority in this big city. One insurmountable problem for the diehards is the fact that Olympic Stadium is such a lousy place for a game or for a date on a Sunday afternoon. Imagine you’re in the middle of Canada’s short summer on a sunny day. Would you choose to come inside to watch a losing team play on Astroturf in the dark? In Olympic Stadium even the warning tracks are made of some sort of carpet.
Livan Hernandez was working on a perfect game into the 6th and a no-hitter into the 7th. To the diehard’s credit he got a standing ovation when he surrendered his first walk to pinch-hitter Jason Willingham and another when Mike Lowell broke up the no-hitter with a double to lead off the 7th. He got a final standing “O” on leaving the game with one out in the 9th. I was pulling for him certainly; it would have been great to see a no-no.
Something was wrong with the Marlins this weekend, and today’s Expos 6-4 win completed a 3-game sweep of the Fish. The Expos did this with a starting line-up that included 2 guys at or near the Mendoza line (right-fielder Calloway @ .089 and catcher Diaz @ .205) plus 3 more guys hitting around .230 (left-fielder and lead-off hitter Wilkerson, 3rd hitting 3rd baseman Batista and shortstop Cabrera hitting 5th).
Hernandez, looking like an elder statesman on the mound, baffled the Marlins’ strong lineup with a mixture of changes, fastballs and a great curveball. I remember the Marlins Miguel Cabrera striking out on a curveball so far out of the strike zone that it bounced within the batter’s box for left-handed hitters.
My Gearhard line was 1 Jumbo dog with relish & mustard, and 2 Molson Export beers. There’s not much food variety here but on the other hand there are few lines for food. The stadium was so empty that I actually saw an empty concession stand with one working behind the counter -- yawning.
Olympic Stadium is within Olympic Park in a fairly nice residential section of Montreal. This is the site of the 1976 Olympics, but there’s nothing much else to do around it. The stadium itself has a very 1970’s concrete look to it. Whoever designed it must have thought that it a good idea to make a stadium look like a flying saucer.
Should you decide to come here, don’t be intimidated by the language issue. Signs are in French but you can easily figure out what they mean. Most of the talk inside the stadium was in English in fact.
It’s cheap too. I spent $12 CAD on parking ($9 US) but could have easily spent only $5 CAD. The ticket was only $30 US right behind home plate.
No foul balls came anywhere near me, which was a shame since I sat right behind the backstop only 4 rows back.
No fans were ejected from what I can tell, probably because there was very little traffic to try to beat.

Next up: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays, Tuesday July 27th

Tim

2004-07-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Game #15: Olympic Stadium, Montreal Quebec, Canada

2004-07-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Game #15: The view from my seat at Olympic Stadium

Game #14 – Baltimore Orioles @ Boston Red Sox: A Knuckleballer Gets the Win

2004-07-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Thursday July 22nd, Fenway Park, Boston Massachusetts

Ex-buc Tim Wakefield put on quite a show tonight, going 7 innings for the win in a 4-0 Red Sox triumph over Baltimore. In walking none while throwing 75% of his pitches for strikes Wakefield showed me that he can actually control his knuckleball pitch. He also seemed to mix in a straight curve on occasion. The curve hits 72 on the gun, while the knuckler comes in between 65 and 69. In 7 innings Wakefield allowed 8 hits – but they were all singles.
On the other side, Baltimore pitcher Dave Borkowski had a hard time finding the strike zone in the first inning, reaching a full count on four of the seven batters he faced while allowing 3 runs. Borkowski gained strength after the first and ended up with 6 strike outs in 6 innings of work. But the three in the 1st and a solo homer by Bosox recent call-up Kevin Youkilis in the 4th sealed his fate.
Looking toward the playoffs, I can’t see Boston repeating their 2003 performance. Manny Ramirez is comical both in the field and on the basepaths – tonight he was nearly caught off second by a throw from the outfield. David Ortiz made several misplays at first. Just watch the average Sox fan as he puts his face in his hands as Mike Timlin comes in to relieve and you’ll know the ’04 Sox are not last year’s Sox.
Beware the gigantic Fenway Park Jumbo Dog unless you’re very hungry since it’s the biggest dog I’ve seen so far. My Gearhard line then comes to one Jumbo Dog and one glass of Smithwick’s Ale from the “Irish Pub Company” stand inside gate A. The lady carded me and I left her a tip.
Bring the bank account when coming here. My Loge Box seat cost a whopping $70. The seats are too small. Less expensive tickets buy you one of the older, even smaller seats made out of wood. Parking, and traffic, is a nightmare around Fenway. I found parking for $20 and was lucky to get it.
The traffic, the noise, the expense, even the surly restaurant personnel in the local Longhorn Steakhouse can all make you hate Boston and hate Fenway Park. Red Sox stars Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez aren’t very likeable either. Pedro recently defended his head-hunting of Karim Garcia by saying that Garcia is a “nobody” anyway. Ramirez is the ultimate comic – yesterday he cut off a throw from a fellow outfielder. Like me, you may find yourself adding your own curses to the one imposed by the Bambino. The full century’s curse isn’t up until 2018 and they deserve every bit of it!
All that being said there are some nice things about Fenway. First, the food and amusements along Yawkey Lane outside the park are as varied and appetizing as any anywhere. Second, you’re guaranteed to be among knowledgeable baseball fans. When ex-Yankee Karim Garcia made a diving catch in centerfield the crowd politely clapped. Finally, for me it brings back memories of the Saturday afternoon “Game of the Week” telecasts with Curt Gowdy. These games always seemed to feature the Red Sox or some other American League team, and 92-year old Fenway Park looks just the same now as it did then.
A few foul balls came close to me, but they hit the netting draped over my section and I watched helplessly as they rolled back to the base of the field.
No fans were ejected from what I can tell, and most stayed until the final out.

Next up: Florida Marlins @ Montreal Expos, Sunday July 25th

Tim

2004-07-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Game #14: The view from my seat at Fenway Park

2004-07-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

Game #14: Fenway Park in Boston, with Yawkey Lane concessions alongside

2004-07-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

Game #14: Tim Wakefield gets ready to deliver yet another knuckleball

Game #13 – Florida Marlins @ New York Mets: Don’t Give Up After 6 Runs in the First

2004-07-22T03:36:00.000-07:00

Tuesday July 20th, Shea Stadium, Queens New York

I’m biased. I like Shea Stadium. Even though it’s 40 years old and is one of these round cookie-cutter venues, Shea has an awful lot going for it. Here’s a list:
-- Shea has iron railings separating each 2 row by 4 seat section in the Field Box area. This means that you never have to climb over more than 3 people to get to the aisle;
-- Season ticket holders have name plaques to mark their seats;
-- Although it’s a round stadium the outfield is completely open;
--The blue and orange color scheme is appealing;
--It’s easy to get to – take the #7 train (John Rocker’s favorite) from Grand Central in Manhattan;
--I got a single seat in a row all to myself (see picture below);
--If the game gets boring you can watch the planes take off from LaGuardia Airport right over the stadium (approximate height 2-3000 feet above the left field stands).
Regarding that last item, I thought for sure that I was in that situation when Florida scored 6 runs in the top of the first against the Mets’ Steve Trachsel. Miguel Cabrera and Alex Gonzalez both homered in the first for the Marlins.
But Florida starter Nate Bump couldn’t hold the lead and allowed the Mets 3 runs in the 2nd and another 4 in the 3rd, including a 3-run homer from rightfielder Richard Hidalgo. That made the score 7-6 in favor of the Mets. Trachsel allowed another run in the 4th, however, and the scored was tied 7-7.
From the 4th inning onward it was a battle of the bullpens. I don’t think either bullpen is outstanding from an objective standard. Tonight, however, the Mets’ bullpen pulled the shorter stick in the form of aging John Franco’s 2-walk and 1-run performance over two-thirds of an inning. That run, together with another allowed by fellow veteran Ricky Bottalico in the 8th, allowed Florida to notch a 9-7 victory. For the Marlins, relievers Manzanillo, Putz and Benitez blanked the Mets. The poorly named Mr. Putz got where he is by throwing 97 on the gun – another living example of the “boy named Sue” achievement phenomenon.
After the game ends they play Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” on the loudspeaker. Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” at Yankee Stadium is far better, but this is the only instance where Yankee Stadium beats Shea.
My Gearhard line: one slice of pepperoni pizza, one dogzilla dog with chili and cheese, one Red Hook ESB, and one Red Hook blonde. The pizza slices come straight from an oven just like Famous Ray’s Pizza in Manhattan – but they don’t taste as good. The dogzilla was really good because it had cheese sauce instead of shredded cheese, but forget the chili – New York should leave chili and salsa making to Houston. The microbrews hit the spot. They even had Widmer Hefeweizen on tap. Widmer is a fine Portland Oregon brew.
British Open winner Todd Hamilton was in the crowd tonight and threw out the ceremonial first pitch. There’s a picture of him below from 2 sections away holding his trophy. If he brings the trophy to a Mets game he probably also takes it to bed with him.
My field box seat cost me $48 which is pretty steep, but it’s offset by the cheap subway ride -- $2 round trip or $7 for an all-day subway pass. Was the #7 train ride scary? Not a chance. John Rocker’s description was accurate insofar as the variety of peoples riding the train. But from what I overheard they were all talking about the same things anyone talks about – boyfriends/girlfriends, work, etc. People are pretty much the same all over.
I had a whole row to myself and no foul ball came anywhere near me.
No fans were ejected from what I can tell, and most stayed until the final out.

Next up: Baltimore Orioles @ Boston Red Sox, Thursday July 22nd

Tim

2004-07-21T19:14:00.001-07:00

Game #13: A row all for my own (the lone seat at the back of the section) -- section 203C seat #5 at Shea Stadium.

2004-07-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Game #13: The view from my seat at Shea Stadium

2004-07-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

Game #13: Shea Stadium, Queens New York

2004-07-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Game #13: British Open winner Todd Hamilton (trophy in hand) accepting congratulations from the Shea Stadium crowd.

Game #12 – New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers: Rooting for the Underdog

2004-07-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Friday July 16th, Comerica Park, Detroit Michigan

I saw the Yankees less than a week ago and they hit 5 home runs. The night before this game the Yanks had again hit 5 homers but this time against the Tigers. Curiously enough those were the only 5 hits they got but it was still enough to win the game.
So tonight I was cheering for the underdog. The Tigers were sending Mike Maroth to the mound, a 21-game loser last year, against All-Star Javier Vazquez for the New Yorkers. Fair enough. It’s counterintuitive but you can’t be all that bad a pitcher to lose 21 games; if you were throwing badly you wouldn’t even get the chance to lose 10 games.
Vazquez seemed a bit phased by his all-star experience as he allowed a 3-spot in the 2nd – Dmitri Young singled, Carlos Guillen followed with a triple, and Eric Munson cleared the bases with a deep shot over the right field wall.
Mike Maroth set down the first 11 Yankees in order before allowing a first-pitch double down the left field line to Gary Sheffield. I listened closely to the crowd after that hit and heard a barely perceptible sigh that Maroth’s perfect game quest had just ended. Although it’s true that the 4th inning isn’t very far into a game, I got the impression that Tiger fans aren’t accustomed to pitching greatness and thus aren’t disappointed when their pitcher falls short.
In the 5th Detroit erupted again off Vazquez, this time for 5 runs on 3 singles, a double and a triple. The triple came courtesy of Young, Detroit’s lone 2003 All-Star, and actually hit the top of the deep center field fence and bounced back into play. All the activity made the score 8-0 Detroit and chased the Yankees starter and eventual loser. The final score would be 8-0.
The bigger story would be Mike Maroth’s performance. He would allow no more hits after Sheffield’s 4th inning double, confusing the Bronxers bats with curves, change-ups, and all sorts of wet ball tricks in the steady drizzle. At no time did his fastball exceed 88 mph while his curves, etc. came in at 72 or so. The speed gun actually clocked a few of his pitches in the high forties, but my guess is that this was a mechanical error caused by some errant raindrops. The final line for last year’s 21-game loser would be 0 runs, 1 hit, 7 strikeouts, and 2 walks. It looks like the Tiger’s patience with Maroth has finally paid off.
The Detroit Tigers play in a new downtown ballpark called “Comerica Park”. Comerica is a local bank. None of the big three auto makers would be the sponsor. Collectively they could only sponsor a single fountain – the GM Fountain in centerfield. You get a good view of the Detroit skyline from the 3rd base seats where I was sitting. There’s also an interesting dolphin/whale mural on a tall building behind right field. Never mind there are no such marine mammals in the Detroit River.
The pictures below will show a good many tiger statues outside the park’s entrance and a generally good-looking park. Like Citizens Bank Park in Philly, they got all the major things right when the built this baby – lots of space for air flow, good seats, etc. The level just behind the field boxes is laid out with wider seats separated by a small wooden table to place your food and drinks. Very nice.
Unfortunately Comerica’s concessions are (almost) the exclusive property of the Budweiser folks. I did find a few beer taps not associated with Clydesdale horses and here are the intricate directions to get there: find the “Beer Hall” section behind home plate; go all the way to the back; turn left; go through the doors to the indoor section; find the middle set of taps on the long bar; choose your reward from amongst Sam Adams, Heineken, and Bass Ale.
My Gearhard line: one Kielbasa (pretty good), one beef hot dog (so-so), and 2 Bass Ales. They don’t sell foot-long hot dogs at Comerica and I can’t imagine why.
Comerica is downtown near the Fox Theatre and a few ballpark sports bars. You can park behind the bar areas for a whopping $20 – be careful or they’ll block you in with other parked cars to boot. The parking areas are in vacant lots between abandoned buildings. Yes, it’s a scary place. Stay within the herd for safety.
My field box seat cost me $30.
I think a foul ball came down near my seat but I’m not sure since I spent almost the whole game in the concessions area, under cover away from a constant light rain. I have a scorebook to protect.
No fans were ejected from what I can tell, and you shouldn’t be walking outside the park alone at night anyway.

Next up: Florida Marlins @ New York Mets, Tuesday July 20th

Tim

2004-07-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Game #12: Detroit skyline from Comerica Park. The GM Tower is in the background to the left of the flagpole. Note the whale/dolphin mural on the building behind right field.

2004-07-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Game #12: Comerica Park in Detroit. I count nine Tiger statues in this picture. There are more in other places.

2004-07-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Game #12: The view from my seat at Comerica Park

Game #11 – Tampa Bay Devil Rays @ New York Yankees: Bronxers Bombings

2004-07-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday July 11th, Yankee Stadium, Bronx New York

I’m having some correspondence with an Australian and he’s asked me why Major League Baseball needs to play so many games in a season. After all, 162 is a lot of games compared to other sports leagues – 16 in the NFL, 38 in the English Premier (soccer) league, etc. My initial answer is the Bill Clinton answer: Because we can.  The full answer is that baseball is a game of such difficulty that you need a long season to determine a winner. The best teams win only 60% of their games and division winners are often decided by only a game or two. In baseball the best hitters make an out 70% of the time. Even the best pitchers are removed in the late innings. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays once had a 12-game winning streak and the Pirates had an 8-game streak. And so forth and so on.
It’s a very good thing that my Aussie friend wasn’t with me in famed Yankee Stadium on Sunday. I would have been trying to explain baseball parity while he would have seen the high and mighty Yankees finish a 4-game sweep of the lowly Devil Rays. He would have seen it done by a score of 10-3. He would have seen the Bombers hit no less than 5 homers, 2 from first baseman Tony Clark who bats 8th in the order. He might have asked whether they really needed to play this series in the first place. And I might have had to retreat back to the “Bill Clinton” answer.
For those interested in the details Orlando Hernandez had an average outing allowing 2 runs and 5 hits in 5 innings. In my opinion the Yanks don’t have stellar starting pitching. Their batting order is solid though, from Bernie Williams in the 1 spot down to Tony Clark at number 8. That order did a lot of damage to a usually strong Tampa Bay bullpen, pounding out 5 runs in 5 innings off of Jorge Sosa, Lance Carter, and Danys Baez. The D-Rays looked overmatched in every respect, although Aubrey Huff homered in the 4th and was respectfully pitched around in the 5th.
Yankee Stadium is a famous place. This was my second trip there and I must admit that the luster wears off after the first visit. Here are some facts about the place, some of them are unfortunate:
Technically, fans are allowed into Monument Park – an area behind the left field fence filled with monuments to past Yankee greats. In practice though, they won’t let you in unless you’re one of the first fans to the game and the area is closed 30 minutes before game time.
The seats have no leg room. People must have been shorter in Babe Ruth’s day. I’m 6’3” and my knees would not fit in the space allowed without sitting sideways. It was the most uncomfortable seating experience I’ve had since the time I had to fly across the Atlantic with a broken tailbone.
Every girl at the game wears a Derek Jeter jersey.
The game was sold out, and the last seat in the top row of the left field grandstand was taken. Hallways and aisles are narrow and difficult to negotiate when there are 50,000 other fans in the park.
The photos of Yankee players shown on the scoreboard are the oddest pictures of baseball players I’ve ever seen. Players’ faces are shown front lit on one side only against a black background, giving them a moody, artistic look. There’s no artsy-fartsy stuff in baseball!
At the end of the game the loudspeakers play Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York. Again, and again, and again.
My Gearhard line came to one slice of pepperoni pizza (outside), a Nathan’s hot dog and a lemonade. Pretty weak, I admit, but the hot dog was tasty.
Parking in the Bronx costs only $10, but you’ll spend an hour getting out. My tiny Reserved section seat cost me $45.
It would have been against the laws of physics for a foul ball to come anywhere near me.
No fans were ejected from what I can tell, but a lady named Mary in the row in front of me lost her last name when she agreed to a 5th inning marriage proposal flashed on the scoreboard by her fiancée Pete.

Next up: New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers, Friday July 16th

Tim

2004-07-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Game #11: The view from my seat at Yankee Stadium

2004-07-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Game #11: Monument Park behind the left field fence at Yankee Stadium

2004-07-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Game #11: Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York

Game #10 – New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies: Location, Location, Location

2004-07-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Wednesday July 7th, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

This time I’ll talk about the ballpark first and the game I saw second.
Good Things to Say about the Phillies New Citizens Bank Park: It has every feature, every amenity, a baseball fan would want.
Bad Things to Say about the Phillies New Citizens Bank Park: It’s in south Philadelphia.
Let me elaborate.
No matter how much I was enjoying myself at this excellent park my thoughts kept returning to some stubborn facts: I’m in Philadelphia. Also, the fan next to me is drunk, a brawl might erupt at any time between the Mets and Phillies fans, and after the game I have to make a long walk through a south Philly parking lot to get to my car – hopefully it’s still there and undamaged.
Now, to be fair, the drunken guy next to me got that way waiting through a 90-minute rain delay before the game even started. He may have just been sampling wide variety of local microbrews at Citizens Bank Park. I had two beers myself during the long delay, but washed them down with a Philly cheesesteak sandwich (called “steaks”) and a footlong dog.
There were two special “steaks” stalls – “Tony Luke’s” and “Genos”. Incredibly, both stalls had 50-foot lines of people waiting to be served before the game. (I got my first steak from one of the regular, non-branded, stalls.) Geno’s was still open after the game (Great BallPark Feature – food to go after the game) and tried one of their steaks – good stuff but not worth a 20-minute wait in line. I passed entirely on Greg Luzinski’s “Bull’s BBQ”. So the final Gearhard line came to 2 steak sandwiches (one to-go), 1 footlong, and 2 beers (a Pale Ale and an Amber Ale).
Having the benefit of being built last among the “new” parks, Citizens Bank Park has all the right features:
 grass field but good drainage built in;
 open-air main concourse (allows a cooling breeze to flow into the stands on those muggy summer nights);
 Nifty local feature in the form of a giant Liberty Bell which rings when one of the Phillies homers;
You don’t get a view of the Philly skyline in the outfield though. After all, you’re in the south Philly Sports Complex area, where Veterans Stadium used to be. There’s nothing here but the 3 sports facilities and parking lots. I got the impression that there was originally a neighborhood down here but that they had to tear it down because it was ungovernable.
The game was scheduled for 7:05 but didn’t get started until 8:35. Unlike southern thunderstorms, northern thunderstorms hang around for a while.
At game time the Phils were in first place in the NL East, 2 games ahead of both the Mets and the Marlins. None of these teams look very strong to me. Jim Thome and Bobby Abreu are leading the Phils while the Mets are using toothpics and spit to stay together.
The Mets won tonight 10-1. Mets pitcher Steve Trachsel pitched 7 innings allowing 5 hits and 2 walks. Trachsel throws a lot of junk pitches along with a split-finger, and his fastball never tops 90 mph. Brett Myers started for Philadelphia – with a 5.68 ERA maybe he should get a day-job – and allowed 6 runs and 9hits through 3 and 1/3 innings. Myers allowed 3 home runs in the second inning – one home run to every other hitter.
Kris Benson tradebait Ty Wiggington batted 6th for the Mets and went 2 for 4 with a homer, a triple, and 2 RBI.
I think Larry Bowa is crazy. Down 10-0 in the 5th, the Phillies manager went to the trouble of making a double-switch when bringing in reliever Brian Powell, then let Powell bat for himself in the 7th. Powell finished the game on the mound, but Bowa used late-inning replacements at first, short, catcher and right field.
So if Location is everything then don’t come to Citizens Bank Park. Otherwise, expect to pay $10 for parking and about $40 for a Field Box ticket. Those seem to be the standard prices I’ve been paying in most places.
No foul balls were hit anywhere near me.
No fans were ejected from what I can tell, maybe because there was a hell of a lot of security to prevent fighting.

Next up: Tampa Bay Devil Rays @ New York Yankees, Sunday July 11th

Tim

2004-07-11T05:58:00.001-07:00

Game #10: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia

2004-07-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Game #10: The Phillies Phanatic abuses a Mets fan.

2004-07-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

Game #10: The view from my seat at Citizens Bank Park

2004-07-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

Game #10: The giant Scoreboard at Citizens Bank Park