Turner Field: Redux

OK, we'd been to Turner Field before. And yes, the banners of all the division and league wins (and that one World Series win) continues to loom large over the field. And no, Bobby Cox was no longer in the dugout.

But it doesn't change the fact that a baseball game with (relatively) cheap seats in the shade is a great way to spend an afternoon.

...even if the food and beer at Turner do call for an upgrade...

...still, that's three generations of Bischof men paying respects to the Braves, who won 5-1.

Wrigley Field: Windy City, Friendly Confines

Took the red line train from our hotel on Harrison to Addison, the stop for Wrigley Field.

To say that Wrigley Field is unique, is a throwback to an early era, is old school -- just somehow doesn't seem to tell the story.

From the ivy-covered wall...

...to the fans sitting in makeshift bleachers on rooftops across the street......to the bullpen that was actually part of the field (not beyond the outfield wall)...

...to the manual scoreboard with a guy who posts the numbers by hand (no jumbotron here)...

...to the live organ...

...to the posts throughout the seats that block the view...

...it really is unlike any stadium I have been in. The closest stadium would have to be Shea when I went in 2008. If anything, it reminded me of the old Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.

But my nostalgia for a bygone era (so that's why people keep score in their programs -- there was a time when the lineups were not posted on jumbotrons in center field) was tempered by all of the amenities that modern stadiums have that are, well, kind of nice...and Wrigley, frankly, doesn't.

Good draft beer.

Enough women's bathroom stalls. (Dana said she waited forever to get in.)

Room in the concourses to move around freely.

The mph of each pitch.

Something to eat that reflects the city.

That said, we had a great time. The attendants at Wrigley were extremely nice. At so many stadiums, I have been "Move along"-ed by stadium attendants when I moved close to take a photo or two. Turner Field and Yankee Stadium come to mind. Not at Wrigley. "Sure, go right ahead, move on down close, take your time." It really is "The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field."

Lots of Cubs fans. Attendance was 41,366, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't count the people sitting on the rooftops across the street.

And it was bloody cold. The forecast called for 67 degrees, but if felt like barely 50 out there. There's a reason this guy is wearing a winter cap.

Cubs lost 4-3 in a thriller that went down to the last pitch. With the tying run on third, the last two Cubs were retired.

Insert your own joke about long-suffering Cubs fans here.

Camden Yards: Thanks for the Tix

Took the fam up to Baltimore to see my sister and her SO, Tom. We parked a block away from the stadium because we knew they were staying near by. We met them at the Babe Ruth statue on Eutaw Street and walked up to Lexington Market together.

We ate lump crab cakes at Faidley's then had ice cream at the Inner Harbor. A bird crapped on Megan's head. I think in some societies that's considered a good omen.

We're back at the parking deck saying goodbye when a car pulls up and a man rolls down the window.

"Here, take these tickets. They're good seats," he said shoving through the window a handful of tickets. "I'm a season ticket holder. Take the kids to the game; it's great foul ball area."

And so, on a rainy Wednesday night in early May, we went to the game. And it was fantastic. Six tickets, eleventh row, directly behind the visitor's dugout. Ike had a great time, and really showed interest in keeping track of the game. It was a school night, so we only stayed until the sixth inning, but we saw the winning run, and the Orioles won 5-2.

Yankee Stadium: The House that Steinbrenner Built

I took the Subway to Yankee Stadium, not getting lost too much, while Dana and Madison went to see 'Wicked.' I got the better end of that deal, I think.

It was a spectacularly beautiful day. Eighty degrees. Sun. Me in the highest row of the grandstand behind home plate (Section 423, Row 14, Seat 10).

New Yorkers to the left of me. New Yorkers to the right.

Yankee Stadium is the first stadium that I've seen that lists the calorie content of all of the food in the park. Nathan's Beef Frankfurter? 464 calories. Nathan's Cheese Fries: 1,341 calories.

I had a Lobel's beef sandwich.

They put these guys behind glass to show you the meat is real.

It's real. 464 calories. I had a Blue Moon as well. 342 calories. Later I had a Brooklyn Lager, which very well could be my favorite lager.

After two home runs by Andruw Jones and some poor pitching by the widely-booed Javier Vazquez, the White Sox were up 5-1 in the fourth. Then Vazquez got, ahem, yanked. And the home team put up 5 runs to take the lead, capped by a Nick Swisher home run.

And the crowd went wild.

Don't worry, haters, the Yankees lost anyway, 7-6.

It was fun to see the fans, some of the strongest that I've seen sporting jerseys with great names on their backs: Munson, Jackson, Mantle, Gehrig.

Nice jersey, Jeter.

Nationals Park: Redux

Ok, I've been here before. But going to the Nats game with old friends was the perfect start to a busy few weeks. Between now and the middle of May, I should see games in seven new parks, including the new Yankees Stadium.

Joining me for this game were two friends from our time in Vientiane, Laos: Mike Sweeney and the Lao head of the building and maintenance department, Somboun Inthavong. It was Somboun's first baseball game.

We each had the Ben's Chili Bowl half-smoke smothered in chili, onions and cheese. Heart attack on a bun washed down with Miller Genuine Draft. Great stuff.

Nationals won behind two home runs from Adam Dunn, who had been slumping. Before the first home run in the fourth, I turned to Mike and said, "Boy, he's really got a low batting average." Boom, upper deck. So, I did it again in the sixth. Boom, gone.

Citi Field: Not Quite Shea

I visited Shea Stadium last September, and at that point, it was the best baseball crowd I had been in. Up, down, no matter what was happening on the field, the crowd let the players know what they thought. Especially after apathetic crowds in Atlanta and Washington, it was so refreshing to be in a baseball city.

That said, Shea was a pit. Lousy food, dingy walkways and horrible seats. But I hadn't been around a crowd so energetic and engaged since Atlanta in 1992. And I loved it.

Tonight, Citi Field. The stadium I could see from Shea last September. Like so many of the newer stadiums, it's bright, beautiful, huge jumbotrons (two of 'em!), great food and beer...and yet I wonder what happened to the crowd I was in last year. The loudest the crowd got was when they flashed the Yankees defeat on the scoreboard.


I had a Goose Island Pale Ale and a Budweiser. Check out this beer list; it may be the most impressive beer list I've seen on this tour. Tiger! Hoegaarden! Widmer! Stella Artois!

Again, like so many stadiums, the good food is beyond centerfield and at the club level. Good luck getting anything better than sausages and dogs in the upper deck. I had an italian sausage with onions and peppers and my game mate Dana had a Nathan's hot dog. Check out the condiments available, though.

Johan Santana pitched masterfully, new Met Jeff Francouer hit a two-run single, and the Mets won 4-0.

Camden Yards: "This is awesome!"

The weather was cloudy, even foggy.  I pulled Ike out of school to go to an afternoon game, and we drove to Baltimore.  We wore jackets because the temperature was below 70 degrees.

Ike is learning baseball more and more.  He said, "I like the view much better in the stadium.  On TV you can only see small sections, but at the stadium you can see everything."

This time, I didn't leave.  Twice the Orioles battled back from deficits.  The first time, down 8-3, they tied the game with five runs in the 8th inning. 

 

And then in the bottom of the 11th inning, Nolan Reimold hit a three-run walk-off home run to win it, 12-10.  Ike's reaction:  "This is awesome!"  Also, he is near-hoarse from chanting, "Let's Go, O's!"

An afternoon game in Baltimore means a small crowd.  Attendance was just 13,000.

Ike and I each had two(!) Hebrew National hotdogs, which were nothing special.  I also had a Wild Goose IPA and a Clipper City Gold Ale.   

Progressive Field: Bad Team Makes Good

I'd like to say I stayed to the not-bitter end.  I want to tell you that I didn't leave before the Indians scored seven in the 9th inning to beat the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays.  

Did I learn nothing from the Oakland game last summer?  Remember, it ain't over 'til it's over?  Oh no, not again...yes, again.  The Indians, who were getting clobbered about for eight innings, somehow managed to pull out an amazing win...and I left in the 8th inning.

I will say that I left after most, and that the leaving of so many people allowed me to move right down to the first base line directly behind the dugout to get some decent photos.

It was cold.  After a day when I got sunburned at the park, today I regretted wearing shorts and a tee-shirt because of the wind off the lake.  62 degrees at gametime.  And the seagulls were swirling the field, occasionally landing, and always a concern for anybody with a hotdog or wanting to keep a clean shirt.

I'm not a Native American, but even I know this logo is not good.  The older Indians head logo, which has become popular again, is even worse.  Even the Braves got away from using 'Chief Noc-A-Homa.'

I had a brat with onions, and kraut, and most importantly, Stadium Mustard, which is unique to Cleveland and spectacular, and apparently is now called Bertman Ballpark Mustard.

Oh, Bertman Ballpark Mustard (sometimes still called Stadium Mustard in your local grocery)!  How I love thee!  Let us never again be apart even for a week!  I will put you on my hot dogs and on my ham sandwiches!  I will put you on my hamburgers and my pork chops!  I will put you on my fingers and simply lick them clean!

I also had a Great Lakes Burning River pale ale, named after the famous fire of the Cuyahoga River in 1969.  Yes, you read that right:  the river caught fire.

Great American Ballpark: A Sense of History

I love the sense of history in baseball, and they do it well in Cincinnati.  From the old school logo, like in the below hat, to hearing fans call the team the "Red Legs," to seeing the tile murals at the entrance highlighting world series wins, when you are in Cincinnati, you are reminded that this is a team with a long, long history.

Out of deference to my game mate, Eric Heinzer, a Cleveland Indians fan, I broke tradition on the quest and rooted for the visiting team.  Battle of Ohio, and we wound up rooting for the losing team as the Tribe's bullpen failed in the 11th, and Cleveland lost 4-3.  

Extra innings meant extra time in the sun, and I got a little sunburned.

I had the Skyline Chili coney dog.  Hey, if it's good enough for Anthony Bourdain.  It had a strange flavor like cumin or cinnamon.  It's an Indian cuisine flavor that I couldn't quite place.The chili meat was finely ground.  And there were mounds and mounds of cheese.  Cheese, Grommit, cheese!

As for beer, I had the Goose Island Honker's Ale, a Chicago beer, which was o.k.  

Between beer and chili dogs, there was occasionally baseball.

Comerica Park....Detroit: Better Than You Think

Detroit:  Home of the auto industry and poster city for economic collapse, CEO arrogance, bailouts, bankruptcy.  I had low expectations in going to Detroit.  My visual image?  8 Mile.  I expected blight.  Ruin.  Whatever the city equivalent is of a rusty Pontiac.

And boy was I wrong.  

Comerica Park is beautiful.  It reminded me of AT&T Park in San Francisco.  Statues of Tiger greats like Ty Cobb, below, and Al Kaline stood beyond left field.  

Attendance was 37,000; it was packed.

Food was average to good.  I had the Hebrew National dog and a bratwurst with onions.  Yellow mustard.  According to one of the vendors, the best food in the house was the turkey leg.  Next time. 

Draft beer offerings -- after a bit of searching -- were good.  I had the Leinenhugel Summer Shandy and the Atwater Block Michigan Lager.

After the game:  fireworks.  On-street parking a few blocks away: free.  This guy:  selling stuffed tigers and foam tiger claws.

There were some cheesy things:  the small ferris wheel with baseball shaped cars.  The carousel that had nothing but tigers.

My mate for this game was my old friend Markus J. Bluebird, whom I hadn't seen in nearly 20 years.  Our seats were third base side, just outside the screen, maybe 20 rows up.  Foul balls fell just ahead and just behind us.  

My only complaint was how long it took us to get to the freeway.  Poor signage and no police help caused us to take 40 minutes to get to the freeway from the stadium.

Tigers lost 4-3, final batter Gerald Laird lamely swinging at strike 3 with the winning run on first base.