Stadium Tours
May 30th 2008 16:33
Well I just got back a few days ago from my annual baseball trip. I wanted to blog after each game but unfortunately I didn't have Internet access. My trip consisted of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C. and Baltimore. We planned to attend the Phillies game last Tuesday but the weather forecast scared us away. I will eventually want to get to Citizens Bank Park because I have heard great things about the park and the atmosphere.
Friday, May 23 (Cleveland): Rangers defeat Indians, 13-9
Jacobs Field or now it's called Progressive Field was very nice. It was very easy to get around the ballpark and they really built up the area around it with bars and restaurants. They have a few different picnic areas and a bar in right center field so you can sit there and watch the game. The dimensions of the field are different with the higher wall in left field. The field also has an area called Heritage Park where they have plaques of players inducted into the Indians Hall of Fame. The game itself was interesting. There were a total of 395 pitches thrown that night. Pitchers from both teams couldn't find the plate. There were a total of 13 walks and the Rangers had a franchise-record nine doubles. We even had a home run that was mistakenly rules a double. The ball hit the railing behind the wall, then hit the top of the wall and bounced into play. Another example of why they need to add instant replay to determine questionable home runs.
Saturday, May 24 (Pittsburgh): Pirates defeat Cubs, 5-4, in 14 innings
PNC Park was one of the nicest parks I have seen. It compares to Petco Park in San Diego and Miller Park in Milwaukee. We had seats behind the plate so it was nice looking at the backdrop of the yellow bridge behind center field and the skyline of the Pittsburgh. They have statues of Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell outside the gates. The selection of food and beverages are unbelievable. They have the normal selection of hamburgers and hot dogs but they also have seafood, rubens, and a your choice of domestic or imported beers. A great atmosphere to watch a game. The majority of the fans were cheering for the Cubs. The Pirates led 3-1 until the Cubs went ahead with three runs in the eight inning. Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood came in the ninth inning but blew his fourth save in 14 opportunities. Eventually Jason Bay got a walk-off hit in the 14th inning to give the Pirates a 5-4 victory.
Sunday, May 25 (Washington D.C.): Nationals defeat Brewers, 7-6
The new Nationals Park is very plain looking. There are no statues or pictures to look at about the history of the Nationals, Expos or Senators. The theme is sports icons from the Washington D.C. area. I was looking forward to seeing this brand new park but I was disappointed. There is no place to park because everything is permit parking around the area. They encourage using the metro but it's difficult to get to the metro if they close down roads around the stations. It was another good game. The Nationals won a walk-off wild pitch in the ninth inning after letting a 6-run lead squander away.
Monday, May 26 (Baltimore): Orioles defeat Yankees, 6-1
Camden Yards is one of my favorite parks. They have a statue of Babe Ruth in front of the stadium and as you walk up to the ticket office you pass each number that has been retired. I was amazed to see the distance between the picnic area seats in right field and the warehouse. On the television it looks like the warehouse is right there but there is actually a walk way with concession stands before you get to the warehouse. We actually took a tour of this park and the suites and lounges in the private sections were very nice. The press box is small and it only has ceiling fans so I imagine it gets very hot in that room in July. There were a good amount of Yankee fans that took the trip to Baltimore on Memorial Day but they didn't outnumber the Orioles fans. We were able to see a pitchers duel between Garret Olson of the Orioles and Darrell Rasner of the Yankees. It was a very quick game because both starters threw strikes. Olson shut out the Yankees on three hits in seven innings. Nick Markakis hit a home run in the sixth inning and the team scored five runs in the seventh inning off of the Yankees bullpen.
Friday, May 23 (Cleveland): Rangers defeat Indians, 13-9
Jacobs Field or now it's called Progressive Field was very nice. It was very easy to get around the ballpark and they really built up the area around it with bars and restaurants. They have a few different picnic areas and a bar in right center field so you can sit there and watch the game. The dimensions of the field are different with the higher wall in left field. The field also has an area called Heritage Park where they have plaques of players inducted into the Indians Hall of Fame. The game itself was interesting. There were a total of 395 pitches thrown that night. Pitchers from both teams couldn't find the plate. There were a total of 13 walks and the Rangers had a franchise-record nine doubles. We even had a home run that was mistakenly rules a double. The ball hit the railing behind the wall, then hit the top of the wall and bounced into play. Another example of why they need to add instant replay to determine questionable home runs.
Saturday, May 24 (Pittsburgh): Pirates defeat Cubs, 5-4, in 14 innings
PNC Park was one of the nicest parks I have seen. It compares to Petco Park in San Diego and Miller Park in Milwaukee. We had seats behind the plate so it was nice looking at the backdrop of the yellow bridge behind center field and the skyline of the Pittsburgh. They have statues of Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell outside the gates. The selection of food and beverages are unbelievable. They have the normal selection of hamburgers and hot dogs but they also have seafood, rubens, and a your choice of domestic or imported beers. A great atmosphere to watch a game. The majority of the fans were cheering for the Cubs. The Pirates led 3-1 until the Cubs went ahead with three runs in the eight inning. Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood came in the ninth inning but blew his fourth save in 14 opportunities. Eventually Jason Bay got a walk-off hit in the 14th inning to give the Pirates a 5-4 victory.
Sunday, May 25 (Washington D.C.): Nationals defeat Brewers, 7-6
The new Nationals Park is very plain looking. There are no statues or pictures to look at about the history of the Nationals, Expos or Senators. The theme is sports icons from the Washington D.C. area. I was looking forward to seeing this brand new park but I was disappointed. There is no place to park because everything is permit parking around the area. They encourage using the metro but it's difficult to get to the metro if they close down roads around the stations. It was another good game. The Nationals won a walk-off wild pitch in the ninth inning after letting a 6-run lead squander away.
Monday, May 26 (Baltimore): Orioles defeat Yankees, 6-1
Camden Yards is one of my favorite parks. They have a statue of Babe Ruth in front of the stadium and as you walk up to the ticket office you pass each number that has been retired. I was amazed to see the distance between the picnic area seats in right field and the warehouse. On the television it looks like the warehouse is right there but there is actually a walk way with concession stands before you get to the warehouse. We actually took a tour of this park and the suites and lounges in the private sections were very nice. The press box is small and it only has ceiling fans so I imagine it gets very hot in that room in July. There were a good amount of Yankee fans that took the trip to Baltimore on Memorial Day but they didn't outnumber the Orioles fans. We were able to see a pitchers duel between Garret Olson of the Orioles and Darrell Rasner of the Yankees. It was a very quick game because both starters threw strikes. Olson shut out the Yankees on three hits in seven innings. Nick Markakis hit a home run in the sixth inning and the team scored five runs in the seventh inning off of the Yankees bullpen.
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