Baseball Cities Tour

July18th – We were afraid this might be our first rainout but it turned out to be a hot, humid cloudy day and the game was completed without any weather problems. It was Indians Lunchbox giveaway day for those under 14 and it was also Super Cuts Haircuts for Charity day. This was a first for us – haircuts at the ballgame but why not. The stadium is very nice and we enjoyed walking through Heritage Park in the outfield, which is like a hall of fame for the Indians. It was a colorful day a the ballpark as there were many daycare and summer camp groups in attendance and most groups had colored T-shirts to identify their charges. Everyone enjoyed the Hot Dog Derby – I believe Onion won. Unfortunately the home team lost. After the game, we walked to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and enjoyed walking around there before leaving the city.

July 16th -This is a beautiful stadium with a great view of downtown Pittsburgh and the Allegheny River. The scoreboard in the outfield is another unique one-for each game they show not only the score but also the number of outs and when players are on base. Before the game, the Seneca Valley High School Baseball Team was honored at home plate. They are the 2007 PIAA “AAAA” State Champions. Ronald McDonald threw the ceremonial first pitch, as it was McDonalds Monday Scratch-off night. Mrs. T’s Pierogies Race was held at the end of the 5th inning and after one of the other innings the mascots tossed hotdogs into the crowd. The actual game was the longest one so far – it started at 7:05PM and it was 9:47PM before we reached the 7th inning stretch!

July 12th - On our way from Cincinnati, Ohio to Mercer, PA, we drove through Akron, Ohio and happened to go right by the Soapbox Derby Headquarters so we had to make a stop. There was some press event going on at the finish line so we didn’t spend too much time but we were able to get some pictures without interfering with whatever was going on. Just so happens that in the same area is the Lockheed-Martin Airship Air dock, so we got a picture of that as well.

July 7th – We arrived at the ballpark early and instead of having our traditional hot dog and beer, we decided to have burgers at the Mr. Machine restaurant in the outfield. This is another of the newer ballparks and it is nice. Once thing that surprised me though, was that for a new park it did not have a very big scoreboard for the other games going on. It was a promotion night, so we received a Brandon Phillips’ mesh jersey (Brandon Phillips is the 2nd baseman). This team has 3 mascots - Mr. Redlegs, Mr. Red and Gapper. There is a party pavilion in the outfield in the shape of a Riverboat. The smokestacks are where they shoot most the fireworks from to celebrate a Reds’ homerun and a victory. This time, I got the picture.

June 29 - July 5 - We stayed in a campground right in the city so we were close enough to walk downtown and enjoy the sights. We walked to Union Station, then to the Arch, took a ride on the Riverboat – Tom Sawyer and visited the Old Courthouse. We also went to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and took their tour. On both the 3rd and 4th, we were able to enjoy the fireworks from our campsite. There was so much more to see & do in this area but there just wasn’t time.

July 2nd – What a beautiful night for a ball game – the weather was perfect! Busch Stadium is a nice new stadium in downtown St. Louis with a great view of the Arch. They have a great electronic scoreboard that doesn’t show just the score – for some of the games, you can actually see who is at bat, if there are runners on base and how many outs there are. It was Little League night so the team’s mascot led the little leaguers around the field before the game. The home team won so there were a few fireworks after the game, but I was so into the game that I did not have the camera ready to get any pictures of them.

June 25 -Wrigley Field reminded me some of Fenway – it is baseball tradition, it still has the manual scoreboard, it is located in the old neighborhood and there is obstructed view seating. We did not have “obstructed view” seats but as you can see from the pictures, we did have a post to deal with. Since there is no Jumbotron, replays are shown on small TVs positioned throughout the seating areas. We were sitting in the very top row of the stadium but did have a great view of the field, the rooftops seats outside the stadium and if you looked close, we could see Lake Michigan or rather sailboats on the lake. Glad we got to this one before it was rebuilt. The home team won – barely, but Mark’s summary will tell you all about that.

We are staying in a campground in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park so we took the Metra (train) into the city and then took the CTA (subway or L as they call it) to the game. It was a picture perfect day for a ballgame. It started out as a great game for the Sox but in the end, the Florida Marlins won the game. Despite the Sox loss, we had a great time at the game.

June 18th - Before the game we went to the Miller Brewery and took their tour. After the tour we enjoyed our first sample of beer in the Miller Inn and enjoyed a nice visit with some other baseball fans from Texas. As we crossed the street to the outdoor Beer Garden where we would enjoy our next sample, it started to rain. We quickly returned to our car but not before getting very wet. Thankfully this stadium is one with a retractable roof – once inside it we were dry but very warm until the rain let up enough to allow the windows in the outfield to be opened. This was Little League Night – before the game all the area Little League teams marched around the field and then filled the stands. We got to see Yovani Gallardo’s major league debut and it was a good one.

Had heard a lot about the Mall of America so we had to make a trip there as part of this visit to Minneapolis. It is huge with over 520 stores, 50 restaurants and the nation’s largest indoor amusement park and more. We enjoyed a couple of hours walking all 4 floors and had lunch. Then it was time to get ready for the game. There was lots of hitting in this game but unfortunately not for the home team. The Twins were playing the Brewers and the stands were filled with fans from both teams but it was a friendly rivalry with well-behaved fans on both sides. We were sitting in the Family Zone so our tickets came with a coupon for a free hotdog and soda or milk. Fortunately, this stadium is covered as it was raining out when we left the game.