With 2011 nearly upon us, we begin looking to where the BoBB will venture next. After a quick perusal of the MLB schedule, here are some possibilities.
BRAD Tour (Braves, Rays, A's, Diamondbacks)
4/6 - Arizona Diamondbacks @ Chicago Cubs
4/7 - Atlanta Braves @ Milwaukee Brewers
4/8 - Oakland A's @ Minnesota Twins
4/9 - Tampa Bay Rays @ Chicago White Sox
Chicago Style
8/3 - St. Louis Cardinals @ Milwaukee Brewers
8/4 - New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox
8/5 - Chicago White Sox @ Minnesota Twins
8/6 - Cincinnati Reds @ Chicago Cubs
Large Market Excursion
8/18 - Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers
8/19 - New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins
8/20 - St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs
8/21 - Texas Rangers @ Chicago White Sox
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Michael's Thoughts
What an awesome trip! There weren't really any low points to the trip (except for Nathan assaulting me with a Slim Jim), but some parks and cities definitely had more to offer than others. So I can keep it straight in my mind, I'll tackle them in the order we experienced them. I'll give you my thoughts on the city, followed by my thoughts on the ballpark.
Baltimore, MD - Orioles Park at Camden Yards
City: Of the four cities we visited, Baltimore is the city I would most want to move to if I had to pick one. We felt comfortable strolling through downtown streets that were absent of bums and excessive trash littering the sidewalks. And there's something relaxing about having dinner next to a large body of water while an ocean breeze blows in through the window. I don't think any of us would have complained if we would have stayed in Baltimore a few more days.
Ballpark: Orioles Park at Camden Yards was my favorite ballpark. In a time when cookie-cutter ballparks are being built with little to no character or uniqueness, Orioles Park is sprinkled with history and gives you the feeling that you're sitting in a ballpark that is 70 years old (even though it was built in 1992). You enter to a statue of The Great Bambino, George Herman "Babe" Ruth, just two blocks from his birthplace. You walk past the center field seats which used to be the location of Ruth's Cafe, a small restaurant owned by Ruth's father. Once we get to our seats, we have a clear view of the warehouse, which not only provides a backdrop behind those sitting in right field, but it is made a part of the ballpark by having a bank of lights mounted to it. It is also home to the administrative offices of the Baltimore Orioles. It had several other small touches that give you the atmosphere and experience of a baseball game that could have been home to the 1910 Orioles, even if it is currently home to the 2010 Orioles.
Philadelphia, PA - Citizens Bank Park
City: Philadelphia is the city of the 4 that I would most want to go back and visit. It shares the same narrow streets and townhouse buildings that we saw in Baltimore, but there is more industrial feeling to the city. Seeing the steps featured in the Rocky movie was cool (and it was even cooler to run up them), but it didn't compare to the history and the purely humbling experience that we encountered by visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It was amazing to know that we were standing in the very building where Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams hammered out the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. You could sense the tension and uncertainty that must have filled the room as they sat, strangers in a foreign land, contemplating treason against the British government in favor of starting a new sovereign nation. They had no idea how it was going to turn out, but they continued anyway. I felt proud of my country and forefathers as we stood in Independence Hall. On a less serious and patriotic note, we couldn't help but think of the movie "National Treasure" as we walked through the city. :)
Ballpark: Citizen's Bank Park offered little in the way of unique features or that old-time retro feeling, but given the history and emotion evoked from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, it was cool to see the Liberty Bell featured by a lighted outline of the bell hanging next to the big scoreboard. But what the ballpark lacked in unique features, the fans made up for in energy and passion. Having been a Reds fan my whole life, I haven't been able to experience a live game where my team had a legitimate chance to make a run at the World Series (or even the playoffs, for that matter). So it was awesome to be at a game where the crowd got excited for every hit, booed what they thought was a bad call, and erupted at a home run. So from simply a game experience, Philadelphia and Citizen's Bank Park was the clear winner for me.
Washington, DC - National's Park
City: I don't have to tell you about the national history and patriotic feeling you get by being in our nation's capital. But with all the school trips and exposure that DC gets, some of it becomes a little mundane. Not to take anything away from the significance of the city and what's happened in the city, but we've all seen pictures (or have our own pictures) of the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery. One thing I wasn't ready for, however, was the World War II Memorial. Built in 2004 under the administration of George W. Bush, the WWII Memorial is a truly awesome tribute to the 400,000 Americans that were killed, 600,000 Americans that were wounded, and countless others that spent time away from their families and are still haunted by images and experiences of the war. The memorial itself would have caused emotions and tears, but those were compounded by the 50+ veterans that were there recalling their time served in the war. I had an amazing sense of appreciation for what they sacrificed. Oh, and DC offers a clean and efficient way to get around the city using their subway system. Kudos to you guys for that.
Ballpark: There's not much to say about National's Park. It's new. It's a ballpark. The scoreboard was out for 1/3 of the game. A few positives included the selection of food and the cleanliness, but, as Aaron pointed out, the cleanliness was easily achievable by the lack of attendance. I did, however, get a souvenir that was thrown to me by Nate McLouth, the Braves' center fielder. He threw us the ball with which he and right-fielder Jason Heyward were warming up. So that was definitely cool.
Pittsburgh, PA - PNC Park
City: Well, we were in Pittsburgh for little more than the 3 hours we attended the ball game, so there's not much to say about the city. Imagine picking up Cincinnati and putting it down 240 miles north-east, and that's what Pittsburgh felt like. The bridges were neat, but other than that, there's not much that we were able to experience.
Ballpark: For me, the coolest thing about PNC Park is how low you sit in left field. You are literally at field level! The outfield wall is only about 5 feet tall, so if an outfielder had to make a catch or go retrieve a ball in right field, you could reach out and shake their hand, face to face (though I wouldn't recommend it). Like Baltimore, PNC Park offered some cool scenery in the background with the bridge that crossed the Ohio River. The knocks I had on PNC Park were the obnoxious fans (what else would you expect from Pittsburgh) and the fact that they didn't sell programs or souvenir cups. I can understand not having souvenir cups, but no programs? Really? Come on, Pittsburgh.
What I've learned about ballparks from this trip is that while any city can build a cookie-cutter park that can serve as a venue for a Major League baseball game, it takes some historical significance and connection to the city to make a ballpark truly special. And we couldn't have had a better group of guys. The camaraderie and easy-going spirit that we all had on the trip made it really enjoyable. Can't wait until the next trip!!!
Baltimore, MD - Orioles Park at Camden Yards
City: Of the four cities we visited, Baltimore is the city I would most want to move to if I had to pick one. We felt comfortable strolling through downtown streets that were absent of bums and excessive trash littering the sidewalks. And there's something relaxing about having dinner next to a large body of water while an ocean breeze blows in through the window. I don't think any of us would have complained if we would have stayed in Baltimore a few more days.
Ballpark: Orioles Park at Camden Yards was my favorite ballpark. In a time when cookie-cutter ballparks are being built with little to no character or uniqueness, Orioles Park is sprinkled with history and gives you the feeling that you're sitting in a ballpark that is 70 years old (even though it was built in 1992). You enter to a statue of The Great Bambino, George Herman "Babe" Ruth, just two blocks from his birthplace. You walk past the center field seats which used to be the location of Ruth's Cafe, a small restaurant owned by Ruth's father. Once we get to our seats, we have a clear view of the warehouse, which not only provides a backdrop behind those sitting in right field, but it is made a part of the ballpark by having a bank of lights mounted to it. It is also home to the administrative offices of the Baltimore Orioles. It had several other small touches that give you the atmosphere and experience of a baseball game that could have been home to the 1910 Orioles, even if it is currently home to the 2010 Orioles.
Philadelphia, PA - Citizens Bank Park
City: Philadelphia is the city of the 4 that I would most want to go back and visit. It shares the same narrow streets and townhouse buildings that we saw in Baltimore, but there is more industrial feeling to the city. Seeing the steps featured in the Rocky movie was cool (and it was even cooler to run up them), but it didn't compare to the history and the purely humbling experience that we encountered by visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It was amazing to know that we were standing in the very building where Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams hammered out the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. You could sense the tension and uncertainty that must have filled the room as they sat, strangers in a foreign land, contemplating treason against the British government in favor of starting a new sovereign nation. They had no idea how it was going to turn out, but they continued anyway. I felt proud of my country and forefathers as we stood in Independence Hall. On a less serious and patriotic note, we couldn't help but think of the movie "National Treasure" as we walked through the city. :)
Ballpark: Citizen's Bank Park offered little in the way of unique features or that old-time retro feeling, but given the history and emotion evoked from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, it was cool to see the Liberty Bell featured by a lighted outline of the bell hanging next to the big scoreboard. But what the ballpark lacked in unique features, the fans made up for in energy and passion. Having been a Reds fan my whole life, I haven't been able to experience a live game where my team had a legitimate chance to make a run at the World Series (or even the playoffs, for that matter). So it was awesome to be at a game where the crowd got excited for every hit, booed what they thought was a bad call, and erupted at a home run. So from simply a game experience, Philadelphia and Citizen's Bank Park was the clear winner for me.
Washington, DC - National's Park
City: I don't have to tell you about the national history and patriotic feeling you get by being in our nation's capital. But with all the school trips and exposure that DC gets, some of it becomes a little mundane. Not to take anything away from the significance of the city and what's happened in the city, but we've all seen pictures (or have our own pictures) of the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery. One thing I wasn't ready for, however, was the World War II Memorial. Built in 2004 under the administration of George W. Bush, the WWII Memorial is a truly awesome tribute to the 400,000 Americans that were killed, 600,000 Americans that were wounded, and countless others that spent time away from their families and are still haunted by images and experiences of the war. The memorial itself would have caused emotions and tears, but those were compounded by the 50+ veterans that were there recalling their time served in the war. I had an amazing sense of appreciation for what they sacrificed. Oh, and DC offers a clean and efficient way to get around the city using their subway system. Kudos to you guys for that.
Ballpark: There's not much to say about National's Park. It's new. It's a ballpark. The scoreboard was out for 1/3 of the game. A few positives included the selection of food and the cleanliness, but, as Aaron pointed out, the cleanliness was easily achievable by the lack of attendance. I did, however, get a souvenir that was thrown to me by Nate McLouth, the Braves' center fielder. He threw us the ball with which he and right-fielder Jason Heyward were warming up. So that was definitely cool.
Pittsburgh, PA - PNC Park
City: Well, we were in Pittsburgh for little more than the 3 hours we attended the ball game, so there's not much to say about the city. Imagine picking up Cincinnati and putting it down 240 miles north-east, and that's what Pittsburgh felt like. The bridges were neat, but other than that, there's not much that we were able to experience.
Ballpark: For me, the coolest thing about PNC Park is how low you sit in left field. You are literally at field level! The outfield wall is only about 5 feet tall, so if an outfielder had to make a catch or go retrieve a ball in right field, you could reach out and shake their hand, face to face (though I wouldn't recommend it). Like Baltimore, PNC Park offered some cool scenery in the background with the bridge that crossed the Ohio River. The knocks I had on PNC Park were the obnoxious fans (what else would you expect from Pittsburgh) and the fact that they didn't sell programs or souvenir cups. I can understand not having souvenir cups, but no programs? Really? Come on, Pittsburgh.
What I've learned about ballparks from this trip is that while any city can build a cookie-cutter park that can serve as a venue for a Major League baseball game, it takes some historical significance and connection to the city to make a ballpark truly special. And we couldn't have had a better group of guys. The camaraderie and easy-going spirit that we all had on the trip made it really enjoyable. Can't wait until the next trip!!!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Aaron's Trip Evaluation
Since Nathan gave a great review of the parks, I won't go into as much detail. I'll just give my rankings in a few different categories.
Best Stadium ranking
#1 - Camden Yards, Baltimore. My favorite of the four parks. Had the feel of an older park. The vendors and the warehouse behind the outfield just made it that much cooler.
#2 - PNC Park, Pittsburgh. Smaller ballpark and the outfield bleachers were pretty much level with the playing field - you felt really close to the play. Very nice stadium and it backed right up to the river. You could see the bridge behind center field - very cool.
#3 - Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia. Nice stadium; reminded me of Busch. Pretty standard, modern baseball stadium.
#4 - Washington Nationals Park, D.C. Nice stadium as well. Another pretty standard baseball stadium. What was noticeable was how clean the stadium was; most likely due to low attendance.
Best Game ranking
#1 - Cards beating Phillies. Somewhat biased, but the Cards beating Philly at Philly was great for Nate and I. It was a sold out crowd with the added bonus of a joker running out on the field in the 7th inning and getting tased. Oh, and Nate and I both wore Cardinal gear and the fans were fine - no one really gave us a hard time which was classy.
#2 - Orioles beating Red Sox. Great game with the home team winning in the 10th.
#3 - Pirates beating Cubs. Smaller crowd but the Pittsburgh fans in attendance were really into the game.
#4 - Nationals beating Braves. Small attendance and not much excitement in the crowd. Still was a good game to watch with Dunn and Heyward hitting home runs.
Best stadium food ranking
This was the hardest one because I had great food at every stadium. I could easily say 4 way tie but I'll try to rank them.
#1 - Primanti Bros. sandwich in Pittsburgh. Capicola sandwich with cole slaw, fries, and tomato slices on Italian bread. Yes, the sides (cole slaw and fries) are on the sandwich and it tastes great. The most original which is why it gets #1.
#2 - Boogs BBQ in Baltimore. Pulled Pork sandwich with baked beans and cole slaw. The pulled pork was a dry rub and tasted great. Nate and I didn't even realize you could add BBQ sauce at a separate condiment table. Even without the sauce, I still give it the #2 slot.
#3 - Tony Luke's cheesesteak in Philly. I'm not a huge cheesesteak guy, but this sandwich was fantastic. You can see the pic of Tony, Nate, and myself all chowing down on one of these sandwiches.
#4 - BBQ at Washington. This park didn't have any famous vendor like the others but wow, was this good BBQ. Don't let the #4 slot fool you. A BBQ beef sandwich with potato salad. Plus grilled corn on the cob dripping with butter still in the husk. Good stuff
Best sights to see
No way to rank these since most have meaning to our nation's history so I'll just list the sights I enjoyed.
- Lincoln Memorial. Sitting on the steps looking out at the reflecting pool with the Washington Monument in the distance .... awesome.
- World War II Memorial. There were many veterans there the day we saw it - very moving.
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Again, very moving to see all the names of those who sacrificed.
- Constitution and Declaration of Independence at the National Archives
- Arlington Cemetary
- Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia. We had a short tour at Independence Hall which was extremely interesting.
- Rocky steps in Philly. Doesn't quite have the meaning of the sights listed above, but was still fun to run up the steps.
- Inner Harbor in Baltimore. Very cool place to experience dowtown Baltimore.
Best Stadium ranking
#1 - Camden Yards, Baltimore. My favorite of the four parks. Had the feel of an older park. The vendors and the warehouse behind the outfield just made it that much cooler.
#2 - PNC Park, Pittsburgh. Smaller ballpark and the outfield bleachers were pretty much level with the playing field - you felt really close to the play. Very nice stadium and it backed right up to the river. You could see the bridge behind center field - very cool.
#3 - Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia. Nice stadium; reminded me of Busch. Pretty standard, modern baseball stadium.
#4 - Washington Nationals Park, D.C. Nice stadium as well. Another pretty standard baseball stadium. What was noticeable was how clean the stadium was; most likely due to low attendance.
Best Game ranking
#1 - Cards beating Phillies. Somewhat biased, but the Cards beating Philly at Philly was great for Nate and I. It was a sold out crowd with the added bonus of a joker running out on the field in the 7th inning and getting tased. Oh, and Nate and I both wore Cardinal gear and the fans were fine - no one really gave us a hard time which was classy.
#2 - Orioles beating Red Sox. Great game with the home team winning in the 10th.
#3 - Pirates beating Cubs. Smaller crowd but the Pittsburgh fans in attendance were really into the game.
#4 - Nationals beating Braves. Small attendance and not much excitement in the crowd. Still was a good game to watch with Dunn and Heyward hitting home runs.
Best stadium food ranking
This was the hardest one because I had great food at every stadium. I could easily say 4 way tie but I'll try to rank them.
#1 - Primanti Bros. sandwich in Pittsburgh. Capicola sandwich with cole slaw, fries, and tomato slices on Italian bread. Yes, the sides (cole slaw and fries) are on the sandwich and it tastes great. The most original which is why it gets #1.
#2 - Boogs BBQ in Baltimore. Pulled Pork sandwich with baked beans and cole slaw. The pulled pork was a dry rub and tasted great. Nate and I didn't even realize you could add BBQ sauce at a separate condiment table. Even without the sauce, I still give it the #2 slot.
#3 - Tony Luke's cheesesteak in Philly. I'm not a huge cheesesteak guy, but this sandwich was fantastic. You can see the pic of Tony, Nate, and myself all chowing down on one of these sandwiches.
#4 - BBQ at Washington. This park didn't have any famous vendor like the others but wow, was this good BBQ. Don't let the #4 slot fool you. A BBQ beef sandwich with potato salad. Plus grilled corn on the cob dripping with butter still in the husk. Good stuff
Best sights to see
No way to rank these since most have meaning to our nation's history so I'll just list the sights I enjoyed.
- Lincoln Memorial. Sitting on the steps looking out at the reflecting pool with the Washington Monument in the distance .... awesome.
- World War II Memorial. There were many veterans there the day we saw it - very moving.
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Again, very moving to see all the names of those who sacrificed.
- Constitution and Declaration of Independence at the National Archives
- Arlington Cemetary
- Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia. We had a short tour at Independence Hall which was extremely interesting.
- Rocky steps in Philly. Doesn't quite have the meaning of the sights listed above, but was still fun to run up the steps.
- Inner Harbor in Baltimore. Very cool place to experience dowtown Baltimore.
Nate's Stadium Evaluation
The evaluations I will make are based on the design and atmosphere of the stadium, the food, the fans and overall experience (misc).
Before I begin, let me say I enjoyed all four ballparks, and it's been fun to go back and remember some of my favorite and least favorite things from each one. So let's begin. Rating System: 1 out of 5
Washington Nationals Park-D.C.
Stadium (design, view): 4 (2 years old, some neat designs, small ballpark feel, very clean, not much view, seemed away from everything and just another new stadium)
Seats: 4 (Front row, RCF, good view)
Food: 3 (Chili nachos were good, but not a lot of selection and several stands closed)
Fan Atmosphere: 1 (low attendance, not much participation, boring atmosphere
Misc:2 (Positive-Free t-shirt night, Negative- Scoreboards went out for over 4 innings, stadium workers were strict on seating, and our section was probaly 25 % full. Also couldn't see the big scoreboard very well.
PNC Park-Pittsburgh
Stadium: (Design, view): 4 (very nice and clean, stadium design was cool, small ballpark feel. Similar design and feel as of GABP, but the view of the yellow bridge over the river was amazing.
Seats: 4 (3rd row, left field, real close to the action, felt like we were on the field.)
Food: 4 (Primanti Brothers Roast beef sandwich, with fries and slaw on the sandwich. Great!
Fan Atmosphere: 2 (low attendance, medium participation, atmosphere was better than Nats game.
Misc:3 Negatives: Only stadium that didn't sell programs , didn't sell souvenir cups which we were collecting, and attendants in LF were rude about where you could take pics. Positive, you could see the big scoreboard from the outfield, where you couldn't in Washington and Philly.
Citizens Bank Park: Philadelphia
Stadium: (Design, View) 4 (similar to Washington's design, and also had a small ball park feel. I liked the design of the LF and RF sections, and their unique design was a giant liberty bell that lit up and moved when home runs were hit.
Food: 5 (Tony Luke's Cheesesteak was amazing! They had a lot of different food choices as well, and they also offered $1 hot dogs that night, which is always a great promotion.
Seats: 4 (LF, great view,
Fan Atmosphere: 5 (The only sellout on the trip, and the fans were passionate and loud. Great baseball atmosphere, which also was helped by the fact it was a matchup of to of the top NL teams.
Misc:4
Provided flat screen tv's in the OF seats, so you could see the replays on the TV broadcast, which came in handy. Fans were nicer than expected, especially for the reputation Philly fans have. Also, had a random occurence happen when the fan ran on the field, making it an even better game and story! Negative: Couldn't see big scoreboard from the outfield seats.
Camden Yards, Baltimore:
Stadium: (Design, View) 5 (The nicest and most creative of all the ballpark designs. You walk in to the stadium in RF, between the field and the old warehouse that Camden is known for. Lots of statues of their old players, and a statue of Babe Ruth at the entrance. When you first enter, you think it's a smaller ballpark. But as you move around, you realize, it is a large ballpark witha small ballpark feel. The first stadium designed like an old time stadium, with Ivy on the centerfield wall to go along with the warehouse.
Food: (5 )(Boog's BBQ was great. If I had known their was BBQ for the pork sandwhich, even better. I also was very impressed with the food choices inside and outside of the stadium.
Seats: (5) (Our seats were a great view off the 3rd base side. A huge positive is it's under an overhang, which helped shield the heat, and it was hot. Also great on a rainy day. The only negative is it did obstruct view of warehouse, but did not obstruct view of play. Also, had the positive of tv's right in front of our seats to help follow the action closer, replays, etc. We moved later to the upper deck outfield and though they were high, that view was amazing, not only of the field but of the warehouse and city, which is why I give the seats a 5.
Fan Atmosphere: (4) Though it wasn't a massive crowd, still a decent attendance. Only negative is alot of them were for Boston. But it still made for a good game atmosphere, especially when the game went into extra innings.
Misc: (4)I was impressed with the feel of the stadium, as I mentioned earlier, like you were back in time. Also, you could not only see the scoreboard, but we noticed they were creative in their advertising and videos promoting the Orioles and creating excitement, including a cool video in the bottom of the 9th to pump up the crowd using movies such as Lord of the Rings, Braveheart, etc. Another positive was their souvenir prices. Though they weren't cheap, they were very affordable and I looked up a couple items on line this week and they were the same price at the ballpark as retail, which is unusual. Last but not least, there was a lot of history at Camden. Not only the design, but recognizing their history, and honoring it. The stadium was build on Babe Ruth's Father's Bar, and they honored the babe with a Statue. Also, Boog's was named after a famous Oriole, Boog Powell. Overall, Baltimore was my favorite city as well.
Overall Ratings: Out of 5
Washington, 3.25 average rating, Pittsburgh, 3.75, Philadelphia, 4.25, Baltimore, 4.5
If I went just on design of the stadiums, I'd go Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Day 4: D.C. and Pittsburgh
We got up early and took the subway into D.C. We took pictures at the Washington
Monument, but could not get tickets to go in. We then went by the White House and walked to the Mall where the Lincoln Memorial and War Memorials were. Let me say, the World War II Memorial and Vietnam Wall were unbelievable experiences. They are both worth seeing, but I must say, the World War II memorial was incredible. We then went over to the Lincoln Memorial and saw President Abraham Lincoln, and that is a cool site to see. We then walked about a mile to the Arlington Cemetery and we saw the "Eternal Flame" and JFK's grave.
We left D.C. at one and arrive in Pittsburgh around 6 and went to PNC Park to see the Cubs/Pirates. It was a great ballpark, and the view from the outfield looking over the river was amazing. Our seats were the best and closest seats we had all week. We sat three rows behind the left field fence. After the game, we left for home and finished our trip at 3 a.m. The overall trip was fantastic, and we will be updating over the next several days with the reviews and favorite memories from the guys on the trip. This will include our thoughts on each Ballpark, how they compare, the best and least things from each one, and what made the trip so great.
Continue to check back as we share about the trip. We will be planning the next leg of our trip soon!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Day 3: Washington D.C.
Day 3:
We spent the morning in Philly touring the Independence Hall. After seeing where the Declaration of Independence was written, we loaded up and drove to D.C.
We arrived in D.C. in the afternoon and went to the National Archives and saw the original documents of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution.
We walked to Ford's Theatre, but missed the Tour. We arrived at Nationals Stadium for batting
practice and then watched the Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3. Home runs by rookie phenom Jason Heyward and by Nationals 1b Adam Dunn highlighted the game. Another highlight was Nate Mclouth throwing a ball to Michael. In the morning, we will be heading back into D.C. to walk by the White House, tour the monument, Lincoln memorial and possibly Arlington Cemetery. Then we head off for the last leg of our trip, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for the Chicago Cubs/Pittsburgh Pirates game. (Heywards home run is posted below...)
Monday, May 3, 2010
"Don't tase me bro"
Enjoy the video of the guy who ran out on the field and got tased at the Phillies game tonight!
Day 2: Philadelphia
We arrived in Philadelphia around 1:30, and started off with a stop to the Art Museum to follow in the steps of Rocky Balboa. After posing with the Italian Stallion and running up the steps, we spent the afternoon walking around the city of brotherly love. We went and saw the Liberty Bell, and then hopped on the subway to Citizens Bank Parkfor the Cardinals-Phillies game. It was a great game, Nathan and Aaron were happy to see a Cardinals victory, and we enjoyed a real, Philadelphia Cheesesteak. Pete even had two!
We were rewarded with a special guest on the field at the game who was chased around the field by security, only to be tackled and tased! (no, it wasn't any of us, lol)
Tony even got it on video that you'll see below.
Tomorrow we go to tour Independence Hall and head off to Washington D.C. to sightsee before the game. Enjoy the videos and pics of today!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Baltimore Day 1
Day 1
Arrived in Baltimore, checked in our hotel, and headed on over to see the game at Camden Yards. It was a really good close game, Orioles won with a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th inning. Awesome way to start the trip, Camden Yards is a really cool stadium. Nathan got a lot of good pics and we will post some here.
We ate Boog's BBQ at the stadium, was expensive but very good. Ate dinner at Shucker's on Fell's Point, also very good and Ben, Aaron and Nathan raved about the swordfish.
While sitting in the lobby of our hotel, we noticed that we were 10 feet away from Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. We really wanted to approach him but he was with friends and we did not want to bother him. Still really cool to see a MLB and Reds legend.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Weather Report
As of this morning, here's the weather report for next week.
Sunday, May 2nd - Baltimore, MD
High - 90
Partly Cloudy
Chance of Rain - 10%
Monday, May 3rd - Philadelphia, PA
High - 74
Isolated Thunderstorms
Chance of Rain - 40%
Tuesday, May 4th - Washington, DC
High - 77
Few Showers
Chance of Rain - 30%
Wednesday, May 5th - Pittsburgh, PA
High - 70
Partly Cloudy
Chance of Rain - 20%
All in all, it looks pretty good. We'll need our jackets for the nightcap in Pittsburgh, but we should stay warm from our sunburns we'll acquire in Baltimore on Sunday!
Sunday, May 2nd - Baltimore, MD
High - 90
Partly Cloudy
Chance of Rain - 10%
Monday, May 3rd - Philadelphia, PA
High - 74
Isolated Thunderstorms
Chance of Rain - 40%
Tuesday, May 4th - Washington, DC
High - 77
Few Showers
Chance of Rain - 30%
Wednesday, May 5th - Pittsburgh, PA
High - 70
Partly Cloudy
Chance of Rain - 20%
All in all, it looks pretty good. We'll need our jackets for the nightcap in Pittsburgh, but we should stay warm from our sunburns we'll acquire in Baltimore on Sunday!
Probable Pitchers we will be seeing
UPDATED PROBABLE STARTERS
BOS-Josh Beckett vs. BAL-Kevin Millwood
STL-Jaime Garcia vs. PHI-Cole Hamels
ATL-Kenshin Kawakami vs. WAS-Livan Hernandez
CHC-Ted Lilly vs. PIT-C.Morton(I have no idea what his first name is, but he has a 16.20 ERA)
I didn't plan it this way, but I will get to see 2 of my fantasy baseball pitchers. (Lilly and Hamels)
BOS-Josh Beckett vs. BAL-Kevin Millwood
STL-Jaime Garcia vs. PHI-Cole Hamels
ATL-Kenshin Kawakami vs. WAS-Livan Hernandez
CHC-Ted Lilly vs. PIT-C.Morton(I have no idea what his first name is, but he has a 16.20 ERA)
I didn't plan it this way, but I will get to see 2 of my fantasy baseball pitchers. (Lilly and Hamels)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Things To Do
Here's a vague idea of what we want to see/do in each city (besides the games, of course):
Baltimore
Washington, DC
Pittsburgh
It'd be fun to see a few non-tourist-y things in each city, but those are sometimes hard to come up with if you don't live in that city. Anybody have any suggestions for anything else to do? Or any good places to eat?
Baltimore
- Inner Harbor
- Fell's Point
- SEAFOOD!!
Washington, DC
Pittsburgh
- ummmmm......the Ohio River????
It'd be fun to see a few non-tourist-y things in each city, but those are sometimes hard to come up with if you don't live in that city. Anybody have any suggestions for anything else to do? Or any good places to eat?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Here we go!
This is our first of hopefully many yearly trips, with the goal of seeing every MLB park. Below is the itenerary.
Leave from Church at 9pm on Saturday May 1st. Driving to Washington PA.
Head out from there to Baltimore MD to see Orioles vs. Red Sox at 1:35pm at Camden Yards.
Spend the evening/night in Baltimore, and head out Monday morning for Philly.
Hanging out and sightseeing there, and catching Phillies vs. Cardinals at 7:05pm at Citizens Bank Park.
Head from Philly to Washington DC on Tuesday morning, catching the Nationals vs. Braves at 7:05pm at Nationals Park.
Spend the night in DC and head to Pittsburgh sometime on Wednesday to catch the Pirates vs. Cubs at 7:05pm at PNC Park.
After the game we pile back into the mini-van and head for home, and should arrive back in Ohio very early Thursday morning.
We will update with pictures and posts about what we have done as we go, feel free to comment, we would love to hear from you.
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