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!!!