The final game of Road Trip 2010 brought us to St. Louis for my first trip there in 10 years. We set out from Chicago and arrived about an hour outside of St. Louis the night before. We arrived after spending the day in St. Louis at the Arch and arrived at the ballpark. I was very impressed with all of the statues and the fans that lined the streets before the gates even opened. St. Louis is definitely dedicated to their baseball and the “sea of red” was pretty nice to see. We got in around 5:30 and I headed to CF for BP.

 

I camped out in centerfield for a while after noticing left field was cramped and it paid off with a big long fly right to me! It made some older adult mad too because he had been running rampant and aggrevating the crap out of the fans and the players. Right after he told me “Congratulations, you’ve got your’s now” and I nicely responded with “Yeah, I hope I can get another one now.” but I didn’t get one. Oh well, it was time to go get some food and sit down and watch the game.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the game despite the fact I knew it was our last game and we’d be hitting the road right after. The Cards played the Oakland A’s and I saw the A’s for the second day in a row. Matt Holliday kicked off things against his former team in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer but the A’s scored four in the second and led until the fifth inning whenever the Cardinals tied it up. The Cards would score their final two runs in the seventh inning and would end up winning in a pretty quick game.

 

I must say that I enjoyed Busch. It wasn’t the best stadium but honestly it was rather simple and reminded me somewhat of the second incarnation of Busch with the outfield setup. Maybe that’s just me but I thought it was done very simple. People in St. Louis love baseball and they don’t need too many gimmicks to entice them to come out to the ballpark (well besides Big Mac Land!) but there was 40,000 strong that night in the sea of red that engulfed Busch Stadium.

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: St. Louis 6, Oakland 4

W – Chris Carpenter (8-1)

L – Brad Zeigler (2-4)

S – Ryan Franklin (13)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 7-3 (Detroit, Minnesota, Detroit, Washington, Chicago WS, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis)

Home Team Record: 6-4

Total Runs Scored: 95

Away Team Runs Scored: 42

Home Team Runs Scored: 53

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Brennan Boesch, Alexei Ramirez, Ramon Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Brent Lillibridge, Ryan Braun, Vladimir Guerrero, Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Garrett Jones, Carlos Guillen, Travis Hafner, Adam Dunn, Roger Bernandina, Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez, Chris Heisey, Jeff Baker, Mark Ellis, & Matt Holliday

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit 3x, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox 2x, Texas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh 2x, Washington, Cleveland, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s, & St. Louis

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City), Sue 10th Anniversary Team Posters (Chicago White Sox), Sports Authority Coupon (Milwaukee), Detroit Stars Negro League Hat (Detroit Tigers), Ryan Theriot Fisherman Bobblehead (Chicago Cubs) 

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. Busch Stadium was very nice but at the same time it didn’t really present anything different from the other ballparks. It’s simply a place to go and watch baseball which there is nothing wrong with that but it’s not a bad place to see a game either.

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)

3. Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)

4. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)

5. Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)

6. Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds)

7. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians)

8. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)

9. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers) 

10. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers) 

We woke up not too far out of Indianapolis on this morning preparing for our drive to Cincinnati. I was so excited to get to Wrigley and get to see some good ole’ fashioned baseball without all of the distractions. Well apparently we should have drove a bit longer the night before as we were an hour further away than I thought we were. After eating breakfast (against my wishes) we wasted a fair bit of time before getting stuck into the traffic. As time changed, I watched helplessly as we were stuck in traffic and well as fate would have it I had no choice but to watch as the clock kept on ticking by. We made it into Chicago around 1:30 or so, about twenty minutes after the first pitch. I really wasn’t too happy but hey what can you do? We listened to the radio and to make things worse the game was going by pretty quick! Either way we arrived around 2:00 or so and it was the fourth inning as you can tell in my picture to the left. 

Well, to make matters worse when we scheduled the trip I knew for some reason we would need to schedule a night game. My Dad is the type that he wants to do the trip in as few days as possible. I definetly understand but that limits sight-seeing as well. Regardless, I struck for the June 17th day game, looking back should have picked June 18th instead which would have gave us a full day to make it to Chicago once again but it’s okay we’ve learned from our mistake. Anyways, we rolled up into Wrigley and had bleacher tickets. Yes. I had told my Dad that we probably wouldn’t want to get them but he said he could deal with the drunks for at least three hours. BIG MISTAKE. We got there and of course there was literally no seats. He made his way and pretty much took someone’s seat and well, I was just needing some time alone to enjoy Wrigley after arriving late. I walked down into the concourse and grabbed a drink and skipped food, should have probably got a Chicago dog but didn’t. I went into the main concourse and loved it! Everything about it! Small and busy but it’s all about baseball and that’s the way it should be. Loved the small team shop too! Bought my stuff there and made my way back to the bleachers.

Anways I finally found a seat opened around the seventh inning and went and took it. It was Ryan Theriot Bobblehead Day at Wrigley and well I wanted to get my hands on one somehow seeing as I’m from Louisiana and a big LSU fan (Theriot is an alum from there.) Anyways, I didn’t get one at the game but settled for one off eBay. Back to the park, despite after going through all of the arriving late, not having a seat, the rowdy fans, etc. I really did enjoy Wrigley Field looking back. 

 At the time I don’t think I fully took in the experience due to all the frustration that day brought but for just about 30 minutes as I sat in the bleachers and looked around I enjoyed the game. Perhaps it wasn’t too bad of a thing that we got there late as now I think I enjoyed it more. It was a very hot day but I think I enjoyed more in those thirty minutes than I would have the entire game (sounds weird) but I’d still have enjoyed being there for the entire game. Either way, I look for a chance to return to Wrigley one day and see it once more.

 

It was pretty neat getting to hear the Go Cubs Go Song and the white “W” flag flying. The surrounding of the ballpark is very unique and different but I enjoyed it. I got to see the A’s team bus and their equipment as we walked by and had it been a better day we would have probably stayed back and watch them board the bus. Without a doubt, Wrigley was a great experience and right up there with Fenway as one of the best baseball experiences there is. Would I say it dethroned Target? I can’t say yes due to my experience.

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: Chicago Cubs 3, Oakland 2

W – Carlos Marmol (2-1)

L – Jerry Blevins (2-1)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 6-3 (Detroit, Minnesota, Detroit, Washington, Chicago WS, Chicago Cubs)

Home Team Record: 5-4

Total Runs Scored: 85

Away Team Runs Scored: 38

Home Team Runs Scored: 47

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Brennan Boesch, Alexei Ramirez, Ramon Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Brent Lillibridge, Ryan Braun, Vladimir Guerrero, Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Garrett Jones, Carlos Guillen, Travis Hafner, Adam Dunn, Roger Bernandina, Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez, Chris Heisey, Jeff Baker, Mark Ellis

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit 3x, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox 2x, Texas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh 2x, Washington, Cleveland, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City), Sue 10th Anniversary Team Posters (Chicago White Sox), Sports Authority Coupon (Milwaukee), Detroit Stars Negro League Hat (Detroit Tigers), Ryan Theriot Fisherman Bobblehead (Chicago Cubs) 

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. Wrigley was a great experience no doubt but my arriving late, the “bleacher” experience, the case of some fans not paying attention at all, hurts the rating. It’s such a great ballpark but I don’t know if I can rank it above Target and PNC. It’s great no doubt and I know many people are going to disagree and say it should be higher but it’s more than just the experience that I’m looking at too.

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)

3. Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)

4. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)

5. Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds)

6. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians)

7. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)

8. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers) 

9. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers)

 

After a great night in PNC Park the night before, we headed out for our eighth park in Cincinnati on Wednesday. We arrived pretty early and brought my mom shopping before we headed to the park a few hours early. I saw Joe Nuxhall’s famous phrase “Rounding third and heading home…” on the side of the park which was pretty neat. The GAB is one of those parks you either love or you hate. Me personally I loved it. What makes it different is it’s not made of brick like most and the red seats (appropriate here.) 

 

We went into the park early and went to our seats in right field which is named the Sun/Moon Deck depending on the time of the game. I dropped my stuff off and moved over a bit towards right center for BP. My first ball that I had coming at me, I misjudged it and I mean it was coming RIGHT at me. I was one row too low and didn’t have time to move until I noticed it and I caught it at first but it pulled me back and I lost the ball. An adult ran over and picked it up as all I could do was look on helplessly. But wait….

 

I ended up catching two baseballs in the same area as the Dodgers were lighting up the right field Moon Deck with balls. It was crazy. I couldn’t tell who it was hitting them all but I caught two in about the same spot to make up for the one I missed earlier. As for my final ball, I actually didn’t catch it but luck helped out. I was still in the same area rather high up in the Moon Deck whenever a bomb was hit. I ran over and stuck my glove out but missed as it struck the glass part of the section entrance.

I couldn’t get a good picture of it but regardless, the ball was too far away for me to catch it and it ended up richocheting over about two sections to my left RIGHT into my Dad’s hands. Pretty neat and appropriate for me after he accidentaly lost my ball at Pittsburgh the night before. He didn’t say anything but I knew that it was nice of him to catch it and give it to me after BP was over. Mike Leake came out not too long after and warmed up as he was that night’s starter and he had been on a roll at this time.

 

I walked around the park to get a good feel of it and there was a lot of food to offer here. A lot of sights and sounds too but I had my eye set on either Skyline Chili or Montgomery Inn BBQ. I settled on the Montgomery BBQ and it was great. I was going to go back and get some Skyline later but I didn’t think I’d be able to stomach any more food. I really enjoyed GAB because of it’s uniqueness. At times it seemed forced maybe but I loved the smoke stacks, the party deck, and our seats were very nice!

 

On a side note, whenever I first attended a game at Dodger Stadium back in 2005, it was the Reds that were the visiting team. This year it would be the Dodgers visiting the Reds. Kinda ironic huh? We saw a pretty good pitching matchup between two young studs in Clayton Kershaw and Mike Leake. Kershaw would pitch 7 1/3 and give up only one run while Leake got a little unlucky and suffered his first ever defeat as a Major League pitcher. It took him thirteen starts to suffer his first loss so not a bad start for his big league career really if you ask me.

I think that we picked a pretty good game to go see despite the Reds not getting a win but still. It was a great crowd for a Wednesday night, great view (and the split behind home plate is neat and cool. Some people don’t like it but I liked it as you can get a view of what is behind you. The setting is great, the food was good, the local fans are very nice, and the team is starting to get better too. Great American Ballpark is such a nice place to see a game and you can’t go wrong with any seat in the house really.

 

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Cincinnati 2

W – Clayton Kershaw (7-3)

L – Mike Leake (5-1)

S – Hong Chih-Kuo (1)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 5-3 (Detroit, Minnesota, Detroit, Washington, Chicago)

Home Team Record: 4-4

Total Runs Scored: 80

Away Team Runs Scored: 36

Home Team Runs Scored: 44

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Brennan Boesch, Alexei Ramirez, Ramon Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Brent Lillibridge, Ryan Braun, Vladimir Guerrero, Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Garrett Jones, Carlos Guillen, Travis Hafner, Adam Dunn, Roger Bernandina, Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez, Chris Heisey

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit 3x, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox 2x, Texas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh 2x, Washington, Cleveland, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City), Sue 10th Anniversary Team Posters (Chicago White Sox), Sports Authority Coupon (Milwaukee), Detroit Stars Negro League Hat (Detroit Tigers),

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. Great American was a nice park and is actually going to find itself settling into the number four spot this week. I liked that it seperated itself from the other new ballparks with all the brick and green seats they have, GAB countered that and even has red seats which are so appropriate! I can see why some people aren’t too fond of it as there is a lot going on there but really I don’t mind it. Actually I think it’s pretty cool.  

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)

3. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)

4. Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds)

5. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)

6. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians) 

7. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers)

8. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)

Back in February while planning this trip, after seeing Cleveland was just a little over two
hours from Pittsburgh, I got lucky and found some great seats right behind the dugout for dirt cheap. I have a new found love for PNC Park and really would like to see the Pirates get better one day because it is such a beautiful ballpark with so much to offer. I have met some of the most friendliest people in Pittsburgh as well. We got to the park early in time to look around and go to the home plate entrance that I didn’t get a chance to see back when we first came to Pitt last year.

 

One of my biggest goals on this trip was to get a chance to talk to one of our hometown pro athletes, Juan Pierre. I have met Juan before and got a picture and autograph with him but never at the ballpark. I was going to try at BP but he was on the other side of the stadium and I was not going to go into the trap that was left field that day. I did get two baseballs though, one from Mark Kotsay and the other from Andruw Jones on toss ups.

I got both of them from toss ups and I threw them to my Dad but he put them in my bag for some reason and it ripped and they rolled out! UGH! Looking back I wish I could have walked away with both balls but I was really pissed at the time because some teenager walked over I guess and just picked it up without my Dad seeing. That is unless it rolled down the steps which is more likely the scenario. Oh well, no big deal.
 

The great seats gave us a great view of Pittsburgh, even better than the ones I had last year for when I saw the Cliff Lee led Indians play against the Pirates. I didn’t go as trigger happy on pictures this time as I had PLENTY of pictures from last year and I really wanted to just enjoy the ballpark’s view and everything it had to offer! By the way, the Lemonade man is awesome. He’s a legend here in Pittsburgh.

 

So enough of my rambling. PNC Park is one of those parks that you must see. Several people might say it’s overrated but in my opinion it’s perfect. From the Clemente Wall to the view to the food to the classic feel you get, there is just something special about this place. I don’t know what it is but my goal is to get back. From the food to the fans (the few that still come) to the sights and sounds to the fan friendliness, there is so much that Pittsburgh offers and once the Pirates do find success, it’ll be even more fun! 

 The game wasn’t too bad as the White Sox would end up winning the game 6-4. The sad thing was that with the about 11,500 or so fans that were there, most were Sox fans. Of course you had your diehard Pirates fans but they seemed to be outnumbered on this night. Sadly I ended up missing the debut of Pedro Alvarez by one night but I did see Brad Lincoln’s second career start and his first home start. Not a bad trade off I guess really. 

Regardless, we saw a pretty good game and it was certainly great to be back at PNC Park. I’m going to work on the 2009 Road Trip Entries and will go more into detail on those whenever I work on those later on, but really I can’t complain about a great night at the park. We stayed at the same motel we stayed at last year which brought the shuttle close to the park. The Pirates had tied it at 4 in the Bottom of the 5th but in the top of the 6th, the Sox took the lead for good and would add one more run in the 9th to insure victory. 

PNC Park is such a beauty. This is one of those parks you must go to and see a game. After the game we stood around and took some more pictures and I wanted to try and go talk to Juan since I didn’t get a chance earlier but I wasn’t too concerned. We looked around a bit more and went back down to the bottom after taking the escalators to the bottom level as we were about to call it a night.It’s a shame that not many people come here to enjoy games now but hopefully in the future that’ll happen for you Pirates fans. Regardless, I had a fun night at PNC once again!

 After another great night at PNC, we headed back to the room and took it easy the rest of the night. We had a decent drive ahead of us the next day as we would be embarking upon Cincinnati and as the trip drew close to it’s end, I was eagerly anticipating the end of the trip and the return home. So long PNC, maybe just maybe I’ll be back one day. Especially if the Rangers come back and play here one day! I will not miss that one if I have any say about it!

 

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: Chicago White Sox 6, Pittsburgh 4

W – Freddy Garcia (7-3)

L – Brad Lincoln (0-1)

S – Bobby Jenks (12)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 5-2 (Detroit, Minnesota, Detroit, Washington, Chicago)

Home Team Record: 4-3

Total Runs Scored: 72

Away Team Runs Scored: 30

Home Team Runs Scored: 42

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Brennan Boesch, Alexei Ramirez, Ramon Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Brent Lillibridge, Ryan Braun, Vladimir Guerrero, Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Garrett Jones, Carlos Guillen, Travis Hafner, Adam Dunn, Roger Bernandina

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit 3x, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox 2x, Texas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh 2x, Washington, Cleveland

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City), Sue 10th Anniversary Team Posters (Chicago White Sox), Sports Authority Coupon (Milwaukee), Detroit Stars Negro League Hat (Detroit Tigers),

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. We have a shift in ballpark rankings this week as PNC Park will take over at number two but will not be able to dethrone Target Field. Kauffman moves out of the number two spot for the first time since Target Field was reviewed. No other changes will be made at this time and with three more parks to come, there are sure to be several “shake ups” in the order of rankings.  

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)

3. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)

4. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)

5. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians) 

6. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers)

7. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)

On our original scheduling of the road trip we were going to be seeing the Mets vs. Indians on June 15th but I wanted to do something different. I wanted to go and see the Nationals play as that is one of the teams I had yet to see play. Turns out I picked a great game to go to. Stephen Strasburg was called up and made his debut on June 8th and on June 13th he made his second career start and his first ever road start for the Nationals. More on that as we progress through the blog.

We pulled up to the Prog early as the game was a Sunday afternoon game. The night before we made the drive from Detroit to Cleveland which was about three hours or so. Not too bad of a drive. This was pre-Lebron departing so you still saw your fair share of LeBron jerseys and the LeBron poster was still downtown. Either way had it not been for Strasburg we would have been looking at probably maybe 13,000 people or so at the game. The Indians have been averaging about 16,000 but they ended up doubling it this game due to Strasburg. Seriously, most people were there for Strasburg and understandably because of the Indians and their poor performance this year. It went even as far as the Indians selling Strasburg t-shirts with his name and number on it. Never before have I seen that at another MLB stadium.

Part of this tour was to go out and not only see baseball but see different parts of America. I wanted to see how fans are different from each team, how they react to their team’s performance, etc. I’m not sure if we picked a good game for that but when I bought tickets I had no clue Strasburg was going to pitch. It was just luck of the draw. Had he not pitched we would have been in an almost empty stadium. So it’s kind of hard to gauge how the stadium normally is due to it being Kids Day with all kinds of activities going on plus the main factor in Strasburg. By the way on the left, that is Strasburg’s first pitch and the flashes were going off everywhere in the ballpark!

As for the game, Strasburg went 5.1 IP, struck out eight but walked five and only gave up one run. This was the game where he called for the grounds crew twice to come out and fix the mound. Fans were booing throughout the entire duration of the grounds crew coming out. As for the Indians, this was David Huff’s first start since he took a ball to the head. He didn’t do too hot giving up six runs. A big thing for me was getting to see Carlos Santana play and it was only his third Major League game ever as he made his debut. He actually had hit his first home run the night before to help the Indians win. There he is on the right.

 As for the stadium, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Shame on me for not going to talk to “The Drum Guy” as he was standing by in the Kids Zone area on the outside of the ballpark at the beginning. He’s at every game in the top of the bleachers banging his drum to cheer on the Indians. He’s been featured on Indians highlights on ESPN every now and then. The stadium has a lot to offer really. Heritage Park is a nice place that features some of the Indians historic players and has the 100 top Indians players as voted on by the fans.

 

I went into Progressive field really not expecting much but there really is a lot of stuff to do there. One of the neatest things is the Progressive SUV that shoots out t-shirts and honks it’s horn and spins around. Now I wasn’t out there whenever it was doing this but it still was pretty cool and is a unique and neat feature. We had nice cheap seats in the shade for a Sunday afternoon game. There isn’t much to complain about really? I had a great hot dog with the brown stadium mustard that was pretty good and different. A great afternoon in my book.

  The Nats were able to walk away with a 9 to 4 win over the Indians. It was cool that I just happened to shift the visit to the Prog from Tuesday to Sunday and this resulted in us seeing one of the top young prospects in the game. The Prog isn’t necessarily the nicest park or the best park in the Majors but it provides everything you need from ok food to entertainment for the entire family and really, it’s a good rating in my book. It won’t dethrone any of the other stadiums but it still is a great experience.

 

 So if you’re ever in the area or near Cleveland drop in and see a game. It’s only a little over two hours from PNC Park and makes a nice drive in a very nice part of the country. Go and do it, you won’t regret it!

 

 

 

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: Washington 9, Cleveland 4

W – Stephen Strasburg (2-0)

L – David Huff (2-8)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 4-2 (Detroit, Minnesota, Detroit, Washington)

Home Team Record: 4-2

Total Runs Scored: 62

Away Team Runs Scored: 24

Home Team Runs Scored: 38

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Brennan Boesch, Alexei Ramirez, Ramon Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Brent Lillibridge, Ryan Braun, Vladimir Guerrero, Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Garrett Jones, Carlos Guillen, Travis Hafner, Adam Dunn, Roger Bernandina

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit 3x, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox, Texas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Washington, Cleveland

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City), Sue 10th Anniversary Team Posters (Chicago White Sox), Sports Authority Coupon (Milwaukee), Detroit Stars Negro League Hat (Detroit Tigers),

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. Number one and two remain the same with Target Field and Kauffman Stadium staying put but Progressive comes in at number four while Comerica keeps the spot in the cellar at number six. Miller Park and US Cellular Field shift spots this time around as US Cellular takes number three (for now) and Miller moves down to number five. Keep an eye out for the updated rankings each time around. 

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)

3. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)

4. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians) 

5. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers)

6. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)

After our game in Milwaukee we drove towards Detroit calling it a night about halfway there. We really didn’t have any plans for Detroit so we got there about 2:30 or 3 and walked around the area. We didn’t see much but we went and ate before we headed back to the gates to get in. Originally in the scheduling we were going to attend the game on Sunday but I noticed that the Pirates and Tigers…err…the Crawfords and the Stars…would be playing in the 16th Annual Negro Leagues Tribute Game on Saturday night. I knew I wanted to go to this game and especially since it was a night game instead of a day game. In the long run, it paid off for the game we would attend the next day (more to come on that in the next entry) but regardless we picked a good game.
  

 We got into the ballpark around 5:30 and batting practice wasn’t really that exciting as not too many baseballs came into the right field stands. I did come close to one but a guy was in front of me and it came exactly one row in front of me. What a shame but I couldn’t complain as the next week I would end up catching some baseball souvenirs! 

Before the game there was a presentation for some former Negro League players and merchandise was being sold on the streets, the concourse from jerseys to shirts to hats to anything you can think of. A red Detroit Stars hat was the giveaway on this night as we would be seeing the Pirates (Crawfords) and the Tigers (Stars) dress up in their extra baggy uniforms.

I thought it was cool seeing the Pirates once again sport Negro League uniforms once again as I saw the Pirates wear them last year at PNC Park against the Royals. I’m a sucker for uniforms and really do enjoy seeing teams wear different uniforms when I’m at the park. Maybe that’s kind of strange but I’ve always been attracted to the small things in baseball. I guess that’s what makes the game so fun. Either way, Negro Leagues Night was a great success I think as they were able to help some fans learn about the Negro Leagues and their famed history. Now onto the most important issue here…the ballpark!

Overall, I’m going to be VERY honest here. I wasn’t impressed really. Nothing really made me want to be there. I mean don’t get me wrong it’s not a bad ballpark BUT nothing really made me just want to come there. It was more or less a ballpark to check off the list than a must see originally and it will remain that way. Sure the tiger statues are nice, the theme park isn’t annoying as it is said to be, the Little Caesars being everywhere doesn’t bother me really because of who the owner is, but I don’t know if I’d ever really want to go back to Detroit for a game.

We went to a night game and I’ve heard stuff about the area. It didn’t seem as bad as many people make it seem to be. I did like the wall with the players names and numbers, the fountain was okay and I really enjoy the fact it is a pitcher’s park as it’s nice to see a change of pace in seeing these “homer friendly” parks having been built recently. The Tigers are one of the teams “behind the times” as their scoreboard is the old matrix dot board with no color. After being at all of these ballparks with nice and new colored scoreboards it’s a shame to come here and see this. I can’t say much though as the Rangers have the same thing and I’m used to seeing it there.

One thing is for sure that you always know you are at a Tigers game. With the several Tigers statues around the ballpark, there is no doubt you know you are in Detroit. We had pretty good seats for the game and the game was good but really other than that it seemed like it was just another ballpark. I didn’t go in with high expectations as many fans don’t really rave about Comerica but I knew going in I didn’t want to be disappointed. Sure it’s a nice place to catch a game if you like the Tigers or your favorite team is in town or if you’re a ballpark chaser but really other than that, it’s nothing special.

As for the game, the Tigers would go on to win the game in the 10th inning with a walk-off Home Run by Carlos Guillen to right field. It was an offensive clinic despite only seven runs scoring as both teams combined for 22 hits and the Tigers had 13 of them. Pirates All-Star Evan Meek and Joel Zumaya both picked up blown saves after the Tigers scored two in the bottom of the seventh to make it 3 to 2 but the Pirates would respond back in the 8th with a run to tie it at 3. Paul Maholm gave up eight hits for the Pirates but only one run while Jeremy Bonderman gave up only six hits and two runs. Both had solid starts and went six innings but neither factored into the decision.

On the right is the celebration after Guillen’s bomb to end the game. This was about a week after Kendry Morales injury so of course there was prevention taken to insure that Guillen wouldn’t be injured. After the game we caught a very good fireworks show based to the tunes of, well you guessed it…Mo-Town. I don’t normally care about seeing fireworks at ballparks but I won’t leave if they are having them either. It was a good show that was very nice to see fireworks and just kick back and relax after having traveled for a week.

So, overall Comerica Park was just okay. The fans weren’t really too excited about the game (yes, I know they were playing the Pirates!) but still. The food, the atmosphere, the ballpark just doesn’t really add up to make it a must see park. As for a ballpark chaser like me it’s not bad to go and see once but for the diehard ballpark chasers, I couldn’t see going back to Detroit being a dire need. Like I said above if you are a Tigers fan or your team is in town, go catch a game. But without a doubt this is no Tiger Stadium we are talking about!

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: Detroit 4, Pittsburgh 3

W – Phil Coke (4-0)

L – Brendan Donnelly (2-1)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 3-2 (Detroit, Minnesota, Detroit)

Home Team Record: 4-1

Total Runs Scored: 49

Away Team Runs Scored: 15

Home Team Runs Scored: 34

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Brennan Boesch, Alexei Ramirez, Ramon Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Brent Lillibridge, Ryan Braun, Vladimir Guerrero, Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Garrett Jones, Carlos Guillen

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit 3x, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox, Texas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City), Sue 10th Anniversary Team Posters (Chicago White Sox), Sports Authority Coupon (Milwaukee), Detroit Stars Negro League Hat (Detroit Tigers),

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. Target Field has still not been unthroned from number one yet but US Cellular has been shifted down to four while Miller Park takes over at three. Comerica is going to take number five for now as I was the least impressed with Comerica as we have now reached the halfway point for the 2010 Midwest Road Trip.

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)

3. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers) 

4. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)

5. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)

 

 

Ironically I had been looking forward to this game for a while. It was going to be the first time EVER that I saw the Rangers play on the road. I was hoping to get a baseball, get a few autographs, and all. Well I did get a baseball and more onto that later! We left Chicago early Friday heading towards Milwaukee. To appease my Mom, we went garage selling for her flea market and we found a good bit of stuff. But I had my eye set on Milwaukee’s Miller Park and the Rangers first visit EVER to Miller Park. They of course had visited Milwaukee County Stadium in the past but never Miller. We arrived early to take some pics of the park before we went garage selling.

Miller Park isn’t the most aesthically pleasing looking ballpark. BUT it’s better than Minute Maid Park in Houston which I’ve been to a handful of times due to my close proximity to it. There is really NOTHING I like about Minute Maid. Not the train track, not the small left field porch, not the big hill, etc. Heck, the Astros are terrible too so that doesn’t help either. We arrived early with the tailgaters before we went to the team shop to only have to wait since it wasn’t open. We went back and waited for 5:30 for the gates to open and we finally got in. Here’s my first view of the field…

We went to batting practice and I went to right field (actually this was our first batting practice due to being late in KC and Chicago and rain in Minneapolis. So I went to right field hoping for Hamilton to hit me a bomb! Well I didn’t get close to catching a ball but I was lucky as I went and talked to an usher for a little bit. I didn’t get his name but I talked to him for a bit and he noticed my LSU hat and asked me if I was from Louisiana. I of course told him I am and we didn’t talk too much longer but he pulled out a nice ball and handed it to me and told me to “bring a Milwaukee ball back to Louisiana”. I wish I would have got his name but I shook his hand and we were onto our seats. What a great guy! It’s not too good of a picture but that’s one of the cups we got (we collected a LOT of them from that game, as I like to get a cup from EVERY team that offers one.) but there’s the ball.

We went back to the team shop and got my merchandise and we stopped early to get a brat with stadium sauce. I actually was intrigued as I enjoyed the brat and the stadium sauce! If you go to a game at Miller, get one with sauce! Maybe it’s just me but it kind of reminded me of an Arby’s sauce? Either way, we sat down behind home plate with our GREAT seats and watched the family of Lew Burdette gather together as he was inducted into the Brewers Walk of Fame that night. We had saw the family earlier as they were escorted into the building but we didn’t know who they were? Either way you can see here on the scoreboard that they were inducting him.

And here is a shot of the right field side of the park.

The excitement was building for me as I was hoping the Rangers were going to get a win on the road in Milwaukee. Tonight they were matched up against Chris Narveson of the Brewers. Note the Brewers are wearing their old 1980′s uniforms which I loved. I believe the Brewers wear these every Friday home game.

And for the Rangers, well it was Rich Harden. He didn’t do too hot giving up four home runs to the Brewers (Ryan Braun, Casey McGehee, and then Corey Hart and Prince Fielder went back to back in the 5th). It wasn’t too impressive of a start by Harden but his struggles continued.

The Rangers would tie it up at 2-2 in the third inning and after that they never would sniff another chance to come back thanks to Narveson’s pitching. He wasn’t dominant but he only gave up two runs and six hits. Vlad Daddy also went yard for the Rangers in the second inning but that was the only other highlight for the Rangers besides Michael Young’s double. I have A LOT more pictures that aren’t bad quality but they are behind the netting so I know they’d blur on here. Here is our view of the field as I thought we had great seats.

And then what many fans had been waiting for and honestly I was kinda intrigued to see it. Now I’ve seen the pierogi race in Pittsburgh, the dot race in Arlington, but this was different. This was the “world-famous” Sausage Race. I can’t remember if I picked Chorizo but I do know the one that I picked won.

I thought this picture came out pretty cool. That’s Brewers third basemen Casey McGehee (who homered earlier in the game) flipping the ball back to pitcher Chris Narveson.

So not too many pictures as I’m going to try and cut back on how many I put but really I enjoyed Miller Park. It has a lot to offer including good food, a great fanbase as I got to see many prideful Brewers fans and it’s always nice to see that no matter how the team is doing at the time. I thought I had a great view of the entire stadium and really enjoyed Bernie’ Slide as it’s unique, I liked the center field setup for some strange reason, and well I think fans should enjoy Miller Park. It’s not exactly the BEST ballpark but it’s certainly better than other retractable roof stadiums (well ones I’ve been to so far). Go catch a game, talk to the local Brewers fans, and tailgate! I promise you that you won’t regret going to a game there. It’s in a nice location and I really did enjoy the time we were there. I think I’m going to rank it at third right ahead of US Cellular for now as I felt the fans were more into the game here and more aware of their surroundings than they were in Chicago (most likely due to the Stanley Cup).

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: Milwaukee 6, Texas 2

W – Chris Narveson (5-3)

L – Rich Harden (3-3)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 2-2 (Detroit, Minnesota)

Home Team Record: 3-1

Total Runs Scored: 42

Away Team Runs Scored: 12

Home Team Runs Scored: 30 

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Brennan Boesch, Alexei Ramirez, Ramon Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Brent Lillibridge, Ryan Braun, Vladimir Guerrero, Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit 2x, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox, Texas, Milwaukee

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City), Sue 10th Anniversary Team Posters (Chicago White Sox), Sports Authority Coupon (Milwaukee),  

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. Target Field has still not been unthroned from number one yet but US Cellular has been shifted down to four while Miller Park takes over at three.

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)

3. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers) 

4. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)   

After a game the night before at sparkling Target Field we headed out early as we had about a 5 hour drive to Chicago. We drove around looking for a room for a while and I can’t remember but it was probably around 4 or 5 before we got a room. Now originally whenever we scheduled this trip we were going to go to the White Sox/Tigers game on Thursday night but we decided to just go ahead and drive and go to the game Wednesday night. We were going to go to the Brewers on Friday, Cubs on Saturday vs. the White Sox, and then the Tigers/Pirates on Sunday. Well, due to Cubs/White Sox and tickets being VERY expensive, my Dad decided to re-schedule a Cubs/A’s game for June 17th (bad idea as we arrived late for that game but more to come on that in the Wrigley Field entry. As for today we were set to visit US Cellular Field. I was pretty pumped as I’m a big fan of several of the White Sox players and we had a great chance to see a local from my area, Juan Pierre, up close as we had seats in left field.

I love field seats and these were great seats. We were by the third base dugout a few sections over closer to left field and we were on row nine! Great seats and we got them rather cheap too which makes it even better! We missed BP and I was a little frustrated with that but I couldn’t complain. I walked around the concourse and thoroughly enjoyed all of the sights and sounds of a White Sox game. Honestly, I didn’t have a greate experience at the Cubs game but the White Sox game was great! Strong words here: but I’m pretty confident if I was from Chicago, I’d be a White Sox fan! The ballpark has been re-done and a lot has been put into it and to see it all, I really enjoyed it. At times you can tell that a lot has been done but also at the same time I felt like I was in a ballpark that had all of the amenities. One thing I didn’t really care about was the scoreboard in left field but that’s a minor quirk in my opinion. Speaking of scoreboards….

 

As we prepared for the game I went and grabbed me some BBQ (no Chicago Dog yet…waited to get one at the Navy Pier) and watched Freddy Garcia warm up in the bullpen. Here he is walking back with that night’s starting catcher Ramon Castro to the dugout for the beginning of the game.

 

And Detroit’s starter was Rick Porcello.

On a side note being from Louisiana I met several people far and throughout that too were from Louisiana or at one point having lived there. I met a guy and his wife from Texas that had lived in Louisiana and were LSU fans. They too were on a tour as they were going to Milwaukee and both Chicago parks. Always nice seeing LSU fans and Louisiana natives far, far away from home. On the train ride back, we met a father and son combo from New Orleans who were wearing Tulane clothing and spotted my LSU gear! It’s a small, small world isn’t it? The game got out of hand after the fourth inning in which the Sox scored seven runs and then turned around and did it again in the eighth inning. This was actually the game that started the Sox 25-5 run that now has them in first place in the AL Central. There were articles running in the Chicago Sun about how the White Sox and Cubs were both going to play later that weekend in an un-anticipated Crosstown Cup because of both teams being terrible this year. How ironic now a month later the Sox are in first? Here’s a great shot of Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez who went yard that night early in the game.

Alex Rios in center field. No real explanation behind the picture. Just random picture snapping that I tend to do during games.

It was a rather BIG night for the White Sox indeed as each White Sox reached base at least once and four did so twice. Two seven run innings was the first time that had happened for the Sox since 1981 where they scored seven or more in two innings! I saw five bombs get hit (with two almost going out.) One was Paul Konerko’s double that almost went over the wall and the second one was Brennan Boesch’s shot to left field that Juan Pierre jumped up and grabbed! A great catch from Pierre and even better to see our “hometown hero” make a great play with us in attendance. I’ve met Juan before here back at home after he won the World Series in ’03 with the Marlins and without a doubt he is a very nice guy. He may not be the best player but he certainly does represent any team that he plays for well and he plays the game the right way. Later on in the inning, Juan would make another amazing catch to end the inning.

 

Now the Tigers didn’t offer too much during the game but Miguel Cabrera and Boesch did go yard (it was the second game on our trip we saw Cabrera go yard) so it wasn’t a total let down for Tigers fans and there were many. At that point many fans had kissed the White Sox season goodbye which was a shame. Ironically, we were in Chicago the night of the Stanley Cup Finals and well…that’s a subject we’ll talk about later! Carlos Guillen is pictured below along with Danny Worth. Guillen didn’t do too much at this game but he would at a future game we would attend!

Kind of bad lighting with the picture but had the lighting not messed up the picture it really would have been a great picture. For some reason I didn’t take many pictures of the field and all, really I guess because we arrived rather late (well not as late as we would to Wrigley) but still we got there like thirty minutes before the game. 

 

One thing I really didn’t like was the fact that the White Sox put white letters on their welcome banner behind home plate? It made for a bad picture really and you can’t really read what it says. Oh well.

Here’s a picture of the left field scoreboard. It was kind of blocked as you can see but I think they kind of did it backwards. I think the game’s score should have been the bigger one and the road game scores could have been smaller and thus fit more on there. It seems like every time I’d look over there I’d always see the road scores and that was it!

Here is perhaps one of the most interesting names in baseball today. Fu-Te Ni.

This was after Brent Lillibridge’s pinch hit three run homer as it made the score 15 to 3 and the score would remain that way. Most times I try to get pics of players jogging the bases or crossing home plate but for some reason I didn’t this game.

Postgame celebration after the blowout. Little did they know that THIS GAME here would start their 25-5 run. How ironic I was there that night? Plus it would be a special night for all Chicagoans as their hometown hockey team, the Blackhawks, clinched the Stanley Cup that night. Now I’m not much of a fan of hockey as I once followed it when we had a minor league independent team or whatever it was BUT I must say it was pretty cool to be in town with a world championship having been won that night. Thank god it didn’t happen in Chicago though! There were lots of drunk fans yelling on the train ride back but it wasn’t too bad. Many fans wore Blackhawks stuff and remember this was when the White Sox were suffering. So there were many fans whom were yelling “Show the game” repeatedly as they didn’t really care about anything but the ’Hawks game. They DID show the game after the baseball game was over and we made it out just in time after a quick stop by the gift shop to hop on the train. We beat some traffic. FYI, the train IS THE WAY to go in Chicago to games. Please don’t forget that!

I always get a picture of the scoreboard after the game but due to the White Sox left field scoreboard NOT showing the final score and just showing road team scores, I had to settle for this picture. Not too bad I guess but no score?

Looking back, I didn’t get to take ANY pictures of the outside of the stadium due to us coming around to another side of the park and not really getting time but I really did enjoy the park. I can’t say it’s a must return but I really feel that they did the most that they could with re-doing the park and fixing all the “wrongs” and making them rights.Overall, I felt it had a great environment with the fans kind of out of the game but I’m sure that the atmosphere has changed within the past few weeks since the winning has returned. If I ever go back to Chicago to see another game at Wrigley I’d most likely drop by but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to return there. Overall, if your in the area and going to a Cubs or Brewers game, drop by and see the South Siders play. The area wasn’t as bad to me as I’ve heard it to be after the game. Just use common sense and you should be fine.

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: Chicago White Sox 15, Detroit 3

W – Freddy Garcia (6-3)

L – Rick Porcello (4-6)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 2-1 (Detroit, Minnesota)

Home Team Record: 2-1

Total Runs Scored: 34

Away Team Runs Scored: 10

Home Team Runs Scored: 24 

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Brennan Boesch, Alexei Ramirez, Ramon Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Brent Lillibridge

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit 2x, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City), Sue 10th Anniversary White Sox Posters,

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. US Cellular wasn’t bad BUT I still enjoyed Target and Kauffman a bit more. I’ll make US Cellular number three for now.

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals) 

3. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)   

Our final day in Minneapolis was to be spent at the brand new and beatiful Target Field. We had arrived in Minneapolis on Sunday evening and went out and got something to eat. Monday was Mall of America Day which wasn’t too bad. We did more shopping to appease Mom on the trip but Tuesday was the big day! I woke up to open the window to see it raining and let me say I was concerned. Now I normally go to only a couple of games a year (Road Trips being the exception) due to my proximity to ballparks. It’s about five and a half hours to Rangers Ballpark and we try to go there every year but anyways…needless to say I’ve never been to a game that got rained out! Last year was actually my first encounter with a rain delay at Yankee Stadium that lasted almost 2 hours and I thought I was going to lose my mind! Enough rambling…

We ate at Denny’s as I caught up with some news around MLB as I hoped the rain was going to stop. We boarded the trolley heading to the train stop which would give us a little ride to Target Field. With the rain I wasn’t expecting BP but it was okay because I wanted to get around and explore Target Field. Oh my! It was everything and more that I expected it to be! Now last year I went trigger happy with my camera but I tried to cut that down this year! Target Field was great though! Here I am at Gate 8 (all gates are named after Twins legends and their numbers) after we shortly arrived. 

We walked around the outside of the stadium as we passed the championship banners and all that they have hanging. I am impressed by the way the Twins went about getting their ballpark and having it built literally inches from a parking garage! How cool! More on that later. I went to the team shop and got a few shirts before deciding we were going to go look around. As it sprinkled a bit we walked around the downtown part past the Target Center and went and looked for something to eat. I didn’t want to originally as I had heard so much about the food at Target Field I wanted to eat but I gave in as we went to Chipotle and I had to try out their burritos. They were good needless to say but I wish I had waited to eat at Target Field (well more than I did eat.) As we walked back we went to Gate 34 which is named after Kirby Puckett of course and is the main gate.

The wait wasn’t too bad as we got in about 5:30. Afterwards we walked around and took several pictures around the concourse. Here was my first pic and view of the field.

Here’s the behind home plate banner welcoming you.

The left field area which seems to have been well constructed looked pretty good from the right field section. There’s a lot going on over there and at the top which I’m sure most know about but on the Budweiser Party Deck there is even a “fire-pit” up there which will come in handy I’m sure in late October. It was still chilly that night we were there but not like the later months I imagine in Minnesota.

A great view of the field from dead center field…

After walking around we stopped in right field to take a few more pictures from those angles. I took a lot more but didn’t post all of them here. Either way I saw several of the top foods that have been raved about at Target Field since it’s inception such as the walleye, cheese curds, cuban sandwiches, Murray’s, and the infamous pork chop on a stick due to the drunk Yankees fan who stole the porkchop from a reporter as she was showing it on TV. This isn’t too good of a picture but it was used primarily to show where we were sitting. We sat in the overhang section that was closest to the foul pole. Great seats but only complaint was we had a lot of kids who had signs and held them up every now and then but most of the times were respectable and kept them down throughout the game. Nothing really to get worked up about though.

Here is a great shot of the downtown view including the overhang and the slanting right field section that had to be built that way so it could be fit into the ballpark. Such a unique feature and I think it’s a very cool feature that ranks up there with some of the most interesting quirky features in baseball. Take a look…

We walked back around the third base side making our way to home plate now and here is a nice shot from behind the plate.

And now here is a shot of the big scoreboard that is located in left field. It is said to be one of the biggest scoreboards out there and from what I’ve read the Brewers are supposed to be modeling theirs after the Twins. Don’t know how true that is but we’ll see next year.

Here is the big sign in center field that features Minnie and Paul, who obviously represent the towns of Minneapolis and St. Paul shaking hands. It’s a very unique logo and something I enjoyed seeing as it lights up after a Twins home run. At the end of the game it light up the words WIN as the two shook hands. Pretty cool huh?

Another shot of the scoreboard from our seats. Very clear and easy to see.

And here is the first pitch from Kevin Slowey to Scott Podsednik. We had a pretty good view from our seats I thought. Some pictures I took came out good but as I learned later a few came out kind of blurry. It wasn’t my camera I was using but still it’s better than my camera that I have!

One of the biggest treats for me this game would be getting to see 2009 Cy Young Winner Zack Grienke take the mound. At this time Greinke had been pitching great but his record wasn’t showing it. I haven’t followed him much since but this night turned out to not be one of those nights. Greinke simply was not himself as he went only 5 innings and gave up 6 runs with 9 hits. It was still great to see Greinke pitch but it’s a shame that he is having trouble this year as he’s pitched several great games but came up on the short end due to the Royals not exactly being the most talented team.

Here is a shot of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau both at bat…the M&M Boys.

One of the bad parts of our seats is that with it being an overhang you of course missed some deep fly balls hit to right field or hit to the gap in right center. We missed one big double from Kubel that hit out there but other than that I thought they were pretty good seats. Maybe I’m just biased because I love sitting in the outfield and hold out hopes that one day I truly will catch a home run ball.

I just realized I didn’t take that many action shots as the camera seemed to blur a lot on me. Either way here is a pretty good shot with no zoom from our seats.

A favorite Royal of mine after going on this trip would be Billy Butler. He’s only twenty-three and has lots of potential to be a good player for the Royals. Plus after reading about him it sounds like he actually wants to stay there too. That’ll be interesting to see years from now as we’ve seen several stars bolt KC such as Beltran and Damon but we’ll see I guess. Anyways here’s Butler after he started some offense for KC.

And the Twins win!!!

 

And in my normal customary fashion here is the final score from the scoreboard..

 

Overall, I must recommend Target Field to any ballpark fanatic. It’s such a great facility that was well kept (yes, I know it’s brand new!) but still it’s got so much to offer. From the fan experience, Twins fans definetly love their baseball and with good reason. They have such a good up and coming team with a lot of talent and should be seeing several years of playoff runs to come. I love eating ballpark food and seeing the different varieties that are offered around all ballparks in America and the Twins have a great variety. There looked to be several great seats to choose from and I generally enjoyed our seats despite the blind spot in the gap and right below us. I did however see Michael Cuddyer drop a routine fly ball in right field. Shame but it turned out to not affect the game.

Jason Kubel hit a bomb right directly over us and into the Plaza in right field. I’m pretty confident had it fell short it would have landed in our section and pretty close to us. As for the rest of my thoughts on the game, We got treated to another great pitching performance from Kevin Slowey for the Twins who had retired the first 13 batters he faced.Slowey ended up going 7 innings and only allowing three hits as KC got all of their offfense off of relievers Burnett and Mijares.

Overall, a great gameday experience from the fans to the seats to the ballpark to the food to anything you can name! What a great ballpark! The scenery was great and I wish we had sat on the third base side to get a great view of downtown but overall I can’t complain. 

Road Trip 2010 Game Stats: 

Final Score: Minnesota 7, Kansas City 3

W – Kevin Slowey (7-3)

L – Zack Greinke (1-8)

S – Matt Guerrier (1)

___________________________

Road Trip 2010 Fun Stats:

Guess the Winner Game: 2-0 (Detroit, Minnesota)

Home Team Record: 1-1

Total Runs Scored: 16

Away Team Runs Scored: 7

Home Team Runs Scored: 9

Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kubel

Teams Watched on Road Trip ’10: Detroit, Kansas City 2x, Minnesota

Ballpark Giveaways: Bret Saberhagen Bobbleheads (Kansas City),

And the ballpark rankings which are based on the experience, the building itself, the fans, and mostly my final thoughts on all of these combined together. With Target Field bringing a great experience I will move it to number one for now. Will it remain the same is the question to be?

Ballpark Rankings :

1. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)

2. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)