Weekend Conversation: Best Baseball Road Trips

It's been a while since we've posted a Weekend Conversation, but in honor of Delino and Sax's SoSG Road Trip (TM), I wanted to take a second to recap one of life's great pleasures: the baseball roadtrip. I'm posting this early as the Dodgers are idle today, and I'll be out of pocket over the weekend.

I have done many baseball roadtrips, involving all but one of the other SoSGers (it's not personal, Lasorda!). And they have always been amazing experiences rich with good times, cold beers, and wacky hijinks.

Going into this weekend's roadtrip, I have seen 23 current MLB stadiums. Many of the ones I visited as a kid have been replaced, meriting a repeat visit to the city (Memorial Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, Tiger Stadium, Jack Murphy Stadium, Candlestick Park, Veterans Stadium, and Cleveland Municipal Stadium, to name a few). But I've always found it a fun way to see America, meet some great fans, and watch the game we love from a new perspective. Along the way, I've met some incredibly hospitable people, eaten amazing bratwursts, and drunk one or two beers. I've also seen some crappy ballparks that should be steamrolled immediately, and even witnessed a stadium that didn't play "take me out to the ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch (eliciting an angry response from me, which probably would have been more articulate had I been sober at the time).

One of the first trips I did was with SoSG's own Eric Karros, in which we hit 11 stadia up and down the East Coast. It took place the summer right out of college, and took up about three and a half weeks of time and an insane amount of driving (something like 5000 miles (take that, Proclaimers!)--tell me if I'm wrong, EK). I remember that we didn't have a cassette player in our rental car, so we had a big ol' boombox and went through about a hundred D-cell batteries, as all the radio stations seemed to be obsessed with Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart and it was driving us nuts. I remember Karros and myself yipping at each other over something stupid at one point (three weeks in a car together will do that to you), pulling up to an unstaffed toll-booth, and trying to throw in a handful of change that got blocked by the window sill and scattered all over the road (holding up traffic as we picked up all the coins). I remember a 1am visit to a truckstop where, presented with an empty Burger King booth, EK grabbed the microphone from behind the register and announced over the Burger King PA system that we needed help (I believe I ended up eating that burger, but I am positive it wasn't a good idea). I remember accidentally leaving the car doors unlocked in the parking lot at Tiger Stadium, which was in the worst part of town of any stadium we visited (luckily, neither our stuff nor the boom box was stolen). I remember getting to Camden Yards near the end of our trip and thinking that we had reached baseball's Mecca (to this day, it remains one of my favorite stadiums, which I have re-visited on many occasions). I remember running out of money near the end of the trip and being thankful that I was employed in September. And I remember a wonderful trip seeing America and hanging out with a good friend, given a luxury of time off that will be difficult to replicate later on in life.

Years later, I went on a three-day, three-city trip with SoSG's Orel and Eric Karros. This one was particularly cool in that Orel didn't know Karros would be there (Karros flew in earlier) until EK joined us as we walked through the Cleveland airport terminal from our gate to the rental car shuttles. I recall how Jacobs Field was beautiful but how some fans in right field chose to mock Seattle RF Ichiro Suzuki with some disparaging epithets and signs, before the Jacobs Field staff escorted them out. I recall the grand tigers adorning Comerica Park and how much of an upgrade it was over the old Tiger Stadium. I recall seeing billboards for beefjerkyoutlet.net along the way, and the three of us laughing at how .com and .edu must have already been taken (to be honest, Orel remembered this before I just typed it--thanks Orel). And I recall some fantastic brats at Miller Park--yum. Orel and I were so struck by the experience at Miller Park that we almost bought a souvenir that would have been permanently mounted at Miller Park (a baseball, to line a wall of the gift shop, with whatever you wanted to write on the ball); we bailed out at the last second when we realized that we'd never have a chance to come back to visit our $75 investment.

In 2001, I took a four-day, four-city baseball trip, along with SoSG's Delino DeShields and Pedro Guerrero, and this trip was also full of great memories. Like pulling up to Citizens Bank Park, the first stop in our journey, and our first beer from the seats in left field, near the shadow of the great big neon Liberty Bell. Like getting to PNC Park at 10am to start drinking across the street from the stadium, only to have the Pirates call the game due to approaching thunderstorms at 6pm (extremely depressing--I have to go back for a proper PNC Park game! Though I will say that I was awestruck later, after a Pirates staffer (with whom I spoke as they were boarding up the stadium) mailed me the evening's promotional giveaway (Roberto Clemente nesting dolls)). Like reading the ingredients on beef jerky wrapper bought at a gas station (a fatal mistake), and realizing it was made from beef lips. Like meeting up with more friends in Cincinnati and seeing Roger Clemens pitch (though he did not get the win). Like getting to Wrigley Field, the last stop on the trip, and again thinking that I had found baseball's Mecca (again, one of my favorite stadiums). And like one more unbelievable story from this trip, but it's not safe to post; you'll have to ask me over beers sometime.

I have also done some great one-off trips to other stadiums. I visited Safeco Field with SoSG's Orel and Alex Cora (as well as my brother), and we had a mad scramble when we discovered ESPN kicked the game time from Sunday afternoon to Sunday evening, forcing us to grab another night at the Seattle W Hotel (thank you, Starwood points!). I drove three hours each way along boring Texas roads to see Minute Maid Park in Houston while on an overnight business trip to Austin. I visited the BOB (now Chase Field) in Phoenix along with Orel and Pedro Guerrero and a bunch of high school buddies. I got atop Fenway's Green Monster last season. I dragged a gaggle of business school friends (only one of which was a baseball fan) to Coors Field. And there are too many others to mention, but they all have been great times.

I'm looking forward to this weekend's trip. Any baseball road trip memories that SoSG readers want to mention?

Weekend Conversation: Where Will You Be Opening Day?

As the famous lyricist Marky Mark Wahlberg once said, “Can you feel it baby? I can, too.”

And if you’re a baseball fan, you too are feeling the good vibrations this weekend, which heralds the long-awaited coming of Opening Day to the 2007 baseball season. No longer do we have to watch hockey (not that you can even findhockey on television anymore), or throw away mostly-unread issues of ESPN the Magazine (jam-packed with feature stories on obscure action sports athletes), or agonize through analysis of spring training box scores as one tries to extract meaningful data from accounts of meaningless games.

With the exception of the NCAA basketball playoffs, there hasn’t been any compelling sports on television in months. Even March Madness itself is almost designed to awaken baseball fans from hibernation, using three straight weekends to start getting us back into shape cheering for the boys in blue.

It’s baseball season. And I can’t wait.

For the last five years, I’ve been fortunate enough to have attended the Dodgers’ home opener, always with my mom. It’s been our little tradition. Usually the seats aren’t so good, and sometimes, the weather doesn’t even comply (it even rained last year, but luckily our top-row reserve-level seats kept us pretty dry). But each year, not even inclement weather, or even an opening day loss (as I’ve seen the past three years), can dim the excitement of being there for the home opener.

And the Dodgers make a pretty good show of it, with paratroopers flying in to land on the field, stealth bomber flyovers, on-field fireworks as the starting lineups are announced, special memorabilia and giveaways, etc. It’s worth playing hooky from work (but then, any excuse to be at Chavez Ravine drinking beers at 11am is worth missing work). [This year, the Dodgers’ season opener is on the road, at Miller Park in Milwaukee April 2nd.]

This year, I’m taking my wife for the first time, and introducing her to the majesty that is Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. (My mom will be attending the game as well.) The Dodgers square off against the Colorado Rockies. And I can’t wait.

(By the way, I’m throwing out the ceremonial first pitch this year. That’s right—me: Steve Sax!)

The Wall Street Journal had an article yesterday about Opening Day around the country, and how it has become increasingly difficult to get tickets now that teams are securing more and more of them as part of multi-game plans. The Dodgers offered only 14,000 individual tickets for opening day—down from 16,500 last year—using this exact rationale (tickets for opening day sold out in 15 minutes). But other teams were even more stingy—the Brewers sold only 1,000 individual tickets (down from 4,000 the prior year), and the Tigers didn’t sell any individual tickets.

Still, it’s such a worthwhile event that rabid fans celebrate streaks of opening day attendance. Many fans were profiled in the article, but the highlight was 91-year old Nettie Berkson, who will attend her 50th consecutive Dodgers home opener this year. She has followed the team from Brooklyn and now attends with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Amazing.

So April 9, 1.10pm, you know where I’ll be. Juan Pierre (or Rafael Furcal) will make his way to the plate in the bottom of the first. The crowd will be hollering like mad.

And once again it all comes back to Marky Mark (apologies to the rest of the Funky Bunch). I’ll be right there, field level, behind the Dodgers’ dugout,…

…saying, “Come on, swing it.”

Oh yeah, the weekend conversation: Are you as excited for the Dodgers’ opening day as I am? Will you make it to the Dodgers’ home opener? And if not, where will you be?

Weekend Conversion: Synthetic Nylon Screening Measurements. Do You Care?

Weekend Conversation: Angels Billboards, Everywhere! Begs the Question, Do You Care?

Driving around the city of Los Angeles around March the last two years, one can’t help but notice more red around town. On billboards and bus stop posters, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim seem to have canvassed the city with their logo and players. Two years ago it was “Angels Baseball”, last year it was close ups of some of their more prominent players, and this year, it’s just a simple “A” with the halo around it.

This year the Angels hit the town even earlier than the Dodgers’ outdoor campaign, and it’s a noticeable sight. You can’t help but notice the red, and you can’t help notice the lack of blue. Arte Moreno, whose financial and business empire was built on outdoor advertising, certainly has grabbed a first-mover advantage this spring.

And I have to say, even as a lifelong Dodger fan, it’s pretty cool. I don’t mind the Angels’ billboards over in our Dodgers territory, and I think Los Angeles is a big enough city to handle two teams. And though all this advertising won’t change my allegiances (nor will it compel me to make the hour-long hump down behind the Orange Curtain to Anaheim), I appreciate the team’s efforts to expand its fan base.

in the other two American cities with two teams, New York and Chicago, the cities have made its people choose sides. Yankees or Mets, but not both. White Sox or Cubs, but not both.

But I think Los Angeles can have both. We support the Lakers and the Clippers, and even though the Lakers are indisputably the big dog, it’s fine to support both. I feel the same way about the Dodgers and their six world championships being the big team, and the Angels with its one championship being the little guy. In 2002, I was fortunate enough to be at the three-home-run game of Adam Kennedy in the ALCS (which knocked out the Twins), and I have to say it made for pretty compelling theater and was a blast of a game. (And after all, I have the Angels to thank for keeping the hated Giants from winning the 2002 World Series.)

I’ll always be a Dodger fan over an Angel fan. Period. But I’d support the Angels in the AL—-and I don’t think I’m cheating on the Dodgers to do so. And even though I have a “Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles” t-shirt, I’m cool with the Angels grabbing the Los Angeles name as well. Can’t we all get along? I think we can.

What do you think?

Weekend Conversation: Watching Spring Training Baseball on TV

We're going to try something new this weekend here at SoSG: Weekend Conversation. We'll try and post an open topic to solicit comments and conversations for the weekend.

This week's topic: watching spring training baseball on television.

Work took me to Europe this week, and usually when I'm in Europe on business, I accept the fact that I'm basically removed from the US sports I love. Aside from the occasional blackberry story or score, it's hard to find good news on baseball in the Guardian or the International Herald Tribune. I end up watching CNN and SkyNews until I start recognizing all the content looping, and then I'll leave a soccer game on in the background, or resign myself to news about upcoming cricket and rugby matches.

Imagine my surprise this time to find the North American Sports Network, which has just launched in France. And Friday morning as I was packing for my flight, I found a spring training game between the Yankees and Tigers (which played on Monday, with the Yankees winning 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth).

Now, I don't like the Yankees much. I wouldn't recognize most of the Tigers except for their 2006 postseason appearance. And it's spring training, for pete's sake--a meaningless outcome, no game rhythm due to pitchers shuttling in and out every inning or so, and crowd shots of people who aren't paying attention (and they're AT the game). On top of all that, I knew the game had been played days earlier and the outcome had already been determined.

And yet, I sat there and watched four innings of this game. There was something so compelling about watching baseball again that it didn't matter what teams were playing or how old the broadcast was. For me, it was still captivating. And I have to say, it was pretty nice to watch the game.

I have listened to Dodger games this spring on the radio, and have caught Dodger highlights on television. But would you watch a televised broadcast of a spring training game with two teams you don't even follow? Was it just a case of baseball withdrawal, or is baseball always this interesting, even when it's not supposed to be?