Baseball Trip 2000! That's what I was calling it. I had been wanting to visit other parks for a long, long time, but had never really managed to get around it. I asked my Dad to create an itinerary for me so that I could tweak it and find a really good baseball trip, but when he presented me with the itinerary, I couldn't change a single thing. It was a beautiful trip.
We went to PACBELL park on a Friday night and watched the Giants play, but left about the 7th inning to catch our flight to Chicago (the red eye). It was my first trip to Chicago since I had flown through O'Hare while in the Navy and really the first trip where I would ever see more than just the environs around O'Hare. We spent three days in Chicago, but alas, the Cubbies were not in town and we didn't really know our way around enough to visit Comiskey. So, after three days we left Chicago and drove to Detroit for an overnight stay.
In Detroit, the hotel manager found out about our baseball trip and asked if we had tickets for the Tigers game that night. We said that the tickets online had been sold out for months. As it turned out, the place was practically empty. We took a cab over to the park and walked right in with excellent lower box seats right by first base. Good food, good times, funky new ballpark.
The next day we left Detroit and the United States and drove to Toronto. I had tickets for the Blue Jays in the SkyDome for the second night of our stay. We were both feeling a little under the weather by then, but we went to the game anyway. When we arrived, the dome was open and we had a gorgeous view of the giant CN Tower above us (we went up it the next day and could see all the way to Niagara Falls from the top). About the second inning, though, they closed the dome. It was cool. Stadium looked, felt, and played like a warehouse however. Definitely not baseball. Still I really enjoyed my time in Toronto. I wish I had a reason to go back.
After Toronto we traveled further north to Montreal. The Expos were still there though I think that was the first season they experimented with playing some games in Puerto Rico. We did take the Olympic Stadium tour, however, and walked out on the turf all the way to second place. Since the roof of the enclosed stadium had never been opened (the mechanism had failed before they'd ever opened it) the place smelled like a men's locker room that hadn't been aired out in 30 years. Definitely glad I didn't have to watch home games there. I'm also glad that they moved the team since that stadium really sucked.
After that we headed south, and on our way to Syracuse, we stopped at Cooperstown. If you've never been, you have no right to change your name to Mohammed. Seriously, this place is the Mecca of Baseball. A pilgrimmage is required for all real baseball fans.
We wasted our next two days in Syracuse, Rochester, and Niagara Falls, before arriving in another one of those overnight stopover places - Cleveland - on our way back to Chicago. But this is where my Number Three Baseball Moment begins.
We arrived in Cleveland at the tail end of a long trip. We were tired. We were baseballed out. We were about ready to head home. And Dave broke the trunk on the rental car (long story involving normal brotherly squabbling... but funny, I guess). We were able to drive out to the Cleveland airport and exchange cars, no real problem.
The next day, we got up and went to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame - it was a block and a half away. Not expecting much there, I was actually blown away about how cool that place was. It put me into a good mood all day. Later, as we returned to our hotel, we found out that not only were the Indians in town that night, but they were facing a Boston Red Sox team with Pedro Martinez pitching at the height of his success.
We were bitten once more with the baseball bug and we decided to head up to the stadium to see if we could get some tickets. We found a scalper outside the stadium who was disappointed to sell us Bleacher tickets (we really wanted to sit in the bleachers with the "real" fans). Then we went into the stadium and just goggled. I may be extremely partial to PACBELL Park, but I have to say that Jacob's Field would be my second choice as favorite stadium. We had excellent hot dogs, excellent beers. We bought hats and jackets and scorecards. Damn it! We were the perfect Indians tourists. But the stadium and the team and the city just gave off that vibe.
We made our way out into the bleachers. It was mid September (Labor Day was two weeks behind us) and the season was coming to an end - both the Summer season and the Baseball season. There was a fine mist over the stadium and nobody moved. People filled the stands with excitement and energy. When the game finally started, we could sense a vibe that I have rarely felt in San Francisco - everyone was in to the game. There were no yahoos talking on cell phones, reading the paper, or tapping away on their laptops. These were baseball fans and they were there to watch a baseball game. And not only that, they actually seemed to understand what they were watching. When the perfect game was finally broken up in the fourth inning by a walk from Pedro, the crowd erupted in a huge cheer. They understood that Pedro's bid had just ended and they didn't need anyone prompting them to cheer or root for their team.
However, it was the end of our trip and the fine mist had turned into a light, but steady, downpour. Dave and I were both ready to head home. We waited until the end of the Fifth inning, and then we slowly walked back to our hotel (about ten blocks away). It had been a brief experience, but a memorable one. To this day, my Cleveland hat is still one of my favorites because to me it represents true fandom.
Our trip ended a few days later as we passed back through Chicago and then flew home. It had been a great experience and I hope to do it again someday.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
My Top Five Baseball Moments - Number Four
This is the quintessential Candlestick trip from the 1990's. But first a little (okay, a lot) backstory...
As many of you may remember, in 1992 it was announced that the Giants had been bought by an ownership group in Tampa Bay and that they would move in to Tropicana Field for the 1993 season. Many Giants fans, myself included, were distraught. But, lo and behold, San Francisco fought back. They formed an ownership group led by Peter Magowan of Safeway and they challenged baseball to refuse the sale to Tampa Bay and let the San Francisco group buy the team. Baseball stepped up and the owners (including those dudes down south who's name gets trashed here rather regularly - we still owe you one) denied the sale and move to Tampa Bay and Peter Magowan, etc... found themselves owners of the San Francisco Giants.
The first thing they did was sign a left fielder from Pittsburgh by the name of Barry Bonds. As far as Giants fans were concerned, that was just a bonus. The fact was, our team was saved. In 1993 with Bonds and new skipper Dusty Baker, the Giants took off and won 103 games (ultimately losing out of the playoffs by 1 game to the Braves in the very last year without expansion and the wild card). The next year was the strike shortened year of 1994 (and who remembers that Matt Williams was on pace to break Maris's record back then before the strike ended his attempt). As I recall, 1995 was a very bad year for the team, but Magowan was already looking ahead. The announcement of a new stadium to be built downtown was greeted with great enthusiasm. We'd gone in just a few years from nearly losing our team to getting a verifiable super star and a new stadium. We were in 7th Heaven.
But Candlestick still held the Giants all the way through the 1999 season. And during that final stretch their were games that were, shall we say it, poorly attended. Talkshow Host always used to say that the worst draw in Bay Area Sports was a Monday Night game at Candlestick against the woeful Montreal Expos.
In 1995, Magowan started to make some changes to the 'Stick to put some butts in the seats. He added a new concession area and more food options. He removed the bleecher section and added a new bleecher section that literally was right on top of the action (the left field Bonds Squad). And a year later, in 1996, he added a Right Field Bleacher section as well. Andy and I were there on the first day of the Right Field Bleachers and as we sat there, Peter Magowan himself came out to the new bleecher section to see them for himself. He asked Andy and I to sit in front of him so that he could check out the leg room. We were only too happy to comply (and get an autograph as well ;).
Okay, compared to all the backstory, my actual moment isn't nearly so awe inspiring. It was 1997, early in the season, and on a Monday night, Montreal was in town. My friend Jay had yet to try out the right field bleachers, so I suggested going to the Stick early and getting some bleacher seats and watching batting practice.
We got there early, but the Giants BP was already over. However, the Expos were taking BP just as we sat down in the right field bleachers - all by ourselves. We leaned over the fence and started jawwing good naturedly with the guys catching shag flies out in deep right/center field and then... WHABOOM! A baseball landed two feet away in the bleachers, right next to us. In my entire life, I'd never gotten a free baseball at a ballgame. I'd come close before on Opening Day, 1993, but I'd never actually got a ball. It was BP, so it probably didn't count, but I was ecstatic anyway. I picked up the ball and my friend Jay was jealous for all of about two minutes. FWABOOM! The second ball caroomed off the right field bleacher seats about ten feet away. Jay ran over and picked up his own souvenir.
I was waiting for the fans in the other bleacher sections to come join us... but nobody did. Another ball landed in the bleachers and we scooped it up. It was an embarrasment of riches. THEN the guys shagging balls got into the act. They started tossing every ball that came their way up to us. By the time BP was over we had 8 balls between us. And only then did another fan finally show up in the right field bleachers.
I kept some and gave some to kids who'd never had a ball before. I have no idea who hit any of them, and I really didn't care. As for the game, it was a tight 1-1 affair that ended up in extra innings. In the end, only Jay and I were left in the Right Field Bleachers and we turned our caps around for rally time and used our mojo and magic to will the Giants to a 2-1 victory in the 11th Inning. We went home completely happy and satisfied.
I can honestly say that I've never had a more fulfilling complete game experience at a baseball game. It was just one of those games that sticks with you despite the fact that nothing really extraordinary happened. But on a cold lonely Monday night at the Stick, I had the fourth best baseball moment of my life.
As many of you may remember, in 1992 it was announced that the Giants had been bought by an ownership group in Tampa Bay and that they would move in to Tropicana Field for the 1993 season. Many Giants fans, myself included, were distraught. But, lo and behold, San Francisco fought back. They formed an ownership group led by Peter Magowan of Safeway and they challenged baseball to refuse the sale to Tampa Bay and let the San Francisco group buy the team. Baseball stepped up and the owners (including those dudes down south who's name gets trashed here rather regularly - we still owe you one) denied the sale and move to Tampa Bay and Peter Magowan, etc... found themselves owners of the San Francisco Giants.
The first thing they did was sign a left fielder from Pittsburgh by the name of Barry Bonds. As far as Giants fans were concerned, that was just a bonus. The fact was, our team was saved. In 1993 with Bonds and new skipper Dusty Baker, the Giants took off and won 103 games (ultimately losing out of the playoffs by 1 game to the Braves in the very last year without expansion and the wild card). The next year was the strike shortened year of 1994 (and who remembers that Matt Williams was on pace to break Maris's record back then before the strike ended his attempt). As I recall, 1995 was a very bad year for the team, but Magowan was already looking ahead. The announcement of a new stadium to be built downtown was greeted with great enthusiasm. We'd gone in just a few years from nearly losing our team to getting a verifiable super star and a new stadium. We were in 7th Heaven.
But Candlestick still held the Giants all the way through the 1999 season. And during that final stretch their were games that were, shall we say it, poorly attended. Talkshow Host always used to say that the worst draw in Bay Area Sports was a Monday Night game at Candlestick against the woeful Montreal Expos.
In 1995, Magowan started to make some changes to the 'Stick to put some butts in the seats. He added a new concession area and more food options. He removed the bleecher section and added a new bleecher section that literally was right on top of the action (the left field Bonds Squad). And a year later, in 1996, he added a Right Field Bleacher section as well. Andy and I were there on the first day of the Right Field Bleachers and as we sat there, Peter Magowan himself came out to the new bleecher section to see them for himself. He asked Andy and I to sit in front of him so that he could check out the leg room. We were only too happy to comply (and get an autograph as well ;).
Okay, compared to all the backstory, my actual moment isn't nearly so awe inspiring. It was 1997, early in the season, and on a Monday night, Montreal was in town. My friend Jay had yet to try out the right field bleachers, so I suggested going to the Stick early and getting some bleacher seats and watching batting practice.
We got there early, but the Giants BP was already over. However, the Expos were taking BP just as we sat down in the right field bleachers - all by ourselves. We leaned over the fence and started jawwing good naturedly with the guys catching shag flies out in deep right/center field and then... WHABOOM! A baseball landed two feet away in the bleachers, right next to us. In my entire life, I'd never gotten a free baseball at a ballgame. I'd come close before on Opening Day, 1993, but I'd never actually got a ball. It was BP, so it probably didn't count, but I was ecstatic anyway. I picked up the ball and my friend Jay was jealous for all of about two minutes. FWABOOM! The second ball caroomed off the right field bleacher seats about ten feet away. Jay ran over and picked up his own souvenir.
I was waiting for the fans in the other bleacher sections to come join us... but nobody did. Another ball landed in the bleachers and we scooped it up. It was an embarrasment of riches. THEN the guys shagging balls got into the act. They started tossing every ball that came their way up to us. By the time BP was over we had 8 balls between us. And only then did another fan finally show up in the right field bleachers.
I kept some and gave some to kids who'd never had a ball before. I have no idea who hit any of them, and I really didn't care. As for the game, it was a tight 1-1 affair that ended up in extra innings. In the end, only Jay and I were left in the Right Field Bleachers and we turned our caps around for rally time and used our mojo and magic to will the Giants to a 2-1 victory in the 11th Inning. We went home completely happy and satisfied.
I can honestly say that I've never had a more fulfilling complete game experience at a baseball game. It was just one of those games that sticks with you despite the fact that nothing really extraordinary happened. But on a cold lonely Monday night at the Stick, I had the fourth best baseball moment of my life.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
My Top Five Baseball Moments - Number Five
These lazy days of summer when I enjoy just sitting in the stands with a dog and a beer and watching baseball - doesn't really matter who is playing - makes me think of my long life with baseball, starting from when I was a kid and going all the way to now when I am a much older kid. Watching the T-Ball kids run the bases with baseball legends looking on and hearing things like Andy's son saying that it was the best day of his life reminds me of all the wonderful things baseball has done for me over the years. I decided that in this uncertain time for sports where allegations of criminal activites seem to be surfacing about different stars every day, that it might be nice instead to dwell on the things that attracted us to the sport in the first place.
So here is my Number Five greatest Baseball moment in the countdown of my top five...
The competition for the five spot was rather exciting since there are many great, great moments from my life, but I decided ultimately to be completely representative and include at least one where I wasn't just a participant but an active competitor. The runner up to this story might very well be the time when video game baseball first came out and my Dad and I plugged about $20 in quarters into a machine in Las Vegas so that we could play a full 9 innings of head to head video game baseball, but that's not real athletic so I'll skip directly to my story.
It was my senior year in High School and though at the time I didn't realize it, I was somewhat of a jock. (To be fair, nerds and geeks never get labelled jocks even if they have more athletic accomplishments than most other jocks). As the end of the school year approached, my swimming coach/cross country coach decided to have a picnic for the athletes on his teams. We gathered after school outside the gym and ate hot dogs and hamburgers and what not while I made the rounds and spoke to all the members of the two teams. I was one of those guys that had friends in all strata of school hierarchies.
After eating about five hot dogs (I was skinnier than a rail back then) my coach suggested that we get a game of baseball going and selected me and one of the jocks as coaches. Now, while I did have more athletic points and higher accomplishments than any of the jocks on the team, I was considered an outsider by them. Basically, we got along, but we didn't like each other. So when it came time to pick teams, it was about four or five picks in before we both realized that the jock team was loaded with athletic talent and the geek team was not. I had naturally taken all the people I liked (the girls, the lesser athletes, the people who were nice, not good at sports, per se) and the jock captain had done the same - selecting all of the top athletes in the school. After that, I purposefully selected all those players that I knew the jocks would never select and he purposefully selected only the athletes. On paper, and in most opinions, we were going to get crushed. The jocks even appealed to our Swim coach to re-do the selections to make the teams more fair. But before he answered, I said, boldly, "I don't want any other team. I like the team I have. And, we're going to win." My Swim coach looked doubtful but he agreed not to interfere.
My team was a little less than enthusiastic. In fact, according to them we were going to be completely destroyed by the jock team. Half the guys on their side had actually played for the high school baseball team. But I told them not to worry, to have fun, and to just play to the best of their ability.
To make a long story short, we absolutely crushed the jock team. We had nothing to play for. Our pride wasn't on the line. We weren't expected to win. So we just relaxed, hit, ran, caught, pitched like it was a pick up game of baseball at an after school picnic. They, on the other hand, had to prove that they were better than us - being the athletes and all - and as we started to dominate them, they fell apart and started ripping on each other and each tried to become the star of the game. The I's got crushed by the We's. The final score was something like 16-4. I don't think we hit a single homerun. I'm fairly certain that every hit was a single. In one inning, we batted around twice.
I always remember this whenever anyone says, "That's why we play the game." There is more to the game of baseball than raw talent. Like golf, there is a humbleness that must be maintained for a player to reach the lofty and truly great heights of a superstar. As Jordan's commercial so eloquently pointed out, we fail more often that we succeed - but we keeping coming back for more. On this particular day, David beat Goliath because David was confident and loose. Almost 20 years later, that same combination of confidence and looseness finally brought a world series title to Boston after a long drought.
Baseball might not be everyone's life, but it is mine. Its ebb and flow marks my seasons and its highs and lows form my backdrop. If there is a more perfect game, I have yet to find it.
So here is my Number Five greatest Baseball moment in the countdown of my top five...
The competition for the five spot was rather exciting since there are many great, great moments from my life, but I decided ultimately to be completely representative and include at least one where I wasn't just a participant but an active competitor. The runner up to this story might very well be the time when video game baseball first came out and my Dad and I plugged about $20 in quarters into a machine in Las Vegas so that we could play a full 9 innings of head to head video game baseball, but that's not real athletic so I'll skip directly to my story.
It was my senior year in High School and though at the time I didn't realize it, I was somewhat of a jock. (To be fair, nerds and geeks never get labelled jocks even if they have more athletic accomplishments than most other jocks). As the end of the school year approached, my swimming coach/cross country coach decided to have a picnic for the athletes on his teams. We gathered after school outside the gym and ate hot dogs and hamburgers and what not while I made the rounds and spoke to all the members of the two teams. I was one of those guys that had friends in all strata of school hierarchies.
After eating about five hot dogs (I was skinnier than a rail back then) my coach suggested that we get a game of baseball going and selected me and one of the jocks as coaches. Now, while I did have more athletic points and higher accomplishments than any of the jocks on the team, I was considered an outsider by them. Basically, we got along, but we didn't like each other. So when it came time to pick teams, it was about four or five picks in before we both realized that the jock team was loaded with athletic talent and the geek team was not. I had naturally taken all the people I liked (the girls, the lesser athletes, the people who were nice, not good at sports, per se) and the jock captain had done the same - selecting all of the top athletes in the school. After that, I purposefully selected all those players that I knew the jocks would never select and he purposefully selected only the athletes. On paper, and in most opinions, we were going to get crushed. The jocks even appealed to our Swim coach to re-do the selections to make the teams more fair. But before he answered, I said, boldly, "I don't want any other team. I like the team I have. And, we're going to win." My Swim coach looked doubtful but he agreed not to interfere.
My team was a little less than enthusiastic. In fact, according to them we were going to be completely destroyed by the jock team. Half the guys on their side had actually played for the high school baseball team. But I told them not to worry, to have fun, and to just play to the best of their ability.
To make a long story short, we absolutely crushed the jock team. We had nothing to play for. Our pride wasn't on the line. We weren't expected to win. So we just relaxed, hit, ran, caught, pitched like it was a pick up game of baseball at an after school picnic. They, on the other hand, had to prove that they were better than us - being the athletes and all - and as we started to dominate them, they fell apart and started ripping on each other and each tried to become the star of the game. The I's got crushed by the We's. The final score was something like 16-4. I don't think we hit a single homerun. I'm fairly certain that every hit was a single. In one inning, we batted around twice.
I always remember this whenever anyone says, "That's why we play the game." There is more to the game of baseball than raw talent. Like golf, there is a humbleness that must be maintained for a player to reach the lofty and truly great heights of a superstar. As Jordan's commercial so eloquently pointed out, we fail more often that we succeed - but we keeping coming back for more. On this particular day, David beat Goliath because David was confident and loose. Almost 20 years later, that same combination of confidence and looseness finally brought a world series title to Boston after a long drought.
Baseball might not be everyone's life, but it is mine. Its ebb and flow marks my seasons and its highs and lows form my backdrop. If there is a more perfect game, I have yet to find it.
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