Almost Perfect "The Big A" Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Main Entrance

Scoreboard

After driving down to LA from Oakland the next stop was to see the Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim or as the locals call it "The Big A". I was very excited for this game because my favorite player was playing, that being Albert Pujols. I have also grown to really like Mark Trumbo who has had a great start this year (and happens to be on my fantasy team) and also the 20 yr. Mike Trout (who is better than Bryce Harper). I also really like Justin Upton who was playing for the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.

Batting Practice

Dad and I fought with LA traffic and got to the game early enough for Batting Practice. We didn't quite get there right when the gates opened because traffic was bad even on a Saturday so we missed any part of the Angels BP that we would've gotten to see. I then went out to left center field which I have learned over the past few games is where right handed hitters hit BP home runs. I went here even though in left center field at "The Big A" is where both bull pens are so in order to get to me the ball would have to travel an extra long way. However the only guy I really wanted a ball from that was on the Diamondbacks was Justin Upton who has hit some of the majors longest home runs the past few years, so I knew he could hit it out to me and there weren't many people over there either. As the Dbacks were starting BP the guy fixing up the Bullpens picked up the 4 balls that had been hit there by the Angels he threw 2 to a player on the field who wanted them and threw one to a kid about 50ft down from me then he looked at who to throw the other one to and looked right at me as I was asking for it then looked away and I thought shoot he is going to give to it to kid. He looked back at me and then tossed it to me for which I was thankful! Who knows the ball could've been hit by Pujols!

The two balls I got the right one was hit by Justin Upton

Justin Upton came up for his BP round and I was ready! I told dad ok here we go you better be watching for some long HRs. then I was all disappointed because his first 3 rounds he just was hitting to the opposite field far away from me. Then his final round he started to pull the ball and hit one deep to center and then he blasted one right for me. I was tracking it perfectly but it wasn't going to make it to me I knew it was going to bounce in the bullpen so I positioned myself to catch it on a bounce. It bounce a perfect, nice high bounce right into my hands. A kid next to me asked "did that hurt" I responded no because the bounce slowed it down but it if had been in the air it would've. I was so excited! I got a Justin Upton ball! the one guy beside Pujols I wanted! Not only that it was my second ball of the day!

"The Big A"

I walked around the stadium after BP and it was a very nice field. It was built in 1966 so its pretty old but Disney bought the team and did major renovations to the stadium and it feels and looks like a baseball stadium even though its where the Los Angeles Rams played before they moved to St. Louis. They have a nice fountain and greenery area in center field and very open nice walk ways on the concourses. in their team store, which is extremely nice looking and ritzy they have bronze busts of Angel greats Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, and Gene Autry (I think). There was also a very cool display of autographed memorabilia you could buy from Angels players or all-time greats.

Center Field Fountain

Angel Greats 

Perfect?

The game started and Ervin Santana was on the mound. he has had a very up and down career winning lots of games in some seasons enough to make the All-star game and then other years being one of the Angels worst starters. He has also thrown a no-hitter is his career. On this night he started off the game setting down the Dbacks 1-2-3. Then the Angels came to bat and Mrak Trumbo hit a 2-run home run! That would be all the scoring for the night. However Santana kept cruising along and I quickly noticed he hadn't given up any hits and then realized he hadn't walked anyone and the team hadn't made any errors either. He was throwing a perfect game. Ok so it was only the second inning that happens quite a lot. I was on Perfect game alert because Matt Cain had throw one 2 days earlier. Santana made it through the 3rd, still perfect and the 4th too! Then the 5th came around, by this time almost everyone in the park knew what was going on and so with each new out recorded by the Angels the cheers got louder. After the 5th Santana was still perfect, ok I was thinking this actually has a chance now. I started to tell a couple friends hey pay attention to the angels game, it could be special. The 6th inning came and went, Still perfect, the crowd erupting as the inning ended! The 7th came Chris young swings and misses for strike 3, one out. Then Willie Bloomquist hits a sharp grounder to second and Kendrick makes the play, 2 outs. oh wow this is getting ridiculous. Although I was thinking yeah but he still has to face Justin Upton who was next. On the first pitch Upton bounced a hard ground ball up the middle for a base hit. The Perfect game was gone and the no hitter as well. Dang it. the crowd though gave Santana a standing ovation for getting that far. Santana ended up giving up only the one hit to Upton and walked pinch hitter Migeul Montero in the 9th inning and those were the only base runners. It was by far the best pitching performance I have seen live.

There was a Chris Cagle concert after the game on the field which was also pretty cool and another unexpected bonus. It was just an ok concert but still fun nonetheless.

Signed Pujols Jersey

This game was a very exciting one because of the possibility of history being made and the ballpark was a very nice one as well plus it was fun to watch Albert Pujols even though he didn't do anything hitting wise during the game. I was also very pleased to get the Justin Upton ball too that I had been hoping for.

Fantastic Fans, Oakland

Fantastic Fans, Oakland Coliseum 

After San Francisco my dad and I headed across the bay to Oakland to catch the other Bay area baseball team the Oakland Athletics aka Oakland A's. I was not particularly looking forward to this stadium as it is old and in a not so good part of town and doubles as a football stadium for the hated Oakland Raiders. 


We arrived at the game very early again to watch batting practice. Although we arrived so early the gates weren't open yet. we walked through the parking lot and there were many friends tailgating which I'd never seen for baseball before but it is a cool idea. I guess when you don't know how traffic is going to be in CA you go really early to avoid it and to waste time before the game you tailgate. 

The Coliseum

The first thing you notice about the Coliseum is concrete. It is a massive structure built almost exclusively of concrete. It is not a pretty sight. There is not much life to the stadium at all. Walking around we saw a ring of champions memorial that lists the championships of the A's while in Oakland, the Raiders and also the Golden State warriors whose arena is next door. This was a cool display. It also had plaques for Hall of Famers such as Ricky Henderson, Rollie Fingers Dennis Eckersley, Reggie Jackson and a few others. Other than that there was nothing but boring concrete on the outside of the stadium.  However while I was there I couldn't help but think. I hate this place because its where the Oakland Raiders play their home football games. It looked ugly and very Raideresk. Even the music they played during the game was Raider sounding which didn't seem to fit the A's. the played "Let's go Oakland" on the loud speakers but it was a very deep sounding one almost evil sounding. I am sure that it doubles for "Let's go Raiders" during football season. 

View of the outside 

Once inside we watched BP no balls were hit to us this time as the walls are very high in the stadium and not many Home runs were hit. Once BP ended we walked around the inside and it was almost as boring as the outside with nothing really that special or spectacular just standard vendors and merchandise dealers. 

Look at all the concrete

The Fans

We then settled into our seats in the bleachers near game time. I quickly noticed that there were guys in the front row of the bleachers with all sorts of weird things that you wouldn't normally see at a baseball game like huge flags and drums and good luck elephants. Then the announcer started to introduce the visiting San Diego Padres. After each player from Padres was introduced the fans booed. This booing however wasn't mean or intended for bad or evil it was more just playful and showing support for the beloved A's. Next the hometown A's were introduced and the fans cheered loudly for each player. The umpires were introduced after the A's players and the did something I have never heard of before but is very clever, unique and yet funny. After the first umpire was introduced the fans all said "oh-no!" and did so for each of the following umpires. I laughed at this and just thought it was such a neat idea. 


There were a lot of kids at the ballpark as it was "Friday Night Fireworks" night. However I was surprised at  how the kids seemed to know who the players were and how to say their names and were following along with the game really well. All the fans were just enjoying the heck out of the game I think it didn't hurt that the A's won 10-2.

The Game

The A's won this game handily and Brandon Moss had his fourth game in a row with a home run and during the span he had 5 HRs He was red hot at this time. There was a very interesting thing to note about this game. As the game ended the scoreboard flashed congratulating the relief pitcher Evan Scribner on getting his first major league save. I was very confused as the score was 10-2, which is normally way too high of a score for there to be a save situation. I had failed to realize that he had pitched for 3 innings and kept his team in the lead for the whole time while closing out the game. This is a lesser known way to get a save and happens only rarely in today's day and age where relief pitchers come in frequently for an inning or less, sometimes even just one batter. The game was very fun because the A's won and the fans were very entertaining. 


After the game they allowed fans to go onto the field to watch the fireworks show. Dad and I went and got in the long line after the game and were escorted onto the field, which was a delightful surprise as we had no idea that there was even a fireworks show to begin with much less being able to watch it from on the field. It is a treat to be on a big league ball field because they are so well kept and the grass is so nice. 

The Fireworks show! 

I really enjoyed this game. It was a fun game because there was a lot of action and the fans were the best yet. It was also cool to go onto the field. However I have come to the conclusion that the Coliseum doesn't fit the A's. They are much too friendly, nice and fun for a place like that. The A's need a new ballpark that suites them better!  

A Day Late, AT&T Ballpark, San Francisco, CA

AT&T Ballprak, San Francisco

The Next stop after Seattle was San Francisco and the Bay area. We traveled down Interstate 5 through Oregon and then headed over to Highway 101 so we could see Redwoods. They were stunning! The biggest trees I have ever scene.

A Day Late

The biggest thing about this game was not anything that happened this day but what had happened the night before. Matt Cain threw the Major League's 22nd Perfect game. WE MISSED IT BY LESS THAN 24 HRS. This was the first Perfect game in the Giants 128 yrs. of existence. The Ballpark was still buzzing the day we were there and that is all we heard about on sports radio until we left the Bay area.

We arrived in San Francisco later than expected because I forgot to make sure of the game time. It was a day game starting at 12:45pm. We left in plenty of time to get to the game on time but we hit horrible traffic in the downtown area.

I felt very rushed getting to the ballpark as we were now running late but once I saw it all I could think about was, "sweet let's get inside." The inside was rather bland we walked around the 1st base side and behind right field to get to our seats. Right field is right on McCovey cove a body of water that connects to the bay. There is a high brick wall in right field and if you hit it over the wall and it goes into the water they call it a splash down home run. There have only been 60 hit in the park's lifetime.

Right Field Wall. Just behind it is McCovey's Cove

McCovey's Cove

Our seats were good ones although quite expensive for bleacher seats. we were pretty close to the field and had a good view of the action. we ended up missing the first half inning because of the atrocious traffic but at least we didn't miss anything that eventful.

View From Our Seats

The Game

During the game there were a few cool things that happened. The game was fairly low scoring at 6-3with the Astros winning. Early the Astros hit a solo home run to left field that was a bout 30ft. to my right when looking at the field and 5 rows above us. Which is quite a shot. then later the Astros loaded the bases against Barry Zito and JD Martinez hit a grand slam that was right over my head but almost 10 rows behind me. This may have actually been the first grand slam I have seen in person at a major league game. They don't come around too often. Then later in the game Brandon Belt came up to bat and stepped into the lefthanded batter's box and pulled a pitch deep into right field. the ball was up and over the brick wall bounced onto the walk way and fell into the water. A splash down home run!! The Giants then had water blast up from just behind the brick wall to celebrate the 61st splash down home run. It was very cool to see the "splash dow hits" scoreboard go up one notch. A guy in a kayak paddled over and got the ball.

Willie Mays Staute

The Ballpark

After the game dad and I walked around the ballpark and the outside was Very nice! It was a beautiful ballpark from the outside. with plenty of palm trees and with the cove right there. There is also a marina just behind center field which looked nice as well. The ballpark signs were very classy looking and worked very well with the brick of the stadium. There were also statues of Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Mirachal. These statues were awesome esp. the Willie Mays one. Behind the right field wall there are plaques in the ground to commemorate special moments in Giants History like Barry Bond's 500th, 600th, 700th, 715th and 756th Home runs, Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter and a few other ones as well. This was pretty cool. They will soon be adding one for the perfect game that Matt Cain threw the day before we were there. Other than that the inside was rather bland except for a cool display of donors with silver bats, gold gloves wooden bats and balls.

Safeco Field, A Delightful Surprise

Tonight I visited my first stadium on my journey to see a baseball game in every Major League stadium. My dad and I were at Safeco Field in Seattle to watch the home town Mariners play the San Diego Padres.

View of the Seattle skyline from our seats! 

walking around the stadium before the game Safeco looked like an average stadium but nothing really that special. As I entered the center field gates at 4:40pm to see batting practice I could feel the energy even though there weren't that many people. I quickly walked toward left field as this is usually one of the better bets for home run souvenirs. I quickly saw the view from the center field walkway and it was splendid. However I was on a mission. I kept walking very briskly to get prime ball hunting real estate but also not make a fool of myself by running. Then I got to The Bull Pen, a very unique and awesome place at Safeco. The Bull Pen is where pitchers warm up before entering the game and the one in Seattle is EXTREMELY close to the players. There is a half wall that is open and a little bar to lean on and that is it. You are literally right there next to the players as they throw. I could reach out and touch a player who was on the mound closest to the bar area if I really tried and then get promptly kicked out of the park. Oh and the field is right beyond that so you are super close to all the action. This was so cool! I loved it.

The Bull Pen

Felix Hernandez was pitching who is one of the better pitchers in the American League (although he is struggling right now). It was so cool to be so close to him while he was warming up for the game. It was awe-inspiring. As soon as he was done warming up my dad and I moved down 20 feet and watched Clayton Richard warm up, the pitcher for the Padres. This was equally stunning to be so close and to really see how hard they threw.

King Felix warming up before the game!

The Real Surprise

We got to the ballpark at 4:40 which for a 7:10 pm game is quite early. I wanted to explore the ballpark but the real reason is because I wanted to attend batting practice. It is really fun to attend batting practice and see the players warm up and get ready for the game. Usually there are many home run balls hit in batting practice that become great. This evening the air was quite thick and filled with moisture from the ocean and the ball was not caring well. There were only a handful of guys that hit home runs in batting practice. There were a few ball hit really close to me by the mariners players and one that I was trying to chase down and got slightly scolded by a Safeco employee to be careful, that is "only a ball." Yes true it is and I have 100+ baseballs, but this one is special. But toward the end of the Mariners batting practice I was getting anxious to actually go into the seats to get one. The sound system announced that the other gates had opened and I was starting to leave the bull pen area. Then on the last swing of mariners batting practice I heard a "crack" and I glanced as I always do when I hear that familiar and lovely sound and saw a ball traveling my way with home run distance. It was headed right for me. It bounced in the bullpen at the perfect angle and speed for me to catch it easily on one hop. I reached out to grab it knowing I would finally have a major league ball! Then it stopped. It bounced just high enough to hit a net that was guarding a video board. I was not pleased. I was so close and there the ball lay in the bullpen. So close yet so far away. then one of the players from the Padres, Anthony Bass, came over to pick the ball up and I said "can I please have that ball?" and he politely gave it to me. 

I got it! I was so excited. I had always wanted a Major League ball!

My ball!

The game was a good one. The Padres won 5-4 although the Mariners made a furious comeback in the late innings. Our seats were in the third deck on the first base side with a beautiful view of the Seattle skyline and the space needle in the distance. 

The Dream

Baseball

I have always loved baseball. Ever since I was introduced to the game I have loved it. I have played since I was 7. Baseball has a mystique about it. Part of the this mystique stems from the beauty and uniqueness of each stadium. Every baseball fan loves to go to the stadium and experience the thrill of the game and energy of being a part of the crowd.

The Dream 

I had heard years ago about fans who had gone to see a baseball game in every stadium. Actually that went to see a game in every stadium in 30 days. There are 30 teams and 30 stadiums so these people saw a game everyday for a month. To me this sounded like an AWESOME idea. I was quite jealous when I heard of this. I could only dream of this because it seemed so far out of reach and so far from anything that I would ever do. I am not really the adventurous type. I don't really venture outside of my comfort zone very often. So there it was just a dream to visit the Green Monster at old, quirky, yet beautiful Fenway. To visit the friendly confines and see the ivy and rooftop seating at Wrigley. To see Yankee Stadium and Monument park. To visit Camden Yards, where the revival of the classic ballpark started with its beautiful brick walls tucked into the downtown area.

Yankee Stadium

Camden Yards

Fenway

Wrigley

The Goal

Then last fall I realized that I might be able to make this dream a reality. I am a senior in College at the university of Colorado at Colorado Springs and will be graduating in December. As I have gotten closer to my graduation I have been faced with the question of what comes next. I realized I only have one summer left and then I will (hopefully) be working summers from now on, which is bittersweet. This realization led to think about what I would do with my last summer ever. I could get an internship and work or go to Africa or do nothing of significance. 

OR I could go see a baseball game in every stadium! 

So that is the goal this summer. To see a baseball game in every Major League Baseball stadium. With all the planning that had to go into this to get to stadiums in at least somewhat of a logical order when each team is actually playing at home and with how much driving there is between stadiums there is no way I could do it in 30 days but I did plan a good route with some extra time to see things like Cooperstown, Disney World, Niagara Falls and Washington DC on the 4th of July. After all the planning it will take me 50 days and over 10,000 miles to complete my journey but I am looking forward to it.