Astros' Land, Minute Maid Ballpark, Houston, Texas

Minute Maid From Outside

Minute Maid in Houston was the next stop to see the Astros and Indians play. I wasn't too excited for this game as the Astros are not a good team and I don't really care for the Indians. It was just another stop along the way, or so I thought.

View From Our Seats

I was able to get in contact with a friend who I knew through Colorado Springs Little League,  he and I were able to attend the game together. This was a great experience. I really enjoyed the company and conversation as we were able to talk baseball and catch up on life as well as Little League stuff that was very informative for me.

Train Over the Arches

Bagwell Wall

The ballpark was a very nice one. The ballpark has a retractable roof but today the roof was closed as the temperatures outside were approaching 100 degrees and it was an afternoon game. Our seats were very good ones in right field. The field looked very nice with more "Texas" architecture with high arches, cream stone and pillars.  There are train tracks on the arches above the wall in left field and a smaller train runs back and forth on them if the Astros hit a home run and at the start of them game. along the concourse in left field there is a cool tribute to Astro greats Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio as well as some others. There is a wall dedicated to Bagwell with 449 baseballs making up the number 449 which is the number of home runs he hit in his career, the Astros record. Another wall is dedicated to Biggio's 3000 hits telling the story of how he got all his hits. Another interesting thing is a large gas pump in one of the arches that keeps track of all the home runs that have been hit at the stadium by the Astros. At the end of the game the number was 1133 since the stadium opened in 2001. Minute Maid is know for its peculiar center field with a ramp up to the wall and flag poles that are on the slope and in play. There are some old fields that had similar flag poles in play but I don't understand why the builders and architects decided to put it into this stadium. It is very goofy looking and poses a hazard to center fielders. It is very difficult to hit a ball that far and land it on the slope or hit it out of center field for a home run but still, why?

Biggio Wall

Outside the ballpark behind left field there is an area telling the story of the ground that the ballpark sits of and the company who built the stadium. There is also a half infield with statues of Bagwell and Biggio so detailed that you can see the outline of a can of chew in Biggio's back left pocket. There were also plaques celebrating important moments in the Colt 45s and Astros' history including MVPs, CY Young award winners and No-hitters.

Biggio Statue

Bagwell Statue

Memorial Park Outside Left Field

I really enjoyed this ballpark, it is very nice and clean. The Astros have done a great job celebrating their history, even with the little bit that they may have. I would definitely go back to this ballpark if I were in the Houston area.


The game was a good one for the Astros. They won 8-1 and hit three home runs as well as numerous doubles in two big scoring innings putting the game out of reach. The pitcher Dallas Kuechel was making his first start for the Astros and ended up throwing a gem. he pitched the whole game and mowed through the Indians lineup.

Everything is Bigger in Texas, The Ballpark at Arlington

Home Plate Entrance

After the long drive from AZ I made it to Dallas for my next stop seeing the Rangers play my Rockies at the Ballpark at Arlington.

View From Our Seats

I was able to meet up with a couple friends who live in the Dallas area and go to the game with them. We ended up being a little late to the game as we hit Dallas traffic on a Friday evening. By the time we got to our seats it was already the second inning.

Stadium

As we were walking up to the stadium it is difficult not to notice how massive this stadium is. The other ones are big as they need to be to house so many people but this stadium is very tall and spans large area. The ballpark has tons and tons of brick with Texas arches with stars on them making up the outside. It is a beautiful ballpark from the outside. Once you are in your seats and looking out at the field it looks wonderful as well. in center field there are larger white suites that are also very Texas looking. From the 3rd deck the field does seem far away especially in comparison to other upper decks I have sat in already. The stadiums guts are pretty ugly in my opinion. Other stadiums have done a much better job of making the concourses and gut that hold up the stadium aesthetically pleasing to the eye in some way or from. The concourses don't have much on them either. There are food options but there aren't many stores or vendors and so it makes the concourses look and feel kinda naked and lonely.

The Boomstick

In preparing for this trip I was informed about a new menu item for the upcoming season. This food item called the Boomstick was a gigantic hot dog over two feet long and weighing over 2 lbs. I knew that when I got to the ballpark I wanted to try it. I asked around and found out where to get one. I got in a long line and waited and quickly saw that these things were massive. I was excited because these were the biggest hot dogs I had ever seen. By far. I purchased one of the monstars and went back to my friends and they were shocked at how big it actually was as was I. we started walking back to our seats and were stopped multiple times by people asking what it was and commenting about how big it was. There must have been 10 people that made comments on the way back to our seats. "There it is", "That thing is Huge", "What is the called", "where did you get that?" If you want to start a conversation at a Rangers home game purchase one of these hot dogs. People will still talk to you even if you have a visitors jersey on.

Game

The game was not as interesting as the previous one. The Rangers took care of the lowly Rockies and there wasn't a whole lot of excitement to the game. Roy Oswalt was getting his first start for the Rangers this year which was exciting. He has been a very good starting picther for years but didn't sign with anyone in the off season and finally signed with Texas in early late May or early June. He pitched very well esp. for not having pitched in the Big Leagues in many months. It was also exciting to watch Josh Hamilton Every time he came up to bat I and most people stopped to watch as he is the most exciting player in baseball to watch right now. He had a rough night though going 0-4 withs 2 Ks. The final score was 4-1.

Boomstick

Boomstick with my hand for some perspective

There were fireworks after the game that were good ones, although not spectacular there were very enjoyable to watch. The outside was like AT&T very appealing to the outside but the inside wasn't as good, although the Ballpark at Arlington is very cool looking in center field and it is very much Texas looking which I give props to the builders and designers for.

View of the Right Field Porch

In The Desert, Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

View From My Seat

Chase Field was the next stop on the trip to see a game between the home town Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners. It was hot in Phoenix, 113 degrees this day. Chase Field has a retractable roof like Seattle's Safeco, thank goodness the roof was closed today, which made it a very comfortable 75 or so.

As I walked into the park I walked right to where a display celebrates the Dbacks only World Series title in 2001. There is a TV that is on repeat that shows footage of the championship game which is the 2nd most memorable postseason moment for me. I couldn't help but watch again as Mariano Rivera came in to close the 9th inning for the Yankees. Tony Womack hits a double down the right field line to drive in the tying run after a leadoff single, errant throw on a bunt and a fielder's choice left runners on first and second with one out. Craig Counsel was then hit to load the bases Louis Gonzalez hit a broken bat bloop single to center field that won the game. This world Series is my favorite of all time as a fan in my lifetime. The display had the World Series trophy, a ring, a base, game worn jerseys of Louis Gonzalez and Randy Johnson, a ball and a bat. It was cool to relive this moment of my early teen years.

World Series Display 

The Ballpark

The park was a nice one. with wide concourses and a very ritzy club level that I somehow managed to find myself on by accident. Chase Field is really know for one thing, having a swimming pool just behind the right center field fence. There have been a few balls hit into the pool there by players, although not that many as the Dbacks franchise is still a relatively new one. Centerfield isn't as odd as it looks on TV, there is plenty of room to walk behind the batter's eye and get around the the other side of the stadium. I sat in right field 4 rows from the field in very good seats for only $15. The Dbacks ticket prices were very reasonable.

Swimming Pool

Fountains Over the Pool After a Homer

Center Field

The Game

The game was one of the most exciting I have been to yet. there were a total of 8 Homeruns hit in this game, the Dbacks hit 6 including an inside the park home run by Ryan Roberts aka Tatman. after each Dbacks homerun fountains went off right behind the swimming pool spraying water into the pool and soaking anyone swimming. This was cool to see! 8 Home runs in one game is quite a feat especially coming from Petco park where if you see one home run in a game there you are lucky. Justin Upton hit a LONG home run which I was happy to see, even though he is in quite a slump right now. The ball landed in box seats that are attached to the batter's eye and almost made it onto the concourse which is quite a shot. The ball went well over 400 feet. Seeing an inside the park home run was also very exciting for me because I am pretty sure it was the first one I have seen at a major league game. the ball was hit deep to right-center the center fielder was not able to catch it and the ball bounced on the warning track then off the wall and hit hard enough to bounce back straight toward center field and rolled away from both the center fielder and the right fielder and gave Ryan Roberts a relatively easy inside the park home run. there was a play at the plate but it wasn't even close.

The Dbacks won the game 14-7 in a very high scoring day game. I really enjoyed this game and the ballpark was pretty nice as well. I'd definitely go back.

Beautiful and Modern with a Touch of History, Petco Park, San Diego.

Petco Park, San Diego 

View From Our Seats. Western Metal Supply Building In The Middle

After dropping dad off at the airport I headed down to San Diego to the next stop on the trip. I stopped on the beach to watch the sunset and get my feet wet in the ocean. It was a beautiful sunset!

For the Padres game I met up with the son of one of my good friends. It was cool to meet him and watch the game with him, I really enjoyed his company and he was a really good guy.

We arrived at the park about 30 mins prior to game time we went to get tickets, stood inline and quickly decided we should try an automated kiosk because it would be much quicker. We were both very surprised at the long lines to get tickets and figured it must be because the Rangers were in town who have made back-to-back World Series appearances.

We got our tickets and walked into the stadium. On the way to our seats we walked past the play in the park area in center field, the massive ivy covered batter's eye and the sandbox. This was a wonderful part of the stadium, so open, so free and it gave the opportunity for kids to play and fans to just enjoy being at the park. It is good that they made the park very enjoyable to be at because the Padres aren't good, they are one of the worst teams in the majors this year and haven't been good for years.

Play at the Park Area

Bullpen Area

Petco always has intrigued me because of the Western Metal Supply Co building that serves as part of the ballpark. It is located down the left field line with the building being in play. There are box seats on the different levels of the building and also rooftop seating. These seats are pretty much for group parties otherwise I would've like to sit in them. My friend told me that on the top floor of the building there is a bar that is open only during the games. This building is one of the oldest in San Diego dating back to the early 1900s and is a San Diego historical monument. It has been converted to have suites and offices for the team as well as the teams merchandise store, the bar and the box seats.

Right Next To Western Metal Supply Co Building

More Western Metal Supply Co

The concourses are beautiful. There are vines hanging down from them and they are very open and make for a cool view from below especially with the lighting. It is very San Diego, very modern looking and lighting that accents the walk ways. The ballpark was very clean as well, just like the rest of San Diego.

The Concourses 

The game was a very lowing scoring game, as is typical for games at Petco. Petco is the most pitcher friendly park in the majors and has the least amount of home runs hit there every year. Hitters hate going there and pitchers love it. The game was 2-1 with all the scoring early, with only threats late. It was fun when the crowd got into it trying to inspire the Padres to get a rally going, however they fell short.

Petco was one of my favorite parks to date, right there with Safeco Field in Seattle. I already want to go back.

Father's Day At The Stadium, Dodger Stadium

Father's Day At The Stadium, Dodger Stadium

View From Our Seats

After seeing the Angels the next stop was only back up I-5 about 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. Dad and I were headed to our last stop before he flew home to our family and work.

As this was a Sunday there was no Batting practice so we arrived about an hour early.  I had been checking tickets online the night before and all morning and it seemed like there were plenty of tickets available for the game even though it was a Sunday afternoon and it was Father's Day. Dodger games very rarely sell out. The stadium is so large and so almost anyone who wants to can get a ticket to that day's game in one of the 5 decks. Dad and I got stuck in traffic on the way to the game as you would expect in LA. we got to the stadium and there was a traffic jam getting into the parking lot. As I was driving through the gate I saw a sign saying "Game Sold Out." This was not good because we didn't have tickets yet. I was going to be heart broken if we couldn't get into the game on Father's Day. I would feel absolutely terrible, especially since dad had been saying we should get tickets ahead of time.

We parked and started walking up the steep hills of Chavez Ravine where on top lays Dodger Stadium. As we were walking I was praying "Lord please let us get tickets to this game." over and over again. We got to the ticketing window and I asked if there were any tickets and he said yes all I have is reserved which was completely fine by me so we got our tickets and entered the stadium. "YES! We got tickets I was thinking!"

The Traffic coming into the Stadium in the 5th inning

The Stadium

It was very cool to see the classic and historic Dodger Stadium. However that's about all I can say about it. It was a very simple ballpark. No bells and Whistles nothing to really draw the people in except baseball, which I actually did like. However I quickly discovered that you couldn't move from one level to another. Once you were on the level where your seats were you were stuck there. This felt very restricting and unfriendly. I don't see any harm in being able to roam all over the park. There were concessions all throughout our level however they were all the same thing. There were extremely limited concession options. I was ok with this on this day because of course I had to try a famous "Dodger Dog."

Dodger Dog

Pregame

There were many pregame festivities with it being Father's day. All the Dodger's players who had kids each went onto the field and had each of their kids throw them a first pitch. This was pretty cool to watch. There was also a soldier from the Marine Corps who had returned from a tour overseas and saved many of his comrades through his brave actions threw out the ceremonial first pitch. There was a slight pause as he was at the mound waiting for a catcher, the catcher game jogging all dressed in Dodgers catcher's equipment and uniform from head to toe. The pitch was thrown and the catcher walked out to the soldier to give him the ball as is custom and he took his mask off to reveal that he was the soldier's dad! They shared a long embrace and tears because they hadn't been together on Father's Day in 7 yrs.

The Game

The game was a low scoring affair as many are at Dodger Stadium. The White Sox scratched a run across in the 5th. In the 6th the Dodgers appeared to tie the game. A sacrifice fly was hit and the run on 3rd tagged and scored. However the White Sox appealed the play and the umpire ruled out. This made the Dodgers manager Don Mattingly furious. He came and yelled at the 3rd base umpire who made the call. The home plate umpire walked up the line to 3rd base and Mattingly then yelled at him. The home plate umpire then walked back and Mattingly followed him all the way back down yelling at him the whole time. This lasted for at least 3 minutes which is a long time for an argument. Needless to say Mattingly was ejected. The Dodgers pitcher Chris Capuano had 12 Strikeouts during the game which is a lot. The White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana pitched 8 scoreless innings. He was removed in the 9th and gave up a single to Bobby Abreu then another one that Abreu moved to 3rd on because he was stealing on the pitch. He then scored on a sacrifice fly and the game went to extra innings. The White Sox didn't do anything in to top of the 10th. The Dodgers Tony Gynn jr. hit a triple and then Lee Gordon drove him in with a single and then game was over. Gordon was mobbed but tried to run away from the mob and almost succeed because he is blazing fast. after he got out of the mob he kept running all the way into the dugout. Both Gynn and Gordon had father's who also played in the Big Leagues (Tony Gynn and Dwight "Doc" Gooden) which is kinda cool that they won the game the way they did on Father's Day.

The 12 Strike outs Capuano had

Walk Off Celebration