One step closer

This summer marked the 12th ball park for my son, so we are well on our way to completing our quest.  Next summer appears to be an ambitious one as well. We have plans to visit a friend in Atlanta and check out Turner Field while we are there.  We have also rescheduled our Florida trip, which means that beautiful Marlins Park and somewhat less beautiful Tropicana Field are back on the table. I'm already excited!

With twelve parks completed so far, we have seen so many wonderful places and have met so many amazing people! I think that this is one of the things people connect to at a baseball game - the chance to visit with other fans. Football, basketball, and hockey game interactions are generally limited to high fiving a stranger, but at a baseball game, there is time to really get to know people. Every ballpark we've visited has left us with restaurant recommendations, sights to see in the area, and even embarrassing stories. In fact, during our visit to Los Angeles last summer, we met a couple who told us about the beauties of Coors Field. They then proceeded to mortify their teenage daughter by admitting that she may have been conceived there! I'm pretty confident that the same conversation would not have happened at a 49ers game!

We've also eaten our share of hot dogs over the years and have become very refined conoisseurs, if that's possible. The Rockie Dog we ate this summer was awesome, and actually tied the Chicago Dog! No matter where we go, people assure us that their hot dogs are the best - especially if they're from Chicago! My son never strays far from ketchup and mustard, but I enjoy the local flavour whenever possible. I still proudly wear a chilli stain on my Joey Votto jersey, and I can't wait to see what local spin places like Seattle and Arlington put on their dogs!

One thing is for sure - we'd love to have you along for the adventure!

Coors Field

July 20, 2013 - We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Denver, Colorado. 15 hours in the van is not something I would recommend to most people, but my son was a trooper and he traveled better than I did!

While we were there, of course, we paid a visit to beautiful Coors Field for a Rockies/Cubs game. This, in itself, posed a few challenges. Whenever possible, we enjoy making use of public transit to get to and from games. This saves us, and all fans, from navigating to the park, dealing with traffic, and especially parking.

We started by researching the RTD light rail system that looked like it would take us straight from a mall near our hotel to the park. When we got there, we were shocked by the cost of the fares. It cost nearly as much to take the train as it did to buy tickets! The train was clean and fast, but the Union Station stop, which appeared to be right near the ballpark, still left us with a very long walk to the game, which was even less fun at 10pm than it was at 5.

 

Once we approached the stadium itself, it was clear that we were in for a treat, however. The outer walls of the park were a beautiful mix of red brick and black iron, and the Branch Rickey statue out front made it clear that this was a place designed for fans!

Upon entering, I was also impressed by the openness of Coors Field. Some stadiums, like Rogers Centre and US Cellular, have felt very dark and cavernous in the entrance and concourse areas, but this park has lots of sunlight in all areas.

 

We were fortunate to be there during Roxivus, a three day celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Rockies franchise. This meant that there was a pre-game alumni event and autograph session featuring former Rockies such as Andres Gallaraga, Mike Lansing, Walt Weiss, and others! The lineups for autographs were not terribly long, and moved quickly thanks to staff who deterred fans from engaging in lengthy, awkward conversations with the players.

 

Pre-game autographs were a different story, though. My son and I have a ritual of watching batting practice and getting a signed ball from the visiting team. This was impossible at Coors, however, as there were bright yellow "Do not pass" lines near the dugout, preventing fans from interacting with players. We lined up with other fans far beyond the third base bag, but no players ventured so far down. I have to admit that I am puzzled why Coors Field has gone to this length to take this experience away from fans. We were told that it was because these spaces were reserved for fans who purchased tickets in these sections, but there are very few fans who lineup an hour before the game, and even fewer who are in their seats complaining that they can't see!

 

Coors has many unique features that are worth mentioning as well. There is a Blue Moon brewery right in the stadium, an area where kids (and adults, I guess) can practice their batting and pitching, and a gorgeous view of the mountains! There is also an area of bleacher seating called the Rock Wall, which has seats for as low as $4, making a night out at the ballpark extremely affordable for families (as long as they didn't take the train!).

 

By the 3rd inning, the hot dog growls started, so my son and I lined up to try the Rockie Dog. The line was ridiculously slow and, when I commented to a few other fans in the line, they assured me that it was always slow. We missed an entire inning waiting for our hotdogs, but it was well worth it! Coors Field boasts one of the best ballpark hot dogs we've ever had! Here's how we rated it:

Bun:                 9/10
Temperature: 9/10
Flavour:       8.5/10
Juiciness:     9.5/10
Total:            36/40

 

If you are planning a trip to Denver, and plan to take in a game at Coors Field, I hope you found this posting useful. If you have any comments, or questions about this or any other park, please post a comment below!

 

Things to do in Denver...

A visit to Coors Field is something I've been really looking forward to, but not something I've been overly planned for. I generally have the sections and seats scouted out months in advance, planned my game day experience to the letter, and payed special attention to the roster for both home and away rosters and starting rotations. Not this time, and I'm not sure why.

That said, I just bought tickets tonight and was surprised to hear that my visit coincides with an event called Roxivus and will feature an alumni game as part of the pre-game show. So far, details of the event are few, but one name jumped out at me from the list of confirmed participants - El Gato himself, Mr. Andres Galarraga!

I'm not going to lie. If Larry Walker shows up, I will be a completely geeked out embarassment to my son, but the chance to see and potentially meet Galarraga is pretty exciting. Growing up, it was all Jays, all the time, but when the boys in T.O. weren't on TV, you could always count on good ol' French CBC to have the broadcast of Les Expos live from the Big O in Montreal. Galarraga was one of the first Expos besides Carter, Dawson, and Martinez that I remember from those mid-to-late 80s Expos teams, and he was always a great first baseman and a gentleman on the field. Looking forward to the opportunity to see him back in a uniform in a few short weeks!

Rogers Center - Toronto, Ontario

25 May 2013 - It's strange to say, since I've been a Jays fan all my life, but I honestly thought that the Rogers Center in Toronto would be one of the most challenging parks to get to on the MLB Quest. The reason is a simple one, and one that most Canadians will agree with - air travel in Canada is among the most expensive in the world! Luckily for me, I was approved to attend an educational conference in Toronto, so I was heading back to the Rogers Center for the first time in nearly twenty years! (though it was the SkyDome back then)

Taking a cab to the game, I made sure to give myself plenty of time so that I would not get caught up in traffic. I was fortunate that the Wednesday game had a 4:37 start time, so there was no commuter traffic on the streets.

I was excited to see the Blue Jays again, after they had spent "Yankee money" on free agents during the off season, picking up names like R.A. Dickey, Melky Cabrera, Jose Reyes (injured), Josh Johnson (injured), and tonight's pitcher Mark Buerhle. Though this team has been pretty cold out of the gates in 2013 and are currently last in their division, this is a team with post-season written all over it.

The crowd was small, but intimate and vocal. Over two nights, they gave the opposition plenty of distractions and were generous with their loud support of the home team. I was relieved to see this, as Jays fans have a reputation for having extremely short attention spans and limited understanding of the game. Not on these nights, they didn't. The Jays cruised to back-to-back wins over these two nights, and fans went home happy!

As for the park itself, I was amazed at how well Rogers Center has held up over twenty years. The walkways and entrances all look pristine, the seating shows little sign of wear, and the newly renovated 200 Level concourse (right below the CF scoreboard) offers amazing views for fans. Sure, there are areas that are not as nice, (The ramps are dark and in rough shape, and the washrooms look extremely dated and abused.) but first time visitors to Rogers Center would never guess that it has been a part of Toronto since 1989.

I was hoping that there would be a little more atmosphere immediately surrounding the park, to be honest. Given that it is in the shadow of the CN Tower, being able to sit in a Wrigleyville-style pub area would be a real enhancement to the fan experience. Sadly, fans are limited to a Boston Pizza across the street, unless they want to walk a few blocks to restaurants like Gretzky's or several others.

Last, but not least, comes the hotdog rating! I was tempted before the Thursday game to try the famous Homerun Dog, and I was not disappointed at all. A footlong hotdog loaded with cheddar cheese, bacon, and baked beans, it was an awesome treat for the ballpark. That said, however, I have based the rating below on their Stadium Dog in order to be consistent with other ballparks.

Temperature: 6 / 10
Flavour:         6 / 10
Bun:            5.5 / 10
Juiciness:       6 / 10

Verdict: 2nd last place (Just one point above Oakland)

All in all, not a terribly exciting hotdog. Thanks again to my son, Nigel, for dreaming up the hot dog ratings criteria.

2014 All Star Game

Wednesday, 29 August 2012 - Congratulations to the good people of Minnesota!  I was pleased to hear the announcement from Bud Selig that Target Field will host the MLB All Star Game in the 2014 season.  We certainly enjoyed our visit to Target Field last summer and, as it was where my son saw his very first MLB game, it holds a special place in my heart.

This announcement comes as a welcome distraction for Twins fans, as their team is currently last in the American League.  After losing several consistent contributors to free agency and several others to injury, this has been a difficult season for the Twins.  I hope that the ownership team in Minneapolis is able to avoid the temptation to off-load big money players like Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, or Denard Span, and instead spend some money on picking up some solid pitching to build around.  The Twins are a proud team in one of baseball's most fluid divisions, so I'm sure they will be able to recover.  Maybe even by 2014!

Hot Dog Scores (so far)

Wednesday, 22 August 2012 - The votes have been counted and, after careful deliberation, I am pleased to unveil Phase 1 of the MLB Quest Hot Dog Championships.  Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox, whose Chicago-Style dog currently ranks highest, with close competition from the Dodger Dog and the Giants Dog.

My sympathies to the hot dog connoisseurs in Oakland, California. It would have been nice to have at least something positive to say about your park, but clearly your dogs are among the worst in the land.  Keep checking in for updated scores, and I'd love to hear your hotdog related comments!

Plans for 2013? Already?

Yep - That's right! We have barely returned from this California marathon, and we are already talking about hitting three parks in 2013.

First, a moderate road trip to Denver will happen at some point, giving us a chance to see Coors Field.  This idea came about when we were waiting for our tour at Warner Brothers Studios to begin, and started talking with a very nice family from Colorado.  I told them all about our quest, and that we'd never been to Denver, and they said that their daughter may have actually been conceived at Coors Field! They were joking, of course, but the horrified teenager beside them didn't see the humour.  I've heard good things about the stadium, so I'm looking forward to a Rockies game next year.

For our actual, for-real, game-on trip of 2013, I believe we will be Florida bound.  My son is a Harry Potter fanatic so, unless we want to travel overseas, we are destined for Universal Studios Orlando.  It looks like a lot of fun, so that is fine by me.  While we are there, of course, we plan to pay a visit to Tropicana Field for a Tampa Bay Rays game and Marlins Park in Miami as well.  I'm looking forward to Marlins Park, as it looks so state-of-the-art and pristine.  Tropicana, on the other hand, has me less excited. 

Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay (above)

Marlins Park, Miami (below)

I like visiting a park where I can cheer for the home team and talk with the locals a bit.  This is not likely in TB.  As a life-long Jays fan, I refuse to wear the colours of ANY other AL East team.  Hopefully they have good hot dogs and get clobbered by an AL team I appreciate, like the Tigers or the Angels.  Either way, I do hope that Evan Longoria is healthy when we are down there, as he was on the DL with a hamstring injury during our California trip.