Saturday, July 01, 2006
This time, a Saturday baseball photo
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Cool Flickr baseball photos every Thursday!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Remember these golden classics
Bet you weren't expecting this at this late date! Courtesy of Mrs. Levi, we have some late additions to the pool of photographs of the 2004 trip. In Cleveland, here are Maura, Jim, Dan, and Dianne, and you may notice that Dan is eagerly showing off a Hostess Baseball:
And eight days before that, in St. Louis, standing in a location that doesn't exist anymore, here are The Flash, Trainman, Cap'n Slap, and Bicycle Repairman (in their not-so-secret identities as Tony, Jim, Levi, and Luke):
And eight days before that, in St. Louis, standing in a location that doesn't exist anymore, here are The Flash, Trainman, Cap'n Slap, and Bicycle Repairman (in their not-so-secret identities as Tony, Jim, Levi, and Luke):
Labels: brpa, cleveland, Dan Rivkin, dianne ketler, luke seemann, maura johnston, photos, road trip, st. louis, stacey shintani, tony becker
Friday, December 31, 2004
One more aerial view
I should have remembered this one yesterday, since I was just there for a football game a couple weeks ago.
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California (in its baseball configuration, since the aerial photo was taken in June 2002)
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California (in its baseball configuration, since the aerial photo was taken in June 2002)
Labels: photos
Thursday, December 30, 2004
More aerial photos
The other current major league stadiums I've been to...
SBC Park, San Francisco, California
Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
And the other major league stadiums...
Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida
Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
Shea Stadium, New York, New York
Future site of Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio (construction site east of Riverfront Stadium)
Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
The Ballpark at Arlington or whatever the corporate sponsor is now, Arlington, Texas
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Arizona (under construction)
Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
Finally, since Terraserver only has U.S. aerial images, Olympic Stadium is unavailable, but here's a substitute...
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
SBC Park, San Francisco, California
Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
And the other major league stadiums...
Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida
Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
Shea Stadium, New York, New York
Future site of Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio (construction site east of Riverfront Stadium)
Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
The Ballpark at Arlington or whatever the corporate sponsor is now, Arlington, Texas
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Arizona (under construction)
Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
Finally, since Terraserver only has U.S. aerial images, Olympic Stadium is unavailable, but here's a substitute...
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
Labels: photos
Aerial photos of the stadiums on the trip
There's not much for me to do at work today, so I have plenty of time to play around with Terraserver.
John O'Donnell Stadium, Davenport, Iowa (picture taken pre-renovation, so it doesn't quite look like this now)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri (not zoomed in any farther because I like the fact that the Gateway Arch is in the shot, too)
Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
The future site of Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (in the parking lot to the east of Veterans Stadium)
The future site of PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (replacing the buildings to the north and west of the second bridge east of Three Rivers Stadium)
Jacobs Field, Cleveland, Ohio (right at the junction of two aerial photos, so it looks a little disjointed)
U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois
Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (under construction)
And while I'm at it, here are the other baseball stadiums where I saw games this year...
Yankee Stadium, New York, New York (as a special bonus, with a subway train passing right by the stadium at the moment this photo was taken)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Petco Park, San Diego, California (under construction)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Angel Field of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
John O'Donnell Stadium, Davenport, Iowa (picture taken pre-renovation, so it doesn't quite look like this now)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri (not zoomed in any farther because I like the fact that the Gateway Arch is in the shot, too)
Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
The future site of Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (in the parking lot to the east of Veterans Stadium)
The future site of PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (replacing the buildings to the north and west of the second bridge east of Three Rivers Stadium)
Jacobs Field, Cleveland, Ohio (right at the junction of two aerial photos, so it looks a little disjointed)
U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois
Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (under construction)
And while I'm at it, here are the other baseball stadiums where I saw games this year...
Yankee Stadium, New York, New York (as a special bonus, with a subway train passing right by the stadium at the moment this photo was taken)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Petco Park, San Diego, California (under construction)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Angel Field of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
Labels: brpa, photos, road trip
Monday, October 11, 2004
Why would Levi be jealous of me?
I'm over 6 feet tall, I have a full head of hair, I have a cat who doesn't get up on the kitchen counter, and also...
Jason and Todd got tickets through a contact at their job, so there we were in the top deck of Dodger Stadium for Game 4 of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers needing a win against the Cardinals to stay alive.
Jason invited me, and Todd invited his wife Jenn, of course. So here she is eating pizza...
This was the first time I had sat in the top deck at Dodger Stadium. It was not bad. I'm pretty sure I was closer to the field than when I had sat in the upper deck in San Diego in May, and I was definitely closer to the field than I was in the upper deck in Philadelphia in August. And these seats are only $6.00 general admission during the regular season. (They were jacked up to $12.00 reserved for this first round of the playoffs.)
It must be the playoffs, because there's the bunting...
And a special logo painted on the field...
And a blimp...
And what seems like hundreds of umpires...
So many umpires, in fact, that they don't display them at the bottom of the scoreboard because there's only space for four of them (it's not really visible in this photo, but trust me, they'd normally be at the bottom)...
And they handed out everyone's favorite loud and annoying item, Thunderstix...
So let's all think blue! Or think 76 or 980, if you'd rather think about numbers than colors...
Odalis Perez pitching in the top of the first...
And then some stuff happened that I didn't take pictures of because I was trying to follow the game, but night fell with the Dodgers behind 6-2...
It was time to summon the giant floating heads of Eric Gagne...
He did pretty well against the Cardinals, but the damage had already been done...
Noted Kenny G fan Ray King got into the game and was effective against the Dodgers...
Perhaps he and Mike Metheney were humming "Songbird" during their meeting on the mound...
Since this auxiliary scoreboard wasn't needed for its usual purpose of displaying out-of-town scores, it was instead pressed into service for additional statistic display duty...
See the taillights in the parking lot? Yep, people are leaving in the 8th inning, despite the number of come-from-behind wins the Dodgers have had this season...
It's the bottom of the 9th, the Dodgers are down by four runs, the fans are being exhorted to show their blue (not "show they're blue"), and this is all seeming familiar to Jason and me, as if it happened just a week and a half ago...
Speaking of which, the note about Alex Cora that was displayed as he was batting in the bottom of the 9th seemed very familiar...
But on September 28th, the Dodgers were facing the Rockies' bullpen. The Cardinals' bullpen, and Jason Isringhausen in particular, is a somewhat different story. So, long story short, some happy Cardinals...
The Dodgers wish them well in the NLCS, especially if they're going to be playing the Braves...
And even though the Dodgers lost, it was a great and highly improbable season, so the stadium crew thinks it deserves a playing of "I Love L.A."...
Oh, and by the way, this game set a new Dodger Stadium attendance record...
Go Cards.
Levi: Ah, that was a fun series. And I feel really good about Round 2, whomever we face. I'm rooting for tonight's Braves/Astros game to go 22 innings.
And I loved seeing the hugs and handshakes. It made me really happy, and it seemed a better send-off for the Dodgers than just retreating to the clubhouse would have been.
Jason and Todd got tickets through a contact at their job, so there we were in the top deck of Dodger Stadium for Game 4 of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers needing a win against the Cardinals to stay alive.
Jason invited me, and Todd invited his wife Jenn, of course. So here she is eating pizza...
This was the first time I had sat in the top deck at Dodger Stadium. It was not bad. I'm pretty sure I was closer to the field than when I had sat in the upper deck in San Diego in May, and I was definitely closer to the field than I was in the upper deck in Philadelphia in August. And these seats are only $6.00 general admission during the regular season. (They were jacked up to $12.00 reserved for this first round of the playoffs.)
It must be the playoffs, because there's the bunting...
And a special logo painted on the field...
And a blimp...
And what seems like hundreds of umpires...
So many umpires, in fact, that they don't display them at the bottom of the scoreboard because there's only space for four of them (it's not really visible in this photo, but trust me, they'd normally be at the bottom)...
And they handed out everyone's favorite loud and annoying item, Thunderstix...
So let's all think blue! Or think 76 or 980, if you'd rather think about numbers than colors...
Odalis Perez pitching in the top of the first...
And then some stuff happened that I didn't take pictures of because I was trying to follow the game, but night fell with the Dodgers behind 6-2...
It was time to summon the giant floating heads of Eric Gagne...
He did pretty well against the Cardinals, but the damage had already been done...
Noted Kenny G fan Ray King got into the game and was effective against the Dodgers...
Perhaps he and Mike Metheney were humming "Songbird" during their meeting on the mound...
Since this auxiliary scoreboard wasn't needed for its usual purpose of displaying out-of-town scores, it was instead pressed into service for additional statistic display duty...
See the taillights in the parking lot? Yep, people are leaving in the 8th inning, despite the number of come-from-behind wins the Dodgers have had this season...
It's the bottom of the 9th, the Dodgers are down by four runs, the fans are being exhorted to show their blue (not "show they're blue"), and this is all seeming familiar to Jason and me, as if it happened just a week and a half ago...
Speaking of which, the note about Alex Cora that was displayed as he was batting in the bottom of the 9th seemed very familiar...
But on September 28th, the Dodgers were facing the Rockies' bullpen. The Cardinals' bullpen, and Jason Isringhausen in particular, is a somewhat different story. So, long story short, some happy Cardinals...
The Dodgers wish them well in the NLCS, especially if they're going to be playing the Braves...
And even though the Dodgers lost, it was a great and highly improbable season, so the stadium crew thinks it deserves a playing of "I Love L.A."...
Oh, and by the way, this game set a new Dodger Stadium attendance record...
Go Cards.
Original comments...
Levi: Ah, that was a fun series. And I feel really good about Round 2, whomever we face. I'm rooting for tonight's Braves/Astros game to go 22 innings.
And I loved seeing the hugs and handshakes. It made me really happy, and it seemed a better send-off for the Dodgers than just retreating to the clubhouse would have been.
Labels: Cardinals, dodgers, game report, jason kaifesh, jenn carney, photos, todd carney
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Chili today, hot tamale
First of all, after Kevin Millar made a good defensive play in the bottom of the first inning of the Sox-Angels game, ESPN color commentator Rick Sutcliffe asked the director for a close-up of Kevin Millar's face to make sure it wasn't Doug Mientkewicz in a Kevin Millar uniform. Someone's been reading baseballrelated.com!
Second, and more important, I commiserated with the Rocketship by making chili con carne to eat during the game, and this is the recipe I used.
2 pounds lean ground beef (I guess any ground meat would be okay)
2 medium onions
2 bell peppers (I used one green and one red)
2 garlic cloves
1 28-ounce can ready-cut ("Recipe Ready") tomatoes (because cutting up the onions, peppers, and garlic is plenty without having to cut up tomatoes, too)
1 15-ounce can kidney beans
1 15-ounce can pinto beans
2 cups water
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of salt
Shredded cheese
Chop the onions and bell peppers into small pieces. Chop the garlic into very, very small pieces.
Brown the meat and drain.
In a big pot, stir together everything but the beans and cheese. Cook, covered, over low-to-medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain the beans and stir them into the chili. Continue cooking, still covered, for another 30 minutes.
Serve in bowls and put shredded cheese on top. As listed above, the recipe makes about 8 servings of chili, which is good in my case because although it's good right after it's made, it's even better as a leftover. It should be fairly easy to halve, although you'll probably have to make a choice between kidney beans and pinto beans instead of having both. (Why am I not having people over to my place? Fewer baseball fans among my southern California friends, worse start times in terms of people being able to drop by for the game after work, and the fact that my bathroom is a mess because the apartment complex maintenance staff is working on the ceiling.)
Here's what it looks like before the cheese is put on top (and, no, you don't use the whole bag on one bowl unless you like cheese more than you like chili)...
Goes great with $7.00 beer, and Sarah Michelle Gellar...
And it tastes even better when Johnny Damon is on TV...
Incidentally, the advantage to having a local team in the playoffs while you're trying to TiVo their game, airing on ESPN, is that the coverage is duplicated on a local channel. In this case, the game bounced from ESPN2 to ESPN once the Twins-Yankees game finally ended, but L.A.'s UPN 13 carried it straight through, with a minimum of scrolling messages informing all 10 or 11 potential viewers of the UPN show "Kevin Hill" that tonight's episode would be airing on Saturday.
Levi: One thing you might try in the future, Jim: Fritos. I think the only reason they're on the earth is to be put in chili just before you put in the cheese.
We didn't see much baseball last night, just a bit in a hotel bar while waiting for Stacey's aunt and uncle to show up from the airport. So we saw the Yankees leeding 5-3 in the 8th, Rivera coming in. "Oh, we don't need to watch--we can go sit in the lobby. We saw Rivera blow a lead in 2001, so we won't see that again for another few years."
Checking in a few minutes later, finding it 5-5, we decided to leave a note at the desk telling Auntie where to find us.
But then, at dinner, it all went bad. Stacey and I were occasionally our heads in the bar--where the bartendress was a Minneapolis transplant and where there was also one Yankee fan who, when I said to the bartendress, "Everybody hates the Yankees!", said, "Not everybody!". Stacey saw that the Twins had gone ahead in the 12th. Next thing I knew, I saw from across the restaurant a crowd of bouncing Yankees. And they didn't look like they were bouncing the bounce of despair.
Oh, well. There's always game 3.
Jim: "Bartendress"?
By the way, Rogue Dead Guy Ale was a $7.00 beer in Pittsburgh, and it's still a $7.00 beer in L.A....but in this case, it's $7.00 for a 6-pack at BevMo in Van Nuys. Actually, $6.99 plus "CRV" (deposit).
Dan: SMG, still hot? I lost track a few years back.
Jim: She's no Alyson Hannigan, that's for sure (although Alyson is admittedly more "intensely cute" than "hot").
Levi: I'm so with Jim on the Alyson Hannigan thing, although I do tend to think SMG is hotter than, say, most blondes. But that's mainly because she kills vampires, who are not hot.
Second, and more important, I commiserated with the Rocketship by making chili con carne to eat during the game, and this is the recipe I used.
2 pounds lean ground beef (I guess any ground meat would be okay)
2 medium onions
2 bell peppers (I used one green and one red)
2 garlic cloves
1 28-ounce can ready-cut ("Recipe Ready") tomatoes (because cutting up the onions, peppers, and garlic is plenty without having to cut up tomatoes, too)
1 15-ounce can kidney beans
1 15-ounce can pinto beans
2 cups water
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of salt
Shredded cheese
Chop the onions and bell peppers into small pieces. Chop the garlic into very, very small pieces.
Brown the meat and drain.
In a big pot, stir together everything but the beans and cheese. Cook, covered, over low-to-medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain the beans and stir them into the chili. Continue cooking, still covered, for another 30 minutes.
Serve in bowls and put shredded cheese on top. As listed above, the recipe makes about 8 servings of chili, which is good in my case because although it's good right after it's made, it's even better as a leftover. It should be fairly easy to halve, although you'll probably have to make a choice between kidney beans and pinto beans instead of having both. (Why am I not having people over to my place? Fewer baseball fans among my southern California friends, worse start times in terms of people being able to drop by for the game after work, and the fact that my bathroom is a mess because the apartment complex maintenance staff is working on the ceiling.)
Here's what it looks like before the cheese is put on top (and, no, you don't use the whole bag on one bowl unless you like cheese more than you like chili)...
Goes great with $7.00 beer, and Sarah Michelle Gellar...
And it tastes even better when Johnny Damon is on TV...
Incidentally, the advantage to having a local team in the playoffs while you're trying to TiVo their game, airing on ESPN, is that the coverage is duplicated on a local channel. In this case, the game bounced from ESPN2 to ESPN once the Twins-Yankees game finally ended, but L.A.'s UPN 13 carried it straight through, with a minimum of scrolling messages informing all 10 or 11 potential viewers of the UPN show "Kevin Hill" that tonight's episode would be airing on Saturday.
Original comments...
Levi: One thing you might try in the future, Jim: Fritos. I think the only reason they're on the earth is to be put in chili just before you put in the cheese.
We didn't see much baseball last night, just a bit in a hotel bar while waiting for Stacey's aunt and uncle to show up from the airport. So we saw the Yankees leeding 5-3 in the 8th, Rivera coming in. "Oh, we don't need to watch--we can go sit in the lobby. We saw Rivera blow a lead in 2001, so we won't see that again for another few years."
Checking in a few minutes later, finding it 5-5, we decided to leave a note at the desk telling Auntie where to find us.
But then, at dinner, it all went bad. Stacey and I were occasionally our heads in the bar--where the bartendress was a Minneapolis transplant and where there was also one Yankee fan who, when I said to the bartendress, "Everybody hates the Yankees!", said, "Not everybody!". Stacey saw that the Twins had gone ahead in the 12th. Next thing I knew, I saw from across the restaurant a crowd of bouncing Yankees. And they didn't look like they were bouncing the bounce of despair.
Oh, well. There's always game 3.
Jim: "Bartendress"?
By the way, Rogue Dead Guy Ale was a $7.00 beer in Pittsburgh, and it's still a $7.00 beer in L.A....but in this case, it's $7.00 for a 6-pack at BevMo in Van Nuys. Actually, $6.99 plus "CRV" (deposit).
Dan: SMG, still hot? I lost track a few years back.
Jim: She's no Alyson Hannigan, that's for sure (although Alyson is admittedly more "intensely cute" than "hot").
Levi: I'm so with Jim on the Alyson Hannigan thing, although I do tend to think SMG is hotter than, say, most blondes. But that's mainly because she kills vampires, who are not hot.
Labels: chili, doug mientkewicz, kevin millar, photos, rick sutcliffe
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
More dramatic than an episode of "Clubhouse"
In my last entry, I said something about drama in the baseball playoffs starting next week. Perhaps I should have mentioned possible drama in the games being played in this, the last week of the season.
I thought that Angels game last week was going to be my last baseball game of the season. But then my birthday happened, and I got two tickets to Tuesday night's Dodger game. I gave one of the tickets to Jason. We drove to the game separately because I usually get off work hours before he does, and I wanted to arrive early to a Dodger game for once. So I'm on my way...
I ignored this sign (there used to be a Dodger Stadium entry gate straight down this street, but you can still get near the stadium this way)...
Remember where you parked at Dodger Stadium; it's on a giant baseball...
Many people over the years have ignored the crucial "no beachballs" rule on this sign...
If this sign hasn't been in the parking lot since 1962, it should have been...
"Think blue"? Whatever you say, Mr. Sign!
Before the game, pitcher Elmer Dessens was having his picture taken, in a bunch of different poses. For use on baseball cards, maybe?...
Somebody being interviewed before the game...
The score at the upper right is the one to keep an eye on. The Dodgers went into this game with a magic number of 4 to win the National League West, with the Giants nipping at their heels...
Why weren't there more people at a pivotal game in the last week of the season? The Dodgers kept the right-field pavilion closed...
Jason noticed a (presumably coincidental) circle of people wearing white in the stands opposite us (in the middle of the below photograph)...
The Rockies get one early run, and then not much happens for quite a while, except for a smoggy moonrise in right field...
Milton Bradley was charged with a 2-run error in the eighth inning, causing the Rockies to lead 3-0. A fan threw a plastic bottle at him. Bradley didn't like this, and approached the stands. To make a long story short, here's Bradley walking off the field after being ejected, having ripped off his uniform shirt, which didn't exactly endear him to the crowd...
Remember Elmer Dessens from before the game? He pitched the top of the 9th, keeping the score as it was at the end of the 8th, 4-0 (also, notice that a lot of people have already left)...
Bottom of the 9th, and Rockies pitcher Shawn Chacon walks four Dodgers in a row to make the score 4-1.
Tim Harikkala relieves him, and promptly gives up a double to Jayson Werth to make the score 4-3.
Then he gives up a single to Steve Finley. Two runs score. Dodgers celebrate...
I'm not sure if I believe it, but there's the final score...
Hero Steve Finley being interviewed...
Another powerful argument for not leaving a baseball game early. The Giants also won, in less dramatic fashion, so the Dodgers' magic number is now 3. I'm very, very happy this turned out to be my last game of the season. (I certainly won't turn down Dodgers playoff tickets! That's postseason.)
thatbob: If the Dodgers have a post season, I hope they incorporate the good luck tradition of the Rally Ejection. Milton Bradley can take off a different article of clothing in every 8th inning in which the Dodgers are behind.
I thought that Angels game last week was going to be my last baseball game of the season. But then my birthday happened, and I got two tickets to Tuesday night's Dodger game. I gave one of the tickets to Jason. We drove to the game separately because I usually get off work hours before he does, and I wanted to arrive early to a Dodger game for once. So I'm on my way...
I ignored this sign (there used to be a Dodger Stadium entry gate straight down this street, but you can still get near the stadium this way)...
Remember where you parked at Dodger Stadium; it's on a giant baseball...
Many people over the years have ignored the crucial "no beachballs" rule on this sign...
If this sign hasn't been in the parking lot since 1962, it should have been...
"Think blue"? Whatever you say, Mr. Sign!
Before the game, pitcher Elmer Dessens was having his picture taken, in a bunch of different poses. For use on baseball cards, maybe?...
Somebody being interviewed before the game...
The score at the upper right is the one to keep an eye on. The Dodgers went into this game with a magic number of 4 to win the National League West, with the Giants nipping at their heels...
Why weren't there more people at a pivotal game in the last week of the season? The Dodgers kept the right-field pavilion closed...
Jason noticed a (presumably coincidental) circle of people wearing white in the stands opposite us (in the middle of the below photograph)...
The Rockies get one early run, and then not much happens for quite a while, except for a smoggy moonrise in right field...
Milton Bradley was charged with a 2-run error in the eighth inning, causing the Rockies to lead 3-0. A fan threw a plastic bottle at him. Bradley didn't like this, and approached the stands. To make a long story short, here's Bradley walking off the field after being ejected, having ripped off his uniform shirt, which didn't exactly endear him to the crowd...
Remember Elmer Dessens from before the game? He pitched the top of the 9th, keeping the score as it was at the end of the 8th, 4-0 (also, notice that a lot of people have already left)...
Bottom of the 9th, and Rockies pitcher Shawn Chacon walks four Dodgers in a row to make the score 4-1.
Tim Harikkala relieves him, and promptly gives up a double to Jayson Werth to make the score 4-3.
Then he gives up a single to Steve Finley. Two runs score. Dodgers celebrate...
I'm not sure if I believe it, but there's the final score...
Hero Steve Finley being interviewed...
Another powerful argument for not leaving a baseball game early. The Giants also won, in less dramatic fashion, so the Dodgers' magic number is now 3. I'm very, very happy this turned out to be my last game of the season. (I certainly won't turn down Dodgers playoff tickets! That's postseason.)
Original comments...
thatbob: If the Dodgers have a post season, I hope they incorporate the good luck tradition of the Rally Ejection. Milton Bradley can take off a different article of clothing in every 8th inning in which the Dodgers are behind.
Labels: dodger stadium, dodgers, elmer dessens, game report, jason kaifesh, milton bradley, photos, rockies, steve finley
Monday, September 20, 2004
What? More baseball?
While we're waiting for Levi to regale us with tales of cute, furry kittens insinuating his dreams, here are some pictures from the two baseball games I went to over the past few days. Jason had some Dodgers vouchers to use up before the end of the season, so he, Cathryn, and I went to the Dodgers-Padres game last Thursday...
The colored seats at Dodger Stadium, a picture taken because who knows when they're going to decide to put in new chairs?...
This is the right-field pavilion, which I guess we could have bought all the seats in, but didn't think of it before the beginning of the season the way some people did...
Jason had a big bowl of nachos and a big drink...
The final line (the Dodgers didn't do much)...
Slightly less blurry, the final score...
An artistic shot of the Los Angeles skyline on the way out...
Sunset Boulevard: not just a movie starring Gloria Swanson, it's also a Dodger Stadium parking lot exit...
Three days later, Jason and I went to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, or whatever it's really called now, to see the Angels play the Rangers.
Jason wanted to say hi to the mummified body of Gene Autry...
Then he had another big bowl of nachos (I assume that's sour cream on top and not icing)...
And a soda in a magical color-changing plastic cup (red, or at least pink, when full; clear when empty)...
During the game, a train stopped at the Anaheim station, across the parking lot. Unfortunately, the Amtrak schedule is not well-suited for taking train trips to Angels games...
Not only can you see trains from the stadium, you can also see the Matterhorn at Disneyland, which I've pointed out with the red arrow in this picture...
Yes, the Angels have some retired numbers...
They also have some fake rocks and real water...
The end of the rows of seats have an Angels logo on a raised baseball-diamond shape. They're covering what's actually molded into the seats: an Edison International logo on a baseball diamond...
Now that they're not owned by Disney anymore, the Angels are free to get some other family entertainment spots as their sponsors...
And other family-oriented sponsors...
They still make some of the ushers go out on the field for the seventh-inning stretch, but now they have to take off their straw hats for "God Bless America"...
And put their hats back on for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (which, at this game, was sung by the same woman who had just done "God Bless America," I guess because they figured as long as she was on the field with a microphone, she might as well)...
Meanwhile, during most of this, Rangers rookie pitcher Chris Young was on the mound being tall...
Which means it was time to break out, yes, the Rally Monkey!...
Didn't work, and what is probably my last game of the season ends just as my first game of the season did, with a win by the visiting Texas Rangers...
Jon Solomon: Chris Young is a friend of mine from when he played basketball (and baseball) at Princeton. I got to go to Fenway as a member of "the media" a few weeks ago to cover his first MLB win. They let me go on the field, in the locker room and everything. What were the Red Sox thinking? I've got an interview with Chris from after the game up on princetonbasketball.com. If you want a password to listen, just let me know.
Jason: I suggested stopping by the Hooters of Anaheim after the game. However, Jim declined, since he was TiVo-ing the Bucs-Seahawks game and didn't want to know the score.
But when I got home, I did drink a quart of Jack Daniels.
Jim: Hmm, what a coincidence. But in my case, I needed it to help me forget the Bucs-Seahawks game.
The colored seats at Dodger Stadium, a picture taken because who knows when they're going to decide to put in new chairs?...
This is the right-field pavilion, which I guess we could have bought all the seats in, but didn't think of it before the beginning of the season the way some people did...
Jason had a big bowl of nachos and a big drink...
The final line (the Dodgers didn't do much)...
Slightly less blurry, the final score...
An artistic shot of the Los Angeles skyline on the way out...
Sunset Boulevard: not just a movie starring Gloria Swanson, it's also a Dodger Stadium parking lot exit...
Three days later, Jason and I went to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, or whatever it's really called now, to see the Angels play the Rangers.
Jason wanted to say hi to the mummified body of Gene Autry...
Then he had another big bowl of nachos (I assume that's sour cream on top and not icing)...
And a soda in a magical color-changing plastic cup (red, or at least pink, when full; clear when empty)...
During the game, a train stopped at the Anaheim station, across the parking lot. Unfortunately, the Amtrak schedule is not well-suited for taking train trips to Angels games...
Not only can you see trains from the stadium, you can also see the Matterhorn at Disneyland, which I've pointed out with the red arrow in this picture...
Yes, the Angels have some retired numbers...
They also have some fake rocks and real water...
The end of the rows of seats have an Angels logo on a raised baseball-diamond shape. They're covering what's actually molded into the seats: an Edison International logo on a baseball diamond...
Now that they're not owned by Disney anymore, the Angels are free to get some other family entertainment spots as their sponsors...
And other family-oriented sponsors...
They still make some of the ushers go out on the field for the seventh-inning stretch, but now they have to take off their straw hats for "God Bless America"...
And put their hats back on for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (which, at this game, was sung by the same woman who had just done "God Bless America," I guess because they figured as long as she was on the field with a microphone, she might as well)...
Meanwhile, during most of this, Rangers rookie pitcher Chris Young was on the mound being tall...
Which means it was time to break out, yes, the Rally Monkey!...
Didn't work, and what is probably my last game of the season ends just as my first game of the season did, with a win by the visiting Texas Rangers...
Original comments...
Jon Solomon: Chris Young is a friend of mine from when he played basketball (and baseball) at Princeton. I got to go to Fenway as a member of "the media" a few weeks ago to cover his first MLB win. They let me go on the field, in the locker room and everything. What were the Red Sox thinking? I've got an interview with Chris from after the game up on princetonbasketball.com. If you want a password to listen, just let me know.
Jason: I suggested stopping by the Hooters of Anaheim after the game. However, Jim declined, since he was TiVo-ing the Bucs-Seahawks game and didn't want to know the score.
But when I got home, I did drink a quart of Jack Daniels.
Jim: Hmm, what a coincidence. But in my case, I needed it to help me forget the Bucs-Seahawks game.
Labels: angel stadium, angels, cathryn humphris, dodger stadium, game report, jason kaifesh, padres, photos, rally monkey, rangers
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Milwaukee pictures
Hey, we were just at this game!...
Bernie Brewer's slide into oblivion...
Visible at the lower left of the glass wall is a structure that we're assuming is Bud Selig's lair...
Brewers at bat...
Clock with neon bats for hands...
Racing sausages; on this night, the hot dog led wire to wire...
The final line...
Later, back in Chicago, Levi and Jim are still smiling about baseball...
Labels: brewers, brpa, miller park, milwaukee, photos, pirates, road trip
Chicago pictures
Hey, should we stay home and watch this game on TV instead?...
The newly-renovated stands at U.S. Cellular Field...
And the newly-renovated outfield...
There's a weather vane by the Sox bullpen...
The final line...
And now, we've got another game to get to...
Labels: brpa, chicago, phillies, photos, road trip, u.s. cellular field, white sox
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Cleveland pictures
The view from our seats...
The "I" logo is cleverly worked into a lot of Indians-related text, from "'I' am a true fan" on the tickets to "How may 'I' help you?" on buttons being worn by the ushers...
The Indians' mascot, some sort of purple thing that's more politically correct than, you know, an Indian would be...
Scott Elarton quickly pitching to Joe Borchard...
Levi keeping score, as always...
The final line (1 hour 56 minutes!)...
Labels: brpa, cleveland, indians, jacobs field, photos, road trip, white sox
Pittsburgh pictures
PNC Park seen from across the Allegheny River...
The Roberto Clemente (6th Street) bridge, conveniently enough leading straight to the stadium...
A beautiful sight, the tarp being taken off the field...
The Pittsburgh skyline...
A building with an interesting-looking courtyard space...
The Pirate Parrot...
Craig Wilson, in Warhol style...
The eyes of Jason Kendall are upon you...
The final line (washed out by the sun)...
Labels: brpa, Cardinals, photos, pirates, pittsburgh, pnc park, road trip
Bonus pictures from the drive across Pennsylvania
What could be sadder than a boarded-up Waffle House?
Fortunately, the non-boarded-up Eat 'n Park next door is able to lift Levi's spirits with their Pancake Smile...
Seen on the Pennsylvania Turnpike: "Pay Stop Toll?" What does that mean?
Fortunately, the non-boarded-up Eat 'n Park next door is able to lift Levi's spirits with their Pancake Smile...
Seen on the Pennsylvania Turnpike: "Pay Stop Toll?" What does that mean?
Labels: brpa, eat 'n park, pennsylvania turnpike, photos, road trip
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Philadelphia pictures
The view from our seats in the upper deck. It's not that apparent from the photo, but if I had any complaint about Citizens Bank Park, it's that there was too much stuff to look at during the game, although I guess that has a lot to do with how high up our seats were...
The Philadelphia skyline, due north of the stadium...
The Philly Phanatic...
Maura thought this was a cute sign...
Jim buying The Schmitter...
Jim eating the Schmitter, and his Uncle Jim, who perhaps wisely opted for a hot dog...
Levi eating a salad, and Maura and Jim not eating anything...
Levi, Maura, Jim, and Jim after the game...
The final line...
The "Liberty Bell" ringing to celebrate the Phillies win...
Labels: bolands, brewers, brpa, citizens bank park, maura johnston, phillies, photos, road trip
Bonus pictures from Princeton et al.
Levi, in a hotel room, doing what he did a third of the time, writing an entry for this site...
Levi, in a hotel room, doing what he did another third of the time, reading Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy (sorry, I don't have any pictures of Levi drinking iced coffee, which is what he did the third third of the time)...
Princeton University (free!) parking pass...
Levi and Maura in the WPRB studio, talking baseball...
maura: as the 9-year-old me would have said to the 29-year-old me, 'nice face!'
Levi, in a hotel room, doing what he did another third of the time, reading Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy (sorry, I don't have any pictures of Levi drinking iced coffee, which is what he did the third third of the time)...
Princeton University (free!) parking pass...
Levi and Maura in the WPRB studio, talking baseball...
Original comments...
maura: as the 9-year-old me would have said to the 29-year-old me, 'nice face!'
Labels: brpa, maura johnston, photos, princeton, radio, road trip
Boston pictures
The Fenway Park grandstands and the .406 Club (behind the glass)...
There's a monstrous wall in left field, mostly painted green...
Home team batting order, with Johnny Damon at the top...
Johnny Damon in the field in front of us...
The right field foul pole, just kind of in the middle of the stands, which are at a very shallow angle at that point...
Moon rising over Fenway Park...
I can't get away from Amtrak...
The final line...
I assume the headline would make more sense if I'd spent more time in Boston...
Labels: boston, brpa, Fenway Park, johnny damon, photos, red sox, road trip, tigers
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Bonus pictures from the ferry
First in line for the next trip across Lake Champlain...
The ferry...
Kind of an expensive trip...
The view from the ferry (if there was a view on the other side, it was being blocked by the aforementioned SUV)...
The ferry...
Kind of an expensive trip...
The view from the ferry (if there was a view on the other side, it was being blocked by the aforementioned SUV)...
Labels: brpa, ferry, photos, road trip
Montreal pictures
Years ago, Standard Oil of New Jersey spent a lot of money coming up with a new name that they'd be able to use everywhere in the world. That name was Exxon. They're still using the old name in Canada (and a lot of other countries besides)...
The spaceship that is Olympic Stadium...
Youppi!...
Expos at bat...
For some reason, the top and bottom line (season stats and lineup) are in English, and the middle line (stats for "ce match") is in French, e.g. "CC" is French for "HR"...
The final line...
A milestone win...
The spaceship that is Olympic Stadium...
Youppi!...
Expos at bat...
For some reason, the top and bottom line (season stats and lineup) are in English, and the middle line (stats for "ce match") is in French, e.g. "CC" is French for "HR"...
The final line...
A milestone win...
Labels: brpa, dodgers, expos, montreal, olympic stadium, photos, road trip
Toronto pictures
Parking ticket from our hotel, once we found the parking entrance...
Pro-Red Sox signs in the windows of the Skydome Hotel...
Ace the Blue Jay leading the Jays cheerleaders...
Levi noticed that this isn't a foul pole, it's foul netting. Also, in the background, you can see some of the Skydome's neon...
Johnny Damon at the plate...
Orlando Hudson alertly pointing out Johnny Damon on second base...
Yes, there are other people in the world with Devil Rays caps, and one of them sat in front of Jim...
The final line...
Labels: blue jays, brpa, photos, red sox, road trip, skydome, toronto
Monday, August 23, 2004
Detroit pictures
SARS Turtle, Levi's favorite graffiti ever...
The Colonial statues on the abandoned building across the street from our hotel...
Outside Comerica Park, an old-school sign, as if someone's going to be driving by and decide to stop in for the game...
Look out! These people are about to be pounced upon by a tiger!
Entrance to the park...
General Motors Fountain, complete with two cars way up there...
This batting tiger is on the seats at the end of each row...
A real Tiger batting...
Jeremy Bonderman pitching, most likely throwing a strike...
Levi was amused by the fact that Big Boy is one of the Tigers' sponsors...
The final line...
Labels: brpa, comerica park, detroit, photos, road trip, tigers, white sox
Sunday, August 22, 2004
St. Louis pictures
A view of the Gateway Arch you hardly ever get to see: the back...
Levi and Stacey in front of a fountain in downtown St. Louis...
Busch Stadium, supposedly with only two years left to live (the construction site for the new stadium is on the other side of the stadium from this view)...
The Stan Musial statue ("Here stands baseball's perfect warrior; here stand's baseball's perfect knight")...
The view from our upper-deck seats...
Fredbird...
Cardinals up to bat...
Just some of the hangers-on who joined us for the game; from left, Tony, Jim, Stacey, Levi, Luke...
Jim and Jay, another hanger-on...
The final line...
Labels: brpa, busch stadium, Cardinals, photos, pirates, road trip, st. louis
Davenport pictures
The playing field, with the Centennial Bridge over the Mississippi in the background...
Picnic area...
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers up to bat...
Banana Man helps out with the dizzy bat race...
After night falls, lights on the Centennial Bridge...
The final line (they didn't put up the "0" for the top of the 9th for the Timber Rattlers, a.k.a. "Rattler")...
Labels: brpa, davenport, photos, road trip, swing of the quad cities, wisconsin timber rattlers
Friday, August 20, 2004
Bonus pictures from prior to the official start of the trip
Since I never scanned it before, this is (part of) the chart I used to plan the trip. Possible teams are on the left and dates are across the top (starting with April 30, with an "M" indicating Mondays). Home games for each team are indicated by blue (night game), red (day game), or gray (unknown, because some teams didn't have game times posted in January, when I made the chart). The teams are numbered so I could follow them all the way across.
They Might Be Giants ticket stub from the night before I left for the trip. And I wish I'd known my flight was going to be delayed two hours, so I could have gotten two extra hours of sleep!
Why my flight was delayed two hours: a rainy Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (and it had been a lot worse earlier in the day, I heard)...
A 2:30 P.M. boarding time was wildly optimistic. I think this flight ended up boarding at about 4:40 P.M.
Illinois Railway Museum ticket. For an extra $4.00, I could have ridden on the Thomas the Tank Engine train with a bunch of screaming kids. I chose not to pay extra.
They Might Be Giants ticket stub from the night before I left for the trip. And I wish I'd known my flight was going to be delayed two hours, so I could have gotten two extra hours of sleep!
Why my flight was delayed two hours: a rainy Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (and it had been a lot worse earlier in the day, I heard)...
A 2:30 P.M. boarding time was wildly optimistic. I think this flight ended up boarding at about 4:40 P.M.
Illinois Railway Museum ticket. For an extra $4.00, I could have ridden on the Thomas the Tank Engine train with a bunch of screaming kids. I chose not to pay extra.
Labels: brpa, photos, planning, road trip
