Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Rainout
Detroit and Chicago was rained out. We changed our plans and decided to go to St. Louis! Lets follow the Cards!
Game 5: Stl @ Cin
Game 6 of our trip was at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. The game featured King Albert and the St. Louis Cardinals and Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds.
Pregame
Pregame was pretty uneventful. For some reason nobody was taking Batting Practice except for a small group of Cardinals. The thing was, that they were the really good Cardinals. Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Ryan Ludwick, and the biggest bat of them all, Adam Wainwright. Pujols, Holliday, and TRL (The Ryan Ludwick) did not hit one ball out of the park with their swings. The show belonged to the only pitcher of the group, Adam Wainwright.
He hit a bunch of homeruns and even hit a ball off the facing of the second deck. Let me remind all of you HE IS A PITCHER!
Since there was no batting practice, the only other thing to do with our pregame time was to eat. We went to something native to Ohio, Skyline. Skyline is a one of a kind place. The three of us, by suggestion of our a "Threeway". Now, I know that sounds phallic, but it is really delicious. If you do not know, a threeway is Ohio chili with spaghetti and cheese. If anyone is ever in Ohio, go to a Skyline (they are everwhere).
Unfortunately there was nothing else exciting. We did not get any baseballs or communicate with any of the players. So instead of talking about other players now, I will just say one thing:
FRANK CATALANATTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Game
The game featured Bronson Arroyo of the Reds and ex Red Sox Brad Penny. In the first inning, Scott Rolen hit a line drive homerun over the right field fence to make it 2-0. He was not done though. In the third inning he drove in another run on a single to make it 3-0 and give him his 3rd RBI of the game. Johnny Gomes made it 4-0 later in the inning. Then, later in the game with the score 4-1, starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo came up with runners on and drove a single into right driving in 2 more runs, helping his own cause. The only real drive by the Cardinals was hit by back up catcher Jason LaRue hit a drive into the left field seats. Brad Penny was attrocious. He gave up 7 runs in 5 innings while giving up 13 hits. He was just being slapped around the whole game. Arroyo on the other hand, was brilliant. He pitched a complete game and was never really hit hard despite giving up two runs. Final Score: 7-2
Win- Bronson Arroyo
CG, 7H, 3BB, 2ER, 4K
Loss- Brad Penny
5IP, 13H, 7ER, 7K
Great American Ballpark
Fans: 7
Food: 5
Seats: 8
Overall Experience: 6
The food was certainly interesting, but it was never really all that good. The fans were very passionate and there were many of them in the park when we arrived. The issue was that we hit some bad weather. Some rain in the 5th inning, combined with some general cold weather, was a bit of a turn off. The game was still alright.
Other Notes
The fans behind us were idiots. Best quote: "why would you bunt with a runner on third?"
Pregame
Pregame was pretty uneventful. For some reason nobody was taking Batting Practice except for a small group of Cardinals. The thing was, that they were the really good Cardinals. Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Ryan Ludwick, and the biggest bat of them all, Adam Wainwright. Pujols, Holliday, and TRL (The Ryan Ludwick) did not hit one ball out of the park with their swings. The show belonged to the only pitcher of the group, Adam Wainwright.
He hit a bunch of homeruns and even hit a ball off the facing of the second deck. Let me remind all of you HE IS A PITCHER!
Since there was no batting practice, the only other thing to do with our pregame time was to eat. We went to something native to Ohio, Skyline. Skyline is a one of a kind place. The three of us, by suggestion of our a "Threeway". Now, I know that sounds phallic, but it is really delicious. If you do not know, a threeway is Ohio chili with spaghetti and cheese. If anyone is ever in Ohio, go to a Skyline (they are everwhere).
Unfortunately there was nothing else exciting. We did not get any baseballs or communicate with any of the players. So instead of talking about other players now, I will just say one thing:
FRANK CATALANATTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Game
The game featured Bronson Arroyo of the Reds and ex Red Sox Brad Penny. In the first inning, Scott Rolen hit a line drive homerun over the right field fence to make it 2-0. He was not done though. In the third inning he drove in another run on a single to make it 3-0 and give him his 3rd RBI of the game. Johnny Gomes made it 4-0 later in the inning. Then, later in the game with the score 4-1, starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo came up with runners on and drove a single into right driving in 2 more runs, helping his own cause. The only real drive by the Cardinals was hit by back up catcher Jason LaRue hit a drive into the left field seats. Brad Penny was attrocious. He gave up 7 runs in 5 innings while giving up 13 hits. He was just being slapped around the whole game. Arroyo on the other hand, was brilliant. He pitched a complete game and was never really hit hard despite giving up two runs. Final Score: 7-2
Win- Bronson Arroyo
CG, 7H, 3BB, 2ER, 4K
Loss- Brad Penny
5IP, 13H, 7ER, 7K
Great American Ballpark
Fans: 7
Food: 5
Seats: 8
Overall Experience: 6
The food was certainly interesting, but it was never really all that good. The fans were very passionate and there were many of them in the park when we arrived. The issue was that we hit some bad weather. Some rain in the 5th inning, combined with some general cold weather, was a bit of a turn off. The game was still alright.
Other Notes
The fans behind us were idiots. Best quote: "why would you bunt with a runner on third?"
Saturday, May 15, 2010
What We Ate: Game 4
Fisher- Chocolate Shake, Burger, Corn on the Cob with spices, One sushi roll.
Shake=BAD Burger was solid COC and sushi were great.
Maxwell- Burger, Shake, one sushi roll, Carvel ice cream, and one more thing we forget. We only know because he was the fat one of the bunch.
Spencer- bad chocolate shake, slice of pizza, hot dog
Harrison- Carvel, milkshake, sushi
Maxwell is ENORMOUS.
Shake=BAD Burger was solid COC and sushi were great.
Maxwell- Burger, Shake, one sushi roll, Carvel ice cream, and one more thing we forget. We only know because he was the fat one of the bunch.
Spencer- bad chocolate shake, slice of pizza, hot dog
Harrison- Carvel, milkshake, sushi
Maxwell is ENORMOUS.
Game 4: SF@NYM
Game 4 of our trip featured the San Fransisco Giants at the New York Mets. For this game, we had a special guest join us at Citi Field, my brother Harrison.
Pregame
Citi Field was quite the experience. We started by trying to gather as many balls as we could. It started with Hisanori Takahashi, the Japanese pitcher on the Mets. We met an man with his kid who had the Japanese translation for "Excuse me, can you please give us a ball." Turns out it worked like a charm. He was however, amused by our pronunciation of the phrase, and asked us to repeat it a number of times. That was only the first of our many balls. Next came out best friend, Frank Catalanotto.
Just as we had in Philly, we yelled for Frank throughout warm ups. We were there early enough that we could yell loud enough for him to understand us. We asked him if he remembered our "Frank Catalanatto Fan Club", and he acknowledged us. He then gave us 2 balls, one of which was given to my brother. Since I am writing this post way after game night, I am going to give a shout out to Frank. He was recently cut by the Mets and we all want to give him out praise. He was a great ballplayer who was under appreciated.
The worst pitcher in baseball history, Todd Wellemeyer, also gave us a ball, which was our 4th ball of the night. Sam also decided that it would be a good idea to drop 2 balls. Nice Job!!!
Batting practice was otherwise pretty uneventful. We tried to get Frank's autograph, but were unsuccessful.
The Game
The starters for the game were Mike Pelfry for the Mets, and Jonathan Sanchez for the Giants. Pelfry was dealing. He got into the 8th inning and gave up 3 runs. He really was solid. Sanchez on the other hand, was just OK. He pitched 7 innings, but gave up 3 monster homeruns. Ike Davis clubbed a pair and Rod Barajas unloaded against him as well. The Mets were up 4-3 going into the 9th inning, so they brought in their closer, Fransisco Rodriguez. K-Rod is one of the premier closers in baseball. John Bowker came off the Giants bench and tied the game with a solo homerun. K-Rod blew the save which, due to his obnoxious personality, was highly amusing. After the big fly, Ike Davis made an unbelievable catch. He went flying into the dugout. I cannot express how awesome the catch was. After the Giants, ninth inning comeback, Rod Barajas hit a walkoff two run homerun. The stadium went wild. It was the most enthusiasm we had seen all trip. Just something to point out... we have been to 4 games,2 of which Rod Barajas has played in. He has hit 4 HRs.
Win-Fransisco Rodriguez (Blown Save)
1 IP, 3H, 1ER, 2K
Loss- Sergio Romo
.1IP, 1H, 1BB, 2ER
Citi Field
Food: 8
Seat: 9
Fans: 3
Overall Experience: 7
Even though the stadium was very loud after the walk off Homerun, I believe that it is partially due to the fact that there were just about as many Giants fans as Met fans. The food was very good. There was a Shake Shack and Sushi. It generally equals a win. We had outstanding seats. They were right in the front of the stands in left.
Other Notes
It was very cold. We also barely made it into the city. We made it onto our train with less than 1 minute to spare. I am guilty of that because I left the tickets in the house. Brilliant... eh? Ike Davis is really really cool. Like really really cool.
Pregame
Citi Field was quite the experience. We started by trying to gather as many balls as we could. It started with Hisanori Takahashi, the Japanese pitcher on the Mets. We met an man with his kid who had the Japanese translation for "Excuse me, can you please give us a ball." Turns out it worked like a charm. He was however, amused by our pronunciation of the phrase, and asked us to repeat it a number of times. That was only the first of our many balls. Next came out best friend, Frank Catalanotto.
Just as we had in Philly, we yelled for Frank throughout warm ups. We were there early enough that we could yell loud enough for him to understand us. We asked him if he remembered our "Frank Catalanatto Fan Club", and he acknowledged us. He then gave us 2 balls, one of which was given to my brother. Since I am writing this post way after game night, I am going to give a shout out to Frank. He was recently cut by the Mets and we all want to give him out praise. He was a great ballplayer who was under appreciated.
The worst pitcher in baseball history, Todd Wellemeyer, also gave us a ball, which was our 4th ball of the night. Sam also decided that it would be a good idea to drop 2 balls. Nice Job!!!
Batting practice was otherwise pretty uneventful. We tried to get Frank's autograph, but were unsuccessful.
The Game
The starters for the game were Mike Pelfry for the Mets, and Jonathan Sanchez for the Giants. Pelfry was dealing. He got into the 8th inning and gave up 3 runs. He really was solid. Sanchez on the other hand, was just OK. He pitched 7 innings, but gave up 3 monster homeruns. Ike Davis clubbed a pair and Rod Barajas unloaded against him as well. The Mets were up 4-3 going into the 9th inning, so they brought in their closer, Fransisco Rodriguez. K-Rod is one of the premier closers in baseball. John Bowker came off the Giants bench and tied the game with a solo homerun. K-Rod blew the save which, due to his obnoxious personality, was highly amusing. After the big fly, Ike Davis made an unbelievable catch. He went flying into the dugout. I cannot express how awesome the catch was. After the Giants, ninth inning comeback, Rod Barajas hit a walkoff two run homerun. The stadium went wild. It was the most enthusiasm we had seen all trip. Just something to point out... we have been to 4 games,2 of which Rod Barajas has played in. He has hit 4 HRs.
Win-Fransisco Rodriguez (Blown Save)
1 IP, 3H, 1ER, 2K
Loss- Sergio Romo
.1IP, 1H, 1BB, 2ER
Citi Field
Food: 8
Seat: 9
Fans: 3
Overall Experience: 7
Even though the stadium was very loud after the walk off Homerun, I believe that it is partially due to the fact that there were just about as many Giants fans as Met fans. The food was very good. There was a Shake Shack and Sushi. It generally equals a win. We had outstanding seats. They were right in the front of the stands in left.
Other Notes
It was very cold. We also barely made it into the city. We made it onto our train with less than 1 minute to spare. I am guilty of that because I left the tickets in the house. Brilliant... eh? Ike Davis is really really cool. Like really really cool.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
What We Ate: Game 3
Sam and I enjoyed splitting an order of cheese fries before the game. We both agree that they were very good.
Maxwell ate a foot long hot dog and a chicken sandwich. He said that both were good and easily beat the bad food that we had in Washington.
I had my first hot dog of the trip, and was very happy about it.
The winner for game 3 is MAXWELL. He now has 2 victories. Sam has 1 win, and Spencer has 0. Good food in Pittsburgh. Can't wait to see what comes later in the trip!
Maxwell ate a foot long hot dog and a chicken sandwich. He said that both were good and easily beat the bad food that we had in Washington.
I had my first hot dog of the trip, and was very happy about it.
The winner for game 3 is MAXWELL. He now has 2 victories. Sam has 1 win, and Spencer has 0. Good food in Pittsburgh. Can't wait to see what comes later in the trip!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Game 3 CHC @ PIT
The third game of our trip was in Pittsburgh featuring the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
Pregame
Pittsburgh was a little different from the other stadiums that we have visited, as the gates opened at 5:30 instead of 4:30. Lucky for us, during our evening in Pittsburgh we were going to have the "VIP" experience. Even before the gates opened, we were allowed to go up to the Pirates Club. We just decided to order a few drinks and order a snack while we waited. FYI, cheese fries are good. Just like in DC, there were not many people around, and as a result we ended up having a discussion with the club manager. He turned out to be a pretty chill dude. He ended up asking us if we were 21 (which I know was a highlight for Sam) because he had a few bars in mind that he thought we should check out. We soon paid and went onto our daily job of ball hunting.
Since we were not allowed into the park until 5:30, we missed the Pirates BP. Honestly, I do not understand why the Pirates organization would not want their fans to see their home team take batting practice, it just doesn't make sense. Anyway, we went out to the bleachers in left and begged many Cubs for balls, from star Outfielder Alfonso Soriano to simple role players such as Chad Tracy. No luck whatsoever. During our whole experience pregame, we did not see a single Cub player give a ball to any fan. There were a bunch of Cub fans who drove over 500 miles to see their Cubbies play, but not a single fan got a ball.
I said that we got the VIP experience and here is the reason that I say it: the seats. We purchased $26 dollar seats to sit 6 rows back on the third base line. Now, most baseball fans know that sitting against the third base line is an ideal spot to get an autograph. Lucky for us, the only Pirate who's autograph is worth getting, Andrew McCutchen, just happened to be giving autographs right in front of us. We decided that we wanted to get our scorecard signed. Sam ran to get the autograph... and he made it. Unfortuanatly, Mr. McCutchen decided that he wanted to not give an autograph to a little boy and Sam.
The Game
Wednesday's starters in for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs were Charlie Morton and Ted Lilly respectively. I would like to point out now that during the 3rd inning we moved up to the front row due to the lack of fans. Really sweet. Anyway, coming into this game Charlie Morton had an ERA over 12.00, so we were honestly not expecting a stellar pitching performance. However, he was solid only giving up 2 runs over 6+ innings of work. He had a perfect game broken up in the third because he hit Cubs' pitcher Lilly in the foot. Ex Yankee great Ted Lilly was, well, not so great. The 4 runs over 6 innings isn't so so bad, but he was getting smacked around. Not pretty stuff. Pirates outfielder Ryan Church hit a monster homerun to right. It was right in a lefty hitter's wheelhouse, low and in. Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones both had 2 hit days, driving in 3 of the Pirates 4 runs. Only other thing to note was that the game was abnormally fast. We were well out of Pittsburgh and back at our hotel at 10:00 PM. For a game that started at 7:05, that is very fast. National League baseball, eh.
Win- Charlie Morton
6+IP, 5H, 2ER, 3K
Loss- Ted Lilly
6IP, 9H, 4ER, 3K
Save- Octavio Dotel
IP, 2K, HP
PNC Park
Food: 7
Fans: 8
Seats: 10
Overall Experience: 8
We went into the ballpark expecting a good experience, and we were not disappointed. At Yankee Stadium, you can get a hot dog for probably around $6-$7. We managed to get a Foot Long (actually one foot of hot dog) for $6.50. First row on the third baseline is also fantastic. I could not ask for better seats at a ball game. Though there were only about 8,000 fans in the park (which is extremely low) they were very good fans. They were true fans and were very knowledgeable. There was certainly no lack of passion for fans that were there. If there were more fans, they would easily hit a 10 on our scale.
Other Notes
Maxwell and I got choked by Pirates Mascot, Parrot. Very good picture. I cannot say how great of an experience we had in Pittsburgh. So far it is Number 1 of the 3 that we have visited. It will be tough to top. Carlos Marmol, the Cubs closer, was absolutely filthy. Seeing Carlos Zambrano come out of the bullpen was also very enjoyable, and laughable.
Pregame
Pittsburgh was a little different from the other stadiums that we have visited, as the gates opened at 5:30 instead of 4:30. Lucky for us, during our evening in Pittsburgh we were going to have the "VIP" experience. Even before the gates opened, we were allowed to go up to the Pirates Club. We just decided to order a few drinks and order a snack while we waited. FYI, cheese fries are good. Just like in DC, there were not many people around, and as a result we ended up having a discussion with the club manager. He turned out to be a pretty chill dude. He ended up asking us if we were 21 (which I know was a highlight for Sam) because he had a few bars in mind that he thought we should check out. We soon paid and went onto our daily job of ball hunting.
Since we were not allowed into the park until 5:30, we missed the Pirates BP. Honestly, I do not understand why the Pirates organization would not want their fans to see their home team take batting practice, it just doesn't make sense. Anyway, we went out to the bleachers in left and begged many Cubs for balls, from star Outfielder Alfonso Soriano to simple role players such as Chad Tracy. No luck whatsoever. During our whole experience pregame, we did not see a single Cub player give a ball to any fan. There were a bunch of Cub fans who drove over 500 miles to see their Cubbies play, but not a single fan got a ball.
I said that we got the VIP experience and here is the reason that I say it: the seats. We purchased $26 dollar seats to sit 6 rows back on the third base line. Now, most baseball fans know that sitting against the third base line is an ideal spot to get an autograph. Lucky for us, the only Pirate who's autograph is worth getting, Andrew McCutchen, just happened to be giving autographs right in front of us. We decided that we wanted to get our scorecard signed. Sam ran to get the autograph... and he made it. Unfortuanatly, Mr. McCutchen decided that he wanted to not give an autograph to a little boy and Sam.
The Game
Wednesday's starters in for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs were Charlie Morton and Ted Lilly respectively. I would like to point out now that during the 3rd inning we moved up to the front row due to the lack of fans. Really sweet. Anyway, coming into this game Charlie Morton had an ERA over 12.00, so we were honestly not expecting a stellar pitching performance. However, he was solid only giving up 2 runs over 6+ innings of work. He had a perfect game broken up in the third because he hit Cubs' pitcher Lilly in the foot. Ex Yankee great Ted Lilly was, well, not so great. The 4 runs over 6 innings isn't so so bad, but he was getting smacked around. Not pretty stuff. Pirates outfielder Ryan Church hit a monster homerun to right. It was right in a lefty hitter's wheelhouse, low and in. Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones both had 2 hit days, driving in 3 of the Pirates 4 runs. Only other thing to note was that the game was abnormally fast. We were well out of Pittsburgh and back at our hotel at 10:00 PM. For a game that started at 7:05, that is very fast. National League baseball, eh.
Win- Charlie Morton
6+IP, 5H, 2ER, 3K
Loss- Ted Lilly
6IP, 9H, 4ER, 3K
Save- Octavio Dotel
IP, 2K, HP
PNC Park
Food: 7
Fans: 8
Seats: 10
Overall Experience: 8
We went into the ballpark expecting a good experience, and we were not disappointed. At Yankee Stadium, you can get a hot dog for probably around $6-$7. We managed to get a Foot Long (actually one foot of hot dog) for $6.50. First row on the third baseline is also fantastic. I could not ask for better seats at a ball game. Though there were only about 8,000 fans in the park (which is extremely low) they were very good fans. They were true fans and were very knowledgeable. There was certainly no lack of passion for fans that were there. If there were more fans, they would easily hit a 10 on our scale.
Other Notes
Maxwell and I got choked by Pirates Mascot, Parrot. Very good picture. I cannot say how great of an experience we had in Pittsburgh. So far it is Number 1 of the 3 that we have visited. It will be tough to top. Carlos Marmol, the Cubs closer, was absolutely filthy. Seeing Carlos Zambrano come out of the bullpen was also very enjoyable, and laughable.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
What We Ate: Game 2
Fish Daddy: Brisket Sandwich, Cinamon Pretzel, 1/2 a regular pretzel
According to Sam a very solid piece of ball park food. A bit obscure though. Cinamon pretzel was solid.
Maxwell: Cheeseburger, Fries, 1/2 regular pretzel
Very mediocre cheeseburger and fries. regular pretzel was below average.
Spencer: Cheeseburger
I thought it was straight up bad.
Even though Maxwell and Sam split the fries, the hands down champ of game 2 is FISHER!!!! Maxwell did though put a fight for a heart attack. Overall, the food fails compared to Philly.
According to Sam a very solid piece of ball park food. A bit obscure though. Cinamon pretzel was solid.
Maxwell: Cheeseburger, Fries, 1/2 regular pretzel
Very mediocre cheeseburger and fries. regular pretzel was below average.
Spencer: Cheeseburger
I thought it was straight up bad.
Even though Maxwell and Sam split the fries, the hands down champ of game 2 is FISHER!!!! Maxwell did though put a fight for a heart attack. Overall, the food fails compared to Philly.
Game 2 ATL@WSH
On Tuesday we attended the second game of our trip. Jay-Hey's Atlanta Braves @ Baseball's best Washington Nationals.
Pregame
We arrived at the stadium 20 minutes before the gate opened. We were approached by a strange old man. I could have sworn he was trying to get us to come with him somewhere. He asked if we wanted to play catch... I am hoping he was just lonely.
Then, like we did at Citizens Bank Park, we went ball hunting. With the help of my buddy Alberto Gonzalez, I had a ball within 20 minutes. Now, any good Yankee fan know that Alberto is an ex-Yankee utility man, and since he is playing in Washington, and is not named Adam Dunn or Ryan Zimmerman, no one knows who he is. That is, except me. So it is obvious why I got a ball. He seemed shocked when I yelled "Alberto!!!" A minute later, the ball was mine.
Now, Maxwell was the only one with out a ball on the trip. Sean Burnett, a Washington relief pitcher, tried to throw a ball to a man decked out in Washington gear, but since he is a Nationals pitcher, he missed the man and hit Maxwell's glove.
Next stop, Braves BP by the dugout. Eric Hinske was taking BP. Just like at Citizens Bank, we decided that we would playfully pick on him. It was not like Oliver Perez, which was meant to hurt his feelings, but rather make a fan club. We yelled "SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!" every time he stepped into the cage. We knew that we got to him because with each swing he was cracking up to our cheers. When he entered the Braves dugout we got a solid head nod. Totally worth it.
The Game
The game between these two National League East "rivals" featured a man with an ERA sub 1.00, Livan Hernandez for the Nationals, and the 0-4 Kenshin Kawakami for the Braves. Livan Hernandez was lucky as he walked 5 and only gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 5.1 innings. Kenshin Kawakami was the same 0-4 pitcher for Atlanta. He fired 5 sub par innings, giving up 3 runs. Things worth nothing in this boring game are that Adam Dunn and Jason Heyward can hit the ball really really far. They are both very good at what they do. There was really nothing exciting. Washington scored early after the Braves took a 1-0 lead and never really looked back. It was 3-2 Washington at one point, but by the end, it was a 6-3 win for the Nats.
Win- Livan Hernandez
5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 1 K, 2 R, 1 ER
Loss- Kenshin Kawakami
5 IP, 7 H, 1 K, 3 ER
Save- Matt Capps
.2 IP, 0 K
Nationals Park
Food: 4
Fans: 2 Attendance: 17,098
Seats: 8
Overall Experience: 4
So, overall, a very disappointing experience. The food was horrible. The fans were so obnoxious. They had no knowledge of the game, and seemed like they were not used to having a team in their area. It seemed as if they needed to be completely drunk to have a good time at a ball game. Honestly a 2 rating is generous. Worst of all, they lacked all baseball etiquette. Seats were solid. Since there were barely any fans there, our $10 upper deck seats turned into seats very similar to ones that we had in Philly. We wanted to sit close to the wall but a woman came up to us and asked "is these y'all seats?" We could only respond with an "uhhhhh... maybe". She wasn't very amused. So we backed up a bit. The ballpark was beautiful. The only problem I had with the actual park was that for half the game the scoreboards did not work.
Other Notes
Matt Capps continues to be a stud sporting a .63 ERA with a MLB best 11 saves. It is not gonna last. Jason Heyward is an amazing baseball player. He is going to be a star for years to come. Adam Dunn, like I said, hits straight up bombs. Roger Bernadina made the best play that I have ever seen live. It was number 1 on ESPN's Top 10 plays. Ryan Zimmerman was virtually non-existent turning in an 0-4 day. Somehow Livan Hernandez's ERA remains below 1.00.
Pregame
We arrived at the stadium 20 minutes before the gate opened. We were approached by a strange old man. I could have sworn he was trying to get us to come with him somewhere. He asked if we wanted to play catch... I am hoping he was just lonely.
Then, like we did at Citizens Bank Park, we went ball hunting. With the help of my buddy Alberto Gonzalez, I had a ball within 20 minutes. Now, any good Yankee fan know that Alberto is an ex-Yankee utility man, and since he is playing in Washington, and is not named Adam Dunn or Ryan Zimmerman, no one knows who he is. That is, except me. So it is obvious why I got a ball. He seemed shocked when I yelled "Alberto!!!" A minute later, the ball was mine.
Now, Maxwell was the only one with out a ball on the trip. Sean Burnett, a Washington relief pitcher, tried to throw a ball to a man decked out in Washington gear, but since he is a Nationals pitcher, he missed the man and hit Maxwell's glove.
Next stop, Braves BP by the dugout. Eric Hinske was taking BP. Just like at Citizens Bank, we decided that we would playfully pick on him. It was not like Oliver Perez, which was meant to hurt his feelings, but rather make a fan club. We yelled "SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!" every time he stepped into the cage. We knew that we got to him because with each swing he was cracking up to our cheers. When he entered the Braves dugout we got a solid head nod. Totally worth it.
The Game
The game between these two National League East "rivals" featured a man with an ERA sub 1.00, Livan Hernandez for the Nationals, and the 0-4 Kenshin Kawakami for the Braves. Livan Hernandez was lucky as he walked 5 and only gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 5.1 innings. Kenshin Kawakami was the same 0-4 pitcher for Atlanta. He fired 5 sub par innings, giving up 3 runs. Things worth nothing in this boring game are that Adam Dunn and Jason Heyward can hit the ball really really far. They are both very good at what they do. There was really nothing exciting. Washington scored early after the Braves took a 1-0 lead and never really looked back. It was 3-2 Washington at one point, but by the end, it was a 6-3 win for the Nats.
Win- Livan Hernandez
5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 1 K, 2 R, 1 ER
Loss- Kenshin Kawakami
5 IP, 7 H, 1 K, 3 ER
Save- Matt Capps
.2 IP, 0 K
Nationals Park
Food: 4
Fans: 2 Attendance: 17,098
Seats: 8
Overall Experience: 4
So, overall, a very disappointing experience. The food was horrible. The fans were so obnoxious. They had no knowledge of the game, and seemed like they were not used to having a team in their area. It seemed as if they needed to be completely drunk to have a good time at a ball game. Honestly a 2 rating is generous. Worst of all, they lacked all baseball etiquette. Seats were solid. Since there were barely any fans there, our $10 upper deck seats turned into seats very similar to ones that we had in Philly. We wanted to sit close to the wall but a woman came up to us and asked "is these y'all seats?" We could only respond with an "uhhhhh... maybe". She wasn't very amused. So we backed up a bit. The ballpark was beautiful. The only problem I had with the actual park was that for half the game the scoreboards did not work.
Other Notes
Matt Capps continues to be a stud sporting a .63 ERA with a MLB best 11 saves. It is not gonna last. Jason Heyward is an amazing baseball player. He is going to be a star for years to come. Adam Dunn, like I said, hits straight up bombs. Roger Bernadina made the best play that I have ever seen live. It was number 1 on ESPN's Top 10 plays. Ryan Zimmerman was virtually non-existent turning in an 0-4 day. Somehow Livan Hernandez's ERA remains below 1.00.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
What We Ate: Game 1
Sam and I only ate a cheesesteak.
The real pig at this game was Maxwell.
He had a cheesesteak, a schmitter, french fries, and a milkshake. If you are looking for a way to make your heart stop, just do what Maxwell did.
The real pig at this game was Maxwell.
He had a cheesesteak, a schmitter, french fries, and a milkshake. If you are looking for a way to make your heart stop, just do what Maxwell did.
Game 1 NYM@PHI
Yesterday we attended the first game of our trip. Game 1 featured the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia).
Pregame
We arrived at the ballpark at around 4:30 which was 2 and a half hours before gametime. Because we were in Philly, we decided that we should eat. We know that it may have been a bit early to eat, but none of us had the self restraint to resist those famous Philly Cheesesteaks. They were fantastic! I have only been to 3 other ballparks in my life, and this was hands down the best food that I have eaten at a baseball game.
After eating, we decided that we should try to catch flyballs in the bleachers during batting practice. This is where the real fun began. We were standing in the bleachers for about an hour trying to get just one measly ball. The part that was really ridiculous was that a man behind us managed to get 6 balls before we got any! It wasn't like we were not having fun. We said before this trip that we would be on the look out for obnoxious fans... well we decided it would be fun to be them. Oliver Perez, the New York Mets $36 Million dollar AAA pitcher, thought it would be fun to warm up in front of us. As psycho baseball fans, the three of us know that Oliver Perez has control issues. We began chanting things such as "Ollie, just a bit wide" and "Don't throw it away!" Essentially, it was just humorous taunting. We did manage to get a few looks from Ollie along with a few eye rolls.
Next the rest of the Mets came out to warm up and hit batting practice. Since all 3 of us can't stand the Mets, we categorized them all as "bums". Just as we were verbally abusing Pedro Feliciano, a New York relief pitcher, a man starts yelling at Feliciano like he knew him. Since we also wanted to interact with the fans around us, we asked him if he knew him. Turns out he is Pedro Feliciano's cousin. Pretty cool, eh?
We taunted every Mets player except for one, Frank Catalanatto. Rather then taunt him, we praised him. With praise came a lot of acknowledgement from Frank. Then, the highlight of the day occured. A ball was hit in batting practice and Catalanatto caught the ball. Well, it turns out our praise was worth something. He tossed the ball to us making him a hero amongst all three of us.
The Game
The game featured the Phillies prized prospect Kyle Kendrick and Mets lefty Jonathon Niese. Both clubs had a quiet offensive first inning. The second inning was where the fun began. Jason Bay lead off with a double, and then Mets thirdbaseman David Wright hit a bomb to center field to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. They were not done as just two batters later, Jeff Francoeur hit a solo shot to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. They never looked back. Catcher Rod Barajas hit two homeruns as the Mets crushedthe Phillies 9-1.
Win- Jon Niese
7IP, 4H, 1BB, 1ER, 7K
Loss- Kyle Kendrick
5IP, 5H, 1BB, 4ER, 3K
Citizens Bank Park
Food: 10
Fans: 6
Seats: 7
Overall Game Experiance: 8
The ballpark was stunning, the food was outstanding, and despite the blowout, it was a fun game. I have to say what really grabbed my attention was having the Eagles, Flyers, and Phillies all in one Sports Complex.
Other Notes
Phillies Closer Brad Lidge Made his season debut. He is not good. He gave up a homerun to Rod Barajas. I call it "The Brad Lidge Experiance".
Pregame
We arrived at the ballpark at around 4:30 which was 2 and a half hours before gametime. Because we were in Philly, we decided that we should eat. We know that it may have been a bit early to eat, but none of us had the self restraint to resist those famous Philly Cheesesteaks. They were fantastic! I have only been to 3 other ballparks in my life, and this was hands down the best food that I have eaten at a baseball game.
After eating, we decided that we should try to catch flyballs in the bleachers during batting practice. This is where the real fun began. We were standing in the bleachers for about an hour trying to get just one measly ball. The part that was really ridiculous was that a man behind us managed to get 6 balls before we got any! It wasn't like we were not having fun. We said before this trip that we would be on the look out for obnoxious fans... well we decided it would be fun to be them. Oliver Perez, the New York Mets $36 Million dollar AAA pitcher, thought it would be fun to warm up in front of us. As psycho baseball fans, the three of us know that Oliver Perez has control issues. We began chanting things such as "Ollie, just a bit wide" and "Don't throw it away!" Essentially, it was just humorous taunting. We did manage to get a few looks from Ollie along with a few eye rolls.
Next the rest of the Mets came out to warm up and hit batting practice. Since all 3 of us can't stand the Mets, we categorized them all as "bums". Just as we were verbally abusing Pedro Feliciano, a New York relief pitcher, a man starts yelling at Feliciano like he knew him. Since we also wanted to interact with the fans around us, we asked him if he knew him. Turns out he is Pedro Feliciano's cousin. Pretty cool, eh?
We taunted every Mets player except for one, Frank Catalanatto. Rather then taunt him, we praised him. With praise came a lot of acknowledgement from Frank. Then, the highlight of the day occured. A ball was hit in batting practice and Catalanatto caught the ball. Well, it turns out our praise was worth something. He tossed the ball to us making him a hero amongst all three of us.
The Game
The game featured the Phillies prized prospect Kyle Kendrick and Mets lefty Jonathon Niese. Both clubs had a quiet offensive first inning. The second inning was where the fun began. Jason Bay lead off with a double, and then Mets thirdbaseman David Wright hit a bomb to center field to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. They were not done as just two batters later, Jeff Francoeur hit a solo shot to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. They never looked back. Catcher Rod Barajas hit two homeruns as the Mets crushedthe Phillies 9-1.
Win- Jon Niese
7IP, 4H, 1BB, 1ER, 7K
Loss- Kyle Kendrick
5IP, 5H, 1BB, 4ER, 3K
Citizens Bank Park
Food: 10
Fans: 6
Seats: 7
Overall Game Experiance: 8
The ballpark was stunning, the food was outstanding, and despite the blowout, it was a fun game. I have to say what really grabbed my attention was having the Eagles, Flyers, and Phillies all in one Sports Complex.
Other Notes
Phillies Closer Brad Lidge Made his season debut. He is not good. He gave up a homerun to Rod Barajas. I call it "The Brad Lidge Experiance".
Project Summary
The purpose of this ISP is for Maxwell, Sam, and I to explore a number of baseball stadiums in the country. Over the next month, we will be visiting 11 different ballparks. We will all be putting up our thoughts on games that we attend and look forward to the feedback of those who read the blog.
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