September 2012
3 posts
Prague
When Cecelia first showed me her plans for our European trip, I was excited about the route. Neither she nor I have ever really spent time in Eastern Europe and I was happy to see that we would be traveling thru this part of the world during the first half of our trip. I’ve always had a keen interest with this part of the world and a desire to visit it. That’s mostly due to the...
Driving in Europe
I thought I’d share some advice to anyone that has not done an auto tour of Europe.
1. If you are capable, get a car with a standard transmission. I’m of the opinion that 95% of all cars in Europe with automatic transmission are owned by rental car companies just for the explicit purpose of gouging American tourists. You do pay considerably more getting a car with an automatic...
European Vacation
It has been a while since I’ve written anything on Tumblr. I originally started this blog to document a trip Cecelia and I took to visit all 30 major league baseball parks earlier this Spring. Needless to say, I never finished that blog with any kind of summary of my thoughts both during and after the trip. Oh well.
Regardless, I’m back with the intent of documenting a 17 day trip...
June 2012
10 posts
Driver Distractions
This weekend while driving on a state highway, I was passed by a motorcycle which had a cup holder complete with a Big Gulp. I did not see if he was texting while riding.
Thank You
There were a lot of people that made this trip we took much more enjoyable and I’d like to at least publish a big thank you to them. I’ll try to do this in chronological order consistent with the trip.
Mark Hovda and NCMA - Mark and the local chapter of NCMA provided me with a gift card after I made a small presentation at one of their meetings last fall. It certainly helped defray...
Some Baseball Observations
Below are a couple of things I constantly saw on this trip.
Defensive shifts - I never realized how often teams move an infieder to the opposite side of the field and employ this defensive strategy. This move was first made famous with the Cleveland Indians and manager Lou Boudreau against Ted Williams. What was interesting was that when it was employed, it almost always on left handed hitters...
There's no place like home
Dorothy said it best. Arrived back in Cedar Rapids around 10:30 tonight. Great to be home. I will be posting highlights once I become grounded in Iowa once again.
June 3 - Detroit vs New York Yankees (Game 39)
“What a long strange trip it’s been.” (from Truckin’ by the Grateful Dead) We left Cleveland this morning for the 2 and a half hour drive to Detroit to watch an afternoon contest between the Tigers and the Yankees at Comerica Park. Final game of the tour which I’ll have to someday write more about but for now, it’s just today’s game.
Probably everything...
June 2 - Cleveland vs Minnesota (Game 38)
Arrived in Cleveland this afternoon after about a 5 hour drive thru West Virginia and Ohio. This will be my first ever game in Cleveland and the 29th MLB park we will have visited on the tour. Progressive (Jacobs) Field was one of the first of the so-called modern ballparks built in the early ‘90’s and it is a very nice venue. It is located in the heart of downtown Cleveland right...
American Drivers
Since we’ve started the automobile portion of the MLB 2012 Tour, Cecelia and I have put approximately 7000 miles on our rental car (Cecelia’s done most of it). After all these miles, driving with countless thousands of other drivers throughout the U.S., I’ve determined that I’m the best driver in America, or at least in the top 10.
Typical scene on a U.S. Interstate...
Thoughts from the road
Just a few random thoughts while driving the last few days.
Apparently the states of Florida and Georgia did not get the “Keep America Beautiful” memo that then First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson issued in the 1960’s. My god, I’ve never seen more outdoor advertising than what you see in southern Georgia and northern Florida. If it is true that Facebook’s advertising...
May 30 - Miami vs Washington (Game 37)
The drive from St. Pete to Miami was fairly uneventful and we made our first drive down “Alligator Alley”. Didn’t see one gator. We arrived at Marlins Park, the new home of the new Miami Marlins about 2 hours before game time. It is located at the site of the old Orange Bowl in what could be characterized as a pretty rough neighborhood. Not a lot of things to do before the...
May 29 - Tampa Bay vs Chicago White Sox (Game 36)
I had heard a lot of bad things about Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, prior to my first visit here. Poor baseball facility, extremely poor fan support, difficult to follow the path of the baseball on fly balls (it’s an indoor stadium), you name it. Well, most of what I heard is true. It is not a great venue for baseball and while the fans that do show up do in fact support...
May 2012
41 posts
May 28 - Atlanta vs St. Louis (Game 35)
Left Birmingham, AL this morning for the relatively short (2.5 hours) drive to Atlanta for an afternoon contest between the Braves and the Cardinals. It was really good to see the tribute the Atlanta Braves organization made on this day to our men and women that have served in the military.
Having grown up in the Viet Nam era when service personnel were routinely spat upon, it is refreshing...
Those Wedding Bell Blues
Took a break from the tour starting on Thursday, May 24th to attend our niece Clark Ledbetter’s wedding in Birmingham, AL. First of all, here’s to you Clark and Andrew Ubben, wishing you many years of joy and happiness. You are truly a great couple. And if Andrew can tolerate bears with rolls of toilet paper, he can put up with about anything this family has to offer.
In short, it...
May 29 - Melissawrites Birthday
Happy Birthday Sweetie.
Love ya,
Dad
Some Observations While on the Road
What is it with all the Dunkin Donut shops on the east coast. I realize that the menu has expanded a lot over the years but isn’t it still essentially, a donut shop. I had thought most had gone out of business 10 years ago.
For some reason, it seems more difficult to buy a diet soft drink in the South. On several occasions, I’ve gone to soda vending machines and no diet drinks were...
May 23 - Huntsville vs Birmingham (Game 34)
After a six hour drive from Ashville N.C., we attended a Class AA game in Huntsville, AL. This will be my first ever AA game and the last visit to a minor league park on this tour. They say that the biggest difference in baseball classification is between the majors and triple A baseball. If Huntsville is indicative of double A baseball, there is also one heck of a drop between AAA and AA...
North Carolina
For those of you who have never been to North Carolina, I strongly recommend that you visit the state sometime in your life. From the Outer Banks on the Atlantic to the Great Smokey Mountains in Western Carolina this state has an abundance of things to see and do. Whether you enjoy white water rafting, snow skiing, fishing, hiking, boat or a day at the beach, North Carolina pretty much has all...
May 22 - Durham vs Charlotte (Game 33)
They say that the road to the major leagues is hard. Well, I would like to add that the road to the minors can be rough too. We left our hotel north of D.C. early in the morning and after successfully navigating through the beltway traffic in Maryland, Washington and Northern Virginia I thought we would coast the rest of the way. Dream on Chuck. Two accidents effectively stopped all southbound...
May 21 - Baltimore vs Boston (Game 32)
Camden Yards. I first attended a game at Camden Yards in 1993, its second year of operation, and it knocked my socks off. It still does. This was the first of the so called “retro” ballparks that have been built in the 90’s and beyond and remains the blueprint on how to build a baseball stadium. Located in downtown Baltimore near scenic Inner Harbor it incorporated every...
Raining Today
We’re scheduled to attend the Baltimore game against the Red Sox this evening. Starting raining this morning around 3 AM and is scheduled to continue until around 7 PM tonight. Will spend the day preparing alternate plans.
May 20 - Washington vs Baltimore (Game 31)
Baseball is a funny game. More often than not, the minute you think one thing will happen, a totally different scenario takes place. Let’s take todays game as an example. Pitching today for Washington was their young gun Stephen Strasburg who is capable of dominating the opposition anytime he takes the mound and, he had the benefit of a strong wind blowing in from right field. Could this be...
May 19 - Philadelphia vs Boston (Game 30)
This was my first experience watching a sporting event in Philadelphia and I was curious going in if the Philadelphia fans are as unruly and mean spirited as they are often portrayed (you all remember the Eagles fans pelting Santa with snowballs). They didn’t come across that way and they easily could have because there were a lot of Red Sox fans in attendance tonight. As a matter of fact,...
Driving Down to the Jersey Shore
Actually, we are driving to Philadelphia today but this sounded so 1950’s. During our drive, I made several observations.
New Jersey drivers are very perceptive. They seem to know exactly when you plan to change lanes and move into the one that they are currently driving in. The moment they anticipate your move, they speed up to block you off. It’s as though it’s THEIR lane...
Off to Philadelphia
And I’m really not sure why. Having lived in the state of Iowa for all of my 57 years, one would think that this small town country boy would really hate the Big Apple. Au contraire my fertile dirt friends. I love New York.
It may be because the only time I’ve spent here has been when I’ve been on holiday or since I’ve retired. If I actually had to report to a day job...
May 18 - New York Yankees vs Cincinnati (Game 29)
I’ve been to new Yankee Stadium a number of times since it opened and was never overly impressed with the facility. I think I’ve changed my mind. While not in the same class as some of the signature ballparks I’ve seen, new Yankee Stadium is a very nice venue for watching baseball. Good seating not far from the action, good concessions in the wide concourses and other modern...
Something Encouraging
I saw something encouraging today while out getting coffee. There was a woman next to me in line at the shop, with a young girl whom I assumed was her daughter, and she was reviewing math multiplication flash cards with her.
Now if I were that young girl, I probably would have been upset with my mother. But it’s nice to see parents being involved in their children’s education.
The House that Ruth Built
Tonight we attend a game at the new Yankee Stadium. This ballpark was opened in 2009 and sits right next to where the old stadium was located. I’m often asked if I ever attended a game at “old Yankee Stadium” and I usually answer in the affirmative. But that’s not really correct in my mind. You see, and what many people don’t remember, Yankee Stadium went through...
Ballpark "Food"
I’ve made a couple of comments in my blog regarding the food served at various ballparks across America. There is one constant, however, that I’ve observed. Cotton candy. Can someone please explain to me America’s continued attraction to this “food”. I don’t get it.
Another thing I’ve noticed unique to the northeast. At least in Boston and New...
May 16 - New York Mets vs Cincinnati (Game 28)
For those that don’t know, New York is a Yankee town. I would characterize the Mets as just an afterthought. Unless of course if they win. Which hasn’t happened that often in the 50 year history of the franchise. Actually, compared to some franchises, the Mets are certainly not an abysmal failure on the field. They’ve won two World Series (the last in 1986) since they were...
The Drive to New York City
This morning we packed and headed for New York City. This will only be the second time that I will have driven in the city and quite honestly, the only thing I’m looking forward to is arriving at the garage where we’ve arranged to park the car for the three days we are there. I still don’t quite understand the need to own a car if you live in NYC.
I know from my travels...
May 15 - Boston vs Seattle (Game 27)
At last, my first trip to Fenway Park. After our long drive from Buffalo this morning along with a 45 minute commuter rail line ride from Framingham, MA, we finally made it. I’ve long wanted to attend a game here to see the Green Monster and Pesky’s Pole and the Red Sox Nation fans that infatuated with this team.
Fenway is a great park for baseball. It is a very small, compact...
"Best Of......"
Every once in a while, when I scan a magazine or surf the internet, I run across a “Best of” list. You know what I’m talking about. The Best Place to Retire, The Best Places to Raise a Family, The Best Steakhouses in America, The Best Places for a 57 Year Old Man to Look Good (note, in a coffin was not number one) and the lists go on and on and on. What I am discovering so far...
Random Thoughts While Driving
While at home in Cedar Rapids, I occasionally listen to local talk radio. It usually is during “drive time”, those times of the day that you’re driving to or from work. I have often been amazed at how little knowledge you need to have on a subject to comment on it on local radio. At one time, I thought this may be unique to Cedar Rapids. After all, we’re certainly not a...
May 14 - Toronto vs Tampa Bay (Game 26)
I’ve had the opportunity to attend a number of Blue Jay games over the years. But none within the last twenty years. When the Blue Jays first came into the league in the 70’s, they played at Exhibition Park. I’m not really certain what sport Exhibition Park was built to display, but it certainly was not baseball. A “grandstand” with the best seats in left field,...
May 13 - Pittsburgh vs Houston (Game 25)
Spent the evening in Obetz, OH. Near Columbus for those not from the Buckeye State. Drove to the Steel City of Pittsburgh this morning, in a constant rain. I had always been concerned with what kind of problems weather could create to the schedule but was not faced with it until this morning. Unfortunately, when looking at all the various options associated with a potential rain out today, it...
It Happened Again
I’ve made posts here several times about what great events seem to happen AFTER we’ve been to a game at a particular stadium (a perfect game, a no hitter and Josh Hamilton’s four HR’s). Well, I get to report another one. The day after we saw the Reds play the Nationals on Joey Votto bobble head night, Joey Votto goes yard three times, including a walk off grand slam with...
May 12 - Cincinnati vs Washington (Game 24)
Our trip to Cincinnati and to Great America Park to watch the Reds play was great. Dave and Pat Miller, friends of Cecelia’s from her Davenport Assumption days, hosted us for dinner at a season ticket holders restaurant at the park. It was great. Good conversation, great food and a fantastic view of the ballpark and surrounding riverfront area. Dave and Pat, thank you again. We really...
May 11 - Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City (Game...
Tonight I attended my first Chicago White Sox home game. Ever. It’s odd that I’ve never seen the MLB stadiums (both old Comiskey and new U S Cellular) that were probably the closest to our home the 35+ years we’ve lived in Cedar Rapids. I believe that has been driven mostly by my lack of interest in the American League but I think if I’m perfectly honest, going to the...
May 10 - Wells vs Sullivan (Game 22)
Today was supposed to be an off day between watching the Cubs on Wednesday and the White Sox on Friday. It was not to be. Instead, we took the opportunity to watch a Chicago Public High School game between the Wells Raiders and Sullivan High School. The opportunity presented itself because our daughter, Melissa, teaches at Wells and occasionally attends some of their games. It was a nice...
May 9 - Chicago Cubs vs Atlanta (Game 21)
This blog has been a tough one to write. It’s because I know that I will offend Chicago Cubs fans and some baseball purists. So, if you fall into either of those categories, you may want to skip this particular writing. But if you do happen to fall into one of those two categories and read it and find it objectionable, please send all your inflammatory comments to Mr. Steve Zieser...
First Casualty of the Trip
Last night after the Cubs win in the afternoon, we had dinner with our daughter, Melissa, at Devon’s in downtown Chicago. And I left my Baseball Hall of Fame cap there. Called this morning to see if it had been found but no luck. Damn, I liked that cap.
Now I could easily order a replacement online. But I don’t think that’s appropriate. Looks like I need to make another trip...
Follow-Up on Prior Posting
In one of my earlier postings I listed the five things I most hate in life. For those who haven’t seen the post, Cable TV/Internet providers were the entire list. Why mention this again, well the link below is an article about my cable tv/internet provider Mediacom.
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20120507/NEWS01/120507008/Consumer-Reports-survey-Mediacom-worst
I’m surprised...
Great Things Continue to Happen in Baseball
Only not at the games we attend. Cecelia made an interesting comment at the game today at Wrigley. Something great is destined to happen either at Wrigley Field or by a Cubs or Braves player in the very near term. You see, the following has happened so far this season.
1. Phil Humber of the White Sox pitched baseball’s 21st perfect game at Safeco Field one week after we were there.
2....
May 8 - Milwaukee vs Cincinnati (Game 20)
I’m a wimp. At least when it comes to weather. Despite the fact that I’ve lived in Iowa all my life, cold weather still bothers me. And I define cold weather as anything below 50 degrees F. That’s probably why I like watching baseball at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Nothing quite like having the stadium enclosed from the elements on a cool night in May. And while I believe...
May 7 - Minnesota vs L. A. Angels (Game 19)
Tonight Albert Pujols of the Angels went 1 for 5, and his batting average went up. Still below the Mendoza line but at least he had a hit. That can’t be said for many of the Twins hitters. The Angels tonight easily beat the Twins by the score of 8-3. Jered Weaver of the Angels, in his first start since throwing a no-hitter against these same Twins last week, pitched a good game. Three...
Melissa writes:: My dad officially started his... →
melissawrites:
My dad officially started his baseball tour across America this week.
(If you interested in reading about that, you can check out his blog covering it here)
He is technically starting in Iowa by seeing a minor league game, but his first stop is Denver to take in the Rookies vs. our family…
Home, and some Mid-Season Awards
Back in Cedar Rapids for a two day break on the MLB 2012 Tour. Got to mow the lawn (ugh) and do other yard work (ugh). What is it with this thing called work (ugh), I’m supposed to be retired!!!!
Since we are about halfway through the trip, thought it would be appropriate to hand out some “mid-season” awards. Remember though, we’ve only been to 12 MLB parks (out of 30)...
May 4 - Kansas City vs N.Y. Yankees (Game 18)
A beautiful night tonight in Kansas City and we got to watch a very well played baseball game. Ultimately, the Yankees won by the score of 6-2 behind the pitching of C. C. Sabathia (4-0 this season) and the power of Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter, who both contributed 2 run HR’s to the Yankee winning cause. Better yet, it was played in 2 hours and 34 minutes. Oh if only more games could be...
