tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18281097099310196082024-03-14T02:16:42.263-05:00The Houses That Erik & Peter BuiltErikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14697268818170541420noreply@blogger.comBlogger591125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-9707892926292519572024-02-12T09:48:00.007-06:002024-02-12T09:51:57.192-06:00Tour 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumh2FU-vZI6_5PHNY2iD1vxuGWg2HvKK2gIp7qF_i01fePggHbuO9RJXpf_H347RPyPdnlem5hkUgZgRhhfxjlX4HxYaqsVduoXKP9J5AAXnpD-uWot1du4iaaTHX5y8p2Ca1pP9diJ05bv0V5h32kNOlMbZZbT_QXbL8BRSnLYiNstGdw1apweqX19I/s1536/Ms%20trident%20deck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1536" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumh2FU-vZI6_5PHNY2iD1vxuGWg2HvKK2gIp7qF_i01fePggHbuO9RJXpf_H347RPyPdnlem5hkUgZgRhhfxjlX4HxYaqsVduoXKP9J5AAXnpD-uWot1du4iaaTHX5y8p2Ca1pP9diJ05bv0V5h32kNOlMbZZbT_QXbL8BRSnLYiNstGdw1apweqX19I/w640-h360/Ms%20trident%20deck.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p>It's been unseasonably mild and dry in our first winter as Minnesotans (hold on let me knock on my desk), which has only gotten me that much more excited for baseball this year as it feels right around the corner. This is usually the time of year I am getting into full season prep mode - scouring local collegiate ball schedules, purchasing Opening Day tickets, and as an added bonus now as a Minnesota resident, I get to layer in Town Ball schedules, which affords me a nearly boundless opportunity to take in more baseball and new ballparks along with that. Just the county I live in has 30 teams alone. However, as much as I love all my local options, it's my ball travel slate for the year that is still and will always be the most exciting. It is with great anticipation that I announce Tour 2024 will be a return to Seattle, Washington the weekend before the 4th of July.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With no imminent or realistic new major league parks on the horizon (I'm still not convinced the A's will be moving until I see a shovel in the ground), Erik and I had a lot of different ideas for 2024 and free reign to go just about anywhere we wanted. Baseball outside of our continent is still always in the back of my mind and at the top of my bucket list, but we're still a few years out from being able to take a longer trip that far away due to the young age of our kids. So, we decided on a formula we have employed a few times in the past when we're in this situation - revisit a major league ballpark that has had extensive remodeling since The Tour and see some minor league ballparks around that. We've been back to Kansas City, Chicago, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh since the OG Tour, and all of those trips were a blast and cool to spend a little bit more time (and money) in the parks than we could afford in 2007. Even though we were in Seattle for multiple days on The Tour, it still felt rushed and felt like we didn't get a lot of quality time there, mostly because we were so exhausted by the time we got to Seattle. That was at the end of Week 6 following a sprint from Texas to Washington in less than a week, and we honestly spent a lot of our time in Seattle catching up on boring things like sleep and laundry. So we're both excited to explore more of the city and the ballpark, which has since changed names to T-Mobile Park and undergone $30+ million in renovations, including the Trident Deck pictured above. It looks kind of like The Rooftop at Coors Field that Megan and I hung out at a couple years ago, and much like in Denver, the higher you're up in Seattle the better the view of the skyline, so I'm pumped to check out that area and see if T-Mobile Park is still a top 3 ballpark in my rankings. We have a framework of an itinerary beyond a Mariners game that I'm confident will include some nearby minor league ball and national parks, and hopefully a ferry ride to Victoria for Canada Day!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My other major ball trip this year will be Year 4 of Tour Molly, which as of now I plan to be a weekend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which is about a 3-hour drive from Cold Spring. Now that we live 7 hours further west, I have an opportunity to see so many states and teams to the west that previously would have been at worst unattainable, and at best ridiculous to visit from where we were in Milwaukee. I've never been to either of the Dakotas and there are several independent and summer collegiate teams in those states, and not to mention Thunder Bay and Winnipeg are a shorter drive than going back home to Milwaukee, so I have many years of ideas with Molly and the family as well. Beyond my two main trips, I look forward to a full summer of Town Ball and my first year as a partial season ticket holder of the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pitchers & Catchers report in two days!!! Play ball!</span></p>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-73666678580770268972024-01-12T13:47:00.015-06:002024-01-16T19:28:44.599-06:00State of Wisconsin Approves Brewers Stadium Repair Bill<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhLrIsluFprEXH069l424JQ1b3xF2Umyv4z9UmfIjqDfU8XR7ffoZIYSTLQaOruwndFjVStW7Cn_6lH-JFSVAtR_kgip8x7NDj6Q7hEeLGh2emfU-nyXT_HDYN3ltI5VyMtFcV3mefaSlu5kNQA_A0pXcdvJnr0s9RlNMpWiGixqzCp8VFQElWd3qjgI/s700/71815810007-231205-ballpark-05-p-4.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="700" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhLrIsluFprEXH069l424JQ1b3xF2Umyv4z9UmfIjqDfU8XR7ffoZIYSTLQaOruwndFjVStW7Cn_6lH-JFSVAtR_kgip8x7NDj6Q7hEeLGh2emfU-nyXT_HDYN3ltI5VyMtFcV3mefaSlu5kNQA_A0pXcdvJnr0s9RlNMpWiGixqzCp8VFQElWd3qjgI/w640-h406/71815810007-231205-ballpark-05-p-4.webp" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p>After nearly a year of political posturing (I first wrote about this <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2023/03/governor-evers-proposes-290m-for-am-fam.html" target="_blank">last March</a>), draft revisions, and lobbying, Governor Tony Evers signed into law a bill that provides the Brewers with half a billion dollars in government funding to perform much needed repairs on American Family Field. Just about every major mechanical and electrical apparatus in AmFam Field is either obsolete or nearing the end of its functional life, so while this law is certainly not financing anything sexy that the public will notice, the maintenance is long overdue. What started out as Evers just saying "hey, we have an enormous budget surplus, let's just give the Brewers a small portion of that," turned into a huge mess with people from every side walking in with their hands out and offering their own pork to throw into the bill. The final details of the approved bill are as follows:</p></span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$365.8M in state funds, which would primarily be financed by both visiting and Brewers player income taxes</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$135M combined from Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. It's worth noting that both the city and the county were finally allowed to raise their own sales taxes on January 1st to save themselves from financial ruin, and now are required to immediately give some of that new money to the Brewers.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$110M from the Brewers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$2 ticket surcharge and $8 suite surcharge added to non-baseball events at American Family Field, which incrementally increase to $4 and $10 respectively, to help defray the cost of the state contribution. This surcharge is estimated to provide about $20.7M over the course of their lease. Once the state's funding has been completed, the surcharge would still continue in perpetuity, and its proceeds would transfer to the state's general fund rather than the ballpark district's fund.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In exchange for the funding, the Brewers agreed to extend their lease to 2050, during which time the government funds would be made to the team in annual payments</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District - the independent body that oversees financing and management of the ballpark - would expand to 13 members - 4 appointed by governor, 3 by senate, 3 by assembly, 2 by Milwaukee city/county, and 1 by the Brewers.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Brewers current lease vaguely requires that the ballpark district pay for capital improvements to American Family Field that keep it within the top 25% of Major League Baseball parks. That provision remains in the new lease.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The bill includes $25M rolled into the state financing portion to perform a study on what it would take to winterize the ballpark for off-season events. Anyone who has been to American Family Field in the winter knows that the ballpark is not currently insulated, nor is it tempered in any way when there is no game or event.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Any cost overruns from initial estimates, and any sort of non-repair or non-maintenance related ballpark upgrade (like the new $6.5M scoreboard), would fall to the Brewers/district</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The most interesting thing about this whole process to me is that both the ballpark district and the state allowed the 0.1% 5-county sales tax to sunset in 2020 because the mortgage was paid off on the original construction, knowing full well that the district was legally obligated to finance any future repairs to the stadium. Now here we are 3 years later, and what a surprise the district is out of money because a tax that generated over $600M in 24 years is now gone. It seems to me that keeping that miniscule tax in place - one that was contentious 30 years ago but now is mostly forgotten - would have not solved this problem necessarily, but made it gravely less complicated and burdensome to taxpayers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I won't rehash what I've already written and spoken about ad nauseum regarding subsidizing professional sports facilities. One person can argue that billionaires don't need handouts and the Brewers are just blackmailing the state, and another person could argue that keeping $2.5B in economic output, 3,000 jobs, and $630M in player income taxes in the state is a good thing no matter the cost, and both of those people would be right. There's no great answer that pleases everyone and this is a topic that equally divides both Democrats and Republicans. But I would be lying if I said I'm not glad that the thing I care most about in this world outside of my family and friends will have a wonderful place to call home until I am at least well into my 60s - in Milwaukee where they should be.</span></div><p></p>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-47873843185501224242023-12-04T13:47:00.003-06:002023-12-04T13:47:28.406-06:00David Stearns and Craig Counsell Skip Town<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguS7kFaWG3Ae7UYAPMC4va_MaH4It6SH-rp47e7cnrSy_Z3E-GHwhKPSsR3UDQqM5XwM76G7VmbseChvge0BQYfVdNIrzcAuyCiwq0QFAEey4rBuz4ulgHepNfNL1YkOz25KQJx59pM9PSqPSCegPCxvP-Jor-R95G_UwmZVVV_uUUgXUh3PUyojjNCII/s1296/craigers%20cubs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1296" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguS7kFaWG3Ae7UYAPMC4va_MaH4It6SH-rp47e7cnrSy_Z3E-GHwhKPSsR3UDQqM5XwM76G7VmbseChvge0BQYfVdNIrzcAuyCiwq0QFAEey4rBuz4ulgHepNfNL1YkOz25KQJx59pM9PSqPSCegPCxvP-Jor-R95G_UwmZVVV_uUUgXUh3PUyojjNCII/w640-h360/craigers%20cubs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p>I wrote <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2022/11/david-stearns-steps-down-as-brewers.html" target="_blank">last November</a> about David Stearns stepping down from his position as the President of Baseball Operations of the Brewers. The speculation at that time was that he would quietly wait out the remaining year of his contract in 2023 and then sign with the Mets in 2024 since he is from New York, and that proved to be exactly what happened. On literally the first day of the offseason, the Mets held a press conference for his signing. One of Stearns' first orders of business was to fire manager Buck Showalter, who was only one season removed from a 100-win season but led the Mets to a very disappointing 2023. This all led to further speculation that Stearns and Brewers manager Craig Counsell would be reunited in New York, as Craigers' contract expired after the end of this season. However, no matter who is at the helm, history has repeatedly shown that "the Mets are gonna Met." They instead went the route of hiring a manager with zero experience for practically nothing to lead the largest payroll in North American sports. The Cubs immediately swooped in and signed Counsell - despite already having a manager - to a 5 year, $40 million contract, which now makes him the highest paid manager in baseball.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Now that I've had some time to reflect on both of these signings, I can't objectively say I'm super surprised nor do I blame either of them. Am I disappointed? Of course. But in both Stearns and Counsell's cases, both of them had reached kind of the pinnacle of what they were going to achieve in Milwaukee. That's just the sad and honest reality of being in the smallest market in baseball. To both be in cities with seemingly endless resources, coupled with their talent, is going to give them the best chance to consistently win and most importantly to win the World Series. For a team like the Brewers to not only remain competitive for such a long period of time - pretty much the entirety of the Stearns/Counsell era - but also to make the playoffs in 5 of the past 6 years is nothing short of remarkable, and a lot of that credit is owed to those two men. I had heard a stat on a podcast shortly before Counsell signed with the Cubs in which they were trying to quantify a WAR-type number for what Counsell as a manager contributes to a team in terms of wins, and the number he came up with was 6 WAR. I'm not going to pretend that I understand how WAR is calculated, but accounting for 6 wins by yourself is the difference between making and not making the playoffs just about every year. Stearns is going to be able to help Steve Cohen spend money responsibly and efficiently given his background, and Counsell is going to be able to steer the ship for the Cubs and masterfully manage their bullpen. I think I was a little bit more surprised with the Counsell signing than Stearns, only because I thought he would either step aside or remain with the Brewers given his family situation, but looking back at it objectively now, the Cubs make a ton of sense. It's 90 minutes away, he knows the division, they have a huge payroll, and Chicago is actually closer to some of his kids in college than Milwaukee is. He's able to have kind of the best of both worlds in being close with his family, while also setting the market for what managers deserve to make and proving he can win on the big stage. Counsell is now the highest paid manager since Joe Torre in his years with the Yankees, and in today's age of $300, 400, 500 million contracts, that is kind of astounding.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I wish anyone reading a very happy, healthy, and safe holiday season! Pitchers & Catchers report in 72 days, and I expect I'll have an announcement on my/our 2024 trips around that time.</span></p>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-11994585356608607632023-11-10T22:47:00.002-06:002023-11-10T22:54:12.591-06:00Tour 2023: Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_VcvBq3yUSovxb_b_Tyxt1B4Ngbo_q9XieiI4rSMaWE3IBIDukzTDuX9QtomYxpNfi2eQueYwqpUihbZgS8-GMCiXCr_Y-8TZNOodLO_b8w95l9uZgHb7VvI0goOWdLnKT_MwU28NXaThA_BkzFze2nA35aCiR5ZOXkbDIp73yflNP1OcHTxjtp1-E8/s4032/IMG_4358.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_VcvBq3yUSovxb_b_Tyxt1B4Ngbo_q9XieiI4rSMaWE3IBIDukzTDuX9QtomYxpNfi2eQueYwqpUihbZgS8-GMCiXCr_Y-8TZNOodLO_b8w95l9uZgHb7VvI0goOWdLnKT_MwU28NXaThA_BkzFze2nA35aCiR5ZOXkbDIp73yflNP1OcHTxjtp1-E8/w400-h300/IMG_4358.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><div><b>All photos of AFL HR Derby at Sloan Park available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720312461542" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></div></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_A77O-pnWWDJ2tRcEfvam2T6b6CQkuV-AVWRSYFtUhIGV6qeapFFI0TN9ofwA6-I4lnqhzlw1IR-WzQqZwtojcrk6AIq9FcJHQMJq1-NQaVH8h4vjInTTidAazYWHW3yc-v_5R5YJMnxkXTXcb1ZnuvPXfidM_y4LSW4N1qSx-S0tGwtzl5oq18M8EU/s4032/IMG_4377.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_A77O-pnWWDJ2tRcEfvam2T6b6CQkuV-AVWRSYFtUhIGV6qeapFFI0TN9ofwA6-I4lnqhzlw1IR-WzQqZwtojcrk6AIq9FcJHQMJq1-NQaVH8h4vjInTTidAazYWHW3yc-v_5R5YJMnxkXTXcb1ZnuvPXfidM_y4LSW4N1qSx-S0tGwtzl5oq18M8EU/w200-h150/IMG_4377.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our final game of our jam-packed Tour 2023 was the AFL Home Run Derby at Sloan Park in Mesa. Sloan Park is the relatively new Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs, located just west of their former home at Hohokam which is now inhabited by the Oakland A's (which I visited in 2019). This park has also hosted the Mesa Solar Sox of the AFL since the park's inception in 2014, and on this particular weekend hosted the biggest events of the Fall League calendar - the homerun derby and the Fall Stars Game. We were planning on attending both of these events when we originally planned this trip, but unfortunately the schedule changed after we booked our flights and the Fall Stars Game moved to Sunday, the day we both flew home. Personally I enjoy derbies much more than the actual all-star games, so this was the event I was more excited about anyways. The derby was jacked up to a whopping $20 for this special event and we headed straight towards the outfield berm in left field when we got inside. Sloan Park is the largest park in the circuit at a 15,000 capacity, but I never would have guessed that since the overwhelming majority of people in attendance were in the outfield as we were.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNR7TPDFel3-7UvAq5whwbxjcdAYpKjUYy_fCjcdEk2OOSKasHE8PWErDiSQpSZLMWVsncj0B6s6wAGKxtLs-NS0-Y1HesqYx22ivRcvDGSXr2_vlonbwnNLqVJLFM_qzEaTB6pwkb-9goWeDWMqsrlvmLm2BeL49uXaMO2Sj7cMaEV2iMMafFfzo2dNc/s4032/IMG_4368.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNR7TPDFel3-7UvAq5whwbxjcdAYpKjUYy_fCjcdEk2OOSKasHE8PWErDiSQpSZLMWVsncj0B6s6wAGKxtLs-NS0-Y1HesqYx22ivRcvDGSXr2_vlonbwnNLqVJLFM_qzEaTB6pwkb-9goWeDWMqsrlvmLm2BeL49uXaMO2Sj7cMaEV2iMMafFfzo2dNc/w200-h150/IMG_4368.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We didn't get to see as much of Sloan Park as we would have liked since we made a bee-line directly to the outfield, but from the looks of it, it is following the trend of a lot of the Grapefruit League parks that look to mimic the shape and feel of their major league tenants - a "Wrigley Field West" of sorts. It had similar dimensions with the same deep outfield corners as Wrigley, it had some "rooftop seating" in the outfield to mimic the rooftops on Waveland and Sheffield Streets in Chicago, the same green seats and green painted structure, and even a replica of the Wrigley Field marquee. Had this park not been in the desert, I would have fully expected to see ivy on the walls as well. I think given the fact that it was trying to recreate a smaller Wrigley Field, it made the park kind of ordinary and simplistic in its layout. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it made it less memorable than some of the other newer parks and made it not as nice as I was expecting. This was the one park of the week where I think being there for an AFL game as opposed to a Spring Training game negatively skewed my opinion. It was still a great place to watch the derby, and I felt just like I was in the bleachers at Wrigley on that giant berm that was packed with fans on this night. Much like at the bleachers at Wrigley, there were a couple of idiots that had to be escorted out. A couple of dudes wearing GoPros were jumping in front of children left and right to snag homeruns and had literal backpacks full of balls before security finally stepped in to remind them they were grown adults and asked them to leave.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6KT6bZAkR61XJ6vejDpEhqzk2hc1ebiTko6EqlAyzs9GUYykbZg5WrO1qRlVlvkEHZojzZbwIttMIHZtHXRh15jNBIU51NJvfASGefvAijymWRLsGNOg4XUqRAgoAKyxXo59LDb9jkzPjygyFAvBm0agpDATkMR-qQUzlLtD17R5i2IYCXjMmGYcRUY/s4032/IMG_5003.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6KT6bZAkR61XJ6vejDpEhqzk2hc1ebiTko6EqlAyzs9GUYykbZg5WrO1qRlVlvkEHZojzZbwIttMIHZtHXRh15jNBIU51NJvfASGefvAijymWRLsGNOg4XUqRAgoAKyxXo59LDb9jkzPjygyFAvBm0agpDATkMR-qQUzlLtD17R5i2IYCXjMmGYcRUY/w150-h200/IMG_5003.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The AFL Home Run Derby had a similar format to the format that has been adopted by MLB and many other leagues in recent years, namely that rounds are timed rather than based on a number of "outs." I love this format, as it creates less down time and more home runs, which has certainly been a goal of baseball lately. One slight nuance to the AFL rules that I also loved is that two finalists advance to a championship matchup based on a cumulative total of two rounds. This means that you get to see every hitter at least twice, it avoids dragging out the event and tiring out hitters, and it also avoids the common occurrence of somebody putting up a monster first round total but still not advancing. Kala'i Rosario of the Desert Dogs/Twins ended up winning on a very impressive effort. He finished with 25 total homeruns as well as the longest homer of the night, estimated at 465 feet. He really impressed us in Glendale on Thursday and we were excited to see him listed as a participant at the derby, and he did not disappoint. Damiano "Chicken Parm" Pamelgiani was leading after the first two rounds with 17 homers, and 2nd place was a 4-way tie between Ivan Melendez, Kyle Manzardo, Jase Bowen, and the aforementioned Rosario. This led to a one-minute swing-off for the 2nd and final spot in the championship round, which was won in a walk-off fashion by Rosario over Bowen with 10 seconds left on the clock. Pamelgiani chose to hit 2nd in the final round, and that proved to be a mistake as he lost 6-5. In addition to winning the Derby, the Hawaii native Rosario also finished the season tied for the league lead in homers with 7. Wes Clarke of the Saguaros/Brewers also participated and mashed a paltry 6 total dingers in his two rounds, although he did manage to crush a hot dog during one of his timeouts.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Following our visit to Sloan Park, I have now officially completed the Cactus League/AFL Tour, which is the only league outside of MLB for which I have been to every ballpark. With that being said, I would rank the parks in this order:</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Camelback Ranch</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Salt River Fields at Talking Stick</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Surprise Stadium</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hohokam Stadium</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">American Family Fields of Phoenix</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sloan Park</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tempe Diablo Stadium</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Goodyear Ballpark</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Scottsdale Stadium</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Peoria Sports Complex</span></li></ol><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I would highly recommend the Arizona Fall League to any rabid baseball fan and especially to anybody who enjoys going to the Cactus League. If you love Spring Training, but you also want cool evening temperatures, smaller crowds, and something a little bit more affordable, then this is the league for you. The two of us spent a grand total of $112 on 4 AFL games and probably $20 apiece per game in concessions, and we've definitely had trips where we spend that much on one person for just one game. It was a long wait into the year for our Tour 2023 trip, but well worth it. It was awesome that we got to extend the season by a few days, and it makes Tour 2024 already that much closer.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics</i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">:</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">aesthetics - 8</span></em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">views from park - 4</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i><span><span><span><span><span>v<span><span><span><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">iew to field - 7 (largest park in the league)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">surrounding area - 3 (nothing in immediate vicinity but 5 minutes from downtown Mesa and Tempe)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>food variety - 5</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">nachos - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">beer - 4 (points deducted for no Old Style)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">vendor price - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">ticket price - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">atmosphere - 9</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">walk to park - 3</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">parking price/proximity - 10 (adjacent lot for free)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concourses - 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">team shop - 3 (points deducted for very little generic AFL gear at the jewel event)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>kids area - n/a<br /></i><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best food - Chicago Dog</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">most unique stadium feature - replica Wrigley Field marquee</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>best jumbotron feature - player stats</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best between-inning feature - live music by the Chocolate Fountain Experience</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">field dimensions - 360/410/360</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #333333;"><b>HOMERUN DERBY PARTICIPANTS:</b></span><span style="color: #333333;"> <br /></span></i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #333333;">Kevin Alcantara, CHC/Mesa</span><br style="color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;">Jase Bowen, PIT/Salt River</span><br style="color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;">Wes Clarke, MIL/Surprise</span><br style="color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;">Kyle Manzardo, CLE/Peoria</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>Ivan Melendez, ARI/Salt River</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>Damiano Palmegiani, TOR/Surprise</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>Gabriel Rincones Jr., PHI/Scottsdale</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>Kala'i Rosario, MIN/Glendale<br /><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333;">winner - Kala'i Rosario<br />score – 6-5 final round, 25 total</span><br style="color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;">stadium - Sloan Park</span></i></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-13531312005646258822023-11-10T14:33:00.004-06:002023-11-10T14:45:46.221-06:00Tour 2023: Mullett Arena<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPMaPgqkJNiGHZLntOstNU-yXAk_bSkgbJ4tnEp0MMySgFJgI8S8iDNfSfM1YXzbOFXEWg2YgQvmSmeICi_ZOEJjAhvak-JXKG5DTtkg5xO-cgC0G1t7hpbPRD1eWwBI9gH3wSBlxH00inIKQjFWspbSOLy4tL45L9SvoY4GgNIovdO_PuUqtycejKgA/s4032/IMG_4339.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPMaPgqkJNiGHZLntOstNU-yXAk_bSkgbJ4tnEp0MMySgFJgI8S8iDNfSfM1YXzbOFXEWg2YgQvmSmeICi_ZOEJjAhvak-JXKG5DTtkg5xO-cgC0G1t7hpbPRD1eWwBI9gH3wSBlxH00inIKQjFWspbSOLy4tL45L9SvoY4GgNIovdO_PuUqtycejKgA/w300-h400/IMG_4339.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p><b><b>All photos of Mullett Arena available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720312461497" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></b></p><p></p></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span>On Saturday, Erik and I attended our first NHL game together in almost 15 years, which was Game 1 of our first ever two-sport doubleheader. Not wanting to exercise for a 2nd day in a row, we needed something to fill our morning before the 1:00pm puck drop. A quick Google search of "Phoenix bars open early morning" landed us at the Yucca Tap Room for some 9:00 AM college football watching. If you close your eyes and imagine what a sketchy dive bar looks like, this had many of the characteristic traits - very worn down and in need of repair, a host of regular patrons, no drink list, one old grumpy bartender, and the only natural light was from the intermittent opening and closing of the front door made of plywood. As opposed to all of the establishments we had been visiting in Tempe the previous two days, we felt right at home here. We stopped for another drink at Fate Brewing down the street and then we were off to the arena, which was literally across the street from our hotel.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2m27D0iVQ0gDZpajqKBPIrkzChVYMsuLQrPr9xXGI6-aRepFdKcBLH5bdG7ZeyNjzgedHK9kyacxvO8E8A9LOujMWIIdxRNKVQPI-uWkpcjsCtqK5v91x3FFRMV2bu_T6WWFVUTmbSLQ2ngaotpThmJFH_CS8fUPrOwV96JE3-OlCTZ6jN13UcBrQgs/s4032/IMG_4318.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2m27D0iVQ0gDZpajqKBPIrkzChVYMsuLQrPr9xXGI6-aRepFdKcBLH5bdG7ZeyNjzgedHK9kyacxvO8E8A9LOujMWIIdxRNKVQPI-uWkpcjsCtqK5v91x3FFRMV2bu_T6WWFVUTmbSLQ2ngaotpThmJFH_CS8fUPrOwV96JE3-OlCTZ6jN13UcBrQgs/w200-h150/IMG_4318.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From what I knew of the tumultuous history of the Arizona Coyotes franchise, I went into this experience with very low expectations. They originated after the original Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996, and after a brief period with Wayne Gretzky at the helm, declared bankruptcy in 2009. Pretty much ever since then, there has been a looming threat of the team moving, with constant ownership changes and aborted sales, many years of low revenue and general futility, and many failed attempts at securing a new arena. They were even evicted from their last arena in Glendale, which is why they currently play in a 5,000-seat arena that was built for the Arizona State Sun Devils. So it was a pleasant surprise to walk into a sellout crowd for which we could only manage to procure standing room seats. There was an electric energy the entire game and the building was loud from puck drop to final horn. We'll never know if the Coyotes fanbase would have filled a normal sized NHL arena that day, but from what I saw at the game and around town in our 4 days in Phoenix, there is definitely an appetite for hockey in the desert that I was not anticipating. If an NHL franchise can thrive and succeed like the one in Vegas, I have no doubt that with the right ownership and arena that the Coyotes can too.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlr2FTpyZ_P1EhWHv6KDZ5KbjmG9gQcBJIDptcSSaLgehd1P52kTiHlETDVUTfwtCr5JV3LwRcZhbNtkMu_W9TH_nkJk8EqahfqcyNHYgDlFn4hZq0Hcpq4eFmpCjXx6RGEiPZ0umS90T59jtk-bsX8k6KdvN1qTY06hzr8M9zKmZDwttaeLmSRde1VA/s4032/IMG_4330.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlr2FTpyZ_P1EhWHv6KDZ5KbjmG9gQcBJIDptcSSaLgehd1P52kTiHlETDVUTfwtCr5JV3LwRcZhbNtkMu_W9TH_nkJk8EqahfqcyNHYgDlFn4hZq0Hcpq4eFmpCjXx6RGEiPZ0umS90T59jtk-bsX8k6KdvN1qTY06hzr8M9zKmZDwttaeLmSRde1VA/w200-h150/IMG_4330.JPG" width="200" /></a>The smaller size of Mullett Arena as opposed to a standard NHL arena of 3x that size made this a very unique environment. I've been to a handful of NHL games, but the bulk of my hockey experience comes from the UW Badgers and Milwaukee Admirals, and even those teams play in considerably larger arenas, so this Coyotes game was like nothing I've ever experienced hockey-wise. It truly felt like a raucous college crowd and it was cool to be a part of. The exterior is non-descript, as there are very few windows and it consists of primarily one deck of seats so it is quite short. The interior is ringed by a concourse on 3 sides that has a 100% open view to the ice. Concessions are positioned in the 4 corners of the arena only, which really keeps the concourse open for circulation, or in our case, standing at a drink rail to watch the game. The 4th side of the arena has a large private club area that interrupts the concourse. The 2nd level features a row of small, intimate suites lining the long ends of the arena, and on one of the short sides is another private party deck. I always clamor at ballparks about the large amount of private club/suite space versus areas accessible to all, but for them to build that much private space in an arena this small, it must be booked up with sponsors and wealthy benefactors and put to good use for the university. We wedged into an area behind the goal that the 'Yotes shot at twice, sandwiched between two groups of people that understood absolutely nothing about hockey - some drunk guys from Ireland and some cheerleaders. I love standing room areas and Erik and I had a blast being a part of the lively crowd. Outside of eating the sorriest excuse for nachos I've ever seen, I thoroughly enjoyed Mullett Arena, and it was one of the most fun games of the trip.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndBQiTFComSPs9AsxkOtBoOyrMiq0WXqyfyESgsbIBCnPpk6c8s8NK98_H1Hzp26FeQr0awSk84yH6Bdj9_t_ItpksbA-fnrXEnnYQGpGB7kx2yTdLwozQpbdA8omsjcT7ss9dS6SRa12O9FvUSHM-ESq22hg0n42Ajk_FS1bkL9_UkCn4HsGVkwwVs8/s4032/IMG_4331.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndBQiTFComSPs9AsxkOtBoOyrMiq0WXqyfyESgsbIBCnPpk6c8s8NK98_H1Hzp26FeQr0awSk84yH6Bdj9_t_ItpksbA-fnrXEnnYQGpGB7kx2yTdLwozQpbdA8omsjcT7ss9dS6SRa12O9FvUSHM-ESq22hg0n42Ajk_FS1bkL9_UkCn4HsGVkwwVs8/w200-h150/IMG_4331.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Coyotes lost to the new version of the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 5-3. Arizona jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 1st period on a goal by J.J. Moser, assisted by Lawson Crouse on a nice little 2-on-1 breakaway. Winnipeg woke up in the 2nd and there were a total of 5 goals scored in that period, and the score was tied 3-3 at the second intermission. The Jets took the lead for good at 3:23 into the 3rd period on a slap shot by defenseman Brenden Dillon, who was for some reason left all alone on the weak side of the play. The Coyotes went on the power play with about 5 minutes left in the game and Erik and I were obnoxiously screaming for them to pull the goalie for the 2-man advantage, but it was all for naught and a wasted opportunity. Erik was excited to see Logan Cooley play for the 'Yotes, who was the #3 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of the University of Minnesota. He was a relative non-factor in the game with a (-2) and only one shot on goal.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Following the game, we finally hit up the famous Micky's Hot Dogs and downed a couple of much-anticipated Sonoran Hot Dogs, which is an Arizona delicacy typically wrapped in bacon and covered with chilis and mayo, served on a doughy and flaky style of bun. We paid the price for those the following day, but for now, we proceeded to Mesa with full bellies for game #2 of the day and the final game of our trip.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>arena rankings and statistics:<br /></em></strong><em>aesthetics - 7 (low marks for exterior but high marks for interior)<br /></em><em>view to ice - 9<br /></em><em>surrounding area - 7 (ASU campus)<br /></em><em>food variety - 3<br /></em><em>nachos - 1 (bag of chips and cup o' cheese)<br /></em><em>beer - 4<br /></em><em>vendor price - 9<br /></em><em>ticket price - 3 ($75 for SRO)<br /></em><em>atmosphere - 8<br /></em><em>walk to arena - 7<br /></em><em>parking proximity - n/a<br /></em><em>concourses - 4 (not active but points for view to ice)<br /></em><em>team shop - 2 (one small team stand)</em></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; text-align: left;"><em><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">best food - the pizza looked good<br />most unique arena feature - being a one-deck college arena<br />best jumbotron feature - player/game intro<br />best intermission feature - Howler regales the crowd</span></em></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">starting goalies - Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) v. Karel Vejmelka (ARI)<br />Three Stars of the game - (1) Nino Niederreiter - WPG, (2) Brenden Dillon - WPG, (3) Lawson Crouse - ARI<br />opponent - Winnipeg Jets<br />attendance - 4600<br />score - 5-3 L<br />Admirals score that day - 2-1 L</span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-63993490922560177282023-11-08T21:28:00.009-06:002023-11-10T09:25:23.054-06:00Tour 2023: Surprise Stadium<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IL0ba3FRWSrd86Vw6ZsTkII9e-j75I-4pz2ydvBnKey2lXrypvjyfFDeSP_rDzufcDGOs0Yryame9-f9Tmr5J-tMZ6Yr5f7l3-9QGs2P4HRUqj-RtqxMuOdtkSsRdO11SDw8oOVXoyhrZ0KBXQaQb48t76VipoL2RkUshi_UtfKkpX3WgNu1f_-G1hQ/s4032/IMG_4279.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IL0ba3FRWSrd86Vw6ZsTkII9e-j75I-4pz2ydvBnKey2lXrypvjyfFDeSP_rDzufcDGOs0Yryame9-f9Tmr5J-tMZ6Yr5f7l3-9QGs2P4HRUqj-RtqxMuOdtkSsRdO11SDw8oOVXoyhrZ0KBXQaQb48t76VipoL2RkUshi_UtfKkpX3WgNu1f_-G1hQ/w400-h300/IMG_4279.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><p><b>All photos of Surprise Stadium available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720312488864" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></p></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyu71L93UFriyZjEkHDPLqNdMnByzE1dfLf2vkKh5dbyAWncO1DEIWxFqbY9wITSgyRks48qLu7ySE8Sr3FXtPZwkgf5N1z17NDk73SiksvgSlO2lJU-PrQAWNr203eI5XYZhUt2mUdqwoyEu4KlKb6VDq0IELB45ZVSIXih1EnUMAL037Rd-UZ8TttNM/s4032/IMG_4275.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyu71L93UFriyZjEkHDPLqNdMnByzE1dfLf2vkKh5dbyAWncO1DEIWxFqbY9wITSgyRks48qLu7ySE8Sr3FXtPZwkgf5N1z17NDk73SiksvgSlO2lJU-PrQAWNr203eI5XYZhUt2mUdqwoyEu4KlKb6VDq0IELB45ZVSIXih1EnUMAL037Rd-UZ8TttNM/w200-h150/IMG_4275.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Erik and I made the joke on the way out to Surprise that the city must have gotten its name from the town's founder saying "Surprise, there's more Phoenix!" The story of Surprise is not unlike any other Phoenix suburb - it started as little more than a tiny agricultural/industrial village on the outskirts, saw modest grown up until the turn of the century, and has now ballooned to a city of nearly 150,000 people. Surprise Stadium is right at the center of that growth, opening in late 2002 and seating over 10,000 people. The stadium has been the Spring Training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers since its inception, and followed only a couple of years later with the first incarnation of the Surprise AFL team, now known as the Saguaros. We arrived at about 6:00pm for a 6:30 first pitch and purchased our customary $12 GA tickets as we have been at every other AFL game.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDkzgvhQcMk54WuFJ7-n_qhUZ4AbpYsquCpmJdmfjZiEGlTSUKM5v-snN_gC4OJxzTUKE6p_IkbcqXQs0ZTFBv2OtpNsG7zPemasqNJTnsIBpIReH0X8vaEj1Zs8eJLJavxcY51tR6km47ZPc0ruQlI0aaQLCrpcN5I97_jWN4CeHQmepeh_IDrHEZas/s4032/IMG_4280.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDkzgvhQcMk54WuFJ7-n_qhUZ4AbpYsquCpmJdmfjZiEGlTSUKM5v-snN_gC4OJxzTUKE6p_IkbcqXQs0ZTFBv2OtpNsG7zPemasqNJTnsIBpIReH0X8vaEj1Zs8eJLJavxcY51tR6km47ZPc0ruQlI0aaQLCrpcN5I97_jWN4CeHQmepeh_IDrHEZas/w200-h150/IMG_4280.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Out of all the parks I was visiting for the first time on this trip, Surprise was my favorite one. Perhaps I was unfairly swayed by the amazing sunset as we arrived, or the calm cool breeze, but it was a very welcoming ballpark to arrive to. It has a very enchanting courtyard with a lone mature tree at its center, with the entry point arranged in a concave shape around the courtyard set between two towers to draw you in. There is a ring of baseball-shaped bollards around the street side of the courtyard to complete the circle, and it all makes for one of the better thought out entry sequences in the Cactus League/AFL. When we made our way through the gate, I immediately noticed that we were entering through the outfield which is something I normally detest, but then I noticed there is a nearly identical entry sequence in the left field corner. This gives the park a beautiful symmetry which gives the outfield entries a purpose and design intent. We were greeted by a bosque of the Saguaros' namesake plants, and made our way down the right field line towards home plate. On the street side of the concourse is a sort of pavilion for a lack of a better term that I'm guessing holds team offices, and it reminded me a lot of the center field pavilion at the old Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Again, this same type of pavilion exists in the opposite corner to reinforce the symmetry, with the RF pavilion being the Rangers side and LF being the Royals side. As you move from the outfield toward the infield, you walk under the suite level above the concourse, and I can only imagine that the balconies overhanging the suites coupled with an array of open concession stands would make this feel like a lively pedestrian street at a crowded Spring Training game. On this night, it just served to make me feel snug and welcomed, just as many of the details at the park do. The relatively short lower bowl of only 15-20 rows adds to that snugness as well. You feel like the upper deck is right on top of you when you're sitting in the lower bowl, which is a pretty cool feeling at a park of this size. This is the only park I ate an actual meal at this week, and I had a pretty sorry excuse of a "Manager's Special" which consisted of two tiny chicken strips served on a mound of barely-cooked tater tots that have probably been sitting in the back of a freezer since March. A 24-oz Coors Banquet quickly remedied that, and we settled into the 3rd row for the night's action.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr1dZFFbSW3-rAS7eYVcuYNkNgP_i8wo5Xbzf97H8tGqu9xEqdiw-uU0iR9lqhLE3Jz4cRVOJiFS7L8MBhUusArHug-YsuYYZM0v4-WCPte7MxwpYVyBSnmwSfpjuC6aHbI2uJrdgi2EM1G6YEAdOoWrkj0kiE0bMVY7tNcA1ftzXqou0mZdHGazoPdM/s4032/IMG_4291.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr1dZFFbSW3-rAS7eYVcuYNkNgP_i8wo5Xbzf97H8tGqu9xEqdiw-uU0iR9lqhLE3Jz4cRVOJiFS7L8MBhUusArHug-YsuYYZM0v4-WCPte7MxwpYVyBSnmwSfpjuC6aHbI2uJrdgi2EM1G6YEAdOoWrkj0kiE0bMVY7tNcA1ftzXqou0mZdHGazoPdM/w200-h150/IMG_4291.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Stadium aside, this was the ballgame I was looking forward to the most of the week as the Surprise team features Brewers prospects on it. Three different Brewers strapped 'em on in this game in the 5-2 victory over the visiting Salt River Rafters. Wes Clarke was actually drafted twice by the Crew and signed as a 10th round pick in 2021. He got the start at first base and hit cleanup, and he went 1-3 with a walk. As of that game, he was tied for the AFL lead with 5 homeruns, but he has since been surpassed. This is on top of the 26 bombs he notched in Biloxi this year, so hopefully he can hone that power threat for the big league club someday. Adam Seminaris and Justin Yeager both tossed a scoreless inning apiece from the mound as well. Both of them were picked up in trades this past offseason - Seminaris in the Hunter Renfroe deal, and Yeager in the William Contreras deal. Unfortunately Brewers shortstop prospect and 2022 1st round pick Eric Brown Jr. did not play in this game, but he has been turning a lot of heads in the Fall League by all accounts. Trent Palmer of the Blue Jays organization got the start for Surprise and was the only pitcher we saw all week go more than 3 innings. He gave up 2 runs over 3.2, but that was still good enough as Surprise put up a 3-spot in the 1st against the Rafters' Dylan Smith (Tigers). We joked that there were zero Reds or Rockies prospects that got in the game for Surprise or Salt River, so I'm glad we are not fans of those particular teams.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Following the brisk game, we had a drive of over an hour back to Tempe, and we unsuccessfully tried to pretend we were young again at a bar on ASU campus before calling it a night.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics</i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">:</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">aesthetics - 8</span></em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">views from park - 2</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i><span><span><span><span><span>v<span><span><span><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">iew to field - 9 (all seats very close)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">surrounding area - 1 (single family homes and vacant land)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>food variety - 6</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">nachos - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">beer - 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">vendor price - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">ticket price - 9</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">atmosphere - 6</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">walk to park - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">parking price/proximity - 10 (adjacent lot for free)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concourses - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">team shop - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>kids area - n/a<br /></i><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best food - anything but the "Manager's Special"</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">most unique stadium feature - entry/outfield pavilions</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>best jumbotron feature - n/a</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best between-inning feature - n/a</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">field dimensions - 350/400/350</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>starters - Dylan Smith (SR) v. Trent Palmer (SUR)<br />opponent - Salt River Rafters</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">time of game - 2:24</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">attendance - 385</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">score - 5-2 W</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-61506641226932311182023-11-08T13:20:00.008-06:002023-11-08T16:11:34.532-06:00Tour 2023: Peoria Sports Complex<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCR79v0MApeyvYN6pV-dlkPLBvqyWWAAjaSib2vDVYZR2aGDiLLhJQCX3xj_tX17m1997j7G2X7gv_OyHArwvlXwitwpfC2RB_EsciPl2EVEUxdp9mI_LPe82M5qzGFa7rdLmSQLwbCpIdY98RVwxV6BWEHPrngaDXb6O-tsLLKgFtEYq4-VeEIfEYuQ/s4032/IMG_4218.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCR79v0MApeyvYN6pV-dlkPLBvqyWWAAjaSib2vDVYZR2aGDiLLhJQCX3xj_tX17m1997j7G2X7gv_OyHArwvlXwitwpfC2RB_EsciPl2EVEUxdp9mI_LPe82M5qzGFa7rdLmSQLwbCpIdY98RVwxV6BWEHPrngaDXb6O-tsLLKgFtEYq4-VeEIfEYuQ/w400-h300/IMG_4218.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><p><b>All photos of Papago Park and Peoria Sports Complex available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720312488844" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></p></b></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7R1c_fg6lO3VkcetaOz3NKver4pylDnAvg2ymXj_UrcgpiwiCR4G9bvuapP0MNsCV3kmkgqifRNxgSb-WuMUXUrryU0k7pDkLheZ1OTS4-dvVwiaq-5z9CfaGD0e7ZOqPNsaqB-BC5sRyv4AvVWDN-k5mY8S7rJMYi8IBt_2Q2bmAKdM8GywR8bG6Ic/s4032/IMG_4195.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7R1c_fg6lO3VkcetaOz3NKver4pylDnAvg2ymXj_UrcgpiwiCR4G9bvuapP0MNsCV3kmkgqifRNxgSb-WuMUXUrryU0k7pDkLheZ1OTS4-dvVwiaq-5z9CfaGD0e7ZOqPNsaqB-BC5sRyv4AvVWDN-k5mY8S7rJMYi8IBt_2Q2bmAKdM8GywR8bG6Ic/w200-h150/IMG_4195.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Friday was our first of two consecutive doubleheaders, as we would be seeing 4 games in 2 different sports in the span of about 30 hours. But I'm proud of the fact that, even with all of the ballgames we cram into our trips, we always still make time to explore the area we're staying a little bit. We spent Friday morning hiking around Papago Park, which is a massive municipal park spanning nearly 1500 acres across Phoenix and Tempe. It is a vast desert landscape with red sandstone as far as the eye can see and various hills and geological formations to climb, including the famous Hole-in-the-Rock landmark which we traversed to the top of. The park also includes the Phoenix Zoo, the home of Sandra Day O'Connor, and Hunt's Tomb (all of which we somehow missed), but it was a breathtaking couple of hours that made me all too aware just how badly out of shape I am. We grabbed a quick shower and a lunch after our hike and were off to Peoria for a 2:30pm start.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8u-WzZFl9i_nXtOo7NS4JqsY53VpljCCilirpCVFmQIhk1b3fprWRAGQossQtbZYLiRkrN1u92xKg8wV9zsgcnU7wweYo6LO-t5hK3_7-ET_BnMTpkTc8BjTw-ctlsk496CYxs1BlISss_dbAX1rerUxCtWmIF0i_x2vVku5HZj_oMcRgyygPt-wJ-dY/s4032/IMG_4242.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8u-WzZFl9i_nXtOo7NS4JqsY53VpljCCilirpCVFmQIhk1b3fprWRAGQossQtbZYLiRkrN1u92xKg8wV9zsgcnU7wweYo6LO-t5hK3_7-ET_BnMTpkTc8BjTw-ctlsk496CYxs1BlISss_dbAX1rerUxCtWmIF0i_x2vVku5HZj_oMcRgyygPt-wJ-dY/w200-h150/IMG_4242.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To put it bluntly, Peoria Sports Complex is the worst ballpark in the Cactus League/AFL in my opinion. It opened for business in 1994, so in its hey-day it served a good 10-year run as the newest park in the circuit and the first shared team complex in the Valley. Nearly 30 years later and the park now pales in comparison to all of the other new and renovated complexes that have passed it by. The exterior is very off-putting with a lot of weird angles, lots of desert-colored EIFS, and not that many vantage points to see inside. It is ringed by a circular road all the way around, so I thought it was cool you could essentially see the entire exterior of the stadium from your car before parking, but there wasn't much to see whether on foot or in a car. Once inside, it is the type of park where the concourse is behind the grandstand at grade level and you have to walk through tunnels to emerge to the seating bowl. This type of setup is always a big clue to when a park was built, and while it can be charming in very old parks, it's very antiquated in a park that is younger than me. The seating bowl was very forgettable but we did appreciate that it was separated into essentially 3 tiers/levels to provide some shade and a variety of seating options. We found the seats themselves to be very stiff and uncomfortable and likely would have spent our day at the Sam Adams bar/party deck up on the 3rd tier, but not surprisingly that was closed for an AFL game. What the park lacked in pizzazz it did make up for in atmosphere, as this was by far the most well attended game of the week with over 600 people. The Javelinas seem to have a lot of day games in the AFL while most teams play 6:30pm starts, and I suspect the reason is due to the fact that this stadium gets used for so many events year round, including the Vans Warped Tour. There were ads for many of these of events on the jumbotron between innings. Peoria seemed to be one of the nicer cities of the Cactus League/AFL circuit with one of the livelier central business districts, so it is clear that they take great pride in the team and stadium here, but exploring the downtown would be the only reason I ever go back to Peoria if and when I make it back out for Spring Training.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceboZPAdSNWNq0O4Uesz1gquwr4MxUfpxpRhKD-pzcF__gpb2WaCgMQxpd51NQiIWY4O6vNoHXAX2abLW5_HsEtarHBCUvN1PUxsfsHXmuFnSg4G7-kVgAvuOf_HtbVk-tqQmiV3csc8WIRDoV5gcH-At4gJ1nFW4TSCAV3MFQ-qkG58mr6f48SUnhIw/s4032/IMG_4247.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceboZPAdSNWNq0O4Uesz1gquwr4MxUfpxpRhKD-pzcF__gpb2WaCgMQxpd51NQiIWY4O6vNoHXAX2abLW5_HsEtarHBCUvN1PUxsfsHXmuFnSg4G7-kVgAvuOf_HtbVk-tqQmiV3csc8WIRDoV5gcH-At4gJ1nFW4TSCAV3MFQ-qkG58mr6f48SUnhIw/w200-h150/IMG_4247.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Peoria beat the Mesa Solar Sox by a score of 8-7, with Marlins prospect Jacob Berry hitting the game-winning sac fly in the 8th. I recognized Berry from when I visited Beloit back in June and he had a nice little day with 2 RBI and solid defense at 3rd base. There were several big name prospects in this game. Kevin Alcantara, a Cubs top prospect, went 2-5 with a booming triple. Max Muncy (not that Max Muncy - the A's prospect) went hitless on the day for Mesa as well. Chase DeLauter and Kyle Manzardo, both Guardians prospects, batted 1-2 for the Javelinas and went a combined 1-8. We had never of Shane Sasaki, but he was one of the players that Erik and I were the most impressed with. He was a 3rd round pick of the Rays a few years ago and had 3 hits, 3 RBI, and 2 steals out of the 9-hole for Peoria. He's only in A-ball in his 4th year in the minors so we'll see if he ends up being another classic diamond in the rough for Tampa Bay. Nobody really stood out pitching wise as this was a back-and-forth affair all day. There were only 2 innings in the entire game in which a run was not scored by either team.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Following the Javelinas win, with the sun setting in front of us, we drove even further west to the very outskirts of the Phoenix metro area to Surprise for game #2 of our doubleheader.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics</i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">:</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">aesthetics - 2</span></em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">views from park - 5 (can see the mountains from the upper tiers)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i><span><span><span><span><span>v<span><span><span><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">iew to field - 8 (older park means less safety netting)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">surrounding area - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>food variety - 5 (I am judging all concessions based on average compared to other AFL games - not everything you would find at a Cactus League game was offered)</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">nachos - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">beer - 6</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">vendor price - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">ticket price - 9</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">atmosphere - 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">walk to park - 1</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">parking price/proximity - 10 (adjacent lot for free)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concourses - 2</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">team shop - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>kids area - 8 (one of the only parks I saw that actually had one)<br /></i><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best food - hot dog (most parks only sold dogs, nachos, and peanuts)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">most unique stadium feature - 3 seating tiers</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>best jumbotron feature - ads for other Peoria Sports Complex events</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best between-inning feature - n/a</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">field dimensions - 340/410/340</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>starters - Nick Hull (MES) v. Ross Carver (PEO)<br />opponent - Mesa Solar Sox</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">time of game - 2:53</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">attendance - 635</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">score - 8-7 W</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-82964018552062993712023-11-06T15:07:00.011-06:002023-11-08T07:55:39.094-06:00Tour 2023: Camelback Ranch (AFL)<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCGYF-rbnPs_FOF7qjbLyEIQ8X4Um9Fmy2hlffPj4MF3vY5mB-qHoqxzKZ449W05_7NL8VEKIQi_M9bG_iQjQbhD5hxCpM0yB7H0Ao3XYWBzFvMSaD9V-qOP3FcSN8DCLW9GQHlvJYjsqyAWDG_QucDW7mODF5hUEcka7Y8-d12zCLp4eEMNHqxjEmFc/s4032/IMG_4160.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCGYF-rbnPs_FOF7qjbLyEIQ8X4Um9Fmy2hlffPj4MF3vY5mB-qHoqxzKZ449W05_7NL8VEKIQi_M9bG_iQjQbhD5hxCpM0yB7H0Ao3XYWBzFvMSaD9V-qOP3FcSN8DCLW9GQHlvJYjsqyAWDG_QucDW7mODF5hUEcka7Y8-d12zCLp4eEMNHqxjEmFc/w400-h300/IMG_4160.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>All photos of Arizona State University and Camelback Ranch available on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720312488809" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliHpa4rJJirMvIarkor5ckWSZW5X4f3gZkwbUk7R4DP-S0LIDFjyYisJZwPvA1XU8lsjDdtKzSmcpbEFGUDwggezG5nz9mW4ujxq-6bjSlZx5xzkPavuZRUMB6Lnola0radPwQrqETd7YzSSkE2K4suAr6mTQnNZvlXnIGJ0O3DOi5cYld-5W-DzmUTc/s4032/IMG_4151.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliHpa4rJJirMvIarkor5ckWSZW5X4f3gZkwbUk7R4DP-S0LIDFjyYisJZwPvA1XU8lsjDdtKzSmcpbEFGUDwggezG5nz9mW4ujxq-6bjSlZx5xzkPavuZRUMB6Lnola0radPwQrqETd7YzSSkE2K4suAr6mTQnNZvlXnIGJ0O3DOi5cYld-5W-DzmUTc/w150-h200/IMG_4151.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My Thursday began with a way too early wakeup call due to the 2-hour time change and just generally not knowing how to sleep in anymore. I took advantage of this extra time in my day by enjoying the weather before the desert sun got too hot. I took a nice relaxing swim in our luxurious rooftop pool, grabbed a shower and a coffee, and then took a nice long stroll around the Arizona State campus. Our hotel was right in the middle of ASU and across the street from some of their major sport venues - so close in fact that the visiting Stonehill College men's hockey team was staying at our hotel. It was a beautiful campus and a peaceful walk, and I enjoyed analyzing what architecture looks like in a hot and arid climate while also trying to remember what it was like to be in college. I picked up Erik at the airport around 11am, and not surprisingly he also wanted to take a dip in the pool. By this time however, it was packed to the gills with teenage hockey bros, so after a few minutes we got dressed and hit up a couple of breweries before our ballgame that evening. Four Peaks Brewing Company had some delicious food and we also thoroughly enjoyed Pedal Haus Brewery's outdoor space.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nMUKSKGK8hDE8kwPHVbbm-gC430n_8ntUrdpt14YglQUWc0kqZmfu_SHzsYFGFFR6NCteaMkHbiXErtcESrnkw4BWVNppGdFXvb_A_QrClrogn2x60-DN-raDvEPDoMLhyCMcopXsU76i8pOt3K4ivLpYSPkAlXfs0NZ3h7CfC0_yWGZOWFardHm79Q/s4032/IMG_4157.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nMUKSKGK8hDE8kwPHVbbm-gC430n_8ntUrdpt14YglQUWc0kqZmfu_SHzsYFGFFR6NCteaMkHbiXErtcESrnkw4BWVNppGdFXvb_A_QrClrogn2x60-DN-raDvEPDoMLhyCMcopXsU76i8pOt3K4ivLpYSPkAlXfs0NZ3h7CfC0_yWGZOWFardHm79Q/w200-h150/IMG_4157.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our first game together of the trip was in Glendale for a 6:30pm first pitch. It was quite a stark contrast from nearly 50,000 people at Chase Field the night before to generously 100 people in Glendale. This was my third visit to Camelback Ranch and I've had wildly different experiences all 3 times. The first time was when I was young and untethered on a scorching hot day with Phil in 2011, the second time was with my wife and 1-year old daughter, and this visit was on a cool and eerily quiet night for a Fall League game. All three visits have netted the same result, and that is that Camelback Ranch was and remains my favorite Cactus League/AFL park. It's admittedly hard to judge the merits and ambiance of a stadium in this league given the low attendance and laid-back atmosphere, so I'm glad I had been to Camelback before in a Spring Training environment. But this was the only AFL park of the week that I had already been to, so it was interesting to contrast the two leagues. Spectators at the Cactus League are really just looking to get out of whatever cold weather state they live in, get ripped, and have good time while seeing a few familiar faces. The Arizona Fall League is not for the faint of heart and it truly meant for those few dedicated fans that are really up on their farm systems and are keen to all of the subtle nuances of the game. Most of the parks only keep one concession stand and one small souvenir stand open and the focus is entirely on the game. It offered Erik and I a lot of time to just relax and talk baseball and not having to stress about much of anything. About half of the people in attendance at this game were scouts, and also Tony LaRussa was there for some reason. He was trying to go incognito by wearing a backwards cap and being sober, but I still found him in the sea of the 12 people in our section. The one bummer of AFL versus a Cactus League game is that the back complexes were all closed and only the main stadium was open, but nonetheless it was great to be back at Camelback Ranch again.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7CL92U3KRw2JHs5WT2PekxxiBcFO28QVgmu-Jif3BacYWM1dvE9ZE2e9oxYqiYjsTvM4LWdQrNIK5fAvpsvHIhNQeotcHmn__6YxmXIlphfkQ11ldlRkpLuqXlnCk4QXjYYOQ74ZX7ImZH6ZAD1Hx2GvP4l041995IGfZJoy0URynuzIcC897DGAwGs/s3088/IMG_4185.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7CL92U3KRw2JHs5WT2PekxxiBcFO28QVgmu-Jif3BacYWM1dvE9ZE2e9oxYqiYjsTvM4LWdQrNIK5fAvpsvHIhNQeotcHmn__6YxmXIlphfkQ11ldlRkpLuqXlnCk4QXjYYOQ74ZX7ImZH6ZAD1Hx2GvP4l041995IGfZJoy0URynuzIcC897DGAwGs/w150-h200/IMG_4185.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Glendale Desert Dogs walked off the Peoria Javelinas with a grand slam in the 9th inning to complete a 9-5 victory. Glendale and Peoria are two of six teams in this league, and each of the 6 teams is represented by prospects from 5 major league clubs, usually with a minimum of 6 guys from every club. The types of prospects that get sent to this league typically range from players who were just drafted, to big name prospects that are getting a reward for a good season, or sometimes it is just a minor leaguer that may have been hurt or scuffling a lot of the year and the parent club wants to see them get some more work. There was a wide array of all these types in the game, as the player ages ranged from teenagers all the way to 27, and from Low-A all the way to AAA. This game represented a bullpen game of sorts for both teams, as the starters only went 2.1 and 3 innings respectively. Kala'i Rosario was the star of the night and also one of the most impressive players of the entire weekend. He is currently in High-A for the Twins and crushed a 2nd inning homer, and he would later go on to win the AFL Homerun Derby on Saturday - more on that in a later post. There were a total of 5 homeruns in the game, including the walk-off slam by Bryan Ramos of the White Sox organization. It was his 4th bomb of the year and he had an .833 OPS as of this game. One of the bigger names in the game and the highest ranked prospect was Colson Montgomery of the White Sox/Desert Dogs. He went 1-3 with 2 RBI out of the 3-hole.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After the game, we enjoyed a night cap at a nearby Twin Peaks, which is kind of like a classy Hooters. Mostly we went there because we assumed Mr. LaRussa would be there, but he must wisely do all of his drinking at home these days. We had one of our many long drives back to Tempe from the western edge of the PHX metro area, and rested up for a long day on Friday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics - unchanged<br /></i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>(see last post from <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2019/03/return-to-camelback-ranch.html" target="_blank">03/11/19</a>)</i></b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i style="background-color: white;">starters - Patrick Wicklander (PEO) v. Josimar Cousin (GLE)<br />opponent - Peoria Javelinas</i><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">time of game - 2:36</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">attendance - 198</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">score - 9-5 W</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span></span></span></p>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-48693565860150531512023-11-06T13:35:00.019-06:002023-11-08T07:54:17.315-06:00Tour 2023: World Series<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxfhiijkBecJxbz7wvJOclRcid3f2HlK5V91cbLc0Q-6z279gCplRPAUQ6x2VZ8RW0AW2ZGj6LHdj89DndRVAND9Xm1mX8fosGRIJYEsYEKX7eYpybcWZrg4HWmsy7PREqCeHT1dE6EPmqb52759eusnazeDGpKGKCo8p_XIOkcW2H016fFelvwq6bM0/s4032/IMG_4090.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxfhiijkBecJxbz7wvJOclRcid3f2HlK5V91cbLc0Q-6z279gCplRPAUQ6x2VZ8RW0AW2ZGj6LHdj89DndRVAND9Xm1mX8fosGRIJYEsYEKX7eYpybcWZrg4HWmsy7PREqCeHT1dE6EPmqb52759eusnazeDGpKGKCo8p_XIOkcW2H016fFelvwq6bM0/w400-h300/IMG_4090.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><div><b>All photos of Tempe and Chase Field available on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720312461352" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></div></b></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLrVezFwM_n94cSVKsjf-pe0KnZmSAYwA9hdDibpnGPKqOy2u9E2ghMmmebHJLAKUGsfppw2xDsXqcWuzneQNkLbsq0fr2THaZOzFoka2VZuZoUWpRDp8fnBDzPNTRaR9gofKfyyatgK-RTYasUi_cmhwabIsuZBWaGUJ_-XpD4BN3HFP6ImBmnHs-pg/s4032/IMG_4082.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLrVezFwM_n94cSVKsjf-pe0KnZmSAYwA9hdDibpnGPKqOy2u9E2ghMmmebHJLAKUGsfppw2xDsXqcWuzneQNkLbsq0fr2THaZOzFoka2VZuZoUWpRDp8fnBDzPNTRaR9gofKfyyatgK-RTYasUi_cmhwabIsuZBWaGUJ_-XpD4BN3HFP6ImBmnHs-pg/w150-h200/IMG_4082.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our first Tour trip in our 40s and our first ever ballgames attended in the month of November occurred in the Phoenix area this past week. We finally crossed off a long-standing bucket list item in the Arizona Fall League and had a great trip crammed full of ball like usual, seeing a total of 6 games in the span of about 72 hours. As we started planning this year's trip, I knew I needed to hit my three remaining ballparks of the Cactus/AFL circuit - Peoria, Surprise, and Sloan Park. We also wanted to make sure to see either a Coyotes NHL game or an Arizona State hockey game, as well as one of the "jewel" AFL events - Fall Stars Game/Derby, Championship, etc. So when the original schedule was released in July, we quickly landed on a weekend where all of those things could be achieved in one trip. The only caveat was that Peoria and Surprise were both only home on a Wednesday, and Erik was not able to fly in any earlier than Thursday, so I decided to book a flight a day earlier just for myself. The schedule ended up changing in August so it became a moot point, but by that point I had already booked everything, so I decided to still fly in on Wednesday solo. Then a few weeks went by, and the Cinderella season of the Arizona Diamondbacks started to unfold. They clinched a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season, very easily swept the Brewers in the first round, sacked the mighty Dodgers, and it was around this time that I started to think "Holy crap, I might actually get to see the D-Backs in the World Series if they can keep this up." I just so happened to be landing in Phoenix on the day of Game 5 and managed to snag one $300 upper deck ticket when they were down 2-0 to the Phillies in the NLCS and things were looking grim. The rest as they say is history, and I can now count myself among the lucky fans who have attended a World Series game! Even though I had no vested interest in the D-Backs other than wanting to see a World Series game, it was so fun to root for a team all the way throughout the playoffs and it made watching this year's postseason very special and exciting for me. I was sad that Erik could not go along to this historic event with me, but the stars had aligned, and it was an opportunity I could not pass up.</span></p></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I landed around 1:00pm local time, quickly picked up our rental car and checked into our hotel, and then I was off to the ballpark. Gates opened 3 hours before first pitch for the World Series, and I wanted to be there as early as possible. In lieu of navigating downtown gameday traffic and paying a million dollars for parking, I decided to take the Valley Metro light rail for $4 round trip. I picked up the train about a 10 minute walk from our hotel on the Arizona State campus in Tempe, and it dropped me off literally right across the street from Chase Field. It could not have been more convenient and I was shocked that a city as big as Phoenix had such a well-functioning transit system. I finally got into the stadium just before 3pm for a 5:03 first pitch, and it was already packed for what would be a wild 5 hours ahead of me.</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE-4gQpvZRWicR6Muyqewp_nuQwDt6atAAiv34bLZ81Sm9OK-cAkk380x4wbvBUmo58KcAFdi-mwzyP0qL5df7b0Qf3AqrETfcs0ZOR6NOMED5Xz200flGp617AE4YHXRkgrbqijOztm6ypuxJAVu81qvUiMJcH2siH1Ya7Fv5671OVlg3D2EFIN-2gU/s4032/IMG_4118.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE-4gQpvZRWicR6Muyqewp_nuQwDt6atAAiv34bLZ81Sm9OK-cAkk380x4wbvBUmo58KcAFdi-mwzyP0qL5df7b0Qf3AqrETfcs0ZOR6NOMED5Xz200flGp617AE4YHXRkgrbqijOztm6ypuxJAVu81qvUiMJcH2siH1Ya7Fv5671OVlg3D2EFIN-2gU/w200-h150/IMG_4118.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My initial reaction when I got into the ballpark was that it was a lot nicer than I remembered from my last visit in 2007. However, a lot of that reaction can be attributed to the sellout playoff atmosphere and the fact that the roof was open, both rarities at Chase Field. When I took the crowd and the roof out of the equation, it was about what I remembered, namely that it is very similar to American Family Field. All these years for some reason I thought the two ballparks were designed by the same architect, but the internet it telling me that is not the case, so it makes the similarities all the more remarkable. It has the same outfield setup and infrastructure necessary to hold up the roof, the major difference being that the roof in Phoenix slides open as a two-panel door, and in Milwaukee the roof opens like a fan. This means that Chase Field is inherently more angular and rectilinear. It has the same 3-tiered party deck setup in right field and the restaurant in left field, which 16 years ago was a TGIF just like when Miller Park opened and is now called "Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers." It has the same large centered jumbotron, albeit this one looks like it has not been updated since the park opened. The concourses have a very similar look and feel and they even sell Miller Lite. The major difference to Chase Field is just that it has nothing aesthetically interesting or memorable about it. The exterior is a gigantic ugly mostly windowless box and there are no sort of unique nodes or areas in the ballpark of any kind. If you were to meet somebody at this ballpark who had never been there before, it would really difficult to finish the sentence "Meet me by the ____." I do appreciate that there is a lot of outfield seating, something that AmFam lacks. Chase Field is in that sort of middle tier of ballparks - not super old, not super new, but right in that middle "was cutting edge 20 years ago but could use a major facelift" category, similar to the ones that Progressive Field, Kauffman Stadium, and Rogers Centre have all gotten in the last decade. The Diamondbacks have been in an ongoing fight with Maricopa County for many years now over much needed stadium upgrades and repairs and who is paying for them, so it will be interesting to see if Chase Field is around for much longer. Based on what I saw on Wednesday, the D-Backs would be foolish to give up their prime downtown location, whether that is in a new ballpark or an extensively remodeled one.</span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After a few laps and reacquainting myself with Chase Field, I took in some BP from behind home plate and then I got my eagerly awaited World Series merchandise. The D-Backs actually had a nice little set up where they had a plethora of very small merch stands that only sold about 10 things each, and you stood in line and just told the cashier what you wanted and they grabbed it for you. It really alleviated a lot of unnecessary congestion for people that were all probably buying the same program and ball that I was. Following the team store, I inhaled what was probably the best meal I ate for the entire trip - nachos loaded with queso, chicken, and cornbread crumbles, served in a giant foil pan. As I watched my body swell up from ingesting a week's worth of sodium, I made my way up to my seat in the 12th row in the RF corner of the upper deck to settle in for first pitch.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6fvzGRwuLEGQy_hmcuOKfpBbRx9H2S1KJI5vSDwLXB-USzGBevGZpKRbvJW2UxrgDvoS9vtROp-To51KHwNHIgZx4V6ndD9OKAqO5CgqdkCb-ntJngF-wZ22baRwEOOMvKlpSGSA5By0ecBjGjdNGJbjrSoxdGfGTUYsRqdoeDdj4xpIjf9U86H3eZY/s4032/IMG_4122.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6fvzGRwuLEGQy_hmcuOKfpBbRx9H2S1KJI5vSDwLXB-USzGBevGZpKRbvJW2UxrgDvoS9vtROp-To51KHwNHIgZx4V6ndD9OKAqO5CgqdkCb-ntJngF-wZ22baRwEOOMvKlpSGSA5By0ecBjGjdNGJbjrSoxdGfGTUYsRqdoeDdj4xpIjf9U86H3eZY/w150-h200/IMG_4122.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Words can't even really describe the atmosphere and electricity of the ballpark for a World Series game. It would be like trying to describe an ocean or a sunset. I actually had to turn my phone off for most of the game because it was nearly dead by about 3:30, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was able to just be fully present and immerse myself in the game, with no texting or pictures for a few hours, and just live in the moment - something I think we all struggle with these days. If my phone was on, I also surely would have been non-stop texting Erik and reminding him that he passed up the opportunity to be at a World Series game that started with 6 no-hit innings. I'm pretty sure he would have stopped being my friend if Zac Gallen actually finished the no-hitter, but alas it was not meant to be as the D-Backs ended up losing 5-0, thus losing the World Series to the visiting Texas Rangers. Gallen was masterful but just got left in a few hitters too long, giving up 3 hits and a run in the 7th inning. Corey Seager cemented his World Series MVP award by breaking up the no-hitter in the 7th and chipping in another hit and a walk on a 2-4 night. Marcus Semien put the game out of reach with a 2-run bomb in the 9th, which landed just in front of me after I moved to the outfield for the final inning. I turned my phone on for one final gasp and just enough juice to record the Rangers celebrating on the field. I was very impressed with how well the D-Backs fans showed up even in the loss. Almost everybody in the stands remained until the very last pitch and they were loud for the entire game.</span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Normally the first night of our trips are the nights Erik and I imbibe way too hard, but since I was there myself on Wednesday, it was straight back to the hotel for me after a long 26-hour day following the time change. It was weird to think that the World Series was really just an appetizer for our trip, and I went to bed pumped to see my friend in the morning and start the main course.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>updated park rankings and statistics<br /></i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>(see original post from <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2007/08/day-58-chase-field.html" target="_blank">08/21/07</a>)</i></b>:<br /></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">aesthetics - 5<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">views from park - 2<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i><span><span><span><span><span>v<span><span><span><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">iew to field - 7<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">surrounding area - 5<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>food variety - 6<br /></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">nachos - improves to 10 (some of the best ballpark nachos I've ever had)<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">beer - 5<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">vendor price - 7<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">ticket price - decreases to 8<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">atmosphere - improves to 9<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">walk to park - improves to 5<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">parking price/proximity - 8<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concourses - decreases to 5<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">team shop - 7<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>kids area - n/a</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best food - nachos with queso, chicken, and cornbread crumbles<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">most unique stadium feature - pool in right-center<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>best jumbotron feature - D-Backs postseason highlights<br /></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best between-inning feature - Legends Race</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">field dimensions - 330/407/334</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i>starting lineups -<br /></i><span><i><u>Texas Rangers<br /></u></i></span><span><i>Marcus Semien (2B)<br /></i></span><span><i>Corey Seager (SS)<br /></i></span><span><i>Evan Carter (LF)<br /></i></span><span><i>Mitch Garver (DH)<br /></i></span><span><i>Josh Jung (3B)<br /></i></span><span><i>Nathaniel Lowe (1B)<br /></i></span><span><i>Jonah Heim (C)<br /></i></span><span><i>Leody Taveras (CF)<br /></i></span><span><i>Travis Jankowski (RF)<br /></i></span><span><i>Nathan Eovaldi (P)</i></span><span><i><br /></i></span><span><i><u>Arizona Diamondbacks<br /></u></i></span><span><i>Corbin Carroll (RF)<br /></i></span><span><i>Ketel Marte (2B)<br /></i></span><span><i>Gabriel Moreno (C)<br /></i></span><span><i>Christian Walker (1B)<br /></i></span><span><i>Tommy Pham (DH)<br /></i></span><span><i>Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF)<br /></i></span><span><i>Alek Thomas (CF)<br /></i></span><span><i>Evan Longoria (3B)<br /></i></span><span><i>Geraldo Perdomo (SS)<br /></i></span><span><i>Zac Gallen (P)</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px;"><i><br /></i><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">time of game - 2:54<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">attendance - 48511<br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">score - 5-0 L (TEX wins series 4-1)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">FINAL 2023 GAMES ATTENDED:<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Erik - 8<br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>Peter - 27</span></span></p></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-76447895941480277752023-10-23T10:36:00.006-05:002023-10-23T10:36:39.999-05:00Twins End Postseason Win Drought<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGVk9QObGC3QfWcVcThqQhPcwAUEbskDDncDRmXUwTGGwgA9HvqXWR6TBTslHB6j_ie2kRyE7BUCvR9knX67RlfdoyubxCX5naeJFVhFJ6N9bl9RzMGHgy2Cbm81WITcGVwl7wthxujq8VxJIP0oRRAsEEfLope8H2OSteAjvb1Bir7EpjPmY7vmDsgs/s4032/IMG_3981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGVk9QObGC3QfWcVcThqQhPcwAUEbskDDncDRmXUwTGGwgA9HvqXWR6TBTslHB6j_ie2kRyE7BUCvR9knX67RlfdoyubxCX5naeJFVhFJ6N9bl9RzMGHgy2Cbm81WITcGVwl7wthxujq8VxJIP0oRRAsEEfLope8H2OSteAjvb1Bir7EpjPmY7vmDsgs/w400-h300/IMG_3981.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>All photos of AL Wild Card Game 2 available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720311704805" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Brewers had a disappointing early exit in the playoffs yet again, but I at least got to witness history in Minneapolis a few weeks ago. The Twins hosted the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, and their Game 1 victory was their first playoff win since 2004. I attended Game 2 with my father-in-law, and they completed the 2-0 sweep for their first playoff series win since 2002. Over the 19-year span in between playoff victories, it was certainly not for reasons of futility, as they made the postseason in 6 of those years including 5 AL Central titles. This amounted to a total of 18 losses, 13 of which were at the hands of the Yankees, a long-time "white whale" of the Twinkies. To put this drought into an even more startling perspective, all 29 of the other teams in baseball not only made the playoffs in that span, but each won at least two postseason games. In 2004, smart phones didn't even exist yet. Their current manager Rocco Baldelli was a 22-year old rookie. Erik and I were just starting grad school and hadn't even begun planning The Tour yet. I could go on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJ_V76ZFY5GR5qVcfAY7EyEsPl-9xxqT9Uh7qj-2gmMAYIbJJempkp_9reRoy02ywKNPyWcF4I3FH4s_3wX5ZQjAnrxUGGACAigBZMQ9g2d1EQgRurvj-ozy081PlG5W7eiMiIL81wjvkR6B2zHu9oVkXITbtErhvtdZjZFP5RL7KbFqfDkD0p2DfmJI/s4032/IMG_3972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJ_V76ZFY5GR5qVcfAY7EyEsPl-9xxqT9Uh7qj-2gmMAYIbJJempkp_9reRoy02ywKNPyWcF4I3FH4s_3wX5ZQjAnrxUGGACAigBZMQ9g2d1EQgRurvj-ozy081PlG5W7eiMiIL81wjvkR6B2zHu9oVkXITbtErhvtdZjZFP5RL7KbFqfDkD0p2DfmJI/w200-h150/IMG_3972.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Game 2 was an energy that I've not experienced at a baseball game since the Brewers won the NL Wild Card in 2008, themselves snapping a 26-year drought. The crowd noise was palpable and we were standing for nearly the entire game. Most games I go to, I'm eagerly awaiting the end of an inning so I can go walk around or grab another beer, but I didn't even want to leave my seat to go to the bathroom for this game. I've been fortunate to be able to go to a fair number of playoff games over the last 15 years, but it was my first series-clinching game, and it was incredible to be in attendance. It's not lost on me that two months after my wife and I moved here, the Twins decided to win their first postseason game in 19 years, and I received many texts from coworkers alerting me to that. It makes me excited to be a good-luck charm and to just continue following this team more and more now as Minnesota residents.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm crossing all of my fingers and toes that I get to attend one more playoff game yet this year. Erik and I are going to Phoenix next week for our Tour 2023 trip to the Arizona Fall League, and I actually decided to fly in a day earlier just to use up some extra vacation (and watch more ball). The day I fly in happens to be Game 5 of the World Series, so if by some miracle the D-Backs can win two games in hostile Citizens Bank Park, and also not get swept in the World Series, I have my $300 upper deck ticket ready to go! Regardless of the outcome of the D-Backs season, stay tuned to read all about our trip in a couple of weeks.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 4</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter - 22</span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-72334136296761265692023-10-02T13:44:00.007-05:002023-10-02T13:54:27.656-05:002023 MLB Postseason<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb2PH2HvHVuA2ZJmIf66qgBT_D8PMe8vhVlsTS8m-Jbkd1gvI8vBlrPUfAB7ogAjmKT54kkQEeo29Py-_lMLQ5P0_6WT86a4DxYkRpFDcoPwlK2kcXWPs_-SFmqshny_kYmQSmRo6BgztL6WiSP74n0TP_r3qZ5nIwaz66aqOFuZjVSZ0VNMXq5VQqpM/s636/craigers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="636" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb2PH2HvHVuA2ZJmIf66qgBT_D8PMe8vhVlsTS8m-Jbkd1gvI8vBlrPUfAB7ogAjmKT54kkQEeo29Py-_lMLQ5P0_6WT86a4DxYkRpFDcoPwlK2kcXWPs_-SFmqshny_kYmQSmRo6BgztL6WiSP74n0TP_r3qZ5nIwaz66aqOFuZjVSZ0VNMXq5VQqpM/w640-h354/craigers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unlike last year's playoff field that was one of the more predictable in recent memory, the 2023 season featured a flurry of twists and unlikely stories. The top 3 payrolls in baseball - Yankees, Padres, and Mets - not only missed the playoffs, but were largely embarrassing for a good chunk of the year. The Yankees were ravaged by injuries and really started to show their age, and Aaron Boone is probably cussing out an umpire somewhere as I write this. The Padres were in the top 6 in just about every NL pitching and hitting category and still somehow needed until the final inning of the final game to even make it above .500. And the Mets were, well, the Mets. The Houston Astros swept the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend and the Texas Rangers lost 3 of 4 to the Seattle Mariners, which propelled Houston to its 6th division title in the last 7 years. Despite getting swept, the D-Backs still snuck in as the #6 seed due to the Chicago Cubs' complete collapse over the final week. The Miami Marlins made the playoffs for the first time in a full season since they won it all in 2003. The Orioles went from losing 110 games just two years ago to winning 101 games as the best team in the American League (with the 3rd lowest payroll). The Atlanta Braves shattered all sorts of offensive records on route to a 103-win season, including Ronald Acuna's 40-70 feat that might have all but cemented his MVP award. And against all odds and seemingly every baseball pundit's preseason pick, the Brewers won the NL Central and will be in their 5th postseason in the last 6 years, which was only made sweeter by the Cardinals coming in dead last.</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I picked the Yankees and Padres to go to the World Series, so that's about all you need to know on how well I predicted the postseason this year. I'm super excited to go to a Twins playoff game on Wednesday in my first year as a Minnesota resident, and I hope to witness history as they have not won a single postseason game since 2004 (and yes I mean GAME not series).</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><b>PLAYOFFS START 10/3/23</b></span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">NL Wild Card Round - #3 Brewers host #6 Diamondbacks, #4 Phillies host #5 Marlins</span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">NLDS - #1 Braves v. 4/5 Winner, #2 Dodgers v. 3/6 Winner</span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">AL Wild Card Round - #3 Twins host #6 Blue Jays, #4 Rays host #5 Rangers</span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">ALDS - #1 Orioles v. 4/5 Winner, #2 Astros v. 3/6 Winner</span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>World Series Prediction: Brewers defeat Astros in 6</i></span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>Rooting for: Brewers v. Twins</i></span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i></i><i></i><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><u>Preseason Predictions:</u></span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><b>#1 Braves</b></span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><b>#2 Dodgers</b></span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><b>#3 Brewers</b></span><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" />#4 Mets<br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><b>#5 Phillies</b><br style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" />#6 Padres</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">#1 Yankees</span><br style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><b>#2 Astros</b></span><br style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">#3 Guardians</span><br style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><b style="font-family: helvetica;">#4 Blue Jays</b><br style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#5 Rays</b></span><br style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" /><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3em;"></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">#6 Mariners</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Preseason World Series Prediction: Yankees defeat Padres</i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">FINAL STANDINGS AND SERIES:</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 92-70, +9.0, 1st NL Central; NL WC v. Diamondbacks</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 87-75, +9.0, 1st AL Central; AL WC v. Blue Jays</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 4</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter - 21</span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-61809976320757873832023-09-25T12:51:00.005-05:002023-09-26T13:54:39.885-05:00Rays Announce Tentative New Ballpark Deal<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQ7dSSC3cWH7bw_ktno8nwlUHNAkhAlY9YF0u-wcOTvqResasL89ttuedMht3KwbbgBZDE9Eg-ZL0BZU3rc-QJUEoWrx_k5spfZ7VtweUFc28ZeOIgK4vonFhtBoqTbRYnUvHzAxf1R-dR2RfrhTeldw-kAvAeL_oPpgZdAGjsS7E8T8X6hbblBPKOsE/s1000/rays%20ballpark.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQ7dSSC3cWH7bw_ktno8nwlUHNAkhAlY9YF0u-wcOTvqResasL89ttuedMht3KwbbgBZDE9Eg-ZL0BZU3rc-QJUEoWrx_k5spfZ7VtweUFc28ZeOIgK4vonFhtBoqTbRYnUvHzAxf1R-dR2RfrhTeldw-kAvAeL_oPpgZdAGjsS7E8T8X6hbblBPKOsE/w640-h384/rays%20ballpark.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>(rendering courtesy of Gensler and Tampa Bay Times)</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After 3 years of almost nothing but hearsay on the MLB ballpark front, all of a sudden it's been a really exciting time to be a ballpark chaser. The <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2023/05/mlb-ballpark-updates.html" target="_blank">A's are supposedly still moving to Vegas</a> and a vote is expected to take place in November by the MLB Owners group, the <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2022/06/anaheim-kc-moving-in-opposite.html" target="_blank">Royals are expected to announce a site for their new ballpark</a> by the end of the year in order to get a financing referendum on the spring ballot, and the Brewers are still working through the details of a <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2023/03/governor-evers-proposes-290m-for-am-fam.html" target="_blank">generational investment in American Family Field</a>. The Blue Jays are midway through a huge renovation of Rogers Centre, and the Angels at some point soon will need to decide on their ballpark future. Among all of this chatter - particularly with the A's move - people kind of forgot about the Rays situation, just because it's been quiet for so long. But as of last week, they have suddenly emerged as perhaps the top contender to be the next team to land a new stadium. The Rays announced last week their plans to construct a new $1.3B stadium next door to Tropicana Field. You can read about all of the financial details <a href="https://ballparkdigest.com/2023/09/19/new-rays-ballpark-1-3b-600-million-public-contribution/" target="_blank">here</a>, but the intent is for a combination of team ownership and private investors to pony up about half of that cost, and for the other half to be funded through some sort of hotel/resort tax from Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg. The ballpark would be a primarily a one-deck ballpark, likely with a fixed roof, and would continue the trend of smaller ballparks within a larger year-round development. Pending government approvals (which are far from a guarantee), the goal would be to open the ballpark in time for the 2028 season, which is a significant date as it is tied to the team's current lease at The Trop expiring after 2027. This deal might represent the last hopes of Tampa Bay getting a new park built without some sort of lease extension or temporary home - or worst case, selling or moving the team.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All of the questions we always have about almost every new ballpark built in this century still apply to the proposed new Rays ballpark. Why does a millionaire need a handout? How is a 30,000 seat stadium economically viable for a public investment? How does a professional sports team positively or negatively affect the average taxpayer? What is the true amount of the total public money behind all of the smoke and mirrors - hidden infrastructure costs, who pays for cost overruns, sale cost of the publicly owned land to the team vs actual appraised value, etc? I'm conflicted on these questions at best and won't rehash the topic of subsidizing sports venues. It's a problem that is never going away as there is always going to be some city somewhere willing to shell out cash for a value that may be real or perceived. The Rays also have the added layer of their ballpark location. For the longest time, the team was pursuing a site in downtown Tampa as that is where the majority of the team's fans are concentrated, and studies have shown the huge obstacle of getting people to games over the bay as a reason for poor attendance. But the team is going all-in on the battle-tested theory that "if you build it, they will come." And in this case, I don't mean that the stadium is "it," but rather the development surrounding the ballpark. It came down to the fact that the Rays have access to a seemingly infinite amount of land at the Tropicana site, and just wouldn't be afforded that luxury at the Tampa site, despite the perk of being closer to the population base. The Braves forever changed the game when they constructed The Battery around their new ballpark 6 years ago, and we will be seeing every city in America moving this direction if they haven't already. It just makes sense to capture as much revenue as you can from 81+ events per year, particularly for teams in a smaller media market like the Rays.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Am I excited that we have another case of a wealthy owner essentially blackmailing a city for a new ballpark? Of course not. Am I excited that I will have to go back to God's Waiting Room in Florida, probably in the peak of summer heat? Hell no. But will fancy renderings of a beautiful new ballpark blind me to all of that? Absolutely. The Rays deserve a new ballpark more than possibly any other MLB team because of how good they've been the last 15 years despite playing in a dump with no fans and a bare-bones payroll, so I'm excited for them and I hope this new stadium is, for once, more than hearsay.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/25/23</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 88-65, +6.0, clinched playoff spot, division magic number 1; 3 v. Cardinals, 3 v. Cubs</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 83-73, +9.5, clinched AL Central; 3 v. Athletics, 3 @ Rockies</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 4</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter - 21</span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-46835247888036905602023-09-11T12:46:00.005-05:002023-10-06T15:51:25.843-05:00First Twins Games as a Minnesota Resident<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UYiakMo8SQWcesv-Q31N31uzHRhXqENp8s_YQVl9zmTlGPGWLGUfhZkpRErgZmQLcXDcQp7Nuvcm-m2jMB1hXkRtcc-IUAltFUjffDhs_0hDFsQ8RVq0zIFgRzb6k9ScXPFENXV4t_6TARZoWiGUX76cP_9-5k7NN_MU2fPe4p19QCSCx3njGr8Y6zA/s4032/IMG_3848.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UYiakMo8SQWcesv-Q31N31uzHRhXqENp8s_YQVl9zmTlGPGWLGUfhZkpRErgZmQLcXDcQp7Nuvcm-m2jMB1hXkRtcc-IUAltFUjffDhs_0hDFsQ8RVq0zIFgRzb6k9ScXPFENXV4t_6TARZoWiGUX76cP_9-5k7NN_MU2fPe4p19QCSCx3njGr8Y6zA/w400-h300/IMG_3848.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwi0olo_iJKEkClpjvBWnekXuT2qLk4YW3SV_sMteUwss3oxVwfvfLtilRacUKzq3VtGiQAay0ac-6PX1lRHHj6ntR2s7fnyxjxwVR-9qTH5SOOFaFRy_j3c04ci-r1E_NmKaShzBw0Rf3efMn5IksCHIpRLpTxPxgCu-PGmLcNsZUtKZqbmjusT8wmk/s4032/IMG_3845.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwi0olo_iJKEkClpjvBWnekXuT2qLk4YW3SV_sMteUwss3oxVwfvfLtilRacUKzq3VtGiQAay0ac-6PX1lRHHj6ntR2s7fnyxjxwVR-9qTH5SOOFaFRy_j3c04ci-r1E_NmKaShzBw0Rf3efMn5IksCHIpRLpTxPxgCu-PGmLcNsZUtKZqbmjusT8wmk/w200-h150/IMG_3845.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>I will always be a Brewers fan first and foremost, but I was excited to root for the Twins for the first time as a Minnesota resident this past weekend. I went to the Saturday and Sunday games vs. the Mets with some friends visiting from out of town, and even though I've probably been to Target Field 20+ times in my life, these games held a little bit more special meaning for me. I was a little bit more proud and felt more welcome at the park just from the sheer fact that I now live in Minnesota, and that might not seem like it should make a difference but it really does. I love visiting new ballparks and I always will, but fandom is a special thing when it is your own team. I still look back fondly at my 3 years in Cincinnati and how psyched I was to follow the Reds, how grateful I was to be a part of their history, and how quickly I got into following the team, and that lasted for many years after I graduated - until the Brewers and Reds both got good and I could no longer in good faith cheer for a Brewers rival. Erik has been a Twins fan since the day he moved to Minneapolis for graduate school and he still is (granted he also worked for the team on two separate occasions so his situation was a little different), so I'm also excited to have one more commonality to share with my best friend.</span><p></p><p></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdON8tV3JCwRFGvloKaJD10NkaZd75FstNTSyCeRUYVkNf6Ax9geTZ26yAEc7LYNB7CkgxcDItUdmb2pYHKH_lxNI0q-at9_sD3vOaqvhQESe9sjWmx2Py-SMXdto6jWyH78st6p7ugMJDBzmgklmGun4Fl99lHMYwe1QzARVJJufHLVHCPHoCyVXtuU/s3088/IMG_6215.JPEG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdON8tV3JCwRFGvloKaJD10NkaZd75FstNTSyCeRUYVkNf6Ax9geTZ26yAEc7LYNB7CkgxcDItUdmb2pYHKH_lxNI0q-at9_sD3vOaqvhQESe9sjWmx2Py-SMXdto6jWyH78st6p7ugMJDBzmgklmGun4Fl99lHMYwe1QzARVJJufHLVHCPHoCyVXtuU/w150-h200/IMG_6215.JPEG" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span>The thing I enjoy most about the Twins and their fans is the sense of belonging from not just the Twin Cities, but all across the state of Minnesota and beyond. They call Target Field "Twins Territory," and I'm not sure if they still do this post-COVID, but they used to do a bus tour all the way around the state in the winter and spring getting people hyped up for the season, sort of like a traveling fan fest. They host themed fan nights for North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa residents/school alumni throughout the year and are always proud to highlight how far their "territory" stretches, which includes some western parts of Wisconsin. The Brewers do have this to a certain degree as well as you could consider the Brewers Wisconsin's team, but I have not seen it to the devotion of Twins fans coming to watch games from all over the state. Minnesota also has a functional government and does not push off "city problems" on the Twins like Wisconsin does with Milwaukee and the Brewers, but that's another story for another time.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I witnessed the Twins take two out of three from the lowly Mets, and the one game they lost was a dominating 8-inning, 14-strikeout performance by Pablo Lopez that the bullpen once again coughed up. I'm now at a point where I have to debate which city I want to watch playoff baseball in - which is a good problem to have - but I have my brand-new Twins cap and Royce Lewis jersey ready just in case I end up choosing the Twins.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/11/23</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 79-63, +3.0, playoffs magic number 14; 4 v. Marlins, 3 v. Nationals, 4 @ Cardinals, 3 @ Marlins</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 75-68, +7.5, playoffs magic number 12; 3 v. Rays, 4 @ White Sox, 3 @ Reds, 3 v. Angels</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 3</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter - 20</span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-59531765622699307182023-09-04T20:47:00.008-05:002023-09-04T20:56:53.025-05:00Northwoods League Launches Women's Softball League<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyo_VH3vh6u4i-KFYszCxHP6RizRX1vEdGsGKB5OL0f6eHhZQMrN1TpS79CTccKj0pg-ookTgA5MbfBUt0_aQuA8hOPPbyb_EvEqXk53pvgyLq4NYjtUQH67AVk1_3UXOUTp_HPK-wRNA-7wi0gFu2H7TwnaYntCI2FiHwTZ33INwSmg0yBsm409mnQ_s/s1178/NWL-Softball-Announcement.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1178" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyo_VH3vh6u4i-KFYszCxHP6RizRX1vEdGsGKB5OL0f6eHhZQMrN1TpS79CTccKj0pg-ookTgA5MbfBUt0_aQuA8hOPPbyb_EvEqXk53pvgyLq4NYjtUQH67AVk1_3UXOUTp_HPK-wRNA-7wi0gFu2H7TwnaYntCI2FiHwTZ33INwSmg0yBsm409mnQ_s/w400-h255/NWL-Softball-Announcement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(image courtesy of northwoodsleague.com)</span></p><p>The Northwoods League has never been a league that rests on its laurels, and has set its sights on becoming North America's premier summer collegiate league since its inception. It has now spread its footprint to 24 teams across 7 states and 2 countries and a 72-game schedule, and it has shown no signs of slowing down its expansion. Having just wrapped its 30th season, not even the baseball world is enough and now is attempting to conquer the softball world as well. The league announced this summer that it will be starting a women's softball component in 2024. It would be the same type of summer collegiate structure as the baseball league in which female college athletes with at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining will be able to play. Teams have yet to be announced, but it is expected that the inaugural year will feature a 40-game schedule with host cities within the existing NWL Baseball footprint. I think it's a pretty safe bet that Rosemont, IL will feature a team as they have one of the premier softball complexes in the Midwest next door to the Chicago Dogs stadium on I-294, which is no longer in use since the National Pro Fastpitch league folded in 2021, and I would guess that every current Northwoods League city that has a major university with a softball program will likely be in consideration for a team - Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Green Bay, etc. I would also guess it's going to be 6 teams max to start. These are all just speculations, but regardless, I am very excited for this and I would totally go watch a game. I had been wanting to get to a Chicago Bandits game ever since I went to see the Dogs play in 2018, but then the pandemic started and the league folded, so it obviously never happened. I would be excited to watch a live softball game for the first time, as I am perhaps even more amazed by watching somebody throw a giant ball 75mph underhand as I am watching somebody throw a ball 100mph overhand.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As an aside, Green Bay defeated St. Cloud to win the first ever championship for the Green Bay franchise. I could not help but find myself rooting for the Rox as I watched the game since I cannot wait to become a season ticket holder next season following our move to the area.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/4/23</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 76-61, +2.5; 3 @ Pirates, 3 @ Yankees</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 72-66, +6.0; 3 @ Guardians, 3 v. Mets</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 3</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 18</span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-5160341439173789472023-08-21T12:36:00.004-05:002023-08-22T09:31:16.911-05:00Tour Molly 2023: Jackson Field<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXHEgTb2BOBz_bqThUI51wZuOOSMKsrjhU-d0r1lcAPTghv9F9L50xWGHdbHO12-wl4XS_ggcvJTEsCqvKn5JpHrj_Xa9yOHpiioVgvbJ6mrKyWw32virHT7yDOfwYgBmvOc6aNu-sFmZzn9BbPTKG3TtAAPDPEJPB27L9u1DvmSrAJJ_zBm6V8VPywo/s4032/IMG_3701.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXHEgTb2BOBz_bqThUI51wZuOOSMKsrjhU-d0r1lcAPTghv9F9L50xWGHdbHO12-wl4XS_ggcvJTEsCqvKn5JpHrj_Xa9yOHpiioVgvbJ6mrKyWw32virHT7yDOfwYgBmvOc6aNu-sFmZzn9BbPTKG3TtAAPDPEJPB27L9u1DvmSrAJJ_zBm6V8VPywo/w400-h300/IMG_3701.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div></span><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>All photos of Lansing and Jackson Field are available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720310621802" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJA33lZzsgYJqICPZW5x43BXrnMwmmsfCh_L3M8Ndi-pq0w7eX3MGSl2hfrrvy_yLAiNihP4LJApD7lbc81FCnz0GBOjhO4WFjtD-q4kS3htLwF47sDh7yjCI8LFbKQrnD3IK3pPmPHeNZVMSfhKxD-X2ZFQcxD-88BpEq2L8qpt3DoOhTBrJz3CRlio/s4032/IMG_3614.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJA33lZzsgYJqICPZW5x43BXrnMwmmsfCh_L3M8Ndi-pq0w7eX3MGSl2hfrrvy_yLAiNihP4LJApD7lbc81FCnz0GBOjhO4WFjtD-q4kS3htLwF47sDh7yjCI8LFbKQrnD3IK3pPmPHeNZVMSfhKxD-X2ZFQcxD-88BpEq2L8qpt3DoOhTBrJz3CRlio/w200-h150/IMG_3614.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I spent my final weekend before the big move to Minnesota on the 3rd installment of "Tour Molly" in Lansing, Michigan. We left Milwaukee at 8:30am and it was about a 6-hour drive, which included a very important stop at IHOP in Michigan City to appease a 5-year old that was demanding pancakes for lunch. We only went to a ballgame on Saturday, so Friday night was spent swimming at the hotel pool (a must-have on our trips) and spending some time downtown. We had a delicious dinner at Lansing Brewing Company and some ice cream at the Lansing Shuffle, which is a super cool marketplace type of building right on the Grand River. I had one of the best IPAs and some of the best ice cream I've ever had and this was definitely my favorite part of the trip besides the game. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidSjscF88y09ZtBGWbeFO4UpZ2vqKN4KVg8ZXqE8URMUJw5Prnr0az4RuFFV0_d2YgECdoi4iaRahvLrer9fdwdW5BGJF4wZoZCW0tFu1ZdF-K30Zr11WTlHwdZVNMBa_z5v1Bf50FOxsvNz1b6IKwThou2JMZvhuKEP2j71m1KQe5IJ_DCmg8-aBUWPo/s4032/IMG_3633.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidSjscF88y09ZtBGWbeFO4UpZ2vqKN4KVg8ZXqE8URMUJw5Prnr0az4RuFFV0_d2YgECdoi4iaRahvLrer9fdwdW5BGJF4wZoZCW0tFu1ZdF-K30Zr11WTlHwdZVNMBa_z5v1Bf50FOxsvNz1b6IKwThou2JMZvhuKEP2j71m1KQe5IJ_DCmg8-aBUWPo/w200-h150/IMG_3633.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Saturday was a very busy but fun-filled day that started with a walk to the Impression 5 Children's Museum at 9:30. As impressed as I was with the downtown and the stadium district areas on Friday night, I was equally disappointed with them on Saturday morning. Lansing is certainly not a big city by any means but it's not small either - the population is over 100,000 and it has a major state university - so I was shocked to see it so quiet and dead. Lansing is what I would describe as "gritty" and has many of the hallmarks of what an urban center looked like 20 years ago - nobody there before 5pm on a weekend, a concrete jungle, not pedestrian friendly, a river-walk that is disconnected and goes nowhere, and lots of one-way streets to get people out as fast as possible. It reminded me a lot of living in Waterloo. The ballpark opened in 1996 as the center of a major redevelopment district right in the middle of downtown, so the city is certainly trying, and the one-block radius surrounding the park is very nice, including some really cool apartments in center field that I will talk about later. But outside of that immediate area and obviously Michigan State University to the east, it is kind of a sleepy and weathered city. Anyways, I mentioned the children's museum - we spent a few hours there and was well worth the visit. We probably could have spent almost an entire day there if we didn't have anything else to do. By the time we got out around noon we were starving and walked to another local brewery for lunch called Midtown. Still not seeing a lot of action downtown after lunch, we decided to hop in the car and drive to a beautiful park called Frances Park which featured a rose garden overlooking the river. After another round of swimming back at the hotel, we did Molly's favorite thing of the entire trip - ran across the pedestrian skybridge to downtown. I introduced Molly to shuffleboard back at Lansing Shuffle (hence the name) and then it was finally game time.</span><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqH-dhIHFd04t3s0tfxY5t55guTEQpfeg4v7KmkKzYPcuDSEWZl3LRnkq3Fx2W9o5ZJ6duTnofiu3PDBaN6MkNN5IbN-WHp8TvsK6CbvWC5RAWKXnmF8gRbbC4xQGM4EcVkdRtX0VYq_z0XGdjLM88GTaH1k_vs_QfY-pKNwC6ld1m4dgDK5mUsHj6ZA/s4032/IMG_3675.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqH-dhIHFd04t3s0tfxY5t55guTEQpfeg4v7KmkKzYPcuDSEWZl3LRnkq3Fx2W9o5ZJ6duTnofiu3PDBaN6MkNN5IbN-WHp8TvsK6CbvWC5RAWKXnmF8gRbbC4xQGM4EcVkdRtX0VYq_z0XGdjLM88GTaH1k_vs_QfY-pKNwC6ld1m4dgDK5mUsHj6ZA/w200-h150/IMG_3675.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'll start with what I did like about Jackson Field - site, location, and atmosphere. This was one of the most urban and active ballpark areas I've been in all of the minor leagues, and probably 2nd to only Fort Wayne in the Midwest League. Back when this stadium broke ground nearly 30 years ago, ballpark districts were not a thing, and building ballparks downtown was just in its infancy of becoming a popular concept. So for Lansing to have the foresight to use this ballpark as a development catalyst - regardless of your stance of if that actually works or not - is quite commendable. Certainly there are times I love being at the small, quiet minor league parks that serve smaller communities, but the urban ballparks are always my favorite and I love the life that they bring to a downtown on gameday. There were a ton of people there on this night for a Big Lug Bobblehead giveaway that we unfortunately got there too late to receive, but it was not a novelty crowd just for the bobblehead. The Lugnuts are perennially near the top of not just Midwest League attendance but all of minor league baseball, and have drawn in excess of 7000 people several times this season. Besides being a downtown site, the block that the ballpark is wedged in also makes it very unique. The park faces directly north on a very long and skinny block that runs north-south, so this causes the park to be pinched down the lines and shoehorned into the block, similarly to Dozer Park in Peoria. When you walk down the lines near the foul poles at the widest part of the stadium, the only thing separating you from the public sidewalk is a fence. This make the ballpark very active not just from the outside in, but the inside out as there is a direct line of sight from the street inside from many areas. There were several times when I saw people just walk by the fence and stop for a moment to peer inside and catch a few moments of free baseball. And speaking of free baseball, the coolest part of the site is the apartment building that was added about 10 years ago. Known as the Outfield Lofts, it is a 4-story building that has balconies hanging over the outfield concourse and facing the stadium. I have no doubt in my mind that if I was single and lived anywhere near Lansing that I would move into those apartments for the rest of my life. The ground level of the apartment building has restaurants, bars, and retail that faces both the street on the north side, but also opens up into the stadium on gamedays. I can't even imagine what this ballpark looked and felt like prior to these apartments being built - they really bookend the stadium and define the boundaries quite dramatically, in an area that is overlooked in the design of many minor league ballparks. Between the narrow site and the apartments, and the proximity to the street, it all serves to give quite an intimate setting to the ballpark, and when you couple that with huge crowds on most nights, it was a very lively and raucous atmosphere to be a part of.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6fHweGwUZMWkEC4cQ2WSAAxMm-hroP1hNt_89m145e04QS0ToPARYKL6U39p5zLEv-7OvX8OeQvsQ6jKRW1l_qTbtqeS68PfQy7rm-Y4b-zTq1VBarLcSLP9j4KqPeMgze_jmMb2zrD-KegNRHBhbmUt8Oa888N1Bie0-MrDH94rX53vpx4VPEE6rdg/s4032/IMG_3683.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6fHweGwUZMWkEC4cQ2WSAAxMm-hroP1hNt_89m145e04QS0ToPARYKL6U39p5zLEv-7OvX8OeQvsQ6jKRW1l_qTbtqeS68PfQy7rm-Y4b-zTq1VBarLcSLP9j4KqPeMgze_jmMb2zrD-KegNRHBhbmUt8Oa888N1Bie0-MrDH94rX53vpx4VPEE6rdg/w150-h200/IMG_3683.JPG" width="150" /></a>The large, raucous atmosphere does have a negative side effect however and leads directly into what I did not like about the stadium - the general operations of the park were a joke. There were only two main concession stands (similar to the setup in Appleton) that literally had 30-60 minute lines for the entire game. The only thing I could actually grab for Molly and I to eat without spending the entire night in line was popcorn and ice cream. And it's not like these stands served like specialty items or things that were slow to cook, we're talking standard ballpark fare. The team store was also WAY too small for a ballpark of this size and was uncomfortably crowded at all times. I will say the congestion in the concourse was not as bad as I was expecting for the tight nature of the stadium footprint, so kudos on that. And perhaps having only two concession stands alleviates some of that congestion, so I get that it's certainly a give-and-take. The last thing I hated was that the entire park was cashless - and proudly stated as such on their website and all over the park - except for the kids area. So I had to go all the way back to the overcrowded team store to buy "Lugnuts Bucks" with my debit card specifically to use at the bounce house for Molly. That's not a symptom of a tight footprint, or poor design, or staffing shortage - that is just a flat out horrible oversight that can be easily rectified.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrzMLaN5lWqgPnTmMDFuVCIRWg6aUiVdooAcQ-4gP5JYfME0NkapvhdGPSG4eqiQ2Yp2o_-dl9fqgXDDp4SFMC8T4E13bFh-KwNOhYDVPcjznnkYQKId0PlcPkYb7vFFncAZuTnn_MC-xkXQCcHEKiqIr2odtXWgsfXNCn7RTPKrJt7-gNbhTEEfPtmE/s4032/IMG_3679.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrzMLaN5lWqgPnTmMDFuVCIRWg6aUiVdooAcQ-4gP5JYfME0NkapvhdGPSG4eqiQ2Yp2o_-dl9fqgXDDp4SFMC8T4E13bFh-KwNOhYDVPcjznnkYQKId0PlcPkYb7vFFncAZuTnn_MC-xkXQCcHEKiqIr2odtXWgsfXNCn7RTPKrJt7-gNbhTEEfPtmE/w200-h150/IMG_3679.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Molly has progressively been able to stay attentive to more and more of the game with each passing year of our trips, and we made it into the 5th inning on Saturday. I think our first year in Green Bay she watched MAYBE 2 innings - and by watched, I mean was distracted with food. So between the 4 1/2 innings from our seats and the bounce house being conveniently located directly behind the left field pole with full view of the field, I actually got to watch most of the game. The Lugnuts defeated the Great Lakes Loons by a score of 7-5, and powered by an offensive barrage the likes of which I have rarely seen in the Midwest League. There were eight extra-base hits in the game, including a 3-run homerun by 2B Brennan Milone, a 6th round pick of the A's last year. That homer gave the 'Nuts the lead in the 3rd and the lead stuck. Junior Perez also homered for the home team as part of a 3-hit night. If he keeps that up, the A's will certainly come calling soon, or more likely trade him. Yehizon Sanchez gave up 5 runs in 3 innings in his Midwest League debut, and Yeiner Fernandez and Chris Alleyne homered for the Loons in a losing effort. We stayed as long as we could, but after a long day of activities, Molly was visibly exhausted by 9pm and we called it a day.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Following a quick round #3 of swimming on Sunday morning, and some breakfast across the street from the ballpark where some players were clearly there picking up coffee, we headed back to Milwaukee around 10am. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Once you have a second child, watching just one child is a breeze, and it was so nice to have a fun, relatively stress-free time all to ourselves and to spend some quality time together before our big life shift this week.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics</i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">:</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">aesthetics - 8 (points are primarily for site layout)</span></em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">views from park - 7 (apartments, downtown Lansing)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i><span><span><span><span><span>v<span><span><span><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">iew to field - 9</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">surrounding area - 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>food variety - 1</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">nachos - 1</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">beer - 7 (bonus points for Labatt's)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">vendor price - 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">ticket price - 6</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">atmosphere - 9</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">walk to park - 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">parking price/proximity - 6 (we walked but there are lots of street options)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concourses - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">team shop - 2 (way too small)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>kids area - 6 (this one is tough to rank - bonus points for proximity to field but points deducted for being the only thing in the park that requires cash)<br /></i><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best food - ice cream I guess? didn't get to try any</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">most unique stadium feature - site, apartments in outfield</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>best jumbotron feature - Lansing Board of Water & Light "Flip the Switch" to turn on the stadium lights</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best between-inning feature - Nutty Golf</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">field dimensions - 305/404/305</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>starters - Jerming Rosario (GL) v. Yehizon Sancez (LAN)<br />opponent - Great Lakes Loons</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">time of game - 2:37</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">attendance - 7780</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">score - 7-5 W</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Brewers score that day - 6-1 W</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/21/23</span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 68-57, +3.0; 2 v. Twins, 3 v. Padres, 3 @ Cubs, 3 v. Phillies</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 65-60, +6.0; 2 @ Brewers, 4 v. Rangers, 3 v. Guardians, 3 @ Rangers</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 3</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 17</span></div></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-74042392800090552962023-08-07T09:20:00.000-05:002023-08-07T09:20:09.790-05:00A Last Hurrah in Milwaukee<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYGRENmN3NZJg0jR_xiBj1DueYKhfQY6OnksOZ0Ffqe-vEHvW9L5c5_hIt_NycrpPBuYgxY_8wqBJxssq-Gfi942S2IMRk5P3_FYi0E9DKnQwhROVcb3jlvTIMmDOMw4pmzT4Ar7FGnlMHcrGaeNsZGgbDOAzKzY1XsRyn4rMa_cKqpqHGvQ-UrUoaY4/s4032/IMG_3344.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYGRENmN3NZJg0jR_xiBj1DueYKhfQY6OnksOZ0Ffqe-vEHvW9L5c5_hIt_NycrpPBuYgxY_8wqBJxssq-Gfi942S2IMRk5P3_FYi0E9DKnQwhROVcb3jlvTIMmDOMw4pmzT4Ar7FGnlMHcrGaeNsZGgbDOAzKzY1XsRyn4rMa_cKqpqHGvQ-UrUoaY4/w400-h300/IMG_3344.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">These last few weeks have been really difficult and emotional for me since we decided to move our family to Minnesota. We aren't officially moving until August 23rd, but due to some pre-planned vacations, this past weekend was essentially our last full weekend living in Milwaukee. We threw a going-away party on Saturday, and it really hit me the next day that it might realistically be the last time I see many of my Wisconsin friends for a long time. I've also been trying to get to as many of my favorite haunts as possible before we move - festivals, parks, frozen custard, Lake Michigan, breweries, and most importantly, as many Brewers games as I can. Erik coincidentally was in town this past weekend as well, and we attended our first Brewers home game together in over 6 years on Friday. Colin Rea threw up all over himself and we were losing 3-0 before we even sat down (Rea has since been optioned down to AAA), but we had a blast, and it was fun showing him around the park once more. It was hard to believe all that had changed since 2017 as we were walking around. Unless the Brewers make it to the World Series at some point during my lifetime, this was probably the last game at AmFam Field Erik and I will ever spend together, and that fact made the game kind of heavy for me. I was trying as much as I could to be in the moment and savor every minute with my friend that I don't get to see that much, and take in every little sight and sound, but it was hard not to think about the brevity of it.</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm also going to the ballpark with my brother and parents this week, and Megan and I have tickets for one last hurrah the night before we move (which happens to be against the Twins). We'll for sure be back to many more Brewers games in the course of our lives - in fact we have tickets for a game in September we're coming back for - and I sure as hell would rather drive 7 hours down here for Opening Day than sit outside in Minneapolis, but it's just not quite the same when you don't live in the city of your home team anymore. There's something special about being proud of a team and the city they represent and sharing that passion and the daily trials and tribulations with other locals. Even though I will bleed blue and gold forever, it won't ever be the same as this fleeting time when we live so close to the ballpark. I'll miss driving by the ballpark and seeing the clouds of grill smoke, I'll miss being able to literally walk to the park for lunch, and I'll miss seeing Brewers logos and gear all around our neighborhood. I'll miss being able to go to a game on a whim whenever I want (within reason - damn kids). But I am also looking forward to our new chapter in Minnesota and following a new team along with the Brewers. Ironically, with the move across state lines, we'll also be moving out of the Milwaukee media territory, which means I will finally be able to actually watch Brewers games on MLB.TV with no blackout restrictions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I mentioned earlier we have some pre-planned vacations before we move, and one of those is my yearly baseball trip with my daughter Molly. So I'll have one more super sentimental post in a couple of weeks, and then I will be coming to to you live from Cold Spring, Minnesota!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/7/23</span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 60-53, +1.5; 3 v. Rockies, 3 @ White Sox, 3 @ Dodgers, 3 @ Rangers</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 59-54, +4.5; 4 @ Tigers, 3 @ Phillies, 2 v. Tigers, 3 v. Pirates</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 3</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 14</span></div></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-74324468506991203202023-07-23T13:29:00.007-05:002023-07-24T11:51:05.405-05:00American Association All-Star Break<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvnffJGUk8pDcyDf723P7-DlN3ptVfOOiIGsjxV8Nonky6iPkKiHy2woOxCcLNdvhC5jNyuejtPmfA2c55xs5NgUP_J14uWPpRt0YZx8czjWsUT9TFx7kzU7AZbrnaEb_D13HcX5ua5aYLFgkHaYaq8Vud1Udh5j7X-3PmDEfbv2zCaScWOkMb-UkYiw/s4032/IMG_3289.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvnffJGUk8pDcyDf723P7-DlN3ptVfOOiIGsjxV8Nonky6iPkKiHy2woOxCcLNdvhC5jNyuejtPmfA2c55xs5NgUP_J14uWPpRt0YZx8czjWsUT9TFx7kzU7AZbrnaEb_D13HcX5ua5aYLFgkHaYaq8Vud1Udh5j7X-3PmDEfbv2zCaScWOkMb-UkYiw/w400-h300/IMG_3289.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><div><b>All photos of AA HR Derby available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720309855176" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></div></b></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEFFPd4aZuOEuF70GYajB_crvmGCYzOxUeex5TA2_Rr2prZBHn3EBlybpCrSRWdXjHIZAsBlBMdP80Ih0Vyq4bk91NfpfcJB5ZHM-glHYIg9fWcjWC8nyiJFEyZygDs5alCdpMy4u3tCc0yOGKR74U52xZl3zJQ71RwIcNLrfxqzZQ6Na7JX4Ef1SJ-4/s4032/IMG_3290.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEFFPd4aZuOEuF70GYajB_crvmGCYzOxUeex5TA2_Rr2prZBHn3EBlybpCrSRWdXjHIZAsBlBMdP80Ih0Vyq4bk91NfpfcJB5ZHM-glHYIg9fWcjWC8nyiJFEyZygDs5alCdpMy4u3tCc0yOGKR74U52xZl3zJQ71RwIcNLrfxqzZQ6Na7JX4Ef1SJ-4/w200-h150/IMG_3290.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This past week was the 11th installment of the American Association All-Star Game, and I attended the Home Run Derby portion at Franklin Field, home of the Milwaukee Milkmen. A lot of baseball purists tend to shun the derby as frivolous entertainment and a publicity stunt, but I've long held the view that it is the most exciting part of any baseball league's all-star break. A lot of fans tend to agree with me as the numbers bear out that these events draw way better, both in terms of attendance and television ratings, than the actual All-Star Game. Many years in fact I will only watch the HR Derby and won't even watch the ASG. I've attended all sorts of homerun derbies, from the <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2014/07/tour-2014-mlb-homerun-derby-all-star.html" target="_blank">2014 MLB version</a> at Target Field, to the <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2016/07/homerun-derby-at-kenosha-harbor.html" target="_blank">Northwoods League Derby</a> at Kenosha Harbor in 2016, and even an impromptu exhibition derby featuring Jose Canseco in Madison, and these were all some of my most vivid baseball memories outside of the Tour. So I of course jumped at the opportunity to see a derby in my own city. It was not a promising forecast for the evening when I approached the gate to find people buying walk-up tickets with ease, but I pressed on and met a group of my friends inside.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fB_H0-eKSf1WFWgpBllITy4QGJXURTso6ythtTGVcGJ8y8i9SDQVzjEAx9gerIHUiXoG-eG2HZaiKAOLRFBaZ4pHVi09-LrS_MndMCAcIM4_3QjL4s2oNwcvLUN2dykEweUDx2mBqIcW7FNZ8R7oZ6c3SOOKxTI-9BRGn7Nf0pqLkBBvyOooArqnmkM/s4032/IMG_3294.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fB_H0-eKSf1WFWgpBllITy4QGJXURTso6ythtTGVcGJ8y8i9SDQVzjEAx9gerIHUiXoG-eG2HZaiKAOLRFBaZ4pHVi09-LrS_MndMCAcIM4_3QjL4s2oNwcvLUN2dykEweUDx2mBqIcW7FNZ8R7oZ6c3SOOKxTI-9BRGn7Nf0pqLkBBvyOooArqnmkM/w150-h200/IMG_3294.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We had tickets in the first 3 row of a section in right field. It was evident pretty soon after we sat down that about 90% of the fans would be sitting in the outfield, which was a super weird juxtaposition particularly in a smaller independent league ballpark. The format was very similar to the MLB version of the derby, in which participants faced off against each other based off of seeding, rather than just taking the highest totals of the group. It was also the same timed format as MLB - each batter got 2 minutes and could take one timeout per round. When you remove the "bonus time" and all of the TV timeouts, it makes a big difference, because the entire 3 rounds with 8 batters took barely over an hour. The hometown participant was Cam Balego of the Milkmen, but given where we were sitting, the only batter we really cared about were the two lefties - Conor Panas of the Lincoln Saltdogs, and Chris Herrmann of the Kansas City Monarchs. The majority of their homeruns launched well over our heads and landed on the concourse and tents behind us, as there are only 3 rows of actual seats in right field. But by the later rounds when the batters started getting more tired, our prospects of snagging a homerun grew - and I caught one! On the fly! I should probably remember which of those two men hit me the homerun, but sadly I don't. I almost caught a second homerun as well - I leapt and it hit my glove, and fell down into the row behind me (which means that at least somebody in our party got the ball). It was much more difficult to track the baseballs than I thought it would be. For almost the entirety of the first round, the sun was setting directly into our faces, and also there were many times when multiple balls were in the air at the same time, as the pitcher does not wait for a ball to land before throwing the next pitch due to the timed format. I'm sure most dads would probably give a ball they caught to a kid in the stands or to their own kid at home, but screw that - it is proudly sitting in a baseball display case at my house.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zach Nehrir of the Cleburne Railroaders ended up taking home the hardware. He put on quite an impressive display and his round totals actually grew as the event went on. Most of the batters struggled to get into the double digits in the first round, but after that, I think the remaining participants knew not to worry about any strategy and just swung as hard as they could, as many times as possible. Zach defeated the aforementioned Panas in the final round, so it was exciting that we got to see at least one lefty make it through to the end.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I had a blast at this event and I'm glad I went, especially with the impending move to Minnesota. But I have to say that I was pretty disappointed with the fan turnout and the lack of energy in the ballpark. The Milkmen consistently put out a great product - they won a championship in 2020 and also produced a back-to-back MVP in Adam Walker - but the few times I've been there, the general lack of atmosphere was a common theme. I hope that the lack of attendance at this major event is not reflective of the fan support and appetite for baseball in suburban Milwaukee, because indy baseball is just the best, and Milwaukeeans should be very blessed to have multiple professional ball options in a market of our size.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><b>HOMERUN DERBY PARTICIPANTS:</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i> </i></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><u>East Division</u></i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Cam Balego, Milwaukee</i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Josh Altmann, Chicago</i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Zach Nehrir, Cleburne</i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Hill Alexander, Cleburne</i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><u>West Division</u></i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Connor Panas, Lincoln</i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Chris Herrmann, Kansas City</i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Nick Anderson, Lincoln</i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Vince Fernandez, Sioux City</i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">winner - Zach Nehrir<br />score – 16-14 final round, 43 total</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">stadium - Franklin Field</i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/23/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 55-44, +1.5; 3 v. Reds, 3 @ Braves, 3 @ Nationals, 4 v. Pirates</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 52-48, +2.0; 3 v. Mariners, 3 @ Royals, 3 @ Cardinals, 3 v. Diamondbacks</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 1</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 13</span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-37457907361099648962023-07-17T12:02:00.002-05:002023-07-17T12:56:47.209-05:00Wrigley Field Renovation<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOndXiXdlLpR1bXmbJDd-3CSvbEh9dLEmPfnpPahj0pm_WMqDUEh5PO3B_C_wmlo26dUtN45UERCxrKgPbFSpZwxzGMonV51bXn8_mSwAglmLynBCPBmmPOgrK-BGeiVZ9p3KvzcqIidqAcc1zeK56NPLKGKLMS-IAzpqnb5e-HetSb-xmNkCmHyFFsZo/s4032/IMG_3244.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOndXiXdlLpR1bXmbJDd-3CSvbEh9dLEmPfnpPahj0pm_WMqDUEh5PO3B_C_wmlo26dUtN45UERCxrKgPbFSpZwxzGMonV51bXn8_mSwAglmLynBCPBmmPOgrK-BGeiVZ9p3KvzcqIidqAcc1zeK56NPLKGKLMS-IAzpqnb5e-HetSb-xmNkCmHyFFsZo/w400-h300/IMG_3244.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><b>All photos of Sturtevant, Wrigleyville, and Wrigley Field available on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720309842323" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I crossed another baseball item off of my "Pre-Move to Minnesota" checklist on Saturday with my dad, as we made the trek down to Chicago to see the newly restored Wrigley Field. This massive 5-year undertaking is known as the 1060 Project (referring to the address of 1060 West Addison) and cost the Ricketts family over $600M. This multi-year renovation certainly did have a lot of aspects to it that were solely built to increase revenue, but I also don't think it's hyperbole to say that this renovation's primary goal was to save Wrigley Field from ruin. I was last down to Wrigley Field in its 100th Anniversary Season of 2014, and I noted at that time that I was not coming back until the stadium was repaired. There was falling concrete, rust and chipping paint, out of date plumbing, huge accessibility issues, structural vulnerabilities, and just general disrepair, and I was saddened that such a historic park was allowed to crumble this badly. I hate to say this as a Brewers fan, but my dad and I were both very impressed with Wrigley Field and the surrounding area now. I would dare to say that the ballpark is even - <i>gulp </i>- NICE now. It made a huge leap in my rankings from this visit and strictly as a baseball fan, I left very happy to see that such a huge part of baseball history was not only properly restored to preserve the character of the stadium, but also brought in many amenities and gameday experiences that baseball fans in the 21st century expect.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOebdqyfmgOuyY5xPrJsiPN_BopfVVLHpQFXHTbmjoqJ5V4Zo_3oDuBpNvhjx89OAcsgCZdR4rTp0B3Gf8kfcf7QprNFdwlHipC-hI1_CjUerjHC4RNXTG3IX7fKlsSmuXvAnvq0noqHRr7waAr1PUJrTitge3m4H_VvyCUFGMi3eICSmkZYlrKKvPPE/s4032/IMG_3236.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOebdqyfmgOuyY5xPrJsiPN_BopfVVLHpQFXHTbmjoqJ5V4Zo_3oDuBpNvhjx89OAcsgCZdR4rTp0B3Gf8kfcf7QprNFdwlHipC-hI1_CjUerjHC4RNXTG3IX7fKlsSmuXvAnvq0noqHRr7waAr1PUJrTitge3m4H_VvyCUFGMi3eICSmkZYlrKKvPPE/w200-h150/IMG_3236.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My dad and I took the Amtrak down to Union Station and it was an easy hour long ride down, with a 20 minute ride up to Wrigleyville on the subway. We emerged from the Addison stop on the Red Line at about 10:30, and we had a lot of walking to do before gates opened. Immediately getting off of the train platform, the entire neighborhood was a night and day difference from what was there during my last visit 9 years ago. There is a huge new apartment building on Addison that spans the entire block between Sheffield and Clark. The building is lined with ground floor shops, including a Baseballism store which unfortunately we did not have time to stop in. Across the street from this building, we noticed the new sportsbook addition onto the stadium. Wrigley Field was one of the first if not the first stadiums in the country to allow sports betting inside the ballpark, and this is a massively popular space that is accessible from both the stadium and the outside. It's designed very appropriately so that it looks new and glassy, but also respects the scale and color of Wrigley. As we made our way towards the corner marquee, an entirely new gameday area emerged, all owned by the Cubs. There is a new hotel across the street on a site that was formerly just a McDonald's and a bunch of rinky-dink temporary team stores (don't worry, the McDonald's has been relocated into the hotel building). Thankfully, with all of the changes, the Cubby Bear still exists, so we first popped our heads in there for a beer. I am now in my 40s and beyond the time in my life where I want to deal with massively crowded bars with loud music, so we quickly left and instead started our pregaming at Swift & Sons, which is a new bar on the ground floor of the hotel. From there, we walked down to Gallagher Way, which is the other huge new addition by the Cubs to the Wrigleyville area. This is a public plaza that is reserved for ticketed fans on gamedays, but otherwise is open to everyone when there is not a game. It is bookended by the new 6-story Cubs office building, which features some team stores, a golf simulator, the Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern, and a massive 2-story television mounted onto the side of the building. All of the team statues have also been moved to this plaza, with the exception of Harry Caray who is still prominently displayed on Clark & Addison as he should be. We grabbed another beverage from one of the outside beer tents in the plaza and hung out until gates opened. Outside of the game itself, this was my favorite part of the day and I thought the coolest new addition to the stadium. We then walked in just before noon to see if the inside renovations were as good as what was done to the outside.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3REpzsTwoNkRlaAlTdjx_siO-H588Gg5vR2jzkkUKcoG2PvUfmevtQSPJbv_J_LjyCD7RYc34j7cR7mSTWNj0kyjT4jPQSoD8P10EBoxH_jukC24FytFUZX1WzPUD9y5KqS5s5JX8HOqVu3u1MXtp6vRLOOOx7QEkttKsixjuemWJxlw1q4S33nAk4sM/s4032/IMG_3263.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3REpzsTwoNkRlaAlTdjx_siO-H588Gg5vR2jzkkUKcoG2PvUfmevtQSPJbv_J_LjyCD7RYc34j7cR7mSTWNj0kyjT4jPQSoD8P10EBoxH_jukC24FytFUZX1WzPUD9y5KqS5s5JX8HOqVu3u1MXtp6vRLOOOx7QEkttKsixjuemWJxlw1q4S33nAk4sM/w200-h150/IMG_3263.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Upon entering, one immediately noticed the restored brick walkways, the crisp new concessions stands that are orderly and well marked, and most importantly - repainted, clean, and repaired. We both were amazed by how quick and easy it was to order concessions as compared to AmFam Field, and I think that ease made us forget that we were paying $15 for Old Style. Even later on in the game as the narrow concourses cramped up a bit more with the crowd, we never waited more than 5 minutes for anything, and I never felt like I had to shove my way through a sea of people. Besides the obvious refreshing of the interior and the concessions, one can't help but notice how many new team stores have been added. With what the Cubs are doing on the outside, as well as adding a huge extent of merchandising on the inside, they are really trying to capture more revenue for the team rather than losing it to neighboring bars and stores, and they are doing this quite successfully I might add. I can't speak to how this may or may not be affecting other neighboring business, but it's pretty smart on the Cubs' end. The only failure to me by the Cubs inside the park is that there used to be a bar above the marquee on the 2nd level that was accessible to all fans and is sadly now a private area called the Catalina Club. That used to be my favorite part of Wrigley, but I can understand that the Cubs are trying to capture a few private areas, which before the renovation they had almost none. There is at least a new standing area with bars that overlooks Gallagher Way from above that I really enjoyed. They need to put some tables or drink rails up there and I would have hung out there much longer. After confirming that yes the pee troughs do still exist in the men's rooms, we made our way back down to the first level. We sat pretty close to the bleachers, and we noted that you are now able to walk a little bit underneath the bleachers, which is really cool since you are only separated from Waveland Avenue by a 2' thick brick wall with a few apertures, but unfortunately there is still the rule where only fans with bleacher tickets can access the bleachers. The partial walkway underneath the bleachers dead-ends with some new Cubs history and Cubs Hall of Fame display areas. We checked those out and then turned around and headed back to our seats, which were the 6th row of the 100 level, between 3rd base and the foul pole.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sR_Slg9HcVQ8Lf0bO3DasfLzgvbsF7ZXE9uam-yUI5e6hdPLtUwAFM-kl9uXAdT4o62RxVwsFu5kRpnzP9yfkK1iZylGXqhAdqckJhOrK24WNUbyMQs7rooE22AflTQEdp_S5b5xjCLbMlATM6y8KXoy562hyE69NdLEeGrd0lx_H5cB0yci-HkWEMA/s3088/IMG_3235.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sR_Slg9HcVQ8Lf0bO3DasfLzgvbsF7ZXE9uam-yUI5e6hdPLtUwAFM-kl9uXAdT4o62RxVwsFu5kRpnzP9yfkK1iZylGXqhAdqckJhOrK24WNUbyMQs7rooE22AflTQEdp_S5b5xjCLbMlATM6y8KXoy562hyE69NdLEeGrd0lx_H5cB0yci-HkWEMA/w150-h200/IMG_3235.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The most obvious part of the extensive renovations that slaps you in the face right when you emerge into the seating bowl are the two jumbotrons. The hand-operated scoreboard still exists in dead-center, but there are now added jumbotrons in left-center and down the right field line. These were hotly contested by the rooftop owners across the street when they were first proposed because they were afraid they would block views into the ballpark, so they are certainly not as large of jumbotrons as most teams have, but they are much better than nothing. The Ricketts family alleviated any problems by settling a few lawsuits out of court and proceeding to buy up about a dozen of the rooftops for themselves. Another significant change to the field is that the bullpens were moved underneath the bleachers, sort of like how the Madison Mallards did it. The areas down the foul lines that formerly held the bullpens in the field of play were of course infilled with more seating. Arguably some of the biggest parts of the renovation we did not get to see and probably will never get to see, and those are all of the work done underneath the stadium. Clubhouses were expanded, batting tunnels were added, and several private clubs were added including the Makers Mark Barrel Room. This operates sort of like the club tickets we had in Texas or the Champions Club in Minnesota, in which fans with a particular ticket have access to a club beneath the grandstand and then a private seating section close to the field. I think this type of seating is a fantastic trend going up in ballparks now as it is a way to add private areas without compromising usable space above ground.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The game itself pitted two of the most storied franchises against each other, as the Cubs played the Red Sox on this day in an interleague matchup. You wouldn't know from how the Cubs played that they are a sub-.500 team as they walloped the Sox 10-4. Boston was somehow only charged with 1 error in the game, but they had some of the worst defense at the major league level I've ever seen. There were a couple of quick scoreless frames to start the game, but Chicago put up a 6-spot in the bottom of the 3rd that was capped by a Cody Bellinger grand slam, and they never looked back from there. I was actually shocked to see that Belly is having a pretty decent season as I assumed he was still horrible - him and Christian Yelich must have worked with the same coach in the offseason. Staff ace Marcus Stroman picked up his 10th win and gave the Cubs 6 solid innings. One of the few lone highlights for the Red Sox was Tristan Casas' 2-run homer in the 7th.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As I mentioned earlier, all in all we were both very impressed with Wrigley, and it takes a lot for me to say that for as much grief as I've given this park over the years. It was so cool to be there in front of a packed house in this historic ballpark. I went on this trip expecting this would be my last hurrah at Wrigley before we moved to Minnesota, but I left convinced that I absolutely need to return with Erik and/or Molly someday on one of our future ballpark trips.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics</i></b></span><br /><span><b><i>(see most recent post from <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2014/08/tour-2014-100-years-at-wrigley-field.html" target="_blank">8/14/14</a>):</i></b></span><span><i> </i></span><br /><br /><span><i>aesthetics - improves to 6<br />views from park - 7<br />view to field - 4<br />surrounding area - 10<br />food variety - improves to 6<br />nachos - 8<br />beer - decreases to 5 (very expensive but bonus points for Old Style and souvenir bat cups)</i></span><br /><span><i>vendor price - 7<br />ticket price - decreases to 1<br />atmosphere - improves to 10<br />walk to park - improves to 10<br />parking price/proximity - 2<br />concourses - improves to 5<br /></i></span></span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">team store - 10<br />kids area - n/a didn't see one</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span face=""Trebuchet MS", sans-serif">best food – Chicago style dog<br />most unique stadium feature – hand-operated scoreboard, ivy on outfield wall<br />best jumbotron feature – American Airlines player interview segment<br />best between-inning feature – celebrity leads crowd in "Take me out to the Ballgame"<br /><br />field dimensions – 355/400/353<br />starters – James Paxton (BOS) v. Marcus Stroman (CHC)<br />opponent – Boston Red Sox<br />time of game – 2:35<br />attendance – 40,224<br />score – 10-4 W</span></i><br /><i><span face=""Trebuchet MS", sans-serif">Brewers score that day – 3-0 W</span></i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/17/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 52-42, +2.0; 3 @ Phillies, 3 v. Braves</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 48-46, +2.5; 4 @ Mariners, 3 v. White Sox</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 1</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 12</span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-65988068940298923032023-07-10T12:48:00.007-05:002023-07-11T12:26:43.530-05:00Another A's Update<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vJPdMTKlQsJQHq6XKpRrgqlQpuXQMZa8uhT3Y3Bxo7kZI671OgcuoLEPxb7eM_fsvYAhrow0JJhSSlbdMqNoLZq1jkk8zKk0_zci3BOOVJpM_ok1rSDwGCma-hvJyfLowKsiOCzIpt2BkEF_rnuGCwt-6OiMDtyJsEhFYnYt47nkXgyVskVCI_qdtFc/s934/a's.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="934" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vJPdMTKlQsJQHq6XKpRrgqlQpuXQMZa8uhT3Y3Bxo7kZI671OgcuoLEPxb7eM_fsvYAhrow0JJhSSlbdMqNoLZq1jkk8zKk0_zci3BOOVJpM_ok1rSDwGCma-hvJyfLowKsiOCzIpt2BkEF_rnuGCwt-6OiMDtyJsEhFYnYt47nkXgyVskVCI_qdtFc/w640-h360/a's.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Athletics new Las Vegas Ballpark rendering per Oakland Athletics)</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I was hoping to be writing today about a visit to Joseph P. Riley Park in Charleston, but alas the weather was working against us on a family vacation this past week, so unfortunately I did not get to go. So what better topic to talk about in a pinch than the baseball story that has been in the news all year - the pending Athletics move to Las Vegas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Just about all of the logistics of the proposed new A's ballpark and move have changed over the last 3 months, including the site, the timetable, the financing, and the design. Here is a brief timetable of what has transpired so far:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">April 20: Athletics announce a "binding agreement" to purchase 49 acres of land for a $1.5B stadium on the site of the former Wild Wild West Casino, across the interstate from T-Mobile Arena, <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2023/05/mlb-ballpark-updates.html" target="_blank">which I wrote about in May</a>. The A's would own all 49 acres and develop a "ballpark district."</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">May 4: Governor Lombardo announces legislative package for said ballpark with intent of getting the legislation passed during the regular Nevada state legislative session. The public financing portion at this time was proposed to be $500M.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">May 9: Athletics shift proposal to a site on the Strip, at the current home of the Tropicana. The plans would call for Bally's (owner of Tropicana) to demolish the current casino, lease 9 acres to the A's to build a 30,000 seat ballpark, and maintain the rest for a new casino/hotel.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">May 26: Preliminary renderings released by Schrock KC Architecture</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Memorial Day Weekend: A's officials in town to discuss ballpark package</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">May 29: New financing legislation introduced, this time for about $380M. A's are a no-show at a joint committee meeting of Senate and Assembly members.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">May 30: New ballpark opening announced to be no sooner than 2028 (originally 2027)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">June 6: Financing package is not voted on during regular legislative session as the state budget was deemed to be a priority over ballpark financing, of which some polls reported up to 80% of citizens were against. At this time, the state leadership announces no intention of bringing this to a vote in a special session.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">June 7: Governor Lombardo calls for a special session to reconsider ballpark funding</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">June 15: Legislation passes in a special session and is signed into law by the governor</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It was surely a grind for all parties just to get to this point, and arguably the public subsidy is going to be the easiest part of all of this. Now the Athletics have to basically start all over with a ballpark design (which includes how to magically fit a stadium and a roof on 9 acres), find a shady financial institution that will finance John Fisher's portion of the ballpark, gain all necessary building approvals, and not to mention convince 23 of the other owners to approve this move - which, for how much shared revenue the A's have been gobbling up the last few years, is anything but a slam dunk. There is also the matter of finding a suitable temporary home for the A's for at least the 2025-27 seasons after their lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires. The Las Vegas Aviators ballpark has been floated a lot and seems to make the most sense since they are the current A's AAA affiliate and they do not intend to move their AAA team from Las Vegas even after the major league team moves there. However, it also regularly hits triple-digit temps during summers in Las Vegas and this is not a covered stadium, and it obviously does not currently meet MLB standards, so the MLBPA would surely have a say in any move to a non-MLB ballpark. All bridges might be burned to do something as simple as extending a lease at the Coliseum. So this will definitely be a significant hurdle.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Commissioner Manfred has publicly stated that the A's will cease receiving shared revenue payments if a concrete plan is not in place by January 1st, 2024. So the clock is ticking and this saga is far from over. As I have stated before and I'll state again - I will not believe this move is actually happening until all financing is in place and there is a shovel in the ground.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/10/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 49-42, -1.0, -0.5 WC; 3 @ Reds</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 45-46, -0.5, -5.0 WC; 3 @ Athletics</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 1</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 11</span></div></span></div><p></p>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-3097785714519317082023-06-30T10:31:00.004-05:002023-06-30T14:19:22.427-05:00ABC Supply Stadium<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLropDVJebJdVgGMQOz2t7WCG8nNt3EGjfOMgp0WIW60nKxzsadm4c_ha4Jesi8xOWp4afFUg9idyg7Lz7WrWInKEZkM8XdnTprfLbksXnmAbjt4haZvH-A0KeF9tuxS80cwPMhSljO-9QrGdec_DZCiaIY8NlB6YlMzRlOlZR7J8NGBysyc57JSCbrM/s3683/IMG_3007a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2081" data-original-width="3683" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLropDVJebJdVgGMQOz2t7WCG8nNt3EGjfOMgp0WIW60nKxzsadm4c_ha4Jesi8xOWp4afFUg9idyg7Lz7WrWInKEZkM8XdnTprfLbksXnmAbjt4haZvH-A0KeF9tuxS80cwPMhSljO-9QrGdec_DZCiaIY8NlB6YlMzRlOlZR7J8NGBysyc57JSCbrM/w640-h362/IMG_3007a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;">All photos of ABC Supply Stadium available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720309441644" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I finally made it down to the much-needed and much-anticipated new Beloit ballpark yesterday. Most people who move out of Wisconsin would probably not have "one last trip to Beloit" on their pre-move checklist, but as this blog has long established, I am not most people. I met my friend Nate at a Park & Ride in Waukesha and we made the 50-minute drive together for the game. Going to games with Nate is like going to games with my 28-year-old self, as he still gets to a ton of ballgames and ballparks a year and is an avid bobblehead collector. We (he) needed to be in line prior to gates opening at 5:35 in order to make sure we received the Poopsie Mascot bobblehead. While Nate talked about bobbleheads with all the other nerds in line, I meandered down Shirland Ave to snap some photos of the stadium. The stadium site is very close to the state line of Wisconsin and Illinois - so close in fact that I actually had to cross to the other side of the road to Illinois to get some good exterior pictures. The freeway exit to the park is even an Illinois exit. So you can imagine the healthy mix of fans for a game in which Beloit played the South Bend Cubs. We walked in right when the gates opened to receive our bobblehead vouchers and complimentary "paletas" (popsicles) for Copa Night.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxN6XcFp8vw5qgSC-2z1GUrsWeydPsWvyN36F346dodsHMDihMtudsdBGt0PXNOwxqeFnIj-Hk5-vOARZSIYBwJrrylrX9THpc-10jOlrlyE25CjHhTlkFDFejbyhZ_o004MgRu1qdgq1T6eyZO86pUxTtAMFiblzoyTm0ZnpXLbuVYBHzn0ngUawwGzw/s4032/IMG_3027.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxN6XcFp8vw5qgSC-2z1GUrsWeydPsWvyN36F346dodsHMDihMtudsdBGt0PXNOwxqeFnIj-Hk5-vOARZSIYBwJrrylrX9THpc-10jOlrlyE25CjHhTlkFDFejbyhZ_o004MgRu1qdgq1T6eyZO86pUxTtAMFiblzoyTm0ZnpXLbuVYBHzn0ngUawwGzw/w200-h150/IMG_3027.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I got the impression pretty immediately when we arrived at the ballpark that Beloit has fully embraced two strategies when designing this park - 1) build it and they will come, and 2) anything is better than Pohlman Field. Beloit is clearly trying to make this ballpark the center of a downtown revitalization, as is the siren song of many urban ballparks. It's a commendable effort for a city that was ravaged by the last two recessions, but I'm also just not sure it is realistic it is for one of the smallest markets in minor league baseball. The daunting brick exterior that hugs the street, the connector to the Rock River riverwalk, and the adjacency to downtown and the bus depot all suggest that Beloit is really trying to make this park part of a destination. They even allow fans the opportunity to rent suites and use the park on non-gamedays. It's a very similar strategy to what Fort Wayne employed when they opened Parkview Field in 2009. By all indications it has been an unmitigated success in Fort Wayne, but again that is a metro area that is about 10x the size of the Beloit-Janesville area. So time will tell on ABC Supply Stadium, but what Beloit does have going for it - something it has always had in spades - is overwhelming community support. Two major benefactors largely funded the construction of the new ballpark - Quint Studer the new owner, and Diane Hendricks the billionaire owner of ABC Supply - and committed to Beloit keeping a team in the area for the foreseeable future, at a time when their team was extremely close to contraction a few years ago when the minor leagues were reconfigured. Over 1,400 fans were in attendance at a very steamy and smoky game on a Thursday night, which is more fans than you'd see in a typical week at Pohlman Field. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlpGXabZkyfMHS68d-ut8I3hz8nKYDSeqHrFscdpXOKW-0Btjnxh_TrBfzXB7ALkg8e9iDy7FAdMhXQ4J36LEGUOEaztV4z1c6fYKdR1ORzgBzcoo7im9Rqa2Y9MPBxGYI_Ga-IjePzZGBmRnmUIrc7rwaD5wpHm8eOej2onWzJX4_JU7ki_vOgH6794/s4032/IMG_3034.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlpGXabZkyfMHS68d-ut8I3hz8nKYDSeqHrFscdpXOKW-0Btjnxh_TrBfzXB7ALkg8e9iDy7FAdMhXQ4J36LEGUOEaztV4z1c6fYKdR1ORzgBzcoo7im9Rqa2Y9MPBxGYI_Ga-IjePzZGBmRnmUIrc7rwaD5wpHm8eOej2onWzJX4_JU7ki_vOgH6794/w200-h150/IMG_3034.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Speaking of Pohlman Field, as I eluded to earlier, the bar that was set for the design of this ballpark seemed to be just "hey, it's better than nothing." I'm not trying to suggest that it's an unattractive stadium - on the contrary it's one of the more aesthetically beautiful ones in the Midwest League - but there seem to just be a lot of things in execution that could have been better. But every time I would notice any small nuance or think "oh this could have been done better," my mind always went back to "well, it's much better than what they had." I think with a little more thought and effort this could have been a phenomenal top-5 minor league park and it certainly has the nuts and bolts to get there someday. For instance it has a beautiful facade on Shirland Avenue that almost nobody goes in or will even see outside of their car. It reminded me a little bit of the ballpark in Montgomery where it was designed to hold an urban edge and create an urban fabric, and not look necessarily like a ballpark. This facade on what is the south side, or 1st base side, of the ballpark features a ticket window, a private suite entry, and what looks like a beautiful colonnade but upon closer inspection is not any sort of area you can walk under. It's just columns and archways for their own sake that surround a bunch of window bays that you can't even see into as they are opaque glass. I completely get why they would want a striking exterior on this road, but it makes it very disappointing and misleading when you can't even use it. To bring up Parkview Field again, it is a very similar dynamic to Fort Wayne, where they have this wonderful street edge that is very architecturally interesting and what looks like it should be the main entry, but most if not all people enter in an unceremonious gate in the right field corner. One of my biggest pet peeves in any ballpark is a main facade that does not serve as the main entry, and unfortunately that is not a problem unique to Beloit. As an architect this just drives me crazy. If you traverse even further down the road and turn to walk down the riverwalk along the west (3rd base) side, the building here is just masonry block. There was no attempt made to create anything accessible or interesting on that side. So again - beautiful aesthetically, but just not executed great in terms of entry and activation along the street front. Once inside, there are some similar issues with design choices that could have been done a bit better. The concourse is very discontinuous, which is partially due to the constraints and elevation changes on the site, but it makes getting from the main concourse to the outfield a little tricky with no real signs telling you where to go. This discontinuity also means that there is no real integration with the river that is a stone's throw from the 3rd base line. I kind of get why since it is a pretty stagnant and unattractive river, but still to just hide it behind a tall plinth and a cheap railing was not super thought out. Another pet peeve of mine at any ballpark is when it is directly adjacent to water and does not celebrate that or integrate itself in any way. There could have been a nice sititng/viewing area there at the very least. The last major thing I thought was executed poorly was the concourse is almost completely uncovered. There is this huge, intricate 2-story brick structure wrapping the concourse, which does provide some shade just because of how tall it is, but if there were canopies or covered sections that were attached to this building, it really would have reinforced that storefront feel on the interior of the stadium and naturally created some social areas to congregate near all of the concession stands. The only real place to tuck away and cool off or escape a rain storm is the team shop right now, which plenty of people were taking advantage of on this hot night.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdGDI1uqubquZD-NHkvHJpRXIja_o7YXkg6JlTz1Qr--lWiVtTqZ43FwOt8r1089erz78oPsmXdtp8B5rw8UGBu-ACJRT1RIdfQ2rqEV6TUDP8guVku1unzsDWu3vLYWbY7aBydCY4T6zYw73AEBLVI0otNPzYWS1Nxm5nN3l86uu7TTaUWp_skrmfTs/s4032/IMG_3036.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdGDI1uqubquZD-NHkvHJpRXIja_o7YXkg6JlTz1Qr--lWiVtTqZ43FwOt8r1089erz78oPsmXdtp8B5rw8UGBu-ACJRT1RIdfQ2rqEV6TUDP8guVku1unzsDWu3vLYWbY7aBydCY4T6zYw73AEBLVI0otNPzYWS1Nxm5nN3l86uu7TTaUWp_skrmfTs/w200-h150/IMG_3036.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even if you spent the entire game in said team shop, just hearing the crack of the bat and watching the trajectory of almost every ball in the air would tell you how warm it was on this night. South Bend defeated Beloit 6-0 behind a lot of loud contact and an onslaught of the Sky Carp's starter, Zach King. Almost every ball put in play off of him was loud and deep (when he wasn't hitting batters). King gave up 5 of the 6 runs and didn't make it out of the 3rd inning. The bullpen gave a valiant effort, giving up only 1 additional run over 6.1 innings, but the Sky Carp hitters could not get anything going off of 2022 1st round pick Cade Horton. He was masterful over 5.2 innings, giving up only 1 hit and touching up to 97 on the radar. I was most impressed with Kevin Alcantara of the Cubs. He only had one hit on the evening, but it was a long opposite field triple, and he also walked twice. He had a great eye at the plate and had a nice easy swing out of the cleanup spot.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've spent a large portion of this post shitting on this ballpark and Beloit in general, but I do want to emphasize that this is a DRASTIC improvement over Pohlman Field, and as you'll see from my rankings below, it is a very nice ballpark that the fans deserve and should be proud of. The brick aesthetic makes the park feel lived-in but not kitschy, which is hard to pull off. I also really appreciated that two areas that are typically afterthoughts in ballparks - the lawn seating and the kids area - were given very purposeful placement. I'm always going to find things to nitpick in every ballpark I go to, but it truly is a pleasant place to watch a ballgame and it's exciting to see downtown Beloit making an effort.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics</i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">:</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">aesthetics - 9</span></em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">views from park - 5 (Beloit water tower)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i><span><span><span><span><span>v<span><span><span><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">iew to field - 5 (lots of netting and obstructions)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">surrounding area - 6 (downtown Beloit)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>food variety - 7</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">nachos - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">beer - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">vendor price - 8</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">ticket price - 2 (probably the most expensive minor league tickets I've ever purchased)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">atmosphere - 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">walk to park - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">parking price/proximity - 7 (adjacent lot for free but the lots are very piecemeal)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concourses - 7 (would be a 9 or 10 if they were covered)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">team shop - 8 (would be a 10 if they had Snappers retro gear)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>kids area - 7<br /></i><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best food - Latin food stand</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">most unique stadium feature - main facade</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>best jumbotron feature - when they showed the final score featuring the wrong teams</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best between-inning feature - bunch of kids chase a guy in a ketchup costume</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">field dimensions - 345/400/325</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>starters - Cade Horton (SB) v. Zach King (BEL)<br />opponent - South Bend Cubs</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">time of game - 2:35</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">attendance - 1434</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">score - 6-0 L</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Brewers score that day - 3-2 W</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/30/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 43-38, --; 3 @ Pirates, 4 v. Cubs, 3 v. Reds</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 40-42, --; 3 @ Orioles, 3 v. Royals, 3 v. Orioles</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 1</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 11</span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-19419198182017987612023-06-22T13:57:00.010-05:002023-06-30T10:24:42.373-05:00Return to Willmar<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PaRWB4XmYdnqew_tvD5dLuw2ubC4BEZYTi10y-fBtB5b2M2K8fbDkF6FdO4MalGff0mL4Vnc4dftREuSxKWT1ewAo_3e6LINYd-sejBlXJGB3yVriEKctG0UTAvr2HvZ11L4Yp04o0TOKTMtYAsmKZnSiwmM6vHWleFU_Ua2H1T0TjxHp33Vzf6EHU0/s4032/IMG_2548.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PaRWB4XmYdnqew_tvD5dLuw2ubC4BEZYTi10y-fBtB5b2M2K8fbDkF6FdO4MalGff0mL4Vnc4dftREuSxKWT1ewAo_3e6LINYd-sejBlXJGB3yVriEKctG0UTAvr2HvZ11L4Yp04o0TOKTMtYAsmKZnSiwmM6vHWleFU_Ua2H1T0TjxHp33Vzf6EHU0/w400-h300/IMG_2548.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>All photos of Bill Taunton Stadium available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720309182470" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our whirlwind 2-week family visit to Minnesota of course concluded with another ballgame, this time in Willmar, which is about 50 miles southwest of my wife's parents' house in Cold Spring. Willmar is home to the Stingers of the Northwoods League, which Erik and I visited way back in their inaugural season of 2010 as a part of our Target Field/Northwoods League trip. We ended up having to take back county roads most of the way due to the major construction project on MN-23, so normally a drive that is a straight shot in 45 minutes took us about an hour, but it was very scenic past many farms and lakes.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPhA60dYcR7XnDEdIQjOeEvM3foTL3mQrZrELSnJ-QFQKQOxwt-Vw7fU5eTmCyTEOOQNWuRR6nUYzZ_79latVd5a8_-Y1ZptsD4Q4qzO2S0OVOK0_kmmxoKZe-EttDDUuC5o22zKnzOK8s3hFbKOfEw_cXuKa4WiUqbTKOj3mwzuzvWsIbvKWl1DKYNQ/s4032/IMG_2564.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPhA60dYcR7XnDEdIQjOeEvM3foTL3mQrZrELSnJ-QFQKQOxwt-Vw7fU5eTmCyTEOOQNWuRR6nUYzZ_79latVd5a8_-Y1ZptsD4Q4qzO2S0OVOK0_kmmxoKZe-EttDDUuC5o22zKnzOK8s3hFbKOfEw_cXuKa4WiUqbTKOj3mwzuzvWsIbvKWl1DKYNQ/w200-h150/IMG_2564.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYyH86HKFaYucY-YFMtcWSfhyj1Ycpfy4VZBeJ25AStzIeb4reKFw52X8A0nJcYop7i4dpVchtxq3tKyDnqpkd6VGRteIxABwBWoPiD26JzNzS0BeCinzpb--PXx5-dx1NRr48DjesuNzgEa-yN1J85cJuPGbwyuUiWQl-dMJLKzrPtf0Q_KEQ7FXFIw/s4032/IMG_2542.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYyH86HKFaYucY-YFMtcWSfhyj1Ycpfy4VZBeJ25AStzIeb4reKFw52X8A0nJcYop7i4dpVchtxq3tKyDnqpkd6VGRteIxABwBWoPiD26JzNzS0BeCinzpb--PXx5-dx1NRr48DjesuNzgEa-yN1J85cJuPGbwyuUiWQl-dMJLKzrPtf0Q_KEQ7FXFIw/w200-h150/IMG_2542.JPG" width="200" /></a></span>We had the entire family in tow for this trip and got to the park around 4:30 for a 5:05 first pitch. I'm always excited to see what has changed in a ballpark I have not been back to in that long, particularly one in this league that is constantly adapting, and was eager to walk around before we got to our seats. And by walk around, mostly I just mean immediately and repeatedly taking my daughter to the bounce house. From what I did see and from what I can gather when comparing to my 2010 photos, quite a bit has changed at Bill Taunton Stadium. There was a pretty major renovation done 6 years ago that greatly enhanced the fan experience. A picnic area was added at the main entry, a couple of new concessions tents/shacks were added, and a large beach area for private parties was added down the left field line. The rickety standalone bleacher section that Erik and I sat in 13 years ago was replaced by a raised, shaded pavilion, and the ad-hoc bar rail along the left field line was refreshed with a whole new bar and stools. As is pretty standard in the Northwoods League, the first few rows behind home plate were blow out and replaced with 4-top tables with waitstaff club service. But perhaps the coolest addition were a couple of dugout suites, one at each dugout. There is a small "enclave" for lack of a better term on the home-plate side of each dugout that was carved out and fenced off for use as a small suite, appearing to hold around 10 people each. At first they seemed a little dangerous just seeing their proximity to the field, but they are protected well and really in an area that it would be pretty difficult to hit a foul ball, and certainly a risk I would be willing to take for that unique vantage point that is basically right on the field. While I was very pleased with all of the upgrades (including the aforementioned bounce house that my daughter spent a considerable amount of time in), the major deficiency of this ballpark has unfortunately not yet been addressed, which is that there is only one concession area and one set of bathrooms, both of which are together in a very odd space adjacent to the grandstand, elevated behind the 3rd base dugout. I'm guessing this park has been globbed onto and remodeled so many times throughout the years that this is just the original location of the concessions and bathrooms from when the park was much smaller and have never moved, but they definitely have the space to add at least a beer cart and a couple of Port-A-Johns on the opposite side of the field. It wasn't too bad at the game we were at, but I can only imagine how awful the congestion is at the concessions area for a packed house at a local tournament or something.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdCzytnRmtfwb9bhpKXRko4gNs_XDsB9Y_-HXE0KIWBd3gGRe4MGcK2r-2uHjvlLJl5_FMBfnFYtK2v3rLc_FjMoUy0ABX3OECVHMG2alLMXcQ3AolRTIUclc7gKrpf2wGc5_zTqaU2jZbM3Gd7ZctfT2ZBIWb7Cjue6xVWR5MS4T7jbGOrablm-OYew/s4032/IMG_2559.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdCzytnRmtfwb9bhpKXRko4gNs_XDsB9Y_-HXE0KIWBd3gGRe4MGcK2r-2uHjvlLJl5_FMBfnFYtK2v3rLc_FjMoUy0ABX3OECVHMG2alLMXcQ3AolRTIUclc7gKrpf2wGc5_zTqaU2jZbM3Gd7ZctfT2ZBIWb7Cjue6xVWR5MS4T7jbGOrablm-OYew/w150-h200/IMG_2559.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We chose to sit in the 1st row of the 200 section on the 1st base side of the grandstand, and they proved to be the perfect seats for a couple of small kids and an old man with a back problem, with a wide unobstructed aisleway directly in front of us. It was super easy to get in and out of our seats, with plenty of space for the kids to jump around and harass the mascot as he/she/it walked back and forth down the aisle. We took in a great Father's Day matchup between the Stingers and the Mankato MoonDogs. It was a back and forth affair for the entire game, with at least one team scratching out a run in every inning except the 3rd and the 5th. The Stingers got a big game-tying homer in the 4th inning by their DH and Rainbow Warrior Sean Rimmer, and a monster 2-run shot by Gabe Swansen in the 8th that gave Willmar the lead for good. Tyler Bryan tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning for the save in a brisk game of just over 2 hours (I will record this game using the box score time of 2:29 but that is wildly inaccurate). Both starting pitchers fared well, going 5 and 6 innings respectively. Overall it was one of the better quality baseball games I have seen in this league - good pitching, good situational hitting, a surprising amount of power, and stellar defense.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We spent one more night in Cold Spring and headed back to Wisconsin the following day, having notched another 4 ballgames during our time in Minnesota.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics</i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>(see original post and rankings from <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2010/07/tour-2010-bill-taunton-stadium.html" target="_blank">07/31/2010</a>)</i></b>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">aesthetics - 6</span></em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">views from park - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i><span><span><span><span><span>v<span><span><span><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">iew to field - improves to 8</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">surrounding area - improves to 4 (there is now a waterpark next door)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>food variety - improves to 5</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">nachos - improves to 6</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">beer - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">vendor price - 9</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">ticket price - decreases to 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">atmosphere - 7</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">walk to park - 3</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">parking price/proximity - 10</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concourses - 4</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">team shop - 5</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>kids area - 4 (new category)<br /></i><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best food - Minnesota Wild Rice Brat</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">most unique stadium feature - dugout suites</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><i>best jumbotron feature - n/a</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best between-inning feature - Culver's Food Race beyond outfield wall</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">field dimensions - 326/373/324</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>starters - RJ Elmore (MAN) v. Mitch Gutknecht (WIL)<br />opponent - Mankato MoonDogs</i><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">time of game - 2:29</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">attendance - 950</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">score - 5-3 W</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Brewers score that day - 5-2 W</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/22/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 38-36, -1.5; 3 @ Guardians, 4 @ Mets</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 37-38, +1.0; 3 @ Tigers, 3 @ Braves</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 1</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 10</span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-41114892967262332802023-06-12T14:14:00.006-05:002023-06-18T22:23:41.315-05:00Royal Park<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFJ2EtLQMG6X-a3HlqDZSdJWz4CKt3qdQhtYhS-1smgbC_nn7CEBtxGzE60_8OduaiAIJfGXWPu7GjETVKtNHQXJrnmAPYjeg8RqwVYyNZz9muLtuA4NayiUfhHetr8GK0dQqdR3cR3z1o_M1TmtZJR2LEr-C8BPH2t7Yf4HjPGkx-Ktr426pJpml/s4032/IMG_2498.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFJ2EtLQMG6X-a3HlqDZSdJWz4CKt3qdQhtYhS-1smgbC_nn7CEBtxGzE60_8OduaiAIJfGXWPu7GjETVKtNHQXJrnmAPYjeg8RqwVYyNZz9muLtuA4NayiUfhHetr8GK0dQqdR3cR3z1o_M1TmtZJR2LEr-C8BPH2t7Yf4HjPGkx-Ktr426pJpml/w400-h300/IMG_2498.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>All photos of Royal Park available on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720308995246" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zMxsaNcgH9tS7TkSELWADm1BDdHbhYAxLvRCS2-zCmBGX5ScUYZYUDhKUg5vBukLRY1aNU582_fluVTplsZokZqGIe4RuldOU79kkMhs14Zad-USUQ4RtOes8IUhLpZWIPtLfU0CcyLUX4yV0OTyCYSRWCLLY8Eyx5JxxT7G7mzwoki2MRlh8rgd/s4032/IMG_2476.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zMxsaNcgH9tS7TkSELWADm1BDdHbhYAxLvRCS2-zCmBGX5ScUYZYUDhKUg5vBukLRY1aNU582_fluVTplsZokZqGIe4RuldOU79kkMhs14Zad-USUQ4RtOes8IUhLpZWIPtLfU0CcyLUX4yV0OTyCYSRWCLLY8Eyx5JxxT7G7mzwoki2MRlh8rgd/w200-h150/IMG_2476.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the many things I love about baseball is its accessibility. Unless you are purposely trying to get off the grid (in which case you probably wouldn't read what I'm writing anyways), chances are that just about everywhere in the lower 48 states will be within a couple hours of some level of collegiate or organized baseball. I love that whether I am going to a wedding in a remote mountain town in Colorado, or driving through a wind farm in the middle-of-nowhere Indiana, I can always find a ballgame if I want to - and in both of those cases, I have. Even visiting my wife's family in rural Minnesota, which is over an hour from the Twin Cities and 20 miles from anything resembling an urban area, I am never short on ball options. Thanks to the magic of the Minnesota Baseball Association - colloquially known as Town Ball - I will have literally hundreds of ball fields at my disposal after we move out here. My father-in-law and I visited one in the neighboring town of Richmond yesterday for a Sunday matinee. It was one of the most perfect weather days I have ever spent at a ballpark - 70 degrees, sunny but not hot, with a steady cool north breeze.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhZrsab6cZ0SxnVSE9txguKSDVC0eMjdtBdqwPTglfSrQ2rKKVOV4BbWGJSE0HAhJiO3mnwzmBniDcODBDmoD8vBbfYmuLTVeP5qG2arpbzVKkOaRNFA6r7YB3zsR5nMo_1YiDu6MNjj03MJHzMBBQRuc-MZFq8wB265b9Utao6bRVxCkOWTR0Yvk/s4032/IMG_2487.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhZrsab6cZ0SxnVSE9txguKSDVC0eMjdtBdqwPTglfSrQ2rKKVOV4BbWGJSE0HAhJiO3mnwzmBniDcODBDmoD8vBbfYmuLTVeP5qG2arpbzVKkOaRNFA6r7YB3zsR5nMo_1YiDu6MNjj03MJHzMBBQRuc-MZFq8wB265b9Utao6bRVxCkOWTR0Yvk/w150-h200/IMG_2487.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Richmond is a part of the "Ro-Co-Ri" school district along with Rockville to the east and obviously Cold Spring. The population is roughly half of Cold Spring, and it is about 5 minutes down MN-23, or roughly 15-20 minutes west of I-94. It's definitely a much more rugged and sleepier town than Cold Spring, and that could not be more evident than comparing the Richmond ballpark experience to the Cold Spring experience. Cold Spring Baseball Park very much feels like a civic gathering place, part of the community fabric in the center of town, where most people walk or bike to the park and are mostly there to chat with neighbors or support friends and family in the game. Royal Park seemed more about the baseball and doesn't have that "buzz" that watching a game in Cold Spring does. I don't intend that as a slight to fans of either town, I just got the sense that people really come out to support the Royals because there isn't much else to do in Richmond. It's off the beaten path - quite literally as it is ringed by a dirt road - so it's definitely not just a park you stumble upon while walking through town. It's an interesting setup as you kind of drive right up to the park and there isn't really a distinction of where the parking ends and the field begins. You enter on either the west or east side of the dirt road which loops around the south end of the field, and then you just kind of park where you feel like on the grass behind the fence. Some people literally pulled right up to the fence and watched from their car. The ballpark consists of a small</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">grandstand that was donated by the local Lions Club in 1990, a </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">section of metal bleachers on each side of the grandstand, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">a standalone masonry concessions building, a pressbox/dugout/restroom buliding, and a tally scoreboard, which is all very impressive for a town this size and was quite unexpected. Greg and I actually brought lawn chairs and our own beverages as we were not expecting much more than some rickety wood bleachers and a chain link fence. We were also not expecting </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">admission to be $5 per person. At first I was appalled that I had to pay to watch town ball, but I quickly came to realize that this money likely went right back into the upkeep of the ballpark. It's very clear from hodgepodge nature of the park and the city center itself that Richmond just does not have the financial resources and tax base that Cold Spring has, so I assume they cannot afford the luxury of offering free admission. But the thing both parks have in common is an immense amount of pride in both the team and the facility, which I am sure is true of every town ball park. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There had to be over 100 people there, not to mention another dozen or so volunteers working, which for a town of 1,500 people on a Sunday afternoon is again pretty impressive. My favorite part of the park by far was that they sold entire 12-packs and cases of Busch Light for $25 and $45 respectively. I had not seen a stunt like that since Erik and I bought a pitcher of beer in Sheboygan, which is ironically also a home to an amateur league team. A lady in the bleachers next to us actually bought a case for the New Munich contingent that made the trek into town to see their SilverStreaks battle the Royals.</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOotfudPO9TfEBWOL5tSVz8hAv-1vZoFtixd6PaAcJzxNGA0Rn3iUF81EFltqAzrO2gWbDN3ewWPPCRYSH2bw89c1-cxaMTcMrstOpvSfbzEV-DAgob-3W3kA1thZuAJbTMXdDTLLsXH8I5vFsDfe3v9VwKXbuft9ncDSTdfFKxYwlj8Vf9xnwiCj-/s4032/IMG_2480.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOotfudPO9TfEBWOL5tSVz8hAv-1vZoFtixd6PaAcJzxNGA0Rn3iUF81EFltqAzrO2gWbDN3ewWPPCRYSH2bw89c1-cxaMTcMrstOpvSfbzEV-DAgob-3W3kA1thZuAJbTMXdDTLLsXH8I5vFsDfe3v9VwKXbuft9ncDSTdfFKxYwlj8Vf9xnwiCj-/w200-h150/IMG_2480.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>The game itself was a win by mercy rule for the visiting New Munich team, by a score of 12-0 in 7 innings. As you can imagine it takes some time for the box scores for these types of game to make it online or into the local paper (if at all), so as of this post no game stats are yet available, but Richmond was pretty outmatched from the beginning. Both starting pitchers faired pretty well; I want to say the Richmond starter lasted about 4 innings and gave up only 1 of the 12 runs, and New Munich starter went about 6 innings. But outside of the starter, not much else to write home about for the Royals. They had more errors (6) than hits (5) including several just plain dropped fly balls. They seemed to be operating at just an entirely different gear than New Munich and were incredibly slow off the ball on both offense and defense. New Munich beat out quite a few infield hits, including two on grounders to 1st because the big fat reliever could either not make it to first in time to cover the bag or just chose not to. The aforementioned big fat reliever was who the SilverStreaks broke the game open against. They put up a 9-spot off of him in the 5th inning, mostly clobbering his fastball that was so slow it had an arc to it. I'm probably being a little harsh on the Royals as this is just amateur baseball, but at least I can say it was entertaining. Had the game not gotten so far out of hand, the lone umpire probably would have been the story of the day. He had an enormous neck-to-shin strike zone that was almost as wide, and he got nailed in the face several times by foul balls, but remained committed to staying in the game and calling just about everything a strike. The players I remember most on New Munich were the leadoff hitter #20 and the 3-hole hitter who wore #00. #20 had at least 3 hits on the day, and #00 came in from right field to finish the game on the mound in the 7th.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our move to Minnesota is still a year away so I don't want to get too sentimental just yet, but let's just say that Town Ball is in the "PRO" column and will help soften the culture shock from Milwaukee to Cold Spring. No matter if I am living in a metro area with 1.5M people, or a town with two stop lights, it is nice to know that a constant I can count on in my life besides family is baseball.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>park rankings and statistics</i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>(for purposes of amateur/town ball rankings, some categories are changed to just yes/no questions)</i></b>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">aesthetics - 2</span></em></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">views from park - 2 (trees)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><i style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span>v<span><span><span><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">iew to field - 9 (dangerously close to and unguarded by fence)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">surrounding area - 1</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concessions - yes</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">nachos - no</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">beer - yes</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">vendor price - 10</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">ticket price - 1 (I know the money went to a good cause...but $5 for town ball come on)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">atmosphere - 4</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">walk to park - 1 (run-down residential)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">parking price/proximity - 10 (could literally park in foul territory)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">concourses - 2</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">team shop - yes ($20 hats)</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best food - 24-pack of Busch Light for $45</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">most unique stadium feature - press box on top of dugout</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><i>scoreboard - yes</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>lights - no<br style="color: black;" /></i><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">best between-inning feature - n/a</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">field dimensions - 330/350/330</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">teams - Richmond Royals v. New Munich SilverStreaks</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">time of game - 2hrs-ish</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">attendance - 100-ish</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">score - 12-0 L</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Brewers score that day - 8-6 L</span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span><span><span><span><span><em><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/12/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 34-32, -1.0; 2 @ Twins, 3 v. Pirates, 3 v. Diamondbacks</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 33-33, +1.5; 2 v. Brewers, 4 v. Tigers, 4 v. Red Sox</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 0</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 7</span></div></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-85237032186707028292023-06-05T13:39:00.002-05:002023-06-05T13:43:39.503-05:00Initial Reactions to Rule Changes<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijitKaDgfCaiCIM2U0cd1kjSibFhw4UZ2y_H9K7UilrNqKnKx_JawUjEICWoVFPQGDEKFYhfOZ_tzkwyq_a-hFJntd1a-GDINPgVpax2id_s6BFZSdZividnb7JKDLKqbKMsxtxsMf2-D8iNLiMKnj3Ib3ZTxpypCntfSgm9qn6ick88gkN1YhckI/s844/pitch%20clock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="844" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijitKaDgfCaiCIM2U0cd1kjSibFhw4UZ2y_H9K7UilrNqKnKx_JawUjEICWoVFPQGDEKFYhfOZ_tzkwyq_a-hFJntd1a-GDINPgVpax2id_s6BFZSdZividnb7JKDLKqbKMsxtxsMf2-D8iNLiMKnj3Ib3ZTxpypCntfSgm9qn6ick88gkN1YhckI/w640-h318/pitch%20clock.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Memorial Day has already come and gone, which is often considered the bellwether date of every baseball season, so I thought it appropriate to take a step back at this point and assess how the crop of rule changes in 2023 have affected the game.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Strictly looking at it from a statistical perspective as a whole, the results are staggering. Game times as of this post are averaging 2 hours and 37 minutes, which is a 26 minute reduction from last year. This is the first year since 2015 that games have averaged under 3 hours and is the shortest average time in the last 15 years. In 2022, over 10% of games lasted at least 3 1/2 hours, and this year that number is less than 1%. Average time between plate appearances is also down more than 20 seconds, which if you add that up over even just the minimum 54 PAs amounts to 18 minutes by itself. There have also been only 170 automatic strikes called and 391 automatic balls called in over 264,000 pitches thrown league wide, which tells you that players have adjusted very quickly to the pitch clock. Stolen bases and stolen base attempts are also up a bit as a result of the larger bases and pitcher disengagement rules, but I don't think to the significant amount that was touted. There are on average 0.9 steal attempts per game in 2023, which is fractionally better than last year and the highest amount since 2012. As a point of reference, there has not been a year that averaged greater than 1 attempt per game since 1999, but while the number of attempts has not shifted dramatically, the success rate is up almost 5% which is not insignificant. The last major rule change this year was banning infield defensive shifts, which has resulted in an increase in batting average on ground balls to .250, which is not a huge jump from last year but if you separate out lefties who were the most impacted by the shift previously, their average has jumped over 10 points. Overall, league batting average is still way down in general from historical numbers, which is a greater reflection I think on the dominant pitching in today's game than any sort of shifting. I think it's too early to tell with some of these metrics, but there is no denying that when you add all of this up in total and consider that the overall goal of the rules was to increase pace of play and reduce the amount of time during a game where nothing is happening, I would call the overall package an unmitigated success (unless you ask any team's President of Business Operations about <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2023/04/13/mlb-teams-relax-beer-policies" target="_blank">beer sales</a>).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">However, as with everything else in baseball, there are two sides to everything - there's the analytical side, but there is also the intuitive/human side. Anybody who has really been paying attention to baseball this year will notice two things immediately - poor defense and greater number of pitcher injuries. This is not a statistical thing I can back up or tie to any of the rule changes directly, but again it is that intuitive side of the game - it can't be a coincidence that defense appears worse and more pitchers seem to be getting injured in a year where there are pace of play and shifting rules implemented. Players seem to like the rules overall, but they are also creatures of habit and routine and undoubtedly they must be particularly taxing to pitchers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If these rules are to stay around for a long time - and there's no reason to believe they won't - the biggest change of all will be fundamentally changing how the game is taught in the minor leagues. Pitchers today are taught to be max effort guys in short stints and rely on the strikeout. Defenses today are predicated on putting a player in the best spot on the field based on what the data tells you, and players having the "flexibility" to change positions on a regular basis. Hitters are taught today that contact is not important and should sell out for the homerun because that is what wins games, and more importantly, that is the stat that drives salary. Nobody is really taught how to steal bases or even how to run bases properly for that same reason. I think that all of those things are going to change in the coming years, and beyond pace of play, that is really what is at the heart of all of these rule changes - getting baseball back to the game it used to be 40 years ago. Action packed, lots of contact, speed, and defensive wizardry; in other words, athleticism. I can only speak most for my hometown team the Brewers, and they certainly seem to be ahead of the curve on a lot of this already. They are near the top of the league in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and steals, and they are near the bottom in strikeouts as a pitching staff, thanks in large part to a crop of rookies and ground ball pitchers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is always interesting to see how baseball evolves year to year and generation to generation as a sport, and I am eager to see how these rules will manifest themselves on the field in the next decade.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/5/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 32-27, +0.5; 3 v. Orioles, 3 v. Athletics</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 31-29, +3.5; 3 @ Rays, 3 @ Blue Jays</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 0</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter - 5</span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-2130556447755602352023-05-22T14:25:00.008-05:002023-05-22T14:37:14.209-05:00Fox Cities Stadium Renovation #2<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjeNMYbg-I4U4jyVzbjoPUL2ruAS6GlF_a7EwP1_kLr1h6_jZmULy7DG5-_a_NflGee6kYDP1oYN0rG6jUvhW63hZWekrS4H9kLaqeKldqK62tvOuvve_-L8nc7sWxvYN2-GpABtCkQ4coy-bAeNz7LKPDQSa5k2hDWV23vgCvyzEWQ8zpucXv2Di/s4032/IMG_2352.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjeNMYbg-I4U4jyVzbjoPUL2ruAS6GlF_a7EwP1_kLr1h6_jZmULy7DG5-_a_NflGee6kYDP1oYN0rG6jUvhW63hZWekrS4H9kLaqeKldqK62tvOuvve_-L8nc7sWxvYN2-GpABtCkQ4coy-bAeNz7LKPDQSa5k2hDWV23vgCvyzEWQ8zpucXv2Di/w400-h300/IMG_2352.JPG" width="400" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br />All photos of Fox Cities Stadium available on <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/24753491@N05/albums/72177720308482233" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_k4LFvcJW_oLJorPzn_ybJcmnwXHQUwbub1_sNLM1YCuphYTSEyHBfNw_n76pj2MmvodVZ8taXaDlkyL_5r7RLj1_nS2zUZ6XADjVKSXzy59r9CcB8sKHgQzkkOi7WJ8zSl3_m2GSRugCvRt60M4YGZjHK45ltSb9GeL1a7JoelqSJEfEG0gY7UQ/s4032/IMG_2359.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_k4LFvcJW_oLJorPzn_ybJcmnwXHQUwbub1_sNLM1YCuphYTSEyHBfNw_n76pj2MmvodVZ8taXaDlkyL_5r7RLj1_nS2zUZ6XADjVKSXzy59r9CcB8sKHgQzkkOi7WJ8zSl3_m2GSRugCvRt60M4YGZjHK45ltSb9GeL1a7JoelqSJEfEG0gY7UQ/w200-h150/IMG_2359.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Megan and I returned to Appleton for the first time in over 8 years yesterday to take in the second round of major renovations at Fox Cities Stadium, and to give our son Elliot his first experience at affiliated minor league ball. We arrived to a nearly completely full parking lot about a half-hour before first pitch, and figured out pretty quickly that it was due to a Jonathan Lucroy bobblehead, for which we arrived too late to acquire (I did however get to see him throw out the first pitch). Giveaway or no, it was really nice to see the park so full, and it was easy to see that the Timber Rattlers' affiliation with the Brewers seems to be thriving in not just Appleton but all of Wisconsin. We were all very hungry upon arrival and got the customary children's favorites of hot dogs and lemonade before heading down to our left field lawn seats.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNa5AfplmwRL6Ah8ZiBra3MdvipkTF5sW6rNCsyx4tBjpWEQMP8SFdInOiYH8WMmm87lQOC16ewlDVmWA_sx8brMA5nW72Agcn7ZCltFR01LMNP2-__w-D6Axt2AGDYuulHjJr4Na4YJxW4u2WsUcrXQNegWdRDZe7XlHaPBhkB3lR5kuLzJwad7yV/s4032/IMG_2382.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNa5AfplmwRL6Ah8ZiBra3MdvipkTF5sW6rNCsyx4tBjpWEQMP8SFdInOiYH8WMmm87lQOC16ewlDVmWA_sx8brMA5nW72Agcn7ZCltFR01LMNP2-__w-D6Axt2AGDYuulHjJr4Na4YJxW4u2WsUcrXQNegWdRDZe7XlHaPBhkB3lR5kuLzJwad7yV/w200-h150/IMG_2382.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The main portion of the renovation we were excited to see was the 3-story slide that was constructed in left field, which is supposed to be a sort of homage to Bernie Brewer's slide - again reinforcing that strong affiliate partnership. Much to our disappointment, that was the one portion of the renovation that was not yet completed for Opening Day, and I found out after we left that it will tentatively debut on May 31st. It was a big bummer to drive 90 minutes and it wasn't even open, but honestly we sat pretty close to it and by the looks of it, Molly would have either not met the height requirement or would have been too terrified to slide down anyways (on the other hand, I would have enjoyed it immensely). However, it was not a total loss, as the kids area in right field was expanded for this season as well. The right field corner now features one of the larger kids areas I've seen so far, featuring a complete jungle gym, a gigantic sandbox with toys, and some standard bounce houses. In the few years we've been taking our kids to ballgames, it's become apparent that kids areas are mostly an afterthought and mostly serve to make use of dead space in the corners of ballparks, and while that was certainly no different here, it was at least a very expansive and unique area. As far as fan improvements go, the other major component of this year's renovation is that you can finally circumnavigate the entire park. As of my last visit in 2015, you could make about a 90% loop, from the center field bullpens all the way around to the left field pole, with an inaccessible gap in left field. That gap has now been infilled with a pavilion mixed with private and public space, and a series of walkways that jog up, down, and around the jumbotron and bullpens in the outfield. It's actually a very cool procession underneath the massive jumbotron and then arriving in centerfield where you can watch pitchers warm up, although I will say that the new walkway is much too narrow for two-way traffic. The walkway does widen a bit where it counts - above the bullpens to give people some standing room for heckling opponents and hounding for baseballs. It then connects up with the pre-existing raised pavilion area in right field which more closely resembles a residential wood deck, which then empties into the kids area. This renovation also encapsulated many of the MLB-mandated facility guidelines that were a part of the last CBA, including a new home clubhouse that doubles the size of their former space, new batting cages, dedicated spaces for female staff, expanded offices, and expanded player conditioning and relaxation areas. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HLLqQ4pHYo_v9J1XNRzvgu5t5NM__6Iyh2T8gbQic-Eh0IPYgN-OVCCj78IfMyepfIB3046dptfb8YWPaNXgcL8QyISVZIK2YRil1RHD4GRzespfRsImFe4RwMytw6rvp0cMTsqBczzGBvb2eoIx7_jS_iRTlLfRHOoyuFr6qI7Ftar_ryzVaKp4/s4032/IMG_2395.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HLLqQ4pHYo_v9J1XNRzvgu5t5NM__6Iyh2T8gbQic-Eh0IPYgN-OVCCj78IfMyepfIB3046dptfb8YWPaNXgcL8QyISVZIK2YRil1RHD4GRzespfRsImFe4RwMytw6rvp0cMTsqBczzGBvb2eoIx7_jS_iRTlLfRHOoyuFr6qI7Ftar_ryzVaKp4/w150-h200/IMG_2395.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The kids seem to do better and better each time we take them to a game, and they had a ton of fun on Sunday. We all sat pretty calmly for a good 3 innings and both Molly and Elliot were very inquisitive and interested in the game. Attention started to wane during a long 3rd inning and we were successfully able to draw another 2 frames out of them with some ice cream. I was more than ok with that seeing as how we were there mostly to see the new kids stuff. There was certainly a time in my not-so-distant past that watching anything short of a full 9 innings would upset me and feel like a waste of money, but having kids changes your perspective - as it does with most things in a parent's life. Baseball is more about the experience and the entertainment value than anything else, and realistically the game itself is just secondary with young children. As long as we have a good time, eat some good food, and get to walk around a bit to see the park and enjoy the outdoors, that's really all I care about. This is all a long prelude to say - I did not see anything that happened after the 5th inning. I was in line getting ice cream during the lone homerun in the 4th inning, and the ball was noticeably jumping off the bat on the warm day. Eric Brown Jr. was probably the biggest name on the T-Rats roster. He was the Brewers 1st round pick last year, and went hitless with a walk batting leadoff. Robert Moore also played 2nd in the game - he was a compensatory round B pick last year and he was the guy who hit the homer in the 4th. My son was captivated by the program for much of the game, so I was unable to snatch it from him to read up too much on other players I didn't recognize. Neither starter was particularly stellar, lasting only 2.2 and 3.2 innings respectively. There were a lot of ground ball outs from both sides, a lot fewer strikeouts than I am accustomed to seeing in the Midwest League. The hard hit fly balls and the lower strikeout totals could potentially both be attributed to this being the first Midwest League game I've seen since it changed to a High-A league a couple of years ago.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Overall, the 2022-23 renovations improved an already great minor league park, but I would still not consider this one of my favorites in the circuit. Its major shortcomings are that it is very congested and there are really only two main concessions stands and two sets of bathrooms. Those problems have existed in the 16+ years I've been coming to this ballpark and I think they would both be pretty difficult to fix at this point. Portable food carts have been added over the years to increase concessions offerings, but those come at a cost of only further exacerbating the congestion problem. That being said, it's pretty hard these days to find a bad place to watch a minor league ballgame. With the aforementioned stricter facility guidelines, the days of Pohlman Fields and Pfitzner Stadiums are long gone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><em><span><span><strong>park rankings and statistics</strong></span></span></em><br /><em><span><span><strong>(see last renovation post from <a href="https://houseserikandpeterbuilt.blogspot.com/2013/04/fox-cities-stadium-renovation.html" target="_blank">4/13/13</a>):</strong></span></span></em><br /></span></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>aesthetics - 6</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>views from park - 3</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>view to field - 5</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>surrounding area - 3</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>food variety - 6</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>nachos - improves to 7</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>beer - 9</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>vendor price - 7</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>ticket price - 8</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>atmosphere - improves to 7</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>walk to park - 1</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>parking price/proximity - 1</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><i>concourses - 6 (more congestion, but bonus points for outfield concourse)</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">team shop - 8</span></i></div></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><i>kids area - 8 (previously unranked - including the future slide in this ranking)</i></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><em><span>best food - helmet cheese fries<br />most unique stadium feature - 3-story slide in LF<br />best jumbotron feature - Press Your Luck<br />best between-inning feature - unchanged<br /><br />field dimensions - 325/405/325<br />starters - Cruz Noriega (QC) v. Stiven Cruz (WIS)<br />opponent - Quad Cities River Bandits<br />time of game - 2:31<br />attendance - 5,363<br />score - 7-4 L<br />Brewers score that day - 6-4 W</span></em><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/22/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 25-21, +1.0; 3 v. Astros, 4 v. Giants, 3 @ Blue Jays, 4 @ Reds</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 25-22, +3.5; 3 v. Giants, 3 v. Blue Jays, 3 @ Astros, 4 v. Guardians</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 0</span></div><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Peter - 4</span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828109709931019608.post-1085255200495706562023-05-12T13:52:00.007-05:002023-05-12T13:54:59.465-05:00Dodgers Re-Sign Andrew Toles to $0 Contract<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0EKpAQOz-144t1hN3DtnRBBUmQJDqO76jYXqq65GvmfB0QIq9x5tXeHv-VFjDh29nc_ApaT7C6AvVpEOrUGzlr_0X5YSphw0OAHGklbJHsfMOOC0dWOv4XKZonhprEeHIfo-WCqNYQt9-lM_RiSuOVs0zbINyV0hnAdHlb6mpK6rTt_mZoyl59Gr/s310/toles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0EKpAQOz-144t1hN3DtnRBBUmQJDqO76jYXqq65GvmfB0QIq9x5tXeHv-VFjDh29nc_ApaT7C6AvVpEOrUGzlr_0X5YSphw0OAHGklbJHsfMOOC0dWOv4XKZonhprEeHIfo-WCqNYQt9-lM_RiSuOVs0zbINyV0hnAdHlb6mpK6rTt_mZoyl59Gr/w400-h210/toles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's getting harder and harder to find a news story with a happy ending these days, but if you dig deep enough, you can still find a few gems. It was reported a couple of months ago that the Dodgers re-signed former top prospect Andrew Toles to a $0 contract for the 5th consecutive season. This isn't some sort of ceremonial gesture, or even something that the Dodgers held a press conference about, but rather, it is just about the most humane and noble thing a person can do for someone - help them in a time of need and expect nothing in return. By signing a salary-less contract, it allows Toles to remain in the organization, and thus have access to the team's health insurance.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Anybody not familiar with Toles' story might wonder why somebody who likely made millions of dollars in his career needs free healthcare from the Dodgers, but this is a person who was homeless and destitute not even 3 years ago. His career got off to a hot start with a memorable postseason performance in his rookie year of 2016, but his life derailed from there. He would play in just 17 more games the remainder of his career while dealing with a series of health issues, both physical and - much more significantly - mental. He was a no-show to spring training 2019 and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He was in and out of mental institutions after that, eventually being arrested for trespassing while living outside of the Key West Airport, and was taken into guardianship by his father. Toles desperately needs this health insurance to treat his condition and to give himself even a semblance of a normal life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This might seem like an insignificant gesture, but it would have been easy enough for the Dodgers to just cut ties with Toles years ago, as I'm sure many other teams would (and have) for players in similar circumstances. It's nice to hear once in awhile that money-grubbing sports owners do have a heart.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Tinos; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-family: helvetica; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/12/23</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Tinos; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Brewers 20-17, -0.5; 3 v. Royals, 3 @ Cardinals, 3 @ Rays</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Tinos; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Twins 21-17, +3.0; 3 v. Cubs, 3 @ Dodgers, 3 @ Angels</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Tinos; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Tinos; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2023 GAMES ATTENDED:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Tinos; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Erik - 0</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Tinos; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter - 3</span></span></div>pnagel2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03952297397562502430noreply@blogger.com0