Tour 2013: Hammons Field

All photos of Hammons Field available on Flickr.

It was a long wait into the season this year for our big annual ball trip, and as is always the case, it seemed to be over before it began.  Tour 2013 brought us to Missouri, with a stop at a AA game en route to see the $250 million Kauffman Stadium renovation completed for the 2009 season.  I keep saying "us," because Erik and I did plan the trip together, but I actually went by myself because he was unable to shake loose from prior commitments.  In 5 short weeks this season will be over, and will be recorded in the annals of history as the first year since we were in college together that we haven't gone on some sort of ball trip.  Although extremely disappointing, I know we still have many, many years of ball tours ahead of us.  The 8 1/2 hour drive down to Springfield was pretty lonely and most of the way I was thinking to myself how ridiculous it was to go on a weekend vacation alone, but looking back, I'm definitely glad that I went.

I arrived in Springfield around 4:30, well in advance of the odd 7:09 game time.  The first of many small fortunes I encountered on this trip was when I found out the hotel I was staying at had a pool, so I was able to occupy myself until it was time to head to the ballpark.  Erik and I have an affinity for quoting Caddyshack among other movies, and one of our go-to lines is when Chevy Chase says "we have a pool, and a pond...pond's probably good for you."  So, I had to laugh when I saw the pond-esque condition of the pool featuring leaves and bugs, but it was 90º so I jumped in anyways.  After my swim, I took a circuitous route to the ballpark to survey the downtown area for potential places to drink after the game, but finding it to be dilapidated and deserted, I made a bee-line for the ballpark.  I then spent at least 10 minutes waiting in line to get into the parking lot across the street.  It was completely absurd - it is a shared parking lot with a hotel, with only one entry point, and they charge $7!!!  I might have expected this were the ballpark truly urban, but it was more on the fringes and it not a city-operated lot.  Anyways, after that atrocity, I got to the ticket window and found that only GA tickets were available.  The game tonight may not have been the largest minor league crowd I've been a part of, or even the loudest, but it was definitely the most full I have ever seen a minor league stadium.  Usually when I go to minor league games, I just buy GA tickets regardless and sit where I want, but I literally did not see one empty seat for at least the first 6 innings.  Even the grass berms were packed and I ended up standing for most of the game.  Aside from concessions lines being understandably long, being a part of a standing-room crowd at a minor league game was a pretty incredible experience.  It was a perfect storm of A) Springfield being tied for 1st, B) playing the nearby rival Royals' affiliate whom they are tied with, C) the 4th to last home game of the season, and D) just Cardinals fans being awesome in general, as much as that pains me to say.

Given the huge contingent of St. Louis Cardinal fans at the ballpark as well as the team's proximity to St. Louis, I was very surprised to find out that both the team and stadium have existed for less than 10 years.  Hammons Field is named after the late John Q. Hammons, a famous hotel entrepreneur, who funded the ballpark entirely himself with the promise of luring a team to his hometown to become a new Cardinals affiliate.  Included in the price tag for this park was its own separate indoor practice facility beyond the outfield wall, which is a luxury I've certainly never heard of in minor league stadium that doesn't double as a spring training facility.  As it is set up now, there is a berm that wraps around the left field pole into the outfield, is interrupted by some trees in the batters eye, and then another small portion of berm in right center, and between this berm and the right field pole is the practice facility.  The nice part is the out-building gives the site some context, but the drawback is that the concourse does not wrap all the way around.  Other than that, there are a lot of nuances that make this park unique.  Most interesting to me was obviously how the park was constructed.  The composition had a "horse track" kind of aesthetic and the structure utilizes joist girders with clevis turnbuckle rods, painted in sea foam green.  In laymen's terms - fancy metal trusses.  The concourse is also set up kind of cool.  It terminates in left field at a stair tower that goes up a level to a small canopied deck of seating, and down a level to the GA berm area, which also has its own separate concessions area and a half-court basketball hoop.  I really liked that the grass berm area, which can be rambunctious and typically appeals to kids and families, was separated from the rest of the park while still maintaining visual connectivity.  The interrupted berm, the drop in level to the berm, the stair tower on one side, the seating area on one side, the jumbotron being off center, and the out-building in right center - all of these things give the park a subtle asymmetry, which any architect will tell you adds visual appeal.

The park may be slightly asymmetrical, but it was certainly tied together nicely with a sea of red, as over 9000 fans packed "The Ham" for an important game against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (hilariously abbreviated "NWA").  The S-Cards did not have a good showing and got blown out 12-0.  Cardinals starter Anthony Ferrara did not make it out of the 5th, surrendering 4 earned on 83 pitches.  The big blow came in the 8th inning when reliever Danny Miranda came on, loaded the bases on a hit and two walks, and then gave up a grand slam to Matt Fields.  Fields is only hitting .230 on the year but had 31 HR and 85 RBI as of this game, both of which I have to assume are near the top of the Texas League leaderboards.  Despite the schlacking, or perhaps because of it, there was no real shining talent in the game.  With all of the young kids being called up to the big leagues this year for the Cardinals, that honestly didn't surprise me.  There were a couple players though on the Naturals I recognized from when the Royals had an affiliate in the Midwest League - SS Orlando Calixte and 3B Cheslor Cuthbert.  I mean, who could forget names like that?  After the game, I finally managed to find a seat for all 4 minutes of the post-game fireworks extravaganza.

At no point during the weekend was I more aware that my ball trip companion was not with me than on Friday night after the game.  As Erik and I often do in sketchy minor league cities, I settled for a night cap at the local Applebee's to await the inevitability of players and/or team staff coming in for a late night meal, which they did.  My night ended after just one beer, but I imagine Erik and I would have closed the place down, destroyed the Waffle House across the street, and then taken advantage of the mini-fridge and giant handicap-accessible bathroom floor back at the hotel.  On the other hand, the good part of being there myself was I didn't have to share the small bed and was not hung over for my big day in Kansas City.

park rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 8
views from park - 2
view to field - 8
surrounding area - 3 (downtown a few blocks away, looks shady/mostly abandoned)
food variety - 3 (one specialty dog stand)
nachos - 8 (custom nacho bar)
beer - 4 ($6.75, 4 kinds)
vendor price - 5
ticket price - 6 ($7 GA)
atmosphere - 9
walk to park - 3
parking price/proximity - 1 (adjacent screwy lot $7)
concourses - 8
team shop - 6

best food - specialty dog stand
most unique stadium feature - structure
best jumbotron feature - Are You Smarter than a Cubs Fan?
best between-inning feature - Duck Hunt

field dimensions - 315/400/330
starters - Aaron Brooks (NWA) v. Anthony Ferrara (SPR)
opponent - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
time of game - 3:04
attendance - 9,509
score - 12-0 L
Brewers score that day - 6-4 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.26:
Brewers 57-73, -19.5 (3 @ Pirates, 3 v. Angels)
Reds 74-58, -3.5 (3 @ Cardinals, 3 @ Rockies)
Twins 57-72, -19.0 (3 v. Royals, 3 @ Rangers)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10 (+28 worked)
Peter - 38  

Mallards Win 2nd Northwoods League Title

All photos of NWL Championship Series Game 1 in Madison and trophy presentation available on Flickr.

Last Monday, the Lakeshore Chinooks embarrassed the Madison Mallards 15-0 in the first game of the playoffs, the culmination of a pretty rough 2-week stretch for the Mallards.  A team that seemed like a lock for the Championship series in July was now looking like it would have an early exit from the playoffs.  The Mallards would need to summon all the strength and determination they could to go on one more run.  Following the pounding in Mequon, they did just that.  Madison came from behind to defeat the Chinooks 2 games to 1, and then swept the Duluth Huskies in the championship round to bring home their 2nd title in franchise history, and their first since 2004.

I was in attendance for Game 1 of what was called the Summer Collegiate World Series - a title I think is misleading and ambiguous, so I refer to it as the Northwoods League Championship Series.  The Mallards obviously won the game I saw, 10-7, and would win 12-3 the next night in Duluth to win the title.  The offensive explosion in the series was indicative of the Mallards' entire season and was what I was hoping to see.  The Mallards have a very complete team with some solid starting pitchers, but I don't think anyone would refute that the bats carried the team most of the year.  They notched 36 total hits in the two games, led by John LaPrise and Joe McCarthy with 7 hits apiece.  Everybody in this lineup contributed all year and they were one of the most exciting team's I've had the pleasure of watching since the Jordan Comadena-Mike Rohde days.  LaPrise led the league in hitting at .414, Drew Weeks led the league with 68 RBI, and no matter who they plugged in around them or how the lineup was stacked it seemed to work.  McCarthy, Mike Fitzgerald, Tate Matheny, Jason Goldstein, and Jeff Zahn all had great seasons.  Zahn is a particularly good story because he came to the Mallards on a temporary contract following a terrible collegiate season and played a very admirable 1st base all season.  Alex Bacon, a guy who didn't even join the team until mid-season, was the hero of the playoffs with two big homeruns, including the go-ahead homerun in Game 1 as part of a 6-run 5th inning.

As I learned at the trophy presentation at the Duck Pond on Saturday, the completeness and competitiveness of this team was far from a coincidence.  The Mallards' manager this year, Donnie Scott, was the team's real true "baseball guy."  In years past the team would hire younger guys or former Mallards to coach, but Scott had many years of minor league experience before coming to the Mallards and won the title with Battle Creek in their inaugural season, so clearly he knew what it took to win.  Part of that winning process was absolving himself of all recruiting responsibilities.  Donnie Scott is used to a minor league background where you just have to work with the players you're given and was clear early on that he wanted no part of making those decisions.  He said to the front office, "you give me 25 guys who can play and love ball, and I'll bring home a championship."  This put a lot of pressure on the GM but they certainly came through, and Scott did the rest.  I was happy to hear at the trophy presentation that he is coming back to manage in 2014 and will be having a bobblehead likeness of himself as a future giveaway.  The trophy presentation probably had more people in attendance than a typical game in most Northwoods League parks, a true testament to the great fanbase Steve Schmitt and Vern Stenman have built up in Madison.  Although, free food and beer certainly didn't hurt.

Even though the irreplaceable voice of the Mallards - PA guy Aaron Sims - is moving on to greener pastures next year, I can still hardly wait to buy my Mallards Championship gear and 7-pack for next season and watch a new team of young men defend the title.

Smokies Park

All photos of Smoky Mountains and Smokies Park available on Flickr.

I stopped at one more game on the way home from Phil's wedding - the Tennessee Smokies of the Double-A Southern League in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb east of Knoxville.  After a quick stop at Waffle House #2 of the trip, the drive was a scenic 5 1/2 hours from North Carolina through the Smoky Mountains into Tennessee.  The last 100 miles of North Carolina in particular were very pretty and I snapped as many pictures as I could through my windshield while still maintaining control of my vehicle during the scattered downpours.  It was quite a contrast to the horrible 11+ hour drive I would experience the next day.  Just as exciting as the beautiful mountain landscape were all of the baseball towns I drove through on the way to Kodak - Greensboro, Asheville, Winston-Salem, and Hickory, to name a few.  My mind couldn't help but wander to all of the future visits of Josh and Phil I would be making to con them into taking me to see these ballparks.  Pulling off the exit, Kodak looked and felt like Wisconsin Dells.  Similarly to the Dells, it's less a city than it is a conglomeration of tourist attractions stuffed near the freeway exit.  My hotel for the night was across the street from a winery, a fireworks store, a bus depot that ran to nearby Dollywood, and several other hotels and shops, and I could actually even seen the ballpark from my hotel room up on a hill on the other side of the interstate.  I rolled into town pretty early, so I bought some cheap beer at the gas station across the street and pounded one on my wonderful Motel 6 balcony before heading to the park.

I got there about 6:45 for a 7:15 first pitch, and came to find out the first game of a doubleheader was ending upon my arrival.  I was pretty upset because I had checked my MiLB app a couple times in the morning and it said nothing about this, and I was especially upset because I was in town so early; I would have had plenty of time to watch both games had I known it was a doubleheader.  I made the best of the situation and just decided to walk around the park and grab food while the final outs of game #1 were being recorded.  Smokies Park is not unlike any other minor league ballpark of its size built in the 2000s.  It has the same cookie-cutter setup I have grown accustomed to seeing at many a minor league ball field - 25 rows of seats, open concourse, and upper deck for suites and pressbox made out of cheap and drab materials.  Making this park additionally unspectacular are its location outside of the city, the generic concessions menu, the lacking of even one unique design feature, and even a boring generic name.  I'm not necessarily complaining about the park's simplicity or conformity, but more just the fact that there is really nothing that makes this park stand out.  I've certainly been to many stadiums that were much dumpier and much more basic than Smokies Park, yet still had some sort of memorable feature, whether that be an architectural gesture, the food menu, or something else - Community Field in Iowa is an excellent example of this.  I don't want to just bash Smokies Park for this entire post, so I will say that I did like how the building is used year-round, as in Fort Wayne.  The Smoky Mountain Visitor Center is housed there in such a way where it can be accessed when there isn't a game, and there is also a lot of public conference room space that can be rented.  The stadium also has a 360º circumnavigable concourse and a bar area open to the public, both of which I am always an advocate of.

The plus side of being at a very ordinary stadium is that you tend to focus on the game more, but even the prospect of that was put out of reach early in this contest.  I was barely settled in my seat before the home team had put up a 6-spot on the Montgomery Biscuits, which normally would be a good thing but the Smokies are a Cubs affiliate, so I was quietly rooting against them.  Biscuits starting pitcher Marquis Fleming did not even make it out of the 3rd, surrendering 9 runs in total on 8 hits and 3 walks.  The Smokies starter was not really that much better but was able to pass on a lead to the bullpen because of his counterpart's poor performance, which they maintained for the 9-4 victory.  Tennessee's Christian Villanueva was the star of the game to me.  He is a 3rd baseman acquired in the Ryan Dumpst...er, Dempster trade last year at a time when the Rangers were very deep at that position.  He's only hitting about .260 right now but he went 2-3 with a homer and looks to have really good power to all fields without really having a loopy swing; he keeps his bat in the hitting zone a long time.  Amongst the murmuring of the dull crowd, he also seemed to be kind of a fan favorite, so that leads me to believe he plays hard and is exciting to watch.  Matt Szczur also seems to have a cult following, probably for no other reason than the marketability of his name (pronounced "Caesar").  I was hoping to see Jorge Soler play, but it looks like he is still in the Florida State League.

On top of the bland park and game that was pretty much over in the 1st inning, I didn't even get to see a full 9 innings of ball!  For some reason, the first game of the doubleheader was 9 innings but the second game was 7?  I had never heard of that before.  Maybe it was merciful that it was a 7-inning game given the thrashing, but this meant I unfortunately had two less innings to take advantage of a weekday minor league staple - Dollar Dog Night.  My evening ended with an early night back at the hotel room spent wondering why in the world I thought buying three 24-oz cans of Natty Light was a good idea.  Smokies Park was far from being great, but it is very conveniently located and near a lot of activities and cheap hotels, so all in all not a bad place to stop if you find yourself on a roadtrip along I-40 as I was.

park rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 3
views from park - 6 (built into a wooded hill)
view to field - 9
surrounding area - 7 (Dollywood, Douglas Dam, various tourist attractions)
food variety - 2
nachos - 6 (served in actual sized helmet)
beer - 7 (bonus points for Old Style)
vendor price - 7 (would normally be lower, but it was Dollar Dog Night)
ticket price - 4 ($9 GA)
atmosphere - 2
walk to park - 3
parking price/proximity - 6 (adjacent screwy lot $3)
concourses - 7
team shop - 8

best food - Dollar Dogs
most unique stadium feature - Smoky Mountain Visitor Center
best jumbotron feature - movie trivia gone horribly wrong
best between-inning feature - mascots hold empty potato chip bags with "prize" inside

field dimensions - 330/400/330
starters - Marquis Fleming (MON) v. Yeiper Castillo (TEN)
opponent - Montgomery Biscuits
time of game - 2:19
attendance - 2,177
score - 9-4 W
Brewers score that day - off

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.19:
Brewers 54-70, -18.5 (3 v. Cardinals, 3 @ Reds)
Reds 70-54, -2.5 (4 v. Diamondbacks, 3 v. Brewers)
Twins 54-68, -18.0 (1 v. Mets, 3 @ Tigers, 3 @ Indians)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10 (+28 worked)
Peter - 35

Durham Bulls Athletic Park

All photos of Durham and Durham Bulls Athletic Park available on Flickr.
Photos from Erik's visit to Bull Durham movie sites and DBAP in 2012.
Photos from Peter's previous visit to DBAP in 2005.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I stopped at a couple of ballgames this week on the way home from a wedding in Charlottesville VA, the first of which being a Durham Bulls game.  My friend Josh, who also went to the wedding, lives in the Triangle area of North Carolina and I drove down there with them Sunday afternoon.  We dropped off our bags at his house in Cary and got to Durham about 10 minutes before first pitch.  It was very hot with a threat of rain, so we decided to watch the game from the Tobacco Road restaurant in left field.  It's kind of like TGI-Friday's in Miller Park, but it's more like a restaurant that happens to have a view of the ballpark with gated patio access to the stadium, rather than an actual restaurant inside the park.

I had previously been to this ballpark in 2005 before the blog existed, and in fact at the time it was only the 2nd minor league park I had ever been to.  In 2013, the park was a lot like I remembered it - a very enjoyable retro-style ballpark with a good atmosphere and a fun mascot.  Of course, when most people think Durham baseball, they think of the movie "Bull Durham," which was filmed at the old ballpark and whose main character was based on an actual Bulls player, Crash Davis.  Admittedly, when I went to see the Bulls 8 years ago, back before I was really into minor league baseball, the movie was the only reason I knew there was a team there.  After being etched into popular culture on the silver screen, the Bulls moved up from class A to AAA and built a new park, and have been an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays since the franchise's inception - a franchise whose history of maintaining a very rich farm system is certainly evident in the sustained success of the Bulls.  I didn't actually spend too much time inside the actual park on Sunday, and I honestly don't remember a lot from my previous visit, but from what I can tell it is a very charming park.  The most notable feature of the park is the giant "hit the bull, win a steak" sign that is residual from the old park and now snorts smoke.  My one complaint would be that I don't really like when ballparks have hidden concourses as Durham Bulls Athletic Park has; I like to be able to see the field from most points.  The tradeoff in the case of DBAP is that even though it is separated from the field, the concourse here is very spacious and tall, and there is also a little walk between the 100 and 200 level seating that circles the seating bowl.  If any park is going to go the route of hidden concourse, I think DBAP did it about the best you can.  It certainly helps the park feel more authentic in attaining that "retro" feel.  Another thing they did right is you are able to circumnavigate the field with some sections of actual seating in the outfield, both of which I think every ballpark should have, no matter the size.  We were able to access the outfield concourse from the restaurant after the last pitch and watch directly into the stadium and out the front without any problems.   

Very similarly to my visit to Great American Ballpark the week before, the most remarkable change to the park was not inside, but what has grown around the park.  There are two large buildings in left and right field now that sort of "enclose" the ballpark as at Camden Yards, and the one in left field houses the restaurant I mentioned.  Neither of those were there in 2005.  Outside of the main gate, there is also a row of old tobacco factories that were abandoned on my previous visit and now are a very impressive example of urban renewal and historic preservation.  As you see happening in many urban blighted manufacturing areas of the country, these buildings have new life as shops, restaurants, bars, and outdoor space.  It reminded me a lot of how the Third Ward in Milwaukee has been almost entirely renovated in relatively the same time frame.  The centerpiece of this "Tobacco Row" development is the transformation of what was basically a concrete-lined drainage creek into a scenic riverwalk full of bends, fountains, and waterfalls that looks to me like it is also functional as part of a hydraulic power plant, but I'm not positive.  Josh and Erik have both told me how cool the area was now, but I really had to see it to believe it.  Repurposing old buildings is my favorite kind of architecture and is always one of the #1 signs of an active downtown.

We walked through the Tobacco Row redevelopment after finishing our delicious dinners and watching the Bulls walk-off 5-2 on a homerun by catcher Chris Gimenez.  Never leave a game early, you never know what you're going to see!  With one out, the Bulls tallied three straight baserunners, including Shelley Duncan and Mike Fontenot who are apparently still scrounging around in the minors.  A sac fly by Kevin Kiermaier tied the game, and then Gimenez hit the 3-run bomb, which actually fell not too far from where we were standing at the restaurant, but an usher caught it and kept the ball.  Come on man, your job is to please the fans, give it to a kid at least!  The excitement in the 9th innings overshadowed two pretty good pitching performances.  Journeyman J.D. Martin went 6.2 for the Bulls, and Zach Stewart was in line for the win with his 2-hit gem until Taylor Thompson blew the game for the Knights.

I had a great but brief time in the area and look forward to visiting again next year for the 2014 Doughman Relay.

park rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 7
views from park - 5
view to field - 5 (not the best from the restaurant but good inside)
surrounding area - 9 (Tobacco Row, downtown)
food variety - 5
nachos - n/a
beer - n/a
vendor price - 5
ticket price - 8 ($6 outfield and lawn)
atmosphere - 7
walk to park - 6
parking price/proximity - 8 (3 blocks away in free garage)
concourses - 6 (beautiful but can't see out)
team shop - 9 (sweet retro gear)

best food - (ate at restaurant)
most unique stadium feature - Hit bull, Win steak
best jumbotron feature - (sat above jumbotron)
best between-inning feature - general Wool E. Bull antics

field dimensions - 305/400/325
starters - Zach Stewart (CHA) v. J.D. Martin (DUR)
opponent - Charlotte Knights
time of game - 2:58
attendance - 7,591
score - 5-2 W
Brewers score that day - 2-0 L

Return to Great American Ballpark

All photos of Great American Ballpark available on Flickr.

Great American Ballpark was the park I called home during my 3 years of graduate school at the University of Cincinnati, and even as I start writing this blog post now, I can hardly believe that it had been over 5 years since my last Reds home game!  I've gone back to visit my friends in town quite a few times since graduation, but for whatever reason, I just have not been to a ballgame there since April 2008.  Obviously I am biased, but I think it's a great park and is very underrated, so I was curious to see what was different since my last visit.  I rolled into town from Madison a little later than I would have liked so we didn't have much time to walk around the park, and we also missed the Joey Votto bobblehead giveaway.  More importantly though, I had a great time with my UC friends as always and it was great to catch up for a few hours with Hot Metts and Skyline Coneys in hand.  The five of us sat in the right field "moon deck," as it is called, which were always my favorite seats when I frequented the GAB.  They feature a great view to the scoreboard and skyline, are close to the field and composed of actual seats instead of bleachers unlike a lot of outfield seating at other major league parks, and they are generally out of the sun.

The most noticeable change to the ballpark is not inside, but rather what has built up around the stadium.  When I was in school, the area between the baseball and football stadiums on the Ohio River was a wasteland of parking owned by the Port Authority.  Now, after many years of squabbling, the fabled live/work village project called "The Banks" has completed its first phase and is near both commercial and residential capacity.  Coupled with the new casino up the road and a downtown in the midst of a renaissance, Cincinnati is an exciting place to go after the game now.  No longer do fans have to walk across the river to Kentucky to keep the celebration going after a Reds victory.  I think it's great that downtown living and recreation is gaining interest in the city, and I'm sure it is helping the Reds at the box office as well.  Granted, it was an interleague game and a bobblehead giveaway, but over 30,000 people for a Tuesday night game during a stretch in which the Reds are not playing particularly well is outstanding and something I certainly don't ever remember seeing at the GAB.  The Reds got the W on behind an exemplary performance by starting pitcher Mat Latos.  Jay Bruce went yard in the 3rd, and that would be all the offense they would need, but they tacked on a couple runs anyways for good measure.  The game featured two very exciting Cuban stars, Yoenis Cespedes of the A's and Aroldis Chapman of the Reds.  Chapman bested his peer on this night, as he struck out the side in the 9th for the save, and Cespedes took the collar.

Aside from the team being much better and prices going up a little, there wasn't any extraordinary change that I noticed at the ol' ballyard, other than replacing the outdated dot matrix jumbotron.  It's pretty popular these days for ballparks to offer a large variety of specialty foods and local craft beers, and the Reds certainly are no exception in continuing this trend.  A lot of the concessions stands were beefed up and we sat right in front of a new BBQ shack, and the "good beer" stand in left field has also been amplified.  And of course, the Cincinnati staples of goetta and chili are still prevalent as ever.  I also noticed the riverboat party area has gotten larger, but unfortunately like at Miller Park, this is a private area so I couldn't go up there.  It's one of the only places in the park where one would have a good view of both the river and the field, so I wish it was open to the public.  There's nothing really flashy about the GAB, but a lot of the details are unique and done right, it has one of the better entry plazas in the league, and it is just very elegant in its simplicity.  Yes it has some brick but it isn't just a typical retro park plopped down on a site; it responds well to its urban context by holding the street edge, but the park itself is set back from some out-buildings and is more organic in form.  Great American Ballpark also does a great job of paying tribute and respect to the history of Cincinnati and its Reds - the oldest professional sports franchise - which is perhaps one of my favorite things about the park.  A visit to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is a must for anybody who goes to this ballpark for the first time.

After the game, we hung out at my friends apartment about a mile north of the ballpark before settling in for the night.  I took it for granted at the time, but looking back on it now, that was the first time I have ever walked to a game there.  It's just something that wasn't even feasible 5 years ago and it's awesome how many people live around the central business district now.  This night in Cincy was actually my first of a week-long roadtrip, with the final destination being my friend Phil's wedding in Charlottesville, Virginia.  I'm bookending the trip with games in Durham NC and Knoxville TN before heading back to Wisconsin tomorrow.  The trip is almost over and I've had an unbelievably amazing time - lots of catching up with old friends, lots of ball, and lots of Waffle House and beer - I don't really know what else you need.

park rankings and statistics
(see also previous post from 06/30/07):

aesthetics - 7
views from park - 8
view to field - 8
surrounding area - improves to 9
food variety - improves to 5
nachos - 3
beer - improves to 5 (slightly more variety but expensive)
vendor price - 2
ticket price - 3
atmosphere - improves to 6 (Reds are good now)
walk to park - improves to 8 (downtown/Banks)
parking price/proximity - decreases to 7 (costs more but still close)
concourses - 9
team shop - 6

best food - goetta burger
most unique stadium feature - Power Stacks
best jumbotron feature - various Reds HOF trivia
best between-inning feature - Mr. Red's Race

field dimensions - 328/400/325
starters - Dan Straily (OAK) v. Mat Latos (CIN)
opponent - Oakland Athletics
time of game - 2:52
attendance - 34,640
score - 3-1 W
Brewers score that day - 3-1 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.12:
Brewers 51-67, -19.5 (2 @ Rangers, 4 v. Reds)
Reds 65-52, -5.0 (3 @ Cubs, 4 @ Brewers)
Twins 52-63, -16.5 (3 v. Indians, 4 v. White Sox)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10 (+22 worked)
Peter - 32

Northwoods League "Big League Dreams Showcase"

 All photos of inaugural Big League Dreams Showcase available on Flickr.

The Northwoods League currently boasts more future major leaguers than any other summer collegiate league, and this past Monday the league took another step in cementing that claim.  An inaugural "Big League Dreams Showcase" was held in Madison to display some of the top talent in the league.  When I first heard about the event, my initial reaction was just that Madison was sore about not hosting the all-star game again this year, so hey we'll just hold our own separate game a week later.  Madison draws over 1/4th of the league's total attendance, plays in the largest capacity stadium, and 2nd largest market to Mequon, so by all rights they should be holding the All-Star game just about every year.  However, unlike a true all-star game that selects the best players of a particular season, this Showcase is composed of the top 100 prospects in the league as determined by amateur scouts.  Any Major League Baseball fan knows that an all-star game is not always the "best" players - sometimes guys like Michael Cuddyer go on a tear and deservedly make the team, sometimes the fans vote in who they want to see regardless of stats, and sometimes players considered to be among the elite, like Josh Hamilton or Ryan Braun, are hurt or underperform and do not make the team.  This Big League Dreams Showcase is just a chance for the league to promote its top talent in front of a barrage of scouts in one succinct day of baseball, and it is one more opportunity for all of these kids to get great exposure for next year's draft.  Because in the end, that's what the point of the Northwoods League is all about.  Yes entertainment and profit are big parts of it, but at its roots it is a league meant to simulate minor league conditions and to prepare these kids for the trials and competition of playing professional baseball, and ultimately give them the experience they need to help them get drafted.  The Showcase was split into a doubleheader of North-South matchups, and almost an entire section of seats behind homeplate was filled with scouts charting players and measuring pitch speeds.

The doubleheader started at 4, so I cut out of work as early as I could but still missed the first few innings of the first game.  The Northwoods League website did not post official statistics of the games on its website, but the doubleheader was split with the North and the South each winning a contest.  The Mallards actually had so many players featured in the showcase - 10 in all - that John LaPrise had to get moved to the first game.  The Mallards have had a very potent offense all the way up and down the lineup this year and have been fun to watch, and LaPrise has led the squad by hitting well over .400 for most of the season.  He tied the game at 4 in the 4th with a single and the South ended up pulling away for the 9-4 victory.  Green Bay's Nick Torres and Battle Creek's Tyler Moore paced the way for the South by gathering half of the team's 14 hits.  The 2nd game was pretty much the North vs. the Mallards, as the South's manager started nearly the entire Mallards starting 9, save a couple of Chinooks filling in the gaps.  The South fell to the North in this game, 7-6.  St. Cloud's Adam Martin launched a booming homerun in the win, and Waterloo's Adam Dian needed only a few pitches to nail down the save in the 9th.  Through nearly two months of the season, his ERA is still below a half-run. 

I'm not a professional scout, so it was hard for me to separate any one particular player from any other in terms of talent, but the passion these players have was definitely prevalent.  Every pitcher was amped up to strike guys out, every infield hit was ran out, everybody was trying to hit homeruns and stretch singles into doubles, and nearly every single player that made it to 1st base attempted to steal 2nd.  These players really wanted to show what they could do, and you have to respect that they gave it a 100% effort in an exhibition game.  All in all, I thought this was a great event for the league, but at the same time I am glad it did not have the pomp and circumstance of the All-Star game - I think it would be a mistake to detract from that at all.  This event was clearly catered to the players and scouts, as it should be, but I of course still had a great time watching about 15 innings of ball.  Two additional hours of baseball just meant that many more beer batters striking out and more delicious food, so despite a rare sparse crowd, I had no complaints.  I hope that this is the first of many years of this event held at the Duck Pond.

2013 NWL Big League Dreams Showcase rosters
 

first half winners - Waterloo (N), Madison (S)
pitchers of record - Bryce Bellin (GB) and JD Moore (WAT) W, Nick Bates (WIL) and Taylor Cherry (MAD) L
stadium - Warner Park, Madison WI

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.04:
Brewers 46-64, -20.0 (4 @ Giants, 3 @ Mariners)
Reds 61-50, -5.5 (2 v. Athletics, 3 v. Padres)
Twins 47-60, -15.5 (3 @ Royals, 4 @ White Sox)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10 (+22 worked)
Peter - 30

Chinooks Enjoying Success in Sophomore Season

All photos of Kapco Park available on Flickr.

It took nearly 4 months, but Erik and I finally made it to our first game of the season together this past weekend.  Prior to the annual greatest weekend of the entire summer - Milwaukee's Germanfest - we met my brother at Kapco Park for our 2nd Chinooks game, and my brother's first.  The sky was looking ominous but an entire doubleheader was played in full with no problems.  The twinbill started at 4:05, so we didn't make it until the end of the first game, but in total we still got to see 9 innings of ball.

We had some time to eat and walk around between games, and I could not help but go with the Leinie's beer battered fish fry as I did on my last visit.  We took our food and beers to the right field corner, talked to some players, and watched the Chinooks starter warm up for a few minutes, and then tried to take some hacks in the kids inflatable batting cage but the entire staff seemed to be taking some time off during the intermission.  Erik and I did not really notice anything differences at the park, aside from an additional set of rickety GA bleachers in left field.  Kapco Park still has the crazy 99.5% turf field that seems to be holding up pretty well, even though all of the other athletic facilities and lawns on campus get to have real grass.  All of the trees around the periphery are still in their infant stages and a lot of the concession stands and booths still seem temporary, so the park still feels very new.  You still have to park like a mile away and trek past other completely empty and functional lots to get to the ballpark, which I don't understand.  Despite these things and the relatively remote location, the Chinooks have been drawing well in Mequon and currently lead the South Division in the 2nd half with less than two weeks to go in the season.  Due to the unseasonably cool weather and threat of rain, the Chinooks only drew about a half-capacity crowd to watch the home team split the doubleheader with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.

Like I said, we missed most of the first game, which Lakeshore won 7-2.  Starter Tim Faix nearly went the distance in the 7-inning game, finishing with 6.1 IP and giving up only 2 runs.  All-Star and Chinooks top prospect Mike Papi went 2-3 with a homerun.  In the game we actually watched, the home team lost 8-4.  One of the few highlights for the Chinooks in this game was Jared Fon launching his first tater of the season.  Otherwise, it was a poor defensive effort with a lot of errors and botched plays.  Trevor Koehn's 5 innings were serviceable enough to get the win, and Donnie Dewees went 4-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored to lead the Rafters offense.

As of today, the Mallards and Bucks have already clinched the playoffs, and the Chinooks lead the South by 4 games, which means that potentially the three teams I consider my "home teams" would all make the playoffs, and that would be really awesome.  Whether the championship will involve me returning to Kapco or Waterloo, or my home base in Madison, regardless I am really looking forward to it.

10,000,000th Fan in Kane County

All photos of Fifth Third Bank Ballpark available on Flickr.

Upon reading that the Kane County Cougars would be welcoming their 10-millionth fan on July 20th (the first class-A team to reach this milestone) I decided to make an impromptu trip down there on my way home from Milwaukee.  I relish the opportunity to be a part of history as any baseball fan would, and I couldn't discount the off-chance that I would myself be the 10,000,000th fan.  I just had this mental image the whole drive down of me proudly donning my Brewers jersey throwing out the first pitch for a Cubs affiliate, and then refusing all of the free Cougars merchandise they would try to pawn off on me - or better yet, burning it in the parking lot after the game.  Sadly, I was not the lucky fan, but I had been meaning to get down to the park anyways to see the renovation, so this was a good excuse.  I got there pretty early and enjoyed watching the pitching coach teach a kid how to throw a slider before the game started. 

The renovation was completed shortly after my first visit to Kane County, in time for the 2009 season.  It was actually quite extensive, the major component of which was the addition of a second deck to the seating bowl, not unlike what the Timber Rattlers did this past offseason.  This deck holds suites and a new pressbox mostly, and there are also new team offices with a separate 2-story glass entrance behind it. The new parts of the park blend in with the existing fabric and materials pretty well, which I liked It didn't make the new deck feel like a "cake topper."  As a project in and of itself, I can understand why it was necessary, but I think it really took away a lot of the charm the ballpark held previously.  It had sort of a "state fair" atmosphere before with an expansive open concourse flanked by portable concession stands, but now it really just looks like any other run-of-the mill minor league park.  There's nothing left at the stadium that is particularly distinctive, which includes its new name of Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, since there are like 5 stadiums now that have some variation of that same name.  Perhaps the Man Upstairs could sense I did not care for the new deck that much, because the 6th inning ended with a torrential downpour the likes of which I've never seen.  Ironically, had it not been for that 2nd deck, everybody would have been soaked to the bone and had an otherwise pleasant evening at the ballpark ruined.  Along with the new addition and corporate sponsorship, the Cougars have also stepped up their game with some new concessions items, an even wider variety of local beers, and a revamped jumbotron, but with this have also come much higher prices.  Kane County is easily the most expensive minor league park I have been to now (as if I needed more reasons to hate Illinois).  I made sure to enjoy a $7 meatball served in a souvenir sundae helmet before ducking out after the rest of the game was cancelled.  Note: all ballparks should offer food served in helmets, so points for that.

The game was a lackluster performance between two last place teams.  The Lugnuts had recently been no-hit for the third time this season, and going into the game the Cougars had 5 wins in the entire 2nd half.  It was 4-3 Cougars after the first inning and the visiting starter did not even make it out of the 1st, so early signs were all pointing to this being a barnburner.  Lansing went on top in the first by a 3-run bomb by DH Kevin Patterson (who held his average above the Mendoza Line with that effort) but the Cougars then scored 8 unanswered to finish the game.  The Lugnuts issued 9 walks and committed 3 errors in 6 innings, there's really no better way to describe the game than with that statistic.  Perennial contestant for the "Best Name in the Minors," Rock Shoulders, suited up for the Cougars and was 0-1 with a walk and an RBI.

Even though the storm let up after a half-hour or so, the umpires had no choice but to call the rest of the game in the bottom of the 6th because pretty much the entire outfield was a pond.  Which was good for my ride home, but bad that I didn't get to watch another 3 innings of stellar baseball.  I tell ya, I give Beloit a lot of crap, but at least they know how to construct a field that drains properly.

park rankings and statistics
(see also previous post from 7/21/08):

aesthetics - decreases to 4
views from park - 5
view to field - 10
surrounding area - improves to 5 (I found historic downtown Geneva)
food variety - 9
nachos - improves to 6
beer - decreases to 8 (variety still high but price is steep)
vendor price - decreases to 5
ticket price - decreases to 2 ($13 for A-ball!)
atmosphere - improves to 9 (now being a Cubs affiliate helps this category)
walk to park - 1
parking price/proximity - decreases to 5 (charge $5 now, but bonus points for pervious pavers)
concourses - decreases to 4
team shop - 9

best food - giant meatball in helmet
most unique stadium feature - decks in outfield
best jumbotron feature - advertisement for Star Wars Night
best between-inning feature - Zooperstars

field dimensions - 335/400/335
starters - Kendall Graveman (LAN) v. Felix Pena (KC)
opponent - Lansing Lugnuts
time of game - 1:59 (0:30 delay)
attendance - 10,587
score - 8-4 W
Brewers score that day - 6-0 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 07.29:
Brewers 43-61, -20.0 (4 @ Cubs, 3 v. Nationals)
Reds 59-47, -5.0 (3 @ Padres, 3 v. Cardinals)
Twins 45-57, -13.0 (3 v. Royals, 3 v. Astros)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10 (+18 worked)
Peter - 27

Carson Park

All photos of Carson Park available on Flickr.

I made the 3-hour drive to Eau Claire, Wisconsin this past Saturday to visit my 13th Northwoods League ballpark, Carson Park.  As you may recall, Erik and I were supposed to go here together about a month ago but, due to a variety of circumstances including weather and my clumsiness, were unable to attend.  For the time being, Carson Park is the final professional ball field I had left to attend in Wisconsin, but when the Kenosha expansion team starts up in the Northwoods League next summer, I will have to make that trek.

I had actually never been to Eau Claire before, and unfortunately I did not get to see much of the city, but what I can say is that the setting of the ballpark is very pristine and one of the more unique ones you'll find.  Much like Warner Park in Madison, Carson Park is actually part of a larger community park of the same name surrounded by water, wooded areas, and a slew of other recreational activities.  In the case of Eau Claire, this park is actually on a peninsula inside of a small lake, which makes the lake look and feel like a river but in actuality it is a crescent-shaped body of water, hence the name Half Moon Lake.  You enter the park at the base of the peninsula through a winding road, and at the end of the road is the stadium.  Behind the stadium are some other athletic fields, and between the fields and the lake is a heavily wooded area and various zones where you can descend steps to the water.  As you can tell, I had plenty of time to walk around and explore upon my arrival.  There were a bunch of kids fishing down by the lake, various picnic areas in use, a high school football game, and believe it or not a wedding, all occurring around the ballpark at the same time.  The couple actually took it a step further and had their wedding reception in the party deck at the game and got to throw out the first pitch, so I made immediate note of that for that Future Luckiest Girl in the World out there somewhere.

The stadium itself is perched at the highest point in the park and was completed in 1937 as part of the Works Progress Administration.  Carson Park stands out from some of the other WPA gems currently inhabited by the Northwoods League because it is the stadium where the legendary Hank Aaron got his start in professional baseball, as an 18-year old shortstop on the 1952 Eau Claire Bears.  Aaron had a statue dedicated to him outside the park in 1994, and it is the centerpiece of a ring of plaques in a circular plaza highlighting the proud history of Eau Claire baseball.  The Bears would later be renamed the Braves and leave town in 1962, and since then the park has hosted mainly amateur and high school ball until the Express chugged into town in 2005.  In those 8+ seasons of residency, the Express have put a lot of work into this park while still respecting its standing on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The exterior is composed with a beautiful locally quarried stone in an ashlar pattern that is interrupted periodically by the original wooden ticket windows.  Inside the stadium, it is not surprisingly reminiscent of Athletic Park in Wausau, which was built around the same time and has a similar capacity.  The two parks have a similar 3-section covered grandstand with metal bleachers added down the lines at a later date, and both have their concessions in a sort of "bunker" at the entry under the grandstand.  Where Carson Park is different is it has coherent circulation, the seating is less cramped, and seems to be much better maintained.  The concessions area at Carson Park is like a trip back in time and feels authentic, whereas going to get a soda at Athletic Park seemed borderline unsafe and you felt like you weren't supposed to be in that part of the stadium.  And speaking of a trip back in time, you will find some of the cheaper prices in the circuit at this park.  A 20-ounce domestic beer is only $4, and a hot dog is less than $3 - both rarities these days.  Another resemblance to Wausau is the obligatory party deck added in the right field corner, which has impinged on the bullpens and pushed the foul pole in about 20 feet to allow as many people as possible to enjoy bottomless beer.  You can't even really call it a singular deck, it's more like a "village" of decks out there, sort of like how the Duck Blind is now in Madison with all the different sections and levels.  Some of the decks are hoisted up on stilts in a cabin motif set amongst trees leaning into the stadium, it's actually pretty cool. 

The Express had a good showing on Team Trading Card Giveaway Night #1.  Taylor Lehnert fueled the 9-1 victory with 7 strong innings, giving up only 1 run while striking out 6.  Both starters actually faired decently but the Express tagged the Rafters' bullpen for 7 runs in the final 3 innings to break the game open.  Seven of the nine Express players knocked in a run and eight players got a hit, but the star of the game for me was SS Blake Schmit, a Junior at Maryland.  He had 3 hits and 3 RBI out of the 9-hole and made at least three spectacular plays in the field.  There one play where he was ranging to his right and the ball took a really bad hop over his head, and then he reacted quickly by grabbing the ball barehanded and gunning down the runner by a half-step.  Also of note: the Express have a guy on their team with the name Chane pronounced "Shane."  No comment. 

Overall, I'd say this is definitely up in my top 3 Northwoods League parks, and it was totally worth the drive.  The fans in Eau Claire really seem to appreciate good baseball, and in turn the staff really knows how to show everybody a good time.  One piece of advice I will give to any first-time visitors is to bring bug spray.  Sitting in a stadium in a heavily wooded area surrounded by water on a muggy night equaled a lot of bug bites and murdered mosquitoes.  An update on our Tour 2013 trip: Erik is unable to attend, but we had already purchased nonrefundable hotels and Royals tickets, so I kind of still have to go.  It might be a condensed version of what we had planned if I have to go myself, but stay tuned for that at the end of August.

park rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 8
views from park - 5 (HS football game)
view to field - 5 (pretty obstructed in main grandstand)
surrounding area - 8 (park, lake, athletic fields)
food variety - 7
nachos - 7 (chicken taco fixins)
beer - 9 (decent variety, great price, surprisingly no Leinie's)
vendor price - 9
ticket price - 9 ($6 GA)
atmosphere - 7
walk to park - 6 (could be pretty cool if you parked down by lake)
parking price/proximity - 10 (free adjacent lot)
concourses - 5 (under grandstand)
team shop - 4 (trailers, lots out of stock)

best food - Sriracha chicken bites
most unique stadium feature - ashlar stone exterior
best jumbotron feature - n/a
best between-inning feature - porta-potty race, Trax the mascot harassed by players pre-game

field dimensions - 319/388/302
starters - Brandon Schmidt (WR) v. Taylor Lehnert (EC)
opponent - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
time of game - 2:35
attendance - 2,194
score - 9-1 W
Brewers score that day - 5-4 L

FIRST HALF STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES:
Brewers 38-56, -19.5, last place NL Central (3 v. Marlins, 4 v. Padres, 3 @ Rockies)
Reds 53-42, -5.0, 3rd place NL Central (3 v. Pirates, 4 @ Giants, 4 @ Dodgers)
Twins 39-53, -12.0, 4th place AL Central (3 v. Indians, 3 @ Angels, 4 @ Mariners)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 8 (+15 worked)
Peter - 22

Manny Signs Minor League Deal with Rangers

Embattled star Manny Ramirez is one step closer to returning to the Major Leagues.  After hitting .352 with 8 HRs and 43 RBI in 49 games with the Rhinos in Taiwan, the Rangers are obviously hoping that the 41-year-old's ability to dominate the inferior Chinese Baseball league will translate to success back in the states.  Ramirez opted out of his contract in Taiwan last month citing a desire to be closer to his family, and many speculated that the Yankees would be a likely suitor, given their propensity for signing declining free agents with baggage.  But the Rangers were the first team to make a serious offer and Manny jumped at the opportunity.  He reports to AAA Round Rock today and it remains to be seen how he will fit onto the Rangers if he gets called up.  Platooning DH is a possibility as Texas has another aging player at that position currently in Lance Berkman who hits far better from the left side.  Manny can probably still play a little left field too in a pinch.  It's far from certain he will even be called up, however.  Manny latched on with the Athletics in a similar capacity last year, but after serving his second drug suspension and not receiving a call-up from AAA Sacramento despite hitting over .300, he chose to leave the organization.  I'm guessing things will be the same with the Rangers - he'll give it a go for a month and hope for the call, but if not he will just call it a year and go back and play ball in the DR.  It's pretty clear the guy can still contribute and hit for average, but his power stroke has severely diminished and he has not played a full season since 2008.  If the Rangers are willing do deal with the media circus and "Manny being Manny," I'm guessing they could catch lightning in a bottle as the Dodgers did when they traded for him.  The most interesting part of this story that is not getting enough attention is that per the Rangers organizational rules, Ramirez will finally be forced to cut his hair that has been out of control for many years now.  Manny was one of my favorite players when I was a kid, but as the dreads got longer and more disgusting, it just became harder and harder to look at him with a straight face. 

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 07.07:
Brewers 35-51, -18.0 (3 v. Reds, 4 @ Diamondbacks)
Reds 50-38, -4.0 (3 @ Brewers, 4 @ Braves)
Twins 37-48, -10.0 (4 @ Rays, 3 @ Yankees)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 8 (+15 worked)
Peter - 21

Interesting First Half Storylines

Most teams have surpassed their 81st game by now, which is the halfway point of the baseball season.  Pretty soon it will be the All-Star Break, and from then on the summer goes by super fast, as we all know.  Here are the top 10 first half stories I will be keeping an eye on the rest of the year.

1.  Pittsburgh Pirates - for real this time?
The Pirates have stormed out of the gate the last two seasons, only to fall to a combined 30+ games below .500 after the trade deadline.  On this day, they own the best record in all of baseball at 50-30, and are the first team to reach 50 wins this season.  The NL Central has three of the top 5 teams in the game right now, so despite their great record they are still only one up in the division.  Most amazingly, they're doing it with a lot of solid contributions, but no one star leading the way.  Can Mark Melancon and Jason Grilled Cheese keep it up?  Will they finally break the longest consecutive losing season streak in all of professional sports?  Will fans still be at PNC in September after football starts?

2.  Josh Hamilton is latest Angels albatross contract
Josh Hamilton has a meager .221 average, .665 OPS, and 21 RBI in the first year of his 5 year/$125 million contract with the Angels.  The Angels have already made the mistake of giving long-term deals, or taking on the big contracts, of several players into their 30s the past few seasons, including CJ Wilson, Vernon Wells, Albert Pujols, and the aforementioned Hamilton.  This certainly isn't a trend confined to the Angels, but it is always more prevalent with big payroll teams with lots of stars on paper.  It is absolutely ridiculous that the free agent system basically rewards big money for past production to players at or past their peak.  Can the Angels get it together and put together a 2nd half like they did last year, and what will this team be like in a couple years?  After all, there can only be one DH in the lineup per game.

3.  Race for Triple Crown in AL
Miguel Cabrera is having yet another superhuman season with a .373/25/82 line, and Chris Davis leads the league in homeruns with 30.  Davis had come on the last year to become a legit force in the AL and is the first players with 30 HRs before the end of June since Barry Bonds in 2001.  Can Davis hit 60?  Can Cabrera repeat as Triple Crown or will Davis catch him?

4.  Man-Bear-Puig
22-year old Cuban defector Yasiel Puig has managed to become the star player and talk of the town in Los Angeles, a city already filled with both.  Since being called up on June 3rd, he has set a Dodgers rookie record for hits in a month with 44, and he hasn't even played the entire month.  Puig trails only Joe DiMaggio's 48 in 1939 for the all-time record.  It's completely within the realm of possibility with the way he's been playing to bang out 5 more hits today.  He is hitting a ridiculous .417 with an OPS of over 1.000.  It seems like every year there is a rookie or two that bursts onto the scene and energizes a club, and Puig is certainly in that category this year.  Can he keep it up, and is he worthy of an All-Star selection?  Note: I just checked the Dodgers box score from today, and Puig did in fact notch 4 hits to tie the record, and raise his average to .437.  Unbelievable.

5.  Jean Segura a bright spot in dismal Brewers season
The only thing I don't like about Yasiel Puig's rise to stardom is that he has taken the attention off of Brewers SS Jean Segura, who has been doing it all year.  He's 3rd in hitting, 2nd in steals, makes highlight reel defensive plays nearly every night, and leads shortstops in many categories.  He has a very realistic chance of being the Brewers lone all-star representative.  Can he also win the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in the National League?

6.  OK Blue Jays
For no particular reason, I can never help but root for all things Canada.  In fact, if it weren't for the high cost of living and the recent economic troubles, I'd probably have been living in Toronto for awhile now.  So I was super excited with the flurry of moves they made in the offseason.  It seemed to coincide perfectly with the Red Sox identity issues and the Yankees roster being a living Old Timers' game for them to make a run.  It didn't start off good, but they stormed back recently to win 11 in a row and get right back into the race.  Clearly the roster revitalization and the 1990s retro uniforms coming back has residents of Canada and myself excited about Blue Jays baseball again.  Can they win the AL East?

7.  Matt Kemp and the Dodgers are garbage, I called it
I like to see teams with a lot of big names and large contracts struggle just like everybody else, it's the American way.  Excluding Puig, the Dodgers just have a lot of guys that are too old and/or are making way more money than they deserve.  Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford are way past their prime.  Andre Ethier is like 32 now and can't hit lefthanded pitching.  Hanley Ramirez is a punk.  And don't even get me started on Matt Kemp, I just think he's absolute garbage, has there ever been a contract so big based on potential with little production, other than maybe JD Drew?  The man has had 1 1/2 good seasons and people forget that when Torre was managing, he was platooning and hitting 7th.  And now they're going to give Clayton Kershaw 7 years and $200 million, or in other words, nearly $1 million per start.  I love Greinke, but you throw his antics into the mix and you've got a good old fashioned soap opera brewing in the City of Angels.  How will this all unfold and will any of these players play out their contracts with the Dodgers?

8.  Royals going for broke?
Kansas City put it all on the table this offseason, trading one of the top prospects in baseball and a pitcher with great potential (Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi) for James Shields and Wade Davis this offseason.  The AL Central is one of the worst divisions in baseball and is very attainable.  Will they make more trades at the deadline since they've already committed so much to win now, or will they stick with their young hitters?

9.  Trade Deadline
Speaking of trades, who is most likely to move at the break?  I could easily see the Brewers trading a lot or players, I would not be at all surprised if Gallardo and K-Rod are traded, and Aramis Ramirez if he stays healthy, possibly even Weeks too.  I've got to believe Justin Morneau and The Willinghammer are gone from the Twins.  Somebody will probably will want The Big Donkey because nearly all of his hits are homeruns these days.  Alfonso Soriano's name always comes up, and his contract is actually finally, sort of, nearly over so maybe it makes sense this year.  And no doubt the Marlins shed whatever payroll is left.  The problem is with the 10 playoff teams, not a lot of sellers.

10.  Is Erik going on our Kansas City trip?
As always, game-time decision.  I've already paid for the hotel, so screw it I'm going.  Those ribs aren't going to eat themselves.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 06.30:
Brewers 32-47, -17.5 (4 @ Nationals, 3 v. Mets)
Reds 46-36, -5.0 (4 v. Giants, 3 v. Mariners)
Twins 36-42, -6.0 (4 v. Yankees, 3 @ Blue Jays)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 8 (+12 worked)
Peter - 20