Tour 2009: Air Canada Centre

All photos of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Air Canada Centre available on Flickr.

How can you go to Canada in March and do nothing hockey-related? We just had to see a Maple Leafs game and the Hockey Hall of Fame on our last full day in Toronto. The Hall of Fame was only a few minutes' walk from our hostel and we got there just before 2. This gave us about 3 hours to view over a century of hockey history. The Hall of Fame building was really cool, it is housed in an old bank - most of the displays are below grade, but the main bank building houses the Stanley Cup, the members of the Hall of Fame, and all of the other player trophies. The original Stanley Cup is even inside what used to be the bank's vault. The Hall of Fame's special display this year was a tribute to the Montreal Canadiens' centennial season, and had player equipment and jerseys of great Canadiens, and there was a video playing about some of the great Montreal teams. There was an area dedicated to international play, an area dedicated to hockey legends including Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky, the Hall of Records, and a special display dedicated to every team past and present. It was not as extensive as the Baseball Hall of Fame, but still very cool and worth seeing. One of the coolest things for me was seeing all of the equipment players used back in the day. Goalie masks didn't even exist until the invention of the slapshot, and looked very crude and uncomfortable up until about 20 years ago. Seeing some of the protection (or lack thereof) and sticks that the players used gave me a new appreciation for the skill and toughness that hockey requires.

After the Hall of Fame, we of course hit the store, and then we grabbed a bite at a place called St. Louis Wings & Ribs. A general rule of thumb - any place with a city in its title other than the city it's in is probably not going to have very good food. I really wanted to believe that Toronto could make good St. Louis style ribs, but they fell short. At least we got to relax for awhile, and it was the cheapest meal of the trip, so no complaints. We then headed to the arena a little after 6 for the puck drop of 7:30.

The outside of the Air Canada Centre left a little to be desired, and entering the building felt a little like going into a hotel lobby, at least where we went in...there could have been some grand entrance we missed. But the arena itself was pretty decent - nice and chilly like a hockey game should be. We were starting to feel the effects of our week of heavy drinking, even though Canadian beer does not seem to give you a hangover, so we stuck with souvenir sodas (with free refills!). A little side note: in Toronto, beer served in plastic cups comes with a lid, kind of like a sippy-cup. I thought that this was just a Rogers Centre querk, but The Hangar also served beer this way. You feel really stupid drinking beer with a lid, but is actually a good idea if you think about it. And if you're going to pay $9 for a beer, it may as well come with some anti-spill protection.

Our seats were high up and provided a great view of game action, but not so much of the rest of the arena, so I had to take pictures of the arena and all the banners from a lower vantage point. The Maple Leafs have 17 retired player numbers and 13 Stanley cups in their 90-year history, both feats I can barely fathom. Going to watch a hockey game in Toronto is kind of like watching a baseball game in New York, or a football game in Green Bay. No matter how the team is doing, people are very passionate about the team, the games are always a sellout, and all people talk about in the offseason is the team's chances for next year. I always overheard people at the Rogers Centre talking about the Leafs or checking their Blackberries for the Leafs score. It's a little bit harder to cheer for the Leafs these days, as they are pretty horrible, but it was a great experience to be a part of the national sport of Canada.

The Maple Leafs fell again on this night, 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. I don't remember the last time I've seen a home hockey team play that bad. They were horrible on defense and on the power play, and they have absolutely no players that shoot the puck decently. I've kind of adopted the Maple Leafs as my favorite NHL team since Milwaukee doesn't have a pro team, so it was hard to watch. I'm sure if they still had Mats Sundin, they might have at least lost 4-3. Lee Stempniak got the Leafs out to an early lead with his 13th goal of the season, but the 'Ning scored 4 unanswered in the final two periods. A lot of the crowd left after Ryan Malone put home his 24th of the year on a centering pass from Cory Murphy.

After the game, we stopped off for one final drink in Toronto, this time at a place near our hostel called Flatiron & Firkin. I think this might be the first time I ever fly home to Milwaukee, and it will be warmer there than the city I was in! Our flights leave 4 hours apart, so Erik will have a significant amount of time to kill at the airport bar. Another great Pete & Erik trip! Our next scheduled Tour 2009 trip is to see a game in the final season of the Metrodome, so stay tuned. 25 days 'til Opening Day!

arena stats and rankings:

aesthetics - 2 (stuffed between expressway and Union Station)
view to ice - 7 (good view to ice from up high, but not of rest of arena)
surrounding area - 7 (downtown, Union Station)
food variety - 6
nachos - 5 (standard corn chips & cheese)
beer - 7 (bonus points for lids, variety of Canadian beer, and different sizes; points subtracted for price)
vendor price - 5 (comparitively to rest of Toronto, not too bad)
ticket price - 1 ($100 for seats 10 rows from the top)
atmosphere - 7 (not as rowdy as I expected, but they were playing the Lightning)
walk to arena - 7 (downtown is nice, but you have to walk through a shady tunnel)
parking proximity - n/a
concourses - 5
team shop - 7

best food - Tim Horton's
most unique arena feature - the suites, entry sequence
best jumbotron feature - expose on youth hockey players
best intermission feature - Maple Leafs Elvis & Superman toss t-shirts into crowd

starting goalies - Karri Ramo (TB) v. Martin Gerber (TOR)
Three Stars of the game - (1) Martin St. Louis - TB, (2) Steven Stamkos - TB, (3) Lee Stempniak - TOR
opponent - Tampa Bay Lightning
attendance - 19209
score - 4-1 L
Admirals score - 3-2 W (3/11)

Tour 2009: WBC Pool C Championship

All photos of day 5 in Toronto available on Flickr.

We left the hostel around 1:30 on Wednesday to make a couple of pre-game stops. Again it was raining as we strolled into the nearby St. Lawrence Market. It was like the public market in Milwaukee, except much bigger. There were quite a few seafood vendors, an Asian place, some meat and cheese shops, produce, and even clothing in the basement. It was very tempting to get some local southeastern Canada oysters, but we went to Hooters for lunch instead. After about 15 minutes of walking around, we headed out.

The downtown Toronto Hooters was adverstised as a "foul ball from the Rogers Centre," and it was actually very close to the ballpark. It was a quite the departure from Hooters in the states, where all that is on television is college basketball or Sportscenter. In Ontario, bars have typically been featuring hockey and curling 24/7, either highlights or a game. Since there was no hockey or WBC game on on a Wednesday afternoon, we were subjected to three hours of Premier League soccer and curling as we took back some wings and a couple pitchers of Labatts. Then around 5 PM, as the really hot evening shift waitresses rolled in, we reluctantly left to head to the ballpark.

Today was the 6th and final game of Pool C play. It was mainly a game for seeding purposes; it really didn't mean anything since both teams were already in, and the United States played that way. Manager Davey Johnson was managing this game as if it were a spring traning game, just trying to get pitchers their work in, as was most evident when he left in Jeremy Guthrie for over two innings despite his horrible effort. Ryan Braun and Gregor Blanco had another 3 hits each, and Blanco definitely gets my vote for Pool C MVP, if there was such a thing. Victor Zambrano pitched very well in four innings for Venezuela, and Ted Lilly was pulled after only 38 pitches but also looked good. Henry Blanco also had a homerun for Team Venezuela, and Chris Ianetta hit yet another homefun for the US that was actually foul. Overall it was fun game and a fun time at the Rogers Centre. We met a lot of interesting people and are very glad we went. We were kind of disappointed with the poor attendance though, so I wouldn't look for this tournament to travel back to Canada for awhile.

After the game, we concluded the evening as we have been every night - 3 pitchers of Molsons at Gabbys. We said our goodbyes to our friend Mike, who met us out again, and our favorite (or "favourite" in Canadian) bartender at Gabbys, whose name is Japanese and I don't remember. What I do remember was that she bought us going-away shots, and all the stories she told us about Toronto athletes she'd hooked up with over the years, including a former Blue Jays infielder (whose identity I will protect since he was married at the time). And to cap the whole night off, we watched Mexico destroy Australia, and some more curling - I will definitely miss Canadian beer and curling & hockey on the tube when I return home. Today is our last day in Toronto, and our attention now switches to hockey as the first round of the WBC concludes. We plan on going to the Hockey Hall of Fame this afternoon, and we have Leafs tickets this evening.

game stats:
starters - Victor Zambrano (VEN) v. Ted Lilly (USA)

opponent - Venezuela v. USA
time of game - 3:08
attendance - 12358
score - 5-3 VEN
Brewers score that day - 6-2 L

POOL 2 BEGINS FRIDAY:
USA, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Netherlands

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE

Erik - 6

Peter - 6

Tour 2009: WBC Pool C, Games 4 & 5

All photos of days 3 & 4 in Toronto available on Flickr.

On Monday, we enjoyed another late start to the day. Much like Milwaukee, there seems to be not a lot to do on during the winter here in Toronto except go to the bar and attend sporting events. But, we decided to make the most of our time by researching some burger joints and breweries we could visit during the week. And so, our first stop of the day on Monday was a half-hour walk east through the villages of Corktown and Riverside to a place we saw online called Dangerous Dan's, which supposedly had the best burger in the city. Unfortunately, it was closed on Mondays, but it was still a nice walk on a sunny day. We then moved back west to Mill St Brewery, in an area of the city called the Distillery District. Mill St has been voted the best brewpub in the city the last two years and we were excited to tour it, but we were again shot down - only weekend tours. At this point we had been walking for about an hour, so we decided to stay and have lunch anyways, and between the two of us we sampled almost every beer they had. The structure itself was very cool; the area reminded me of the Strip District in Pittsburgh a little bit, all of the bulidings are old distilleries and breweries, and Mill St itself is housed in the building of a former brewery. We also met a cool guy there from Chicago, Mike, who was in town for the WBC as well. He seemed to be just as into baseball as we were and it was fun talking with him - he was even going to fly to Miami after Toronto and go to the next round. We exchanged numbers and agreed to meet up later. But for now, it was nearing gametime, and so we stumbled out the brewery and headed to the ballpark.

Todays ballgame was an elimination game between Italy and Canada, both losers from their first games. The crowd was about the same as Sunday night's game, with most of the sparse crowd being Canadians, obviously. Italy came out of the gates strong, tallying single runs in each of the first four frames, and blanked Canada in the first three before the starting pitcher Serafini ran into trouble in the 4th. Canada seemed to look past this game and were flat all game, with a lot of poor at-bats and lazy plays on defense. There was a play in the 4th where an Italian player hustled from 1st to 2nd on a routine groundball to short and beat the throw to 2nd, and it was plays like that made me think Italy would pull it out - and they did, 6-2. Justin Morneau and Jason Bay were the stars for Canada with 6 of the team's 7 hits and both of their RBI. Chris Denorfia was 4-4 with 3 doubles and 2 RBI for Team Italia, and also made a spectacular diving catch in center field. Jason Grilli faired much better than in the Venezuela game and got the 3.1 inning save. After the game, we met up with Mike at Wayne Gretzky's bar and watched Mexico pound South Africa.

Tuesday was attempt #2 at finding a burger joint, and this time we were successful. The place is called Craft Burger and was only a few blocks northwest of the ballpark. It was just a little hole-in-the-wall 10-seat kind of place that just served great handmade burgers. The onion rings and fries were some of the best I've ever had, and although we thought the burgers were a little overcooked, overall a place I'd recommend to any wayward travelers. After burgers we thought about catching the ferry to Toronto Island, but we decided that that was probably like taking the ferry to Washington Island in Door County in March - probably pretty boring. Instead, we just walked around the lake some more. Along the way we found a place called the Beer Store that's pretty much the national liquor store chain of Ontario, and a lakefront walkway called the Spadina Wavedeck that was pretty crazy. We ended our walk with a stop at the Loose Moose on Front St. for a pint, and then it was off to the next game.

This day's game was an early 5 PM first pitch, another elimination between Italy and Venezuela. The crowd was even smaller today, but it was okay because this allowed us a greater chance of getting a ball during BP. Things looked grim at first because Italia does not have any power, but one of the Venezuelan coaches threw us each an offical WBC ball, and we were very pleased. As for game action, Italy's Monday night magic seemed to run out as they got dominated 10-1 by Venezuela. Things were at a stalemate the first three innings, but then for some reason Italy went to its bullpen in the 4th despite their starter giving up only one hit. This was when the wheels fell off for Italia, as Venezuela got 4 runs in the 4th and hit 4 homeruns in the 5th. Bobby Abreu, Miguel Cabrera, Jose Lopez, and Ramon Hernandez all went deep for Team Venezuela, and Magglio Ordonez finally ended his 0-for-tournament streak with a couple hits. No one really stood out for Italia, as they ran through 8 pitchers and there were a lot of player substitutions, but Brewers' catcher Vinny Rottino did get a hit in his final at bat.

Today is the Pool C championship, and we have another Pete & Erik tour staple to cross off - find the local Hooters.

game stats:
starters - (4) Doug Serafini (ITA) v. Vince Perkins (CAN); (5) Adam Ottavino (ITA) v. Enrique Gonzalez (VEN)

opponent - (4) Italy v. Canada, (5) Italy v. Venezuela
time of game - 3:36 ; 3:04
attendance - 12411, 10450
score - 6-2 ITA, 10-1 VEN
Brewers score that day - 8-6 L

UPCOMING POOL C GAMES:
Game 6: 3/11 @ 630, USA v. Venezuela

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE

Erik - 5

Peter - 5

Tour 2009: World Baseball Classic, Pool C

All photos of days 1 & 2 in Toronto available on Flickr.

Despite the struggling economy and us both being unemployed, Tour 2009 rolled on on Saturday as we arrived in Canada around 11 AM. Having watched the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic on television, we were both very excited to be a part of this world event - our first international Tour Plus trip! Our day on Saturday started with a 5 o'clock wake-up call and a drive down to O'Hare Airport in the Chicago area (thanks for the ride Dad). It became immediately apparent that it wasn't worth it to drive all the way down to O'Hare, and in the future I think I'll take the extra hour sleep and coherently functioning airport over the $100 savings. Erik and I had to book separate flights, since he had to wait to see where in the country he'd be, and we both ended up having to switch terminals. But, after showing my passport to about 37 people and getting cramped on our tin-can sized aircraft, we arrived safely in Toronto. The one part of the flight I expected to be a hassle - the customs agent - was not bad at all, just a lot of routine questions (good thing I left all of my vegetables and alcohol at home).

What we remember the most about our brief 2007 stay in Toronto was that it was very expensive, and that there were cranes everywhere, and we were reminded of these two things right away. It seemed like there was construction EVERYWHERE on the $49 CAD cab ride to our hostel. And not road construction, buildings. And condominiums too, all aesthetically similar, all glass and very tall. Apparently Canada (minus Saskatchewan) is in a recession as well, but it sure didn't feel that way. We had little time to dilly-dally upon checking in, and immediately left for the ballpark for 2 PM first pitch. One good thing as far as cost goes is that the ballpark was a lot closer than we thought it was, only about a 20 minute walk, so that will save us a lot of money on trolly fare this coming week. Walking to the ballpark also allowed us to locate all the bars and restaurants we had to hit at some point, not the least of which is the best and cheapest meal in the city - the $2.50 all-beef street-vendor hot dog carts.

We arrived at Rogers Centre around 12:30 and got to catch a little Team Canada BP from our awesome seats. We have 2nd row outfield seats, right above the home team bullpen, so there will be a lot of potential for catching home runs this week. The stadium was electric, and it was a full house for the first game of Pool C play - USA v. Canada. Not suprisingly, the Canucks outnumbered us by at least 4:1 if not more, and there was a sea of red and maple leafs in the concourses at all times. We checked one of the places we had to eat - Pizza Pizza - off the list right away and grabbed some Canadian beer, and headed back to our seats for the national anthems, and to listen to all of Ontario boo all the American Yankees and Red Sox players during player introductions. Ryan Braun got the start in left for the United States, and we were very excited to see him play right in front of us, despite all of the customary home-team heckling. The United States beat Canada 6-5 in what turned out to be a very rousing and gut-wrenching game. A playoff atmosphere in March, what more can a baseball fan ask for? Brian McCann had 3 RBI, and Adam Dunn and Kevin Youkilis also homered for the US in the victory, and Joey Votto went 4-5 and Russell Jean Martin homered in the loss for Canada. It was a very well played game all around and it made me worry how we would fare against Venezuela, assuming they'd beat Italy - but more on that later.

After the game, we tried to check another place off the list - Wayne Gretzky's restaurant on 99 Blue Jays Way - but it was packed, so we found a little dive bar around the corner, Gabbys, and sat down for a drink before the Italy v. Venezuela game at 8 PM. It is an awesome bar and Erik and I fully intend on trying to become regulars here in a 6-day span. However, there seem about a hundred bars just in the loop between our hostel and the ballpark, more bars than I've even seen in Milwaukee's downtown, so we definitely have some exploring to do. But I digress; at Gabbys we met some interesting people who also were at the game. It seems that whenever Erik and I travel anywhere that we run into strangers who are open to conversation, and since we like to keep to ourselves generally, it is a very welcoming feeling. We met some really cool cats the last time we were here, and we the people at the bar were very talkative with us foreigners. There were the 19-year old kids from Syracuse next to us (drinking age is 19 in Ontario), a bunch of people from Buffalo behind us, and some people from Detroit to our right. The 19-year old kids got pretty hammered in the 90 minutes we were there and it was very entertaining watching them trying to pawn their Italy/Venezuela tickets off to anybody and everybody for $1. A couple of Molsons later and it was already time for Game 2.

We hit the team store right away when we got to Game 2, as we figured the crowd would be smaller at that game. I bought a ball, program, Team Canada cap, and an old school Blue Jays jersey, and a gift for my brother, and Erik got a ball and a patch. Later during Team Italy BP, Erik and I definitely started to feel the effects of waking up at 5 and drinking all day, and we struggled to stay focused on Venezuela's rout of Italy. We rooted hard for Team Italy - Brewer minor leaguers Mark DiFelice and Vinny Rottino were the starting battery - and they actually hung in there until about the 5th, but then Italy's bullpen took over and Venezuela eventually broke through and won the game 7-0. We still had a great time, and even managed to learn the Italian national anthem. The crowd was sparse and diverse for this game - lots of residual Canadians and Americans from Game 1, the lower bowl dominated by Venezuelan fans and flags, and a lot of Tigers fans as the entire Detroit team seemed to be playing for somebody in Pool C. Also, there were a few Italian league players that impressed us that we think should be signed, particularly the right fielder Chiarini who had a booming double and an absolute cannon for an arm.

We were pretty beat and fell asleep fairly quickly when we got back home, aside from some roommate commotion late in the night. We were in a 10-person dorm and we have two particular roommates who snore and one who uses a mining-helmet type light that he wears on his head that is very obnoxious. We finally left the hostel around 1 PM on Sunday and just walked around after grabbing food at an awesome diner we passed the day before, Shopsys. Not a lot was open on a Sunday, so we mostly just walked along the lake, and explored an area called the Harbourfront Centre. It reminded me of Millenium Park in Chicago, only smaller. There was an ice rink there, a theatre, an outdoor amphitheatre a kids play area, a marina, and some stores and bars. It was a typical Erik & Pete day - wake up late, walk around for awhile, see some sites, and then hit the bar by 330. We were the first customers of the day at a marina bar called Wallymagoo's and finally got to try Steam Whistle, a local favorite (it was ok). Soon enough, it was game time again.

Today's game featured the two winners, USA and Venezuela, and first pitch was again at 8 PM. The winner was assured of going on to the second round, so it was a big game. This time the US was the visiting team, so we got to watch some American BP. Ryan Braun and Chris Ianetta in particular were hitting some absolute bombs on every swing, and had I had a mitt I might have caught a couple. The lineup was a little different today - Jimmy Rollins, Curtis Granderson, Mark DeRosa, and Chris Ianetta all got the start. All four contributed in the 15-6 spanking of team Venezuela. It was a bad omen when J-Roll got picked off second in the first inning, but the United States were out in full force all day and got 16 hits off Venezuelan pitching. Starter Armando Gallarraga was ok, but the bullpen was pretty horrible. Venezuela has 4 good starters, but most of their relievers are from the Mexican Leagues, and a guy with a 6+ ERA against major leaguers is going to be a lopsided matchup every time. Braun, Dunn, and Youk homered for America, and Chris Ianetta had a bases-clearing triple in the US 8-run 6th. Carlos Guillen homered, and Bobby Abreu and Gregor Blanco got on base three times each for Venezuela.

After the game, we stopped back at Gabbys for pint and met another group of travelers from Chicago who said they'd stop by our seats at today's game. We also seem to be sitting with the same group of people for every game, so that's very cool. There are a bunch of hilarious Tigers fans behind us, some Yankee and Brewer fans a section over, and some friendly Canadians on our left. Today I'm still waiting for Erik to wake up, and we're going to try and find a brewery that is offering tours before Game 4 at 6:30.

rankings - see 2007 Rogers Centre post
park & game stats:
best food - hot beef sandwich
most unique stadium feature - flags of countries on upper deck
best jumbotron feature - show your team spirit, giveaway trip to Cuba
best between-inning feature - fastest grounds crew in baseball, red/blue/green ball race around the world

field dimensions - 328/400/328
starters - (1) Jake Peavy (USA) v. Johnson (CAN), (2) Carlos Silva (VEN) v. Mark DiFelice (ITA), (3) Armando Galarraga (VEN) v. Roy Oswalt (USA)
opponent - (1) USA v. Canada, (2) Venezuela v. Italy, (3) Venezuela v. USA
time of game - 2:55, 3:00, 3:39
attendance - 42314, 13272, 13094
score - 6-5 USA, 7-0 VEN, 15-6 USA
Brewers score that day - 2-0 W, 7-1 L

UPCOMING POOL C GAMES:

Game 4: 3/9 @ 630, Canada v. Italy
Game 5: 3/10 @ 5, Venezuela v. winner of Game 4
Game 6: 3/11 @ 730, USA v. winner of Game 5

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE
Erik - 3
Peter - 3

RIP Millard Fuller

Yesterday morning, Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, passed away. Please visit the Habitat site for Mr. Fuller's biography and a brief history of Habitat.

Bob Uecker's Winter Warm-Up

All photos of Bob Uecker's Winter Warm-Up available on Flickr.

Last Friday evening the Brewers held the annual Bob Uecker's Winter Warm-Up and revived the long dormant Brewers On Deck event. I was very excited for these two events. They indicate that interest in the team is growing tremendously here in Milwaukee. Of course, this has been noticeable at the ballpark over the past several years as well as by the number of Brewer fans Pete and I have run into across the country over the course of our travels. But, seeing the crowd lined up around the block to get into the Riverside Theater on Friday night was amazing.

The evening started out with Mr. Baseball warming the crowd up telling stories about his playing days. My favorite was Ueck's story about his pennant run with the 1964 Cardinals. Uecker said that late in the season he was called into the general manager's office and was told he could best help the team by taking an injection of meningitis to open up a roster spot for another player.

Next came a panel discussion with Brewers GM Doug Melvin, new manager Ken Macha, and coach Willie Randolph. With these three guys running things, I have no doubt that the Crew will continue to be competitive for the next several years. Both Macha and Randolph have had success, leading the A's and Mets to playoff births, in recent seasons. Macha talked about players taking responsibility for their day-to-day performance. I believe that he will be a lot stronger manager than Ned Yost and get the best out of our fine young players.

After a brief appearance by the racing sausages, JJ Hardy took part in a Dating Game style show to find him a new girlfriend. JJ asked the ladies a few questions and most of the conversation centered around fishing. After a brief intermission with music from the Miller Park organist Prince Fielder was introduced and talked a bit about his new 2 year, $18 million contract. He was greeted with loud applause but only talked briefly and left before the festivities were over.

Next came a Family Feud style game show that pitted a Canadian team of Doug Melvin, Assistant GM Gord Ash, Dave Bush, and a Brewers prospect against a team of Americans made up of Jeff Suppan, Corey Hart, Mike Cameron, and Rickie Weeks. Topics included Top Foods You Can Add Cheese To, And Favorite Canadian Baseball Players. This last topic provided the most laughs since both Doug Melvin and Gord Ash were Top 5 answers but neither man guessed himself. Finally Ueck held a brief interview with Ryan Braun and Bill Schroeder's introduction of new closer Trevor Hoffman.

The event was a huge success and both Pete and I are very excited for pitchers and catchers to report to Maryvale Baseball Park for Spring Training.

Tour 2009: Winter Classic

All photos of Chicago and NHL Winter Classic available on Flickr.

Once when asked what he did in the offseason, Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby famously responded "I sit by the window and wait for spring." If asked that same question, Erik and I would reply "We go to hockey games." Although we are certainly not as passionate and knowledgable about hockey as we are with baseball, it's a nice way to pass the winter months since we both hate the NFL and basketball, and we have a few hockey events on our large "Tour Plus" list. With this year's 2nd annual Winter Classic being played at the incomparable Wrigley Field, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch the first professional hockey game ever played at a baseball stadium, just 90 minutes away.

Our original plans called for a New Year's Eve celebration in the Windy City, and to stumble to the ballpark shortly before gametime, but as it turned out, none of my friends that I know that live there were able to put us up for the night. So, we rang in 2009 in Milwaukee, and left at 8 AM for Chicago. I know what you might be thinking; but after the big tour a couple summers ago, waking up early to drive to the ballpark after a long night of drinking does not really phase us anymore.

We arrived in our many layers of clothing downtown at around 9:30 and took the train to the stadium. The scene on Addison Street was amazing. Stores and bars were open, there was a pre-game block party with live music that started early in the morning, and it seemed even more crowded than any Cubs game I've ever been to. Erik and I bought our souvenirs (we each got a puck and a program, Erik a hoodie and I a scarf) and walked around the park and listened to the band for awhile and took some pictures. It wasn't until we entered the stadium at about 11 and I first saw the rink that it sunk in - we were about to see a HOCKEY game at Wrigley Field! We took more photos, received giveaway rally towels, binoculars, and beads, and headed to our seats in the left-centerfield bleachers.

The seats started to fill in quickly as the pregame festivities rolled on. There were interviews being shown on the two jumbotrons brought in at each pole, and Blackhawks greats Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Dennis Savard, and Cubs legends Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, and Fergie Jenkins were introduced. The rink was set up between first and third base, facing the infield, with the back of the benches just beyond the pitchers mound. There was also an auxiliary rink in the outfield where contests and youth hockey was played before the game and between periods. There was an entire row of fence covered in banners to resemeble the brick and ivy of Wrigley Field, and between this fence and the wall was an interstitial space for the crew to walk and speakers to be set up. Lastly, there were two "huts" in the gaps where play-by-play and interviews were being conducted for various networks (Don Cherry was in the hut directly below us). Leading up to the game, the renditions of O Canada and the Star-Spangled Banner were probably the best I've ever experienced - the crowd was roaring the whole time, great singers, and a flyover! The last thing that happened right before the live NBC national feed, was that everyone seated in the infield held up cards for two "card stunts." With everyone working in unison, the cards spelled out "Happy New Year" for the first stunt, and then the cards were flipped over to spell "Winter Classic - Red Wings v. Blackhawks" on the other side (see photos). Finally, shortly after 12:30, 41000 cheering fans were totally oblivious to the 32-degree temp as the puck was dropped.

The game started out promising for the Blackhawks. Kris Versteeg, Martin Havlat, and Ben Eager all scored in the first period to take the 3-1 lead at the first intermission. Detroit started out the game with a lot of penalties, and early on Chicago was the aggressor and had a lot of nice hits, but soon Detroit's experience and dominance over the young Chicago team showed, as they scored 5 unanswered goals and went on to win the game 6-4. Four players had 3 points for the Red Wings, including Marian Hossa and Hank Zetteberg. The free-agent signing Cristobal Huet started in goal for the Blackhawks and faired pretty poorly, giving up 6 goals on 30 shots; he was pulled for Nikolai Khabibulin in the 3rd.

After the game, we took the train back to our car, which we purposely parked across the street from Lou Malnati's Pizzeria, which is generally regarded as the best deep dish pie in Chicago. We saw this place on Throwdown with Bobby Flay last week and knew we had to stop there before we went home. The pizza was amazing, and it was so thick and cheesy that it was the first time I've ever taken leftovers home from a 12" pie. Overall it was a great way to spend New Year's Day, and even though it was cold, there were lots of Red Wings fans, and we couldn't see all that well, it was totally worth it and a hell of a way to kick off Tour 2009! Next stop - World Baseball Classic in two months!

park stats and rankings (re-ranked as hockey venue):

aesthetics - 7 (WC banners and infrastructure all put togther very nice)

views from park - 3 (we could just see the Hancock Building from our seats)

view to field - 2 (could barely follow the game action, but had nicer view than most of the stuff going on behind the rink)

surrounding area - 8 (Wrigleyville)

food variety - 3 (too cold to get up, we had dogs)

nachos - n/a

beer - 3 (points deducted for Old Style taps not on due to cold)

vendor price - 3 (regular hot dogs should not be more than $3.50)

ticket price - 1 (ours were over $200 on StubHub)

atmosphere - 10 (loud the whole game despite the cold, and the bitter rivalry helped)

walk to park - 8 (a tight crunch coming off the subway, surrounding festivities great)

parking proximity - 2 (parked 15 min. away downtown for $10, took the L)

concourses - 2

team shop - 9 (team stores on Addison and Clark had lots of Winter Classic gear)

best food - post-game pie at Malnati's (there is also one near Wrigley)

most unique stadium feature - the rink set-up in general

best jumbotron feature - fan contest to win set of tires

best intermission feature - card stunts, NIU marching band

starting goalies - Ty Conklin (DET) v. Cristobal Huet (CHI)

Three Stars of the game - none selected

opponent - Detroit Red Wings

time of game - 2:30

attendance - 40418

score - 6-4 L

Admirals score - 3-1 W (12/31)

Winter Meetings Wrapup

The annual Winter Meetings wrapped up in Las Vegas yesterday, signifying the unofficial start to the player shopping spree for the 2009 season. I haven't written in awhile, so I thought I would offer my opinion on some of the major deals in baseball and some pending ones (for what it's worth):

1. CC Sabathia, free agent - Yankees, 7 yr-$161 mil Obviously the best free agent available on the market this year. This big domino has fallen (I mean "big" in several ways) and now all other pitchers and high-price players should start falling into place. The deal makes sense for Sabathia, you can't blame him for taking the money, and he gets a 3-year opt-out; however, his hesitance in signing immediately puts him under the already bright media spotlight in New York. Brian Cashman and arguably the most overpriced superstar Yankee free agent of all-time, Reggie Jackson, flying out to CC's home in California sealed the deal. My gut tells me with the deal being out there for so long, that a combination of no California team offering him a contract, and probably some badgering from his wife, had more to do with his decision than the extra $20 million thrown on the table. I'm not sure how many Kevin Brown-Mike Hampton-Barry Zito type deals are going to have to occur before teams realize that signing a pitcher for over 4 years in guaranteed money is ridiculous.

2. Francisco Rodriguez, free agent - Mets, 3 yr-$37 mil
I believe the highest yearly salary ever paid for a reliever not named Mariano Rivera, but don't quote me on that. I've always had been really hesitant about K-Rod's potential. True, he is young, and fun to watch, but watching him throw just makes me cringe and grasp my elbow every time...I've never seen more torque in a delivery. I wouldn't be surprised, knowing the Mets' bullpen peril in the past, if he blows out his arm before the contract is over.

3. Kerry Wood, free agent - Indians, 2 yr; deal still pending a physical
I view Kerry Wood as a flash in the pan as a closer. I felt he was unreliable, yet good in short stints last season. The Indians are smart to offer him two years, I think he nearing the end of his rope.

4. Mike Hampton, free agent - Astros, 1 yr
I think Hampton will have a serviceable comeback season and could really help this rotation if he stays healthy, as he enjoyed the best years of his career in Houston a decade ago. The Astros usually make a run in the 2nd half of the season, so their standings at the break could determine his fate.

5. Javier Vazquez, trade - with Boone Logan to Braves for 6 prospects
The first big trade of the offseason. Vazquez eats innings and always keeps you in the game...but that was with the White Sox. I don't see the Braves' bats being able to rescue him as much as the South Side Bombers did.

6. Raul Ibanez, free agent - Phillies, 3 yr
The best outfielder nobody knows about - a combination of a horrible team in the Pacific time zone limited his national exposure. The Phillies feel he's a better option than Pat the Bat, and I agree.

7. JJ Putz, 3-team trade - to Mets, Aaron Heilman to Indians, Franklin Gutierrez to Mariners as part of 12-player deal
I don't understand this trade, honestly...it was initiated by the Mets and I think they're giving up more in Heilman than they're gaining in Putz.

8. Junichi Tazawa - Red Sox, 3 yr-$3.4 mil
The first Japanese player to forgo the draft in his own country to join the MLB. He has average stuff by American standards, so paying a guy over $1 million a year to pitch in AAA definitely is a high risk move, but the Red Sox can afford it.

9. Ramon Hernandez, trade - to Reds for 2 prospects
The Reds have had 3 catchers on their roster the last couple seasons, but apparently they felt none of them, nor their upcoming prospect in AAA, were any good. And they gave up super-utility man Ryan Freel. Way to go, Reds.

10. Mike Cameron, trade - to Yankees for Melky Cabrera, deal still pending
Makes sense financially - Mike Cameron $10 million, Melky Cabrera made about $500K last season and will stand to rake in about a million in arbitration. Milwaukee feels Cabrera's youth and much-needed lefty bat will compensate for Cameron's outstanding defense. With CC, Sheets, and Cammy off the books, hopefully the Brewers can go after some good pitching, and if Melky doesn't work out, the Brewers have Lorenzo Cain and Tony Gwynn Jr waiting in the wings for 2010.

11. Jake Peavy to Cubs - deal is "dead"
Word on AM 670 the Score is that this deal is dead, after being all but certain 48 hours ago. Peavy is done being shopped until the trade deadline.

12. Mark Teixeira - Nationals offer 8 yr-$160 mil, Orioles offer 7 yr-$150 mil, Red Sox offer pending
This is an interesting case - Tex wants to play near home (Baltimore) and the O's and Nats have reciprocated. Only problem, is both teams are horrible. So knowing this, the Red Sox jump into the sweepstakes, but with Lowell and Youk, they really don't need him. Look for the Angels to make an offer now that CC and K-Rod are signed elsewhere.

13. AJ Burnett and Ben Sheets - Yankees offer 5 yr-$80 mil, 2 yr-$30 mil respectively
One would have to assume that one if not both of these pitchers will sign, and one would also have to assume that this would put the Yankees into the playoffs - I mean Big Ben as a #4, are you kidding me? However, I still sense a lot of broken hearts in the Bronx come October, despite the stellar rotation of Sabathia-Burnett-Sheets-Wang-Kennedy/Hughes/Joba; see 2008 Chicago Cubs and 1990s Atlanta Braves.

Other key free agents: Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer, Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Rafael Furcal, Ivan Rodriguez, Adam Dunn, Jason Giambi, Joe Crede, Ken Griffey Jr, John Smoltz
The Braves, Rangers, and Brewers are teams that are looking for the most with the most money to spend. Most of the California teams, and obviously the Yankees and Red Sox, look to be buyers this offseason as well and should mop up the remaining names on this list.

And a brief update - Erik and I purchased our seats for our first Tour 2009 stop, the 2nd annual Winter Classic! We will be sitting in the centerfield bleachers on a New Year's Day at Wrigley, bundled up with souvenir hoodies and scarves. The final step, as with all our trips, is trying to procure a floor to sleep on for the night, or possibly to coax some of our friends to come down on New Years Eve with us and split a swank hotel. With all of our baseball trips planned for '09, the Winter Classic has kind of taken a back seat, but now that it is so close, we are very excited for New Year's in Chicago. The ice rink layout has been laid out and "construction" has already begun - I will be interested to see how the players manuver from the cramped Wrigley locker rooms, through the tunnel, up the dugout steps, and onto the field, wearing skates. Good news - Erik will have a new license by then that will not contain the "Under 21 until _____" label on it, allowing us to purchase Old Style. Bad news - we will probably be too hungover to drink beer anyways...and the tickets we ordered on StubHub are print-at-home, what the hell?!? Our next post will be upon our return!

Tour 2009

All photos of NLDS Game 3 available on Flickr.

November signals a time to reflect on the 2008 season. As the leaves and temperatures fall, awards are handed out, players file for free agency, and playoffs merchandise flies off the shelves at 25% off. The Brewers' first postseason in 26 years, the first of my lifetime, ended in a 3-1 defeat to the Phillies, even though I'm sure losing to the eventual World Series champion makes all Milwaukee fans sleep a little better at night. The Brewers have already named a new manager, Ken Macha, lost pitching coach Mike Maddux to the Rangers, picked up Mike Cameron's 2009 option, and extended a $100 million contract offer to legendary CC Sabathia. And that was only the first week of the offseason.

October 30th is the saddest day on the calender this year, as it marks the longest possible time until another professional ballgame. However, turning the calender even further ahead allows us to look forward to the exciting 2009 season. Erik and I have our Tour-Plus trips set for next year and cannot wait to hit the road, in proud defiance of the struggling economy. New Years Day is the 2nd annual Winter Classic, this year at Wrigley Field. This event has helped make hockey more popular in the US, and we look forward to attending this unique game at a classic stadium, not to mention spending New Years Eve in Chicago. Our first baseball trip of the 2009 season will be to the 2nd World Baseball Classic. It was between Pool B in Mexico City and Pool C in Toronto, but our love of Toronto and desire to jump in Lake Ontario eventually trumped the warm weather and bullfights of Mexico's capital (only Erik and I would voluntarily vacation in Canada in the dead of winter).

Our two regular season trips celebrate an end and two new beginnings. We plan on going to Minnesota to see a game in the final season of the Metrodome - even though the stadium will still be home to the Vikings, and the Twins may still play there in inclement weather, the Twins are getting a gorgeous new stadium in 2010. This trip will also include a couple of Northwoods league games, and when the NWL schedule comes out, we will nail down the weekend - hopefully sometime between late May and the middle of June. And last but not least, the Yankees and Mets are both getting new stadiums next year, and we definitely have to visit New York in their inaugural seasons. Both teams should have fresh new faces on their rosters and we greatly look forward to this trip. We plan on going for about a week hinged around 4th of July so that we can also attend the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island! More updates to comes as travel plans are set and tickets are purchased.

FINAL 2008 GAMES ATTENDED TALLY:

Erik - 25

Peter - 53

Postseason Predictions

All photos of Brewers game #161 and Playoff Rally available on Flickr.

Here it is, about 90 minutes before first pitch of the Brewers' first postseason game in 26 years, and I still can't believe they made it. I'm still grinning ear to ear. It was gut-check time for the Crew in the final week, and they delivered with wins in 6 of their last 7 games to outlast the Mets, who collapsed down the stretch for the 2nd straight year at the hands of the Marlins, for the NL Wildcard spot. I had tickets for Friday's and Saturday's games and it was the most exciting weekend of baseball I've ever experienced in my life. This enjoyment was only increased by the fact that my brother and I were chose as the Midwest Airlines Seat Upgrade fans of the game (see photos). We got to hang out by the Brewers dugout in left center and had an amazing view of the action. I also attended the postseason rally held at the Summerfest grounds before the Brewers got on the plane to Philly, and among 14,000+ screaming fans, perhaps closer Salomon Torres said it best: "You've waited 26 years, and you can wait no more!" These boys played hard all year, and despite no critics giving them a chance, and a 10-16 September, they deserve to be in the playoffs. I can't wait to go and support my team (and buy even more crap in the team store) at Saturday's NLDS Game #3.

Late game heroics by Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and CC Sabathia carried the team into the playoffs, and they'll need that momentum to get past arguably the hottest team entering the playoffs, the Philadelphia Phillies. Here's a look at how I think the four LDS series will shake out:

Phillies v. Brewers (WC) - Philadelphia in 4

Now I'm a diehard Brewers fan, and I hope they can run off 11 wins and be World Series Champions, but speaking objectively, I don't see us taking care of business against their hot lineup. Unless CC can go Sunday on 2 days' rest, his Game 2 start will sadly be the Brewers' only victory. Gallardo will only be able to go about 80-90 pitches before tiring, and a clear-cut favorite still has not emerged for Game #3 - Suppan and Bush would get hammered by all Philly's lefties, and Parra has been awful since mid-August. The Brewers have dominated left-handed pitching all season, and if they can get to one of Philly's lefties early, both of whom are not pitching against CC, they might have a chance. Philadelphia is my favorite to win the NL pennant due to a powerful lineup and in my opinion the best bullpen of the 8 playoff teams.

Cubs v. Dodgers - Chicago in 4

The key to the Dodgers since the emergence of Manny Ramirez has been protecting him in the lineup. Lou Pinella is too smart to go after Manny that often, and LA hitters like Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Jeff Kent will really have to step up around him. Rafael Furcal is back now, and that combined with Zambrano's poor starts the last few weeks, should provide enough of a spark to keep this team from getting swept. The Cubs are just too dominant, too motivated, and have too good of a 8-9 inning combo to lose this series. However, there is always the 100-year goat...I'd like to be proven wrong on this series more than any.

Angels v. Red Sox (WC) - Los Angeles in 5

This series will go the full 5 simply because Boston is so dominant at home. The Red Sox have an 18-game winner going in Game #3 too, which is not a bad thing to have. Questions concerning Mike Lowell's health and David Ortiz's lack of power this season are enough for me to pick the Angels to win that 5th game. The Angels have had the most consistent 1-5 rotation in the majors, and have been my pick to win the World Series since Spring Training because of that. Somehow with the Angels' scrappy lineup and a subpar year from Guerrero, this team won 100 games, probably due to the stabilizing presence of manager Mike Scoscia, the 2nd best manager in the majors in my mind behind Ron Gardenhire.

Rays v. White Sox - Tampa Bay in 3

Chicago is severely overmatched in this series, and although this is probably true of most playoff teams, Tampa Bay dominates at home. Their starting pitching is shaky, and their offense relies on the home run to win - a deadly combo, especially against a "team of destiny" like the Rays. New name, new manager, new attitude - the Rays delivered against all odds this year to win the AL East and have been proving me wrong against tough teams all season. Every time I thought they would crack they didn't, and if Joe Maddon doesn't win manager of the year, then somebody got paid off. A rested rotation and a healthy Troy Percival, Carl Crawford, and Evan Longoria will help this team easily handle the White Sox.

World Series - Angels defeat Phillies

FINAL STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 10.01:

Brewers 90-72, -7.5 (Game 1 Wed, Game 2 Thu - PHI; Game 3 Sat Game 4 Sun - MIL)

Reds 74-88, -23.5

Twins 88-75, -1.0

RACE FOR 2008 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:

Erik - 25

Peter - 52

Farewell Yankee Stadium

Yesterday, the final game ever at historic Yankee Stadium was played on the final Sunday Night Baseball telecast of the season. It was a little emotional even for me, so I can only imagine what it must have been like for a Yankee fan or player, or somebody at the stadium. I watched almost all 8 hours of the coverage, which consisted of a 2-hour special, Baseball Tonight live from the field, an hour-long pregame ceremony, the game itself, and the post-game celebration. The special highlighted many of the historic moments in the 85-year history of the stadium - Reggie's 3-homer World Series game, Don Larson's WS perfect game, Mickey's ball that nearly cleared the stadium, Lou Gehrig's farewell speech, the pine tar incident, the late 90s postseasons, and even the recent raw power display by Josh Hamilton at the Mid-summer classic. Many players were interviewed before during and after the game, the highlight of which was listening to Yogi and Whitey babble on for a couple innings about the old days. The pregame ceremony gathered together past & present players and their families at their positions, and it was awesome to see all the old players in the pinstripes. They may not be as sharp as they used to be, or as agile, but they're Yankee legends, and everyone was just honored to be in their presence - Willie Randolph even slid into second base. Appropriately, Babe Ruth's daughter & grandson threw out the first pitch.

Buck Showalter made the comment that as the stadium filled, it seemed to get quieter, almost as if people were going into a funeral to pay their final respects. It definitely had that feel at the game. After the last traditional "roll call" in the 1st inning, it just seemed eerily quiet, except for all the flash bulbs. For the last 3 outs, Jon Miller was silent as Mariano Rivera fittingly threw the final half-inning at Yankee Stadium, ending the game with a weak ground ball to first base. Most of the Yankee bench players got in for the final out, and Jose Molina will go down in history as the last man to homer at The Stadium. After the game, Derek Jeter gave an impromptu speech on the mound thanking the fans and the Yankees did a lap around the stadium, signed autographs, and stole dirt from the field.

I think Yogi Berra said it best: "I'm not going to miss this place, because it's inside of me, it's a part of me that I carry with me." Hopefully starting in 2009, there will be another 85+ years of tradition and memories that the players can carry with them from the new stadium. I feel honored and humbled that I got to watch a game at this cathedral twice, once in the final season. Farewell, Yankee Stadium.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.22:
Brewers 85-71, -1.5 wild card (3 v. Pirates, 3 v. Cubs)
Reds 72-83 (1 v. Marlins, 3 @ Astros, 3 @ Cardinals)
Twins 84-72, -2.5 division (3 v. White Sox, 3 v. Royals)

RACE FOR 2008 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 25
Peter - 49

Playoff Hopes Dwindling for Brew Crew

At least last year when the Brewers fell apart, it was in August, so we had more time to accept that we weren't going to make the playoffs. This year, the Brewers are playing just about the worst baseball I've ever seen, and that's really saying something given all the sub-.500 teams we've had in the past two decades. After a dominant August, which included two sweeps of the Pirates in the final week and a near no-hitter by CC Sabathia on the final day, the Brewers have limped through September at a 3-11 mark and have lost their 5.5 game lead in the Wild Card. I really have nothing good to say, and there are no bright spots. The Brewers starters had an 0-3 record and an ERA over 10 over the 4-game sweep by the Phillies. The Crew is hitting .160 with RISP this month, the 3-4-5 hitters have driven in about 6 runs this month, and most of the bullpen is suspect. Carlos Villanueva, Jason Kendall, and CC are clearly the only guys who seem to even want to play any more.

Ryan Braun labeled the recent Phillies series as a "complete disaster" and said that the team "put itself in this position" and is even "struggling in batting practice." I admire Ryan for what he's done in the big leagues in such a short period of time, and for putting this team's burden on his shoulders, but he is clearly still hurt and anyone who watches the games can see this. His swing has an even larger uppercut now to compensate for his sore ribs and he's popping a lot of balls up that he would normally drive. He is going to be no help to us the rest of the season and Ned either needs to take him out of the lineup, or move him down in the order. Speaking of Ned, Yost remains frighteningly optimistic about the team turning it around. Like it's beyond optimism now, it's just blind stubbornness to refuse to change his approach at all to help remedy the situation. There's a difference between panic and concern that Yost doesn't seem to recognize. Like when a few guys struggle, you should be concerned; when the whole team struggles at the same time, you should panic. The rotation has been the most disappointing part to me. Our hitters have come into and gone out of slumps all year, as all hitters do, but our rotation was arguably the best in baseball up until this month and it has carried us all season only to fall short now. Suppan has not been his usualy September-self, and Manny Parra is clearly worn down, as he has already tossed nearly 30 innings more than he ever has in a season, at any level. Even CC and Sheets have not been too sharp. Now, it's true, this team is young, but we invested a lot of money in the offseason on veterans to keep this team afloat down the stretch. It's also true that most of the division leaders have been struggling a bit in September, but nothing to match the sheer collapse of the Brewers.

The fact remains that the Brewers are still tied for the Wild Card, and pretty much control their own destiny. Let's hope this team can right the ship over the remainder of the road trip so that they have something to play for on the final homestand and so they won't get booed, because apparently Corey Hart is a little sensitive.

Note: Carlos Zambrano tossed the first no-hitter in ML regular-season history at a neutral site at Miller Park on Sunday, and I will never be able to forgive myself for watching the Brewers lose again instead of going to the game.

And this just in: Ned Yost has been fired, who was nearing the end of his 6th season as the Brewers' manager. Dale Sveum has taken over as interim manager, and Yost's bench coach/drinking buddy Ted Simmons was demoted to "advisor." It's pretty clear that Melvin believes that it's still playoffs or bust this year; maybe he read my blog.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.15:

Brewers 83-67, -7.5 division, -- wild card (3 @ Cubs, 3 @ Reds)

Reds 68-81, -22.0 (3 v. Cardinals, 3 v. Brewers)

Twins 82-67, -1.5 (3 @ Indians, 4 @ Rays)

RACE FOR 2008 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:

Erik - 25

Peter - 49

This Week in Baseball

A few happenings around baseball as we roll into September:

- A historic moment occurred on Wednesday, September 3rd, as instant replay was used for the first time at Tropicana Field. Alex Rodriguez hit a towering shot over the foul pole in the late innings of a game against the Rays. The 2:15 replay process confirmed that the ball did indeed fly over on the fair side of the pole, and A-Rod was allowed to touch 'em all after yet another meaningless solo homerun as a Yankee.

- September callups first saw action last week, and will continue to filter in as minor league seasons end. ESPN ran an interesting story last week about the top 10 propsects to look for making an impact in their brief time in the bigs this year; Mat Gamel of the Brewers tops off this list at #2 and had his first big-league hit on Sunday.

- Going hand-in-hand with callups, the MiLB playoffs started last week as well. Despite AA-Huntsville's torrid start, Milwaukee's only representation in the MiLB playoffs is in the South Atlantic League with their low-A affiliate, the West Virginia Power. After the season, the Brewers have expressed interest in moving this team back to Wisconsin, and Appleton seems like the likely candidate since the Beloit stadium is a dump and the Timber Rattlers' affliation contract with the Mariners is up at the end of the year.

- The Northwoods League and the Midwest League both announced some changes in the last couple weeks. The NWL will be getting a still-unnamed expansion franchise in Waukesha WI at Frame Park, hopefully for the 2009 season. In an effort to reduce travel costs, the Lake County Captains and the Columbus Catfish of the South Atlantic League will be shifting to the MWL in 2010. The Captains will remain in Eastlake OH, and the Catfish will be getting a new team name and moving to Bowling Green KY next year.

- Lastly, the Brewers announced the sale of their 3-millionth ticket, which is the first time this plateau has been reached in franchise history.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.08:

Brewers 82-61, -4.0 division, +4.0 wild card (3 v. Reds, 4 @ Phillies)

Reds 64-79, -22.0 (3 @ Brewers, 3 @ Diamondbacks)

Twins 78-65, -2.5 (3 v. Royals, 3 @ Orioles)

RACE FOR 2008 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:

Erik - 25

Peter - 48

Hadlock Field

All photos from Portland are available of Flickr.

Last Friday brought me the opportunity to watch some more New England minor league ball. After clocking out for the day, I hit the road for the two hour drive to Portland, ME. New England is a popular tourist destination in the fall for big city residents looking to get out and see the leaves changing colors, and on my drive I could see why. The scenery is beautiful and even in late August there were quite a few trees that were already yellow, brown, and red.

I arrived in Portland shortly after the start of the game and parked in a nearby lot. The Portland Sea Dogs are the AA affiliate of the nearby Boston Red Sox and they do everything they can to play up this connection. The teams colors are the same, a switch from the early days of the Sea Dogs when they were are Marlins franchise and wore teal. The lettering and numbers on the jerseys are the same. In addition, at the team store, you can by t-shirt jerseys of many current Red Sox like Kevin Youkilus and Dustin Pedroia but instead of saying Red Sox on the front it says Sea Dogs. The Sea Dogs even have their own Green Monster, except they call it the Maine Monster. The one in Portland is five feet further away from the plate than the one at Fenway and is 80 feet shorter in lengther but is the same height and topped by the same Citgo sign and Coke bottles that sit on top of the wall in Boston.

The main structure of Hadlock Field features a concrete shell upon which aluminum bleachers have been place. This design makes the stadium very loud. For example, when an opposing hitter has two strikes on him, instead of doing the strike out clap, everyone stops their feet, building from a low rumble to a much louer one, distracting the batter. Also, in the middle of the 8th inning, the Sea Dogs play the ChaCha Slide over the PA system and everyone stomps on the bleachers in unison. Its quite the experience when you're in the mens room, barely able to hear the music, and all of a sudden the whole stadium erupts, BANG! BANG! In the outfield, near the foul pole, is a narrow section of steeply terraced boxes, toped by a giant LL Bean boot.

The game featured the lowly New Hampshire FisherCats, at the bottom of the Eastern League standings, and the Sea Dogs who were fighting for a playoff spot. Portland's starter Kris Johnson was looking pretty good for the first 4 innings but was surprisingly yanked with two outs in the 5th, having given up only two runs on five hits while also striking out 5. The FisherCats starter, Jo Matumoto did not fare as well. The Sea Dogs got on the board first with back to back doubles in the 2nd and DH Aaron Bates hit a three-run homer in the third to chase Matumoto. RF Jared Stanley also added a three-run shot in the fifth and the Sea Dogs bullpen shut down the FisherCats to earn the 9-2 victory.

park stats and rankings:
aesthetics - 7
views from park - 4 (Portland municipal auditorium down the right field line, other than that cant see out)
view to field - 7
surrounding area - 6 (downtown Portland is quaint, but a little run down)
food variety - 6
nachos - n/a (i had to get a Sea Dogs helmet sundae)
beer - n/a
vendor price - 4 (pretty steep for a minor league park
ticket price - 6 ($7 GA)
atmosphere - 8 (Red Sox fans who cant make it down to Fenway)
walk to park - 5
parking price/proximity - 7 (surrounding streets for free if you get there early enough, otherwise $5 lots)
concourses - 5 (cant decide if i love the noise from stomping feet or hate it)
team shop - 9

most unique stadium feature - Maine Monster

starters - Jo Matumoto (NH) v. Kris Johnson (POR)
opponent - New Hampshire FisherCats
time of game - 3:12
attendance - 6923
score - 9-2 W
Brewers score that day - 3-1 W

Instant Replay

All photos of Wrigley Field available on Flickr.

Pressured by general managers due to many controversial calls in the past few years, Major League Baseball became the final of the four major American sports to approve the use of instant replay in certain situations last Thursday. It will be used in a limited fashion, only for boundary calls to help determine whether a homerun was fair/foul, over the wall or not, or interfered with by a fan. As of today, it has not yet been used in a game, although there were a couple of close calls that certainly warranted its use; umpires are clearly apprehensive about being the first to use it.

I personally have mixed feelings on this issue. The baseball purist side of me is still angry that the American League uses the DH, and now this? What's next, plays at first? Or God forbid, balls and strikes? This will make a long game even longer and opens the doors to increasing replay usage in the future for other types of calls. I think a better solution would have been to station an extra 2 umpires in the outfield, like in the playoffs. The logical, progressive side of me is happy to see baseball finally "getting with the times." The important thing is to get the call right in all these new & complicated ballparks, no matter how long it takes, so long as it doesn't interfere with the umpire's normal job. If the umpire can't tell if it's a homerun or not, there's no sense in guessing just for the sake of having to make a call, and you might as well use the technology if it's there. I wouldn't mind seeing a "flag" system like in football, where each manager gets something like two challenges a game. There are just as many important plays that occur at first base, or trapped/caught balls in the outfield that have just as much bearing on a game as a homerun. As long as it's never used for balls and strikes, I'll be alright with instant replay.

Shifting gears, I got to go to Wrigley Field on Saturday to boo the Cubs. My brother hadn't been there since he was about 8, and his girlfriend had never been, so we all took the train down there for the day. The Cubs lost 5-2 to the Phillies, and our section was at least half Philadelphia fans, so wearing my Chase Utley jersey didn't result in me getting full cans of Old Style thrown at me, as originally feared. Ryan Howard hit a homerun, and Jayson Werth went 3-4 with 2 bombs to left. Brett Myers pitched outstanding in the win, and Theodore Roosevelt Lilly got the loss. It was an awesome day for baseball, it was on national television, and the train ride was really quick and cheap, so overall I was glad that we went.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.02:

Brewers 80-57, -4.5 (3 v. Mets, 4 v. Padres)

Reds 61-76, -23.5 (3 v. Pirates, 3 v. Cubs)

Twins 73-60, -- (3 @ Blue Jays, 3 v. Tigers)

RACE FOR 2008 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:

Erik - 24

Peter - 46