Waterloo Riverfront Stadium

All photos of Waterloo Riverfront Stadium available on Flickr.

Two weekends ago, I concluded my move to Waterloo, Iowa. As I mentioned in the Cedar Rapids post, there are a ton of ball teams around me that I look forward to exploring (I guess I should also mention that my job is pretty cool). Naturally, before even settling in, I spent my first full day as an Iowan attending a Waterloo Bucks game. My dad left early Sunday after the move, but Lauren and Erik stayed for the day to take in some Sunday matinee action.

The Waterloo Bucks are celebrating their 15th season in the Northwoods League in 2009, and they play at Waterloo Riverfront Stadium, which is just west of downtown. The ballpark was built in 1946 and hosted the Waterloo Diamonds of the Midwest League for 35 seasons before becoming the home to the Bucks and the University of Northern Iowa Panthers, whose campus resides in nearby Cedar Falls. Anyone who was following the news closely last year can recall the devastating 100-year flood that caused tons of damage along the Cedar River, including Waterloo's riverfront. The Bucks had to play about 3/4 of their season on the road last year due to flood damage and a high river, and even currently, a heavy rain is still capable of soaking the field to the point that it causes a postponed game. The city's refusal to update the ballpark was one of the main reasons the Diamonds left for Lansing, but with the flood damage sustained last year, the city had no choice but to rebuild. The evidence of the new building, besides the construction trailers, can be seen in the transition from exterior to interior. As you exit your car and walk through what resembles a marshland, the exterior appears brand-new, with a nice stone gate with tickets windows built in. However, on the inside, one can see the water mark on the 25' wall in the outfield, and all of the rust and paint damage on the metal bleachers around the park. There is also now a retaining wall beyond the fence to protect the street and train tracks from ballpark flooding. I later read in the program during the game that there were new clubhouses and batting practice cages built as "structures inside the structure" that can be wheeled out during a flood.

With that being said, after we arrived at this beautiful gate and took in some BP at the brand-new batting cages, we were understandably disappointed once we got inside. We were there plenty early and got to walk around the entire circumference of the ballpark, watch the players warm up from the retaining wall in the back, and hit the team store/room. Ticket and beer prices were fair, but beyond that, not a lot going on. The party deck, which has become pretty standard at your typical minor league/semi-pro ballpark, is usually the barometer for how well the team draws, and these were nearly empty. The Bucks were 6-17 on the day we were in attendance, and by unfortunate circumstances happened to match up against the best pitcher in the Northwoods League, Zach Varce. He was dominant, striking out 9 over 7 and giving up no runs. The Bucks' starter Scott Williams would have nearly matched him, had it not been for his four walks issued, but he did end up tossing 8 frames. Overall, there were only eight combined hits in the game. Nick O'Shea had the lone offensive highlight of the afternoon with a solo shot in the 6th.

Watching a pitcher's duel in 90+ degree heat with sparse attendance was not how I envisioned my first Waterloo Bucks game, but I will definitely be back for more. Erik and I are in New York City this Friday for our final Tour 2009 trip - New Yankee Stadium and Citi Field! Stay tuned!

park stats and rankings:
aesthetics - 4
views from park - 3
view to field - 9 (dangerously unobstructed)
surrounding area - 2 (cemetary, park, run-down homes)
food variety - 6
nachos - 9 (loaded with taco fixings!)
beer - 7 (decent variety, dollar-beer batter, points off for false advertising of local beer)
vendor price - 7
ticket price - 8
atmosphere - 2
walk to park - 2
parking proximity - 8 (adjacent lot for free, but more of a field than lot)
concourses - 3
team shop - 5 (good variety for NWL, but small)

best food - nachos
most unique stadium feature - entry
best jumbotron feature - n/a
best between-inning feature - hit target in outfield with water balloons

field dimensions - 335/375/335
starters - Zach Varce (GB) v. Scott Williams (WAT)
opponent - Green Bay Bullfrogs
time of game - 2:18
attendance - 1072
score - 2-0 L
Brewers score that day - 3-2 L

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 06.29:
Brewers 40-35, -- (3 v. Mets, 4 @ Cubs)
Reds 37-37, -2.5 (3 v. Diamondbacks, 3 v. Cardinals)
Twins 39-38, -4.0 (3 @ Royals, 3 v. Tigers)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 25 (+12 worked)
Peter - 32

Veterans Memorial Stadium

All photos of Veterans Memorial Stadium available on Flickr.

I have mixed feelings about my upcoming move to eastern Iowa, but one of the definite perks is the abundance of minor & independent league baseball franchises nearby. There are 14 teams (that I know of) within 3 hours of me, seven in Iowa alone. The city I'm moving to, Waterloo, does have a Northwoods League team, but as I strive to get my fill of professional baseball, the Cedar Rapids Kernels will probably become the team I follow most intimately. They play about 45 minutes southeast of Waterloo, and I was excited to catch a Wednesday kids' day matinee on my way back to Milwaukee after signing my lease.

I left at about 10:15 for a noon first pitch, and it was a very relaxing ride spent honking at cows through miles of rural nothingness. Cedar Rapids is Iowa's second largest city and has been home to the Kernels in some form since 1891 (my favorite former team name of theirs is the Bunnies). Much like every Iowa city I've been to, old dirty factories dominate its downtown, the largest of which there is the Quaker Oats factory. But, also like every Iowa city I've been to, Cedar Rapids has a wonderful riverfront and has a very vibrant and historic community. Iowa seems a lot like Madison, in that most people are either born or go to school there, and then you stay forever. I have an unexplained comfort level with all of the small blue-collar cities and farmland in Iowa that would turn off most city folk, and I look forward to exploring this city more when I have some time.

The ballpark is a couple miles outside of the central business district and is in sort of a sports complex that also contains a football stadium, an ice arena, and a high school diamond. I must have parked in the players lot, because all the gates on my side were closed and I had to take a long stair around the building to get to the main gate. It looks incredibly old from the outside, particularly from the side that I parked, but I actually just looked it up and it was built in 2002 and designed by 360 Architecture. The interior more reflects this newness, as there is a nice concourse that I would compare to Fifth Third Field in Dayton, a play area and picnic area in left field, and bleachers past 1st base. The team store, scoreboard, and suites were all above-average for an A-level team. I find myself using the phrase similar to "pretty good for the minors" a lot when doing these posts, but as this is my 7th Midwest League ballpark, really all of them have been pretty nice except Clinton and Beloit. Even so, the Lumberkings' park is like 70 years old and was still way better than the Snappers - again, Pohlman Field needs to get its act together or the team has to move.

After purchasing a Kernels cap, grabbin' some chow, and obtaining a magnet schedule for my new apartment, I headed down to my seat by the 1st base dugout directly underneath the blazing sun. When it's too hot for beer and the mascot is spraying the kids in the audience with a water gun, you know it's gonna be a long day. The Kernels got spanked 11-3 by Kane County. The Cougars scored in each of the 1st 6 frames with the help of three homeruns, and 3 hits by cleanup hitter Steve Kleen. Every ball hit in the air looked like a golf ball carrying off the tee. Josh Barfield's brother Jeremy hit the most impressive shot for the Cougars that wound up in the hot tub in left field. The Cougars' starter Figueroa gave up only 3 over 6, and the lone highlight for the Kernels was a towering solo shot by Angel Castillo in the 8th.

park stats and rankings:
aesthetics - 4
views from park - 2
view to field - 9
surrounding area - 3 (other sports venues and a bar)
food variety - 8 (grill along 3rd base with a dozen kinds of burgers)
nachos - 3 (come in bag with cheese dip cup)
beer - 6 (moderately priced, Coors Bud & Leines)
vendor price - 8
ticket price - 4 ($7 for lawn seats?)
atmosphere - 5 (Camp Day)
walk to park - 1
parking proximity - 8 (where I parked was free, but hard to find gate)
concourses - 6 (featuring Cedar Rapids walk of fame)
team shop - 7 (includes CR HOF)

best food - tenderloin sandwich
most unique stadium feature - Randy Kuehl's Honda Home of Honfidence pavilion
best jumbotron feature - Mr. Shucks does the Cupid Shuffle
best between-inning feature - "Trash or Treasure" game featuring Curby, the Cedar Rapids recycling mascot

field dimensions - 315/400/325
starters - Pedro Figueroa (KC) v. Tyler Chatwood (CR)
opponent - Kane County Cougars
time of game - 2:42
attendance - 2965
score - 11-3 L
Brewers score that day - 9-8 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 06.18:

[I won't have internet access for awhile, so here are next week's series]

Brewers 37-29, +1.0 (3 v. Twins, 3 v. Giants)

Reds 33-31, -3.0 (3 @ Blue Jays, 3 @ Indians)

Twins 33-33, -2.0 (3 @ Brewers, 3 @ Cardinals)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:

Erik - 21 (+10 worked)

Peter - 30

3rd Annual Civil Rights Game

Shortly after Erik and I got back from Memphis for last year's Civil Rights Game, Bud Selig announced that it would no longer be an exhibition game in Memphis, but rather would become a roaming regular season game in different cities every year. We had mixed feelings about this - we were very happy that the game was becoming popular enough to warrant a larger venue and more diverse crowds around the country, but disappointed to see it leave Memphis, which may collectively be our favorite city to visit. We also feel that this should still be an exhibition game, which allows for the game itself to serve as more of a backdrop. We had a blast in Memphis last year and were looking forward to going back someday soon, and now with the game moving, we are grateful we got to see it in perhaps its final time there.

It was announced in September that the game would be in Cincinnati this year and in 2010. This year's guests and Beacon award winners include Bill Clinton, Hank Aaron, Bill Cosby, Oscar Robertson, Tony Perez, and Muhammad Ali. Erik and I were reluctant to buy tickets since this season by far is our busiest and most expensive Tour Plus year, but long story short we eventually caved in, but since I am now moving to Iowa next weekend for a job, we had to sell our tickets. If any city was going to have this game besides Memphis, I was glad it was Cincinnati. As our long-time readers know, I went to grad school there for 3 years and made a lot of great friends, saw a lot of Reds games, and learned a lot about the city as well.

Only a couple years before I got there in 2004, there were race riots in Over-The-Rhine, a former German area of the city that now has a 95% poverty rate, an average family income of $5,000, and is one of the roughest ghettos in the country. These riots ensued at the border of OTR and the downtown and really tainted an already poor reputation of racial inequality in Cincinnati, what with former Reds owner Marge Schott's famously racist attitudes. These stories of riots, racial hatred, and policy brutality my friends at UC would tell me seemed like such a distant past for someone coming from the outside, but for them it was very real. These friends and I all toured the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center as a class at architecture school, and most of us took a studio right on the border of Over-The-Rhine that was focused on improving the inner city through better public transportation, both things that would be unheard there of a decade prior. I remember driving through OTR, or sometimes even taking the bus through it, and how I had never seen such a poor rundown area in my life. I just never fully grasped my friends' lingering concerns for getting home before dark from studio, when I was also reading news articles about gentrification and seeing new housing developments go up on the fringes of Over-The-Rhine. I was lucky to come into Cincinnati while it was on the upturn and making strides to get better, and I can only imagine what the city was like just eight years ago during those riots. Cincinnati has come a long way since 2001, and even since I've lived there, and it deserves this chance to showcase its improvements. I'm sure I speak for the Reds organization and all its fans that we are very proud that Cincinnati is getting the Civil Rights Game this year, and hopefully Erik and I can make it next year.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 06.15:

Brewers 34-29, +0.5 (3 @ Indians, 3 @ Tigers)

Reds 31-31, -2.5 (3 v. Braves, 3 v. White Sox)

Twins 32-33, -3.0 (3 v. Pirates, 3 v. Astros)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:

Erik - 21 (+10 worked)

Peter - 28

Wildwood Baseball Park

All photos from Wildwood Baseball Park available on Flickr.

There may have been thunderstorms and tornado warnings in southeastern Wisconsin yesterday, but about an hour north in Sheboygan, Erik and I tailgated under blue skies at our first Northeast Wisconsin League game. This is a league that I discovered about four months as I was looking for work - because of course, if I was going apply to work in a city, there had to be ball nearby. While sending in applications to some firms in the Green Bay, Appleton, and Sheboygan areas, I ran across the NE Wisconsin League and Wisconsin State League, which are semi-pro leagues that run concurrently with many of the same teams. With Erik taking an LSAT exam 15 minutes away from the park on the day of the Sheboygan A's home opener, we marked this date on the calendar right away and have been looking forward to it ever since.

We got to the park around 5:30, early enough to beat the parking attendant and start a tailgate. It seems like the type of lot where tailgating would be discouraged, but the A's welcome it (as quoted on their website). Sheboyan is a pretty city right off the lake and the ballpark is in a very nice area with a park and some softball fields across the street. As we fired up the grill and popped open a couple PBR tallboys, our anticipation for the game only grew as we watched all of the players arrive in 10-year-old Hondas and Toyotas, some clearly coming straight from another job. We wrapped up the tailgate about 45 minutes before first pitch and purchased tickets, walked around the park, bought some beer (beer comes in pitchers!), and watched some bullpen sessions. Watching the players warm up, I was instantly reminded of why I loved semi-pro ball - if you want to play ball and you're dedicated enough, you can find a team just about anywhere in America to play for.

I found out two things quickly upon entering the stadium. Well, three things - #1, Wildwood Park was 5 times better than Pohlman Field and the city of Beloit should be ashamed of itself. There's just no reason that a team in this league should have a better team store, scoreboard, field, pressbox, and attendance than a minor league franchise - I won't even get into the fact that the A's are 7-1 and the Snappers are like 20 games below .500. #2, I had expected this league to be of the Golden League variety, a bunch of has-beens and never will-bes. Actually, it's somewhere between a college summer league and a semi-pro league. There are some older players on the roster that dabbled in the minors - one of the relievers was 41 - but most of the team is made up of college kids. Whereas Northwoods kids come from all over the country though, this league is mostly local talent. The third thing I picked up on was the rich history of baseball in the Sheboygan area, which I never would have guessed there was. The Sheboygan A's (note: upon investigation, "A's" is not short for Athletics...it's just A's) are in their 47th season and are very much a local institution. The city has continuously supported the team, and has raised millions of dollars throughout the years to keep the franchise running and to update the ballpark. On this night, the pregame ceremony had the owner, team president, and mayor on hand to burn the Wildwood Park $105,000 mortgage note as a symbol of it being paid off in the offseason. The joy and loyalty in the faces of the ownership, the boosters, and the crowd was very inspiring. In 1973, fans raised money for a new ballpark; in 1997, fans raised $400,000 as part of a major renovation that included the mortgage; and this coming year, fans will again come to the team's aid for a third ballpark renovation, this time to add expanded amenities, a new protective net, and a jumbotron. Aside from the nearby Green Bay Packers, never have I seen such unquestioning community involvment, pride, and fan dedication in an sports organization that goes so far beyond the game itself, and I was truly honored to be there to help celebrate.

Speaking of the game itself, it certainly was not a letdown following all the pregame hubbub, as the A's rallied from 2 down in the 9th to win 6-5. Greg Blahowiak got the start for the A's and pitched great, giving up only 2 runs and 3 hits over 6. Mitchell Gardner pitched the final 3 innings and got the win. In the end, it was defense that won the game for Sheboygan, as they made a couple nice plays in the infield and the centerfielder Albright made an amazing diving catch, and on the flip side Menasha had five errors. 2B Matt Shilter had 3 hits for the winning team, and David Novak drove in the winning run in the 9th for the walk-off victory.

After the game, we celebrated the victory with a tap at a local bar down the street, despite being 2+ pitchers deep and having an hour drive ahead of us. We both paid for that decision this morning! The trek was definitely worthwhile, and I can only hope that any other NEW and WSL experiences we have are half this entertaining, or at least have an awesome mascot like A-1!

park stats and rankings:
aesthetics - 3
views from park - 3 (houses)
view to field - 4 (close but obstructed by posts and fence)
surrounding area - 5
food variety - 4 (menu appears large, but is mostly candy and beer)
nachos - 5 (good cheese to chip ratio, very cheap)
beer - 7 (only Bud & Coors, but points added for pitchers and souvenir cups)
vendor price - 10
ticket price - 9 ($5 behind home plate, $3 GA along the lines)
atmosphere - 6 (small crowd but very involved)
walk to park - 4
parking proximity - 10 (across the street for free)
concourses - 2
team shop - 4 (decent variety but not a lot on display, and the store is actually a shed)

best food - nachos
most unique stadium feature - bullpen area easily accessible by fans for viewing
best jumbotron feature - n/a
best between-inning feature - live oldies band

field dimensions - 320/395/320
starters - Mike Lloyd (MEN) v. Greg Blahowiak (SHB)
opponent - Menasha Macs
time of game - 2:45
attendance - 191
score - 6-5 W
Brewers score that day - off

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 06.09:
Brewers 33-24, +2.5 (3 v. Rockies, 3 v. White Sox)
Reds 29-27, -3.5 (3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Royals)
Twins 28-31, -4.0 (4 @ Athletics, 3 @ Cubs)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 19 (+8 worked)
Peter - 26

Mallards Home Opener

All photos of the Mallards' 2009 home opener available on Flickr.

With me now having a girlfriend that lives in Madison, I have become completely unphased by the 2.5 hour roundtrip from Milwaukee. And so, it should come as no surprise that a few days ago I decided that I was going to make another trek out west for the home opener of the most exciting team in baseball, the Madison Mallards. Winning a ticket in a drawing on Saturday and Lauren having off Monday nights all but sealed the deal. I decided to not drag her to yet another baseball game on her one day off, so I rode solo to be one of the 5200+ screaming fans in attendance.

I arrived at the ballpark about 20 minutes before first pitch, knowing that I would need a little time to find parking and to take in the new surroundings. More than any other ballpark I know, Warner Park adds and changes so much from season to season. It is so different now than from when I first went there three years ago that I can hardly imagine what it must have looked like during the Mallards' inaugural season of 2001. Madison has the attendance to be able to invest in their park, team, and promotional calendar that other Northwoods League teams simply do not. The most noticeable features inside the park this year are the expanded Duck Blind and the addition of bullpens in left-center and right-center, which I'm sure are probably the only enclosed bullpens in the NWL. The Duck Blind has been pushed closer to the foul line to allow for more seating and has added a section of bleachers, since it can be hard to see from that area (although people who purchase the all-you-can-eat-and-drink seats typically aren't too attentive, understandably). The same has been done on the left field side, where an existing section of bleachers has been angled and pushed closer to the field. The fences have been pulled in for the third year in a row to accomodate the bullpens in the outfield, which are surrounded by chain-link fence and advertising. The team stores seem to contain a lot more items this season as well, and it looks like they finally figured out how to use the jumbotron they installed last year. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the concession stands now serve funnel cake! All of the annual additions always seem to contribute to an atmosphere I would already rate a '10,' which just goes to show you that there is no real substitute for good cheap concessions and quality entertainment.


As for the game itself, it was a back-and-forth battle in which the home team eventually pulled out a 7-6 victory over the Rochester Honkers. It seemed for most of the night that nobody really wanted to win, as eleven total errors were committed, and the defense only got worse as the night got cooler. There were also at least seven hit batsmen that I could count, three by the Mallards' starter and son of Dodger great Orel Hershiser, Jordan. He lasted only 1-1/3 and his ERA is now 20.26 after his first start since missing his entire season at USC with Tommy John surgery. The Mallards' bullpen would surrender three more runs (none earned) after Hershiser's exit en route to a walk-off win in the 9th. Pitchers in the Northwoods League are really just experimenting with pitches for the next collegiate year, and defense is usually shotty; the real treat is to pick out which hitters are adapting to using wood and put together quality ABs. Every year, I like to latch onto a Mallard who I think is gritty enough to have what it takes to get drafted, and this year my favorite Mallard so far is the C/DH Ben Long. He wears #00, and he runs out to the bullpen after making outs to warm up relievers, so he caught my attention right away. He was 2-4 on this night, and I found out on the car ride home that he is hitting .588 on the season, so I must know how to pick 'em! I'd also give an honorable mention to Troy Channing - he is the cleanup hitter and has a really nice stroke. Now let's see if he can follow in the footsteps of my past projects of Jordan Comadena, Mike Rohde, and Tony Campana and latch onto a pro team someday. As always, I was entertained the entire game by an assortment of new and old between-innings games and some wild plays in the field, and I'm excited for another season of Northwoods League baseball.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 06.02:
Brewers 30-21, +1.0 (4 @ Marlins, 3 @ Braves)
Reds 27-23, -2.5 (4 @ Cardinals, 3 v. Cubs)
Twins 25-27, -4.5 (3 v. Indians, 3 @ Mariners)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE
Erik - 18 (+ 8 worked)
Peter - 24

Tour 2009: Final Season of HHH Metrodome

All photos of Minneapolis and Metrodome available on Flickr.

This past weekend, Peter and I attended the Sunday Night Brewers-Twins game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Twins will be moving into a new stadium in downtown Minneapolis next season and are celebrating their last year in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. I'll start by detailing a brief history of my experience with the Metrodome. While I was attending college across the Mississippi River at the University of Minnesota and cutting my teeth in the political world, I found paying summer work with the Minnesota Twins. I began working for the Twins in the summer of 2005 as an usher at the Metrodome. Being an usher at the Dome has many particular challenges that other stadiums just don't have. First of all, all the seats face the 50-yard line when the Dome is set up for football. This leads to Twins fans having to sit or crane their necks 45 degress to see home plate when there is a ballgame going on instead. To aid these fans a little bit, Metrodome ushers hold back fans returning to their seats from the restroom, concession stand, etc. until there is a change of batter. As one can imagine, this leads to many backups at the entrances to the sections and plenty of upset fans who are missing the game. Another challenge of working at the Metrodome is the panic doors. For those who do not know, the roof of the Metrodome is supported by pressurizing the air inside, there is no structure. Fans must exit and enter the stadium through revolving doors in order to maintian the pressure. These doors would never do in an emergency however, so each gate also has 8 panic doors. When these doors are opened the pressurized air inside the Dome rushes out, creating a wind tunnel. Often, Dome engineers will allow for a few of these doors to be opend following a game to ease congestion exiting the stadium. The wind tunnel effect leads to a few falls. Additionally, on days when the doors are not open, there are always a few drunks who either want to fell the rush of air or who simply can't wait to get to the bar, who open these doors. Closing them again is quite a challenge. I worked for the Twins for three years, the last being the summer of the main tour in 2007. I saw the team win the AL Central pennant on the last day of the season, saw Justin Morneau win an MVP award, and saw Joe Mauer become the first American Legaue catcher to win a batting crown. I played softball on the outfield turf and made a lot of good friends. After the Twins play their last game at the Dome, I'll miss it. Many say that the stadium is a dump, but to me its special.

Ok, enough history. Here's what happened this past weekend. I arrived in Minnesota on Friday afternoon and meet up with a buddy of mine who I would be staying with through the weekend. Pete had an interview in Madison and wouldn't be getting in until later in the evening. After meeting my buddy and having a beer and terrible hot dog and a South Minneapolis bar, I headed for the Dome. I parked a few blocks away and bought a $5 ticket from a few Brewers fans outside the Metrodome Plaza. I headed into the stadium and began making my way around visiting many of my old friends. It was good to catch up with all of them and it made me wish I was back in Minnesota and working for the Twins. I settled into my seat and was heckled by a few Twins fans sitting near me. The Brewers took it on the chin in game one, losing 11-3. Michael Cuddyer hit for the cycle and Kevin Slowey dominated the Brew Crew.

On Saturday morning, I headed down to the Mall of America in Bloomington. I was not going to shop, however. The MOA stands on the site of the Twins first ballpark in Minnesota, Metropolitan Stadium. Hidden inside the amusement park at the center of the mall is a plaque that marks the location of home plate. Several hundred feet away, above the Log Flume ride, a red chair sits high above the floor. This chair marks the landing spot of the longest home run at Met Stadium, hit by Harmon Killebrew. After a quick bite to eat I headed for the Dome. The Twins are using special balls this year commerorating their last year in the Dome with a pretty sweet logo and I wanted to see if I could snag one during batting practice. After purchasing a $10 GA ticket and then making my way down to the lower level, I raced down the stairs near the left field foul pole. About half way down the section I spotted it, sitting under the last seat in the row. I had my Metrodome souvenir. I decided to go down to the rail anyways and shortly after a soft grounder was hit toward the corner. One of the Twins ran over and when I held up my glove, he flipped the ball to me. I was pretty excited, especially when I looked at the ball and discovered that it was a commemorative, but not from the Metrodome. The Twins had just suffered three heart-breaking walk-off loses to the Yankees in New York and had apparently took some of their commemorative balls on the way out of town. The ball that was flipped to me has a scuffed logo so I'll just have to try for a clean one when we're in New York in July. After snagging these two balls I headed toward my seat and some beers. The Brewers would lose on Saturday night as well. Anthony Swarzak made his Major League debut for the Twins and went 7 great innings, allowing no runs on only 5 hits and two walks, while striking out 3. Twins catcher Joe Maur supplied much of the offense in the 6-2 win, going 3-3 with a walk and a solo home run and scoring 3 runs.

I finally met up with Pete on Sunday afternoon. Pete had attended his roomates wedding the previous day in Alexandria. We met at the Dome and proceded to Matt's Bar in South Minneapolis. Matt's is the home of the Jucy Lucy burger. Another bar stakes claim to the invention of this awesome burger, but everyone knows Matt's was the first. The Jucy Lucy is a cheeseburger that, rather than having the cheese melted on top, has it stuffed in the middle. Each burger comes with a warning form your waitress to wait a few minutes since many first timers have been burned with molten cheese squirting out of the burger with their first bite. The Jucy is toped with pickles and raw or fried onions and should be washed down with a cold glass of Grain Belt Premium. It is delicious and not to be missed. Following lunch at Matt's we headed to downtown Minneapolis to check out the future home of the Twins - Target Field. I will miss the Dome but man am I excited to watch a game at this place. The structure of the ballpark is complete and a lot of the glass and limestone curtain walls are already in place. The ballpark looks simply gorgeous. One thing I find peculiar about Target Field are the demensions of the playing field itself. For all the abuse that the Metrodome takes, the Twins are mimicing its dimensions at the new stadium. Yes, there will be a 21 foot high fence stretching from the right field foul pole to right-center field. Fortunately, it will be a padded wall rather than a baggie at the new stadium. The new stadium will feature man of the modern ballpark luxuries that the Metrodome just can't offer. There will be luxury suites, resturants, a huge team store, and an HD scoreboard only slightly smaller than the one the Yankees have in thier new stadium. Like I said, I can't wait to get there in 2010.

As for the game, it was another disappointment for the Crew. Scott Baker dominated for 8 1/3, allowing just 3 runs (2 in the 9th) on 7 hits. The one bright spot for Milwaukee was Mike Cameron who hit his 250th career home run in the 4th. Prince Fielder added a 2-run bomb to the upper deck in right which chased Baker. Joe Mauer continued his torried month, hitting a home run in the first inning and going 2-3 with 2 runs scored. Justin Morneau also cracked a homer over the baggie, deep into the upper deck for his 13th of the year.

I concluded my farewell to the Metrodome by taking in the Memorial Day matinee between the Twins and Red Sox. I arrived at the Dome about an hour before first pitch and spent my time wandering, taking photos, and saying my last good-byes. I finally got a picture next to the Kirby Puckett seat. This seat in left-center field marks the spot where Kirby Puckett's 11th-inning homer run landed, sending the 1991 World Series to its epic Game 7. This home run will forever live in the memory of Twins fans with the words "And we'll see you...tomorrow night" echoing as Puck rounded the bases pumping his fist. The game itself promised to be a good one with Fransisco Liriano facing Brad Penny. Liriano didn't have his stuff though, giving up 11 hits and only lasting 4 innings. The Twins tried to make it interesting in the 9th, however, with Joe Mauer hitting a pinch hit 2-run homer with 2 away to pull the Twins within 1. But, they would get no closer and the Sox triumphed 6-5.

So farewell Metrodome, and Target Field, we'll see you...tomorrow night!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.28:
Brewers 27-20, -1.0 (3 v. Reds)
Reds 26-20, -1.5 (3 @ Brewers)
Twins 24-25, -3.5 (3 @ Rays)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE
Erik - 17 (+ 8 worked)
Peter - 21

Weeks Out for the Season

All photos of Modern Woodmen Park available on Flickr.

With the Milwaukee Brewers untucking their shirts at an astonishing rate this May, their winning ways hit a slight bump in the road on Sunday as it was announced that second baseman Rickie Weeks would be out for the season with a torn sheath in his right wrist. This worries me for several reasons, not the least of which is that this will be Weeks' third wrist/hand injury in the past 4 seasons. Rickie was really coming into his own this year, both defensively and offensively. Every single ball he's hit all year has been a line drive and he's not hanging around in the count begging for walks anymore like Yost had him doing. The man who has the highest all-time 4-year collegiate batting average (.430) was finally showing his promise, thanks in large part to bench coach Willie Randolph. Also, the Brewers really have no other option at second base or at leadoff. Hart swings too much and too early in the count to be a leadoff guy, and his bat is much more valuable in the middle of the lineup. For right now, it looks like the Brewers will platoon Casey McGehee, a guy who has no major league experience at 2nd and is hitting below .200, and Craig Counsell, who is 38 and playing with torn cartilage in his knee, and is currently Macha's utility infielder and best option off the bench. I had mentioned to Erik jokingly that the Brewers should try to get Ray Durham off the couch - a mid-season pickup of the Crew last year brought in to spell a struggling Weeks - but it looks like he's already working out in North Carolina and has already been contacted by GM Doug Melvin. Reports right now say that the Brewers will try out their #1 position prospect Alcedes Escobar at 2B in AAA, and will call him up if he can handle it, but otherwise would try to sign Durham. This is the third thing that worries me about the Weeks injury - it almost ensures that some infielder will be traded or released next season. If Iribarren, McGehee, Durham and/or Escobar shine at 2nd in his absence, Macha will have a tough choice come next season, especially when you throw the Gamel/Hall 3B logjam into the mix, and when you look ahead to Brett Lawrie and Cutter Dykstra down the line who also play second. Lastly, the torn sheath in the wrist is the same injury that slugger David Ortiz suffered, and we all know of his epic homerless streak that is ongoing this year. The Brewers as of today lead the NL Central by 3 games; here's hoping we can maintain that lead throughout the summer without Weeks.

In other news, I visited Davenport, Iowa for a third time this week while on my way out to an interview in Waterloo. In my first visit there in 2006, the downtown was desolate, attendance was sparse, and the team was known as the Swing of the Quad Cities and played at John O' Donnell Stadium. Now in 2009, the stadium has been renamed Modern Woodmen Park and the team went back to its former name, the Quad Cities River Bandits. The city and stadium look a lot nicer too. There's still the methadone clinics across the street, but the riverfront is starting to develop, and the ballpark was packed with children for an 11 AM game. The ballpark has added amenities such as a cornfield in left where players enter from in the summer, and a tiki lounge in right field. Excluding the fact that the Swing logo and name were way better, the team store has much more and much better apparel (they did not have baseballs OR souvenir cups on the tour). There were even Bandit-themed foods at the concession stands - the Bandit Dog with bacon, cheese, and chili was phenomenal. Being there two previous times in August, it was nice to take in a game in more comfortable weather. Overall this was my best time of the three in Davenport, and Quad Cities won to boot. The River Bandits beat the Cougars 3-1 behind an overall great pitching performance. Three Quad Cities pitchers combined to strike out 12 batters while walking only one. Charlie Cutler was the star of the day, going 3-4 with an RBI for the home team.

rankings and stats-
see below and 2007 John O' Donnell Stadium post:
aesthetics - improves to 7
food variety - improves to 7
team shop - improves to 5

best food - Bandit Dog

starters - Kenny Smalley (KC) v. Arquimedes Nieto (QC)
opponent - Kane County Cougars
time of game - 2:09
attendance - 6159
score - 3-1 W
Brewers score that day - 8-5 W

Independent Leagues Begin

All photos of UWM-Butler game at Miller Park available on Flickr.

Mid-May is around the time every year when I really get excited about the baseball season. After Opening Week, of course I watch a lot of ball...but it's still cold, there are a ton of rainouts and a lot of off days in April, and the NFL Draft, NBA & NHL playoffs, and even horse racing dominate Sportscenter. Memorial Day to Labor Day is undeniably baseball time though. The sun is out, the grills are fired up, and it's the start of independent league baseball.

The Northern League and the American Association started play last week, the Frontier League begins on Wednesday, and college summer leagues and other lesser semi-pro leagues all start in the next couple weeks. I'm very excited to attend a bunch more Mallards games this year, as well as some games in the Northeast Wisconsin League, which Erik and I just discovered recently. Independent League and minor league baseball has been my favorite kind of baseball for the last several years, and if Milwaukee didn't have a pro team I would probably rarely attend any other kind of games. The games are cheap, there's tons of entertainment, and most of all, the players are dedicated. Most of these players, especially those in the independent leagues, make only enough money to buy food and are riding on buses to podunk towns all across America for 4 months, just to play the game that the love. These players and their families sacrifice and get by on $400/week and second and third jobs just to make ends meet, and I really admire the dedication. So, whenever I get the chance, I like to support these players and teams, and it's no coincidence that my minor/independent league posts are always the most energetic. Erik and I look forward to visiting cities all across America for some new semi-pro experiences every summer.

Speaking of dedicated players, Erik and I attended a UW-Milwaukee game at Miller Park on Thursday. They played after a Brewers' matinee sweep of the Marlins. Honestly, not the greatest crowd, and I'm not a particularly huge NCAA baseball fan, but it was free and there's nothing better than weekday afternoon ball. UWM actually played Butler in two games, but we could only stay for one, as I had a softball game to attend. The Panthers swept the doubleheader, thanks in large part to the energy of their recently renamed mascot, Pounce (Victor E Panther was way better). As far as the game we saw, UWM scored two in the bottom of the 9th to win 6-5 over the Bulldogs. Starting pitcher Tim Lusti gave up 5 earned over 7 and LF Tim Patzman went 2-4 with a HR for the Panthers, and Jeff Sinkiewicz gave up 3 earned over 6 and RF Colin Ziegel was 2-3 with a HR and a walk for Butler. And by the way, in doing the stats research for this post, I discovered that the Horizon League's website has a neat little videogame-like feature where you can watch a play-by-play reenactment of any game that is worth checking out.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.17:
Brewers 23-14, +1.5 (makeup game @ Cardinals, 3 @ Astros, 3 @ Twins)
Reds 20-16, -2.5 (3 v. Phillies, 3 v. Indians)
Twins 18-20, -3.0 (3 @ White Sox, 3 v. Brewers)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 12 (+ 8 worked)
Peter - 17

Fallen Heroes

Everyone that doesn't live under a rock knows by now that Manny Ramirez received a 50-game suspension last week for testing positive for a banned substance.  The tests found hCG in his blood, a female fertility drug commonly used by athletes at the end of a steroid cycle to restart the body's natural testosterone production.  Also in the past few weeks, two books have come out chronicling the playing careers of A-Rod and The Rocket.  Both books discuss ad nauseum how these players cheated the game through steroid use.  After admitting a short period of use in Texas, a new book accuses A-Rod of having done steroids since high school, accounting for his large growth spurt and monstrous numbers with the Mariners.  Clemens, however, nearly 15 months after his federal grand jury testimony, still refuses to admit anything.  The book claims that Roger added 4 MPH to his fastball in Toronto after everyone thought his career was over in Boston.  He went on to play another decade, winning four more Cy Youngs after the age of 35.

I've come to accept that this is just a dark period in baseball history that is being addressed and will always be something baseball fans have to deal with, no matter how sick of it they are.  The thing that gets to me though, is the talk about if these players are "Hall-of-Fame worthy."  For about a 20-year period starting in the mid-80s, it is just plain naive to think that a significant portion of players were not taking steroids, and I think that people who get a HOF vote need to take that into account.  The majority of players who took steroids we've never heard of - they didn't take it to get an edge, or to recover for an injury, but simply to get a chance to be a major league baseball player.  Most players that juiced were average minor leaguers looking to improve to maybe a good utility player, but yet the public only sees the star cases of great players looking to get even better.  We can't continue to keep our great players like Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, and Roger Clemens out of the Hall when EVERYBODY was doing it.  I am not saying they shouldn't be punished or subpoenaed or persecuted, but we have to look at their on-field achievements against the backdrop of the Steroid Era.  The sooner we just accept that it was a troublesome time in baseball in which most players were trying to gain that chemical edge, the sooner we can start separating talent from drug enhancement.  A lot of people view the Steroid Era, unlike the Deadball Era or the period since the pitching mound was lowered, as something that affected only some, not all, and I just don't feel that to be the case.  I refuse to believe that any less than 90% of players didn't have their fingers in the pie for some period of time - the game is just too competitive, too salary-driven, and too personal-training oriented now to think otherwise.  MLB needed the long ball to save baseball (see 1998 Homerun Chase), and was indirectly encouraging steroid use anyways up until about 2003, so why not take a risk that nobody was monitoring?

When the Manny story broke, broadcaster Bob Costas summed it up very well on the MLB Network.  He said that there are three camps of HOF voters: those who refuse to vote for anyone linked to steroids, those that will look at the extent of use, and those that will be discretionary and will vote for players that would have been Hall of Famers anyways.  Given that this is a Steroid Era, and not a Pete Rose-like isolated case, EVERY voter needs to be in the third camp - vote based on skill, not on drug use.  Now, this is still debatable and subjective to a degree, but it is a start.  Sammy Sosa and Jose Canseco probably would never have been good without steroids, they were just giant muscle masses.  Mark McGwire?  That might be a case on the fence.  Players like A-Rod, Palmeiro, Bonds, Manny...it is hard to deny that these players wouldn't have made the Hall anyways, or we wouldn't be talking about them so much.  A-Rod and Manny are career .300+ hitters; steroids add strength and speed, but not ability.  Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in any professional sport, and players like A-Rod, Palmeiro, Ramirez, and Bonds may have increased homerun totals, but were still great hitters.  Bonds had 3 MVPs before his first 40-HR season.  As far as pitchers, this is more of a clearcut case to me.  Scientifically, it is physically impossible to throw a baseball harder than a force of 80 Newton-meters (about 110 MPH) without your arm snapping off.  Pitchers are already at the upper limits of a tolerance that would cause normal humans to shatter every tendon in their arm.  And besides that, it is incredibly tough to control a fastball in excess of 100 MPH (see Joel Zumaya).  With that all being said, based on physics alone, the only conceivable reason for a pitcher to take steroids is to help with injury or elongate a career.  Andy Pettitte won 4 World Series before the age of 30, and Roger Clemens had 3 Cy Youngs before the age of 35, and should be in the Hall.

This is a hot-button issue that will not be resolved quickly, and probably none of the players I've mentioned will make it to the Hall of Fame since you need 75% majority.  I guess I'm trying to say that you can't fault a great player for trying to "keep up" when hundreds of average players around them like Albert Belle and Greg Vaughn are hitting 50 homeruns in a season.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.12:
Brewers 18-14, -2.0 (3 v. Marlins, 3 @ Cardinals)
Reds 18-14, -2.0 (3 @ Diamondbacks, 3 @ Padres)
Twins 15-17, -3.0 (3 v. Tigers, 4 @ Yankees)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 10 (+ 6 worked)
Peter - 15

2009 MLB Draft

Given the unrelenting coverage of the NFL Draft on ESPN, I thought I would write about the upcoming MLB draft in June. There has been a lot of buzz about Steven Strasburg out of San Diego State, a three-year starter that can reach 103 on the gun and had a 23-strikeout game last season, and Patrick Schuster, a Tampa-area high schooler that tied an American high school record by tossing four no-hitters consecutively. But when the draft approaches, I always look to a sabermetrics website for the most accurate prospect list. Sabermetrics is a term coined by Bill James and is a way of analyzing baseball players objectively through statistics, rather than subjectively based on things like "stuff," "athleticism," and "potential." It was popularized by the Oakland Athletics in the late 90s and was made popular enough in the 2003 book "Moneyball" that now I would say every team except the Yankees uses it to some degree. Sabermetrics has given us such stats as the WHIP (walks & hits per inning pitched) and OBP (on-base % + slugging %) - objective statistics that are used as better ways to measure a player's ability. Given the annual success of small-market teams like the As, Twins, and Marlins, and even larger-payroll teams like the Angels and Red Sox, sabermetricians are generally a good source of knowledge on prospect potential.

Here are the top 10 propsects according to SaberScouting.com:

1. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, SDSU

2. Dustin Ackley, CF, UNC

3. Grant Green, SS, USC

4. Andrew Oliver, LHP, OKSU

5. Donovan Tate, CF, HS

6. Tyler Matzek, LHP, HS

7. Josh Phegley, C, IU

8. Matt Davidson, 3B, HS

9. Alex White, RHP, UNC

10. Matt Purke, LHP, HS

This is a pretty solid list I'd say. Strasburg is by far the consensus #1, although there are some concerns if the Nationals would be able to sign him. His agent is Scott Boras and there are talks that he would demand a 6-yr/$50 mil guaranteed contract. Also, with a player that can reach triple-digits on the gun with a mean slider, that always sends up the red flag for future injury problems. I would say Tyler Matzek is your best high school prospect on this list. He has great mechanics, and any hard-throwing lefty will always draw attention. Position players is kind of a toss-up - the players on this list are all great prospects, but there's also a great catcher I've heard a lot about named Austin Maddox, who has a great eye at the plate and hits for power, but weight and defensive mechanics may be an issue. Aaron Crow is also a name to watch out for. He's a hard-throwing righty that was drafted 9th last year but failed to sign, and he projects to be a solid #2 starter if he irons out some mechanical flaws that could lead to injuries.

In the end, it's always hard to project how the draft will shake out, which is why baseball's draft is given the least coverage out of the four major sports. It's not a sport like football or basketball where the drafted players go right to the pros, so it's harder for the casual fan to get excited for players they won't see for 3-4 years, if ever. There are so many factors that go into a prospect delivering in the pros that go beyond stats - things like poise, work ethic, or even small things like adjusting to wood bats or better pitching. Pitchers, particularly those out of high school, are usually a bust because they end up getting hurt, traded, or developing mechanical issues moreso than position players. A lot of pitchers get drafted with one or two good pitches and cannot develop those pitches or any additional pitches to get big-league hitters out with. Baseball is an individual sport in a lot of ways, and perhaps more than any other major sport, there is intense pressure on high-drafted players to make it big, which is part of the reason there are so many minor league levels - to ensure the best preparation and seasoning possible for every talented prospect. The fact is that only about 3% of all players drafted make it through the five levels of minor leagues to the pros, and only 1% of those players that make it become Hall-of-Famers. I read somewhere once that of all pitchers drafted, the average number of pitches thrown in the big leagues per player is five pitches. With the odds stacked against prospects from the start, and with salaries reaching epic proportions, these are major reasons that a great scouting department, which includes use of sabermetrics, is THE most crucial element of fielding a competitive team at the professional level, and it all starts with the draft.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.05:
Brewers 14-12, -3.0 (2 @ Pirates, 2 @ Reds, 3 v. Cubs)
Reds 13-12, -3.5 (2 @ Marlins, 2 v. Brewers, 3 v. Cardinals)
Twins 13-13, -2.0 (2 @ Tigers, 2 @ Orioles, 3 v. Mariners)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 10 (+ 4 worked)
Peter - 14

Border Battle at Miller Park

All photos of the Border Battle available on Flickr.

On Friday, Erik, myself, and my family attended the first of a hopefully annual event.  The Border Battle was a Midwest League game between the Brewers' new low-A affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and the dreaded Cubs' affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs.  Miller Park is starting to gain the reputation of being a courteous neutral site that will host any game when the Brewers are on the road - it has even hosted a PBA event.  In the last 2 years alone, Miller Park has hosted an entire Indians' series that was snowed out, and a hurricane-refugee game between the Astros and Cubs that produced the first no-hitter ever pitched at a neutral site.  Friday's game was the third minor league game played at the park; there were two Snappers-Rattlers games played here when the Snappers were the Brewers affiliate (1982-2004) and the Rattlers belonged to the Mariners.  This was Erik and my second Rattlers game of the season, and we are very excited to be seeing Brewers prospects so close to home.

We of course tailgated this event and were pleasantly surprised with the excitement surrounding the game.  After a few beers and brats, we headed to our 19th row seats right behind home plate, about the farthest away I'd ever care to be at a minor league game, but still some of the best Miller Park seats I've ever had.  The entire event was $10 GA and most of the lower bowl was full.  The game itself was very entertaining, and with guys on the jumbotron born in the 1990s, you'd expect an interesting game.  Unlike the game we saw on opening night, this one had much more hitting.  The T-Rats beat the Chiefs 5-3 in an evening that saw 21 total hits, three mascot cornhole contests, two mascot races, and more fans that a Marlins' weekend series.  The 1-3 hitters of Dykstra, John Delaney, and Lawrie combined to go 8-14, and Brock Kjeldgaard had the final blow for the Rattlers with a 3-run homer in the 5th.  What looked to be a great pitching matchup on paper was not, as the starters 4 and 5 innings, respectively.  There was also another "former Mallard sighting" on this night, as Tony Campana hit leadoff for the Chiefs, who also played CF at UC when I went there.

No trips planned this week, but first 2009 bobblehead on Sunday!

park & game stats:

best jumbotron feature - "two-fisted slopper" video

best between-inning feature - Most Seats in the House contest

starters - Aaron Shafer (PEO) v. Wily Peralta (WIS)

opponent - Peoria Chiefs v. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
time of game - 2:54
attendance - 17880
score - 5-3 WIS
Brewers score that day - 5-2 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.28:
Brewers 9-10, -4.5 (3 v. Pirates, 4 v. Diamondbacks)
Reds 10-9, -3.5 (3 v. Astros, 3 @ Pirates)
Twins 9-11, -2.5 (3 v. Rays, 3 v. Royals)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 9  (+ 1 worked)
Peter - 12

New York Stadium Debuts

The building boom in Major League Baseball continued last week as both New York teams had their home openers on national television.  These were the 11th & 12th stadiums to open this decade, and when all is said and done, 23 of the current 30 teams will have debuted a stadium under Commissoner Bud Selig's tenure, with Royals, Angels, and Dodgers' stadiums all also undergoing 9-figure renovations.  A lot of people may not like the commissioner for things like the steroids debachle, but mark my words that history will look back on him as the greatest commissioner of all time.  He has created the current playoff format, fostered in instant replay, invested in marketing the game globally, and the league's expansion and building boom since he took office in 1992 have single-handedly saved baseball, not to mention a lot of neglected urban areas.

But, I digress.  The Mets' $800-million Citi Field debuted first on Monday, and in true Mets fashion, the first official hit in the new ballpark was a homerun by the Padres' leadoff man on the third pitch of the game, in what would amount to a win for the Padres.  The facades evoke memories of old Ebbets Field, and features a grand entry called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.  From what I could tell from the broadcasts and photos, it looks to have a ton of foul ground in the infield and some strange angles and cantilevered areas, so I'm curious to see how the views will be.  I've also been reading some articles about how the visiting clubhouse is terrible and the visiting bullpens cannot see the game.  Hopefully for that price tag, all this stuff isn't as bad as it seems.  The outfield also features a huge jumbotron in centerfield, and a slightly smaller one in right-center.  It has high walls and long gaps and seems to be playing as a pitchers ballpark, at least early on, which might reduce homerun totals from their 3-6 hitters, but makes sense in the long run in terms of drawing free-agent pitching talent.

The new $1.5-billion Yankee Stadium debuted Thursday afternoon, in the only way the Yankees know how - with dozens of Yankee legends in attendance for a pre-game ceremony.  All the pressure, coupled the season-opening 10-day roadtrip, spelled disaster for the Yankees, as they ended up losing 10-2 to Cleveland.  Manager Joe Girardi put the inauspicious opening in perspective:  "It's not how you want to start a new stadium, but one game is not going to make the history of this Yankee Stadium."  Yeah, try convincing the New York media of that.  The new ballpark itself looks spectacular.  Early on, I was convinced it would be really kitschy since it is a near replica of the pre-1976 old Yankee Stadium, except for the dimensions, but that doesn't really concern me anymore.  The Yankees have paid a lot of attention to detail in the stadium - every detail except one.  Yankee Stadium is playing the exact opposite of Citi Field - it is playing like "Coors Field East," as Buster Olney of ESPN stated.  There is said to be a "wind tunnel" that carries balls out to right field.  The new park has already yielded 25 homeruns in its first five games (including 2 exhibition games) and a 22-run outburst on Saturday from the lowly Indians.  Watch out Yankee fans, this might mean a new 3-yr $40 mil contract for .240 career hitter Nick Swisher.  Needless to say, our experiences at these two ballparks will vary greatly, and I can't wait to see them this summer, and to finally get to see Monument Park!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.20:
Brewers 4-8, -3.5 (3 @ Phillies, 3 @ Astros)
Reds 6-5, -1.0 (3 @ Cubs, 3 v. Braves)
Twins 7-7, -1.0 (2 @ Red Sox, 3 @ Indians)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 7  (+ 1 worked)
Peter - 9

Opening Week 2009

All photos of Timber Rattlers home opener and Brewers home opener available on Flickr.

One of the things I love most about baseball is that it's always constant.  Poor economy, national tragedy, bad weather...you know there's always going to be another game the next day.  There's always tomorrow in baseball no matter how bad you lose or win, and it's about riding the wave and playing through streaks, moreso than the high or low of one game.  Because of this, at the end of the season, as a fan you can walk away knowing that statistics can be very misleading, and at any given point during the season every player on a team contributes something.  It's these intangibles and things that don't make the stat sheet that make baseball our greatest game.  Opening Day day is about new beginnings and overcoming adversity, and it is still the day that myself and Erik, and much of America, look forward to the most all year.

A quick update on Erik and myself: After being laid off in February, I am still searching for full-time employment, but my yearly goal of 50 ballgames remains in tact.  Erik has taken a job at a Five Guys here in town and is also working some weeknight games in the suites for the Brewers.  I look forward to being in the same city as Erik for an entire season.

The season had a long spring training and began a little bit late this year due to the World Baseball Classic.  Probably more than any other sport, baseball's preseason is no barometer at all for how the season will turn out.  Managers are trying to get a look at dozens of young players, figuring out lineups, and getting guys in shape more than anything.  So it's no surprise that rolling out of the gate that there were a few surprises, some welcome and some appalling.  It started Opening Night when Derek Lowe tossed 8 shutout innings for the Braves against the defending-champion Phillies in Philadelphia.  CC Sabathia got rocked in his first start en route to the Yankees losing their opening series to the Orioles, and Chien-Ming Wang's ERA through two starts is near 30.00, and of all players utility player Nick Swisher currently leads the Yankees both in homeruns and in ERA (he pitched an inning in a rout last night) - not any of the members of the $441 million offseason trio.  2008's 101-game loser Seattle leads the West, and the Pirates and Royals are both 4-3, prompting some reporters to jump on the bandwagon and make bold postseason predictions.  A very slim contingent picked the Rays to finish in front of the Yankees AND Red Sox this year, and an even smaller contingent probably picked that to be the case while they were in 3rd, behind the Orioles and Blue Jays - which is exactly how the AL East looks right now.  Manny Ramirez's home opener in LA was overshadowed by new free agent Orlando Hudson's cycle, the first Dodger to hit for the cycle in almost 40 years.  The Brewers' pitching staff has whimpered out of the gate, leading the league in both walks (35) and hit batsmen (7) through the first seven games, although as anticipated, the entire lineup is raking right now - except the one guy you expect to, Ryan Braun.  That's baseball folks - ups and downs, and trying to explain the unexplainable.  You just never know what you'll see at the ballpark on any given day.

Erik and I of course could not wait to actually attend a ballgame during Opening Week, and did so on Thursday as the Timber Rattlers opened their schedule against the Quad Cities River Bandits in Appleton, this year as a new member of the Brewers' farm system.  The Rattlers won 2-1 on Bernie & Fang Bobblehead Night.  T-Rats pitching looked excellent, as Cody Scarpetta struck out 8 batters over 4 innings, and the team as a whole getting 14 of its 27 outs via the K.  The two Brewers in the lineup we knew, Cutter Dykstra and Brett Lawrie, were lackluster, combining to go 1-8 out of the 1 & 3-holes - although, Cutter's at-bat song was "Cuts Like a Knife" by Bryan Adams, so that made up for his performance a little.  The cool weather was well worth the drive for Opening Night.  You know it's gonna be a busy season when we've already attended 7 ballgames before the Brewers' home opener.

The Brewers' home opener was ballgame #8 for me - Erik was not feeling too crisp from a little Hooters food poisoning and could not attend.  It was even colder today than up in Appleton, and it took us 90 minutes to drive the 3 blocks into the stadium, but we persevered for some tailgating before the 3:05 first pitch.  Another potential deterrent for our Opening Day festivities was that it was Good Friday, but Mom's crab dip and taco salad and Dad's mostly-fish frozen patties on the grill both came through in the clutch.  Walking into Miller Park for the first game after the first tailgate is always a great feeling.  This year, owner Mark Attanasio put a lot of the money from the Brewers' 2008 record attendance season back into the ballpark, creating a new Harley Davidson area, redoing the team store, and a few other small changes.  The Brewers also added 1981 and 2008 playoff banners to go along with their 1982 pennant.  The game itself was a gut-wrenching 4-3 victory for the Brewers.  We missed opening introductions and the National Anthem because the paper said the game was moved to a 3:25 start, but besides that disappointment it was an entertaining game, especially since we were playing the Cubs and it was actually mostly Brewers fans.  Free agent Braden Looper got the ball for the Crew and was serviceable, scattering 5 hits and 4 walks over 5, but only surrendering one run on a homerun by Milton Bradley.  The Brewers were down 3-2 in the 9th and won dramatically on an RBI double by Rickie Weeks, who later scored on an infield hit by Ryan Braun.  Rich Harden was dominant for the Cubs, striking out 10 over 6, giving up 2 runs (1 earned).  Enjoy it now while he's still healthy, Chicago.

Here's to another playoff run for the Brewers this season, let's go Crew!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.14:
Brewers 2-5, -3.5 (3 v. Reds, 3 @ Mets)
Reds 3-3, -2.0 (3 @ Brewers, 4 @ Astros)
Twins 3-5, -1.5 (4 v. Blue Jays, 3 v. Angels)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 7*
Peter - 8

*will keep separate "games worked" and "games attended" totals