Ultimate Baseball Road Trip (145 page)

Different town, same story. After enjoying countless games during baseball’s early years in League Park (1891–1946), Cleveland built the monstrous and multipurpose Municipal Stadium (1932–1993) before unveiling in 1994 the ballpark
originally known as Jacobs Field, a baseball-only facility that re-embraces the warm and cozy elements of the classical ballpark era. It’s since been renamed, of course, in honor of an insurance company. Such is life in our modern times.

Afternoon:
Pay a visit to the crumbling, but resilient remnants of League Park. A youth field sits on the old stadium grounds, but a great deal of the old park remains around it. The actual ticket booths are intact, as is a very large portion of the intricate facade along the left-field side. After snapping a few photos, whip out your glove, head onto the diamond and make like Nap Lajoie!

Game time:
Pay a visit to the Bob Feller statue on the way into Progressive Field. Then grab a Panini sandwich and enjoy the game.

When it comes to ballpark evolution, Detroit charted a different course than the first three cities on this trip. Motown wisely chose not to bite on the multipurpose movement that overtook much of the Midwest, opting instead to hold onto its old-time gem for as long as possible. Tiger Stadium served the team well for the better part of a century (1912–1999) before giving way to Comerica Park, which despite some imperfections provides a festive atmosphere for a game in an extremely open-air setting.

Afternoon:
Take a drive past the old Tiger Stadium site, where today not much remains other than the footprint of the old field at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. Eventually some developer will build condos or a hotel or mall on this site, but for now it’s just growing dandelions. As for the site’s pop-culture significance … The Roger Maris-/Mickey Mantle-focused drama
*61
was filmed at Detroit’s famous “Corner,” as Tiger Stadium stood in for a certain ballpark in the Bronx.

On the North Side of Chi-town you’ll find the best of the old-time parks incarnate in Wrigley Field, while on the South Side you’ll find one of the least-inspired but well-retrofitted new parks in U.S. Cellular Field. What the latter lacks in intimacy is more than made up for by the Friendly Confines of Wrigley. Make no mistake, your three-games-in-two-days visit to the Windy City will be a blast.

Ernie Banks was right when he said, “It’s a nice day, let’s play two.” You may not have the option of playing two, but you can watch two games in one day if you schedule your visit to Chicago during a time when the White Sox and Cubs are both at home.

Game time:
Welcome to Wrigleyville. Let the fun begin. Say hello to Cubs super-fan Ronnie Woo Woo, drink a few cans of Old Style at Murphy’s Bleachers, then watch a game from the Bleachers. As far as ballgame experiences go, this one is second to none.

Between Games:
Ride the “L” south. Your hardball dream day is only half over.

Game time:
Before entering The Cell, check out the foul lines of old Comiskey, painted in white, on the asphalt of the new stadium’s parking lot. Then be sure to get a seat in the ballpark’s lower level. If it’s a hot and humid night, take a pregame stroll to the outdoor shower on the left-field concourse.

One game at Wrigley wasn’t enough. You’re in town and the sun’s shining. The Cubbies are playing an afternoon game. So treat yourself.

Morning:
Bring your mitt and shag BP homers with the crew on Waveland Avenue behind the left-field bleachers.

Game time:
Same drill as yesterday. Only don’t get quite so drunk. You have some driving to do, either tonight or tomorrow morning.

The friendly folks in Brew City didn’t have a Major League team back in the classical ballpark era. So when the erstwhile Boston Braves came to town Milwaukee unveiled multipurpose County Stadium (1953–2000), which later served as home to the Brewers. Then, in 2001, the Sons of Selig unveiled a gigantic retractable dome. Miller Park provides some terrific lower-level seats and some terrible Uecker seats upstairs.

Afternoon:
Did somebody say “tailgate?” This is as good as it gets when it comes to pregame gorging. Arrive at the parking lot early and bring your grill. Bratwurst and dilly beans are on the menu. After eating and drinking yourself silly, take a stroll across the parking lot to Helfaer Field, a youth diamond laid at the approximate location of where County Stadium once stood. Play catch on the field, and then check out the plaques on the concourse to learn more about County Stadium. Remember the movie
Major League?
It was filmed at County Stadium, which stood in for Cleveland’s Muni.

Game time:
We can’t stress enough the importance of getting a seat on the first or second level, preferably between the bases. The disparity between the good seats and bad seats is greater here than at almost any other park.

You won’t be seeing a game today, or maybe you will. On the ride from Milwaukee to Minneapolis, swing a few miles out of the way and make for Dyersville, to visit the Field of Dreams Movie Site. Toss a ball around the field, say hello to Don Lansing, who lives in the old white farmhouse from the movie and who appeared in several scenes as an extra. Then settle into the first-base bleachers. Watch the ghost players glide effortlessly toward the cornrows to make spectacular catches. Listen for the crack of the bat or the pop of a pitch hitting the catcher’s mitt.

If you’re interested in ballpark evolution, consider Minneapolis a must-visit on your tour of the Midwest. The Metrodome still stands, even though the Twins have moved on to greener pastures. So do a lap around the Met, which opened in 1982 to replace Metropolitan Stadium—a converted minor league park that housed the Twins from 1961 to 1981.

Afternoon:
From the Field of Dreams to the Field of Screams. That’s right, where Metropolitan Stadium once stood visitors now find the Mall of America’s indoor amusement park. The massive mall is in Bloomington, Minnesota. Today, the original home plate and a bleacher seat that Harmon Killebrew once hit with a mammoth home run are all that remain.

Game time:
Not only did Target Field return the Twins and their fans to baseball in the great outdoors, but it did so in style when it opened in 2010. After years in the Homer Dome, it’s easy to see why Twins fans fell in love with this place immediately. It’s cozy and offers great site lines. Be sure to check out the statues of Killebrew, Rod Carew, and Kirby Puckett outside.

Although you’ve already enjoyed plenty of big league ball on this trip, we recommend a game at zany Midway Stadium, home to the independent league St. Paul Saints.
Afternoon:
Tailgating is popular among Saints fans, but arrive early as lot space is limited.

Game time:
Keep an eye out for actor Bill Murray who is a part-owner of the Saints. He sometimes shows up to coach third base. And be on the lookout for the potbellied pig that delivers balls to the home plate ump, and all kinds of other unexpected wonders. Have a few brats and a few brews. This is the indy minors, so have fun. Besides, you just saw eighteen ballparks in 10 days, so you ought to feel pretty good about yourself!

Days:
Fifteen

Cities:
Fifteen

Ballparks:
Seventeen (Eight MLB parks)

Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
Security Service Field, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Isotopes Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Aces Ballpark, Reno, Nevada
Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada
Petco Park, San Diego, California
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
Chukchansi Park, Fresno, California
AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
The O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California
Raley Field, Sacramento, California
Cheney Stadium, Tacoma, Washington
Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington

If you’ve got a tank full of gas and the better part of a month to blow, this is the trip for you. Fans of bush league ball and students of the game’s history will also dig this trip. To the uninformed observer, baseball may seem like a new phenomenon in many West Coast cities, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Pacific Coast League dates back to 1903. That’s right, it’s nearly as old as the American League, and at one point—before the Giants and Dodgers jumped town for the West Coast—it was considered by many to be a third Major League. Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were well-known entities on the West Coast, starring in the PCL before becoming household names in the rest of the country. Today sixteen of the thirty big league teams have affiliates in the Triple-A PCL. The teams of the PCL play in some of the largest minor league yards, with most of those ballparks holding a capacity of nearly ten thousand. And they need all the seats they can squeeze in. The league has a rabid following.

We highly recommend Dick Dobbins’s superbly researched book,
The Grand Minor League: An Oral History of the Old Pacific Coast League
.

Watching baseball at Coors Field doesn’t require an oxygen mask. But it might come in handy if you sit above the “mile
high” marker in the upper deck. Seriously, though, just be sure to avoid the Rocky Mountain Oysters.

There isn’t much of a drive between Denver and Colorado Springs, but the ride is nonetheless breathtaking here in Wile E. Coyote country. Be sure to visit Pike’s Peak or one of the many other viewing areas. The Sky Sox play just sixty miles south of their parent club, the Rockies.

That’s right, this PCL affiliate is named the Albuquerque Isotopes. Homer Simpson fans will be disappointed, however, to learn that the mascot is named Orbit and not Hungry, Hungry Homer. There are, however, statues of Homer and Marge on the ballpark concourse.

Still sunburned from yesterday’s game? Don’t despair. Chase Field has a roof and the folks in Arizona aren’t afraid to use it. Buy some “frozen water” on the way into the park, then wait for the roof to open just before first pitch, as is the local custom.

There isn’t much else going on in this sleepy desert outpost, so why not catch a game at Cashman Field? The ballpark is surrounded by palm and olive trees, while a desert mountain range rises to the northeast. All right, we know you’re not driving to Las Vegas to see the palm trees. But the home of the LV 51s is worth a visit, if only to see the ghoulish space alien mascot of this team named after Area 51.

Expect to see plenty of triples at this spacious yard that opened in 2009 after Reno lured the former Tucson Sidewinders out of Arizona.

Pay a visit to sunny Petco Park. Although the view might not be the best the park has to offer, if you want to catch some rays, opt for a cheapie seat out at the right-field beach.

Dodger Stadium has seen more hardball history than all of the other MLB ballparks in the West combined. Think Blue!

The Big A has improved by leaps and bounds since the football seats were carted away. Enjoy the view of the San Bernardino Mountains, smog permitting.

We have a feeling you’ll like the Grizzlies’ Chukchansi Park. It’s located downtown and features stunning views of the Sierra Mountains.

It doesn’t happen as often as it used to, but you just might see a slugger put one in the drink while you’re in town.

Be certain to make note of the announced attendance for your A’s game at the Coliseum. Or take the bull by the horns and count the fans yourself before the announcement comes.

The River Cats typically average more than ten thousand fans per game and have led the minors in attendance on several occasions. If only their big league parent club—the A’s—could do so well.

Tacoma is home to the Rainiers. No, it’s not rainier in Tacoma than in the team’s big league city, Seattle. The Tacoma squad’s name serves a dual purpose. First, the Rainier name honors the Seattle Rainiers, who played PCL ball in the Emerald City long before the M’s came to town. That team was named after owner Emil Sick’s Rainier Beer. Second, the Rainier Brewery was named after Mount Rainier, which looms even larger in the city of Tacoma than it does in Seattle. Set in the Snake Lake area, Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium dates from 1960 but was fully renovated prior to the 2011 season.

Don’t worry if it rains. The fans are all “safe” here.

Enjoy the game and have a pint of Pyramid Ale for us. A long and winding journey has reached its end.

Our task was made more feasible thanks to the following books, magazines, newspapers, and websites that we used as reference sources:

Baseball Weekly/Sports Weekly,
1993–2003.

The Boston Globe,
1925–2011.

The New York Times,
1979–2011.

The San Diego Union,
2003.

Sports Illustrated,
1988–2011.

The Sporting News,
2000–2011.

USA Today,
1998–2011.

Adair, Robert K.
The Physics of Baseball,
3rd ed. New York: Harper Collins, 2002.

Adams, Bruce, and Margaret Engel.
Fodor’s Baseball Vacations: Great Family Trips to Minor League and Classic Major League Ballparks Across America.
3rd ed. New York: Fodors Travel Publishing, 2002.

Ahuja, Jay.
Fields of Dreams.
New York: Citadel Press, 2001.

Angell, Roger.
The Summer Game.
New York: Viking Press, 1972.

Bouton, Jim
. Ball Four.
New York: Macmillan General Reference, 1990.

Bukowski, Douglas.
Baseball Palace of the World: The Last Year of Comiskey Park.
Chicago: Lyceum Books, 1992.

Cramer, Richard Ben.
Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Darnell, Tim.
The Crackers: Early Days of Atlanta Baseball.
Athens, Georgia: Hill Street Press, 1999.

Dobbins, Dick.
The Grand Minor League: An Oral History of the Old Pacific Coast League.
San Francisco: Woodford Publishing, 1999.

Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit.
Cagan, De Mause, eds. Monroe, Maine: Common Courage Press, 1998.

Goodwin, Doris Kearns.
Wait Till Next Year.
New York: Touchtone Books, 1998.

Halberstam, David.
Summer of ’49.
New York: Avon Books, 1989.

James, Bill.
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.
New York: Free Press, 2001.

Johnson, Rody.
The Rise and Fall of Dodgertown: 60 Years of Baseball in Vero Beach.
Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida, 2008.

Kahn, Roger.
The Boys of Summer.
New York: Harper Perennial, 1998.

———.
The Era: 1947–1957, When the Yankees, the Giants, and the Dodgers Ruled the World.
Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.

Leventhal, Josh.
Take Me Out to the Ballpark.
New York: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2000.

Lewis, Michael.
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.
New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2003.

Lyle, Sparky.
The Bronx Zoo.
New York: Crown Publishers, 1979.

Mandel, Mike.
SF Giants: An Oral History.
Santa Cruz, California: Mike Mandel, 1979.

Mock, Joe.
Joe Mock’s Ballpark Guide.
Grand Slam Enterprises, 2001.

O’Neal, Bill.
The Pacific Coast League: 1903–1988.
Austin, Texas: Eakin Publications, 1990.

O’Neil, Buck.
I Was Right On Time.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.

Pahigian, Joshua.
101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out.
Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press, 2008.

———.
Spring Training Handbook.
Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2005.

Palmer, Pete and John Thorn.
Total Baseball,
6th ed., New York: Total Sports, 1999.

Peterson, Robert.
Only the Ball Was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Teams.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984.

Rielly, Edward J.
Baseball: An Encyclopedia of Popular Culture.
Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2005.

Riley, James A
. The Biographic Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues.
New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers, 2002.

Ritter, Lawrence.
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball by the Men Who Played It.
New York: Macmillan, 1966.

———.
Lost Ballparks: A Celebration of Baseball’s Legendary Fields.
New York: Penguin, 1994.

Ritter, Lawrence, and Donald Honig.
The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1981.

Rosen, Ira.
Blue Skies, Green Fields.
New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 2001.

Shatzin, Mike, and Jim Charlton.
The Baseball Fan’s Guide to Spring Training.
Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1988.

Shaughnessy, Dan.
Curse of the Bambino.
New York: Dutton, 1990.

Shaughnessy, Dan, and Stan Grossfeld.
Spring Training: Baseball’s Early Season.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.

Smith, Ron.
The Ballpark Book.
St. Louis: The Sporting News, 2000.

Sotheby’s: The Barry Halper Collection of Baseball Memorabilia,
Japan: Barry Halper Enterprises, 1999.

The Stadium: Architecture of Mass Sport.
Provoost, Michelle, ed. Netherlands: NAI Publishers, 2000.

Stump, Al.
Cobb: A Biography.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1994.

Sullivan, Neil J.
The Dodgers Move West.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.

Thornley, Stew.
Land of the Giants: New York’s Polo Grounds.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000.

The Ultimate Baseball Book.
Okrent, Lewine, eds. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.

Vancil, Mark.
The New York Yankees: New York Yankees—100 Years—The Official Retrospective,
Ballantine Books, 2003.

Veeck, Bill, with Ed Linn.
Veeck, as in Wreck.
New York: Putnam, 1962.

Von Goeben, Robert.
Ballparks.
New York: Metro Books, 2000.

Westcott, Rich.
Philadelphia’s Old Ballparks.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1996.

Wood, Bob.
Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks.
New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 1988.

www.ballparkdigest.com

www.ballparks.com

www.ballparksofbaseball.com

www.baseball-almanac.com

www.baseballcube.com

www.baseballlibrary.com

www.baseball-reference.com

www.espn.com

www.mlb.com

www.nationalpastime.com

www.planeta.com

Burns, Ken.
Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns.
PBS Home Video, 1997.

When It Was a Game
—Triple Play Collection. Warner Home Video, 2001.