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MLB ROAD TRIP 2001
2001.7.1 <VOL.21> Days 71-77
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*We are in Dallas, TX
Index
1. Happy Canada Day, everyone!
2. Kauffman Addendum
3. Oklahoma!
4. We find a new league
5. The effects of A-Rod?
6. A fellow roadtripper
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134 years old today
I am Canadian! Perhaps some of you didn't know that, but now you do. And today, July 1st, is Canada Day, the anniversary of our birth in 1867. I am far away from Canada, but I know my fellow Canadians are enjoying the weekend, and hopefully getting out to some ball games. Happy Canada Day to all of you!
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Kauffman Addendum
In the last issue, I mentioned that K.C.'s Kauffman Stadium was going to undergo some renovations and that I hoped the stadium would remain while other parks built around the same time slowly disappear. As we left Kansas City, we heard on the local radio station that there was a group of people who wanted to build a new stadium downtown - even though the current stadium is perfectly acceptable, a number of people are hoping to revitalize downtown by putting a new ballpark there. I am not sure why they want to do that, but I really hope that doesn't happen. Kauffman should remain for a few more years - it is the most affordable ticket in MLB as far as we can tell.
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Oklahoma!
We spent two days in Oklahoma, checking out the minor league teams that call it home. My lasting memory of Oklahoma will be of toll roads, I am sure that this state has the most toll roads per capita. I actually don't mind toll roads, they are well maintained and certainly these ones are not crowded - a pleasant drive through the onetime Dust Bowl.
Tulsa is home to the AA Drillers who play in Drillers Stadium. The most interesting aspect of the ballpark is the parking lot, which is located in the middle of a horse track. The stadium is now 20 years old, and it is really not a great place to watch a game - located outside of downtown, there were no box seats available (all season tickets) which meant that we had to sit on the benches in the upper deck. These seats are relatively close to the field even though they are on the upper level, which does give you a different perspective on the game, but they are not that comfortable and by the 7th inning we moved down to the nearly empty box seats. A standing area is available down below as well.
As an aside, we decided Tulsa drivers were the worst so far - later we found out that Tulsa was the first city to use the yield sign on a trial basis - coincidence?
Oklahoma City, on the other hand, has a new stadium that is built in the retro classic style of brick and green metal. It is located on the edge of an area called Bricktown which is the downtown nightspot and has been given the alliterative appellation of "Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark". Good seats are available right before the game, and the park has a great restaurant called Coaches where you can chow down before the game begins. I really liked this park, it was new, but it didn't have a lot of the bells and whistles that characterize some of the other newer parks. Just a simple place to enjoy a game.
The game we saw featured the Portland Beavers against the RedHawks and was an opportunity to see two future major leaguers: Sean Burroughs, future Padre 3rd baseman, and Carlos Pena, future Ranger 1st baseman. Pena had two doubles and a homerun to lead his RedHawks to a 7-3 victory.
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All-American Association, born 2001
As we drove into Dallas on Wednesday, we found a Fort Worth radio station that was talking about the Fort Worth Cats, a baseball team that I had never heard of. A check of our baseball map and baseball book revealed nothing. It appeared as if this was a new team, so after we checked in to the hotel, we got on the internet and found out that the Cats were part of a new independent league, the All-American Association Professional Baseball Circuit (AAAPBC) that had formed this season. As we had a day off on Thursday, we decided to drive out to Fort Worth to check out a game.
The park is not close to downtown Fort Worth, and is probably the smallest we have seen so far - only six sections of box seats, all behind a wire fence, and two small GA sections down the lines. Of course, this stadium is only a temporary home to the Cats who will move into a new park next season. We were rewarded with a 4-3 Cats victory in 10 innings and also discovered two things that made this park unique. First, and most surprisingly, no alcohol was sold at the stadium, nor is any allowed to be brought in - due to the fact that the stadium is located on school property. This didn't stop Miller from becoming a sponsor of the team, and the lack of booze didn't affect the crowd one bit - the fans are more boisterous than most, after all, we are in Texas. The other unique event occurred during the 7th inning stretch. Rather than the usual rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", the Fort Worth crowd rises and dances to the tune "Crocodile Joe".
Interestingly, with the Texas Rangers in Arlington and the Cats in Fort Worth, Dallas itself doesn't seem to have a pro ball team. I think the AAAPBC may try to rectify that situation with expansion next year. You can follow this league at http://www.allamericanassociation.com.
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Texas Ticket Specials
Last off-season, Rangers' owner Tom Hicks shocked the baseball world by signing Alex Rodriguez to a 10-year, $252 million contract. Ticket prices went up, but most fans didn't complain, as it appeared as if the Rangers were championship contenders. But a quick check of the standing these days shows that the Rangers are not going to win anything this year, due to horrible pitching and Seattle's amazing record. I wonder if fans are beginning to rebel, because this weekend we were lucky to benefit from two ticket specials.
The first was for Friday's game - upper deck tickets were discounted to $10 for Baseball Night in Texas. The Rangers won a good game 9-6 by scoring 3 runs on a wild pitch, certainly the strangest play we have seen this trip. With the score tied at 6 in the 7th inning, the Rangers had the bases loaded. A's reliever Mike Magnante unleashed a pitch that sailed to the backstop, and one run came in to score. A's catcher Ramon Hernandez unwisely tried to throw to Magnante covering the plate, but the ball hit the runner sliding and bounced into the Ranger's dugout, allowing both remaining runners to score. 3 runs on one pitch with no swing - a very rare event indeed.
During the game, we got information on another weekend ticket special. If you bought a ticket to Sunday's game against the A's, you would get a free ticket to Monday's game against the Mariners! Wow, a chance to see Ichiro for free. I guess Ranger fans had had enough of paying to watch their underperforming team this season.
We decided to take advantage of this special as well, and got tickets to both Sunday's and Monday's games, but it did require some plan changes. We were originally going to drive to Amarillo today to see a Texas-Louisiana League game, but we decided to remain in Dallas one extra day. This will be the third time to watch Seattle and Texas play; our first two games on this trip were Texas at Seattle. We are just about to leave for the park now, so we will report back the details on these games in the next update.
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Say Hello to Dr. Nick
No, not the quack on The Simpson's but instead another season-long baseball road tripper who recently contacted us. Many of you have told me that I am nuts to spend the summer watching 90 baseball games. Well, if I am, then Dr. Nick Yphantides is certifiably insane. He is spending the summer driving 50,000 miles around the country watching 140+ games! What makes his story even more interesting is the reason for his trip - to lose an awful lot of weight. Dr. Nick started his trek back in March tipping the scales at a hefty 467 lbs, and has a goal of losing 237 pounds by trip's end. His latest update indicates that he has lost over 100 pounds already by following a strict diet. You can follow his trek at http://www.angelfire.com/home/drnick/index.html.
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Our air-con is still not working perfectly, but the weather has been co-operating for the most part. We will spend another day touring Dallas tomorrow and will report on Dallas and The Ballpark In Arlington next time. After Monday's game, we head back north to Denver for one game and then on to Seattle for the All-Star Game! Ichiro will be there too, so it will be an international affair - make sure to tune in wherever you are!!
Talk to you later,
Sean and Aya
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