=====================================================================
MLB ROAD TRIP 2001
2001.7.24 <VOL.25> Days 95-100
=====================================================================
*We are in Los Angeles
Index
1. San Francisco (continued)
2. Cable Car Competition
3. Heckle for free
4. Mudville was where?
5. Bakersfield Buddy
6. 100 days
----
San Francisco (pt 2)
Well, we have left San Francisco after a great week. 4 ball games, a new park, seeing old friends, and some of the best food on the trip made it a little difficult to get back in the car for the drive to Stockton.
I have always enjoyed my trips to the City by the Bay, and this time was no different. There is no better city to walk around in, especially if you want some serious exercise. The hills can be a bit tough but the scenery at the top makes up for the extra effort. The best view of the city is from Twin Peaks, but it is pretty cold up there, and we would advise driving rather than walking.
There is so much to see in this city, but as I mentioned last time, it is not the tourist spots that make San Francisco so captivating, but the different areas of the city that blend together seamlessly. It may be expensive to live here, but it costs nothing to walk around, and you will continually be surprised by what suddenly appears. From the Financial District, through Chinatown, down to North Beach and then along the water through the Marina district, one can see so many interesting sights that are not mentioned in any tourist book.
Of course, we did see some tourist spots, and our favourite was Cliff House, a great place to enjoy a sunset over the Pacific. Even more interesting is the Musee Mecanique, a collection of arcade games from the early part of the 20th century. Located underneath Cliff House, admission is free, but bring a roll of quarters - all of these games and displays are still in working condition. The most amazing machine is a 1920's era baseball game which lists players such as Ruth, Gehrig, and Traynor. You control the bat and small steel balls are pitched at you. Each of the nine position players have a hole in front of them; hit it in the hole and you are out. If you can get the ball past the fielders, the outfield fence is divided into sections which correspond to single, double, triple, and home run. You bat until you get three outs, and the machine keeps track of your runs and hits, as well as balls and strikes. Our San Francisco attractions page will include a picture of this machine, so check that in a few days.
Food - San Francisco has had the best so far. I am still craving another helping of lemon cheesecake from Thirsty Bear Brewing Company. North Beach has some of the best Italian restaurants in the nation, and we found a great one known as Cafe DeLucchi.
There is so much more we would like to tell you, but we will save it for the website. If you have never been here, you should make plans to go, but bring your winter clothes - as Mark Twain wryly noted, "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"
----
Cable Car Competition
One of the more interesting events we stumbled upon during our stay in SF was the Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Competition. Usually held at Union Square, the event this year was moved to Fisherman's Wharf as Union Square is undergoing massive renovations. Perhaps this venue change contributed to the lack of attendance, but we were surprised at the relatively small crowd that watched 7 cable car operators strut their stuff on a cable car bell. It is quite impressive what these guys can do with a single bell, as they ding out tunes for about 2 minutes each. This year's winner was Byron Cobb who earned his 4th title and second in a row.
----
Free heckling at Pac Bell
Of course, the highlight of our week in San Francisco was seeing games at Pac Bell Park. Built last year, it is a contender for best ballpark in the majors, with McCovey cove, the view from the upper deck, the great seats, and the big glove in left field. But the coolest part of Pac Bell Park is the free view you can get from the right field fence. The entire right wall has been replaced with a wire fence that anyone can stand behind and watch the game. No ticket is required. This is a great vantage point! You are at field level, and the right fielder is just a few steps away. What this means is that he is within earshot - not where you want to be if you are the visiting right fielder. We stopped in to catch a few innings of San Francisco's 1-0 victory over Arizona, and must say that the heckling that David DeLucci endured was non-stop. I cannot reprint what was said by the various denizens of the free fence, but the heckling here was much more creative than the typical stuff you hear inside the park. I am sure Aya picked up a few new words of English.
By the way, DeLucci answered his critics by delivering a pinch-hit grand slam on Saturday, so I guess he wasn't too upset by the verbal barrage.
If you are looking for our overall impressions of Pac Bell, we will upload the page with pictures in a couple of days, so please check the San Francisco section of our website shortly.
----
Mudville was where?
The baseball fans amongst you have no doubt heard of the famous poem "Casey at the Bat", detailing the game-ending strikeout of one Casey, a member of the Mudville Nine. It was written by Ernest L. Thayer and originally published in 1888. And no doubt, you have always wondered where exactly is this town of Mudville? Well, we can finally end your curiosity: Mudville is actually Stockton, California. In 1888, the Stockton Professional Baseball Club began play, and a few months later Thayer's poem appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. According to local legend, his poem was based on the Stockton club.
Baseball continued in one form or another in Stockton, but it was 9/9/99 when the California League's Stockton Ports became the Mudville Nine, and 2001 marks their second season under this historic name. The team really takes the "nine" symbolism seriously, starting their games at 9 minutes after the hour. Unfortunately, fans don't seem to be taken with their team or it's marketing campaign, only 769 people joined us for the game on Monday.
The stadium in Stockton is over 70 years old, and they are trying to get a new one to attract more fans. With an average attendance under 1,000, it appears as if this is the only way to get fans behind their Nine.
For those of you who are still curious, the Nine do have a Casey this season - pitcher Casey DeHart. No word on his hitting abilities at this time.
----
Bakersfield Buddy
Whenever we watch a game, I try to keep score as a way of remembering what has happened. After some 550 innings of baseball in just over 3 months, it helps to have a written record as the outs and runs seem to blend together. While at Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakersfield on Tuesday, a youngster took an interest in my scoresheet and proceeded to pepper me with questions about what I was doing. To me, baseball is a logical game, and keeping score is a logical method of following the action, but after a couple of hours of inquiries from Cameron, I wasn't so sure. After explaining the reasoning behind the designated hitter (pitchers are bad at hitting), Cameron told me that they should be good at hitting because they are pitchers and they should know what the other pitcher is thinking. Try arguing with that!
It was certainly a lot of fun to try to explain what I was doing, and Cameron was a quick study. Fortunately, we didn't have any infield flies so I was spared from having to explain that rule, but I think that he got the gist of what I was doing. So I have now learned that a scoresheet can be more than just a record of the past, it can be used to educate the little ones about the beauty of baseball. Imagine that!
---
100 days!
Today marks day 100 of the trip. We celebrated by watching Anaheim beat Tampa Bay, whose players really look depressed. You would too, I guess, if you were in last place and Fred McGriff was about to leave you. Edison Field, our 17th major league park, was a pleasant surprise, and we will return this weekend to see Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Baltimore Orioles. We will also visit Dodger Stadium twice, so next time look for some info on these two parks. Until then, have fun!
Talk to you later,
Sean and Aya
=====================================================================
Send us e-mail at baseballroadtrip@hotmail.com
Our home page is at http://www.mlbroadtrip.com/english