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MLB ROAD TRIP 2001
2001.7.31 <VOL.26> Days 101-107
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*We are in San Diego
Index
1. L.A. Story
2. Crosstown Doubleheader
3. WNBA
4. Congratulations
5. Trading Deadline
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Week in L.A.
We only spent 5 days in L.A., and we saw 4 ballgames and not much else. We did the obligatory Hollywood and Beverly Hills bit, took a downtown walking tour, and of course, spent several hours stuck in traffic on the freeways. We even rode the subway for a bit, which was empty as everyone is in their cars. The subway really isn't that convenient for most people, L.A. is just too spread out to have an effective train system.
There isn't a lot we can say about the city in this small space - the place is beyond a simple one-paragraph description. The different areas of town are like different countries, separated by a few blocks rather than a border. The police presence in the city is by far the largest of any place we have been. It seemed like there was a patrol car every mile or so, and we even saw some people getting arrested. L.A. is not a town where walking at night is recommended.
The cities outside L.A. are just as diverse - Hollywood, Santa Monica, Torrance, Anaheim, are all different and have different things to offer the traveler. I think to really understand this megapolis, you need to live here for a while. There is just so much to do that 5 days goes by in the blink of an eye.
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Crosstown Doubleheader
On Saturday the 28th, the schedule maker had arranged a perfect day - daytime in Dodger Stadium and evening in Edison Field. Two games in one day, with a short drive across town in between.
We arrived at Dodger Stadium at 11:30 and got some good seats. It was our 7th game watching the hapless Colorado Rockies, who had gone 0-6 in our previous games. It looked like a great pitchers' duel as All-Stars Mike Hampton and Chan Ho Park were starting. Unfortunately, Hampton was terrible and gave up 9 runs in just over 2 innings pitched. L.A. hung on to win 10-6, although Colorado had the tying run at the plate with two out in the ninth, but Jeff Shaw got Alex Ochoa to fly out to end the game.
A quick note on Dodger Stadium - it is the only park we have seen where you cannot move down to field level before the game, unless you have a field level ticket. Essentially, you must remain on the level for which you have a ticket (of course, you can go up if you want). There is a way around this, however, if you ask the guest relations people in the advance tickets booth. They will give you a temporary slip which you can show to the usher who will then allow you to go down to the field level seats. Once there, you can find a seat with no problem (L.A. fans are notorious for showing up in the 3rd inning and leaving in the 7th) and enjoy the game.
Back to our doubleheader dream day. After getting out of Dodger Stadium, it was time to get on lovely I-5 for the 36 mile drive to Anaheim. At a normal freeway speed of 70 mph, this is a nice 30 minute journey. But at L.A. freeway speeds (approx 25 mph, even on Saturday) we didn't arrive until 6:15, about 90 minutes after leaving Dodger Stadium.
We had arranged to meet with Kevin Marsh and his wife Maria to watch the Angels and Orioles. Kevin is the man behind ballparksandroadtrips.com, which I mentioned in a previous issue, and we had been communicating by e-mail regularly during our trip. He was kind enough to join us for the second half of our doubleheader. Of course, we were a bit late, but I got to blame it on the traffic, just like a person from L.A. would!
We took our seats and grabbed some food (Panda Express at Edison is the best major league food so far) and watched Baltimore give away the game to the Angels with some poor defense. The highlight of this game was probably Cal Ripken - even though he stayed on the bench and didn't come in to play! The fans spent the last couple of innings screaming "We Want Cal" and booing every Baltimore batter - because Cal was not put in as a pinch hitter.
This was a pretty good game from an Angels' standpoint as they won and hit 3 homers, but most fans went home unhappy because Cal didn't play. For me, this game was a great way to end the doubleheader and it was also a lot of fun talking to Kevin and Maria about the different ballparks around the country. Thanks guys!
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WNBA - Wildly Nonsensical Basketball Attendance
On the MLB Road Trip, we are not against the idea of seeing other sporting events. We have seen two NBA playoff games, and we expect to see one NFL game and one NHL game as well. But as we drove into L.A. on Tuesday, I heard the news that the L.A. Sparks would be playing a Wednesday afternoon game against their hated rivals, the Sacremento Monarchs. Our hotel was only 10 minutes from the Staples Center, and has we had nothing better to do, we decided to check out the game for our faithful readers around the country.
We reach the box office about 30 minutes before game time. I ask the friendly ticket lady "What do you have left". She replies "We are sold out". I go into shock. After recovering, I ask her again, and the reply is again the same - no tickets. HUH? Did I miss something? Is this the Lakers vs the Kings? Well, some research showed that a) the upper bowl is closed, so only about 11,000 tickets are available, and b) more than half of these tickets were given away to kids, hence the 12:30 start and battalion of school buses in the parking lot. Nonetheless, the game was called a "Sell"-out, although they should have said "give-away"-out.
Anyway, one lady had an extra ticket so I bought it from her for cheap and gave it to Aya who went in first. I then found another ticket for free, so I went in afterwards. I actually watched the first half and was somewhat surprised - the game was pretty good, although we were watching two of the better teams in the league. At halftime, I went looking for Aya - turns out the ticket she had was in the suites, so I got to go inside the cool Staples Center Suite Area which is very posh. I found Aya in her seat - and beside her was the lady who sold me the ticket. She accused me of selling the ticket to Aya for a profit (huh?) and asked me to buy her a beer. Apparently Aya had explained how she got the ticket and there was some confusion - even though I tried explaining the situation to her, this lady remained unconvinced. The silliness of the situation should be apparent to anyone who has ever bought tickets from a scalper - how many scalpers come looking for you during the game and ask you if you are happy with your seat?
As it turned out, this lady was the cousin of the Sparks' coach, Michael Cooper (ex-Laker) and that was why she had suite seats. We talked for a while, but I think she always thought of me as some evil guy who had taken her generosity and profited from it. Gee, who had the free seats to begin with????
By the way, the Sparks won 80-78, and I saw my first and only WNBA contest.
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Congratulations
On Sunday, we had the good fortune to enjoy a wedding as my old friend from university, Wai, renewed vows with his lovely wife May. The ceremony was held at the La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes, on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The weather was great and the scenery beautiful. A perfect Sunday afternoon. We would like to thank Wai and May for inviting us and for making MLB Road Trip's week in L.A. even more memorable. Congratulations!!!
(For those of you who know Wai, check out our webpage for some pictures - click on the Schedule button, go to July, and click on the 29th).
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Trading Deadline
Today was the major league baseball trading deadline, and a number of deals went through over the past few days. As we mentioned in last week's update, Fred McGriff did leave Tampa Bay for the north side of Chicago which led to a strange MLB Road Trip coincidence. We saw McGriff in Anaheim as a Devil Ray on the 24th, and then saw him again, exactly one week later, in San Diego as a member of the Cubs. From worst to first in a week - if only the Expos could do the same.
Speaking of Montreal, they made another step towards a monopoly on Japanese pitchers, acquiring Tomo Ohka from the Red Sox. This makes three Japanese pitchers in Montreal, who are perhaps trying to duplicate the international marketing success the Mariners are having with Ichiro.
Finally, one of my favorite pitchers, Mike Fetters of the Dodgers, was dealt to the Pirates - from first to worst, a bit of bad luck for the best glare in the business. Fortunately, I got to see Fetters last appearance as a Dodger on Saturday, which will be a highlight of this trip. There is no one who can match his intensity when taking the sign from the catcher - always fun to watch.
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August is here and the pennant races begin in earnest now. This season, there looks to be five great battles going on around baseball. The Cubs and Red Sox look to end their cursed histories, while the Twins and Phillies try to knock off powerhouse rivals. In the NL West, 3 teams should battle in the tightest race. For us, the most difficult part of the trip begins tomorrow, as we drive across the southern part of the country in a week, stopping in San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay to see some games. Check the website for updates on the parks and games that we see, and keep in touch!
Talk to you later,
Sean and Aya
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