Day 225 - Blocking

I may not have the strongest arm, but I do pride myself in being able to block balls in the dirt.

Day 224 - Baserunning

Many thanks to my teammate George for shooting these pictures of me playing for the Beachwood Canyon Giants . . .

Day 223 - Downtown Baseball Panorama

One of the baseball fields we play at in the Los Angeles Baseball League is the Roybal Learning Center downtown.

Day 202 - All-Star Closers

With the Padres and Giants playing extra innings, I got to see both teams' All-Star closers pitch. That's Heath Bell of San Diego on the left and Brian "Fear the Beard" Wilson of the Giants below.

Day 201 - Left Field Corner

The left field corner of PETCO contains the Western Metal Building, an historic structure from the early 20th century that was incorporated into the construction of the stadium in 2004.

Day 200 - PETCO Park Panos

PETCO Park by itself doesn't have the charm of other ballparks, but then again, it's reflective of San Diego's very nature: low-key, relaxing, and thoroughly enjoyable.


The Gaslamp Quarter just north of the park is a perfect example of the successful urban revitalization that sports franchises always tout when arguing for a new ballpark, and in this case, is a perfect pre- and post-game complement for the Padres. As for the on-field product, well, let's just say the Padres are in a state of perpetual rebuilding.

Day 198 - PETCO Park

The stadium tour went through the press box, which had one of the best views of the field; I wished I could've been in there during the game the following day to take some panos.

Day 197 - San Diego

Spent a glorious weekend in San Diego, highlighted by a tour of PETCO Park on Saturday and the Padres/Giants game on Sunday. Stayed at the Hilton Bayfront, connected to the stadium by the pedestrian bridge in the foreground.

Chicago Cubs - Wrigley Field

I suppose the recent calls to replace Wrigley Field are to be expected; today's society always wants what's new, improved, and modern. But there's something that's just so . . . historic when you step off the El at the Addison Street exit and there it is. The oldest stadium in the National League, the second oldest in baseball. It was built in 1914, which is why you'll never see a stadium built like it (or Fenway Park in Boston) ever again. It's shoehorned into an actual neighborhood, bordered on all four sides by Addison and Clark Streets in the front, and Waveland and Sheffield Avenues in the back. At the corner of Waveland and Sheffield is a statue of the Cubs' late broadcaster Harry Carey, fittingly underneath the "Bud Light Bleachers" sign, as Carey had the tendency to drink heavily before and during games.

There's also a statue of Cubs' legend Ernie Banks along the Clark side; sadly his mantra of "Let's play two!" has become as obsolete as Wrigley surely will.

Inside, Wrigley lives up to its nickname of the "Friendly Confines," as it certainly isn't a big park. But what a park it is. Those ivy covered brick outfield walls, that magnificent hand-operated scoreboard, the lack of advertising, ribbon boards, and video replay give Wrigley such character, that, when coupled with the intimate seating, we could have been watching a game from the 1940's or 50's.

The food was good, although the lack of a pickle spear on the Chicago dog was a glaring omission, but then again, I was there to see the Cubs in their home environment, and wasn't that concerned with my meal - an overindulgence of fried Wisconsin cheese curds can do that to a person.

It was a fitting end to a whirlwind trip - four baseball games in four days in four different stadiums. I do miss my "brother" Thom; he truly is like family to me, and our shared love of baseball makes our strong friendship even stronger. It was also good to see Margie and Dave again, and to quote The Turtles, I'm glad they're so happy together. So thanks, Wrigley, and thanks to all of Chicago. It's a great city, but the weather precludes me from saying I'd like to live there. Cubs fans are a special lot, and to be a part of it, even for just one night, is something every baseball fan should experience.

It's baseball. Pure. Perfect.

Milwaukee Brewers - Miller Park

The morning after seeing the White Sox in Chicago, Thom, Dave and I drove 90 minutes north up I-94 to Milwaukee to see the Brewers host Thom's hometown St. Louis Cardinals.

Miller Park, with its unique retractable roof, looks nothing like any other ballpark I've ever seen; my boss said it looked like an observatory. Out front is a statue of Henry Aaron, who played for many years with the Milwaukee Braves, then finished his career as a Brewer.

The scoreboard is well-designed, well laid out, and easy to read, especially with the roof partially open (or closed) so that the mound and home plate were both in the shade. Good for the hitters and pitchers, not so good for a photographer.

The iconic sausage race (Polish, Italian, Brat, Hot Dog, and Chorizo) was fun to look at, but the Presidents' Race at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. is basically the same thing.

But the food . . . my goodness. In addition to all five sausages in the sausage race (I tried the brat and chorizo), Dave had the barbecue sliders (brisket and pulled pork) and I had to have the authentic Wisconsin fried cheese curds (and yes, they really do squeak when you eat them, and yes, they're served in a paper canoe.)

And when Prince Fielder hit the eventual game-winning homer in the bottom of the eighth, I even got to see Bernie Brewer go down his slide and wave the flag. Granted, it's not into a giant beer stein, like it was in old Milwaukee County Stadium, but it's fun nonetheless.

And in the end, in a tribute to my dad, I raised a glass of his favorite beer, Miller Genuine Draft to Miller Park. And the clouds even masked the roof's shadow, even for just a bit.

Unique stadium, great food, awesome environment, overall, we had a blast.

Day 169 - People I Dig

Despite the cold, wind, and rain, Margie and Dave were excellent hosts at the White Sox game.

Day 167 - Ballpark Food

My Italian sausage and hot dog at the White Sox game . . . good, but not great.

Chicago White Sox - U.S. Cellular Field

First off, even though the official stadium name is U.S. Cellular Field, it bugs me to no end and I kept calling it Comiskey, its original name when it opened in 1991. It was the first of the "new" stadiums to be built, and, by a year, missed the retro trend that started when Camden Yards opened in Baltimore a year later. With that said, new Comiskey lacks any personality, character, or charm whatsoever, and seems as bland as the cookie-cutter stadiums of the 1970's that popped up in Philadelphia, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. Out in front is a rather ugly statue honoring the 2005 World Series championship team, but doesn't really add much to the stadium atmosphere. The food was passable, but not memorable. The scoreboard was poorly laid out, with lots of wasted space, and hard to read. Even the iconic pinwheels atop it, along with the fireworks - a carryover from old Comiskey, seemed lost and wasted among all the giant billboards.