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Monday, June 23, 2008
There was a classic moment during yesterday's Twins radio broadcast (a 5-3 win over the D-Backs--completing a three-game sweep). John Gordon, Dan Gladden, and Jack Morris were filling time between pitches by talking about an upcoming open tryout the Twins are having. They mentioned some familiar names who have gone through said tryouts in years past. One of those named was Charley Walters, long-time sports columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press who used a similar tryout as a springboard for a seven-year professional baseball career as a pitcher, including some time up in the bigs with the Twins.
Since all three of them were familiar with Walters, they began speculating on what his baseball career might have been like. Gordon informed the others that Walters played for the Twins during the 1983 season. They brought a surprised reaction from Morris and Gladden, especially Morris who was in his prime with the Tigers during that time. Gladden was needling Morris that maybe Walters had beaten him at some point during that season. Unlike all three of these gentlemen, I have never met Charley Walters and know next to nothing about him. But listening in yesterday, I was quite certain that given his age, there was no way in hell that Walters had played for the Twins as recently as 1983. When the next inning began, a somewhat chastened though still upbeat Gordon informed the audience that indeed he had the wrong Walters. It was MIKE Walters who pitched for the Twins in 1983. Charley Walters had his cup of coffee with the Twins back in 1969. Gordon only got the first name wrong and was off by a mere fourteen years. We enjoyed the error. UPDATE: Upon further reflection, I realized that this is also a classic example of the "code" of the broadcasting booth: Thou shall not contradict your cohost no matter how inane, ignorant, or ill-informed their remarks may be (a credo by the way that is carved in stone in the marble-walled studios of AM-1280 The Patriot). Gladden and Morris had to know that Gordon was wrong and yet they went right on along with him. Labels: Baseball Tuesday, May 27, 2008
A few weeks ago, there was much behind the scenes discussion among contributors to this site about attending the Minnesota Twins "All You Can Eat" promotion. Inexhaustible quantities of hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, nachos and non-alcoholic beverages for one low, low price. Needless to say, there are those among us for whom the siren call of something for nothing is irresistible.
As a long time aficionado of Dollar Hot Dog Night, I admit I was intrigued. But my experience with that discount wiener promotion has taught me some valuable lessons. Primarily, that the notion of inexhaustible supply is an illusion. The dynamics of security and market demand constrict how much you can actually eat. First, the Twins dictate that you can only get two hot dogs per trip through the concession line. (A prudent decision, based on Sadr City-like civil insurrection when distribution was unlimited). Second, demand is so great that the lines to get the dollar hot dogs are very, very long. In practical terms, this limits those who actually want to watch the game to maybe two trips through the line and four hot dogs. True, that should be enough for anyone. In fact, they should change the name of the promotion to "All the Hot Dogs You Should Eat" Night. But even during the most acute suffering and regret after finishing that fourth dog, in the back of your mind you're feeling a little hacked off that you couldn't get more even if you wanted to. These were my concerns with the Twin "All You Can Eat Night." What would be the per trip quantity limitations imposed by management? What would be the demand/capacity ratio for food distribution? Based on past Metrodome experience, I figured these would place unacceptable restrictions on by ability to acquire All I Could Eat, the Fraters Field Trip was scuttled. We now receive a report from Mike, at Mooshka's Mind, who believed in the dream and attended this promotion. Excerpts: The first thing we noticed when we hit the concourse was the all-you-can-eat food line. It was insane. We walked approximately 6 or 7 sections in the direction that food line was forming and it was still going. Absolutely nuts. This is still half and hour before the game and the line is that long. And my favorite part is that they still had only the one "Field Fare" location open, serving all of these people. Brilliant. ******* After a couple of innings, the guys next to us decided to go for another round of food. Rather than go down and find out how long the line was, we instead decided to time these guys and see how long it took them to come back. Half an hour later, a couple of the guys come back. Half an hour! That's at least an inning and a half, and might have been two full innings. Crazy talk! Mike notes that this was the Twins first attempt at this promotion and they may improve conditions as time goes on. We will be monitoring this situation and alert you with all breaking news on this story. His reference to leaving the game for food and coming back a half an hour later actually brought back memories for me of the other baseball option we have in town. I was a regular attendee of St. Paul Saints games in their first few years of existence. The promise of outdoor baseball and Mike Veeck inspired fun was enough to draw capacity crowds from the beginning. Ask anyone what their primary memory of those days were and I'd bet they'd answer the same thing: the lines for the bathroom. The little municipal stadium the Saints play at on Energy Park Drive was not built the notion of 6,000+ beer swilling fans in attendance. In-house plumbing could at best accommodate the typical crowd for a Minnesota Vixen game. So they compensated by putting a couple of outhouses behind the bleachers, down the base lines. Even then the lines were huge, a trip to relieve yourself would cost you at least an inning or two of the game. Luckily, there was a beer stand flanking the outhouse, so you were not actually deprived access to the primary reason you were at a Saints game. Although fueling up in line also increased the urgency of the moment for all involved. Any dawdlers in the Satellite were subject to a chorus of cat calls and derision. I recall one drunken agitator suggesting the best way to start a riot would be, when you got to the front of the line, pull out a copy of the Sunday New York Times for all to see, sit down, and slam the door. In recent years, the Saints have upgraded their facilities and the gargantuan bathroom lines are a now a part of history. I see this past Sunday the Saints had a promotion that was officially a reference to Sen. Larry Craig's bathroom antics. From the looks of it, I take it as a tribute to all those brave outhouse line denizens in days gone by. UPDATE: Speaking of Northern League baseball, idea for the next MOB get together. Road trip to Wichita. Labels: Baseball Monday, May 19, 2008
Story in today's WSJ on how Omaha is Divided Over Plan For Pricey New Ballpark:
For nearly 60 years, the College World Series has helped define this midsize former railroad town on the west bank of the Missouri River, mythologizing it as a special home for baseball at its purest. But now a plan to build history's most-expensive minor-league ballpark has strained relations here, dividing those loyal to the event's traditions--and who think the new stadium is a waste of money--from folks who want to see Omaha turn the event into another glitzy sports stop. It also has alienated the city's longtime minor-league franchise. The proposed stadium plan turned town meetings into shouting matches. Opponents even launched an effort to recall the mayor. Now, though, Omaha is on the verge of approving $100 million in city spending for a $140 million, 24,000-seat downtown stadium that would serve as the home for the College World Series for the next 25 years, and possibly for the Omaha Royals, Kansas City's top minor-league franchise. Of course, this leads to the inevitable question: if Omaha fails to build a new stadium will the city become nothing more than a warm Minneapolis? Labels: Baseball Thursday, May 08, 2008
Dave Golokhov provides his list of the Top 10: Worst franchises in pro sports:
Every fan wants to cheer for a team that has the championship history of the New England Patriots, New York Yankees or Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, many get stuck with a long string of bad luck, like the Chicago Cubs; thrifty ownership, like the now-defunct Montreal Expos; or a dim-witted front office that is unable to make logical personnel decisions, like the current New York Knicks. Here is a list of the top 10 worst sports franchises currently in operation. 10. Los Angeles Clippers 9. Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies 8. Atlanta Hawks Three eternally crappy NBA teams. So far so good. 7. Minnesota Twins "Moneyball" is to baseball what frugal is to cheap; it's a creative way of saying, "we're not going to pay for our stars or reward our veterans who have earned their keep." Sabermetrics and scientific stats are used to evaluate players and give a better indication of their worth, but teams like the Minnesota Twins use this strategy to kiss their superstars goodbye at the trade deadline or the first day of free agency. The Twins constantly sell proven veterans for prospects and draft picks, but when those youngsters finally develop, they get shipped away to start the cycle again. The Twins incessantly look to the future and winning now is not a priority. Translation: the Twins care more about the dollars than about winning. Are you kidding? Sure, the Twins have made some questionable moves of late. Letting Hunter go. Trading Santana. Allowing a guy like Atomizer to help design their new stadium. But you can't seriously claim that they're the seventh worst franchise in all of pro sports. They're only the third worst franchise in Minnesota. Has Golokhov missed the clown show that plays at Target Center or the NFL team that's letting its Super Bowl dreams ride on the arm of Tavaris Jackson? How about the Brewers? The Cubs? The Florida Panthers? The Phoenix Coyotes? When's the last time any team from Cleveland's won anything? Worst list ever. Yes, that IS saying a lot. Labels: Baseball Wednesday, April 09, 2008
With all due respect to The Elder, the hockey playoffs are nice and everything but baseball is still the only game around.
I just bought the MLB Extra Innings package from my local cable provider. That means every single televised baseball game is available on the 42" digital TV in my basement from now until October. Every...single...game. Blogging will be lighter than usual until the season ends. The Elder Comes Inside: Nothing wrong with a little baseball. I actually like watching baseball on TV because if you're quick with your remote, you can watch a ball game and two other shows at the same time without missing anything. Labels: Baseball Saturday, March 29, 2008
An article by Darren Everson in yesterday's WSJ asks Is Joe Torre Worth the Money? (sub req):
Joe Torre, who makes his debut with the Dodgers on Monday, ranks eighth in all-time wins. He won four World Series titles with the New York Yankees during a 12-year career there, which ended last season after the team's third straight first-round playoff loss. He became renowned for his ability to handle star players' egos and navigate crises. But his actual, quantifiable skill as a skipper is debatable. In close games, in which a manager's decisions in baserunning, pitching and substitutions tend to make the most difference, Mr. Torre's teams have struggled in recent years. Over the past three seasons, his record in games tied after the sixth inning is 23-31 -- a .426 winning percentage, compared with .588 in all games. Several of his peers, including Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins and Willie Randolph of the New York Mets, have performed better in close games. It's interesting that the East Coast media starts asking questions about Torre's managerial abilities AFTER he leaves the Yankees for LA. Funny how it works that way. The story went on to say that it's very difficult to objectively rate the performance of baseball managers. There was also an accompanying piece to this story that attempted to do just that (sub req): To assess how Joe Torre compares to his peers, we used three criteria to measure the performance of baseball managers: how their teams perform in close games when the manager's strategic decisions have the most impact, how many games their teams win compared to how many runs they score and allow (a formula known as Pythagorean wins) and whether they get more out of players than other managers, measured by additional games won per season. (For more on our methodology, please see below). We ranked 20 current managers by all three criteria and averaged the results: The top five? 1 Ron Gardenhire Twins 2 Bruce Bochy Giants 3 Ned Yost Brewers 4 Charlie Manuel Phillies 5 Bob Melvin Diamondbacks And the bottom: 16 Terry Francona Red Sox 17 Joe Torre Dodgers 18 Eric Wedge Indians 19 Jim Leyland Tigers 20 Clint Hurdle Rockies Obviously, there is not necessarily a correlation between a manager's rankings here and the team's success on the field as amply demonstrated by the Red Sox-Rockies World Series last year. One final word on that: "I think managers are a bit overrated in terms of the impact that they have on their players," says J.C. Bradbury, an economist and associate professor at Kennesaw State University and author of "The Baseball Economist." To make a team better, he says, "get better players." Better players make better teams? Funny how it works that way. Labels: Baseball Saturday, March 01, 2008
The Star Tribune reports on Brendan Harris, the new second baseman for the Twins:
Harris spends his winters in Washington D.C., and he's keeping close tabs on the presidential race while competing for his team's second base job. "It's a big year," he said. "I love following the issues and seeing what everyone has to offer." In politics, Harris said, he leans "heavily to the right." In the words of former Twins owner Calvin Griffith, upon hearing rising star Butch Wynegar liked playing baseball so much, he'd do it for nothing: I really like that kid. Labels: Baseball Sunday, February 03, 2008
The real reason why the Minnesota Twins traded superstar Johan Santana to the Mets for a bag full of diamond dust finally comes out. From today's St. Paul Pioneer Press, Twins general manager Bill Smith sets the record straight:
"It would have been a distraction. ... Every day the home media, the visiting media, every day, wants to know where you're going to be next year," the Twins' general manager said. "It would have been a little bit of a distraction, I think, for everybody on the team."Tell me something, Billy, what's the bigger distraction...the media hounding a multi-Cy Young award winning pitcher with 12 wins in July about where he's going to play next year or the media hounding every member of a team with 12 wins in July asking them why their pitching staff sucks rocks and their GM has his head so far up his ass he could wear it as a hat? I'm picking the latter. Labels: Baseball Thursday, January 31, 2008
The ESPN piece about the snag in the Johan Santana deal that St. Paul links to below is the talk of the town here in Minneapolis. The part that should be the talk of the town in New York is the very last paragraph which begins:
In the meantime, there are signs that the Mets continue to express interest in free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse. Lohse was viewed, essentially, as the Mets' backup plan in case they weren't able to trade for Santana.Yeah, that sounds about right. If you can't steal the best pitcher in baseball from the Twins the next best thing has to be signing a consistently underperforming right handed piece of trash Twins castoff. If the Santana deal doesn't go through, all I can say is good luck to all of you Mets fans out there. Good luck. Labels: Baseball
ESPN reports the Johan Santana trade may not be a done deal. Santana has the right to nix the whole thing and his agreement is conditional on them signing him to a new contract. Apparently negotiations are continuing and there is a remote chance Santana's $150,000,000 salary demand (yes, larger than the GDP of the nations of Kiribati and Sao Tome and Principe) may be too much for even the New York Mets to afford.
With the kinds of revenue streams the Mets are able to extort from the fans and taxpayers of New York, I can't believe they're going to quibble over a few paltry tens of millions of dollars. So I still expect to see our man Johan at a press conference donning the blue and orange within days. [bobcostas]Ironically enough, those team colors, a tribute to the two teams that left New York City decades ago when they couldn't extort massive tax subsidies of their own.[/bobcostas] Yesterday, Bill Simmons discussed the Santana trade on an installment of his highly entertaining podcast, The BS Report (archives here). Silver lining to all of this, with the current state of all Minnesota sports, he's declared that we have edged past Buffalo on the Sports Fan Mass Suicide Index. We're number one! We're number one! The podcast from January 15 is also good as it dealt with the speculation over the not yet consummated Santana trade. Also, more local interest with gratuitous ripping of the movie Juno and the the byline of Star Tribune sportswriter Lavelle E. Neale III. As long as we're going back into the BS Report archives, I should point out the September 4 edition. It's one of the funniest half hours of anything I've heard in a long time. Simmons and Adam Corolla talking about Los Angeles, fantasy football, and Corolla's ideas for a couple of sports based movies. Labels: Baseball Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Twins and Mets agree to Santana trade
Multiple major league sources familiar with negotiations are confirming that the Twins and New York Mets have agreed to trade two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana for four prospects. The deal is pending physicals and a contract extension for Santana that?s expected to be for at least six years and more than $20 million a season. In return for Santana, the Twins will receive four of the Mets best prospects -- outfielder Carlos Gomez and righthanders Phillip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. Time to "get to know 'em" all over again. Labels: Baseball Thursday, December 13, 2007
Twins fans can hardly be blamed for being surprised to learn that Rondell White ever did anything to enhance his performance:
The 311-page report, along with page after page of copies of canceled checks, also cited current and former players such as Chuck Knoblauch, Lenny Dykstra, Mo Vaughn, Paul Lo Duca, David Segui, Rondell White, Eric Gagne, Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds, the career home-run leader who was indicted on charges of obstructing justice when he denied using steroids before a U.S. Grand Jury. Labels: Baseball
The Mitchell Report on steroid use in Major League Baseball has been posted. Some interesting reading, lots of big names alleged to have been users, many of whom seem to be connected in some manner with the Orioles or Yankees.
Of local interest, guys connected with the Minnesota Twins who appear in the report are: Rondell White, Chuck Knoblach, Denny Neagle, Chad Allen, and Dan Naulty. Although most of the allegations concern activity when they were no longer with the local nine. My skim reading so far reveals these Twins stories to be largely pathetic. Players on the downsides of their careers, or not ever good enough to begin with, doing anything, including the illegal and unethical, to stay competitive with major league standards. Human weakness on display, I suppose. Baseball players aren't immune. Still I wonder if I'll ever be able to wolf down 9-10 hot dogs on Dollar Hot Dog Night at the Dome with the same innocent, carefree gusto again. Labels: Baseball Monday, October 29, 2007
Twin peaks: Sox are champs:
DENVER -- A scintillating seven-game winning streak that began in Cleveland with the season on the brink of elimination ended Sunday night with the Red Sox mobbing each other in the thin air of Coors Field of all places, culminating in a World Series championship that didn't take even close to 86 years this time around. By sweeping the Rockies with a 4-3 victory in Game 4, the Red Sox are champions of Major League Baseball for the second time in four seasons, once again doing it by giving their National League opponent the broom treatment. It was the seventh -- there goes that number again -- time the Red Sox have won the World Series. Congrats to the Red Sox. They clearly were the better team. Their relatively easy sweep also shows just how much of an aberration last year's Series was. The American League--like the AFC and the Western Conferences in the NHL and NBA--has a disproportionate edge in talent and is much stronger top to bottom than the National League. Thanks to the Rockies for embarking on their unlikely postseason run. It was a fun ride while it lasted. UPDATE-- Tim from Colorado e-mails: Congrats to the Red Sox. I will now have to avoid ESPN's Sportscenter for the next week or so because they are such homers for the Boston and New York teams. For the next week to ten days, we will now be over-exposed to the drama of whether or not A-Rod will go to the Red Sox. To borrow a bit from football coach John McKay, the Rockies didn't pitch well but they made up for it by not hitting. As much as they won't admit it, the eight day layoff was too long and it took the edge off the Rockies bats. I'm not sure what the excuse is for the Rockies pitching; it completely disappeared after doing so well down the stretch and through the NLCS. With the exception of Aaron Cook's performance last night, no Rockies starter went longer than 4 innings in the World Series. However, we are not as disappointed as some may think. The Rockies are a young team, they made an unprecedented run to get into the playoffs, and this experience will help them next season. Remember the name Ian Stewart; he is a solid player coming up through the Rockies farm system and he will probably be teaming up with Troy Tulowitzki at second base next year. Pitchers and catchers report in four short months. Labels: Baseball Thursday, October 25, 2007
Beckett, bats come out blazing vs. Rockies in Game 1:
BOSTON -- Two days, it turns out, was the perfect amount of time for the Red Sox to recharge and reload for the showcase known as the World Series. In fact, the Sox looked like relentless world beaters on that stage in Wednesday night's Game 1, putting on a hitting and pitching clinic in a 13-1 romp over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. Eight days, on the other hand -- which is how long the Rockies had to wait around for their first appearance in the World Series -- looked like way more than they wanted or needed. Ouch. The best thing about last night's game was that it was over early, so there was no need to stay up late to know the outcome. This is the first bump in the postseason road for the Rockies and how they respond tonight will say a lot about how long the series will go. The good news is that bats can go cold just as fast they get hot. The Red Sox have been hitting lights out for the last four games, which means they're due for a slump. And tonight the Rockies will be facing a well-past his prime Schilling rather than the dominating Beckett. That dude is one mean SOB. Exactly the kind of intimidating attitude you want from your staff ace. No time to get off the 'wagon now. Labels: Baseball Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Like seventeen of my fellow Americans, I tuned in to Versus last night to catch a bit of the Canadians-Bruins hockey game. And lo' and behold, who was playing between the pipes for the Bruins but former Wild netminder Manny Fernandez. It wasn't Manny's night as Les Habitants put six past him and crushed the B's 6-1. But seeing Fernandez backstopping for Boston made me realize just how strong the Boston-Minnesota sports connection has become.
Twins fans have long followed the success of David Ortiz at Boston with a mixture of envy and bitterness at what might have been. Since joining the BoSox in 2003, Ortiz has clubbed 208 homers, driven in 642 runs, helped them win a World Series in 2004, and get back to the Fall Classic again this year. Meanwhile, in the same five-year span, Twins designated hitters have hit twelve home runs, driven in thirty-two, and led to team to three first round playoff exits. Okay, I'm making those DH stats up, but the reality isn't much better. Now, in addition to having to watch Ortiz warm the hearts of the Boston faithful with his powerful bat, Minnesota fans must also helplessly look on as ex-Viking Randy Moss lights up the NFL (again), this time wearing a Patriots jersey. Watching Moss effortlessly haul in long touchdown passes evokes memories of '98, made even more painful when compared to this year's anemic Viking aerial attack. That's two game-changing players who once played here helping make Beantown the current center of the sports universe. You ready for a third? Don't look now, but just a little over a week from today, the new-look Celtics--featuring Kevin Garnett--begin their NBA season. If KG blows up in Boston and leads the Celts on a deep playoff run, it will be another bitter pill for Minnesota sports fans to swallow. The only solace at this point is that the Wild are doing just fine without Manny. Bringing the Cup to Minnesota would do a lot to ease our Beantown envy. Labels: Baseball
Tobin from Indonesia e-mails to join the Rockies 'wagon:
Ok, ok, I'll finally climb on. I'm not sure why, but it took until their opponent was the Red Sox for me to actually cheer for Colorado. Of course, had their opponent been the Yankees, that would have done it too. Hope the rest hasn't cooled them off - the last thing this sports world needs right now is Boston winning the World Series. Labels: Baseball Monday, October 22, 2007
While some would expect us to take this opportunity to kick diehard Indians fans when they are down, we are actually going to refrain from our usual schadenfreude and observe a period of quiet solemnity to allow them to cope with their staggering loss. As Minnesota sports fans, we're all too familiar with the agony of defeat ourselves and understand the need to grieve before the healing (and mocking) can begin.
We would also like to extend a hand to the suffering followers of the Tribe to climb aboard the Rockies bandwagon. A few, opportunistic carpetbaggers already have, but there's plenty of room still available for genuine sports fans to join this year's true team of destiny. Labels: Baseball
Tim McCarver is a boob.
Last night after the Indians third base coach disgraced himself by not waving Kenny "Rogers" Lofton home, he said about three times "In a situation like that, the coach needs to make a very fast decision. He needs to make the decision right away and go with that." In other words, he was trying to explain why on earth the fool didn't send Lofton home when his team was down a run, with one out, on the road in the SEVENTH GAME OF THE ALCS! At the time we had not seen the replay yet. So then they show the replay and it's clear the idiot coach originally waved Lofton home, then changed his mind when the ball was still 15 feet from one of the worst-fielding left fielders in the league, Manny Ramirez. So the coach DID make a quick decision, then changed that decision. McCarver's point was just mindless drivel that didn't have anything to do with the play he had just seen with his own eyes. Two other points about last night's game: 1. Casey Blake seemed like he gave up after the Lofton play. He was the next batter and promptly hit into a double play. Then he made an error on a fairly routine grounder. Then he collided with Jonny (man, that spelling is annoying) Peraulta on a fly ball that should have been caught and turned into a double. It reminds me what our Grandpa used to say about the Elder: That boy has a lot of quit in him. B. Joe Buck and McCarver harped on and on and on about the Lofton play, even though the Red Sox had taken a three run lead an inning later. Had Lofton scored, the score would have been 5-3, instead of 5-2. But that didn't stop the constant camera shots of Lofton and the third base coach as if it were the deciding play of the game. The deciding play was the homer that put the Sox up and kept them there. Btw, Lofton got hosed in this game pretty bad. You have to feel somewhat sorry for him. First he gets thrown out by Manny trying to stretch a double when he was clearly safe, then the third base coach holds him at third when he could have scored with ease. He's 40 and probably done playing ball. Hard way to go out. So, to recap, Tim McCarver is a boob. Labels: Baseball Monday, October 15, 2007
Torrealba comes up big in big games:
DENVER -- There are few in the long history of baseball who have had the honor of hitting a game-winning homer in the postseason. Colorado's Yorvit Torrealba now owns that distinction, and he might be the only member of this select group to have gained this achievement at the end of an at-bat during which he literally laughed. Having developed a close bond with Livan Hernandez while serving as his catcher in San Francisco, Torrealba has a good understanding of the crafty veteran's wide array of pitches. Yet, he admits he wasn't expecting the 58-mph curveball that made him laugh or the 82-mph fastball that created a sense of hysteria at Coors Field on Sunday night. Fittingly, this just added to the unbelievable script being followed by the Rockies, who, thanks to the two-out, three-run sixth-inning homer Torrealba hit off Hernandez, claimed a 4-1 Game 3 win over the Diamondbacks and now find themselves just one win away from sweeping their way into the World Series. It looked a little chilly at Coors Field last night, but when your team is one game away from reaching the 'Series, a little rain is nuthin'. Labels: Baseball Saturday, October 13, 2007
Rockies looking like a team of destiny:
Friday night, the Rockies pulled out a 3-2, 11-inning victory in Game 2 of the NLCS at Chase Field. They have opened the series with back-to-back wins on the road, and now head home, to Coors Field, where the series resumes on Sunday night. The Rockies have become the the ninth team since the LCS was expanded from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven to win the first two games of a series on the road. Each of the eight previous teams have advanced to the World Series. And only twice out of those eight times has the series extended past five games. I believe that should now read "MillerCoors Field." No matter the name, it's clear that this bandwagon is on quite a roll. Labels: Baseball Friday, October 12, 2007
Hawpe gets to Webb as Rockies cruise:
PHOENIX -- Brad Hawpe sees the Rockies' recent success as being much like a sound approach to healthy eating. Just take little bites. For example, Hawpe had homered three times against Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb during the regular season. But all he wanted Thursday night was a good swing, which turned out to be a two-run single in the third inning -- as big a hit as the Rockies managed in their 5-1 Game 1 victory in the National League Championship Series at Chase Field. There's still some room left, but at this rate it won't be long before the 'wagon is full. JB officially came aboard yesterday, likely motivated more by a distaste fror the "D-Backs" than any newfound love for the Rockies. No matter what the reason, we're glad to have him. Labels: Baseball Monday, October 08, 2007
For me, the prime reason to watch playoff baseball, when the guys not wearing the laundry bearing my state's name are not present, is the atmosphere created by the fans and the of the ball parks. Generally speaking, the older the park, and the more experienced a fan base, in terms of knowing both winning and losing, the better it will be.
For my money, there is nothing better than Yankee Stadium. Last night was a prime example. The glowering, cement edifices of the deep dark Bronx encompassing 56,000 roaring fans, as well as the ghosts of Ruth, Gherig, DiMaggio, et al. There was a moment in the late innings where Derek Jeter got up with the bases loaded and the most demanding audience in sports welcomed him to the plate like a conquering Cesar. What a spectacle. I imagine Jeter will recall this the rest of his life, despite the fact he ended up bouncing into a double play. Tonight is another chance to experience this. And maybe the last one ever. The New Yankee Stadium is scheduled to open in 2009. Who knows if the Yankees will make the playoffs next year. If they don't and if they lose tonight, that will be all she wrote for meaningful games in the House that Ruth built. See it while you can, 6:30 PM (central) tonight on TBS. Labels: Baseball Sunday, October 07, 2007
Last night, I was hanging' with the boys at the Elder Estate and you couldn't have asked for a better lineup of televised sports. Four college football games including the LSU-Florida classic, the NLDS game threes, and the Wild versus the hated Blue Jackets. Needless to say, the remote was in play early and often.
The best result of the evening was seeing OUR Colorado Rockies send the Phillies packing. Once again, a former Twin played a key role as JC Romero gave up the what turned out to be the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. With Romero and Kyle Lohse on the roster, the Phils never really had a chance. Almost as sweet was watching the precious Cub fans wailing and gnashing their teeth as their squad once again failed in the clutch. You might say it was double the pleasure (pun most definitey intended). After the Yankees and Red Sox, there's isn't a group of fans that I enjoy seeing in agony more than Cubs supporters. There's just something about their cloying pretense of the Cubs being the lovable underdogs and bad luck losers that just annoys the heck out of me. The Cubs are just as much big-market big-spenders as the Yankees and Red Sox. They're just not usually as good at it. Still room on the bandwagon. Go Rockies! Labels: Baseball Friday, October 05, 2007
Chad's mention yesterday of Kyle Lohse kicking away a play-off game for the Phillies should remind Minnesotans that it was three years ago this week he performed the same service for our hometown nine. According to the local blog The National Anthem Before a Cubs Game:
October 9, 2004 - New York 6, Twins 5 (Game 4, ALDS) The Twins, fighting to keep the series alive for a fifth and deciding game, led 5-1 with just six outs to go. Enter super-setup guy Juan Rincon. Five batters later, Ruben Sierra was circling the bases with a game-tying three-run homer; the Yankees would win it in the 11th when Kyle Lohse wild-pitched A-Rod home. Another Ivan Drago moment, and the occasion of the famous Juan Rincon quote, "Nobody wants to be in my pants right now." That excerpt comes from a post entitled Our 25 Worst Losses, Ever. It documents the most painful and depressing moments of being a Minnesota sports fan and appears to be definitive. Reviewing my past depressions and nightmares, I can't think of any that would supersede these. That Twins collapse was only #10 on the list, you can imagine what horrors come next. Not surprisingly, that list has a high correlation with this list of Top 11 Most Bitter Moments in Atomizer's Sports Life. There are a few new entries here, including another appearance by an old friend: 11. 2005 Twins home opener. Ben buys his tickets for the home opener three months in advance and is brimming with anticipation for the big day. He's certain the Cy Young Johan Santana will be on the mound when the Twins host their first game of the season. The day finally comes and his anticipation soon turns to anger as starter Kyle Lohse surrenders two long balls in the sixth inning en route to a 5-1 loss to the hated White Sox. The Elder Adds: After the Vikings lost the NFC championship game in OT to Atlanta in 1999, I came up with my own list of bitter sports memories called The Agony of Defeat. And like Atomizer's list, most of them are also covered in the National Anthem Before A Cubs Game list. Good times, good times. Labels: Baseball Thursday, October 04, 2007
Yesterday, Jeff e-mailed with more on the ex-Twin factor in the Rockies-Phillies series:
The Phillies have both JC Romero and Kyle Lohse. If it were anybody but Phillies fans, I'd pity them. The Phillies fans were no doubt feeling plenty sorry for themselves today after Lohse proved to be a key factor in their squad's 10-5 loss to the Rockies: With two on and two down, Hurdle used pinch-hitter Seth Smith, whose pool-cue single to third loaded the bases for Matsui. Manuel removed Kendrick for Lohse, whose low-and-inside pitch on a 2-1 count wound up in the right-field seats. Lohse giving up critical dingers is a sight Twins fans remember all too well. Get on the Rockies 'wagon now. It's filling up fast. Labels: Baseball
Francis points Rockies to Game 1 win:
With the exception of two pitches, Francis shut the Phillies down with eight strikeouts in six innings, and the Rockies took the opener of the National League Division Series, 4-2, Wednesday afternoon before a raucous 45,655 at Citizens Bank Park. Game 2 of the best-of-five series will be here on Thursday afternoon at 1 MT, before the series shifts to Denver for two games on the weekend. There's lots of room for you on the bandwagon. If you're still hesitant about supporting the Rockies, just consider some of the miscreants on the other side of the fence. Labels: Baseball Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Tim e-mails from Colorado:
I am currently downing coffee at regular intervals as I try to emerge from a semi-self induced fog; I was at the Padres-Rockies game last night. I'm a faithful Rockies fan, and it hasn't been easy the last few years. The memorable Rockies games have had long stretches of miserably forgetful games between. But last night's was a gem and went a long ways towards dulling the pain of the last few seasons. So I am hereby offering the FL crew a chance to join the Rockies bandwagon. I know the Twins faded shortly after the all-star break, and the Vikings have yet to give you any hope that this is their year (Was that the same Favre from the last couple of seasons? I don't know if Favre was really that good or if the Vikings just made him look like he was that good.). This is not just a chance to jump on the bandwagon; I'm extending you a chance to walk on with your head held high as my invited guest. If you decide to wait until you see how the Rockies fare against the Phillies, I'm not sure I can convince the Rockies Nation to let you on. Last night, I was flipping back and forth between the Rockies-Padres game and Monday Night Football. The baseball game was compelling, but, as a Vikings fan, there was also a bittersweet attraction in watching Randy Moss continue his insane year (four 100 yard-plus games and seven touchdowns so far). Eventually sleep beckoned and I ended up bailing on the ball game after the 10th, missing the dramatic finish. JB told me that Matt Holliday should have been called out and video (link on right of page) confirms it. His slide was one of the ugliest of all time and he's lucky that the ump missed the call. But that's the way she goes. The Rockies are moving on and the Padres are going home. Normally if the Twins were not in the playoffs, I would cast my playoff lot with an American League squad. However, the choices this year are not good: Red Sox? No. Angels? No. Yankees? No. Indians? Yeah, right. I can't speak for the rest of the gents here, but you may consider me officially on the Rockies 'wagon. SP CLIMBS ABOARD: I'm ready to hit the Rocky Road! I see their roster includes no fewer than four former Twins: Latroy Hawkins, Ramon Ortiz, Mark Redman and Dan Serafini. True, none of these guys were misseed in their departure. But it's nice to see our rejects going forth and giving hope to other fans. An appreciation of history demands that I also root for a Cubs-Yankees World Series. The two greatest cities in the US, two great stadiums, and two bloated collections of free agent All-Stars would make for some great October viewing. Labels: Baseball Thursday, August 30, 2007
I want to extend a personal thank you to the Cleveland Indians for sweeping the Twins and finally shoveling the last bit of earth on a team that has actually long been dead and buried in a figurative sense. The Twins have been dead men walking for at least a month and it is with more a sense of relief than grief that I greet the official news of their demise.
The inability of the Tribe or the Tigers to put the Twins out of their misery (thus prolonging our suffering) was frustrating and dangerous. It gave rise to delusions among some Twins faithful that this pathetic collection of weak-hitting sad sacks actually had (or in any way deserved) a shot at making the playoffs. We suffer no more. The way the last two games concluded were fitting ends to a Lost Season. Justin Morneau--one of the few legitimate major league batters in the lineup--resting the bat on his shoulder as he watched strike three sail by on with two outs and the tying run on second in the ninth on Tuesday night. Last night, with the Twins again trailing by a run in the ninth, Jason Tyner opens with a single. Nick Punto--vying to become the Mario Mendoza of the 21st Century--attempts to sacrifice Tyner over to second and pops up to the catcher. He can't hit and he can't bunt. Why is this man wearing a major league baseball uniform? One batter and one double play later and it was over. The game and the season. Now, I can enjoy baseball once again. Labels: Baseball Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Ah, yes, now I remember...I left that fork in the Minnesota Twins since I have officially declared them done. After inexcusably being swept by the division leading Tigers last week they are currently wrapping up a dismal 4 game stretch against the Angels and Blue Jays in which they have been outscored 33-7. I say currently because the hitting impaired bums are being hammered by the Jays 13-1 as I type this.
While their pathetic season can be blamed primarily on their lack of pop at the plate, I chose to aim a little bit of my ire at their completely inadequate pitching staff. To illustrate, here is Juan Rincon's line from today's game: Innings Pitched: 0.0 Number of Pitches: 14 Hits: 3 Runs: 4 Earned Runs: 4 Walks: 1 Strikeouts: 0 And that's a fairly good outing from Juan since he's been off the juice. Regardless, I vow right now to never attend another game as long as Juan Rincon is wearing a Twins uniform. Unless it's dollar hot dog day, of course. Thinking about it, however, that doesn't seem like a harsh enough penalty for this team being the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. Maybe what these guys deserve is a Major League style downgrade to their locker room facilities and equipment. Hmmm...I wonder if I know anyone who has the ability to make that happen? The Elder Jabs His Fork In: Maybe it's the uniforms. Can you get them cotton? They're cooler, they're more comfortable...they're happier - they're gonna play better. I missed the game last night, but tuned in to the post-game to catch Ron "Homer" Coomer talking about how Baker had just pitched a good game, but made a couple of mistakes by leaving the ball up. Not knowing the score, I wasn't sure if that meant the Twins had won or maybe lost a close one. Then they flashed the final. Jays 7 Twins 0. Baker gave up four runs in seven innings. While that wasn't a terrible performance, it doesn't exactly fit my definition of pitching a "good game" especially when your team just got their clock cleaned. Why must these announcers insist on treating us like children? Labels: Baseball Tuesday, July 24, 2007
JB heps us to a site whose name says it all: FIRE JOE MORGAN. From the Q&A section:
Why are you guys so hell-bent on getting Joe Morgan fired? Oh. Well, the thing is, we're not. Here's what happened. A group of friends thought it would be fun to post some of the ridiculous things that they heard and read from sports journalists in one place. So in April of 2005, dak founded FJM as a way for him and some of his buds to keep track of everything they came across. Joe Morgan, because of his penchant for ignorantly slamming Michael Lewis's "Moneyball," seemed like a good figurehead to use in the title of the site, but "Fire Joe Morgan" shouldn't be taken as much more than a name. We've also never been singularly devoted to picking on Joe. You might notice that the first post ever was about Sean McAdam. I think you have to take "Fire Joe Morgan" as an overall attitude towards conventional wisdom and poor journalism in baseball, rather than a hostile attack on one old dude who refuses to read certain books. Basically, our goal has always been simply to entertain ourselves (and over time, the growing number of people who read the site); our goal has never been to launch any sort of legitimate campaign to get Joe Morgan fired. Now, don't get us wrong. We hate Joe Morgan. We do think he should be fired. But that's probably never going to happen, and after all, the dude's a grandfather. We certainly don't wish him any serious harm. A recent poll of FJM editors confirmed that Joe Morgan is in fact our least favorite broadcaster / commentator / journalist, but he was followed very closely by John Kruk and Tim McCarver. (Others receiving votes included Dan Shaughnessy, Chris Berman, Stephen A. Smith, Rob Dibble and yes, Hat Guy.) Joe is definitely no Bert. Labels: Baseball Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Fresh off his exclusive engagement at Fraters Libertas last week, Mark Yost takes his baseball writng to slightly larger room. Yesterday's Wall Street Journal (aka, Fraters Libertas East) published his review of the new basebal exhibt at the Museum of the City of New York, Ten Summers in the City When Baseball Was King. Excerpt:
The games and team allegiances divided boroughs, families and offices. The most intense rivalry was between the Dodgers and the Giants, the two National League teams that played each other 22 times a year. And while television was baseball's newest medium, you didn't need to own a TV set to follow the games. Radio and television broadcasts were clearly audible from storefronts and apartment windows left open in the days before air conditioning. More than 50 local and regional newspapers provided daily coverage, along with a host of magazines. For many New Yorkers, the team they cheered for during this period defined them -- individually and collectively. And when the Giants and Dodgers headed west after the 1957 season, grown men wept. "We always assumed our longing was for the team," said Dodger fan Michael Shapiro. "It was for the friends and neighbors and people at the bus stop with whom we talked about the team." In case you missed his reports during his ballpark tour last week, links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6. Labels: Baseball Friday, July 06, 2007
Twins 20, White Sox 14:
CHICAGO --Torii Hunter homered, Jason Kubel hit a grand slam, and the Minnesota Twins handed Jon Garland one of the worst beatings of his career while outscoring the Chicago White Sox 20-14 in the first game of Friday's day-night doubleheader. That's a higher score than the Vikings and Bears will likely put on the scoreboard. Labels: Baseball
Mark and George Yost end their baseball park tour in the "garden spot of the universe," Brooklyn, NY.
------------------------------------------------------------- Well, it was the score that we were looking for, but not the weather we were looking for. George and I had a rather soggy end to our cross-country baseball adventure this year. We showed up at Keyspan Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, to a pretty steady rain. We went in anyway and hoped it would clear. It eventually did, but not soon enough for us. The game was supposed to start at 7 and we left about 7:30. George was anxious to cash in his Skeeball tickets at the Coney Island Arcade, and we really weren't looking forward to sitting through another night of rainy baseball. So we left. But not before stopping by the Cyclones gift shop and buying a new license plate frame for the Caddy. It was a shame the trip ended like this because Keyspan Park was to be the highlight of our trip. It's a great little 7,500 seat ball park (that often squeezes in 8,000 fans or more), right on the ocean, in historic Coney Island. Furthermore, our favorite Italian restaurant, Gargiulo's, which is across the street from the stadium, is one of the team's primary sponsors. Like the ballpark in Staten Island, it's a great, local atmosphere. The tickets are reasonably priced at $13, the hot dogs are $2.25, Cokes are $2. The only downside is that the Cyclones are the Mets single-A affiliate, so there are a few too many Mets fans for us Yankee fans, but our loyalties to Brooklyn and the Cyclones are stronger than our loyalty to any Major League Baseball team. We did catch the game, which started almost two hours late, on Brooklyn cable. It was a classic pitchers duel. Staten Island Yankees pitcher Zach McAllister only allowed one run through five innings, but was bested by the Cyclones Nick Waechter, who only allowed one run in six innings. The Cyclones first run came in the second inning on a Jason Jacobs solo home run over the Gargiulo's sign in left field. Jacobs also knocked in the second run in the seventh, scoring J.R. Voyles from third base on a sacrifice fly to center field. The Yankees tied the game in the eighth inning, though, when Luis Nunez hit a solo home run of his own. But Jake Eigsti's bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 8th put the Cyclones ahead for good. Then pinch hitter Brandon Kawal came to the plate with the bases still loaded and hit a single up the middle to add two more runs. The Cyclones almost needed them. Relief pitcher Dan McDonald came in to start the ninth and got the first batter out, but then walked three. The Cyclones luckily got out of it and secured the victory, only allowing one more run. So it was a solid 5-2 victory for the Cyclones against their arch-enemy Yankees. Tonight the Cyclones are back in Staten Island for the rubber match, but George and I won't be there. We're going to Atlantic City for an elite 8-year-old summer basketball tourney (yes, they have them). So after 10 days on the road, what's our favorite park? In terms of the Majors, it's clearly the home of J. Peterman's Pittsburgh Pirates, PNC Park. As for the minors, Brooklyn -- as always -- remains No. 1. Labels: Baseball Thursday, July 05, 2007
The Mark and George Yost ballpark tour lands in Staten Island for some slumming in the minor leagues.
----------------------------------------------- A Tough Loss in Staten Island It would be unfair to compare our experience at the Brooklyn Cyclones game last night with those on our cross-country Major League Baseball trip. Minor league baseball is obviously much cheaper, and the seats better because the parks are smaller. Tickets six rows behind the dugout were $13. Hot dogs were $2. Brooklyn Lager was $5. A movie-size bucket of popcorn was $2.   With that context, last night's July 4th game between our beloved Brooklyn Cyclones and their McNamara Division rivals, the Staten Island Yankees, was the best baseball we've seen on this trip. And that's saying a lot when you consider that our Cyclones lost. Once again utilizing New York's excellent public transportation system, George and I took the Q Train to Atlantic Avenue, switched to the 4 Train to Bowling Green in lower Manhattan, then took the Staten Island Ferry, which drops you 300 yards from the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George Stadium, where we met Wall Street Journal books editor Erich Eichman. There was a light drizzle when the game started, but it abated in the second inning. For the minor leagues, it was some pretty good baseball. Staten Island jumped out to an early lead with a two-run home run in the fourth inning, but the Cyclones clawed their way back with a run in the sixth and another in the top of the ninth to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Brooklyn's Jake Eigsti belted his first home run of the year beyond the 390-foot centerfield wall to give the Cyclones a one-run lead. Brooklyn relief pitcher Steven Cheney had shut down the Yankees in the 10th, and should have come back out to pitch the 11th. But Brooklyn manager Edgar Alfonso opted for reliever Stephen Clyne instead. Big mistake. Clyne bobbled a bunt that should have been an easy out to first. Then Cyclones catcher Jordan Abruzzo and third baseman J.R. Voyles let a Staten Island base runner get out of a squeeze. The two Brooklyn errors allowed the Yankees to score twice in the bottom of the 11th and win the game. All was not lost, though. The stadium had its own fireworks show, and on the platform for the Staten Island Ferry we could clearly see the Macy's fireworks over the Brooklyn Bridge. Perfect end to a perfect evening. Well, almost. George found himself in lower Manhattan having to pee, no easy task at 11 p.m. on a holiday. So George completed an important New Yorker rite of passage: He peed behind the dumpster at the Chipotle on Lower Broadway. It was a great father-son bonding experience. The ballpark was a lot of fun, too. Like a lot of minor league clubs, almost every half inning ends with some sort of on-field entertainment. T-shirt giveaways, base-running races; musical chairs. Fans are also entertained by team mascot, "Scooter, the Holy Cow." This is, of course, a reference to Yankee great Phil Rizzuto, who was known as "the Scooter" and as a Yankee broadcaster was famous for saying "Holy Cow!" after a great play. The Nihlist would have found himself cheering for the Yankees. At the end of the 9th inning, to get the Yankees fired up for extra innings, the Jumbotron played The Hoff's music video, "Hooked on a Feeling." What more could you ask for? Up Next: The Yankees come to Brooklyn tonight to play the Cyclones at Keyspan Park. Labels: Baseball Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Mark Yost's repeated use of "Twinkies" to refer to the Twins reminds me of 1982: Steve's Dugout, Bennett Field, baseball cards, Tom Brunansky and Big League Chew.
Labels: Baseball
Mark and George Yost have landed in NYC and got out to see the Yankees-Twins last night.
------------------------------------------------------------- Well .... what a homecoming. George and I took the B Train to Da Bronx last night and saw The Rocket notch his 350th victory against the Twinkies. It was a night of great baseball that George will remember for the rest of his life. Like I said, we took the B train from King's Highway in deepest, darkest Brooklyn. It's a 10-minute walk from where we're staying and goes right to Yankee Stadium. Once there, George got a slice at the pizzaria that has been across 161st Street from the Stadium and the Yankee Tavern since I started coming here in the 1970s. Two bucks for a slice of great NY pizza and a Coke. Can't beat it. Then I got an Italian sausage before we went in. $7.50, but it was worth every penny. Good, sweet Italian sausage topped with a generous portion of fresh peppers and onions that had been marinating all afternoon. And it was served on real Italian bread. Everywhere else we've been, the brats and Italian sausages were simply served on hot dog buns. We got in line to get our usual tickets in the upper deck when a guy walked up and offered us tickets right behind home plate. Normally $75, George talked him down to $50. We were literally 20 rows off the field, right behind Posada and Mauer. When we sat down, I told George how I'd sat in almost the same spot in 1976 or '77 and saw Bobby Mercer hit a game-winning home run deep to right field in a September classic against the Red Sawx. I can still hear the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. It was a beautiful night for baseball, and it truly is a different game when you're sitting that close. The pop of the ball into the catcher's mitt is a little sharper; the hits more woody; the players aren't ants. We didn't get any foul balls because of the netting, but were close enough to A-Rod, The Rocket and The Nihlist's favorite Yankee, Derek Jeter, to almost touch them. And the weather couldn't have been better. Mid-70s, blue skies. A truly magical father-son night for us both. On the downside, the tickets were $50. Pretty steep, I think. Of course, a few rows away from us, the tickets are $400. And George and I like to keep score, but didn't here. Why? The scorecards are $7. They don't sell them separately, but you have to buy a program to get the scorecard. Ridiculous. When I agreed to do this baseball blog, I promised the Fraters that I would remain objective. And I will. Yankee Stadium -- like a lot of public events in NY -- is ridiculously expensive. Add $2 to the price of most everything at any other ball park. Hot dogs are $5.50. 20 oz. Cokes are $4.50. Tubs of popcorn are $7. It was, by far, the best baseball we've seen on this trip. The Rocket, vs. the Twinkies, in Yankee Stadium. And it was special for us because we still call NY "home." But if I keep my objective spectacles on, I have to admit that for the average fan, this wouldn't have been the highlight of the trip, mostly because of the cost. Although, you still can't beat the subway. It's a bargain at $2. Go to the MTA Web site and look how far we travelled -- from King's Highway in Brooklyn to Yankee Stadium in Da Bronx on the B Train. Can't be beat. I rated PNC Park a 9.5. To be fair, I have to say Yankee Stadium, mostly due to cost, is an 8.5. Up Next: George and I have home-and-home tickets for our beloved Brooklyn Cyclones on Wednesday and Thursday, as they face their division rival Staten Island Yankees. We'll post about both games on Friday and include photos from both places. Labels: Baseball Sunday, July 01, 2007
 It's on to Pittsburgh for Mark and George Yost on their ballpark tour: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'd never been to a baseball game in Pittsburgh, but I suspected that PNC Park would be the highlight of our cross-country trip. George and I weren't disappointed. I've always had a soft spot for Pittsburgh. Maybe it's because Pittsburgh, like New York, is really a city made up of individual neighborhoods (which is distinctly different from being made up of suburbs, like in the Twin Cities and other modern metropolii). Maybe it's because my buddy Bob Boyles lived there in the glory days of the 1970s and '80s, when, according to him, no one ever went home alone from the bar. Pittsburgh has character. It's been kicked in the chops a few times, but perseveres. And the girls aren't always the best looking, but they're sweet and sincere and most can drink you under the table. Or maybe it's because John Peterman played a dozen years in the Pittsburgh farm system. Whatever the reason, if I were permanently exiled from Brooklyn, Pittsburgh is a place I'd consider living. As for this trip, it was by far the best ballpark experience we've had thus far. And while Yankee Stadium will always be special, I suspect it will be hard for the House That Ruth Built to objectively beat PNC Park (especially if the Twinkies win tomorrow night and deny Clemens his 350th victory). Parking was reasonable - $12 - and easy to find. We parked in a public garage that was literally across the street from the stadium. Outside the main gate, we found a wonderful interactive ticket kiosk that was simple to use. You searched for seats and then saw where they were on an interactive map. If you didn't like what you found, you could hit the back button and search again, either by section or by price. George and I found by far the best seats - in terms of both price and location - of the trip. Section 124, Row P, Seats 15 and 16. Aisle seats, behind third base, 16 rows off the field. $27 each. (I guess that's what you get after 15 losing seasons.)  And what a view!! PNC Park is by far the greatest open-air park we've been to on the trip. Home plate is in the northwest corner of the stadium, meaning that most of the seats look southeast, toward the gorgeous Pittsburgh skyline, including some of its classic 19th-century steel beam bridges. Fans in the upper levels can also see the river. Food was reasonably priced. Foot-long hot dogs, brats and Italian sausage were $5. Regular hot dogs were $2.25. While the price was right, they left something to be desired. They were classic ballpark dirty water dogs, but bland. The Pirates' "low-carb menu" offered a low-fat hamburger wrapped in lettuce. I'm sorry, but there's nothing low-carb about Pittsburgh. In fact, one of its charms is that most of the people are XL, know it, and revel in it. And, like a lot of parks, they had a coffee bar, which has no business being in any sports venue (except maybe hockey). This was also our third Pepsi park in a row. I hate Pepsi. I don't think Pepsi has the MLB contract. I know the Yankees serve RC Cola (and can't remember if the Twinkies serve Coke along with the atrocious Dome Dogs and stale peanuts). George was able to get lemonade in Pittsburgh for $4 (the going rate at all the parks we've been to). Bottled water was priced at $3, sted $3.50 at most other places.  The beer selection rivaled that of Miller Park. 16 oz. drafts of the usual swill (Miller, Bud) were $6. For 75 cents more, you could get a good selection of 20 oz. microbrews. I had an absolutely delicious Penn Lager that went down easy on a beautiful, sunny, 80-degree day. If Atomizer had been with me instead of George, we would have been guzzling those things all day long. The fans here -- and at every park we've been to -- were appropriately reverential during the National Anthem. One thing that's been refreshing during this trip is that no one has shouted the team name in place of "the brave" at the end of the National Anthem. It's one of the great annoyances of college sports, particularly hockey, and doubly disrespectful. The Anthems at the baseball parks we've been to have been a welcome change. In short, PNC is one of the greatest ballparks I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot. It's clearly the class of this trip and, again, Yankee Stadium will be hard-pressed to eclipse it. The concourses are wide, the atmosphere is great, and the food is passable and varied. I would encourage Atomizer to come here before he puts CAD pen to screen. I'm buying the beers. Score: 9.5. Up next: George and I had planned to go to Yankee Stadium Tuesday night. But when we saw that The Rocket was pitching against the red-hot Twinkies (who, as I write this, are scoreless against the Tigers in the third on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball) and going for win No. 350, we decided to go Monday instead. So look for our next post Tuesday morning. Labels: Baseball Saturday, June 30, 2007
Mark Yost and son George have moved on from Milwaukee to Detroit and he brings us the next installment in his basebal blogging odyssey from Comerica Park, the scene of last nights Twins-Tigers game: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well ... I know the Fraters have been anxious to get this installment of the Baseball Blog. Earlier in the day on Friday, I had predicted a 10-run victory in the Tigers-Twins tilt Friday night. I just picked the wrong team. The Twinkies pounded the AL Central-leading Tigers at Comerica Park, 11-1. The game was all-but-decided with Joe Mauer's grand slam in the top of the fifth. The Tigers added a run in the sixth, but the Twins added five more before it was all over. It was nothing short of a dominant victory for the Twins, a decisive win for Johan Santana, who improved his record to 9-6, gave up only five hits over six innings, and dropped his ERA to 2.76. Learned Foot, who was a bit annoyed by my Miller Park post, will be happy to learn that Comerica Park finishes a distant second to his hometown field. Parking was $15 in Detroit, compared with $8 at Miller Park. In Detroit, you park in abandoned lots abutting drug-infested neighborhoods, while outside Miller Park the only danger was getting between the portly fans and the Klement's Sausage Haus. One thing that Detroit's exterior does have over Milwaukee is gypsy peanut vendors. I hate paying ballpark prices for peanuts (usually about $3.50). Outside Miller Park, there were no peanut vendors to be found. In Detroit, they were everywhere, selling bags of tasty peanuts for $1. Detroit, which opened in 2000, does have wider, more open concourses. In fact, I would advise anyone tasked with overseeing the architectural plans for the concourse area of a new baseball stadium to visit Detroit. There's a lot worth copying here. Like a lot of new ballparks, Comerica (which is a Detroit bank) has traditional concessions, as well as local restaurant outlets. For men of Sisyphinian proportions, there's a Bob's Big Boy, as well as a pretty good BBQ joint. There's also a Leo's Coney Island. One of the oddities of Detroit is that nearly every diner is called "a Coney." Their signature dish is a chili dog, which Detroiters call "Coneys." My friend Angelo Kalogiannis from Astoria used to love to visit me in Detroit, go into a Coney for breakfast, and ask the hostess and the wait staff if they knew where Coney Island was. Invariably, most of them said, "No." "Amazing!!!!" he'd say. The food at Comerica was far inferior to that in Miller Park, and more expensive. The Hebrew National kosher hot dogs, brats and Italian sausage were all priced at $5. The standard Ballpark franks were $3.50. I had the Italian sausage with peppers and onions and was mildly disappointed. It was OK, but nowhere near as good as the brats with red sauce at Miller Park. The beer was a bigger ripoff. While you could get a good microbrew at Miller Park for $4.50, drafts of swill like Bud Light and the mildly better Labatt's were $8.50. And the "gourment popcorn" was $6. George did get a fairly decent fresh lemonade that was $4, about standard for ballpark prices. And his Little Caesar's pizza was only $2.75 vs. the slightly larger dreck that was served at Miller Park for $6. I also noticed that no one on the concourse paid attention to the National Anthem. At Miller Park, all activity stopped and the countermen took off th |
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