On Achievements in the Face of Weather
Friday, July 16, 2021
Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Sahlen Field
MLB, American League
Buffalo, NY
7:07 PM
Outside the Game:
This was a rather last-minute affair. With things looking mildly up with the Covid situation, by all appearances it seemed that the Blue Jays were going to return to Toronto by the end of the July. This left a limited window when I could say that I had been able to watch a MLB game in Buffalo, NY, the first time they had hosted a major-league game in over 100 years. I waited until the last minute to pull the trigger on the endeavor, but I finally bought an extremely overpriced ticket to use on a Summer Friday morning off from work. I booked a hotel, but not a game ticket--with the bad weather forecast, I didn't know which day I would end up going to a game, and I thought (sweet, innocent youth) that I would just buy a ticket at the stadium. I grabbed a hotel downtown and tried to reach out at the last minute to an old colleague who lives in Buffalo, and then just winged it from there.
Bad weather was predicted for all Friday afternoon, but the morning was clear, so I could at least probably fly out okay. My last-minute plans meant that the only ticket even within the realm of price possibility left from JFK, of all places. So I was up at the ass-end of the morning for a quick shower before the car service picked me up to take me to the airport. This early, even on a Friday morning, there was literally no traffic, and I made the journey in record time.
Security was a cluster, probably due to the early hour, but even still, I made it through okay, and everything else was fine, except I had the longest walk to my gate that I think is possible while still remaining in the airport. I walked most of that way back to grab breakfast at Shake Shack (one of the only places open at this hour), and then hoof it back to the gate.
Boarding and the flight were so incident-free as to not be worth mention. We even arrived a little early. But I was unable get a Lyft at the airport, so I just took a cab to my hotel. I arrived quite early in the morning, so I dropped off my bag until check-in and asked for some directions to downtown. They gave me some indications about the Buffalo tram, and I confidently walked out, just missed a tram, and decided to walk downtown.
Except I went the wrong way and walked halfway out of town before realizing my mistake. I eventually boarded on the tram going southbound and exited at the stadium, where I took some pictures and found some particularly amazing information. You couldn't buy tickets at the stadium--you could only buy them online. The lack of logic threatened to throttle my brain. As I was struggling through that, I received a call not from work, but one of my work client's other clients. I informed them of my vacation status and went on with my day.
As it was not looking great for the game that night (a light rain had just picked up), I declined to purchase a ticket at this time and went the rest of the way down to the waterfront, where a small festival was happening. After Second Breakfast at a nearby Tim Horton's, I availed myself of the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park, which had a small indoor museum and three ships: the WWII destroyer USS Sullivans, the Korean-Era missile cruiser USS Little Rock, and the WWII submarine USS Croaker. The missile cruiser was particularly interesting to me, as I had never been aboard one before, and the early-stages of mechanization were especially novel. (Though the question of how they managed to get three seagoing warships into Buffalo still puzzles me.)
The tour routes painted on the ships were out-of-date (perhaps due to Covid restrictions), but the ships were full of horrible mannequins that I adore so much. I kept bumping into the same groups of people across all three ships, and the mother of one of these families turned out to be horribly clasutrophobic, and I ended up assisting her in getting out of the sub. So that was a thing. After a small trip through the indoor museum, I was back out into the drizzly afternoon.
I briefly investigated another small building where they were rebuilding an old canal boat before I walked out to the mouth of the harbor, passing a guy who taking pictures of the same on a tripod camera with a remote. Not sure what was going on there. I eventually walked back towards Main Street.
Still having time to kill, I decided to check out the Pierce Arrow Museum, dedicated to the defunct Buffalo-area automaker. I had actually seen the museum the last time I was here visiting the then-AAA stadium, but it was closed when I passed by that trip. It was open this time, and a nice old lady sold me a ticket for a giant indoor space that chronicled the Pierce bicycle, motorcycle, and automotive empire, as well as housing en totto the Andrew Lloyd Wright Filling Station. They also had a small exhibit on the other automaker from the area, the quickly bankrupt Playboy Motors, which achieved lasting immortality as being the inspiration for Hugh Heffner.
After some time there, it was getting close to hotel check-in time, and my feet were killing me. So, of course, I just missed the tram again and had to walk back up to my hotel. Upon arriving, I was told there were no rooms ready, but I apparently looked so pathetic, they put me in a corner suite that was already cleaned. After dumping off my stuff and resting a bit, I headed back out to the stadium, finally catching the tram.
Although there was a half-hearted rain coming down, they were setting up for the game, so I decided to finally commit. But the ticket office was now open! I knew it couldn't be just online only! But it turns out, the guy was just there to handle VIP passes. He walked me through how to buy a ticket online, and after a number of mis-starts, I purchased a dry ticket and placed myself at the end of the short line to get in when the gates opened.
After the game, the rain was going in real earnest, so of course, I was literally ten feet away when the tram decided to take off. Muttering under my breath, I headed back north to the hotel, the short walk seeming much longer. I trudged up to my room, ditched the wet clothes, dried off, and went the hell to bed.
The Stadium & Fans:
Outside of swapping its name from "Coca-Cola" to sausage-maker "Sahlen," and having all signage papered over with "Blue Jays" instead of "Bisons," the stadium hadn't changed much since my last visit in their AAA incarnation. It still feels a little small for AAA, and now definitely so hosting MLB games, though it was no doubt an upgrade to their Gulf-Coast league Spring Training stadium where the Blue Jays had been housed previously during the pandemic. The one promenade at the top of the entire seating bowl from outfield to outfield still makes for a crowded walking area and getting around the seating area a little cramped.
The scoreboard had definitely been updated, and the outfield party area had been expanded and renamed, but along with all the re-signing, there wasn't much different in the park. There were some Covid-leftover cardboard fans, but everything was mostly the same, including the one vendor who went around all game in a conehead hat.
Even for the dreary game, the fans showed up for a decent crowd that stayed for most of the game, but everyone skedaddled as soon as the game ended. There was little tomfoolery between the innings, and the mascot didn't even make the socially distanced trip down.
At the Game with Oogie:
As soon as I made my way in the stadium, I did my normal picture-taking and sought out food, as I hadn't eaten much since breakfast. I was disappointed to find that poutine was no longer on the offer, though I did experience something called a "pizza log," which appears to be a pizza slice rolled up and fried. I downed that along with a brat and snacks for the evening.
My seat on the third base side was indeed under cover, to my great relief, for the damp duration of the game. Though the rain never got so bad that the tarp came out until the very end of the lopsided game, by which time everyone was just looking to get it over with and go home.
There was a family sitting in front of me and couple sitting next to me. The husband commented on my scoring, and we got to talking about things. They had come (from much closer) for the same reason as myself--to catch an MLB in Buffalo just to say they did. They were good company for most of the rainy affair.
It was very much a Spring Training feeling, with the tiny stadium hosting a big-league game. And excitement was on tap, as we shall see.
The Game:
The hard-hitting Blue Jays were facing the literally and figuratively punchless Rangers on a night when a rain delay or rainout seemed inevitable, yet the game managed to not only get played, but get played exactly to script.
The Rangers began the first going in order, while Toronto nee' Buffalo jumped to an early 1-0 lead on a homer by Vlady Jr. Texas stranded back-to-back walks in the second, while the Blue Jays stranded their own single and walk in the bottom of the frame. The Rangers had a chance in the third, with a leadoff double that was sacrificed to third with one out. A grounder to third cut the runner down at home, however, to kill the threat. Toronto didn't waste their third, starting the inning with a homer and then after a one-out walk, there was another homer, plus a back-to-back homer to follow, throwing up four runs in the inning and extending the lead to 5-0.
Texas went in order at the top of the fourth, while the Blue Jays manufactured another run on a double and a single to make it 6-0. The quiet fifth saw both sides go in order for the first time. The sixth had the Rangers stranding a single in their half, while Toronto went back on the line with a single, walk, single, and another home run, throwing four more runs across the plate for a 10-0 lead.
Texas squandered an opportunity in the seventh, loading the bases on a single, double, and walk and managing to strand them all. The Blue Jays went quietly in order. The Rangers left a leadoff single in the eighth on the basepaths, while Toronto, finally exhausted from all those home runs, went in order again. In the ninth, Texas finally got on the board with a walk and a homer, but quickly retired afterward through an increasing rainfall, leaving the final score a microscopically better 10-2 Blue Jays.
The Scorecard:
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| Rangers vs. Blue Jays, 7/16/21. Blue Jays win, 10-2 |
There is a story behind the scorecard for this night's game. On the way in, people were handing out some nice one-page cardstock scorecards. Upon getting inside, it turned out this was a promo from local healthcare workers who were getting shafted by Catholic Health on contract negotiations after empty promises made during the worst of the pandemic. The official home scorecard was just a photocopied piece of paper, so I used the healthcare workers scorecard and applaud them on some very targeted marketing.
The scorecard they had was a top-bottom split with 11 player lines and 10 innings, but no pitching lines. Each player line ended with at bats, runs, hits, and RBIs, while the inning columns had a space that I used for run and hit totals.
The story of this game was homers and strikeouts. There were six dingers total, with five by the Blue Jays, responsible for all but two of the twelve runs of the game. At one point, the Blue Jays were averaging more than one home run to left per inning. Also worth noting were the strikeouts, with the Jays whiffing twelve Rangers. There weren't any strange scoring plays, but there was one play of literal note. After the homer in the ninth, there was a delay when the pitcher slipped off the mound in the constant drizzle that was getting worse at the end of the game. The grounds crew had to come out to tend to the mound before play resumed.
The Accommodations:
So my pity suite at the Holiday Inn Express Downtown was actually very nice. And it even had a separate bedroom, which is always a nice touch.
Off the entrance to the right was one entrance to the main bathroom and kitchen facilities. A small living room was to the left, with a pull-out couch with a stylish (thought at an incredibly inconvenient height) coffee table, with a working desk and easy chair further back.
Through a set of interior bay doors was the bedroom, which was 90% filled with the a bed, along with a dresser and TV. Another entrance to the bathroom came from the bedroom, another classy add-on.
On the Weather Having Its Way
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Buffalo, NY
Outside the Game: I eventually woke up early the next day, zombied down to breakfast to get a regular buffet to chew blindly while staring out the window watching the rain, before dragging myself back upstairs to nap for most of the rainy morning.
I eventually threw myself outside sometime after 10 AM with nothing to do for the day. I decided to take the short walk to the overdone City Hall, only to find it and the observation deck closed for the weekend, or Covid--I was never quite sure.
Bereft of any other ideas and approaching lunchtime, I decided to fulfill my familial destiny and go to the Anchor Bar for wings. My father always told a story during his travel for work in the 70's: He got stuck for an extended layover in Buffalo in the winter, struck up a conversation with a local, and came down to the Anchor Bar and had Buffalo Wings. And so on a rainy July afternoon, I found myself in the same place.
The door from the street was locked, to the surprise of myself and the postman who had walked up behind me and scared me half to death. A short detour, however, took me to the main parking lot and entrance that was, in fact, open. I got a table in the bar, ordered up two plates of wings and my yearly beer, and settled into trying to connect to a non-existent WIFI and drying off by mental fiat
I came exactly the right time, as crowds started backing up for tables just as my wings arrived. I went onto cellular and spent me time eating an unadvisable amount of chicken wings and slowly drying off while an increasing number of jealous, damp people coveted my seat. I found out there was a historic site just down the street that was open, so I had something to do with the remainder of my afternoon.
After finishing up, I walked the short distance to the Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration Site National Park in a rain of fluctuating intensity. Upon arriving at the rear entrance, I was told that the site is by tour only, but they had some spots open for the next tour, so I came indoors to dry off for the short time until the next tour. People with proper reservations did show up, and there was a larger crowd than I think I was expecting.
So what's the story here? The Pan-American Exposition was being held in Buffalo, and both President McKinley and Vice-President Roosevelt were attending. McKinley had a date with an assassin, and after lingering for several days, passed away, and the house where Roosevelt would take up the mantle of presidency has been turned into the national park. The museum had areas on the Pan-American Exposition, a refreshingly honest look at what the country was facing at the time, the assassination, and of course, the library where the inauguration took place. It was one of those happy accidents that I sometimes stumble into on these trips, and I am 100% happy that I found the place. Not only that, the iconography of the location was top-notch, with Roosevelt's signature mustache and glasses used for the logo and immortalized in things such as a cookie cutter, which I completely did not buy.
I took a damp tram back to my hotel, stripping out of wet clothes and taking a long nap. For a while, I entertained the notion of heading out again. I was in the Buffalo "theater district," and there were a show or two playing, but I couldn't garner the necessary enthusiasm. When the rain was at its lowest point, I snuck out to get some takeaway from the local Dinosaur BBQ, then slunk back to the hotel as the rain picked up again.
The rest of my evening was podcasts, eating, and soaking in the tub. I packed up and arranged a cab for the next morning and then I went to bed early, which was probably for the best.
The Accommodations:
I received my first real hotel buffet in two years in the morning, and I ended up spending a lot of this rainy, dreary day in my nice hotel room.
The tub got a workout, and there was a lot of laying about and napping that got done that day.
On the Weather Always Being Nice on the Way Home
Sunday, July 18. 2021
Buffalo, NY
Outside the Game: I didn't sleep well the previous night. Sometime in the middle of the night, there was a commotion outside the street of the hotel that woke me up. The incident (someone was arguing with the police) went on so long that I tried to go out to the living room to see what was happening. On the way back to bed, I absolutely obliterated my knee on the knee-high edge of Chekhov's coffee table in the room.
After a suitable period of screaming and seeing if I had cracked my kneecap, I went back to bed, but did not sleep all that well due to my knee being a bloody mess. I eventually got up at 7:03 AMish and got my little breakfast buffet before retreating up to my room to rest a little while longer and finish packing up.
The cab company called me up, and I went down and checked out and go straight into the cab to the airport. The drive took no time at all, but I was greeted at the airport by more travel mysteries. The 6 AM flight that I had assiduously paid money to avoid had not yet departed for NY, but my flight was showing as departing early? Whatever, buddy.
There was no line at security, so I squirted right through and walked out to the gate, which confirmed my flight leaving a little early, so I dumped myself in a chair and listened to the latest Warhams episode until we boarded. We shuffled onto the plane, I was sitting next to some guy, and it was a rough landing. That was literally all to say about the flight.
I grabbed a Lyft at the airport and called my parents on the way home. The afternoon was a blur of naps, laundry, and putting things away.
The Accommodations:
Jersey City, sweet Jersey City
Click here to see all the photos from this trip.
Stand-Alone Trip, 2021
