Brooklyn

 On Gaining My Revenge on Weather

Mainmonides Park, 2021

Saturday, July 24, 2021
Wilmington Blue Rocks (Washington Nationals) vs. Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Metropolitans)
Mainmonides Park
High-A League
Coney Island, NY
6:00 PM 

Outside the Game:
The Cylcones were at home and had a Jacob deGrom bobblehead giveaway, so it seemed the perfect Saturday to cash in my rain check from Memorial Day. I called up to change my ticket, did some cooking and laundry, and then took a medicinal nap before heading out in the early afternoon.

To absolute chaos. They were doing some construction work at the Congress Street light rail station, replacing damaged windows on the walkway to the elevator. Which meant there was no way down to the station, which was closed anyway. They had shuttle busses running between there and the Second Street light rail station. But the shuttle bus had no air conditioning and was facing the wrong direction, which made them drive up and turn around the block instead of just driving straight down the hill. Why they just couldn't be pointed the right way, I'll never know. The ultimate irony of this shuttle of stupidity is because of the all the turn-arounds we took, we actually had to wait at the train crossing as the light rail train they had just made us miss went by.

I had a lot time seething to do some math, and it would have been slightly faster if I had just walked down to Second Street and taken the stairs down to the station from the Heights than waiting for and riding this death bus. With the next weekend light rail train not coming for a quarter hour or so, I walked the rest of the way to the PATH, happy to have freedom of movement again.

My luck turned, as I arrived just in time for a 33rd Street PATH. I switched to the subway, and had to change at 4th Street due to some weekend construction, but I eventually made my way out to Coney Island. After a quick lap to the stadium, I went to the Coney Island Museum, which was opened while I was there for the first time in forever. The exhibits hadn't changed much, but I had a good talk with one of the volunteers there, who broke off from me to explain a lot of the history to some alt couple who were having their heads blown after finding about the incubator babies pavilion.

I grabbed a soda at the bar next door and headed out to get in line for the game. It was an hour before gates, and the line was already halfway down the stadium. I waited a half-hour in the sun as the bobblehead line eventually extended all the way down the block. The line shortened up temporarily as they split it for the two entrances, and then waited until the gates opened, and everyone went in clutching their precious bobbleheads.

It was relatively early after the game, so I took a walk over the Luna Park for a while, playing at the shooting gallery and enjoying a summer evening before heading back to the subway. I switched again a West 4th and arrived right in time for PATH home. A quick Lyft had me right in time to collapse in bed.


The Stadium & Fans: 

Home to center, Mainmonides Park

Another name-change victim "Mainmonides Park" had undergone a lot of renovations since my last visit, as well as a change of venue from the late, lamented NY-PENN League to the unimaginatively named "High-A League." One entrance now served the entire park (more security protocols than Covid, though it worked for both), and the right-field bleachers had been removed for an expanded party area. Another birthday party area was snuck in behind the concessions on the first-base side, but as they had absolutely no view of the game, I wonder what the point of it was.

With the giveaway, there was a healthy crowd at the game, even in the age of Covid. In true minor-league fashion, it was both Disco Night and Italian-American Night, with leisure-suited little people and dugout disco dancing interspersed with Italian singing groups. And PeeWee was around as well. The Nathan's Hot Dog Race was in force, as well as the regular minor-league cornucopia, which was actually a pleasant callback to the simpler times of two years ago.


At the Game with Oogie: 

Scoring, scoring, scoring

With my deGrom bobblehead in hand, the night was already a win as soon as I entered.

I did my regular walking around, took my pictures, grabbed food, and hit the team store. While I was in the store, I had the first fleeting sighting of the Assistant GM, who I had interacted with online.

It took my a couple of tries to find my seat, as I ended up one section over, proudly thinking I was in the right area, before sheepishly retreating to a section over and my correct seat right behind the home dugout on the first-base side. It was a great seat either way. A young Caribbean family was in front of me, with an enthusiastic youngster who kept imitating the batting stances of all the players at the place. Behind me was a decidedly less delightful family, who were bitching about the play on the field constantly. I almost invited them to get out there and show them how it was done, but I held my tongue.

Later in the game, the Assistant GM was right in front of me during some event or other. In the last inning, a drunk wandered into our area and alternated trying to start cheers and apologizing for annoying the fans around him. He just fell on the happy side of fun drunk, so it goes. 


The Game:

First pitch, Blue Rocks vs. Cyclones

This wasn't necessarily the clash of the titans, as the two teams were fighting for the last spot in the eastern division of the High-A East division. But the Cyclones were on a bit of a run, and it wanted to keep the good news running.

It started slow, with both teams going in order in the first, with Brooklyn even getting struck out in order. Wilmington started the second with a single joined by a hit by pitch, but both got left on the bases. The Cyclones started their half of the second the same way, with a leadoff walk, followed by a single. The runner on third scored on a ground-out, then a homer cleared the bases and staked the Cyclons to a 3-0 lead early. The Blue Rocks got some back in the third, with a single, stolen base, walk, and then a bizarre error by the pitcher (to be detailed below), cutting the lead to 3-1. Brooklyn immediately earned some of it back in the bottom of the third, with two singles and a walk to load the bases, and a double to clear them, raising the lead to 6-1.

Wilmington stranded a walk in the top of the fourth, while the Cyclones finally went in order. Both sides went in order in the fifth (with Brooklyn again getting struck out in order), and the Blue Rocks also went in order in the sixth. Brooklyn had a leadoff walk erased on a double play in their half of the frame.

The Blue Rocks went in order again in the seventh, while a walk and a single were squandered by Brooklyn in their half of the inning. Wilmington again went in order in the eighth, but the Cyclones padded their lead with a leadoff hit-by-pitch followed by a walk were picked up by a one-out triple, making it 8-1 at the end of eight. The Blue Rocks would not go quietly into the sea-air night after the first two batters struck out in the ninth. The next batter was hit, and then a homer made it 8-3. A single followed, but he was stranded by one last strikeout, leaving the final 8-3 in favor of the home team.


The Scorecard:

Blue Rocks vs. Cyclones, 7/24/21. Cyclones win, 8-3

The Brooklyn Cyclones have thankfully changed their scorecard to a separate $1 cardstock fold-up instead of their previous newsprint programs. It makes for much less fraught scoring. The spacious card has a white background with plenty of space for notes, with each individual cell having a faint diamond outline. The are twelve player lines with spaces for replacements, twelve inning columns, and seven pitcher lines and batting an fielder totals next to the pitching line. The player lines end with at bats, runs, hits, and and RBI, while the inning columns end with tabulations for runs and hits. The pitching lines count up innings pitched, hits, runs, earned runs, walks, and strike outs.

This game had a lot of interesting bits. It being a minor league game, there was a "Villain of the Game" (who was made up like Thanos on the scoreboard--I guess "K Man" is passé these days). The top of the third had a play so complex it took a paragraph of text to explain. After a leadoff single stole second, it was a man on second with one out. The batter walked, but there was a wild pitch on ball four, advancing the lead runner to third and the trailing runner advanced to second. The runner on third decided to try for home, but was dead to rights on a 2-5-1 putout/rundown, but the pitcher dropped the ball on the end of the relay, allowing the runner to score on an E1. Got that?

The top of the fourth had another E1 on an errant pickoff throw. In the bottom of the eighth, there was an at-bat delayed by the catcher getting hit by a pitch and getting looked at by the trainer. And in the top of the ninth, there was a controversial hit-by-pitch on a ball that bounced before it reached the plate (wrong call, Blue), and the next batter homered, but the runs were ultimately meaningless. 

This game featured 23 strikeouts, 12 for Wilmington pitchers and 11 for Brooklyn hurlers. For those scoring at home, that is nearly a full perfect game worth of strikeouts in an 8-3 game. Go figure.


The Accommodations:
My Delta-variant-free apartment in Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

Stand-Alone Trip, 2021

Buffalo

On Achievements in the Face of Weather

Sahlen Field, 2021

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.)

Dead eyes, like a doll

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.

Beep beep, MOFO

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:

Home to center, Sahlen Field

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:

A "pizza log"

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:

First pitch, Rangers vs. Blue Jays

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:

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:

Holiday Inn Express Downtown, Buffalo

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

At least I got wings

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.

Timely marketing

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

Buffalo Airport, early

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

Philadelphia

On an Accidental Vacation & Nazis

Citizen's Bank Park, 2021

Saturday, July 3, 2021
San Diego Padres vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Citizen Bank Park
MLB, National League
Philadelphia, PA
4:00 PM  


Outside the Game:
The Nation's birthday was upon us, and for the first time in two years, I was contemplating what to do with it. Memorial Day was a little too early in the recovery to be a factor except more time off at home, but fully vaccinated, I was looking to take the opportunity to go out into the world again.

My problem in this case was that I hadn't made any plans ahead of time because I didn't know what the state of the world was going to be. So I was limited in my reach and how much I was willing to spend. The best idea on short notice that I could come up with was to run down to Philly for July 4th. Except that the price for a hotel and an Amtrak train were through the roof and the weather forecast was not great, and I vacillated all morning on pulling the trigger on the train ticket until the last minute. With an hour to spare before having to leave and grab a Lyft to the train station, I made the purchase. I packed and repacked twice, and then set off to the station, getting there with about fifteen minutes before the train was due to leave. 

I was greeted with the news that all NJ Transit trains were being delayed, but I could hardly care as grabbed a quick breakfast and slogged all the way to the other end of the station to get to my Amtrak train, arriving just before it pulled into the station. Once on the train, it took forever to find a seat, eventually getting one next to an overweight woman to begrudgingly put her leg down off the second seat she was occupying. I settled in for the ride. Of course, the WIFI didn't work, and the seat was right by a constantly opening door, so I couldn't do anything except just sit there for the hour or so to reach Philly.

When confirming my hotel reservation in the morning, the lady I spoke to said I could easily walk to the hotel from the train station, and with only my rucksack, I decided to risk it. Except that the sun decided to come out and bake me for the entire straight-line walk to the environs of City Hall. After a couple of false starts, I found my hotel and checked in with the same woman from before manning the counter. I strongly questioned her choice about walking.

I dumped all my stuff in my room and lay down for a little bit in the AC to get reacclimatized to the world and then headed out with my game bag and camera. I took a quick walk east to the historic district and nearly immediately saw a Ben Franklin doing an interview on the green in front of Independence Hall. I thought that was symbolic of something or other.

After a little bit of wandering, I had to grab another Lyft to the stadium. My driver was making some extra money driving while in school for air traffic control, which prompted an interesting discussion on the ride to the park that was unsuccessfully distracting me from the dark, encroaching clouds in the sky. My student driver dutifully disgorged me at the ballpark, and I walked up to the ticket window and had a pleasant transaction purchasing a ticket that I was assured was under cover on the first base side.

With my newly purchased ticket in hand, it began to rain. Faboo. I had about a half hour before the gates opened, so I walked around and took some pictures and walked out to the SEPTA station just to see where it was and grab a ticket, as I intended to take it for the first time after the game. As I came back to the gates as they were about to open, the rain picked up. The security people who came through the line told me I couldn't take my drawstring bag into the stadium. I asked if a clear bag was acceptable (it was), and then put the drawstring bag inside the clear dry bag that it was previously holding, and that apparently was good enough. Security!

A long, long time later, the game ended, and I wandered out to the inexplicable night to ride SEPTA for the first time. Having bought my ticket before the game, I skipped the scrum at the ticket machines and went straight to grab a train that was about to leave.

Now, you have certain troubles when you name your transit system something that close to "SEPTIC" to begin with, but the experience did not start off impressive, and it went downhill. The trains, facilities, and stations were all old and seemingly falling apart. I was in a car filled with Philly stereotypes, but they were all amicably drunk and not dangerous, so I tried to take it all in stride.

A group of 20-30 exited at the City Hall station by my hotel, and we all at various parts found some exits closed. Which, late at night, I guess is sort of acceptable. But as we travelled on, we found that literally all of the exits were closed. There was actually no way out of the station. We all started moving as a pack at this point, perhaps instinctively reverting to herb instincts to survive. After doubling back, we saw someone coming through a transfer station. This poor drunk was immediately badgered by questions from a couple dozen people asking if he came from an open entrance. We all jumped the transfer turnstiles and eventually found the one open exit, which had me quite grumpily heading back to the hotel.

Once there, I asked the person at the desk what the hell was up. She was stone faced, and the equally somber security guard told me that it probably had to do with the fact that a group of neo-Nazis had just blown through City Hall before being chased back to their van by a mob (I mean, what did they think was going to happen?), and the police were probably locking down the area.

Philly. Don't ever fucking change.

I bought some snacks, went back up to my room, packed up, and passed the Hell out.


The Stadium & Fans: 

Home to Center, Citizen's Bank Park

Citizen's Bank Park also hadn't changed all that much from my last trip there, and as this was post-COVID restrictions, I'm not sure what they had going on for that. I had a good deal of time to wander around because of the rain delays, and there didn't appear to be too many noticeable facelifts.

I'll say this for the Philly fans: They hung in there. There definitely was a certain amount of fans that bailed in the rain, but it was still an impressive turnout for a game with a bad weather prognosis, and they stayed for the whole ordeal. The Phanatic kept the crowd going through it all. (I wonder if it is waterproof in there?)

The weather in Philly remains weird. When it was raining, it was otherwise pleasant out, with a nice breeze and reasonable temperatures. When the rain stopped, it was unbearably hot and bright. I don't know how they manage it.


At the Game with Oogie:

This is an accurate representation of most of the game.

The rain really started to come down as soon as I was inside. I took a couple of pictures before heading out to the center field concessions. In the uncovered area, there was still one line at one of the cheesesteak places, and if locals were willing to stand in this weather to get a steak here, it must be the place to go. I endured the elements under an umbrella long enough to order and retreat to somewhere with cover to eat my slightly moist gains (wiz with).

It was then wandering around for a while occupying my time as it was clear we were going to start with a rain delay. I eventually bought a bunch more food and headed out to my seat, which was--as promised--under cover. Everyone not sitting in my row or further back was piled up on the promenade. The original start time came and went with no change, though after an hour, the sky eventually cleared and the rain stopped, though another hour would pass before the game started two hours late. (Another rain delay would be in the cards for later.)

I was the only person in my row, again. Half of my row was under cover, and the other half wasn't, so I assume the season ticket holders didn't show up for the rainy game. Sitting in front of me was an older couple. The husband was a big baseball fan and his wife was along for the ride. I spent a good amount of time talking to them throughout all the delays. Right behind me were a couple of teenaged girls who kept talking about babysitting until they abandoned the game at the second rain delay. A couple of older guys were sitting next to them. One of them liked my Jomboy "Baseball Is Fun" hat I was wearing.

After the second rain delay in the fourth, a lot of people came up from the lower seats to claim covered seats. There was one guy a little older than me who went next to the couple in front of me, and he joined our little group for the rest of the game. We all rode it out to the bitter end, and I said my goodbyes after finishing my scorecard and heading out to the rainy night.


The Game:

First pitch, Padres vs. Phillies

The glam swag Padres were coming into town to play the currently woeful Phillies (Blown Saves a Specialty), but things didn't go to script on this rainy, long afternoon, beginning with starting the game, which featured a two hour rain delay before the scheduled 4:05 PM start.

When the game got started, the Padres began the game on the pre-approved storyline, jumping out to a quick two-run lead on the back of a Tatis Jr. single and Machado homer. Philadelphia went in order in the first, leaving the Padres with a 2-0 lead. San Diego threatened again in the second with two men on thanks to walks, but on the basepaths they stayed. The Phillies tied it up in the bottom of the second with two solo shots, and even followed up with a double before they got put out for the inning. Both sides got tired and wet and went in order in the third.

The fourth saw a Padres single erased on a double-play and Phillies stranding a walk, but only after another lengthy rain delay on the last batter of the inning. The soggy teams both went in order in the fifth, and San Diego went in order in the sixth, while the Phillies found new life. A one-out triple was brought in on a sacrifice fly, and then a single, stolen base, and a double brought in another run, giving them their first lead of the night at 4-2.

The seventh saw the Padres go in order despite a single, thanks to a double-play. Philadelphia lead off with a single, and a two-out double nearly scored him, but he was called out at home. The increasingly lackluster San Diego went in order again in the eighth, while the Phillies stranded two walks. In the top of the ninth, the heart of the Padres order went in order, to the absolute surprise of the Philadelphia faithful who had assumed a blown save as a matter of course in the season, with the Phillies winning 4-2.


The Scorecard:

Padres vs. Phillies, 7/3/21. Phillies win, 4-2

In keeping with my tradition of re-introductions this year, I bought the Phillies' home scorecard, a $1, four-page cardstock pamphlet. The layout was clean and generous, with a lot of space to score and write notes, which would be particularly important this evening.

There were fourteen spaces for player lines with replacements, and ten columns for innings. The player lines end with at bats, runs, hits, and RBIs, while the inning columns end with runs and hits. There is a section for hitting totals for each team, next to the six pitching lines, tabulating the standard innings pitched, huts, runs, earned runs, walks, and strike outs. The bottom third of the card is taken up by ads.

There were not many unusual scoring plays, but there were quite a number of plays of literal note. We begin with the rain delay before the start of the game, then in the top of the first, there was a note that the first hit of the game was originally ruled an E6 then changed. The top of the second featured a pop out to the catcher that was noted to be an attempted bunt. The bottom of the fourth recorded the second rain delay. The remaining play of interest was the bottom of the seventh, which was originally scored as a successful run from first on a deep double, but was then changed on review to  a caught stealing 9-2 at home. Also of note was that the first and third innings for the Phillies were an exact copy of each other, with the top of the order going strikeout, strikeout, and F-9. Truly a stat that exists but doesn't matter, but interesting nevertheless.


The Accommodations:

Residence Inn, City Hall, Philadelphia

As mentioned, I was at the Residence Inn City Hall, and despite my several adventures, it wasn't a bad little place. I was in a nice room with a kitchen. The king-sized bed was across from a desk and dresser combo, which in turn was next to the small kitchen, next to the small bathroom with a tub that I truly wish I had more time to try out.

Outside of external circumstances, it was quite convenient, and I definitely got my money out of the bed that night.

On Ringing the Bell

Oh, right. That thing.

Sunday, July 4, 2021
Philadelphia, PA


Outside the Game:

I didn't sleep well even though I was exhausted. I think it was some allergy thing with my eye. I was up early to go down and get "breakfast" which was a thoroughly disappointing brown bag with a piece of fruit, yoghurt, granola bar, and muffin. I even had to buy my own drink.

I grumpily took them back up to my room, ate, and napped until just before 9 AM. I packed up and checked out, leaving my bag at the counter until my train later.

I marched over to the historic district again at the dawn of July 4th and deposited myself on the tiny line at the Liberty Bell, and made my first visit since grammar school. As I had a decent camera around my neck, I somehow became the picture guy for everyone, taking pictures for a number of families that wanted photos with the Bell. I eventually extricated myself and headed out through the Visitor's Center to walk up to the Constitution Museum, which didn't even exist the last time I was here. I was told by a helpful employee that the museum was free for the day, but not open until 10 AM. Thus duly informed, I wandered around some re-enactors setting up for the day and tried to see if there were any tickets left for Independence Hall, but they were all out.

After some more walking around, it turned out all the museums weren't opening until 10 AM, so I went back to the Constitution Museum. After a multimedia presentation, I wandered around the rather well-done museum, getting distracted in the statue hall, where they recreated the famous painting of the signing of the Constitution in statuary form.

When I was done wandering around there, I decided to head out to the Franklin Museum, but some heavy construction and the fact that I hadn't been there in nearly 40 years caused some navigation problems. A handwritten sign finally directed me to the correct entrance, and I was disappointed to find the puppet-heavy museum of my youth had received an upgrade in the intervening decades without consulting me. To be fair, the new museum was fun and interactive, but I still somehow felt betrayed.

I took the short walk to Betsy Ross' house. This one was very similar to what I remembered, but there's only so much you can change in a historic house. There was an exhibit in the basement kitchen on colonial cooking, and I had made all the recipes there. Thanks, Townsends!

Walking around the streets, there was a tobacco shop selling cigar boxes, so I picked up a couple, with the added perk of  being able to play with the store owner's dog for a little while. I kept walking around, stopping at Franklin's grave (covered in pennies), Penn's Landing, and then blowing through Carpenter's Hall and the Second National Bank portrait gallery.

Two people held in equal esteem in Philly

I was starting to get tired, and it was getting about the time to catch my train back, so I walked back to the hotel, grabbed my bag, and hailed a Lyft to the station after a half-hearted effort at mass transit. (Being locked in after a neo-Nazi raid the night before had left me circumspect of success.)  A young guy picked me up and had me to the train station in no time.

I was immediately greeted by the fact that my train was delayed an hour and a half. I immediately tried to get on the train currently at the station, but there were no tickets left. The Amtrak attendant did get me on the train after mine, which was an hour later, but still on time and scheduled to depart earlier. Somehow, that train came and went before my original train did, even though they were on the same track, so that worked out, somehow. I grabbed some food and killed time until it was time to board, getting on a train that at least had working WIFI and my own seat. I took a little nap and caught up on my notes before pulling into Newark.

Yet another Lyft had me back home to start some laundry and order takeout before the explosions started to rock the night sky.


The Accommodations:
Back home, thankfully, in Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

Stand-Alone Trip, 2021