Queens

On Resuming

Not Shea Stadium, 2025

Friday, May 10, 2025
Chicago Cubs vs. New York Metropolitans
Not Shea Stadium
National League
Queens, NY
7:15 PM

Outside the Game:
After a season's absence trying to organize my life situation to an acceptable degree, I decided to take the plunge and head back to the ballpark from my new, old place.

I dallied with the thought of driving to Queens for about two seconds, and then considered taking in the train, which would be too time inflexible coming home, or would involve me driving and parking in Hoboken (again raising the specter of driving), and then conceded to the inevitable and decided to try and take the bus right by my house to the stadium. This would end up right at Port Authority, where it would be a quick 7 ride to the park, and really, how bad could even the bus be on an early Saturday afternoon?

The answer is what made me largely abandon the bus as a means to commute. Firstly, on the weekend, NJ Transit combines two bus lines into one, nearly doubling the commute time, but that was factored into their scheduled timing. But even with that, the bus ended up arriving over twenty minutes late for no appreciable reason other than incompetence. No traffic, or accidents, or construction would justify it.

At any rate, the good news is that I was eventually and tardily dumped into Port Authority, where there is a direct connection to the 7 trains, which still managed to transport me to the park a half hour before gates opened. I took a quick walk around to see the receding of the chop shops to progress and the pre-game "Street Party" going on before attaching myself onto one of the longer-than-expected lines by the right field gate. I soon discovered this to be because of a bobble-head giveaway that evening. But at least I was in the shade while I waited.

Heading home was similarly disappointing, and not just because of the game result. After boarding a 7 train that the passengers were assured was an express, we soon found it to be a local, elongating the commute. Back at Port Authority, it took a couple of tries and nearly being locked in a gate--which was opened to enter but not to exit--to find the correct berth for the bus home, as well as a bonus miserable 20 minute wait in the muggy heat, thirsty and sweaty. But board the bus we did eventually, and it had the two-route path home as well, but I eventually was dropped off a block from my house, where I quickly grabbed a drink and a much-needed shower before bed.

The Stadium & Fans:

Center to home, Not Shea Stadium

In my involuntary one-year sabbatical, there were a lot of little changes to the Not Shea. The museum, for some reason, was ousted from its home to make more space for the already sprawling team store, with the Hall of Fame plaques relegated to pillars at the top of the main escalator, by the lineup board. The Shake Shack finally ousted Blue Smoke to take over the entirety of that center-field pavilion for itself. I'm not sure if it lessened the lines at all.

The restaurant on the club level was no longer reservation-only and was open to the masses, and to be honest, I can't remember which member of the cola wars owned the current Coca-Cola Porch the last time I was there. Mr. Met & his wife were taking photos as soon as gates opened now, and the aforementioned "street party" special event was a DJ, some food stalls (one run by Mookie Wilson's family), and merch. So, you know, whatever.

It was a good Friday crowd that kept faith until the end, but they went home without anything to cheer about.

At the Game with Oogie:

The first Shack in a while

I went straight in the right field gate to Shake Shack and landed my first Shack of the year, then did my normal bumming around and photography before shouldering my way into the team store and trying to track down what happened to the museum. I had a supplementary pizza & pretzel before the game started in the luxury level. I honestly can't be bothered to learn the new names anymore. Caesars? Smirnoff? Whatever. I had pizza.

My seat was on the third base side at the top of the bronze level. There was a lovely old couple sitting next to me, and a gaggle of Japanese fans in the row in front of me, clearly here to watch the Cub's Suzuki.

The Game:

First pitch, Cubs vs. Metropolitans

The Metropolitans, flying high for most of the year, of course started their first rough patch as soon as I show up for a game, contesting a match with the playing-over-their-heads Cubs. But you can blame anybody except Baty, who went 2-4 with five RBIs in an attempt to single-handedly win the game despite the ambivalence of the rest of the team.

The Cubs struck first and early. A leadoff single, an error on a stolen base attempt, a walk, a single, a walk, and another single brought home two runs, giving the North-siders an early 2-0 lead. New York went uninspiringly in order, as did Chicago and the Metropolitans in the second. The Cubs opened the third with a double and a single to extend their lead to 3-0. New York got an odd hit-by-pitch followed by a catcher's interference that went nowhere in their half of the frame.

Chicago lead off the fourth with a home run to pad the lead to 4-0, but the Metropolitans finally got something going with two singles and Baty home run to center to close the deficit to 4-3. The Cubbies only had a stranded single to show for the fifth, as did New York. Chicago finally went in order again in the sixth, while the Mets stranded a leadoff single that stole their way into scoring position.

The Cubs went in order again in the seventh, while New York left a single and walk on the basepaths. The eighth heated up again as Chicago strung a series of walks and singles into two more runs to open up their lead to 6-3. In the bottom of the inning, the Metropolitans got a man on base for Baty to hit another one out, closing the lead again to one run at 6-5. The Cubs went meekly in order in the ninth, as the Mets erased a leadoff walk with a double play and couldn't get the batting order around to Baty again, ending the game at a 6-5 loss.

The Scorecard:

Cubs vs. Metropolitans, 5/10/25. Cubs win, 6-5

I was trying out the new Frixion erasable pens for the first time at a park, so I went to use the regular program scorecard for the first time in a long time.

Using the new heat-erasable ink actually went a lot better than I expected, and scoring the game involved a lot less paraphernalia, so this may be something I move to going forward, even if the cost of pens over pencils is appreciably higher.

The game itself had few things of note. An infield single in the top of the first was nearly a great 5-3 putout and was noted as such, and in the bottom of the third, an F-6 putout was erased on a catcher's interference, awarding the batter a base.

And that was pretty much it.

The Accommodations:
Clifton of my heart

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

Stand-Alone Trip

Goodyear (Indians)

On the Last of Everything

Goodyear Ballpark, 2016

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Indians
Goodyear Ballpark
Cactus League (Spring Training)
Goodyear, AZ
7:05 PM

Outside the Game: 

It was a slow morning after the hot tub escapades the night before. Literally no moisture in the atmosphere, plus the hot tub, plus alcohol made for some solid dehydration. And, obviously, it wasn't just physical pain I was feeling this morning.

Despite all that, I had one more game to attend, a repeat visit to Goodyear Ballpark, one of the more underwhelming parks in the Cactus League, for an Indians game of all things. A small blessing was that it was one of the few night games I had, so I had an unaccounted for day to spend as I saw fit. This made for a lazy morning, plus, given the dearth of things left to do in the greater Phoenix area, it left me poring over what to do with my time.

I figured some time outside would be healthy for me, so I decided on driving out to the Desert Botanical Garden. I'm generally not one for botanical gardens, but I figured it would be at least interesting to go to one in the desert, and some fresh air would probably keep my mind off things.

Straight out of a Road Runner cartoon

So I spent the late morning and early afternoon tooling around in the botanical garden, which was nice, except for the overpriced and disappointing sandwich I got for lunch. I still hit the gift shop for last-minute things, and then headed back to the hotel for my last afternoon nap and shower of the trip.

I decided to stop at the practice areas a couple of desert blocks away from the park before heading to the gates. This game had a much bigger crowd (a record one, it would be revealed) because it was a night game, it was a weekend, and the Cubs were visiting, which meant an invasion of Chi-town fans.

After the scoring ended, I went back to the hotel and went straight to bed, because I was still tired from the last night, and there was literally nothing else I wanted to do.

The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, Goodyear Ballpark

Goodyear Ballpark remained exactly as it was the last time I was there, with a lot more people thanks to the factors described above. There was a swing band performing outside before the gates opened, and in the area behind left field, there were a bunch of local food carts in addition to the regular concessions. At night, the fancy covered club seats became a liability, as it was pretty pitch dark in that area after the sun went down. I'm not sure how they didn't think that particular thing through.

Most of the extra fans were visiting Cubbies, so it doesn't really speak well to the home fanbase. The between-inning entertainment ran between bubble suit fights, bunting contests, and other generic games and races. Even Zizzy didn't show up.

At the Game with Oogie: 

Night scoring

I had seats right behind first base at the top of the seating bowl. I was mostly surrounded by Indians fans, but the rest of the park was a consistent Cub blue. The guy immediately to my left was there with friends or business associates, and he took an interest in my scoring, especially scoring a Spring Training game. I can't tell if it was pity or admiration.

Who is on first base?

Also in my section a couple of roads ahead were two guys in "What" and "Idontknow" jerseys, which I thought was clever of them. For food, I went to the food trucks that were there for the night game, and grabbed a giant bowl of poutine fries, because how can you not get poutine?

The Game: 

First pitch, Cubs vs. Indians

If you look at the first half of this normally inter-league matchup between the Indians and Cubs, you could argue it was a pitchers’ duel. But considering it ended 10-5, you can guess it fell pretty far apart in the second half. [Coincidentally, if you had told anybody at this point that this was a preview of the World Series, you would have been locked up for your own safety.]

The Cubs and Indians both had one runner in the first, the Cubs on a one-out single erased on a steal attempt, and the Indians one one-out yip by the first baseman. The Cubs managed a leadoff double and walk in the second, and Indians a two-out walk. The Cubs finally broke through in the third with three straight singles to load the bases and a one-out single to bring in a run. The runner from second got gunned down at the plate, and a fly to right ended the half at 1-0, Cubs. The Indians had a two-out triple that got stranded in their half.

The Cubs went in order in the fourth, and the Indians had a two-out double that was stranded. The Cubs went in order in the top of the fifth, and then the game fell apart. A new Cubs pitcher gave up back-to-back walks to start the inning. The first runner stole second, and then a passed ball moved them to second and third. A one-out grounder to second scored one and moved the other to third. A single drove in the runner from third, and then a bomb to left drove in two more, making it 4-1, Indians. A new pitcher came in and gave up a walk and a hit before getting a strikeout to end the inning at nine batters faced.

The Cubs went in order again in the sixth, and the Indians did not. Another new Cubs pitcher gave up another leadoff single to the same Indian from last inning, who then stole second again. There was another walk, and a short single loaded the bases. Another single moved everyone around one spot, driving in the lead runner. A grounder to the pitcher came home not in time, and everyone moved a space thanks to the fielder's choice. That was it for that pitcher. The new Cub walked in a run, and then a sacrifice fly to right drove in a run and moved everyone up a base. A single scored another run, and a fly out to right moved up the runners. Having batted around, the first batter of the inning was up again, and perhaps tired from running the bases, struck out, ending the five-run inning with the score 9-1, Indians.

The Cubs managed three stranded base runners in the seventh with a hit batsman, single, and fielder’s choice, but the Indians only managed a walk with a stolen base. The Cubs found their bats in the eighth, with a leadoff single and walk and one-out homer to right to make it 9-3, Indians. To prove a point, perhaps, the Indians greeted yet another Cubs pitcher with a home run to dead center in the bottom of the half to make it 10-3, Indians. Trying to the last, the Cubs got a one-out single and then a walk. A grounder to third went astray, bringing in the run on an E5, before two strikeouts ended the pointless Spring Training game at 10-5, Indians, sending the record crowd home in good spirits--or, at least the outnumbered Indian contingent.

The Scorecard: 

Cubs vs. Indians, 03/19/16. Indians "win," 10-5.

The Indians version of the scorecard was part of the $7 magazine program (the proceeds of which went to charity), but, as with the Reds, the scorecard was the full centerfold with heavy-weight paper that was not taken over by advertisements, making it comfortable and easy to score even a Spring Training game. In looking at it, I was very meticulous with this one, perhaps because it was my last game and I had so much practice at that point.

The home team was on the left side of the scorecard, which is a non-traditional alignment, but they had a "Notes" area on each side of the scorecard, which was welcome. They even had areas for bullpen and bench, but as they were not announced, I couldn't fill them in.

Outside of the entire scoring and regular Cactus League replacement bonanza, there were several items of scoring note. Firstly, there were a lot of outfield assists in the game. In the bottom of the second, the Indians tried to extend a single to right-center to a double and got cut down CS 9-4. In the top of the third, a Cub runner from second tried to make it home from second on a single to left-center and got cut down CS 7-2. And in the top of the seventh, a Cub runner on first overran second base on a single to right and got put out CS 9-4. There was also a regular-old caught stealing in the top of the first 2-6 after a single.

There were some interesting pitching lines for the Cubs. The relief pitcher in the fifth charged with the loss got run out with .6 IP 2 H 4 ER 2 BB 0 K. When you thought it couldn’t get worse, the reliever in the top of the sixth had 0 IP 3 H 5 ER 1 BB 0 K. For the first time ever, I got to use the "+" symbol for a pitcher's IP. It was a topic of discussion with the guy sitting next to me. That said, there were 20 K combined for the entire game. After a double-switch in the seventh, I just had the pitcher spot move around on the Cubs side of the board, because they chose not to use a DH, a first for me. There was a 4-3 put-out in the bottom of the fourth due to overshift, resulting in the "4o-3" notation.

The attendance of 11,616 was a record for the stadium. It would have been 11,615 without me, so I feel integral in the achievement.

The Accommodations: 

Last day in the room

I was in my same room again. Given that I had to leave for home the next day and didn't want to potentially deal with a still-damp bathing suit, I did not go into the pool or hot tub all day.

On Drastic Atmospheric Changes

Phoenix Airport

Sunday March 20, 2016

Jersey City, NJ

Outside the Game: 

And so my time in the desert was at an end, for better or for worse. Frankly, my only thoughts were mostly on my uncle and what would be waiting for me when I flew back. But for now, it was time to head out.

The good news is that I had a lot of time to do it. My flight wasn't until 3:25 PM, so there was a good deal of lying about in the morning. With the majority of my loot already shipped, I just had all my immediate crap to pack up and take back with me. I did a final shake down of my... I originally typed "apartment" which was accurate as anything else. As miserable an experience as it was, after two weeks, the place did grow on me.

I did my last breakfast routine of eating (with the now operational pancake machine) and taking my walk in the park in the cool morning. There were some dogs that got petted, and even the tweakers weren't around. In clearing everything out, I added to the Leaning Tower of Soap and ate all the leftovers left in my refrigerator as a last lunch. There were Arby's fries, Honey Bear beans, some BBQ sauce, and random items from the Quick Mart next door.

Eventually, it was time to turn in my key and head out. My first stop was the rental car place to drop off my now very, very dusty Chevy Trax. Then I was into the airport, bought an upgrade because I just didn't care at this point, and then went through security. The airport, or at least the terminal I was in, was completely deserted. So it was mostly killing time until boarding. Thankfully, everything was on time, and we boarded and took off, and it was a mostly blah flight on the way back.

It was perhaps fitting that when we landed at around 11 PM, it was snowing like it meant it. I hadn't seen a drop of water that wasn't in a pool for two weeks, and now frozen bits of it were falling from the sky. After deplaning and going out to grab a cab, I stopped short as soon as I stepped outside, because the sensations were overwhelming. It was cold, sure, but it was coldish some nights in Arizona. It was snowing, also novel, but that wasn't it.

It was the moisture. There was so much moisture in the air. I could feel my skin sucking it all in and rehydrating. It was crazy. This is literally what I had been missing for over two weeks: moisture in the air. I swore at that moment to never take it for granted again.

I eventually bundled into the cab and was quickly back at my apartment to dump out everything and go to work the next day. And another one of these things was over.

The Accommodations: 

Sweet home, Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2016 Cactus League

Mesa (Cubs)

On Portents

Sloan Park, 2016

Monday, March 14, 2016

San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
Sloan Park
Cactus League (Spring Training)
Mesa, AZ
1:05 PM

Outside the Game: 

I got woken up again early by the tour groups going out to the Grand Canyon, so I didn't start the day shiny or happy, especially after being woken up by housekeeping at 11 PM the night before. I grumpily went through the motion of breakfast and my walk in the park, but running late, I didn't stop off at the gas station for water. I drove straight out to the park.

And it was quite a production. I have never seen a crowd this big this early at a Spring Training game, because Chicago doesn't play around. I walked around and took my pictures, but there was no place to get water, and it was a hot afternoon. I ended up having to go to the hotel next door to get water, where I bought about three before heading out to the Center Field entrance to line up to get in. The line was already pretty healthy, and I found myself with a lady who was separated from her husband. Apparently, she is a volunteer at Wrigley up north, and got everyone in the lines to get organized. She did it pretty well, as when the gates opened up, we all flew in, and I was on my way.

After the game, there was a bit of traffic getting out just from sheer volume, but I made it back to the hotel for a nap and a shower without much effort. Arizona is known for golf and Native Casinos, and while I had checked off the former already, I decided to bite the bullet and spend some time at the casino at Talking Stick casino, also the home of the Rockies and D-Backs' complex that I would be visiting in a couple days. I got dressed as nicely as I was able, and after some GPS problems (as the new area wasn't fully added to my TomTom's maps, as well as traffic from a nearby concert), I eventually found my way to the casino.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this place was just like Atlantic City, with less Chinese and more white trash. In my khakis and white colored shirt, I was one of the best-dressed people in the place, which was immediately sad, as was the dense smoke that covered the place, also from the white trash. I tried to make the best of it. I got a gambling card, put some money on it, and sat down to play some video poker in the least smoky place I could find.

Playing low stakes, as I was, I stayed pretty much at what I started with, until I hit a royal flush that won me $40. Whoo. You can get a printed receipt for your winnings that you can use at the bar, so I took my paper over to the bar, and I bought a nice single malt with my winnings, and left the rest for the bartender as a tip. It was then that I was approached by a well-dressed Native American lady who sat down behind me. The short version of this story is that she saw a decently dressed guy buy some top-shelf liquor with winnings, and figured I was some high roller who may be interested in some paid companionship. While it was a pretty tempting offer, I turned it down, finished my drink, and decided that I was done with this experiment. I walked around for a little while in the spa and art museum they had on site, and then headed back to the hotel with the windows open on my car to try and get some of the smoke smell out of everything.

Back at the hotel, it was too late to go to the taco shop or Hunny Bears, but I had a store of leftovers in the refrigerator, which I ate and tried to forget the entirety of the evening, before going to bed.

The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, Sloan Park

Sloan Park is the second Spring Training stadium in Mesa, about ten minutes west of the A's park. It is also much newer, opening in 2014 as "Wrigley South." The sprawling complex is right next door to a hotel featuring the "Wrigley West Conference Center," and it does get a lion's share of the Chicagoan traffic, being a short walk to the park as it is. The complex is truly immense, starting with the large main field, and the further beyond the even more extensive Spring Training complex, with practice fields and training facilities that cover quite a bit of real estate. The big leaguers practice as the closest field right by Sloan Park, making it easier for autograph seekers, but you are welcome to wander the grounds to seek out minor leaguers on the other fields as well.

The bulk of Sloan Park has sidewalks circling the park, with entrances at regular intervals at home plate, first base, right field, and center field. And all those entrances are necessary, as the dedicated Cubs fans line up early before the gates open, and the lines get long very quick. Along the outside wall of the park are displays on the evolution of the Cubs logo, as well as player posters and team shop that takes up its own large building around the perimeter of the park.

All those entrances converge on the massive main promenade that circles the entirety of the park. The seating area extends down from the promenade, and seating extends from left to right field behind home plate. The entire outfield area is a giant picnic hill, and an additional extensive picnic area is beyond right field, next to the kids’ area and giant Wiffle ball area. Two upper areas loom above the field, a more traditional one rising above first to third behind home plate, hosting party areas at the ends and press and luxury boxes in the middle, and the Budweiser 1876 party deck that sits above the concessions on top of the picnic hill in left field. The main video scoreboard sits in left-center, but a myriad of auxiliary scoreboards dot the part at all angles.

All the concessions are on the main promenade, which makes it easy to grab food and still see the game. Dos Gringos has a special "On Deck" bar area out in the right field corner, and a replica of the classic Wrigley Field sign sits on the promenade by first base--and is a huge picture stop.

New year, new mascot

New mascot Clark made his Spring Training debut at the park this year. It is a little impressive that he can actually play baseball in his outfit, with an oversized fielding glove and opposable fingers that lets him throw and catch. The Cubs are one of the biggest Spring Training draws in the Cactus League, as this Monday sell-out showed. Say what you will about Cubbies fans, but they are here for the game, and the between-inning activity is kept to a minimum, although Take Me Out To The Ballgame during the Seventh Inning Stretch is an appropriately extensive production.

At the Game with Oogie: 

Scoring in the shade

The game was sold out, so there were a bunch of people, as you might imagine. I ran across a guy wearing a Cubs hat and a Mets shirt, so I had to have a chat with him about what his major malfunction was. He claimed to be a Mets fan who was just rooting for the Cubs today. I pointed out that he didn't need to buy a cap for that. This eventually led to a discussion with some other Cubs fans in the area. Despite the post-season the previous year, we had a civil discussion of mutual admiration. They firmly believed that it was their this year, but I'm sure they've been thinking that every year for over a hundred years. [Annotation after the season: Well, they were right this year, but what are the chances?]

I had seats down the first base line in the lower area. There is exactly one section of seats that is in the sun for most of the game, due to a gap in the stadium super-structure. I'm sure you'll guess exactly where I was sitting in the center of. The desert hat came out until the shadows moved over in the late innings. Not only did I have another scorer sitting next to me in the person of an older lady, but she was doing some sort of long-form stream of consciousness scoring in a notebook she had for the purpose. After each play, she would write a line or two about it, and then go back to watching the game.

Portillo's steak sandwich

With all the Chicago food imported in the stadium, I started with a brat, as I would up north, and then switched over to a Portillo’s steak sandwich to top it off. The heavy food did not exactly go with sitting in the sun all day, but I do not regret the experience.

The Game: 

First pitch, Padres vs. Cubs

This was a one-sided contest between the Padres and the Cubs, and it would be a mirror image of how the teams would end up doing this historic year.

The Pads went in order in the first, but the Cubs combined a two-out walk and double into an early 1-0 lead. Both teams had just a walk in the second, but San Diego tied in up in the top of the third with a leadoff single and stolen base driven in by a one-out double. The Chicago was unable to rise to the challenge and went in order in the bottom half. Both teams again only had a walk to show for the fourth, but the Padres were back at it in the fifth. A single was followed by a two-out single to left that was completely misplayed by the fielder, leading to a three-base error as the runner beat the throw home to extend it to a 3-1 lead. The Cubs struck back in their half, wit ha leadoff single and two, one-out singles to drive in a run to close it to 3-2.

That was as close as it would get, as the wheels began to come off in the top of the sixth. San Diego began the inning with a single, and two quick fly-outs to left looked to be all of the inning, but then there was a homer to left, a walk, and another homer to deep center, which extended the lead to 6-2, Padres. Chicago only managed a walk in their half. The hits kept coming in the top of the seventh, with a leadoff single, two more quick outs that moved the runner to second, and then the floodgates open. A single drove in the lead runner. A grounder to third looked to end the half, but it went through the wickets, making it first and second with two outs. A single brought in the lead runner, and the top of the inning ended at 8-2, Padres. The Cubbies stranded a double and a single in the bottom of the seventh.

San Diego got a one-out-double in the top of the eighth driven in by a following single to extend the lead to 9-2. The Cubs went in order. The top of the ninth saw a one-out double moved to third on a passed ball. A deep sacrifice to right brought in the run, making it 10-2. Chicago had two one-out walks in the bottom of the ninth, but they left them on the pond to cement the Padres’ pointless 10-2 victory.

The Scorecard: 

Padres vs. Cubs, 03/14/16. Padres "win," 10-2.

The scorecard was a $1 letter-sized pamphlet on light cardboard, separate from the $5 program. It was very similar to the Wrigley scorecard, with one side of the inside spread devoted to the scorecard and the Cubs roster, while the other side had the opposing teams' rosters, which continued on the back cover. Being on only one side of the pamphlet, the scorecard and squares were a little cramped, but certainly workable.

With the exception of the three-base error in the top of the fifth that let the runner score on a single, there were no scoring plays really out of the ordinary; it was just a high-scoring game, for at least one team. Each team used six pitchers, for a total of twelve arms in the game. Otherwise, it was just baseball.

The Accommodations: 

So, I finally heard back from my email to the manager. The story that was being slung was that he just started the first week I was there and didn't get into the email accounts until now. Given my experience so far, the saddest part of that story was that it was probably true. He wanted to know what he could do to help. I started by telling him that not having room service vacuuming in the room above mine at 11 PM would be a great start.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2016 Cactus League