Scottsdale (Rockies)

On Another Afternoon in the Sun

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 2016

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Colorado Rockies
Cactus League (Spring Training)
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick
Scottsdale, AZ
1:05 PM

Outside the Game: 

Another day, another game.

I was pretty lethargic getting up this Thursday. It was all starting to wear a little thin. I went through the motions to get breakfast (where they had a new pancake machine installed, but not operational), a walk in the park, and then a stop over at the gas station to load up on water bottles for the afternoon game.

It was an uneventful drive out to the game. I got to park much closer this time, and headed in. There was some traffic on the way back, but given how lucky I'd been to this point, it didn't bother me too much. I was back to the hotel, and off for a nap, and out to the hot tub for a long soak in the shade.

I was planning an evening in. I had to do laundry one last time, I wanted to pack up all my crap, and I wanted to get all my paperwork in order. But first, there was Honey Bears. On my way out to the car from my hotel room, I was flagged down by the new manager in the flesh. I did sort of feel bad for the guy. He was thrown into a bad situation, with a customer who had him dead to rights, and nothing he could do about it.

He started talking about what he could do for me. I asked him for a discount and a change of room. He said he couldn't do either. I told him that he could go to hell and leave me alone then. I mean, I'm not sure what he was expecting with that. “I can offer you nothing, does that make it better?” No, Chucky. No, it does not.

I got my half rack of ribs meal and enjoyed it tremendously. Back at the hotel, I settled in for a night of laundry and paperwork, and it was actually a pretty welcome experience. I took all my shipping supplies and packed up all my accumulated souvenirs with plans on shipping them to myself the next day. It was two pretty big boxes of stuff. The rest of the night was getting my receipts and whatnot organized and then an early night before another afternoon game the next day.

The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

The Salt River Field was largely unchanged from the day before, although it was a lot hotter in the afternoon than in the evening. My second walk-around mostly confirmed what I had seen the day before, but I did get to poke around a little more at certain places.

Dinger, for some reason

The Colorado crowd was less than the local D-Backs, to be sure, but it isn't like it was much short of a sell-out, especially with the number of Angels’ fans in attendance. It was also St. Patrick's Day, so there were green bases, and many of the contests between the innings paid lip service to the holiday. The least-favorite mascot in the majors, Dingers the Dinosaur, made an appearance to the delight of few.

At the Game with Oogie: 

The dangers of scoring

I was on the first base side again, and I was to find that I wasn't going to be in the shade until the later innings when the blessed darkness overtook my section. I was sitting with honest-to-goodness Rockies fans, however. It was a weird thing to see. But they were knowledgeable and making comments on their farmhands as they appeared, so in case you were wondering, the Rockies actually have some die-hards. And it would make sense that they would be the ones to travel to Spring Training.

Tacos and hydration

I wasn't very hungry in all the sun, but I did stop at the taco stand for some food. They were a lot better than I was expecting, to be honest.

The Game: 

Giveaways

The Angels came to the reservation to face the lesser partner in the new field, the Colorado Rockies. The ending was as bad as you can imagine.

The Angels came out swinging, with back-to-back singles to start the game, and then a double to drive them both in, although the batter was cut down trying to extend it into a triple 7-6-5. Nothing else came across, and it was 1-0, Angels, at the break. The Rockies had nothing to show for the first except a leadoff walk who was caught stealing. The Angels kept going in the second with a two-out double, a walk, and a deep single that scored one, making it 3-0, Angels. The Rockies had a single in their half.

The hits kept coming in the top of the third, with a one-out single that stole second, and then a two-out walk made it first and second. A ground-rule double only brought in the one run, before a new pitcher got a pop out to short leaving it at 4-0, Angels. The Rockies started the bottom of the third with a solo homer to make it 4-1, but nothing else came across. In the fourth, both the Angels and the Rockies got batters to third with steals, errors, and a balk, but nothing scored for either team. The Angels stranded one and the Rockies two in the fifth, and the Angels stranded one while the Rockies went in order for both the sixth and seventh.

The Angels kept the streak going, stranding one in the eighth, but the Rockies started their half with a hit batsman and a walk. A one-out single brought in one run, and a two-out triple scored two more, making it 4-4 at the end of eight.

Anaheim went in order in the ninth, but the Rockies started with an error by the shortstop to get the leadoff runner on, but three straight fielder's choices got single outs to end the game. They then declined to play extra innings, and the game ended in a tie, shaming literally everyone involved and watching the contest.

The Scorecard: 

Angels vs. Rockies, 03/17/16. Nobody won in a 4-4 tie.

The scorecard was again the centerfold of the reasonable $2 full-sized magazine program. It was spacious and again okay for pencil writing, but in the afternoon sun, the magazine-print scorecard was easily smudged by sweat and sunscreen.

Outside of the communist tie outcome of the game, there were several plays of note in this otherwise pointless ballgame. In the top of the first, the Rockies left fielder fell into the stands catching a ball with a runner on first, and the runner tried for a triple, but got CS 7-6-5. A one-out single in the third originally looked like a great play by the right fielder, but was immediately called a trap by the umpire. A two-out, ground rule double that same inning was awarded when the ball went under the left-center field fence.

In the bottom of the first, there was a good ole' 1-3-4t CS, a balk in the bottom of the fourth, and all three outs in the bottom of the ninth were made on fielder's choices.

Once again, ties are abject communism.

The Accommodations: 

I was the hotel again. Outside of the argument with the manager, there was nothing new to report, although I spent more time at the hotel that day that usual.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2016 Cactus League

Tempe

On Venturing into the Devil's Temple

Tempe Diablo Stadium, 2016

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Tempe Diablo Stadium
Cactus League (Spring Training)
Tempe, AZ
1:10 PM

Outside the Game: 

With another afternoon game looming, I fell into what would be my routine on days such as this: early breakfast, walk in the park, and the trip to the gas station for water bottles so I didn't die.

I drove out to the park early today, and it would turn out beneficially, as I was able to get a spot in the parking lot closest to the stadium. This made it easy getting in, and subsequently getting out after the game's disappointing conclusion. With a late afternoon to kill, I went to nearby mall, as it LEGOLAND Discovery Center and the SEA LIFE Aquarium. It was good that the Aquarium was also there, because the LEGOLAND wasn't going to open until the summer. But the Aquarium was also a good destination, for no other reason than to say that I had gone to two aquariums in the middle of the desert. If there is another greater tribute to man's folly, I'm not sure what they might be.

As pointless as an aquarium in Arizona...

The aquarium was a chain place, and it was overpriced and little too commercial, but it was an agreeable way to spend a late afternoon, if, for no other reason than it was inside. After I had my fill of the aquarium, I wandered the mall for a while out of curiosity more than anything else, and ended up having an early diner at a gourmet burger place in the expansively overdone food court.

I feel so welcome for some reason

Entertained and fed, I went back to the hotel, changed into my trunks, and headed out my nightly soak in the hot tub. My companions this evening were a Canadian couple down for Spring Training, even though the only remaining Canadian team spring trains in Florida. They were west-coast Canadians and more Mariners fans than anything else. A soak and conversation was had, and I eventually went back to my room to shower up and head to bed, another day under my belt.

The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, Tempe Diablo Stadium

Tempe Diablo Stadium is literally translated as "The Devil's Temple," and given how hot it got, it makes a good a name as any. The old park was the Seattle Pilots’ stadium and the only Spring Training facility back in the day. The Angels have modernized the park a good deal, but it still has the dimensions of an old-school facility. The park is at the top of flight of stairs that leads to the main entrance. There are only three to the entire park, the second being just around the corner and the last being out in left field, which doubles as the player's entrance from the practice fields that lie outside of the left field confines. It takes a bit of walking to get to the practice field, and you might miss the entrance out by left (just beyond the parking lot), which leads to a long path that eventually empties out on the practice fields. The staff is among the most helpful in the Cactus League, with people walking around to hand out full training rosters and point you to where the players are or tell you what squad is practicing at the field you're watching.

A hotel sits on a mesa beyond the left field wall and copiously warns non-guests from parking in their lot. Parking is somewhat limited at the park, with two main lots, a small one by the main entrance that fills up nearly immediately, and a larger one beyond right field. Overflow goes wherever they can fit it. The staff at the gates are also very friendly, and do a lot of pre-checking of bags so that fans can get into the main entrance as fast as possible.

All the entrances lead into a narrow promenade that runs from outfield to outfield behind home plate above the seating bowl. The areas behind home plate and the dugouts have regular stadium seats, while the seats out to the baselines and outfield are all backed bleachers. Picnic hills top off left and right field. A second level of party areas, luxury boxes, and press boxes rises above the sun shades behind home plate and around to the dugouts. The digital scoreboard sits in right-center. Right field is anchored by an alcove in the promenade with picnic seating and slightly larger concessions, while the left field opens up to a larger specialty concession area, and the Miller Patio behind left field proper. Angel’s championship pennants hang over the luxury area behind home plate, and one part of the Cactus League history is on display in the infield promenade. Team stores inhabit pillbox-like chunks built into the superstructure of the promenade.

There is very little between-inning activity, either due to the limited confines of the old stadium, or people not wanting to risk heat stroke performing strenuous activity on the field in the afternoon sun. The park was packed, and given the lack of amenities and entertainment, points to the fans for being there for the activity between the lines.

At the Game with Oogie: 

Sliders

One of the charming things about Tempe Diablo was that for the most part, it had old-school concessions stands that sold only one or two entrees. I had to get a brat from one of those, because how couldn't you? I also went into the expanded concession area in left field and got three BBQ sliders samplers, because how couldn't you do that either?

My seat was in the bleacher seats just beyond first base, and for one of the few times ever in a ballgame, I had to bail to the shade. It was hot. I cannot accurately convey how friggin’ hot it was. And this was after a week of getting acclimatized to Arizona heat and mostly spending my time at afternoon games. "Tempe Diablo" wasn't just a name: It was an accurate description of what it was like to sit on those bleachers in the afternoon. No fooling, folks.

I eventually retreated up to the promenade and shade, and the problem there was that the promenade was a narrow little thing, and they needed to be sure to have space for people to walk by. So bailers were kept behind a yellow line by firm but friendly staff. I ended up spending most of the game standing next to a gentleman who had visited even more stadiums than myself. We ended up talking about all the older stadiums that he had visited that went to dust by the time that I started my trip. It was a most enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, especially once in the shade and out of the damned sun.

The Game: 

First pitch, Mariners vs. Angels

I'll cut to the chase here. This match between the Mariners and the Angels ended in another godless communist tie, and I wasn't happy about it, especially with all the sun-related trepidations I had to suffer through because of it.

The Mariners had a two-out rally in the top of the first, with three straight singles to bring in a run and give them a 1-0 lead... for exactly two batters. The Angels opened up the bottom of the first with a two doubles to tie it up, but got nothing else across. Seattle led off with a double in the top of the second, but stranded him, and the Angels for their part had two stranded baserunners in the bottom of the frame. Seattle just got a single in the third, but the Halos turned a leadoff double and a one-out single into another run, taking a 2-1 lead... for exactly five batters.

The Mariners lead off the fourth with a double and an error on the third baseman to make it first and second with no outs. Two quick outs followed, but a deep double to right brought them both in, to give the Mariners a 3-2 lead... for exactly four batters. The Angels got a one-out walk who made it to second on a wild pitch. A two-out double brought him in to tie it up again at three.

I got see Mike Trout in person, though.

The top of the fifth featured an odd appeal play (to be discussed below), but nothing else. The Angels loaded the based in the bottom, but brought no one in. For the first time in the game, the Mariners went down in order in the sixth, and Anaheim only managed a leadoff single. The M's went in order again in the seventh, as did the Angels. In the eighth, Seattle got first and third with two out, but stranded them both, and the Angels went in order, even with a leadoff single, thanks to a double-play.

The good news for the Angels in the top of the ninth was that they struck out the side. The bad news was the two-out homer to left field that put Seattle up 4-3. However, the Angels started the bottom of the ninth with a triple. With one-out, a sacrifice fly to left brought in the tying run, but a strikeout ended the inning. And, thanks to soulless automatons in charge of the game, that was the end of the game, with another godless goddamn tie, 4-4.

The Scorecard: 

Mariners vs., Angels, 03/15/16. No one won in 4-4 tie.

The scorecard was the centerfold over the oversized full-color magazine of the $3 program. While it was on glossy paper, it was easy enough to write on, even with the pencils, if prone to smudging quite easily. The scorecard itself--due to the dimensions of the program and the lack of advertising--was quite spacious, even for a Spring Training game.

There were a lot of things of note, not just the godless communism of the tie score at which it ended. There were a whopping seven doubles in the contest, a tag-out 6-5 putout in the bottom of the first, and a 1-3-6 CS rundown in the top of the third.

But obviously, the story of the game was an overly complicated appeal play and error in the top of the fifth. With one out and a runner on first, the batter flew out to left. The left fielder casually tossed the ball to the stands thinking it was two outs before the catch (E7), but the runner from first just went straight to third without tagging up (illegal). The pitcher appealed to first before the first pitch to the next batter, and he was called out on appeal AP 1-3 for the third out of the inning. It was one of the few appeals I've run into in any of the games I've seen in person.

The Accommodations: 

Nothing much on the “home” front. The manager wrote me back to say that housekeeping doesn't clean rooms at 11 PM at night. I told him the room number and the time they cleaned and told him to get back to me when he was done lying.

Click here to see all the pictures from this trip.

2016 Cactus League

Goodyear (Reds)

On Finally Getting Ribs

Goodyear Ballpark, 2016

Monday, March 7, 2016

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Cincinnati Reds
Goodyear Ballpark
Cactus League (Spring Training)
Goodyear, AZ
1:05 PM

Outside the Game: 

There apparently was no tour group this morning, as I slept in until people going to breakfast woke me up. I grabbed some breakfast of my own and then went out to the park next to the hotel for another walk. Despite the tweakers around that one house (there were fewer this morning), it was nice to get out into the non-sweltering Arizona mornings to enjoy things, and since a lot of locals and people from the hotel brought their dogs out for walks, it was a nice enough place to spend some time in the AM walking off breakfast.

So, I eventually went back to my room for a shower and a little more sleep and made the short drive out to the park. I was one of the first people there, and I arrived before they set up the money collection and cones. I had to ask a guy who parked overnight there in an RV if I was in the right place. Convinced that I was, I parked up and went out to take my pictures and whatnot. A waited in a short line right before the gates opened, and I was on my way.

The drive back to the hotel was uneventful, and not looking for a repeat of the previous night, I dropped off my game gear and drove directly out to Honey Bears for dinner. I made it in respectable time, and I went in. When faced with the smells of the cooking food and the earlier patrons eating up, it was hard to heed the advice from last night and only get a half-rack, but I did, along with the sides and accouterments that comes with the meal deal. And thankfully I did, because these were some big-ass ribs. I ate them rapaciously, and then had to sit in the booth for ten minutes until I had digested enough to move. I slowly drove back to the hotel, and slowly went to my room to change into my bathing suit, and slowly went to the hot tub to soak for god knows how long.

There was no one else in the tub that night, and I eventually went back to my room, showered, and went to bed. Thanks to a scheduling snafu on my end, I was having a night game the next day, because I somehow forgot to buy a ticket for the Giants when I was first getting tickets. So every two-team stadium I was seeing for the rest of the trip were going to be back-to-back days, but I wouldn't be back for the Indians until the last day of the trip, but the night game the next day gave me actual day time to go around and do things.

And here is where the story should end, except that at 1 AM the fracking fire alarm in my room started beeping. This led to stumbling around half-awake in the darkness to get a chair and beat on the fire alarm until it stopped. I then placed an angry call to the hapless night clerk where I yelled at him about the fire alarm going off, and every last thing that was wrong in my room that I wanted fixed tomorrow. In my defense, I wasn't quite myself, but I think I was justified in this case. The teenager on the line assured me it would be addressed tomorrow, and I went back to sleep cursing just about everything I could think of at the time.

The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, Goodyear Ballpark

Goodyear Ballpark marks among the low-points of Cactus League facilities. To each his own, I suppose, but it is a decidedly minor-league looking facility in the middle of nowhere, with an airport next door and the practice fields down the road a bit. The park isn't even that old, so I suppose there is a reason for it being like this, but with all the open space, there's really no reason for this to be a Grapefruit setup. The "Goodyear" moniker isn't just a coincidence, as the entire area used to be raw materials plantations for the Goodyear Tire Company for the fibers that they put into the tires to re-enforce them. Yes, the ballpark was built on the former locale of corporate plantations. I'm not sure what else to say about that.

The stadium has four entrances around the perimeter. The main entrance at home plate straddles the ticket office and team store. It is right behind the plaza with a statue to "Ziz," a giant bird apparently from Jewish mythology, re-imagined as a spiral baseball... thing. Two more smaller entrances are at first and third base, and a larger entrance by the main parking lot was out in center field. As per more recent minor-league stadium standards, all the entrances open out onto a main promenade that circles the park above the seating bowl. All the seats are standard stadium seats out to the short outfield, and the two outfield picnic hills as general admission. The scoreboard sits behind these in left-center, and a larger party tent sits in right-center. A smaller second level between the dugouts, holding a small section of luxury boxes, the press box, and the owners’ box.

There was a section of "club seats" in short left field that were more expensive for some reason that confused me when buying tickets. It turns out just this seating section has an overhang to keep off the sun. In retrospect, I would have paid more for the shade. Beyond right field is a Wiffle-ball field for the kids, while the play area is off in left, along with Zizzy's clubhouse and bunghole games for drunk adults. Another section of the "Cactus League Experience" was on the promenade by home plate, along with some displays on the ballpark. There is a POW/MIA seat by home plate, and the center field promenade wall has tributes to players and staff for both teams. Concessions ran along the promenade, letting you see the game while you grabbed some food.

Zizzy, for some reason

The roommates Reds and Indians are among the worst draws in the Cactus League, and that was underlined by this Monday afternoon game, which was probably the least-attended game I saw. The stadium was maybe 25% filled. In a unique turn, only the stadium mascot, Zizzy, shows up for the between-inning entertainment, which was a full docket of minor-league standards such as races, balloon wrestling, and the like, and even included a post-game catch in the outfield.


At the Game with Oogie: 

Sun scoring

This was as sparsely attended game as I ran across in the Cactus League. Even in my seats right behind the home dugout, there were plenty of empty seats. I wasn't even sitting directly next to anyone, so I didn't end up talking to anyone. I just kept scoring in the sun, waiting for the inevitable heat stroke to provide sweet release.

Ohio sliders and souvenir soda

At least I ate well. I got some Ohio sliders and a Polish boy hot dog, with a giant-assed souvenir soda to wash it all down.

The Game: 

First pitch, Angels vs. Reds

The Angels and Reds faced off in a match with a lot of scoring early and a late run, but a middle-inning stretch largely devoid of activity.

The Angels went in order in the first, but Cincinnati had a two-out rally started with a bunt single and walk. Another single brought in the lead runner for a 1-0 lead. In the second, Anaheim stranded a leadoff runner on second, while the Reds kept on going, with a leadoff homer to dead center. That was followed by a single, a steal of second, and another short single that made it first and third with no outs. A double-play to second scored the lead runner but left two outs. A great grab by the second baseman ended the inning at 3-0, Reds.

LA again stranded a runner on the bases in the top of the third, while the red-hot Reds lead off the bottom of the third with back-to-back homers to left and right. A third homer to left by the next batter was robbed by the left fielder going over the wall for a gem of a play. The next batter got a single and was driven in by a triple. A double completed the cycle for the inning, driving in the runner at third. By two outs ended the damages at 7-0, Reds.

The Angels got themselves in gear in the fourth with a one-out double. A short single made it first and third, and a homer to deep left brought everyone in. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, but a convenient grounder to short ended the scoring at 7-3, Reds. Cincinnati immediate got one back in the bottom of the inning, as a leadoff single stole second and third. A walk made it first and third with no outs, and a sacrifice fly to right brought in the lead runner. A double made it first and third again with one out, but the scoring ended there at 8-3, Cincinnati.

And then the game shifted into low gear. Anaheim stranded a runner in the top of the fifth, two in the sixth, and only had only single in the seventh. The Reds went in order in the fifth, stranded two in the sixth, and went in the order in the seventh. The Angels made one last run in the top of the eighth. A one-out walk was driven in by a two-out double, himself driven in by a single. He stole second and made it to third on an error on the throw by the catcher, but was stranded by a foul-tip caught for a strikeout, leaving it 8-5, Reds. Cincinnati mustered a double in the bottom of the frame, and the Angels went in order in the ninth against the Reds closer, cementing the pointless 8-5 Cincinnati victory.

The Scorecard: 

Angels vs. Reds, 03/07/16. Reds "win," 8-5.

The Reds-branded scorecard was part of the $7 (kind of a rip-off, but it went to charity) full-sized, full-color magazine program, but in a nice turn of events, the centerfold scorecard was cardstock and unsullied by ads, giving a comfortable and spacious place to score even a Spring-Training game. There were even places for bench and bullpen players, but as they weren't announced or posted, I couldn't fill them in. For some reason, however, the home team was on the left side of the scorecard, which was just weird.

It was mostly a conventional game, but there were some plays of note. An F-7! in the bottom of the third had the Angels left fielder going over the wall to rob a home run. A stolen base the next inning was because of blown 1-3-4 pickoff without an error. A double in the top of the eighth was actually an E7 lost in the sun, but because it didn't hit his glove, it wasn't ruled an error. The Angels' started had the unenviable pitching line of 3 IP 10 H 7 ER 1 BB 1 K.

The Accommodations: 

Things were exciting in the middle of the night, as I mentioned earlier. The room, after a generous tip, was looking a lot cleaner. It was all about whether the problems were ever going to get fixed at this point.

Click here to see all the photos for this trip.

2016 Cactus League

Arlington

On Avoiding Disaster

Ballpark at Arlington, 2009

Monday, June 29th, 2009
Los Angels Angels of Anaheim vs. Texas Rangers
Ballpark at Arlington
Major League Baseball, American League West
Arlington, TX
7:05 PM


Outside the Game:
On a full-night's sleep, I was up and ready for the drive up to Dallas after breakfast at the hotel. My hotel in Houston was right on the road to Dallas, so I didn't need much help from the TomTom unit until I got to the Dallas metropolitan area proper. It was a straight shot with no incidents up to Dallas and my hotel just by the north entrance to the airport.

Upon getting to the hotel, the first thing I did was to check into my flight to Kansas City the next day. On viewing into the American Airlines Website, I was greeted with an itinerary that had me flying into Chicago. Thinking I might I have accidentally entered in my confirmation code for the day after, I confirmed that this was supposed to be my flight to KC. One quick and frantic call to American Airlines later, I found out that my flight to KC had just been scrubbed due to the always vague "mechanical issues," and I had been rescheduled to a later flight through Chicago that connected to KC. I was able to get moved back to direct flight to Kansas City, but only one that left two hours before my original flight. No sleep for me tonight.

Since I was getting up god-awful early the next day, I got all my clothes and bags ready for the next morning as soon as I hit the room. I got out my necessities for the game that night and had an uneventful drive down to the park.

Because the game went a little long, I wasn't able to turn in my rental until the next morning. But the drive back after the game went quickly, and I showered up and went to sleep as quickly as possible to face my next inevitable sunrise on the way to the airport with enough sleep in my system as possible.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Ballpark at Arlington

The Ballpark at Arlington is in the home territory of HKS, Inc, a design firm that has done several sports stadiums in the area, including the new Cowboys stadium that was rising up in the same manicured park area in which the Ballpark at Arlington was situated, along with what seemed to be about three amusement parks. The park was clearly a showpiece for the architectural firm, as the design was outstanding and the details were well-handled. The friezes outside the park and the decorative ironwork inside showed that they spared no expense. The concessions (including the bizarre "Coney Island" hot dog stands) had some unique items, such as sausage on a stick (exactly as advertised).

The big features of the park were the retro porch out in right field, the large area of suites out in center, and the decorative green in center that became the scene of frantic footraces when a home run landed in its confines. The kids activity area was out behind center field, anchored by a statue of Nolan Ryan that also doubled as an accurate sundial in the blinding north Texas afternoon.

Another attached attraction was the "Legends of the Game" sports museum. It was an extra charge, but it was worth the price, and housed the largest on-loan collections from Cooperstown in the world. There were general baseball history and exhibits, in addition to a section just on the history of the Rangers, including some charming racism.

It is funny because it dehumanizes

The top level of the museum was interactive exhibit for kids, centering on baseball Math, History, and Geography. That said, the physician needed to heal thyself, as the Geography exhibit, clearly a few years old, touted a team in Montreal as part of the major-league world.

The crowd was raucous and into the game. There was a small Angels contingent that kept largely quiet. The fans stayed into the game through the ups and downs and were quite emotional when they blew the game. The quote of the night goes to a rakish gentleman in front of me who stated that "That's the kind of thing that makes me want to go home and beat my kids." Quite, sir. Quite.


At the Game with Oogie:

Unrelated

I was again in the upper deck (or whatever the local euphemism was) right behind home plate, thankfully in the shade. This was the first game I was watching outside on this trip, and it was hot enough to remind me the practical principles and rationals for domes. The locals mentioned how it was finally cool enough to come out to the park, which makes me wonder what kind of early-season hell these people must endure.


The Game:

First pitch, Angels vs. Rangers

After the catastrophic collapse by the Astros the day before, home teams were running 1-1 for the trip. This game was of some import, as the first place Angels were visiting the second-place Rangers. A win would close the gap between the two teams, and the Rangers homered their way to an early two-run lead in the third with back-to-back clouts. The Angels got one back in the 4th, and then exploded in the sixth with four runs courtesy, in large part, to their own back-to-back homeruns. (A double back-to-back homer game was another first.) The Rangers threatened in the eighth, but never scored again, falling 5-2.


The Scorecard:

Angels vs. Rangers, 06/29/09. Angels win, 5-2.

The scorecard came as part of the $5 program. It was a single-sheet paper card built into the program. It was a little small, but adequate for an AL game, though it did have a stats category for pitchers (NP) that I had never seen before (and would subsequently discover meant "Number of Pitches").


The Accommodations:

Super 8

As mentioned, I stayed in a Super 8 just north of the Dallas airport. Since even with my original schedule I wasn't going to be staying there that long, I went with a convenient, cheap place right by the airport. Though not fancy, the room was everything that I needed it to be, and with my extra-early flight the next day, the wisdom of my choice would be borne out.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2009 The Rest