Brooklyn

On an American July 4th-ish

MCU Park, 2017

Monday, July 3, 2017
Connecticut Tigers (Detroit Tigers) vs.
Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Metropolitans)
MCU Park
NY-Penn League (A-)
Brooklyn, NY
7:00 PM


Outside the Game:
With my previous plans for the holiday weekend not coming to pass due to tornadoes in upstate New York providing very subtle hints, I decided to head out to Coney Island to see a game. I hadn't been out there in so many years longer than I had thought, as it turned out, and I also was unable to make much plans further from home because of the work situation I was in. I hadn’t been out to Coney Island for the same duration, although I tend to make trips to the beach in the winter, but hadn't in the last few years.

I bought a ticket online the night before, but I was able to sleep in and did not get out the door until 11 AM. As the game wasn't until the evening, it wasn't that big of a deal, but I did want to spend some time at Coney as well. I debated grabbing an Uber all the way there, but a look at the traffic discouraged that idea, so I grabbed some jerky I bought at the farmer's market the day before and set out to mass transit. The light rail to PATH to the F outbound went surprisingly quickly. This was offset by a delay at the very end of the line due to some train problems. After waiting 10 minutes to get into the aquarium stop, I decided to get off there instead of taking it to the end, in case of further delays.

Iconic

I wandered out into the blazing Monday afternoon sun. I walked over to the Cyclone to get beat up for entertainment's sake, and then stopped at Nathan's to dump some food in my agitated stomach. It is important to get the order on those two things correct. They were setting up everything for the hot dog contest the next day, so a lot of the tables were blocked off. I walked out to the stadium on the boardwalk, passing the newly re-opened Thunderbolt. So soon after lunch, I decided against trying it out. I picked up my ticket at the will call window and then headed back to the aquarium.

Nathon's famous

I really, really, really don't want to be that guy, but I saw them finishing construction on an Applebee’s and Cinnabon on Surf. They tore down the buildings that were there, and they were opening chain store America into Coney Island, a place that corporate America couldn't find on a map for thirty or so years. The old buildings that were torn down for those stores were the abandoned buildings where the homeless used to go to have sex in peace. And I know it seems odd to say it, given a choice between the area having an Applebee’s or a homeless bang shack, I really wish the bang shack would come back. The gentrification cannot be stopped.

Glub

The Brooklyn Aquarium was still undergoing renovations after Hurricane Sandy. There were a limited amount of exhibits open, but since I'm a member, I didn't have to wait or pay to get in. The aquarium was absolutely packed with people huddled around the exhibits that were open, and I spent my time to see what was there and then beat a hasty retreat out to the street. My next stop was the Freak Show, which had partnered up with the Coney Island Museum. Unfortunately, the museum was closed that Monday, which was disappointing. I, however, accepted that fact, as opposed to a yuppie family that came in after me that badgered the people to let them in because they had come really far to see the museum.

Well, if you had come that far, you probably should have checked if it was open on Mondays. Even the freak show had gone upscale. They had their own trust-fund grungy bar now and a gift shop. I bought a trinket or two and grabbed a soda before heading back out into the world.

Over the top

Even the Wonder Wheel park had gotten its act together, with electronic passes to go on the rides, and the amusement park had expanded out into two areas. The Wonder Wheel itself was still there and delightfully unimproved. I also stalked around to find some of the light rifle games that had been there since before I was born and shot up some dark-ride leftovers with beams of justice. The funky old dark ride was still there as well, so even in this wave of gentrification, it is nice to some old school remains.

There was a big art wall exhibit in one of the parking lots where I walked around for a bit before stopping off at a White Castle cart for a slider or two to tide me over until the game. I walked out to the boardwalk again and out to the end of the fishing pier to take some photos. Eventually, it was time for the gates to open, so I walked back out to the park to get in as they did.

Night wind

After the game, I left as the fireworks were still going off. It was an easy enough ride from the F back to Hoboken on the PATH, where I decided to grab a cab back to the apartment in Jersey City, because I had walked quite enough for this particular day.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, MCU Park

The last time I was at MCU Park, it was “Keyspan Park.” I actually had to look up if one didn't become the other, but apparently Keyspan Energy got bought by the British and no longer exists, so MCU bank stepped in to buy the naming rights.

So, it had been a fair bit of time since I came to the park, which is sad, because it is one of the best minor league parks around.

There were a number of changes to the place since I'd last been there. Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, they changed the field to turf, which was awful. Budweiser grabbed the naming right to a rooftop party deck on the top of the luxury suites by home plate. There were new retired numbers along the luxury boxes, and there was a new area in the outfield called "The Backyard," a catered party area that had a view through the new mesh outfield walls. I also got to go into the admin and access area for the suites for the first time, which hosts a large mural of the team as well as the Alumni Wall and Sandlot Baseball Hall of Fame. Also, as with nearly every minor league club these days, they snuck in a MIA seat behind home plate. Otherwise, the park pretty much structurally remains the same, with a little musical chairs on concessions and some cosmetic changes to the team store.

Sandy

The mascot situation remains the same, with Sandy and PeeWee hanging around the park for most of the festivities. Local kids’ entertainer King Henry is still on hand to MC the events, and the stupid cheerleaders are still around, for some god-awful reason. The between-inning activities remain mostly the same, with contests and races of questionable skill. There was a fireworks display after the game, but as per usual, I didn't stick around for it.

There was, as always, a healthy crowd, even with the holiday weekend. Brooklyn baseball fans flew the flag, even if the game didn't reflect their wishes.


At the Game with Oogie:

Rice balls

There's always room for one. I had managed to score a single seat right next to the Cyclones dugout in the middle of the season ticket-holders' seats, with a look straight down into the dugout. So, I had that going for me.

In walking around to see what had changed, I found there was a new rice ball concession open, where you can mix and mix six-packs of egg-holders of rice balls. It was obviously that I got for dinner, such as it was. I did my walking around and my stop at the shop, and I was AIS at about a half-hour before game time.

As I was in the season-ticket area, most of the people around me were regulars who knew each other. There was a clutch of college-aged kids in the area in front of me. One of them was also keeping score, and we helped each other out every now and again on some of the trickier plays. Right next to me in my row were two badda-bings. We talked a little bit, but they kept on doing their Guido thing next to me for most of the game.


The Game:

First pitch, Tigers vs. Cyclones

This early-season (at least for the short-season NY-PENN League) matchup between the Tigers and the Cyclones was a laugher all the way, with the home team's hopes dying with their only lead in the first.

The Tigers began the top of the first with just a single to show for it, but back-to-back walks to start the bottom half of the inning and a short single loaded the bases. The Cyclones would show their relation to the Metropolitans as they only managed to bring in one run in on a sacrifice fly that included a double-play, nevertheless staking themselves to a 1-0 lead. It lasted a half inning. Connecticut started the second with a single and double to make it second and third with no outs. A run scored on a ground out, and a sacrifice fly brought in another, reversing the lead to 2-1 for the visitors. Brooklyn had back-to-back singles in the bottom the inning stranded on the base paths. The Tigers leapt going in the third with a one-out rally of two walks, three singles, and a sacrifice fly to get three more runs across, expanding the lead to 5-1. Brooklyn answered in the bottom of the third with a two-out rally of their own, stringing together a single and four straight walks to force in a run and cut the deficit to 5-2.

Connecticut kept scoring in the fourth with a leadoff walk, stolen base, and single to re-extend the lead to four runs at 6-2. The Cyclones went in order in the bottom of the frame. The Tigers only had a stranded baserunner from an error in the fifth, while Brooklyn countered with its sole walk. The sixth went similarly quickly, with both teams putting up a lone single.

The seventh was more productive for Connecticut, as back-to-back leadoff singles and a double brought in two more runs to make it 8-2, while the Cyclones only had a hit batsman and walk in their half. The Tigers went in order for the first time of the night in the eighth, while Brooklyn made its last real run with a leadoff home run to right, but they stranded one-out doubles and singles to just close it to 8-3. Connecticut put up some more unneeded insurance in the ninth with a leadoff walk, two singles, and a ground-out bringing in two more runs. The Cyclones had two singles and a walk to load the bases with two outs, but a pop out to third ended the game, with the Tigers winning easily, 10-3.


The Scorecard:

Tigers vs. Cyclones, 07/03/17. Tigers win, 10-3.

The scorecard was part of the free mini-tabloid game program. Although the form factor had changed from a full tabloid since the last time I visited, the same flimsy newspaper was used in the program, remaining very fragile and prone to tears. The scorecard itself was smaller than the space on the two-page spread, which made it very cramped to use and hard to record the game legibly.

There was only one play worthy of scoring note. In the bottom of the first, there was an 8-8-5 double play that was also a sacrifice fly. With the bases loaded, and no outs, the batter flew out to center and successfully brought in the run from third, but he also threw out the runner advancing from second to third, completing the 8-8-5 DP.


The Accommodations:
Jersey City, Sweet, Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2017 Stand-Alone Trip

Detroit

On Visiting the Big Cats

Comerica Park, 2015

Friday, September 4, 2015

Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers
Comerica Park
MLB, American League
Detroit, MI
7:05 PM

Outside the Game: 

I had a big drive this day, and then a little one after the game, so I decided to rest up as much as possible. I had yet another lazy morning, grabbed breakfast, and then did my shower/pack/checkout routing before hitting the road back up to Detroit.

Seeing the Tigers again was an optional detour on this route, as long as I didn't get rained out of any of the games. I had a couple of flex days in the schedule just to make the most of it after the trip earlier that summer was so plagued with rain.

I had about three and a half hours ahead of me on the road, so I was off before noon, and the early afternoon brought me to the recovering environs of Detroit. One of the biggest regrets in my previous trips was not seeing the old Tigers Stadium before it was torn down. What's left still exists, so I made it a point to have my first stop be the remains. A small field used for vintage baseball and other amateur pursuits was left on the site of the old field, maintained by the "Navin Field Grounds Crew." Not much of the stadium remains except for a run of the exterior gates down one of the roads, and the flag pole from the old park.

The old diamond remains

Even though it wasn't there anymore, you could still get a sense of the shape of the place by its absence. It was more than a little spooky walking around it, and you really got a sense of how wedged into the city the old park really was. There were some weird reminders of the field not just in the area of the park, but in details such as the "Eat 'Em UP!!!" graffiti still on the walls across one street. It was one of my most rewarding stops on any of those tours, if tinged with great regret about not getting to see the old lady when she was still there.

Ghosts

After that, I drove over to the new park, and the only lots that were open most of the day were the ones furthest away, which were also closest to the interstate, so I was fine with that. I had to work a little to find someone to pay for a ticket that early, but I got parked, and then I went out exploring for the rest of the afternoon.

I spent some time walking around the exterior of the park and taking pictures of the fantastic stadium and making my stop in the team store. I dumped off my purchases back at the car, and then I headed into the downtown area and take my chances.

Detroit has, by no measurement, retained its former glory. But, it certainly has made a tremendous recovery from even where it was ten or twenty years ago. The downtown area seems alive again, and it looks like it is moving in the right direction for the first time in forever. I showed up the weekend of the Detroit Jazz Festival, so there were plenty of pavilions being set up, and there were extra vendors flooding downtown.

I went down to the waterfront to see my favorite statues: the tribute to Union labor that has an unfinished arch at the top, the fisting arm of labor, and the northern terminus of the Underground Railroad statue. The last was always particularly ironic, because it showed people wistfully and hopefully looking to Canada and the city of Windsor across the river, a feeling that anyone that actually had to live in Detroit could certainly sympathize with.

The fisting battering ram

When it was time, I walked back to the park and got on line at one of the side entrances with a small line, where I got into a conversation with one of my line mates about the game and why I was there. The gates opened, and we went out ways.

After the game, I was one with the first wave of people out of the park, and after a longish walk back to my car, I was able to head out. It was just an hour drive after the game to my hotel on the outskirts of Toledo. Being in one of the outer lots, I was able to quickly make my escape to the freeway, and I was at my stop for the night in about exactly the driving time that Google predicted. I made a coherent check-in and then went up to my room to unpack, shower, repack, and get ready for the next day's travels before hitting the hay.

The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, Comerica Park

Comerica Park is one of the only ballparks left in the major leagues that has any whimsy. Sure, there are more historic parks. Sure, there are newer parks with more technology or “wow” factor, but Comerica might be the only that has a real sense of design and theme. That theme, of course, is “tigers,” and it is embraced on every level of the stadium. The location in the slowly revitalizing downtown is nearly next-door to the home of the Lions at Ford Field across the street.

The exteriors of modern ballparks have evolved to be extravaganzas, but Comerica really is at the top of the class. Tigers, baseballs, and sometimes, tigers with baseballs are to be found all over the exterior of the park. Entrances dot the periphery of the park, but the main one at home plate has two white tiger statues patrolling above a balustrade of bats, and the epic first-base entrance has four of the white tigers arrayed around tiger columns and photographs of heroes and announcers past. Other white tiger busts (with balls mounted in the mouths) line other of the brick-exterior building, and two full-color tigers prowl the main scoreboard at the third-base entrance. Plaques outside the park honor Ty Cobb, Turkey Stearnes, the stadium dedication, and the College of Law building that previously stood at this downtown locale.

Club entrances provide VIP entre to the Tiger Den and the Tiger Club. The extensive team store is also accessible from the outside early before game days, containing a display showing the evolution of the Old English D throughout the years. Long rows of ticket booths string out from the main entrances, and the Beer Hall Bar sits at the far corner of the exterior of the park.

All the entrances open up on a main promenade that runs around the entire park. All the seating areas run down from this promenade, and they are further separated into two sections by a walkway that runs the length of the grandstand. The VIP box seats close to the field are below this walkway, and the less prestigious seats are (mostly) in the upper area, though there are some premium seating areas in that section by the dugouts and behind home plate. The seats run all the way around to center field, where a large batter's eye complex topped by Chevy cars sits. An additional, full-sized upper deck runs the length of the seating area, though the section in right field is separated from the main grandstand, and ramps from the upper promenade lead out to a walkway above the upper deck box seats and below the regular seating above. As with all modern parks, in between the two is a mostly double-decker row of luxury suites and party rooms, as well as the press box.

The park looks out onto the downtown Detroit buildings from about left-center to the right field corner (obscured by the batters' eye in dead center), while the monolithic video scoreboard dominates the entire left-field corner, topped with two colorful tigers that light up in the night. Also visible in left-center is the statue walk, with the names and (where applicable) numbers of the players enshrined in the nicest baseball statuary wall this side of Pittsburgh.

The main promenade holds most of the concessions, along with an endless array of Tigers history, including stands for each decade, pennants from the ceiling, the aforementioned statues, giant player bobbleheads, the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame, a roped-off statue to late broadcaster, Ernie Harwell. There are two, large, special areas on the ground level, including a food court area with the merry-go-round in the center, and a picnic area with concessions, a baseball Ferris Wheel, and baseball-themed topiary. The upper deck isn't neglected, either, with special area such as Bar 416 and The Jungle.

Another noteworthy item was a concession on the lower promenade that let you get buy a 3D printing of yourself as an action figure in Tigers gear. I knew that technology had advanced, but I didn't know that it was this ready for commercial prime time. A combination of a steep price tag and my unwillingness to be immortalized in Tiger gear prevented me from partaking, but who knows what happens if this shows up at Not Shea.

Paws sees you, mortal.

Beloved mascot Paws arrives before the start of the game to glad handle with fans young and old alike. After spending so long in minor-league parks, you realize that the major-league between-inning events aren’t that much better quality, they are just on a bigger scale, and with much bigger budgets. It is still a race around the outfield, but the participants are in professionally made car outfits and projected on an obscenely large jumbotron. It was also a "cheer night" at the park, so before and during the innings breaks during the game, there were several cheerleading exhibitions, which were okay, I guess.

Even though it was a largely meaningless late-season game with a jazz festival competing for eyeballs, the park was more than 50% filled, and they were very much there for the game, even though Cleveland very much beat up on the home-town kitties this game, the crowd stayed until the bitter end.

At the Game with Oogie: 

Brat and Gatorade

I got in as soon as the gates opened, and I made the most of my time, sprinting through the park to take all sorts of pictures in all sorts of places. And I needed all the time to hit every last nook and cranny I could in the place, which had some many details crammed into so many places.

I eventually settled on a super brat and a Gatorade topped off with a corn dog as my dinner for the evening before heading down to my seat in the "Tiger seats" on the third-base line. These were covered seats up from the seating walkway with solid wooden chairs that each came with their own little table (where I kept my scorecard) and table service (which I didn't take advantage of).

There was no one else in my section of seats, but I did manage to have an embarrassing interaction with a couple in the section one over from me, as I had read the ticket wrong and were in their seats, but I was convinced I was in the right place until they patiently explained my error, and I sheepishly went one section to the left for the remainder of the game.

The Game: 

First pitch, Tigers vs. Indians

This meaningless late-season contest between the bottom of the barrel Tigers and the hanging around .500 Indians didn't mean much in the standings, and Cleveland’s walk-over was done pretty early.

Cleveland started, however, by going in order in the first, while the Tigers just had a leadoff single to show for their part of the inning. A double-play helped the Indians go in order again in the second, and they were joined by Detroit. Something finally got started in the top of the third, as Cleveland had a leadoff walk followed by a homer to left to stake them to a 2-0 lead (all they would need as it turns out), while Detroit again went in order.

The Indians went in order in the top of the fourth, while the Tigers had a walk to show for the bottom of the frame. The fifth was the scoring inning for Cleveland, starting with a leadoff homer to center. A single, two doubles, a hit batsman, and two walks (one intentional) lead to them batting around for four runs, leaving them with a 6-0 lead, while the Tigers went in order. The Indians went in order in the sixth, while Detroit finally got on the board with a leadoff double brought in with a fly out to deep left and a two-out single to left to close it to 6-1.

Cleveland got the run back and more in the top of the seventh with a two-run half on the back of a walk, a single, and a double, to extend the lead to 8-1. The Tigers went in order. Both sides went in line in the eighth, and the Indians went in order thanks to another double play in the top of the ninth. The Tigers largely laid down for their last licks, getting only a two-out single to seal up Cleveland's 8-1 win.

The Scorecard: 

Indians vs. Tigers, 09/04/15. Cleveland wins, 8-1.

The scorecard was a separate $1 item from the program. It was a four-page center fold on good cardstock, with the scorecard taking up the entirety of the left side of the centerfold, with the right side dedicated almost exclusively to showing how to score. The complete lineups for both teams were printed under each team, and the opposing pitchers' limes went with the opposing team. There wasn't a ton of place for replacements, but that is less of an issue in the AL, and the entire card was on a white background with plain scoring boxes for good readability.

There weren't many plays of scoring note during this game. In the bottom of the seventh, there was a ground-out into the regrettable resurgence of the overshift, which I recorded 4o-3. Outside of that, it was all pretty pedestrian.

The Accommodations: 

La Quinta Inn

My hotel for this night was the La Quinta Inn just outside of Toledo. It was just on the edge of fancy-ish, but once again, if it is clean, quiet, and I can get a night’s sleep, I don’t care too much.

The bathroom was right at the entrance to my room, with the vanity and sink on the left of the entrance and the shower and toilet to the right. The bedroom was nice enough with a king-sized bed (with only three pillows) with an end table and lounge chair on one side of the room and a desk, low dresser with TV, and refrigerator and microwave on the other.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2015 Ohio

Lakeland

On Tigers and Tummy Rubs

Joker Marchant Stadium, 2015

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Detroit Tigers
Grapefruit League (Spring Training)
Joker Marchant Stadium
Lakeland, FL
1:05 PM

Outside the Game: 

I awoke to find myself not the only person on two legs in the house this morning. The youngest child had fallen ill, so both father and son were at home as I dragged myself downstairs. After five minutes of re-establishing myself in the canine pack with scratches and pets, I was off to the game an hour hence.

I stopped along the way for breakfast and then went to the park, which was heavily entrenched in a residential area. I parked in an extensive tarmac next to the park (the entire parcel of land used to be a flight training school) and got out to do my business before going inside.

Fleeing the blazing eye

On the way out, not fully baked to a crisp thanks to the merciful shade, I worked my way through the congestion and out to the highway for an uneventful drive back to my friends' house.

I again arrived just before dinner, and I again grabbed a quick shower before the eating festivities. We watched some TV, but after the kids went to bed, I found myself on the stairs with Josie, the 15-year old Beagle doll, with the task of giving her scritchies for the rest of the evening. She would eventually roll over and lie down on my leg and arm to the point that I couldn't leave if I wanted to. Eventually, she started to make what I thought was an angry noise, but I was informed was actually her happy noise. So, I like to think that I got out of a little bit of Purgatory time by making an old dog happy for an evening.

Exhausted from my efforts, everyone turned in around 10:30 PM, and I, at least, slept like a log.

The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Joker Marchant Stadium

While your first guess might be "Batman Villain Store" after a quick look at the name for Joker Marchant Stadium, it is in fact named for local luminary Marcus "Joker" Marchant. "Tigertown" had its origins as a World War II army air corps training facility, and plaques around the stadium grounds talk about the war usage of the repurposed buildings still standing. A number of these old hangars and officer quarters are now (baseball) training facilities and clubhouses.

The ballpark itself is done up in the Spanish colonial style that is so prevalent in Florida. Palm trees stand guard in front of arched gallerias that house the ticket booths, entrances, and stores accessible from the outside of the park. The practice fields for the teams, named for Tigers' luminaries, are in the back of the compound, just beyond right field.

The left field entrance opens early on game days for those with special tickets, which just provides access to the left field picnic hill so you can watch batting practice. There's also a small selection of concessions opened in the area before the closed gate to the rest of the park.

Joker Marchant follows a standard minor-league stadium arrangement, with all of the entrances opening out onto a large outside promenade that circles the park and the grandstand, while a smaller walkway in the seating area splits the lower from upper seating sections and connects up with the promenade at the end of the grandstand and through ramps at regular intervals that extend up into the seating bowl. Behind first base is a large colonnaded plaza with a big grouping of carts, stores, and services.

The main grandstand runs about from dugout to dugout behind home plate. A lower level of box seats is right by the field, and the upper level is regular stadium seating, broken up by stairwells. The top of the grandstand has some cover from a small overhang, and the top of the seating bowl holds some luxury boxes, the Flying Tigers Club, and the press box. There are bleachers down the left field line ending in the picnic hill in left-center, and the Tigers Spring Training and minor-league offices sit down the right field line, above a VIP seating area on the outfield wall. The digital scoreboard sits in right center, above the single-level outfield wall covered in local ads. Palm trees and blue sky are all you can see past the center field wall. A number of memorial and dedication plaques are in the right field plaza area.

The game was nearly full and the crowd was into it more than just the autographs that they swarmed to get before and after the game. Paws sadly doesn't make the trip south (probably to avoid heat stroke in the furry costume), so the humans run the limited between-inning activities, which are the standard minor-league contest, races, and other games.

At the Game with Oogie:

Hot dog and souvenir soda

It was another super-hot one this Thursday afternoon, and luck was finally with me as far as seating went. Either by accident, intuition, or otherwise mistake--I honestly don't remember at this point)--I picked a seat right behind home plate, and as such, I was under cover and in the shade, if unavoidably behind the foul ball netting. It was a small price to pay that day for a bit of respite from the sun.

I started early, since I got a batting practice ticket and was out in the early-admission left-field picnic hill area long before the game to watch some BP. This let me use the facilities and starting to down an outrageous amount of fluids to keep me hydrated. After watching batting practice for a while, I stayed in whatever shade I could find until the rest of the park opened up, and then I was out and about and taking pictures.

Pre-game BP

Somewhere during my endeavors, one of the staff asked why I was taking so many pictures, and I told him about my trips and that I might be doing a review of the stadium, which he seemed to take with great gravity.

With all the heat, I only grabbed a hot dog with a souvenir soda for lunch, although I loaded up on many more beverages for the duration of the game, because even in the shade, Florida was starting to get to me.

My seat was up the grandstand behind home plate and offered a very nice, if netted, view of the stadium. I parked in my seat relatively early and closed my eyes for a bit before the start of the game. The stadium was quite crowded, but there was no one directly around me (probably season ticket holders who don't come to every game) except for a gaggle of college-aged bros two rows ahead of me.

The Game:

First pitch, Phillies vs. Tigers

This meaningless Spring Training game had the Philadelphia Phillies facing the Detroit Tigers. Nearly all the scoring was packed into two efficient innings, which was of little comfort to the home kitties, who lost out in the end.

The Phillies went in order in the top of the first despite a one-out double, thanks to a failed steal attempt of third. Detroit, however, jumped out to an early lead thanks to a two-out homer to center. They threatened more with a single and a two-base error by the left fielder, but they were stranded by a final fly out to the same left fielder. Philadelphia went in order in the second, while the Tigers grabbed another run on two singles and a sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 2-0. The Phillies went in order again it the third, while Detroit managed just a walk in the bottom frame.

Both sides went in order in the fourth. Philadelphia decided to get all their scoring done in one inning, as they piled on six runs in a bat-around fifth thanks to three singles, a triple, a single, a walk, an error by the first baseman, and one other single, grabbing a 6-2 lead. The Tigers just had a two-out double in the bottom of the fifth, and the Phillies did exactly the same in the top of the sixth. Detroit went in order in that half inning.

In the top of the seventh, Philadelphia scattered an error and a walk, while the Tigers settled down into a scoring frame. After a leadoff single, two fielders’ choices grabbed two quick outs, but two walks and three singles quickly led to three runs, closing the gap to 6-5. The Phillies went in order in the eighth, while Detroit scattered two singles. Philadelphia again went in order in the ninth, while the Tigers started off their last licks with a single, then grounded into a double play, hit another single, and grounded out to second to secure the Phillie's useless 6-5 victory.

The Scorecard:

Phillies vs. Tigers, 03/12/15. Phillies "win," 6-5.

The scorecard was the centerfold of the $5, full-color, magazine program. The scorecard took up the entire spread, with about 75% of the space used for the scorecard and the remaining space for strip ads. The semi-gloss magazine paper made it hard to write in pencil, and the red colored pencil was almost transparent. There was undesignated space for each batting line to have a replacement (that I had to draw out), and each batting line ended in summary stats, and each innings column ended with summary date. The scoring squares were white, but small and a little cramped. Pitching lines were under the batting lines, and full-team summaries were to the right of the pitching lines for both teams.

There were a couple of oddball plays in this one. In the top of the first, a one-out double was caught stealing 1-6 when the runner was caught daydreaming off second. There was a weird two-base error in the bottom of the first, as the left fielder mangled the ball over the wall on a bounce, leading to an E7 ground rule double.

The ceremonial changing of the guard happened between the fifth and the seventh for the Phillies and nearly all in the transition to the seventh for the Tigers, except for swapping out the DH in the second. All players except the Phillies' DH were rotated out at some point. The Tigers used eight pitchers, at the rate of nearly one and inning, with only started Verlander going more than one.

The Accommodations: 

I was in the guest room for one more glorious evening. It was easy to get used to essentially a really nice AirBnB that I didn't have to pay for.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2015 Grapefruit League