Nick's Baseball Tour

I am obviously a huge fan of what I consider the greatest game ever invented, baseball. I have been to many ballparks in this here country of ours some of which are no longer standing. There are still a ton more that I have yet to hit but at some point I want to scratch them all off my list. (Want further proof baseball is still America’s game, when was the last time you heard of someone taking a family vacation to go see a football stadium? Yet, thousands of families each year make treks around the country to come visit different ballparks every summer.) At every park I go to I have to sample a hot dog and as a souvenir I get an ice cream in a mini helmet. Here is my brief synopsis of each one I have been to.

Shea Stadium, New York – A compete pit. No character what so ever. It did have a nice view of a construction crane beyond centerfield. When I asked a Met fan what they were building he said, nothing that crane has been there forever. Brutal hot dogs as well. Only saving grace was that it was easy to get to from public transit. It will not be missed.

National’s Park, Washington D.C – A new park that has no identity. It was nice but a tad sterile for me. Sight lines were good, and can’t say it was a bad place to see a game, just nothing about it stands out. Hot Dogs were bad, (I hate when the buns are not warmed) and everyone was putting ketchup on them. As is everything in DC, public transit takes you right to the park so that was a plus.

Wrigley Field, Chicago – A Mecca. Am I biased, you bet your ass. But, that doesn’t mean I am wrong. It is the only ballpark that is part of a neighborhood. There are no sterile parking lots surrounding it. Once inside the walls ooze history. No, electronic scoreboards, no fan o meter, no kiss cam. It is baseball in its 2010 purest form. If you can’t appreciate Wrigley then you just aren’t a fan of the sport. Yes, the food selections are weak but they are getting better and the hot dogs are pretty good.

Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati – Built in the cookie cutter fashion as many artificial multi-purpose parks of the late 60’s and early 70’s Riverfront had nothing good to offer a baseball fan. There were seats that reached half way to heaven and caused instant vertigo trying to get to them. It had fake grass, and was more like a mall then a ballpark. Needless to say I was not a fan.

The Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati – A huge upgrade. Very cozy feel and from what I can tell not a bad seat in the house. Parking situation is tad on the difficult side. Park itself inside is very nice and has some character. Food did disappoint however. Hot dog was just average even when topped with the ‘Nati chili. Also, only sold nachos at one stand and mostly Budweiser but still like I said a major upgrade over Riverfront.

County Stadium, Milwaukee – Another park that is best forgotten. It was a dreary, dreary place to watch a game. It was cold inside and out. A field that was unattractive and seemed more built for football then baseball. Food was always good though, I must say.

Miller Park, Milwaukee – One of my favorites. Other than having to deal with Brewer fans it is a great park. Easy to get in and out of, and tailgating before and after. I have been there when the roof is open and closed and either way the park is simply wonderful. Great and I mean great food. Get a bratwurst at the stand in the parking lot if you don’t grill before the game. Good seats no matter where I have sat. Of the new stadiums I have been to this ranks right at the top of the list.

Three Rivers, Pittsburgh – Another in the same mold as Riverfront. Huge park that was better suited to football then baseball. Astroturf and it had no personality. I went there as a kid and I remember having to walk over this unlighted bridge with a Guardian Angel standing there to act as security. It won’t be missed.

PNC Ballpark, Pittsburgh – A true undiscovered gem. It is probably my favorite park that I have been to of the new models. First, great view of downtown and the river from your seats. They close downtown traffic to cars and we walked over one of the bridges to get there, which was pretty cool. Also, the food is exceptional. Manny’s Pit in center field is a must stop as he serves up some tasty barbeque. Also grabbed a dog and it was good, plus Iron City beer. Really, cannot stress how nice this park is.

Busch Stadium, St. Louis – I went to the old one when it still had artificial turf. And first off the main thing I remember about it was that it was so freaking hot. It was August, and St. Louis is a miserable enough town when it isn’t the dead of summer, but add a 95 degree day plus humidity and it is unbearable. Park itself was very generic. I have heard the new one is a huge upgrade and it is on my list, but if you never got to the old Busch you missed nothing.

Chase Field, Arizona – I was pleasantly surprised. Seats are very close to the field. It has wide walkways and many choices of food. I grabbed a D-Back dog and it was pretty good. I also chowed down on homemade tamale that a lady was selling on the concourse and it was killer. Cheap prices and cheap beer as well. For an indoor stadium really, this is about as good as it gets.

AT&T Park, San Francisco – In a word beautiful. I would actually suggest sitting in the upper deck, that way you get a great view of the bay as well. There is a great atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium. Joyce actually had sushi inside the park. Hot dog was just average, but the garlic fries are killer. A great place to sit and watch a baseball game.

Yankee Stadium, New York – Went to the old park a couple of years before they built that new monstrosity. First off, it is located in a sketchy part of town. Second, like most things in New York the prices are a complete rip job. Once inside the place was just depressing. I thought I would feel the baseball nostalgia wash over me, but it didn’t happen. Hot Dog I had was cold. Fans are simply brutal, some of the worst I have ever encountered. At least public transit was nearby, that is the only positive I can say about the park.

Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay – This place has no business having baseball played inside of it. First off, it is a huge eyesore when you approach it. It is like this giant spaceship has landed at like a bad angle and crashed into the stadium. They do allow tailgating in the parking lot so, that is cool. Once inside the place has the feel of a hockey arena, not a ballpark. Hot dog was mediocre at best. Also tried these fries everyone was raving about and thought they were ok. Seats were cheap, but you are miles away from the play on the field. This team really needs a new home.

Comiskey Park, Chicago – The old park was kind of worn down. But, it did have a certain charm to it. It took a lot of hit points over the years and maybe it is because I am from Chicago but, I always liked to watch games there. The upper deck was not great, but the bleachers and the lower desk were fine. Yes, it was in disrepair but I was still sad to see it go.

US Cellular Field, Chicago – You know what, it is not that bad. Sure, it lacks a certain charm and there is nothing about it visually that stands out . But to me its biggest problem is that it is in the same city as Wrigley. If you were to judge it by itself, it really is a great place to watch a game. It has great sight lines in the lower deck. Yes the upper deck is a bit steep, but not as bad as people make it out to be. The food there is some of the best in baseball. Hot Dogs are an obvious, but get a sausage sandwich in centerfield. It is really good as is the corn beef you can get and the corn, which is downright killer. If it weren’t for all the Cub bashing that goes on there I would go to more games.

Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland – I am here to tell you the legends were true. This place was as bad as it was advertised. We had box seats and got nose bleeds we were so far up. My front lawn was better manicured then the infield. The guy selling us a hot dog was clipping his nails as we approached him. There was and I am not kidding , grizzle in the hot dog. You walked in and you were instantly depressed. It was just way too big to host baseball games.

Progressive Field, Cleveland – They really did this park right. Again, the upper deck is steep so try to sit in either the bleachers or the lower sections. Food was actually surprisingly good. Very easy to get to and they put it in a good location near downtown. It is much smaller than the mistake by the lake and much more suited to baseball.

Metrodome, Minnesota – Just a brutal place to try and watch a baseball game. Thank god, the Twins have a new home. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to put a glad bag in right field should be taken out and shot. I had seats right along the right field line and felt like I was miles away. Hot dog bun had sesame seeds, which I usually dig, but just didn’t work on the un-flavored dog I had. I did take the public transit to the park and that worked out great. From what I hear Target Field is wonderful so, next time I am out there for work, I am going to do everything in my power to get to a game.

Shuffle Up

It has been almost a year since I rattled off the first 25 songs on my IPod shuffle and posted them on this infrequently updated blog of mine. So, here goes.

1. Spanish Bombs, The Clash – What a great start. My ex-coworker Matt who was in a band claimed this was his favorite song to play live. I get that. I have long stated my forever love to the Clash and London Calling in particular.

2. Santa Monica, Everclear – I can’t decide if it is acceptable to like Everclear. But, I have to admit I dug this record and their 1997 release So Much for the Afterglow. From that point on I like most people kind of tuned out. Still, for a couple of years there, I thought they were all right.

3. Car Chase City, Tenacious D – Well I am an unabashed member of the D Army. I have been for years and will continue to be. Car Chase City is off the soundtrack to the D film The Pick of Destiny. Not my favorite track by the boys but, even while not at their best the D still rocks.

4. Miss You, The Rolling Stones – Some Girls in my opinion is the last good Stones effort. I know a lot of people will argue with me on that, but it is my opinion. Miss You while not the Stones greatest work is still catchy and different sounding enough that I don’t mind it. But this is literally the song that borders on when the Stones jumped.

5. And Through the Wire, Peter Gabriel – The musical genius that is Peter Gabriel released his greatest album in 1980 in what is known as the Melt record. Without a doubt this is in my top 10 LP’s of all time. There was a time in late 80’s where I just overdosed on Gabriel, and I am a better man for it.

6. Let’s Live for Today, The Grassroots – In some ways, 1960’s protest rock is some of the best music ever recorded. The Grassroots (with Creed from the Office on guitar) was a band that had a couple of big hits in the 60’s this being one of them.

7. Piazza, New York Catcher, Belle and Sebastian – This song is essentially about the rumor that Mike Piazza was gay. It appears on the Juno soundtrack and I dig it. Go ahead and make fun of me if you like, there are worse things out there.

8. Layla, Derek and The Dominos – Is that Freedom Rock? Well turn it up! Volumes have been written about this ode to George Harrison’s wife who Clapton was in love with and eventually married. However, now when I hear it I can’t help but think back to the scene in Goodfellas where Scorsese uses it perfectly.

9. This is a Call, The Foo Fighters – I used to get in more arguments about the Foo Fighters again with my coworker Matt. He just simply could not stand them while I was and am still a fan. I am a much bigger Nirvana guy but, I think Grohl picked up the pieces and broke out on his own and formed a pretty kick ass band in his own right.

10. Abacab, Genesis – I will always from this point forward when I hear this song get instantly reminded of CD’s Nuts version of this one and my buddy Don just knocking it out of the park on vocals. I am sure I was like the only person at the shows that dug it to the level I did, but I always looked forward to it.

11. Black is Black, Los Bravos – This is one of my all time favorite one hit wonders. I could not find it on ITunes so, I had to get it off the Bobby soundtrack. A rocking tune with a Spanish flair to it that all works together.

12. I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better, The Byrds – I don’t think I want to know the person who doesn’t like the Byrds. I would not consider them the greatest band in rock history or anything like that, but for what they were, they were excellent. Great vocals and arrangements that morphed into some of the prettiest music to come out of the 60’s.

13. Hey, Hey My My, Neil Young – This is one is for my wife who as much as I have tried just can’t stand Neil. I’m sorry you have to try to not like this song. This was grunge before there was a name for it. Still don’t know what to make of the Johnny Rotten reference and I once read an interview with Rotten and he himself is not sure.

14. I Got my Mojo Working, Howard and the White Boys – The live version they used to do of this was always at the end of their set and if you were lucky enough to have seen it, you know just how much fun it was. Sadly with Dan no longer in the band there is no more harmonica so this is gone from their playlist. Still, some of the greatest memories I have of my 20’s was dancing and having a great time listening to the Boys.

15. Zoot Suit Riot, Cherry Poppin Daddies – In the late 90’s swing music made a brief resurgence. I like many others kind of get swept up in it. Joyce and I even took dancing lessons as it was one genre we agreed on. Hey, it is a fun song that is about as deep as a puddle but so what.

16. Who were you Thinking of, The Texas Tornados – I got exposed to the greatness of this song from the movie Extract. That made me do some research on the Texas Tornados and you know what I kind of like them. They mix traditional Latin music with country and it works.

17. Auf Achse, Franz Ferdinand – From the first time I heard this album, I was hooked. This was the freshest music I had heard in years. Finally at long last here was something new that wasn’t just recycled teen aged angst or some speed metal that had no heart. Here was a record that upon hearing it puts an instant smile on my face. It has been six years and it gets better every time I hear it.

18. Manish Boy, Muddy Waters – A delta blues classic from Muddy Waters one of the true greats of the genre. It has been used numerous times in films most notably in my mind at least in Risky Business.

19. Lowdown, Boz Scaggs – Another record I simply love. I can’t hear this without thinking back to being a passenger in the back seat of my Mom’s red ‘78 Camaro and her blasting it on her 8-track. Silk Degrees is still one of my all time favorites. Just glad the Barbara Streisand thing didn’t take hold.

20. Something So Strong, Crowded House – Shit. Well, let me try to defend this. Okay I really can’t. Why do I like Crowded House? I don’t have a good answer. All I can simply say is for some reason when I hear this or Take the Weather with You I can’t help but tap a toe to it. I don’t have any explanation and I know it is really not that great but, I can’t help it. Nuke me I deserve it.

21. Don’t Leave Me this Way, Thelma Houston – This one is left over from when Joyce and I used to share the IPod. I remember going to the library with her and she checks out a 2 disc Best of Disco CD. I knew I was in trouble and I have been searching to remove tunes like this ever since.

22. Thank You, Dido – Another one I may take crap for, but this one I will defend. This girl can flat out sing. I admit it may not be everyone’s cup of tea and normally it would not be mine. But, I can recognize talent when I hear it, and this girl while never really doing much other then this song, has it.

23. Walk of Life, Dire Straits – If you lived in the suburbs and were in high school in the 80’s they issued you a copy of Brothers in Arms at your freshman orientation. I was so sick of this record that I don’t think I listened to it once during the entire 1990’s. The one day I heard Walk of Life and remembered that ya, it was over played but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good.

24. Town without Pity, Brian Setzer Orchestra– Setzer arranges this Gene Pitney classic and makes kind of lame song really, really good. I could listen to that band of his play almost anything. He found his niche and found a second musical life which is very rare, but in this case deserved.

25. Right Here Right Now, Jesus Jones – Certain songs remind of you of certain times in your life. I hear this and I am instantly back working at Kmart going to Moraine and dating Jenny. This song was huge when it came out but Jesus Jones never really backed it up. Still, this is a catchy enough ditty.