Hot Dogs I started July’s five-ballpark trip around the Midwest with two games at Minneapolis’ Target Field. From there, I continued to Chicago for three games at Wrigley Field, a quick trip to Milwaukee’s Miller Park and then back to Chicago to see Guaranteed Rate Field. My rank for Target Field is slightly above average. I like its downtown location, not to mention the view of downtown from the seats. Additionally, the use of limestone throughout the park and exterior was a great touch. "You're Going to Make it After All" Readers know that I appreciate a ballpark’s intimacy, its focus on the home team’s history, it’s food (especially hot dogs) and beer selection. Other than a relatively weak craft beer selection, Target Field is as good as any of the stadiums I’ve been to. It also has impressive statues all over the place. There is a pub called “2 Gingers” on the second level right behind home plate. Little did I know when I bought my tickets that I was in the sections right in front of the pub. I could walk through the pub to get to my seat! How cool is that? Not that I did too much drinking, just a beer or two, but it’s nice to know that a bar is near if you need it. Fortunately, I stayed in a hotel downtown, so I had the opportunity for nice walks past the Mary Tyler Moore statue and a beautiful mural of Minnesota’s Bob Dylan - a personal favorite. "Don't follow leaders and watch the parking meters" B. Dylan Finally, the Mets were in town, and they were starting their post-all-star game hot streak. They won both games - Alonso hit 474-foot bomb and life was good! July 16: Mets - 3, Twins - 2 July 17: Mets -14, Twins - 4 Around The Park Excellent views of downtown, a plethora of representations of "Bullseye" the Target Dog, fun Minnesota humor and the Metro is right outside. What more do I need? Panorama View From my Seat on the Second Level - 2 Gingers is Right Behind Me Bullseye is Watching.....Even at Night Bullseye Statue.......and Many Others Best T-Shirt Ever!Metro is Right Outside Outside and along one side of the stadium is a timeline of great moments in Twins' history. However, on the other side of the ball park is the real find. There are three cut stone murals by an artist named Craig David. One is "Sustainability Reborn," "A History of Minnesota Baseball," and "Transit Then and Now." A very nice touch. "Sustainability Reborn" by Craig David"A History of Minnesota Baseball"Twins Timeline I score every game. During one of the games, I noticed that one of the Facebook groups I belong to was discussing scoring, I added this photo of my scorecard. I'm a tad compulsive and, among other things, I count and record the sequence of pitches. My scorecard photo resulted in some admiring comments. Honoring Former Players Twins Statuary Statues and pictures…

In my last post, I belabored the “why the new Yankee Stadium should never have been built” point of view. Now that I have that out of my system, I will describe what a visit to Yankee Stadium is like. "Savages In The Box" That Don't Like Boston I've always wanted to see a series between the historic rivals, the Red Sox and Yankees and this was my chance. I also saw the teams play two games in London. As it turned out, the Yankees won all five games, in the two series. It's not my fault, better luck next year to the Red Sox. Yankee Fans Although I was born in the Bronx, I'm congenitally not a Yankees fan. It's in my DNA. I don't have the 'Yankee fan' gene. As I have written, the condition wasn't apparent when I was born. My non-Yankee predilection started to present itself when I was around eight or so. By my early teens, it was clear that I did not have any sort of capacity to appreciate the Yankees. The Fans Since I understand that I have this congenital aversion to all things Yankee, I am being cautious not to be too critical of the Yankee fan experience. I could be missing something that only they can see. I will say that while growing up in New York, "the center of the universe," I noticed that my friends and neighbors had this attitude that they were "in the know.' They always knew the right places to go, the right restaurants to eat at, and the most up and coming books to read, etc. However, my experience was that except for being in the place that everyone else was, or where everyone wanted to be the experience wasn't all it was supposed to be. Craziness Outside The Stadium Yankee fans seem to be similar. Yankee Stadium is the place to be, the place to see and be seen. The fans have a transactional relationship with the team. Brian Cashman (the general manager/President?) gets them a new free agent player or two, always "the shiniest toys” available and they are happy to believe they are part of this winning tradition. However, the days of winning frequent championships are long gone. Yet, Yankee fans walk around the Stadium with what seems to be a sense of entitlement. But as I said, I’ll try and be objective. Getting to Yankee Stadium Much of my baseball travels have included a hotel within walking distance to the ballpark. I like to be about a mile away from the stadium. So, I can't compare all stadiums in regards to the ease of using mass transit to get to them. What I can say is that Yankee Stadium is one of the easier ones to get to. From The #4 Line Station Of the ones I've attended: Target Field in Minneapolis seems uncomplicated, the train stops right out front. However, I haven't tried it.Nationals Park in DC is very easy…

Mrs. Nomad and I made the Subway Series at Citi the last stop on my Midwest Odyssey. The two-week-long odyssey took me through St. Louis, Kansas City, Field of Dreams, the College World Series, and the London Series. Now I was back in the States at Citi Field - a place I refer to as "Fred Wilpon's Brooklyn Dodgers Obsession" - with Mrs. Nomad. From the 7- Line heading out to Citi It's become an annual Nomad family tradition to go to Citi Field. We're Mets fans and its a great place to see a game or two. I rank it high on my list of best ballparks. Citi may also be the best ballpark for food in the major leagues. Unfortunately, as much as I love the place and the team, this may be my last visit to Citi for what could be a very long time. As I will explain in my next post, I'm saying Farewell to Citi. Mets Fan For Life I've been a Mets fan most of my life. As I recount in my "Why Collect Ballparks," I've been intrigued with this beguiling team since my father took me to Shea Stadium for the first time in 1965. My family had moved to St. Petersburg, Florida and the Mets opened a training complex across from my school, Azalea Junior High. I remember riding my bicycle to watch them play the newly minted Montreal Expos in 1969. Later that year, I was in Mr. Wilson's Earth Science class when the Principal announced that this team of assumed misfits had won the World Series. A few years later, we moved back to New York City and I started following my cousin and sister to Shea Stadium and the rest is Nomad history - check out the post, you'll enjoy it. Merchandise....7 Line Army and Alonso t-shirts The point is I love my Metsies. Through thick and thin I start the season with high, usually, delusional hopes and then by July I understand the epic tragedy that reality presents. The Mets usually aren't that good. But I digress, I liked going to Shea Stadium and love Citi Field. Fred Wilpon's Brooklyn Dodger Obsession Fred Wilpon is obsessed with the Brooklyn Dodgers of his youth. He was born in Brooklyn and went to high school with Sandy Koufax. His fondest memory is likely his beloved Dodgers finally winning the World Series in 1955 when he was 18. Wilpon went to Lafayette High School with Sandy Koufax and they remain good friends. Interestingly, they both played on the school's baseball team. I've read that Wilpon was the pitcher and Koufax played first base. If true, I consider it an eery preview of Wilpon's way of getting most things related to baseball backward. Of course, Koufax would become a hall of fame pitcher. Wilpon became a notoriously bad team owner. Citi Field is supposed to honor both of the Met's National League predecessors, the Giants, and Dodgers. However, while it has…

Day Two on the "Midsummer Odyssey." The day I pondered my existence and walked the tightrope between sanity and insanity. No, stop! It wasn't that bad. We had a difficult time seeing the Kansas City Royals and Museums but maintained our sensibilities and made it to the next day. Friday Night - Look at The Tickets! Somewhere between the raindrops, standing ovations, beer, and tornado warnings, Nomad, the Younger decided to check the next day's schedule. "So the game starts at 1:10 tomorrow?" "Nah," I respond, "they play tomorrow night." Sweetly, yet forcefully persistent, Nomad the Younger explains that if they are playing on Saturday night, someone should tell the Royals. "The Royals are playing at 1:10." Yes, an unforced error by the Nomad. The Kauffmans Here's the problem. The plan was to go to the Negro League Museum and the game, and we don't have any extra time. Thus, we need to squeeze both into Saturday so that we can see the Field of Dreams movie site on Sunday. We can't delay because I need to get to the College World Series on Monday. Not to mention the younger Nomad has a plane to catch. OK, no problem. It's a three and a half-hour drive to Kansas City, give or take. We'll leave at 6:30 and be in Kansas City by 10:30, see the museum and make it to the game by 1:00. Who cares if we are a little late? Saturday Morning - The Drive From Hell Another inaccurate, overstatement. Hell is probably worse, and I've never heard about rain in Hell. The stories I hear refer to fire and heat, not SUVs and pouring rain. As we leave, it starts to rain. Then it starts to rain harder. For a while, the rain stops, and we begin to make good time. As we talk, the sky starts to darken into an eerie purple. The sky continues to darken, then darken some more. Soon it was the color of eggplant or the center of a nasty bruise. The purple sky correlates with the wind blowing wildly. I grip the wheel while we look for tornados, houses blowing over, or a woman on a bicycle flying through the sky. Then the heavens open and sheets of rain pour down. This is the type of storm that windshield wipers won't solve. The wipers simply push water back and forth, the water coming down too fast to actually keep the windshield clear. Inside Kauffman Stadium We crawl along - following other slow-moving vehicles. We're creeping our way through a creepy, artificial night caused by clouds, wind a rain. Finally, I can't take it anymore, and we take the next exit looking for shelter. The hoped-for shelter is "Ozarkland." Roadside America describes Ozarkland as "a gift shop/tourist trap." The description is a tad harsh. There are cute knickknacks, what looks like fantastic fudge and the bathrooms are clean. Most of all, the patient salespeople who let a couple of wet nomads hang…

On Thursday, June 20th (my wedding anniversary), I started my 10,000 miles “Midsummer Odyssey" to the Midwest and London. During the 14 day’s journey, I made six stops, visited three MLB ballparks, and saw eight games. A somewhat exhausting and exhilarating adventure with Mrs. Nomad and Nomad the Younger traveling with me at times. The first stop was to see Albert Pujols homecoming in St. Louis. Albert PujolsRic Tapia/Icon Sportswire The Nomads lived in St. Louis for a short time when the youngest one was an infant. So, a trip back was a bit of a homecoming. That night's game was a more critical homecoming for Cardinals' fans. The mighty Albert Pujols was returning to St. Louis for the first time since he joined the Angels in 2011. I planned the trip to St. Louis to coincide with the game as I wanted to see the crowd’s reaction. Prince Albert Pujols will enter the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, possibly unanimously. I can’t imagine anyone voting against him. Mariano Rivera’s election last year broke the silly rule that no one can be elected into the Hall unanimously. I’m guessing Derek Jeter will also be unanimous when he is elected next year. Certainly, Pujols deserves to be a unanimous selection also. Albert Pujols connects on his 3000th career hit. Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports Accomplishments A brief list of his accomplishments in his 19-year career: 2001 Rookie of the Year2005, 2008 & 2009 Most Valuable Player2006, 2011 Member of World Champion St. Louis CardinalsTied with Alex Rodriguez for most seasons with 100 RBI (14)32nd player to achieve 3,000 hits in his career4th player to achieve 2,000 career RBI9th player to hit 600 career home runsCurrently ranks 6th on the career home run list4th player to record both 600 home runs and 3,000 hits Leaving, Anger and Reconciliation Cardinals fans were angry when he turned down a lucrative offer from the Cardinals and accepted an offer from the Angels. For example, at spring training, I saw a boy’s Pujols jersey with the number 5 covered in duct tape. My opinion was that he should continue his legacy in St. Louis and win a few more championships. After all, he had a chance to have his statue next to the great Stan Musial if he stayed. On the other hand, Pujols says that he did not feel appreciated in St. Louis. That he felt "more appreciated" by the Angels' owners. Any anger from the time Albert left had certainly dissipated by the time he returned. The organization shared a highlight reel, and the crowd showed its appreciation every chance they could. There were standing ovations each time he came to the plate. They cheered some more when he left the game, replaced for a pinch-runner in the 7th inning. Rain and The Old Haunts On Friday morning, after I worked on my blog, I took a short walk to the Gateway Arch. I wanted to check it out before I…

After Friday's travel and a late-night watching the Braves, my alarm chirped me awake very early Saturday morning. I needed to catch a flight to Dallas/Fort Worth for three games “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” The first two with the Rangers in Arlington and then one in Houston to see the Astros. Including Atlanta, I saw five stadiums in four days that represented a few different design concepts. One was a clear favorite. The reason I scheduled the entire weekend in Arlington was that the Astros wouldn't be in town until Monday. OK, why not stay in Arlington and watch another Rangers game? It would be more convenient than flying back to Houston later. However, I must have good Karma. It poured on Saturday; the game was delayed a few hours. So much so, I lasted just a few innings. I went back on Sunday, a great day with beautiful weather. Five Stadiums During the four-day trip to Atlanta, Arlington, and Houston, I visited five stadiums. Each had a different "something-something." SunTrust Park SunTrust Park My first stop was Atlanta's SunTrust Park. As mentioned in my previous post, SunTrust is a charming new ballpark where they built a community "Boomtown," adding fun and commercial activity. Its biggest fault is that they encourage racially insensitive behavior that has no place in polite society. All other esthetics are excellent, except they are new, and the feel walking through Boomtown is like walking down Main Street at Disney. Fun, but a tad artificial. Minute Maid Park Houston's Union Station houses the team store, the other building is Minute Maid Park My last stop was Houston's Minute Maid Park. It was quite the opposite of SunTrust as it is firmly ensconced in Downtown Houston. Moreover, it incorporates the century-old Union Station, and so it fits somewhat nicely into the neighborhood. Inside, Union Station's main concourse is used as Minute Maid's main lobby. Brick and other design elements help retain the Union Station flavor throughout the first floor of the stadium. The Astros didn't need to build a Boomtown, the facilities were already there. It does not feel artificial. In short, I liked it a lot. In the middle of the trip were three stadiums in Arlington. AT&T Stadium AT&T looming over the Nolan Ryan Expressway next to Globe Life Park The Dallas Cowboys play in AT&T Stadium - sorry, l know football should not be mentioned during baseball season. However, AT&T was near my hotel and Globe Life Park - where the Texas Rangers play. It looms over the landscape like a huge, football-shaped edifice that reminds me of an alien spaceship landing in the middle of a parking lot in suburbia. I imagine scientists, soldiers, and citizens surrounding it looking so small in comparison. They have this look of wonder. "What is it?" "Are there living beings inside?" "Can they communicate?" "Do they mean good or harm?" Globe Life Park Globe Life Park If you stand in the right spot, you can…

Atlanta's SunTrust Park was the eighth ballpark I visited. By the end of the weekend, I had been to ten. As I write this piece, I've just returned from Baltimore, so now my number is eleven. I rank SunTrust third behind San Diego's Petco Park and Baltimore's Camden Yards out of the eleven. The Park There is a lot to like about SunTrust. SunTrust Park and The Battery SunTrust is a pretty and comfortable brick ballpark with good sightlines and food. Additionally, it is connected to "The Battery" a commercial area built along with the stadium that offers bars, restaurants, and hotels. It's a great reason to avoid Atlanta's horrible traffic and go to the park early for dinner and a few beers. The combination of the stadium and The Battery is very profitable for the Braves. In the park’s first year, revenue grew by 47% to $124M. Entering The Battery Fountains in The Battery The area is also suitable for out of town visitors. I stayed in a hotel just a short 15-minute walk to SunTrust. I could have stayed closer, but the hotels in the Battery are not cheap. Celebrating Team History They do history right at SunTrust. It has a Hall of Fame area with a statue of Hank Aaron in the center. Hank is next to a "sculpture" of the number 755 built out of 755 baseball bats. 755 is, of course, the real - my opinion home run record. It also displays the Braves' 1995 World Series trophy. It is the only championship trophy awarded to a team from Atlanta. Like the Dodgers that sell Brooklyn hats, the Braves sell Milwaukee hats in the Team Store. Home Run Bat Statue The Babe's Uniform (center) Hammerin' Hank Milwaukee Braves Hats Food - Hot Dogs The food is good too. With many local restaurants represented at the ballpark, I had my requisite hot dog at H&F Burger and was pleased. H&F has another location in the Ponce City Market, near midtown Atlanta. It's grilled, with a good bun and I added onions and relish. There is no brown mustard, but Atlanta is not alone in that area. H&F Dog Pimento Cheese Patty Additionally, "Taste of Braves Country" the Braves offer delicacies influenced by different parts of the South. So, after my hot dog, I tried the Pimento Cheese Patty Melt, evidently a staple in South Carolina. This is a grilled hamburger patty with melted pimento cheese on marble rye toast. Never heard of pimento cheese? That discovery is worth a trip to the South - book now. The Team is Good! A visit to the park does not just entail history, food, and beer. They also play baseball there. After, "tanking" for a few years they have amassed a group of great young players that will be a force to be reckoned with for a long time. The Organist I hear the organist play “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” when one of the visiting players…

Monday morning, I headed back from Mexico. I flew nonstop from Monterrey to Los Angeles. When we landed, I promptly rented a car and headed to San Diego, about a three-hour drive. The next morning, after I spent a lovely evening in Petco Park, I drove back to Los Angeles. That night I visited the venerable Dodger Stadium. No offense to Dickens, but it is somewhat a "tale of two cities" - certainly two ballparks. Dodger Stadium is one of the oldest ballparks, and Petco Park is one of the newest ones. Both have their charms. It's also not "The best of times and the worst of times," in terms of the teams. The Dodgers have won the National League pennant the last two years and want to go back and finally win it all. On the other hand, the Padres have experienced bad times but are rapidly improving. They have a lot of good young ballplayers and are starting to win. Let's call it "The best of times and the getting better times." Petco Park Petco Park opened in 2004 and is one of the youngest ballparks. Only six are older. It is a gem! Petco Park on a Cloudy Day The Gaslamp District Gaslamp District - Outside Petco Park The park is situated near the harbor and the Historic Gaslamp Quarter which is full of bars and restaurants. An excellent place to meet friends and have drinks and dinner before the game and drinks after it. It is advertised as the "West Coast's premier entertainment district" with "rich Victorian architecture and history." Additionally, there is a pedestrian promenade that connects the area with Petco's "Park at the Park" a vast area behind the stadium. This area is where ticketed fans can hang out and relax. It’s also where a beautiful statue of Tony Gwynn is located. Tony Gwynn Statue A few things that I like in a ballpark: The park's look and feel are similar to the surrounding area. Petco's exterior isn't Victorian, by any means. In fact, its sandstone and stucco exterior was patterned after the sandy colored San Diego cliffs and beaches. However, it seems to fit the area nicely. Additionally, incorporating the Western Metal Supply Co. warehouse in the design helps to incorporate the surrounding area. The park incorporates a commercial district nearby where fans can hang out before and after the game. The Gaslamp District provides more than enough bars and restaurants. The commercial area should precede the ballpark. Better that, than an area built when the park is. Turning the concept into a mall of sorts. Those built with the stadium are better than nothing but not as good as if the area exists already. I stayed at the Horton Grand Hotel in the heart of the District. It was inexpensive and a quick walk to the ballpark and harbor. The room was a suite, with a bedroom, a sitting room and bath. Not bad for less than $200, but I was only…