10 down, 20 to go. (Kauffman Stadium-Kansas City)

Welcome to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. I really enjoyed my visit here. Before the game I went to the Royals Hall of Fame at the stadium, which was a really cool (but admittedly short) experience. They had a nice tribute to Paul Splittorff and Memorial Day festivities at the park. The Royals Hall of Fame blended in nicely with my previous day's visit to the Negro Leagues Museum in KC, which I definitely recommend to anyone in town.

So the city, its museums, and its stadiums are all recommended. I can't speak for the stadium food, I didn't have any (a shocker, I know). However that turned out to be a good decision from the saving money standpoint considering I got a speeding ticket in Kansas. So just as a tip, any baseball lovers, keep the speedometer on the dial while in Kansas.

Happy traveling.

9 down, 21 to go. (Coors Field-Denver)

Welcome to Coors Field in Denver. Everyone knows it as being a launching pad for baseballs, but ever since the humidor has come onto the scene it hasn't been, so much. The park is in a cool part of town, Blake Street has tons to do as far as pre or post game activity. The sight lines in the park are good, and it even has that cheesy purple row of seats a mile high.

What food I did try wasn't that great, maybe the Mexican fare was better but I'm not much for spicy food. The crowd was knowledgeable and really into the game. The brick facade really gives a homey ambiance to the place. Definitely a recommended place to visit when you're in Denver. I didn't see any Denver omelets on the menu, maybe another time.

Adios for now!

Holman Stadium, a.k.a. Dodgertown. (Vero Beach)

Hello all-

On my way back from Space Coast Stadium I stopped off in Vero Beach and went to Holman Stadium, the old Dodgertown. It was definitely an awesome experience, I'll just let the pictures tell the story, since there's definitely no longer any food being served here. I wish I could have made it to a game, it seems like an awesome place to see a game.

Space Coast Stadium. (Viera)

Hello all!

After a long, hard 5 months or so without baseball I started counting down the days until camp started, and I had a little internal celebration when pitchers and catchers reported, even though it's glorified pitch and catch, hey, it means baseball is coming again. So, you can imagine that I was pretty excited when Spring Training started. I've been to Roger Dean Stadium more times than I can count, (I wrote up one trip here) so I wanted to branch out. So, I went to a Marlins vs. Nationals game at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, FL. (As an aside on that link, I can't decide if "fear the sea cow" is the best or worst team slogan I've ever heard. I'm leaning towards worst.)

If you've never heard of Viera, FL, don't worry, no one else has either. It's a small planned community just north of Melbourne and south of Cape Canaveral. It was about a 2 hour drive for me, which is part of the reason that the Cactus League in Arizona is flourishing and the Grapefruit League is withering. The Nationals may move out of here soon, because of drive time due to the fact that this is one of the few Spring Training sites still going here on the east coast of Florida. So, all the better to catch it before it's gone.

The stadium is easy to get to, looks really nice, and the experience is everything you could ask for from Spring Training, from the ushers, to the seats, to the people. (The food is your average stuff, I tried the hot dog when I probably should have gone for the bacon cheeseburger.)

I had quite a nice moment during the anthem, this girl who couldn't have been any older than like 8 or 9 went up and totally belted it out. I stood there thinking, as you could feel the electricity build...yeah, this is what it's all about. This is why I love baseball, because there's always another chance. Had a bad year last year? That's ok, in the Spring you start 0-0, and you get another chance. I thought to myself, this is what's good in the world, right here, and I think I wasn't the only one, judging by the thunderous applause that erupted at the end of the song.

"If you woke up breathing, Congratulations! You have another chance."
— Andrea Boydston

8 down, 22 to go. (New Yankee Stadium-NYC)

Here it is, the cathedral of baseball, well the new one at least. Yankee Stadium is pretty amazing in a lot of ways. It's amazing to look at, amazing to see a game in, amazing to eat a hot dog at. (Though I don't recommend the chicken sandwiches.) It's easy to get to on the subway, the stop is right across the street.

There's the usual New York hubbub surrounding the park on game days, dudes playing soprano sax for money, cute girls handing out strip club flyers, you know, typical fare. I was in an obstructed view seat, behind a fair pole in the upper deck, and it was still a pretty good seat. The game that I saw wasn't that amazing, the Yankees whooped the A's, but it was still an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone to partake in.

7 down, 23 to go. (Petco Park-San Diego)

Welcome to Petco Park in San Diego. I saw a Marlins vs. Padres game here, which the Marlins won. It's a really nice place to take in a game. It's famous for the old Western Metal Supply building integrated into leftfield, and for being a pitcher's park. It should also be famous for its super nachos, but that's another story. (See above.) Somehow I avoided gaining 10 pounds after gnawing through those bad boys.

It's one of those new downtown parks that really livened up the area around it, in this case the Gaslamp District. I definitely recommend going there after a game and taking in the sights.

So the food is good, the fans are knowledgeable, and the park isn't bad to look at, all in all a nice getaway for the family.

6 down, 24 to go. (AT&T Park-San Francisco)

Welcome to AT&T Park. It's an incredible place to see a game. I saw two games here, both Giants vs. Marlins. The Marlins were losing 9-2 in the first game, tied it 9-9, then lost in 10 innings. Anibal Sanchez threw a one hitter in the second game and the Marlins won.

The park itself has a great view, all baseball fans know about McCovey Cove in right, where sailboats can be seen in the distance on a clear day. (Barry Bonds' 756 plaque has been relegated to a dark corner.) There are really no bad seats in the house. Walking around the concourses, you can see great Giants players of the past on the walls, on your way to get some garlic fries, which are frickin' amazing. Outside there are statues of the great Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda.

So sit back, enjoy the ball game, and the view.