This is the third oldest ballpark in the country (behind Fenway and Wrigley) and still a fantastic place to watch a ball game. I took my mom to the stadium tour in the morning before going to the game in the evening. I am confident that I just had the quintessential LA baseball experience packed with celebrity sightings, great baseball, Vin Scully and traffic. After being disappointed with the Southern California fan base in Anaheim, my faith was restored in Chavez Ravine as the Dodgers faithful were passionate, loud and supportive of their surging ball club.
Read MoreDay #58 – Travel from Seattle to LA Day 2
Time for some more driving with mi madre. Today we completed the drive back to Los Angeles from Seattle. For those of you wondering, we did not get a chance to drive down famed California State Route 1 as doing so would have added several hours to our total travel time. Maybe one day I will make it back out here and I can dedicate a week to exploring the coastline, but for now I am happy to be back in Southern California on time and no longer nauseous.
Read MoreDay #57 – Travel from Seattle to LA Day 1
Today was the first day of driving with my mom. She instructed me that I was to operate exactly as I would if she were not with me. That means that I am not to make any extra stops for food or bathroom breaks on her account. I am beginning to realize where I get my craziness from.
Read MoreDay #56 - Off Day
Ladies and gentlemen, my mother has arrived. This is absolute lunacy. There are no words to describe how amazing she is. A mere 48 hours ago I was reclined in my car, alone at a rest stop off of I-5 N, after vomiting out of the driver side door. Today the woman who brought me into this world flew from Kalamazoo, MI to Seattle, WA to help me drive back to Los Angeles. I am going to stop writing for a moment now and let that sink in.
Read MoreDay #55 - The Seattle Mariners
I am feeling infinitely better today which is good because I have been looking forward to seeing this stadium since 1999. I have a confession to make. For a brief time in my childhood, I was a secret Mariners fan. The years where this club had Griffey Jr., Buhner, Martinez (both Tino and Edgar), Johnson, Sweet Lou and more were fun years to watch. I even bought myself an old Mariners Trident hat that I wore alone in my bedroom. Tucked away in the Pacific Northwest is a gorgeous ballpark that does not get nearly enough attention.
Read MoreDay #54 - Travel from LA to Seattle Day 2
Disaster has struck. That chicken I ate yesterday may end up being my undoing. I have been trying to stay healthy over these past couple of months, but my desire to make it through this stretch of driving has clouded my judgement. Yesterday I ordered my food in LA and let it sit in the car all day as I continued to drive stopping only for gas and brief bathroom breaks. I ate nothing but fruits and nuts in the car all day until I finally ate the chicken shawarma sandwich that had been sitting on the passenger seat for over eight hours. Before you say anything, I know, I am an idiot.
Read MoreDay #53 - Travel from LA to Seattle Day 1
And so it begins. Over the next 10 days I will be driving over 4,000 miles. I have been dreading this stretch since I finalized my schedule in January. People have been telling me that I am crazy and asking why I am not flying for this leg of the trip. The only answer I have to this ridiculous query is to say that to me flying feels like cheating. Honestly, the thought of flying never even crossed my mind.
Read MoreDay #52 - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Finally it is time once again for some live baseball. It feels like forever since I sat inside a stadium. Although it may have been a mistake following up my amazing time in Oakland with a trip to the land of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I have very mixed feelings about this stadium and the fans inside. This is a beautiful park, but in the 9th inning with two outs on the board, I literally heard crickets. Don't believe me? At the bottom of this post I included audio of the little creatures drowning out the crowd noise.
Read MoreDay #49-#51 - The All-Star Break
I am combining the posts for the All-Star break so I can try and catch up. I am in Los Angeles for the next couple of days and need to recharge my batteries. I have been on the road now for 51 days and driven over 8,500 miles. In the past seven weeks I have attended 20 games in 16 different stadiums. I am currently two games under .500 with a 9-11 home team record. I am exhausted. I am sore. I am delirious. I am having the best time I have ever had in my entire life.
Read MoreDay #48 – Travel from San Francisco to LA
I am back on the road and alone. I miss Rindler already. It is the All-Star break and I am as far away from New York City as possible. I am a bit frustrated as the game is so close to my former apartment, but I get to spend time with my buddy Tree in LA so all is not lost.
Read More
Day #47 – Off Day
I dropped off Rindler at the airport this morning and headed back to my friend's house in Fremont. I originally planned on going to the final game in the Red Sox/A's series today, but I decided that I needed a little rest. When I got back to the house, I found that my dirty clothes were in the process of being laundered. I am continually amazed at the kindness of the people in my life.
Read MoreDay #46 – The Oakland Athletics Game 2
Rindler and I had so much fun at the game last night that we decided to come back for more. I am glad we did because not only did we get a great free Josh Reddick jersey, but my losing streak is over! The home team finally won a game for me and the A's fans proved once again why they may be the best fans in baseball.
Read MoreDay #45 – The Oakland Athletics
The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is a football arena. In an era where we are so accustomed to baseball only parks, the multi-use stadium feels like a relic of the bad old days. It is expansive, it has little character and it is ugly. I had an amazing time at the O.Co Coliseum and these may be the best fans in baseball.
Read MoreDay #44 – Off Day
Today was a different type of off-day. Rindler and I decided to do the AT&T Park tour after seeing the game. Rindler has done a couple of tours with me, but since they were all on game days we were not able to go into the clubhouses. With the Giants starting a road trip today we had the opportunity to do the full tour of the stadium.
Read MoreDay #43 – The San Francisco Giants
Wow. I had a ridiculously fun time today. It is starting to become quite ludicrous how great this tour has been and I do not want it to end. My new friends Barbara and Adela gave me one of the best days that I have had in a summer filled with outstanding moments. I was able to watch batting practice from the field (thanks to Barbara), celebrate Adela's birthday with some cupcakes in the stands, chat with Giants radio man Marty Lurie and learned that the 2012 World Series champions may have been known as the Tampa Bay Giants had it not been for Barbara.
Read MoreDay #42 – Travel from San Diego to San Francisco
My California adventure continues as I head north to San Francisco. Thanks to the baseball schedule I was forced to skip LA for the time being in order to catch the tail end of the Giants home stand. Luckily I will be able to see both the A's and the Giants during my time in the Bay Area so this will give me some extended time in one place. I will be staying with some family friends in Fremont, California and am looking forward to getting to know them a little better.
Read MoreDay #41 – The San Diego Padres
I think I want to move to San Diego. I am currently a man without a home as I wander America living out of my car. The lease to my apartment in Manhattan ran out in May of this year at which point I packed my life into a car and hit the road. I have no idea where I am going to be living on September 1st when this tour comes to a close, but San Diego just moved towards the top of my list.
Read MoreDay #40 – Travel from Phoenix to San Diego
The craziest part of my schedule is just around the corner and I have a big decision to make. Rindler and I drove to San Diego today but sadly, we only have one full day in the city before leaving for San Francisco. Coming up is the stretch where I drive from LA to Seattle, back to LA and then to Minneapolis in 11 days. My angel of a mother has been calling and reassuring me that she is ready and willing to fly out to the West Coast (from Michigan) and drive with me. I may have to take her up on the offer.
Read MoreDay #39 – The Arizona Diamondbacks Game 2
Chase Field boasts about having the best fan experience in the country. I have not been to all of the parks yet, but the folks that I met here are making a strong case to be at the top of my list. All of the parks have similar attractions (batting cages, face painting, halls of fame etc.), but ultimately it is the little things that set Chase Field apart.
Read MoreDay #38 – The Arizona Diamondbacks
Be prepared for me to eat some serious crow in today's ballpark report. I have been complaining about sitting under a roof the entire season, but today I welcomed the dome's protection from the fiery sun beating down. The thermometer reached 106 and with a t-shirt giveaway scheduled at Chase Field there was a line around the stadium hours before the gates opened.
Read More