Soccer is not Boring (But Ignorant Fans Are)

Today marks the opening of the Copa America Centenario, a 16-team tournament featuring all ten CONMEBOL teams plus the USA (the host nation) and five other countries from North and Central America. Normally scheduled every four years (Chile won last year at home), this is a special edition of the tournament commemorating its 100th anniversary, which is why it is being held in the United States. Canada did not qualify by virtue of their terrible performance at the 2015 Gold Cup. Games are scheduled at ten venues around the country, including MetLife Stadium, which is hosting the final on June 26.

Next week, Euro 2016 gets underway in France, with 24 UEFA countries participating. Many believe this tournament to be superior to the World Cup as there are no weak sides, with almost any team having a chance to win. In 2004, Greece pulled off a stunning upset to take the title, and this year, even smaller nations like Iceland and Northern Ireland cannot be taken lightly.

Whatever the case, between the two tournaments, you will see some quality soccer over the next month. Unless you ignore them because you think soccer is boring, or not a sport, or some other idiotic preconception that you might hold. Over the past few months, I have noticed a number of sports fans ridiculing soccer for a variety of specious reasons. Many believe the game to be dull as relatively few goals are scored, while others lament the general lack of action on the field. Whatever the case, these opinions are based not on an understanding of the game, but complete ignorance.

I don't like it when fans of one sport rail against another. But the most annoying of these are baseball fans who say that soccer is boring. Baseball fans have their own kind of arrogance, propagated by movies such as Field of Dreams that tells them that baseball (and by extension their fandom) is special, which leads them to be more critical of other sports. As a fan of both baseball and soccer, I can say with certainty that neither is necessarily boring; instead it is the games that are either exciting or dull, or somewhere in between.

As a case in point, let's look at the first two days of June in New York City. On Wednesday afternoon, the Mets hosted the White Sox in an interleague game that ended up going 13 innings and taking 4:41. The final score was 2-1 Chicago, quite amazing as their pitching staff issued 13 walks. The Mets doled out 5 free passes of their own, so on the afternoon fans were treated to 18 of those most exciting of baseball plays, the base on balls. This was only the second time in history that a team had scored only one run after receiving 13 walks, so the Mets were historically inept, always a thrill to watch. Anyway, the point of this is that the game was horribly, horribly boring. Thankfully it was an afternoon game on a beautiful day, the only saving grace.



The following night, NYCFC welcomed Real Salt Lake to Yankee Stadium for an MLS match. After an entertaining first half ended scoreless thanks to poor finishing from the hosts, the second half saw the teams combine for 5 goals with RSL winning 3-2. There were chances for both teams, plenty of good passing, and a fast pace from start to finish. The game started at 7:10 and was over by 9:00, taking less than half the time as the ballgame and producing more goals than runs were scored. Sure, a few players rolled around in fake agony, something that drives me nuts in soccer, but other than that, it was a quick, engaging contest. Absolutely nobody who attended both could reasonably claim that the baseball game was more interesting than the soccer game.



Is this a small sample size? Of course. I'm not saying soccer is more interesting than baseball, just that some soccer games are more interesting than some baseball games and vice versa. If you argue otherwise, you simply do not know what you are talking about.

To be fair, I've heard soccer fans criticize baseball as being ten minutes of action that takes three hours, demonstrating a poor understanding of the game themselves. Look, no sport is perfect. Soccer still decides championships on penalty kicks despite other options being available. Meanwhile, MLB games these days are drawn out by excessive pitching changes, replays, and player posturing.

I could go on, but I'm not here to list all the problems with sports. My point is quite simple: no sport is "better" than another, and if you are a true sports fan, you should realize that. Instead of taking the easy road of mindless criticism, you should try to understand each sport, so at least you know what you are talking about. You don't have to like every sport that is out there, but by making an effort to watch a few games you might find that you end up enjoying it more than you expected. My time in Japan, surrounded by friends from the UK and Australia, led me to become a fan of soccer, rugby, and cricket and I've had some great travel experiences because I learned about those sports. So if you take the time to appreciate the game instead of attacking it, you might find yourself visiting far away lands on a sports road trip that you would never have considered with a closed mind.

Best,

Sean

San Jose Sharks 2 at Pittsburgh Penguins 3 (Stanley Cup Final, Game 1) - May 30, 2016

When tickets went on sale for the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in Pittsburgh, I decided to log on to see if I could get one. Surprisingly, I did, landing an upper deck ducat for $200 plus TicketMaster fees. I really didn't have any plans to go, so I immediately put it up for resale hoping to make a small profit. But then I started looking at flights and found that I could get to Pittsburgh and back on a minimum number of miles, while downtown hotels were quite cheap for Memorial Day. So I removed the ticket from the secondary market, booked the flights, and made my way to Pittsburgh for the first Stanley Cup Final game in San Jose Sharks history.



On the way in, we flew right over downtown and had some clear shots of the confluence, Point State Park, and PNC Park and Heinz Field on the north side.



As well, I got a great view of Consol Energy Center, you can even see the Stanley Cup logo there.



I visited here in 2010, the year the arena opened, but it wasn't a happy time as the Leafs lost. This time, I would be rooting for the home team. Walking from my hotel on the south side, I passed through downtown Pittsburgh which is almost entirely under construction and in some places resembles a war zone with empty sidewalks and rocks piled up in the middle of streets. There was no sign the Stanley Cup Final was taking place until I arrived out front of the arena about three hours before puck drop, where a small crowd was gathering.



My friend Andrew (a Bay Area native and Sharks fan) was driving in from Philly so I waited for him at Buford's Kitchen across the street, where a radio guy was talking about Phil Kessel's time with the Leafs. His point was that Kessel did not underachieve there as many suggest, instead he performed as he did because he was surrounded by a bunch of stiffs. I had to laugh at that analysis, sadly accurate despite being somewhat oversimplified.



Andrew brought along his friend Matt, another Sharks fan, and they joined me at Buford's. The Penguins faithful were friendly to Matt despite his teal jersey, and we chatted with a few of them. As game time approached, Andrew and Matt had to get a ticket from a scalper, so I went in ahead of them and did a quick walk around. All fans received a yellow t-shirt and towel, making the seating bowl look like a beehive. The view above is from my seat, behind the net that the Penguins attack twice. The Penguins scored two goals a minute apart in the first period after which I headed down to meet with Andrew, who had secured a lower level seat for $240. He said the seat next to him was empty, so I sat there for the start of the second period (view below) during which the Sharks scored to get within a goal.



Midway through the period, a woman came down to claim the seat, so I headed back, but as I passed her, she said that she would just take a few pictures and I could have the seat after that. I watched from the concourse and Andrew joined me shortly thereafter to explain that the woman and her husband had agreed that I could sit there for the third period if they were allowed to stay for the rest of the second. Seemed fair to me, so Andrew and I stayed on the concourse as the Sharks tied it up late in the period on a wraparound goal from Patrick Marleau.

We spend the second intermission talking to the couple, Roger and Sandy, who were newlyweds and had motorcycled down from Brantford, Ontario (hometown of Wayne Gretzky) that day on a lark. They had acquired the other ticket from the same scalper that Andrew had found for a much better price, and somehow were both able to get in on that one ticket. They were good fun and very kind to allow me to stay in their seat for the third period, which was scoreless through the first 17 minutes. At that point, I mentioned to Andrew that I was looking forward to overtime, but seconds after I uttered that statement, Nick Bonino scored for Pittsburgh who held on for the 3-2 win (celebration below). Sorry Sharks fans!



This was a pretty good game to start the finals, but Pittsburgh was clearly superior, outshooting the Sharks 41-26. They won game 2 in overtime (ironically) and at this time, it looks like my prediction of a Penguins Stanley Cup is in line to be correct. Unless I jinx this too.

Notes

In 1991, I saw the San Jose Sharks first ever game when they opened their inaugural season in Vancouver. I remember standing by the bench as they came out to warm up and being stunned at the ugliness of those teal jerseys. Shows what I know, as they still sport those colours, which have been quite popular in the intervening 25 years. I also saw their first home playoff game in 1994, so I have quite the history with this franchise.

My hotel was at Station Square on the south side of the river. Next to that is Highmark Stadium, home of the USL's Pittsburgh Riverhounds, who were having a scrimmage as I walked by. The stadium faces downtown and is considered one of the most beautiful in the country.



The Fort Pitt Bridge also presents some nice photographic opportunities.



Next Up

I'm heading to the Deep South next weekend to add a few Southern League ballparks to my venue count. Check back for recaps starting June 12!

Best,

Sean

A10 Baseball Tournament - May 26, 2016

The college baseball season is winding down, which means it's conference tournament time. Much like March Madness, most conferences hold a tournament with the winner getting an automatic bid to the national championship. This year, the Atlantic 10 Conference (which actually has 14 teams, though only 13 participate in baseball with Duquesne opting out) is holding their tournament at Houlihan Park on the campus of Fordham University in the Bronx. Fordham is just a few stops from Yankee Stadium, so I decided to pay a visit Thursday morning before heading to the Jays/Yankees game that afternoon.



Fordham's campus is about a ten-minute walk from the Fordham Road stop on the B and D subway lines, and right next to the Metro North stop. The campus is gated, and you must pass a security guard, but all you have to say is that you are going to the baseball game and you will be allowed in. It is an incongruously beautiful spot and well worth a walk around to see some excellent architecture. The stadium is located at the far end of the football field, with the bleachers a tempting home run target as you can see above. Baseball games are normally free, but they were charging $8 for a day pass for the tournament, a reasonable amount as there were four games scheduled. The dome in the background is the conservatory in the New York Botanical Garden.



Before going to the seating bowl, check out the plaques honouring past Rams, including Frankie Frisch. Vin Scully is also a Fordham alumnus and has a plaque as well. The concession stand is here too, but if you want a bottle of soda, you should walk over to the McGinley Center where the vending machines sell the same bottle for $1.75 instead of $3.



There are six small sections of metal bleachers with seat backs behind home plate. There is no covering, so fans seeking shade were forced to sit in front of the press box. Most fans were family and friends of the players participating, with a few local unemployed weirdos like myself who just enjoy watching baseball.



The shot above is from the left most seat, so you can tell that this is a very small facility, but still one worth a visit if you are in NYC while the Rams are at home.

The Games

Only seven teams make the double-elimination tournament, with #1 seed Rhode Island Rams earning a bye to the second round. The first three games had been played on Wednesday, so the early game on Thursday was between the #2 VCU Rams and #6 Davidson Wildcats, both of whom had won the previous day. You might have noticed that three teams in the A10 use the Rams nickname, a weird coincidence that is not unique in the college world; the SEC has three Tiger teams.

Anyway, it was steaming hot when I arrived at the ballpark at 10:30 with the game already in the bottom of the 2nd. Davidson, playing as the home team, already had an early 3-0 lead and added another run just after I sat down, but VCU chipped away to get within a run and make things interesting. In the bottom of the 8th, with two out and Lee Miller on second, Eric Jones grounded to short. The ball was bobbled, but Miller kept running expecting that the out would be recorded at first. An accurate throw would have nailed him, but the throw was offline and Miller scored a lucky run to make it 5-3 Wildcats. Will Robertson, always dangerous (that's a very bad Lost in Space joke for you youngsters), followed with a monster home run to the bleachers to make it 7-3, which ended up being the final. This was a very good game that took only 2:24, meaning there was over an hour until game #2 started at 1:30.

This one featured the other two Rams teams, with Rhode Island starting A10 pitcher of the year Tyler Wilson, whose 0.79 WHIP was third in the nation. He gave up an unearned run in the top of the first when third baseman Martin Figueroa yipped a throw to first, but that was all Fordham would get. Rhody notched 2 in the first, and another 2 in the third, while Wilson completed 6 innings yielding 2 hits and two walks, and withstanding another Figueroa error. I had to leave to get to Yankee Stadium with the score 4-1 after five, but Rhode Island tacked on 6 runs to win easily 10-1. Wilson improved his record to 12-1, which ties him for the most victories in the country.

I really enjoyed my time here; the games were well played and moved quickly, no doubt because there were four of them to be contested. Also really enjoyed the fans, who were into the game so much more than fans you encounter in the majors. Obviously that is because it is their kids who are playing, but it is nice to hear intelligent chatter from the fans instead of seeing them do the wave.

Notes

VCU has a player named James Bunn. Whenever he batted, the 007 theme was broadcast over the speakers. Great creativity by the game day crew!

Rhode Island won their game on Friday to advance to the final, where they played Davidson, who had to win twice to make it to the regional. The Rams hammered the Wildcats to win the tournament.

I'll be in Omaha next month for one or two College World Series games and who knows, maybe the A10 will be represented! Don't laugh, 2015 champion VCU made it to the Super Regional before bowing out to Miami. Update: #1 regional seed South Carolina should have read this post as they lost their opener to #4 regional seed Rhode Island 5-4, with Wilson striking out 11 Gamecocks through 7 innings for the win. Unfortunately they lost their next two games, including getting blown out in a rematch with South Carolina, thus ending their season.

The Jays won their game 3-1. Yay! I saw 21 innings of baseball and was still home in time for dinner, so pretty much a perfect day all around.

Best,

Sean

Southern League Trip Planned

The baseball season is in full swing (maybe someone should tell the Blue Jays), and as I am still between jobs, I'm going to use the time wisely and make a dent in my minor league ballpark count. There are 160 affiliated minor league teams, and I have seen games at 116 active ballparks, leaving 44 to go. The majority of these are in five leagues: Southern, Midwest, Pioneer, Northwest, and Appalachian. Each of these leagues will be the subject of a trip either this season or next. To begin, I'm making a brief trip to the Gulf of Mexico, where four Southern League (AA) teams reside. They all play in relatively small cities that are quite expensive to reach from New York, so I am flying to New Orleans instead. I will start with a Zephyrs game there before moving up to Jackson, Mississippi, where the Braves take on Jackson in a confusing matchup. I'll return to the Gulf Coast for games in Biloxi and a doubleheader in Mobile and Pensacola before returning to New York. The full schedule is below:

Sat, Jun 11 Omaha Storm Chasers at New Orleans Zephyrs (PCL) 6:00 
Sun, Jun 12 Jackson Generals at Mississippi Braves (Southern League) 5:00
Mon, Jun 13 Birmingham Barons at Biloxi Shuckers (Southern League) 7:10
Tue, Jun 14 Jacksonville Suns at Mobile BayBears (Southern League) 12:05
Tue, Jun 14 Montgomery Biscuits at Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Southern League) 18:30

As always, updates will be posted here, so check back regularly.

Best,

Sean

Missouri State Bears 2 at Dallas Baptist Patriots 7 (NCAA Baseball, MVC) - May 14, 2016

Last year I visited Dallas in late February and had hoped to see Dallas Baptist baseball, but the game was snowed out when the region suffered a freak winter storm. This year, the Patriots were home on the same weekend that the Jays were in Arlington, and they had a Saturday afternoon game that didn't conflict, so I headed over to Horner Ballpark to check it out.



The campus of DBU is located on the western edge of Dallas, next to Mountain Creek Lake. The ballpark is on the northern side, and you should be able to find free parking close by, with plenty of spots in front of the residences. The stadium is named for Joan and Andy Horner, who were lifelong contributors to the school. A statue of an unknown ballplayer stands out front.



Horner Ballpark was opened in 2013 and is still brand new. Tickets were $7 to sit in the sections furthest from home plate, but as the park is not that full, you can move around. There is a roof that covers the last few rows in each section, which is quite useful on a sunny afternoon.



The visiting dugout is along first base, and so home fans sit on the third base side. This means that if you have no rooting interest, you should pretend to be a visiting supporter and grab a seat above first base, where you can get an entire section to yourself.



The campus is quite idyllic, and you have nice views beyond the outfield fence. There is a single concession stand offering your basic stadium fare, but you can also bring your own food in should you prefer.



In the main entrance, there are signs that list every Patriot All-American, as well as major league signees. Current Blue Jay Ryan Goins played here, hitting .371 with 22 homers in his junior year. Would be nice if he could get remotely close to those numbers nowadays.



Overall, Horner Ballpark is definitely worth a visit if you are in the Dallas area. It is a good way to get away from the crowds and traffic in one of the largest metro areas in the nation, and the Patriots have had a lot of success in past years, including their first-ever Missouri Valley Conference regular season title in history this season. At $7, it would be tough to find better baseball value in the Metroplex.

The Game

The visitors were the Missouri State Bears, who I had seen a couple of weeks ago in Springfield. They were struggling at 3-12 in conference play, while the Patriots were 12-3 in this rematch of Super Bowl XX nicknames. DBU is a Christian university, so they had an invocation before the game, during which the announcer prays for both teams and no injuries. I'm pretty sure he prays just a little bit harder for the home team though.

The Bears scored one in the first, but starter Darrick Hall settled down after that, giving up just 3 hits in 6 innings, while his offense scored single runs in the first and second and then a three-spot in the third to break things open. Two more Patriot runs scored on wild pitches in the sixth to pretty much end things, as the Bears added an inconsequential run in the 7th off reliever Landon Wilson that made the final 7-2. A rare quick NCAA ballgame that took 2:45, though I missed the last couple of innings as I had to get back to Arlington for the Jays game that night.

Notes

As mentioned, this is a Christian school, and so when they were advertising Sunday's game over the PA, they used the phrase "Drop by after church", something I have not heard before in any sports-related advertising.

Next Up

The rest of the baseball season will be focused on completing the AAA, AA, and High Class A ballparks. To start, I'll be visiting the Gulf of Mexico in mid-June to see Mississippi, Biloxi, Mobile, and Pensacola of the Southern League. Check back in a few days for the schedule for that trip.

Best,

Sean

Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers - May 13-15, 2016

In the 2015 MLB playoffs, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers in the Division Series in a wild ending that saw Jose Bautista horrify baseball purists with the bat flip seen round the world. They two clubs met in Toronto the weekend previous with no shenanigans, so I expected something would happen as the teams finished up their season series at Globe Life Park in Arlington and I continued my Toronto on the Road quest. It eventually did, but it sure took a long time.



I flew back to Dallas from San Francisco and met my buddy Sean, who was last on a sports road trip with me in 1992. We had a hotel near the ballpark, but there are no sidewalks in the area, so we decided to take a shuttle from Humperdinks, a bar next to the hotel which offers 32-oz. beers to entice you to visit after the game. Many fans park in the lot and use this service, which is a bit more reliable than the trolley that makes it way around the hotels in the area (and is only free for those staying in those hotels). There is also cheap parking along Arlington Downs Road, with one lot charging just $5.



Globe Life Park opened in 1994 as one of the first retro parks, just two years after Camden Yards. It was built on a parking lot next to the old Arlington Stadium, which was demolished shortly thereafter. AT&T Stadium sits just a couple of blocks away and is quite impressive from one of the staircases on the southwest side of the ballpark.



The Rangers employ a dynamic pricing system, so tickets vary depending on demand. Even StubHub was not a good option as fans were pricing the tickets above the box office. I guess people wanted to see Bautista get his, because all 3 games were well attended.



The ballpark is designed like the old "jewel box" ballparks, with a completely enclosed field.  The right field porch is reminiscent of Tiger Stadium complete with obstructed view seats (now an all-you-can-eat section), while a four-story office building occupies the area behind center field, with the white facade similar to that at old Yankee Stadium. The main problem here is the air doesn't move inside most of the seating bowl; fortunately the concourses have plenty of windows and arches that allow for air circulation. Note that the concourse is divided into two areas, one shown below that is quite spacious, and another closer to the breezeways that gets quite crowded.



The best place to sit is the 100 level sections between the bases (view below). These seats are covered by the club section, keeping you out of the hot sun in afternoon games, but also a nice breeze comes through that area, making it quite comfortable in the evening as well. Few fans actually sit here and there are no ushers, so you can get the cheapest box office ticket and just plant yourself in row 40 or so without worrying about getting kicked out. You do miss high fly balls, but that is about the only drawback and we spent most of the weekend in this area.



The shot below gives you an idea of the structure of the ballpark; the shaded areas in the lower deck are the areas to which I am referring.



We took a walking tour on Sunday afternoon; sadly the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame was closed for a private event that day, so I never did get a chance to see it. Now that the Rangers are my least favourite team in sports, I'm glad I missed it. In the area behind the center field fence there is a Nolan Ryan statue, but that is about all I saw in terms of history.



The batters eye is actually a section of grass known as Greene's Hill, named after a former mayor of Arlington. These days, four buxom women parade Texas flags back and forth here after the Rangers hit home runs, something that happened far too often on this weekend.



The view from center field...



...and from high above left field. This is one of the farthest seats in major league baseball, and I couldn't even see the ball off the bat when it was twilight. The bright spot is that in an otherwise full park, this area was mostly empty and I could stretch out for a few innings.



I always enjoy finding unique things in a ballpark and the table below qualifies. These can be found in an area behind home plate. There are also picnic tables along the outer concourse which are a good place to relax and enjoy a meal before the game. Food options were decent though typically overpriced, with a personal sized pepperoni pizza a relative bargain at $9.50. There were also $1 ice cream cones available on the concourse, which are heartily recommended. There is also a designated driver program which nets you a free soda, but for some reason lids and straws are not provided. This better not be for ecological reasons because when you have 40,000 people driving to the ballpark since there's no transit, a few straws and lids are the least of your environmental worries.



Overall, Globe Life Park is one of my least favourite ballparks in the majors. The first problem is its location, which is in the middle of nowhere with no public transit options as mentioned. Inside, the concourse is crowded, and I found tickets overpriced for what you get. Fans were not that friendly, no doubt because of the Blue Jays gear I was sporting, and of course, many references to the bat flip were made. I think that this might be the first completely cynical ballpark (i.e. one constructed for revenue generation at the expense of fan comfort) that has made attending top-level sports so annoying. I'll likely never be back here and won't regret it at all.

The Games

On Friday, R.A. Dickey pitched one of his best games as a Blue Jay, going 8 innings giving up just three hits and a walk. The Jays scored 1 in the 5th, 1 in the 6th, and broke the game open with 3 in the  7th on homers from Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki as they won 5-0. Matt Bush made his major league debut in the game, tossing a scoreless ninth for Texas. The victory made the Jays 3-1 on the road trip and all they needed was another win on the weekend to make it a successful journey.



Saturday was Rougned Odor bobblehead day (if they had waited, they could have had him in punching position) and tickets were surprisingly expensive, with the cheapest at $40 for SRO at the box office. I found a good seat at the last minute on StubHub (view above) while Sean went for the all-you-can-eat option, each costing about $60. In the bottom of the 2nd, Bobby Wilson hit a grand slam for Texas, which netted all fans a coupon for a free Grand Slam at Denny's, a double gut punch for us Blue Jay fans who used the coupon. Ryan Goins got the Jays on the board with a solo shot in the 3rd and they added another on an Ezequiel Carrera single in the 5th. But the Blue Jays, playing very poor fundamental baseball, allowed a run to score on a Russell Martin passed ball in the 6th and the Jays entered the 9th down 5-2. Closer Shawn Tolleson came on, much to the chagrin of the Rangers fans around me, who had seem him blow several saves in recent days. He did exactly that, giving up a 2-run homer to Justin Smoak and a solo shot to Tulowitzki that tied the game. Unfortunately, the Jays could not get that key go-ahead run and that passed ball turned out to be a killer. In the bottom of the 10th, Gavin Floyd came in to pitch for Toronto and got two quick outs before Drew Stubbs surprised everyone with a homer to win the game. Ugh.



Sunday was an afternoon game, and things got off to a strange start when first base coach Tim Leiper was ejected in the third inning after arguing with the first base umpire about something. Manager John Gibbons followed Leiper to the showers in the bottom half after arguing balls and strikes, but the Jays used a 4-run fifth to build a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the 7th. Starter Aaron Sanchez was replaced after giving up a run and Jesse Chavez came on to pitch with runners on first and second and two out. He promptly gave up a 3-run homer to Ian Desmond and the Jays suddenly were down 7-6, which is the way the game finished.

Of course, the excitement followed in the top of the 8th. I had to return the rental car so Sean and I had moved to the center field area behind the Blue Jays bullpen. Bautista was hit by a Bush pitch leading off the inning, no doubt the payback that the Rangers had been waiting for. Manager Jeff Bannister later said that it was not intentional as they would not put the tying run on base on purpose, which makes him a pretty big liar. With Bautista on first and Jake Diekmann on to pitch, Smoak grounded to third. Bautista tried to take out Odor with a hard slide, Odor (who threw wide to first) took exception and punched Bautista after a couple of pushes, and the benches cleared (above).

When all was said and done, Bautista's late slide led to Smoak being called out and the Jays were pretty much done. I think Odor's punch was gutless, but Bautista brought it on himself; if he had taken a normal slide, the whole silliness would be over, but it will probably continue into next season now.



So the Jays went 3-3 on the trip, and I have to say that they look terrible. They could easily have gone 5-1 if their bullpen (shown above watching the replay of the brawl) was remotely decent, but beyond that, their offense is non-existent and their fundamental game is very weak. It seems like they spent the winter reading all the positive stories about their hitting instead of getting ready for the season. As I write this, they are 21-24 and in danger of falling out of the race before Canada Day. I'll be seeing those final games in June in Denver and hope that they have gotten things straightened out by then.

Notes

It was announced that the Rangers are looking at building a retractable roof stadium to open no later than 2024, when the lease to Globe Life Park expires. This is a very bad sign indeed, particularly as Atlanta has already abandoned Turner Field after only 20 years. New stadiums are a complete waste of public money that could be used to help people other than rich owners, and I hope the taxpayers of Arlington get some sense and put a stop to this idea.

Best,

Sean

BYU Cougars 5 at San Francisco Dons 6 (NCAA Baseball, WCC) - May 12, 2016

After watching the Jays take 2 of 3 from the Giants, I had a day off before returning to Texas to see the Jays continue their road trip. Sharpy and Duncan joined me as we walked from Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf, up and down many, many hills. We stopped at several tourist spots, such as twisty Lombard Street and Ghiradelli Square, before enjoying lunch at the Buena Vista Cafe (below).



All in all, a very nice morning that ended with a visit to Pier 39 to check out the lazy sea lions. What a life, just lying around in the sun all day having your photo taken. Kind of like celebrities.



After that, it was time to head across town to check out some more San Francisco baseball, this time of the college variety. Sharpy and Duncan must have been inspired by the sea lions because despite our plans to make the three-mile walk, they insisted that we take the bus after only a mile on foot. Pathetic. I couldn't leave them alone in the big city, so we hopped on the bus, and eventually made it to Benedetti Diamond, home of the USF Dons baseball team.



It is amazing that a Division I baseball diamond exists in this city and almost nobody knows about it. Located at the northeastern edge of campus where Golden Gate meets Masonic, the ballpark is only noticeable as you approach for the large amount of netting that protects passersby from foul balls.



The full name of the facility is Dante Benedetti Diamond at Max Ulrich Field. It was opened in 1953 and named after Ulrich, who donated a substantial amount of money to the university. When Coach Dante Benedetti retired in the 1979 after 29 years at the helm, his name was added, and over time, it has become known as Benedetti Diamond.



The entrance is down a small laneway off Golden Gate, where the ticket office will charge you $10 for general admission. There are two small seating sections along first base, with an unprotected berm section further down. The seats used to be entirely benches, but a few plastic chairs have been haphazardly installed to make things slightly more comfortable.



There is also a grass area down the third base line, which is where the sun will shine throughout the game. There are no lights here, so all games are played during the day, and the sun sets behind first base, which makes it chilly as the evening approaches. There is a small concession stand down first base selling hot dogs, popcorn, and soda. Of course, as an NCAA venue, there is no booze available. The only history I noticed were the pennants on the left field fence representing the years that the Dons made the NCAA regionals. The other thing to note is the very shallow outfield, particularly along the lines, with the right field foul pole lying only 300 feet away, necessitating yellow tape high along the mesh to make home runs a little bit more difficult.



Overall, this is a surprising find in the city and one that escapes most sports travellers. It is a simple venue, but extremely pleasant and well worth a visit if you are in San Francisco and want to get away from the hordes of tourists, none of whom are aware of this hidden gem.

The Game

The BYU Cougars were in town to open a 3-game West Coast Conference series, coming in at 13-9 in conference play, while the Dons were 13-11. The game was a back-and-forth affair, with the Dons opening the scoring in the 2nd on a solo home run from Aaron Ping only to have BYU take a 2-1 lead in the third on two doubles and a single. A three-run shot from Ross Puskarich in the 5th got USF back in front, but again the Cougars responded immediately, as Brennon Anderson cracked a 2-run shot to tie the game, and then Brennon (a common name in Utah I guess) Lunn was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a single by Hayden Nielsen.



The pitching settled down after that and the Dons entered the bottom of the 9th still down 5-4. That is when things got a little weird. For simplicity, I'm going to minimize using player names. The Dons started with a walk and brought in a pinch runner. BYU brought in their closer, Mason Marshall (pitching above), so USF pinch ran for the pinch runner, bringing in Blake Valley (#30 above). Valley quickly stole second but the batter, Puskarich, walked anyway. A sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third, and a pinch runner, Beau Bozett was brought in to replace Puskarich on second (the scene above). Pinch hitter Riley Helland singled to tie the game as Bozett was held at third. An intentional walk to Harrison Bruce brought Ryan Matranga to the plate. Matranga stroked a fly ball to center and Bozett scored on the play. But Bruce never returned to first, and the Cougars brought the ball there to make the third out of the inning. The umpire actually signalled out and the Cougars celebrated, thinking that the final out prevented that run. But it didn't, as you cannot have a force play on a fly ball, instead it is a time play and since the runner crossed home plate before the out was made at first, the game was over. The umpire should never have made the out signal as it led to a bit of confusion on the field, but in the end, the Dons won a thriller 6-5.



This game was equally as entertaining as any of the Blue Jays/Giants games, with four lead changes and a walkoff sacrifice fly. NCAA baseball usually is best when you see the first game of a weekend series as both teams start their aces, and that was the case here as the next two games were won by BYU 12-6 and 9-3.

Notes

Near the end of the game, there was a foul ball that cleared the mesh and bounced out onto Golden Gate Avenue, rolling up Annapolis Terrace. I watched it closely and had an idea where it might have ended up, so after the game, I headed that way and sure enough, the ball was under the wheel of a car. I picked it up, a rare find because fans generally have to return foul balls at NCAA games. I now have balls from the majors, both AAA leagues, and two AA leagues, so I might try grabbing one from each remaining minor league to complete the collection.



Best,

Sean