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

Toronto Blue Jays at San Francisco Giants - May 9-11, 2016

I have two goals left that keep me going on these seemingly endless sports road trips. The first is to complete all minor league ballparks (plus the AHL rinks and CFL stadiums) while the other is to see the Maple Leafs and Blue Jays in all road cities. The most difficult part of this dream is seeing the Jays in all 15 National League parks, as they only visit every six years assuming a regular rotation. This year, they play the NL West, which means trips to San Francisco, Colorado, and Arizona for the team. I saw them play the Diamondbacks back in 2010, so this year I would only have to follow them to SF and Denver, both home to fantastic baseball venues.



So after completing my Texas League trip, I flew from Dallas to San Francisco early Monday morning, enjoying clear views the whole way and some amazing scenery, as you can see above. I had clear views of El Paso and Tucson as well. After I arrived, I headed to my hotel, where my buddy Sharpy, who had arrived from Ottawa the night before, met me. After dropping off my stuff, we explored the neighbourhood around AT&T Park (i.e. bar hopping). Along the way, we saw many other Jays fans doing the same thing. The 21st Amendment is the establishment of choice for many fans as it is just a couple of blocks from the stadium, but if you are looking for something a little less crowded, try the Brickhouse Cafe and Bar, which has $4 pints during happy hour from 3-7, ideal for both day and night games.



From there, it is a short walk to AT&T Park, which is located at the corner of 3rd and King. Transit options abound as well, with the Muni stopping directly across the street, while CalTrain's terminus is at 4th and Townsend if you are coming from the South Bay. If you wish to brave the Bay Area's rush hour traffic, you can always drive and try to find parking but I do not recommend this option.



Before going inside, you should take a walk around the entire stadium. There are statues of past Giants stars (Orlando Cepeda above is one example), and along the Port walk next to McCovey Cove, you can see 22 plaques that celebrate many Giant achievements that took place at the stadium, such as when Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run back in 2007.



You can also view the iconic Coke bottle and glove from behind, an angle that is rarely shown for obvious reasons.



When I first visited here in 2001, the area behind right field was open to the public who could stand and watch the game for free. On the day I visited, it seemed that it had become a party area, though this may only be true before the game as the Giants website still indicates that these viewing portals, known as the Knothole Gang, are available to the general public. Note that you are limited to three innings if you decide to stand here, so don't bring a scorebook.



Once inside, the first stop is along the lower concourse to look at three World Series trophies and marvel at the Giants recent run of playoff luck.



Then head to the outfield area known as the Fan Lot, where you can get a close up look at the bottle and glove, which is the largest in the world.



I've included Sharpy and myself so you can see just how big it really is.



There are a number of colourful concession stands here that offering items that are slightly more unusual than what is available at the more mundane markets.



A small tribute to Candlestick Park can be found on this level, including a set of four bright orange seats. I saw the Expos there in 1992, and of course, the final 49ers game there on my NFL road trip in 2013. Candlestick was demolished in 2015.



Another interesting feature is the Buster Posey Lego figure, which looks remarkably like him. Check out the link to see how it was put together.



Oh yeah, there's also a baseball field here.


The obligatory view from behind home plate, which is not recommended because you really should be sitting up high so you can see the surrounding area.



Finally, the panorama shot from Section 302, which includes downtown, the Bay Bridge, and McCovey Cove. I met a fellow from Calgary here who had purchased the seat furthest from home plate and couldn't disagree with his logic as it is the best view in sports.



The Giants franchise has a long and storied history, including 75 seasons in New York, and AT&T Park includes references to those years as well, with old-time jerseys on display and world championship pennants along the roof of the stadium. There is so much on offer here that a single visit is probably not enough. When I first visited here in 2001, I considered this to be the second-best stadium in MLB behind PNC Park in Pittsburgh, but with the team's recent success and subsequently more history on display, it might have taken over top spot. Regardless of where you rank it, it is a must-see for any baseball fan.

The Games

Toronto is not a big draw in San Francisco and tickets for all three games were very cheap on the secondary market. For the first game, we sat about 30 rows back between home and first which set us back $20.



The Jays came in at 16-17 having lost 2 of 3 to the Dodgers back in Toronto, while the Giants were one game better at 17-16. The first game saw Aaron Sanchez facing Jake Peavy in a walkfest as the teams combined for 11 free passes. Josh Donaldson walked in the first and scored on a Michael Saunders single and then Jose Bautista walked in the third and scored on an Edwin Encarnacion homer that gave the Jays a 3-0 lead. In the 6th, Matt Duffy walked, moved to third on a Brandon Belt double, and scored on a Hunter Pence groundout. That was the only run given up by Sanchez, who completed 7 innings while scattering 3 hits and 5 walks. Gavin Floyd pitched the 8th and Roberto Osuna closed it out, getting pinch-hitter Posey to ground out as the tying run for the save. A good start to the trip.



For Tuesday's game, my friend Duncan flew down from Ottawa to join us, making his first sports road trip appearance since 1990. Fellow sports traveler and Bay Area resident Tike Narry, a Giants season-ticket holder, met us at the 21st Amendment before the game for a few libations. He had also received an invitation to a pregame wine tasting in the club area and kindly brought us along. Free wine and a chance to see the club section? Yes please. Several area wineries were on hand offering as much wine as you cared to drink, and the quality was outstanding. Sharpy and I were dressed in our Blue Jays jerseys and received many curious looks and a few questions, but all the fans were quite friendly, no doubt helped by all those frickin' championships. Anyway, once we had (more than) our share of wine, we took a brief tour of the club area, which includes a lot more memorabilia, such as a case honouring Dave Dravecky (above), and one celebrating the 2014 title (below). I had nothing against the Giants before I went there, but now I think they are just a bunch of show offs.



We eventually made it to our seats and watched as J.A. Happ pitched 8 2/3 shutout innings, only to give up a single and a walk to end his evening. Osuna came in and walked the bases loaded before striking out Jarrod Parker to earn a ridiculous save as the Jays won 4-0, with Troy Tulowitzki finishing with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI.



Wednesday was an afternoon game, and as Tike was working, we were able to use his seats. As you can see above, the view is not that bad. I really was hoping the Jays could complete the sweep, but they were down 5-2 after 7 innings. However, they scored 2 in the 8th and then Saunders led off the 9th with a homer and we went to extra innings with hope in our hearts. In the 11th, Encarnacion swung on a 3-0 pitch with men on 1st and 2nd and flew out to end the threat. I'm not a big fan of the 3-0 swing, but in this case, it made sense. In the 13th, Ryan Goins led off with a single but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double, in a play that was upheld after review. The next two batters singled, so yeah, Goins aggressiveness cost them a run. Of course, the Jays could not score, and in the bottom of the 13th, Ryan Tepera came in, essentially waving the white flag. A hit batter, misplayed sacrifice, wild pitch, and intentional walk loaded the bases. Joe Panik lined out, but Posey walked on 4 pitches to give the Giants the 6-5 win in 13 innings, leaving both teams at 18-18.

I'll take a 2-1 series win any day, but just once I'd like to have a 3-0 sweep on one of these trips.

Notes

The lateness of the game forced us to miss the San Jose Earthquakes game that night as we missed the last CalTrain that would have got us to Avaya Stadium in time. We instead went back to the Brickhouse and lamented the loss with a few more beers.

After this season, I still have to see the Jays at five National League parks: Washington (rained out last year), Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Los Angeles, as well as Seattle and Oakland in the AL. I suspect that this goal will keep me road tripping until 2020 at least.

Best,

Sean

Opening Day! Opening Day! Opening Day! Opening Day!

The MLB season opened on Sunday and I was in St. Petersburg for the occasion. The Blue Jays were getting their campaign underway in one of three games taking place that day. I had never seen them open the season on the road; two years ago I saw them play their second through fourth games at Tampa Bay, but had missed the first, so was rectifying that oversight on this trip.



The 4:05 start gave me plenty of time to tour the area around Tropicana Field after checking out of my hotel. Two years before I had a few drinks at the Brass Tap but it had closed in the meantime, so I went to the Amsterdam on Central Avenue, which had cheap and tasty BBQ outside and craft beer inside. They even put on the opening game of the season between Pittsburgh and St. Louis so I relaxed for a couple of hours, keeping my eye on StubHub for a ticket.



There were scalpers around but they were looking for more than I was willing to pay, hard to blame them as this is the only game where Tampa Bay will sell out. My limit was $30, and one guy simply scoffed and said "Good luck". Well, his kind wishes must have helped as I found a single in the lower deck for $32. I had to go to a FedEx Print Center to print out the ticket as Tropicana Field doesn't allow electronic entry (always make sure there is a nearby place where you can print tickets before buying). After getting the hard copy, I walked back toward Tropicana Field, only to happen upon a bar called World of Beer which was offering $4 local brews. With over an hour still to go until first pitch, I decided to stop for a quick pint, and let Sharpy know about this place. He replied "I'm sure Cliff and Norm are there", referring to the characters from the old sitcom Cheers. A throwaway comment, but when I finally made it to the Trop, it was none other than Norm himself, George Wendt, who threw out the first pitch. Quite a coincidence; that is him below singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 7th-inning stretch.



My seat was down the left field line (view below), a good deal for the price. Next to me were Karina and Dawn, two sisters from Toronto who had spent the past month in Dunedin for spring training, during which they had won a trip to this four-game series. They had flown back to Canada for one night and then headed right back to Florida the next day. They provided some interesting commentary during the game and were welcome seat mates. Toronto won 5-3 behind 8 strong innings from Marcus Stroman and a 2-run homer from Troy Tulowitzki, making me happy indeed. After the game, I drove to Gainesville for the night, and found another branch of the Brass Tap where I celebrated the start of another baseball season and a Jays victory.



The next day I continued on to Atlanta for the Braves home opener, the last in Turner Field history. Yes, after just 20 years, the Braves are ditching the Ted and moving to Cobb County, where SunTrust Park will open in 2017. Once again I used StubHub, picking up a ticket in the second row of the upper deck for $25, a bit much given that they didn't even sell out. Fortunately I had found a free parking spot on Pryor Street and was able to get a free soda through the designated driver program, so overall it was still a reasonable deal for a home opener.



It was a beautiful day as you can see above, and I took the time to wander around. The iconic Coke bottle has a "Please Recycle" message on its base, rather ironic as they are going to tear down this venue after just two decades of use.



Just behind the bottle is a mural which I quite liked. These little touches are what make each ballpark unique, and I'm sure the new one will have plenty of them too but at a much higher cost.



I was hoping for a quick game as I had to fly back to New York at 9:00, but as it often the case, it was not to be. The Nationals were the visitors and they took an early lead on a Bryce Harper homer in the first, but Freddie Freeman matched that in the bottom half. The same scenario played out in the fourth with ex-Met Daniel Murphy homering for Washington, while Adonis Garcia replied for the Braves. I wanted one team to take a lead, but no more runs were scored in my presence. In the bottom of the 8th, the Braves had two on with two out, but I could not stick around for the outcome as I had to get to the airport and get through Hartsfield's notoriously long security lines. The Braves scored on a bases-loaded walk in that inning, but gave up a run in the top of the 9th and lost 4-3 in ten innings.



I made it to the airport and actually saw the top of the 10th inning on TV. Security took over half an hour, but of course, once I reached my gate, I found out my flight was delayed 30 minutes, so I could have stayed for a little longer. In the end, I got back home just after midnight, another trip in the books.



As it turned out though, flying back that night allowed me to see yet another home opener on Tuesday. The Yankees and Astros had been postponed on Monday, with the makeup set for Tuesday afternoon. Tickets were very cheap and my buddy Andrew drove up from Philadelphia to join me. It was very cold and windy, but the sun was out, so we made our way to far left field where the sun was shining. The temperature difference was about 20 degrees and soon most fans followed suit, leaving those shaded sections nearly empty.



Houston won 5-3 in controversial fashion as Carlos Correa ran inside the baseline on a short grounder, forcing Dellin Betances to throw wild. Three unearned runs were the eventual result but I'm not complaining. After the game, umpire Dana DeMuth said Betances’ toss was so high that in his judgment it was just a bad throw. Good enough for me as a Yankees loss is almost as satisfying as a Blue Jays win.



After a couple of days off, my home opener count hit 4 as I returned to Citi Field to see the Mets thump the woeful Phillies 7-2 on Friday afternoon. StubHub stops selling tickets to MLB games (except the Yankees) two hours before first pitch but other resellers are not so constrained and I was able to get a ticket on SeatGeek for $23, half of face value, just an hour before game time.



I left my apartment at 12:20, as the ride usually takes 35 minutes. However, my New York nemesis, the MTA, decided to reduce the number of trains on the 7 line before the game. Trains are supposed to arrive every 6 minutes, but I waited 15 at Queensboro Plaza and the train was slower than usual too, arriving at Willets Point at 1:10, the scheduled start time. The delay was long enough to make me miss the first couple of batters. They were Phillies, so it didn't matter much, but it is still frustrating that these things happen all the time with MTA, despite fares being raised every year. You know the Mets are opening, why not ensure that 7 trains are running on schedule? SeatGeek allows for electronic entry, so in the future I'll go to the ballpark first and buy my ticket once I am there.

Next Up

I plan to attend any weekday afternoon games in New York because there is nothing quite like afternoon baseball while everyone else is at work, so I'll be at the Mets again on Wednesday when they host Florida as well as a trip to Philadelphia on Thursday for an afternoon tilt against the Padres, but the only other MLB games I'll be seeing involve the Blue Jays in San Francisco, Arlington, and Denver. My focus this year will be on the minors as I try to complete the AAA and AA parks this season. The first step will be a trip to Albuquerque, El Paso, and Midland next weekend. Check back for updates then!

Best,

Sean