Ultimate Baseball "Fantasy" Trip - Rounding Third & Heading for Home...

We are now 3 weeks into this epic adventure and are down to just over 1 week to go. We have been all over the country and into Canada, logging thousands of miles in the first 3 weeks. We've dealt with long trips and bad weather. We've eaten more food that we ever should think of eating, and saw so much baseball I now think I'm a knuckleball instead of a knucklehead for doing this trip. What started in Seattle watching the Mariners is currently in Milwaukee watching a former Seattle team, the Milwaukee Brewers, formerly known as the Seattle Pilots. In between those 2 locations we have seen 22 games 202 innings (included are 3 extra inning games). We saw Colorado score 8 runs in the 10th inning on the 15th in Detroit. We were able to think on our feet when the rains hit Philadelphia and tweak the schedule to stay with the plan. We've seen both ends of Interstate 75 with the beginning in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan and the end of the road in Miami, Florida. In the first 3 weeks we have traveled over 11000 miles and still have nearly 5000 miles to go to the finish. The last week will be a true test of our mettle as we push thru the tiredness and exhaustion to try to reach the finish line. Follow us as we attempt to do what few people have chosen to do....to see 30 ballparks in 30 days, by car (and train).

Game Recap #22 Arizona Diamondbacks @ Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers were an American League team until 1997, when they transferred over to the National League to accommodate the arrival of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay (then Devil) Rays. This was done to get the leagues to have an even number of teams so as to avoid year-round interleague play. Even though this patch up is being undone starting in 2013, it brings a little something special to a game like tonight when the Brewers host the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tonight also saw a couple of young pitchers take the mound. Wade Miley had the honors for Arizona, while Michael Fiers pitcher for Milwaukee. Both pitchers stayed strongly in control until Miley gave up a triple to Corey Hart, who then scored on a wild pitch. Milwaukee kept on Miley with a Ryan Braun solo home run in the third inning. The Brewers did excessive damage in the fourth inning, as both Hart and Rickie Weeks singled before scoring on a three-run home run by Cody Ransom, a former Diamondback. Martin Maldonado followed up with a single and was moved to second base on a Fiers sacrifice, before a Carlos Gomez triple forced him in. Gomez then scored when the next batter, Braun, hit a two-run home run, his second long ball tonight. Brad Ziegler then relieved Miley to close out the inning. Miley had been doing well this season before the performance tonight that read as 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and a walk to produce eight runs, all earned, alongside two strikeouts. It was the reliever Ziegler who surrendered the next run, as Weeks singled his way aboard and scored on a Ransom single. Craig Breslow took over for the Diamondbacks in the sixth inning, and he gave up a Gomez solo home run. Fiers was done after six innings of two-hit and three-walk baseball, striking out ten for an all-around nice night on the hill. He passed the ball to Manny Parra, who shut down Arizona in the seventh inning, as did Breslow on the Brewers half of the inning. Arizona got on the board in the eighth inning as Tim Dillard allowed singles to Stephen Drew and the cyclist Aaron Hill, which allowed a fielder's choice from pinch-hitter Gerardo Parra to be good enough to get Drew home. Parra came on in relief of Justin Upton, who had the only stolen base tonight in the third inning. The Diamondbacks made a good showing in the ninth as well, with Miguel Montero going yard for a solo home run, which made it 10-2 at the end of the game when Dillard worked out of his final jam. Fiers did walk away with the win, while Miley was subjected to the loss.

Day 22 – June 30 – Milwaukee, WI (continued)

We drove to the park and were looking for a place to park. We found what I thought would be a winner in the Bob Uecker lot. Well that shows you what I know. I thought they liked Uecker better than that. Heck that was one long walk. Well I needed that walk because when you go to Milwaukee you need to make sure you have room for 2 items. Those would be Brats & Beers. The beers were cold and the Brats were very tasty. The walk back to the car after the game was equally needed. In between it all was a ball game in a very nice ballpark. We had seats in the upper deck and I could’ve sworn Uecker was jealous. We got back to the hotel after the game so we could get this out and get a good night sleep. We can sleep in for a bit on Sunday as we will be heading back down I-94 to Chicago and hit the north side to see the Cubs.

Day 22 – June 30 – Milwaukee, WI

We actually got up and rolling a bit earlier than scheduled, as we knew this was going to be a long day, without much time to spare. Steven got us going out on I-70 and headed in a northwesterly direction until we met up with I-76. We then drove westbound thru Pennsylvania skirting to the north of Pittsburgh, a city we will be to in a few short days. As we approached the Ohio border we skirted just past the town of Beaver Falls, hometown of the famous Joe “Willie” Namath, NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback. We drove up to where I-76 meets I-80 near Youngstown, Ohio, gassed up and changed drivers with Pat taking his turn at the wheel, and started driving in a near due west direction passing just south of Cleveland and meeting up with I-90 to continue our journey westbound. Once on the road things started to look familiar as we were on this road when we drove from Cleveland to Chicago almost 2 weeks ago. Once we hit Chicago we curved northward onto Interstate 94 out of Illinois and into Wisconsin. We continued north until we reached Milwaukee and on to Miller Park for this evening’s game. But before we go to the game we check in at tonight’s hotel, Iron Horse Hotel, where we could stretch a bit and I can get this blog post out. Now we are off to the game with a blog post about the Miller Park experience after the game tonight.

Game Recap #21 Cleveland Indians @ Baltimore Orioles

Long before the well-acclaimed Camden Yards stood its ground in downtown Baltimore, the Orioles were a proud and noble franchise. Likewise, their visitors for the weekend, the Cleveland Indians, also have a history they would love to get back to. This season looks like it could be a turning point for both teams, and as they fight for every inch they can get, they will bump heads tonight. The pitching matchup, with Derek Lowe going for Cleveland and Jake Arrieta sent out for the Orioles, leads one to believe this could be a high-scoring affair. Cleveland made good on this idea in the first inning, as Shin-Soo Choo got aboard on a single, as did Jason Kipnis, before another single from Michael Brantley brought him home. Baltimore shook off the early damage in their half of the first, as Brian Roberts reached on an error by Casey Kotchman, got to second on a wild pitch, was brought to third by an Xavier Avery groundout, and then scored as J.J. Hardy reached on an error. The runs continued, as they took a lead once Adam Jones singled his way aboard and Hardy was scored by a Wilson Betemit double, before Jones scored on a Chris Davis groundout. The second inning went far more smoothly, but the third inning was rocky for Arrieta, who gave up a lead off Asdrubal Cabrera solo home run. Cleveland got to him again in the fourth inning, as singles by Kotchman, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Lou Marson loaded the bases with only out, prompting a Choo walk to score Kotchman and a single from Jason Kipnis ended Arrieta's day as Chisenhall and Marson came home. His line was an ugly 3 2/3 innings, eight hits and two walks to make five earned runs, with only two strikeouts. Tom Patton was next for the Orioles on the hill, shutting down the fourth inning effectively. It was the Orioles' turn to make an attack in the fifth inning, with Lowe walking Robert Andino, who quickly stole second base, moved over to third on a Roberts groundout, and then scored on another groundout from Avery. Baltimore gained the lead and chased Lowe in the sixth inning by getting Betemit and Davis aboard with singles, setting up Matt Wieters for a three-run long ball onto Eutaw Street. Jeremy Accardo worked out of a jam to end the inning. Lowe's line read 5 1/3 innings pitched, yielding six hits and three walks, allowing seven runs, four earned, while striking out two. The Indians shot back in the seventh inning, tying the game with a Shelley Duncan double off of Darren O'Day to bring the inherited runner Kotchman in. Duncan later scored when Marson grounded into a double play, and after two more singles, Matt Lindstrom was called on for the final out of the inning. Baltimore edged back ahead in the bottom of the seventh, when Ryan Flaherty served up a single on a Joe Smith offering to bring in Davis, who singled to get on and was pushed into scoring position on a Wieters walk. The Orioles got another in the eighth inning when Chris Perez was taken deep by Avery, another long ball to find the road outside. Cleveland tried to pull back in the ninth inning on closer Jim Johnson when Duncan singled aboard and was scored by Choo, but Choo never came across to tie the game, and Baltimore won 9-8. Lindstrom was in line for the win, Johnson converted an ugly but effective save, and Smith was the victim of the loss. In addition to chasing Lowe in the sixth, the other two stolen bases of the game happened here, as both Flaherty and Roberts took second base. Baltimore may be hoping this is the offensive spark they need to take some control in the AL East, while the Indians sit at .500 in the AL Central, and may struggle getting past rivals in Detroit and Chicago.

Day 21 – June 29 – Baltimore, MD (continued)

Tonight was AT&T Student night so we got a break on the cost of Shawn’s ticket. I’d bet good money that they didn’t have many students in attendance that go to school in Washington State. There was also a fireworks show after the game that we passed on to get back on the road. Before we went into the game we stopped by the warehouse over the right field wall and found the plaque commemorating Ken Griffey, Jr’s long distance home run in the 1994 All-Star Home Run contest. I felt as a Mariners fan I had to find this and take the picture that you see above. Pat, however, grew up a big Baltimore Orioles fan in the late 1960's when they were really good and his favorite Oriole was Brooks Robinson who has a statue on display at Camden Yards that we saw and captured with a picture as well. We had worked up an appetite from all of the chicken earlier in the day and dined at Boog’s BBQ named for Boog Powell, famous Orioles first baseman during the teams glory years in the 60’s and 70’s. I had been looking forward to this place the whole trip and boy it was unbelievable. That would almost make me want to go back there for another game, but alas, this schedule doesn’t permit that. We don’t travel as far as I would have liked to as we only make it to Hagerstown, Maryland where we are now for me to send this out. It is a little before midnight right now and we will most likely hit the road around 6AM for the trip to Milwaukee for Saturday’s game. There isn’t much margin for error in this timeline, but we will have an easy and full night Saturday in Milwaukee before the Sunday game.

Day 21 – June 29 – Baltimore, MD

We have finally made it to a local Starbucks in the inner harbor area of Baltimore before we head to Camden Yards for tonight’s Orioles game vs Cleveland. But what a long trip this was. We “slept” for about 3 ½ hours before I-95 beckoned for our trip up the Eastern seaboard at 5:30AM. Pat started driving as we crossed into Georgia shortly after leaving Jacksonville. We passed just west of Savannah Georgia and got into South Carolina. We passed very close to the NASCAR track in Darlington, home of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 raced each May. We stop for a quick lunch at a Bojangles’s Restaurant just outside of Fayetteville, North Carolina, but time was of the essence so we pretty much eat and run. We were pretty darn hungry and grabbed the 20 piece chicken and 10 biscuits that will more than carry us thru the trip to Baltimore. We got a half-gallon of Bojangles’ legendary Sweet Tea to go with it. It was very good and we plan to hit a Bojangles’ again when we return to Atlanta in a few days. The stop in Fayetteville represented the mid point between Jacksonville and Baltimore. When we got back into the car, I took over for the rest of the way to Baltimore. We drove into Virginia and skirted around Richmond on I-295. We get back onto I-95 toward Washington, DC and work the bypass roads to get thru town as it is nearly rush hour when we go thru there. We continue north and finally arrive in Baltimore around 6PM. When we got here and out of the air conditioned car, we realize how bloody hot it is. We still have a trip to Phoenix to get thru so we definately aren't thru with the hot weather. I’ve been to Baltimore many years ago and it is a beautiful city and one I wish I had more time to see. We have just enough time to check out the inner-harbor before heading to Camden Yards. But before we get there we stop at a Starbucks at the inner-harbor area to send this out. After tonight’s game we will replicate the get ahead plan from last night and head west to our next destination. There will be more to follow when we stop for the night.

Game Recap #20 Detroit Tigers @ Tampa Bay Rays

As our trip to all the ballparks hits the two-thirds completion mark, we are in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the always-competitive Tampa Bay Rays host a fairly equal opponent in the Detroit Tigers. Both teams may not have extensive postseason success rates, but they have come to the forefront of competition, leading me to believe this would be a close game. Veteran pitchers Max Scherzer for Detroit and James Shields for Tampa Bay are more than able to keep things close in a game, and they did just that through the first two innings, although Shields had a bit more trouble with it. These early struggles showed up in the third inning, where he game up an Austin Jackson single and a bunt single by Quintin Berry before recording an out. He was able to get a double play out of Miguel Cabrera, but a Prince Fielder single knocked Berry into scoring position, and score he did on a Delmon Young single. Fielder then came home on a double from Alex Avila, trying to recapture some of last season's magic as an everyday catcher. Shields' issues continued into the fourth inning as he let Brennan Boesch get aboard and then over to third base on a Jackson single. Boesch later scored when Berry reached on an error, and it could have been worse had Jackson not been out at home after a Cabrera single. Tampa Bay finally got to Scherzer in the fifth inning after Brooks Conrad got aboard with a double, easily setting up the run on an Elliot Johnson single. Detroit worked to get it back in the sixth inning, where Jackson singled and then advanced to second when Shields erred in throwing the ball, which is where he scored from on a Cabrera single. It wasn't until the seventh inning when Scherzer was pulled from the game for Phil Coke, leaving with a line of six innings pitched, four hits and two walks yielding two earned runs, paired with seven strikeouts. The second run came after Scherzer walked Jeff Keppinger, and Coke gave up a double to Conrad, which combined with a fielding error from Berry to get Keppinger home. Joaquin Benoit worked the eighth for the Tigers. Earlier in that inning, Shields was pulled after 7 2/3 innings, fourteen hits and a walk producing four earned runs, and six strikeouts. Jake McGee finished off the eighth and handed the ball to Wade Davis for the ninth, where he gave up a solo home run to Cabrera, making it 5-3. Jose Valverde made sure this was the final, pitching a perfect ninth for the save, preserving the win for Scherzer, and handing the loss to Shields. Interestingly enough, there were no stolen bases here, despite the Rays having somewhat of a speedy lineup. With only ten games to go, can the home teams pull things closer to .500 or will we see a bunch of road victories in the home stretch?

Day 20 – June 28 – St. Petersburg Florida (continued)

This will be a very short post. We’ve made it to just outside of Jacksonville, Florida on the way to Baltimore, Maryland. Steve, our self-appointed night owl was behind the wheel. It is around 2 AM and we probably only have 3 or 4 hours before we get back on the road as it is a long trip to Baltimore from here. We’ve got several states to cross and not much time. However, I thought it was more important to get some rest, rather than drive all night. It was pretty much a drive up I-75 to just north of Ocala then onto US 391 to I-10 into Jacksonville. It will be pretty much a straight shot up I-95 in the morning. The next report will be from Baltimore with details of that trip.

Day 20 – June 28 – St. Petersburg Florida

We did a really good job banking some extra sleep after the long day yesterday. We didn’t start rolling around until almost 11 AM. Once we got rolling it was time to head over to St. Petersburg on the west coast of Florida. When we left I was driving and we went up north to Fort Lauderdale, then cut west on I-75 on the Everglades Parkway, also known as Alligator Alley. I-75 took a northerly bend around Naples that is close to the coast. We traveled up north until we hit I-275 in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area and took that into St. Petersburg. As we were driving in this area it made me think it would be a great place to tour all of the Grapefruit League cities during spring training some year. We continue on I-275 until it meets I-175 and we are right at The Trop for tonight’s game against Detroit. This was supposed to be the 4th time we’ve seen the Tigers during this trip, but we lost the game the Tigers played in Pittsburgh due to the rainout in Philadelphia last week. We are here in plenty of time for the game and found our favorite coffee shop, Starbucks, and took advantage of their wi-fi to send this out. The plan is to eat at the game. Once the game is over we will head out of the Tampa/St. Pete area and start out toward our next destination. If we can put a couple hundred miles or so we can stop and get a few short hours of rest before moving on very early in the morning. I’ll have a short post game report when we finally stop for the night. More to follow…

Game Recap #19 St. Louis Cardinals @ Miami Marlins

On opening day this year, the defending champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, visited the newest park in the league down in Miami. Marlins Park has been a divisive place, with the funds acquired to put it in existence coming from the taxpayers through less than kosher methods as some might believe. Along with the team, with such personalities as Ozzie Guillen and Carlos Zambrano, as well as the egos of Hanley Ramirez and Logan Morrison, this could be a very volatile situation, and would make sense to be an easy victory for St. Louis. Early on, this looked like a very realistic possibility, as the Cardinals got to Miami starter Anibal Sanchez very early. Jon Jay got one early with a walk and was knocked over to third base on a Matt Holliday double before the scoring started with a Carlos Beltran sacrifice fly to get Jay home and a David Freese double to drive in Holliday. Meanwhile, St. Louis starter Joe Kelly worked well until the fifth inning, where he allowed Omar Infante and Gaby Sanchez both on to the bases with walks, before John Buck hit a single to get Infante in and Jose Reyes grounded out to bring Sanchez home. Kelly left after six innings, giving up five hits and two walks as well as two earned runs while striking out three. Sanchez was chased after seven innings, giving up a Tony Cruz solo home run in the seventh, which left him with a line of seven hits, two walks, three earned runs, and four strikeouts. Sanchez was in position for the win when he left thanks to Buck taking Fernando Salas deep to tie the game with his solo home run, before pinch hitter, the aforementioned Morrison hit a solo shot off of the next reliever, Sam Freeman. Miami got an insurance run in the eighth inning as Greg Dobbs singled his way on base, followed by another single from Justin Ruggiano, setting up an RBI double by Infante to make it 5-3 when Dobbs got home, and it would have been 6-3 had Ruggiano been safe. Ruggiano did have the only stolen base in the game earlier though. This run came off of Victor Marte, and the final stood from here at 6-3. Sanchez was in line for the win, while the ever-shaky Heath Bell shut the door strongly tonight for the save, and Freeman was on the hook for the loss. Just goes to show, even a band of misfits can take down a champion.

Day 19 – June 27 – Miami, Florida (continued)

We arrive at the stadium in time to pick up our Josh Johnson bobblehead. That was pretty cool. We are so tired from the long trip from Houston that we just nibbled on the food in the park. We've been on the go for so long it took me a little bit of time to figure out I was as far from my home in Washington State that we'll be during this trip. We are in the 2nd half of the trip so we are looking forward to slowly working out way back toward the Seattle area. When the game was over we headed back to the hotel to get the game blog and this blog posting out. We shall sleep in a bit tomorrow, as the trip to St. Petersburg won’t be too bad. Looking at the schedule there are a couple long trips coming up again soon.

Day 19 – June 27 – Miami, Florida

Once we hit the road I was driving and we got onto eastbound I-10 that we stayed on until we got into Baton Rouge, then onto I-12 to Slidell where we reentered I-10, gassed up and changed drivers. We didn’t have enough time, particularly in the middle of the night, to roll thru New Orleans so we passed by to the north of New Orleans and also Lake Pontchartrain. Once we got back on the road Shawn took a shift and drove to Pensacola, Florida, going just north of Biloxi Mississippi and thru Mobile Alabama along the way. Once we got to Pensacola, Steven got behind the wheel for his shift. The plan was to make it to Tallahassee before gassing up and eating a quick breakfast, which was accomplished. We continued east on I-10 until we got to Lake City and transitioned to I-75 going southbound until we got near Ocala, Florida where we gassed up once again go fill the tank to make it the rest of the way to Miami. With the fill up Pat got behind the wheel. We got into a lot of rain from Tropical Storm Debbie near where I-10 and I-75 meet. It was incredibly wet and we worried some whether it would delay out trip. We got off of I-75 northwest of the Orlando area and got onto the Florida Turnpike that we were on almost the whole rest of the way to Miami. We get there with enough time to spare to find our hotel for the night, the Four Seasons Hotel. The hotel is just south of the downtown area and will be a short drive to Marlins Stadium. We got checked in and took a short break to get this blog post out, then it’s off to the stadium for the game. There will be a short blog post after the game tonight before we crash for the night.

Game Recap #18 San Diego Padres @ Houston Astros

Starting next season, the Houston Astros will be starting anew after making the transfer from the National League over to the American League. This move will bring new features to baseball, such as year-round interleague play, new scheduling formats, and for the Astros, a new set of opponents. Gone will be the days like today, with the Astros hosting the San Diego Padres. Hopefully joining them will be someone who is starting their own path, their pitcher Jordan Lyles, who opposes career reliever and minor leaguer Kip Wells on the mound. Both pitchers held their own pretty well early on, until Lyles gave up a third inning solo home run to Will Venable, for a 1-0 Padres lead. Jed Lowrie avenged the run with a solo shot of his own, taking Wells deep (pun not intended) in the bottom of the third. The pitchers returned to form in the fourth inning, but struggled a bit in the fifth. Wells was far worse here, allowing Lowrie to reach on a single and then erring on a throw to get Brian Bogusevic aboard and Lowrie over to third base. Another miscue, a wild pitch, brought Lowrie home, and Chris Johnson's single drove in Bogusevic. The rally was capped off by a two-run J.D. Martinez home run to finish Johnson's trip. Wells was done after this inning, surrendering seven hits and three walks to produce five runs, two earned, while striking out two. The Padres bullpen used two more pitchers to finish things off, with Nick Vincent and Alex Hinshaw allowing just one walk between them over three innings of work. Lyles, on the other hand, was done after 6 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and four walks to go with one earned run and four strikeouts. Fernando Abad was handed the ball next and he worked cleanly in his 1 2/3 innings, but David Carpenter made things interesting in the ninth inning. After striking out Yonder Alonso, Carpenter gave up a single to Venable and walked Cameron Maybin. Brett Myers was called on to work out of a jam, giving up a Carlos Quentin fly out to center that moved both runners into scoring position, before Chase Headley singled them in (credited to Carpenter), but Headley would not come around despite Myers loading the bases by a John Baker single and hitting Alexi Amarista. The final stood at 5-3, allowing Lyles to grab the win, Myers to turn in a sloppy but successful save, and Wells was the victim of the loss.

As a side note, the time on the road is start to catch up a little bit with me at least, hence the late posting of this game recap. Game 19 will be as close to on time as possible.

Day 18 – June 26 – Houston, Texas (continued)

Steve drove us to Houston and we stopped when we got to town and had a bite to eat. We wanted to get that out of the way and just watch the game and get ourselves psyched up for one of the longest days of travel in the trip, our trip to Miami to watch the Marlins. We got out of Houston shortly after 10PM and I’m sending this from a McDonalds as we head out of town shortly after gassing up. Tomorrow’s report will track the trip to Miami.

Pat's Thoughts - Day 18

Since last I blogged, we have had our first problem on the entire trip. It rained in Philadelphia and postponed the game. But Mike was able to figure out a way around it, even though it means a very, very long day ahead of us near the end of the trip. Here are some of my observations from our trip the past few days.

- It didn't take too long to drive from Washington to Philadelphia. And thanks to Jim Thome, it was totally worth it. He has to be the most underrated great player in the past 20 years. And he treated us to a walk off home run. He reminds an old timer like myself of the great Harmon Killebrew, who did nothing but play great baseball and hit home runs.

- The drive to Cincinnati was pretty uneventful. We motored through the length of Pennsylvania and got some sleep before the long day on Sunday. Growing up on the west coast, you tend not to worry about things like paying tolls. We have hit many toll roads on our trip, and the novelty of paying tolls wears off quickly.

- The game in Cincinnati against the Twins was pretty forgettable, except for the closer Chapman blowing the save for the Reds. The Great American Ballpark is nice, but it simply feels like so many of the other new parks. They are a huge improvement over the cookie cutter stadiums of the 1970's, but hitting so many of them in a row tends to blur them together. The Twinkies beat the Reds, which makes it another win for the visitors. By my count, with last night's Detroit mauling of Texas, we are at 12-5 for the visiting team. I would have thought it would be the other way around.

- Ah, the fast drive from Cincinnati to the Dallas area. It was a long, hot drive, but we stayed cool in the car. I have said it many times - the person who invented air conditioning needs to be sainted. He has saved so many lives. I have lived out of the northwest for the past 35 years, and I honestly could not have survived without the blessing of air conditioning.

- Texas gets hot like nearly nowhere in the country except for maybe Arizona. It's a different kind of heat than the heat we felt in the Northeast last week. It was well over 100 when we got to the Ballpark in Arlington. It just overwhelms you at times. And it isn't anything you totally get used to. We have lived in Austin since 1986, and it has always been a very hot place that I will never get fully used to. I know that Mike and Shawn have to be melting.

- Mike can have the two foot long hot dog. That's too much hot dog for me. The Rangers got blasted last night by Detroit. As I said earlier, it's another win for the road team. I drove into the stadium area, since I am most familiar with the area in Arlington. We saw Jerry World next door to the Ballpark in Arlington, and gave it the appropriate salute.

- And for a brief few hours today, Steve and I get to play host to Mike and Shawn in Austin. We are planning on stopping to see Mike's niece Joy, who will be thrilled to see him. She hasn't seen Mike or Shawn for over 10 years. She likely won't recognize Shawn, but she will immediately recognize her Uncle Mike. Then after a far too short stay at home, we will hit the road to Houston.

- We are now in the dog days of our trip, with extremely long drives ahead of us. One of the longest ones is tonight after the game, as we drive all the way to Miami from Houston. The bad weather they have had in Florida with Debby will hopefully not affect us too much. And the trip rolls on.

Day 18 – June 26 – Houston, Texas

We got up and out of the Holiday Inn around 9AM this morning and headed first to Austin then on to Houston. But before we left we just had to see Jerry (Jones) Palace, Cowboys Stadium. All 4 of us are anti-Cowboy fans and it was all we could do from not taking a leak all over the stadium. Once we put the stadium in our rear view mirror it was a nice 3-hour drive to Austin and I let Pat do that driving since he is so familiar with the area. We sat back for an hour or so visiting my sister in law Peggy before heading back out. I think Steve will drive from Austin on to Houston as we make our way to Minute Maid Park.

Game Recap #17 Detroit Tigers @ Texas Rangers

Interleague play is done for the season, and the teams return to their respective leagues and familiar opponents. This usually leads to more scoring, and two teams that are no strangers to offense square off tonight in Arlington, Texas in one of the better ballparks for run scoring. The Texas Rangers are playing host to the Detroit Tigers. Texas gave the ball to Justin Grimm, and the prognosis for him in the first inning was much like his last name as the Tigers went to work very early. Austin Jackson led off with a double, and Quintin Berry followed up with a bunt single, which put both in prime position to score on a Miguel Cabrera double. Cabrera in turn came home on a Delmon Young single, Young scored on a Jhonny Peralta double, and Peralta crossed home when Ramon Santiago touched Grimm for a single, before finally Jackson was retired in his second at-bat of the inning. Grimm was sent out for the second inning as well, but he fared no better here, walking Berry, who then stole second to be able to score after Cabrera singled and Prince Fielder hit a sacrifice fly. Michael Kirkman took over for Grimm, who turned in a line of one inning, eight hits and a walk producing six earned runs, and no strikeouts. Kirkman didn't do as bad, but he still gave up a run to Fielder in the fifth inning on a Peralta groundout and a sixth inning run to Jackson after Cabrera doubled. Kirkman exited after five innings of relief, allowing two hits, two walks, two earned runs, and he struck out five. Mark Lowe was next in the Rangers bullpen, and he kept things spotless save for a couple of walks. On the other side of things, Tigers starter Rick Porcello had a good go of it, working into the seventh inning before leaving as Leonys Martin walked to get on base. Porcello exited with six innings pitched, allowing six hits and three walks, and one earned run as Martin would score when Josh Hamilton took Brayan Villarreal deep for a two run home run. Villarreal was spotless from there, and Joaquin Benoit worked the ninth inning, allowing just Elvis Andrus' single to make it 8-2 for a final. Grimm was obviously tagged for the loss, and Porcello's nice game stood for the win, as the road teams strike again on our little journey here.

Day 17 – June 25 – Arlington, Texas (continued)

We just got back from the ballpark after the game and the first thing I did was pop a Tums. I had one of those 2-foot hotdogs (see picture above) at the game tonight and now I’m wishing I hadn’t. It was a long trip to Arlington and we will get a good night sleep before heading to Houston tomorrow. We’ll be traveling via Austin so that Pat & Steven can check out their home to make sure all is well. We will check in tomorrow.

Day 17 – June 25 – Arlington, Texas

After leaving Louisville, I continued to drive into the night until we got to Nashville. We gassed up in Nashville and continued on and Steven was driving to Memphis, TN, across the Mississippi River into Arkansas to Little Rock where it was time to gas up again and change drivers. We found a 24-hour diner that served breakfast this early in the morning and stopped and had breakfast. Pat got behind the wheel to take us the rest of the way to Arlington, Texas. We got there shortly before noon and checked into the Holiday Inn in Arlington where we will stay for the night after the game. We decided to rest up a bit and head to the game in a few hours.

Ultimate Baseball “Fantasy” Trip – The halfway point

A lot has happened to us since we last reviewed the trip last Saturday night in Cleveland. We just beat the rain that was closing in on Cleveland last Sunday and actually had to deal with it on the way to Chicago. Had a great time in the Chi-town as we had a day to site see before we made our way to watch the inter-city battle between the Cubs & the Sox. From there it was a lengthy drive to Washington DC via Canton Ohio where we took a side trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I had been there way back in 1980, so I was amazed to see how much it had changed in the last 30+ years. By the time we got to Washington DC we didn’t have time to see anything that wasn’t close to the road and just made it to Nationals Park. We had made the determination earlier that depending on how we were feeling at the time that a switch from the car to Amtrak & Subways would make for an interesting diversion so that is what we did. Most of the Amtrak ride was during daylight so that afforded some nice sightseeing from the rails. Just being able to sit back and relax was well worth it. New York City was absolutely spectacular. As Pat said earlier in “Pat’s Thoughts” it is hard to believe the volume of people in the city. There is so much to see we really needed a week there, not slightly more than a day. However we did hit the highlights and it was nice to meet my wife Sandy in New York for her visit to the Statue of Liberty, along with my buddy Russ who met us on the train on the way to New York. Doing our own version of a Subway Series on Wednesday was something that really made this trip doable. There are limited opportunities to do 2 games in 1 day. This was it and we took advantage of it. We had the chance to rest a bit before heading to Boston the next day to go to Fenway Park and see the Red Sox. We spent that night in Boston before heading to Philadelphia on Friday. When I work up on Friday I had one of those things happen to me that an old boss who traveled a lot told me about. I woke up and didn’t have a clue in what city I was in. I had to think about it for quite a bit before I remembered we were in Boston. We headed out before noon on the way to Philadelphia not realizing what would be greeting us there. About half way there we noticed there was weather in the form of rain, thunder and lightning. We took advantage of the wi-fi on the train to take a look at the weather in Philadelphia and we knew we were in trouble. When you put a trip like this together you briefly think about what could go wrong, but you don’t dwell on it. Now it was time to dwell on it. When we got to Citizen’s Bank Park it was raining pretty hard and there was a doubt whether they would get the game in. That, however, didn’t keep us from hitting the concessions hard. We were patient and prepared to stay as long as needed to get the game in, but alas it was finally called. We decided to stay with the post game plan to head back to Washington DC for the night and pick up the van. On the way we did some research and it showed based on the upcoming schedule that the game in Philadelphia on Saturday was a must do and we then decided to push the game in Pittsburgh back toward the end of the trip. At least we had the option, but we had officially used our one mulligan and added an extremely long trip in about 10 days. We had plenty of time to get back to Philadelphia yesterday for the game and made the way toward Cincinnati for today’s game. We are now back on schedule with 2 weeks left in this trip. What does the trip have in store for us? Well, it looks like Tropical Storm Debby is in the Gulf of Mexico and might hinder out trip between Houston and Miami early next week. As long as the games are played we will do our best to get there and report what we see to you all. Thanks
to everyone taking the time for follow this blog and hope you are enjoying it as much as we are bringing it to you.

Game Recap #16 Minnesota Twins @ Cincinnati Reds

For the last day of interleague play in the 2012 MLB season, we are treated to a game of teams that have their own, unique histories with very little overlap. The visiting Minnesota Twins have had their ups and downs throughout the existence of the teams, but do not incite a natural rivalry with their hosts, the Cincinnati Reds, best known for the Big Red Machine of the 1970s. Today, with lineups toned down much from their respective heydays, the two teams meet in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. The scoring in this game was quiet, with both teams struggling for offense in the first and second innings. Cincinnati finally broke through in the third inning, as catcher Devin Mesoraco doubled on Twins starter Scott Diamond, and he came home on a single by utility man Wilson Valdez. Diamond lost control, plunking the next two batters to load the bases, but he worked from the jam and kept the score at 1-0. The fourth inning was quiet, but Minnesota evened the score in the fifth inning as their own utility man Trevor Plouffe took Reds starter Mike Leake deep for a solo home run. Offense remained a struggle throughout the game, allowing both pitchers to work deep, and as such it was Leake who gave up a Joe Mauer single and Josh Willingham double in the seventh inning, before ceding a Justin Morneau groundout to get Mauer home. With his team ahead in the eighth inning, Diamond choked up a Valdez single, and then all-star first baseman Joey Votto put Cincinnati back in front with a two-run blast to left field. Leake turned the ball over to closer Aroldis Chapman for the ninth inning, but the flamethrower pitcher gave up a double to Mauer and found himself in a bit of trouble with only one out. Mauer was lifted for the speedier Denard span, but his speed wasn't needed when Willingham drilled a home run ball into the left field seats, making it 4-3 for the Twins. Diamond turned things over to interim situational closer Jared Burton for the bottom of the ninth, and after walking both Todd Frazier and Scott Rolen, he was able to shut the door and preserve the win. Diamond worked eight innings, giving up eight hits, one walk, and three earned runs while striking out seven, and while it wasn't a gem, it was good enough for the win, while Burton got the save for his inning of duty, and Leake pitched eight innings with just five hits yielding two earned runs, but he came away with no decision after Chapman blew the save. This concludes the interleague with play, with all teams returning to their respective leagues for the rest of the season, but this game proved to be a thriller, an excellent way to wrap things up.

Day 16 – June 24 – Cincinnati, Ohio

We had some more traveling this morning to get to Cincinnati. We made it as far as Wheeling Ohio last night so it was back in the car just before 8AM for a quick breakfast and back on the road. Steven was doing the driving to Cincinnati and we rolled into town shortly after noon. We skirted the outskirts of Columbus Ohio. None of us in the car wanted to bother to stop and see THE Ohio State University so we continued down to Cincinnati. We got on the radio seeing if we could fine Dr. Johnny Fever or Venus Flytrap on the radio. The last I heard is that they were living on the air in Cincinnati, but I guess not today. Oh well. We did snack a bit at the game, but that was it. It was a 1:10PM game so by the time the game was over and we were out of the stadium it was a little before 4PM. Next up is an all-night trip to Arlington, Texas for tomorrow’s game. I was driving and drove to Louisville, KY so we could stop and have dinner. We ate well knowing it was going to be a long night. This is probably a good place to post this blog entry. I’ll have more in the morning when we come upon a place to get wi-fi and update the trip.

Game Recap #15 Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies

After a rainout yesterday, the Tampa Bay Rays got to play the Philadelphia Phillies as Citizens Bank Park, and tonight proved to be a night for records and milestones. The game didn't get going quickly though, as both Tampa Bay starter James Shields and Philadelphia starter Kyle Kendrick handled the first inning well. Kendrick tasted the first adversity in the second inning, as Ben Zobrist singled his way aboard and Jose Lobaton walked to put him in jam, before Jeff Keppinger ripped a double to bring both of them in. Shields later grounded out to get Keppinger home after he advanced to third on an error by Michael Martinez. Philadelphia clawed back, as Jimmy Rollins took Shields deep in the third inning, scoring Kendrick, who was on thanks to a walk. The Phillies were able to get a lead in the fourth inning, as pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot and Rollins both got aboard with singles, setting up a rarity from Juan Pierre, a three-run home run. Pierre, primarily known for his speed, added two stolen bases during the game. Kendrick ended the day with four inefficient innings pitched, six hits and three walks producing three runs, two earned, while striking out six. Shields was gone after five innings, giving up seven hits and a walk, and five earned runs, striking out seven. From their, the bullpens started out pretty well, with Raul Valdes and J.P. Howell keeping the scoreboard clean through the sixth inning. Chad Qualls did just as well in the seventh, but his counterpart, Brandon Gomes, gave up an RBI single to Carlos Ruiz, scoring Pierre. Working from a hole, the Rays chipped back on Antonio Bastardo in the eighth inning, as Sean Rodriguez singled after the bases had been loaded, bringing in Zobrist. The next man in the Phillies pen, Jonathan Papelbon, was no better, giving up singles to Keppinger and Brooks Conrad, allowing the tying runs to come in, with both Hideki Matsui and pinch-runner Chris Archer scoring. Philadelphia would get the last laugh, as Jake McGee gave up a Jim Thome long ball to end the game in the bottom of the night. Here's where the record comes in: Thome's home run, the 609th of his career, stands as his thirteenth walkoff home run, most in MLB history. As I said the last time we saw the Phillies, Thome is easily one of the best players of his generation, and the record certainly shows for it. The win was also special for manager Charlie Manuel, as it was his 900th victory. As for the Rays, they had to be proud of utility man Keppinger, as he got a spot start tonight at third and eventually shifted over to first, going five for five and knocking in three runs in the process. All around a special night that we proved to be destined to see after the rains made us change our plans on the fly yesterday.

Day 15 – June 23 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (continued, again)

We finally got our game in at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark after a 1- day delay. After the game it was time to fill the car up, get Pat behind the wheel and head west toward Cincinnati, Sunday’s destination. We got thru Pennsylvania, finally stopping for the night in Wheeling, Ohio, which will leave a relatively short trip to Cincinnati. It was an uneventful trip there but it is time to hit the sack. We had plenty of sleep last night, but we need as much as we can as the miles are about to add up.

Day 15 – June 23 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (again)

We slept in until after 10AM this morning with no pressure to be anywhere immediately. We woke to bright sunshine in Washington DC and hope to have more of the same in Philadelphia after yesterdays disaster. We had a bit of time so I drove us around Washington DC after we ate breakfast and before we made the 2 ½ hour trip up to Philadelphia for take 2 of the Phillies vs Rays. Since I saw more of Philadelphia than I cared to last night without leaving the ballpark it was planned to get in and get out right after the game. We stopped at Subway to have a nice sandwich before the game and to get this post out. The plan is to drive west in the direction of Cincinnati and see how far we get before we call it a night. I’ll have more when we stop for the night.

Day 14 – June 22 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (continued)

We made it into Philadelphia on time and took the SEPTA subway from the 30th Street Station to the AT&T Station, about a 2-block walk to Citizen’s Bank Park. On our way the skies opened up with heavy rain and thunderstorms. We still made it to the park with some other brave souls hoping to wait out the rain for a ballgame. We got our famous Phily Cheesesteaks at Campo’s Steaks in Ashburn Alley. I had been waiting the whole trip for this and I wasn’t going to let a bit of rain spoil my fun. If nothing else we were well fed, if not soaking wet. We braved it out until nearly 10 PM when the words you hate to hear more than any others in a trip like this came out, GAME POSTPONED. We had a very well plan trip tripped up by a rainout. We decided to get back to 30th Street Station and catch the 11:30PM train back to Washington to pick up the car. In the meantime we cut Russ loose and told him to give us better weather the next time we were in town. He told me I had given him more than enough of the Seattle rain in his lifetime that he felt like he almost owed us. That’s what friends are for, huh? With a 2-hour train ride back to DC it was time to plunge into heavy research to get this trip back on track (so to speak). The decision was make to sleep in Saturday morning, get back into the van and head back to Philadelphia. We’ll have plenty of time, as the game in Philadelphia is a 4:15PM start. During our research we decided to skip our Saturday game in Pittsburgh to later in the trip. There is a slot in the schedule that will make this fit in most likely July 2, but it does eliminate a planned off date of July 4 and will necessitate the longest single leg in this trip. Frankly waiting in Philadelphia for the game that never started is truly exhausting and now it’s off to bed with no alarm to wake me up.

Pat's Thoughts - Day 14

It's been a busy couple of days since last I entered anything onto the blog. The days do tend to blur together.

- The Pro Football Hall of Fame was sweet. I am partial to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but still, seeing the busts of all the football greats was awesome too. Would have liked to have spent an entire day there, but the schedule reigns.

- The drive from Canton to DC wasn't too bad. We did get some traffic in Washington during rush hour. And we did get treated to some excitement at the Tampa Bay - Washington game. Got to see the guy for Tampa Bay get kicked out for using pine tar on his glove. It wasn't clear at the time what caused him to be ejected. I thought that it was a foreign substance of some kind, but I didn't know for sure until after the game. Spiced up a fairly ordinary game.

- I was a freshman in college the last time I rode on a passenger train. For all the crap that Amtrak gets, they operate a really nice train service in the Washington - Philadelphia - New York - Boston corridor. It was smooth and the scenery (at least what passed for scenery) flew by. We were in downtown Manhattan before we knew it. Plus we got to see a couple of familiar faces in Russ and Sandy. We were getting bored seeing the same people every day. It was a very nice change.

- This was my first trip to New York City, and all I can say is that it is really crowded. You don't get a sense of how many people are packed together until you get there. I've been in some large cities, but New York simply felt crowded. It was good that we were all able to see the Statue of Liberty and then on the subway to new Yankee Stadium. Some of these newer parks are blending together. But Yankee Stadium is still Yankee Stadium, even if it's new. Citi Park felt quite a bit like Nationals Park, which felt like Progressive Field, which felt like - well, you get the idea. Our schedule is such that we don't really have a chance to savor the atmosphere as much as we would like.

- The Atlanta - Yankee game was home run derby. As Mike was telling Sandy, chicks must dig the long ball. Between games, we got Sandy pointed back to JFK airport for her trip back to Seattle. It was a very quick visit with her, but we'll see her again in a couple of weeks. The Baltimore - Mets game was a fairly non-descript game. But at least it was a close game.

- Then it was some more sight seeing on Thursday morning in New York. Very emotional trip to Ground Zero, then a very nice trip to the Umpire State Building (bad baseball pun). I prefer the view from the top of the Space Needle myself, and I looked for Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan but didn't see either of them. Then it was back to Penn Station for the ride to Boston. Another quick trip with few stops and suddenly we were in downtown Boston.

- The Miami - Boston game was okay, but I'm not a Red Sox fan at all. I was looking forward to seeing Fenway Park. I won't say I was disappointed, but there is a world of difference between an ancient stadium like this and the ones we've seen over the past few days. Fenway and Wrigley Field are by far the oldest parks that we will see. And for all of the charm of Fenway, it's an acquired taste. The home team won, which makes it two in a row for the home teams. By my count, the visiting teams have a 10-4 lead. And also by my count, tonight's game in Philadelphia marks the halfway point in the games. Not the halfway point in the mileage, but at least we're halfway through the games.

- Guess what? Not everyone knows your name at Cheers.

- So it's on the train again (not quite Willie Nelson being on the road again, but it will suffice) and to Philadelphia before we get back to DC and get reunited with the Caravan. And we've enjoyed having Russ on this leg of the trip to keep us company.

We're about ready to start putting some serious miles on the road trip in the coming days. We will even have a brief stop in Austin in the next few days. The saga continues....

Day 14 – June 22 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

After a big breakfast pretty early this morning we had one more stop to make before making the trip to Philadelphia. We made our way to the Cheers bar in Boston, where everybody knows your name (as long as your name is Norm). After checking it out we were on our way back to Back Bay Station to catch our train for the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. The train left at 11:21AM and we’re currently en-route with a scheduled arrival time of 4:52PM. The current plan is immediately after the game get back to the 30th Street Station and catch the 11:30PM train to Washington DC, with a planned arrival of 1:25AM. We will go back to the George A. Kimpton Hotel for a short rest period before we head out. I will summarize the balance of the trip and the game experience in Philadelphia while on the way to Washington.

Game Recap #14 Miami Marlins @ Boston Red Sox

Massachusetts is a state that has been a part of history from day one in the United States. Since 1912, Fenway Park has also been a part of baseball's history. As we celebrate the centennial for this iconic locale, its tenants, the Boston Red Sox, host a team whose stadium has just begun its life. That would be Marlins Park, home of the Miami Marlins, a structure one hundred years younger than the one that is at the center of today's action. Miami jumped out to an early lead to put the pressure on much-maligned Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, making his third start since a return from Tommy John surgery, by getting Jose Reyes on with a single, and Giancarlo Stanton also singled his way on before getting into scoring position by stealing second base, one of three steals for the Marlins today. Greg Dobbs started the scoring by singling in both Reyes and Stanton, and he came home after stealing second as well, on a single by the recently struggling Omar Infante. Infante also stole a base in the inning, concluding the base-running theatrics for the night. Things were quiet until the fourth inning, where Boston finally chipped into a slightly-erratic Carlos Zambrano with Cody Ross getting on base after being hit by a pitch, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia suffered the same fate to get Ross in scoring position. Then, a Will Middlebrooks single scored Ross and a sacrifice fly by Mike Aviles got Saltalamacchia home. The Red Sox worked into a tie in the fifth inning on another Middlebrooks single that brought in Adrian Gonzalez, who was on via a walk. Zambrano was done after this, surrendering five hits and four walks to produce three earned runs while striking out three. The Marlins did get the lead back in the sixth inning when right-fielder Stanton blasted one of his notorious home runs over the Green Monster, a monumental left field wall that is part of the Fenway charm. Matsuzaka left after this, with 5 1/3 innings pitched, allowing four hits and a walk and four earned runs, while striking out four. Andrew Miller was next in line to take the mound, and he did not stop the bleeding, giving up a Dobbs single and Infante RBI double that made it 5-3. Miami called on Ryan Webb out of the bullpen, and he worked well, but his follower, Randy Choate, let the Red Sox back into the game in the eighth inning by allowing Saltalamacchia on base with a double. Choate was yanked for Edward Mujica, which turned out poorly as Middlebrooks lifted a home run to center field, tying the game. Mujica continued to struggle, putting Ryan Kalish on base, and then giving up a single to Daniel Nava that let Kalish get home to make it 6-5. Scott Atchison had pitched the eighth inning for Boston, and he let Alfredo Aceves on the mound for the ninth, where Aceves shut the door to preserves the win for Atchison and the save for himself. Mujica was nailed for the loss, and Boston completed their sweep over the Marlins. Just goes to show, sometimes the oldies are in fact goodies, at least when it comes to teams and ballparks.

Day 13 – June 21 – Boston, Massachusetts (continued)

Well after a couple of different trains we are back at the hotel for the night prior to the trip to Philadelphia tomorrow. Had a good time at Fenway tonight, it was quite the experience. We’ve got one more big train trip to Philadelphia tomorrow and a short hop from Philadelphia back to Washington to pick up the car before the driving part of this trip continues. We are not in a frantic rush tomorrow to get to the train station, but we do have one special stop planned before hitting the train, so we should be able to get one last night of good sleep before we go thru the sleep-deprived portion of the trip.

Day 13 – June 21 – Boston, Massachusetts

We were able to sleep in a bit, but not too much as we had a few more things to do in NYC before catching the train to Boston at 1:03PM. We took the “3” Train from Union Station to Park Place Station and walked the ¼ mile from there to Ground Zero which was a very humbling experience. We spent some time there and paid our respects to everyone affected by 9-11. From there we went to the Empire State Building and took the elevator to the top and you truly can see miles and miles and miles. From there we went to Times Square to walk around a bit and finally worked our way back to Penn Station to catch the Amtrak train to Boston. We arrived at the Back Bay Boston Station at 4:40PM and checked in at the Sheraton Boston Hotel so I could get this out before we head down to Fenway Park for tonight’s game. It should be a short train ride to Fenway, but slightly more complicated post game. I’ll have more when we return from the game tonight.

Day 12 – June 20 – New York City, NY (continued)

Our trip to Citi Field started by taking the “2” train to Times Square Station then transferred to the “7” train going the rest of the way to Citi Field. We arrived there just before 6:30 that meant a quick trip to the stadium and our second game of the day. We are getting a bit run down with all of the go, go, go, but with taking the train for the next couple of days, hopefully that will help to recharge our batteries. Our trip back started by taking the “7” train to Broadway Station and then transferring to the “E” train back to Penn Station and getting back a little before 11PM. It has been a very long day that started before 6AM leaving Union Station in Washington DC and is concluding 17 hours later in New York City after a trip to the Statue of Liberty and baseball games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.

Game Recap #13 Baltimore Orioles @ New York Mets

Our second game of the day has significantly less historical value, but proved to be just as much of a thriller near the end. The New York Mets put on a show in the middle innings after both Mets starter Dillon Gee and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz kept things clean in the first few innings. Gee proved to be a bit more solid here, allowing just two base runners in the first three innings, while Matusz was working out of the jam more often. New York finally cracked Matusz in the fourth inning with a single from backup catcher Mike Nickeas, allowing utility man Scott Hairston to get home. Hairston used a ground rule double in the fifth inning to score Jordany Valdespin, and after intentionally walking Vinny Rottino, Matusz gave up a fielder's choice groundball to Ike Davis that brought in David Wright, ending Matusz's outing. His final line showed 4 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits and walking two to produce three earned runs, and striking out two. Gee, meanwhile worked very efficiently, still not having surrendered any additional base runners. He even hit a double in the sixth inning, which set him up nicely to score on a ground rule double from star third baseman Wright, all of which was off of reliever Luis Ayala. Gee was able to make it into the eighth inning before departing from the game after Wilson Betemit hit a two-run home run, also scoring Nick Johnson. Gee scattered a mere three hits and two walks, giving up just the two earned runs on the homer, and, taking a page out of recent superstar R.A. Dickey's book, fanning nine batters in 7 1/3 innings. With the lead on the line and having seen Bobby Parnell work well ahead of him, Frank Francisco came on to pitch. The results were far from pretty, as he gave up singles to Matt Wieters and Johnson, and then walked Mark Reynolds to load the bases. Steve Pearce drew a bases-loaded walk here that forced in Wieters, but Francisco was able to retire Brian Roberts and pick up the save in the 4-3 game. Surprisingly for this game, there was neither a double play or stolen base. Between the two games today, this one here had far more dramatic effect, especially with the late Baltimore rally that fell just short.

Day 12 – June 20 – New York City, NY

Now that’s the way to travel… let someone else get you there. We got up and going early catching the 6AM train from Union Station to Penn Station, arriving shortly before 9AM. We will be staying at the New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania, but before we check in we have much to do. My buddy Russ came up from just outside of Philadelphia to join us for the next couple of days. I’ve known Russ for 25 years and he has been living in this area for the last 8 months. In addition, my wife Sandy who does not like baseball, but has dreamed to see the Statue of Liberty in New York forever has flown in from Seattle and arrived at JFK at 7:25AM. We got to see the Statue this morning. While Sandy was taking the train from JFK and we were taking the “1” from Penn Station we met up in time to catch the 9:30 ferry to the Statue of Liberty. We spent just less than and hour and a half on Liberty Island before taking the ferry back to lower Manhattan. From there it’s was off to Yankee Stadium for the afternoon game versus Atlanta. We took the “4” train direct all of the way to Yankee Stadium and got there in time for the 1:05PM start. While at the Stadium we dined on ballpark cuisine and really enjoyed seeing a game at Yankee Stadium, but I didn't think it would ever end. Home runs all over the place and on top of that a very warm day in the Bronx. After the game it was time to get Sandy on her way back to JFK for her flight back to Seattle. It was a quick trip for her, but she’s finally had the chance to see the Statue of Liberty. The rest of us took the “B” train to the 125th St. Station and transfer to the “A” train, arriving at Penn Station at 5:00PM. We had done a set up for our stay at the hotel when we got there this morning so all we needed to do was pick up the key, head up to the room and drop our stuff off and send this blog entry out. I’ll review the rest of the day when we return from Citi Field late tonight.

Game Recap #12 Atlanta Braves @ New York Yankees

In our first game today, we have two franchises that have a long history going against one another. The visitors started off in Boston, before moving to Milwaukee and later Atlanta, and they are the Braves. The hosts have been in New York City for the length of their existence, and have won more championships than any North American professional sports team, and they are the Yankees. This game began early, with an Atlanta rally in the first inning really beginning to get to Yankees starter Phil Hughes. Michael Bourn led off with a single, and was later scored by a Dan Uggla single after stealing second base to get in scoring position. Hughes got off no easier, as Freddie Freeman finished Uggla's trip by placing a ball in the right-center field seats. New York got one back as the Captain Derek Jeter hit a leadoff solo shot in the bottom of the first, going to the short porch in right field. Atlanta kept up with a power theme in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, with a solo home run in each that eventually chased Hughes. Prado struck in the third and took the ball over the wall in left field, while phenom Jason Heyward went the other way in the fourth inning and backup catcher David Ross took it back to left field for his blast in the fifth. New York countered with three solo shots in the fifth and sixth innings. Eric Chavez got the party going for the home team with his blast in the fifth, going to center field, before Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano went back-to-back in the sixth inning, both going toward right field. Atlanta starter Tommy Hanson left after this power display, and turned things over to Jonny Venters, Chad Durbin, Eric O'Flaherty, and Kris Medlen for the rest of the game. It was Durbin who was touched for a run in the seventh inning as Curtis Granderson lifted a single into right field to get Russell Martin home. As for the Yankees pen, Cody Eppley and Clay Rapada kept things clean after Hughes was relieved, but Cory Wade was not as fortunate when he let Prado aboard in the eighth inning, and then Freeman's groundout let Prado score. However, his fellow reliever Boone Logan was dinged for a two-run home run in the same inning, the ninth long ball in the game being a two-run shot from the bat of Heyward, that also scored Uggla. That was Heyward's second homer of the game, and his tenth of the season. The Braves finished it off in the ninth inning when Juan Francisco singled and then got to third base on an error, before finishing his trip on a Prado single. This run was scored against Freddy Garcia. Francisco was also credited with a stolen base in the ninth. The final was declared at 10-5 for the Braves, with Hanson not dominant or even effective in the win, while Hughes was less so in the loss.

Game Recap #11 Tampa Bay Rays @ Washington Nationals

For years, the Tampa Bay Rays have had to use what they've been able to cultivate in their own system to stay competitive in the AL East. The Washington Nationals are just figuring out what their young phenoms are able to do. Today, the two youth-driven teams met in the nation's capital. Scoring started early, as Washington starter Chien-Ming Wang surrendered early base-runners, setting up a Tampa Bay run as B.J. Upton singled in Desmond Jennings, both coming out of the Rays' prospect pool. Tampa Bay starter David Price faced a similar fate, as a Carlos Pena error led to the young Nationals-grown second baseman Danny Espinosa scoring when Michael Morse got on base in the first inning. Espinosa had gotten in position for the run after the game's only stolen base. The Nationals added on to take a second inning with a solo home run by shortstop Ian Desmond, a product of their system as well. The Rays charged back to the lead in the third inning, giving Wang more trouble as Pena made up for his earlier defensive miscue with a two-run home run that also scored Jennings, and then an Elliot Johnson triple forced in both super-utility man Ben Zobrist and catcher Jose Lobaton. Wang would get into the fourth inning before the Nationals bullpen took over, mainly Ross Detwiler, who tossed 1/3 more innings than Wang did, as well as Michael Gonzalez and Ryan Mattheus. Wang left after scattering seven hits and five runs, all earned, along with three walks and only one strikeout. The Nationals bullpen kept Tampa Bay's offense in check throughout the rest of the game. Price was not as lucky, as the game turned into a close, one-run battle in the sixth inning after Morse hit a two-run home run, also scoring star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, another home-grown talent. He lasted another inning before handing things over to Joel Peralta, Jake McGee, and closer Fernando Rodney. Peralta was controversially removed, accused of using pine tar on his glove in one of the more odd things we've seen so far, while McGee got a hold and Rodney shut the door for a 5-4 win. Price's line was seven innings, six hits and a walk, four runs, three of them earned, with four strikeouts. Out of all the home-grown talents in this game, one that was kept silent happened to be teenage superstar Bryce Harper, who turned in an 0-3 with a walk today, a small blemish on what has been a good season so far for him and the Nationals, as well as their opponents too.

Day 11 – June 19 – Washington, DC (continued)

The trip in from Canton went pretty much as expected. We got into the DC area shortly after 5PM fighting the DC traffic. We wandered our way to the ballpark. We were pretty tired from the long drive so we decided to just check out the local ballpark food for dinner tonight and there was plenty to choose from at Nationals Park. We’ve now made it to our hotel for the night, the George A. Kimpton Hotel, that is a few miles north of Nationals Park and just a short distance north of the US Capitol building. This hotel is very close to Union Station that will represent a significant deviation of plans for this trip. We are headed to New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia over the next 3 days and we will leave the car in Washington and make this portion of the trip by Amtrak and either subway or train within the cities. It’s an early Wednesday morning coming up so it’s off to bed with a report from New York tomorrow.

Pat's Thoughts - Day 11

Hi all, and greetings after a long night's trip from Chicago to Canton Ohio and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Steve did the driving overnight and I will drive us into Washington. Not too tough of a drive, but the miles are really starting to pile up. Last time I blogged it was from Detroit. Here are a few of my observations from the last couple of days.

- We breezed into Canada without any problems. Steve and I were on passports, while Mike and Shawn had their enhanced driver's licenses. No problem getting into Canada at all, and it was an easy Saturday morning drive to Toronto for an extra inning game won by Toronto. Poor Cliff Lee, he can't buy a victory. But walk off wins are very cool. And the fans were well into the game.

- But before the game we had time to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, and I'm just not that big of a puck head. Mike and Shawn are, and Steve enjoyed it just fine. Lots of history there. Too bad Lord Stanley's Cup was in California. It was too bad we weren't a day earlier, as we could have seen the Falling Wallenda walk across Niagara Falls. Didn't get to spend much time except to see what we could from the car. We had to make it to Cleveland.

- Saw a high scoring game between the Pirates and the Indians on Father's Day. It is really neat to spend Father's Day on the road with my son and nephew. They have been great during this trip. And saw the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We could have spent a lot more time there, but we did have places to go.

- John Denver had a song a long time ago called "Saturday Night in Toledo Ohio". We missed it by one day. It was Sunday night in Toledo. It was not a nice song by John Denver. But here's to the dogs of Toledo Ohio. In our case, it was the Hungarian Hot Dogs. Too spicy for this old man, that's for sure. Then on through the evening to Chicago.

- The only time I had ever been in Chicago was when I got stuck for an overnight missed flight at O'Hare Airport. Not much to see that time. Thanks to Mike's friend Dave, we got a nice little tour. I was hoping to see Ferris Bueller or Principal Rooney, but no such luck. We got to see an intense rivalry game between the Cubs and the Sox on the south side that the Northsiders won in a romp. It was only rivaled by the tension in the stands of the Oakland - Colorado game last Tuesday. And that brings us to the front door of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with a long drive to get to Washington for tonight's game. Then we should slow down on the driving for a couple of days. That's good, as my back side is starting to get sore from sitting so much.

- I would have liked to have spent some extra time seeing Niagara Falls, but we simply ran out of time in our effort to get to Cleveland on Saturday night. Still, we have now gone through 18 different states (Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois), along with one Canadian province (Ontario). Not bad for 1/3 of the trip.

We will pick it back up in the next few days.

Game Recap #10 Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox

The city of Chicago has a long, if not illustrious, history in the sport of baseball. The Chicago Cubs are a historic team, having been around as a charter franchise of the National League, and their ballpark on the North Side, Wrigley Field, is a monument in itself, having stood for nearly a century. Today, however, on our first journey to Chicago, we are on the South Side, as the Chicago White Sox bring the Cubs to US Cellular Field. Both White Sox pitcher Zach Stewart and Cubs starter Matt Garza pitched two clean innings, although Garza was more dominant than Stewart early on. Stewart first cracked in the third inning, allowing breakout first baseman Bryan LaHair to hit a two-run home run in the third inning, also scoring Dominican phenom Starlin Castro. The Cubs got to Stewart again, where he gave up two gopher balls to Castro, also scoring Tony Campana, who had the only stolen base of the day after hitting a single, and then a solo shot to longtime Cub Alfonso Soriano. The White Sox got on the board in their half of the fifth when their catcher, A.J. Pierzynski, sent a ball into the seats in right field, his twelfth home run of the season as he continues a career year. Not to be outdone, Geovany Soto chased Stewart in the sixth inning with a solo shot in his first game back from the disabled list. Stewart allowed nine hits and six runs, with all of the runs coming on home runs. The White Sox didn't give up, striking back in the bottom of the sixth as Paul Konerko slugged the sixth home run in the game, a two-run shot that brought in Gordon Beckham as well. The game was still in the Cubs' favor when Garza left the mound after six innings, yielding five hits and a walk to produce three runs, while striking out six. The Cubs made sure they didn't waste Garza's effort, exploding with singles in the seventh inning, as Soriano knocked in David DeJesus (the only Cub starter without a hit today, getting on base when he was plunked by reliever Will Ohman. This was the first time an errant ball found DeJesus today, the second coming when Hector Santiago was on the mound) followed by Steve Clevenger singling Castro in, and Darwin Barney doing the same for Soriano. They capped off the 6-run inning with a three-run home run by Luis Valbuena, also scoring Clevenger and Barney. Things calmed down from here on out, as the Cubs bullpen shut down any chance at a comeback for the White Sox. Garza got the win, and Stewart officially had the loss, but Ohman and Nate Jones did little to keep things in reach, as the North Side picked up a win over the South Side this evening.

Day 11 – June 19 – Washington, DC (via Canton, OH)

We are still currently enroute from Chicago to Washington, DC. It took a while to get out of US Cellular Park following the intercity battle of Chicago. See the picture above that shows the fine crowd last night. The pizza at Lou Malnotti’s Pizzeria before the game filled us up enough where we didn’t feel the need to eat after the game and it’s held us over until now. In keeping up with the recent Hall of Fame visits we decided to divert to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. After a little more than 6 hours on the road we are now in Canton, Ohio making a side trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We have enough time to have a quick breakfast and get this post out before the Hall of Fame opens its doors at 9AM. We should have a couple of hours before we must get back on the road and complete the trip to Washington, DC. Pat will drive from Canton to Washington. The trip to Washington will take us thru Pittsburgh and onto I-70 before we get onto I-270 northwest of Washington. Once we get into Washington we will head toward Nationals Park in southeast Washington.