Robert's Sportscast

Today's game was the Kansas City Royals against the Oakland Athletics. The final score was 4 to 3, in the Royals favor. The game went all the way into the 11th inning. There were no home runs in the game. The Royals had 8 hits and the A's had 14 hits, and all of them were singles. There were 26,272 fans there at Mcafee Stadium today. Amil Brown, the A's left fielder, had two amazing catches. The A's threw 5 walks and 7 strike outs, all were swinging, and the Royals threw 4 walks with 9 strike outs, 5 swinging, and 4 looking. The losing pitcher was Houston Street for the A's, and the winning pitcher was Blevins for the Royals. It was Root Beer Float Day, so my brother drank one and we kept the mug. It was a very exciting game today. That's all for Robert's Sportscast.

ATHLETICS

Like a comfortable old pair of shoes, we were so easy and familiar with our old home stadium that we stopped noticing how worn and out of style McAfee Coliseum had become.
Jim has been coming here since 1968 (the A's first season in Oakland), brought here by his grandfather Robert. Ann saw her first games here during the 1988 (Bash-Brothers) season, and the kids have been coming since they were mere months-old. We have seen so many games here, have watched so many players come and go, and have had our hearts lifted and broken so many times here, that it is what comes to mind for us when we think "baseball." And although, for us, today's game felt like coming home (and was as enjoyable as ever!), we began to see The Coliseum with new eyes, and wondered if it truly isn't time for the A's to have a stadium where they can feel as at-home as we do.

McAfee is a huge stadium, one of the last in baseball that accommodates both baseball and football games. It holds so many people (48,219 for baseball), that in 2006, the upper levels were closed off during the baseball season to provide a cozier atmosphere and a feeling of being more full, reducing capacity to 34,077.


Because the field is used for both sports, it has the largest foul territory in all of baseball, creating many foul-ball outs.




Today was Root-beer Float day, proceeds to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (does anyone else see the irony in this?) Carter enjoyed his very much!

Ann, of course, had to partake of her all-time favorite "baseball" food, a Saags Chicken Parmesan sausage.

Hopefully you remember Stomper, the A's mascot from Fanfest, because we weren't able to snap a pic of him today... but here is his puppet to spark your memory.

The A's have two diamond-vision screens to accommodate the football-layout of the stadium, which provides views of playbacks and stats to every seat in the house, even the bleachers. There are Bart races, Dot racing, Cap-capers, and other fun and games to keep the fans excited, and the A's often offer specials, such as today's $2.00 seats and $1.00 hot dogs.

The A's have a very loyal group of Bleacher Bums, who must be either independently wealthy, or live with their parents, because they ALWAYS seem to be here (no job?) They have choreographed routines for their flags, drums, horns, and songs that they execute with timing and precision that would put Esther Williams to shame. We sat right next to some 0f them out in the right field bleachers... a TERRIFIC place to watch a game with real seats, rather than benches, and quite close to the action.

We had a blast seeing our Oakland A's, and still love our stadium.

Here are the boys, enjoying their end-of-trip treats! The Beloves Amazing Baseball Adventure is complete. 18 Major League parks this summer!

Now (sigh!) home to face the unpacking portion of this adventure.



(P.S. We just received word that Jim has been selected to participate in an A's Focus Group at McAfee in two weeks. Now they can find out from the EXPERTS what to do about their new home!)

Robert's Sportscast

Today's game was the Kansas City Royals against the Tampa Bay Rays. The final score was 4 to 2, in the Royals favor. There were no home runs in the game. The Royals hit 10 hits, and the Rays hit 8 hits- all of them but two were singles, and the other two were doubles. The Royals threw 4 strike outs, 3 were swinging and 1 was looking, and the Rays threw only 3, 2 of them were swinging and the other one was looking. There were 25,090 fans there today. The Royals had a spectacular catch by the Royals' Left Fielder David DeJesus. It was about 5 feet from the wall, and he was about 7 feet from the ball, when he dove out for it and caught it. Talk about a Web Gem! The Rays threw 4 walks, and the Royals only threw 1 walk. It was a very exciting game. That's all for Robert's Sportscast.

ROYALS...Again!

A new view for Jack...

Well, we just couldn't help ourselves. Passing through KC...
The Royals at home...
Ladies' Night...
We just HAD to take in another game!






Here is Ann, sporting her new, pink, rhinestone Royals cap a la Kauffman Stadium's Girls Night Out.





Boy, was it ever a HOT one!
No, this picture is not out of focus, Carter is actually melting from the intense heat and humidity!



As always, a game at Kauffman was a lot of fun. We had a blast in one of the most enjoyable parks in baseball.

Now we head for home, wrapping up with our home-town Oakland A's (date to be announced.)

Robert's Sportscast

We were planning to go straight to Kansas City, but when we were in Louisville seeing the Louisville Slugger Museum we drove past a triple-A baseball stadium, home of the Louisville Bats, so we decided to stop and see a game there. So, today's game was the Louisville Bats, a triple-A team for the Cincinnati Reds. against the Syracuse Chiefs, a triple-A team for the Toronto Blue Jays. The final score was 7 to 5, in the Bats' favor. There were 3 home runs in the game, 2 by the Bats and 1 by the Chiefs. There were 12 hits for the bats, and 12 hits for the Chiefs. That's a total of 24 hits in the game. The Bats threw only 4 strike-outs, 1 swinging and 3 looking, but the Chiefs threw 12 strike outs, 11 swinging and 1 looking. Thats more than all the major league teams we went to so far. The Chiefs threw 5 walks. 1 of the walks that the Chiefs threw hit the batter. The Bats threw 4 walks. For 7 dollar tickets each, it was a pretty exciting game. That's all for Robert's Sportscast.

AAA Louisville Bats!

Isn't "Bats" the most inspired name for the Louisville AAA ballteam? We thought so!

We showed up here in Louisville to check out the Louisville Slugger Museum, and drove by this gem. And whadda ya know? There was a game tonight vs. the Syracuse Chiefs. Well, plans changed on the spot, and there we were, settling in for a fun minor-league baseball experience. (With our AAA discount, the total damage was $18.00 for tickets for the 4 of us. How could we lose?)

Robert and Carter each got two balls at batting practice.

For a small park, it is well laid out, and very well kept. They try to show their fans a good time, with plenty to do for the kids, and inexpensive concession prices.

It was a long game, at 3 hours and 25 minutes, with plenty of action... some of it of the Little League variety.

Well, a Major League game it's not...

But it sure was colorful!

A fun experience to add to our Adventure.

One last stop in Kansas City to come, before we head for home in earnest.

Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory

Luh-vull?

Loo-a-ville?

Loo-ih-vuhl?

Lewis-ville?

Looey-ville?

Did you know that 80% of Major League baseball bats are made right here? Nomatter how you pronounce it, the Louisville Slugger Museum is a great addition to a baseball adventure.

(Can you tell that this sculpture is a giant baseball glove and ball?)

We took a tour of the factory (no photos allowed) to see how the bats are made, then toured the museum, saw a short, inspirational baseball movie, and explored the gift shop.

Did you know?

That each Major League baseball player uses between 90 and 120 bats a year? That seemed like a lot to us. And each player can specify the exact dimensions of his bat, which are stored in a computer. Because players do change their preferences during the season, Louisville only makes them 7 at a time. The players are charged nothing, all costs for equipment are incurred by the team.

One of the most interesting things here weren't bats at all, but a collection of 100 years of U.S. President's signatures on baseballs.

This one, signed by Teddy Roosevelt, is the only one in existence!

Both Obama and McCain have already signed their official ball, but which one will ultimately be displayed here? Hmmmmm.....

Did you know?

That pink bat color is used only one day a year?

Mothers' Day.

They provide each player with two pink bats, one with the player's mother's name, to be given to their mother... the other one with the player's name, is autographed by the player and auctioned off for breast cancer charities.

We might as well continue the theme!

Slugger Trivia!

The Louisville Slugger factory brands each bat on the weak part of the bat, where the grainlines are farther apart. To properly hit a ball, the brand should always be facing up or down.

One famous ballplayer, under contract with Louisville Slugger, was breaking bats time and time again. When investigated, it was found that he always placed the brand facing the pitcher. He was counseled and tutored, but he did not correct the problem, and continued to break bats at a tremendous rate. Finally, he was asked why he refused to hold the bat in the proper manner, and replied: "Because I don't want to look at my own name when I'm at bat."

To this day, Louisville Slugger brands "The Sweet Spot" of ONE, and only one player's bats.

Can you name him? Leave a comment on this blog with your guess!

Did you know?

If you see a script autograph on a Louisville Slugger bat, that player is under contract with the company? A block-print name signifies a player not under contract.

No, we couldn't escape the Louisville Slugger Museum without having a personalized bat made to memorialize the trip. It's a beauty!

Robert's Sportscast

Today's game was the Cincinnati Reds against the San Diego Padres. The final score was 6 to 4, in the Padres favor. There were 3 homeruns in the game, 1 by the Padres and 2 homeruns for the Reds, and one of the 2 homeruns that the Reds hit was by Ken Griffey Jr. Tonight he hit number 606. The Padres hit 11 hits, and the Reds hit 10 hits. The Padres threw 3 walks and 5 strikeouts all were swinging and the Reds threw 4 walks and 3 strikeouts which were all swinging. There were 18,177 fans there today it was the 2nd smallest crowd in the 17 games that we went to so far. It was a really exciting game and it was even more exciting to see Ken Griffey Jr. hit number 606. Now were going to see the Kansas City Royals. Thats all for Robert's Sportscast.

REDS

... And you thought our Adventure was over! Don't count us out just yet!



Aptly named Great American Ballpark, this gem was not on our original itinerary. But we could not be more pleased that we found a way to squeeze in a game here on our way home. This one is a HIT!


There is truly not a bad seat in the house. Rather than following a standard symmetrical pattern, this field is broken into many small sections, each angled to give fans the best view of the game nomatter the size of their wallet. Here we are at our $7.00 seats, 2nd row of the upper bleacher section. WOW!


We made out like BANDITS at this game, and practically needed a second backpack to haul our treasures home with us. First of all there was batting practice. Jim, out in the bleachers, caught a batting practice home-run ball! Robert (who happened to be wearing his Reds hat and jersey #4 from little league last Fall) was tossed a ball from Reds #4 Phillips. Coincidence? You decide! Carter was tossed a ball from the Reds Bat Boy, and then used his polite cuteness to get three of the Padres players to sign a ball for him (#4 Hundley, #5 Kouzmanoff, and #2 E. Gonzalez, who all played in the game.) And, to top that off, Greg Maddux gave Robert his ABC gum (which he, sadly, decided not to keep.)

At the Fan Accommodations booth, we met three WONDERFUL employees, who were only too happy to bestow hats and antique-style commemorative balls upon our smiling boys. And while we were standing there, a sweet old man got up out of his wheelchair to give our boys each a special baseball card.

The kids' area was a big hit, with plenty of things to occupy us before the game, all at no additional charge. And, we acquired 6 new Gillette Rookie Announcer T-shirts there, two of them autographed by Jim's new girlfriend, Erin Andrews.




On the field, before the game, they do a lot to entertain the fans. You might get a chance to toss a ring onto a bat attached to a guy's helmet, or make a basket perched so that the ball will land on another's head. They throw T-shirts into the stands and the mascots patrol for photo ops, or to give an autograph (Mr. Redlegs signed Robert's cap.)
Oh, and get THIS! Gapper actually RECOGNIZED Carter from Fanfest! Notice all of the nearby fans trying to figure out the connection between the mascot and our little guy.

The sound-system had a terrible echo, and they have not caught up with most of Major League Baseball with between-innings entertainment, but it did not detract from the experience. There were several large misting-fans around the stadium to keep their guests cool, as well as a huge mist-area under the outfield smokestacks. In one area, the Highlight Zone features a huge wall of TVs, tuned to various sporting activities. And, this was the only park we were in that had cheerleaders... don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it needed mentioning.

The park is clean and airy, with many open walkways that look out over the Ohio River and nearby landmarks. It is a beautiful park by day, but it truly sparkles at night!

And, as if a wonderful baseball experience at Great American Ballpark wasn't enough, we topped it off with home run number 606 by the great Ken Griffey, Jr.



We are SO glad we didn't pass this one up. We would have missed out on one of the most enjoyable baseball experiences of our trip.

Don't turn that dial!

Next stop: Louisville Slugger Museum!

Ni-ag-ra Falls!

Slooooly we turned....

Step - by - step...

Inch - by - inch...

... and there before us was this AMAZING falls!

Hall of Fame, Cooperstown

Baseball Mecca! A must-see for any true baseball fan. We took hundreds of photos, but had to narrow it down. Here is a sample of the wonderful things we saw.

The glove worn by Willie Mays to make "The Catch"

Did you know?

Gloves were not used in baseball at first? When they were first introduced, they were primarily soft leather work-style gloves, often with the fingers removed. They were worn on both hands, and removing the fingers helped with more accurate throws.

The Babe's Crown

Ricky's magical shoes!

Although, as you may recall, the first lighted baseball game was played in 1930 in the Negro Leagues (the Hall of Fame, interestingly, records the 1935 Reds vs. Phillies game in Cincinnati as the first!) the Cubs didn't come into the modern era until 1988!!


After getting his autograph, we had to pay homage to Rollie Fingers with a couple of choice photographs.

Just a few of the Greats!

The kids were excited to find Babe Ruth and Josh Gibson!

These were the first 5 inductees.

The origins of our A's Stomper!

The boys had a BLAST here. We were so happy that this visit was at the end of the trip, rather than early on. They now know so much about baseball and the players, the parks, the history, etc., that they really made connections here. They enthusiastically pulled us around, showing us things they had found (rather than us, dragging them through a "museum")

Did you know?

That the song, "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," that is enthusiastically sung during each 7th-inning stretch is actually the chorus of a song written in 1908, and first heard during the intermission of a baseball-themed movie while the reels were being changed. This is the 100th birthday of this classic. If you are interested in seeing the whole song, or hearing it, click on this link: Take Me Out To The Ballgame

A fitting wrap-up to our amazing Baseball Adventure.

Now we head West, toward home.

Stay tuned... you just never know what more there may be in store for us!