BREWERS

Word to the weary baseball traveler -- Don't trust Mapquest directions. But you CAN trust Milwaukee (Veterans Affairs) Police. Thanks to the amazing Officer Kern, we were able to park just a block from the stadium!

Jack and the Beloves liked the look of the exterior of this stadium. It really is quite beautiful. The inside is a strange mixture of attractive on the main level, with good views of the field, to very maze-like and removed on the upper levels. It is very kid friendly, with lots for the youngsters to do and GREAT photo-ops...

Here is one of Carter, hanging out with his big, plastic baseball buddies!

And, don't forget the sausage races!

The roof is really cool. It was bright and sunny when we got there, with the roof wide open. By the 4th inning is subtly closed. Most of the fans didn't even notice it was happening. And then the thunder and lightning started. Guess you have to be constantly logged into weather.com to know what to do with it!

The location of your seats definitely makes a difference in the experience of a game. Unfortunately, ours gave us all an attack of claustrophobia. The action on the field was fun, but difficult to see at times. The Orioles won, but that didn't diminish the party-attitude of the crowd here in Milwaukee! Let the beer flow!

A day of much-needed rest, and then we are back in Chicago for the big Cubs-White Sox cross-town rivalry!

Robert's Sportscast

Todays game was the Pittsburg Pirates against the Chicago White Sox. The final score was Pirates 8 White Sox 13. There were 3 homeruns and 1 Grand Slam for Jermane Dye who was a former A's. The Pirates had 1 homerun and White Sox had 2 homeruns and 1 Grand Slam. The winning pitcher was Floyd for the White Sox and Donatrant the loosing pitcher for the Pirates. It was an exciting game for the fans. That is all for Robert's Sportcast today.

WHITE SOX (a game to Dye for!)

Here is Jack at U.S. Cellular Field, where we saw an outstanding game between the Chicago White Sox, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The stadium is nice, and big, and set up well for fans, with the exception that you only have access to the level where you have purchased tickets... meaning, that with 3rd deck seats, we weren't going to get to see the whole thing. Thank goodness they have friendly guys working at Guest Services. After explaining our adventure, they not only gave us a pass to get to see any level of the park, but they also had hats, posters, candy, and tattoos for the kids. If we were going to rate parks on friendly staff, this one would be the hands-down winner!

We took our chance, and headed for the field. There was no batting practice, but the boys had fun watching some of the Sox players warm up. They were very friendly, waving and smiling at the fans. They threw up a few balls, and then signed a few autographs. Robert got his hat signed by Octavio Dotel, who, incidentally, used to pitch for the A's! He served as a middle-reliever during the game, and didn't give up any hits.

The game was exciting, with a score of 6-6 in the 2nd inning, and more excitement to come! The best part was watching our former A -Jermaine Dye hit two home runs, one a grand slam! We also saw Nick Swisher and A.J. Pierzynski. It felt like an A's game!

No rest for the Belove Clan. Off to Milwaukee!

Robert's Sportscast

Today the St. Louis Cardinals played the Kansas City Royals. The final score was 2 to 1 in the Royals favor. The Royals had 1 homerun and the Cardinals none. The winning pitcher was Davies for the Royals and the loosing pitcher was Villone for the Cardinals. There was 42,751 crowd at Busch stadium. They gave out replicia 1968 World Series tickets. It was Bob Gibson night,whoever he is. That's all for Robert's Sportcast.

CARDINALS

St. Louis Cardinals vs. neighboring Kansas City Royals (didn't we just see them?)

The last time Jim, Ann, and Robert were at Busch Stadium, it sat in what is now the parking lot. No, they don't get earth quakes that big in St. Louis. They have built a new stadium right next door. But we generally wondered why they bothered. The stadium is industrial looking and concessions are positioned away from the field of play. Ushers (except for Eddy!) were stern, businesslike, and unfriendly. The sound system was inferior to much older stadiums we have been in. And they didn't do much to keep the fans occupied during a slow-moving game. Overall, we gave the fan experience a C-.

Of course, Carter made the best of it. He was tossed a ball by a Royals catcher. Then, after the game, a Royals fan saw him in his Royals cap, and handed him another one! (The boys now think that between them they should wear both of the team caps, if possible, to each game.)

In the end, even the "Rally Caps" weren't enough to help the Cardinals. They lost to the Royals 2-1.

The best part was all the great people we met. Mia and her parents became Carter's new best friends. Some very sweet folks behind us gave us advice on visiting Chicago. Eddy-the-usher came up with some baseball cards for the boys. And we are hoping that Mo and her gang will follow along with us on our blog, as we continue our journey.