Arlington, TX - Rangers Captain

05/13/2010 - Texas Rangers - Ameriquest Field

I truly don't know what would possess two college-educated individuals to fly halfway across the country with a four month old (sorry fellow Delta passengers!) but one thing led to another and we found ourselves in Dallas with a free afternoon. Fortunately for us, Major League Baseball has been trending lately towards a "getaway day." These games occur when both teams are leaving town after the game and don't particularly want to play a night game and then hop the redeye to Toronto or Oakland. They typically lead to poor attendance (most people work or are in school on a Thursday afternoon in May) and although I first wrote them off as another way pro athletes were getting soft, I realized that what they really were was an opportunity to snatch up some good seats cheap. Thanks to our old pal StubHub, we paid $9 a ticket and landed in the second row of club level.

Ameriquest Field - formerly called The Ballpark at Arlington - opened in 1994 and serves as the home of the Texas Rangers (MLB). It is easily recognizable by the grassy batter's-eye and the white steel facade office building beyond it in center field. Between the two lies an expansive children's play area, complete with whiffle ball stadium, speed pitch booth and other random kid-friendly activities. Views of the field are good from most areas that I walked around to, including a neat view from beyond the left center field wall where you can both watch the game and peer into the visitor's bullpen.

The game itself was a pitcher's duel, won by the Rangers in extra innings. The highlight of the game for me occurred as the teams were taking the field. Most teams show a montage of their franchises greatest moments - no hitters thrown, pennants won, etc. While the Rangers did that, they finished the video with probably the greatest fight of all time. You know the one that ended with the batter, Robin Ventura of the White Sox, ending up in a headlock administered by non other than team president and baseball hall-of-famer Nolan Ryan.

The people were very friendly and the large number of students in attendance (they claimed to be on field trips) made for a fairly enthusiastic bunch. We tracked down Rangers Captain around the 6th inning after he had finished leading everyone in singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas." I wanted to ask him why his name wasn't Walker (you know - Walker, Texas Ranger) but his handler mumbled something about being scared of Chuck Norris so I decided to let it go. The food options were mostly standard ballpark fare but I was impressed at the oversized bottles of water for only $3. I guess everything is bigger in Texas.

This game brings me to 12 major league parks (9 current). While I am certain to be adding to that total in the near future, I am focusing my immediate efforts towards writing a travel book about baseball, food and fun in the mid-atlantic states. If you want to follow my progress or contribute any ideas or insight (please do), you can find all you need at baseballtravel.blogspot.com. Whether or not it ever makes it to print is anyone's guess but as usual, I'm going to just enjoy the ride and see where it takes me. In the meantime, I'll be checking in here whenever I end up someplace not destined for the book.

-MH

Hagerstown, MD - Woolie

04/30/2010 - Hagerstown Suns - Municipal Stadium

Our never-ending tour through the minor leagues continued last night in Hagerstown, MD, home of the Hagerstown Suns. Even though it is only the end of April, it is our 4th minor league game so far this year and our 3rd different stadium. The Suns are the Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals and play in one of the oldest minor league ballparks in the country, Municipal Stadium. The stadium was built in 1930 and despite a few recent renovations it is still truly a glimpse into the old days of minor league baseball.

If you've ever watched Bull Durham - and if you haven't please stop reading now and go rent it - walking into Municipal Stadium gives you the immediate feeling that Crash Davis is about to jog out of the home dugout. The seats only extend from first base to third base and only the first 3 rows are actually seats. The rest are grandstand benches and a recently-added, standing room only beer garden in left field. The press box? Well, Mrs. Mascot Hunter described it as a trailer parked on the roof and I can't really come up with a better description.

The field itself had some unique nuances as well, most notably in left field. As you approach the warning track, the ground starts to go uphill until you reach the wall. The wall itself is probably around 30 feet tall, presumably to help protect the homes and businesses on the other side of it, and straight away left field has a manual scoreboard where the scoreboard cowboy hangs giant numbers on pegs on the front of the board. This place is seriously old school.

Not only did Crash Davis not jog out of the dugout but Nook LaLoosh wasn't starting for the Suns tonight either. The second batter of the game hit one so far that it should have had a flight attendant on it (seriously folks, watch the movie). The visiting Augusta Green Jackets jumped all over the home team early and coasted to a 14-6 victory. Even though the crowd couldn't have totaled more than a few hundred people, they were very vocal and even cheered loudly for Mrs. Mascot Hunter when she took the field in the eighth inning to race in the shopping cart derby. Although she lost the race back to the on deck circle, we left with a bag full of complimentary groceries for her troubles.

And of course, there was Woolie. Listed at 7 feet, 9 inches tall and 593 1/2 pounds, Woolie seems to be some sort of caterpillar. I don't know how that ties in with the Suns nickname but I've learned not to question things with that much of a size advantage on me so we just tracked him down and smiled for the camera.

Note: This was Junior's second mascot picture but the first that he was awake for. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the mixture of fear and uncertainty towards his parents.