Baltimore, MD - The Oriole Bird

5/20/2011 - Baltimore Orioles - Camden Yards

Our never-ending trek through the American sports landscape found us back in Baltimore, MD last night, this time at the home of the Baltimore Orioles. I've been an O's fan since birth and while I wish I could provide some sort of glowing recap of the game (or the last dozen years for that matter), the fact is that the O's lost to their beltway rivals, the Washington Nationals. In fact, they did it in record setting style, yielding 17 runs. The only good new to report was that we missed the last field goal as the night extended past the littlest mascot hunter's bedtime (seriously, do the Washington Redskins ever even score 17?).

Fortunately, we're about the experience and not the outcome and as usual, Camden does not disappoint. When baseball's stadium design renaissance began in the early 1990s, Camden Yards was the pioneer. It was the first stadium built in a long time that didn't have the multi-sport cookie-cutter park feel to it. It opened in 1992 to tremendous fanfare and nightly sellouts. Built adjacent to the old B&O Warehouse the dominates the right field skyline and only blocks from Inner Harbor, it is the perfect example of an urban stadium that is easily accessible and fan-friendly.

While it's always fun to go to a new location, whenever I return to somewhere that I have been many times before, I always seem to find something new. During my (probably) 30 trips to Oriole games, I've never had the privilege to sit right behind the dugout until last night. What I learned was that those posh seats with the cupholders... they don't work if you are 6' 1". I had one knee wedged in the seat in front of me and my other foot shoved back under the seat. I felt like one of the $4 pretzels. In fact, before first pitch we had relocated closer to the foul pole into seats that allowed me to enjoy both the game and having feeling below my knees.

The clown-car seats notwithstanding, it was a great night. As big cities go, Baltimore is fairly easy to get in and out of (both in finding places and avoiding horrendous traffic) and the people are very friendly. I was astounded to see how many beer vendors knew the patrons by name (and vice versa) - although that could also have something to do with the Orioles success lately. We got to hang out with the Bird, sing Thank God I'm A Country Boy at the 7th inning stretch and see plenty of offense (even if it was the other team).

I think the Orioles are on their way back. The pitching is young but improving and management is making the right decisions to build for the not-so-distant future. I really hope that I'm right because as great as Camden Yards is, a sold-out Camden Yards was truly a sight to behold.

Harrisburg, PA - Grrrrounder

4/17/2010 - Harrisburg Senators - Metro Bank Park

What an improvement. I tried to think of more creative ways to start this post but for someone who had been to Senators games as a kid, someone who's first impressions of minor league baseball were shaped by metal, bleacher-style seat stadiums with outfield walls that appeared to be billboards fastened together... Like I said, what an improvement.

Metro Bank Park is located on City Island, which is a tiny island just west of downtown Harrisburg. It's accessible from both sides of the river and boasts not only the beautiful new home to the Double-A affiliate to the Washington Nationals, but also an arcade, batting cages, a mini golf course, sand volleyball and much more. We started this site to show people how to turn a game into a full-day activity and Harrisburg is one of the few places that you can do this without even moving your car. Add the fact that Hersheypark (the sweetest place on Earth) is right down the road and you have the makings of a full weekend.

The game itself was fairly well attended, especially considering it was 37 degrees at first pitch and Nats phenom Stephen Strasburg had just pitched the night before. Truthfully, the one bright spot of the Nationals struggles the last few years is that their farm system is stocked with young talent that you can see up close and personal for a discount until they make it to the big leagues. And Metro Bank Park and my previously mentioned upgrades? Well, you now get a seat instead of a spot on a metal bleacher (and a good seat at that) and they added tabletop seating to the outfield wall, a nice touch that almost feels like the merging of a bar and a ballgame. Also, for those that like a closer view of the action, you can sneak below the stands to check out the bullpen and get incredibly close to the field of play. With the arrival of Independent League teams in the area over the last decade, Harrisburg took the initiative to keep up with the competition and did a great job.

There was, however, one issue with the stadium that I felt needed mentioned. Without getting political, I think it is fair to say that there has been some unhealthy political discourse in our country the last few years. A lot of Americans seem fed up with taking the politicians crap and paying for it. So when I went to the food stand behind home plate looking to buy a hotdog and was greeted by this sign asking me to pay $5 for Senator Shits, I was appalled. I was outraged. And then I was re-directed to the boardwalk fries stand in center field, which was delicious. Seriously, guys, maybe take a step back and notice that you are stringing together a few letters that might not belong in a row.

Regardless of the ill-conceived signage, Metro Bank Park is a great venue for a game with an incredible amount of activities in the area. Whether you spend the day on City Island with your family, take a date to the nearby attractions of Hershey or hit the bars and restaurants along Front Street, a Senators game is great way to spend the day.

Presidents Race Video

Good to be back from a winter hiatus and looking forward to another fun summer of baseball games. We're planning some good trips so stay tuned - in the meantime, here is the video from the President's Race that I promised last summer.

Blacksburg, VA - The Hokie Bird

11/4/2010 - Virginia Tech Hokies - Lane Stadium

Blacksburg, Virginia is a tiny college town in the southwest corner of the state. To say it is in the middle of nowhere is really to underestimate how far out "nowhere" can be. Located just off the Route 81 corridor, the closest major cities on that road are Harrisburg, PA (323 mi) and Knoxville, TN (236 mi). So, it begs the question - why venture all the way out here in cold, rainy November? Four words - Thursday night in Blacksburg.

It is synonymous with atmosphere and emotion and it is where ESPN's Thursday night telecasts gained their popularity. While the yearly tradition was originally seen as a way to get additional exposure by being the only game on TV Thursday night, it has evolved into a yearly event and we were excited to finally get it into our travel schedule.

Unfortunately, we only had the day to spend in town so we weren't able to scope out any local eateries or activities this time through, but we made it through the sea of tailgating just in time for the Hokie Walk - their version of the popular team parade into the stadium, complete with band, cheerleaders, team and of course, Hokie Bird.

If you've never been to Lane Stadium before and enjoy the adrenaline rush of the team taking the field, make sure that you are in your seats in plenty of time because no one does it quite like the Hokies. The team gathers in the tunnel as the first few notes of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" begins blasting through the PA System. The crowd begins jumping up and down, shaking the stadium and, well, just watch for yourself. The game itself was a nail-biter with the Hokies picking off a late pass to survive 28-21 against the GA Tech Yellow Jackets. In fact, it was so exciting that we barely had time to leave our seats to get food. Fortunately for us, the concession stands sold Turkey legs that were enough to feed both of us without any return trips to the concourse.

The campus is a beautiful, rural setting and I'm sure that there are plenty of good local eateries (Zeppoli's, The Cellar) and activities. Hopefully our next trip to Lane Stadium will be more than a one day affair and we can see all that the Blue Ridge Mountains have to offer. However, even staying just the one day, we had a great time. And while I can't speak for weekends or day games, there truly is nothing like Thursday night in Blacksburg.

Ole Miss Rebel Black Bears

It's apparently "New Mascot Week" in the SEC...

A day after Georgia introduced their latest Uga to the world, Ole Miss has announced that the Black Bear is the champion of their new mascot selection, beating out a Land Shark (not the Lager) and a human-ish thing called Hotty Toddy that was best described as looking like "Duffman" from the Simpsons.

This whole process is seven years in the making and began when Colonel Reb (basically Colonel Sanders from KFC) was deemed offensive due to its reference to the Confederacy. After much consideration and a period of time where it looked like Admiral Ackbar might take over Oxford, the school narrowed the possible replacements to the three choices. Feelings seem mixed among the students, who are still very supportive of Colonel Reb but will likely be happy to once again have a mascot roaming the sidelines. Now, if they can only beat 'Bama this weekend...

Uga VIII to debut

The most anticipated debut of the season in Athens, GA will take place this Saturday and won't involve a new player or coach. Uga VIII will be introduced in front of the homecoming crowd and take his place as the next in a long line on English Bulldogs to grace the sidelines for the University of Georgia (UGA). Currently weighing in at 55 pounds, UGA VIII is just over a year old and takes over for UGA VII, who passed away last fall. While Georgia's season has not gone according to plan so far, his arrival should spark the team to a strong second half (as long as he doesn't get arrested or try to sell his jersey to an agent).

Bill the Goat (Bill XXXIII)

So... I came dangerously close to being run over by a goat today.

I was in Baltimore for the start of college football season and the Navy/Maryland game. The game itself was what you'd expect for an opener - high energy and a lot of mistakes, especially by Navy in the red zone. After Maryland stopped them at the goal line to clinch a 17-14 Terps victory, we started back to car when past us ran none other than Bill the Goat, the mascot of the Midshipmen. The problem was that his handlers were chasing behind him. I, of course, took up the chase with them until Bill was penned into a corner of the parking lot, darting in and out of the tall grass at the edge of the fence.

While they tried to get a hold of him, it occurred to me that I was the only one between Bill and the exit and those horns are at an unfortunate height and look pretty darn solid. Fortunately, the team of handlers (there must have been at least 10 of them) were able to corral Bill before he made a break my way and they were nice enough to stop for a quick picture before taking him back to Annapolis.