Two weeks, three ball parks
My return to IC on Sunday ended a whirlwind two weeks. I have driven to Des Moines, the Twin Cities, Pikes Peak and Dyersville (when returning from the Twin Cities), St. Louis, and Cincinnati. Needless to say, I have spent way too much time on the road and plan to spend the next couple weeks at home.
The best part about all that traveling was attending games at three different MLB stadiums, two of which I had never visited before.
Target Field
I took Zee German to Minnesota to show him what I believe to be the best city in the United States: Minneapolis. (Sorry, St. Paul. Besides seeing the capitol, I just don’t have much experience with you.) Zee German is becoming quite a baseball fan, so a Twins game was a must.
It was my second visit to Target Field. Last year, I attended a game with Bobblehead and his wife. We sat on the third base side in the second highest row in the upper deck, hoarding napkins to control our bleeding noses. Needless to stay, Zee German and I had much better seats. It was, at the time, the closest to the field I ever sat at an MLB game. I normally sit pretty high and am thrilled just to be there — but this time I could not believe I was so close. I could actually see the player’s faces. Ironically, Zee German kept saying, “I don’t think these are bad seats. Do you?” He sits pretty close at Giants games and I think he has gotten a little spoiled.
Though my MLB stadium experiences are relatively limited, I have to say Target Field offers the best beer selection yet. Summit Extra Pale Ale was on tap at many of the concession stands, and I even got a pint of Surly Furious somewhere by Gate 3 (a long way away from our seats, but it was worth the walk). And for about $8.50 per beer, it was cheap by MLB standards.
Busch Stadium III
Believe it or not, this is the third incarnation of Busch Stadium. The original was Sportsman’s Park (renamed Busch Stadium), which was replaced by the multi-purpose concrete monstrosity known as Busch Memorial Stadium, which then made way for the Cardinals’ current digs in 2006.
As a budding Cubs fan, I felt very out of place at a Cardinals’ home game. (There were, to my surprise, a lot of other fans in Cubs gear.) But we were not there for the Cardinals or Cubs. My mom is a Dodgers fan so we saw the boys in blue beat the redbirds for their thirteenth or fourteenth consecutive win on the road.
Needless to say, only AB-InBev beverages are sold at Busch Stadium. And they are pretty pricy, too. At stand near our seats, a sixteen-ounce cup of Goose Island cost $9. The twenty-four-ounce version was something like $12.50. Seriously!? I could buy a six-pack of much better beer for much less.
Busch Stadium did not impress me. It was a nice stadium and the concourses were very spacious, but it lacked character. Most modern stadiums are inherently dull and corporate, built around luxury suites and advertising to bring in the big bucks, but Busch Stadium is uninspiring compared to Target Field. Or perhaps I am unfairly biased: I just don’t care for the Cardinals that much.
Great American Ball Park
I doubt I will ever sit closer to the field than this.
For his birthday, J-Rod bought tickets to the Padres-Reds game last Saturday and he did not resort to the cheap seats. For $58 a pop we sat in Row G, which was about four or five rows from the field, depending on the curvature of the row. Brandon Phillips, the Reds’ second baseman, warmed up and signed autographs in front of us. We sat on the first base side because J-Rod’s favorite player is first baseman Joey Votto. An unexpected perk for me was seeing Padres’ first base coach Dave Roberts, best known for “The Steal.” While playing for the Red Sox, Roberts stole second base late in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. He tied the game for the Red Sox on Bill Mueller’s single, sparking the Red Sox’ series comeback against the Yankees and eventual World Series sweep of the Cardinals. (Everywhere he goes, I am sure there is a Red Sox fan who will gladly buy him a drink. Or an entire meal.)
It was not the best game (the Padres won, 3-1; Reds’ third baseman Jack Hannahan committed three errors), but it was very enjoyable being so close to the action. The ball was hit into right field a lot so the first and second basemen, as well as the rightfielders, were pretty busy. Padres’ centerfielder Will Venable smacked a solo homer to right in the eighth. A couple foul balls headed our direction, but they landed well short of our seats. The Reds notched about ten strikeouts. After each, flames shot skyward from the riverboat stacks at right-center, which was pretty cool.
The beer selection was pretty lackluster at the main concessions: Budweiser and something else. In the Kentucky Enquirer (the Kentucky edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer), I read about a craft beer booth on the terrace level — where the beer was better and cheaper! — but had no clue how to get there. I bought a Bud (despite my boycott of all things AB) and that was it. Local brews were available at a smokehouse booth nearby but I decided to stay parked in the fifth row.
The best part about all that traveling was attending games at three different MLB stadiums, two of which I had never visited before.
Target Field
I took Zee German to Minnesota to show him what I believe to be the best city in the United States: Minneapolis. (Sorry, St. Paul. Besides seeing the capitol, I just don’t have much experience with you.) Zee German is becoming quite a baseball fan, so a Twins game was a must.
It was my second visit to Target Field. Last year, I attended a game with Bobblehead and his wife. We sat on the third base side in the second highest row in the upper deck, hoarding napkins to control our bleeding noses. Needless to stay, Zee German and I had much better seats. It was, at the time, the closest to the field I ever sat at an MLB game. I normally sit pretty high and am thrilled just to be there — but this time I could not believe I was so close. I could actually see the player’s faces. Ironically, Zee German kept saying, “I don’t think these are bad seats. Do you?” He sits pretty close at Giants games and I think he has gotten a little spoiled.
Though my MLB stadium experiences are relatively limited, I have to say Target Field offers the best beer selection yet. Summit Extra Pale Ale was on tap at many of the concession stands, and I even got a pint of Surly Furious somewhere by Gate 3 (a long way away from our seats, but it was worth the walk). And for about $8.50 per beer, it was cheap by MLB standards.
Busch Stadium III
Believe it or not, this is the third incarnation of Busch Stadium. The original was Sportsman’s Park (renamed Busch Stadium), which was replaced by the multi-purpose concrete monstrosity known as Busch Memorial Stadium, which then made way for the Cardinals’ current digs in 2006.
As a budding Cubs fan, I felt very out of place at a Cardinals’ home game. (There were, to my surprise, a lot of other fans in Cubs gear.) But we were not there for the Cardinals or Cubs. My mom is a Dodgers fan so we saw the boys in blue beat the redbirds for their thirteenth or fourteenth consecutive win on the road.
Needless to say, only AB-InBev beverages are sold at Busch Stadium. And they are pretty pricy, too. At stand near our seats, a sixteen-ounce cup of Goose Island cost $9. The twenty-four-ounce version was something like $12.50. Seriously!? I could buy a six-pack of much better beer for much less.
Busch Stadium did not impress me. It was a nice stadium and the concourses were very spacious, but it lacked character. Most modern stadiums are inherently dull and corporate, built around luxury suites and advertising to bring in the big bucks, but Busch Stadium is uninspiring compared to Target Field. Or perhaps I am unfairly biased: I just don’t care for the Cardinals that much.
Great American Ball Park
I doubt I will ever sit closer to the field than this.
For his birthday, J-Rod bought tickets to the Padres-Reds game last Saturday and he did not resort to the cheap seats. For $58 a pop we sat in Row G, which was about four or five rows from the field, depending on the curvature of the row. Brandon Phillips, the Reds’ second baseman, warmed up and signed autographs in front of us. We sat on the first base side because J-Rod’s favorite player is first baseman Joey Votto. An unexpected perk for me was seeing Padres’ first base coach Dave Roberts, best known for “The Steal.” While playing for the Red Sox, Roberts stole second base late in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. He tied the game for the Red Sox on Bill Mueller’s single, sparking the Red Sox’ series comeback against the Yankees and eventual World Series sweep of the Cardinals. (Everywhere he goes, I am sure there is a Red Sox fan who will gladly buy him a drink. Or an entire meal.)
It was not the best game (the Padres won, 3-1; Reds’ third baseman Jack Hannahan committed three errors), but it was very enjoyable being so close to the action. The ball was hit into right field a lot so the first and second basemen, as well as the rightfielders, were pretty busy. Padres’ centerfielder Will Venable smacked a solo homer to right in the eighth. A couple foul balls headed our direction, but they landed well short of our seats. The Reds notched about ten strikeouts. After each, flames shot skyward from the riverboat stacks at right-center, which was pretty cool.
The beer selection was pretty lackluster at the main concessions: Budweiser and something else. In the Kentucky Enquirer (the Kentucky edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer), I read about a craft beer booth on the terrace level — where the beer was better and cheaper! — but had no clue how to get there. I bought a Bud (despite my boycott of all things AB) and that was it. Local brews were available at a smokehouse booth nearby but I decided to stay parked in the fifth row.
