I went to my first ever San Francisco home opener this year and watched the Giants beat the Braves in the bottom of the 13th with a walk- off, two- run homer. What a fun year it has been for my sons and me as we have followed the Giants’ exciting, often “torturous” season. The Giants have certainly enhanced the baseball experience for us this year but didn’t keep us from our traditional baseball park adventure. This summer we headed to the Southwest where we added two more parks to our growing list of major league stadiums we have visited.
We flew into Phoenix and were greeted by a heavy rain storm which wasn’t the weather we were expecting given it was June. The city was experiencing a “cold front” and the temperatures were in the high 80’s to low 90’s for our two-day stay. Weather doesn’t matter much at the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field because of its retractable roof. We had a fantastic time at the stadium especially since we were given complimentary first- row seats complete with our own waiter, special eating area, and private restrooms next to the players’ locker room. The park is shaped like a massive airport hanger, has its own built-in pool, and is air conditioned. Granted, the weather was cool for Phoenix, but it was nice to watch a game without the least bit of discomfort as we sat in the air conditioned, fully-enclosed stadium. We saw a good game between the D-Backs and the Cardinals even though there were a few tense moments in the stands when a Phoenix fan and St. Louis fan exchanged some rather harsh words. But in the end, the D-Backs’ fan was vindicated because Phoenix beat St. Louis in the bottom of the ninth when Chris Young hit a tie-breaking, walk-off homer.
Our next stop was Denver’s Coors Field but we had four days before the game, so we rented a car and slowly made our way northeast to Denver. We saw some beautiful, unique country along the way making overnight stops in Flagstaff, Santa Fe, and Colorado Springs. One of the best parts about our goal of seeing every major league park is being able to experience the diversity of the different regions of the country.
We made it to Denver a couple days before the game, so we had time to explore this marvelous city. There is so much to see and do in Denver – sports stadiums, amusement parks, the Platte River with bike trails, theaters, museums, restaurants, and so much more. The light rail system is amazing, so it was not a problem getting around.
Coors Field is located in lower downtown (LoDo) and we could have walked to the park from where we were staying, but we took the light rail for a quick and easy trip. Coors Field combines the comfort of the modern stadium with the atmosphere of the old-time ballparks. It was built with hand-laid brick and has an old-fashioned clock tower atop its main entrance. It has a row of purple seats that ring the park to mark the spot that is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. It was a good game between the Rockies and the Brewers with Denver beating Milwaukee 2-0. The real fun of this game was the fans that sat behind us. It was a group of men that had ditched the wives for the evening and came to whoop it up, and they were determined to bring everyone within five rows of them into the party. They were engaging, fun, and true Rockies’ fans and my boys thought that Denver might be a great place to live if everyone were like these guys.
The best hot dog contest continued again this year. Actually the eating of the hot dog has become a tradition almost to the point of ritual. We arrive at each game at least an hour before game time so we can check out the stadium, watch a little batting practice, and take a few pictures (my sons would like to skip the picture part). It seems as though over the last couple years that hour has been spent combing the park looking for the stand that has the best hot dogs. We already know that the standard snack bars have just ordinary dogs, so we don’t even go there. Instead, we start asking the local fans and vendors if they know where the best hot dogs in the stadium are. One person will send us to one end of the park and another one will send us to the other end. So we go to both places checking out kiosks and specialty vendors along the way. Some places have hot links, brats, and Italian sausage with sauerkraut and peppers, but those don’t work because one of our rules is that it has to be just a regular dog. Anyway, after much deliberation, we buy the hot dog that appears to be the best of the park. This year both parks had tasty ones, but the three of us agreed that neither topped the Mariners’ dog that become our favorite as of last year beating out the Camden Yards’ dog that had reined supreme for several straight years.
What an exciting end to another baseball season. The Giants winning the World Series was a thrill for my sons and me. Even though we didn’t have tickets for the game, the boys and I went to the Public House, a sports bar and restaurant at AT&T, and we watched the second game of the series there. It was definitely worth them missing a day of school to experience the buzz in the City and the excitement of the fans. I recently read a Babe Ruth quote posted on Facebook that said “Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world.” Baseball has given my sons and me a reason to travel the country, priceless memories that will last a lifetime, and best of all, something that we have in common. So for two sons and a mom, baseball is the best game in the world, indeed!
We flew into Phoenix and were greeted by a heavy rain storm which wasn’t the weather we were expecting given it was June. The city was experiencing a “cold front” and the temperatures were in the high 80’s to low 90’s for our two-day stay. Weather doesn’t matter much at the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field because of its retractable roof. We had a fantastic time at the stadium especially since we were given complimentary first- row seats complete with our own waiter, special eating area, and private restrooms next to the players’ locker room. The park is shaped like a massive airport hanger, has its own built-in pool, and is air conditioned. Granted, the weather was cool for Phoenix, but it was nice to watch a game without the least bit of discomfort as we sat in the air conditioned, fully-enclosed stadium. We saw a good game between the D-Backs and the Cardinals even though there were a few tense moments in the stands when a Phoenix fan and St. Louis fan exchanged some rather harsh words. But in the end, the D-Backs’ fan was vindicated because Phoenix beat St. Louis in the bottom of the ninth when Chris Young hit a tie-breaking, walk-off homer.
Our next stop was Denver’s Coors Field but we had four days before the game, so we rented a car and slowly made our way northeast to Denver. We saw some beautiful, unique country along the way making overnight stops in Flagstaff, Santa Fe, and Colorado Springs. One of the best parts about our goal of seeing every major league park is being able to experience the diversity of the different regions of the country.
We made it to Denver a couple days before the game, so we had time to explore this marvelous city. There is so much to see and do in Denver – sports stadiums, amusement parks, the Platte River with bike trails, theaters, museums, restaurants, and so much more. The light rail system is amazing, so it was not a problem getting around.
Coors Field is located in lower downtown (LoDo) and we could have walked to the park from where we were staying, but we took the light rail for a quick and easy trip. Coors Field combines the comfort of the modern stadium with the atmosphere of the old-time ballparks. It was built with hand-laid brick and has an old-fashioned clock tower atop its main entrance. It has a row of purple seats that ring the park to mark the spot that is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. It was a good game between the Rockies and the Brewers with Denver beating Milwaukee 2-0. The real fun of this game was the fans that sat behind us. It was a group of men that had ditched the wives for the evening and came to whoop it up, and they were determined to bring everyone within five rows of them into the party. They were engaging, fun, and true Rockies’ fans and my boys thought that Denver might be a great place to live if everyone were like these guys.
The best hot dog contest continued again this year. Actually the eating of the hot dog has become a tradition almost to the point of ritual. We arrive at each game at least an hour before game time so we can check out the stadium, watch a little batting practice, and take a few pictures (my sons would like to skip the picture part). It seems as though over the last couple years that hour has been spent combing the park looking for the stand that has the best hot dogs. We already know that the standard snack bars have just ordinary dogs, so we don’t even go there. Instead, we start asking the local fans and vendors if they know where the best hot dogs in the stadium are. One person will send us to one end of the park and another one will send us to the other end. So we go to both places checking out kiosks and specialty vendors along the way. Some places have hot links, brats, and Italian sausage with sauerkraut and peppers, but those don’t work because one of our rules is that it has to be just a regular dog. Anyway, after much deliberation, we buy the hot dog that appears to be the best of the park. This year both parks had tasty ones, but the three of us agreed that neither topped the Mariners’ dog that become our favorite as of last year beating out the Camden Yards’ dog that had reined supreme for several straight years.
What an exciting end to another baseball season. The Giants winning the World Series was a thrill for my sons and me. Even though we didn’t have tickets for the game, the boys and I went to the Public House, a sports bar and restaurant at AT&T, and we watched the second game of the series there. It was definitely worth them missing a day of school to experience the buzz in the City and the excitement of the fans. I recently read a Babe Ruth quote posted on Facebook that said “Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world.” Baseball has given my sons and me a reason to travel the country, priceless memories that will last a lifetime, and best of all, something that we have in common. So for two sons and a mom, baseball is the best game in the world, indeed!
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