Corby's House

For our stay in Chicago the guys and I were able to stay at Corby's house, a long-time family friend of mine.  Corby and his wife, Monica, were such gracious hosts and made our time there spectacular.  We even had the opportunity to play catch with his son, Ray, is his massive backyard.  From the homemade meals, to a warm and cozy house, to hanging out with Ray, and even to the free Wifi (oh yeah!), we all felt at home.  I look forward to stopping by for the Chicago Cubs game on the way back home!

Game 4: Milwaukee Brewers

Today we visited the Milwaukee Brewers who took on the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.  We heard the tailgating before the game was something not to be missed so we made sure to arrive early, and we were not disappointed.  Within minutes after parking, our tailgating neighbors set up camp with full-sized tables, ice chests and grills with spectacular efficiency.  This occurred across the parking lot as far as the eye could see.  It was nice to slow down, chow down on some brats and put back some beers.  Folks in Milwaukee definitely have the right idea and put most of their energy into the pregame festivities.

The ballpark itself was very impressive, similar to Citizens Bank Park in Arizona with a big dome that was retractable.  The game was very exciting with 7 home runs and over 20 strikeouts combined for both teams, but the fans seemed pretty disconnected for the most part.  Of course they mechanically cheered when they were supposed to but not much beyond that.  The one time they finally came alive was when their star, Ryan Braun, came up to pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th when they were trailing by one run.  He hit a blast on the first pitch to right field, but headwinds prevailed and it fell short at the warning track.  Perhaps he forgot to shoot up with the juice before the game (Braun won NL MVP last year but was caught using steroids.  However, he appealed it and was able to keep his title because of a botched delivery of his urine to the regulators.)

Jake and I walked around the ballpark for a few innings to check out the area and he came across this loaded baked potato called the chipotle chicken.  It was so big and filing that it took him several innings to finish.

Overall we all enjoyed the tailgating scene once again like we did at Kansas City as the good weather continued to follow us.  The Midwest has treated us well so far and we look forward to the next game at the Chicago White Sox.

Driving Break: Field of Dreams

We had a 10-hour drive from Kansas City to Madison, Wisconsin on Friday.  Needless to say, there was no way we would be able to do the whole ten hours without stopping.  Luckily, we were able to find a nice rest stop on the way.  The night before, we mapped out a drive that put us going through Dyersville, Iowa so that we could see the Field of Dreams field.

Field of Dreams is a great baseball movie, where a man, played by Kevin Costner, makes a baseball field in his cornfield.  Costner, who plays a Berkeley grad, then sees past players come out of the cornfield to play games on his built diamond.  Unfortunately for us, the corn was just planted so we couldn’t walk through the corn stocks, but we were able to show up all the same. 

After the movie, the owners of the field decided to keep the field instead of replanting their cornfields and many tourists stop by to go out and throw around in the field.  We took a nice long hour break and were having all sorts of fun on the field.  We played catch in the outfield, ran some infield drills, and even pitched an inning between the four of us.  We were 5 guys short of a team, but that didn’t stop us from practicing.  The hour break was just what we needed to stretch and give us the energy to make it to Wisconsin.

Game 3: Kansas City Royals

Today we were able to see the Kansas City Royals take on the Oakland Athletics.  This was a great game for many reasons.  Right off the bat, we already felt like we belonged to the game, since we were all decked out in A’s gear.  For the past two games, we have worn our team jerseys/colors, and we often get strange looks and questions like “Are you lost?”.  However, today, the A’s were in town, and we made sure to wear every piece of Athletics gear that we brought.

We arrive at Kauffman Stadium a couple hours before the game so that we could do a little tailgating.  Sitting in the parking lot, we meet some hilarious Royals fans that happened to park right next to us.  We chat with them while we finish our Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ that we brought to the game and begin to grill bacon.  Bacon has a long history between the A’s and the Royals, in particular Jeff Francoeur, and we made sure that bacon was going to be at the game.  Once we finish up in the parking lot and say good bye to our friends, we head to will call for our tickets.

Our tailgate buddies.

A co-worker of mine from the A’s offered to try to help us get some tickets for the game, and we were notified earlier this week that he was able to secure four tickets for us.  However, we really didn’t know where these seats were until will entered the stadium.  Boy, we were surprised when we got to our seats.  We were sitting first row right behind an extension of the dugout, about even with first base.  Needless to say, we are very grateful and wish as many thanks as possible to Franklin!

Thanks Fanklin!

The stadium is beautiful.  It has fountains in the outfield and a very small town ballpark feel.  It felt as if we were sitting in a minor league, or spring training ballpark. Although it was made more than 40 years ago, it has had some renovations through the years and still looks like a very new modern stadium.  It has wide concourses, and a sleek boomerang design for the non-bleacher seating areas.  Definitely one of the best stadiums, I have been to.

Once in our seats, we took the bag of bacon that we had and a sign we made that said, “Jeff, we brought the bacon” and tried to get Francoeur’s attention.  It didn’t take long for him to notice.  Within minutes we got a tip of the cap from Jeff.  It was a shame, he didn’t take the bacon, but we appreciate the nod all the same.  Once in our seats we settled in for the game.

Being so close, we were really hoping for a foul ball.  It didn’t take long to receive one.  A slow roller dribbled down the foul line to Waller, the A’s first base coach.  Once he looked to the stands to throw the ball away, we all jumped up with hands outstretched.  Since we were the only A’s fans in the section, once he saw us, he tossed it over our way.  We were sitting next to a family who was in town celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary.  They had two little boys there and we handed the ball over to them.  They were very grateful.  To our surprise, one inning later, Waller received another foul ball and threw that one our way.  And we immediately took it and gave it to the other little boy.  The family was very grateful, and Bill, the husband who was celebrating, bought us each a beer as a thank you.  We ended up chatting for a majority of the game after this.  And in this time, we were notified from friends that we were on the TV broadcast back in the Bay Area! 

The four of us with Bill.

I do have to say, the highlight came when towards the end of the game, Alcides Escobar, the Royals short stop, ended the inning with the ball and threw it into the stands.  Little Gregory, one of the boys who we gave a ball to, caught it and immediately turned to give it to us.  We accepted and were very impressed by the kindness and maturity of the boy.  It was awesome to walk away from a game with a ball, especially with so many good memories and stories attached to it.

We finished up the game and stayed to watch the fireworks afterwards.  A great ending to a great game, event though the A’s didn’t get the win.

Final Score: Royals 2, Athletics 0.

Mountain Men We Are

When we headed out for the road trip a week ago, we packed with us a box and a bag of camping gear and we had every intention of using that gear.  And after the testosterone rush we got from shooting, we were all itching to get in touch with nature, light a bon fire, chop wood, eat red meat with our bare hands, and all that other manly stuff.  We finally got the chance on the way to Kansas City and it was everything we needed.


The evening started with a trip to WalMart to pick up all the sustenance we would would need for our night in the wilderness--a 5-minute drive out of town.  Then we drove to Longview Lake, where the campground was allegedly located.  We must have circled the lake twice and stopped by 2 or 3 different visitor information offices before finally finding the site.  When we got there we realized we had picked the perfect day to go camping.  The weather was beautiful and since it was the middle of the week before school gets out, there was no one else within 100 yards of us.  We could be as loud and rowdy as we wanted to without having to worry about a bitter camper muttering something about "darned kids these days..." or "stickin' loud-mouthed liberal California folks..."  

After setting up camp, we all went for a jog down the road to make sure our muscles wouldn't completely degenerate from spending 12 hours a day in the car.  We started the run just as the sun was setting over the lake and the view was just incredible.  The deer were out in full force and I tried to chase one down until Jake pointed out the doe was separated from her mother and my shenanigans might prompt her to charge us.  We returned from the run tired and hungry.  That's when the cooking began at about 9:30 PM.  By 10 or so we were eating our late dinner.  We ate BBQ chicken, pasta, a salad and s'mores.  The rest of the night was spent watching our campfire burn out.  There was a brief half hour during which it actually rained.  It was one of only 2 nights on our trip that it rained, and sure enough that was the night we were out in nature.  But the rain cooled us down, cleaned the car a little, and forced us to actually pack our things rather than be lazy and leave it all for the critters to tamper with.

In the morning we didn't get up and moving until about 9 am, which feels like the crack of dawn during the semester.  On this trip, however, we have come to consider that sleeping in.  Well-rested and showered up we got back in the car and drove out to town for some breakfast.  Now, as many of you know, we don't have Waffle House in California.  This great, affordable jewel of the America that is found in almost every other state, is not something we get to experience on a regular basis.  The last time I ate Waffle House was with Ryan in Virginia on August 5, 2011.  It had been too long.  So I vowed to eat Waffle House on this trip months before we even departed.  The morning after the campout was designated as Waffle House morning.  We all ordered the standard waffles with the fixings--eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast.  And it was so filling that we all struggled to finish it.  But then I ordered the greasiest Texas biscuit on earth.  It was deep-fried and dripping with oil, before they slathered it with gravy and sausage.  It was probably more calories and saturated fat than I should consume in a week, but I felt good knowing that I made my annual Waffle House meal count.

Schedule of Games

Due by popular request -- if you are in any of these areas when we are there let us know and say hi!


Sunday, June 27 -- Milwaukee Brewers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Score: 3-4)
Wednesday, June 30 -- Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers (Score: 21-8)
Friday, June 1 -- Oakland Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals (Score: 0-2)


Sunday, June 3 -- Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers (1:10pm)
Tuesday, June 5 -- Toronto Blue Jays vs. Chicago White Sox (7:05pm)
Thursday, June 7 -- Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers (1:10pm)
Saturday, June 9 -- Detroit Tigers vs. Cincinnati Reds (4:30pm)
Sunday, June 10 -- Kansas City Royals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (1:35pm)
Tuesday, June 12 -- Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Baltimore Orioles (7:05pm)
Friday, June 15 -- New York Yankees vs. Washington Nationals (7:05pm)
Sunday, Jun 17 -- Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets (1:10pm)
Monday, June 18 -- Atlanta Braves vs. New York Yankees (7:05pm)
Tuesday, June 19 -- Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies (7:05pm)
Thursday, June 21 -- Miami Marlins vs. Boston Red Sox (7:10pm)
**Sunday, June 24 -- Cotuit Kettleers vs. Chatham Anglers (7:00pm)
Wednesday, June 27 -- New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs (1:20pm)
Friday, June 29 -- San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies (6:10pm)

Game 2: Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers

After our adventures in Dallas, we headed to Arlington to the Rangers ballpark.  The exterior of the field resembled old Ebbets field (Brooklyn Dodgers) and was surrounded by green grass and trees.  The ballpark seemed dwarfed next to the new Cowboys stadium just constructed in 2009.  Regardless, we proceeded inside and to our seats in the left field bleachers where we sat in the fourth row.  The stadium was filled with the Texas Rangers blue and red, and just about every Texan player was represented with jerseys in the audience.  We prepared for a home-field Texas beating of last-place division rival Seattle Mariners.  However, we saw just the opposite.  The Mariners womped the Rangers 21-8, scoring 8 runs in both the 2^nd and 3^rd innings.  Much to our surprise, the majority of fans stayed for the greater portion of the game (if there was any team to stay for, it should be the Texas Rangers, who rank 1^st in MLB for Runs, Average, OBP, and Slugging).   Despite sitting in home run territory in a 29-run game, all 4 home runs went to right field.

View from our seats in left field

While some Ranger fans asked me if we were lost (I was wearing my A’s gear), we were lucky enough to sit next to some kind people who asked about our trip and chatted with us through the game.  They even suggested a BBQ place for us to visit in Kansas City (which we would end up going to before the game on June 1^st).  Speaking of food, the Rangers ballpark is known for great food ranging from the Nolan Ryan all beef hot dog to Cajun and Garlic Fries to a full Turkey Leg.  A 2-foot long $27 hot dog caught our attention prior to the game and our hearts were set.  But much to our disappointment, when we headed to the stand at the end of the 6^th inning, they were already closing down.  Pleading we had drove 1000 miles for the 2-foot giant proved unsuccessful and we sulked back to our seats sad and hungry.

2-Foot Hot Dog

Overall, the game was a great experience with a beautiful park.  The outdoor stadium was nice (no offense, Arizona), but then again, we went to a night game and didn’t have to stand the southern heat Arizona seeks to combat.  And if you thought the $1.50 hot dogs at Arizona were cheap, as we exited the stadium, we were able to purchase their dollar hotdogs at half price, ultimately buying 8 for $4.  Not exactly what we had been looking for, but it eased the pain just enough.