September 2008

After baking in Arlington the day before, the temperatures in Houston were actually higher…and so was the humidity. The heat hit me like a wall after leaving the air conditioned cocoon of my rental car. Fortunately, Houston had the foresight to close their retractable domed stadium for the game. My body, accustomed to Pacific Northwest weather, could not have handled another outside game in that type of weather.

My brother Chris and I battled the traffic and made it to the park about 45 minutes before game time. Along with about 20,000 others, we enjoyed an Astros victory over the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates. So, after three ballparks in three cities over three days, I am calling it a successful trip and heading home to Portland early tomorrow.

Here are a few shots from Monday evening:

Exterior of Minute Maid Park

View from the upper deck

View from behind home plate

Matt near home plate

A short flight and a 600 mile change in latitude can make a huge difference. Last night in Kansas City, I was wearing a sweatshirt and sitting in rain showers. This afternoon, I was baking in 93-degree heat in Arlington, Texas!

Red Sox Nation was representing at the game, with (my estimate) 75% of the 29,000 people in attendance supporting Boston. Chants of “Let’s Go Red Sox” and other Sox-centric cheers echoed through the enormous ballpark all afternoon. Feeding off the fans, the 2007 Champs responded with a dominant 7-2 victory.

I had killer seats, just a few rows behind home plate and slightly to the first base side. Two games in a row behind the backstop net…not bad. It sure beats the early days when all I could afford were the cheap seats. ;^)

It’s on to Houston tomorrow for a night game in The Juice Box (Minute Maid Field) with my brother Chris. Until then, here are some photos from today’s game in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

View from the upper deck

Matt near his home plate seats

Brandon McCarthy fires the first pitch of the game to Jacoby Ellsbury

The Tiger Stadium-esque tiered porch in right field

The view from deep right field

The enormous new Dallas Cowboys football stadium, nearby the ballpark

My first game at Kansas City’s Kaufmann Stadium in 10 years was a tad of a letdown. Rain made it cool and damp for a good portion of game. The stadium is in the middle of a huge renovation (that I did not know about when I bought the tickets back in February) and about a third of the ballpark was cordoned off. Finally, Royals pitcher Gil Meche stymied the Indians all night, leading to a 3-1 Royals victory. (UPDATED with photos below.)

Note to self: Stop going to see the Tribe in person. They always suck royally when I am in the stands. Yes…pun intended.

Oh well, tomorrow is a new day…and it will be quite a change of pace. Cool and rainy KC gives way to hot and humid Arlington, TX. The forecast is 93 with 60% humidity with a 2:05 pm start time. I am going to melt!

The exterior of Kaufmann Stadium

Kaufmann Stadium from the upper deck

Gil Meche pitches to David Dellucci

Matt near his home plate seats

The ginormous HD video board and beautiful water fountains

Despite Delta Airlines trying to ruin my trip, I am headed on another ballpark trip this weekend. Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City on the 6th, Rangers Stadium in Arlington on the 7th and Minute Maid Park in Houston on the 8th. I get to see the last game with my brother Chris, who lives in Houston. I haven’t been these parks in a long time, so I am looking forward to seeing how they’ve changed and getting new digital photos. I will really try to get the photos up quickly this time!