2007 COOPERSTOWN ROAD TRIP Day 7: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

 

Okay, this was the day we were waiting for . . . our first Angels game on the road . . .

We made it into Baltimore with a few hours to spare. After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we stopped in for a quick crabcake sandwich at Phillips before heading out to the Yard . . .

Camden Yards . . . what a beautiful retro park. I had actually been there once before, albeit only in the team store as it was the middle of January . . . One great place to see a ballgame. Our seats were in right centerfield, very close to the action. We were surprised to see a lot of Halos fans there, and that definitely put us at ease (add to that, the Halos had beat the Orioles 9-7 the previous night). Our friend Tamara had related an unfavorable pre-1994 strike Angels at Baltimore experience to us, so we went into this prepared for the worst . . . on the contrary, the Baltimore fans were great and didn’t give us a hard time at all. They were all rather nice, and we even had a great conversation with the fans seated directly behind us. Of course, the Halos do have one of the best records in baseball and the Orioles are having a horrible year.

One of the most consistent things we have seen in our East Coast travels is the passion of East Coast sports fans. The first thing that stood out to us was during the Star-Spangled Banner, all the Orioles fans yelled “O!” in unison at the beginning of “O, say does that Star-Spangled . . .”

Bartolo Colon got the start for the Halos and didn’t have his best stuff, going 6 innings and allowing 3 earned runs while striking out 6. The Halos stayed close, but Hector Carrasco allowed 3 earned runs of his own in just an inning of work. In the end, the Orioles had doubled up on the Halos 6-3.

The only negative comments we had about Camden Yards were: 1. The announcer didn’t always announce pitching or position changes, and 2. The scoreboard operator was WAY TOO SLOW (the scoreboard would still be reading 2 balls and 1 strike seconds after a batter was walked).

Concession-wise, Camden offers a decent hot dog, comparable to the dogs at Anaheim, but nothing special. Camden however wins the beer man award, as between every half-inning, at least three different beer-men made their way down to us with a multitude of choices including Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light, Heineken, and Amstel Light . . . not great beers, but then again, when does beer man offer good beer?!

It was great to see the Angels fans out in force, and to be able to cheer our team on without having to worry about unruly home fans. Overall, a great baseball experience.

2007 COOPERSTOWN ROAD TRIP Day 6 SUPPLEMENTAL: The Pittsburgh Experience

 

Another morning to sleep in . . . very much unlike home. After finally getting out the door at noon, it was time for lunch (which was really breakfast for us), and what better way to start off the day but with a sandwich from Pittsburgh’s own Primanti Brothers.

Before we talk about the food, let me just say that Pittsburgh is a wonderful older city, and is a great city in which to walk. Moreover, we both found that the people of Pittsburgh were VERY polite (in a mid-western sort-of way)—a far cry from what we had experienced in our first two stops on our trip.

 

The Primanti Brothers restaurant: a Pittsburgh institution. If you ever get to Pittsburgh, make sure you pay a visit to them in the Strip District at 46 18^th Street. Both Blake and I had their number two seller, the Pittsburgher Cheese Steak. Basically what you’re looking at is a high-quality burger patty topped with provolone cheese, cole slaw, and French fries all on two slices of fresh-baked bread . . . you wouldn’t think that having fries and slaw on your burger would be good, but let me tell you, once you’ve done it once, you’ll find yourself trying it all the time. Delicious! And great people behind the counter too. We had a nice conversation with the lady who made our sandwiches . . . apparently, she’s been on TV three times as a result of her working for Primanti Bros. FYI, this sandwich can feed a family of four . . .

Next stop, Pittsburgh Brewing Company: home of Iron City Beer . . . of course we had to take pictures, but sadly tours needed to be scheduled in advance. As it turned out, the gift shop was closed as well . . .

To quench our palates, we walked across the street to the Church Brew Works, a microbrewery built in an old church. As the steel industry in Pittsburgh began to dry up, and more families were moving away, the Diocese of Pittsburgh began to consolidate their parishes. As a result, a number of churches had to close, one being St. John the Baptist on Liberty Avenue. Years later, the church was bought and restored by the owners of the brewery. The bar was built from the oak planks salvaged from the shortening of the pews, the old confessionals house glassware and hard liquor, and the former sanctuary is now the home to the brew tanks. We sampled all their beers and found them to be of excellent quality . . . Blake will even go on record proclaiming them the best beer he has tasted east of Colorado. If you’re ever there, be sure to try out the Pious Monk Dunkel and the cask-conditioned Thunderhop IPA.

2007 COOPERSTOWN ROAD TRIP Day 6: Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park

 

First of all, let me say that without a doubt PNC Park wins the award for best ballpark. Not only is it beautifully constructed, the concessions are great, and it has a fantastic view of the Pittsburgh skyline beyond the outfield. Moreover, the fans at PNC are terrific—sure they haven’t had a winning season in over a decade, but they love their baseball, as well as their fireworks.

PNC also wins in the hot dog category. The actual dog doesn’t have the great flavor of a Nathan’s (Shea Stadium), but the overall value and presentation is what brings home the prize for PNC . . . For the unbelievable low price of $2.25, you can get a hot dog topped with any and all of the following toppings: chili, onions, diced tomatos, pickle chips, nacho cheese, and shredded cheese. Both of us did chili-cheese dogs, and I must say they were rather delicious.

In the concession department, kudos to PNC Park for their wide variety of offerings including seafood, chicken wings, sandwiches from Primanti Bros., and their selection of beers on tap which included Pittsburgh’s own Iron City and IC Light . . . sure they’re terrible beers, but it’s not often you find Iron City on tap . . .

At one point in the evening, with a clear sky and a beautiful sunset, the city skyline behind the outfield looked so perfect, that it actually looked like a Disney façade . . .

The Bucs have two great mascots: the Pirate Parrot and Captain Jolly Roger. They don’t have the effect that the Phanatic has in Philly, but do much to increase the enjoyment of the PNC Park experience. I even had the opportunity to have my picture taken with Roger . . .

Special mention goes to the PNC Park entertainment division and scoreboard operators for keeping the fans well-entertained between innings. It seemed as if there was something special going on every half-inning. The live-action perogi races were definitely entertaining . . .

Starters Matt Chico and Ian Snell each pitched well, Chico going 6 innings for the Nats not allowing a run, and Snell going 7 innings for the Bucs allowing 2 earned runs. In the end, the Bucs won on a walk-off bases-loaded sacrifice fly by third baseman Jose Bautista. Final score: Pirates 3, Nationals 2.

Following the game, we were treated to a spectacular fireworks display over the Allegheny River. Blake and I hung-out with another Angels fan who had relocated to Pittsburgh a few years ago . . . he overheard us discussing the Halos’ score.

Overall, just a fantastic baseball experience at PNC Park. If you are ever in the Pittsburgh area during the season, make sure to visit the ballpark. You’ll be glad you did.

2007 COOPERSTOWN ROAD TRIP Day 5: Travel Day to Pittsburgh

 

Our flight from Philly to Pittsburgh was delayed a little over an hour, and when we finally got into Pittsburgh, it was raining. We didn’t realize how far it was from the airport to downtown, but fortunately it only cost $2.25 on the bus . . .

After checking into our hotel (thanks to Blake’s expertise with priceline.com, we got rooms at the Sheraton for $75/night—we actually had a 36” LCD TV in our room!), we walked a bit through Station Square—umbrellas in tow—until we decided to take the incline up to Mount Washington . . . fantastic view of the Three Rivers area! You can see everything up there.

After a dinner at Station Square, the search for Iron City Beer began (on the recommendation of Nick Scarmack) . . . it’s horrible beer, but infinitely superior to Budweiser or Coors. We were unable to find it on tap anywhere, but were able to find IC Light on tap . . . our bartender at Bar Louie told us that it was difficult to find Iron City on tap anywhere because no one in Pittsburgh drinks it!

Laptop Issues Delay Blog

Hey friends,

So the issues with my laptop continue while I’m on the road . . . Blake has been courteous enough to loan me his computer to type . . . so for now, you can read about our baseball adventures sans pictures . . . I’ll be posting photos as soon as possible, but in the meantime enjoy the stories!

Best,

Paul

2007 COOPERSTOWN ROAD TRIP Day 4 SUPPLEMENTAL: The Rocky Experience

Okay, so I’ve been a Rocky fan since I was 11 . . . I first saw Rocky III in the theaters, and had to go back and watch the first two on VHS . . . when Blake and I decided to include Philly on the trip, I said that the Museum of Art was a must-see . . .

When we got to the Museum of Art, we were surprised to find the Rocky statue on ground level near the street—we of course had to take pictures.

Next came the stairs . . . I know, I know . . . running up those stairs is a tourist-y thing to do, but if you’re a Rocky fan like me, ya gotta . . . in truth, if I wasn’t carrying a bag, I probably would have run the whole way down Benjamin Franklin Parkway before going up the stairs . . . of course Blake wouldn’t have been able to take pictures, as his feet hurt too much to run . . .

The stairs actually weren’t all that bad . . . I did the run once with Blake snapping photos, and a second time with him taking video footage. I wasn’t winded at all running up them. Now if Stallone wants to run up stairs, he should run the stairs from the lower lot to the upper lot at Universal Studios Hollywood—that’ll kick his butt . . .

Interestingly enough, if you watch Rocky II, you see Stallone running through the Italian Market which is a LONG distance from the Museum of Art . . .

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2007 COOPERSTOWN ROAD TRIP Day 4: Cincinatti Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park

Finally a night of sleep . . . Blake got about 11 hours and I got 10 . . . almost back to normal now . . . On the hair side, my hair has reached a length now that it acts like grip tape with any shirt I put on or remove . . .

After a visit to the Independence Mall area and the Museum of Art (see Supplemental Entry), we headed down to Citizens Bank Park for the game. It was nice to discover that all the major sports are right next to each other . . .

Citizens Bank Park is one of the most beautiful parks to which I’ve been . . . Blake says that it’s similar to AT&T Park where the Giants play . . . a far cry from Shea Stadium two nights earlier . . . a nice clean layout, and very easy to navigate. We sat in the upper deck above right field . . . a slightly obstructed view of deep center and right field, but a great view nonetheless.

Let’s start with the concessions first . . . you’ve got to love a place that has Yuengling on tap. The hot dogs however, were sub-par, bearing the flavor of a generic chicken frank that your mom boiled . . . at least they had onions and relish . . .

For the first four innings, we were treated to a pitchers’ duel until the Phillies drew first blood in the bottom of the 5^th on a ginormous 505-foot bomb by Phillies first baseman, Ryan Howard. That blast was the 100^th of his career, and he is the fastest player to 100 home runs, accomplishing the feat in just 325 games.

Jamie Moyer pitched 5 2/3 innings of no-hit ball before allowing two hits in the 6th. In the 7^th, Moyer couldn’t even buy an out, loading the bases on consecutive walks. He was pulled with the bases loaded, all three runners scored, and he didn’t figure in the decision. When all was said and done, the Reds scored 6 runs in the 7^th, all the while with a tremendous lightning show going on behind the outfield scoreboard.

The Reds added another run in the top of the 8^th. In the bottom of the 8^th, with one out and a runner on 3^rd, Chase Utley was at bat when the sky opened up. It was pretty cool experiencing a rain delay first-hand . . . the groundskeepers were quick and efficient getting the tarp out on the field.

Once the rain subsided, the Phils failed to score. The Reds added two more unanswered runs in the 9^th. Final score: Reds 9, Phillies 6.

The best part of the Citizens Bank Park experience though is the Phillie Phanatic.  The Phanatic is the absolute BEST mascot in all of baseball.  I’ve never seen any mascot get the fans as worked up at a regular season game as the Phanatic.  Sure I’m a Halos fan, and sure I love the Rally Monkey, but give me the Phanatic any day . . . speaking of which, if anyone in the Angels’ front office is reading this, you need to schedule a promotional night with the Famous Chicken . . . it’s been WAY TOO LONG since the Chicken has made an appearance in Anaheim . . .