Previews – Ballparking It

Ready to Rock(ies) in Colorado

It’s a week into September. The Cardinals have a 4.5-game lead in the NL Central, and the magic number is 16 (as of Sunday night).

I’m heading to Coors Field for my eighth of 30 ballparks on a mission to increase that lead and decrease that magic number in a Tuesday-night duel with the Colorado Rockies.

It’s been a three-season eternity since the Cardinals last made the playoffs, and I miss my baseball-centric Octobers. After a season of hairpin turns, dizzying drops and equally dizzying ascents, here we are with 19 games left.

But even this coaster enthusiast would prefer a drama-free push in the final three weeks. And that final three-week push begins Tuesday night in Denver, when the Redbirds take on the Rockies in the first of a three-game set.

Rockies History Lesson

What do I know about Rockies history and Coors Field? Not much. Expansion team, Matt Holliday, Todd Helton, altitude-induced home runs galore. That’s about it without researching. (Oh yeah, and Larry Walker.)

The Rockies played their first season in 1993, making Coors Field the first venue I’ve visited that houses a team younger than me. They played in the original Mile High Stadium for two seasons before moving to Coors in 1995.

Coors Field is over 5,000 feet above sea level and has a humidor to store baseballs in an attempt to offset the effects of altitude.

The Rockies have made the playoffs in five seasons (1995, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2018), most recently beating the Cubs in the wild card game last year before losing to the Brewers in the NLDS. (So yeah, they’re kind of a hero.)

The Rockies only World Series appearance came in 2007, when they were swept by the Red Sox. (Sound familiar?)

Notable Cardinals Connections

Former Cardinals Holliday and Walker each spent much of their stellar careers in Colorado, and the Cardinals acquired the late Darryl Kile from the Rockies in November 1999.

Current Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler started his career in Colorado, playing five seasons there after being called up in September 2008.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Rockies
Coors Field
Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019
6:40 p.m. MT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Michael Wacha (RHP) vs. COL Chi Chi Gonzalez (RHP)

The Cardinals are 81-62 and 7-3 in their last 10 going into the series. The Rockies are 60-84 and 1-9 in their last 10. They’re currently last in the NL West.

Personal Game Notes
– The Cardinals are 5-2 when I attend games specifically for Ballparking It.
– This is my second Tuesday game, the other resulting in a win over the White Sox for Ballpark No. 4.
– This marks my first game at an NL West opponent’s stadium in the Ballparking It era.
– This ballpark is home to the youngest organization (the first younger than me) that I’ve seen the Cardinals face in the Ballparking It era.
– This is my first game as a 31-year-old.

#SpookySummer Continues

On my last trip, I tagged on two hotels famous for being tied to spooky on-screen tales – the Timberline Lodge (as seen as the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of “The Shining”) and Salish Lodge (as seen as the Great Northern Hotel in “Twin Peaks”).

This time around, I’ll be taking a night tour of The Stanley Hotel, which helped inspire Stephen King’s “The Shining” … because well, all work and no play makes Nicole a dull girl.

(Spoiler alert, that line isn’t in the book, but it’s still pretty relevant.)

Ballpark #7: Bring the Fireworks

After an emotional Ballpark No. 6, I headed out west to compose myself and to experience the Pacific Northwest, including Ballpark No. 7 – T-Mobile Park, home of the Mariners.

That Pacific Northwest feeling at Yaquina Head Lighthouse

I arrived in Oregon on Friday night (more accurately, Saturday morning) and plan to drive up to Washington on Wednesday for Fireworks Night and a July 3 meeting between the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners.

I don’t have any significant memories of the Mariners other than playing “Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest” on N64.

(It was never my favorite MLB video game, but the commercial was definitely something.)

The only things I knew about Mariners history before researching it were that they boast a couple megastar alumni (Junior and Ichiro Suzuki) and strung together one phenomenal regular season at some point in my lifetime.

Mariners History Lesson

The Mariners are a 1977 expansion team that didn’t finish a season above .500 until 1991. They originally played in the Kingdome and moved to Safeco Field (renamed T-Mobile Park in 2019) in 1999.

Two years later (Ichiro’s rookie year), they posted the most-ever wins by an AL team, finishing 116-46. They went on to lose to the Yankees in the ALCS that season.

The Mariners have made three American League Championship Series appearances (1995, 2000, 2001) but haven’t made it to the postseason since.

Cardinals Connections

Three former Redbirds play for the Mariners, and one is scheduled to start on Wednesday, when Mike Leake takes the mound against former teammate Adam Wainwright.

(The other two are starting pitcher Marco Gonzales, which is how the Cardinals acquired Tyler O’Neill, and Sam Tuivailala, who is on a rehab assignment after an Achilles injury sidelined him last season.)

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Mariners
T-Mobile Park
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
7:10 p.m. PT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Adam Wainwright (RHP) vs. SEA Mike Leake (RHP)

The Cardinals had a magical Albert Pujols weekend but have since struggled yet again. Going into the series, they are 41-41 but only three games out in the division (as of right now when I’m writing this because the Brewers already lost today).

Seattle got off to a hot 8-1 start in April but quickly crashed and burned. The Mariners now sit at a dismal 37-51 going into the series and are 18 games out of the AL West.

Personal Game Notes
– The Cardinals are 4-2 when I attend games specifically for Ballparking It.
– This marks the second time they’ve faced a former Cardinals starting pitcher when I’m in attendance. (The last resulted in a Cardinals victory over Lance Lynn and the Twins at Ballpark No. 2.)
– This is my second stadium with a retractable roof. (The last resulted in a loss to the Brewers at Ballpark No. 3.)
– The Cards are 2-0 when I’ve seen them at AL stadiums in the Ballparking It era.
– This is my second Wednesday game (the other being Ballpark No. 2) and first time repeating a specific weekday on this journey.

On Deck: #SpookySummer

I’m in the middle of Spooky Summer 2019 – Halloween all year long, so I’m making a pit stop in Snoqualmie, Washington, to channel my inner special agent Dale Cooper and celebrate Fourth of July Twin Peaks style. Who killed Laura Palmer, anyone?

I’m also planning to hit up Timberline Lodge (as seen in “The Shining”) on my way back to where I’m staying in Oregon.

Maybe I’ll even find Bigfoot. #believe

Six Is a Serious Number

And … we’re back – Season 2, Episode 1, Ballpark No. 6.

Like any good Cardinals fan, I saved the best for sixth. It’s Busch Stadium time, and it’s a very special episode.

My sixth of 30 ballparks and first as a 30-year-old takes me to St. Louis for the grand return of Albert Pujols. And after five road games, I’m ready to root, root, root for the home team.

Six is special. Stan Musial (lovingly known as Stan the Man) wore No. 6.

Stan Musial statue — “Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior. Here stands baseball’s perfect knight.”

The stadium opened in 2006. The first World Series the Cardinals won in my lifetime was in 2006, and all Redbirds fans probably know On the Run Mobil’s “six is a serious number” bop.

I’ve been to Busch Stadium many times but never as a 30-year-old on a ballparking mission.

I don’t remember my first Cardinals game. I vaguely remember going to a game at old Busch with my cousins, sitting in the shade because it was hot and eating ice cream, but I have no idea whether or not that was my first game or how old I was.

I do remember my first game at new Busch Stadium, which also happened to be its inaugural game, Opening Day 2006.

I also remember the game I truly fell in love with the new ballpark, allowing it to surpass old Busch on my list of favorite places – Game 5 of the 2006 World Series, the clincher.

I (along with all Game 4 ticket holders) ended up seeing Game 5 rather than Game 4 because of a fortunately timed rainout two days prior. But that’s a story for another time.

I’ve been a Cardinals fan my entire life, and it got serious in 2002 when I went to a playoff game between San Francisco and St. Louis at old Busch, and former Giant Kenny Lofton almost got in a fight. I’ve been a die-hard fan ever since.

New Busch Stadium may be only 13 years old, but in that time, it’s hosted three World Series (2006, 2011, 2013), five National League Championship Series (2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and has seen postseason play in two additional seasons (2009, 2015).

It’s boasted two World Series champions (2006 and 2011) and hosted an All-Star Game in 2009.

Ballpark No. 6 is the most decorated venue I will have visited thus far.

Quick Cardinals History Lesson

The soon-to-be Cardinals joined the National League in 1892, when they were known as the Browns. They changed their name to the Cardinals in 1900.

They’ve since won 11 World Series (1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011), the most in the National League and second-most in all of Major League Baseball (behind the Yankees’ 27).

The Cards’ current home is the third iteration of Busch Stadium, preceded by the coliseum-style Busch Stadium II (1966-2005) and original Busch Stadium, first called Sportsman’s Park (1920-1965). The Redbirds also played at Robinson Field, League Park and Union Park.

Pujols Homecoming

This game will mark the first time Albert Pujols and the Los Angeles Angels will play in Busch Stadium since No. 5 left in 2011. The three-time MVP will get one of the longest ovations of all time. Welcome back, Pujols. You can read all about what it means in my Pujols Homecoming post.

Game Preview
Angels vs. Cardinals
Busch Stadium
Friday, June 21, 2019
7:15 p.m. CT
Probable starting pitchers: LAA Griffin Canning (RHP) vs. STL Michael Wacha (RHP)

The Cardinals had the best record in baseball (20-10) at the end of the day on May 1 with a three-game lead in the NL Central. Then, the rest of May happened. The Cardinals went 9-18 that month (including the May 1 win).

As of the wee hours of June 20 (when I wrote this), they’ve stabilized somewhat, sitting only two games back in the division (thanks to a weak NL Central) at 38-35, and they’ve won seven of their last 10 (thanks to playing the Marlins a lot in the last week and a half).

The Angels are 38-37 and are also 7-3 in their last 10.

Will the Cardinals get back to their winning April ways, or were we all just April fools? We might not know until late September.

Note: I’m 3-2 in the Ballparking It era, and this will mark my first Friday game.

How Friendly Are These Confines? A Cardinals Fan at Wrigley

For my fifth of 30 ballparks, I’m back in Chicago with yet another set of free tickets, but this time, it’s on the North Side at the second-oldest ballpark in the MLB. This one is special. (Let me explain.)

Cardinals win at Wrigley — My first game inside Wrigley (Cardinals win!)

I’ve been to two games at Wrigley Field, both pre-Ballparking It and both Cardinals-Cubs. The Cardinals won the first (2016), and the Cubs won the second (2017). I preferred the first. Plus, I’ve watched one game from a rooftop (2012).

This is the first time I’ll be at the Friendly Confines on this 30-ballpark adventure. Wrigley was built in 1914, and the Cubs have won three World Series, including back-to-back titles in 1907 and 1908. (You do the math. Before 2016, no World Series winner had ever called Wrigley Field home.)

Me and the Cubs

I’m a die-hard Cardinals fan.

As any good fan of the Redbirds, I dislike the Cubs almost as much as I love the Cardinals. Some of my favorite historic moments in Cubs history are Steve Bartman in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS and the 1964 Lou Brock trade.

My favorite player to ever wear Cubbie blue is Jim Edmonds. (And the fact that he ever did still makes me slightly queasy.)

My favorite moment of this season so far (and maybe one of my favorite endings to a game ever) happened when Cub-turned-Cardinal Dexter Fowler hit a walk-off homer in the wee hours of the morning in the bottom of the 14th after two rain delays and after the Cubs had taken the lead in the top half of that inning. (The Cardinals had walked it off the day before as well.)

I was sleepy and had almost gone to bed but decided I had come too far and didn’t want to miss a potential comeback. As soon as Fowler hit it, I was bouncing around my living room and laughing uncontrollably. I was suddenly wide awake and full of energy as the clock hit 1 a.m. CT on a work night.

Coming from central Illinois, where the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry is red hot, I’ve seen how fun the rivalry can be. I grew up with Cubs fans. In fact, some of my best friends from grade school through high school were Cubs fans. One of my uncles is a Cubs fan.

Was I happy for any of them when the 2016 World Series rolled around? Absolutely not.

That’s not how rivalries work.

Let me take you back.

It was a dark and stormy night … literally. I sat on my loveseat, alone in my living room, typing away on a writing project I’ve yet to finish nearly two years later.

The only light was the soft glow of my laptop and the flickering of the candles I had lit that evening.

The Cardinals had missed the postseason for the first time since 2010, and when that happens, I don’t watch postseason baseball. (For reference, I didn’t realize who won the 2010 World Series until spring training was about to start the following year.)

This particular night, the unthinkable was about to happen. The Cubs had played their way to Game 7 of the World Series after being down three games to one.

I didn’t dare turn on my TV, and I do not regret that decision one bit.

The game had a rain delay in Cleveland, and I believe I stayed on the phone with my brother from the delay to when the 108-year World Series drought came to a close.

In the aftermath, I did what I typically do when I’m feeling down – listen to sad music. It was a cold, rainy November night, so I ended up listening to “November Rain” (obviously) on repeat, still alone, still in the dark.

I’m dramatic. I get that. (In retrospect, it was maybe a little too on the nose, but I was sitting in the dark with candles, so …)

The next day, I discovered that so many people I never even thought knew the word baseball were apparently Cubs “fans.” How exciting. Yay.

I was told over and over that I should be happy for them and that the moment was historic. Cool. The entire ordeal was pretty nightmarish.

Would I wish any of these feelings on my worst enemies (or in this case, dear friends who happen to be die-hard Cubs fans)? Yes. Every single year.

I hope they were just as angry and dramatic when the Cardinals won in 2006 and 2011 and that they are just as angry and dramatic every time the Cardinals win the World Series from now through eternity. I have to believe they’d want the same for me.

I would never want a Cubs fan hopping on a Cardinals bandwagon, and I believe my Cubs counterparts feel the same.

That’s how rivalries work.

You can be friends, but you also each hope the other ends up feeling a little bit miserable at the end of every season.

Is the rivalry at its most fun when both teams are good? Nope. I had a really fun time all those years the Cubs weren’t in the division race at all.

Again, that’s a rivalry. It’s hoping your team is always great and that your rival is always a bottom-dweller.

Can I still appreciate Wrigley Field? I tend to romanticize old things. I can tell you right now, I don’t have that problem with Wrigley, but I do appreciate it as a ballpark and as a place for me to get my hot dog fix (and I fully intend to get another Chicago-style hot dog at this game).

I realize that for every fan like me, there is probably someone who grew up a die-hard Cubs fans, cheering every time the Cardinals came up short in the NLCS or World Series.

It’s almost fun to think the mirror image of me exists somewhere cheering and hoping for exactly what I’m cheering and hoping against.

For every Cardinals fan who adores Stan Musial or Bob Gibson, there’s probably a Cubs fan who feels the same way about Ernie Banks. Our histories are different (eight World Series rings different to be exact), but maybe (for the long-time fans) our passion is the same.

I’m going to experience Wrigley Field the only way I know how – as a Cardinals fan. There are other teams I dislike but none as much as I dislike the Cubs, so this is the first (and only) ballpark where I can feel this particular way.

I’m sure die-hard Cubs fans feel the same way about Busch Stadium, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Like I said earlier, this ballpark is special. Here’s to being friends but wishing each other miserable baseball seasons for years to come.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Cubs
Wrigley Field
Thursday, July 19, 2018
6:05 p.m. CT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Carlos Martinez (RHP) vs. CHC Kyle Hendricks (RHP)

The Cardinals are 7 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central coming out of the All-Star break and fired manager Mike Matheny last week. My trip to Guaranteed Rate Field was his final win.

Side note, to fact check, I searched for “Cleveland Indians postseason 2016.” I wasn’t about to type that unmentionable event any other way on my laptop.

Back at It for Illini Night at Guaranteed Rate Field

Occasionally, you get lucky enough for someone to offer you free baseball tickets. If you get really lucky, those tickets are for seats right behind the dugout on a night your team is in town, and it just so happens, so is your alma mater.

This is the dream scenario I’m living this week at my fourth ballpark, Guaranteed Rate Field, when the Chicago White Sox host the St. Louis Cardinals and former Flyin’ Illini great Kendall Gill throws out the ceremonial first pitch.

Low-quality photo of my first White Sox game, pre-Ballparking It

The Tuesday evening affair will mark my first night game of the season and the second time I’ll see a DH in the lineup.

I could have used this post as a cautionary tale about the importance of naming rights (or the lack of importance of the DH). I didn’t, but I do find it worth mentioning that the state of Illinois (my home state) owns the ballpark, so the White Sox are kind of Illinois’ MLB team.

In fact, if I had to pick an American League team to follow, I might pick the White Sox, somewhat due to proximity but mostly due to the whole enemy of my enemy thing. (Side note, I’m pretty sure White Sox was the name of my team during the rookie season of my two-year T-ball career.)

Like two of the other teams whose ballparks I’ve visited this season (the Reds and Twins), the White Sox won a World Series in my lifetime before the Cardinals did.

In 2005, the year the White Sox won, the Cardinals were 100-62 in the regular season but lost (heartbreakingly) to the Houston Astros in the National League Championship Series. The Sox were 99-63 in the regular season and beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League Championship Series.

I have a tendency to avoid any mention of baseball once the Cardinals are eliminated (I’m a baby like that), so I’m pretty confident I did not watch any of the White Sox-Astros World Series. The only thing I vaguely remember about the South Siders winning it all is their rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” and how glad I was that the Sox made it to three rings before their North Side rivals did.

The White Sox have been around since 1901 and have three World Series titles (1906, 1917 and 2005). Guaranteed Rate Field (formerly called U.S. Cellular Field) opened in 1991 as a second Comiskey Park. The Sox played at the original Comiskey Park from 1910 t0 1990 and before that, they played at the 39th Street Grounds from 1900 to 1910.

My History with the Ballpark

I’ve been to the current ballpark before but not during the Ballparking It era and not when it was called Guaranteed Rate. (As I declared in my original post, I started back at zero.)

Low-quality photo of my first White Sox game, pre-Ballparking It

The first time around (Aug. 20, 2014), I also had a free ticket and great view, thanks to a friend from college. The Orioles beat the Sox that night, but he, another friend and I shared a nacho helmet, and nothing says friendship like eating nachos from a helmet.

This Time Around

I’m not a huge fan of Chicago. Is that mostly because of the Cubs? Maybe. But I cannot deny that Chicago does two things really, really well – hot dogs and pizza.

(It’s almost 1 a.m. while I’m writing this, and I really want a hot dog covered in sport peppers with a dill pickle spear right now.)

Last time I went to a White Sox game, I got a basic hot dog (in addition to the nachos). This time, I want a Chicago-style one. At Guaranteed Rate Field, it’s called a Comiskey Dog.

(If I don’t eat a Comiskey Dog, it better be because I ate deep-dish pizza instead.)

I enjoy baseball history as much as the food, so I’m excited to check out the White Sox Legends Sculpture Plaza in the outfield to learn more about the franchise.

I wish the White Sox also had a full museum at the ballpark to offer an inside look at both the good and the bad of their history, including the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. It would be fascinating to see how they approach the topic of allegedly throwing a World Series. (The Reds were on the winning side of that World Series, but I didn’t specifically look for anything about it in the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum when I was there in April.)

Illini Night

Like many teams, the White Sox host special theme nights, and the game I’m going to happens to be one of my personal favorites, Illini Night. (I didn’t realize it until a couple days ago, but I’m glad it worked out that way.)

I’ve been to one Illini Night at Busch Stadium (in 2017) and had a blast.

I had to miss Illini Night at Busch Stadium this year (because I was still in Minnesota after the Twins game). I did, however, see former Illini and current PGA golfer Steve Stricker throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Brewers game in May, so I will have seen former Illini stars throw out first pitches in back-to-back games.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. White Sox
Guaranteed Rate Field
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
7:10 p.m. CT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Miles Mikolas (RHP) vs. CWS Dylan Covey (RHP)

The Cardinals have struggled off and on this season and have hit a rough patch as of late. The White Sox have struggled the entire season and are in somewhat of a rebuild mode. They’re on a five-game losing skid.

Recent All-Star Game selection Miles Mikolas (9-3, 2.63 ERA) will be on the bump once again for the Cardinals, marking the third time (out of four) he has pitched in a game I’ve attended this year. (The Cardinals are 2-0 when I see a Mikolas start so far this season.)

Big thank you to my brother’s work friend, who hooked us up with these awesome tickets. Thanks, man.

Also, another thank you to my brother’s college friend, who gave me my first White Sox ticket.

Quick Turnaround for Ballpark #3, Miller Park

After knocking off Target Field a little over a week ago, I’m back at it, headed to Miller Park for my third of 30, a Memorial Day showdown between the St. Louis Cardinals and NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Watching the Cardinals make up some ground on their red-hot division rivals tops my to-do list, but that’s mostly out of my control, mostly … and a little outside the scope of this blog. What else am I looking forward to doing or seeing on my Milwaukee road trip? You’re about to find out, but first, here is a quick history lesson on the Brewers.

The history of baseball in Milwaukee is complicated. The city has been home to professional baseball as far back as the 1880s and has had multiple teams called the Brewers. Today’s Brewers are an expansion team that started as the Seattle Pilots (for one season) and moved to Milwaukee in 1970 as an American League team. They switched to the National League in 1998, and Miller Park opened in 2001.

One Miller Park moment that stands out to me is the 2002 All-Star Game that ended in a tie and led to the “this time it counts” campaign for more than the next decade’s worth of Midsummer Classics (as in, the winner of the game decided home-field advantage for the World Series from 2003 to 2016.)

Milwaukee To-Do List (not comprehensive and in no particular order)

1. Sausage race

This one is a given. What started as a goofy, animated race on the video board has transformed into … a goofy, live-action race in the ballpark. The bratwurst, Polish sausage and Italian sausage are the originals. The hot dog and chorizo were added later.

What’s not to love? It’s even had its own drama (when then-Pirate Randall Simon took out the Italian Sausage in 2003).

My gut tells me to choose the hot dog, mostly because, of the five, I only like hot dogs (and I tried to execute this terrible pun … get it?), but I’m waiting to see them in person before committing to my pick.

2. Retractable roof

I’ve never seen a retractable roof and want to see it in action. I’ve also never seen baseball played indoors (unless you count P.E. wiffle ball).

3. Brewers Walk of Fame

I want to see every team’s hall of fame (or equivalent). The Brewers don’t have a hall of fame. Instead, they have their Walk of Fame, so maybe it’ll feel like I’m in Hollywood.

4. Any mention of the 1982 World Series

Unlike my trip to Minnesota, which involved a team that has defeated the Cardinals in a World Series (1987), this trip takes me to Milwaukee to watch a team that has lost to the Cardinals in a World Series (1982). It’s the only World Series the Brewers have played in, so I’m guessing it will be featured somewhere in the stadium.

5. Cheese curds

It’s Dollar Dog Day at the ballpark, so I will eat a hot dog at some point, but I regret missing out on cheese curds at Target Field (and cheese curds are even more closely associated with Wisconsin than Minnesota), so I feel like cheese curds will be a good investment here.

6. Memorial Day celebrations

I’m excited to celebrate all those who have died protecting our freedom. Will there be a bald eagle? I hope so.

7. Jelly Belly Warehouse

We’re stopping at the Jelly Belly Warehouse in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, on our way to Milwaukee. I’m at least equally as excited for this as I am the game. I LOVE jelly beans (as in, I’m addicted and obsessed), and I’m about to be surrounded by them. I’m hoping it’s Willy Wonka-esque in all the weirdest and sugariest ways.

We’ll also visit a few other places in Milwaukee, and I’ll write all about them on this blog.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Brewers
Miller Park
Monday, May 28, 2018
1:10 p.m. CT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Luke Weaver (RHP) vs. MIL Brent Suter (LHP)

Basically, all you need to know is the Cardinals (27-22 as I write this) are struggling, and the Brewers … not so much. As of now, they have the best record in the National League (33-20).

This is my first game in the Ballparking It era that will feature a Cardinals starting pitcher not named Miles Mikolas, so I’m in uncharted territory in that respect. However, it also marks my second straight dollar hot dog day of the season, and the Cardinals are 1-0 when I pay exactly $1 for a hot dog.

Next Up, Target Field

For my second of 30 MLB ballparks, I’m headed to Minneapolis for a midweek day game between the Twins and Cardinals.

I admittedly don’t know a lot about the Minnesota Twins or their ballpark, Target Field. I do know the Twins play that other brand of baseball where the pitcher doesn’t get to bat, but I also know I end up at Target multiple times per week … so I’m keeping an open mind. (Plus, I believe Torii Hunter was my go-to American League center fielder when it came time for All-Star voting in the 2000s.)

Unlike the Reds, whose ballpark I just visited and who have been around in some form since professional baseball began, the Twins got their start in 1901 as one of the multiple iterations of the Washington Senators. They didn’t move to Minneapolis and become the Twins until 1961.

The Twins were apparently all the rage right before I made my grand appearance on this planet, winning the World Series in 1987 against my would-be favorite franchise, the St. Louis Cardinals. (Side note, back then, the Twins weren’t playing at Target Field, which opened in 2010. They were playing in the Metrodome, which I remember most for its roof collapse.)

I forced myself to watch highlights from the seven-game ’87 World Series to get a better feel for the history between the teams I’ll be watching on the field this week. They were shockingly less depressing than expected. (And now I know what I’ll be humming throughout the game on Wednesday.)

While researching, I also discovered that there may have been a few questionable calls by the umpiring crew in Game 7.

The Twins went on to win another World Series in 1991 but haven’t claimed the crown since.

I’ve been to the Minneapolis area four times in my life, twice to visit friends and twice for college sporting events (basketball and gymnastics), but never for baseball.

My first trip to Minneapolis was an Orange Krush road trip my senior year of college in 2011. For those who don’t know, the Orange Krush is the charitable student cheering section at Illini basketball games, and each year, Krush invades a Big Ten opponent’s arena.

(Maybe I’ll do a throwback blog on that at a later date. But for now, enjoy this picture of me getting back to the student union after a 25-hour bus trip, 7 a.m. on a Thursday to 8 a.m. on a Friday, from Champaign to Minneapolis and back. I basically got off the bus, brushed my teeth and went to class. Illinois won, so it was worth it.)

Original 2011 Facebook caption: Proof that I’m willing to sacrifice personal hygiene for the Illini

Now, back to baseball.

Going into this two-game series, the Cardinals (22-16) are 2-4 since sweeping the Cubs, May 4-6 at Busch Stadium. (Sorry, I HAD to put that somewhere on this blog). Two of those four losses came to Minnesota in a two-game series last week in St. Louis. The Twins (17-20) have won seven of their last 10 games.

Of note, former Cardinal Lance Lynn will be taking the mound for the Twins, looking for his second win of the season with a 1-3 record and 7.34 ERA. Also worth noting, I’ll be going to my second Miles Mikolas game of the season, which could be a good thing because he is 5-0 with a 2.51 ERA. If he wins this game, maybe I should make this a tradition.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Twins
Target Field
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
12:10 p.m. CT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Miles Mikolas (RHP) vs. MIN Lance Lynn (RHP)

Editor’s note: About five paragraphs in, I realized I forgot my MLB GameDay Pass-Port and pretty much spent the rest of the night freaking out about it. I was already two hours from home and didn’t want to spend four extra hours driving back home to get it, but I did want the stamp. At press time, I was still trying to decide what to do. (Hey, at least it’s not a real passport.)

First Up, Great American Ball Park

My birthday is still more than four months away, but I’m starting the party early by kicking off my 30-ballparks-for-turning-30 multiyear celebration this weekend.

My first stop? Great American Ball Park, home to professional baseball’s first team, the Cincinnati Reds. (I didn’t know that fun fact when I bought the tickets.)

I’m not a Reds baseball buff, but I remember when Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 500th home run on Father’s Day at old Busch and recognize the names of some of their Hall of Famers (or would-be Hall of Famers if not banned from baseball … looking at you, Pete Rose).

Griffey is one of my favorite non-Cardinals of all time, and weirdly enough, my favorite Cardinal of all time, Jim Edmonds, played his final major league game in a Reds uniform.

On this particular ballpark adventure, I’m hoping to learn more about the Big Red Machine at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum and see what all the Skyline Chili hype is about.

I’ve been to Cincinnati once to go to Kings Island, probably around the year 2000, but I’ve never been to a baseball game there. (Kings Island had a strong roller coaster game, though, so I recommend going if you like that sort of thing.)

I have some fond memories of watching games at Great American Ball Park on TV (or in one case, listening on the radio), and I hope to see in person where these special moments took place.

Here are my top three Great American Ball Park moments as a Cardinals fan.

3. Cardinals’ seven-run, ninth-inning comeback on May 2, 2005

When the inning started, the Cards were down 9-3. After a couple walks and a hit, Reds closer Danny Graves was brought in to clean up the mess and instead, basically imploded.

I believe it was the Cardinals’ biggest ninth-inning comeback at the time, and I got to enjoy the whole thing from my parents’ living room. (Looking back at the box score and play-by-play still makes me pretty happy.)

2. First-inning brawl on August 10, 2010

Brandon Phillips had run his mouth the night before. Yadier Molina didn’t appreciate it. Tempers flared, and we got ourselves an old-fashioned baseball brawl.

I eventually saw the fight on TV but first heard it on the radio while driving home from college. Mike Shannon called the fight beautifully, and that’s when I decided he’d be an excellent boxing commentator.

Disclaimer: I recognize that this brawl contributed to ending then-Cardinals backup catcher (and coincidentally, former Reds catcher) Jason LaRue’s career, and that’s not OK.

1. Jim Edmonds’ home run robbery skills from July 16, 2004

Edmonds had multiple great plays at Great American Ball Park … and pretty much everywhere else, too. His reaction makes this catch one of my favorite defensive plays of all time.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Reds
Great American Ball Park
Saturday, April 14, 2018
1:10 p.m. ET
Probable starting pitchers: STL Miles Mikolas (RHP) vs. CIN Cody Reed (LHP)

Going into the series, the Cardinals were 5-7, and the Reds were 2-9. The Cards cruised to a 13-4 win in the first of the four-game series. Then I wrote this blog post.

I’m ready to hit the road for my first of 30 destinations. Will Great American Ball Park live up to its name? I’m about to find out.

I’m Doing This

I turn 30 later this year, and to celebrate, I’ve decided that, along with eating a LOT of birthday cake (obviously), I’m going to start making progress toward my goal of visiting all 30 major league ballparks.

Me and my dad at Ballpark Village in 2017

I’m a baseball fan, more specifically, a St. Louis Cardinals fan. I’ve been one for as long as I can remember. I’ve also enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember, and in fact, I’m a copywriter by day and (very slowly) working on a novel in my free time.

I’ve always wanted to start a blog, and I’ve always wanted to see all 30 ballparks. Around the time I turned 29, I realized 30 parks for turning 30 is the perfect excuse to do both.

I’m not exactly sure how my journey will play out, but I plan to visit 4-6 new MLB stadiums, plus some other venues, each year and share my adventures, tips, successes and failures here. Aside from that, I’m going to work out the details as I go. (If you know me, you know that’s not typically how I operate, so this is a big step.)

I’ve already been to Busch Stadium (II and III), Dodger Stadium, AT&T Park, Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field (ha, sorry, it’s a great ballpark, but I can’t type the name without laughing).

I’m visiting all five of those ballparks again. St. Louis and Chicago are close to where I live, and I’ll be traveling to Anaheim and Oakland anyway, so why not head over to L.A. and San Francisco while I’m out west?

It’s been a long offseason, and I can’t wait to get started. Follow along as I knock off all 30 ballparks, eat plenty of hot dogs, explore the surrounding cities and chat about all sorts of other stuff along the way. And don’t worry if you’re not a Cardinals fan. This isn’t a blog about the Cardinals. (I’m just stating my biases and loyalties upfront.)

Plus, I’m also a huge college basketball fan and an Olympics nerd, so I’ll probably be talking about other types of “ballparks” if baseball isn’t your thing. I’m passionate about good television as well, and nothing is off limits as long as it’s in the ballpark. (Get it? I’m trying to be punny.)

I’m more than a little proud of myself for typing this here and publishing it. Anyone who knows me knows I’m one of the most indecisive humans on this planet … but here we go. I’m doing this.