Preview – Ballparking It

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

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.

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.