My Ballpark Travels
Well, I did it.
On Saturday evening,
I can’t say that this has always been a goal of mine, since I was admittedly put off in the early 1990’s by the closing of what I considered to be perfectly good parks for the sake of expensive new ones, but the concept kind of grew on me from about 2001, until it became an obsession.
This story begins with my dad introducing me to baseball in the early 1960’s; how the influence of Air Force brat cousins expanded my horizons geographically in the early 1970’s; and how the combination of lonely business travel and subsequent frequent-flyer miles set me on a path to what would be the successful completion of my ultimate goal. I will also include my rankings of the ballparks, and tips for making each trip enjoyable through additional sightseeing and careful selection of dining choices. Lastly, I will cover the highlights and unusual things I have seen along the way.
My dad grew up without a father, and had a very hardscrabble
upbringing in
I’m not really sure, but I believe I was 3 when he took me to Yankee Stadium for the first time, which would place it at about 1962 or 1963. These were the still-glorious days of Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Roger Maris, although I have to admit that 1965 is the first season that I really remember, and I have no clue about the 1964 World Series. Basically, I only recall the “suckage” of the Horace Clarke era.
Everything Billy Crystal said about the grass, dirt and smell of the “old” Stadium was true, and in its pre-renovation state it was, and will always be, the most beautiful ballpark I have ever seen. I know that a lot of this is my memory of my dad, but I felt the same way when he was a young man. We always had a very special, close, yet understated relationship, and I trace it back to our private time at Yankee Stadium. And it’s especially rewarding when I chat with old friends whose memory of him is the time they joined us at Yankee Stadium. It’s all very special, and it’s all about family.
When I was a little older, we would play this trick on my mom -- I don’t think we ever fooled her: the Yankees generally weren’t on TV during the week, so he would have me go into the kitchen and ask him in front of her “the game isn’t on TV, can we go? Can we go?” He would look at her with these sad eyes like, hey, it’s the kid’s fault. She would relent and basically throw us out, and I would see a game on a school night. He was also great for going to midweek day games, a practice I try to keep to this day.
The thing was, the park was very quiet and relaxed back then, and you could just talk. It’s amazing how you can pass your values down like that. Think about that the next time the “Noise-o-meter” comes up on the Diamondvision.
Yes, we finally made it to another ballpark. It was early in
1965 that a neighbor gave my dad free tickets for a game between the Mets and Giants at Shea, where I got to see Willie Mays in his prime. The following season, the Air Force brats came into the picture, my dad’s brother from
My dad’s brother Sal met his wife when he was stationed in
I was always impressed that Tommy was a Cardinals fan, as
they had lived close to
Since we now lived about 100 miles apart, we visited each
other a few times every year. Here’s where my knowledge of geography came into
play. I was totally a child of my times: I was good in math and science because
of the Space Program, and in geography because of sports and the evening news. I
knew my way around the
Exactly how many passes over the lower New Jersey Turnpike do you
think it took for me to ask the question, “Dad, if we take them to Yankee
Stadium, why can’t we see a game in
The following season, we went to the Vet in its opening
month, the only time I saw Hank Aaron play, visited
It was a Sunday afternoon in May 1971, and I think the Yankees
were playing the Indians on TV from
I visited MIT as part of a high school trip to
I was attending a game in late 1976 at now-renovated Yankee
Stadium, and was handed a flyer advertising trips to
Kids, we didn’t have the Internet. For that matter, we didn’t have remote control on TVs. So here’s what I had to do to get tickets to what would become the Boston Massacre of 1978:
=> In April, I drove to Yankee Stadium and bought a Red Sox yearbook at the concession stand across the street.
=> I went to the bank to purchase a money order.
=> I mailed a letter to the Red Sox to purchase tickets for the games.
=> They returned my letter to inform me that I could only purchase $3 Bleacher Seats.
=> I went back to the bank; purchased another money order, mailed it, and then they sent me my tickets.
It was in 1978 that I attended my first ALCS (games 3-4) and
World Series (games
I had basically dropped this pursuit, what with dating,
planning a wedding and all. I had never flown in plane until our honeymoon in
1983, when we went to
Two things happened relating to baseball on the Pacific trip
in 1984. First, I somehow talked Maureen into taking in an afternoon game in
Then the “big bang” in this pursuit for me occurred, the one
that really put me on the path that I completed in recent months: we were in
Maui where it was
I had never seen an atmosphere like this before. The place was absolutely electric that day. It looked like a party to me, and I never saw people at a game so happy to be there and having so much fun. I really needed to experience this.
I wouldn’t be exaggerating to state that this pursuit would
not be easy, since I wasn’t making very much money, and I would soon have kids.
But in 1986 I began traveling on business, and plotting. I was determined to
find a way into
It was 1990, and I had a customer in
1992 brought my first trip to incredible Camden Yards with
the
I have always been close to my cousin Tony, the older son
of my mother’s twin sister. As a result of business travel, I was in possession of a single free round-trip
on Continental, which flew to LA. He was in graduate school in
Business got me to Busch Stadium free (a security guard handed a Loge ticket to me; really) in 1993, Riverfront
Stadium in my client’s box in 1994, and
opening day in Kansas City courtesy of the Kauffman Foundation in 1996. I also
got to the 1996 All-Star Game in
Tony and I got back to what would become the annual trips in
1997, when we began taking Thomas with us. That year we cycled through
One other important thing happened in 1997: my cousin Sal, brother John and I packed all of our sons and my Father into two cars and saw the Yankees play at Fenway. As it turned out, it was the last game I ever saw with my Dad. He compared it favorably to Ebbets Field, which he always talked about. I'm really glad we brought him there, and in looking back, I'm so happy that our last game together was Yanks-Sox at a special place like Fenway.
On top of everything else that would follow, a major
highlight: on
Thomas and I visited
I do feel satisfied with what I’ve accomplished, but I have
to admit that a lot of the steam has been taken out of it by having fewer trips
on the horizon. We visited
The future should not be too difficult the as the construction schedule seems to hold Washington in 2008 (coming 4/26!), the Yankees and Mets in 2009, Minnesota tentatively in 2010, Oakland/Fremont in 2011, and the Florida teams TBA.
Our plan might also include revisiting some of the parks
closer to New York that we liked (
In June, Thomas and I are taking Tony, his Dad, and son AJ to his first games (and some of our last) at Shea and Yankee Stadium.
I'd love to get your feedback. Please send me an e-mail with your comments.
E-mail:tom_deangelo@yahoo.comHere are my Top 5 lists:
|
Best All-Time |
Best Current |
Best Built Since 1990 |
|
1.
Yankee Stadium (1923-73) |
1.
Wrigley Field |
1. |
|
2.
Wrigley Field |
2. |
2. |
|
3.
Tiger Stadium |
3. |
3. |
|
4. |
4. |
4.
Safeco Field |
|
5. |
5. |
5. |
|
|
|
|
|
Best “Middle Era” |
Worst All-Time |
Best Baseball Movies |
|
1.
Dodger Stadium |
1.
Olympic Stadium |
1.
The Pride of the Yankees |
|
2.
Kauffman Stadium |
2. Tropicana Field |
2.
Field of Dreams |
|
3.
Busch Stadium (1966-2004) |
3.
Metrodome |
3.
Eight Men Out |
|
4.
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) |
4.
Veterans Stadium |
4.
The Soul of the Game |
|
5. |
5. Skydome |
5.
61* |
Best Food
1.
2. Dodger Stadium - Dodger Dogs are the best
3.
4.
5.
Lodging
My external food choices, listed alphabetically by city (they tend to be inexpensive)
Baltimore - Phillip's Seafood, Inner Harbor (For crabcakes, what else?)
Boston - Pizzeria Regina and Modern Pastry, North End
Chicago - Superdawg, Giordano's Pizza
Houston - Goode Company BBQ
Kansas City - Arthur Bryant's BBQ
Los Angeles - In-n-Out Burger (anywhere); Pink's Hot Dogs, Hollywood (best chili dog in the world); Randy's Donuts, Inglewood
New York (Bronx) - Cafe Al Mercato (Pizza) and Mike's Deli (Italian Hero's), both in the Arthur Ave Indoor Market; Dominick's
across Arthur Ave, if you have time: it's great family-style Italian, without a printed menu (or credit cards)
New York (Queens) - Jackson Hole Diner near LGA in Astoria; Donovan's Pub in Woodside, near the #7 train to Shea, which is an
excellent place to park-n-ride while Citi Field is being constructed in the Shea parking lot. (Both places were rated best burger in
NYC in different published surveys. You can't go wrong with either one.)
Philadelphia - Pat's King of Steaks; Taconelli's Pizza; Melrose Diner
San Diego - Cafe Guadalajara (Great enchiladas and margaritas)
San Francisco - Sam Wo's, Chinatown; Tomasso's Pizza, North Beach
Seattle - Just "graze" at the Public Market; there are a lot of choices
St. Louis - Cunetto's House of Pasta, Italian Hill; Al Hrabosky's, outside Busch
Toronto - Tim Horton's (the coffee and maple donuts require a 12-step program)
Washington - Jerry's Seafood, in a strip mall in Seabrook, MD; the crab is phenomenal, and it's worth the ride
On the road - Lots of Cracker Barrel, Denny's, IHOP and Waffle House (all low cost, high octane)
Where I’ve been (Total 44)
All 30 current Major League Parks
14 “Retired” Parks - Baltimore:
Memorial Stadium;
Where my son Thomas has been (Total 34)
29 of the 30 current Major League Parks, except for Safeco Field in Seattle.
5 “Retired” Parks - Detroit: Tiger Stadium; Montreal: Olympic Stadium; Philadelphia: Veterans Stadium; Pittsburgh: Three Rivers Stadium; Washington: RFK Stadium.