The All Star Game

It’s that time of year again….the All Star Game is tonight!  I love the All Star Game.  It is so much fun to see the best of the best play together; to see rivals play side by side.  Unlike most other sports, the MLB All Star Game has significant meaning.  Since 2003 the All Star Game has determined which league gets home-field advantage for the World Series.  Do I agree with this policy?  No.  It makes no sense.  Here is the perfect example of why: In 2010, top of the seventh, Brian McCann, a Brave, hit a bases clearing double, scoring Matt Holliday, a Cardinal, Scott Rolen, a Red and Marlon Byrd, a Cub.  Phil Hughes, a Yankee, allowed two singles (accounting for two base runners) and then Matt Thornton, a White Sox, walked Marlon Byrd and allowed the hit by Brian McCann.  The National League won 3-1 and because of that the Giants had home-field advantage over the Rangers in the World Series.  It would be more logical if the team with the better record got home-field advantage.  But Mr. Selig does not consult me on such matters, so the All Star game is very important.  That year the Giants had the better record, so my example is really a moot point, but still.  I do not agree with it, but that’s the way it is and it does make the All Star Game quite interesting.

            2010 was especially special because it broke the National League’s fourteen year losing streak.  I was so proud of the National League that night.  Having a Brave knock in the winning runs was just icing on the cake.  I truly think the NL is superior and it was so great to see them finally rise above and show it.  The NL has now won three All Star Games and three World Series in a row; hopefully this trend will go on for a long time. 

I voted early this year and do not honestly remember who all I voted for.  I know I voted for mostly Braves with some Dodgers and Cardinals thrown in; oh, and Martin Prado.  When it came to the American League I was somewhat lost, since I do not follow it as closely.  The All Star Game presents a great way to learn about the players from teams that you may not follow; just another reason to love it.  The Braves got three in and the Dodgers, only one.  The Cardinals are well represented.  I’m disappointed that Freddie Freeman will not be able to play, but I am so glad that he won the final fan vote.  Yasiel Puig is very impressive and I would have definitely voted for him had a Brave not been in the running…but, well, Freddie.   He has been great offensively and defensively for years now and he deserved to go.  I’m excited that Brian McCann was chosen to be Freddie’s injury replacement.  As we learned in 2010, Brian McCann can make things happen.

A lot of people prefer the Home Run Derby (I have noticed that these are usually the same people who think baseball is boring).  Not me.  I think the Home Run Derby gets boring after a while.  It’s batting practice.  I will however say that it is special and touching when the player’s dad is throwing to them.  That is pretty awesome.  At least nothing is riding on the Home Run Derby, like home-field advantage for something really important.  I like small ball better and I think it would be so much fun if there were skills competitions much like the NHL does.  For example, they could test the faster guys to see who can steal a base fastest; the outfielders to see who can jump the highest to steal home runs; the pitchers to see who can pick off runners better; maybe even infield players to see who can turn the quickest double play; things like that.  Baseball is very situational, so it might be difficult to artificially create those scenarios, but at least it would be different. 

By the way, if you aren’t rushing home to watch the game, go out and pick up a copy of 42: The Jackie Robinson Story.  It comes out on Blu-Ray/DVD today.  I saw it in the theater.  It is an amazing movie.  I’m almost as excited about getting my copy as I am the game tonight!

Chicago: Part Two

Part two…..the part that actually qualifies this trip for a baseball blog:

The hand operated score board with the "W" flag after the game.

            Sunday we went to Wrigley Field and saw the Cubs take on the Astros.  Wrigley Field is definitely a place every baseball fan should visit.  Entering Wrigley Field was like stepping back in time.  There are not a lot of the frills you would find in other parks.  There is no jumbotron to watch replays or to show fans dancing and acting silly between innings; just a massive, majestic hand-operated scoreboard.  The ratio of organ music to stereo music is a lot higher than most other parks.  There are no shenanigans between innings; no costumed characters racing, no contests involving the fans.  There is just baseball.  The vibe is a lot more serious and business-like.  It’s refreshing.  The big team store is across the street, because in 1914 when Wrigley Field was built, I would imagine the need for a team store was much less.  Actually there are a lot of good size stores selling Cubs gear outside of the stadium.  The concourse areas are much narrower and the concessions areas are much smaller.  There are no areas to sit and eat or just hang out in the concourse area.  You are expected to take care of your business and go to your seats.  This park was built for baseball, not commercialism.  There is a possibility that a lot of renovations and updates may take place at the park after this season, including but not limited to a jumbotron.  I am so glad I was able to visit Wrigley before any of these major updates take place.



The view from our seats



                 I have to say our experience was good, but not ideal…because it was so hot that day.  As southerners from the southeast we sometimes have blinders on and feel like we have a monopoly on heat.  It gets so hot here and with the humidity it is miserable, and there is no way anywhere else can compare.  Everywhere else has a “dry heat” right?  And it’s just not the same.  Well, the heat that day at Wrigley Field rivaled any day I’ve spent at Turner Field.  We had great seats; right behind home plate, section 123.  We were on the first row of that section.  At most parks you would have a bar in front of you and a small drop off.  Not here; here we had nothing in front of us and all the leg room you could ask for.  If someone on our row needed to get up, it did not affect us one bit.  The only downside was that the vendors were walking around in front of us for most of the game.  I am embarrassed to say that we went to the wrong seats at first.  We had seats 101 and 102, and when I spotted seats 1 and 2 for some reason I thought that was close enough.  I’ve done that at Turner Field before; I don’t know why I do that.  We did not go to our seats until right before the game started because of the heat and the seats were in the sun.  During the second inning some people informed us that we were in their seats, so we moved to our actual seats.  Those seats were literally too hot to sit in.  We tried for about a minute and then decided we had to do something else; anything else.  We walked around the concourse area for about two innings. That is when this conversation took place:

Mom:  How long are we going to walk around out here?

Me:  I don’t know, but we cannot go back out there to those seats.  We’ll have third degree burns on our backsides.

Mom:  I don’t want to miss “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Me: You mean the seventh inning stretch?

Mom: Yeah

Me:  Well, it’s the third inning now, so I think we’ll make it.

            We went back to our seats during the fourth inning.  By that time our seats were in the shade and everything was bearable.  We knew we would eventually be in the shade because of how the sun was moving, but we simply could not wait it out.  The seats immediately behind home plate and along the first base line were never in the shade.  I do not know how those people stood it.  All in all we had a great time!  The Cubs won 14-6 so we got to see them raise the white W flag and hear the crowd sing “Go Cubs Go”.  I recommend a trip to Wrigley Field to any baseball fan.  It is such an institution.  And I recommend a trip to Chicago to anyone.  It is a great city with lots to do and see!         



Greg Maddux's number on display.  It is retired by the Cubs (as well as the Braves).



Chicago: Part One




Chicago skyline as seen from Lake Michigan

          



Skydeck ledges on 103rd floor of the Willis Tower



            A couple of weeks ago my mom and I visited Chicago.  It was a great trip.  We arrived in Chicago at eight o’clock Friday morning, which means we left Birmingham at six o’clock.  It was soooo early; but it turned out to be a good thing because apparently over two hundred flights were canceled that day due to a computer glitch and the earliest ones were not affected.  We went straight to the hotel expecting to just check our bags since it was so early, but they had a room ready so we were able to go up and get settled.  After that we headed out for some Chicago style pizza.  Some friends of mine recommended that we go get pizza for lunch instead of dinner to avoid a long wait.  We went to Gino’s East.  It was quite tasty.   Next we caught the tour bus.  We had tickets to a double-decker bus tour of the city.  It was a hop on-hop off tour, with tickets good for three days, so we got on at the closest stop.  The next stop was at the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower).  We went up to the SkyDeck on the 103^rd floor and went out on one of the ledges.  It was rainy Friday afternoon so the view was not as good as usual, but it was still really impressive.  After that we headed back to catch the double-decker tour bus.  It was delayed due to traffic so we got to wait on it in the rain.  Once we got on the bus we had to sit inside in the lower level because of the rain.  We were only a few stops from Navy Pier, so we got off there.  I had told myself while planning the trip that I didn’t want to go to any chain restaurants that I had been to before.  We were going to do all new, Chicago-y things.  But after getting up so early, and spending a good bit of the day in the rain, I wanted to go to Margaritaville.  My mom agreed, so that’s where we went.  This was not the first time we’ve gone to Margaritaville after a bad weather day during a vacation.  Last Spring during our frigid trip to Niagara Falls we also visited Margaritaville.  After dinner we went back to the hotel go to bed.  We were beat!  And had a lot to pack into the next two days.

Tour boat from architectural tour

            The next morning we went back to Navy Pier to catch an architectural boat tour.  We really enjoyed this tour.  It went a piece down Lake Michigan and then up the Chicago River; pointing out all of the historical buildings.  After the boat tour we rode the ferris wheel at Navy Pier then headed to lunch.  For lunch we went to the original Billy Goat Tavern.  Yes, that Billy goat.  See, the guy that opened the Billy Goat Tavern in 1934 is the same guy that tried to take his Billy goat to Wrigley Field in 1945 which is where the curse of the Billy goat comes from.  I will not rehash that story here, but it’s pretty interesting if you’re looking for something to read about, after reading this blog.  After lunch we got back on the double-decker bus tour, but this time to actually take the tour and not just for transportation.  That tour was great too.  This time we got to sit up top and actually see the tour.  We got off at Millennium Park and saw the bean.  Then we got back on and rode the bus to the John Hancock Observatory.  After that stop we had seen the entire double-decker bus tour.  We were going to eat in the restaurant at the John Hancock Observatory, but there was quite a wait.  So we ended up at The Grill in The Westin across the street.  It was really good and I had a War Eagle moment.  We overheard one of the men at the table next to us talking about SEC football, and then we heard him say that he had gone to Auburn and was there at the same time as Pat Sullivan.  So I went over to say “hello” and “War Eagle!”  After dinner it was almost time for the fireworks at Navy Pier so we went back there. 

 

Ferris wheel at Navy Pier

Cloud Gate aka The Bean at Millennium Park

            One of the most exciting things I noticed from the boat tour and the bus tour was that Chicago was ready for the Stanley Cup Finals!  Game five was that night in Chicago.  Chicago and Boston were tied 2-2 in the series.  We saw well wishes for the Blackhawks all over the city.  The lions outside of the Art Institute had on Blackhawks helmets, the brachiosaurus outside of the Field Museum had on a Blackhawks jersey and there were several signs, banners and flags.  The Blackhawks won 3-1 that night and went on to score two late goals Monday night in Boston to win 3-2 and to win the Stanley Cup.

One of the lions outside of the Art Institute

 

            I am doing my post about this trip in two parts, since it is somewhat lengthy.  Check back soon for our trip to Wrigley Field!