Not a lot of time to see the sights of the South today; an afternoon game in Houston beckons. Just enough time to head through four states and wonder if I should have rented a car with North Carolina plates for getting-pulled-over purposes. We'll stop for the night in Lafayette, Louisiana: gateway to Cajun country. Mmmm...jambalaya.
Day 14: Atlanta to Lafayette
Mileage Today: 584.8
States: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana
Route Traveled: I-85 south to the Alabama border and continuing south to Montgomery, I-65 south to Mobile, I-10 west through Mississippi to Slidell, I-12 west to Baton Rouge, I-10 west to Lafayette.
Game 6: Phillies 3, Braves 2
WP: Randy Wolf (6-7), SV: Jose Mesa (28)
LP: Kevin Millwood (9-6)
Home Runs: Jimmy Rollins (Phi, 8)
Journal-Constitution Story
I have to start off by being frank. I really don't like the Braves. I don't like Ted Turner. I don't like the corporate image of the team; I can picture Maddux, Smoltz, and Chipper Jones sipping brandy and reading the Financial Times until they change into their uniforms 45 before gametime. I hate the Tomahawk Chop. I hate the fact that they seemingly play 85% of their games at home (and yes, I realize that the only time I think about the Braves is when they're on TBS, and TBS mostly shows home games). I'm sick of them getting into the playoffs and failing, denying other teams a shot. I'm sick of them, period.
And I'm a little suprised that the reviews of Turner Field (I'd link to the Braves site, but it threw a dozen popup ads at me while I was surfing it, so forget it) aren't that great. It seems that the Braves went for all the amenities and convenience while neglecting to check "heart and soul" on the ballpark building form. Some comments on epinions said that the Ted (as it's unfortunately called) is an amusement park, the Disney World of baseball. The ballpark part of the Braves' website focuses more on the artwork around the park than on the gamewatching experience (but the artwork is pretty interesting).
So, in short, although I generally tend to root for the home team, it doesn't make me too sad that the Braves lost this game. Even though they're clearly bound for another playoff spot and another disappointment.
It's a light driving day, and a light sightseeing daym, as I have to cross the country over the next few days. But it is worth checking out Stone Mountain, where they've carved huge Confederate generals into the mountainside. The website kind of ignores that, featuring on the area's waterslides, 3-D theaters, and car museum. Guess they realize that anyone who wants to see giant stone images of Confederate leaders knows where to find 'em.
Day 13: Chattanooga to Atlanta
Mileage Today: 115.2
Atlanta Weather: 72°, overcast
States: Tennessee, Georgia
Route Traveled: I-75 all the way.
Braves/Turner Field Facts
First Game: 4/4/97 vs. Cubs
Capacity: 49,831
Retired Numbers: 3 (Dale Murphy), 21 (Warren Spahn), 35 (Phil Niekro), 41 (Eddie Mathews), 44 (Henry Aaron)
Braves Sites: Braves Journal, Braves Report
No baseball trip through Kentucky would be complete without a stop at the museum of Hillerich & Bradsby, makers of the Louisville Slugger. There are movies, famous historical bats (no Dracula jokes, please) and a gift shop. The web site is a bit sparse, but you can't argue with a great big statue of a bat outside the building.
The rest of today's trip is pretty uneventful. They won't let you into the gold room at Fort Knox, Mammoth Cave would take up a full day, and even the memorial to doomed spelunker Floyd Collins only takes a few minutes. So it's down into Tennessee, past Nashville and into Chattanooga. There to ride the Lookout Mountain Incline, which promises breathtaking views of Chattanooga. And all the "choo-choo" jokes one can make.
Day 12: Louisville to Chattanooga
Mileage Today: 308.2
States: Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia
Route Traveled: I-65 south through all of Kentucky and continuing south to Nashville, I-24 southeast to Chattanooga (clipping a corner of Georgia).
Game 5: Reds 10, Pirates 5
WP: Brian Moehler (1-0),
LP: Joe Beimel (1-5)
Home Runs: Kevin Young (Pit, 13), Brandon Larson (Cin, 2), Todd Walker (Cin, 6), Kelly Stinnett (Cin, 1), Adam Dunn (Cin, 20), Brian Giles (Pit, 28)
Enquirer Story
One last swing by Cinergy Field (ne Riverfront Stadium), home of the Reds for many years. Next season, they're slated to move into the brand-new Great American Ball Park (it's named after an insurance company...yecch, but at least it sounds better than "Cinergy"). Unfortunately, Riverfront was the ultimate cookie-cutter multipurpose stadium and had no significant quirks, or anything memorable. A couple years ago, the Reds put in grass and knocked out the centerfield bleachers to liven it up a little, but it's still not a park that anyone has on their must-see list.
The most notable thing about Cinergy Field is the quality of the teams they've put on the field. The Big Red Machine of the 70s was baseball's last true dynasty until the Yankees opened the checkbook in the mid-90s. Bench, Morgan, Rose, Foster...it's never really been the same since. Reds fans (and, yes, this is a broad generalization) tend to be enthusiastic but quiet. Maybe it's the polite Midwestern spirit (but that doesn't explain St. Louis). Maybe it's the spirit-crushing fact that the only other team in town is the Bengals. Or maybe it's something else -- but I couldn't find any current, updated Reds fan sites. And I looked!
The Reds' website has some computer-generated views of the Great American Ballpark; at a glance, it looks like most of the other new parks. Check the view from Section 524 to see the neat riverfront (Hey! That would be a good name!) view from the upper deck.
A couple game notes: Brian Moehler, just traded from Detroit, got the win. That makes him 1-0 in the National League; his stats in the AL don't transfer to his new team. Considering they have interleague play and all, why not? Also, it seems I missed the return of Ken Griffey Jr.; he sat out Wednesday after his first two games back from an injury. Griffey's tenure in Cincy has been tumultuous. he came in a trade from Seattle to his more-or-less hometown of Cincinnati, touted as the greatest player in the league. He's been injured, less than happy, and the opinion in Redtown seems to be that the trade was a mistake. It would have been interesting to see the fans' reaction to him taking the field.
After the afternoon game, it's time to cross the Ohio River and head down into Kentucky. The Slugger Museum awaits!
Day 11: Lafayette to Louisville, via Cincinnati
Mileage Today: 277.5
Cincinnati Weather: 76°, sunny
States: Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky
Route Traveled: I-65 south to Indianapolis, I-465 southeast around Indy, I-74 and I-75 southeast to Cincinnati, I-71 into Kentucky and south to Louisville.
Reds/Cinergy Field Facts
First Game: 6/30/70 vs. Atlanta
Capacity: 39,000
Greatest Moment: 9/11/85. Pete Rose singles into left field to break Ty Cobb's all time hit record.
Retired Numbers: 1 (Fred Hutchinson), 5 (Johnny Bench), 8 (Joe Morgan), 18 (Ted Kluszewski), 20 (Frank Robinson), 24 (Tony Perez)
Reds Sites: see above. Here's a tribute to the stadium from the Dayton Daily News, though.
Game 4: Phillies 7, Cubs 4
WP: Dave Coggin (2-2), SV: Jose Mesa (26)
LP: Matt Clement (8-7)
Home Runs: Bobby Abreu (Phi, 10), Fred McGriff (Chi, 21), Scott Rolen (Phi, 16)
Tribune Story (free registration needed)
The list of hallowed sports sites in the professional leagues is dwindling. Boston Garden, Maple Leaf Gardens and the Forums (LA and Montreal) are gone. Tiger Stadium's gone. Yankee Stadium was renovated 25 years ago; Soldier Field is being redone this year. That leaves the following precious few: MSG for winter sports, Lambeau and (arguably) Texas Stadium in football. And in baseball, Fenway, Dodger Stadium, and maybe a couple others.
And Wrigley Field.
Everything about Wrigley, built in 1914, says class and tradition. The eyecatching ivy along the outfield wall. The towering manual scoreboard. The lights, not installed until '88 and still kept uneeded for more than half the Cubs' home games. The booth where Harry Caray sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" 81 times a year and screamed "Cubs win! Cubs win!" 30 or 40 times a year. Wrigley is where Babe Ruth called his shot in '32, where Gabby Hartnett hit the "homer in the gloamin'", where Jim Thorpe (!) singled in the only run in the 10th inning of a dual no-hitter. Where Ferris Bueller coined the memorable "hey batter hey batter hey batter...SWING batter!" (OK, I think it was really Cameron). You'd think Cubs fans deserve a better team after all this history.
I was happy to see the Odyssey come to Wrigley when the Phils are in town. It seems every year, the Cubs play a game when the wind is blowing just right and runs are scored in amazing bunches -- and it always seems to involve the Phillies. That's a personal opinion, but Philly and Chicago did have the highest-scoring game in MLB history (5/17/79 - Phillies 23, Cubs 22). 11 home runs were hit that day; 5 by Phillies had to be thrown back from the bleachers, another Wrigley tradition.
Not a lot of time to see Chicago today, since another afternoon game (in Cincinnati) beckons tomorrow. So we skip the Wrigleyville pubs after the game, time to head south to Lafayette, Indiana (home of Purdue University and Gene Keady's amazing hairline).
Day 10: Normal to Lafayette, via Chicago
Mileage Today: 266.5
Wichita Weather: 74°, sunny
States: Illinois, Indiana
Route Traveled: I-55, I-90 north to North Ave., east to Halsted St., north to Clark, north to Wrigley Field. Retrace to I-90 south to Gary, I-65 south to Lafayette.
Cubs/Wrigley Field Facts
First (Cubs) Game: 4/20/16 vs. Cincinnati
Capacity: 38,902
Retired Numbers: 14 (Ernie Banks), 26 (Billy Willams)
Cubs Fan Sites: Cub Rants, The Cub Reporter, Miserable Cub Fans Forum, Bleacher Hideaway
Today begins with another trip through baseball history, at Kansas City's Negro Leagues Museum. The centerpiece, shown at left, is a baseball field with 12 life-size bronze statues of the Negro Leagues' best. Unfortunately, nowhere on the site does it tell you who those 12 are. For an eye-opening look at what things were like in those days, check out a list of team names used. The Atlanta Black Crackers?!? Next time some old fart tells you baseball players were better in the old old days, just remember that at the time, some of the most talented players in the nation were kept out of Yankee Stadium and playing for the Homestead Grays and Indianapolis Clowns.
After that, an uneventful day of Missouri plains...maybe a quick stop at the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal (no sign of a Shoeless Joe museum). Then across the Mississippi and into Normal, Illinois (I just like the name), ready to hit Wrigley Field tomorrow.
Day 9: Kansas City to Normal
Mileage Today: 380.3
Hannibal Weather: 86°, cloudy
States: Missouri, Illinois
Route Traveled: I-35 north to Cameron, Rt. 36 east to Hannibal and into Illinois, I-72 east to Springfield, I-55 north to Normal.
Game 3: Royals 13, Indians 12 (10)
WP: Scott Mullen (3-2)
LP: Heath Murray (0-2)
Home Runs: Chris Magruder (Cle, 6), Omar Vizquel (Cle, 12), Milton Bradley (Cle, 7), Carlos Beltran (KC, 15), Raul Ibanez (KC, 14)
KC Star Story
As much as I'd love to sleep in a bit after three relentless days driving across the plains, an afternoon matchup in Kansas City beckons. So I leave York at sunrise, headed across the eastern third of Nebraska and down to Kansas City, where at least everything's up to date. And I hear they've got some crazy little women there.
The Royals are a moribund team playing in one of baseball's best stadiums. Kauffman Stadium (called Royals Stadium for many years, until they renamed it in 1993 to honor longtime owner Ewing Kauffman) is immediately recognizable by the giant crown-shaped scoreboard and the fountains beyond the outfield wall. Located in the Harry S Truman Sports Complex next to the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium, The Big K is a memorable place to see a ballgame. And today's slugfest was a memorable game to see.
After the wild finish, time to head north of the city a little bit to Worlds of Fun, which sooz says is the best amusement park ever. Sounds good enough to me. At least there are plenty of roller coasters to get you your money's worth.
Day 8: York to Kansas City
Mileage Today: 255.5
K.C. Weather: 96 °, sunny
States: Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri
Route Traveled: I-80 east to Lincoln, Rts. 77/2 east to Nebraska City (home of Arbor Day!) and over the Mississippi River, I-29 through a corner of Iowa and south to Platte City, I-435 south to Kauffman Stadium.
Royals/Kauffman Stadium Facts
First Game: 4/10/73 vs. Texas
Capacity: 40,625
Retired Numbers: 5 (George Brett), 10 (Dick Howser), 20 (Frank White)
Royals Fan Site: Rob Neyer
Driving back and forth from Missouri to Colorado gives you two options. Kansas or Nebraska, Take your pick. Kansas may have Bob Dole, prairie dogs, and balls of twine, but Nebraska has something unique...something considered one of the nuttiest, kitchiest, most amazing monuments to the stick-to-it-iveness of mankind.
If you're ever in western Nebraka and fail to visit Carhenge, you're missing something special. In 1987, artist Jim Reinders came back from England with a vision to recreate Stonehenge on the Nebraska plains, near the town of Alliance. So he dug, planted, and welded 38 cars into the correct shape and called it a day. Interestingly, the Roadside America review of Carhenge says that only 40% of visitors even know what Stonehenge is.
Other than that, the trip through Nebraska today mostly consists of nothing but mile after mile of highway. (I arbitrarily picked York as stopping place.) Sure, it's not a bad idea to stop by Chimney Rock, but the awesome spectacle of natural wonders pale beside 38 grey cars planted in the ground.
Day 7: Denver to York
Mileage Today: 601.2
Alliance Weather: 86°, cloudy
States: Colorado, Nebraska
Route Traveled:I-76 northeast to Sterling, CO 113/NE 19 north to Sidney, Rt. 385 north to Bridgeport, a quick detour to Chimney Rock, 385 north to Alliance and Carhenge, back to Bridgeport, 26 east to Ogalalla, and I-80 east to York.
Game 2: Rockies 9, Brewers 5
WP: Shawn Chacon (5-6)
LP: Ruben Quevedo (5-7)
Home Runs: Matt Stairs (Mil, 7), Todd Hollandsworth (Col, 10), Juan Uribe (Col, 4), Jose Hernandez (Mil, 18), Alex Ochoa (Mil, 5)
Denver Post Story
And I thought the first day in Kansas seemed long! There were still over 300 miles of the Sunflower State to get through today; I did hit Russell. Not because I was ever a huge Bob Dole fan, but partly to honor the funniest SNL skit of all time, and partly to break up the 300 miles ever so slightly.
And then it's on to Denver and Coors Field. After all that prairie (and there was an awful lot of eastern Colorado to get through too), there's no time to explore the city, just to grab a (you guessed it) Coors and some local Denver cuisine. I don't know about the rest of the ballpark menu, but a local staple seems to be the Rocky Mountain Oysters. They're essentially what makes a bull a bull instead of a steer, but they're supposed to be quite tasty. So I'll happily include them on my virtual visit to Denver, and hope that I'll have the oysters to actually try them when I hit town for real.
Coors Field was built at the height of the mid-90s ballpark renaissance, and it's generally considered one of the best examples of that era. It has some neat quirks: the bleachers, called the Rockpile, are $4.00. The 20th row of the upper deck has all its seats painted purple, signifying the fact that this row is exactly one mile above sea level. The mascot is a purple triceratops named Dinger. And, of course, Coors has revolutionized the offensive game; Denver's altitude and low humidity make fly balls turn into home runs at an alarming pace.
Day 6: Wichita to Denver
Mileage Today: 522.6
Denver Weather: 92 °, cloudy
States: Kansas, Colorado
Route Traveled: I-135 to Salina, I-70 and Rt. 281 to Russell, I-70 west to the Colorado state line and west to Watkins and into Denver.
Rockies/Coors Field Facts
First Game: 4/26/95 vs. Mets
Capacity: 50,445
Retired Numbers: none
Rockies Fan Site: Denver Baseball Observer
After zipping across Missouri, the choice of scenic and wild diversions in Kansas is small. I abandoned plans to check out historic Dodge City and see another minor-league game. Sure, I could have hit Russell (home of Bob Dole), or sought out one of Kansas' largest twine balls, but I think things like that are better left to the imagination. And once you've seen one prairie dog, you've seen them all.
So minor league baseball it is. The Wichita Wranglers are the AA affiliate of Kansas City, which probably means they could take the parent club to 6 games in a 7-game series. They play at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, and it appears I just missed a promotion where you can bring your dog to the game. The dogs also could make a series of it against the Royals.
Day 5: St. Louis to Wichita
Mileage Today: 443.9
Wichita Weather: 92°, cloudy
States: Missouri, Kansas
Route Traveled: I-70 across Missouri, I-435 around K.C., I-35 west to Emporia, Kansas Turnpike southwest to Wichita.
Game 1: Giants 5, Cardinals 4
WP: Tim Worrell (7-0), SV: Robb Nen (25)
LP: Dave Veres (3-5)
Home Runs: Albert Pujols (StL, 22), Reggie Sanders (SF, 12), Jeff Kent (SF, 15), Benito Santiago (SF, 10)
Post-Dispatch Story
A quick hop this morning across Illinois and the Mississippi River to St. Louis. The city, of course, is dominated by The Gateway Arch, which looms over the skyline like only 630 feet of curved steel can. Beneath the Arch is the Museum of Westward Expansion, which is more interesting than it may sound. It's more than just a place to kill time while waiting for the tram to the top. Once you're up there, you get great views of the city, even if St. Louis (sans Arch) looks a lot like Cincinnati.
A short walk from the Arch is Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals since 1966. There was a museum of St. Louis (especially Cardinal) sports history; it's recently moved in with the Bowling Hall of Fame. The sports museum has memorabilia, trophies, and a display on the long-lost, long-forgotten Browns.
Cardinal fans are generally regarded as about the best in baseball. Rabid, knowleadgable, appreciative and always clad in red, they've earned their reputation. Sadly, though, 2002 has tested them badly. Jack Buck, the radio voice of the Cardinals for decades, died in June after a long illness. I grew up in the small sliver of the country that didn't hear Buck's voice summer after summer. The volume and sincerity of the grief for his death made me realize I missed out on something special. This season took an even more tragic turn on June 22, when star starter Darryl Kile died in his sleep of an apparent blocked artery. That's more pain in one season than most teams have to deal with, but the support of the loyal Cardinal fans is more than up to the challenge.
Day 4: Terre Haute to St. Louis
Mileage Today: 169.1
St. Louis Weather: 90°, sunny
States: Indiana, Illinois, Missouri
Route Traveled: I-70
Cardinal/Busch Stadium Facts
First Game: 5/12/1966 vs. Atlanta
Capacity: 49,779
Retired Numbers:
1 (Ozzie Smith), 2 (Red Schoendienst), 6 (Stan Musial), 9 (Enos Slaughter), 14 (Ken Boyer), 17 (Dizzy Dean), 20 (Lou Brock), 45 (Bob Gibson), 85 (August Busch)
Cardinal Fan Sites: Bleed Cardinal Red (excellent blog), Redbird Central, Joe's Page
One day left until the Odyssey begins in earnest (an actual major league game!), so today we'll make a stop at a hallowed site of a sport I have no real interest in. When you think of Indianapolis, you think of the Indy 500. Probably.
I can't really get into auto racing for a number of reasons. I don't really like loud noises, I like to root for the Celtics knowing that if Antoine Walker collides with Kevin Garnett, they won't both burst into flame, and I fail to see what's so damn funny about funny cars. But the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, or the Brickyard, is one of the most famous venues in all of sports. Even if, as I'm told, the real famous racers don't race in the Indy 500 anymore. I don't pretend to understand it.
The Brickyard's site is not that flashy. There's info about the museum, which seems to me to be pretty interesting, if and only if you're interested in old race cars. You can take a lap around the track if you visit on a day when they don't use the track for anything else. That might be fun. No word on whether you can buy a "Pit Crew Guys Do It In 25 Seconds" T-shirt (thanks, Letterman).
After that hectic trip around the Speedway, a perfect place to spend the night seems to be Larry Bird's Boston Connection, a hotel and family-style restaurant in Terre Haute. There's no sign that Larry's built a web page for the hotel. Too bad.
Day 3: Niles to Terre Haute
Mileage Today: 421.7
Terre Haute Weather: 84°. fair
States: Ohio, Indiana
Route Traveled: 422 south, I-80/76 west to just past Akron (left), I-71 south to Columbus, I-270 around Columbus, and I-70 west through Indianapolis to Terre Haute.
We're slowly building up to the major-league debut of the Odyssey, so we'll take a symbolic step tonight and check out a minor-league game. MinorLeagueBaseball.com has schedules for all the teams in the Western PA/Eastern OH area; the best candidate for a home game tonight are the beloved Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the New York-Penn League.
According to the team website, a Scrapper is
1) An individual who fights, wrangles and battles; 2) a bulldog that battles to victory on a daily basis; see: Mahoning Valley.The Scrappers play at Cafaro Field (behind the Eastwood Mall). Tonight's opponents are the Batavia Muckdogs, and it's apparently NASCAR night. Hope tickets are available.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Mahoning Valley (which, I suspect, is most of us), it's in eastern Ohio, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The team plays in the city of Niles, whose website has been dormant for over a year. So for fun we must go to the nearby city of Warren, home of the National Packard Museum and birthplace of Nirvana/Foo Fighters rock star Dave Grohl.
Day 2: Cooperstown to Niles
Mileage Today: 437.1
Niles Weather: 89°, sunny
States: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio
Route Traveled: Rt. 28 south to Oneonta, I-88 and I-81 southwest to Binghamton, Rt. 17 west to Erie, I-90 west to Ashtabula, Rt. 11 south to Niles.
If Dave Grohl isn't enough to satisfy your musical fix, this route also passes through Jamestown, NY, home of 10,000 Maniacs. Plus Cafaro Field hosts Bad Company and Kansas on Thursday. It's all part of my rock and roll fantasy.
Is there a better place to begin a months-long sports trip than Cooperstown? I doubt it. Home to the Hall of Fame, Cooperstown's Main Street is crammed with memorabilia shops, baseball-themed eateries (the Short Stop Diner comes to mind), and Doubleday Field. According to legend, that's where the first baseball game was played; too bad no one except the starriest-eyed Cooperstown tourism official really believes that story.
Day 1: Arlington to Cooperstown
Mileage Today: 246.3
Cooperstown Weather: 84°, sunny
States: Massachusetts, New York
Roads Traveled: Route 2 west to Lexington, Route 128 south to Waltham, Mass Pike west to the NY border, NY Thruway west to Schnectady, I-88 south to Duanesburg, Rt. 20 west to Springfield, Rt. 80 south to Cooperstown.
The Hall of Fame has a good website. They have online exhibits like this one on the 1951 " Shot Heard 'Round the World", a special on the 3,000 hit club and one on baseball during World War II. Their online gift store is cool; perhaps in honor of Bud Selig, they seem to be selling lots of ties.
If you're in Cooperstown and can stand to get away from baseball for a while (why?!?), the Farmers' Museum in town is a recreation of an 1840's upstate New York village. Secret Caverns is reportedly staffed with endearingly loopy tour guides (Roadside America has a great review), and just south of town is a Corvette Museum.
Cooperstown is named after the father of author James Fenimore Cooper. I've never been able to finish one of his books, but whatever works for you.
I've been trying to think of what my mood would be like on the eve of a real-world months-long sports trip. No doubt I'd be completely insane: bouncing off the walls, checking and rechecking my 6-page long packing list, compulsively recounting all my tickets...going absolutely bonkers.
To get from my home near Boston to St. Louis in time for Wednesday night's game (6:05 CT vs. San Francisco; it's on ESPN!), I'd leave tomorrow. Three and a half days seems about right for a fairly leisurely drive across the Eastern half of the country. Stop in Cooperstown, maybe hit a minor-league game somewhere in Ohio or Indiana, see whatever sights the Great Lakes states have to offer.
But tonight, it's all about last-minute preparations and trying not to worry about a Manitoba blizzard ruining the trip in December.