Articles

Week Three

Our last ballpark in California was Chavez Ravine, where we watched the Padres take on the Dodgers. Stepping into that stadium was like stepping back into the seventies! Where we had been used to big Jumbotrons that pump out beautiful color images, video, and rocking sound bytes, Chavez Ravine had only the bare essentials. We were subjected to droning organ music played throughout the game, and the only display of info was an old lightbulb board that kept the pitching count and score - there wasn't any way for us to tell who was at bat (besides some serious squinting and speculation from our outfield seats).

L.A.'s stadium was by far the worst we have experienced. We found out the hard way that once you pass through the gates, you can't leave the park and return unless you plan on buying another ticket. And we had shown up about two hours before game time to take in batting practice! That was the highlight of the park, where Calvin snagged a homerun ball barehanded, and Jason managed to battle his way through a wild pack of kids for another dinger that bounced around our outfield seats. After practice, we wanted to return to the minivan to tailgate, only to discover we were trapped in the stadium.

Other peeves of this park included: tight security that confiscated beach balls bouncing around the bleacher seats, making fans take down banners, not being able to walk around the entire stadium as the outfield was fenced off from the rest of the park, and the hot dogs were no where nearly as good as the locals talked `em up to be.

After the game, it was on the road again, destination: Flagstaff, Arizona. Since we had no connections for a place to crash on the way to Flagstaff, we conferred on the next logical thing to do: pull an all-nighter, with a layover in Las Vegas for a little fund raising of the gambling kind.

THAT was a mistake. Only Jason came out on top (up $40!) while Matt and I dropped a combined $100 on the pai-gow poker tables. Kuo broke even, unless you count the endless stream of free drinks, in which case Kuo was also a big winner. I think Jason had some help since dealers actually remembered him from spring break.

Our pockets a little bit lighter, and with Matt and I having traded our clothes for barrels and suspenders, we returned to the highways and byways. Calvin took one for the team that day, pulling the all-nighter driving shift. It was really a tranquil drive, the roads free from bustle for once. And we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of hundreds of lights outlining Hoover Dam at four in the morning.

We rolled into Flagstaff and crashed at former Phi Sigma Kappa resident adviser Dan Perovic's house. Just a handful of hours later, we arrived in Phoenix, and were greeted by 112 degree weather. If it wasn't for the unique engineering of the Bob (Bank One Ballpark), we might have been sweated right out of the place.

The Bob, host of the N.L.'s new expansion team the Arizona Diamondbacks, was a real treat. Brand spanking new, the park offers such features as a retractable roof, unobstructed views of the stadium from every seat, and just a clean, high class feel to it over all (which was reflected in the prices of the concessions, however). That night the roof was out, and the Bob's air conditioning units were working overtime to pump cool fresh air over the much appreciating fans. One thing to be aware of at the Bob: the security guards there are no slouchers. As is every person's right to try and sneak into the more expensive seats after buying the cheapest ones in the house, we attempted to make our way to prime first base seating. Unfortunately, security didn't agree with this right, and we were promptly escorted out of the seats.

Just as the Diamondbacks can be considered a 'green' team, so were the fans in attendance that day. Never before had we witnessed such mild mannered people. Up to this point, each park had its fair share of whoopers, hollerers and hecklers. Either unemotional, unsure how to act, or just too plain drained from the amazingly hot weather from the day, the fans definitely have something to work on.

One more night in Flagstaff, then it was time to hum "Country Roads" in unison as we made our way to the mile high city of Denver, Colorado. The twelve hour drive was just all in a good day's work for us. Except for our first scare. Jason was captain of the helm when, right out of a token Star Trek episode, he exclaimed: "We've got no power!". Apparently the battery doesn't like to sustain a plugged-in cooler, computer, and have the air condition going full blast. The crew began to panic. Stuck in 100 degree weather, miles from the next city, was not appealing. It was an hour until the ol' Voyager decided to start up again. Whew!

Having to drive without air condition the rest of the way, the crew was a wreck. Spirits were low, plus we had no spirits to pick them back up. Soaked with sweat, and exhausted from the drive, we made it to my friend's house in Littleton at midnight. As luck would have it, nobody was home, and we didn't have a key. Contemplating whether or not to camp right there in the front yard, the youngest son of the family happened to return from a fishing trip, and we were saved.

The Robinsons (Royce, Mary, Keith, Mark, and Maryse) are good friends from my childhood years growing up in Littleton. A home away from home, we were treated like family. After some rest and relaxation, it was time for a little home run derby. Coors Field is notorious for being a hitter's ballpark, due to the thin air of the mile high stadium. Bat, glove and balls in hand, we found a local park were we could hit around. The verdict: Rockies' pitchers have no excuse! We couldn't jack a single shot out of the park, which was about 350 feet to center field.

My roommate Dan Robin and his father Tom met up with us in Littleton. He is on a special trip of his own. Tom had bought a new car, making Dan the recipient of his old one: a sweet Porsche! Dan is driving it from Texas back to Corvallis, and his need for speed will take him through the speed-limitless freeways of Montana! We were happy to have them go to the game with us.

Coors Field is another new ballpark, with its best feature being the picturesque backdrop of golden foothills over the outfield wall. Impressive skyscrapers of downtown Denver peaked behind home plate foul territory seats. Initially very excited to see a park that turns out over 40,000 fans on a regular basis, our hopes were set back as we made our way to the seats: on the fourth deck, the very top row!

Next week, the Ballpark at Arlington, the Astrodome, Turner Field ("The Ted"), and maybe some volunteer fire fighting in Florida!

Week Two

If you've just now tuned in, you're on the second leg of the Great American Baseball Trip, version 1998. This week's adventures include the happenings during and between four games in sunny California. We'll begin near the San Francisco Bay, home to the Oakland Athletics.

At Oakland 12, San Diego 10. Ben Stonebraker, our frat brother and companion to Bay Area baseball games, put it best when he said, "It's like watching a ball game with 10,000 of your closest friends." Oakland-Alameda County Stadium was upgraded a couple years ago when the Raiders moved to town, but since the Mark McGwire trade, the Athletics have been unable to draw attendance during their rebuilding. But as we look at the standings halfway through the season, the A's record stands at 41-44, putting them 11.5 games in reach of the AL wild card, currently held by the Boston Red Sox. All they need is some better pitching, which was evident in their rollercoaster win over the San Diego Padres on June 30. We sat in the second deck along the first-base line and watched as All-Star pitcher Andy Ashby was chased for 6 runs over 5 innings. Disaster was impending as both teams were forced to bring in their bullpens earlier than anticipated. The result: several lead changes over the last few innings, a total of five home runs, and the winning run walked in by All-Star closer Trevor Hoffman. Oakland is a great place to watch a ballgame thanks to a fresh and clean renovation, friendly staff, and a talented, young Athletics offense. The half-price student admissions were a blessing as well!

Our journey south towards San Diego took us through Santa Barbara for dinner with Jason's cousins Jeff and Eric Prothero. We ate at this authentic Mexican joint that featured fresh guacamole made from avocados hand-picked from the tree in their courtyard. After the late meal, we cruised to San Diego and a stay with Mike's former marathon-training partner, Jody Brown.

A couple of days between games gave us an opportunity to visit the beautiful and crowded San Diego beaches. We bodysurfed at Mission Beach and were temporarily fascinated by the contest run by a local radio station: the last of thirty contestants to endure nonstop rides on the oceanfront rollercoaster wins $50,000. When we passed, they were on day #3 with 7 contestants left. We had to ask ourselves, "How do these people eat and sleep?"

In the middle of Wednesday night, Mike awoke with a burning thirst and stumbled towards Jody's kitchen in the dark. Turns out that the homestyle cup-with-lid that Mike was familiar with would not be found in Jody's cabinet. Instead, Mike ended up finding the jar with a lid. He unscrewed, put a little water in it, and started to drink. "Interesting smell," he thought to himself as he sipped. "Kinda like peanut butter." Can you guess what happened? Mike sure found out quick enough, and a replacement jar of peanut butter was in order the next day.

At San Diego 4, Colorado 2. Brown and roommate Maureen Arnn joined us for the July 3 Padres evening game versus the Colorado Rockies. The six of us were successful in our first tailgater attempt, which featured barbecued chicken, hot dogs, pasta salad, chips and salsa, all washed down with a homemade liquor concoction called "Yukka." Calvin was called in to activate the Coleman grill after fruitless attempts by the others (he's the hardware engineer while the other three are software guys).

A near sell-out crowd joined us in the leftfield bleachers below the monster JumboTron scoreboard. Qualcomm Stadium, formerly known as Jack Murphy Stadium, is experiencing a resurgence as the Padres make a run for their second West Division crown in three years. This club is playing some good ball, and proved it in their win over the hapless Rockies. We saw back-to-back jacks by Carlos Hernandez (he homered in Oakland as well) and Steve Finley, and this time Hoffman was effective in closing out Mark Langston's win. Faux got a great photo opportunity: picture Mike getting an old-fashioned "noogie" from The Padre mascot.

Following the Padre victory, we prefunctioned for July 4th by visiting the night clubs along Pacific Beach. A fun night of clubbing with Jo' and Mo' was appropriately followed the following morning by a breakfast featuring Jody's special beer-batter pancakes. We spent the Fourth of July at Maureen's parent's place in the hills of San Diego. On a patio overlooking much of the city, we were able to watch several fireworks shows (six simultaneous at one point!) with several of Mo's buddies. Maureen's father Roy, a 23-yr Padres season ticket holder, was quite envious of our journey, because it was something he had always wanted to do but never had a window of opportunity like ours.

Sunday, July 5: Oakland 5, at Anaheim 4. Disney knows how to put on a show, and the Disney-owned Anaheim Angels play in a ballpark whose atmosphere is nearly as entertaining as Disneyland. Edison International Field of Anaheim must thank Eisner and Co. for spotless facilities, plenty of fan giveaways, enduring fan support, and a fountain-mountain in centerfield. This monstrous creation spurted geysers of water in synch with the singing of the National Anthem, and then turned around and launched fireworks after Jim Edmonds' solo shot. Our cheap seats were just beyond the bullpens in left field, and we joined excellent fans (Athletics fans showed up in decent numbers, too) for good, clean trash-talking amongst the 100-degree heat. Hands down, "The Ed" has been the best ballpark we've visited to date.

As Major League Baseball took its three-day intermission, a.k.a. the All-Star Break, we were put up in the L.A. Airport Radisson by two more of Jason's cousins, Calvin and Chuck Harmon. During our intermission, we paid visits to the campus of UCLA (Kuo is also using this trip to scout potential grad schools), the Promenade at Santa Monica, Ragin' Waters waterpark, and finally the Derby Club, a swing joint made famous by the movie "Swingers" (Go out and rent it tonight!). At the Derby, Calvin and Jason strutted their OSU Ballroom Dance I techniques, and even persuaded a local girl to teach Mike a few groovy moves. We vow to be kings of swing by January 1, 1999!

Next week, join us as we visit Dodger Stadium, Bank One Ballpark, Coors Field, and The Ballpark at Arlington. Stay tuned till next time!!

Week One

Hello, world! My name is Calvin Kuo and I just turned 23. I love the statistical aspect of Major League Baseball, and can't wait to visit stadiums with loyal fan support, like Busch Stadium (home to the St. Louis Cardinals), Jacobs Field (Cleveland Indians) and Yankee Stadium. I am still a committed Oakland Athletics fan, but since Mark McGwire got traded to the Cardinals last year, I tend to cheer more for St. Louis these days. As a recent graduate of Oregon State University's Computer Engineering program, I will be beginning a career in business consulting with Arthur Andersen once I return from our cross-country journey.

Hey everybody! This is Jason so I guess that means I'm the "hardcore" baseball fan. When we get some pictures back that way, I'll be the tall guy. I'm a big baseball history buff and just like baseball in general. As I see it, this is the perfect summer for this huge adventure. We've got two new teams this year and a good mix of modern and classic ballparks. While I want to see all of them, Fenway Park in Boston and Yankee Stadium in NY are the two I can't wait to see. In Boston there's the green monster, practically zero foul territory, and even a red seat where Ted Williams hit his last home run. Yankee stadium has the craziest fans and its own little hall of fame in the outfield.

Hello there. My name is Matt Stronczek. I am a Senior Computer Science major at the University of Idaho. I know the other guys because we all graduated from Hermiston High School. I am really excited to be going on this trip because I'll be in the work force in January. I am really looking forward to seeing the USA. I've only seen some of Florida, California, and the Northwest. As a baseball fan in the Northwest, I am a avid Mariners fan. I also have been a cubs fan since the mid eighties.

Howdy! This is Mike Faux, and I'm just happy to be here. Actually, I'm happy to be anywhere, as long as it will delay my entry into the work force. After graduating last December from O. S. U. with a computer science degree, I knew that I wasn't quite ready to sit behind a desk. So in May I put on my backpack and traveled most of Western Europe for two months. Three days after getting back, it was time to hop in a minivan with my buds for this crazy trip across North America! I'm pretty eager to see the baseball teams and players we've come to know and love through our many years of being in a Fantasy Baseball league, but I also can't wait to meet up with old friends and family, and make new friends along the way.

Okay, enough with the introductions. The first stop on our trip was San Francisco for the Giants and the Oaklnad A's. We stayed at the Stonebraker Bed & Breakfast in Danville. Actually, it was the parents house of our OSU fraternity brother, Ben. Wow, they got us off to a good start...lasagna as soon as we walked in the door around 10:30 pm. We would have got there sooner, but Ben's directions were vague. They mainly consisted of looking for big ships on your left, or other landmarks impossible to see at night, or an exit that could have four different names. Good thing we stopped at AAA for maps.

After a great wake-up breakfast by our newly-adopted parents, we headed to Candlestick Park (er, 3Com Park) for an afternoon game between the Giants and the Texas Rangers. It was bat day at the park so as Mike and Calvin were getting tickets they figured they needed to get a couple bats as souvenirs. Searching through the crowd, they found a prime family with a couple of kids. They approached the mom and told them our story. And after some coercing, she said "OK" and sent her kids in with a couple tickets. Soon, they returned with two Jeff Kent-autographed bats and we had our first souvenirs! One went to Jason, who has been a Giants fan forever, and the other to Calvin.

The game was great; we saw another grand slam (two in a row counting our April game in Seattle) and a complete-game shutout by Giants pitcher Mark Gardner. We sat in the left field bleachers right behind Barry Bonds, the best player in the majors according to Jason (coincidentally Barry is also his favorite player). These seats were so awesome. We were close to the field and the wind hardly bothered us. The game zoomed by in only two hours and two minutes. This was a very good thing because the sun was out and (of course) we forgot to bring sunscreen. The burns were nice (Matt has some nice color on his newly shaved head) but they could have been much worse.

San Francisco is a great city, and we definitely learned a few things about it, and California, very quickly. First, it gets cold and windy after about 8:00 pm every night. Let us tell you, when we were in Haight-Ashbury we almost bought some sweatshirts off some of the locals instead of some of the other things they were peddling. Second, avoid angering California drivers. For example, let's just say (hypothetically, of course) that a big Ford truck pulls out in front of your van and cuts you off. You definitely don't want to show the driver what you think of him or her by using any sign language. This may cause the driver to immediately stop in front of you and, after you nearly rear-end them, proceed to open the door and yell things that you wouldn't want your kids to hear!

While in San Francisco we visited Berkeley, downtown, and the Haight-Ashbury district. Both Berkeley and Haight-Ashbury seemed kind of stuck in the sixties. Actually, they were remarkably like Eugene, only bigger and more intense. In Berkeley there were all kinds of strange shops and street vendors. We could have gotten tattoos on the street (what if somebody bumps the artist?) or even our name written on a grain of rice. Haight was much less of a college town, defined by the strange characters cruising the streets. We saw somebody dressed up like Elvis, another person wearing only blankets (it was cold...), and plenty of hippie-esque youths.

Next stop, San Diego and L.A. If you would like to check out our schedule, read previous G.T. articles, or send us comments regarding the trip, you can reach us via the world wide web at https://members.tripod.com/~protherj. See you next week!

Students traveling through fields of dreams

Three Oregon State University seniors are taking the concept literally - they're about to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country baseball journey.

As a graduation present, engineering majors Jason Prothero, Calvin Kuo, and Mike Faux have given themselves 10 weeks of non-stop baseball adventure. If all goes as planned, the trio plus University of Idaho senior Matt Stronczek will hit 29 of the 30 major league ballparks before joining the real world in September.

On June 27, they'll toss their sleeping bags, coolers and baseball gloves into a Nissan Quest belonging to Faux's parents and head down Interstate 5 to see San Fransico play Texas. They're planning on finishing in early September in either Kansas City or Minneapolis.

The only city they're missing: Seattle.

"There is some slack built in so if we miss a day or there's a rainout we might be able to push a couple back," Prothero said.

Prothero, a die-hard 22-year-old baseball fan, is the journey's architect. The other three are high school chums from their native Hermistonn who are going for the l-o-n-g ride.

Prothero grew up a San Francisco Giants fan, listening to their games on KNBR-AM (680) once the sun dipped below the horizon on the Columbia Plateau. He said he has long been a student of the game, and especially enjoys it's rich history.

Stories about baseball's past - and the time availability - are the reasons he's making this journey now.

"It seems like all of the old ballparks - Fenway, Wrigley, Tiger Stadium - are going to be torn down," Prothero said of fields in Boston, Chicago, and Detroit.

"I thought if I'm going to see all the old parks I'd better see them now, and I've got to get them in one big shot."

As for the other three, well, they might not know the height of The Green Monster at Fenway or that Waveland Avenue is beyond the ivy-covered left-field wall in Wrigley; they've got other motivations.

"The rest of us aren't as hard-core as Jason," Kuo said. "I'm just looking forward to doing cross country travel by car, being with my friends, the camaraderie being in a van for 2 1/2 months.

"I figured once I get into the workforce, I'm not going to have a chance to step away from work for this long. I'm going to do it while I have a chance."

As college graduates-to-be, the four aren't rich. They borrowed the van. Instead of Hiltons and Sheratons, they're planning to stay with friends and at KOAs.

Their pocket change is reserved for gas and game tickets.

They've already purchased tickets to stadiums where sellouts are likely. They were concerned about getting tickets in Cleveland, where every home game was sold out at the time they planned the trip, but the Indians' publicity department took care of them.

All other pitfalls have been anticipated, Prothero said. He said he's been chatting through the Internet with another college student who did a similar tour a year ago.

And what do they expect?

"Good weather, good games and long travel times," Kuo said.

Said Prothero: "I'm looking forward to seeing the country, not just seeing baseball games."