Game #5-Tampa Bay Rays have historical start to the year!

We just completed our 5th ballpark visit on Friday, April 21 to Tropicana Field where the Tampa Bay Rays played the Chicago White Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays team is HOT and they certainly have an fascinating ballpark. The capacity for this domed field is 25,025 and this Friday evening brought in a crowd of 17,973. The Tropicana Field has an interessting history having been built long before Tampa Bay had a Major League Baseball team, in fact 8 years. It was built in the hopes of drawing a MLB team to Tampa Bay. Original capacity was 45,369 but in 2008 the top third of the upper deck seating was tarped over reducing the capcity to 36,048 and then again in 2019 the entire upper deck was closed reducing capaity to 25,025-the lowest in the league. They felt this would create a more intimate and appealing experience for the fans and they were right. Tropicana Field has a unique exterior with a slanted domed roof and an almost circus-like tent look from the inside. The reason it was designed this way was to reduce cooling costs and protect from hurricanes. Lucky for us it was a giveaway night and we received two very nice belt bags when we entered the park. We did our usual walk around the ballpark and were so pleasantly surprised by the extremely friendly staff! Jim and I did not pass one single staff member without them welcoming us and greeting us. I definetly give this ballpark the friendly staff award! The ushers are called "Fan Hosts." One of the first Fan Hosts we encountered was Tom. He was so kind and offered to take pictures for us. He really took his time to get the just right photo; see his handywork in the photo on this post. Next as we arrived at our seats we talked with Fan Hosts, Sandy and Ellen who gave us lots of information and namely the hot dog recommendation for Jim. If you are not following us on Instagram you are missing Jim's entertaining hot dog reviews. @ourfieldofdreams2023 Of course, we gave our kind Fan Hosts our San Clemente gift bag with a surfboard keychain and salt water taffy and thanked them for their kindness. I would say the unique feature at this ballpark is the Rays Touch Tank. Just over the right field fence is a 10,000 gallon tank filled with three different species of rays. Admission to the tank is free but they limit it to 40 fans at a time. Pictures are on Instagram of Jim enjoying this experience. Tropicana Field has many food choices but as per usual we had to get the hot dog which was a foot long hot dog with grilled onions, bellpeppers, ketchup and mustard. Jim gave it an 8 which is his highest so far tied with Texas Rangers "boomstick." I could not resist getting the chicken and fries served in a helmet. Just something about eating food out of a plastic helmet at a ballpark that makes the game complete. The chicken was very good and the fries were excellent. It's rare I turn my nose up to a french fry. Now here comes the part that has you playing the Twilight Zone music in you head.....Sitting just two rows in front of us we see a man with a shirt on that says "A Lifetime of Memories One Field at a Time" with a big 30 on it. You know my husband Jim and how diffident he is, so he walked down to ask him about his shirt. Soon I saw them laughing and chatting as if they were best friends. See the pictures on Instagram as I camptured the moment. This gentleman is from California and visiting all 30 parks traveling by car. Oh and here is even another crazy part he is a principal. Guess our kind love baseball. We will be at several more games at the same time. Now that is the second couple in two games we have met living their DREAM! The spirit in the ballpark was exhilarating with mascots, cheerleaders and happy fans. There were quite a few White Sox fans at the game. Some of the White Sox fans we spoke to gave us good tips for our visit to see the White Sox. The 50/50 raffle people hit us up again and per our agreement we purchase $10 at each park. We haven't won yet but boy have I spent the winnings in my head at each park. LOL. Now on to the game. All I can say is way to make the Rays fans sit on the edge of their seats. The Rays have had a historic opening to the season holding the best record in baseball 17-3. The Rays came out in the 1st inning with bats swinging. Josh Lowe doubled and drove in two runs. Then Harold Ramirez homers to make the score 4-0 in the 1st inning! The White Sox answer back in the 2nd inning scoring 3 runs which brought about a pitching change. Unfortunately for the home team, the White Sox would go on to score 3 more runs in the 3rd inning and one more in the 4th inning. At this point the White Sox were ahead 7-4. A spark of life was renewed for the Rays in the bottom of the 4th with a few singles and an RBI for Yandy Diaz making it 7-5 where it remained until the bottom of the 9th inning. The real action that turned the tide for the Rays happened in the 9th inning with Christian Bethancourt hitting a homer into the stands making it 7-6. Then the play of the game happened when Brandon Lowe homered and made the final score 7-8. GAME OVER! A huge celebration for the Rays and their fans. The Rays are perfect at home with an 11-0 record and extend their season-opening home run streak to a record tying 20 games, they are tied with the 2019 Mariners. Fun fact about the 5 games we have attended, the HOME team has been victorious EXCEPT when they played Jim's team the Dodgers or my team the Giants. Home team has 3 wins and visitors(Giants and Dodgers) 2 wins. We are off to Atlanta where we will see the Atlanta Braves take on th Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon. Until next time PLAY BALL!

Game #4-Miami Marlins vs. Giants

On Wednesday, April 19 we visited our 4th ballpark, LoanDepot Park located in Miami in an area called Little Havana. The structure looks very modern and is the sixth MLB stadium to have a retractable roof. The roof takes 13-15 minutes to open, however, due to weather it is rarely open with only 15% of their games being played with the roof open. This ballpark is the third smallest in Major League Baseball with a capacity of 37,446. On our game day the attendance was 8,272 with about 2,000 being school-aged children on field trips. The Marlins struggle with attendance averaging just under 12,000 per game. Interesting that the Marlins did not have much activity going on for fans. I am not sure if it was due to it being a day game or if this is always the case. I only saw their mascot one time just before the game. Usually mascots are seen throughout the ballpark entertaining the crowd. I also never saw a cheerleader and they do have the Marlin Mermaids. So the energy in the park was rather low but not for me as I was so excited to see the Giants play for the first time this season. I know I have mentioned in previous posts that I have written every MLB guest services and even followed up with a second letter to gain information and recommendations for our visits. I never heard from the Miami Marlins Guest Services so we sought out the guest services desk once we got to the park. We talked with a very nice gentleman, Patricio who gave us a few tips, suggestions and a first visit button. One thing we felt was very unique was "The Bobblehead Museum." More than 600 bobbleheads of players, mascots and broadcasters of all MLB teams. They reside in a glassed-in, two sided display case. This is the largest permanent and public display of bobbleheads. We noticed the bobbleheads moving and that is due to the vibration plates that cause them to bobble. While we were walking around the stadium we spotted a man and woman wearing t-shirts that said 30 in 2023. You all know how shy we are so we approached them and introduced ourselves. We exchanged information and plan to follow each others journeys. After walking around the stadium we found our seats, which were right behind the visitors (Giants) dugout. No surprise to Jim! As we approached our section we always take a few minutes to chat with the usher. When we asked the usher his name he said, "Curtis." The look on my face must have shown great surprise as he asked why the look. I told him that Curtis were my dad and late brother's names. I then told him they both were huge Giants fans and would be so happy I was attending this game. It was kind of a sign to me that they were both with me for the game. Sitting in our section we were surrouned by Giants fans. We talked with several and found out about all of our connections to California. Many of the Giants fans we talked to had relocated to Florida but still remain loyal to the San Francisco Giants. As per our norm we arrive very early to the games to watch warm-ups and batting practice. We saw the newest Giant, Brett Wisely who was just called up from Triple-A the day before. There were two gentlemen with Wisely jerseys on talking to Brett Wisely at the fence. Of course I was curious so after they finished talking I asked them if they were related. The older gentleman's chest puffed up with pride as he announced, "That's my son!" I congratulated him and watched as he just radiated with happiness. Now on to the food. Jim did his usual hot dog review which you can see on our Instagram @ourfieldofdreams2023. I enjoyed very flavorful carnitas tacos which I would give a 10 out of 10! Usually I'm not that big of a lunch eater but I polished off two of those bad boys with no problem. The game was a long one going into extra innings. The Giants were first to put a score on the board in the 4th innning with Darin Ruf driving in a run on a hard hit double. The Marlins answered back with a run in the 5th inning. There it remained tied 1-1 with several threats to score until we went into extra innings. In the top of the 11th Michael Conforto and Mike Yastremski hit two-run homers off Devin Smeltzer, lifting the Giants over the Marlins to stop a five-game losing streak for the Giants. Thank goodness! I was a happy crazy Giants fan high-fiving all the Giants fans around me. Jim cheered too, but not nearly as enthusiastic as this Giants fan. That's our rule we have to cheer for each others teams. We ended the evening with a trip to Hollywood Beach Boardwalk near our RV park. We walked along the boardwalk and dipped our toes in the Atlantic Ocean. As we continued our walk we heard this guitar music coming from one of the restaurants. We decided to go in and have a bite to eat. The guitar player took a strong liking to Jim as he could tell he was a fellow guitar player by his song selection, namely, Neil Young. We sat for over an hour listening to his great music. It was the end to a perfect day. Now off to Saint Petersburg where we will see the Chicago White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

Game #3-Family and Friends in "The Juice Box!"

Boy oh boy, someone was unhappy the Astros lost last night! We were awoken at 3am by electrifying lightning zipping across the sky and thunder roaring furiously! Last night on Friday, April 14 we attended the Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park and unfortunately for the home team it was not their night. We arrived early to the ballpark to explore the stadium and take in the spectacular views of the downtown Houston skyline. Sadly the roof was closed but still presented a great ambience. The Astros decide if the roof will be closed or open and due to weather it was the decision to keep it closed. The roof takes from 12-20 minutes to open or close which is a bit longer than Globe Life Field. One of the fascinating features of Minute Maid Park is a replica of a 19th century locomotive complete with a coal tender that runs along the roof line in the outfield. The decision to make this train a part of the architecture provided a link to the historic Union Station and the railway influnce on the city of Houston. The coal tender runs the train on the track and blows the whistle whenever the Astros hit a homerun. Definitely a crowd favorite! When we began the planning of this journey many of our family and friends wanted to join us along the way. We were so pleased to have our son Shawn, great friend Angie, brother-in-law Mike and his friend Tyler join us for the game. The Astros fans were very kind and had a lot of enthusiasm. We had many fans stop us to ask about our shirts which list dates and ballparks of our tour. The staff at Minute Maid Park were beyond helpful and generous to take a picture or give a friendly suggestion. Our usher Jim, (nice name) gave the recommendation for the hot dog and even asked to take a picture of the action while Jim did his review! We were pleasantly surprised by a gift we received from Anita in guest services. Anita is a friend of our cousin Dalene who lives in Dallas. We received a certificate of our "First Baseball Game at Minute Maid Park", Astro hats, Orbit Bobbleheads and Orbit stuffed animals. Astro fans not only sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," in the 7th inning but "Deep In The Heart of Texas!" What great fun! The food selections were plentiful at Minute Maid Park but of course Jim had to have a hot dog for his reivew. Check it out on our Instagram @ourfieldofdreams2023. I was not too adventurous as I was still recovering from that "Boomstick Hot Dog" in Arlington so I shared chicken strips and fries with my friend Angie and son Shawn. They were delicious and the fries were some of the best I have ever tasted! Now for the game highlights. World Champion Houston Astros lost to the Texas Rangers with a final score of Rangers 6 and Astros 2. Rangers bats were hot, almost like they were when we saw them earlier this week. Rangers players Nathaniel Lowe doubled in the 1st inning, Travis Jankowski tripled in the 2nd inning, Adolis Garcia homered in the 3rd inning and Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung both had RBIs. The offense for the Astros was not as strong with Yordan Alvarez getting a home run in the 3rd inning and Martin Maldonado blasting a home run in the 5th inning. Too bad the bases were empty. Never thought I would be cheering for the Astros, but we are rooting for the home team at all parks unless they are playing our team. Jim had a tough time rooting for the Astros since he is a Dodger fan but felt a little better because Jose Altuve is out on the injured list. LOL The night ended with a fan that obviously spent a little too much time in the beer garden running onto the field with a beer in hand. Security took care of him very quickly! Now we are off to game #4 with a stop in New Orleans for a gastronomic experience. Next game Wednesday, April 19 Giants vs. Marlins at Loan Depot Park in Miami, Florida.

Game #2 Texas Style

On Monday, April 10 Jim and I attended the Texas Rangers vs. Kansas City Royals game at Globe Life Field. Because this is the newest stadium in MLB we absolutely wanted to take the tour of the stadium. We arrived at 3:00pm to meet our tour guides Kirsten and Susan. What a wonderful experience these amazing ladies gave us in this 90-minute tour. We learned so much of the history about the building of this $1.1 billion dollar stadium. Globe Life Field is an engineers masterpiece. The 240,000 square-foot roof is the largest single-panel operable roof in the world. It takes 12 minutes to close/open with the help of 120, 42-inch wheels that sit on rails. We witnessed the opening of this monster and all I can say is UNBELIEVABLE! Another interesting fact is the distance between home plate and the backstop is 42 feet. This is not only the closest in baseball but pays homage to the number for Jackie Robinson, MLB's first Black player. At the end of our tour we watched batting practice and at the end Jim was given one of the balls from practice. We are so thankful to have taken this tour! After our tour we met up with our cousins who live in Garland, Texas just outside of Dallas, Dalene, Trey and Henley. As we were visiting with our cousins in the food court area two cheerleaders approached us and asked if Henley would be willing to participate in the "Steal a Base" game. At first she was reluctant and then agreed to participate. Of course, we thought this was the highlight of the game! Of all the nearly 20,000 people at the game she was asked to participate. She did a magnificent job and was given an official base that was signed by former players. Certainly the frosting on the cake for us! Jim's brother Don and his wife Rosie who live in Keller, Texas joined us for the game. If you're counting that is two brothers in two games. So happy to share this with family! Jim and I both agree that we will root for the home team as long as the Dodgers or Giants are not playing them. We were ready to cheer on the Rangers and boy was it a game. Jim was certainly happy to see his former Dodger, Corey Seager playing short stop for the Rangers. Seager definitely did not disappoint with a 1st inning home run. Jonah Heim catcher for the Rangers hit a home run in the 4th inning which really started the momentum for the Rangers. It was all over when Adolis Garcia hit a grand slam in the 6th inning redeeming himself in his failed catch in right field earlier in the game. All this said, the biggest star of the game was Andrew Heaney, Rangers pitcher who tied the American League record for most consecutive strike outs with 9 straight strike outs! Heaney too had a slow start in his first outings of the season but boy has he gotten the attention of the hitters now. Someone to watch for sure. Now on to the food. I told you I would be more adventurous in regards to food selection and I certainly held up my promise. Jim and I asked our tour guides Kirsten and Susan what we should get for Jim's hot dog review. These lovely ladies recommended the "Boomstick hot dog." It is a 2-foot long hot dog! You must see Jim's review on Instagram @ourfieldofdreams2023. Please follow our Instagram as I am certain you will find a few entertaining posts. We have landed in Houston where we have Jim's sister and parents to visit while we await our third game at Minute Maid Park on Friday. We will see the Rangers vs. Astros with Jim's brother-in-law Mike, our son Shawn who lives in San Antonio, and our great friend Angie who lives in Houston. Until next time baseball fans.......

FIRST GAME OF 30 IN THE BOOKS

On Thursday, April 6 we attended the Diamondbacks Opening Day, the first game on our tour of 30 stadiums. Jim's brother Dan who lives in Arizona attended the game with us along with his son-in-law Quinn. Our experience at Chase Field was exceptional for many reasons. First and foremost, the Diamondbacks played the Dodgers and the Dodgers won. "Yeah!" said no Giant fan ever!!! Well Jim was beyond happy and I had to uphold my marriage vows. Our vows included we must cheer for each other's teams as long as they are not playing each other. Let's just say Jim was cheering way louder than I was cheering! LOL Other reasons that made our visit to Chase Field so memorable were the people who worked there. From the gate attendant to the concessions stands workers, everyone was extremely friendly. We were even given a big bag of popcorn for free by a staff member. Remember Jim is wearing a Dodger shirt! One staff member in particular, Jeanette, our section usher, was so welcoming, helpful and friendly. As an example, Jim has a bad back and we forgot to bring Advil, she kindly directed him to the first aid center where he was given Advil at no cost at all. We gave Jeanette one of our gifts we brought along for the ushers. We wanted to bring something that represents where we live in San Clemente so we brought bags of salt water taffy and surfboard keychains. The food choices were plentiful around the stadium. Jim is on a mission to find the best hot dog on this trip so he began his first hot dog review with the Dbacks Dog. If you haven't seen his video review on Instagram you need to follow our Instagram: ourfieldofdreams2023. Let's just say it is very entertaining. I am not quite the hot dog fan that Jim is so I stuck to a delicious chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A. I know boring and I promise to be more adventurous at future stadiums. Now on to details of the game attended by 48,486 people, a sell out crowd. The national anthem was played on the trumpet by Jesse McGuire which was spectacular! The first pitch was thrown out by a Phoenix police officer Tyler Moldovan who was shot multiple times in the line of duty and continues to recover. Of couse there was a military flyover and the roof was open so we could see, hear and feel them up above. Well done Dbacks!!!! Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks the magic stopped there when the Dodgers took the field. Dustin May the Dodgers pitcher looked great and had 6 dominant innings. Freddie Freeman hit a solo homer in the seventh inning and the Dodgers won 5-2. I must also say the Diamondback fans were great sportsmen. There were many Dodger fans at the stadium for the Diamondbacks opening day and the Diamondback fans were very respectful and kind even though the scoreboard was not in their favor. All in all a great first game on our tour.

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AND WE'RE OFF!!!!

The months of planning and hundreds of hours of work have brought us to this amazing morning. We pulled out at 6:10am with hearts full of overwhelming excitement and minds full of anitipation for what lies ahead of us on this journey. Jim, the driver, I'm sure has many of his thoughts on the navigation of this big beast we are pulliung behind us for the next three months. As the co-pilot my job is pretty easy and natural for me....Ijust tell Jim where to go. LOL. We should arrive in Pheonix at 2pm today and enjoy the warm Arizona weather for the afternoon and evening. First game on the schedule is Thursday and we are delighted to have Jim's brother Dan and his wife Cathy joining us. We will be attending the Diamondbacks opening day where they will take on the Dodgers. Everyone knows Jim is a Dodger fan so he is thriled that this is our first game. But this planner has a little surprise for him....we won't see the Dodgers play again until we return to California. However, we will see the Giants three times along the way. It's just the way the schedules worked out. Lucky me!