Baseball Roundtable, reporting again from Bleacher Bums XL … The Tulsa Culture Tour, which began on June 16. The trip has taken our busload of 32 baseball fans and friends to six ball games (major- and minor-leagues), in five cities, in four states in eight days. Along the way, we’re taken in five cultural/historical sights; visited a few breweries; partaken of seven free breakfasts, a dynamite free social hour, three in-the-ballpark Happy Hours and a “Thirsty Thursday”; picked up a free bobblehead; seen fireworks above a ballpark and Venus in the night sky; and enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow baseball fans and friends. This post (Episode Five From the road) looks at Day Seven of our trip. For Episode One of our journey, click here. For Episode Two, click here. For Episode Three, click here. For Episode Four, click here.
Going forward, Baseball Roundtable will return to its normal slate of blogging topics.
Day 7 – June 22
We were off at 9:30 a.m. … headed for Kansas City, Kansas (after another free breakfast, of course), sadly contemplating the last ball game on our journey.
Our first stop was The Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant in Topeka, where we feasted on the likes of craft beer, home-brewed root beer, pulled pork and prime rib sandwiches, soup, salads and what appeared to be the largest (and tastiest, stuffed fried mushrooms ever (see photo).
Then it was off to Kansas City, Kansas where our hotel (Country Inn and Suites) was just across the parking lot from Legends Field – Home of the Kansas City Monarchs.
Great seats once again, down the first base line. Of special interest to our group were two key facts:
- $3 sixteen-ounce domestic beers, as part of “Thirsty Thursday”;
- Adult beverages were served (at the reduced price) until the top of the ninth.
Our game featured the independent American Association Kansas City Monarchs and Sioux City Explorers. The two teams had six former major leaguers on their rosters:
- Keon Broxton (OF, Monarchs) …Pirates, Brewers, Mets, Orioles, Mariners (2015-19, 376 games).
- Brandon Finnegan (P, Monarchs) … Royals/Reds (2014—18, 57 games).
- Odubel Herrera (OF, Monarchs) … Phillies (2015-19, 2021-22; an All Star with the 2016 Philllies).
- Chris Herrmann (C, Monarchs) … Twins, Diamondbacks, Mariners, A’s (1012-19, 370 games).
- Luis Madero (P, Sioux City) … Marlins (2012, six games).
- Patrick Weigel (P, Monarchs) … Atlanta Braves, 2020-21, four games).
Legends Field was a typical singled-deck minor-league park. The concourse was spacious and there were plenty of concession stands. The Barbeque Project was among the most popular. The team (formerly the Kansas City T-Bones – which in 2012 announced a marketing partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum – had plenty of Kansas City Monarchs branded items available in the team store. In addition, the team pays homage to the Negro Leagues with framed tributes to Negro League stars throughout the park. Notably, the Satchel Paige Tribute was blocked by a vacant Lemonade Cart. One of our group (Eileen, she of the on-the-bus Bloody Mary Bar) corrected that slight by moving the cart. We did notice that it had later been moved back, but the gesture was appreciated.
The Monarchs lost the game 8-1 with the big hits being a two-run triple by SS Miguel Sierra and a two-run home run by DH Daniel Perez (both in the top of the sixth. Those runs brought the score to 5-0. The Monarchs countered with a solo home run by DH Justin Wylie in the bottom of the innings, which would be their only score of the night. Sioux City iced the game with three unearned runs in the shakily played eighth.
The Star of the game was Topeka starting pitcher Trenton Toplikar, who went eight innings, giving up seven hits and just one run, while walking one and fanning 5. Toplikar is now 1-0, 1.68 in three starts for Sioux City. The 27-year-old righty pitched four seasons in the San Francisco Giant system – 2018-22, climbing as high as Triple-A Sacramento.
A popular post-game spot was “Jazz – A Louisiana Kitchen … where members of the group enjoyed Cajun cooking and Louisiana Soul Food, as well as a one-man jazz band Side note: Pre-game, some tourers hit the nearby (walking distances) Legends Outlet Mall.
Finally, on the way back to the hotel, we were treated to a bit of a light show, as the plant Venus was visible. It’s a small spot in the photo, but was a bright object in the evening sky.
So, all that’s left now is the bus ride back to Saint Paul. And, with that, Baseball Roundtable will end these reports from the road and return to its usual (some would argue “unusual”) baseball topics.
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