Archives for August 2018

Days Nine and Ten of Ballpark Tours Rocky Mountain High Redux were filled with varied activities – another Cardinals/Royals I-70 Series tilt (which played out a lot like the first one); museum visits covering topics from The Great War to The Day the Music Died; vodka-infused snow cones; jalapeno-enhanced hot dogs and pizza; and even a bit of a baseball pitcher-umpire dustup.  And, of course, there was the long bus ride home, during which we shared stories  from the trip, beer and snacks, and rock and roll music (from the back of the bus).  Here’s a look at how it went for me.

DAY NINE – BASEBALL AND BATTLEGROUNDS

After breakfast at the Holiday Inn Country Club Plaza, my roomie and I hopped the hotel shuttle for a ride to The National World War I Museum and Memorial – open since 1926 and “dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community.”  It’s an emotional and educational experience, as the story of (and behind) World War I is told through a series of films, sound recordings, art, artifacts and interactive displays. I can almost guarantee that the only regret you will have is that you didn’t have more time to spend there.  (Some of the Ballpark Tours trekkers actually visited the museum on consecutive days.)

Being a bit more specific, you will find: hundreds of uniforms of the day; weaponry from sabers to rifles to artillery pieces; medical equipment and a 1918  Ford Model T ambulance; aircraft; a Renault FT Tank; and a replica of the World War I trenches.  There are also: video presentations of the battles, tactics and strategies of the conflict; moving (and educational) documentary films;  sound booths with music, news broadcasts and propaganda from the period; related art work (from paintings to posters);  and state-of-the-art interactive displays that let you select which aspects of the Great War you wish to focus on.  At $16 (discounts for seniors, college students and youngsters), it’s a bargain.

THE GAME – CARDINALS PROVE “CLUTCH” AGAIN.

Saturday evening, it was back to Kaufmann stadium for a second Cardinals/Royals tilt – and again there was plenty of Cardinals’ red in the stands and Cardinals’ firepower at the plate (more on that to come.)  Our seats were in the lower deck, right-field corner – good view, except for the occasional loss of the second baseman or shorstop behind the foul pole.

The Redbirds won – this time 8-2.  A few observations:

• The Cardinals once again put together some clutch two-out hits. In Firday night’s game, St. Louis accounted for four of its five second-inning runs with a series of four straight two-out hits – and also scored five of its their seven total runs with two outs.  Saturday, the Cardinals again jumped to an early lead.  This time scoring four third-inning runs on a  string of five straight two-out hits – and also  scored  six of their   eight runs with two out.
• There were a handful of defensive gems: 1) In the third inning, Royals’ 3B Alicides Escobar leaned into the dugout to snag a foul off the bat of Cards’ 1B Matt Carpenter; in the seventh, with one on and no outs, Royals’ SS  Adalberto Mondesi saved a hit with a  diving grab of a Yadier Molina grounder, getting the force out at second; in the ninth, another fine play by Mondesi retired Carpenter 6-3.
• Matt Carpenter ran his streak of game getting on base to 29 games, with a seventh-inning walk.

TREAT OF THE DAY – SNOW CONES FOR BIG KIDS – THE PICTURES TELL THE STORY

$10.25 and – on a hot day – worth every penny.

• We saw a pair of traditional around-the-horn double plays. In the seventh, with runners  on first and second and one out, a grounder (by Cardinals’ cleanup hitter Marcell Ozuna) was turned into a third (Escobar) to second (Whit Merrifield) to first (Ryan O’Hearn) twin killing. In the eighth, with runners on first and second (no outs) for the Royals, Whitt Merrifield hit into a third (Jedd Gyorko) to second (Kolten Wong) to first (Matt Carpenter) double play. There was also an unassisted double play in the bottom of the first, as the Royals’ Alex Gordon  lined to Cards’ firSt-sacker Matt Carpenter, who caught Whit Merrifield off the bag.
• In the ninth inning, Cardinals’ reliever Justin Hicks brought the heat when facing Royals’ CF Brett Phillips. In a five-pitch at bat that ended in a ground out to first, Hicks’ pitches were clocked at 101 m.p.h.; 101 m.p.h.; 102 m.p.h. 88 m.p.h.; 103 m.p.h. Hicks recorded a four-out save.
• The Cardinals’ 22-year-old righty Jack Flaherty evened his record at 6-6 (with a 3.22 earned run average), went seven innings, gave up just two runs and fanned nine Royals.
• I briefly visited the “Outfield Experience” (see yesterday’s post) between innings and was surprised by the number of people on the min-golf course, riding the carousel or involved in other activities and games that took them away from the game.

THE DOGFATHER AND THE TEFLON DON

My Kaufmann Stadium supper came from The Dogfather – a gourmet hot dog emporium near Gate D. My “Teflon Don” featured a hot dog topped with chili, jalapenos, chopped onions, parsley and yellow  mustard – on a “garlicky” bun and accompanied by homemade chips. Spicy hot – great with cold beer – at $10.25. Hint: Take a fork and extra napkins for the chili.

The stand also offers the: “Sweet Tooth Lucky” – a dog topped sweet beans, maple-pepper bacon, chopped onions, yellow mustard and parsley; “KC Boss” – topped with mac-n-cheese, sweet barbeque sauce, maple-pepper  bacon and parsley; and for the traditionalists the “Made Man” – just a nice hot dog topped relish, chopped, onions and yellow mustard.

The highlight of the contest – at least  in terms of emotion on the field – was the ejection of Royals’  starting pitcher Danny Duffy in the sixth inning (Side note: Duffy was probably going to pulled at that time anyway.) After giving up a one-out single to Cardinals’ 3B Jedd Gyorka,  Duffy (with the Royals trailing 4-2) got ahead of CF Harrison Bader 1-2. Duffy then thought he had fanned Bader on an 80-m.p.h. change up, but first base umpire Adam Hamari ruled that Bader had checked his swing. Three pitches later, Bader hit a two-run home run and Duffy let his frustration get the better of him.

There was a bit of remorse as we left the ballpark, as our group realized it was the last of the seven games on our ten-day baseball journey.  Still, there was the hotel bar and live music (XPARTE) at The Levee to ease our pain over the remainder of the evening – and sure to be some surprises on Day Ten’s drive from Kansas City back to Saint Paul.

DAY TEN – THE LONG RIDE HOME AND A TRIBUTE TO BUDDY HOLLY

As I’ve noted before, Ballpark Tours is dedicated to great baseball and to getting participants close to the action and the attractions (as well as the cuisine and culture) that define the cities and towns tourers visit – whether it’s Denver, Colorado and Kansas City, Missouris or Hays, Kansas and Clear Lake, Iowa.

On the Day Ten bus ride from Kansas City, we took our lunch break in Clear Lake, Iowa – the site of the last performances by rock and roll icons Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson).  Early on the morning of February 3, 1959 (now immortalized as The Day the Music  Died), after a concert at Clear Lake’s Surf Ballroom, the three were among those who perished in a small plane crash just outside Clear Lake.  (They were headed to Fargo, North Dakota, with their next show scheduled at nearby Moorhead, Minnesota). The Surf Ballroom – still operating as a music venue (seating just over 2,000) – now includes a museum of music memorabilia. In 1998, the Surf Ballroom, in fact, was inducted  into the Iowa Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame; in 2009, the (national) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame  designated the Ballroom as an historic landmark; and, in 2011, the Surf Ballroom was added to the National Registry of Historic Places.

Our lunch stop was at the Surf District Rock and Roll Grill, right across the parking lot from the Surf Ballroom and Museum (which we had time to visit over the lunch “break from the bus.”  The Ballroom offered a great look at r0ock and roll history – as did the the Surf District Grill.  The bar and grill (itself a live music venue) was filled with autographed memorabilia  from acts that had performed ath the Surf Ballroom.  Here are justa FEW exmaples;  a Fabian-signed photograph; a Blue Traveler harmonica; a top hat signed by Alice Cooper; a Hootie and the Blowfish mike; guitars signed by such artists as Slash, B.B. King and Willie Nelson.

If you are looking for a baseball connection, thre is a signed baseball from Kevin Costner – whose rock/country band Kevin Costner & Modern West has released four albums.

I should add the lunch was accompanied by rock and roll videos featuring a wide range of musical acts.

A great stop – and great addition to our hardball adventure.

FOR THE FOODIES

The Surf District Rock and Roll Grill had a varied menu – lots of salads, sandwiches, pizzas (and a full bar).  I went  with the La Bamba Chicken Avocado Flatbread – tomato sauce, sharp cheddar, grilled chicken, jalapenos, avocado and cilantro. ($10.95, and yummy). Washed it down with a nice cabernet.

Overall, the return trip was smooth – lots of sharing of memories from the trip, plenty of music blaring form “the back of the bus,” the beer didn’t run out and there were still snacks to share. – and, of course, the group Awards Cermony  at our final rest stop.  Thanks , Julian, for another great trip.

Now, it’s back to more traditional Baseball Roundtable posts.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT.

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Member: Society for American Baseball Research; The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. 

Yesterday marked Day Six of Ballpark Tours Rocky Mountain High Redux – and tourers celebrated with a day game (in beautiful baseball weather, museum visits and a night on the town.  BBRT Highlights for the day included an “Immaculate Inning;”  a look at Lou Gehrig’s; a virtual ski jump; a 438-foot home run; and a Rocky Mountain Oyster Po’ Boy. Read on for details.

Day Six – Game Five – The Immaculate Inning

There is lots to write about for Day Six of Ballpark Tours Rocky Mountain Redux, but we’ll start with the game – won by the Pirates 4-3 – because it included a first for me as a fan.

In the top of the fourth inning, Rockies’ starter German Marquez – who had already given up eight hits and three runs (in three innings) pitched an “Immaculate Inning.”  Yes, Marquez, who had been battered around pretty well to that point, retired the side in order, notching three strikeouts on just nine pitches (becoming the 85th pitcher in MLB history to throw an immaculate frame).  Not only that, he did it against the top of the Bucs’ order – LF Corey Dickerson, CF Starling Marte and RF Gregory Polanc0 – three of Pittsburgh’s most dangerous hitters.  Marquez, who fanned ten Pirates in six innigns of work (and got the loss), indicated all three fourth-inning whiffs came on curveballs.  In his six innings, Marquez gave up ten hits and three walks (three earned runs).

MULTIPLE  IMMACULATE FRAMES

While “Immaculate Innings” aren’t exceedingly rare, multiple Immaculate Innings are pretty unique.   On April 18, 1964, Sandy Koufax became the first (and still only) MLB pitcher to throw three immaculate innings in his career.  Four other pitchers have tossed multiple (two each) immaculate innings: Lefty Grove – who did it for the Athletics; Nolan Ryan – Mets & Angels; Randy Johnson – Astros & Diamondbacks; and Max Szcherzer –  Nationals.  BBRT note:  Nolan Ryan is the only pitcher to throw an immaculate inning in both the AL and NL.  The Astros were in the NL when Johnson threw his for them.

The Pirates put up two runs in the first, on three singles (Marte, 3B Colin Moran, 2B Adam Frazier) and a double (Polanco). They added one in the third on a single by Moran and a double by Frazier. The Rockies fought back with a two-run homer (off Pirates’ starter Chris Archer) by LF David Dahl in the fourth.  The score stayed at 3-2 until the top of the eighth, when the Pirates played small ball and touched Rockies’ reliever Adam Ottavino for a run on a walk (1B Josh Bell), a rare error by five-time Gold Glove winner 3B Nolan Arenado (SS Adeiny Hechavarrria), a pinch-hit bunt single (Josh Harrison) and sacrifice fly (Dickerson).  The Rockies got the run back in the bottom of the inning when reliever Kyle Crick hit Arenado with a pitch, SS Trevor Story singled him to third and 1B Ryan McMahon brought Arenado home with a single. Crick and reliever Felipe Vazquez then shut the door and preserved a Pirates’ 4-3 win. (Vazquez’ 26th save in 30 opportunities.)

We had great seats for this day game – just 37 rows from the field, to the left field side of home plate. Note that despite all the video boards and technology providing info around the part, out-of-town scores are still posted by hand on the old-style scoreboard in right field.

BBRT saw a couple of turning points in this tight contest.

In the sixth, down by a run, the Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon – who had opened the inning with a single – attempted a one-on, no-out stolen base, and was tossed out at second (on a challenged play) by Pirates’ catcher Francisco Cervelli.  BBRT’s playbook says you should attempt the steal if you are ahead by one, but not when you are down by one. (The Rox did not score that inning).

Then, in the eighth, with the score 4-3, the Rockies had runners on first and third, with two outs and pinch-hitter Chris Ianetta the plate. Ianetta hit what looked like a run-scoring single between first and second, but Pirates’ 2B Adam Frazier made a diving (game-saving) stop and threw him out at first.  Game – Set – Match.

A few other highlights from a tight game:

• Rockies’ LF David Dahl‘s 438-foot home run in the fourth.
• Pirates’ 2B Adam Frazier’s three-hit day.
• The fact that the Rockies first hit (bottom of the third) came off the bat of pitcher German Marquez – who is now hitting .357 on the season (15-for-42). #More WhyIHateTheDH.
• A little NL ball for us AL fans – five pinch-hitters.
• A rare error for five-time (every season he has been in the NL) Gold Glover Nolan Arenado.
• A great Rockies’  7 (LF David Dahl) to 6 (SS Trevor Story) to 1 (C Tony Walters) relay to nail the Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli at the plate in trhe fifth inning.
• On ball four of a walk to Rockies’ LF David Dahl in the fifth, Chris Archer’s errant pitch got past catcher Francisco Cervelli, smashed hard into the stone behind home plate and shot past Cervelli (appearing to go through his legs) going back into the infield. Dahl did not take second, so there was no wild pitch.

The Coors Field Bloody Mary

Coors Field’s Bloody Mary came from the Smirnoff stand (Section 136) at a price of $9.  A plus right away is that they asked if I wanted a single or a double and if I wanted mild, medium or hot.  Choice is always good. Among the other positives, good vodka, fair pour and plenty “hot.” On the negative side, it could have used a dash of salt and the only condiments were lime and lemon wedges.  Something salty like a pickle spear or olive would have added a lot. Still a nice Bloody Mary, and a 7.5 on a scale of ten.

Well, I did it. I had the Rocky Mountain Oyster Po’ Boy ($9.25) at Coors Field. Right up front, it’s not seafood, but it’s great. Loads of deep-fried, breaded “Mountain Oysters” on a hoagie bun – with sweet/sour garlic slaw, creamy guacamole, green chile ranch dressing, pico de gallo and a healthy topping of cotija cheese.  Delicious.  If you go to Coors Field, try it, you’ll like it.

The Garlic Fries and Helton Burger also got good reviews from our group.

And thus ends BBRT and Ballpark Tours Coors Field adventure.  More to come on this trip, as we move on to Kansas City – and read on for more from Denver.

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The Colorado History Center – and other museums.

A Ballpark Tours Kind of Story …  from the Colorado History Center

On June 27, 1870, the final spike was driven connecting Denver to the transcontinental railroad line – and the ceremonial spike (in silver) was to be sent to former Governor John Evans, president of the Denver Pacific Railroad, to be used in an official ceremony.

The actual spike never made it. The miners responsible for its safe transport pawned it in Denver, drank away the proceeds and slept through the ceremony. John Evans used a substitute spike and later recovered the silver spike form a Deniver pawn ship.

Now wouldn’t that group fit in to the “back of the bus.”

—-THE PLAY BALL EXHIBIT—

Before Wednesday’s Rockies game, a group or BPT trekkers, myself included, headed out (walking distance) to the Colorado History Center, which just happened to be featuring a Play Ball Exhibit – the Marshall Fogel Collection (billed as one of the greatest sets of baseball artifiacts ever). We went ($12) and it was.

I knew we were in for a treat when the first thing we saw were game-used (and mostly autographed) bats of 43 Hall of Famers and baseball stars – from
Ty Cobb to A-Rod. I was very pleased to see my personal favorite Eddie Mathews’ (signed ) bat in the collection – and Twins’ fans will be glad to hear that the bats of Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett (Puckett’s unsigned) were also in the collection.

The exhibit also included artifacts from such icons as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio,Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Sandy Koufax – each with uniforms and unique items, like Ruth’s glove, Gehrig’s 1936 MVP pocket watch and Hank Aaron’s bat.

GAMBLERS AND CHEATERS

The Play Ball exhibit included a “Gamblers and Cheaters” display case with signed uniform tops from Pete Rose and Mark McGwire, as well as artifacts from the 1919 “Black Sox.” 

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We also visited the Colorado Centennial State in 100 Objects Exhibit – which covered Colorado history with one item from each of 100 years.  Some that caught my eye: a shotgun (1869) from stage coach driver John Cisco; John Denver’s (1986) Special Edition Yamaha Guitar; and a Pot Smoking Water Pipe made especially for the 2014 Denver County Faor.

Then there was the Colorado Stories A-Z; Living West; and Destination Colorado exhibits – informative (lots of history, culture and current Colorado information) and, at times, even interactive – like a vitual ski jump, a trip down an 1850’s mine shaft and a chance to wear a bit of legendary Colorado sports apparel.

All in all a great pre-game visit.  I should add that other trekkers highly recommended both the American Museum of Western Art and the Denver Art Museum – with emphasis on Native American art.

FOR THE FOODIES

For the foodies among BBRT readers, I went with a small group to the 5280 Burger Bar on the 16th Street Mall for supper. My choice was a pair of jumbo sliders: The Mediterranean (Colorado-raised lamb, butter lettuce, marinated cucumbers, feta cheese and a Calabrian Chilio Aioli) and The Durango (Black Angus Beef, pecan-smoked bacon, jalapeno cream cheese, red leaf lettuce, roasted red pepper and fried onion straws). I washed it down with Malbec. Other fanned out across the area for both casual and fine dining – as well as live music and late-night cavorting. 

Now it’s on to Kansas City and the Cardinals/Royals.  More reports from the road to come.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

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Member: Society for American Baseball Research; The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.