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Other Topics => Off Topic Discussion => Topic started by: Scott on June 03, 2007, 04:34:08 PM



Title: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: Scott on June 03, 2007, 04:34:08 PM
Went to the Philadelphia Phillies baseball game last night as they played the San Francisco Giants. The game was sold out, but we were able to get seat three rows from the very top of the stadium because we got there 90 minutes before game time and believe it or not the seats were fantastic at this level in section 308 facing the big screen. It was only the 6th sellout in Citibank Park Stadiums history and the 4th largest attendance ever.

(http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/national/philadelphia2.jpg)

It seems that 45,153 fans attended the game to boo Barry Bonds anytime he was at bat or involved in the field. The soon to be American icon is only  10 home runs away from the all time home run record, but tonight he went 2 for 4 with a nice double and run scored the same inning. He did make an error in the outfield which helped the Philies beat the Giants 5-2. It must have been a pitching duel last night because their were only 11 hits total for both teams. The Giants really lost because of errors, walks, hit by pitch. There were some excellent defensive plays by the Phillies from 3rd baseman Nunez and left fielder Burrell. Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels pitched a complete game striking out 5 and giving up only 2 runs on 5 hits. Coles struck out Bonds in the 9th inning.

(http://www.cbc.ca/sports/photoessay/top10-doping/gfx/bonds-barry-ap-060520.jpg)

About the rather new stadium (3 years old?) it's really awesome and every seat is a good one. It has a massive food court with everything from ice water to barbeque. A Phillies hall of fame area with the history of the team. They even have an elevator for the different levels.

They really entertain you with the big screen in the outfield and the Phillie Phantic mascot. One of our big moments was doing the wave with 45,000 fans. A group a couple sections from us repeatedly tried to start the wave, but nobody kept it going. Finally using my scorecard for extra visual we were able to get our section started. Then we had trouble getting the attention of section across a large gap in the stadium, so someone was sent over and they picked up on the wave. It was awesome as we had the whole stadium doing the wave in the 5th inning.

(http://www.mascotspot.com/pics/Philadelphia-phanatic.jpg)

They also entertain you with candid shots of the fans on the big screen, crazy dance fans cam, muscle cam, along with the 7th inning stretch and "take me out to the ball game".

It was a big night for Phillie fans because they just won their first game in about 5 games which set off the outfield Liberty Bell with the city in the background.

Might do it again later this summer.   


Title: Re: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: Dennis on June 03, 2007, 07:35:28 PM
The wife and I really enjoy seeing the Dodgers play at home, the companies we worked for both had season tickets that we would get on occasion. There's nothing in the world like sitting in ball park on a cool summer evening watching a baseball game, eating hot dogs and nachos, having a couple beers (sodas for the kiddies) and explaining the game to your child. Sharing the evening with 40,000 fellow fans, laughing, cheering your team, booing the bad guys, tossing the inevitable beach ball from one level to another, the wave, all the things that make up seeing the game at the ball park with your family is an experience that is unforgettable and one that everyone should have, even if you're not a fan, it's worth the trip.


Title: Re: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: Scott on June 03, 2007, 09:00:21 PM
Well said Dennis. I haven't even been a baseball fan in 25 years when I use to eat, drink, and sleep baseball. Even going to Philadelphia and New York to see professional baseball games during Summer vacations, but I stopped watching when they had that umpire strike around 1981 (the year they had a half season and L.A. and the Yankees played in the World Series.). Only watching the occasional World Series if it caught my attention.

In the 70's I use to have 7,000 completely different baseball cards in mint condition up till I was 17 years old when I sold them and joined the Army Reserve. Sold them for only $100. Put an ad in the paper and nobody answered right away and I had to go to Missouri and my family was moving somewhere in New Jersey. So some flea market guy came by and offered $100. Must have made him a small fortune that day. Some of the cards even back then were worth $30 each, but I had to let them go because I had nobody to watch them and no where to store them. A couple days later a collector from Syracuse, N.Y. came by and I told him I sold them for $100 and he told me the card board was worth that much.

The atmophere at the ball park was always great. Didn't smell the distinct cigar smell of years ago, but fun all the same. Use to also go regularly to the Elmira Pioneer Red Sox (A) ball team games. Great place once in a while one would make it to the major leagues. Babe Ruth and Lou Pinella played in Elmira, New York.



Title: Re: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: Ash on June 04, 2007, 02:52:00 AM
I've never been to a pro baseball game.

I became disillusioned with semi-pro and pro baseball after seeing all the product placement and ads everywhere in the relatively new stadium here where I live.
There were so many brand names everywhere, it made me sick.
I don't mind an ad or two here or there...but these days it's just overkill.
It's so in your face it just ruins the experience.

Here in Iowa, baseball is still mostly known for being the "pure" game that it once was and still can be. 
Uncorrupted by corporations and advertising.
That's the way baseball should be.

To me, what James Earl Jones says in the video below is what baseball is all about:
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qXkcPQUfJM

Field of Dreams Reunion with Kevin Costner
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyQizsS5BpM
(I don't know the guy in this video...I wasn't at the reunion)


I live about an hour away from the Field of Dreams.  I've even played on it.
There is nothing else that compares to it.
:smile:



Title: Re: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: dean on June 04, 2007, 03:58:39 AM

Baseball is very much a minor sport here.  Barely makes a ripple compared to the bigger sports [in fact the national league has pretty much disappeared altogether which is a shame].  But my brother and I used to play when we were younger [and he in fact has just taken it up again the last year or so]

Baseball games here were very much low key.  When you get crowds of 1000 [at most] you don't expect a lot.  Best moment for me was winning a mobile phone by throwing a ball from a distance through a big board with a hole in it.  This was back when mobile phones were still analogue and only just becoming new, so that was a nifty little prize [though I wasn't old enough to legally claim it for myself...]

But yes, lots of fun.  Something I always like about the baseball is that there's an active level of participation with the crowd that happens a bit more than most sports.  More engaging [what with the selective organ music and whatnot] than most seem.

Sure we have big moments at the footy or cricket, and lots of chanting etc, but ever since they've been trying to ban the Mexican wave, it has been tricky.  I suppose when you've got 100,000 people throwing things in the air, it can get a bit dangerous, but that hasn't happened in a while.

So yes, I enjoy Baseball, but never have the chance to now that it's pretty much disappeared here.  The last proper game I went to was the semi finals [I think] at the Sydney Olympics of USA vs Cuba.  I had a blast, but since alot of us Australians aren't that exposed to baseball they really didn't know alot of what was going on.  We managed to score a baseball from that game though so that was nice.


Title: Re: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: Scott on June 04, 2007, 12:50:58 PM
Dean, I hear down under my friend. Baseball here in the states is called the National Pastime. It took a few decades to caught on like any sport, but with Cricket being so similiar I'm sure it will always be favored there because of its own history.

Ash, that FIELD OF DREAMS road trip was something else. Understood every second of it.

Kevin Costner has a Casino in Deadwood, South Dakota which is not to far from Iowa. 

One time I will visit Field of Dreams, Captain Kirk's future birthplace, John Waynes birthplace.

(http://www.staticradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/kirkbirth1.jpg)
Kirk's future birthplace

(http://www.savvycamper.com/jw.jpg)
John Wayne's Birthplace


Title: Re: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: raj on June 05, 2007, 09:04:56 AM
Love baseball, especially the Yankees -- which kinda sucks right now as the team kinda sucks.

I go to a lot of the Toledo Mudhens' games, tix are $8, 32 oz. beers are $6.50, and if you're willing to walk 2 blocks the parking is free.


Title: Re: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: Scott on June 05, 2007, 09:09:53 AM
We have a local professional baseball team not connected to any farm system. They are called the Atlantic City Surf and they play in a nice modern stadium. The between inning entertainment is as good as the big leagues if you don't mind no-name players. They have fireworks every Friday night and we usually attend on the 4th of July.

(http://www.schwangerbros.com/images/barnstormers091606/DSC_9063.jpg)


Title: Re: Take me out to the ballgame
Post by: Scott on September 01, 2007, 10:33:54 PM
Well......it's September and the pennant races are heating up. After going to a Phillies game this summer and watching the Denver tarp save by the phillies I've become a regular watcher of the team to the point that I may possibly be called a fan. This week they swept a 4 game series against the first place Mets. It was some exciting baseball this week for sure. My previous post lost the link to the Phillies Colorado tarp incident. The Philiies have become a special team this year. Here is the tarp clip again.

[youtube=425,350]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZNK9L9kLZa8