Ball Yard Tour

I returned Tuesday evening from an east coast baseball stadium tour. It was a short trip with friends that included games in Oriole Park at Camden Yard, Yankee Stadium, and Fenway Park. My friends and I had been planning this trip since the first of the year and it was well worth the time and money. Highlights.....

BALTIMORE - Oriole Park at Camden Yard was the newest of the ballparks on the tour. The brick facade in right field that you see on TV is actually not connected to the stadium. Watching an Oriole game on TV, I always thought that brick wall was incorporated into the structure but it's not. It is actually a warehouse style building that houses apartments and offices. There is an alley between the stadium and the brick warehouse where many souvenir and concession stands are located. Another surprise was the size of the downtown area. Baltimore appeared to have a smaller downtown compared to Cincinnati.

NEW YORK- The town that never sleeps. Times Square is larger than life and so is Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. This is the last season for Yankee Stadium before the Yankees move across the street. To see this ballpark was the main purpose of the tour. What made this visit extra special was that the Red Sox were in town for the ESPN Sunday night game. There were many Sox fans in our section and of course some jawing between fans. The trash talk was spirited but civil and clean which if you're familiar with this rivalry at all, then that comes as a surprise. The atmosphere was great! Every person in that stadium was zoned in, paying attention to every pitch, every movement, everything that was happening on the field. Baseball fans in Yankee land don't need a jumbo screen, cheerleaders, concourse activities, and silly promotions to be entertained. Baseball is the entertainment. We were entertained. The game went 10 innings with a Yankee win.

BOSTON - Another great baseball town. Fenway Park is magnificent, comparable only to Wrigley Field in Chicago. My friend commented that no matter how hard the new stadiums around the league are attempting to replicate the old spirit of baseball, it simply cannot be done. These new retro stadiums (although nice) cannot capture the classic feel of baseball like Fenway Park does. The fans in Boston were just as passionate about their team. We arrived at Fenway park last Monday afternoon some 3 hours before the start. The streets outside of the stadium were jammed with fans. A weeknight game against the Twins and we were rubbing shoulders with the masses. As we cut, dipped, and turned our way through the crowd we looked for a place to eat before game time. We found a place called 'The Bleacher Bar.' This small bar is located inside the Green Monster. We were seated next to a large opening that peers out onto the field at ground level. So we watched batting practice from the base of the outfield fence while we ate. The Red Sox won the game 1-0 on an RBI hit from Dustin Pedoria (on my fantasy team!) in the 8th and the party continued.

This ball yard tour will be a lasting memory. I couldn't ask for better friends than Spencer, Coleman, and Jon. To share this experience with them is special and one that I will never forget.