West Coast Baseball Tour

I celebrated the 4th of July holiday in all-American style. My friends and I traveled to the west coast visiting Major League Baseball yards. This time last year I posted an entry about our east coast trip. That trip included Camden Yards (Baltimore), Yankee Stadium (NY) and Fenway Park (Boston.) The motivation last summer was to see Yankee Stadium before it closed. The baseball was terrific; the games and the overall atmosphere generated by the fans were one of a kind. In planning the trip for this summer there was one classic, historic yard we had not visited which led us to California.

Los Angeles -- From a baseball point-of-view this was the highlight of the trip. Dodger Stadium is a beautiful place, probably enhanced by the constantly warm climate. This yard was the centerpiece of the trip and the classic stadium we had traveled to see. For being a huge sports market and having an historic franchise one could assume the atmosphere would be hyper with ultra passionate fans. Not the case. In fact, the stadium itself is completely surrounded by parking lots-- no restaurants, bars, or memorabilia stores. Dodger Stadium sits on a large patch of desert with no nightlife or retail or anything surrounding. We enjoyed Grandpa Elliott and his harmonica playing the pre-game National Anthem in addition to God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch. The fans are laid back like typical Californians, although we were all disappointed that Manny was still 3 days away.

San Diego -- The next stop on the tour was Petco Park which is one of the recently built stadiums. This venue features a warehouse incorporated into the structure of the left field stands. Also, beyond the right-center field fence is a large sand box which of course is supposed to replicate the beaches just a few blocks away. The 'beach' was full of kids not enjoying the game. A first inning home run came close to reminding those young-uns what they were missing. The all you can eat section we sat in had tricked up hot dogs, plump and extra greasy. Three dogs were the max but we did consume one food item per inning.

Anaheim -- Back to the greater LA area with a stop at Angel Stadium which strangely had a mid-western feel. Other than the great weather there was no obvious indicator that we were in southern California. This was a family baseball experience with a stadium full of young kids with their parents. There was nothing especially unique about Angel Stadium. It was a clean place with a good sized crowd who seemed to be baseball fans in general, not passionate, just there for a good time.

As vacations go, this year was an overall better trip. Taking into account the great weather and the air travel, this trip lended itself to more activity besides baseball. Considering just baseball stadiums and the sport, no place or building can compete with NY and Boston in terms of passion, lore, beauty, and magic. Nonetheless, I can now cross off Dodger Stadium as a classic baseball place I've visited. I think my classics tour is now complete: Dodger Stadium, Wrigley Field, Tiger Stadium, Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, & Fenway Park. Too bad Crosley Field and Candlestick Park aren't still baseball hosts.