New York Mets 9 at Tampa Bay Rays 6 - June 14, 2012

This trip is primarily about seeing the Blue Jays in Miami's new park as well as all 12 Florida State League stadiums. With the FSL on its all-star break this weekend, I planned to see the Rays hosting the Marlins a couple of times, but I didn't think to check their schedule before or after. As I drove into Lakeland on Wednesday afternoon, I heard the Rays' broadcasters mention that Thursday's game against the Mets would be an afternoon affair with recent no-hitter star Johan Santana taking on the Rays reigning rookie of the year, Jeremy Hellickson. How serendipitous! I had the morning free as the game I was planning to see was Thursday evening in nearby Clearwater, so I decided to drive to St. Petersburg first to check out the action. Sometimes though, serendipity is not a good thing.



I am not going to discuss Tropicana Field here as I got to the stadium just before the game started and didn't bother to tour. I'll post more on it after the weekend games. The picture above is from the shuttle bus after the game.

The Game

I expected a decent pitching show that would give me enough time to get to my hotel and then onto Clearwater. Instead I got a long, drawn-out affair that forced me to leave early. Kirk Nieuwenhuis served notice that a high-scoring game was in store when he belted the second pitch of the game deep into the right field seats. He added another shot in a 4-run fourth as the Mets pounded Hellickson for 8 runs over 3.2 innings. Santana wasn't that much better, giving up 4 runs in 5+ frames. Fortunately the bullpens were solid, and the score remained 8-4 after 8. I decided to leave at that point as I had to get to my car across town and make the drive to my hotel and then on to the Clearwater ballpark. While I was in transit on the shuttle bus, the Mets added another run, but of course, they couldn't make it easy. As I drove back past the stadium, the Rays mounted a rally of off Miguel Batista and Frank Francisco, scoring two and loading the bases for Ben Zobrist, who struck out on a controversial call. The Mets held on for the 9-6 win in a game and a 3-game sweep of the suddenly struggling Rays.

Notes



Hideki Matsui was recently called up by the Rays and was in the lineup as the DH. This is his fourth MLB team and coincidentally I have seen him at home in his first year with each squad. In 2003 I saw his debut at Yankee Stadium, then visited Anaheim in 2010, Oakland in 2011, and now Tampa Bay. He is clearly on his last legs, but he did knock two singles in the game (one below) which I was happy to see.

Next Up

A fairly quiet weekend in the Tampa Bay area, with two Rays games on Friday and Sunday. I was planning to see the FSL All-Star game on Saturday but I might stay around Tampa instead and enjoy the local area as I've yet to really explore it properly despite visiting on three separate occasions. Check back on Monday for an update.

Best,

Sean

Read More

New York Mets at Toronto Blue Jays - May 18-20, 2012

The Victoria Day long weekend is the unofficial start of summer in Canada and Toronto celebrated by hosting three separate sporting events. Most prominent among these was a 3-game interleague series with the Blue Jays hosting the New York Mets at Rogers Centre.

Rogers Centre



Built in 1989 as the first retractable roof stadium in the world, the SkyDome was a beautiful facility back then. I remember going about a month after it opened and being so impressed with its size and modern feel. When the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Championships in 1992-93, the Dome hosted 50,000 rabid fans every night, but as time passed and the retro park boom took over, the SkyDome quickly became a dinosaur in the stadium world. Even a name change to Rogers Centre doesn’t change the fact that the ballpark has not aged particularly well and is now one of the oldest venues in MLB.



The stadium is located right next to the iconic CN Tower along Toronto's lakefront. When the roof is open, it is a great sight both during the afternoon and evening.



Getting to Rogers Centre is best accomplished by public transit as Union Station is connected to the stadium by an indoor SkyWalk. There is reasonably cheap parking nearby as well, although streets get crowded with fans after the game and it can take a while to escape downtown.



Tickets range from $11 for the upper deck (500 level) to $62 for Premium Dugout seats, with club seats in the second level going for $75. These prices are for “regular” games but weekend games and those with high-profile opponents are deemed “premium” and cost a bit more. As well, the Jays add a $2 "convenience fee" at their own box office so you will not pay the listed price. I have never seen a club add such fees before; those are usually the realm of TicketMaster and other brokers. I don't understand why they don't just list the price at $13. Scalpers are plentiful and worth talking to if you want to see what is available. My advice is to try to sit in the first row of the upper deck, it is the best value for money in the ballpark.



It is easy to get into the stadium with 15 gates, although only half of these are used by most fans. Once inside, you will find yourself on the main concourse. There are three seating levels, labelled 100, 200, and 500. The 100 level is much more crowded and has the most food options. However, I never eat inside here as it is generally overpriced ($4.75 for a bottle of water?!) and you can get a very good hot dog from one of many carts outside the stadium before the game. There is a designated driver program that is worth signing up for as you get a large soft drink for free.



The 200 level is mostly used for club seats, but there are seats in the outfield as well (picture from there above) here but again, I would rather sit in the 500 level between the bases. Each row in this level has a bar in front of it which encourages leaning forward, hence the first row is the best.

Above center-field is Windows, a restaurant that gives a good view of the action while you enjoy a meal. You will also notice the Renaissance Hotel here with 70 rooms facing the field, a unique touch. Those are some of the rooms below the Jays' collection of pennants.

Overall, Rogers Centre is a great spot to watch a game when the roof is open, but when it is closed, it becomes a typical dome. Regardless, it will always have a special place in my heart after the Jays 1993 World Series was won here and I love coming home to watch them. I only hope I can return in October one year to see them in the playoffs after a nearly 20-year drought.

Game 1 - Toronto 14, New York 5

I had left Singapore on Wednesday and spent Thursday in Tokyo finishing off some personal affairs before an early Friday flight to Toronto. As such, I was still suffering a bit from jet lag when the game got underway just after 7 p.m., but with the roof open and the Jays bats on fire, the mental fog quickly dissipated. J.P. Arencibia blasted a 3-run shot in the first, Yan Gomes hit his first major league dinger in the 2nd, Arencibia added a solo shot in the 3rd, and Rajai Davis added two homers as Toronto destroyed the Mets 14-5.

It was a great game for Toronto fans, but not for fans of good pitching, with 15 walks being issued on the evening. Perhaps the most interesting stat was that Toronto only grounded out once, with 12 air outs and 11 strikeouts. The Jays are one team you want to avoid giving up too many fly balls to, they are so strong that many of them end up being homers.



With Gomes (above) being the first Brazilian to play in the majors, his home run was obviously the first for a Brazilian. As it was hit in Canada, we must respond by scoring our first World Cup goal in Brazil. I therefore predict that the Canadian men’s soccer team will advance to the 2014 World Cup and score at least one goal in group play. Check back in two years to see how that forecast fares.

Game 2 - Toronto 2, New York 0

The story here was Toronto starter Brandon Morrow (below), who pitched a complete game, 3-hit shutout. Toronto scored two in the fifth off reliever Jeremy Hefner, who was brought in to relieve Miguel Batista who had lasted just two frames before leaving with an injury. The Mets threatened in the ninth as Mike Baxter singled into the corner with one out and a man on first. Baxter tried for second but was gunned down by Jose Bautista, although it turned out the umpire blew the call and Baxter should have been safe. Instead of having the tying run on second, the Mets were down to their last out and David Murphy lined out to short to finish things off.



Gary and the King from Royalty Tours were here and Gary was kind enough to let me use his ticket three rows from the field for which I thank him profusely. With the game taking just 2:12 though, I only spent about 90 minutes there as I had to rejoin everyone for our trip to Buffalo for a AAA game, but I'll post separately about that experience.

Game 3 - New York 6, Toronto 5

It was Brandon Morrow bobblehead day and a huge crowd of 41,867 (an attendance figure more suitable for Canada Day) was on hand on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to see if the Jays could sweep all of New York (they took a small 2-game set from the Yankees earlier in the week).

Henderson Alvarez started for Toronto and was roughed up early as the Mets scored 3 in the first and another in the second for an early 4-0 lead. The Blue Jays responded with a Gomes RBI single in their half of the second and a Bautista homer in the third, but the Mets got those two back in the fifth.
Alvarez was replaced and the Jays' bullpen kept the Mets scoreless the rest of the way, and when the offence added three runs late in the game, it was 6-5 entering the bottom of the ninth.



Ex-Jay Frank Francisco came on to close things out and promptly walked Yunel Escobar and gave up a single to Bautista (above). At this point, I would have accepted some sort of small ball strategy to get both runners into scoring position, but the Jays middle of the order are all power hitters so that was not going to happen. Instead, Edwin Encarnacion, Arencibia, and Eric Thames all struck out swinging and the Mets avoided being swept. Baxter (below) was the star for the visitors with a single, double, and triple to go along with two runs and an RBI. He had two chances for the cycle but grounded out and was walked.

Next Up

The Marlies are in the AHL semi-finals and I'll be going to that game this afternoon, which is the Victoria Day holiday in Canada. I'm then returning to Singapore on Wednesday and will spend two weeks there before returning to North America to do my Florida State League road trip in June. As usual, keep checking back for updates.

Best,

Sean

Read More

The Great New York Baseball Road Trip

I was recently asked to put together some minor league roadtrips for an American publication. The general rules were that the trip had to take place in August, be two weeks long, and involve real minor league games every day if possible. It also had to be realistic and enjoyable, so no stupidly long drives between games. Interesting promotions or giveaways were to be sought, or perhaps a great stadium experience. Given the time constraints, it was a challenge to put together several of these trips but it was also a lot of fun checking out the different promotions across the country.

One of the trip themes I toyed with was visiting your favourite team's affiliates. For example, as a Toronto fan, I would go to Las Vegas, New Hampshire, Dunedin, Lansing, and Auburn, checking out a Blue Jays' minor league team at each stop. Quite a lot of driving and not a practical trip, but still an interesting idea. Given that one constraint was a 2-week trip and no MLB team has more than 6 affiliates, though, this was not an idea that I could work on for the project.

But once the project was over, I thought this theme might work for some of the cities that have two teams. The first city I tried was New York. With 5 minor league teams each, plus a stop in New York to see the big league clubs, it would be a perfect 2-week vacation. Of course, few fans root for both the Yankees and Mets, but it would be worthwhile to see not only the future stars you will support, but those you will hate as well.

At each level, the Yankees' and Mets' affiliates play in the same league and are located close to each other. This made planning the trip fairly easy, as long as the schedules co-operated, which they did. From August 23 to September 5 you could see 12 games, with two days off.

Starting in Buffalo (Mets-AAA), you would work your way across New York state, hitting Binghamton (Mets-AA) and Scranton, PA (Yankees-AAA) before arriving in New York City. There you can see the two NY-Penn League teams in Brooklyn (Mets) and Staten Island (Yankees) as well as the big boys over an extended weekend. After stopping in Trenton (Yankees-AA) you head south to Charleston, SC (Yankees-A) over two days. Savannah (Mets-A) is nearby and then you finish off in Florida where Tampa (Yankees-A+) and St. Lucie (Mets-A+) play.

The long drive back to Buffalo would complete the circuit, but by then the minors have entered their playoffs so it would be a bit more fun to see if you could catch a few games here and there.

The whole trip is as follows:

23-Aug Pawtucket at Buffalo 7:05
24-Aug New Britain at Binghamton 6:35
25-Aug Rochester at Scranton 7:05
26-Aug Lowell at Staten Island 7:00
27-Aug Aberdeen at Brooklyn 7:00
28-Aug Astros at Mets 7:10
29-Aug Off Day to Tour New York (or Astros at Mets 1:10)
30-Aug Athletics at Yankees 7:05
31-Aug  Akron at Trenton 7:05
1-Sep Travel Day
2-Sep Greenville at Charleston 7:05
3-Sep Asheville at Savannah 7:05
4-Sep Dunedin at Tampa 7:00
5-Sep Fort Myers at St. Lucie 10:30

If you are a real New York baseball fan, it's something to consider. I could also do the same for Chicago, LA, San Francisco, perhaps Tampa and Florida, or Houston and Texas, but I'll wait for the full schedule next season.

Best,

Sean

Read More