Just wanted everyone at the OSC to share in my joy - I finally made it to Yankee Stadium!

Our CoSIDA Convention was in Tampa June 29-July 2, and I was able to take in two Rays vs. Red Sox games on Monday and Wednesday. The Trop was almost full on Monday and packed on Wednesday when Kazmir and Matsuzaka squared off. The Rays, of course, swept the series and had the stadium going absolutely nuts, especially with their six-run 7th in the Wednesday win.

It was great to see the Tampa Bay area actually excited about THEIR team, not the opponents. Sure, there were lots of people there with Red Sox gear on, but believe me, they pretty much got drowned out by the Rays fans. When we walked up both nights, the Trop's parking lots were full and people were tailgating and barbequing at their spaces - I thought I was at a college football game! Talk about the team was all over the radio and media, I guess for the first time ever. As one guy on the air said, "We may not win the pennant, we may not even hang on for the wild card, but it sure has been fun!"

When the convention was over, I flew up to Newark Thursday morning (I had already purchased a ticket on StubHub a month earlier). I rented a car, drove up to the stadium, and parked in a garage right across from the new ballpark a little after noon. I then caught the subway to the south end of Manhattan for my first sight-seeing in New York. Wanted to go see the Statue of Liberty, but all the tours were sold out, so I only got to see it from Battery Park. Then I walked a few blocks north to Ground Zero, where they have started work on a memorial garden. There is a tribute center at the southeast corner of the site that I spent some time in, with photos of 9/11, voice recordings of the conversations between firefighters shortly before the towers collapsed, memorabilia from the wreckage (including an airplane window - very spooky!), a memorial plaque with all the victims' names, and a tribute room with cards and letters from people and countries all over the world supporting New York and the U.S. I must admit I choked up remembering, and a lot of people were in tears (they had plenty of Kleenix boxes all around!)

I wandered down Wall Street a little bit, and then it was time for the game. I got back on the subway, which was packed with people going to the game. Everyone I talked to was very friendly when they found out I was a baseball fan, and couldn't believe I had come all the way from Oregon just to see a baseball game! (I was wearing my Portland Beavers shirt and hat so as not to take sides).

Got there around 6:30. My seat was in the upper deck reserved, second row, looking almost right down the first base line, terrific view and very close to home plate. Jon Lester threw a five-hit complete game, Jacoby Ellsbury had a two-run single, and the Red Sox beat the Yankees 7-0. Some Yankee fans are not very nice when their team loses and the players don't do well - very crude language (even from the girls!)

Didn't get to visit Monument Park, though I could see it from my seat; they wouldn't let people down there after the game. Still, to finally sit in that ballpark and realize that I was actually there where Ruth and Gehrig and DiMaggio and Mantle played, and where so much history had taken place, was absolutely staggering to me. I had always dreamed of seeing a Yankees-Red Sox game in either Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium, and I finally got to do it. It was well worth the extra $200 air fare and $60 ticket to get to experience it. True baseball fans will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Anyway, that's my baseball trip for the year (and of a lifetime). My wife said "that's your Father's Day and birthday present!" I can die happy!

Anyone else made any baseball pilgrimages lately?

That's great Blair!

I haven't made any good baseball pilgrimages this year. I went to opening day as usual, and I went to Coors Field about a week later, and that's about it. Coors Field and the surrounding LoDo District are simply spectacular areas to take in a game and enjoy an evening, and it's such a shame that we don't have something similar in PDX (yet).

We're heading to Cleveland in mid/late September for about a week or so and I am debating on some baseball sidetrips, perhaps including a side trip to either DC (new Nats stadium) or NY (farewell to Shea/Yankee Stadiums).

I will be in Boston/Fenway next April for sure because of a conference. That should be a blast.

For those who are interested, Marine Layer (an occasional contributor in here) is a diehard A's fan who writes a blog about the efforts to build them a new stadium. He recently wrote some entries about an east coast pilgrimage to many of the stadiums in the Northeast. The nice thing is that he goes into detail about the stadiums themselves and gives his take on what they did well and what could have been improved. It's at http://www.newballpark.blogspot.com if anyone is interested.

Great stuff, BC--you and I had similar experiences; I was in New England exactly 23 months ago helping my Mom celebrate her 50th (!) high school reunion...well, I simply couldn't pass on the opportunity to see a game in Yankee Stadium (never been there before, of course; and they were slated to open the new one in '09)...I'd been to Fenway a few times, so that had been crossed off my list...the history of Yankee Stadium is undeniable and legendary, but the park itself, IMO, is kind of, well, ordinary...I think it was even more fun for me to explore Manhattan, ride the subway, and generally adventure around...I'm glad the Yankees are getting a new ballpark, and not to quibble, but couldn't they have found a way to put the thing in Manhattan?...still, a great experience in the RF bleachers, amongst the true fans, with their, ahem, colorful epithets....only thing missing: George Costanza didn't make an appearance as Bodysuit Man...of the parks I've seen, I'd rate them like this: 1. Pac Bell Park (SF) 2. Fenway Park, Boston 3. Dodger Stadium, LA 4. Safeco Field, Seattle 5. Yankee Stadium, Bronx 6. Anaheim Stadium/Edison Field, Anaheim 7. Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego 8. Oakland Coliseum , Oakland 9. Olympic Stadium, Montreal, eh?....was going to see a game at Shea in 2000 when my wife was on the Regis Millionaire show, but alas, as I remarked to another contestant from Tigard, the weather in NYC was remarkably PDX-like (yep, it was a rainout)...though NYC isn't my absolute favorite town, it is very fun, exciting, and dynamic; something everone should experience at least once...I also found the NYC people to be delightful, much nicer than their New England brethren (except for the surly staff behind the hot dog stands at Yankee Stadium)