Stadium #13 Jacobs

2001. Cleveland. Jacobs Field. Red Sox v. Tribe. Saw John Lennon exhibit at Rock N Roll HOF. Followed by an exciting baseball game.

Youppi!

Of course no trip to an Expos game would be complete without a chance to meet Youppi! When we spotted him near left field we made a mad dash from our seats behind homeplate. Since nobody was in the stadium we were able to easily be photographed with the Orange mascot. Don't worry about Youppi being jobless he's currently employed by the Montreal Canadiens. Check the link for his official site on the sidebar.

Stadium #12 Olympic Stadium

Wanted to get to Expos game before they were contracted. Mission accomplished! On my third trip to Montreal the Brewers were also in town. We joined in the Canadien fun by using the unoccupied rows in front and behind us as noisemakers. The subway led right to the underground portion of the stadium. Sadly, there were more Yankee jerseys for sale on the streets than the hapless 'spos. I 'spos thats why they left Montreal.

Stadium #11 Comerica

August 23, 2000- 5th game in 4 Stadiums, 4th Day, 3rd City! When we pulled into Detroit Max thought it'd be best if we left our three goldfish (Doug Flutie, Ben Johnson, and Michael J. Fox) with the parking attendant. I disagreed. Upon returning to the car our goldfish were boiled. BUT we had even more fun at the game! Max wanted to move seats during the game because some bugs kept bothering him. I pointed out that others around the stadium were having the same problem. Besides we had a great view from our seats. Well a little while late the ENTIRE stadium was overtaken by flying ants. The game vs. the Mariners was even postponed about five minutes.

Seppuku

The highlight of the Wrigley games goes to Coach Ditka. He sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 7th Inning Stretch.

Stadium #10 Wrigley

August 25, 2000- How do you top back-to-back days at Skydome and Comiskey? How about a daytime double header at Wrigley! The Dodgers were in town and Max and I scored tickets with "obstructed viewing." As soon as I scan those pics you'll see how obstructed the view was. Anyways, Gary Mathews Jr. hit the first homer I saw there.

Stadium #9 Comiskey II

Poor Comiskey II it opened the year before Camden Yards so they missed out on the Retro stadium vibe. This stadium sort of reminded me of Yankee Stadium in its appearance. Unfortunately these were the pre-digital camera days for me so this lousy pic is the only one of me in Comiskey. This game was the day after the trip to Skydome! Highlight: the only stadium to serve corn on the cob with a variety of seasonings!

Toronto etiquette

This was the first stadium I was ever at in which they would not let you back to your seats until the half inning ended. What a novel and courteous idea. When I got up to buy something I had to wait until the inning was over so I wouldn't ruin the game for any fans. I've only also seen this at San Fran. Good job Caknuckleheads and West Coasters! By the way, the Skydome is "GiNormous!"

Stadium #8 Skydome

I don't care what they call this stadium now it's the SKYDOME! Roof was open when Max and I rolled into town. The previous game I had just been to was the A's at Yankees in which Bernie and Justice hit back-to-back to end it. This game ended on a walk off against the Royals. For some reason I can't recall who hit it. I'll have to check my boxscore. On the way to Toronto, Max and I won three goldfish in upstate NY. They survived Montreal but would ultimately meet their demise in Detroit.

Stadium #7 Camden

I've been to Camden Yards on two occasions. In 1999 it was during one of Cal Ripken's rare days off. That's when this pic is from. The game was pretty uneventful, but the stadium was as good as advertised. My second trip was with a group of friends. Those pics will be up at a later date. It was during Preakness weekend with Smarty Jones in town. The bars were buzzing when he won. We saw the O's play the Angels. Vladimir when yard and as soon as the game ended it started to pour. We did get to see some of the free Eddie Money concert outside the stadium afterwards.

Stadium #6 Three Rivers

First trip to Pittsburgh took place in the "magical" summer of '98. The Dbacks were in town the night before and Three Rivers drew less than 9,000. With Slammin' Sammy Sosa and the Cubbies in town attendance rose to 30,000. Sosa used the stadium as a launching pad during BP. Then he launched #58 during the game. In light of all the HGH and 'roids talk since this story just doesn't have the same resonance. My apologies to Roger Maris for supporting this travesty.

Stadium #5 Fenway

That's me standing outside the monster during Nomar's rookie season. Sat in left field section 33 I believe. Felt like I was watching a game via a time warp, especially since the teams were wearing throwback uniforms. The Braves were in town and they had uniforms with Boston across their chests. Mo Vaughn looked ridiculous in the super baggy uniform. Nomar had a hit in one of the last games of his rookie hit streak. I liked that shirt I'm wearing so much that when I lost it a few months later I went back to get another one in Salem.

Stadium #4 Fulton-County Stadium

August 25, 1996- 1996 Olympic backwash! Rit, Max and I traveled down south with Bram from Holland for a slice of Americana. While we didn't "midget golf" on the trip Bram did get to "hump a wheel chair." The Cubs were in town and Mark Wohlers was...wild! The new stadium was right next door and just recovering from Olympic use. The first few stadiums I went to I bought bibs. Rit is sporting a Stuckey's t- shirt. We saw the World of Coca-Cola and I remember being profoundly disappointed at how Max Headroom was almost nowhere to be found.

The Trophy that Sealed the Deal

Ah, the elusive 1982 World Series Trophy. Still can't get my mitts on it. In 1981 this fans love affair with the Brew Crew began. It was the strike season and the Brewers lost out to the Yanks in the first division series ever. My first of many reasons to hate the Yanks. By 1982 the Brewers won the AL East on their own. They were down to the Angels and pulled out the ALCS in 5 games. I listened on my walkman at the WP Bowl. The WS was a heart breaker, I remember Gorman Thomas fouling off what seemed like a hundred foul balls before finally succumbing to Sutter and the Cards. Damn you Willie McGee!!!