Here are a few pictures from the June 2002 ballpark tour I took with Diamond Baseball Tours, my college graduation present from my parents. In seven days we saw six games in six different ballparks in the northeast, along with the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. This tour focused on the eastern classic ballparks: Wrigley, Fenway, and Yankee Stadium, as well as the new classics - retro-inspired ballparks including Jacobs Field, PNC Park, and Camden Yards. It was an amazing experience to eat, sleep, and breathe baseball for a whole week with over forty other baseball aficionados!
For more information about Diamond Baseball Tours, visit the DBT website at http://www.diamondbaseballtours.com.
Day 1: Pirates vs. Expos @ PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
PNC Park sign
After signing in and boarding the bus in Independence (Cleveland), OH, we traveled to Pittsburgh. The group consisted of about 50 people, including our tour guide, Dan, and bus driver, Dale. Our fellow travellers were a diverse group - ranging in age from teens to 70's, from all over the US. It was fun getting to know our tour-mates - where they were from, and who their favorite teams were. Not surprisingly, mom and I were the only Marlins fans on board!
We stopped to view the area where Forbes Field once stood - the rightfield part of the outfield wall is still standing, and the area where Mazeroski's HR flew out in the 1960 Series is marked by a brick in the sidewalk. A University of Pittsburgh building now stands on the area where home plate was located, but the plate (in roughly its original position) is preserved in the floor of the building.
The outer walkways of PNC Park (home of the Pirates) give a great view of the river and downtown Pittsburgh. One especially cool feature of PNC was the out-of-town scoreboard: along with the number of runs and outs, lighted diamond diagrams show men on base, so we were able to follow the Marlins game in progress :>
We had excellent seats near the end of the third base line, in the lower level, which offered a great view of the entire field. It was Jason Kendall bobble-head night, AND we got to see former Gator, Brad Wilkerson, in CF for the Expos.
Day 2: Cubs vs. Reds @ Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
The famous
Wrigley Field signI can't even think of what to say about this gorgeous old park. Since I became a baseball fan, I'd dreamed of someday catching a game at Wrigley. The brick and ivy and the intimacy of the ballpark are definitely things that every fan should experience in person! It really is breathtaking.
It was a beautiful day in Chicago, although toward the end of the game, it became a little windy and chilly for the Florida girls. We sat in the lower level, about halfway back, between home and first. Great seats. This game happened to be a typical Cubs game (Sammy hit a HR and the Cubs gave up a lead), but those ever-loyal Cubbie fans still held out hope!
After the game we ate dinner at Harry Caray's, and were able to spend some time looking at the great memorabilia displayed in the restaurant.
Day 3: Diamondbacks vs. Indians @ Jacobs Field, Cleveland, OH
Sign commemmorating
League Park in ClevelandIn the morning, we drove into Cleveland and toured the League Park area. The Indians played in League Park until 1946, and now the actual League Park field area is a baseball field in a neighborhood park. Although the stands have been torn down, the two-story ticket building and part of the outer stadium wall are still standing.
We spent free time in the afternoon around the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame and walking around downtown Cleveland, then headed to Jacobs Field for the game.
Jacobs Field scoreboard
Jacobs Field was my favorite modern park on the trip. I love the Indians script logo on the top of the scoreboard. They also have a restaurant along the second tier on the third base side, which has floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the field. I kept hoping someone would hit a hard foul up there to see what kind of noise it would make :>
Before the game, we walked around the stadium and watched the D'backs getting ready. Mom and I scored a wave from former Marlin, Matt Mantei, who (finally off the DL) made an appearance later in the game.
Our seats were in the last section along the third base line. They were good seats with the exception of not being able to see the leftfield corner. It was a packed house, and the Tribe fans were in surprisingly good spirits considering that it was the night after the Bartolo Colon trade.
After the game, there was an awesome fireworks show above the scoreboard.
Day 4: Phillies vs. Orioles @ Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
The view to centerfield
After arriving in the hometown of Babe Ruth, we had a few hours to explore the inner harbor area before the game. There were a lot of vendors set up along the streets around the stadium, selling anything from baseball cards to hats to food. Apparently, you can buy food/drinks outside and bring them (sealed) into the stadium. We didn't trust the vendors, so we bought ours inside (note: the Baltimore hot dogs were the worst on the trip... big and greasy!)
Oriole Park was one of the first "retro" ballparks built in the early 90's. Adding to the great old-style feel of the park is the beautifully restored warehouse building beyond right field, which now houses team offices. The brick of the building is carried onto the walkways around the outside of the stadium.
Our seats were near the back of the lower deck on the third-base side of home - not as good as our seats for the other games, since the overhang of the upper deck was a bit of an obstruction to the view of the field.
After the game, we got to see another fireworks show.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore Orioles | Philadelphia Phillies
Day 5: The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY
The Baseball Hall of Fame
Visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame was a great experience - after viewing the vast number of exhibits, we got an even greater sense of the game's rich history. I definitely learned a lot. I've only been a fan for about ten years, so seeing artifacts from baseball's past greats was really cool.
A.J. Burnett's cleats, worn during his no-hitter in 2001, were on display. We also saw the Marlins' World Series ring from 1997 (a reminder of happier times :>). We were happy to see some pieces of the Marlins' short history as part of the Hall.
Day 6: Blue Jays vs. Red Sox @ Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Outside the gates
In the morning, we met our Boston By Foot tour guides at Faneuil Hall and got a great tour of some of Boston's historic buildings (which was especially cool to someone from South Florida, where a "historic building" is anything built before 1950). After the tour, we had lunch at the reproduction "Cheers" restaurant in Quincy Market, did some shopping, and made it to Fenway on the T without getting lost.
Even a few hours before game time, hundreds of fans started to gather around the gates. There are a few merchandise stores surrounding the stadium, with every Sox item you can imagine (also amazing to someone from South Florida, where it's difficult to even locate a Marlins cap outside of Pro Player Stadium).
When the gates were rolled up, everyone rushed inside the ballpark. I literally felt like I was walking back in time when I entered the park!
The stadium seats on the lower level where we sat were tiny and have metal frames and wooden slat seats and backs - everyone I asked said that they were the original seats, although the wood and paint have been replaced a few times (it looks like there are about 20 coats of paint on the seats).
Before each game, on the bus, Dan passed around a piece of paper, and we would all write down our guesses for that night's score. The closest guess won a prize, but the person with the worst guess had to perform some embarrassing stunt during the next day's game. The "loser" from the Baltimore game was given a poster of Babe Ruth with "The Curse of the Great Bambino lives on!" written on it. His duty was to hold the sign during the game in Boston! [The Curse refers to the fact that the Sox have had difficulty getting to and succeding in the postseason since trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees]. At one point in the game, Wally, the Sox's mascot made a show of taking the poster away and stomping on it :>
The game was GREAT - a 14-strikeout performance by Pedro Martinez.
Day 7: Indians vs. Yankees @ Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
View of the field from the press box
In the morning, we took an amazing tour of the stadium, including being able to sit in the press box and Yankees dugout! I hate the Yankees, but was so amazing to think that we were standing where so many of the game's greatest players once waited for their next at-bat. We also got to spend some time in the monument garden beyond the outfield wall, where past Yankee greats are commemorated with plaques.
After the tour we took the subway to the Central Park area, and had a few hours to get lunch and wander around. Luckily mom and I met a friendly construction worker on the subway back to the Bronx, since we accidentally got on the express and almost missed our stop.
It was almost 90° at game time (!!), and humid enough to make a native Floridian melt. I risked life and limb and rooted for Cleveland... Believe what you hear - New York fans are pretty obnoxious, but they did show love for Raul Mondesi, who appeared in his first game as a Yankee that night. Roger Clemens was on the mound that night for New York.
All in all I was not that impressed by Yankee Stadium. Being a baseball fan, I couldn't help but be in awe of the rich history that this stadium was a part of, but it definitely does not have the character of Wrigley and Fenway. Besides, it was uncomfortable to be that close to George $teinbrenner's wallet.
Day 8: Travel back to Cleveland (sigh!)
Sadly, the trip was over. A half-day of riding on the bus, and we were back to our starting point in Independence, OH.It was an incredible trip - the whole experience was wonderful. We were able to see many great sights and met a great group of baseball fans. I can't wait until I can take another trip with DBT!
Our picks... Best Old Stadium
1 Wrigley
2 Fenway
3 Yankee StadiumBest New Stadium
1 Jacobs Field
2 PNC Park
3 Oriole Pk @ Camden YardsBest Hot Dogs
1 Wrigley
2 Jacobs
3 Yankee Stadium
4 PNC & Fenway [tie]
5 Oriole Park (ugh!)Best Mascot
1 Slider (Indians)
2 Parrot (Pirates)
3 Wally (Red Sox)
4 The Bird (Orioles)
