This blog began as a log of our summer 2009 road trip to all the Major League Baseball ballparks and a few other baseball themed stops. I will continue to update it with posts about ballparks and other baseball related things we experience.
All the Ballparks Road Trip 2009: 20,000+ miles, 30 ballparks, 19 Baseball Museums/Hall of Fames, 1 Unforgettable Summer Road Trip
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Car Sticker Update: Tampa Bay Rays
We got the Rays sticker at the team shop before the game and Dad put it on the car in the parking lot before we got in line to go inside Tropicana Field. Since it was the last one for the American League side I took photos of him putting it on. The Rays sticker has the diamond Rays logo with a baseball in the background. The American League side filled up quite well with the stickers for the league’s 14 teams.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Accessibility Review: Tropicana Field
Parking at Tropicana Field is pretty easy and it sure is plentiful with it all around the park. The handicap spots were easy to locate sort of near the main entrance to the park. The nice thing is that they really enforce that the spots are legally being used. They had police actually checking everyone’s license plates and placards. For the placards in particular they were doing a lot of checking ids to match them up, I guess, but since Mik is still a minor they did not ask for an id just made sure he was in the car since we were using his placard.
Getting into Tropicana Field got quite crowded in the little plaza between bag check and the actual doors to the ballpark. We ended up in a line that was on the far edge that was supposed to be only for season ticket holders, however, they did not announce that until the crowd got ridiculous and there was no way we could have navigated to the back of the growing longer other lines with the wheelchair. Note we were also around to the side of the building in line and you cannot tell it is labeled for Season Ticket Holders until you get around to almost the entrance. Anyways they did not say anything about us trying to get in and it was not actually an issue, but technically they can enforce the policy if they feel like it (they do not ever seem to, though, even with it being a crowded Yankees game), so it might just be better to not end up stuck in the farthest right line.
We entered the park on the level that at many parks where they have their inaccessible to the public tunnels. Basically you are under all the stands and at field level. Thus to get to any section at all you have to go up an elevator or escalator. The elevator was not too hard to find and because the escalators were literally also right there only those that needed it seemed to use it. After the game it did take forever for it to finally arrive, but there were at least ushers outside of it making sure only those that needed it ended up on it.
The view from our seats in section 321 was good. The only obstruction was the bars to the right of the section, which slightly got in the way of seeing the home plate area if you did not look at the right angle. It was at least something I could deal with. The accessible row is at least raised a good enough amount about the row in front that those standing up did not get in the way. Only thing Mik did not like was that they did not have any cup holders, although the other regular rows also did not have cup holders, so at least he did not feel discriminated against.
Overall Tropicana Field is not too bad of an indoor park even though it is a dome. The accessible seating is at least the best of the domes. It is not perfect, but it is among the better ballpark set ups. Mik really does not like not having a cup holder, but at least the view was good if you were not on the end next to the bar hand rails for those going to rows in front.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Kj’s Baseball Collection: Tropicana Field
At the Rays game I found a ballpark ball for my baseball collection. On one strip the ball has a view of the infield with a Tropicana Field logo on top of the image in the middle. The view of the infield is actually interesting because it was taken during the 2008 World Series, so it has the painted 2008 World Series logos in the foul territory on both base sides. The image is also with the Rays and Phillies players lined up on the base lines. The other strip has a diamond Rays logo and a TB logo.
Mik’s Mini Bat Collection: Natural Rays
At the Rays game Mik decided on a natural colored Rays mini bat. The mini bat as the diamond shaped Rays logo on it.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Mik’s Food Scrapbook: Tropicana Field
During the Rays game Mik tried the chicken and fries. He thought the chicken was not that good and the fries were barely better. It was not as bad as Chik-fil-a, but not that much better.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Game 29: New York Yankees 11 @ Tampa Bay Rays 4
We got to the game about an hour and a half before the gates opened. Before getting in line and after the team shop we walked part of the Baseball Boulevard Path that eventually leads to the Rays Spring Training field, but that would have been 3 miles round trip, so we only did about two blocks of it. It was interesting to see the home plate time line of baseball in St. Petersburg that we did see. Too bad it was too close to game time and way too humid to do the whole thing.
When the gates opened we went straight to the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame. Well almost straight, as that was after almost not getting the giveaway because we were not in Rays gear, but the guy behind us who we were talking with before the gates opened helped convince them to give us t-shirts by lending us his hat. The Ted Williams Museum was way pretty amazing and it was good we did it first thing, as it became quite crowded by the time we exited. I will eventually do a post just on it.
After the museum we headed to our seats in section 321. Our seats were pretty good, as even the upper deck here does not seem far from the field. One issue, though is we were way down the 3rd baseline and they do not have the seats angled, although that does not matter in the handicap row because the seats are fold up ones. It is the one thing that does make you feel you are in a multipurpose dome and not an indoor ballpark. Other than that, though it does have a ballpark feel even including a dirt infield instead of mostly turf with small dirt sliding paths like at the other domes (Skydome in Toronto and Metrodome in Minneapolis). Also, the fact that it has its only scoreboards in the outfield instead of on both ends of the stadium makes it obviously mainly for baseball despite technically always intended to be multipurpose.
The catwalks are crazy, but they are what hold the roof up and that roof makes an enjoyable ball game. I cannot imagine going to a game here and not being in an air conditioned ballpark, but I guess we will find out in two days when we see the Marlins for our final ballpark. We already know we are not going to tent camp in the Florida humidity and try to get a Kabin upgrade there, too.
The game tonight was exciting, I guess, but not if you wanted to see the Yankees lose like we did. The Yankees had a lot of hits and scoring including four homers. The Rays on the other hand had few hits and scoring until the second half of the game and mostly the last two innings.
Overall I liked Tropicana Field. I have nothing against indoor parks and do not think baseball always has to be outdoors, especially since many would not want to come and enjoy a game (or at least not come back) if they had to be outside in the humidity. It may be a dome, but it is the best of the domes and at least really tries to feel like a ballpark despite being built to be multipurpose. Only thing I do not get is the cowbells. Mik absolutely hated all the Rays fans constantly ringing cowbells and complained about the noise the whole game, which was also related to Yankees suck and Yankee fan cheering, but just the cowbells on their own are annoying. The main thing, though, is we cannot figure out why the heck they do cowbells here at all. Mik says he could understand if it was like Texas or someplace they have ranches, but this is a beach town.
Sent from my iPhone
Game 29: Mik Playing Baseball...on the DS
Mik has been playing a lot of baseball on his PSP on this trip, but today he has to downgrade to the inferior one he has for his DS. His PSP joystick broke yesterday to add to the horrible events of his summer (yeah the way he tells the story of the summer is the opposite of Dad and me. He is all lows and a few highlights. While we are mostly highlights with a few bad parts). When his DS was broken the day we left for the trip we got him a new one as a birthday present, but a second broken system is not getting replaced this summer. Dad did figure out how to order the part and fix it when we get home, though. Until then he will be more of a butthead and the noisy Yankees @ Rays game does not help his attitude.
Sent from my iPhone