SeeAll30.com – My Quest To See Them All!

Having stayed the night in Bellevue, we got up early and decided to try and see if we could find the hotel where the Red Sox were staying and see if we could catch a glimpse of them as they got on their bus heading for Safeco and get some good pictures. As it turned out, the hotels we checked, none were theirs! We found out later where they were staying and it wasn’t on my list of places to check, so that stunk.

With some time to kill before heading to the ball park to watch batting practice, we took our time enjoying Seattle. It was an amazing day to be in Seattle. The sun was shining, hardly a cloud in the sky. People were happy, or seemed to be, and why not… it wasn’t raining! We drove down by the waterfront and got to see a cruise ship as it was unloading. Man those things are HUGE! There was this SUV parked on the dock next to it and it looked like a ‘Hot Wheels’ car! I knew they were big, but didn’t realize they were THAT big! We looked for parking by ‘Pikes Place Market’ but couldn’t find any, so my wife let me out and I went to a little pastry/cookie shop there while she circled the block. I can’t recall the name, but they have the best cookies. My wife loves the ones called “Mounds” that are a coconut cookie dipped in chocolate. I like their “Ohs”, it’s a peanut butter cookie with a peanut butter cup in the middle… incredible!! I got back to where I was to meet my wife and I stood there waiting for her for about 20 minutes or so. Gave me plenty of time to do some people watching and there were a lot of Red Sox fan out and about at the market.

Once Yvonne picked me up, we headed for Safeco. We parked in the lot straight across from the home plate gate ($25) and got in line. Today we wanted to go down by the dugout and watch batting practice from there. As we stood in line we met some people that had seen the Red Sox at their hotel and got autographs from a few of them. One of these ladies had a Red Sox Monopoly board that she has been working on getting signed for a couple years by everyone on it and already had Theo, Coco, Youkilis, Francona, Dave Roberts, Jerry Remi and others. Was pretty cool to see.

As the gates opened promptly at 11:10am, we made our way in and I followed my wife and she got us a spot just past the Red Sox dugout, down the 3rd baseline. There was already a bunch of people there, so we were in the 2nd row of people, which was ok, cause with my camera, I could take pictures between people. I even helped make room for a couple little kids to get in front of me, I wasn’t worried. As it turned out, only the pitchers took BP today (see the video page for a clip of this). I did get the chance to meet some really nice Red Sox fans and 1 gal that told me, “I just officially became a Red Sox fan this past Friday.” I welcomed her to the family and of course, The Nation!

There wasn’t much action by the dugout today, sadly, but before I called it a day and rejoined my wife, who already went up top to get off her feet and into the shade, I was able to get a few decent shots of Jonathon Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Jason Varitek, Hideki Okajima and a few others. As I got up all those steps and joined my wife I realized she has hawked us a couple seats in section 141, all the way up top on the concourse… I was digging it!! I told her I agreed, let’s stay until they kick us out… and they never did!

The game was fun, then again when aren’t they. I think this one was better cause the crowd really got into it. It was like dueling banjos between the Red Sox fans and the Mariner’s fans (“Let’s Go Red Sox” “Let’s Go Mariners” “Let’s Go RED SOX” “LET’S GO MARINERS”). I will say this though, I was shocked at how rude some Mariner fans are… especially when they have ZERO reason to be. This one fan(atic) sitting in front of us was really jawing with a Sox fan about things. He called the Red Sox players everything except “Sir” and “World Champions”. I had to speak up cause I didn’t feel he was doing himself justice, or being a good example for his kids, so when he dogged one of the Sox players and called him “A nobody” I was quick to point out “He’s a nobody that has 2 rings!” That shut him up!! The trash talk wasn’t even that good, one M’s fan said, when asked why he was leaving (as the Sox were winning), “I’m going to Anaheim to join the 12 people that David Ortiz left on base this past Thursday in that game down in California…” and then said something none of us could make out. I started laughing and said outloud, which brought a good laugh from those around me, “Trash talk is best if it’s a short sentence, not a paragraph!”

The only real highlights of the game was a home run by Branyan and a triple by Cedeno in the 2nd, which gave the M’s a 2-1 lead. In the 4th, JD Drew hit a bullet to right to tie it at 2. That’s where it stayed until the bottom of the 9th, where after the 2nd error on Red Sox short stop Green on a weak grounder by Cedeno, Franklin Gutierrez shot a grounder by the diving Mike Lowell at 3rd, bringing Cedeno in to score the winning run and getting himself mobbed at 2nd base. My wife even commented, “You would think they just won the World Series”. Maybe not, but they did just take 2 outta 3 from the Boston Red Sox!!

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox (22-16)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	2
Mariners (18-20)	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	12	1

Boxscore

May 17th, 2009 | Category: Safeco Field |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Back in March when Mariners tickets went on sale, my wife and I decided to take a weekend and stay up in the Seattle area and catch both the Saturday night and Sunday afternoon games. This weekend was naturally the weekend we chose because the Boston Red Sox were in town. I was also lucky enough to get us ‘Hit It Here Cafe’ seats for tonight’s game, outside upper counter. They are spendy, $49, but come with an $18 food voucher (which doesn’t go far!).

We got to Seattle in the early afternoon hours. We had planned on making a full day of it, but between getting out of the house later than we planned and there being so much traffic, not only on the drive up, but also in Seattle, the day was going by fast! We decided to grab a bite to eat, which we did at Buca Di Beppo (a great Italian place), then we headed to Bellevue to check into our hotel before heading back to Seattle. As it is we were lucky to get a hotel room. We tried for days on Priceline and just didn’t get anything. Everywhere was full up cause there was a lot going on in Seattle this weekend, between the games, and various festivals. The weather was amazing as well, so that brought a ton of people into the city.

After checking into our hotel, we rested for a bit then hit the road for the game. We got to Safeco, parked in my usual lot (which now costs $30!) and headed in. We got inside right at the end of batting practice, which was cool, cause we weren’t there to see that today anyway. See, my wife’s favorite players were either hurt (Youkilis) or benched (Ortiz) so there was no big reason for us to rush today (though we did find out later that Ortiz did take BP). We took our time walking around Safeco, checking out all the food stands and look at things people were selling.

We had awesome seats up in the ‘Hit It Here Cafe’ overlooking right field. We sat up here for a game vs the Yankees 2 years ago, but we sat inside. We did have front row seats there, but with the lights and the reflection off the glass, we were looking at ourselves for about 4 innings! This time I opted for outside and while we had upper counter, that just put us that much closer to the restroom, which is always a good thing. As for the food, we started off with the mini corn dogs, and then moved on to an entree each, where I had the nachos, Yvonne opted for the chicken strips. Both are really good, and better than what you can get any where else, but for $14, YIKES! I must say that the nachos did fill me up and I was unable to complete them, but then again, I am not the average eater (believe it or not). If my buddy Mike had been there with me, he would have finished them off and probably still be hungry! I had a couple beers ($8.75 each) and Yvonne had some diet pepsi ($4 each), which she was not charged for… we still don’t know why. Since we had a counter seat, we were facing the action, whereas if you get a table (seats 4 and when you buy tickets, you must buy 4 at the same time), you have to turn sideways to see the game. You can however come up and check out the view and have a bite to eat before games, you just have to vacate the cafe at least 30 minutes prior to game time to make room for those who have tickets for the game. That’s kinda cool, so you can see the view and buy the expensive food, yet still sit in a cheap seat if you want to.

The game itself was a great one. The Red Sox started off quick. Following a walk to Drew, the smoking hot Jason Bay (from Trail, BC), dropped a 2-Run HR into the left field stand, 2-0 Red Sox. In the 2nd inning, it happened again. This time after a walk to Lugo, Jason Veritek dropped a 2-Run HR into the left field stands, 4-0 Red Sox. Been here, done this before…. same score at the same point as last night. Tonight was different though cause in the bottom of the second, after a single by Balentien, Betancourt dropped a 2-Run HR into the left field stands (evidently I need to start sitting in left, might get a homerun ball if I do!), 4-2 Red Sox. In the 4th, after an error on Lugo allowed Beltre to reach, Branyan’s shot into the gap scored Beltre and Branyan took 3rd on the throw home, 4-3 Red Sox. It didnt stay there long, cause in the 5th Bailey (from Longview, WA) took the first pitch he saw from Olson and put it in the left field stands, 5-3 Red Sox. That’s how it ended after Papelbon came on to close it for his 10th save of the year.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox (22-15)	2	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	5	6	1
Mariners (17-20)	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	1

Boxscore

May 16th, 2009 | Category: Safeco Field |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Before tonight’s Red Sox vs Mariners game I had the pleasure of meeting up with Craig, founder of ballparkchasers.com, as well as Joey, Pedro and Travis from 30ballparks30days.com.   I met up with Craig, who lives locally, at the Pyramid Ale House.  Shortly after that, we were joined by Travis, then Joey and Pedro.  We had a great time getting to talk about their trip and sharing different ball park experiences.  They are doing something that I have wanted to do for years, so I was a bit jealous, but loved hearing what they had to say.   They are all such great guys, was a lot of fun.  Joey even told me to look him/them up when I am in Philly in June, so I look forward to that!

Check out their Seattle entry on their web site: Ballpark Chasers in Seattle.

May 15th, 2009 | Category: Misc |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (1)

I already had tickets for the Saturday & Sunday game this weekend, but when I realized that the guys from “30 Ballparks in 30 Days” would be in town, I got to talking with Craig and decided to meet them all at the Pyramid Ale House before the game tonight.  I got there early, way too early as it turned out, so I hung out waiting for everyone to show up and had a few beers in the process.  Around 5pm the place really started filling up in a hurry.  I had a great time trying the different Pyramid beers, like “Thunderhead IPA” and “Curveball”.

While waiting for the guys I got the chance to talk with some other fans, both Mariners and Red Sox.  We talked baseball, our teams and how great the weather was.  Some people I met came from several hours away to be at these games, as Safeco Field is their “home park” cause it’s the closest to where they live, be that in British Columbia or Montana.  I can certainly say that Red Sox Nation is a live and well in Western Washington.

Craig had texted me to let me know that everyone was stuck in traffic and would be a bit late.  He finally showed up around 6:45pm and introduced himself and his friend, Austin.   Craig is the founder of one of my current favorite web sites, Ball Park Chasers, and it was great to finally get to meet him.  We weren’t sure if the other guys had got here yet, though I told him I thought they were there cause I think I had seen Travis walk in and out a couple times, but I wasnt sure and didn’t want to ask him, just in case I was wrong… as it turned out I was right!

Craig called Travis and before you know it Joey and Pedro, plus a friend of theirs, Tim, joined us and we had a great time standing around sharing stories about not only baseball, the ball parks, but life on the road as well.  Safeco Field was day # 28 and ball park # 29 for them, so they had a lot of great stories.  Was fun asking which park really stuck out in their minds as the best overall experience for them, “The Ball Park in Arlington”, and which one was kinda disappointing (of course leaving the Metrodome and Tropicana off the list to begin with), “U.S. Cellular Field”.   Travis shared his story about going to the “Field Of Dreams” in Dyersville, IA and how while he knew he would be in for something special, it was just so much more magical than he was ready for.  I agreed and told him to me, it was like going to Disneyland… the happiest place on Earth.  Everyone got along great, everyone was so happy and had a great time.  I got to spend some time talking with Joey about life on the road, non baseball related things.  He is a great guy, heck they are all 3 great guys!

We talked right into the start of the game, no biggie, but at one point we heard the crowd go nuts and Joey said, “The Mariners must have done something big.”  I told him that when the Red Sox are in town Safeco becomes “Fenway West” and you can’t really tell who has done something  just by the sounds of the crowd.  2 years ago a friend of mine came to a game and when a Red Sox player was struck out, the crowd moaned so loudly he asked me, “Are we in Seattle or Boston!?”

I wish we had more time to talk about things, but after about an hour and 1/2 it was time to get to the game.  As we headed across the street Travis took a few moments and interviewed Craig for the documentary that they are making of their trip.  I stood there talking baseball with Joey, having a great discussion about Jamie Moyer, who pitches for his hometown Phillies.  When Craig and Travis (with Pedro running the camera) were done,  Travis asked if he could interview me.  I said sure and felt like an idiot answering the questions he asked me.  I hope I didn’t look too much like a goober!!

This is where we parted, cause I had to go get my tickets at will call, but I can say that I was so glad I got the chance to meet them cause they are all so humble and such great guys.  Real fans of not only baseball, but life in general.  They told me to look them up when I get to Philly in June, so I am looking forward to that…

When I finally got into the game, I was shocked to see it was already in the 4th inning and 4-0 Red Sox!  I had seats in the center field bleachers, but decided to find me a spot to stand around behind home plate and watch the game from there.  Having been on my feet for several hours, I knew I wouldn’t last long, so I made the most of it taking as many pictures as I could.   I was hurting so badly that I decided I would leave at the bottom of the 5th inning.  I realized that Ichiro would be leading off the Mariner’s half of the inning, so I decided to stay and see that before I left.  Good thing I did cause he took a 2-0 pitch from Lester and deposited it in the right field stands, it was a SHOT, making it 4-1 Red Sox.

I lasted another inning before I just had to go.  If I wasn’t hurting so badly, and knowing that I would be back for the next 2 games and this one was just a bonus, I would have stayed, but I didn’t.  I got to my car, flipped on the game and headed south bound.  What did I miss?  I missed Ichiro going deep again!  I also missed the Mariners making a great comeback and winning 5-4!!  That’s what I get for leaving early I guess, huh?

On my way home, just by the exit for Ponders Corner, I was cruising along in lane # 3 of 4 (the lane next to the inside fast lane) and some dude in a small silver sports car swerved my way and without looking around me all I could think was to swerve and avoid him, so I did!!!  I have no idea how he didn’t hit me!  I am also so lucky that there was nobody in the lanes next to me cause it would have got ugly. God was watching out for me, I KNOW that!!

Random Thoughts:
After leaving 12 men on base in Thursdays game in Anaheim, David Ortiz was BENCHED for this series.
Ken Griffey, JR didn’t play tonight cause he don’t bat vs lefties, like Lester.
Kevin Youkilis was hurt and on the 15 day DL.
Judd Hirsch, from “Taxi” and “Independence Day”, was at the game with his wife.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox (21-15)	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	8	0
Mariners (17-19)	0	0	0	0	1	4	0	0	X	5	11	2

Boxscore

May 15th, 2009 | Category: Safeco Field |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Fenway Park - Photo From www.ballparks.com

How I missed this, I dunno, but I can say that after looking at www.baseballtripplanner.com, I noticed that on June 18th we could do an afternoon game at Yankee Stadium (1pm vs the Nationals) then get outta there ASAP and make it to Fenway for the night game (7:10pm vs the Marlins). It’s gonna be tight, but we’ll do it WOOHOOO! Gonna grab a couple SRO’s and have a great time!

New schedule is as follows:

June 16th – Orioles vs Mets – 7:05pm @ Camden Yards
June 17th – Phillies vs Blue Jays – 7:05pm @ Citizens Bank Park
June 18th – Yankees vs Nationals – 1:05pm @ (new) Yankee Stadium
June 18th – Red Sox vs Marlins – 7:10pm @ Fenway Park
June 19th – Mets vs Rays – 7:10pm @ Citi Field
June 20th – Nationals vs Blue Jays – 7:05pm @ Nationals Park

This will be awesome!! 6 games, 5 days… and now FENWAY!

May 14th, 2009 | Category: 2009 Road Trip |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (2)

This coming weekend, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, I will be attending the Red Sox vs Mariners series at Safeco Field in Seattle. As of now the pitching matchups are as follows:

Friday, May 15th – Lester vs Jakubauskas
Saturday, May 16th – Beckett vs Bedard
Sunday, May 17th – Masterson vs Vargas

Should be a great series!!

May 12th, 2009 | Category: Misc, Safeco Field |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

From ESPN:

Major League Baseball is expected to announce Thursday that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended for 50 games, The Los Angeles Times is reporting.

Ramirez’s test result and suspension are expected to be announced Thursday, The Times said.

Triple-A outfielder Xavier Paul has been told by the Dodgers that he will be promoted later today, according to The Times.

In his first full season as a Dodger, Ramirez is batting .348 with six home runs and 20 RBIs. Los Angeles has bolted to a 21-8 record — best in the majors — and a 13-0 record at home that set the modern major league record for home winning streak to start a season.

From The LA Times:

Manny Ramirez will be suspended 50 games for positive drug test

By Bill Shaikin and Dylan Hernandez Times Staff Writers

8:35 AM PDT, May 7, 2009

Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended 50 games starting today, The Times has learned.

The test result and suspension is expected to be announced later today.

The suspension will cost Ramirez $7.7 million, or roughly 31% of his $25-million salary. Players in violation of baseball’s drug policy are not paid during suspensions.

Ramirez is expected to attribute the test results to medication received from a doctor for a personal medical issue, according to a source familiar with matter but not authorized to speak publicly.

The Dodgers informed triple-A outfielder Xavier Paul this morning that he was being promoted to Los Angeles.

With the suspension taking effect with tonight’s game against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium, Ramirez will not be eligible to return to the team until July 3.

Ramirez would become the biggest star suspended under an oft-criticized major league testing program that started in 2003. He had been a model citizen since arriving in Los Angeles last August, following a stormy tenure with the Boston Red Sox.

This is the second drug scandal to rock baseball within four months. In a year in which baseball officials hoped their greatest concern would be the slumping economy, the two highest-paid players in the game have been revealed to have failed a drug test.

Alex Rodriguez, the game’s highest-paid player, acknowledged during a February news conference that he used steroids from 2001 to 2003. The admission followed a Sports Illustrated report that he failed a drug test in 2003, when players were not subject to suspension.

Ramirez did not appear in the clubhouse after the Dodgers’ 10-3 victory over the Washington Nationals Wednesday night. After the game, Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti and Manager Joe Torre said they were unaware of any failed test or pending suspension.

As unconfirmed reports circulated around Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, Scott Boras, the agent for Ramirez, declined to comment.

Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said he could not comment, citing the limitations stipulated in baseball’s drug policy.

Rob Manfred, baseball’s top labor lawyer, and Michael Weiner, general counsel for the players’ union, did not return multiple messages.

The loss of Ramirez would leave a gaping hole in the Dodgers’ lineup. Juan Pierre, the likely replacement for Ramirez in left field, has batted ninth in two of his five starts this season.

Ramirez doubled and drove in two runs on Wednesday, as the Dodgers set a major league record with their 13th consecutive home victory at the start of the season. The Dodgers have the best record in the major leagues, at 21-8, and the biggest division lead in the majors, at 6 1/2 games in the National League West.

Ramirez leads the Dodgers in batting average (.348), on-base percentage (.492) and slugging percentage (.641), and he is tied for the team lead in home runs with six.

He signed a two-year, $45-million contract with the Dodgers in March, with the first year guaranteed at $25 million and the second year at his option at $20 million.

In an appearance at USC last month, Jose Canseco said Ramirez’s name “is most likely, 90%” on a list of 104 players that failed a drug test in 2003. The players were promised anonymity for taking tests in 2003; Rodriguez is the only player that has been identified among that group.

Ramirez laughed when Times columnist Kurt Streeter relayed Canseco’s allegation to him.

“I got no comment, nothing to say about that,” Ramirez told Streeter. “What can I say? I don’t even know the guy.”

May 7th, 2009 | Category: Misc |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

While the ticket prices are, in my opinion, OUTRAGEOUS, I just bought our tickets to see Citi Field and the Mets vs Rays for June 19th. I was shocked to see tickets on the 100 level in right and left were going for $60!! Holy crap! For my bleacher seats in left at the new Yankee Stadium I paid only $15! Yet, I opted to get us the $30 seats, 400 level, behind home plate. Should offer is a nice view of the game as well as Citi Field.

I now have all of our tickets purchased, just got to wait to get the tickets in the mail for this game as well as the Yankee game, which will be delivered via email and should be here around May 18th.

May 3rd, 2009 | Category: 2009 Road Trip |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Found out yesterday that tickets for Mets games at Citi Field for June go on sale on Sunday at 10am EST. Got an email this morning saying that as a member of the Mets email group I can do a presale on Friday at 10am EST. Might have to look into that, but I ain’t getting up at 7am to buy Mets tickets!!

April 29th, 2009 | Category: 2009 Road Trip |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment