Day 12: Philadelphia

Today we were in Philadelphia to see the Phillies take on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Citizen's Bank Park. It was the 2nd time that we had seen the Devil Rays play, and they had the same pitcher on the mound tonight as they did against Detroit last week, Scott Kazmir. Since I won when I had the D-Rays before, I figured I had to go with them again since Scott K. was on the mound. Tampa played a fundamentally sound game, and had home runs from Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, and Jorge Cantu to power their way to a 7-2 victory. Overall, I now have a 6-3 lead on picking games against Ben on the trip.

Special thanks to Mr. Stazak for getting us tickets to the Phillies game tonight. Our seats were almost directly behind home plate, about 25 rows back. It was a great vantage point, and one we had not experienced yet in any of our previous games.



We left Pittsburgh at 9:00am this morning, and drove on the PA Turnpike until we headed towards Newark, DE, via Amish Town. It was very interesting to drive through and see them working out in the fields and on the roads in their horse & buggies. If you are traveling this way in the future, be wary of the intersection of E. Main St. and N. Decatur Rd. in Strausburg, PA. The Amish enjoy very long traffic light-cycles, and the crowds they attract ended up costing us 45 minutes on the drive through southeastern Pennsylvania.

My Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Hubie were awaiting our arrival with an excellent meal including pork chops, potatoes, and spinach. Rumor has it the spinach was good. We then had some lively conversation before heading down to the ballpark at 4:30.



Without question, the Philly Fanatic is the best mascot we have seen on the trip so far. He has no shame and the organization gives him free reign to entertain the crowd in any way, and he certainly does a good job. He was almost as entertaining as the doctor who sat beside us and gave us a detailed play-by-play account of each play that was about to take place. Although, he did predict the home run that Jorge Cantu hit in the 8th inning, 1 pitch before it happened. I suppose, even blind squirrels find nuts.

Along those lines, the fans in Philadelphia were very negative from the beginning of the game. They seemed rather hopeless about the game throughout, and had special animosity for 3rd baseman David Bell, who was booed loudly before he came up to bat in the 1st inning. It didn't help things however when he struck out his 1st 2 at bats.



One nice perk about the ballpark in Philadelphia was the complimentary shuttle that was offered from the parking lot to the stadium entrance. Not everyone received a ride, but the driver would randomnly stop at your car as you were getting out and offer a ride in the golf cart to the turnstyles. We were lucky enough to experience this, and learned a little bit about the facts of the stadium as well.

We had an excellent time in Pittsburgh, and wanted to thank Jackie for letting us stay with her. Despite me having to "help" her out with cooking the hot dogs, she was a wonderful host and it was great to hang out for a few days.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 20,394
2-miles traveled today: 380
3-miles traveled total: 3,751
4-states traveled in today: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware
bonus stat: the home team is 4-0 on our trip when the game takes place on an even numbered date

Day 11: Tennis

We had our 1st off day in the last week today, so we decided to spend the day back at my old stomping grounds, Glen Creek Tennis Club. Ben and I hit for about an hour and a half on the clay in the morning, including playing a set that I won 7-5, must be the home court advantage. We are now 1 set apiece on our trip. Later in the afternoon we moved inside to hit for another hour, and Ben won the tie-breakers we played in there. I guess it makes sense, I beat Ben outdoors on clay, and he beats me on indoor hard courts, go figure.

For lunch today, we grabbed Subway again. For those investors out there, it might not be a bad idea to pick up some Subway stock. I realize that insider information is not supposed to be used in trading, but 2 young men will be visiting these chains on a somewhat daily basis over the next month or so.

For dinner, my coach, Mark Pemu, invited us over to his house to grill chicken and steak. The meal was excellent, despite Mark admitting that he, "wasn't sure what he was doing," while cooking on the grill. Also special thanks to Mark's wife, Kath, for helping to prepare the food. Afterwards, we just relaxed at Mark's house, along with Hank and Jackie, watching the Tennis Channel and sharing stories from the past. I certainly had a lot of good memories at "The Crick," and it was great to see everyone while I was in town.



Ben's car crossed the 20,000 mile barrier today. The driving part of the trip has been relatively good so far, but as you can see from our itinerary, we really have not made it to the real long drives that will be taking place later on in the adventure.

For those of you living in downtown Pittsburgh that are in the car market, do not buy a stick-shift, stick to an automatic. We got ourselves into a bit of a pickle when Ben attempted to parallel park his car in between 2 others, going back up a very steep hill. After coming extremely close to hitting the other vehicles, we decided it would be a better idea to just park an extra block away that had no other cars that would be in danger.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 20,014
2-miles traveled today: 31
3-miles traveled total: 3,371
4-states traveled in today: Pennsylvania
bonus stat: The Grant Building downtown, has a red light on top of it that flashes the word "Pittsburgh" in morse code.

Day 10: Pittsburgh

Today, we were treated to an entertaining game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Despite 3 solo home-runs from the Pirates, the Cardinals managed to pull it out 6-5, with timely hitting from So Taguchi and Chris Duncan, and a solid defense that turned 3 double plays to keep the Pirates off the board late. Ben gave me 2.5 runs though, so the Pirates covered and I move to 5-3 on the trip in picking games against Ben. Such a large spread is not likely to happen again on this trip.

We had a friend at the game with us, as Jackie Hughes, with whom we are staying, cheered on the Pirates with me. Also, Jackie's Dad, Hank, was able to get our names to appear up on the JumboTron, with a message saying, "Welcome Scott Kahler and Ben Pauluhn: 30 ballparks in 44 days." That was really cool, so thanks very much Hank!



A Pirate tradition at some point during the game, is the pirgoie race. I took Cheezy Chester, while Ben had Sauerkraut Sal. Sal took the victory, so Ben, after winning the sausage race in Milwaukee also, moves to 2-0 in the silly races that some stadiums have. Ben picking both of those winners is a 1/16 shot, unbelievable, hopefully variance will catch up with him soon.

Also during the game, Ben's Mom called to find out where our seats were (down the right field line in the upper deck), as she was watching the game on the local broadcast in St. Louis. During the less-than 2 minute conversation, we managed to find our way onto the St. Louis broadcast, and were able to wave to the camera while Ben was still on the phone. What are the odds of that?



For those wondering why we did not have a bonus stat yesterday, it was because the Reds continued the bonus stat from the day before, scoring a run in their last inning at bat.

Today was also our 1st day with 0 miles of driving, as we were able to walk through downtown to the ballpark. After the game, Ben and I hit on the Duquesne tennis court (that's right, singular) for about an hour, which was our 1st physical exercise in a few days, so that felt pretty good.

Meals today included hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, cooked wonderfully by Jackie, and Subway club hoagies later in the evening. We forgot to mention in yesterday's post our gratitude to the Riordan Family in Chicago, for hosting us on 2 seperate nights. We had a lot of fun getting to know them, and especially enjoyed the fabulously cooked meals.



As I'm sure you have noticed, we were able to upload pictures to this, and all of our previous posts, so make sure you check them out. Hopefully we will be able to continue this with all of the following posts. Also, make sure you look at the "Map and Itinerary" link to see specifics on the rest of the trip overall. Thanks Al, for setting all of that up for us!

Here are the statistical update:
1-end of day odometer: 19,983
2-miles traveled today: 0
3-miles traveled total: 3,340
4-states traveled in today: Pennsylvania
bonus stat: teams with exactly 9 hits in a game, are 3-0 on our trip

Day 9: Cincinnati

First, a quick addition from the Day 8: Chicago (NL) post. The 7th inning stretch in Wrigley Field traditionally has one of the best renditions of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in the Major Leagues. Last night was no exception, as Notre Dame football coach, Charlie Weiss, led the crowd in singing the classic song. Everyone was on their feet, singing at the top of their lungs, and it truly was an amazing experience to see in person.

Another 20 hour day, another extra-inning, walk-off home-run affair. The Great American Ballpark was the scene of a classic pitcher's duel as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in 11 innings. Elizardo Ramirez led the way for the Reds, with 8 shutout innings and 10 strikeouts. Adam Dunn's 3-run homer in the 11th sealed the deal, and since I had the Reds today, I take a 4-3 in the contest for picking games with Ben.



The Reds were not the only winner when Adam Dunn hit his home-run today. At the beginning of the game, a local pizza establishment had a contest where a kid got to spin a wheel, and whichever Red came up, if that player hit a home-run that day, the kid would win free pizza for a year. So Dunn's home-run gave some Cincinnati youngster a year's supply of pizza.

Our seats today were courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds themselves, as we sent letters to all 30 teams prior to our trip. We had nice seats, in the upper deck, but directly behind home plate, the 1st time we have sat from that vantage point all trip. Our vantage point also enabled us to have a good view of a spectacular catch by rightfielder Ryan Freel in the top of the 8th inning. He lept and slammed into the wall, before crashing to the ground, all while still holding onto the ball. After just seeing the end of Baseball Tonight on ESPN, we found out that his catch was the #1 "Web Gem" of the night.



We left Chicago at 5:30am CST, and made it to Cincy about an hour and a half before the game. We grabbed lunch at "The Red Squirrel Double Decker," a very nice sandwhich shop downtown. We found our way onto the highway, after taking a quick jaunt into Kentucky, and after navigating through some rush hour traffic, were on our way to Pittsburgh. After grabbing dinner at Taco Bell, my 1st time eating at this fine fast-food establishment, we made it to Jackie's apartment on the Duquesne University campus at 9:38 EST.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 19,983
2-miles traveled today: 611
3-miles traveled total: 3,340
4-states traveled in today: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky (oops!), Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania

Day 8: Chicago (NL)

Seeing a game from the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field is nice, seeing it from a luxury box is even nicer. We were fortunate enough to have seats in the Chase Suite for the game tonight between the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. The Astros dominated from start to finish, winning 9-2. They scored in every odd inning of the game, while Andy Pettitte pictched 7 solid innings for the visitors. I took the Cubs, since Ben cannot cheer for them, so he gets the win and we are even at 3-3 in picking games.



The Chase Suite was an incredible experience. Upon walking in, there was a large-screen plasma television, along with another smaller t.v., and several heated containers of food. Our choices included hotdogs, chicken wings, brautwurst, BBQ, and quesadillas, accompanied by plates of fresh fruits and vegetables, and bowls of popcorn and potato chips. In the refridgerator, there was as much free soda and beer as we wanted. A special thanks to Nancy Yawitz for inviting us to the game.



We left Detroit this morning at around 8:00am, and after struggling through some morning traffic, made it to Chicago around 1:00. This included my 1st turn behind the wheel, which was relatively uneventful considering my lack of experience driving a stick-shift. The only hitch came when I was accelerating on the on-ramp and managed to go from 2nd gear to 5th gear in one motion. After picking up the tickets from the Chase Building downtown, we headed to the Riordan's for some Thai food as our afternoon meal.

The Cubs website recommended that we use public transportation to get to Wrigley, so we rode the METRA train down to Union Station before getting on the subway which took us right to the ballpark. It was interesting to get the local taste of the public transit system, and was relatively easy to use overall. Still, we managed to miss our last exit by 1 stop, and had to get a ride back to the Riordan house courtesy of Rachel.



While walking in bewteen stops on the public transit system, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a quick snack. You would think it would be relatively quiet at 11:15pm, but shortly after entering a quarrel ensued between the worker and a customer who insisted, "You charged me more for less! Do you think I can't add!?!?!" At which point the non-English speaking worker replied, "unknown phrase with heavy accent at the top of his lungs."

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 19, 372
2-miles traveled today: 348
3-miles traveled total: 2,729
4-states traveled in today: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois
bonus stat: the home team has scored a run in their last inning at bat in every game we have seen so far

Day 7: Detroit

Tonight's Guest blogger: Ben. Scott usually writes and I proofread, but every seventh day, it is my turn.

Another day in paradise. A 13 inning game between the Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays was more than we could have asked for. The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a 2 run rally and then won it in the bottom of the thirteenth 4-3 with a reached on error, sac fly and then a game winning hit. The seats were twelfth row on the first base side and many thanks to Katey Stazak's aunt Doris for those. We have now been treated to 3 extra inning affairs in the first 5 games. For those keeping score at home, Scott wins this one to move up 3-2. I had the Tigers (because of Ty Cobb of course) but gave him a 1 and 1/2 run margin because of the disparity between the clubs.



I was thrilled today to have my picture taken in my Ty Cobb jersey next to the Ty Cobb statue in left center field. Along those lines, Comerica was a nice park with huge statues of tigers outside.

Mr. Stazak, good recommendation on the Coney's Island. We went to the American Coney's island before the game and had the hot dogs. It was a cool place and a treat to eat somewhere with that much local flavor. In addition, if anyone is going to a game in Detroit, there is free parking at the Greektown Casino just a short walk from the park.



The drive today was relatively uneventful but we did pass through Battle Creek, MI which is the cereal capital of the world. In addition, I begin to wonder why Illinois and Michigan have more than one lane on any highway becasue there is so much construction that there is only one open anyway. We received word today, however, that the driving had not been going as smoothly as we thought. Apparently, on the first leg of the trip, while still in Atlanta, I ran a red light. The big brother cameras got me and I received a $70 ticket in the mail today.

We have received some great feedback about this blog so far but many people have been asking about pictures. We can post them and we will as soon as we get a wireless connection so that we can upload them from Scott's laptop. In the meantime, today has been another 20 hour day and thanks for reading.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 19,024
2-miles traveled today: 394
3-miles traveled total: 2,381
4-states traveled in today: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan
Bonus Stat: In extra inning games, the home team is 3-0.

Day 6: Chicago (AL)

It is not often that the home team scores 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning and loses, but that is what we saw in Chicago today as the White Sox late rally fell short in their 10-8 loss to the Indians. The Indians were beneficiaries of great pitching by Jake Westbrook, who allowed only 2 runs over 8 innings, and great hitting with 4 home runs. I had picked the defending World Series Champions, so Ben gets the win and we are even at 2-2 in our head-to-head picks.



We left Minnesota at 8:47am and arrived in Chicago a little after 2:30. The drive was once again uneventful, although we did manage to go through quite a few of the toll boothes that Illinois has to offer, ranging from $0.30 to $1.00. The Riordan Family was awaiting our arrival, and we had an excellent ham dinner before heading down to the ballpark at 4:30. After driving some 60 blocks too far, due to some misinformation, we managed to get to the ballpark around 6:00 thanks to some helpful McDonald's patrons. We then had the privledge of paying $18 for parking in the stadium lot.

Another travel note to those who have iPod adaptors for their cars: placing a napkin between the iPod itself and its holder will eliminate the subtle rattling that can drive you crazy over the course of a few hours on the road.

Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the French Open finals today, so both Ben and I were wrong with our selections. Perhaps the result will be a little different in a few weeks when Wimbledon gets started.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 18,630
2-miles traveled today: 458
3-miles traveled total: 1,987
4-states traveled in today: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illionis
bonus stat: teams who hit the most home runs are 3-0, with one game being a wash