Day 32: Seattle

Today we made our way to the West Coast, as we watched the Seattle Mariners host the Detroit Tigers at Safeco Field. The Tigers, having the best record in baseball, would have seemed like an easy selection for me. However, I decided to get sneaky and take the Mariners (plus 1.5). This plan backfired when Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman went 8.2 innings, allowing only 1 run, and the Tigers won 6-1. Ben’s improbable comeback continues, and he now trails 12-11 in picking games on the trip.

Safeco Field was a great ballpark. It has a retractable roof, which rolls across on wheels when it is needed, however it was open all night for our game. Our seats were in the center field bleachers, but we found ourselves watching the game from the standing area above the bull pens in left field. There was a very nice overhang that provided a nice view, and it was not very crowded.



For the third time on our trip, it was “Ladies’ Night” at the ballpark. As a result, Ben and I were ineligible for the baby blue visors that were being handed out to female fans as they entered the stadium. We have been more fortunate at some other parks though: in New York we received Budweiser bottle openers from the Yankees, in Baltimore we received beach towels from the Orioles, in Texas we received fleece blankets from the Rangers, and in Houston we received commerative pins from the Astros.

We left Boise, ID at about 10:08 MST, and arrived in Seattle, WA shortly before 5:30 PST. The drive through Oregon and Washington was beautiful, and we got a very good view of Mt. Rainer, which stands at over 14,000 feet. The top of many of the mountains we saw were still capped with snow, so that was pretty neat to see in the middle of July. Continuing with the geography theme, while we were driving out of the stadium, we noticed that the sun was still setting at 10:30pm. I guess it because Seattle is basically Southern Alaska, as even their radio broadcast advertisements in the stadium listed their Anchorage and Juneau affiliates.

After the game, we drove down to Salem where we are staying at Best Value Inn. Special thanks again to Ethan Asher and his family for hosting us last night. The steak dinner was delicious, even though we didn’t eat until nearly 11:00pm. At least we got the true, “Asther” experience.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 30,382
2-miles traveled today: 730
3-miles traveled total: 13,739
4-states traveled in today: Idaho, Oregon, Washington
bonus stat: teams are 8-0 when their no. 1, 2, and 3 hitters all score a run

Day 31: Travel

Today was another day on the road without a game, as we made our way from Denver to Boise, ID, where we are staying with fellow Furman tennis player Ethan Asher. We made the 800+ mile trek in just under 12 hours, and this included a lengthy lunch stop at Burger King, along with another stop for gas in Southern Idaho where we threw the baseball around for a little bit to get out of the seated position for a little while.

The scenery out here is simply beautiful. We drove through the Continental Divide in Wyoming, and were on the coast of the Great Salt Lake in Northern Utah during our drive today. Another nice aspect of today's trip was the speed limit being 75 mph all day long, which made the miles go by even quicker without the worry of a speeding ticket.



While in Idaho, we drove around the outskirts of what appeared to be a pretty nasty storm that was brewing. The winds were extremely strong, definitely having some affect on the vehicle. Also, very dark clouds were forming almost at ground level, so that made things look pretty dangerous as well. But, we were able to get by the storm before the worst hit, while still enjoying the great views.

Tomorrow we head to Seattle, another 500 miles down the road. Thanks again to Ben's Uncle Adam and Aunt Zhanna for letting us have a place to sleep in Denver, and for the delicious breakfast this morning.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 29,652
2-miles traveled today: 836
3-miles traveled total: 13,009
4-states traveled in today: Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho
bonus stat: instead of a statistical fact, we thought we would pass along some words of wisdom for today ... as the ancient carpenter says, "measure twice, cut once."

Day 30: Colorado

Today was our venture into the Mountain Time Zone, as we watched the Colorado Rockies play the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field in Denver, CO. Josh Fogg was on the hill for the Rockies, and worked 7 solid innings. The Rockies had a home run from Matt Holliday, and won by a score of 5-3. Variance has indeed caught up with me, as Ben went with the coin-flipping technique to pick the Rockies tonight, so he now trails only 12-10 in picking games on our trip.

Coors Field was a very neat ballpark. One cool feature was a purple ring around one of the higher rows in the upper deck seats. This marking signified exactly 1 mile in altitude above sea level. Our seats were only $4, as we sat in the Rock Pile about 550 feet away from home plate in center field. The view was great and we could clearly see balls and strikes being directly behind the pitcher.



On our way to the stadium, we had another encounter with the law. A policeman in charge of crosswalks stopped us halfway across an intersection to have the following conversation:
Policeman: "This is Denver, and here, you wait for your traffic signal or your policeman to wave you through an intersection."
Ben: Sorry, I thought you had already started to signal for us to cross.
Policeman: You got a bit of a head start on me. Next time, it will be a $60 citation, and I don't think you want to pay $60.
Unreal, there were literally no cars coming on the street and he had started to walk into the street when we took one step off the sidewalk, not to mention that a jogger had passed us and was half way into the street, but got no such attention from the police officer.

The drive from Kansas City to Denver was enthralling, the plains just kept on going, and the 600 miles passed relatively quickly, as we made the total trip in about 9 hours. This included a nice stop in Oakley, KS for Subway lunch. Then, shortly after crossing into Colorado, we stopped at a rest area with a nice grassy knoll on which we played catch for a while. It was our only physical activity of the day, and felt good despite the howling wind that we had to negotiate.

Here are the statistical updates:
1- end of day odometer: 28,816
2- miles traveled today: 667
3-miles traveled total: 12,173
4-states traveled in today: Missouri, Kansas, Colorado
bonus stat: entering the Rockies game, pitcher Josh Fogg was 0-27 at the plate, but his RBI single in the 5th ended the rut at the plate, putting his average at a cool .036 on the year.

Day 29: Kansas City

Today we celebrated the 4th of July in Kansas City as we watched the Royals host the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. The Roayls played solid baseball, especially with their relief pitchers, who did not allow a runner past 2nd base in the final 4 innings. They also had timely hitting from David DeJesus and John Buck and were able to pull out a 7-2 victory. Figuring that the Royals were the worst team in baseball, I took the Twins, but they did not come through for me, so Ben's comeback continues and he now only trails 12-9 in picking games on the trip.

Kauffman Stadium was a unique, older ballpark. Situated right next to Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs play, these 2 stadiums make up the Harry S. Truman sports complex. The parking around the stadium was plentiful, so much so that Ben and I played catch for a short while before entering the stadium. Another nice feature of the stadium was the waterfall in right-center field. In between innings, it would change color, and provided an overall nice backdrop in the outfield.



We left Dallas at 8:15 this morning, leaving the Brock residence after some cereal for breakfast. Thanks so much to Leigh and her family for allowing us to stay for 2 nights and for a couple of excellent meals. After stopping at the Big Cabin Truck Plaza in Big Cabin, OK for gas and food, we made it to Kansas City around 4:15. The Big Cabin is one of the nicer truck stops that either of us had seen, so be sure to check it out next time you're in Northeast Oklahoma.

For dinner, we stopped at our usual Subway for a quick meal. After the game, the Royals put on a fireworks display that was nice, but unfortuantely had to be stopped early because the winds were too gusty. This was too bad, because one of my favorite times of the year is the grand finale to the fireworks show on the 4th of July each summer. Hope everyone else had a great Independence Day as well!

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 28,149
2-miles traveled today: 524
3-miles traveled total: 11,506
4-states traveled in today: Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri
bonus stat: when the home team scores in the eighth inning, they are 4-0 on the trip
*sorry for no pictures lately, they will be up as soon as possible, hopefully by Thursday night for sure

Day 28: Houston

Tonight's guest blogger: Ben

Tonight at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX, Scott and I were treated to a special event. We got to see Roger Clemens pitch for the Astros against the Chicago Cubs. Although he labored through five innings throwing nearly 115 pitches, the Astros bats finally came alive for him and he was able to come away with the win. It was great getting the chance to see one of the all-time greats in action before he hangs it up. Since it was my choice tonight, I naturally took The Rocket and picked up another game on Scott to make the score 12-8 in his favor.

The ballpark tonight was definitely unique and fun to watch a ballgame in because all the fans are right on top of the field. However, the left field porch is a bit of a joke. Any long fly ball to left leaves the yard and is not the proper dimensions for a pro field if you ask me.



As we all know, baseball is a game of statistics. Without stats, the game would not be what it is or mean so much to so many people. However, the statistics that are flashed on the jumbotrons have gotten a bit out of control. Tonight, we were informed that Brad Ausmus of the Astros is tied for 667th on the all time hits list. I am sure knowing this enhances everyone's life a great deal just as it did ours so we figured we would share it.

This morning it was nice to sleep in. After a late wake up and a bit of a jog, Scott and I went swimming in the Brock's pool until Wimbledon came on. After having some great leftovers for lunch, we headed to Houston for the 7:05 game. We arrived at about 5:15 after stopping to get the oil changed. After the game we turned right around and drove the four hours back to Dallas to stay with the Brock family for one more night. Both of the drives were uneventful but if anyone is driving tomorrow for the holiday, watch out for the state troopers because they are out in force.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 27,625
2-miles traveled today: 507
3-miles traveled total: 10,982
4-states traveled in today: Texas
bonus stat: teams whose starting pitcher gets pulled before the fifth inning are 0-10 on our trip
bonus stat 2 (since everything is bigger in Texas we needed two bonus stats): the statue of Sam Houston along Interstate 45 is 67 feet tall

Day 27: Texas

Today we made our way to the Lone Star State as we saw the Texas Rangers host the Houston Astros at Ameriquest Field in Arlington. Kevin Millwood was on the mound for the Rangers, but he had to leave due to injury in the 3rd inning, and the Astros went on to score 7 runs in that frame, running away with a 9-5 victory. I chose the Rangers tonight, so Ben's comeback continues, and he now trails 12-7 overall in picking games on the trip.

Ameriquest Field was definitely one of the nicest ballparks we have seen on the trip so far. It was very well laid out, and easy to move around in, despite there being a big crowd at the game tonight. The Rangers also had some nice features to remember their great players from the past, including a large statue of Nolan Ryan, with a list of his accomplishments, in the area behind center field.



We drove down from St. Louis, leaving at 5:45am. I started out the drive for the first 5+ hours, and Ben took us the rest of the way until we arrived in Dallas at the Brock residence mid-afternoon. Driving through Oklahoma was very nice, mainly because the speed limit was 75 mph. It is nice to be able to get down the highway above 74 mph without having to worry about the highway patrol (see Day 22).

Once we arrived, we were treated to an excellent, Texas-style barbeque dinner with cheesy potatos, and baked beans. It was an delicious, filling meal, before we headed down to the stadium.

Before I wrap up tonight's post, I must brag a little bit about Ben and my own's navigational abilities. Tonight, returning from the ballpark, we did not have to use any technological or topographical aid to return the 30 or so miles to the house we are staying at. We simply relied on memory and natural ability, quite an accomplishment and I just thought we should give ourselves a pat on the back.

Here are the statistical updates:
1-end of day odometer: 27,118
2-miles traveled today: 709
3-miles traveled total: 10,475
4-states traveled in today: Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas
bonus stat: teams are 0-5 when their no. 6 hitter goes 0-4 during the game