Before we left Houston, my father and I stopped at the Johnson Space Center for a quick tour of the astronaut training facilities and mission control center. After phoning in a quick interview to the Sports Pig program on the Sports Fan Radio Network we were on the road again (feel free to sing along) -- this time to Dallas, TX. We arrived in the early afternoon, spiffied ourselves up, and headed to a local cajun seafood restaurant -- only to run into an old friend of my fathers from Seattle (talk about a small world). We stayed up late to watch as the baseball trading deadline passed (I can't believe the Mariners gave up Jose Cruz, Jr.) with the intention of sleeping late in the morning.
Up at 6:45am (that is not sleeping in late for those who were wondering), we worked out and were on our way into the city before rush hour was finished. We spent the morning at the Sixth Floor Museum -- a historical retrospective of the Kennedy Administration and Assassination located on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. As a big Kennedy fan, I was moved to tears by the recounts of his administration and then the methodical description of his assassination -- it was a profoundly moving experience. We headed back to Arlington, took a guided tour of the ballpark, ate lunch at the ballpark and changed clothes before returning for the game.
Believe it or not, I would almost call the Ballpark in Arlington a cookie cutter ballpark. Designed by HOK Inc., it has many of the same features as Jacobs Field in Cleveland and Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The seats, which wrap around the stadium in four separate levels (not counting the luxury suite level), are all dark green (although they claim it is "Texas Ranger Green") and the concourses have similar stone work with almost identical concession stand and escalator design. The bullpens and dugouts have similar designs as well (although the dugouts do not have padded seats like the other parks have -- opting instead for hardwood benches). The wrought iron fencing surrounding the park could be at any of the other parks (except for the Texas Ranger "lone star" design) and if you looked only at the steel beam construction you might not be able to determine which park you were standing in.
Of course, the Ballpark in Arlington has several features that make it unique. In center field, an enormous four story office complex (with ornate lattice work -- similar to that on the top of Yankee Stadium) holds the Rangers Corporate offices as well as a souvenir store, sports restaurant, and historic baseball museum and learning center. In right field, a gigantic two-tiered seating area called the "home run deck" offers fans the best chance to catch a round-tripper. And, in center field -- surrounding a grassy area that helps hitters see the ball as it is released from the pitchers hand -- is the bleacher section -- brought over in its entirety from the old Arlington Stadium.
Other notable things include a black and white scoreboard which only displays announcements for fans -- no game information. On top of the "home run porch" rests the diamond vision screen and scoreboard listing the box scores -- the diamond vision is actually pretty small (the largest sony television in Texas in case you were wondering) but gives a clearer picture than almost any other stadium in baseball. A picnic area sits in deep center field (near a statue of Nolan Ryan -- the only player whose number is retired by the Rangers), oversized advertisements cover the roof areas and open seating sections around the park. And, if you look up as you walk away from the ballpark as you are leaving you will see stone carvings on the sides of the stadium depicting the history of Texas from the time of the Alamo to the present day ( not to mention a 21x7 foot statue of a steer).
Simply, the Ballpark in Arlington is BIG -- but I guess that is what Texas prides itself on. The office complex in center field and seating sections reaching high into the sky give a completely enclosed feeling to the park. It is not nearly as intimate as the other new ballparks in the major leagues. But, at the same time it is one of the nicest ballparks you will ever see -- a perfect setting for a baseball game (especially when the sun is setting and the temperature drops to a manageable level).
Batting practice was filled with many interesting experiences, but wasn't really exciting as a whole. My father and I grabbed two seats in the dugout around 4:00pm and listened as Will Clark and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez talked quietly about the enormous contract Rodriguez signed the day before. It was interesting to hear Rodriguez communicate the pressure that he feels -- more than once uttering the word stress while shaking his head in almost disbelief -- while looking for guidance from Clark, a crafty veteran. The rest of the time in the dugout, Clark entertained everyone -- players and media alike -- as he joked about other players, mistakes made during games, and the "stupid" questions that some of the media folks were asking him.
I walked around on the field, watching Rodriguez (now known as the $42 million man) throw some pitches from the mound, field some grounders at third base, and then give interviews and sign autographs for the adoring fans. Will Clark walked up to me slowly reading the words off my hat out loud. . . "The Great American Baseball Trip. . . well what the heck is that," he said "you one of those travelin' kids who goes around to all the parks?". Smiling, I explained what I was doing and answered a few quick questions fired at me. He wished me luck, spit near my feet, and headed towards the batting cage.
When Cleveland took the field, I walked over (this time with my dad, who had been listening to a press conference being given by Johnny Oates (Rangers Manger) and a conversation with J. Thomas Schieffer (the President and General Partner of the Rangers) about the state of baseball) and said hello to Cleveland Coach Dave Nelson. Nelson, who called me a "spoiled, rich, white kid" during my visit to Cleveland joked with me about the trip and praised me in front of my father. Nelson was probably the nicest of all folks I met during my travels -- completely honest with me and genuinely excited and interested in my travels and progress. He even remembered my name. I think my dad liked him as well.
We spent a little more time on the field. Dad was very impressed by the size and power of the players taking batting practice -- in particular Lee Stevens of the Rangers who blasted nearly a dozen balls into the stands. After a while the heat began to get to us -- the temperature was in the high 90's and the humidity was high as well -- so we returned to the press box to cool off.
I had only limited interaction with the Texas Rangers front office during the planning of my trip. I was handed over to the Public Relations department right from the start (eliminating any chance of meeting with the General Manager as I had hoped) after receiving a very nice letter from Doug Melvin ( Rangers GM). As I got closer to the time of the game I spoke regularly with Lydia Martin in the Public Relations Office as she was arranging for a private tour of the ballpark and field access for the game.
But, the morning of the game I got a call from Ms. Martin in which she explained that the Public Relations office would be under-staffed on this day (I would guess that most folks just wanted to take Friday afternoon off to begin their weekend) and that a private tour would not be possible. She arranged for complimentary tickets to the guided ballpark tour and left press passes for both my father and I. Overall, I really enjoyed my conversations with Ms. Martin -- she was intelligent, informed, and extremely punctual in returning my calls with all the proper information. I only wish the Public Relations office had been fully staffed so I could have really tested their abilities (smile).
The Press Box is the nicest in baseball. Located just off to the right side of home plate on the club level, the spacious box can accommodate hundreds of writers (each equipped with telephone lines, electrical outlets, and comfortable chairs) and affords easy access to information as well as technology (copy machines, faxes, etc...). For some reason, the box was built with windows that don't open to the field (of course it is climate controlled for comfort) so crowd noise is artificially pumped in to give the writers the feeling as if they are actually at the game -- without any of the hassles of foul balls for fans (or the game itself)
Right from the start, I was less than impressed by the folks I encountered in the press box. When my father and I first entered to claim a spot and plug in my computer, our presence was questioned by a local writer. Obviously reacting to my age, the writer insisted I had claimed a spot in the wrong section (the visiting writers section where I was told to sit) and eventually called over an attendant to check our credentials. I was pleased to find out that the players (mostly in response to a recent article bashing the team and the players) don't like the writer either and have recently refused to grant him interviews. Other writers looked at us warily as we sat quietly watching part of the game -- as if we had broken into their tree house and they weren't in the mood for new members. Not a group I would want to spend time with. Not surprisingly the visiting media was very friendly.
THE FOODMy ballpark food experience actually began more than six hours prior to the first pitch as my father and I decided to eat lunch at the Front Row Sports Grill overlooking the playing field at the ballpark. It was a nice lunch -- nothing too special except for the view -- and one that I recommend to ensure a full Ballpark in Arlington experience. As for the rest of the ballpark food, the most interesting thing about the selection are the names of the concessions -- Bambino's Pizza, Short Stop, and Cy Yogurt to name a few. The hot dogs didn't look that good (they weren't popular either), the barbecue was unimpressive, the frozen yogurt only came in chocolate or vanilla (it apparently would have been a health code violation to create a swirl) and the Dr. Pepper dispenser (apparently tied to a piping system which dispenses soda from a central pumping station in the basement) was out of order.
Thankfully, the pretzels put everything to shame. As my father munched on a barbecue chicken sandwich I chose to stuff myself full of starch ordering the JUMBO, garlic and sesame pretzel in addition to the Cinnamon Raisin (you heard me alright) pretzel. The JUMBO pretzel was very large (not as large as Philadelphia but much lighter and fluffier) -- and the garlic and sesame seed coating was delightful. I was really impressed by the Cinnamon Raisin pretzel -- more like a bagel however -- as it was light, soft, chewy, and had an absolutely delicious taste. If you can get away with the lack of basic food groups (you know, fruits, veggies, etc.) I would suggest just eating the pretzels when you visit this ballpark -- they are worth it.
First of all, I want to make a special announcement. A new addition to the family and baseball world -- namely Alexander Reich (the son of Jeff and Ali Reich who joined me at the June 20th game in Philadelphia) -- was born this morning at approximately 5:00am -- weighing in at nearly 6lbs. Congratulations Jeff and Ali (who should hope the Phillies improve by the time the kid is ready for the bigs), to Jim and Joan (who joined me at the June 28th in Pittsburgh) on their first grandchild, and to my grandmother (also at the Pittsburgh game) on her first great-grandchild. Now back to the game. . . the attendance on this night was just shy of 45,000 (well under the 49,178 seat capacity), but the fans were electric from the very beginning. Tom Landry, the former Dallas Cowboys coach, was on the field prior to the game to make an organ donor presentation (he lost his daughter because she couldn't get a transplant) and the fans warmed to him immediately. Still buzzing about the recent signing of Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez to a $42 million contract extension, the fans cheered loudly as the lineups were announced and the first pitches were thrown. It was not a very diverse crowd -- not that I was expecting a melding of cultures from a Dallas suburb -- with a considerable number of very young fans running around the concourses rather than sitting in their seats.
As my father and I walked around during the first inning, I made a point to find Aaron Walker, a 14 year-old who has been following the Great American Baseball Trip (online) since the beginning. Joining Aaron were forty-six folks from his church in Tyler, TX (nearly three hours from Arlington). They had chartered a bus and purchased a large block of tickets on the "home run porch" to enjoy the game. I spent most of the first inning with them talking about the trip and the ballpark. They gave me some good tips about driving through Louisiana ("you'll want to tighten everything on your car" was the most poignant) and explained some of the geography of Texas. All in all, I had a lot of fun with the group -- I hope they enjoyed the game.
After grabbing our dinner, we headed for our seats (way up behind home plate) only to find a couple already sitting there. Not realizing what we were doing we asked them to leave and took our seats. After talking for a while with the couple next to us (from Northern Louisiana) we found out that the couple sitting in our seats were local friends of the couple from Louisiana and they were hoping to sit with them during the game. Feeling sort of awkward, my father and I did our best to engage the Louisiana couple in conversation -- grilling them about restaurants in New Orleans and chatting about local politics. After determining that they were conservative (evidenced by their lack of support for President Clinton) and exhausting the dinner suggestions, we bid farewell and headed back to the press box for the remainder of the game -- leaving the seats for their friends to return.
Of course, most of the action had taken place well before we found our way back down to the box. The ball game started off as a slugfest with five homeruns coming in the first four innings. When the dust settled, the score was tied and both teams seemed to have settled down. The Indians scored again in the top of the sixth to take the lead, but the Rangers answered in the bottom of the inning taking the lead themselves with two manufactured runs. But,the state motto of "Don't Mess with Texas" didn't seem to apply on this evening as the , the Indians blasted two more homeruns (even with the wind blowing in) -- one in the eighth and one in the ninth -- en route to an 8-5 victory over the Rangers.
The crowd seemed very disappointed in their club -- allowing the most homeruns they have in a single game all season -- though not entirely surprised. A large number filed out after the homer in the top of the ninth -- the rest sat quietly as the Rangers fell to defeat. One usher uttered "boy. . . we suck," as we walked out of the stadium -- a sentiment shared by most of the fans heading towards the parking lots. Sort of depressing I guess -- the locals really get behind their teams and were let down on this evening. Too bad, because I really had a good time.
Here's one of the two tour guides who led us around the Ballpark in Arlington -- a
103 year old Canadian (I think he was joking about the Canadian part). He
showed us the press box, dugouts, sky boxes, warm-up room and field -- and may have
even taught us something about the park.
Here's the group from Tyler, TX. Aaron Walker, the one who has been following the
trip, is second from the left (with the hat). Unfortunately, I could only fit some
of the forty-seven folks in the picture (sorry guys!!)
Here's a view of the Ballpark in Arlington from our seats in the upper deck.
Here's a picture of my dad in front of the field in Arlington. I got such rave reviews on
the first picture I thought I would put him up again.
