Stadium 8: Great American Ballpark and WTF Nationals?

The Washington Nationals were supposed to be really really good...


So good that articles were written about how they would go to the World Series this year....

Here are all the links.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/preview15/story/_/id/12592129/five-indisputable-reasons-washington-nationals-win-world-series

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/the-nationals-are-the-odds-on-favorite-to-win-the-world-series-%E2%80%94-again-193010589.html

http://www.sbnation.com/odds/2015/4/4/8338265/world-series-betting-odds-nationals-enter-season-as-futures-favorites

They even entered the season as 6/1 favorites to win it all in Vegas which was higher than anyone else... What happened?

Don't blame pretty boy Bryce Harper


He is leading the league in batting by two points over Dee Gordon, home runs over Giancarlo Stanton who has missed 60 games, and on base percentage. He is getting on base 46 percent of the time....that number is ridiculous. His wins above replacement is 8.1 meaning  he has accounted for 8.1 wins more than some scrub from the minors playing his spot. That is what they expected and hoped out of Harper.

The rest of the team...
They are all batting career lows. They were once even relying on Dan Uggla (the strikeout king) to save them. Their studs on the mound just aren't following through on their big contracts. Max Scherzer who is being paid almost 30 million dollars a year could not even beat the Marlins last night!!I love my Marlins but when you are fighting for the playoffs and you have your best pitcher on the mound against the lowly Marlins....you should dominate.

You have to give credit to the Mets who have seized the opportunity in the weak NL East and are now running away with the division and then remember that in baseball money doesn't seem to buy championships anymore...

Stadium 8: Great American Ballpark

The Great American Ballpark is located on the southern most area of Cincinnati, Ohio and opened in 2003


Located on the banks of the Ohio River, you get a scenic view into the state of Kentucky which makes it the only stadium in which another state is visible from it. You do get the river which has actually had home run balls fall into it!

The Reds tap into their extreme history with a Reds Hall of Fame on the outside of the stadium

 which makes for a great and fun experience before entering the ballpark. They will not only indulge you with Reds history, but with baseball activities including doing your own play by play!

Skyline Chili....


Cincinnati is known for its chili and yes it is all over the ballpark. The ridiculous amount of cheese and chili makes for a nice night of indigestion, but it goes down so sweetly!



The river boats going down the river are cool and the smoke stacks in right center are dedicated to them. Going off after strikeouts, runs scored, and home runs by the Reds.  Just don't run into the mascot of the Reds...he means business.

Don't look into his eyes.....

The Great American Ballpark is sincerely that....a true American past time that's fun for baseball and falls 8th on this list.

Next up: Third oldest stadium in baseball and oldest west of the mississippi.

Stadium 9: Kauffman Stadium and the case of Stanton and Fernandez

September and the last month of baseball is mercifully here for the Marlins. People will care even less about the fish and October 4th, the Marlins will once again pack their bags and head home for the winter finishing at the bottom of the standings. I have documented the injuries but now apparently Stanton and Fernandez are coming back.... but why? It doesn't matter does it?


Stanton: He broke his wrist swinging and missing and has spent over 2 months now on the recovery of his wrist. He is taking swings and expects to be back next weekend against the Mets. People are asking what is the point? Let him rest and come back stronger next season. There is a point. If Stanton is part of the roster and future plans, they want to know that he is healthy and ready to go. He is still young and the more at-bats he gets, the better he will become at hopefully striking out less and hitting more monster dongs. I mean who doesn't love this!!

Fernandez: He came back just to get hurt again, this time with a forearm strain. He has sat out a month but once again is ready to go next weekend. His case is different as pitchers are delicate. Arm injuries are scary and if he is the face of the franchise, I do not want him playing in meaningless games in September especially since you know what he can offer you... Sit him out and let March be his next time out there. That and opening day. 

Lets see what the Marlins decide. 

Stadium 9: Kauffman Stadium

Kauffman Stadium was opened in 1973 and is located in rural Kansas City, Missouri next to Arrowhead Stadium. 

Based in the City of Fountains, Kauffman Stadium has a ton of them. 

And is built kindly into the ballpark. The Ballpark made recent renovations which improved its standing. That and the recent excitement of baseball in the town. Kansas City has become a baseball town and people are excited to go to the games. This makes baseball fun.... That and delicious Gates BBQ

BBQ in the Midwest is simply amazing. 

I feel like some will bash me and say, well what about the sightlines? Well so what? We are in the Great Plains of the Midwest... What should you see in the back??

Plains duh!! 

Top 10 stadium definitely especially after the recent renovations!

Next up: The Great American Hitters paradise. 

Stadium 10: Citizen's Bank Park and the Marlins injury woes

First of all I've been slacking: 3621 games since the Marlins have hit for the cycle and counting!

If you have looked at the Marlins these days, you may see a pitcher out there and wonder who the fuck is that guy on the mound now? Well it might have to do with the horrendous injury luck this Marlins team has had this year!


Let us look at the opening day roster which includes the best 25 the Marlins went into the season with:
C: Jarred Saltalamacchia: Long name but was banished from the team not even a month into the season
1B: Michael Morse: Besides spending a month out with a broken finger, he was exiled on July 31st because he just was horrendous
2B: Dee Gordon: The one bright spot of the year broke his thumb before the all-star break. He missed a few weeks and the all-star game leaving the Marlins with no representative
SS: Adeiny Hechavarria: HAS STAYED HEALTHY! Well done!
3B: Martin Prado: Missed a month in June with a bum shoulder.
LF: Christian Yelich: Is on his second DL stint, first with his back, and now with a hamstring.
CF: Marcell Ozuna: Was bad enough that he got sent down to the minors for a month
RF: Giancarlo Stanton: Swung so hard he broke his wrist and has been out 2 months.


Pitchers:
Jose Fernandez: Started on the DL, came back. and went back to the DL
Henderson Alvarez: Pitched about 4 games, has not been back since.
Mat Latos: Was up and down and then banished to LA
Dan Haren: Did well but had to be traded to the Cubs
Tom Koehler: Still Around! Yay?!
Jared Cosart: Still has intense vertigo and has been out for a while now
Steve Cishek: Disastrous season, sent to the minors and back and then banished to St Louis
David Phelps: Out for Season with shoulder issues
Carter Capps: Started on DL and fell right back on it recently.

The Miami Marlins sponsored by Jackson Hospital


It is no wonder why the Marlins are battling it out for last place against the Philadelphia Phillies who play in

Stadium 10: Citizens Bank Park.



Citizens bank park is located in the Sports District of South Philadelphia and opened its doors in 2004.

Behind CF you have Ashburn Alley which commerates baseball in Philadelphia including the Negro Leagues


You also have the quarky bullpen situation as they are the only stadium to have the bullpens right on top of each other as such.


The visiting team is on top which makes it easier for hecklers that are simply walking by Ashburn Alley to say their opinions about the opposition. Originally the home team was on top.

More importantly behind CF is the FOOD! Nothing screams Philadelphia without a solid Philly Cheesesteak from Tony Lukes. Yeah it is not Pat or Geno's that you can get in the city but look at this!

And you can get it inside of the stadium!
Also you can not leave Citizens Bank park without having Crab Fries from Chickies and Petes.

Best French Fries and seasoning you will EVER! Taste.

The Views and sight lines are pretty solid at the ballpark but you could get more city in the back. Also the location even though is easy to get to, it is not ideal. A short train ride south from downtown will get you exactly where you want to go.

The Fans....are brutal. Philadelphia will boo Santa Claus and they were not too keen on me wearing a Marlins jersey at their ballpark, even if they were playing the SF Giants... Most of them mellowed out once they heard about my ballpark tour. They are passionate and I will give them credit for that!

Philadelphia is a cool city and a trip to Citizens bank is a must on the list especially when they are playing good baseball... I'll ring their bell for that.


Next up: The City of Fountains

Stadium 11: Coors Field and BEER!!

Anheuser-Busch is the official beer sponsor which means you'll see Budweiser and Bud Lite in most MLB ballparks. In fact they sponsor and are official in 23 of 30 MLB stadiums. This includes Marlins park who has a solid bar in Left Center that Stanton loves to frequent with home run balls.



The problem is the prices of beer at MLB stadiums! I feel that nothing is worse than having to drink a Budweiser (who drinks that?) for a solid 10.50 at Marlins park. You could always go nuts and pay 12 dollars for a premium Corona. (Seriously?)

According to the Business-Journal which I find hard to believe... the cheapest beer at Marlins park is 6 dollars? Good luck finding that high quality beer there.

Also according to the Business-Journal the most expensive place to get a beer is at Fenway park where you are paying a whopping .65 cents an ounce for a beer. This is .15 more cents an ounce than any other ballpark.



This brings me to something amazing at stadium 11: Coors Field in Denver Colorado....


The Blue Moon Brewing company which celebrates its 20 year anniversary is located inside of Coors Field!! Yes a national brand which is quite satisfying is located in the stadium. For a cool 7 dollars, you can drink fresh beer straight from the tap making it the freshest beer you'll ever taste at an MLB stadium. This can make any rain delay at Coors Field seem to fly by easily!

Also celebrating its 20 year anniversary is Coors Field in Denver, Colorado located in downtown Denver.


A beautiful sight line can be seen from the first baseline which are the ever beautiful Rocky Mountains!



Even though I wish they were directly behind the stadium.

Also what really truly won me over was the 4 dollar ticket price that I paid to get into Coors Field! 4 bucks for a game in 2015! Cheap and awesome. Also it is very easy to move around the ballpark which made ending behind home plate on my last visit super easy.

We have also gotten a ball on my two trips to Coors Field! Let's not forget Blue Moon!!

So it definitely has been positive experiences and why it falls in at 11. Why isn't it higher? The other ten just have a better baseball feel and really scream baseball! 

Next up: Top ten! City of brotherly love!

Stadium 12: Citifield and the haunted hotel in baseball.

The Marlins open a three game series in Milwaukee tonight. Most MLB teams stay in the historic Pfister Hotel.



The hotel has been in service since 1893 and is located in downtown Milwaukee. What you do not know is that this place is haunted. Haunted? Well according to the urban legend the original owner, Charles Pfister, likes to overlook the hotel to make sure that things are running smoothly from this balcony.



Fine, no big deal. That is until you hear the stories from MLB players who have stayed in the hotel.

Our own Giancarlo Stanton compares it to the Haunted Mansion at Disney World with its weird paintings.

CJ Wilson has his story:

"I've had lots of experiences there. I was on the computer one night, doing my typical shtick -- surfing the web, sending an email, editing a photo -- and then all of a sudden the lights started flickering. I'm thinking to myself, I'm going to be so pissed if my computer dies. Then the light just shuts off. And then the TV shuts off. And then the light turns back on, but the light at the front door turns off. I just yelled out, "Really?"

I have this thing with ghosts. Just engage them or confront them. Just say, "Hey, man, I'm here to chill out. I'm just here to send some emails, no big deal. Just leave me alone." So after that, I went back to whatever I was doing on the computer, but then 30 minutes later there's scratching in the walls. Now I'm thinking, Okay, it's the Midwest, there could be a possum or something in the wall, right? That's possible, isn't it? All I knew was that there were definitely noises coming from the wall. I just said out loud again, "Can you please just leave me alone? I'm really trying to work here."

At this point, I'm on edge. I'm literally looking to see if there are people in the hallway, if someone's trying to pull something. We'll do that sometimes -- take a guy's key card and hide in the closet or behind the shower and jump out. But then the lights really start going crazy, and I'm like, "Are you kidding me? I don't want anything from you! Leave me alone! Or write it down. Write down what you want. I can't communicate with you through the lights."

The next day, we all show up at the park, and everyone has this uneasy feeling, like we had bad Chinese food or something. I said to one of my teammates, "You wouldn't believe the s--- that was going on in my hotel room last night." And another guy said, "Oh my god. Are you talking about that s--- you heard?" Everybody had a story. One dude got locked in his bathroom and he had to get the hotel to get him out. Another guy had the lights turn off when he was in the shower. Another guy saw something." (ESPN)

Pablo Sandoval: who is a big guy said this

"I don't like the ghosts there. In 2009 I went to take a shower, and I remember putting my iPod next to a speaker. When I came out, it was playing music, and I have no idea why. I left the hotel after that. I didn't want to stay there. In 2010 me and Edgar [Renteria] stayed down the street and paid for it on our own. Then last month, I decided to stay there again. I asked myself, Why do I have to be afraid? The only thing I asked the ghosts was to let me sleep. And they did." (ESPN)

One more story from Michael Young:

"Oh, f--- that place. Listen, I'm not someone who spreads ghost stories, so if I'm telling you this, it happened. A couple of years ago, I was lying in bed after a night game, and I was out. My room was locked, but I heard these footsteps inside my room, stomping around. I'd heard all these stories about this hotel, so I was wide awake at that point. And then I heard it again, these footsteps on the floor, so I yelled out, "Hey! Make yourself at home. Hang out, have a seat, but do not wake me up, okay?" After that, I didn't hear a thing for the rest of the night. I just let him know he was welcome, that we could be pals, that he could marinate in there for as long as he needed to, just as long as he didn't wake me up." (ESPN)

There also have been stories of Marlins players who demanded to sleep in the same room because they were scared of the hotel. (Players normally have their own room) There have been other players that simply will sleep at a neighboring hotel on their own dime. The fear is real, which makes me wonder why MLB teams still stay at the Pfister Hotel?

Stadium 12: CitiField 

Located in Queens at the end of the 7 line is CitiField. The stadium opened its doors in 2009 and has been the new home of the Mets since. The transit on the 7 train can take you a little while unless you take the express route since it is at the end of the line.

As you walk in to Citi Field, you are welcomed with a dedication to #42 Jackie Robinson who was the first African American player in MLB baseball. It is a beautiful entrance and ode to a very brave individual who broke down the color barriers.

That is officially heaven. You will wait the line for the amazing custard and burger and fries that comes from the Shake Shack. I know they have opened a few down here, but nothing beats the novelty of having it there at a Met game.

Games are fun at Citifield. It is a much more fun atmosphere to watch a game at than at its counterpart in the Bronx. They want you to sit and enjoy the fun of Mets baseball. 

So what is missing at CitiField? There is nothing back there. You have the possibility of amazing NYC skyline and it is not there. I mean I get that you can not face west in baseball, but find a way! The other odd part is that this is one of the few stadiums that will not let you sneak in behind home plate even in the 8th or 9th inning, even if it is empty, even if it is 14-0. Seriously? Why do we have to be ticket nazis CitiField? Why

Luckily they make that 7 train an express to get back very quickly to Manhattan...

Next up: Blue Moon brewery at a ballpark??