Bucket List Moment in the City of Brotherly "Eh"

On a recent Monday (my only day off from work), my husband and I drove to Philadelphia to visit Citizens Bank Park - our eighth ball park in our quest to visit all 30 Major League baseball parks.  It was a picture-perfect day for a game between the Phillies and the visiting Atlanta Braves, and because the Phillies have sucked for the past couple of years, we were able to get excellent seats (in the second row behind the Phillies' dugout).  Because I wasn't going to be rooting for neither the Phillies nor the Braves, I decided to use this particular day to check an item off my "Bucket List:" scoring a live baseball game for all nine innings.

Now, many of you might be surprised to know that I, as a downright and legitimate baseball nerd, have never scored a game in my life.  One reason is because when I'm watching a baseball game on TV from the comfort of my sofa (I've been told not to call it a couch), I'm usually multitasking (working on a Sudoku, browsing catalogs for inventory orders for my shop, or checking Facebook).  When I have attended games in the past, I have been too focused on the game itself to take the time to stare at a piece of paper and write things down (how can I check out the players' butts if my head is down the whole time?).  Plus, being legally blind, it's enough of a challenge for me to watch a game let alone try to keep score on an actual paper grid.  But on this day, since I wasn't rooting for either team, I decided to keep myself entertained by keeping score.

First of all, if you're looking for my in-depth review of Citizens Bank Park itself, you're not going to get it, because I honestly have nothing to say.  It was about as unremarkable as Miller Park in Milwaukee, which we visited last year and I didn't blog about because it was the most plain and vanilla-looking park ever.  Or so I thought until I got to Philly.  Citizens Bank Park, like Miller Park, was built in the outskirts of a bustling city, with ample parking and acres of nothingness surrounding it.  Now, I know I've been critical of "shoe-horned" parks in the past (like Camden Yards in Baltimore and Progressive Field in Cleveland) because they make me feel claustrophobic, but at least they provide a better ambiance in and around the ballpark.  You can spot several street vendors, many outdoor dining venues full of fans, and experience an overall exciting and fan-friendly experience before you even set foot inside the park.  Not in Philly.  You drive there, the nice parking attendant takes your money and tells you to park in one of the thousands of available spots in the blazing sun (the only nice person we met the entire time we were there), and you go into the ballpark because other than checking out the Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt statues, there's not much to do outside the park.  Yawn!

Once inside, we got some lunch (we were told to actually stay away from the Philly cheese steak sandwiches in the park because they were mediocre, so we settled for mediocre quesadillas instead).  After finding our really good seats, I filled out my lineup sheet.  I had printed out a blank score-keeping grid ahead of time, so I was ready.  I didn't know what I was doing, but I was ready!  Luckily, I was sitting next to the most patient and wonderful human being ever (my husband, Tom), who happened to know how to score a game from his days playing Little League.  Yes, that was a long time ago, but slashes, backwards Ks, and numbers haven't changed throughout the decades.  So armed with my scoresheet, a good pen, and a trusty companion, I was ready.

The only thing I knew about scoring a game was that there was a difference between a regular K and a backwards K.  I wasn't sure what that difference was - one was a strikeout swinging and the other was a strikeout looking - but I didn't know which was which. A quick Google search helped me realize that a regular K is when a batter strikes out swinging.  OK; got that.  I then had to label all the positions - Pitcher- 1, Catcher- 2, First Base- 3, Second base- 4, Third base- 5, Shortstop- 6, Left field- 7, Center field- 8, Right field- 9.  OK; got that too.  And because I'm a true nerd, I had to write down the weather, temperature, and umpires.  Now it's time to play ball!

The first batter was Ender Inciarte, the Braves' center fielder.  He hit a fly ball to center field, so I just had to write an "8" on my scorecard.  Piece of cake.

The second batter, second baseman Brandon Phillips, hit to the pitcher, who threw to first base for the out.  That was a 1-3 on my sheet.  No problem.

The third batter, First baseman Freddie Freeman (who was playing third base that day), hit a grounder to second base, so that was a 4-3.  I got this.

In the bottom of the first inning, it got a bit tricky.  When Aaron Altherr, the Phillies' right fielder and third player to bat, got on base because of a base hit, I had to shade in a section of my diamond grid.  Then Tommy Joseph got a base hit, so I had to shade in his section plus add to Altherr's grid.  Not a problem though; hubby was right there, telling me what to do.

In the top of the second inning, I got to do all sorts of shading of the grids, because the Braves' Matt Adams, Nick Markakis, and Danny Santana all got base hits.  The problem was that I shaded the first-inning grids instead of the second-inning ones.  I should have bought a pencil instead of a pen!  But I corrected my errors and kept going.  I was determined to see this through to the end of the game (Note to self:  Bring a highlighter next time to better keep track of what inning we're in ).

This game turned out to be the best game for a first-time scorer.  There were walks, strikeouts (both regular K and backwards K), an error by Freddie Freeman that was later removed (again - should have brought a pencil!) but an error by Ian Krol that was legit, home runs by Suzuki, Herrera, and Franco, and even a hit-by-pitch (two of them, in fact).  It made the time go by pretty fast, and it forced hubby and me to pay attention and keep track of what was going on.

So what did I learn from this experience?  Well, first of all, you have to appreciate your spouse and the expertise they can bring to a certain situation.  I can tell hubby that there are 26 bones in each foot and recite the entire lineup of the 2008 Phillies (and the 1989 Mets), but he can tell me how to score an Infield Fly Rule on a scorecard.  Without my husband there to help me along, I would have given up after the first inning.

I was also reminded of the importance of writing things down.  As an Athletic Trainer in college, I was taught that "If you didn't write it down, it didn't happen." (Thanks, Charlie and Wayne!) So yeah - if I didn't keep score, I would not have remembered a few weeks later that Pivetta got the win for the Phillies that day and Foltynewicz got the loss (the Phillies won 7-6).

I also realized that you can't take cool ballparks (like Fenway and PNC Park) for granted, because of the 30 Major League ballparks, only a handful of them are going to remain fresh in your mind because they're cool or nostalgic or have pretty outfield views.  As long as you have good company, eat decent food (and get a cheap-enough beer, in hubby's case), don't get too lost on your way home from the ballpark, and know the difference between a strikeout swinging versus a strikeout looking, you can have an unforgettable day enjoying America's pastime.  Here's to baseball, husbands, and those who keep score day in and day out. :-)

My Husband and Me at the PNC

Since my husband and I have decided (actually, I have decided - I'm not sure how he feels about it) to try and catch a baseball game in each Major League city, it was time to venture outside of the Nationals Park/Camden Yards radius and visit another ball park (we have been to two games so far this season - one at Nationals Park during opening week and one at Oriole Park in early June).  We decided to go to Pittsburgh for a couple of reasons.  First, it's only 3 hours away and we wouldn't have to kennel the dog for very long.  Also, it is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who not only are in first place in the NL Central, but it is the team where Roberto Clemente played during his illustrious career.  So why not go to Pittsburgh?  We bought some game tickets, booked a hotel, and were on our way.

Pittsburgh is a very interesting city.  It is divided by the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers (which turn into the Ohio River), so you can either go to the North Shore or the South Shore.  We picked a hotel in the North Shore within walking distance to PNC Park, which was VERY convenient.  The park was built in 2001, and for being only 12 years old, it had pretty crappy bathrooms (no pun intended).  I didn't really mean to make that my first observation, but really, a modern-day park should have more than four stalls in each bathroom.  So anyway, the park isn't the most beautiful park I've ever seen, but its façade blends in nicely with the surrounding 70s-style buildings in the area (Heinz Field is about a block away, so Steelers fans take note).  PNC Park has statues of Honus Wagner, Bill Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente on the outside, and is super-easy to get to since it's right next to the Roberto Clemente bridge, one of the many bridges that can get drivers, pedestrians, and bike riders from one shore to the other.

OK, so my husband and I donned our Pirates garb (they were playing the Phillies, so there was no way I was wearing their colors) and walked around a bit before finding our seats.  The park reminded me a bit of Camden Yards - a ball park that was shoehorned into an already-existing spot, so everything is very... let's call it "intimate" or "cozy" so as not to call it cramped or crowded.  I'm so used to Nationals Park, where everything is spread out and there isn't much going on around the park itself, that when I go to well-established ballparks, I can't help but feel a little claustrophobic.  But on a positive note, these parks (and PNC is one of them) have bars and restaurants and plenty of ambiance right outside the park, which is something you won't find in DC (unless you're fascinated by the Department of Transportation building or the Navy Yard).

So we get to our seats, and there is a VERY large man taking up two seats - his and half of mine.  Now, I don't mean to offend any of you readers who may be of large girth, but if you weigh over 300 pounds, you either need to buy the seats on either side of you, or you need to buy a seat at the end of a row so only one person is sitting with your excess spare tire on his or her lap.  Not only did I have "Tubby" spilling onto my seat and taking up my arm rest, but he was helping himself to an entire bucket of chicken wings, which he polished off in no time and then proceeded to lick his fingers loudly and disgustingly.  He was not my favorite person at that point (I won't even tell you how nasty sweaty he was when he got up to refill his 32-ounce soda in the sixth inning - that would be insensitive of me).
 
Also annoying were the people sitting behind us.  Why is it that every time we go to a game, there are three couples sitting behind us who spend way too much time talking and catching up on gossip instead of paying attention to the game?  The one dude's daughter got to march in a parade, the other dude talked about how he likes to scare away the boys that his daughter dates, and the third dude kept talking about his deer hunting adventures.  The last deer he shot at didn't even bleed when the arrow penetrated his side!  Shut up and watch the game, people!  You already said that you were all going to have dinner at the Hofbrauhaus after the game, so do your chit-chatting then - some of us actually want to watch a ball game!

Anyway, the game itself was a good one.  The Pirates allowed too many hits and lost 6-4, but it was nice to see All-Star Andrew McCutchen driving in 2 runs (did you know he hasn't cut his hair in the past 6 years?  I found that fact fascinating!).  The Phillies sent veteran (and Bryce Harper hater) Cole Hamels to the mound, and despite getting the win, he still has a lousy 4-11 record.  The fans were loud and were engaged throughout the whole game, and it was nice to see a team with such a rich history and such loyal fans.  Nationals fans are relatively new, since the team came over from Montreal in 2005, and they are generally polite, well-dressed and reserved government employees (except for the occasional loud Puerto Rican female).  It was neat to see fans - both Phillies and Pirates fans - with swagger and attitude and sheer dedication to their team.

Something else I liked about the fans at PNC Park was the amount of Clemente jerseys and shirts worn by Pittsburgh fans.  While I did see a lot of people sporting McCutchen shirts, the Clemente ones by far outnumbered those of current players.  Not only are Pirates fans passionate about their current team, but they seem to know their team's rich history and seem to embrace those past players who made such a positive impact on baseball.  Clemente's number, 21, was everywhere - on jerseys, around the outfield, and throughout the park.

The view of the Pittsburgh skyline that I got from my seat was also very nice.  It definitely beat the view of the tall parking garage at Nationals Park (you have to sit in the nosebleed seats to get a view of the Capitol) and it's way better than the old factory in the outfield of Oriole Park, which makes me claustrophobic.  It was nice to see some sky, some tall buildings, the Allegheny River, and of course the bright yellow Roberto Clemente bridge. 

Two things that were pretty lame were the racing pierogies and the song choice of Clint Barmes.  Regarding the racing pierogies, they were four people dressed as oversized pierogies who raced around the outfield before the top of the 6th inning.  They just ran around, and it was honestly a little bit boring.  You see, I'm used to the Racing Presidents, who push, shove, trip and do whatever it takes to win.  Abraham Lincoln has been known to push Mr. Taft out of the way, Teddy Roosevelt has tied all the shoelaces of his presidential mates together to make them trip, and George Washington has sent the other presidents running in the other direction so he could cross the finish line first.  At Nats Park it's a contact sport; at PNC Park it's just boring.

Now regarding Clint Barmes... he's the Pirates' shortstop, and the song that they play after he's introduced at every at-bat is "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.  Now, I enjoy Journey as much as the next child of the 80s, and yes, "don't stop believing" might be an inspirational message, but it's just a lame song to use before an at-bat.  "The smell of wine and cheap perfume?"  Really?  How about some AC/DC or some Ozzie Osbourne or a little bit of Daddy Yankee?  Barmes' song choice is almost as bad as relief pitcher Ryan Matthieus, whose song of choice is "Firework" by Katie Perry.  Not too manly of a song, I must say.

All in all, it was a good experience at PNC Park.  Our next game will be at Nationals Park in a couple of weeks, but in August we get to experience Progressive Field in Cleveland, where I am excited to see the Tribe hosting the Detroit Tigers and hope to check out yet another Major League park for the first time.  But before that, stay tuned for the All-Star Game selections, which will be announced in the next couple of days.  The season may be halfway over, but there's still a lot of baseball to be played, and I'm enjoying every bit of it!