Stacey & her mom on Mother's Day

As you may or may not know, my wife and I will be bringing Lincoln Kenneth Dobbins, a future Cardinal fan (if not starting pitcher), into the world on or around August 14th of this year. Earlier this month over Mother’s Day weekend, we took a trip to Ohio to visit my dad’s side of the family so they could witness the enormity of Lincoln’s presence (it’s hard to believe Stacey still has two more months of growing to do).

The 1,200 mile journey only lasted Thursday through Sunday, but we made the absolute most of it by squeezing in a dinner with a Great Grandmother to-be on Friday, a surprise baby shower with extended family on Saturday and a Cardinals game in Cincinnati on the way home. We were very excited that Stacey’s mom, Jan, could join us on the trip to make the weekend in Ohio and Mother’s Day at Great American Ballpark that much more meaningful!

After an overnight stay at the Millenium Hotel in downtown Cincinnati, the three of us went to Rock Bottom Brewery for lunch before the game. Jan and I sampled seven of their beers on tap before selecting a seasonal brew as our favorite.  If you didn’t believe them before, Fountains of Wayne was right – Staceys’ mom really does have it going on! I highly recommend the Millenium if you ever venture to Cincinnati, and the price tag of $75 including all taxes was a steal! If you do stay downtown, I also recommend not using hotel parking. Instead of paying $25+ per day at the hotel, I used a nice parking garage just across the street. Since we stayed less than 24 hours, it cost us $8. I’ve found that if you ask the concierge or valet attendant for alternative parking options, they’ll usually point you in the right direction.

Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio

Stacey and I had visited Great American Ballpark once before on Easter in 2004. For the most part, it was as we remembered. Jan was surprised when we told her the ballpark opened in 2003. I think the design and materials do make it look like it was built in the late eighties or early nineties, before Camden Yards revolutionized the retro look and feel of ballparks. I guess Cincinnati was trying to be different. Some think it didn’t work as planned and I agree.  Simply put, Great American Ballpark seems to be disjointed from the main downtown area.  Hopefully the developments that are underway in the adjacent lots will help that problem.  The view of the field and of the Ohio River from our section along the third base line was outstanding, but the ballpark seems to lack personality… unless you find a plethora of white steel to be appealing.

The game itself was quite long.  Because we had a long drive ahead of us, we decided to leave after about three and a half hours since it was only the eighth inning.  Turns out, the game would go into extra innings with the Cardinals winning a close one 8-7 after nearly four and a half hours.  On the radio we listened to the eighth pitcher of the day, Chris Perez, close out his first save on the season as we began our drive back to the StL…

It’s no secret that we plan much of our travel schedules around Cardinals away games.  But when I think of all the journeys Stacey and I have made over the years to different ballparks watching the Cardinals and other teams play, I find myself not able to remember more than one or two specific plays or performaces without glancing at the box scores or newspaper articles online. But I do remember distinctly how each journey felt. On this particular journey, we’ll always remember the many well-wishes from family, friends and even complete strangers in Cincinnati congratulating us on our future Cardinals fan.  The victory at Great American Ballpark that Sunday just added a little more icing onto an already sweet and happy Mother’s Day weekend in Ohio.

Safe travels,
Paul Dobbins
www.ballparkjourneys.com

Stacey and Paul Dobbins at Wrigley

In the last 8 days, my wife and I have had the opportunity to see the Cardinals play the Cubs twice – once at Wrigley (4/18) and once at Busch (4/26). Unfortunately, the Cardinals lost both games we attended. Despite the poor results, the experiences were – as always – entertaining. At Wrigley we witnessed several heated verbal arguments and even a classic fist-fight in the stands. In all cases, drunk Cardinal fans were tossed, and rightly so. At Busch, we did see a few Cubs fans being sternly talked-to by security, but well before anything significant happened. I was actually surprised at the lack of a security presence at Wrigley. So the edge in security goes to Busch.

Additional ratings and observations about Wrigley and Busch:

Neighborhood
Around Wrigley, parking is the weak spot with some spots costing upwards of $40, but the bars and restaurants in Wrigleyville are plentiful and priced more reasonably than the parking. Downtown St. Louis needs much more than just Ballpark Village to even come close to thinking about creating this type of atmosphere.
Advantage: Wrigley

Affordability
First, St. Louis doesn’t have the dominant presence of ticket brokers at every street corner, which has been a sore subject in Chicago in recent years. And while neither club’s ticket office prices are great for Cubs/Cards games ($32 for a bleacher seat at Busch which is 45% higher than regular games costing $22), at least at Busch you can still buy tickets for Cubs/Cards games (albeit standing room or nosebleeds) during the season. Don’t think you have to use the ticket office though; good last minute deals can usually still be found via Craigslist, eBay and StubHub – especially in this economy…
Advantage: Busch

Views
While Wrigley has unique views from rooftops and their seats are closer to the action, a large percentage of tickets in the 200 level seats have semi-obstructed views courtesy of the lovely metal poles holding up the upper level. Luckily our seats were far enough back in the 200 level section that the views were ok. But if you do sit in the 200 level down the road just know that your chances of having a completely obstructed view decrease the farther back you sit in the section. I’ve sat in other sections at Wrigley and had great views, but at Busch there’s not really a bad view in the house.
Advantage: Busch

Comfort & Amenities
Most people think Wrigley is extremely small, but if judged by seating capacity, that’s not really the case. And therein lies the problem. There are 41,118 seats at Wrigley putting Wrigley in the lower third of MLB ballpark seating capacities, but that’s still only a few thousand less than new Busch (46,861). Missing in those Wrigley numbers, however, are about 1,700 rooftop seats, (the Cubs get a 17% cut of the revenues so I’ll count them as seats). That brings the total seating capacity to nearly 43,000 which would put Wrigley in the dead center of all MLB ballparks for seating capacity. The problem is that Wrigley was not originally built vertically and has limited space to expand so no matter how you cut it, Wrigley is cramped compared to Busch. Not as bad as Fenway, but close…
Advantage: Busch

History & Traditions
Wow, does Wrigley have some history! That ivy-covered wall has been a solid part of losing teams for generations! (sorry, I had to put at least one jab in) More seriously, the seventh inning stretch at Wrigley remains the best in baseball and seeing an opposing team’s home run ball thrown back is a Wrigley classic moment!
Advantage: Wrigley

Overall, my opinion remains that Wrigley is a great place to visit for a game or a series and a must-visit ballpark for anyone who loves baseball, but I am very glad it is not my everyday, home ballpark. The amenities and comfort of Busch trumps the history and neighborhood atmosphere of Wrigley as an everyday ballpark. Carlos Zambrano might have been onto something earlier this year when he suggested the Cubs should get a new home after visiting the new Yankee Stadium. Maybe a new ballpark would reverse the 100+ year losing streak…

Nah.

Agree? Disagree? I’d love to read your ballpark ratings and stories of memorable Cards/Cubs game experiences – make sure you leave a comment below.

Safe travels,
Paul Dobbins
www.ballparkjourneys.com
Twitter

I’ve been to Wrigley before, but never for a Cards/Cubs game. I haven’t been this excited for a baseball road trip in quite a long time. There’s always something special about watching your favorite team play on the road in another ballpark, but this time it’s different.  In these tough economic times, following your favorite ballclub on the road can have a wonderfully calming effect… it reminds you of what’s important in life – time spent with friends and family – and that you have to enjoy it and live life to the fullest.  I’ve found that the excitement of a new journey with new experiences takes you back to your youth and creates a certain kind of traditional happiness.

I think tonight I will probably go to sleep watching The Natural or Field of Dreams, two of my favorite movies of all-time.

The Cardinals will win or lose on Saturday, but either way we plan on having a great time taking in the atmosphere. My post next week will be about our first Cards/Cubs experience at Wrigley.  For now, I leave you with one of the most inspirational speeches about baseball in cinematic history that rings true throughout the times, both good and bad.  It gives me goose bumps every time…

Safe travels & Go Cards!
-Paul

Paul Dobbins
www.ballparkjourneys.com
ballparkjourney on Twitter

Bundle up tomorrow!!!  Also keep in mind the contingency plan – if the weather is too crappy – is a double-header on Tuesday… let’s just hope the game can be played Monday!  Too many sick days would be used if that doesn’t happen!  :)

-Paul Dobbins
president@ballparkjourneys.com

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Looking into the crystal baseball...

Are you the second coming of Nostradamus???  Here’s your chance to put – in writing – your picks for this season.

For reference, here are some SI “expert” picks for this season.
(Notice that 3 of 13 experts pick the Cubs to win it all)

Now… where do YOU think the Cardinals will end up? My fearless predictions are as follows:

American League
East – Yankees
Central – Twins
West – Angels
Wildcard – Indians
ALCS – Angels over Indians
Bold Predictions: Wildcard not in East & the Royals will battle down the stretch for it, but fall short
Awards: MVP: Sizemore; Cy: Greinke; ROY: Wieters

National League
East – Mets
Central – Cubs
West – D-Backs
Wildcard – Cardinals
NLCS – Mets over Cardinals
Bold Predictions: Cubs win first post-season game in years… and proceed to lose 3 straight.
MVP: Wright; Cy: Haren; ROY: Maybin

Cardinals/All-Star Predictions: Carpenter regains form to become 2nd ace; at least one opening day outfielder is traded for pitching and/or prospects; Ankiel wins HR Derby; I end up with a HR ball from the derby; NL wins All-Star Game for first time in forever; Cards send Pujols, Molina, Ankiel & Wainwright to ASG; Molina wins Gold Glove; Perez becomes everyday closer in May/June and earns 30 saves.

World Series: Angels over Mets

I hope I’m wrong.  I’d like the Cardinals over the Indians in the WS except for the fact that I’d go broke going to every game home & away.  Speaking of… I’ll be attending a Cardinals game in Cleveland in June – more on that (and other Cardinals travel) in a later post…

See you at Busch Stadium on Monday for Opening Day!!!  Be sure to wear your red parka!

Safe travels,
Paul
Ballpark Journeys

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Email: president@ballparkjourneys.com

As a season-ticket holder since 2006, I see a lot of Busch Stadium throughout the season so the thought of taking a tour  never really occurred to me.  I’m glad I went yesterday!  If you haven’t taken the tour – or even if you have – I highly recommend a tour of Busch Stadium this coming week.  Let me tell you why a stadium tour just prior to Opening Day is a good use of that $10 burning a hole in your pocket…

Preparing Busch Stadium for Opening Day

As I waited at Gate 5 in the Outfield, I watched as a cleaning crew was power-washing the bleachers.  Once I entered the stadium, sweepers and golf carts were everywhere, tidying up the place.  In right field, new signage was being installed with a boom truck.  Scoreboard operators were testing the monitors and sign boards throughout the stadium (in one instance Chris Duncan’s position was listed on the board as 2B – look closely at the picture).  New logos and ads were displayed in several locations.  And while it was kind of disappointing that we couldn’t go into the dugout, at the least reason was because of a new coat of paint that had yet to dry.

I really enjoyed seeing the decor in the Redbird Club (inspired by DeWitt’s baseball card collection), visiting the broadcasting booth, seeing the Cardinals Club, and – of course – walking on the field.  But the thing I enjoyed seeing the most is all the action and preparations being made for Opening Day.  This is an exciting time of year, and my visit only increased my excitement for the season.

If you’re near St. Louis this coming week and get the chance, go down to Busch Stadium if only to see the preparations.  While you’re there, stop in for the tour if you haven’t been on it.  You’re bound to see things you haven’t seen before, even if you’re a season ticket holder like me.  More importantly, you’ll be even more ready for this All Star Season to begin! 

Safe travels,
Paul

Paul Dobbins
president@ballparkjourneys.com
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The Dobbins Family outside Bright House Field in Clearwater, FL. Spring '09

Luckily for me, I had some time to ponder these issues this past week while in beautiful Florida catching a Cardinals spring training game against the Phillies in Clearwater. Upon walking up to the ballpark with my wife, parents & extended family, memories of my only other spring training experience flooded my thoughts…

In the late ’80s we would visit my grandparents in Vero Beach, known during the spring as Dodgertown (sadly, they’ve since moved). The Dodgers had just won the World Series. One of my favorite pitchers was Orel Hershiser. My dad and I left the stadium a bit early after Orel had finished pitching. We found him walking with a trainer between the ballpark and clubhouse. I had never seen a pitcher’s arm wrapped in ice like that before – I remember asking why his shoulder looked so strange. While it looked like he needed to get somewhere, Hershiser stopped to talk to me and my dad for a few minutes. In reality, it was probably thirty seconds, but even such a short interaction left us both with memories that will never fade.

Fast forward to Spring Training 2009… the fifth inning is just about to start. Albert Pujols comes out of the dugout and heads to the on-deck circle to prepare for his next at-bat. But before he gets there, he spots a few kids near the backstop and immediately makes his way over to them.  Smiling, as he seemingly always does, Albert couldn’t resist conversing and joking around with the young fans as the pitcher finishes his warm-up throws. Parents quickly snap photos, capturing images that will be forever remembered and shown to future kids and grandkids.

On the flight back home I realized that it’s been twenty years since I’ve been to a Spring Training game. In those years, there have been doping allegations, positive drug tests, cheating, asterisks, a work stoppage & exponentially rising costs to attend a game.

But despite everything that is “wrong” in this baseball era we live in, one thing hasn’t changed… at Spring Training, lifelong memories are still being made for fans of all ages. It is the highest level of baseball in its purest form in a beautiful, relaxed atmosphere. My wife and I have agreed to make Spring Training travel an annual event. And we’re very much looking forward to experiencing the magic of Spring Training with our son or daughter (the sex of our first child should be known on Tuesday!).

My name is Paul Dobbins, the newest contributor to Whiteyball. As President of BallparkJourneys.com, my writing will concentrate on baseball travel, ballpark experiences and positive stories showing why baseball is still one of America’s greatest treasures. Until next time…

Safe travels,
Paul
president@ballparkjourneys.com

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