Endgame

Hey Everyone!

I have taken some time to think about what I want to write about for this final entry. It has been a very exciting and emotional summer with lots of experiences that are too many to list and recite here. I must honestly say that I am at a loss for words when it comes to this.

This journey started back on that cold February day at PK Park with the Ducks Home Opener. It traversed Tacoma on the Northwest BRT before venturing onto the NL Central and Pittsburgh, Chicago, and St. Louis. After a short break, it was the unique trip to the Triple-A All-Star Game. Two weeks later, it was off to North Carolina which spanned five days. In the middle of August was the trip to Canada. A few weeks later was San Francisco and to top it off was Seattle. And then all the trips to Portland and the games here in Eugene. All in all, 50 games in 13 different cities. I traveled thousands of miles by plane, train, automobile, bike, and by foot. And, I probably spent more money than I should have.

All the experiences that I had are incredible. Be it drinks at the Budwesier Brewery, a trip to Cameron Indoor, bike ride in Stanley Park, Crissy Field beach, thrown fish in Pike Place Market, riding buses in Tacoma, going to Obama's house, driving the freeways in North Carolina, going to Shanksville, or the last games at Civic, I can say that I have had a baseball season that probably nobody in this world has ever had. All these memories sort of make a feeling of contentment inside. I accomplished everything I wanted to, and then some.

But it is also the memories that have cast a pall on all this. I lost a place this summer that had been a large part of my life. The whole Civic Stadium saga that was this summer made me view my life in a whole different picture. I see the game of baseball in a different light now. I have seen what can happen when money, greed, and corruption invade this sport. But the memories I have at that place can never be influenced by those things. My memories are inside and they can't take those away from me. I have learned to treasure the memories and the places where we feel comfortable. I have learned to soak in every minute of every day, because they won't ever come back again. Mark my words, baseball will never be the same in this community. Eugene has lost a treasure that may not come back again.

This game did a lot to help my psyche and help keep me on an even keel. With all those experiences, I had trouble in my life this summer, and it was this game of baseball that was always there. My life went through so many ups and downs, but baseball was always there. Be it problems with women, my families financial and legal situation, or my future, baseball was always there. I can't help but remember that line from Field of Dreams:

"America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again."

This blog was an excellent idea. A lot of people read it with some regularity and I enjoyed keeping all of you informed of what was going on. It added another dimension to BRTs and made me pay attention more to my surroundings and settings. My discovery of Twitter was also good for more instantaneous updates. I could send updates from the games themselves as they were actually happening. It was really cool to have that type of thing at my disposal. I'm going to keep this blog open for updates. Some stuff may change and come up, so I will try and throw in an update here and there.

So, what's next for me? That is a good question. I'm joining the Peace Corps next year, but I am unsure as to the exact date of my deployment. They have told me June, but it really is a shot in the dark. During this off-season, I plan on staying here at my home in Creswell and engaging in some volunteer activities while trying to find a menial day job. If I'm successful in that endeavour, I will save every penny for some BRTs next year before I deploy, if I'm still in the states during baseball season. Just thinking aloud, going to a game at Fenway Park in Boston is paramount. I've been to Wrigley and the old Yankee Stadium, so Fenway would complete the trifecta of those old ballparks. I have also expressed some interest in maybe flying down to Arizona and seeing some spring training games. That would be a great way to get some games in early in the year. Finally, I would love to take a trip down to Southern California. I have a lot of friends that live down there that I would love to see, not to mention the great baseball down there.

If I get deployed before baseball season, there may be a strong possibility that I have seen my last baseball game for a long time. If that be the case, I know for a fact that I made the most out of this whole season and Baseball Extravaganza 2009. This was a season that I will never, ever forget.

So, for the last time...

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)

ODE Article

Here is the link to the Oregon Daily Emerald article about Civic Stadium and my interview:

http://www.dailyemerald.com/sports/bidding-adieu-to-a-true-eugene-gem-1.478562

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)

The Finale

Hey everybody!

Ever watch a fireworks display? The show itself is always exciting and exhilarating, but the finale is always spectacular and well worth the wait. This roadtrip to Seattle was just like that. I had been to the ballpark before, but going with friends and seeing a good game made this finale a great conclusion to a summer that has had so much happen and fill me with so many memories.

We woke up early and took the bus down into Seattle. From there we walked down to the famous Pike Place Public Market. When thinking of possible places to go for this roadtrip, the first thing that popped into my mind was the market and the great entertaining act of the fish market employees. They certainly didn't disappoint.

Once they get an order, the employees engage in a ritualistic, but humorous chorus of yelling and shouting while throwing the sea animals around the shop. The humor and passion that they bring to the job makes them more of a tourist attraction than the actual product they sell. If you're ever in Seattle, don't miss them.

After seeing the projectile fish, we started to make our way down to the park. Along the way, I used the opportunity to explain to Tyler the wonders of all the Seattle skyscrapers. Our host was just as knowledgeable as I was when it came to Seattle landmarks that even I learned a lot. The ten block walk to the park was filled with interesting facts and figures about skyscrapers, city planning and history.

Once we got to the park, we met up with another one of my friends from high school and went in. The Mariners were playing the Yankees, so a large crowd was on hand to see the game. The bleachers were almost completely full and even the upper deck was about 3/4 full.

One of the neat features at Safeco Field is that fans are allowed to look through chain link right into the bullpens and see the pitchers warm up. When I saw that Joba Chamberlin was pitching, I knew that I had to go down and get as close of a picture as I could. However, the real interesting picture was the Yankee catcher Jorge Posada. I'm sure a lot of you have seen that SportsCenter commercial with Posada when he is going down a hallway at the ESPN studios and people in offices he's walking by are yelling "Hip, Hip Jorge!" It happens about three times during the commercial and the final scene is of Posada looking very irritated and annoyed while shaking his head.

When Posada came into the bullpen to warm-up Chamberlin, I yelled at the top of my lungs "Hip, Hip Jorge!" Posada looks right at me and just glares. I was the only one who yelled something, so I was very easy to spot. I just busted up in laughter while everyone looked at me. It was so funny that I was the only who yelled that. I'm sure Posada gets that yelled to him at every park in the Majors, but just the fact that he acknowledged what I said was pretty funny.

Ken Griffey Jr. had a three-run homer and four rbis as the Mariners chased Joba Chamberlin after just three innings. The final score was 7-1 in favor of Seattle.

This represents the last baseball game for me this year. Baseball Extravaganza 2009 is officially concluded. As with all my other entries, I will author a "Final Thoughts" entry for this blog. I'm going to need a few days to kind of gather my thoughts and come up with a summary for this summer. As evidenced by this blog, a lot of stuff happened this summer and putting it all together is going to be a challenge.

I will try my best to get a "Final Thoughts" here in the next 24 hours.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)

Sleepless in Seattle

Greetings from the Emerald City!

I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Saturday. Mine consisted of driving all day and trying to stay awake!

My friend Tyler and I left Creswell at around 1030 this morning. We drove up here to Seattle only stopping once for lunch. I must say that this drive up here is boring and mundane. Taking the train is such a better way to go. You can get up, walk around, grab something to drink, etc. It is so much more civilized.

Anyways, we got here to Seattle and met up with one of Tyler's friends who is being gracious enough to allow us to sleep here tonight. He is going to the game with us tomorrow.

The people I am staying with are very nice and decent people. I wish that I was more awake and energetic when interacting with them. Maybe the six-hour car ride had something to do with it.

After we got here, our hosts took us to a friend of theirs to have dinner and watch some tv. The original plan was to eat dinner and then go into Downtown, but we were just way too tired to have anymore adventures for the day. We ended up just sitting around, watching the baseball game, and visiting with these very nice people.

The plan for tomorrow is this: at around 0930, we'll hop on the bus into Downtown Seattle. After cruising around for a few hours and seeing the sights, we'll make our way to the ballpark and see the game. We'll depart Seattle immediately following the game. Our ETA back to Creswell should be around 2300. I will throw out an update then.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)

All Good Things...

Good day everyone!

The leaves are starting to change colors, everyone is psyched for football, and school is starting. That must mean that Fall is here and Summer is over. It also means that Baseball Extravaganza 2009 will be coming to a swift end this weekend up in Seattle. For the last baseball game of the year, I will see the Seattle Mariners entertain the New York Yankees at Safeco Field.

The title of this blog signifies what I'm feeling. All good things must come to an end, and that is now. This will be a fitting cap to an extraordinary season that started way back on February 27 with the Ducks Home Opener.

The game this weekend will hold a lot of special meaning to me as it will be the 50th professional game I have gone to this season. In 2008, I went to 53, but this year had more diversity. I traveled thousands of miles to all corners of this continent going to baseball games. The wide variety of settings and games has made for a wild summer that I will surely never forget.

I will be leaving for Seattle tomorrow morning with a buddy of mine from high school. He has never been to Seattle before, so I'm going to take him to the sights in Seattle in the afternoon and evening. I've only been to the Pikes Place Fish Market once and I would kind of like to go again seeing that the people who throw the fish and all are wonderful entertainers.

On Sunday morning, we'll meet up with two more friends and go to the game. I've been to Safeco many times before, so the big plan for this game is just to have a lot of fun. I've gotten the keychain and shotglass, I've made the grades, so I'm just planning on enjoying this game to the fullest with some friends.

This past week has been very influential as some important developments have taken place. As many of you know, I have been nominated to join the Peace Corps next year. As a result, there may be a chance that this game up to Seattle will be my final baseball game here in the states until I return from the Peace Corps in 2012. That chance may be slim, but I'm still going to treat this as the last game.

I, as always, will be bringing the computer up to Seattle for updates to this blog. Also keep an eye out on my Twitter and Facebook pages as I will update them as well. This has been one heck of a ride and I plan on sending it out in style.

Before signing out, the Daily Emerald article about Civic Stadium and me will be on newsstands September 21. I am also working on a public presentation at the Creswell Library about Baseball Extravaganza 2009 around MLB playoff time featuring the 200+ pics I've taken and the stories from the road. I'll let you all know about that.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)

BRTs - - On Newsstands Now!

Hello boys and girls!

I know I said I wouldn't update until Seattle next weekend, but I thought I'd let all of you know that I had a very nice interview today with Ben Schorzman, sports reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald. It was about Civic Stadium, my experiences there, and my BRTs. It is slated to come out in the "back-to-school" edition of the Emerald sometime around the 28th of this month. When it does come out, I'll let all of you know.

This is the second time in two weeks that I have been interviewed by the media extensively about Civic Stadium and my BRTs. It is kind of cool knowing that people are taking notice of what I have done in the last seven months and that it is worthy of a news story. My intimate knowledge of Civic Stadium certainly adds to my credibility in the media. In fact, there have been people that have mentioned I should write a book about Baseball Extravaganza 2009. As neat as that may sound, I'm content with writing this blog. I don't think I'm ready for printed publishing.

I'm leaving for Seattle this weekend, so I'll throw out a post probably this Friday about the itinerary and expectations.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)

Final Thoughts on PDX

Greetings everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying the Labor Day weekend in style! Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are having some problems with our weather. Cloudy, rainy and low-60's. Kinda reminds me of the fall, huh?

Today, I went up to Portland for the last time this summer. All in all, I visited PGE Park a total of seven times during Baseball Extravaganza 2009. Every single time I went up, I had a great time and never wanted to leave. It is a shame that this was my last trip up to Portland as it signals the impending conclusion of the summer and the end of BRTs. Anyways, I wanted to share with all of you some thoughts I had during this BRT and what is in store for my last game.

I got up to Portland, and the weather Gods seemed to dislike my arrival by dumping a massive deluge of rain onto the city. I was worried for a time that the game may be cancelled, but, being Oregon, I just had to wait 30 minutes and the skies cleared. Even so, there was a 37 minute rain delay to start the game.

The Beavers got a home run from Russ Adams, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Las Vegas 51s 3-2 in ten innings.

Earlier this summer, after the AAA All-Star Game, I went off on how the Beavers couldn't ever leave PGE Park. I still stand by that statement, but I wouldn't have the same depressionary reaction if the Beavers were to leave PGE as I did with the whole Civic thing this past week. Let me tell you why: The Beavers are actively searching for a property to build a new park. If they are successful in attaining their number one choice of properties, the Memorial Coliseum site, it can open up some interesting doors for the Beavers. The location where they want to build ins on the river, looking over the many bridges, and facing the downtown. Kinda sounds a little like the setting for PNC Park in Pittsburgh...If the Beavers are smart, they can get their own ballpark and make a gem of the stadium if they know what to base a template on. I am confident that the management of the Beavers can make this happen. Let us not forget either that PGE Park will still be used, albeit for MLS Soccer. It is not facing an uncertain future.

The biggest thing, however, is that the Beavers will be getting their OWN ballpark. One with their OWN identity and charm. The Ems are moving into a ballpark that isn't theirs. When you go to games next year at PK Park, there are going to be Oregon logos and billboards all over the stadium. You won't know what team is playing there unless you look at the actual uniforms. The Beavers are smart enough to not enter into any agreement where this is going to happen. They should be commended for their dedication to the franchise.

Enough about the ballparks, let's talk about the team. I am so sick and tired of the horribly ran organization that is the San Diego Padres. Being die hard fans of both their AAA and A farm clubs, I can tell you that their method of player development is flawed and does not work. Here is how the Padres operate their farm system: whenever a player starts to get good, they automatically move them up in level. When they cool off, they send them back down. This happens multiple times during the years. There is no team continuity and has even spread to the management. The Beavers are on their third manager since the beginning of the season. How can you breed a winning attitude and mindset if you do not honor the concept of team building, cohesiveness, and unity? The majority of all the Padres farm teams, especially the Ems and Beavers, finished dead last in their respective leagues. It is no wonder that the Padres themselves are one of the worst teams in all of baseball. The talent is there, but the organization has zero clue on how to develop it. Their mistakes are now coming back to hurt them.

Well, it has come down to one final game. The last game of Baseball Extravaganza will happen two weeks from today in Seattle as the Mariners entertain the visiting New York Yankees. I am going to be going up with a buddy of mine from high school who has never been to Seattle. We're going to go up a day early and see the sights of Seattle. We might meet up with a few other folks and all go to the game. It should be a load of fun.

I will probably not update until the day before I leave.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)