Baseball trip comes full circle (07/15/03)

Everything eventually comes full circle.

During my recent vacation I became a temporary fan of five different Major League Baseball teams. Then, I went back where I belonged and everything was right with the world.

Five days of my time away from Portland — July 5 through 9 — were spent on a wide-ranging baseball tour, which saw me watch six baseball games in five cities. It all began in Pittsburgh, then proceeded to Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit, with me watching a pair of games at the Windy City’s legendary Wrigley Field.

Each city and baseball park had good things to offer:

Best approach - Pittsburgh’s PNC Park

There is little walking through crowded streets or venturing in and out of busy traffic in the Steel City.

Instead, Pittsburgh closes down one of the bridges over the Ohio River to traffic and uses it as a pedestrian thoroughfare. The view of the park as you cross the water is awesome.

Best company - PNC

I sat next to another group of out-of-towners who were on the end of a vacation of their own. Closest to me were young Sean and Emily, a brother and sister pair who were attending the game with about 10 immediate and extended family members.

The duo — whose thick accents gave them away as Bostonians without my having to ask — had a variety of questions, many of which involved the rules regarding the giant yellow foul pole which loomed over our heads as we sat in the second row of the left field bleachers. The presence of such an enthusiastic pair of children made an otherwise average game between the hometown Pirates and the Houston Astros a joy to watch.

Most family friendly -

Milwaukee’s Miller Park

Oddly enough, of all the parks I went to the one named for a brewing company was by far the most lagging in beer sails. There were Pepsi cups everywhere while I saw maybe two “beer men” make a sale all night.

Also, the retractable dome guarantees good weather. The fact that the park is enclosed makes it seem more like watching a baseball game in an arena, but also adds to the sense of security.

There were tons of promotions, and every child I saw seemed to be having a great time despite the sub-par quality of the team on the field.

Best fans - Wrigley

This is no contest.

Often Chicago fans — and those of Los Angeles and New York — get the bad reputation as being late-arriving. Well, they have an excuse, the traffic is awful.

It took me an hour to drive the 10 miles from my hotel to the park Monday night and another 45 minutes Tuesday afternoon. And then you still have to find somewhere to park.

But, once they’re seated, the fans are as into the game on the field as any I have ever seen. Even singing “Take me out to the ball game” is a big deal.

Best out-of-town scoreboard - PNC

Each city has its own version of this feature, including Wrigley’s aged manual structure. Pittsburgh gives fans not only the inning and the score, but what team is at bat, how many outs there are, and the position of any runners who might be on base.

Best parking - Miller

Miller Park has its own separate exit off of Interstate 94, and the ramp leads you directly into the stadium’s own parking lot. And instead of gouging fans like it could because it owns the only parking option, the Brewers’ organization charges just $6.

The cost was a welcome change just hours after being in Chicago, where it is at least $20. And, that is only if you don’t mind having your car blocked in. If you actually want to get your vehicle back at a reasonable time, they charge you extra — up to $40 total.

Best security -

Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark

Cincinnati was the only city to send the dangerous Ray Cooney through its random security check. But, I got a coupon for free ice cream for my trouble, so it was well worth the 30-second delay.

Best standing room -

Detroit’s Comerica Park

I didn’t spend a single pitch in my upper-deck seat during the game between the Tigers and the White Sox.

Instead, I wandered from the Pepsi Porch in very deep right field, to the standing room area in right-center field and the standing room area by the statues of Tiger Hall-of-Famers in left-center field.

Each spot offers an outstanding view of the entire field. The other new parks in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Milwaukee were also very good in the this respect, but Comerica stood out.

Best vendors - Wrigley

This one was not even close.

What gives the Chicago vendors the nod is that they don “Wrigley Field” shirts and hats featuring various Cubs logos instead of the silly apparel of some no-name food service company.

And, you can’t go 10 seconds without seeing a Wrigley vendor. They are everywhere.

Best view - Great American

Sit in the upper deck behind home plate in this first-year park and you get a view of the entire park, with the Ohio River in the background and the hills of Kentucky behind it.

Best of the best -

Cleveland’s Jacobs Field

After having watched the Pirates beat the Astros, the Reds choke against the New York Mets, the Cubs split a pair of games with the Florida Marlins, the Brewers lose to the Pirates and the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox I returned to the Cleveland area.

Back at home, I attended a Cleveland Indians’ game against the New York Yankees with my parents, two of my uncles and two of my cousins. It was phenomenal.

There were highlights everywhere as we watched Roger Clemens pitch his final game in Cleveland from the bleachers in left-center field. Clemens was awesome, as was Cleveland starter Jason Davis.

The pair pitched their teams to a 2-2 tie before leaving the game. Clemens struck out six while Davis highlighted his effort by picking off Alfonso Soriano twice — once at first base and once at second.

Indians’ manager Eric Wedge got thrown out of the game in the ninth inning after he and the crowd went wild when Jhonny Peralta was called out at second base as he tried for a double. Replays on ESPN’s SportsCenter showed he Peralta clearly beat the tag.

Then, the Tribe loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the tenth, and Jody Gerut delivered the game-winning single to score Coco Crisp.

It was exhilarating to watch the no-name, fourth-place Indians get by the $160 million Yankees to complete the first series win at home over the Bronx Bombers since 1994. Being there with my family made it even better.

It was the perfect end to my 1,500-mile voyage. My circle was complete.[[In-content Ad]]