Veteran's Stadium - Baseball with a History Lesson

My Phillies Game Ticket

Independence Hall

Phillie Phanatic

 After leaving the Big Apple our next stop was Philadelphia, PA, home of the Phillies.  We had another day off in between games so we though we would brush up on our country's history because there was no better place that our Nation's first capital.  Some of the historic sites we saw were Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Betsy Ross House. It was unexplainable how it felt to be standing in the same buildings as Ben Franklin, John Adams, John Hancock, and many more.  It just didn't seem real that we could be in the same room where our country's freedom was born.  Just being there puts you in a really patriotic mood looking at all of the history around you. With this history lesson coming to an end, we headed down to Veteran's Stadium the next day to see a game in a stadium that was in its last season.  Outside the Vet we walked around and took some pictures with statues, Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles), The Spectrum (Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers), and the in progress Citizens Bank Park.  This organization of stadiums was probably the neatest I've ever seen.  What's better than four sports stadiums packed into a mile radius? When we got into the game, we once again gathered a handful of baseballs in batting practice before meeting perhaps the best mascot of all time, the Phillie Phanatic.  Phillie Phanatic showed us how to be enthusiastic and that you will live a happier life if you make everyone around you happy.  Although he is a big hairy green thing, sometimes you learn things from the most unexpected people.  Phillie might overdo it sometimes but there is a good lesson behind it.  The game went like any other game but it was still fun to watch baseball in one of the greatest big cities in America.  Overall Philadelphia was one of the most intriguing cities I've traveled to and I was sad to see us depart but we had more places to be and more baseball to see on this trip. We packed out bags and headed toward our next destination, Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD.

Yankee Stadium - The Other Half of the Rivalry

My Ticket to the Yankees Game 

My brother and me in Monument Park

Outfield of Yankee Stadium

The Empire City welcomed us the next day as we headed to Yankee Stadium early to walk around and take some pictures. While walking into the stadium, we were being taped and ultimately discovered that we made ESPN's SportsCenter the following morning As we finally got into the stadium, we were the first ones in the gates for batting practice and it paid off because my brother and I came out of the game with four baseballs. It was a successful batting practice.  After batting practice, we went to visit Monument Park in center field where all the retired Yankee greats were honored. This was really cool because players like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Lou Gehrig, players that are looked up to by everyone in the sport of baseball, are remembered with plaques there.  These players deserve respect because they played the game it was meant to be played and they put their heart into it every single day, which is why they were heroes to everyone.  The respect given to these idols in Monument Park is felt in the air and it was noticeable even to us young fans.  The only way to gain respect is to give it and that it what I strive to do on and off the field all the time.  After Monument Park, we took our seats and watched the Yanks take on the Devil Rays. The game was pretty boring because the Rays blew out the Yankees, but we caught another baseball during the game to make up for it.  It was unbelievable but kind of satisfying to see a team with the highest payroll lose to the team with the lowest.  This showed us that money can't buy you everything, especially happiness.  Yes, it's nice to have money but that's not everything.  The people you meet and things you do are what make you happy, which is what my brother and I took out of our travels to Yankee Stadium.  Shortly after the game, we headed out of the Big Apple to avoid traffic and high hotel prices, but this would not be the last time NYC would be seeing the Nedoma family.

Fenway Park - A Father's Day Surprise

My Boston Red Sox
 Ticket

My brother, Dad and me up against the Green Monster

Boston, MA, home to the oldest current baseball stadium in the Major Leagues, was our next stop.  It was Father's Day 2003 and we were ready to set foot into one of the coolest stadiums ever built.  The main reason the stadium is one of the most unique ever built is because in leftfield stands the infamous "Green Monster."  Known by everyone in the baseball world, the Green Monster stands over 37ft. high, and eats up many potential homeruns that would be long gone in other stadiums. The Green Monster wasn't the only thing the Boston Red Sox were known for, however. The Red Sox have one of the most enthusiastic and over-the-top fan bases in the league.  My brother and I were anticipating this game the whole week because we wanted to be a part of this Red Sox nation.  The day started off just the way I imagined, catching a baseball in batting practice right off the bat. This had me pumped up for the rest of the game.  When the game started, the sell-out crowd was all we anticipated.  We had to buy tickets months in advance because every home games gets sold out every year.  Fenway is also the only stadium that we had to buy tickets ahead of time. It didn't surprise me that this was the greatest crowd I have been a part of, but it did surprise me that the Red Sox hadn't won a World Series in nearly 90 years.  This taught my brother and me to always be loyal to our team, family or friends even if times were hard just like the Red Sox fans were loyal to their hometown team. This loyalty paid off the next year as the Red Sox finally won a World Series. Loyalty is not only important to baseball or sports, but in real life. If you're loyal, it will pay off in one way or another. Turning back to the game we encountered a pleasant surprise.  Because it was Father's Day they were going to let us go on the field after the game and play catch with our dads.  I was ecstatic; in a little less than an hour I was going to be up against the Green Monster playing on the same field as my idols. The time came for us to go on the field and my brother and I had a blast.  After the game we visited downtown Boston and ate at the Union Oyster House, which is the oldest restaurant in the U.S.  Overall Boston was one of the most memorable cities we went to and Fenway, despite being the oldest, was still one of my favorite stadiums.

Jacobs Field - You Can't Always Get What You Want

My Brother and me Outside Jacobs Field

Cleveland Indians Game Ticket

Day two we found ourselves in Cleveland, OH to see the Indians play.  This was stadium number three of thirty on our long journey. We got to the game when the gates opened hoping to catch some batting practice before the game, but because the teams played late into the night the previous night they decided not to hold BP. This was a little discouraging to my brother and me because we were just two youngsters looking to burn off some energy by running around the park before the game. Also, by not having batting practice, we were unable to get any baseballs this game.  Unfortunately, it turns out that Jacobs Field is the only stadium in the league that we didn't get a baseball at. Although we were young, we quickly learned we couldn't get everything we wanted.  We knew we had five more stadiums to see that week, and hours left to run around and try to catch a few baseballs so we were just happy to have seen a game at yet another unique stadium. One of the coolest things about "The Jake" was the man in the outfield that would pound on a giant drum in the leftfield bleachers to get the crowd to make noise.  The drum echoed throughout the entire stadium each time the Indians tried to put together a rally and score some runs.  We didn't spend a whole lot of time in Cleveland, but we did see the Gund Arena (Currently Quicken Loans Arena), home to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Once out of Cleveland we had a day off before seeing our next game in Boston. We needed a break from baseball (well at least my mom did), so on our day off we decided to go to Niagara Falls in New York.  It was an amazing sight.  We stood there speechless listening and watching millions of gallons of water plummet over 150 feet to the rocks below.  This made us realize how insignificant we are compared to the works of Mother Nature. Sitting in the car driving away you could still hear the sound of rushing water echoing in your ears as we headed 8 1/2 hours east for some more baseball the next day.

Comerica Park - First Stop on a Long Journey

My Game Ticket for the Game at Comerica Park 

My brother and me at Comerica Park 

Detroit, MI was the first stop in beginning our improbable dream of going to every MLB stadium in the league.  The East Coast trip began on June 12, 2003 as the Tigers took on the Dodgers.  The trip started out in choppy waters as the first game we attended was delayed for almost two hours, but a little water wasn't going to stop my brother and me from going to batting practice or enjoying the game. During warm-ups we got a baseball and several autographs as we always do when we go to a game.  Once the game got underway, I finally realized that this dream was becoming a reality. One of the unique things about Comerica Park is the liquid fireworks in the outfield.  Whenever a Tiger player hits a homerun, a water and light show is emitted from the fountains beyond the centerfield wall. The stadium wasn't anything super special but it was a good place to begin our travels because it wasn't an overbearing crowd or atmosphere for two young kids trying to live out a dream. You could probably attribute the lack of attendance to the poor performances of the Tigers who lost a league worst 119 games in 2003.  We ended up leaving the game early because we had to get on the road and head to Cleveland so we could catch another game the next night. Being in Detroit taught me a few important life lessons.  First off, it taught me to always fight to the end.  This is because we watched the worst team in the league give it all they had on the field even though their odds of winning weren't very good.  The second important virtue I took out of Detroit was patience.  It was our first stadium and we had to wait almost two hours extra for the game to start.  Because we were patient and waited around, we got to see exactly what we came for - good old-fashioned baseball game.  Although this initial trip was mainly for baseball purposes, we couldn't help but stumble upon a few other landmarks during our time in Michigan. We visited Ford Field, home of the NFL's Detroit Lions, which was conveniently located right next to Comerica, and we made a stop inside the University of Michigan's "Big House", the biggest football stadium in the nation holding well over 100,000 fans. This trip to Detroit was special because it was our first game outside of Wisconsin and it turned our dreams into reality as we realized that we had a good shot to reach our ultimate goal of seeing every Major League Baseball Stadium.

Miller Park - Hometown Beginning

Bernie Brewer's Slide at Milwaukee County Stadium

The first Major League Baseball game I ever attended was when I was two years old. I attended an afternoon game on July 24th, 1994 at County Stadium.  Because I was only two years old, I don't really remember it but it was still the first game I attended.  I'm not exactly sure how many games I attended at Milwaukee County Stadium, but it was sad to see it replaced in early 2001. Today, however, Miller Park ranks as one of the finest stadiums around today.  The first game I saw at Miller Park was during the first week the park was opened.  The game was on April 9th, 2001.  Walking into the new stadium is an experience I will never forget.  Looking at the vast ballpark full of fans and the perfectly manicured emerald green grass, everything seemed so surreal.  As a ten-year-old baseball fanatic, this only fueled my love of the game.  This is the first real vivid baseball memory I have and the memories have been building up ever since.  I estimate that I have attended 100 baseball games at Miller Park since it opened in 2001.  I still get the same feeling of awe every time I walk into the stadium, even though I now know the stadium like the back of my hand.  Miller Park is a great venue for many reasons. First of all it has a retractable roof which increases the viewing pleasure for the fans, especially in April and September when the weather in Milwaukee can often be less than pleasant.  Although I was born and raised a Brewers fan, I am not the only one who thinks Miller Park is one of the top parks in the league.  The stadium was listed ninth on the Forbes.com Best Baseball Stadiums in America.  Although it is ninth on this list, I still believe it is definitely worthy of a "Top 5 Spot."  Miller Park and the Brewers are what got me interested in baseball as a little kid, and I really appreciate it now because I have had so many good times and experiences. Catching my first major league baseball during batting practice in 2002 inspired my love for the game.  Baseball has taught me many things like discipline, determination, and to build a strong work ethic. I have observed these traits not only with my time playing the game, but by watching the professionals do it day in and day out.