Game 18 - Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Mets

Another early morning as we piled into the van to head toward New York to watch the Philadelphia Phillies take on the New York Mets. When we got to Queens where the Mets play, I was shocked to see all of the automotive places around the ball park. Queens wasn't exactly the nicest neighborhood we have seen. There were many run down places and all together it looked pretty junky. It was strange to see such a nice ball field in such a crappy part of town. We were patted down before heading in through the gate, but after seeing where the field was located I wasn't at all surprised. Our seats were one row from the very top just left of home plate. The Phillies couldn't get much started in the first two innings. In fact, they didn't even reach second base until the third when they scored their first run of the game. The Mets however, did not waste any time putting up some crooked numbers. The short stop, #7 Reyes, started the game with a triple. The Mets collected five hits in the first inning and scored four runs. They continued their hitting streak into the second inning until the catcher, Thole, tired stretching his double into a triple as his hit sailed to right field. He was caught in a pickle and tagged out on the 9-5-4 relay. (9-5-4 are the positions, right fielder, third baseman, and second baseman.) The Mets still managed to pick up another four run on five hits. At the end of the third inning the Mets had a commanding 8-1 lead. The mets added one more run to put the game out of reach at 9-1. The Phillies tried to rally back in the last two innings scoring three runs int he eight and another in the ninth inning to make the final score 9-5 as the Mets came out victorious.

Game 17 - Padres @ Nationals

Today, we got to the field somewhat early, so we decided to get another game of wiffle ball going. While my team was in the outfield I saw a kid playing catch with his dad in the parking lot. His ball rolled away from him on the hot cement and toward us. I said to the kid, "Hey, you wanna play with us?" He was hesitant when he replied with a "No" but I saw that he had interest, so I told him that we needed extra fielders so he quickly changed his mind and jumped in. I asked him his name as he walk up beside me. He told me his name was Jordan as he took a spot over at third base. I welcomed him to the game and introduced him to the rest of the class. When it was our turn to hit, Jordan smoked a frozen rope past the third baseman. I was so impressed with how good he was. We later found out that he was going to be on the field for competing in a pitch, run, and hit competition. (A sort of punt, pass, kick for baseball.) A little while later a new teammate joined. Nick, was also going to be in the same competition. It was exciting to see the kids on the big screen and yell for them when their names were announced. This wasn't the only time we yelled for someone getting on the big screen that day. Before the game started a Nike trivia game was about to start, when they show Danny on the screen ready for a competition. We yelled for him as he smoked his opponent 3-0 about Nike trivia and received a $25 gift card to a fan store inside National Park.

Game two for the Padres and Nationals matchup started off slow again. We watched as the Padres took the lead this time in the four inning scoring two runs on three hits. The Nationals hit a homerun in the seventh inning to make it a 2-1 ballgame, that that's as close as they could come. After the game was over, Kyle knew someone who works for the Nationals marketing department. He was able to get us down on the field after the game was over. It was so exciting to be able to be on the field and go into the dugout where the players had just been. We spent about 20 minutes taking pictures and standing in awe. It was probably one of the most exciting things that we have been able to do on the trip. Tomorrow we will head to New York to watch the Phillies again as they take on the Mets.

Game 16 - San Diego Padres @ Washington Nationals

Today we took a short little drive from our Baltimore hotel to Washington DC for a Nationals game against the San Diego Padres. We departed early for the night game so we would have time to see several things in DC. We started out going to the Capitol building and the Library of Congress. It was really interesting to see all of the history and art pieces at the Library of Congress. The only bad part was that you were not allowed to take pictures of anything inside. This is how it was most places we went to, unfortunately. After we were done we went to meet Dr. Bob for lunch at the American Indian museum. There were so many eclectic choices, but it was really expensive to eat there. After lunch we split up to go see different museums and exhibits. I convinced my group to view the African American Art Museum. I was really interested in going because I took an African Art history class at the University of Iowa. It was really exciting to see some of the work up close and have some idea of what I was looking at and the tribe it came from. My group then walked to the Washington monument which was really neat to see, I was shocked by its grand size as I came closer to it. I was a little disappointed when we got there though. The reflecting pool was being re-done or getting fixed and was drained. I would see the Lincoln memorial but the walk there looked so painful that I didn't want to put my feet through any more than I had to. We then walked to the Smithsonian museums. My favorite part was the Natural History part which had all sorts of animals to look at. After that it was time to meet up with Dr. Bob again at the van to go into the game.

Even though the score might not show it, this might be one of the most exciting games I have seen thus far. The game went scoreless for five innings until Nationals second baseman, Espinosa jacked one over the fence. This must have been a game of homeruns because in the bottom of the ninth inning the game was tied at 1-1 when Padres short stop, Bartlett, cranked one. While everyone thought this was going to be another extra inning game like we just saw we still had the bottom of the ninth inning for the Nationals. Michael Morse, the Nationals first baseman was up to bat. With a crack of the bat, the first pitch to Morse received was gone. I had just witnessed a walk-off homerun I stood up in excitement as the Nats ran out to greet Morse rounding third base. It was amazing to see a team get so excited. After a face full of shaving cream for Morse the game was over 2-1.

Game 15 - Royals @ Orioles

Before the game started I signed up to win tickets at the Ford booth outside the stadium. Just before the game was about to start I got a call that I had won the tickets. The intersting thing is that I was giving the guy, who was around my age, a bunch of crap before I went in. Ford was handing out signs that said "Go Orioles." I told him that I wanted a bunch of signs to take with me. He allowed me to have four, but no more. I convinced everyone else to grab some for me to have to take back to Springville. When I had gotten that call that I had won two tickets to a game I went back down to the booth to accept my prize! I was so excited to have won, but knew I would never get the chance to use the tickets. After getting a picture taken by the red Ford Focus I asked another worker if I could have a bunch of the signs. He said, "Yeah take as many as you want!" So I reached for the whole stack and picked up about 50 when the kid my age said, "Hey, you can't take all of those, we need them!" He said I could have half of them as long as I agreed to hand them out inside the gate. I put about ten back and promised to do work for Ford, but of course I kept all of them. I was so excited to tell my girlfriend Kalli's mom, that I had gotten almost fifty "Go Orioles" signs. She was thrilled, and said she could give them to teachers at the school.

As for the game, does anyone remember the show Lamb Chop? Well, if you don't, at the end of the show they would always sing, "This is the song that never ends." Well that's what could have been said about game two of the Orioles and the Royals. Both teams started out scoring quick. The Royals didn't waste any time scoring int he second inning putting together a series of five hits to score four runs. In the bottom of the inning the Orioles were only able to get one run on a solo homerun by #14 Reimold the left fielder. The score was 4-1 when the Oriole offense started to come alive. A single and a bunt put runners safely at first and second base. There were two easy fly balls to the outfield and runners stranded when a hit to the outfield scored one run to make it a 4-2 game. This brought Reimold up to the plate again. This time he cranked a three run homer to make the score 5-4 for the Oriole advantage. The Royals tied the game at 5 each in the fourth inning. The game tied sent it to extra innings. From there on it was still scoreless until the 12th inning of play when the Orioles, Guerrero, had a single up the middle scored the runner from second base for a 6-5 win.

Game 14 - Kansas City Royals @ Baltimore Orioles

We left earlier than normal today to go to a few museums in Maryland including the Babe Ruth birthplace and history museum and the Sports History Museum, just a few blocks away. I really enjoyed seeing and learning about Babe Ruth, his family, and Maryland's athletic history which included exhibits of Cal Ripken Jr. and Michael Phelps. We found our seats on the upper concourse and settled in for a 7:05 ballgame! There were a lot of different things the Orioles did that we haven't seen before and a lot of history in Baltimore. For example, during the Star Spangled Banner the flag that was show was on top of one of the buildings outside the stadium, the Flag that was waving in the wind was the Ft. McHenry flag which has 15 stripes and 15 stars. Another interesting fact about Camden Yards is that Babe Ruth's fathers saloon was in the outfield. It only took the Orioles four innings to take their commanding lead. They scored eight runs on six hits and almost batted through the line up twice. The Royals tacked on two runs in the fifth inning, but could not come any closer. While the Orioles added one with a homerun by the third baseman Reynolds in the bottom of the eighth and ended the game 9-2 with a Baltimore Orioles win.

Wiffle Ball at the Jersey Shore

Today was our first day off from a game. We were excited to have the day to do what we wanted. We all ate together for lunch and then walked back to the beach to play our second game of wiffle ball. This game was a lot more challenging. It's a lot harder to run and play in sand, but we managed to do it. with the bases loaded Conner "The One Hit Wonder" stepped up to the plate. WIth one swing he sent the ball clear onto the board walk! It was pretty amazing to see a wiffle ball crushed that hard! He certainly hit the cream cheese out of that one! A new pitcher came in for our team and never allowed Conner on base again! (Thankfully) We all had a great time playing and taking pictures at the beach. We then packed up from the beach to head to Baltimore, Maryland for a five night stay to catch the Baltimore Orioles play a few games.

Game 13 - Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees

The van ride to New Jersey was actually a lot of fun. In honor of the Jersey Shore, we started to get our accents going and started to give each other nicknames. We found a Jersey name generator online and enjoyed the hillarious names it came up with. Our favorites were, B-booty, The Mistake, and K-Train, we also came up with a few of our own including Stallion, and Droochie! When we got to our hotel, we were right along the beach so most everyone got excited and started fist pumping! The Empress Hotel was lit up with colorful flashing light, we thought it was interesting to say the least. Dr. Bob then found out we needed to be on a train very soon if we wanted to get to New York in time to see the game. Dr. Bob went to buy our train tickets while part of the class went to scope out a place for us to get food to eat on our way. The Windmill restaurant was where we landed. A gentleman began talking to us about our trip and asked where we were staying, when Dr. Bob told him the Empress hotel, he gave a little grin and said, "Nice choice!" We all figured it must be a nice place to stay, but the sarcastic tone in his voice said something else. Dr. Bob later informed us that we were actually staying at a gay hotel. We teased him about his choice as we made our way to the Asburry Park station. We ate our delicious food quickly at the station before the train came to take us into New York. When we got to our final stop we had to switch trains. The train system put me completely out of my element. Everything is so fast paced in New York, you have to keep up or get trampled. I was glad that some people new how to use the trains to get us where we needed to go. I was really excited to see some of New York, when we got off the train, I wish we could have spent more time there too see some of the amazing things New York has to offer. The last train we were on took us right to Yankee Stadium. I was amazed by the size of the stadium and couldn't wait to see what was on the inside. We got to the field early for batting practice. As game time got closer we were asked to leave the outfield seats. Just as we were getting ready to leave a ball was heading right toward me. I saw it bounce off the second level and come back down towards us. It was only a few rows from me, I leaped over two sets of bleachers diving to the ground for the ball. I was extremely excited to have a ball from Yankee Stadium. When I got to my feet Danny was in shock that I had gotten one, and the row of girls I leaped past gave me a glare as the said, "Next time, watch our stuff!" I said I was sorry and gave the one girl a pat on the back. I think she was just jealous that she didn't have it. We found our seats for the game out in right field. They game started off with a Jose Bautista homerun in the first inning giving the Blue Jays the early 1-0 lead. Bautista is the current league leader in homeruns. We were privileged to see his 19th of the season. In the fourth inning the Yankees got a baserunner when center fielder, #14 Curtis Granderson, walked. A single past the second baseman moved runners to first and third. Robinson Cano tied the game up 1-1 on a RBI sac-fly to the centerfielder. The Blue Jays started scoring again in the sixth A double to start the inning followed by an intentional walk put runners on first and second. A sacrafice bunt moved runners to second and third. Another intentional walk loaded the bases. A hit past Jeter scored one run, followed by a walk, and a Double to right centerfield made the score 6-1 for the Blue Jays. The Yankees picked up a run in the sixth inning to make it 6-2. The seventh inning stretch might have been one of my favorite parts of the game. The grounds crew that drug the field was so entertaining. While prepping the field the "YMCA" song came on. The crew dropped their stuff and danced to the song! This wasn't the only entertainment for the game. For me, I was just in awe of all of the history the stadium had to offer. A team like the Yankee's have been around a long time so there is so much history that is incorporated with the stadium. The electricity of the crowd was so exciting. Their energy was so high, they were always cheering even though the score wasn't in their favor. For example, during the bottom of the seventh inning the section next to us started the most amazing "wave" that went throughout the entire stadium, it was so neat to see all three levels of 41,946 fans getting into it! Both teams tacked on an additional run in the eighth inning for a 7-3 final score.

Game 12 - Unexpected Tigers @ Pirates

Today Dr. Bob gave us the option of going to see the last game of the series between the Tigers and Pirates. Six of us decided to go see the game. Our tickets were in left center field close to the bullpen where the pitchers warm up. It was a lot different seeing a game in the middle of the day than at night. I was excited to see the difference in the atmosphere of the crowds from each night. I think the Sunday crowd was a lot less intense than the night games. Another interesting point that I noticed that was different from any other game that we had been too was the singing of "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch.

The Pirates avoided the sweep and won 2-0 on seven hits and only allowing two hits against them. That night we enjoyed sub sandwiches from the Market Square near our hotel. We will depart for New Jersey early tomorrow morning to start fist pumping at the beach and enjoy a New York Yankee's game tomorrow night verse the Toronto Blue Jays!

Game 11 - Tigers @ Pirates

I was really excited for today because for lunch we were going to eat at Primanti Brother's restaurant I had heard so much about this place and how amazing their sandwiches were. Each one is served with cheese, fires, and coleslaw on top of your choice of meat. The restaurant was even on Food Networks; Man VS. Food, so I knew it had to be all that it was talked up to be. While the sandwich was good, I didn't think it was all that it was hyped up to be. So I was a little disappointed with it. But enough about food, lets get to the ball game. No, not just any Major League game like you're used to. This one was "A little different!" As fantastic Mr. Fox would say (if you've seen the movie). We had some time and extra calories to shed so we decided to play a pick-up game of wiffle ball outside our hotel in a grassy area. We used the sleeves of one of our free shirts as bases and divided up into teams. The most exciting part about the game was the fact that Dr. Bob was going to be playing with us! I was a little sad that we weren't on the same team, because everyone knows he has had the most experience playing. The teams were 5-on-5, we played with two outs, only two strikes, and no walks. Early in the game as my team was on defense, Dr. Bob got on first base with one out. I was playing as a shortstop and third baseman when the ball was hit toward me. Dr. Bob was heading for second base. I picked up the ball and dove for the baseball glove on the ground representing second. I reached the base just in time for the out, but the next thing I knew I was tangled up. I saw legs flying through the air over top of me. Yep, that's right, I took out Dr. Bob. When we both got up off the ground everyone was huddled around us, I appologized and he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I would like to introduce you to someone who had just failed this class." Everyone laughed and we went back to playing the game. My team won both games of wiffle ball, it was a close match, I just had to take out their best player to do so. It should be known that, that was not the only time Dr. Bob was on the ground that game. He was also the defensive MVP. While pitching, he caught a frozen rope back up the middle, and while in the outfield he jumped and rolled backwards to catch a zinger. We all laughed about the games later as we enjoyed ice cream and lemonade from a nearby McDonalds.

After a little down time in our hotel, we then had to meet in the lobby to head to watch the second matchup between the visiting Detroit Tiger's and the Pittsburgh Pirates. We all got bobblehead's when we came through the gate today, which we were really excited for. The game today started out with the Tigers striking early scoring two runs in the fourth inning on three doubles in a row. It wasn't until the bottom of the sixth when the Pirates scored their first runs of the game and took the slight lead 3-2. The Pirates built on that lead doubling the amount of runs they had in the seventh inning making it a 6-2 advantage for the Pirates. The Pirates got their second win against the Tigers today and will see if they can make it three tomorrow as they face them again at 12:35.

Game 10 - Detroit Tigers @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Today we spent most of of the day in the van, which at times seems like all we do. When we checked into our hotel we had an hour of free time before we had to meet in Dr. Bob's room to leave for the game. The best part about the place we were staying was our location. We were only a few short blocks away from PNC Park where the Pittsburgh Pirates play. As we walked across the bridge I was really impressed with PNC Park. It seemed to be in the perfect spot. The river was right along the stadium. To our luck, we all got free Pittsburgh Pirate shirts when we walked into the gate. Every college kid loves free stuff! When we got to our seats the view got even better. Not only were we on the first level, we also got to be behind the plate. This was really nice because usually our seats are on the upper levels. Being so close to the action really made me get into the game. Another advantage of our seats was that you could see through the opening in center field. It was filled with tall buildings and the mustard yellow colored bridges. I really liked PNC Park because of its view and the Pirate atmosphere. It is one of the nicest placed we've been to so far in my opinion. Apparently the Pirates are known for their terrible records, but the Kranks (Die hard fans) are always there. Even with a losing record Pirate fans have something to cheer about. The energy in PNC Park was enough to give you chills. The stadium was packed full of fans, and to my surprise there were about as many Tiger fans as I did Pirate fans. Before the game started some of the class signed up to take a spin at the prize wheel! When it was my turn, I won an aluminum Pittsburgh Pirates water bottle. After spinning the wheel it was time for the game to start. There wasn't a whole lot of action at the start of the game. The Pirates struck first scoring a run in the fourth inning. On the defensive end, the Pirate's were almost perfect. The pitcher actually had a no hitter going into the 5th inning, but it wasn't until the sixth inning that the Tiger's answered back with a solo homerun in the top of the sixth to tie the game 1-1. Going into the bottom of the sixth was when the wheels fell off for the Tiger's. They gave up six runs on four hits and three walks making it a 7-1 lead for the Pirates. They added to that lead in the eighth inning with a three run homer to put it out of reach for the Tiger's as they lost 10-1.

Game 9 - Rockies @ Phillies

"Get a picture of me punching the Rocky statue." -Carl
"Well, you're gonna have to sketch it because I didn't bring a camera." -Angie;  This is from one of my favorite movies, Baby Mama.  One the goals we had on our bucket list was to get a picture of us punching the Rocky statue in Philadelphia at the Art History Museum.  These are the steps Rocky runs up during the movie.  Everyone ran up them before we headed to the game.

It was really exciting to go into downtown Philadelphia. There is so much history in Philly, and several things to do!  When we got to the downtown square we went looked for a place to eat Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. We found "Oh So Good" which produced massive sized sandwiches.  After grabbing our bite we headed to see the Liberty Bell.  There were so many interesting facts to learn about the Liberty Bell.  The large crack is actually not the reason the bell retired from use.  It was actually a hairline crack that developed much later.  In 1751, William Penn asked that the new bell being cast for the Pennsylvania Statehouse be engraved with the words, “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The bell rang to call citizens to the first reading of the Declaration of Independence, and was later dubbed The Liberty Bell by abolitionists, who adopted the bell as a symbol of their fight for freedom for all Americans. 

My heads up penny on Franklin's tomb

We then went to visit Benjamin Franklin tomb at the Christ Church burial ground and threw pennies on his grave and made wishes for good luck.  Which we really needed because many people around the downtown area were shouting about the world ending on May 21, 2011.  We then went to Carpenters Hall, the first meeting place of the National Congress.  After that we visited Christ Church, the church Benjamin Franklin attended.  It was all very interesting to learn about and I'm glad I got to see so much of America's history.  

After punching the Rocky statue, we headed to the second match-up between the Rockies and the Phillie's, or should I say, Jason Giambi versus the Phillie's?  The Phillie's got off to a "rockie" start in the first inning when first baseman, Jason Giambi sent his first bomb over the right field wall.  We watched as Giambi sent three back-to-back-to-back home runs to right field!  Giambi collected seven RBI's and drove in all seven of the Rockies runs.  The Phillie's scored one run in the fourth and ended the night with a 7-1 loss.

Game 8 - Colorado Rockies @ Philadelphia Phillie's

Most of our day consisted of traveling in the van.  We were packed, loaded, and on our way by 4:30am.  We drove about 13 hours to get to Philadelphia for our first of two games watching the Colorado Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies.  We drove through rain almost the entire way to Pennsylvania so I was a little apprehensive we might be wet by the time the game started at 7:10 ET.  When we walked into Citizen's Bank Park the sprinkles started coming down, shockingly it only lasted for about 10 minutes.

Danny with his "rally" cap on hoping for a comeback!

 The matchup was without a doubt the best game we have seen so far in my opinion.  One thing I was really excited about was seeing Raul Ibanez, the Phillies left fielder.  He may not seem like a big deal to many but the reason I was excited to see him play is because he brings back the memories of my very first major league baseball game.  I was in Kansas City watching the Royals play.  At that time Ibanez was their first baseman.  The bases were loaded as Ibanez came up to bat.  I was sitting along the first base line behind the dugout.  With one swing of the bat, the ball sailed over the fence.  Fireworks went off and the fountains in the outfield went crazy along with all the Royals fans.  I had just witnessed my first grand slam by a Major League hitter!  I remember thinking to myself,"I'm never going to forget this moment." I was shocked to see him playing the game still at 39 and excited to watch him play again.  Ibanez  scored the very first run of the game in the fifth inning to give the Phillie's the 1-0 lead.  However, the game turned out to be a pitching match.  There was a combined total of 15 strikeouts.  The Rockies scored one run on six hits while the Phillies took the win in the bottom of the 8th inning with a sacrifice fly ball to right field to make it 2-1.

Game 7 - Rangers @ White Sox

Our class at the "Bean" in dowtown Chicago, Illinois

Aboard the Tall Ship Windy at Navy Pier!

Today we met in the hotel lobby to discuss our plans before the second match up between the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers.  We decided to go into Chi-town early to do some sight seeing before the ballgame.  Dr. Bob dropped us off at the Metro Train Station, where I rode my first train ever.  When we got off the train, we walked to "the bean" so we could take pictures.  We asked some locals for suggestions for an authentic "Chicago-style" deep dish pizza.  We went to Pizano's Pizza and Pasta on Madison Street, at this point I knew it was going to be amazing!  When we were done eating we walked to Navy Pier for some entertainment.  During our adventure on the Pier we met Longfellow the pirate.  He insisted we go on a real pirate ship to hear about actual pirate who sailed the Lake Michigan.  Another pirate said he would give us a deal on tickets if we all wanted to go.  The original cost of each ticket to board the ship was $25, we got them for $10.  An offer no college kid could refuse for a 75 minute ride.  Everyone really enjoyed being on the water listening to pirate stories and interacting with the crew.  Many of us volunteered to raise the missen sail.  The stories and pirates were very entertaining.   When we got back to shore it was almost time to meet Dr. Bob for our tickets and the baseball game.  We took the Red Line South right to the stadium.  We were early to the stadium so we decided to grab something to eat from our favorite place (and the only place) we knew, 35th Street Red Hots!  After eating we hurried to the stadium to meet Dr. Bob for our tickets into the game, except he was nowhere to be found.  As a classmate said, "Where's Dr. Bob: a real life version of where's waldo (minus the striped sweater, plus a bucket hat) that's nowhere near as fun." -Beth Wallace, a Junior at Coe College.  We finally found him after almost an hour of searching.

White Sox third baseman, Brent Morel, lays one down!

The game started at 7:10pm.  Our seats were on the upper level overlooking the field along the first baseline.  The Rangers took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning.  They collected another run in the second when the Sox walked the bases loaded followed by an error by the shortstop to make it 2-0 after two innings.  Another run in the 4th gave the Rangers a quick 3-0 lead before their bats got cold and the White Sox began to heat up.  The Sox took advantage of a runner reaching by fielders choice and a walk to set up Morel, hitting in the ninth spot to hit a 3-run shot to tie the game.  The bottom of the eighth, the White Sox got a runner on first after a walk.  A single moved runners to the corners and a wild pitch scored the go ahead run for the White Sox.  The Rangers went three and out in the top of the ninth giving the Sox the "W" 4-3.

Game 6 - Texas Rangers @ Chicago White Sox

Best little dive in town!

Everyone was really excited to reconvene for the second part of our May term trip.  We met at Coe to watch a documentary film of baseball from the 1840's - 1900.  When the two hour first inning segment was over, we packed up to head on our 18 day road trip. Once we arrived in Chicago, we got out of the van and waited for Dr. Bob to give the class our tickets.  After waiting and watching Dr. Bob search frantically for about ten minutes we all decided something must be wrong.  He informed us that only two out of the ten tickets were printed off and that he would go buy some more.  When Dr. Bob came back with the new tickets we went to eat at 35th Street Red Hots, a little dive near the ball park.  Many of us enjoyed a doubledog and fries!  The doubledog was loaded with peppers, onions, mustard, relish, and French fries on top.

When we walked to US Cellular Field we were wanded before entering, which was a little sketchy.  When part of the class was making our way to our seats, we stopped for Danny and Erick to be clocked by the radar gun.  After they were done throwing, we were interviewed by Slim Jim.  They asked  us what our plans were for the summer and then gave us free t-shirts for participating.  We were all extremely excited to get shirts because we could then cross it off our baseball bucket list we created as a class at the beginning of the trip!  When I first saw the White Sox stadium, I was really impressed with it.  One thing that I noticed that was unique to the White Sox field was the two on-deck circles that were unused and very close to the foul line.  This is similar to how it was in the early game of baseball.  I also noticed there was a huge difference between the two Chicago stadiums.  Wrigley field definitely has an old time baseball feel.  There was no big screen, instead there was an old fashion score board where numbers were put up after each inning.  The design of Wrigley field was not exactly "fan-friendly" Wrigley had pillars in the way for some portions of the field.

Free Slim Jim t-shirts, STAY SPICY!!

The game between the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers started out scoreless after two innings of play.  A hit to right field, and a stolen base put #9 Chavez on second base.  A double to centerfield scored Chavez with two outs.  A single to to left field scores another run for the Rangers to give them a 2-0 lead.  The game picked up for the Rangers again in the sixth inning.  Chavez started things off again with a leadoff bunt for a single.  A single to left field and a ball in the dirt moved runners to second and third base.  A fly ball to right center field scored two runs to make it a 4-0 game.  The Sox could not score any runs and ended the game on three fly balls to the outfield in the bottom of the ninth for the 4-0 loss.

Game 5 - San Francisco Giants @ Chicago Cubs

When we woke up this morning for game two at Wrigley field the weather was gorgeous, perfect for a ballgame.  The sun was shining, as we walked into the stadium to see the San Francisco Giants take on the Cubbies.  We got to the game and our seats early like we normally do for each game.  Temperatures were near 70 and we were all pumped to see another game.  Late in the morning the wind shifted off the lake and temperatures dropped into the low 50s.  The wind was blowing off the lake and made it feel like winter again!  By the time the middle innings came, many fans who showed up in T-shirts, shorts, and sandals, such as myself, had either headed to the souvenir stands to buy sweatshirts or jackets, or just went home.  Dr. Bob was nice enough to take us to the van for warmer clothes.  We were allowed 10 minutes out of the stadium before we had to be back.  We took off for the van after the second inning for warmer clothes!  We ran with Dr. Bob to the van laughing almost the whole way, we quick changed into our much needed winter gear and took ran for Wrigley.  We had only a few minutes left to get back.  Everyone was really nervous that we wouldn't make it back in time to get in.  As we neared the stadium I looked down at my watch to see that we had run out of time.  We all began to panic, as we got to the gate, but were thankful when they let us pass.  The game was much more enjoyable when we returned. We were actually lucky to see a Cubs win over the Giants in a 11-4.  The Cubs put on a hitting clinic toward the end of the game stinging together 9 hits in the last two innings at bat. 

Part of our class running to the van for warmer clothes!!

Game 4 - St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs

We got up this morning around 8:15 to head from Milwaukee to Wrigley Field in Chicago.  Per Danny's request, we got to the game super early to be in line for the free cubs golf towel given out to the first 5,000 fans!  I was really excited to see Wrigley Field and watch the Cubs play, especially because this game was against the St. Louis Cardinals, a major rivalry between these two teams which goes way back.  I was impressed with all of the St. Louis fans.   One could have thought he/she was in St. Louis by the amount of Cardinals fans at the game.  I was so excited to see Wrigley because this was the only team I ever wanted to watch when I was younger.  I credit this to the neighbor kids up the road who my sister and I always played ball with when we were growing up.  They always cheered for the Cubbies to win, so I did too!  Something that is different from Wrigley Field than the other stadiums that we've seen is the lack of an electronic scoreboard.  The giant scoreboard in center field is run by hand.  Another distinct characteristic of Wrigley is the Ivy wall in the outfield.  There is a brick wall that gives the stadium its shape with Ivy growing on the outfield wall.  These things really give Wrigley the old-time feel.  Some other things I found interesting were the televisions in the stadium which played the game as if on television, I felt like this was an electronic scoreboard replacement.  At other games there are several things besides baseball that are displayed on the jumbo-tron such as video clips, pictures of players, and even entertaining games.  Wrigley didn't have any of these things, which made the focus more on baseball and forced conversation between fans during downtime between batters and innings.  

The view from our seats!

As for the game, the Cards jumped to an early lead scoring five runs in the second inning, they tacked on one more run in the fifth, and put up a crooked number in the seventh scoring three runs.  The Cubs managed to score only one run in the sixth inning.  The Cards got the win 9-1 on 16 hits.

Game 3 - San Diego Padres @ Milwaukee Brewers

Rise and shine, it is baseball time.  This morning the class met down in the lobby at 5:15 to be on the road at 5:30am for our long trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  We made it to Miller Park just before the start of the game.  Something that was really interesting about Miller Park is the capability of retracting the roof.  When the game started the room began to close partway.  A lot of the class agreed that the stadium did not have the same feel as the Twins stadium, Target Field.

Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI - Padres vs. Brewers

Our seats were directly behind the plate on the upper level.  The crowd of 25,652 enjoyed an offensive showing from both teams as they combined for a total of 34 hits in the game.  The game between the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers started off with the Padres at bat.  It only took lead-off hitter, Chris Denorfia, two pitches to help his team take the early lead.  The second pitch went out about as fast as it came in.  Denorfia's homerun was the third time in three games we saw a lead-off hitter knock one out of the park to begin the game.  Two more runs in the first inning gave the Padres a 3-0 lead.  The Padres offense continued to heat up as the scored two more runs in the third inning making it 5-0.  The Brewers struggled early, but managed to gather a couple of runs in the fourth inning to make it a 5-2 game.  During the fifth inning, with two outs the Brewers got a runner on base with a walk.  A wild pitch put the Brewer on second and a base hit drove him in bringing up, Prince Fielder, the cleanup hitter.  A two run homer tied the game at 5 runs a piece.  This was Fielder's 200th career homerun.  Another homerun in the sixth gave the Brewers their first lead of the game 6-5.  Their lead was short-lasting when the Padres plated eight runs in the eighth to give them the win 13-6.

Game 2 - Detroit Tigers @ Twins

Rain, hail, or lightning won't keep this game from continuing. Game two was quite interesting. Many of you should know, ("Tigers hate pepper, they love cinnamon."-Hangover) This was the first Major League baseball game we attended, and of course it had to rain, thunder, lighting, and hail. After four innings of play the game was delayed. During the delay a kid who looked about 12 years old, stormed the field with golf-ball sized hail coming down. He made it to center field jumping up and down before he tried to get away and slipped and was taken off the field. The crowd applauded as he was escorted away. The Tigers came out on top this game with a 10-2 win. During the second inning, Detroit jumped to an early lead with a two-run homerun. The Twins managed to get one run in the 5th inning with a solo homerun, and then scored another in the 7th, but couldn't get anymore. The Tigers offense was on a roll scoring two runs in both the 2nd and 3rd innings. Another run in the 5th on a Tigers double made the score 5-0. Two a piece in the 7th and 8th made it 10-2 giving the Tigers only their fourth win in the last 20 meetings at Target Field in Minneapolis, MN.

I was very thankful to see my Morgan and Grant, and sit by them at the ball game! Next game will be Padres @ Brewers. Leaving early to catch the 12:10pm game!

Our class at Target field for the Twins vs. Tigers game in Minneapolis

Game 1 - Beloit Snappers @ CR Kernals

Dr. Bob getting interviewed by KGAN

The Beloit Snappers edged out our very own Cedar Rapids Kernals, 5-4, today in our first baseball game of the trip.  After trailing 4-0, the Kernals rallied 4 runs in the 8th inning and sent the game to 10 innings before the Snappers took the lead again to retire the game and the series.  Doctor Bob, our professor, and several students were interviewed by Fox news about the class.  Tomorrow we will leave at 9:30 for Minneapolis to enjoy a Twins v. Tigers game.  We will be meeting with Coe College Alum including my sister. I can't wait!

May Term Schedule!

May 9: Beloit @ Kernels-12:05
May 10: Tigers @ Twins-7:10
May 11: Padres @ Brewers-7:10

May 12:  Cardinals @ Cubs-1:20

May 13:  Giants @ Cubs-1:20
May 14 & 15:  in CR
May 16:  Rangers @ White Sox-7:10

May 17:  Ranges @ White Sox-7:10
May 18: Rockies @ Phillies-7:05
May 19:  Rockies @ Phillies-7:05

May 20:  Tigers @ Pirates-7:10

May 21:  Tigers @ Pirates-7:10

May 22:  Tigers @ Pirates-12:10

May 23:  Blue Jays @ Yankees-7:05

May 24:  Open Date
May 25:  Royals @ Orioles-7:05
May 26:  Royals @ Orioles-12:35

May 27: Padres @ Nationals-7:05
May 28:  Padres @ Nationals-1:05
May 29:  Phillies @ Mets-1:10
May 30:  White Sox @ Red Sox-7:10
May 31:  Travel Date to Cooperstown
June 1:  Twins @ Detroit-7:05 
June 2: Return to CR around 5:00
June 3-4: Class twice a day; group workshops, focusing on final portfolio
June 6: Final day of class turn in all work.