Results tagged ‘ Kansas City ’
Paying his Debts
The Royals road trip to Minneapolis and Chicago did not go well on the field, but we always manage to enjoy our travels. Minneapolis had beautiful September weather, and three Target Field sellout crowds. Chicago is such a great city, no one ever tires of travelling there.
… This is the worlds number one Notre Dame fan, White Sox broadcaster Ed Farmer. Ed lost a bet with Chicago reliever J.J. Putz, a Michigan alum. Ed had to wear Michigan gear Sunday, and walk through the clubhouse for all to see, since Michigan had beaten Notre Dame on the football field.
Here Farmer’s partner Darrin Jackson displays the Wolverine helmet, signed by Coach Rich Rodriguez, that sat next to Ed througout the game on this day. If Notre Dame had won the game, Putz would have had to wear a Notre Dame football helmet during batting practice, but he dodged a bullet.
…A beautiful day at US Cellular Field. But sunshine means a tough day for the broadcasters during a matinee in Chicago.
Here Denny dodges the bright sunlight shining right at him the first couple of innings. He finds shelter from the shadows by backing off from the red hot countertop, working “without a net” so to speak.
CHANGE IN THE WEATHER
As my sickness finally began to leave my system after a month (from strep to stomach to cough….you name it). The Royals began to play better…experiencing their first winning road trip of 2010.
Our “retro-stadium tour” began with two quick games in Baltimore. Rain…cold. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. We’d had plenty of it, at home and on the road. Oriole Park at Camden Yards…where I once worked…was its usual beautiful self…just not the weather. Royals split two games.
But when we woke up in downtown Cleveland for another two-game series…skies were bright. Here you see the historic Terminal Tower From the time it opened in 1930 until 1964, it was the tallest building in North America outside New York City. It’s connected to a train station…part of what’s known as Tower City Center. It’s attached to two hotels, a mall, as well as being the hub of Cleveland’s three rapid transit lines.
So for both games in Cleveland it was beautiful. Even more beautiful, the Royals won both games to gain a series sweep, a winning road trip (3-1) and move from last place to third place in one day!
My son John and his proud papa as he graduates from elementary school. My baby is going to middle school! Attention all the people who told me “they grow up fast.” You’re right!
Before a Saturday afternoon game with Colorado the ’85 Royals and ’85 Cardinals played a softball game…2010 being the 25th anniversary. Here Dennis Leonard and Danny Jackson greet their teammates upon their introductions.
Jackson was the pitcher, Jim Sundberg the catcher. And, for the first time maybe ever, former pitcher John Tudor bats leadoff. John Wathan went deep in this game.
Former Royal Willie Aikens did not play in the game. By 1985 he was a Blue Jay, not a Royal. But he was there to cheer on his old teammates. Royals won the game (appropriately enough). Final was 4-1.
Here’s our Micah Lefebvre growth chart. Two months ago we showed you a one-month old Micah. Now Ryan and Sarah’s boy is three months. Like I said…they grow up fast!
We had a great time at the Royals Celebrity golf outing at The National in Parkville. It benefits Royals Charities. I played with three great guys (notice I didn’t say great golfers…haha…ok they were better than me)…Craig Carter, Frank Scimeca and A.J. Mertens.
Weekend at The K
Members of the KCrew making sure John stays on his feet. An hour or so later, the Royals had a victory, and capped off a fun weekend at the K.
For those of you who follow such things, Relish won…Mustard came in second, and Ketchup finished third, but he did finish! (Thanks Joey!)
Everything’s Big in Texas!
When the Royals recently visited Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, it was my tenth (out of 14) American League ballpark. It’s a very nice “yard,” but one word you would never use to describe it is “intimate.” It is very large, totally enclosed (with offices used by various local businesses stacked in the outfield).
This park opened the same year as “The Jake” (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland, 1994. Still looks new.
They modeled parts of this ballpark after other classic stadiums, including Tiger Stadium. The right field porch with the posts holding up the overhang is very similar to the Tigers’ former home.
Troy Aikman used to have an office here. Plenty of offices in center field. Nice view out your window if you can afford the square footage.
Trey Hillman grew up in the area, and it was old home week for him in Texas.
Of course, these are new friends: Joel Goldberg and Paul Splittorff on the field before the game.
There are seemingly a million luxury suites on more than one level wrapping around Rangers Ballpark. They are named after baseball Hall of Famers. This is the Bob Gibson Suite.
I couldn’t find a George Brett suite, so the closest KC tie I found on my quick look around, was the late, great Catfish Hunter, who spent his first three seasons as a Kansas City Athletic, before winning championships in Oakland and New York.
When you look at the levels of suites stacked on top of one another, the word “Titanic” immediately came to mind. Fortunately the media level is up closer to the top. No leaks were apparent, fortunately.
Right next to the Ballpark is Six Flags over Texas…the amusement park predates the stadium by many years. And, yes, a baseball season is a roller coaster.
A few blocks from the Rangers stadium, is another amusement park of sorts. Some of the locals call it “Jerry World.” That would be Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. This incredibly large structure dwarfs the Cowboys’ current home, Texas Stadium. The Cowboys move into their new home in time for the 2009 season. They’ve already booked a Super Bowl. It will have a retractable roof, and hold more than 100,000 for events such as the Super Bowl and the Cotton Bowl, which will move from, well, the Cotton Bowl.
I lived in Dallas for six years, including my years at Southern Methodist University. Great city. You can see the skyline from the Ballpark. The growth in the area since I left is truly unbelievable.
This is the Rangers’ mascot…Ranger Captain. Ranger Captain was born in 2003. The name comes from the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Agency. Captains were the leaders for that group. When Ranger Captain was born, he (?) was sworn in by the mayor of Arlington (“Put your hoof on the bible and repeat after me…..”). When I had laryngitis I was a little hoarse…but nothing like this…sorry…
A shot of the Rangers Ballpark at night. Although it was incredibly windy (see picture below of the umbrella going through the car windshield), we at least came to Texas before the 99 degrees and high humidity hits! (any day now…)
How Windy?
And you thought the “wind comes sweepin’ down the plain” in Oklahoma? Check out this unbelievable picture taken by the Royals Senior Director of Team Travel/Clubhouse Operations, Jeff Davenport. Wednesday was an incredibly windy day in Arlington, Texas.
How windy? This is an actual photograph of a Starbucks umbrella that was blown out of its table base…and right through the windshield of this parked car. Davy’s booked a lot of flights in his day, but never has he seen an “unscheduled landing” quite like this one.
I hope the owner of the car had umbrella coverage. Seriously, it’s very lucky no one was in the passenger seat when this flying spear came through the windshield. Thanks for the pic, Davy…
I Lived to Tell About It!
So in the 6th inning, Kasey came to escort me down to the first row behind the first base dugout. It was sort of like the executioner arriving at dawn.
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