So it's been quite a while since I made any sort of an extravagant-effort of a fanpost, and I'm beginning to feel like if I don't do something soon, all these thoughts and words will expire, and be too late to put into writing.  Anyway, life has been a little chaotic in royhobbs-land the last few months since I decided to quit my job at one point, did some travel, saw some friends, saw some family, traveled some more, and eventually realized that I'd rather be paid for doing something as opposed to not, and got back onto the freelance wire.

But in between all of the events in my life, I saw it fit to always leave a little bit of room in my schedule for baseball.  And when the dust settled, I had been to a whole lot of games, met several interesting people along the way, saw many parks, old and new, and found some stories to tell.  I realized that the 2009 season was certainly one for the books.

This will also be probably the largest post I put up for the calendar year.

In total, I went to 49 baseball games this season.  At risk of sounding lamer than usual, but that's a career-high for me.  This includes all games at Turner Field, and other Major and Minor League ballparks.  I didn't think I'd end up at so many games this season, but when you have a period of time in the summer where there's no job to go to, all of a sudden, it's really easy to go the park without any worries of needing to be anywhere the next morning.

But anyway, I'd like to share some experiences at the ballpark, both home, and away.  I know that I'm not the only one with pictures and/or stories to share about their 2009 season, and I highly encourage others *cougheskimo* to do such, if you're so willing.  Apologies in advance if some of these pictures or words seem like you've seen/read them before; high chance that many are repeats, but I'm all about compacting things into a neat-little package.  I can't keep track of everything I've ever posted, so a little bit of re-run isn't going to hurt, I hope.

Anyway, my 2009 season started just a little bit sooner than most others; back in March, I made my way to Toronto, Ontario up in Canada, since I had some friends up there who had managed to snag some tickets for the 2009 World Baseball Classic.  Seeing as how the event is now going to only be held every four years, I figured, it was a great opportunity to see a rare-r event.

The game I went to was Team USA vs. Team Canada.  Obviously, living in the United States, I have a great deal of interest in the US team, and furthermore our very own Chipper Jones and Brian McCann were the respective starting designated hitter and catcher for the Americans, and I had every intention to cheer for their success.

Being the first game of the baseball year for me, it was hard to believe the electricity in the air of the packed Rogers Centre.  Obviously this was more than just a baseball game to all Canadian citizens, since it was against the United States, and I'll admit that it was a little intimidating being around a whole lot of people that wanted to see nothing more than US failure.  But I maintained my allegiance, and cheered for every US hit, and every putout they notched, even if it drew hostile glares and glances from all around.  The best part of the experience was when Brian McCann blasted a home run, and I was the loud and boisterous American in a Braves hat and jersey going bonkers among a silenced Canadian crowd.

The US prevailed in the end of this game, no thanks to atrocious bullpen contributions, but when Canada was relying on Pete Orr to pull through with the game-winner, even I didn't hold my breath too long in the bottom of the 9th.

 

 

Finally, April rolled around, and it was time for real baseball to begin.  After staving off the defending world champion Phillies in Philadelphia by taking 2/3, the Braves returned home for the much anticipated home-opening weekend.  I had friends in from Washington, as the Turner Field once again opened their gates for the 2009 season with the Braves taking on the Washington Nationals.

This surely was a sign of things to come, as the home opener was met by Mother Nature, who decided to christen the start of season with a miserable storm, and delay the game for about 90 minutes.  But my friends and I did not budge, as we waited out the entire storm, and play eventually resumed, with a battle of bullpens, and the Braves taking the opener in extra innings.

I always get a kick out of early-season statistics.  Here's Peter Moylan rocking his ERA of 135.00, after previously sporting the Infinite ERA just one out ago.

The Braves successfully started their homestand, by sweeping the Nationals.  The game on Sunday got out of hand enough for me to divert my attention from the play on the field, to this drunk guy in the neighboring section who was blitzed drunk.  To the point where all his friends were stealing his sunglasses, and random strangers were coming up to take pictures of him.  And naturally, since I see it as an interesting story to tell myself, I'm right there documenting it myself.

 

 

A major thing that occurred in the Braves organization in 2009, was the move of the AAA-affiliates from Richmond, Virginia, to Lawrenceville, Georgia, and the inaugural season of the Gwinnett Braves, and their new ballpark.  I found this exciting enough to where I honestly looked forward to this event more than the opener at Turner Field.  I was the guy on my laptop with a clock, waiting for the minutes to tick down so I could get early-sale tickets; for a Minor League game, instead of the big Braves.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one excited for the Gwinnett Braves, since I got so stuck in pre-game traffic, that I missed the first 2.5 innings of the opener, and the Norfolk Tides were already up at that point.  The promising G-Braves made things interesting and brought the game within striking distance, until an old friend in Manny Acosta gave up a grand slam in late innings that prompted me to leave the opener, before the opener's traffic would eat me alive later that night.  So much for a successful opening, as the G-Braves were swept out of their inaugural home series.

 

 

As some of you may or may not know, each year, I try to hit up a few parks in other cities, and one thing I like to do is wander on over to the SBN sites of the respective team fanbases of the parks that I intend on going to.  It didn't take long for me to set my sites on a weekend series out in Cincinnati, with the Braves having a three game set.  I asked the folks over at the Reds' Red Reporter, for some advice of what I should make the most of my day with.

I only went to Cincy for the Sunday day game, where I was pleased to see that the Braves had already taken the first two games, and I would be there for the potential sweep.  I actually met up with gondeee out in Cincy, and we hung out for an afternoon, wandered over to Kentucky, ate some interesting food, and then watch the Reds go to town on Kenshin Kawakami, and the offense go stagnant, a reoccurring theme throughout the season.  The only Braves to really contribute offensively were some backup players, in David Ross and Brandon Jones.   Shown above-right is a scene that I've seen occasionally on television, but never in person; apparently, a wild bat went flying into the stands, and someone was given a rude awakening.  And the shot was taken from where I was sitting, which wasn't all that far away from the incident.  In the end, I had the unfortunate jinx of bearing witness to the only loss in the series, and I came back to Atlanta a little disappointed, but overall pleased with the city of Cincinnati, and my experience there. (Read my recap of Cincinnati over at Red Reporter)

 

 

One thing I do not discriminate towards is who's playing.  If the idea is presented to where it's convenient for me, I'm not obligated to make all my road trips solely Atlanta Braves baseball.

That being said, I had a friend out in Philadelphia who had just moved into a "nice" place, and wanted myself and some other friends to come over, as some what of a housewarming.  I put "nice" in quotations, because I don't really believe there's anything nice about Philadelphia.  However, contrary to that belief, I must say that his place was kind of nice, and there was this candy store nearby that had this smoking hot cougar and equally hot daughter working there, much to the contribution to many a healthy male's fantasy.

But anyway, that weekend, just so happened to be a much-anticipated grudge match between the Phillies and the visiting New York Mets.  Other acquaintances out in Philadelphia invited me out, knowing how much of a baseball fan I was, and completely regardless of our allegiances.  So in the center-field standing-room only, a Braves fan, Mets fan, and several thousands of Phillies fans are watching Oliver Perez and Jamie Moyer match each other inning for inning, run for run.  Fights were literally breaking out at least once an inning, and despite the fact that the Braves weren't even there, I had one guy try and pick a fight with me for wearing a Braves hat at Citizens Bank Park, but back down when none of his crew was really paying attention.

The game was actually very exciting and entertaining, and Charlie Manuel emptied his bench in the 10th, and the Phillies won on my favorite way to see a game end - a walk-off walk.

 

 

I'm going to go out on a limb, and say if not my favorite Braves game all year, this is definitely up there.  Toronto Blue Jays visiting Atlanta, with Kenshin Kawakami taking on Roy Halladay.  The definite surprise of the night was Kawakami matching Halladay inning-for-inning of masterful, scoreless baseball.  Kawakami up to this point had been pretty unimpressive, and many Braves fans, here and many places else were beginning to turn on him, but he certainly brought some positive attention back to himself with this kind of performance.

It was such a great game to be at.  After both starters were lifted after hotly-contested scoreless game, in the bottom of the 8th, the Braves went right to work.  Matt Diaz with the leadoff double, Yunel Escobar advances him on a groundout, and then Casey Kotchman brings him home on the sac-fly.  After an exciting 9th, the Braves win a 1-0 decision.  I find 1-0 games to be the most exciting, if you haven't guessed.

 

 

When the Braves made their first trip to the west coast, during a holiday weekend, I decided that it would be a good time to actually drive up and see the kids over at Low-A Rome.  I had never been there prior; honestly, I hadn't really ever thought about going up to Rome until this season, and with the extra day off for holiday, I had no more excuse to not go.

Rome was everything that a single-A park should be; cozy, relaxed, and the players very accessible.  One thing that stood out to me was the presence of cheerleaders; like real ones, and not the "don't call us cheerleaders" cheerleaders that so many Major League teams have.  But as for the baseball itself, I couldn't possibly have picked a better game to watch.  Zeke Spruill versus Casey Kelly and the Greenville Drive, two promising young arms, clashing.

Spruill went eight innings deep; whereas he gave up a lot of hits, many was due to the bad Rome defense, and most were just singles.  Unfortunately for Rome, Kelly was a little better, giving up only one hit in six innings, but being pulled due to a very strict pitch count.  Rome lost, and I was beginning to feel superstitious with how every time I went to a MiLB Braves game, they lost.

 

Now unless you've been living under a rock throughout the 2009 season, a very important thing happened to the Atlanta Braves.  Young pitching phenom, Tommy Hanson made his debut in early June.  Called up from Gwinnett, and taking the place of future HOFer, Tom Glavine, in a messy break-up situation, but the future was declared now, and Hanson was brought up.  Combined with "Brian McCann signature bat day," I had no reason why I shouldn't attend this monumental occasion.

At first impression, the hype was most certainly real as Hanson had a very easy first inning, but the rookie jitters certainly got to him later on, and he may have developed an early nemesis in Brewers left-fielder, Ryan Braun, as he was taken deep by him twice that day.  Fortunately for Hanson and Braves fans everywhere, Chipper Jones decided to go nuts that day, and also go deep twice, and render himself a double shy of the cycle, and the Braves won.

 

 

Right around this time was the time in which I left my then-current job.  After being on assignment for 15 months straight with no real vacation, I saw it fit that I definitely, needed some time to unwind, rest, and enjoy a summer alternatively.  Therefore, when the idea was planted in my head that I should come to Myrtle Beach with some friends, I saw a perfect opportunity to go see the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

I love the Pelicans.  Their identity is so campy, but their role in the hierarchy of the Braves organization is still so essential and important to its players.  My knowledge of the minor leagues is still very elementary compared to a lot of TCers, but I'm also not blind nor deaf.  I had my eyes peeled for guys like Freddie Freeman (above), Cody Johnson, and the crown jewel, Jason Heyward.  Heyward was mysteriously nowhere to be seen, Johnson was on a scheduled day-off, but I did get to see Freeman in action. 

But alas, it was not meant to be.  In the bottom of the 4th inning, after the visiting Kinston Indians had taken the 1-0 lead, the skies had opened up something fierce, and a mighty rain fell from the heavens and pelted Coastal Field, as well as all of Myrtle Beach.  I waited for almost an entire hour, but play was eventually suspended.  With a 1-0, I count that as a loss in my book, regardless of the rules.  Given the abysmal record of the Pelicans that year, even if they made it up, there was still a 70%+ chance that they probably lost.

 

 

 

After the debacle at the Beach, I didn't waste any more time.  With Interleague in full swing, the Braves had a date with the AL East this season, including an away series out in Baltimore.  To those of you who don't know, I'm originally from the Northern Virginia area, so I have this ingrained hatred of the state of Maryland, in a similar vein that SEC fanatics hate opposing state's schools.  So I saw this as a great opportunity to see the Braves hopefully march into Baltimore, and dominate the Orioles.

Best part about it was, that I wasn't the only one familiar with Baltimore.  For reasons I can't quite figure out to this day, there's a notable concentration of Braves fans in Virginia, and it was declared that Baltimore would be the unofficial meeting ground for an unofficial small conglomeration of TCers.  Like unwanted visitors we gathered in the outfield pavilion of beautiful Camden Yards, and made our presence known.  For the second time this season, my Braves away-game was being pitched by none other than the Jeckyll and Hyde known as Kenshin Kawakami, and much to the frustration of us present, he pitched himself into and out of some hairy situations.

And speaking of hairy, none of us could figure out this guy's deal.  CBtits said it best, when he compared him to "Shipwreck from GI Joe, the gay sailor from the Village People, and a leopard."  And he had a strange fondness for ducktits (above), and wouldn't stop talking about how astonished he was that he was enjoying the company of a bunch of Braves fans as opposed to his fellow O's fans.

At one point, we actually had a glimmer of hope that the Braves could pull off a win with all of us present.  After some two-out magic, the Braves coaxed out a 4-2 lead, but a bullpen implosion of the worst kind led to the Braves' demise that evening.  ducktits didn't leave Camden Yards on his own two feet, and I had to suffer the indignity of Orioles fans taunting me after watching my team lose in a cesspool like Baltimore.  But honestly, it seems only fitting that the Braves lose this game with all of us present.  It's like karma paying back in Canadian dollars for a violation we made using Euros.  I don't really know what that is supposed to mean, but given the scenario, it kind of works.

All things considered, this was probably the most fun I've had, meeting with people, essentially met over the internet.  And it was quite the memorable occasion, that I'm actually hoping we do next year, in like, maybe DC next time or something.

 

 

I don't exactly remember which game it was that this photo was taken, but looking back, it's one of the ones that amuses me a bit.  Campy yes, but this season, there have been airplanes circling around Turner Field that fly advertisements; sometimes it's been GEICO and the googly-eyed stack of money, or Chic Fil-A, but a lot of the times, it's the Cheetah.  And this photo makes it look like the Chic Fil-A statue is endorsing the Cheetah.  BTW, the Cheetah is a gentleman's club.

 

 

A noteworthy event that occurred this season was the long-standing Coke bottle in the left field skyline pavilion was replaced.  Call me a purist, or a traditionalist, but I was a big fan of the old bottle.  Not visible in these small photos, but it was sequined with baseballs, bats, bases, catchers gear, and all sorts of baseball-related material.  But Father Time was not nice to it (in only 12 years), and due to the nuisance of maintaining it, Turner Field saw it fit to simply get rid of it, and replace it with a "new and improved" (read: lower maintenance) Coke bottle that has an LED label around it that can generate messages or logos in high-definition.  Hurrah, I suppose.

 

 

 

Anyway, it was only a matter of time before the travel bug began itching again.  Not only am I willing to follow the Atlanta Braves on the road, the same courtesy applies to the minor leagues as well.  I have several good friends in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, and I find myself visiting them anywhere from 5-7 times a year.  Supposedly, my baseball fandom has rubbed off on them a little bit, and through some prodding, they warmed up to the idea of actually coming with me if I were to go see the Durham Bulls.  And it just so happened to be convenient that I planned a trip to go see the Durham Bulls, when they were hosting the Gwinnett Braves.

At first, it seemed like it was a bad idea, as the Bulls jumped all over the G-Braves, as they were their own worst enemy, by sending Tony Armas, Jr. to the mound.  But after Armas was lifted, the Durham offense stalled, and the G-Braves clawed their way back into the game.  And of all people, much-criticized Kelly Johnson is the one who comes through with a go-ahead three-run blast, to which the G-Braves are able to hold on to.  This would mark the first Braves affiliate to actually win a game while I was in attendance.  Color me pleasantly surprised.

One thing I noticed about fans in Durham, is that when the opposing team is batting, the younger fans kind of make this ambient sound, like they do at Dook basketball games when the opposing team is shooting free throws.  Much like in basketball, it didn't really seem to work against Gwinnett, and rather I could swear that they began hitting better with a little bit of antagonism.

 

 

I was feeling a little behind on my ultimate goal to eventually see all 30 MLB parks, so the way I saw it, I had to see at least one new MLB park while I was on my vacation.  I combed through the schedules for a day game to make a day trip to, and as luck would turn out, Tampa Bay made themselves available to me.  It kind of happened by accident, but I realized that I was going to be seeing the AAA Rays in the Durham Bulls, and then see the Major League squad the next day.  As I did in Cincinnati, I had inquired with the locals over at DRaysBay.

I'll be honest - it turned out to be a rainy day in Tampa when I flew in and made my way over to Tropicana Field, so I was glad it was an indoor dome, but in the end, I wasn't the least bit impressed with the Trop.  In fact, I was kind of a little disappointed.  The experience was no doubt worth it, and there was certainly one interesting story to come out of it, but as for a baseball venue, the Trop is nowhere near the best.  I couldn't have lucked out with a more impressive pitching matchup, as it was phenom David Price versus Roy Halladay, so that was nice, and in an ironic twist, this was the second time in the season in which I watched the Toronto Blue Jays get swept.

What is this interesting story you ask?  Well, the Trop is a dome, meant to take the weather factor out of the equasion of a baseball game.  And in the state of Florida, it's meant to help alleviate the summer rain showers that could ruin a lot of outdoor baseball.  As I had mentioned, it was a rainy day in St. Petersburg, and I was certainly glad to be watching Price vs. Halladay indoors.  But then a funny thing happened.  There turned out to be a lot of thunder and more importantly, lightning, and a small section of the left field area suffered a tiny power outage.  In other words, the rain still played a role in the game, and for lack of a better term, despite being indoors, I had to endure a rain delay. Indoors. (Read my recap of Durham/ the Trop over at DRaysBay)

 

 

 

 

Greg Maddux holds a special place in the hearts of all Braves fans, and any educated baseball fan, regardless of their allegiance can appreciate the type of player that Maddux was.  It was a special night at Turner Field when it was declared that Maddux's #31 was to be retired, and his number enshrined on the skyline wall with greats as Hank Aaron, Eddie Matthews, Warren Spahn, Phil Niekro, Dale Murphy, and Jackie Robinson.  And as cool and collected as Maddux always, always was on the mound, throughout his entire career, you've never seen a grown man squirm and look more uncomfortable being in the spotlight, as Maddux was that evening.

If I'm not mistaken, that four-game set with the Mets in which Maddux's number was retired garnered the highest attendance spike of the entire season.  Which I'm quite glad to hear, considering the overall Turner Field attendance on the year was down significantly, but that people here in Atlanta legitimately cared more about seeing Maddux being honored, than any of the Red Sox or Yankees series.  Oh yeah, this was also the homecoming for everyone's favorite former right-fielder, Jeff Francoeur, who was traded to the Mets for Ryan Church.

 

 

 

 

Sometime in August, I made this elaborate plan to undertake another baseball road trip.  First, I was going to visit my family back up in Virginia, while making some small excursions down to Woodbridge to see the Potomac Nationals host my favorite campy minor-league squad in the Pelicans for two games, and then travel with a friend up to Pittsburgh to visit PNC Park and see the Pirates take on his Nationals.  Well, the trip to PNC Park didn't happen because of the annual holy sabbatical diehard Steelers fans make to Pittsburgh for training camp that same weekend, and a improvised effort to make it out to Mississippi instead didn't happen because of too many fat people on a plane making it reach weight capacity before I could board, but I still managed to enjoy two baseball games between the P-Nats and Pelicans.  Granted, it was two of the quietest games I'd been to in my entire life, but they were still enjoyable.

 

 

 

One name that seemingly was almost forgotten to many throughout the course of the promising 2009 campaign was Tim Hudson.  With the outstanding starting pitching the Braves had enjoyed throughout the course of the year, it was a convenient problem that Huddy was on his way to returning to the big leagues in late August.  Despite the fact that the big Braves were in town, I decided to make the drive out to Lawrenceville instead, where Huddy was making the last of his rehab starts before he was to come back to the team in Miami, the place where he injury first occurred.  The selling point for me was the idea that it was supposed to be Tim Hudson versus Jake Peavy, whom at the time was doing his own rehabbing for the White Sox's AAA-affiliate, the Charlotte Knights.  For reasons that weren't really explained, Peavy started a day later, but the thought of seeing two ace-caliber pitchers in a rehab start was very appealing.

But it was all good, as Hudson showed that he was definitely feeling good, and looked to be ready to come back.  He worked six effective innings, and the Gwinnett offense took care of the rest, anchored by Brandon Jones, who had a multi-hit effort, including a grand slam.

 

 

 

The thought had occurred to me after my trip to the Beach, that I had just visited three of the four levels of the minor league affiliates of the Braves.  I figured, why not go for all four, and despite my first attempt being thwarted by morbidly obese people on a plane, I had one last shot, with one more Sunday day game left on the calendar late in August.  And this time, luck shone on me, as I was able to board my flight with relative ease that morning.

One thing I was really hoping for was to get to see the number one prospect in all of baseball, in Jason Heyward.  I never went up to Rome when he was up there, and I had been unlucky in missing him in while at the Beach.  By the time I was up in Potomac, Heyward had already been promoted to Mississippi.  I had hoped to get a baseball signed or something, but I finally got to see Heyward, and much to my amusement, both he and the also promoted Freddie Freeman were quite standoffish with the autograph seekers, and furthermore, neither of them actually played in the game I was at.

But that was okay, because I was finally in Mississippi, and I just wanted to see some baseball.  I got to see a genuine Phillip Wellman explosive tantrum and ensuing ejection, and the M-Braves offense took care of the rest.  Seems like my rash of watching Braves affiliates lose had come to a pretty abrupt halt the last few attempts, and I left Mississippi pretty pleased overall.

 

 

 

Here's a shot taken from Labor Day, where Kenshin Kawakami knocked out Micah Owings in extra innings.  The good news was that Owings was able to get up after about two minutes of no movement.  The bad news was that the bases were loaded when it occurred, and it was the go-ahead run for the Reds.  Rubbing salt in the wounds was that Corky Miller, of all players in MLB drove in another run immediately following.  Worse off was that the Reds completed a three-game sweep that day, which really put a damper in the Braves' playoff aspirations.  It was no worse to see the repercussions of those losses than it was right here.

 

 

 

How quickly things change.  After many had felt the need to throw in the towel after the sweep to the Reds, the Braves responded with an 8-for-9 winning streak, and suddenly, hope sprung again for a post-season berth.  However for me, despite how much I wanted to go to the park to see more of this surging Braves squad, life had taken me way out west to Washington state, where I was attending a wedding of a good friend.  Being the opportunist that I am, if I wasn't going to be watching the Braves, I was going to be watching some baseball regardless.

I'd been to Safeco Field and seen the Mariners play before, but I was hungover from the wedding reception, and the idea of sitting in the sun and watching some baseball sounded like a great idea.  The funny thing is that the first time I was out there, it was the M's and the Yankees, and it just so happened to be the billing for the game this time around.  However, there were a lot of different faces compared to the last time, and the result was very much different.  The best part was seeing Ken Griffey, Jr., the same one we almost had prior to the season, hit a big three-run blast off of the beneficiary to the ESPN hype machine, Joba Chamberlain, en route to the Mariners rout.

 

 

By the time I was back in Atlanta, and things were settling down from starting a new freelance gig, and the recent flooding of the metro area, the Braves were winners of 16 out of their last 19, and were 2.0 games out of catching the Colorado Rockies.  With the season dwindling, I saw no more better time to begin cashing in the remainder of my ticket vouchers, and I made sure to get some awesome tickets for whatever remaining games I had planned on attending, since these were going to be crucial.  The temperatures had begun to drop, thwarting many away from the ballpark, but those who did show up were definitely enthusiastic.

But as we all recently remember, things didn't turn out as hoped.  Stagnant offense, another unfortunate big game bad performance from the typically reliable all year long Javier Vazquez, and some bad baserunning led to our own demise.  Not to mention that the Florida Marlins have played the role of spoiler better than any team in baseball for like three years in a row now.

So I had one last ticket for the season, and it figures that the best ticket I have all season is for an inconsequential game, since the Rockies had clinched the final playoff spot earlier in the day.  But, like a weight removed from our shoulders, I felt light and relaxed going into this final Braves game for me, and I had intended to enjoy myself.  I got a ball autographed from Tommy Hanson, and I had a fun albeit brief conversation with Brooks Conrad since, I was sitting right on the dugout.  I was also right near the Tomahawk Team all night long, and this is where I'll admit that I had the biggest crush on member Jessica for like, the entire year.  But when I tried to speak to her, twice, she blew me off pretty badly, so I got over it real fast.

Now I don't know if she was a real beauty queen or not, but it didn't really matter, because she was quite the looker, regardless.  All the guys around her knew it, and the dangerous thing was that she knew it too.  And most importantly, everyone on the field was aware of it too.  After every top inning, she would stand up and wave at the players, coaches, and field staff, and see who would look up.  A few times, she would hold up an 8x10" glamour shot of herself, and smile and point at players.  In the end, Yunel Escobar, Adam LaRoche, Glenn Hubbard, a bat boy, and one unidentifiable person from within the dugout threw baseballs up to her, to which she laughed about upon receiving each one.  She would smile and look pretty for a second, and then just hand it off to a nearby kid who clearly wanted it more than she did.  But the best part was Yunel, who was clearly in love, based on how often he kept looking back at her, and instead of going way back behind home plate like he occasionally does to cheat better glances at the opposing pitcher, he stayed in the appropriate on-deck circle, and kept glancing back.  After the game (which the Braves lost), I chatted with her briefly, and she talked about how she was doing it for fun to see how many players she could get to acknowledge her.  All while, writing something onto one of the 8x10s, which she handed down the dugout, which Glenn Hubbard had come out and retrieved.  We both laughed at that one.

And that's how my Braves season ended - with a loss, but an interesting and entertaining story.

But my baseball season wasn't quite over yet - I had one last road trip in me just yet.  I made my way up north to Minneapolis to see the final series out at the HHH Metrodome, before the Twins begin their 2010 season in their new outdoor Target Field (which the Braves are scheduled to see next season).  It was an interesting situation too.  I had planned this trip to Minneapolis somewhere in the middle of the season, and at the time, the Twins were like the Braves; caught somewhere in the middle of the pack, and at their current paces, probably would miss the playoffs.  But much like the Braves, the Twins made a surge late in the season, and re-entered the playoff picture.  But unlike the Braves, the Twins kept on winning, and going into the final weekend of the regular season, were still playing meaningful baseball.  I felt pretty good knowing that the tickets I had for what seemed like an inconsequential Twins vs. Royals series were suddenly the most meaningful series in all of baseball left.

But it wasn't going to be easy for the Royals, because standing in their way was AL Cy Young hopeful, Zach Grienke.  And for five innings, Grienke did everything as advertised, and held the Twins scoreless.

But then in the 6th with two outs, things began to fall apart.  If anyone was going to get to a Cy Young pitcher, it would have to be an MVP type of player, to which Joe Mauer responded by tagging Grienke for the first runs of the game.  By the time the inning was over, the Twins were up 4-0.  But instead of cruising to victory, a whole lot of familiar faces from NL East years of past started showing up to make things interesting: Mike Jacobs hits a blast into the trashbags for the Royals.  The Twins call on former Natinal, Jon Rauch, and as we've seen happen many times from his DC days, he gives up a pinch-hit to former Brave, Brayan Peña, en route to blowing the save.  Another former Brave, in Juan Cruz also makes a relief appearance, and strikes out two.  But in the end, a Michael Cuddyer homer in the bottom of the 8th absolves all, and the Twins win an exciting game.  The Metrodome was packed the entire time, and I can't lie and say I wasn't a little bit envious at how the Twins fans came to represent, but I was still pleased at being privileged to be there at that time.  (Read about my Minneapolis trip over at Twinkie Town)

Later that evening, the White Sox had beaten the Tigers, and suddenly, the AL Central had two teams at the top of the hill.  Both teams would end up winning the next day to remain tied, forcing the pivotal play-in tie breaker game 163, which we all know the Twins won the division in extra innings.



One of these days, my season won't end as soon as this season did, and hopefully there will be some Braves playoff baseball in the near future to help extend a season out.  But I'm not complaining; 2009 was full of excellent trips to the park, and parks afar, and I'm already planning out an epic road trip for 2010.  And if all goes to plan, it's going to be early in the season, and likely balls cold.

Closing thoughts on this extraneously long post:

So having been to all four levels of the minors this year, here's how I would rank the venues:
1.  Coastal Field, Myrtle Beach - first of all, it's the beach.  Relaxed atmosphere, easy to get to, players are fairly accessible, and there are a lot of great angles to watch the game.  And when the weather's nice, a refreshing ocean breeze comes from time to time.
2.  State Mutual Park, Rome - The first word that comes to mind about this park is "relaxed."  Probably because it's Low-A, but it's a cozy park, where the players are very easily accessible for autographs and conversation, and there are bad places to watch the game.
3.  Trustmark Park, Mississippi - Almost everything said about Rome can be said about Mississippi.  The only real differences is that Mississippi just kind of seems lacking, when it comes to basic amenities, which is why I put it here instead of above Rome.
4.  Gwinnett Stadium, Gwinnett - Comparing what Richmond was to what Gwinnett is, is like comparing a... Ford Taurus SHO to a Ford GT500.  The Taurus is unsuspecting, and kind of old and busted, and the GT500 is sexy, modern, and technological.  Both are fast cars though, except one seems approachable and attainable, where the other one is like the hot chick you have no business even bothering to try and speak with.  All that being said, Gwinnett is no doubt a very nice park, but a little too serious for minor league, IMO.  A little too corporate, the players aren't accessible, and ironically, I can get a better bargain for Major league action alternatively.

One of these days I'll find a way to get to Danville, and hangout with CBtits, or I'll go to Orlando during the GCL to see what's up there.

While I'm on the topic of minor leagues, it should be worth noting that I ran into Craig Kimbrel in almost every level of the minors this year.  He was down in Rome when I went out there, then was back up at the Beach, and was promoted to Mississippi by the time I made my way out there.  The funny thing is that I didn't actually get to see him pitch until I was out at Potomac for the away game.  I was pleased at what I saw that first time, and I'd hope he'll get a cup of coffee in 2010, but be up with the team by 2011.  If not for the fact that he maybe had like a week in total up in AAA, I would've made my way out to Gwinnett again, just to say that I saw Kimbrel in all four levels.

Know what's the best part of traveling?  The food.  Remember, I'm a 628 lb. behemoth.  Here's royhobbs' favorite MLB dishes from his travels in 2009:

1. Cuban Sandwich, Tropicana Field (above, center) - located at this Cuban shack in the "Carnival" part of the Trop, this sandwich was awesome.  I have a fondness for Cuban food to begin with, so being able to get a Cuban at the ballpark was awesome.
2. Skyline Chili, Great American Ball Park (above, left) - cinnamon in chili?  Inconceivable!  I've been told that the Skylines outside of GBAP are far better, but I'm pretty sold on what's available at the park, so far. I needed a pickme up after watching Kawakami implode against the Reds, and I think Skyline did a sufficient job of it.
3. Maryland Street Meat, Pickle's Pub outside of Camden Yards - Here's some irony; despite my disdain for the city of Baltimore, the Orioles, and the state of Maryland, I'm actually a big fan of Camden Yards.  It's actually my favorite park in the American League so far.  This halo of forgiveness actually extends out one block beyond the centerfield gates, across the street to Pickle's Pub, where the people are jovial, the food and beer are cheap and satisfying.
4. Chicago Dog, Metrodome (above, right) - When I was walking around the Favredome, I saw some guy eating one of these monstrosities, and I decided that I needed to try one of my own.  In the third inning, I found where they were being sold, and I got one.  My friend decided he needed one too upon seeing mine.  By the time we got back to our seats, a man behind us asked where we got one of those.  I told him.  An inning later, he and four other guys behind us were chowing down.  One pound of hot dog, covered with onions, mustard, peppers, black pepper, and tomatoes.
5. Garlic fries, Safeco Field - I do not care what eating these fries does to my breath, my fingers, or my section.  These things are pure awesome.
6. Tony Luke's, Citizens Bank Park - Ha, it feels good to put anything Philadelphia related, last on any sort of list. But really, I'm often told that Tony Luke's is better outside of the park,  but it's not a bad option at the park.  But as far as I'm concerned the best cheesesteaks in Philly still come from Chink's Steaks.

Well if you've made it this far, applaud yourself.  And if you thought I could make any sort of picture post without some chauvinistic content, you're kind of out of your mind.  The second best part of traveling?  Girls.  To me, girls at the ballpark and/or wearing sports paraphernalia are automatically more attractive than the Kelly Bundys and Hilary Bankses that sashay around modern society.  So I leave you with a small collage of some of the pretty faces that make my otherwise dudetrips a little more easier on the eyes.



If you've read this far, you have my gratitude.  I have a good bit of local friends, but not nearly of them are into baseball and sports as I am, so I like to have you guys to use as somewhat of an outlet of my combined passion for baseball and writing.  Hopefully, I've succeeded in either/or helping you kill some time at work or school, or crashing your browser with how big this post actually is.

And as I said before, if you've got any awesome photos or stories of your own to share, don't just leave a comment - flex those linguistic wings and make a post about it.  So until next year, have a neat winter.