7585. Slide down the slide at the Fox Cities Stadium

 Sliding down Bernie Brewers slide is #602 on the original bucket list. As much as I want to do it, I'm too cheap to pay for the experience to do it and the hubby would never do it. When the T-Rats built a slide at Fox Cities Stadium for fans to go down, I figured that is something I could do. 

The slide at Fox Cities Stadium opened in 2023. It is in the left field corner. For $2 fans of all ages can take a turn going down the slide. For kids, you can purchase a wrist band that gives you unlimited rides on the slide and inflatables for like $10. It is cash only if you just want to go down the slide but if you buy a wrist band at the concession stands, you can pay with credit card.

I knew the hubby would just roll his eyes if I told him I wanted to go down the slide so I did it when he wasn't there. Since Heather had season tickets and got free play off tickets, she invited me to join them for the divisional play off game 1. 

It was a gorgeous night for baseball. Since we got there early enough, I decided it was the perfect night to ride the slide. I paid the $2 and climbed the 40 or so stairs to reach the top of the slide. 

Down I went. It was a lot faster than I expected. It was a definitely a thrill. I would totally do it again. I just have to remember to wear shoes and not flip flops as I wanted to go down without them. 

For an unique ball park experience, pay the $2 and ride Fang's Slide. It is painted like a snake for the Timber Rattlers. 

Now that I rode the slide at the T-Rats game, I need to find more ballpark rides to cross of the bucket list like the Ferris Wheel at Quad Cities and the carousel at Comerica Park in Detroit. Maybe Tim will make a Inside the Ballpark Attractions Passport....

2024 Baseball Stadium Tour: Sloan Park

 After Spring Training 2020, there were only 3 spring training parks we have not been to in Arizona -- Sloan, Hohokam, and Scottsdale. We wanted to hit all three this year but schedules it didn't work out. I gave the hubby the choice of Sloan or Hohokam as they both were home on Sunday. He picked Sloan. 

Sloan Park is the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. It is located in Mesa almost on the corner of the 202 and Dobson. It is super easy to get to and the signs for parking make it even easier. We parked in the $10 lot which was part of a hotel parking lot. There was a shuttle that dropped us off right at the gate. It was great. The walk wouldn't have been too bad either though. 

Tickets for Sloan were our most expensive tickets of the trip. One ticket down the third base line was $55. Grass seats were like $40. The stadium was packed. I think attendance was like 12K. So they know fans will pay. We ended up getting the tickets at the end of December because there weren't many seats let.

The ballpark is similar to Wrigley Field with the iconic red sign in the outfield. There were no ivy on the walls in the outfield.. probably because it doesn't grow in the desert. 

Our seats even though down the line were very good even for middle seats. I didn't have anyone next to me for most of the game so I wasn't squished. We were in the shade so it helped. We could see all the action. The Cubs played the Indians, I mean the Guardians. It was a good game with the Cubs winning 5-3. It was just weird seeing Counsel in Cubs blue and not Brewer blue. 

Like most spring training parks, at least in Arizona, they try to have big league favorites. Being the home of the Cubs, there was Garrett's Popcorn, Chicago Italian Beef, and Chicago Dogs. I would have gotten Italian beef but we wanted to eat light knowing my cousin would have a feast for us. I went with a Chicago Dog. When I opened the box I was disappointed to find it was a hot dog on a poppy seed bun. Then I went to the condiment station and found the rest of the toppings -- Tomatoes, Onions, Neon Green Pickle Relish, Mustard, and pickle spears. Since no one would yell at me, I skipped the tomatoes and onions but added everything else. It was very good. 

I was not very excited to go to Sloan. I have seen Cubs fans in action and was dreading the experience at Sloan. It was actually way better than I could ever imagine. It must be Arizona or something. Everyone was pleasant and not your typical Cubs fans. I would definitely go back to Sloan even with the hefty price tag. 

7229. Go to the Cal Ripken World Series

 The hubby decided two years ago that he has done his last Babe Ruth World Series in Iowa. He decided to give up travel umpire and stick close to home. We planned a vacation to Texas and even bought tickets for the Rangers game in hopes of seeing Otani pitch. Then he gets a text asking if he would do the Cal Ripken World Series in Crown Point, IN for one last hurrah. Of course, Babe Ruth would ruin my vacation plans again. No I'm not bitter or anything... it's 110 in Texas...

Cal Ripken League is the baseball for agents 6-12 where as Babe Ruth League is for 13-18 under the same organization. There is also a softball diversion. Unlike Little League that only showcases the 12 year old World Series, Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth has World Series for ages 8 up to 16-18. The hubby has only done Babe Ruth World Series (along with many regionals) mostly 14 year olds. While Little League World Series is always in Williamsport, PA, Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth World Series are in various cities across the US with the exception of the 12 Majors (50/70) being in Branson. 

The World Series is a week long tournament featuring pool play and then bracket play. Bracket play depends on how many teams and if all teams advance. Traditionally it is 10 teams and the top 3 in each pool advance. Crown Point had 24 teams and 16 teams advancing to bracket play -- 8 in the World Series bracket (winners bracket) and 8 in the Iron Man bracket. 

Like usual, I arrived for the last two days of the tournament. Usually I fly out and we road trip back. Since the hubby was so close, he just came home and picked me up. No road trip for us either this year. 

The complex was perfect for a tournament. There were two diamonds going all week except for the championship day. There was plenty of seating and a great concession stand. Except for the championship game, I sat in the outfield when the hubby was on the field or hung out with the umpires when he was not. Climbing over seats to avoid making people move is not advised and could lead to injury and interesting bruises.

The baseball was typical 10U baseball. Some really good baseball and some not so good baseball. The championship game was Alabama versus Arkansas. Alabama ended up winning. The hubby had the dish for the championship game which was fitting for his last World Series. 

Like any other World Series, it is a great tournament to showcase your community and teams. Even Babe Ruth has been known to put a kink in my travel plans, the World Series have been fun events and I really didn't mind going to them. It was fun to see teams from all around the country. You never know what star of today will make it to the majors and then you can say you saw them in when they were 10 or 14. 

I would recommend if a World Series comes to a town near you and you are a baseball fan, pay the daily admission fee, support your local community, and watch some good baseball. The hubby and I always say the semi-finals are always better than the finals. 

2023 Florida Spring Training Recap

 We wanted to check out Spring Training in Florida. Originally we discussed hit all 13 stadiums in one shot but realizing that would have been a two week trip at least, we scaled it down to one week. We ended up going to 7 games on 5 different days at 6 different spring sites plus the Tropicana Field where the Rays play their regular games. We saw 9 different types plus 2 WBC teams.

Game 1 -- Phillies versus Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin.

We wanted to see as many Blue Jays games as possible to see Danny play. Due to insane traffic, we got to Dunedin late. There is limited parking. It is like Lambeau where you park in front yards or Beloit where you parked in the neighborhood and walked. Since we are cheap, we walked. We probably parked a good 1/2 mile away. 

This was one of the few stadiums that had sunscreen stations which was a good thing since I forgot to put it on before we got out of the car.

The ballpark was nice. The lines were long since it was a Sunday. We had to boot people out of our seats when we got back from getting drinks. We didn't walk around much since we got there late. The team store is small.

Game 2 -- Marlins versus Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg

Because the Rays normal spring training site was damaged in the hurricane last fall, they had to find a new place to play. Initially they said it was going to be the Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney but then they announced only 1 game would be there and all of the minor league games. The Rays games would be played at home. As much as I would have loved to go to Disney, I'll take Tropicana Field. The hubby said it didn't count towards an official visit nor could I stamp the big book but agreed if we don't get back before the Rays get a new stadium, we would count it.

The ball park is pretty much down to St. Petersburg about 5-10 minutes from the Pier. Parking was a free for all in the lot since we parked in the shade and near the front. We were kind of early.

Walking into the Trop, we decided it was more like a basketball arena then a baseball stadium. You could walk around the entire bowl from inside the seating area but not completely around the concourse. Only the lower bowl was open. We took time to walk around the entire stadium. The touch tank was not open but I saw where it would be.

These were our cheapest tickets at $10 for about 10 rows behind home plate. We got lucky and saw Sandy Alcantara, 2022 NL Cy Young Winner, pitch for Florida. It was not a very good game. The crowd was low key and maybe around 2,000 people. 

It was about what we expected but wished we could have been able to walk the entire concourse.

Game 3 -- Pirates vs Yankees at George M Steinbrenner Field (GMS Field) in Tampa

This was our second game of the day. It was a no brainer to follow a Rays game in St. Pete with a Yankees game in Tampa where the Yankees had a nightcap.

It wasn't too bad getting to GMS Field. It is right across from Raymond James stadium (NFL #18 for me) so that's where you park and walk across the bridge.

Because we came in the wrong gate, we were unable to see Monument Park. That is located at the front of the stadium and we entered from centerfield. I tried.. trust me I tried. However, in my quest to see Monument Park we got a quick picture of the World Series Trophies in the suite level. 

It was full, loud house. We had good seats which we got at a steal since the hubby's buddy sent us an email telling us about 50% of tickets.  Judge had a home run. It was a good game. 

They had the largest team store but everything had a Yankees logo. I was looking for a generic spring training hoodie, especially since I was chilly but everything had a giant Yankees logo on it. Nope. I'll freeze.

Game 4 -- Blue Jays vs Pirates at LECOM Park in Bradenton

This was our last game on the west side. LECOM park, like TD Ballpark, is in the middle of residential neighborhood. You literally could hit a fly ball out onto the street. Parking again was either park in yards or small businesses or park on a side street on walk. We parked about 4 blocks away for free. 

LECOM was around since 1923 where it was the home of the St. Louis Cardinals. LECOM was home to many spring training teams over the years including the Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s. 

LECOM does not have a sunscreen station but the hubby said we are in the shade so it wouldn't matter. Their concourse is open and gorgeous. It is the hubby's favorite ballpark. 

Our seats weren't completely in the shade and trust me I needed that sunscreen. We spent a lot of time walking around because the seats weren't comfy and it was cooler to walk around then to sit in our seats. 

This was the only ballpark where we actually ate at for the most part. The food was reasonable and good. 

Danny wasn't playing so I couldn't really tell you much about the game especially since we did walk around a lot.

Game 5 -- Venezuela vs Mets at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie

This was our first park on the East Coast. Don't put Clover Park into Googlemaps as it will take you to the wrong location (and not even a park). We did get there with plenty of time. They did have a parking lot on site and it was all grass but easy to park.

I actually liked this park. It was pretty spacious and the seats were comfy. You did have to walk up stairs to enter the stadium.

It was one of the bigger crowds we saw but Venezuela was playing. It was a good game. Jose Altuve led off the game with a homer on the opening pitch. He did the same on his next at bat. And almost did it a third time but fouled it off. That was fun to see. 

Game 6 -- Israel vs Nationals at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach

Getting to the ballpark was difficult due to traffic and time of day. Since it was a night game, we had to deal with rush hour traffic trying to get to the ballpark. It took forever. Parking was a breeze but a long walk to get into the stadium.

This is one of two shared spring training facilities in the Grapefruit League. The Nationals and the Astros both play here. Both teams have their training facilities on site as well which is not common in Florida especially on the west side.

Our seats were a bit tight since we were in the front row. The game was not much more than a high school game. Israel did beat up the Mets though.

We finally found the shirt and sweatshirt we were looking for at a good price too. 

The highlight of the night was the racing presidents -- Herbie and Taft were present. Then we were able to get our picture taken with them. To be honest it was the only mascots we say and ballpark entertainment at most parks were lacking.

Game 7 -- Mets vs Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter

The last of the east coast parks we needed to hit and one of the hubby's request. He wanted to see the Cardinals. Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is the other shared ballpark with both the Cardinals and Marlins training here.

Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is kind of in a residential area but also near a college. Parking was in the garage across the street but was a bit chaotic to get to with the game and St. Patrick's Day event going.

The stadium is nice but the team store is lacking again. I'm glad we got our shirts the night before since they didn't have what we were looking for.

I don't remember much of the game but it wasn't bad. We really didn't walk around too much either. The stadium really didn't stand out.

People asked which do you prefer Arizona or Florida. The answers was always Arizona hands down for spring training. It has a better set up and the teams are closer together. It is more fan friendly. Florida may have more people but Arizona is where we want to be. We still have 7 Grapefruit stadiums to check out so we will have to come back but will Arizona will always be our go to Spring Training Destination