Thanks for the Memories!

July 11th, 2008

Just want to thank all the great friends that I made in CA for making my time there fun and memorable.  =)  It truly was very difficult to leave you guys, but FOR SURE you haven’t seen the last of me! 

 

Below is a link to an album that shows off the great friends that I made.  I tried to get everyone in at least once, but I also realize that there are some cool people that I just never took a picture with.  But we can fix that next time I come back to visit!  

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3452&l=0267c&id=705640598 

Update #5 - From Columbus, OH

July 4th, 2008

Hard Rock Cafe St. LouisGreat American Ball Park

 

 

Hard to believe it, but I’m finally back to Columbus—Home of The Ohio State University and quite possibly my favorite place on earth!  :)  So glad to be back! 

 

Josh and I arrived here after driving 7.5 hours from St. Louis.  We started the day by going to the Union Station Mall in St. Louis and having lunch at the Hard Rock Café.  On the way to Columbus I had an idea and asked Josh to check the sports page to see if the Cincinnati Reds were playing a home game tonight.  Sure enough they were, so I suggested that we make a quick stop-over in Cincy for the game.  I had already been to the Great American Ball Park in 2005 so I had not planned in advance to go to this stadium.  But we went anyway and it worked out well because it was fireworks night at the ballpark!  We ended up seeing a good game and a great fireworks show.  It doesn’t get much better than baseball and the 4th of July!    

 

After we left Cincy we encountered a terrible rain storm, but we still made it to Columbus just after midnight.  In all it took me about 2700 miles and 40.5 driving hours to reach Columbus, OH from San Jose, CA.  We’ve still got to drive 2.5 hours to get to Solon tomorrow, but OSU is my home too so this is effectively the conclusion of the long cross-country journey.  I can’t believe I did it!  At times the trip was hard, but seeing my brother and being able to go to 4 stadiums in 4 cities in 3 days made it all worth it!  But I think I’m going to take a break from road trips for a while now!

 

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Update #4 - From St. Louis, Missouri

July 3rd, 2008

Kauffman StadiumBusch Stadium

 

 

 

Today my traveling party increased by one as I met up with my brother, Josh, in St. Louis.  We came from different places and by different means of transportation—he flew in from Ohio and I drove over from Kansas—but now we’re reunited at last.

 

Earlier in the day, before I arrived in St. Louis, I continued along highway 70 East and passed through Manhattan, Topeka, and Lawrence, Kansas; as well as Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri.  It was great to pass through so many cities that I’ve actually heard of.  I stopped in Lawrence to see the University of Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse and in Kansas City to see the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium—#21 on my list!  It was cool seeing Allen Fieldhouse in the same year in which the Jayhawks won the national championship game (which I witnessed in person).  And seeing Kauffman Stadium turned out to be one of the more exciting stadium visits that I’ve had because I had to sneak past security to get inside haha.

 

When the day started I had no plan as to how to get into Kauffman Stadium, since the Royals were playing in Baltimore and the ballpark is off limits for tour groups while it is undergoing renovations.  But I still wanted to go to KC and try anyway.  My first attempt to get in involved me pleading with a security guard on the basis that I came all the way from California and didn’t want to leave without a photo.  He ended up letting me inside the left field gate for a distant picture (and was nice enough to give me a batting practice ball that had landed in one of the fountains as a souvenir!), but he did not allow me to go all the way behind home plate like I wanted because he was being watched by a security camera too. 

 

But I was not about to give up.  I wandered around the perimeter of the ballpark until I found an unlocked gate that was marked as a construction entrance only.  I then proceeded to do what any good baseball stadium enthusiast would do—I made a mad dash through the gate, went behind home plate and snapped a photo, and then ran back to my car lol.  Even though the fountains were not turned on, I still liked what I saw and gave the ballpark a decent ranking of #13.  It does not, however, have the modern stadium amenities necessary to get a higher ranking (the ballpark opened in 1973).

 

After I picked up Josh at the St. Louis airport we went to the Cardinals-Mets game at Busch Stadium—#22 on my list!  I was VERY impressed with the ballpark and ranked it a strong #4.  The outside is made from beautiful red brick and the backdrop behind center field is highlighted by the Gateway Arch.  The Mississippi River is also visible from certain parks of the ballpark.  More specifics to follow in my facebook album later.  Down to just 8 stadiums remaining now!

 

And after 8 more hours of driving today, the total for the trip now stands at 33.

Update #3 - From Hays, Kansas

July 2nd, 2008

Coors FieldKansas

 

After a grueling day of driving yesterday, today was mainly a day to rest and enjoy Denver.  I thought downtown Denver was pretty cool and I hung out there most of the afternoon.  For a big city it sure did have a small town feel.  But of course the highlight of the day was going to the Rockies-Padres game at Coors Field—stadium #20 on my list!  It’s not everyday that I can see a new baseball stadium in person, so when it does happen it’s a very big occasion.  Whatever trepidation I felt about this trip yesterday was gone as soon as I saw the ballpark.  Going to baseball stadiums make it all worth it—it’s what I do (see my blog posts under the category of “Stadiums”).

 

I went to Coors Field two hours before gametime to see batting practice.  I walked all around the stadium taking pictures from all different angles, which helps me to rank stadiums later on.  Once the game started I drank a Coors Light because…well, it seemed like the appropriate thing to do there haha.  I also found out that stadium employees here allow fans from out-of-state to try out different seats during games for an inning or two if they are persuasive.  ;)  I thought Coors Field was nice, but I have seen better.  Unfortunately the ballpark does not face downtown Denver, so the backdrop is not that great.  I will be ranking the stadium as #14.  I also plan on writing more specifics about the ballpark at my baseball stadium facebook album later in the week.

 

After I left Coors Field I hit the road again on 70 East to get a little closer to Kansas City, where I will be going in the morning.  I ended up driving 5 hours to Hays, KS, bringing the trip total to 25 hours.  It was pretty obvious that I’m at the Plains states now, as the highways are flat and straight and there’s a lot of farmland.  It sure does make for an easier drive, so I’ll take it.  I also appreciated the fact that there are lots of towns and rest stops along 70 East.  I had cell phone reception the whole way and there were plenty of opportunities to exit the highway for gas and food.  I won’t take that for granted anymore after driving through Nevada and Utah yesterday! 

 

Tomorrow I’m also going to a Cardinals game in St. Louis after picking up my brother at the airport.  Big day ahead!

Update #2 - From Denver, Colorado

July 1st, 2008

The Open RoadUtah

 

Today I realized just how crazy what I’m doing is.  I knew it wouldn’t be easy to pack up my car with everything I own and drive 40+ hours, but [despite the warnings] I didn’t think through how grueling this would be.  But I’m glad I went through with it after all because, well, I always like having a story to tell.  :)

The plan for today was to reach Denver, one of the main destinations of the trip.  I left the isolated town of Tonopah at 7am PST and again headed east through the Central Nevada desert on Highway 6, a.k.a. The Great Basin Highway.  This time I could see the roads, as it was now light out, but even then there were little signs of life.  For about 100 miles I had no FM radio signal, no cell phone reception, and I saw only a handful of cars—maybe one every 10 minutes.  Interestingly though, I did pass a military weapons testing range.  There were no rest stops and no gas stations until I finally reached the small town of Ely, NV.  I don’t think I was ever so happy to find a McDonald’s.  ;)   After leaving Ely, I would then experience the same roughly 100 mile drought again until reaching the town of Delta, UT.  All throughout each remote stretch I just kept hoping that I wouldn’t run out of gas or break-down—because there really wasn’t any way to get help.  But of course everything turned out fine since I’m writing this now.

Highway 6 became Highway 50 (in Utah) and then eventually Highway 70 (in Colorado).  After passing through the small towns of Salina City, UT, Green River, UT, and Parachute, CO every couple hours, eventually I reached a populated city—Aspen, CO—about 11 hours after originally leaving Tonopah.  Up through Aspen I was very fortunate to have encountered great weather and great scenery the entire day.  In fact, I saw [quite literally] nothing but blue skies, white puffy clouds, and the mountain side in each state.  The only difference in each place was the color of the mountains.  In Nevada the setting was desert-like, as the mountains were sandy and barren-looking.  In Utah, however, the mountains were greener and more colorful.  And in Colorado, the setting was the greenest and most beautiful of all—especially at Aspen.                                                                                                                              

After Aspen, though, things got a little rough.  Road construction and lane closures added time to the drive.  And then I encountered a lightning and heavy rain storm.  I pressed on through it, but that was a lot harder to do on the sloping and twisting highways of Colorado.  Then my phone died.  I tried very hard to overcome the problems and still make it to Denver in time for Monday’s Rockies-Padres game (including hitting 100 on the speedometer for the first time haha), but in the end nature and traffic just did not allow for it.  I arrived at the baseball stadium when the game was pretty much over.  But fortunately the same two teams are playing again Tuesday night, so I’ll get another chance.

 

Update #1 - From Tonopah, Nevada

June 30th, 2008

Yosemite Yosemite

 

My cross country trip is now underway.  Today I loaded up my car with all of my possessions and said goodbye to my roommates at 3542 Corte Bella Dr.  It was especially hard to leave my good friend Winston, the coolest 2-and-a-half-year-old I know.  We played with his new airplane and took some pictures together before high-fiving and then waving goodbye to each other (our customary practice) one last time.  I’ll for sure miss him. 

 

I left the house late because I put off packing until the last minute (I was having too much fun going out with friends all week!), so I only got in about 6 hours of driving time today.  My first stop on the trip was at Yosemite.  I was very amazed at how big the park was; seemed like it took a couple hours to drive all the way through it.  And of course the scenery was spectacular.  It was really dangerous though how on the way there the roads are so winding—and on cliffs.  Drivers better be paying 100% attention there for sure.  Speaking of concerns for drivers, regular gas was $5.09 in Yosemite!  What’s up with that??    

 

After Yosemite, I drove to Nevada on Highway 6 in total darkness.  It was kinda scary because it was hard to see the road–which had a lot of dips–and for the most part there were no other cars or signs of civilization at all.  Finally I reached the town of Tonopah in Central Nevada (I think about 250 miles from Vegas) and decided to get a hotel room here, figuring there might not be another town for many miles.  Finding a gas station was also a welcome sight.

 

Tomorrow the plan is to reach Denver in time for the Rockies-Padres game.  I’m also looking forward to Wednesday when my brother Josh will meet me in St. Louis to see another baseball stadium on this trip!

Ballpark Rankings

June 24th, 2008

As promised, below are my personal rankings of the baseball stadiums that I’ve visited.  Combining my love for baseball, travel, and architecture, I have either attended a game at or taken a tour of 26 out of 30 stadiums.  I have also created albums with pictures from each of the ballparks.  :)

 

Albums:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129330&l=c755a&id=705640598

http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.miller.0217

 

My Rankings:

T1. AT&T Park – San Francisco Giants

T1. PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates

3. Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs

4. Oriole Park at Camden Yards – Baltimore Orioles

5. Busch Stadium – St. Louis Cardinals

6. Progressive Field – Cleveland Indians

7. Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees

8. Nationals Park – Washington Nationals

9. Comerica Park – Detroit Tigers

10. Petco Park – San Diego Padres

11. Minute Maid Park – Houston Astros

12. Turner Field – Atlanta Braves

13. Great American Ball Park – Cincinnati Reds

14. Miller Park – Milwaukee Brewers

15. Rogers Centre – Toronto Blue Jays

16. Kaufmann Stadium – Kansas City Royals

17. Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles Dodgers

18. Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia Phillies

19. Safeco Field – Seattle Mariners

20. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington – Texas Rangers

21. Coors Field – Colorado Rockies

22. Chase Field – Arizona Diamondbacks

23. Angel Stadium – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

24. U.S. Cellular Field – Chicago White Sox

25. Shea Stadium – New York Mets

26. McAfee Coliseum – Oakland A’s

 

Both the rankings list and the facebook album will be updated as I visit new stadiums.  :)

 

For more stadium information check out www.ballparksofbaseball.com.  This is a really cool website that I recommend you view as well.  There’s also a facebook application called “Stadium Tour” with pictures of all stadiums, not just baseball stadiums.  It’s pretty cool because you can give each stadium a 1-through-10 ranking and leave comments. 

A Day At The Ballpark

June 19th, 2008

AT&T Park

 

Since I’ve been on leave of absence from work—which has been about 3-and-a-half weeks and counting—I’ve been keeping pretty busy.  After working out like mad the first couple weeks (until I hurt myself and had to slow it down), I’ve gone to Santa Cruz a couple times, the Kanye West concert, Santana Row, and have met up with friends quite frequently.  But one thing I hadn’t done was go to any ballgames.

 

Until today, that is.

 

This morning when I woke up around noon, I turned on the TV and found Giants pregame was on.  First pitch was scheduled for 12:45pm PST, as it was a “businessman’s special” day at AT&T Park.  After asking a few people online if I should go (they all said “dooo it” haha), the next thing I knew I was in my car driving to SF.  It took about an hour to get there from south SJ, so I was late.  And I had dinner plans with someone really cool so I would have to leave early too.  But I didn’t mind.  The main attraction at Giants games is the ballpark itself, so I was just glad to be there and soak in the atmosphere one more time. 

 

Quick aside.  As everyone knows, I love baseball and it’s my intention to visit all 30 MLB stadiums across the country.  Here’s why: Unlike basketball arenas (which are indoors) or football stadiums (which are giant, enclosed bowls designed to fit 70,000+ people), baseball stadiums are built to be aesthetically appealing.  Unique in design and in charm, they are often built in locations that show off a city’s downtown skyline, bridges, and/or bodies of water.  Every new stadium in the modern era (post Skydome-1989) has been designed so that the backdrops behind the outfield fences are as beautiful as…well…the game of baseball.  =)    If you ever want to hear more, I could go on for hours with this topic.  ;)

 

Back to today.  It was a beautiful afternoon in SF—sunny, warm, NO FOG!—so I could see clear across the bay to Oakland.  I walked around the stadium and took pictures of the field, the bay, and the Bay Bridge (doesn’t get as much press as the Golden Gate Bridge, but this one is my favorite bc of its ties to the ballpark).  I did so while listening to Jon Miller and Dave Fleming of KNBR on my portable radio.  If you ask me, games are easier to follow and more fun with commentary, and the Giants have some of the best voices in the business.  Duane Kuiper, the “Outta Here!” voice of nearly all of Bonds’ homeruns in SF, is also very good on the TV side.     

 

I’ve been to 19 baseball stadiums so far and AT&T Park is clearly #1 on my list.  It’s probably not moving either. 

 

 

 

 

…My complete rankings, and hopefully some pictures, will follow next time…

 

    

Welcome to My Blog

June 16th, 2008

Today I decided it’s time to start a blog.  And thanks to my good friend Shane, it’s already up and running! 

 

So why start a blog? 

 

Well, for one thing, I really enjoy writing.  There was a time when I was the sports editor for my high school newspaper (go Courier!) and then a staff writer for my college newspaper.  I even enjoy studying grammar.  8-)   But in the last several years I’ve mainly just written papers for school and audit documentation for work.  As you can imagine, neither was very enjoyable.  I miss being able to write creatively and with voice.   

 

But perhaps an even more important reason for creating this blog is so that my friends can read about what I’m up to when I get back home.  The hope is that reading this blog will make you feel more up-to-date with what’s going on with me, thus allowing us to remain connected.  If any of you have blogs too, let me know and I’ll be sure to read (and link) yours as well!  =) 

 

What am I going to write about? 

 

I’ll write about what’s on my mind, anecdotes from my day that I find interesting, and any announcements that I have.  I’ll also document my travels for sure—especially when I visit a new stadium or university!!  I’m most interested in sports, politics, and current events in Ohio (no surprises there), so those topics are likely to appear frequently.  

 

How often am I going to post?

 

Whenever I get the urge to write.  That won’t be everyday, but hopefully a couple times every week. 

 

Alright, so that’s about it for my first post.  Kinda like a purpose statement I suppose.  But in any case, I’m officially a blogger now woot!  How exciting.  Thanks for your help getting started, Shane!  (You can check out his blog by clicking on “imagine a different world” on the right side of this page).