#WalletCard goes to the Beach

Team Phungo spent a very busy Easter Weekend in Rehoboth Beach Delaware.

#WalletCard at Rehoboth Beach DE

Temps were a bit cooler than I would have liked and it was really windy. We did have a really nice Sunny getaway day and the Chase Utley Wallet card made it out for an appearance.

Highlights
Tasting Menu at A(Muse)
Rubber Banded Junk Wax Packs

Recomended
Dogfish Head
Salt Air
Fins

Meh
Pig and Fish - always enjoyed previously, little disappointing this time out
Wind
Traffic

Sunday Night Baseball: Dodger Stadium Visit

The Dodgers hosting the Pirates on Sunday Night Baseball has given us the perfect opportunity to feature a recent Team Phungo trip visit to Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers were out of town while we were in LA, but they do offer stadium tours on off days. I had never been on a Stadium tour before and Lady Phungo was busy with a conference so I decided to venture out from our fine hotel in near Manhattan Beach, drive across LA and check out Chavez Ravine.

 
2014 05 20 Dodger Stadium

The tour opens at the top of Dodger Stadium. Due to the unique terrain of Chavez Ravine you literally drive right to the level you plan on entering. It makes for a really cool first look at the field. 

Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory

The tour cost $20 which I thought was well worth it, even without getting to see a game.  One reason is the great views that one is presented from Dodger Stadium.

In close proximity to LA there are mountains everywhere. If you can't see the Hills then you are atop of some landmark which affords a view of the canyons or beaches. The Hollywood sign above is easily viewed from the Left Field Concourse

Retired Number Plaza 

Just outside the upper level the Dodgers have a Retired Number that I believe is relatively new. Each Number is about a foot deep and contains a brief player bio on the side. The right side is in English while the left is in Spanish. Jackie Robinson's 42 is the number nearest the entrance. I am not sure why the numbers are Red on the front rather than Dodger Blue. The reverse side is Blue, but one needs to reverse the image to view those correctly 

Entrance Vin Scully Press Box

The tour takes you to many unique places including a trip through the Vin Scully Press Box. 

Dodgers Retired Numbers

This is the Retired Numbers as viewed from the Press Box

World Series Trophies

I learned something on the tour, prior to 1967 there was no World Series Trophy. It was left  up to each team to decide how to honor their club. The Dodgers created Baseball Bats with the signature of each player - well sort of, the signatures are only engraved for the players actually signed for the ensuing season. Unsigned players had their names stamped in font form.

The Trophy to the left is from the Dodgers last World Series triumph in 1988. The stand on the left is for the 1981 trophy which was out for polishing. That was just fine with Team Phungo as 1981 is the split season that hurt what was a pretty good Philies team. 

In the window reflection you can see the many Dodger Gold Gloves that are beautifully presented on the opposite side of the room. 

Rookie of the Year Awards 

I am a little confused on this one. The five plaques at the bottom are for the five recent Dodgers RoY winners which are all referred to as the Jackie Robinson Award. I am good with that.

The 11 awards on top are also Rookie of the Year awards but this is where it gets odd. They are referred to as the Ford C Frick Rookie of the Year award. I couldn't find any on-line documentation of the awards name prior to 1987 when it became the Jackie Robinson Award. According to Wikipedia the Award was once named for J Louis Comiskey but there is no mention of Frick. The Dodgers awards all specify National League, possibly the NL award was named for Frick, while the AL was named for Comisky. If anyone has further info, I am certainly curios.   

Dodger Stadium from Field Level

The tour concludes by taking you to field level and into the Dodger dugout.

On the Road: LA/Hollywood/Beverly Hills

Had a great time In Los Angeles a few weeks back and I wanted to discuss some of the highlights.

Highlights
Little Sister  
Dodger Stadium Tour
Conan
Largo at the Coronet Comedy Night w/ Tig Notaro Bill Burr Laura Kightllinger
Ink Sack
Loteria

Recomended
LA River
Manhattan Beach and Pier
Hermosa Beach
Umani Burger 
UCLA Sports HOF
UCLA Ballfield - Jackie Robinson Field
Getty Museum
Manhattan Beach PostJuan Two Three
AOC
In and Out Burger
Angels stadium with Game Related Posting

Meh
Trader Joe's Discount Beers
Manhattan Beach Marriot
Tin Roof Bistro
The Kettle 

Overrated/Disappointing/Ugh
LAX
Getting to Angels Stadium on a Friday Night

2014 Phungo #43 Ringo Starr - Beatles Grammys

Tonight the Grammys are on TV. Team Phungo will probably drop in for bits and pieces. I am still a pretty big music fan even though I rarely download or buy CDs and don't get to nearly as many concerts as I would like but I still sort of pay attention to what is happening out there.

2014 Phungo #14

Tonight the Beatles are getting a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys - not sure they need the recognition or a reintroduction. I am pretty sure every generations rediscovers the quartet on their own at some point. Regardless it will give old-heads like myself a chance to reconsider the Beatles catalog once again. 

Last spring Team Phungo spend some time in the UK and trekked out to Liverpool to check out the Lads old neighborhood and ventured on a Beatles tour. The one we chose visited the Childhood homes of Paul and John. It was a history lesson on 1950s/60s England as much as it was an insiders look at icons. 

The Phungo card above is one of a series of sculptures set upon a chain hotel in the Beatles district. There is one for each of the Fab Four. John Lennon has the prominent corner spot, while Ringo here is down the street a bit. I am pretty happy with the way this Phungo card came out. I sort of went with a Yellow Submarine color scheme and I think the card captures that era/theme. 

There are a couple of other non-baseball subjects in 2014 Phungo, I hope to get to post some of the other onse in the future. 

Grammys 

I never got into awards shows much, but the advent of Twitter has made the awards season more fun - There are a lot of creative folks in the baseball world, some of them are very funny and quite snarky. Hopefully there will be a few chuckles this evening

More UK
If you want more info on our UK trip click here

Bucket or Chuck-it: Team Phungo on the Road - Scotland, Manchester, Liverpool

You may have noticed there hasn't been a post here in a few weeks, that is because Team Phungo has been abroad travelling across the United Kingdom.  We were fortunate enoughed to be invited to a friends Wedding in a castle outside the Scottish town of Stirling. It was a great idea and a good time was had by all involved.

Bucket or Chuck-It

BuckChuck is yet another attempt at a review feature I want to add to Phungo.  Bucket refers to something being bucket list worthy, while Chuck-It is the opposite - stuff that really doesn't need to be on your bucket list (something like building a full 660 Topps Wal-Mart Paralllel set)

To start of BuckChuck I am going to look at our trip to the UK - I hope to return to some of these items in more detail eventually but who knows

Scotland
Inverness - Bucket - cool little down on northern tip of Loch Ness, appears to have a vibrant night life.

2013 05 25 Loch Ness Sunset (10:23 pm)

Loch Ness - Bucket - I don't know any of my European Geography, but this lake is huge, there is also a significant cool factor in checking out the home of an iconic real or mythical creature.
Nessie Shops - Chuck-It - stuff for the amatuer tourist.
Highland Club, Ft Augustus - Bucket - Monastary on the bottom side of the lake.  Rented out a few suites with friends and had a great time.
Glascow - Bucket - like Inverness a lively town with a decent music scene and some noteworthy cultural landmarks
Stirling Castle - Meh - Ok I am adding a third category, Meh.  Stirling Castle is interesting but I don't think it is necessary.  Regardless an enjoyable afternoon can be spent in Stirling
Weather - Meh - mixed a little colder and ranier then I would of liked

England
Manchester - Bucket - great town. I have no concept of how bit Manchester is, but it had entertainment value that rivals a town the size of Philadelphia.

Cavern Club with John Lennon Statue - 2013 06 01

Liverpool - Bucket - All Beatles all the time. Had a great afternoon here checking in on the early haunts of the fab four

Travel
Destination Wedding Europe - BUCKET and BOTTLE IT - if you have the resources and are fortunate enough to get invited to a Dstination Wedding, I strongly urge you to consider it.  
Driving in the UK - Chuck-It. Other side of the road, Shifting w/ the left hand, and roundabouts, it is the hat trick of driving hassles
UK Gas Prices - Chuck-It - 1.33/Litre - Dothe math and you will find out that petrol here is practically free
GPS in the UK - Bucket - If your driving I highly recomend it, and check out how your insurance works when travelling abroad.
UK via train - Bucket - great scenery, efficient, care free
Citizen M Hotel - Bucket - rooms may seem a bit tight to some but staying in these newer Eurostyle hotels was pretty cool.
Vittles Scotland/UK - Bucket - with a little resarch there is a lot of intersting stuff to find here. Big Bonus big push for everything natural/organic
Libations Scotland/UK - Bucket - they have ALWAYS craft beer here
Sundays in Europe - Chuck It - I can never figure out what places are going to be open on a Sunday when travelling abroad.  Most of this is ok, except figuring out the whole eating thing.
US Airways - Meh - Didn't have an issue this time through, but they how me for to many shoddy experiences in the past - they were adequate.  
Jet Lag - Bucket - Parts of Scotland are as far north as Alaska - the sunset goes on forever and twilight remains till near 11 pm.

Movies - When travelling I get to see a lot of stuff I may not ever watch otherwise....
This is 40 - Bucket - good enough or an inflight movie - and cameos Philadelphia Flyer Scottie Hartnall.
Identity Thief - Chuck-it - not even good enough for inflight
Jeff who lives at home - Chuck-it - not good anytime ever
Spies Lies and Naked Thighs - Meh - Late 80s Harry Anderson/Ed Begley Jr Vehicle - this was pretty bad and we didn't make it thru the whole movie but it may have some unintentional humour.
New Girl reruns - Bucket - show is better than I had thought originally

Trading Cards - Unknown - but I got a few packs of stickers (UEFA I think) and we will be checking them out.

Hope to get some more pix up and more details on the above eventually.  Had a great time abroad, but am glad to be back home.




 

Team Phungo on the Road

It has been over 3 weeks since the last team Phungo posting.  Fortunately it was not due to any sort of problem, health issue or other unforeseen event.  Team Phungo was on Vacation! 

Today we make our triumphant return and it isn't even a baseball or baseball card posting. 

But this is a sports posting - sort of.

The Colosseum 2012 10 13

I have been doing the MLB stadium tour and knocking out about one a year.  Among the stadiums I have visited are the historical cathedrals of Wrigley and Fenway.  Neither of those classic venues comes close to comparing in age to the one presented above. 

The Colosseum is a fairly iconic landmark, but I really didn't know that much about it prior to visiting - The sports-nut in me did get a bit of a chill when I realized that I was standing in basically one of the oldest sports facilities on earth. 

The Colosseum Wikipedia page has a lot history and information and is worth perusing if your interested in delving deeper.

We spent a just over 2 weeks touring Italy includuing Rome Florence and various outposts on the Amalfi coast - while we did experience some minor issues that one may run into related to travelling in a foreign country, we had a thoroughly enjoyable trip.  Historical sights, beautiful cities, and works of nature.  We had several great meals, experimenting with new foods and discovering great italian wines and beers.  A nice bonus was excluding a day we got absolutely drenched outside the colosseum (day prior to photo above) we had two weeks of absolutely perfect weather.   

My wife is much more of a traveller then I am, and I appreciate her drive to push me to enjoy new things and places. We will not be able to take trips of this magnitude very often, but I am glad we could this time.

Phungo

More and more I feel  Phungo is expanding beyond baseball cards and baseball.  I remain a huge baseball fan (despite being gone for the bulk of the postseason) and will continue to post game reports and musing on baseball cards. 

Not sure where that ride will take us, but hope some folks will stick around for the journey. 

Phungo Travelblog: Moscow

Editor's Note:


I had composed this post over the weekend for publication tonight.  I could not foresee the terrorist attacks at Domodedevo Airport in Moscow earlier today.  I don't know much about what happened, but my fiancee has several colleagues and knows students that pass through the arrival terminal frequently (we were both in that terminal within the last year).  Thankfully, As far as we know none of our friends were flying to or from Moscow today.

For the record there was some ethnic violence while we were in Moscow, but in general I never felt as if I was in danger.  In general other then the language barrier I felt as safe and comfortable in Moscow as I would in any major city. 

Ok onto today's regularly scheduled posting:  
 
If you have been been reading Phungo for a while you may know that my fiancee works and studies Russian.  Her career path took her to Moscow for almost half of last year.  I was fortunate enough to spend a few months of that time on the road with her.

In two months abroad you get to see a lot of things and I cannot really sum up our adventure in a single blog posting but I will try and cover a few highlights here.

Of course Traveling gives Team Phungo the opportunity to take lots of Photos for Phungo Cards.

2011 Phungo #31 St Basil's Cathedral

One of Russia's most iconic structures is St Basil's Cathedral.  The Cathedral is one of the significant tourist attractions that make up part of Moscow's Red Square.  The landmark is easily identified by the onion domes of Russian architecture.  The blue and white onion on the left is the one that is most quickly recognized when viewing photos of St Basil's.

2010 10 29 Lenin's Tomb 

This is the outside of Lenin's Tomb.  We did not visit the tomb on one of the few days that it is open.  Quick Russian Language - first the backwards N is not an N at all it is actually an I the two 'H's are 'N's and the upside down V is a Russian L.  There you have it LENIN.

2010 10 29 Kremlin Clocktower  

This is the most famous of the Kremlins many lookouts and towers.  The Kremlin, Lenin's Tomb and St Basil's are all part of Red Square.

Team Phugo of course had to take in some sports while in Moscow. We got to catch a Hockey Game between CSKA and the Moscow Dynamo.  The Dynamo won the game 3-2.

2010 12 12 Moscow Dynamo Honored Numbers 

I don't really know much hockey and didn't recognize any of the names in the Dynamo Honored Numbers list.  There certainly were a lot of them.  For more on the game check my original game report from last month.

2010 11 25 Neva River St Petersburg

We spent Thanksgiving week in St Petersburg, the northernmost city of over 100,000 people on the planet.  This is ht Neva river at night - here you can see it partially frozen over. 

2010 11 25 Team Phungo hangs with Ozzy.  

I question the veracity of this autograph - but if it is real we at our Thanksgiving dinner in a wine bar where Osbourne once dined.

There were several other highlights, iconic places we visited were Red Square, the Bolshoi Theater, Gorky Park, and the Hermitage.  There were many other lesser known museums and parks and we also got to dine in a variety of restaurants featuring cuisine from across the globe.  Moscow is huge city and there are more things to check out then anyone can see in a few months or even a year. 

It wasn't always fun or easy.  Living in a foreign country speaking a different language can be complicated and sometimes scary.   But if you have the means and the right temperament, I think it is a very worthwhile experience.

Euro Travelblog

2010 01 01 - La Tour Eiffel

This is a non-baseball card post and will have nothing at all about cards but I thought I would pass it along for those of you interested in what else goes on in the world I sometimes refer to as Planet Phungo.

As you may have noticed not much posting lately, that is because Team Phungo has been abroad checking the European cities of London and Paris as well as the Champagne region of France. We spent 10 days abroad and it was a great vacation.

2009 Phungo #49 Statue of Liberty - Toronto Blue Jays

The Phungo card above is a statue created for the 2008 All-Star game festivities in New York City. Each team had a statue created for them and they were placed around the city. We never found the Phillies one. This one represents the Toronto Blue Jays. Oh yeah I mentioned this is a non-baseball card post - well the rest is, this part I just wanted to pass along because as most of you know the Statue of Liberty was originally donated the the US by France. Which is where we were on vacation and saw lot of statues and sculptures including this rather jolly one of Champagne originator Dom Perignon

2009 12 29 Dom Perignon

Here is a quick rundown of some of my thoughts on our recent trip.

Europe

Underated
Mass Transit system - I would love to have a decent mass transit system.

Multi-culturalism - Beautiful women from all over Europe were present in both London and Paris.

Overrated

Shopping - I am not a shopper so I am no judge but I didn't see anything in London or Paris that I thought I couldn't get at home. Well there were Topps Attax cards in France, but I didn't get a chance to examine them and see if they were any different then the American ones.

I suppose I will give them Kinder Eggs - although they are probably a choking hazard in the states.

Good Stuff

Chunnell - Not much on the views but a fun ride.

Push

Not Tipping - It just feels weird, but it saves you a bit of money.

Off Season v Holiday Travel - The Winter is the Off Season for European Travel, which should be a bonus, but that doesn't pertain to Christmas Week Travel - All 3 planes we took were stuffed including our Flight from Philadelphia to Paris on Christmas day. Everywhere we went that was remotely touristy was mobbed, and lots of places are closed on certain holidays.

Things that Suck

Exchange Rates and Sticker Shock

London

2009 12 27 Big Ben

Underrated

Big Ben - as far as tourist sights go this is a good one as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Trafalger Square are all within walking distance fo each other.

Overrated

Boxing Day - Apparently this is Black Friday for the Brits. And this years shopping frenzy was coupled with the threat of an upcoming VAT tax that set shoppers into a frenzy.

Good Stuff

English Breakfast - How did we ever give up having beans to start the day?

Push

Chain Restaraunt Pizza Express - Good Clean Efficient and survives wine. .

Pubs Closing at 10. Bad for drinking ones face off all night, good for helping you get up early and being a proper tourist.

It Sucks

Lost Luggage not arriving for 36 hours.

Paris

2009 12 31 Arc De Triomphe


Underrated

The Louvre on the Free Sunday through covert entrance and good planning. We could have actually planned a lot better, but got lucky a few times. Louvre and other museum tickets can be bought in advanced via a variety of different outlets which can help you avoid long lines. Highly recomended. We got lucky by stumbling into the Louvre "Port de Leons" entrance which had no line for whatever reason.

Champagne Country - Highly recommended - it is a short drive from Paris and gives you a chance to see what life in France is like outside the city.

Luxemborg Gardens even in winter - It's free lots of great statues and fountains. There is a mini statue of liberty here but we did not see it.

Crepes off a Street Stand - good stuff for under 4 Euros and much better than the New Year's Eve Dinner we blew 60 Euro on.

Versailles Outdoors - Once again, this must be really awesome in the summer time

Overrated

Versaille Indoors - probalby because of the insane crowds - but I still think it was overrated regardless my lack of knowledge probably hurts me here too - although Hall of Mirrors was pretty intense.

Closing stuff on Sunday's

Cafes near any major attraction - Same as Versaille Indoors, Insane crowds.

Good Stuff

Champs Elysees on New Year's Eve

Good wine at a good price

Sacre Coeur - This is an ancient church set on a good size hill in a fun neighborhood. Great views and artwork.

Paris Subway System - efficient with some cool stations.

Mona Lisa - Our party discussed the merits of the Mona Lisa - I think I get part of it. I am no art aficionado or historian - but I did take the time to give the painting a good look and I don't know if it's the history of the thing or what but I thought "yeah I am glad I saw it".

Push

Pubs open all-night. Sometimes not good for sightseeing the next day.

It Sucks

Pub Beer Prices - 6 Euro for a Pint!!!

Dog Doo and Urine everywhere

Phungo World Baseball Classic Report and Traveblog from San Juan

Random Observations team Phungo made during the World Baseball Classic in San Juan Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is sort of like being in an ethnic neighborhood in Philadelphia or New York. Lots of stuff is very different and some stuff is a lot the same, many folks speak a different language but if you need somebody who can speak English you can usually find them. They use the same currency and you don't need a passport.

The local delicacy is the Mofungo - Mashed Plantains which are then fried and topped with your choice of Meat, Fish or Vegetables. (I think there is a Mo Phungo joke in here somewhere) Plantains go with everything and are even used as a Pizza topping.

Mofungo with Chicken or - Mofungo Con Pollo - I think.

Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a loud and rockous environment. Games are as much an event as they are games. The Crowd noise rivaled that of a Major League Playoff game.

Bithorn is a 20,000 seat stadium which I would equate to a large Minor league park. They have dizzy bat races and there are fireworks for the 7th inning stretch.

If you want free junk they got it. Some company was giving out 64 oz bottles of household cleaner - I have fears some drunken American may have confused it for gatorade.

Hiram Bithorn was the first Puerto Rican to play in the Major Leagues. Bithorn was a Right Handed Pitcher for the Cubs and White Sox for four seasons between 1942 and 1947. His career was interrupted for Military service in 1944 and 1945.

I saw the Netherlands play twice, once as the Home team and once as the Away team, yet they used the same dugout both times.

When they announce David Ortiz at Hiram Bithorn, they follow his name with "Big Papi"

The 375 sign in Bithorn's left field power alley was absolute death valley for hitters. I saw 4 or 5 balls caught in that very spot.

Free T-Shirts are just as popular in Puerto Rico as they are in America.

For one of the games 3 National Anthems were observed, none of which were the United States Anthem.

The lines in the Mens room were so long that a vendor came in to sell beer.

Concessions at Bithorn are run by Fuddruckers/Pizzeria Uno and include basically American food, but the Menu is in Spanish. The prices were more reasonable then an American stadium. $2 for a bottle of water and 2.50 for an order of fries. I think beers were $4 and they have Pina Coloda vendors.

You get fans of all types at the WBC, I met great folks from all over and even shared a cab with a Mets fan.

One local told me that Hiram Bithorn is not the nicest stadium in Puerto Rico. It is located in close proximity to the Airport and San Juan which makes it more convenient for big events like the WBC. He preferred a newer Stadium Named for Roberto Clemente that was further away from San Juan.

In the game in which the Dominican Republic was eliminated Big Papi played in the field, while Hanley Ramirez was DH. The Dominicans were so loaded at SS that Miguel Tejada played 3B and Jose Reyes started at short. Oh and Hanley is a pretty big man.

Randall Simon was clearly the on the field leader of the Netherlands Squad.

Walgreens in San Juan carry 75 card re-packs of baseball cards. they did not appear to have a regional flavour.

Mrs Conley would be very disappointed w/ me... I don't think I could recall much of my High School Spanish. Near as I can tell the only Spanish I know comes from mexican food menus, beisbol cards, and Madonna songs.

If you want to chase autographs or see ballplayers off of the field, the team hotels are in Isla Verde, which is supposed to be one of the nicest beaches in San Juan.

I am ashamed to admit that we attended the game where the Netherlands upset the Dominicans but did not stay to it's conclusion.This the meager crowd that witnessed the biggest game in Netherlands History

This is a far more crowded stadium for the Puerto Rico v Netherlands game.


Free Agent Pedro Martinez pitching for the Dominicans

Team Phungo received great tips and helpful information from many baseball fans including: Angels Mark, Nats Lisa, Lebanon Valley Carl, and locals Rafael, Nestor y Magdalena - Thanks to all of them and I hope they had as good of a time in Puerto Rico as we did. 

Sources and Links
Pedro Martinez HoF Index