Field Report Miller Park 2016 0527 Reds 5 @ Brewers 9

This happened a couple of weeks ago but Team Phungo is still recovering from our recent Trip.

We spent a week in Madison and Milwaukee which gave us an opportunity to knock another stadium off our list. In the game the Brewers hosted the Cincinnati Reds. The two teams are battling for the cellar of the NL Central, consequently the game itself was secondary to the stadium visit.

Robin Yount

The Brewers have a series of statues outside the stadium including this one that honors Robin Yount, the Franchise All Time Leader in Games, ABs, Hits, Runs, RBIs, Doubles, Triples, and WAR. Ryan Braun is the only Brewer who has more Home Runs than Yount.

Hank Aaron

The man who broke Babe Ruth's Home Run record only played two seasons with the Brewers but he spent an additional dozen seasons in Milwaukee as a Member of the Braves. Hank Aaron is rightfully honored here by the Brewers.

Miller Park

From this angle Miller Park looks like a Spaceship whose design was inspired by a tarantula. I took this picture while walking up a path from the location of old County Stadium, where Hank Aaron hit his last Home Run.

Chorizo y Hot Dog

I was pretty excited for the sausage race. Here are Chorizo and the Hot Dog hanging out pregame. 

Retired Numbers

Bob Uecker's 50 Year Plaque is in a nice neighborhood with Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Robin Yount nearby. 

Miller Park from the Upper Deck. 

Roof Opens! 

The Roof was closed when we arrived, but was opened just prior to game time. Miller Park only remained an outdoor venue for about 3 innings when oncoming rain forced another closure. 

John Lamb

Oh Yeah there was a game.  The Brewers defeated the Reds 9-5. Neither starting pitcher was particularly sharp and both were gone before the end of the 6th inning, although Brewers Pitcher Zach Davies was hurt by his defense.

The Starting pitcher for the Reds was John Lamb, For some reason his look here reminds me of Tyrion from Game of Thrones. Lamb was lifted after just 3 2/3 innings which saw him give up 6 runs.

Aaron Hill Warming up

Must of been a good warm up as Hill had a great game with a pair of Home Runs.

Ryan Braun & Brandon Phillips

Braun and Phillips are likely discussing their own trade prospects.

 Chris Carter

Carter is off to a hot start ranking 3rd in the league in Homers at the 1/3 mark in the season.

Bernie Brewer

We got to see Bernie Brewer hit the slide, I believe this was on the Aaron Hill's 2nd Home Run. Notice at the top of the picture signs are lit up that say "Get Up, Get Up, Get Outta Here, Gone!" the signature Home Run Call of Brewers Broadcaster Bob Uecker.

There was a lot more to take in at the Brewers game and I have a lot more pictures that I hope to share at some future point.

Sources and Links
Baseball-ref
Milwaukee Brewers
Baseball Almanac 

Snapshots 2014 08 22 White Sox @ Yankees

Team Phungo took a road trip to New York this past weekend to catch what is likely our last Derek Jeter home game. 

Derek Jeter (Tyler Flower Catching - I believe this is in the 1st inning)

We may have been there to see the Captain but the evening belonged to Martin Prado.  The veteran super utility player got both a Home Run and a Walk off single accounting for 3 of the Yankees runs in the 4-3 victory.

Jeter went 1-5 in the game with the ht being a single. Regardless the Yankees crowd was glad to see him play and showed their appreciation.


Snapshots

Shane Greene vs Tony Abreu

The Three White Sox runs came courtesy of a Home Run by Cuban Rookie of the Year candidate Tony Abreu.  The photo above is of the pitch upon which Abreu hit is homer. The ball just cleared the wall in left center. Greene settled down after a miserable first inning and was able to pitch into the 6th. 

John Danks vs Jacoby Ellsbury (5th inning) 

We didn't sit there much but our tix were int he CF bleachers. It was a fun atmosphere for a game. We had an obstructed view that kept us from seeing Left Field, but it to allow me to take some ok shots of the action at the plate.

In my opinion Yankee Stadium is better lit than Citizen's Bank Park. There is a bank of lights behind the plate that were not even lit during the game. Not sure of the reasoning, but adequate illumination form the remaining lights does seem a possibility

Retired Numbers

The Yankees retired Joe Torre's #6 the day after our game, so I imaging Friday night was the last time that the Retired number board had "only"17 numbers displayed.

Sources
Baseball-ref

Stadium Visit: 2014 05 23 Royals 1 @ Angels 6

Got back from LA and wanted to quick a couple of snapshots from the team Phungo visit to Anaheim Stadium.  The Angels hosted the Royals and won the contest 6-1. CJ Wilson pitched 6 1/3 for the home team scattering four hits, but also walked 4. The Royals however stranded 10 runners and Wilson was able to hold them to the single run. Catcher Chris Iannetta and Mike Trout each homered for the Angels.  

Anaheim Stadium - Royals @ Angels: CJ Wilson vs Nori Aoki

This shot is from late in the game you can see the faux rocks just left of center

Danny Duffy vs Mike Trout

Yes this is the pitch that Mike Trout knocked out for a Home Run in the third inning. If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can see a streak that is the pitched ball.

CJ Wilson

The Angels had a couple of stars on Friday Night, Trout, Chris Iannetta and CJ Wilson shown above.

 

Nori Aoki

The Royals got three of their five hits from leadoff man Nori Aoki. Here we see his distinct batting style. 

Louis Coleman vs Albert Pujols

Royals Reliever Louis Coleman faces Albert Pujols late in the game. Coleman eventually K'd Pujols in this AB. 

Albert Pujols HR Meter

The Angels Pujols HR Tracker located beyond centerfield.

 

Angels Retired Numbers

The Honorees include former Phillies Manager Jim Fregosi (11), Rod Carew (29), Nolan Ryan (30) and of course Jackie Robinson. 

Jill Marie Burke

Anaheim Anthem specialist Jill Burke had a busy night as she also led the fans in "Take me out to the Ball Game" during the stretch

I have a couple of other pix that I will be adding here over the next couple of days, but wanted to get the above shots up in a semi-timely manner

Sources

Baseball-ref

Jill Marie Burke

2008 09 07 Shea Stadium Visit

Things have gone rather poorly for the Phils since winning the early Sunday game at Shea. The Phils were 1 game back of the Mets at the time, but that deficit has grown to three games. However, this cannot erase the good time that was had on our trip to New York. What follows is a review largely composed immediately following the trip.

Our trip to New York to check out the Phils and Mets was a good time all around. Team Phungo got to check out Shea Stadium before it closed, There was great weather, and The Phils Won.

We made the sound decision to not embark on a trip to New York on Saturday and fortunately the game was postponed long before the scheduled start time. Sunday provided much better post-hurricane weather and with many fans not present due to the move of the game, we were able to move to improved seats in the shade and behind the plate. Shea Stadium is simply what it is, an older symmetric stadium that doesn't have either the personality of an older stadium nor the fancy comforts of a newer stadium. We were in the upper level where concessions were fairly limited. There was a good dose of Nathan's products, including a Corn Dog, which was tasty although a bit greasy. Beers went for $8 a bottle, the limited selection did include the local Brooklyn Lager. Transportation to the park is only $2 via the 7 train from Manhattan, which is about a half hour ride.

This is the big scoreboard in Shea's Right Centerfield.

The completion of the early contest on Sunday meant there were but 14 remaining games at Shea. The Mets marked the occasion by having the son of Gil Hodges (his name escapes me now) remove the #15 and reveal #14, which was Gil Hodges uniform number as the Manager of the '69 Miracle Mets.

Hodges' 14 is one of three numbers retired by the Mets, the other are Casey Stengel's 37 and Tom Seaver's 41. The Mets as with all Major League teams have also retired Jackie Robinson's #42. The Shea Final Season Banner can be seen at the Left of the Photo. Hodges hit 370 homers during an 18 year career which he finished as a Met in 1963. The bulk of his career was spent with the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers with whom he played for World Champions in both cities.
1959 Topps #270 Gil Hodges

Hodges number isn't retired by the Mets for the two season that he spent as a player but for the 1969 season when he was the manager of the Miracle Mets. The 69 team along with the 86 Mets and several other NL and Divisional crown winning teams are recognized with banners beyond the outfield wall at Shea.

Notice that there in no 2007 Banner on that wall!

This is roughly the spot where Bill Buckner let that grounder bounce through the five hole during game 6 of the '86 World Series.

The Arthur Ashe Tennis center is located on the opposite side of the rail line from Shea. The Men's semis of the US Open were occurring during the Phils Mets game, you can see the jumbo-tron above the stadium. I blew up the shot and I think that might be Christie Brinkley on the screen. In the left center portion of the shot you can see the globe created for the 1964 Worlds Fair.

Here is a slightly closer look at the globe.

and Finally, next time we see the Mets it will likely be in the new Citi Field.

Ballparkdigest is an excellent resource for stadium information here is a link to their Shea Stadium Page.

The only other thing we had time for in our New York excursion was dinner at Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles.We were in a rush to get to the train after dinner so I did not get a picture. The restaurant was pricey as expected but very nice, with good food and great service.

2008 09 07 Phillies 6 @ Mets 2

Just some quick pictures from our trip up to Shea Stadium to see the Phils take on the Mets. Fortunately we caught the first game which the Phils won behind another great performance by the ageless Jamie Moyer. Greg Dobbs had the big hit on offesnse knocking out a 3 run homer against Pedro Martinez.
Another good day in the sun for Jamie Moyer. I was pretty happy the Mets announced the postponment of the game early on Saturday. The weather on Sunday was near perfect for baseball.

Here is a picture both Mets and Phils fans can enjoy.

There are several banners of Mets greats hung from the rafters in the lower concourse. This is one of Tug McGraw.

Here is another one more for the Mets Fans.
Luckily, The only time we saw The Big Apple make an appearance was not for a Mets Home Run but during the 7th innning stretch.

More pictures, highlights, and commentary later in the week.

2008 04 07 - Phils 8 @ Nationals4: Nationals Park, Washington DC

Once again it was a hot sticky day for the annual Baseball trip. This year's edition featured a trip to Washington DC and their brand new ballpark. The Phils completed a 3 game sweep of the lowly Nats. Kyle Kendrick pitched well and got the win. Jayson Werth and Jimmy Rollins both had home runs.

Plus - As Expected Nationals Stadium is another great new ballpark - With all the amenities, a beautifil field, and great views. The subway drops you off a short block from the Nationals park and gives you a dramatic view of the Stadium entering from beyond center field. The concourses were quite large, but this may have been an illusion due to the less than capacity crowd. The concourses were also nice and bright. For some reason Citizen's Bank seems pretty dim behind the plate area and up the baselines.

Minus - The neighborhood is yet to be developed, so all the excitement was in the park - it appears that there is a lot of construction going on currently and the ballpark area will be significantly different in the coming years. National Stadium really does not cater to the SRO crowd. This is a nice benefit of CBB, that I instantly notice when it is lacking in other ballparks. Regular Joe's like me have no behind the plate access as this is restricted to the Big Spenders. Also there are no ledges for the SRO crowd to set drinks or food on. perhaps they would prefer fans not to linger.

Shenanigans - It appears that part of the original design was to have a view of the Capitol over the left field skyline - but of course that is now obscured a brand new office building near the park.

Meh - I am not sure if there is a signature food in DC. perhaps it was the "Ben's Chili Bowl" - but in late July it is just to hot for chili. Ballpark food and drink prices are always steep - and in DC is right up there with domestic beers at $7.50 and Hot dogs $4.50.

Off the Diamond - DC was a lot of fun. The Phungo Crew gives a thumbs up to the Newseum and a fine Tapas restaraunt in Georgetown called Bodega. As expected driving in DC is a bit of a mess - all those circles and triangles - but Team Phungo survived.

Useless Info - Mark Texiera getting traded out of the league, unfortunately ends his season for my rotisserie squad - which also most likely ends my run at a pennant.

On Deck - Weather permitting I would like to squeeze in a game during the big Marlins @ Phils Series this week.

A view from the cheap seats:



The obligatory picture of the scoreboard displaying baseball card.
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