July 8, 2008 - If seeing a game at Fenway Park is perfect enough as it is, we were able to witness a fantastic game this time, too. The Red Sox trailed the Twins the whole game until the bottom of the 8th inning.
If you've been to Fenway, you know the ritual is to sing Sweet Caroline, the Neal Diamond hit from the 70's, in the middle of the 8th with 37,000 of your closest friends. In most cases, singing any Neal Diamond song would seem corny at best. However, since it's at Fenway, that somehow makes it really cool. It also gets the crowd pumped up and into the game. If you haven't witnessed this in person, it's worth a sports vacation to see it!Something about that song must have given the Sox themselves the boost they needed because they rallied to score four runs to take the lead. The most exciting part of the rally had to be Manny's two run shot over the Monster to tie up the game, insuring that we were going to have a fun end to the game no matter what. Click here to read the details and see the box score from the game.
National Baseball Hall of Fame. As much as I love being in New York, I always look forward to going to Cooperstown for the submersion in baseball and the slowed down pace of this great little village. 
The stadium tour moved through many different sections of the park including the Right Field Roof Deck, the State Street Pavilion, the Infield Grandstand and, of courses, the Green Monster. 
It's interesting to see the contrast at this park with only 35,000 or so fans in the seats versus most other stadiums that seat 40,000 - 55,000+ fans. You are so close to the action here regardless of where your seat is. The only thing you have to be concerned with is an obstructed view. We've found the best way to avoid that is to sit low enough that the only thing that could possibly block your view is the batter in the on deck circle!
our visit to Boston with a private escorted tour of Fenway. (We were lucky enough to get Kim again. Great job, Kim!) The tour is a great mix of history and facts about the team, the ballpark and baseball in general. 
Monday, June 23, 2008 - Shea Stadium is one place that I don't think will be missed by many when it's gone. Aside from its unattractive appearance on the outside, many of the seats face the wrong direction (center field instead of the pitcher's mound/home plate), even the great seats sit too low so that the people in front of you are blocking some portion of the field, and every two seats you have an aisle or an obnoxious bar next to you. I suppose the bars are supposed to give you the feeling of a "box seat". Instead, it gives you the feeling that you are either watching the game from a cubicle or your own jail cell (which is more likely for many of the Mets' seasons especially last year's melt down in September). 
Because of a slight rain, we made our way through some tunnels to get to the Yankees dugout. While it's always fun to walk on the warning track, it was interesting to see parts of the stadium that I hadn't seen before. We saw the visitors clubhouse and their tunnel to their dugout. We saw pictures throughout the tunnel of Yankees through history. And we made our way through the tunnel from the Yankees clubhouse into the dugout where I shot this photo of the plaque with the famous quote from Joe DiMaggio. 
Citizens Bank Park has a few features that it shares with other parks. The concourse areas along the base lines reminded us of the New Busch Stadium. The outfield concourse felt like Coors Field. It was very party-like with vendors, restaurants and shops, and places to hang out and catch the game. 
Sometimes it's choosing the right tour operator who puts together sports travel packages that include some really cool features. But sometimes, the things that happen on the package tours can't be planned.
The New Nationals Park doesn't have great surroundings nor does it have a great view from the ballpark. The views won't likely change much - I suppose that new construction could impact the views over time - I'm thinking about PETCO Park. I really hope that the district continues to build around the park and doesn't cancel the projects the same way that things have happened in St. Louis around the new Busch Stadium.
The tour itself was fantastic. We started on Eutaw Street, which is now the space between the outfield seats and the warehouse, and managed to make our way through every level of the ballpark. Our guide, Susan, led us through the tour that was part Orioles history, ballpark history, as well as Baltimore facts and history. 
As most people that have been to Cooperstown in June, July, or August know that it can be a little more congested with all the group tours, but it always should be at the top of your list. There is something for all groups and ages at the Hall of Fame. Whether you are wanting to learn more history of the game, see the memorabilia, or get a little bit of everything the Hall of Fame has it. I liked many aspects of the Hall of Fame but being an art lover I liked being able to see different pieces of art depicting a certain memory in baseball. Whether it was an abstract piece depicting a player hitting a grand slam or multiple paintings of fans in their favorite baseball stadiums. It was a great experience and I can't wait to go back!
What we weren’t expecting was for it to happen so early in the game! James Shield was the starting pitcher for the Rays and Coco came up to bat in the second inning and was hit by the pitch in the thigh. At first it appeared that Coco was just going to go to first base. However, that was not the case Coco through his gear down and charged the pitcher’s mound. Starting an uproar in the crowd and on the field he was outnumbered to begin with but soon each team was on the field including the bullpen! After the fight was broke up both Coco and Shield were ejected from the game. This was a great beginning to our MLB road trip!
We headed out to the ballpark on a perfect night for baseball - and the perfect night to see the Orioles sweep the Astros with a 7-5 victory. But regardless of the outcome, how could one not enjoy spending time at Camden Yards? What a great facility. From the incorporation of the Warehouse Building into the stadium, to Boog's Barbeque, to the awesome seating and views throughout the stadium, fans in Baltimore are absolutely spoiled with this park. Here's photo taken from our seats early in the game.
"We
really hated leaving 
