Hard to believe, but today is day 32 of the trip and I have another 32 or 33 days left, depending on how fast I decide to get home....but what a roller coaster it has been...
Getting to see 14 baseball stadiums is cool enough in itself, but getting to see and know the 18 cities that I've visited as well is something that is just so invaluable....It's funny too 'cause I was so adamant on not travelling anywhere just a few years ago when I was so focused on getting my career started...I never wanted to miss out on any opportunity that was out there...I just figured that I would end up kicking myself for missing out on any tiny thing that would help advance me in the game if I was off tanning on a tropical island somewhere.....Now as I go along, I find myself wondering what could have been if I had travelled a little more as I grew up instead of being so career-driven.....but at the end of the day, I guess the grass is always a little greener on the other side, so maybe I did it the right way.....a little deep for a Sunday morning, I am aware...lol
But it's not a bad time for reflection either since I'll be parting ways with Chris and Greg tomorrow morning to head off to the West Coast....
For the first time on the trip, I will be on my own and I'll be experiencing the Pacific Northwest, California, Phoenix and Denver, plus 8 more stadiums on my own for the next couple of weeks....My roommate will be meeting me in Minnesota on June 1st and then it could be a group party for the last couple of weeks...
Alright, back to the trip itself....it was a 3 and a half hour trip from St. Louis to Kansas City to see the Royals game last night....
For a team that has been awful for the last couple of decades or so, they have managed to build themselves one heck of a stadium for the 2009 season.....The New K ranks right near the top as far as my experience so far...
It's a great open-air stadium with a lot of different activities around the park for fans to see...of course, baseball fans know that Kansas City is known for their water show in the outfield and the new stadium brought that over as well....just adds that little cool factor that a lot of other stadiums are missing....and the modern amenities are around as well with the highlight being the massive HD screen in centre field in the shape of the Royals logo....not as big as the screen in both New York stadiums, but the fact that they managed to do in the shape of the logo makes it more impressive in my view....again, that extra little touch....
The sightlines are great and this park also had the best tailgaiting before a game that we've seen all spring long....BBQ to homemade ring toss and horseshoes....of course, the drinking games as well.....everything was out in full-force in the parking lot....
So, on the list, KC makes it up pretty high as we're now 14 teams team....16 more to go! I've also put the names of each team beside the stadium because a couple people asked....no problem!
1) Minute Maid Park - Houston
2) Camden Yards - Baltimore
3) The New K (Kaufmann Stadium) - Kansas City
4) The Ballpark in Arlington - Texas
5) PNC Park - Pittsburgh
6) Citi Field (New Mets Stadium)
7) Fenway Park - Boston
8) Yankee Stadium
9) Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia
10) Busch Stadium - St. Louis
11) Turner Field - Atlanta
12) Tropicana Field - Tampa
13) Nationals Park - Washington
14) Dolphins Stadium - Miami
