This was our fourth ball park review of the year. We did take several days "off" between our third and fourth games as our annual baseball trip took us to the west coast this year - specifically, San Francisco, Oakland and Seattle. This fourth game was "local" for our family as we live in the Chicago area. My dad's company had an outing at "The Cell" this past Friday night against the NY Yankees, a.k.a. The Evil Empire and we decided to take advantage and use this game as our 17th ball park visit.
We knew the trek to get to "The Cell" would be rough on a Friday evening as rush hour definitely peaks right when we had to be on our way AND on a Friday during summer, you can add in all the people heading all over town for the weekend. The fact the Sox were taking on the Yankees which is #1 in road team for attendance made things a little touchy even as we arrived near the ball park. For those that don't know, the south-side White Sox ball park is not in the best neighborhood in the city so you try to park close. Unlike the north-side Cubs, the Sox do have several parking lots and even allow and encourage tail-gating. We were hoping to get to the park early enough to partake in some tail-gating, but that was out the window shortly after we hit the road. We were down there about an hour before the scheduled first pitch and were feeling pretty decent about that...that is until we tried to get to the parking lot. Apparently all the cash lots near the ball park were full already and with very little assistance and really weak signage, we did finally make our way to a lot on the other side of the expressway (NOT desired!) and paid the same price they charge for the lots near the park - $23! You couldn't even see the park from where we were so now, we're off to a bit of a bad start. We were still in our seats well before the first pitch and even got to see the big trophy presentation...for the first time ever, the Lombardi Trophy (Bears '85), NBA Championship Trophy (Bulls '98), World Series Trophy (Sox '05), and the Stanley Cup (Blackhawks '10) were all together...that was pretty cool!
This was our 17th ball park visit in the last 4 years and I've been to 4-5 other parks over the years on top of that...well, I felt like I've never been to a baseball game they way the entrances are setup at The Cell. Instead of walking directly into the park from street level, you go up an escalator and then walk across a bridge to enter the ballpark...weird and awkward. As we didn't arrive very early for the game and due to the size of the crowd (reportedly 38,596 - 8th largest crowd of the year), I didn't get a chance to walk around much. There was the one big thing I've seen in these newer parks...the wider concourses allow you to move around fairly easily. I had the jumbo grilled hot dog with grilled onions and that was quite tasty...most comparable to the Wrigley Field hot dog prepared the same way. I know The Cell is infamous for some of their more unique cuisine, but I didn't partake in any of that so I cannot comment.
Following the initial run the Yanks scored in the top of the 1st, the Sox led the whole game yet I got the feeling that the Sox fans were just sitting around waiting for their team to implode. Sox starter Freddy Garcia had not been pitching too well lately after starting 8-1 as he took his 6.97 ERA in August into Friday night's game. The best description I can say about the crowd was "cautiously optimistic" as they were pretty quiet most of the night until the Sox put a 4-spot up in the 4th to make it a 9-2 game.
As you know, I am a Cubs fan so we were going to be winners either way on this one...if the White Sox won, that would be good because we would extend our baseball trip winning streak to 4 games and if the White Sox lost, well, the White Sox lost and that would be good too. Well, the White Sox put a hurting on Yankees starter AJ Burnett and won the game 9-4 making us 4-0 on this year's trip and 13-5 overall...just a reminder, we started our first season at 1-4, so we are 12-1 since! It was actually a Cubs win at Wrigley at the end of our first trip that started off that run too.
I''m sure it had a lot to do with where we were sitting (LF bleachers), but we couldn't see much of anything beside the field in front of us. It looked like The Cell was equipped with a pretty nice and info-filled scoreboard, but it's location was quite curious...mounted much too low just above and behind the RF bleachers. Don't think because we had lousy seats that we didn't pay a "pretty penny" for the tickets...when the Yankees come to town, the game is understandably considered a "premium game" which allows the Sox to charge much more for the tickets to this game. We paid $48 per ticket for these seats which was face value which is what I pay for my Cubs seats which are upper deck box seats at Wrigley Field at the ballpark with the MLB's highest average ticket prices. Did you know the White Sox have FIVE different prices for these seats - Mon = $17, Regular = $34, Prime = $38, Premier = $48, and Cubs = $59. We also sat 3 rows behind home plate in Oakland for $48 per ticket and we could see everything from there.
This park had two things going for it though...the opening ceremony with the four different championship trophies was very cool as I mentioned before. In addition following the end of the game, the Sox saved the best for last...the post-game fireworks show. Since the Sox didn't hit any HRs during the game, we had to wait until after the game to see the fireworks. Well, they did NOT disappoint with the fireworks show...VERY COOL and pretty long too as they were able to play 5-6 80s songs (felt like I was back in high school again) during a show that rivaled a pretty good one from the 4th of July. It was really that fireworks show that pushed The Cell up as high as I have it on my list.
As you can see, I didn't really like The Cell as I rated it the lowest out of all the newer ball parks; maybe if we sat somewhere else and were able to see the scoreboards, I might have rated it a little higher. But considering how much we paid for these tickets, I had higher expectations. OK, so here is my updated ball park ranking to date:
1. Comerica Park (Detroit)
2. PNC Park (Pittsburgh)
3. Jacobs Field (Cleveland)
4. Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia)
5. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
6. Safeco Field (Seattle)
7. Fenway Park (Boston)
8. Miller Park (Milwaukee)
9. AT&T Park (San Francisco)
10. Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati)
11. Busch Stadium (St. Louis)
12. Yankee Stadium (NY Yankees – pre-2009)
13. Wrigley Field (Chicago)
14. U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago)
15. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland)
16. Metrodome (Minneapolis)
17. Shea Stadium (NY Mets)
Next up is going to have to wait until 2011 as now we are done for 2010. So that will make 17 parks out of 30 leaving us with "only" 13 left...not sure what we're going to do next year either but we'll start talking about it after the start of 2011.
What were you thinking Kenny?
By the way, good thing they picked up Manny on waivers instead of addressing their bullpen issues because they very clearly have issues scoring runs...NOT. How did Kenny let the Twins pick up Fuentes? Even if you don't think you need the guy, don't you have to at least block your rival from getting stronger? Maybe Kenny was at that comedy club a little longer than Ozzie's son reported and he just missed this one. I mean the Twins lost their closer before the season started and in the last month have added two in Matt Capps and Brian Fuentes so that problem is seemingly solved. Of course, the worst news for the Sox is that Justin Morneau is on the comeback trail and could bring his .345 BA, 18 HRs, and 56 RBIs back to their lineup without having to add to their payroll as the Sox did with the addition of Manny.
Showing posts with label the cell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the cell. Show all posts
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Cubs Fans vs. Sox "fans"
So what is the difference between Cubs fans and Sox fans? In my experience, it's all about the focus between the two fans. Cubs fans really only keep track of the Cubs with an outside interest in the Sox. Sox fans seem to have MUCH more interest and derive much more excitement from Cubs' losses with a little more than secondary interest in the Sox. I have had conversations with supposed Sox fans that don't even know all five if the Sox starters. Really? But you know what made it worse...they knew the Cubs rotation including the order they pitch. Regardless, there is definitely a rivalry between the two ball clubs, but I think the rivalry between the fans is even more intense.
This whole cross-town rivalry thing for me dates back to 7th grade. I took a bus to my new Catholic school in 7th grade where I met several new kids. One of them lived in a different subdivision and it turns out he was a Sox fan while all of my friends all cheered for the Cubs so this was the first time I ever had to deal with someone like that. I was picked up before he was so I was on the bus when we picked him up. I took great pleasure letting him know that the Cubs won their game the day before and he did the same when the Sox won. I would have the whole bus yelling "Cubs WON!" and he was primarily on his own countering us. Even when the Cubs lost, it was nearly as fun if the Sox lost as we would all yell "Sox LOST!" and doubly fun when both happened. I still remember his name...weird.
As I increased my base of friends, I expanded to know more Sox fans. When I was in high school, my best friend had another friend that was a Sox fan. The year was 1983 and if you know much Chicago baseball, you know the Sox crushed the competition on their way to a 20-game division victory over the Royals. At the same time, the Cubs were scuffling along to "just miss" the playoffs by 19 games. That was a long summer at my friend's house. I remember this particular kid was pretty handy (actually worked at Handy Andy - remember that store?) and he had built himself a light kind of in the shape of a wagon wheel. In each of the spaces between the spokes (there were 20), he had different White Sox pennants. It was pretty cool even though they were Sox pennants.
In high school I befriended a guy who turned out to be a Padres fan. Really? A Padres fan in the NW Chicago burbs...how does that even happen. Well, the year was 1984 which ended up not being a good time to have a friend who was a fan of the Padres. The night Sutcliffe struck out Joe Orsulak and the Cubs clinched their first playoff berth in 39 years, I wrote the names of all the Cubs' players, numbers, and a Cubs logo in permanent marker on my Levis for school the next day - I didn't care if I got a detention (which I didn't). Our Homecoming Dance was Saturday night during Game 4 of that fateful playoff series. I spent more time walking out to my car checking the score (no internet cell phones back then!) on the radio than I did with my date (don't remember her name - must not have been a baseball fan).
In college, I again expanded my friend base and ended up becoming friends with more Sox fans. They weren't fanatical and they also didn't despise the Cubs so it wasn't much of a problem. I did get to know even more Cubs fans in college too and they were fanatical - I remember their names. When the Cubs clinched the division in 1989, I remember all of us were dialing the phones like crazy trying to get tickets not that we had the money to pay for them, but what's a couple days worth of food compared to a Cubs playoff game? I picked up my girlfriend (now my wife) at the Amtrak station at school. There was a whole bank of pay phones and the TicketMaster number was toll-free so I had two phones going at the same time. No luck however and neither did my friends.
Now I get to deal with my adult friends and neighbors and their kids. Just as I was brought up as a Cubs fan thanks to my father, my friends' kids are growing up as Sox fans based on their own father. Nothing wrong with that I guess. But here's the question...how did these guys end up as Sox fans instead of Cubs fans to start with? A couple of the guys I know that are Sox fans grew up on the north side which would logically mean they "should" be Cubs fans so what happened? Either they switch alliances just to be different or they had some other reason. I have heard Sox fans argue that most of the people attending Cubs' games are not true Cubs fans...rather they are only interested in the exerience. While I agree there are plenty of people there to get the experience...particularly the Friendly Confines which many people refer to as the biggest beer garden in the US. That may be true, but most of the people in the stands do pay attention to the game as you can tell by watching the game - they know when there is a big spot in the game; when to stand up and cheer. The Cubs continue to draw more and more people each year, but where are the Sox fans? Even in their World Series season, they still hardly drew more than average and couldn't even sell out their final regular season homestand. Does anyone think that could have happened with the Cubs at Wrigley? Didn't think so.
So what about Wrigley Field? I have been visiting ballparks throughout the country over the last few years with my family. All 5 of us are headed to the Midwest ballparks this August for our 3rd annual baseball vacation. Two years ago, we visited Detroit, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Last year, we saw the end of Shea and Yankee Stadium as well as Philadelphia and Boston. So we saw some old and saw some new parks. I know it might be blasphemy and before my visits to the new "old school" parks I would have agreed, but I think it may be time to knock down the Friendly Confines and build us a new old school park similar to those in Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. We haven't made it to Baltimore yet, but we will eventually and I know Camden Yards is where it all started back on the right track after all the lousy cookie-cutter artificial turf stadiums built in the 70s. I've also been to Turner Field in Atlanta which I also really liked. Tough to beat the locationin Wrigleyville so they'd have to tear it down and put the new park up in its place. I'd be willing to sacrifice a season of playing ball at The Cell on the southside; heck, maybe two seasons. THEN we could put to rest all the talk about how the Cubs only draw more fans than the Sox because of Wrigley. Would anyone like to make that bet if both teams played at The Cell? Didn't think so. Did you see how many butts were in the seats for that make-up game against Houston last year that was held in Miller Park in Milwaukee? The Cubs drew 25,000 there with 24-hour notice. Not bad, huh? Those are Cubs fans my friend.
This whole cross-town rivalry thing for me dates back to 7th grade. I took a bus to my new Catholic school in 7th grade where I met several new kids. One of them lived in a different subdivision and it turns out he was a Sox fan while all of my friends all cheered for the Cubs so this was the first time I ever had to deal with someone like that. I was picked up before he was so I was on the bus when we picked him up. I took great pleasure letting him know that the Cubs won their game the day before and he did the same when the Sox won. I would have the whole bus yelling "Cubs WON!" and he was primarily on his own countering us. Even when the Cubs lost, it was nearly as fun if the Sox lost as we would all yell "Sox LOST!" and doubly fun when both happened. I still remember his name...weird.
As I increased my base of friends, I expanded to know more Sox fans. When I was in high school, my best friend had another friend that was a Sox fan. The year was 1983 and if you know much Chicago baseball, you know the Sox crushed the competition on their way to a 20-game division victory over the Royals. At the same time, the Cubs were scuffling along to "just miss" the playoffs by 19 games. That was a long summer at my friend's house. I remember this particular kid was pretty handy (actually worked at Handy Andy - remember that store?) and he had built himself a light kind of in the shape of a wagon wheel. In each of the spaces between the spokes (there were 20), he had different White Sox pennants. It was pretty cool even though they were Sox pennants.
In high school I befriended a guy who turned out to be a Padres fan. Really? A Padres fan in the NW Chicago burbs...how does that even happen. Well, the year was 1984 which ended up not being a good time to have a friend who was a fan of the Padres. The night Sutcliffe struck out Joe Orsulak and the Cubs clinched their first playoff berth in 39 years, I wrote the names of all the Cubs' players, numbers, and a Cubs logo in permanent marker on my Levis for school the next day - I didn't care if I got a detention (which I didn't). Our Homecoming Dance was Saturday night during Game 4 of that fateful playoff series. I spent more time walking out to my car checking the score (no internet cell phones back then!) on the radio than I did with my date (don't remember her name - must not have been a baseball fan).
In college, I again expanded my friend base and ended up becoming friends with more Sox fans. They weren't fanatical and they also didn't despise the Cubs so it wasn't much of a problem. I did get to know even more Cubs fans in college too and they were fanatical - I remember their names. When the Cubs clinched the division in 1989, I remember all of us were dialing the phones like crazy trying to get tickets not that we had the money to pay for them, but what's a couple days worth of food compared to a Cubs playoff game? I picked up my girlfriend (now my wife) at the Amtrak station at school. There was a whole bank of pay phones and the TicketMaster number was toll-free so I had two phones going at the same time. No luck however and neither did my friends.
Now I get to deal with my adult friends and neighbors and their kids. Just as I was brought up as a Cubs fan thanks to my father, my friends' kids are growing up as Sox fans based on their own father. Nothing wrong with that I guess. But here's the question...how did these guys end up as Sox fans instead of Cubs fans to start with? A couple of the guys I know that are Sox fans grew up on the north side which would logically mean they "should" be Cubs fans so what happened? Either they switch alliances just to be different or they had some other reason. I have heard Sox fans argue that most of the people attending Cubs' games are not true Cubs fans...rather they are only interested in the exerience. While I agree there are plenty of people there to get the experience...particularly the Friendly Confines which many people refer to as the biggest beer garden in the US. That may be true, but most of the people in the stands do pay attention to the game as you can tell by watching the game - they know when there is a big spot in the game; when to stand up and cheer. The Cubs continue to draw more and more people each year, but where are the Sox fans? Even in their World Series season, they still hardly drew more than average and couldn't even sell out their final regular season homestand. Does anyone think that could have happened with the Cubs at Wrigley? Didn't think so.
So what about Wrigley Field? I have been visiting ballparks throughout the country over the last few years with my family. All 5 of us are headed to the Midwest ballparks this August for our 3rd annual baseball vacation. Two years ago, we visited Detroit, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Last year, we saw the end of Shea and Yankee Stadium as well as Philadelphia and Boston. So we saw some old and saw some new parks. I know it might be blasphemy and before my visits to the new "old school" parks I would have agreed, but I think it may be time to knock down the Friendly Confines and build us a new old school park similar to those in Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. We haven't made it to Baltimore yet, but we will eventually and I know Camden Yards is where it all started back on the right track after all the lousy cookie-cutter artificial turf stadiums built in the 70s. I've also been to Turner Field in Atlanta which I also really liked. Tough to beat the locationin Wrigleyville so they'd have to tear it down and put the new park up in its place. I'd be willing to sacrifice a season of playing ball at The Cell on the southside; heck, maybe two seasons. THEN we could put to rest all the talk about how the Cubs only draw more fans than the Sox because of Wrigley. Would anyone like to make that bet if both teams played at The Cell? Didn't think so. Did you see how many butts were in the seats for that make-up game against Houston last year that was held in Miller Park in Milwaukee? The Cubs drew 25,000 there with 24-hour notice. Not bad, huh? Those are Cubs fans my friend.
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