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July 2016

Ballpark Memory, Uncategorized

Houston Astros at Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)

July 24, 2016

 

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When:  August 14, 1990 at Wrigley Field

Box Score:      Astros at Cubs August 14, 1990

Who:  Mom and me

Why Wrigley Field 

Although I was born outside of Chicago, I spent my childhood growing up in West Germany.  Without any ties to the United States, I began following Chicago sports teams.  My connection to “home” came from reading box scores in the Stars and Stripes and collecting baseball cards hoping to get any Cub.  For the record – my first Cubs card.

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Why this trip mattered

Growing up, it was always me and my mom.  My parents split up when I was 9.  Because of his work, my dad always lived a long ways away.  After the divorce, my mom worked full-time, went to college full-time, learned to drive and was the parent full-time.  She did a lot. I was always loved and taken care of by her.  When she finally began to realize some of her career goals, she wanted to treat us to a trip that we weren’t able to take previously.  It meant the world for her that she could put together a trip like this one.  Sure, it was a blast.  But, I was more proud that she had accomplished what she had set out to do.  Her road wasn’t always easy, but she sure made it happen.  Simply amazing.

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Ballpark Memory

Twin Cities Trifecta – Minnesota Twins Stadium Hat Trick

July 10, 2016

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The Minnesota Twins have had three homes during their Major League lifetime.  They began in the suburban city of Bloomington at Metropolitan Stadium.  Then came a move to downtown Minneapolis and the Metrodome.  Finally, they moved across downtown to Target Field. Last year, I completed the hat trick of visiting all three locations.  It has been an evolution of stadiums.  From the original multi-use outdoor suburban park to the indoor artificial turf stadium to a brand new “baseball only” outdoor stadium helping to revitalize the edges of downtown – it is a microcosm of how stadiums have developed.  Here is a synopsis of my visits.

Target Field August 15, 2014

This was not a planned trip to see a game.  We were flying up to the area in to bury my mom who had recently passed away.  She had been cremated and I was carrying her to the final resting spot in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  We arrived the day before in MSP and by chance there was a Twins game the night before the funeral.  Even though we had had a long day and a long night/weekend ahead, we felt we deserved the chance to enjoy something during a pretty challenging time.  Oh yeah, that afternoon we also found out that someone broke into our home back in Arizona.  What a day.  So we grabbed some tickets on Stub Hub and headed to Target Field. In summary, it is really nice.  Awesome location and just a good place to see a game.  We liked seeing the statues around the outside.

Target Field

Target Field

Most memorable moment

As I said earlier, I was carrying my mom’s ashes with me while we traveled.  In Phoenix, as we entered the Security line,  the TSA agent asked Amanda, Mac and me how many were in our traveling party.  So Mac told him – “Four.”  Gosh, we all burst out laughing because 1) It was true and 2) my mom would have thought it was hilarious.

Photographic Evidence of the Game

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