Chicago
Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
Sports Quote of the Week:
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." ~ Lou Holtz, College Football Coach
How 'bout them
Chicago Blackhawks? It's great to be back on track!!!!!
By
The crowd was roaring on every play, each side kept piling up scoring chances and goaltenders Corey Crawford and Sergei Bobrovsky were trading breath-taking stops.
After a wildly entertaining overtime, though, the Chicago Blackhawks got back to their winning ways.
Patrick Kane set up Johnny Oduya's goal late in the second period and then got the decisive score in the shootout, leading the Blackhawks to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
''It was pretty intense,'' Kane said of the end-to-end extra minutes. ''There were 13 shots total for both teams. It was a pretty interesting overtime, obviously. The goalies made some great saves and it was definitely back and forth.''
Crawford stopped 29 shots to help the Blackhawks end a two-game losing streak after they set an NHL record by getting at least a point in each of their first 24 games.
If there was relief in ending a mini-skid, so be it.
''We had some great chances to score in overtime but their guy (Bobrovsky) came up with some huge saves the whole game long,'' Crawford said. ''We just stuck with it and our guys made two nice goals there in the shootout.''
Jack Johnson scored the tying power-play goal for Columbus 52 seconds after Oduya put Chicago ahead, and Bobrovsky finished with 39 saves for the Blue Jackets, who set a franchise record by picking up a point in their ninth game in a row (5-0-4).
That was little consolation to coach Todd Richards, however.
''Whether it's our goaltender or us playing well as a team, we're in games,'' he said after his team's eighth overtime in its last nine games. ''We're competing and battling. We're getting a point, but we need two points.''
A crowd of 15,009, including a large percentage of Chicago fans, gave both teams a lengthy standing ovation after an overtime in which the teams swapped scoring chances in a blizzard of offensive moves - followed by outstanding work by the goalies.
Columbus' Artem Anisimov and Chicago's Jonathan Toews each scored to open the shootout. After Crawford stopped Ryan Johansen, Kane moved in slowly on Bobrovsky and then lifted a backhander into the net. Crawford then stopped Derick Brassard's attempt before he could even unleash a shot.
The Blackhawks came away impressed with the Blue Jackets, who had the worst record in the NHL last year but came into the night only three points out of the final playoff spot in the West. Chicago won all four meetings in the season series - each by one goal.
''They've been playing really well lately,'' Kane said. ''They're a good team, especially compared to last year. It was a good fight for us.''
With the score tied at 1 in the third, the Blackhawks turned up the heat and dominated play in the opening minutes.
Bobrovsky made yet another big save when a ricochet ended up on the stick of Brandon Bollig just right of the cage. A prone Bobrovsky gloved the shot from 12 feet away in a play that will show up on the highlight reels.
Moments later, Crawford fought off a rising wrister by Anisimov to keep the score tied.
The Blackhawks, 11-1-0 coming in when scoring first, took the lead at 16:45 of the second, thanks to a spectacular set-up pass from Kane. From near the end of the right blue line, he saucered a pass through two defenders all the way across the ice to the left circle to Oduya who was racing to the net. The defenseman settled the puck and then beat Bobrovsky high on the stick side.
The goal broke a 39-game drought for Oduya. It was also Kane's 400th career point (140 goals, 260 assists in 426 games).
''He has the puck a lot and he's a threat,'' Quenneville said of Kane. ''He was dangerous a lot tonight.''
Not long after Sheldon Brookbank headed for the penalty box for holding, the Blue Jackets evened it with a power-play goal.
Brassard won a faceoff in the circle to Crawford's right, with the puck sliding to the high slot. Johnson stepped into a hard one-timer for his fourth of the year.
The Blackhawks sounded happy that they wouldn't be seeing the Blue Jackets again this season.
''Each game against them has been pretty tough,'' Crawford said.
NOTES: Just before the game, the Blue Jackets reassigned C Nick Drazenovic to their AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. ... During the first break early in the game, the Blue Jackets' move to the Eastern Conference (along with Detroit) next year was heralded on the center-ice monitors. ... The Blackhawks began a four-game road trip that will also take them to Dallas, Colorado and Anaheim. .. Columbus' previous mark of eight games in a row with points (4-0-2-2) came from Jan. 15 to Feb. 6, 2009.
Use of visors up for debate in rough & tumble NHL.
By DAN GELSTON (AP Sports Writer)
Chris Pronger's sad descent from All-Star defenseman to bedridden days in dark rooms to ease throbbing headaches and occasional bouts of depression can be traced to one wayward stick to his right eye.
Pronger lost his peripheral vision. He can't run, or even skate hard. The former Philadelphia Flyers' star who keyed the team's run to the 2010 Stanley Cup finals has been advised not to return to hockey.
But given the chance to become a better-safe-than-sorry spokesman for the use of protective shields, the kind that might have saved his career and his vision, Pronger balked. If his two young sons wanted to one day play in the NHL without visors, Pronger wouldn't stand in their way.
''If he's over 18, he's more than welcome to,'' Pronger said. ''It's his life. You can advise and consent, but you can't make somebody do anything.''
Not even an injury that put his career on hold turned Pronger into a staunch advocate for visors. He was even hurt in vain - the NHL and NHLPA have still not mandated visors, even as preventable injuries are still prevalent in the rough-and-tumble league.
Pronger talked about his dark days only two days after New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal was struck in the eye by a deflected puck. Staal, who wasn't wearing a visor, writhed on the ice and screamed in agony. He held his bloody face while he was down and when he skated off the ice, assisted by a Rangers trainer, toward the dressing room.
''It's scary,'' Rangers coach John Tortorella said.
As scary as it was to watch, Staal's injury and Pronger's grim road to recovery should act as reminders of the dangers of playing a high-impact sport without facial protection. Staal might be lucky. The 26-year-old is sidelined indefinitely but doctors are optimistic he'll make a full recovery.
While the league has long supported the use of visors, the NHLPA has let each player make the final call. The players' association has been proactive in educating players that wearing a visor decreases the risk of suffering an eye injury.
''While the players support visor use being a matter of individual choice, we continue to regularly educate the players on the benefits of wearing a visor so that each player can make an informed decision,'' Mathieu Schneider, special assistant to the executive director, said. ''We will further discuss visors and other important equipment-related matters at our player meetings this summer.''
Still, mandatory use of visors was not legislated into the labor agreement that ended the lockout.
Education - and perhaps, the impact of career-shortening injuries to players like Pronger, Bryan Berard and Ian Laperriere - has sunk in to stubborn players in a macho league. The NHLPA reported approximately 73 percent of players are wearing visors this season, up from about 69 percent in 2011-12. For context, The Hockey News reported that in 2001-02, visors were worn by 28 percent of players.
Rangers center Micheal Haley is one of the holdouts. He said not even witnessing Staal's gruesome injury would soften his stance against visors.
''As long as I have a choice, I'll not wear one,'' he said.
Haley fills the increasingly diminished role of team enforcer and said he can't drop the gloves and throw punches at a shield.
''If you get into a fight with a visor and you're smacking visors around, it's not good for your hands,'' he said. ''Personally, I don't like wearing a visor at all.''
Staal wore a visor in junior hockey and many players wore them in the AHL, where visors have been mandatory since 2006. Some type of cage or visor is mandatory in all levels of hockey except the NHL. If shields are eventually required in a collective bargaining agreement, players hope there is at least some sort of grandfather clause, like there once was for helmets.
Penguins forward Craig Adams, the team's NHLPA rep, hated using a visor when he played in Europe during the 2004 lockout and refused to add it to his helmet when he returned to the NHL.
''I think it's normal for people to talk about it and people should talk about it. It's an issue,'' he said. ''At the same time, if we were concerned about protecting our faces we would all wear cages and we don't. So even the guys that wear half-visors don't wear full cages. What if they break their jaw or their nose or whatever? I think there's a lot of things that we could do to protect the players more but there's a line somewhere.''
Some players complain about sweat residue, shaved ice buildup, or that they can't see the puck near their skate. Others cite general discomfort. But there are still so-called tough guys out there who thumb their nose at safety and feel playing without a shield is integral piece of an identity that can't be easily surrendered, who let commonsense take a backseat to machismo.
Of course, a shield isn't foolproof, much in the same way wearing helmets can't guarantee the prevention of concussions.
But it's a start, and an easy fix - even if the NHLPA has to protect players from their own warped sense of choice.
''The problem is you go down a slippery slope of allowing the league to start implementing their own rules,'' Pronger said. ''What are they going to change next?''
Maybe just a culture that allows the next generation of Prongers to walk away on their own terms and live retirement in good health and with sound minds.
NY AG: NFL must act on sexual orientation concern.By
The crowd was roaring on every play, each side kept piling up scoring chances and goaltenders Corey Crawford and Sergei Bobrovsky were trading breath-taking stops.
After a wildly entertaining overtime, though, the Chicago Blackhawks got back to their winning ways.
Patrick Kane set up Johnny Oduya's goal late in the second period and then got the decisive score in the shootout, leading the Blackhawks to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
''It was pretty intense,'' Kane said of the end-to-end extra minutes. ''There were 13 shots total for both teams. It was a pretty interesting overtime, obviously. The goalies made some great saves and it was definitely back and forth.''
Crawford stopped 29 shots to help the Blackhawks end a two-game losing streak after they set an NHL record by getting at least a point in each of their first 24 games.
If there was relief in ending a mini-skid, so be it.
''We had some great chances to score in overtime but their guy (Bobrovsky) came up with some huge saves the whole game long,'' Crawford said. ''We just stuck with it and our guys made two nice goals there in the shootout.''
Jack Johnson scored the tying power-play goal for Columbus 52 seconds after Oduya put Chicago ahead, and Bobrovsky finished with 39 saves for the Blue Jackets, who set a franchise record by picking up a point in their ninth game in a row (5-0-4).
That was little consolation to coach Todd Richards, however.
''Whether it's our goaltender or us playing well as a team, we're in games,'' he said after his team's eighth overtime in its last nine games. ''We're competing and battling. We're getting a point, but we need two points.''
A crowd of 15,009, including a large percentage of Chicago fans, gave both teams a lengthy standing ovation after an overtime in which the teams swapped scoring chances in a blizzard of offensive moves - followed by outstanding work by the goalies.
Columbus' Artem Anisimov and Chicago's Jonathan Toews each scored to open the shootout. After Crawford stopped Ryan Johansen, Kane moved in slowly on Bobrovsky and then lifted a backhander into the net. Crawford then stopped Derick Brassard's attempt before he could even unleash a shot.
The Blackhawks came away impressed with the Blue Jackets, who had the worst record in the NHL last year but came into the night only three points out of the final playoff spot in the West. Chicago won all four meetings in the season series - each by one goal.
''They've been playing really well lately,'' Kane said. ''They're a good team, especially compared to last year. It was a good fight for us.''
With the score tied at 1 in the third, the Blackhawks turned up the heat and dominated play in the opening minutes.
Bobrovsky made yet another big save when a ricochet ended up on the stick of Brandon Bollig just right of the cage. A prone Bobrovsky gloved the shot from 12 feet away in a play that will show up on the highlight reels.
Moments later, Crawford fought off a rising wrister by Anisimov to keep the score tied.
The Blackhawks, 11-1-0 coming in when scoring first, took the lead at 16:45 of the second, thanks to a spectacular set-up pass from Kane. From near the end of the right blue line, he saucered a pass through two defenders all the way across the ice to the left circle to Oduya who was racing to the net. The defenseman settled the puck and then beat Bobrovsky high on the stick side.
The goal broke a 39-game drought for Oduya. It was also Kane's 400th career point (140 goals, 260 assists in 426 games).
''He has the puck a lot and he's a threat,'' Quenneville said of Kane. ''He was dangerous a lot tonight.''
Not long after Sheldon Brookbank headed for the penalty box for holding, the Blue Jackets evened it with a power-play goal.
Brassard won a faceoff in the circle to Crawford's right, with the puck sliding to the high slot. Johnson stepped into a hard one-timer for his fourth of the year.
The Blackhawks sounded happy that they wouldn't be seeing the Blue Jackets again this season.
''Each game against them has been pretty tough,'' Crawford said.
NOTES: Just before the game, the Blue Jackets reassigned C Nick Drazenovic to their AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. ... During the first break early in the game, the Blue Jackets' move to the Eastern Conference (along with Detroit) next year was heralded on the center-ice monitors. ... The Blackhawks began a four-game road trip that will also take them to Dallas, Colorado and Anaheim. .. Columbus' previous mark of eight games in a row with points (4-0-2-2) came from Jan. 15 to Feb. 6, 2009.
Use of visors up for debate in rough & tumble NHL.
By DAN GELSTON (AP Sports Writer)
Chris Pronger's sad descent from All-Star defenseman to bedridden days in dark rooms to ease throbbing headaches and occasional bouts of depression can be traced to one wayward stick to his right eye.
Pronger lost his peripheral vision. He can't run, or even skate hard. The former Philadelphia Flyers' star who keyed the team's run to the 2010 Stanley Cup finals has been advised not to return to hockey.
But given the chance to become a better-safe-than-sorry spokesman for the use of protective shields, the kind that might have saved his career and his vision, Pronger balked. If his two young sons wanted to one day play in the NHL without visors, Pronger wouldn't stand in their way.
''If he's over 18, he's more than welcome to,'' Pronger said. ''It's his life. You can advise and consent, but you can't make somebody do anything.''
Not even an injury that put his career on hold turned Pronger into a staunch advocate for visors. He was even hurt in vain - the NHL and NHLPA have still not mandated visors, even as preventable injuries are still prevalent in the rough-and-tumble league.
Pronger talked about his dark days only two days after New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal was struck in the eye by a deflected puck. Staal, who wasn't wearing a visor, writhed on the ice and screamed in agony. He held his bloody face while he was down and when he skated off the ice, assisted by a Rangers trainer, toward the dressing room.
''It's scary,'' Rangers coach John Tortorella said.
As scary as it was to watch, Staal's injury and Pronger's grim road to recovery should act as reminders of the dangers of playing a high-impact sport without facial protection. Staal might be lucky. The 26-year-old is sidelined indefinitely but doctors are optimistic he'll make a full recovery.
While the league has long supported the use of visors, the NHLPA has let each player make the final call. The players' association has been proactive in educating players that wearing a visor decreases the risk of suffering an eye injury.
''While the players support visor use being a matter of individual choice, we continue to regularly educate the players on the benefits of wearing a visor so that each player can make an informed decision,'' Mathieu Schneider, special assistant to the executive director, said. ''We will further discuss visors and other important equipment-related matters at our player meetings this summer.''
Still, mandatory use of visors was not legislated into the labor agreement that ended the lockout.
Education - and perhaps, the impact of career-shortening injuries to players like Pronger, Bryan Berard and Ian Laperriere - has sunk in to stubborn players in a macho league. The NHLPA reported approximately 73 percent of players are wearing visors this season, up from about 69 percent in 2011-12. For context, The Hockey News reported that in 2001-02, visors were worn by 28 percent of players.
Rangers center Micheal Haley is one of the holdouts. He said not even witnessing Staal's gruesome injury would soften his stance against visors.
''As long as I have a choice, I'll not wear one,'' he said.
Haley fills the increasingly diminished role of team enforcer and said he can't drop the gloves and throw punches at a shield.
''If you get into a fight with a visor and you're smacking visors around, it's not good for your hands,'' he said. ''Personally, I don't like wearing a visor at all.''
Staal wore a visor in junior hockey and many players wore them in the AHL, where visors have been mandatory since 2006. Some type of cage or visor is mandatory in all levels of hockey except the NHL. If shields are eventually required in a collective bargaining agreement, players hope there is at least some sort of grandfather clause, like there once was for helmets.
Penguins forward Craig Adams, the team's NHLPA rep, hated using a visor when he played in Europe during the 2004 lockout and refused to add it to his helmet when he returned to the NHL.
''I think it's normal for people to talk about it and people should talk about it. It's an issue,'' he said. ''At the same time, if we were concerned about protecting our faces we would all wear cages and we don't. So even the guys that wear half-visors don't wear full cages. What if they break their jaw or their nose or whatever? I think there's a lot of things that we could do to protect the players more but there's a line somewhere.''
Some players complain about sweat residue, shaved ice buildup, or that they can't see the puck near their skate. Others cite general discomfort. But there are still so-called tough guys out there who thumb their nose at safety and feel playing without a shield is integral piece of an identity that can't be easily surrendered, who let commonsense take a backseat to machismo.
Of course, a shield isn't foolproof, much in the same way wearing helmets can't guarantee the prevention of concussions.
But it's a start, and an easy fix - even if the NHLPA has to protect players from their own warped sense of choice.
''The problem is you go down a slippery slope of allowing the league to start implementing their own rules,'' Pronger said. ''What are they going to change next?''
Maybe just a culture that allows the next generation of Prongers to walk away on their own terms and live retirement in good health and with sound minds.
By MICHAEL GORMLEY | Associated Press
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman urged the NFL on Tuesday to investigate whether possible draft picks were improperly asked about their sexual orientation during the league's combine, which he said would be illegal in New York.
"We ask that the league immediately issue a statement that any form of discrimination or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation by league teams or players against potential recruits or players constitutes a violation of state, local and, in some cases, contractor law and will not be tolerated," Schneiderman said in a letter dated Thursday and released to news organizations.
Schneiderman asked NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to call him by next Wednesday to schedule a meeting on the matter.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league was already looking into the issue and would discuss it at its meeting next week in Phoenix.
"Like all employers, our teams are expected to follow applicable federal, state and local employment laws," the NFL said in a Feb. 27 statement. "It is league policy to neither consider nor inquire about sexual orientation in the hiring process. In addition, there are specific protections in our collective bargaining agreement with the players that prohibit discrimination against any player, including on the basis of sexual orientation."
It concluded: "Any team or employee that inquires about impermissible subjects or makes an employment decision based on such factors is subject to league discipline."
Last month, Colorado tight end Nick Kasa told ESPN Radio in Denver that during interviews with team officials at the combine in Indianapolis: "(Teams) ask you, like, 'Do you have a girlfriend?' 'Are you married?' 'Do you like girls?'"
He did not identify who asked him.
Since then, Michigan's Denard Robinson and Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell each have indicated in radio interviews that they were asked similar questions.
Schneiderman reminded Goodell that discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal in New York and in at least 23 other states where the NFL's 32 teams are based.
In February, DeMaurice Smith, the head of the NFL players association, said in a statement that, "I know that the NFL agrees that these types of questions violate the law, our CBA and player rights."
Six Days until the start of the “CS&T 2013 March Madness NCAA Basketball
Tournament” Pool.
Chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com wants you to join their NCAA Mens Basketball Bracket 2013 pool, named "CSAT 2013 March Madness NCAA Office Pool", at PoolTracker.com.
We're sending you this message because you have played in our pools before and hopefully enjoyed them. I'm requesting that you bring two friends, co-workers, acquaintances or diehard sports fans along with you to partake in this wonderful pool. Somebody's got to win, so it might as well be you!!! Our Pool is strictly for adult entertainment purposes only!!!
The entry fee is $12.00 and we're looking forward to having 100 participants. All fees must be in by March 20, 2012.
Payouts will go to the Final Four Players (players with the most points accumulated based on 100 players):
1st place $500.00
2nd place $250.00
3rd place $125.00
4th place $125.00
Scoring Options: Progressive Pick 'Em
1 point for each correct pick in Round 1
2 points for each correct pick in Round 2
3 points for each correct pick in Round 3
4 points for each correct pick in Round 4
5 points for each correct pick in Round 5
6 points for the correct Champion
Tie Breaker: Total Points in Championship Game
Tie Breakers are calculated as follows:
If multiple players are tied for the highest points for any given week (or for the championship game in tournament type pools), the player with the closest tie breaker prediction, regardless if they are over or under, to the actual tie breaker value is the winner. If multiple players are still tied, then the player who entered their tie breaker value first*, wins.
* = The player with the earliest date/timestamp for entering their picks. Please note that the date/timestamp is updated every time a player's picks and/or tie breaker are edited. To join, click below and follow the easy steps.
-Click on this link or cut and paste it to your browser:
http://www.PoolTracker.com/join.asp?poolid=75067
Enter this pool credential information:
The Pool ID is: 75067
The Poll Password is: CSAT2013NCAAOP
Important Note: You cannot make your picks until the brackets are established.
The brackets will be available March 17, 2013, and picks must be in by March 20, 2013.
There are four play in games this year bringing the total field to 68 teams. However, we do not know how the play in games will be used in scoring exactly. We will let you know when the brackets are established.
***Please email me at chicagosportsandtravel.com or call me at (312) 593-0928 with any further question(s). Good Luck and good picking.***
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Stern says changes at players union could be good for NBA.
By Kurt Helin
Right now, everything is in flux with the NBA players union. Billy Hunter has been voted out but is bringing a lawsuit regarding his firing, and right now the two sides are just trying to negotiate a price to end it.
Meanwhile, a lot of issues that were left on the table during the last round of Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations are still on the table. Things like modifying the NBA’s age-limit rule (the league would like it higher, the players want it eliminated).
David Stern was on Mike Krzyzewski’s SiriusXM radio show Wednesday night and Coach K asked Stern about the changes coming to the union.
What the union needs in a leader is twofold. One, a guy who can run the union and its day-to-day business efficiently. Second, a guy who can go toe-to-toe with Adam Silver in 2018 during the next round of CBA negotiations.
But in a lot of ways it would be good for fans if we could find a less contentious way to get questions like the age limit settled. CBA negotiations are going to always be a fight, but the union also needs to be more in the center of some player safety (concussion), PED discussions and more.
Take me out to the ballgame at 30 big-league parks.
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE (Associated Press)
If you're a baseball fan looking to add a new pastime to your vacation itinerary, consider setting a goal to visit all 30 of the sport's major league stadiums.
I began my crusade about five years ago, joining a growing number of other zealots making the pilgrimage to baseball's cathedrals.
It has become such a popular pursuit that you can buy baseball-stadium maps to document where you have been and plot where you still need to go. The one decorating my den shows I'm halfway through my odyssey, with 14 more fields of dreams still to be seen. If you need more memorabilia, there's also a book called ''The Major League Baseball BallPark Pass-Port'' that provides tips about each stadium, with slots to file ticket stubs and a place to ''validate'' each visit with a rubber stamp.
But all you really need is a love of baseball and a passion for exploring new places to relish this journey.
All the baseball teams are based in major U.S. cities and many of the stadiums are situated in bustling downtown areas with engrossing things to do and savory places to eat when you aren't attending a game. These attractions should help the cause of baseball fans trying to recruit a spouse or other traveling teammates who may not appreciate the sublime pleasures of the game.
My baseball tour already has introduced me to things that wouldn't have been on my radar if I hadn't booked a trip to see a stadium.
When I went to St. Louis to visit Busch Stadium in 2010, I rented a car one day and made the two-hour drive to Samuel Clemens' childhood home in Hannibal, Missouri, the Mississippi River village that inspired Mark Twain's best-known books about the childhood adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The Hannibal visit had a ripple effect when I went to Boston to see Fenway Park, prompting me to rent another car to drive to Hartford, Conn., to visit the custom-built home where he spent the happiest and most productive years of his adult life. Back in Boston, I also made the short trip across the Charles River to Cambridge to check out Harvard University, and wound up stumbling upon the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, where George Washington also lived for a short time.
When I went to Baltimore to see a game at Camden Yards, I took a water taxi out to Fort McHenry in the Chesapeake Bay to tour the site where Francis Scott Key watched American troops in 1814 successfully thwart an all-night fusillade by English ships. The heroics at Fort McHenry inspired Key to write the ode that became the country's national anthem.
Many of the stadiums are landmarks in their own right. My favorite stops so far have been baseball's oldest stadiums, Fenway Park (opened in 1912), and Wrigley Field (originally known as Weeghman Park when it opened in 1914) in Chicago.
Both are located in wonderful neighborhoods that turn into street festivals during the three or four hours leading up to the game.
The stadiums of more recent vintage all have their merits too, largely because so many were built to evoke a sense of nostalgia. This retro movement started in 1992 when Baltimore's Camden Yards opened and has carried over to just about every one of the 22 baseball stadiums that have opened since then (while I haven't been to them yet, I understand Florida's two big-league ballparks are notable exceptions to this trend).
Most of the newer stadiums boast signature features designed to set them apart.
Even one of the Florida stadiums, Marlins Park, added distinctive flair by building a 450-gallon (1,700-liter) saltwater aquarium behind home plate. Chase Field, the Phoenix home of the Arizona Diamondbacks features a swimming pool behind the right field fence. Coors Field, the Denver home of the Colorado Rockies, features small trees and rocks with running water - a tip of the cap to the gorgeous mountains that can be seen on the horizon from the stadium seats.
Most of the teams also set aside areas inside and outside the stadiums to pay homage to the greatest players in franchise history. I've already seen statues of Stan ("The Man'') Musial in St. Louis, Ted ("The Splendid Splinter'') Williams in Boston, Willie ("The Say Hey Kid'') Mays in San Francisco, Walter ("The Train'') Johnson in Washington and George ("Babe'') Ruth in Baltimore. In case you are wondering why the Orioles honor the Bambino even though he never played for the team, it's because Camden Yards is built in an old neighborhood that once included a bar owned by Ruth's father (the home where the Babe was born is still standing, just a short stroll from Camden Yards).
When drawing up your travel plans, strive to arrange your stadium visits so they coincide with your favorite team's trips to the same destinations.
My favorite stadium sojourns so far have included my favorite team, the
Oakland Athletics. Those trips gave me a chance to wear my green-and-gold Athletics' gear in hostile territory, which has led to lively repartee with the fans of the local team. What's more, your favorite team will appreciate seeing some friendly faces, so much so that they may be even more accommodating than usual with requests for autographs and baseballs. In a further show of support, try to get tickets behind your team's dugout on the road. Just keep in mind the location of visitor's dugouts vary from stadium to stadium, so double-check before buying tickets (the visitor's dugout is on the third-base side of the field at 18 stadiums and on the first-base side at the other 12).
After each visit to a baseball stadium, I can hardly wait to go to another one. Despite my ardor, completing the journey has been a multiyear process because, like most baseball fans, I don't have the time or money to see all the stadiums in a single season. Last year, I made it to four stadiums for the first time, a new single-season record for me. Other vacation commitments this year are likely to restrict me to a single stadium: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., when the Athletics play there in July.
When I finally cross off the final big-stadium off my list in a few years, I am going to have to find a new quest. Well, I hear there are lots of quaint minor-league baseball stadiums located in rustic towns all across America...
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