We are pleased to unveil the official Ultimate Sports Road Trip venue profile for Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., which becomes a part of the 122 team roll on the USRT web site.

Last night at Dunn Tire Park, we were watching the Bisons throw a one-hitter to defeat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 3-0, but our primary attention had us busy evaluating and scoring Nationals Park, based on our 100 point system. Here are the scores:

Architecture 9
Food and team store 7.5
Scoreboard and electronics 6.5
Ushers 9
Fan support 5
Location and neighborhood 5
Banners and history 8
In game entertainment 5.5
Concourses/fan comfort 9
Bonus: Presidents Race 2, Cherry trees 1, Home plate entrance timeline 1, Homestead Grays memorabilia 1

TOTAL 69.5

The total score gives the Nats an 8th place ranking (tie for 8th actually) in our evaluation of the 30 MLB teams. Not bad!

During our interminable wait at the *chuckle* Nats Express bus stop, we chatted up our story with more than a few Nats fans waiting in line, who then pleaded with us to score their venue higher than that of the hated Baltimore Orioles. By checking the rankings you will see that they fell two points short of upending Camden Yards. Element for element, these two ballparks have everything going for them… what tips it in favor of Baltimore is the neighborhood. The Inner Harbor is a tremendous place for the fan, visitor and tourist; Navy Yards is a work in progress.

For anyone who has been to Nationals Park … Agree? Disagree? We sure would like to hear from you!

“This gets me one step closer to saying I have seen everything.”
-Torey Lovullo

An exasperated Torey Lovullo struggled to keep his composure tonight after one of the strangest nights ever in Dunn Tire Park history.

For the record, the game is suspended in the bottom of the 9th, with the game tied at 1 and the Bisons batting with 2 outs and nobody on base.

But what happened leading up to this outcome was absolutely outrageous.

The game was played in a persistent fog, with routine fly balls becoming an adventure in the outfield all night long. The postgame fireworks show was cancelled, with fans receiving a free ticket to their choice of games on July 6 or 7 and fireworks on those nights, that’s how bad the conditions were.

But as the game went to the 9th inning, the Bisons nursing a 1-0 lead on Dan Reichert’s great start, the fog got even worse.

The Bisons got the first out on a fly ball to Jason Cooper which was by no means easy. On the next at bat, another towering fly ball ended up being a ground rule double which nobody saw bounce off the warning track and over the fence, another play which would have been an easy out for outfielder Jason Tyner. Following a strikeout, the next batter hits another fly ball which should have ended the game, except outfielder Brad Snyder could not see the ball. Result? RBI… game tied at one.

In the bottom of the 9th, the umpires FINALLY call the game, to a chorus of boos by the huge crowd of fans who came down to the ballpark tonight. It’s a little late for that umps!!!!

“We can’t be any more frustrated right now” said Lovullo. “For about four or five innings we all couldn’t see the balls. Obviously the umpires saw it differently.”

When the umpires convened to call the game in the bottom of the 9th, Lovullo let the umpires hear it… “I was trying to voice my opinion. We were all frustrated. I wanted to continue the inning.”

“It was terrible from the third inning on. Any ball that was put in play could potentially drop” said right fielder Jason Cooper. Cooper repeatedly commented about the unsafe conditions which made things hazardous, especially for the outfielders. And he admitted that the bullpen guys were assisting him in calling out the location of the balls as they flew in the air. “There was really nothing we could do. The conditions were as bad during the middle of the game as they were at the end so why call it at that point? Just frustrating.’

Frustrating indeed.

My partner Jon Splett was covering tonight’s game as well and has his report at the main WNYMedia site so check it out.

UPDATE: I was cursing myself for not having camera in tow, but Ryan at the Goose’s Roost commented here and has his own excellent take on the game, along with plenty of photos.

Seems like people are all aflutter about Sully’s recent column bemoaning the corporate stadia/arena naming craze. Knowing the rest of the Buffalo sports blogosphere as I do, the reasons had to be because of the article’s content and not its author. Right???

(snickering heavily)

Got me thinking though. Just how good is the average sports fans’ knowledge of stadium names in today’s day and age? The venue building boom of the last decade or so has left many a fan’s head spinning concerning the amount of names one has to remember, and that’s not including venues that have had multiple names thanks to corporations being bought out and reemerging under new titles.

With that in mind and being that sports venue gurus that we are, I throw out a little trivia quiz of “Name That Venue”. I’ll name fifteen or so venues, and it’s your job to figure out where they are located(and preferrably who is the main tenant’s’). Email me with the answers(at right).

One rule: stay the hell off our USRT site/blog for answers! Work for this one, pleeeeeeeze.

Prizes…. knowing that you’ve got a better memory than Sully. Isn’t that enough????

Note - The venues listed below are located in metro areas that currently hosts at least one of the four major pro sports leagues. One is home to a college team. One is in a former major league city, and another is located in a city that may soon join that club. Have fun with it:-).

A. Energy Solutions Arena
B. MTS Centre
C. American Airlines Center
D. AT + T Park
E. Comcast Center
F. McAfee Coliseum
G. FedEx Forum
H. LP Field
I. Ford Center
J. Sprint Center
K. Jobing.com Arena
L. Miller Park
M. Quicken Loans Arena
N. Rexall Place
O. Target Center

Bonus - What was the first corporate name of Gilette Stadium(Foxborough)?

-Peter Farrell

“Bisons Warm Up To Lehigh Valley”

This week’s Play Ball. Check it out!

The third and final day was under picture perfect skies along the banks of the Anacostia River for the finale of the Rangers/Nats series.

Instead of going by train from the hotel, we decided to park the car at RFK and take the bus shuttle to Nationals Park with the thinking that a quick hop on the bus after the game would get us back to the car in decent fashion for the long ride home. Oops,(if you’ve read post below).

But the highlight of Sunday’s game would be the opportunity to sit with the rich folk in the club seats. Yep, we treated ourselves on this day.

From a viewing perspective, I’m really not very picky about where I sit as I can enjoy the action from anywhere so long as there’s an unobstructed view. The stuff that makes a club seat experience great in my mind is the paraphenalia(baseball related or otherwise) that these sections tend to have that are unique to the club level.

The highlights of the club level at Nationals Park are three pronged from a baseball historian’s standpoint.
1. A pair of murals depicting many of the various baseball cards featuring Washington Senators/Nationals past including some 1974 Topps player cards titled “Washington - National League.” when it appeared that the San Diego Padres were heading to the nation’s capital.

2. Another pair of murals dedicated to the Negro League’s Homestead Grays. While Senators baseball had a history of being completely inept, the Grays had six future Hall of Famers(Cooperstown) and won eight Negro League titles during the 1930’s and 40’s.

3. The hallways were decked out with various photos and other memoribilia depicting the role of patriotism in America’s pastime. One photo that stood out was that of Bret Shephard, a WWII vet who lost his leg in combat and still returned to play a little for the Senators. Coincidentally, Shephard passed away this weekend and the Nats gave a nice video tribute to him during a break in the action.

On to the game. The pregame festivities made note of the late, legendary Post beat writer Shirley Povich as the team named the press box in his honor. Povich’s family was in attendance including son Maury of “The Maury Povich Show”.

I couldn’t help but imagine a scenario in which an official approaches him during the game and says “we’ve just got the paternity tests back Maury, and they reveal that Shirley is…….NOT your father”…followed by hysteria and mayhem and such. Anyhow…..The Nationals would lose again using the same formula, where a strong starting pitching performance would be wrecked by an atrocious bullpen to hand the game and the series to the Washington Senators Texas Rangers by a 5-3 score.

The Nats are just a sad, sad team. A bunch of role players in the starting lineup and a nearly mediocre pitching staff are enough to form the club with the NL’s worst record.

Then again. That’s pretty much what Washington baseball has always been about through the generations, as now they’re “first in war, first in peace and last in the National League“. But with a gem of a ballpark to play in, who’s complaining? Not us as we left the yard knowing that not even the USRT karma could save this team, nor would it help us in making a quick getaway back to Buffalo(see post below).

-Peter Farrell

Want to go to a Nationals game and forget about the parking hassle at the ballpark?

Then drive on over to RFK Stadium, park for FREE, and take the FREE shuttle to the ballpark and back. Shuttles run until 90 minutes after the final out.

Sounds good, we thought, except that they only had, like, five busses running back and forth. When we arrived at the pickup point, there was a huge line snaking down the sidewalk and around the corner, and it just got worse after we cued up.

Time from arriving in line to getting to our car? 58 minutes.

In Atlanta they run a shuttle from Turner Field to the MARTA station two miles away. There have to be 30 busses or so running continuously, and the wait there is minimal.

This fiasco put a damper on what was otherwise a fantastic day… what should have been a 4:30 departure to Buffalo became a 6:00 departure.

Memo to Nationals front office - if you can’t get this right then just scrap the whole idea and let your customers fend for themselves. This level of customer service was totally unacceptable in our book.

Every ballpark. Every stadium. Every arena in the four major sports. Damn we’re good!

Once again we are at 122. And every time we get a chance to officially plant the USRT flag at a new destination, there is always a sense of anticipation and giddiness.For us it began as we walked out of the subway station at Navy Yard. We followed the crowd onto Half Street, which is one massive construction zone, as cranes are in the air, holes are in the ground, and this neighborhood is going through an incredible transformation. Straight ahead… there it is!!! The bright and gleaming new stadium, rising amidst the emerging neighborhood.

Nationals Park is the anti-Camden Yards. Not a single red brick anywhere. Not a kelly green seat anywhere. The exterior of the edifice is grey limestone, glass and light colored steel supports. The main entrance here is in left centerfield - that is where the subway traffic channels into the ballpark, and most of the ramps and surface lots are also to the north side of the facility. That makes the other entrances around the building, including the signature home plate entrance, very underused.

Home plate is on the south side, and behind there is the Anacostia River bridge, the last of the cement plants that was once the staple of the neighborhood, and a nicely redeveloped micro park and nature trail along the river which was a seedy mess when we visited back in 2005. What they have done with this district to date is actually very exciting - We’d love to see it all again when it’s done.

We toured the entire ballpark once we entered (we saw Ch 4’s John Murphy brushed by us didn’t have a chance to say hi though), and the first thing we checked out were the concession stands. The good news? The food variety here is absolutely incredible. Maryland crabcakes, hot dogs, brats and sausages of every variety, “Taste of the Major Leagues” stands with food offerings from peer ballparks, yes a chicken wing stand, deli sandwiches. cheese steaks. We could go on and on. The bad news? The prices here are way over the top, clearly the most expensive we have seen anywhere. Want an example? Small draft beer, $7.50, Pulled pork sandwich $10, your basic hot dog $4.50, hot dog with the works $6.75, mixed drink $12. They must really hate the Orioles, as the crabcake sandwich was $14! Sunday we are sitting in the club level, so we may as well apply the lube, bend over and grab our ankles now to save some time.

All the concourses are open to the field and even when walking around the place, you feel that you are a part of the game. Some of the nice viewing areas in the outfield include the Red Porch, a two level restaurant and open bar with great views of the action. It was a popular spot - the place was packed. Other outfield amenities include a Playstation play section, a “Build a Bear” store, the main team merchandise store, a music stage, and other children’s play areas.

The scoreboard and electronics here are also very nice but not over the top. Ribbon boards ring the entire second level, and are matched up with a circular ribbon above the Red Porch, twe LED boards on the outfield walls, and a massive HD scoreboard in right centerfield. Out of town scores are shown on the right LED, and in deference to the one at RFK, an analog clock with the “W” logo is the signature of the main scoreboard.

We have a lot more to show and describe about this fantastic venue, and we will save for the official venue profile, which we will unveil in a few days along with a bunch of thumbnailed photos and, of course, we will “score” the venue and compare it to its peer facilities in MLB.

As for the game, it was an ugly one for the Nats - Texas got a 7 run 7th inning enroute to a 13-3 pasting of the Nationals. Suprisingly, this was not the worst loss this season at home for the Nats - they have been routed at least two other times at home, including an 11-0 loss to the Marlins. Yep, on the field - this team is a disaster, and looking up and down the roster of has beens, castoffs and rejects, it may be a while before things turn around.

After the game, we hopped the train and headed over to Dupont Circle, just to feel the energy and vibrancy of a city that has people, nightlife and an urban pulse. Entertainers were performing in the street, music was thumping out of nightclubs, quaint bistros with outdoor patio seating were packed. Yeah it was all good. But we were beat after a long and exciting day, so we hopped back on the red line and headed back to our hotel.

Day 3 will be a 1:35 matinee at the yard, and we will be in the club seats with the rich folk. We’re doing the “park and ride” thing from the lots at RFK Stadium, and as soon as the game is done we will be pointing the car back to B-lo.

The WNYMedia boys take Washington by storm! (Andrew, Mark and Peter)

Whenever the USRT hits Washington, DC, we always try to check out something new about this amazing city where there is so much to see and experience.

So this afternoon, we took the subway into downtown (really the only way to do it right the trains here are awesome), and connected with Mark Byrnes, who runs one our sister sites at WNYMedia, All Things Buffalo. Mark is pursuing his degree in urban planning at UB, and is home with his family for the summer.

Mark was kind enough to take us on a walking tour of some of DC’s cool spots, and we checked it all out - the museums, the government buildings, Union Station, the cool architecture. It was a kickass time!

Later on we stopped at a little bistro in the train station and ordered up a round of drafts - then bid Mark goodbye as we headed back on the subway and towards the Navy Yard station and Nationals Park for a 7:10 PM first pitch. A brand new USRT frontier awaits!

A really cool and unique feature about the Verizon Center - the main marquee is in English and Chinese

Cool historical buildings blend in with newer office towers and condos

The “Newseum” is an interactive museum dedicated to the newspaper publishing industry. Notice that the building looks like a stack of papers

Union Station here in DC is an incredible building from both inside and outside

One arrives at Ripken Stadium via a dedicated 4 lane roadway right off of I-95 here in Aberdeen. But as you make the sharp turn and ride over the hump in the road leading to the park, it is not the stadium that grabs your eye. It is the hotel.

There, right next to the ballpark and centered in the midst of a complex that has evolved into the “Ripken Baseball Academy”, sits an exact replica of the B&O Warehouse at Camden Yards. One does a double take. And that is only one element of this baseball theme park that houses a NY-Penn League franchise.

Ripken Stadum opened in 2002 to great reviews, when their team shifted here from Utica, New York, and today the Ironbirds continue their amazing popularity in this bedroom community north of Baltimore. Since this stadium opened, the complex has evolved into a hub of youth baseball, hosting a Ripken sponsored world series each year, and playing the games on state of the art fields which architecturally mimic some of baseball’s greatest shrines.

And what about Ripken Stadium? How about an opulent club level with a huge carpeted concourse, dramatic views of the field, nice bar and buffet areas, and a Ripken Museum. Party decks on the left and right field corners. A separate picnic table area behind home plate where servers deliver food from an “all you can eat” menu. A massive play area with video games and play equipment in the left field corner.

Food? The right field crab shack offers crabcake sandwiches, steamed shrimp and steamed crabs. A sausage station near home plate sells huge sausages served up from chafing dishes in many delectable flavors. Funnel cakes, kettle corn, chicken caesar salads are added to the ballpark fare. A huge team store called “The Hangar” sells merchandise.

All this is set up in a stunning architectural “retro” ballpark, with its brick accents, old fashioned signage and marquees, kelly green seats with ample concourse space, nice murals and exhibits on the walls, and All Things Ripken everywhere you look.

The outfield electronics are superb, with a giant videoboard on the right field side, and a companion dot matrix board with a huge LED board on the left field side hugging the outfield wall. Unlike most minor league parks, outfield billboard advertising here is virtually nonexistent.

Being Opening Day, the place was absolutely packed, and Cal Ripken himself was on hand to throw out the first pitch. Brother Bill Ripken, who played for the Buffalo Bisons in the mid 90s, is team president and active in day to day management here.

Ironbirds fans are especially passionate about their team, hanging on the balls and strikes, and cat calling the visiting players and manager. It was not a good night for the home team however; an early 2 run lead would go for naught as the visiting Brooklyn Cyclones got a two run homer in the 7th and the game winner in the 8th to upend the Ironbirds 3-2.

Like Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, we can only shake our heads in utter amazement as to what the NY-Penn League has become, for here in Aberdeen baseball is a million miles away from the metal bleachers of Dwyer Stadium in Batavia or the tumbledown grittiness of Oneonta’s Damaschke Field.

A shout out and thanks to Aberdeen media swami Caleb Pardick for arranging for credentials for us via Sports and Leisure Magazine and for all his assistance.

Saturday we plant the official USRT flag at National Park in The District. We will once again be able to claim our attendance at a home game of each of the 122 teams in the 4 sports in their current venues. The Nationals are playing the Texas Rangers in interleague play, and for historical reference… the Rangers franchise are making their first visit to DC since they departed this city in 1972, as the Washington Senators. An afternoon of sightseeing and postgame partying is also on tap!

The main entrance to the stadium

A “Ripken Museum” display on the club level

The club level concourse

That’s a Marriott hotel behind the stadium, a replica of Baltimore’s B&O Warehouse

A full house on Opening Night

When they got guys in white chefs hats carving the roast turkey and the beef brisket, you know that this is a press meal that is not to be missed! Also on the menu - pulled pork, scalloped potatoes, caesar salad.

This is going to go on our list as one of the best media dinners evah!

At the end of a 375 mile from Buffalo today, we pull into this place, and can only shake our heads in part awe, part amazement and part disgust, as the NY-Penn League again sets a new and higher bar for opulence, amenities and “wow factor” for the fan attending a game at Ripken Stadium, home of the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

Maybe it was the Courtyard by Marriott hotel next door that put all this over the top… it is just beyond the 3rd baseline… it is a stunning replica of Baltimore’s B&O Warehouse, we kid you not!

Opening Night… packed house… where else would one rather be!

One of the cool things about doing what we do is building a network of great friends - people whose passion is traveling to ballparks, arenas and stadia everywhere. One of those guys is Sean MacDonald, who originally hails from Ottawa, Canada, but now works in Tokyo, Japan in the IT field.

We met Sean back in 2001, when he and his friend Aya spent an entire summer traveling the continent to attend baseball games. He and Aya launched their own web site, www.mlbroadtrip.com, which chronicled that initial journey and is still up and running today.

One of our most memorable events spent with Sean and Aya was back on September 18, 2001 when we all attended the first Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre Skydome following the attacks of 9/11. It was a difficult and emotional time for everyone, yet our good friends from Canada showed their solidarity with us Americans, offering a moving pregame tribute.

Since that first trip, Sean has made multiple return visits to the USA and Canada, attending baseball and hockey games, and like us holds bragging rights of having attended a game at all 30 MLB venues (Yes he made the trip to Nationals Park in April). He last visited Dunn Tire Park on a frigid Opening Day in 2003, and tonight made the return visit here to Buffalo, where we got the chance to catch up and share stories of our recent toad trip adventures.

Sean’s take on Buffalo and Dunn Tire Park? “Well it’s a beautiful ballpark. Hopefully I’ll get here someday on a sunny day” said Sean. “Otherwise I really haven’t seen much of Buffalo.” (By the way - we did the pilgrimage to Anchor Bar on Sean’s last vist so check that off!)

-Andrew Kulyk

Whew - back home safe in Buffalo and it’s 12:45 AM!

The final leg of this journey takes us to New Britain Stadium outside of Hartford, home of the AA Rock Cats. After the dreary previous night we had over in Norwich, our expectations were low. But from the minute we pulled in, seeing the long line of cars snaking into the parking lot, we already knew that this was one happy place!

Even though the stadium has been open for just 13 years, it has a real “old school” feel, and we mean that in a good way. The single concourse is festooned with flags and banners, and also colorful concession canopies. Picnic areas areas are located down the baselines, and rooftop patios offer a great place to watch the action as well.

What makes New Britain Stadium a great place to watch a game is the in game entertainment. Costumed mascots troll the stands, the in game host keeps the energy going, music bumps include “Brass Bonanza”, that great anthem of the long departed Hartford Whalers. Team president Bill Dowling is walking through the aisles, greeting fans and shaking hands. These guys get it, when it comes to fan service, entertainment, and providing a satisfying game day baseball experience.

The smells wafting through the concourses are a mix of fried onions and peppers, fresh popcorn, funnel cakes, and even though the concession menu doesn’t stray from the standard ballpark dreck, the food here is good and satisfying. We tried the Italian sausage smothered in peppers and onions, and the Red Osier roast beef sandwich. Here they toast the roll and smother the beef in melted cheese. Back in Buffalo the purists would howl!

One thing that really needs work here is the 7th inning stretch… our fears came true when we saw a long line of white t-shirted kids coming down to the field from the stands. Yep, they sang The Dead Fat Womans Song. Everybody stood. But then? Everybody sat down. They played “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” with little fanfare, and hardly anyone stood and sang. A real disappointment!

The Rock Cats had to overcome a 7-0 deficit from the suspended game the night before. They chipped away, but ended falling short by a 7-3 score. We only stuck around for one inning of the nightcap, and both teams registered base hits in the first inning, so with a 435 mile ride awaiting us, we headed for the door.

We forgot to send out props to Brian Irizarry of the C-Defenders last night, so we’re doing it now. Also thanks to Bob Dowling of the Rock Cats. Both guys gave the USRT and Sports and Leisure Magazine a warm welcome and rolled out the red carpet for our visits to their ballparks. Thanks guys!

Hope our readers and friends enjoyed our stories from the road these past few days. Stay tuned next weekend because we do it again! We start off in Elmira Thursday night, swing over to Cal Ripken’s swank digs in Aberdeen, MD on Friday, the it’s down to the District on Saturday and Sunday for games at the new Nationals Park.

Driving through downtown Hartford on the way to New Britain, we decided to check out the Hartford Civic Center XL Center, a former NHL venue which once was home to the Hartford Whalers, and is now the home for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack as well as the UConn Huskies.

When we visited here in 2005, the adjacent shopping mall was being demolished, to be replaced by a “mixed use” development of retail and a high rise condominium. The whole street and facade was one big construction mess.

Well, it’s all done, and the place looks pretty nice, although still lots of leasable space available for retail use. Inside the main lobby is a nice pictorial tribute to Hartford Hockey. We took a few snaps to share, and then continued on towards New Britain Stadium for a 1:35 PM start.