toddandstephaniebaseballroadtrip2009

2009 Baseball Roadtrip Recap

2009-07-13T16:57:00.026-04:00

TIP: to view the blog in date order, look to the right and click on the dates. --->
All of the travellin' took place in June.--->

Our 11th annual baseball roadtrip ended eons ago, but we are just now getting around to posting our recap. Sorry for the delay.

15 baseball games in 15 days. Unfortunately no double-headers for us this year
:(
but still a record for us for consecutive days seeing a ballgame.

We traveled just over 3,000 miles to games in 9 different states (NY, PA, NJ, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA & TN) in 9 different baseball leagues (American, National, International, Eastern, Southern, Carolina, New York-Penn, South Atlantic & Appalachian) from the Majors all the way down to Rookie level.

We ate countless BBQ sandwiches (of indeterminate meat) and pints of ice cream, in helmet cups (of course).

We heard "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" 15 times at 14 ballparks. One played it twice. The Kingsport Mets played "Rocky Top Tennessee" instead.

We had been to 3 of the parks in the past, so the 12 new stadia that we attended on this trip now brings our total of ballparks visited together over the past 11 years to 89. Next year we're hoping to top the 100 mark.

We again tried to make the trip as eco-friendly as possible. Hopping from hotel to hotel doesn't make it easy, but we tried a few little things to avoid creating unnecessary waste.

- We brought our own shampoos and soaps so that we would not be using the hotel toiletries just once before they would be thrown away. We refilled our plastic water bottles a few times before moving on to fresh new bottles to reduce our plastic usage, and continued to collect the bottles (around 50 by the end of the trip, it was hot down south) and our paper/cardboard garbage to be recycled as home.

- Any trash that we had was thrown out in larger trash cans instead of the small hotel room bins, reducing the garbage bags that would have to be changed and saving time for the cleaning staffs.

- At the 1 hotel that we were able to stay at for 2 nights, we reused the towels and sheets instead of requesting fresh new linens for the 2nd day, to reduce the energy needed to do the laundry.

- We were also very happy to see that many of the ballparks now have separate bins for aluminum cans, plastic bottles and/or paper products to separate them from other waste.

Signs that we missed getting pictures of:
- Welcome to Compton - in the middle of a cornfield
- Trollingwood Lane
- Caroline County (sorry Revlina!)

We had a great time on our trip, but want to thank the many people who played a part in our experience, whether they knew it or not. Big thanks to:

- some old friends (Molly, Jason and Antje and their families) who we met up with along the way, for providing a chance to catch up on old times, as well as a place to crash, laundry availability, internet access and meals as needed, not to mention being a breath of fresh air seeing some familiar faces on our journey.

- thanks to the new friends we met along the way, including (in order of appearance) Charlie, Anna, David, Jane (thanks for the free tickets), Jim, Susan, Cory, Scott, Lucky, Roshan (thanks for the quick air conditioner repairs), the Altakaka & his Fakakta wife, Jason, Bradley (thanks again for arranging the public address announcement), Mike, Erik, Melissa, Eduardo, Lillian, Guillermo, Stevie, Jason's friends at Braves game, Gary, Wendy, Cameron, Shannon, Chris, Catherine, Rita, Kris, Jacob, Olivia, Wayne, Quentin and anyone whose names we unfortunately forgot to write down. Also all of the mascots (official and otherwise) that posed for pictures.

- all those who responded to our blog via e-mails, text messages, phone calls, blog comments and/or in person, for commenting and following and bringing smiles to our faces, despite the added pressure it put on us knowing we had to try to keep up with our daily blogging, which we partially succeeded. Thanks also to Scott & Christine for recording our chance cameo appearance on the YES network during the 1st game of our trip.

- all the bands who kept us entertained along our many miles and hours spent on the road. From heavy metal to country to fast irish to soul/blues to pop punk to southern rock, we love all of these bands. We hope you have a chance to check them out.

- Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, for providing some interesting fare along the roads instead of the same old fast food. We were able to make it to 7 locations that had been featured on the show and enjoyed delicious treats such as french toast encrusted with Captain Crunch to pastarella sticks to southern country ham with red-eye gravy and grits to delicious fresh homemade pizza.

- various kapfolk and tlxers, for covering our jobs while we were away so we didn't have to worry about work (too much, anyway).

- last but most definitely not least, all the charities to which we have donated, for all of the good that they are doing to improve people's lives by fighting disease, providing food, shelter and/or opportunities, etc. We will not be begging our friends and family for any other charity walk donations this year as this will be our "charity drive" for the year. If you are able, please donate to any/all of these charities (or your own favorite charities). The current state of the economy has taken its toll not just on individuals, families and companies, but on many charitable organizations as well. Don't forget that they know how to stretch their money to spread the wealth, so any donations will go a long way to helping others.

Thanks for taking the time to experience our adventure with us. Comments can be posted on the blog site, or we can be reached at sem1234@excite.com, todd23nyy@yahoo.com or roadtrippersmtd@gmail.com. We don't know where our next trip will take us, but anyone who wants to join us is more than welcome. For those who aren't able to come with, we'll be sure to blog again.

See our other trips at

http://toddandstephaniebaseballroadtrip2008.blogspot.com
http://toddandstephaniebaseballroadtrip2010.blogspot.com
http://toddandstephaniebaseballroadtrip2011.blogspot.com

Your baseball roadtrippers,
Stephanie and Todd

p.s. In the weeks after our roadtrip officially ended, we stopped at a couple more ballparks. We went to Cleveland to see Stephanie's sister sing the National Anthem with a local singing group before an Indians game. However, a slow morning and a slower train caused us to miss the performance. But at least we got to see Sadie and Nathan.

And Stephanie's hair twin cousin, Jessica.

And the following weekend we headed to South Jersey to see our friends in TFL.

So we also made a stop in Lakewood to see the BruceClaws (normally the BlueClaws, a single A team for the Phillies, but a creative promo honoring the great Jerseyite Mr. Springsteen and his music that night).

We've been here before, but we still love the eyeball race.

We loved it so much, we brought home some friends!

June 28, 2009 - Queens, NY

2009-06-30T23:49:00.024-04:00

No more driving. Now we take to the rails. Todd's confused; this isn't the 4-train.

I guess this is the stop.

Look, another new New York ballpark, just like we started the trip.

With an entire rotunda used as a tribute to former Brooklyn Dodger, #42, Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in MLB 62 years ago.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

Maybe Shea Stadium wasn't paradise, but it was special to us.
At least they saved the old big apple.
And the skyline.
Here's the original skyline.

Helmets on - ready for battle.

Rich, 1 of many Yankee fans to invade Queens on this night. Enjoy the Bronx on Friday afternoon. Go Yanks!!
Another Yankees fan - making friends of course.
Some Mets fans are clowns.
Mama's of Corona made us a great turkey sandwich, and paid tribute to Jackie at the same time.
Do these things still work?
Touch-ed by Alyssa Milano.
Here's the field from deep center.
And from our seats high above home plate.
We get to see Chien-Ming Wang at the plate again.

Didn't we see these guys in Charlotte? Yup, they were Bisons at the time.

Retired numbers.
And the new apple. But we wouldn't see much more of it on this night.
Stephanie with a couple local superheroes - Curtis Sliwa, CEO and founder of the Guardian Angels...
... and your friendly neighborhood (amazin'?) Spiderman (playing the sax).
Apparently the New York Yankees are beating the New York ___'s 3-2 at this point.
Mr. Met enjoying a stretch in the 7th inning.
Yanks up by a run in the 8th, time to go to Mo.
In the 9th, Mo's coming to bat with the bases loaded & 2 out.

OMG, K-Rod walked him? Mariano Rivera earns his 1st career RBI. He's on first and ready to run for more.
No more runs for the Yanks, but they hold on to win 4-2.
The Yankees sweep the Mets in the 3 game series. Stephanie: Did they need to bring out the brooms that fast?
Mo earned his 500th career save (2nd place all-time) so there were interviewers...

... and souvenir collecters (from Cooperstown?).

And we were there.

Charity of the day: Carbon Fund
www.carbonfund.org
Since roadtrips are obviously not environmentally friendly, we wanted to offset some of our carbon footprint.

June 27, 2009 - Aberdeen, MD to Allentown, PA

2009-06-30T00:27:00.014-04:00

We visited Jason (the one we met up with in Atlanta, not any of the guys from our Jason music day) and family in MD. Thanks for the place to crash Friday night.

This is Jacob. Hey Jacob! Mom always said, don't play ball in the house!

Jacob and Olivia are looking fierce.

They like the tops of heads too!

A better venue for baseball than the living room!

Olivia is at gymnastics.

Now she's posing.

Todd, Stephanie, Olivia, Jason, Jacob and Holly

On the road agin! This is the only thing stillers' fans and Stephanie can agree on - we all hate the ravens!

Camden Yards. No stopping!

We must go see Antje, Stephanie's friend from college! She's with children (twins)! Stephanie wants to name them Rum and Coke.

Antje, Wayne, Quindin, Todd, Stephanie

Only 2 states away now!

We first must stop to see the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs. Oink!

The Lehigh Valley Ironpigs (triple A for the Phillies) are playing the Norfolk Tides (triple A for the Baltimore Orioles) at Coca-Cola Park.

This is the good luck pig. He collects donations for charity and then the donor rubs his nose for good luck. Everybody wins!

The field

Pretty sky!

The bullpens. I mean PIG PENS!

I know Ellis, Jason's son...he's the son of one of our music choices on Jason Day (after Atlanta). Well, Jason Ellison, Ellis Jason's son, it's all in the same ballpark!

PORK. Always a grand slam.

Fe-Fe (pronounced "Fifi.") Remember, these are Iron Pigs.

Today is a food drive.

Piglet Race!

Stephanie just loves the selection of mustards!

M-O-O-N again!

Fe-Fe and Stephanie...
Stephanie's the one pigging out on ice cream!

What she said

OINK! OINK! OINK!

Ironpigs win!

The roasted corn is seriously worth another trip down there. And it's almost healthy!

It was fireworks night!

With distortion glasses...

Ooh! Aah!

We arrived back in NYC in the early morning hours, completing the road portion of the trip. This year's adventure tipped the scales at just over 3,000 miles.

So we celebrated with a quick stop at one of our favorite local watering holes.

Charity of the day - Feeding America food bank. http://feedingamerica.org
We are keeping with what the Ironpigs suggested. It's food drive day and no one should go hungry.

Music of the day - A day of terror as we near the end of our roadtrip. These bands are undergoing or recently underwent changes.
- Voodoo Terror Tribe (have a new singer) - www.myspace.com/voodooterrortribe
- Sisterblind (formerly fronted by Paul Terror) - www.myspace.com/sisterblind
- The Trakes (sent back from the future to save the music world from terror) - www.myspace.com/thetrakes
- Face Down Dead (a terrifying thought and Stephanie just really likes them) - www.myspace.com/facedowndead

June 26, 2009 - Zebulon, NC to Aberdeen, MD

2009-06-29T23:53:00.011-04:00

Darn it! I left my cow suit in New York!

But we love Chick-Fil-A!

What do you think he's doing today?

Welcome to Virginia!

Nothin' goin' on here...

No stopping, No standing, No stopping, No standing, No stopping, No standing, No stopping, No standing, No stopping, No standing, No stopping, No standing...

The Real Estate Agent Battlefield - it gets messy out there.

Crossing the Potomac

Hello Maryland!

Nice Bridge!

We're so glad to be here!

We thought about it and every Matt we know is actually a woman. (Hi Laz!)

And we just zipped right past the Bowie Baysox! Well, we've been here before.

It's like paella on a truck!

The Bridges of Charm City!

No, we're not going back to New York yet.

We had to go see Cal.

No, not THAT Cal!
This Cal! Hi Mr. Ripken!

We're OK with missing all you can eat crab night. Really OK.

Remember - Maryland is where they have a state crustacean. This is their shack.

We're here at Ripken Stadium to see the Aberdeen Ironbirds (single A for the Baltimore Orioles) play the Brooklyn Cyclones (single A for the New York Mets).

This man is wearing an Ironbird on his head.

Stephanie witessed it up close.

Bye Iron Fan!

The cartoon version of an Ironbird

Uh oh...weather's coming!

Yup, weather's here.

Rain delay

Rain delay's over!

Play ball!

Tink, Ferrous and Raven

Ripcord and Stephanie

Ferrous and Stephanie

Bye Ferrous!

Deep fried oreos. Could this trip get any better?

Todd and Stephanie like Aberdeen!

K-counter

And the Cyclones win!

The tennis ball toss

NOTES:
- Kudos to Super-Navigator Stephanie, who did a great job getting us around rush-hour traffic in Richmond, DC and Baltimore!
- It's still hot and humid out. Thanks Roshan! We love you Roshan!

Charity of the day - ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). http://als.net/mlb
We chose this today to honor the first iron man of baseball, Lou Gehrig, at the ballpark of Cal Ripken, the second iron man. Also, it's only 8 days until the 70th anniversary of Gehrig's famous luckiest man speech.

Music of the day - another double shot
- Tied for Last - www.myspace.com/tiedforlast
- The Saints of Pain - www.myspace.com/thesaintsofpainband
Both of these bands are favorites of ours and they are both playing in New York tonight. It's been a long time since we've seen them and we miss them.
Stephanie: cuddly metal rules!

June 25, 2009 - Kingsport, TN to Zebulon, NC

2009-06-29T23:31:00.009-04:00

Welcome to Tennessee - The music state!

They take their git-fiddles seriously in these parts!

Driving toward the Blue Ridge Mountains

Cherokee National Forest

We don't even want to know.

This is almost the song we were just listening to! The song was "Broken Concrete" by the band that is Stephanie's heart.

What about the in-line skaters and hand-springers?

It's slow going through the mountains.

We made it to Mountain City!

10-2? That's considered a "day" in the mountains?

They sell nightcrawlers at Burger King. Seriously.

Historic Trade, Unincorporated

And North Carolina, right behind us!

We travelled along the Blue Ridge Parkway 2 years ago on a roadtrip, but just passed by it this time. We waved, though. As Jason White told us yesterday, "the Interstate highway ain't the way to see it all".

That's not France Road, is it? Great Britain?

Yes, we know it's a chain but we ate there anyway. Biscuits rule!

Hi Buster! You seem to be behind the 8-ball...

But, we just left the mountains! Is this really the nadir? Well, all of a sudden we're back in the heat and humidity...Thanks again Roshan!

This must be where Dan Quayle learned to spell.

Welcome to Zebulon, NC!

The Carolina Mucats sell fishing licenses, not tickets.

The Carolina Mudcats (triple A for the Cincinnati Reds) were playing the Jacksonville Suns (triple A for the Florida Marlins). And it was Thirsty Thursday! But not tattoo night. -sigh-

The scoreboard, water tower and field

Rigo Beltran, former Mets picher, is the Mudcats' pitching coach. Hi Rigo!

David Bell is the Manager of the Mudcats. Stephanie LOVES David Bell. It borders on frightening.

Stop looking at me! Maybe David Bell sent this creature to keep Stephanie in line.

Stephanie has 2 new friends.

The fancy dining option

Where we ate. So yummy!

Todd, Stephanie and Chris. Chris fed us and explained Carolina BBQ to us. Hi Chris! See you in the Bronx!

Oh, OK. If we have to!

We followed that particular rule.

Muddy the Mudcat loses the race,

but wins a new fan!

We wouldn't dream of it! Although, we may still have some nightcrawlers in the car...

The stands - this picture shows where we were when we found out about Michael Jackson.

Lounging Muddy displays the pitch speed. One of the Mudcats (Sean Watson) hit 100mph!

Unfortunately, Mr. Watson got the loss that night.

And Jacksonville was happy.

Charity of the day - Red Cross www.redcross.org
It's hurricane season now and we're in a state that's been hit many times.

Music of the day - Desolate www.myspace.com/desolate
Also known to Stephanie as "the band that is my heart." We were in a pretty desolate area so it worked nicely.

Shhh! Don't tell Todd! We listened to their album "Fortitude" three times! He was driving through the mountains and had to pay attention.

June 24, 2009 - Atlanta, GA to Kingsport, TN

2009-06-29T22:43:00.010-04:00

This was the courtyard of our hotel in Atlanta. It seems a bit fancy for us, huh?

Best. KFC. Sign. Ever.

We ate at the Marietta Diner, another DDD spot. UNBELIEVABLE gnocchi.

Get off the road, Peaches! Herb can stay.

Walker, one of our musical selections for the day.

Is this for Peaches?

OH! The sign above is for Jack! Jack complied.

We hope this isn't for Peaches! We like Peaches!

Before

After

Todd wouldn't let us stop even though it was ladies' day!

Um, go Vikings?

Fred and Lamont got out of the junk business.

In Knoxville, we had our second DDD recommendation of the day, pizza with homemade sausage and fresh green peppers. It was good for breakfast the next day too!

DUCK!

Tomorrow's charity

Jonesborough, TN, founded 1779. Originally part of NC (and before TN existed), Jonesborough was where they they decided to secede from the Union and make a new state, the State of Franklin. The State of Franklin existed for 4 years. It was the first state created after the original colonies, although Congress never recognized it as a state. We never knew this!

Kingsport, TN, home of the Kingsport Mets (Appalacian League - Rookie). This is the sign-up for the mid-inning competitions. We always wondered how they chose these kids!

These are the Kingsport Mets! Some of them were still in college last month.

The K-Mets are playing the Johnson City Cardinals.

This guy doesn't look so intimidating!

This guy does. Unless those kids are scared of Stephanie?

There's a dog run in the outfield.

The stands

The bullpen and some picnickers

Bowling on the dugout with a basketball. Why not wear a hockey mask too?

Honest, Constable, I didn't mock your mid-inning fun!

And I didn't litter!

The grill and some picnic tables

Sweet Old Bob hooked us up with some frozen bananas hand-dipped in chocolate!

M-O-O-N! First we've seen of it in some time, what with all the storms, clouds and humidity we've encountered so far! It's nice and (relatively) cool up here in the mountains.

Todd and Stephanie and the field, courtesy of Rita. Thanks Rita!

Grandpa, Rita and Catherine. Peek-a-boo!

Todd and Stephanie, courtesy of Shannon.

Hi Shannon! Hi Chris!

The Cardinals beat the Mets in Rookie League that night. In the Majors, the Mets beat the Cardinals 11-0.

The Johnson City Cardinals were happy.

And then they drove away.

Charity of the day: VH1 Save the Music Foundation.
In honor of Tennessee's rich musical heritage (country, blues, soul, rock & roll).
http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/donation

Music of the Day: Inspired by our chance meeting with Jason yesterday, it's Jason Day.

Jason White - a friend of Stephanie's from her days in Cleveland and the Euclid Tavern, now living and working in the music business in Tennessee.
http://www.myspace.com/jasonswhite

Jason Walker - good southern soul music from NYC, from the husband of Stephanie's former co-worker.
http://www.myspace.com/jsonwalker

Plus we revisited IKILLYA and Crimson Orchid, other bands containing Jasons that we heard from earlier in the trip.

June 23, 2009 - Atlanta, GA

2009-06-26T10:17:00.004-04:00

Well we made it to Atlanta! and another DDD recommendation - The Silver Skillet. True Southern charm, fantastic grits, country ham steak, red-eye gravy and fried chicken. And some black-eyed peas for good luck. Plus some peach cobbler and their famous lemon ice box pie - to go (which were still tasty, almost a week later).

Then off to the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum. Stephanie: Because I said so.

We found another set of Road Trippers! Maybe next year, we'll make shirts too...

We took MARTA to Turner Field.

There were enormous painted baseballs everywhere. Stephanie liked this one and she was holding the camera.

The Georgia State Capitol.

We saw this while waiting for the shuttle.

Atlanta sez "KEEP ARMIN!" Who knows? The north may attack again.

Turner Field. Thanks Ted.

Atlanta: Where the past comes alive!

A tribute to Jackie Robinson

A tribute to the Braves' 1995 World Series title. This makes Stephanie angry. Note: Stephanie is wearing a shirt for a local NYC band Tied for Last (see today's Music of the Day). The Yankees and Braves are tied for last (a three-way tie with the Marlins) on her list of baseball teams she likes.

The marching band was happy.

A statue of Hank Aaron, who hit 755 home runs in his illustrious career.

The Braves - The longest continuously operating franchise in baseball history. Todd: got rings?

The Braves are playing the Yankees tonight. This is just wrong.
The view from the outfield Stephanie feels dread. Another well-deserved tribute to Hank Aaron And another reminder of that 1995 World Series title. See? They don't look all that interested or inspired either. Hello Larry. YIKES! HOT-lanta it is! The field Retired numbers Another Mr. Robinson Stephanie: There's (twitch) that (twitch) durned (twitch) hatchet (twitch) again... Chick-Fil-A Cow and the skyline These guys took our seats. Maybe Wang will hit better than he pitches. NOPE! HOW MUCH!?!? We found the camp group! This is Todd and his friend Jason. They are friends from home and we all were in Atlanta at the same time! How bizarre. Tool Race!

This is Wendy, Gary and Cameron. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAMERON! Hey, that guy took pictures of us - it's only fair! AAARGH!!!!!

The K-counter sparkles. Todd, Stephanie, Jason and Jason's work friends The bottle of Coca Cola shoots fireworks when the Braves win. The Braves won. A lot of people witnessed that win, Including us. This Yankee player (Alfredo Aceves) signed autgraphs. Lawnmower Man Stephanie: Please don't make me get on that bus.

That awful noise again.

A better song.

One note about Georgia: They are the only state on our trip that observes Confederate Memorial Day and Jefferson Davis' birthday.

Charity of the Day - Boys and Girls Clubs of America, an official charity of Major League Baseball, since we're at a Major League game tonight.

https://secure2.convio.net/bgca/site/Donation2?df_id=1180&1180.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr011=wa2cm0kdf1.app44b

Music of the Day - Tied For Last, which includes Yankee fans (sorry Tommy) that we did not get to see at the first game of our trip; and because it is Tuesday. We didn't have a chance to listen much today because we weren't in the car much, but we'll give them a full listen later in the trip.

http://www.myspace.com/tiedforlast

June 22, 2009 - Charlotte, NC to Atlanta, GA

2009-06-25T23:44:00.001-04:00

We begin the day with the Charlotte Knights (triple A for the White Sox) playing the Buffalo Bisons (triple A for the Mets). The game began at noon, which is pretty much very early morning to us at this point.

The Charlotte Knights actually play in Fort Mill, SC. They understand and take care of their patrons' needs.

There was a climbing wall for the kids.

And the PET Milk cow.

The front of the stadium is kinda nondescript.

But Sweet Caroline was lovely!

So was Homer! But he didn't like Stephanie's Mets shirt.

They are very good drivers.

This is Stevie. She is from near Cleveland and went to THE Ohio State University. Go Buckeyes!

Field of Dreams is EVERYWHERE!

Hi Sharkey!

Who?

Alright, kids, who needs an autograph?

Another climbing wall! And another carousel!

So glad she was here to keep us in check.

This is the field.

There is a house just outside of the left/center field fence.

This is art. What's on your mind, Todd?

It was H-O-T that day (many thanks again to Roshan, the car a/c is still working fine). All of the camp day groups stayed in the shade.

Chris Chambliss (manager & 3rd base coach for the Knights & former Yankee great) and Todd (wearing his #42 shirt, supporting our charity of the day).

Robinson Cancel was up with the Mets last year. He is another clue to our charity of the day.

Self-portrait. Todd has nice long arms!

Final score: Knights win!

And we were there. Todd's looking a little shady, huh?

They have a baseball watertower.

After the game, we headed toward Atlanta. We ate at Harold's in Gaffney, SC. Another DDD recommendation. Todd had the scrumptious (as advertised) chili burger. Stephanie went "healthy" with the club sandwich (at least it had lettuce, tomato and wheat bread).

We drove on the Palmetto Prideway in South Carolina. It is the Palmetto State. They have Palmetto Pride.

Atlanta in the distance

And we finished off the day at the Highlander, another DDD recommendation. It is a bar with unbelieveably great food. They also played D.R.U.N.K Bingo.

Charity of the day: The Jackie Robinson Foundation - www.jackierobinson.org
It provides comprehensive scholarships and support services to minority students enrolled at institutions of higher education.

Music of the day: Diablo Royale - www.myspace.com/diabloroyalerock
Diablo is for the diabolical heat.
Royale is for the Knights, the Charlotte Knights.

June 21, 2009 - Hickory, NC to Greenville, SC, etc.

2009-06-25T09:02:00.001-04:00

Fathers' Day.
Summer Solstice, The longest day of the year.
And a good thing too...

We begin our journey to South Carolina through the peach growing center of the nation.

We tried to go to the Beacon, but it was Sunday so it was closed.

We found the actual Waffle House-IHOP Line! We chose IHOP as a nod to our Northern roots.

Hablamos Ingles.

Not a lot going on in Spartan Exchange Village...

We are in Greenville, SC at Fluor Field at the West End. We will be seeing the Greenville Drive (single A for the Red Sox) play the Lexington Legends (single A for the Houston Astros).

They have a Green Monster!

They are serious Sox fans. Their food is named for Red Sox players.

This gentleman showed Stephanie a picture of his father on Fathers' Day.

This is Melissa. Hi Melissa!

Melissa took our picture. Thanks Melissa!

This trolley brings people to the game.

This is the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum, right across the street from the stadium.

Stephanie appreciated the plaque of Larry Doby, a native of South Carolina and the first player in the AL to cross the color barrier just weeks after Jackie Robinson did for the NL Brooklyn Dodgers. Mr. Doby played for the Cleveland Indians at that time and helped them win the World Series in 1948. Todd wants to mention that it was the most recent World Series title for the Indians. Thanks, Todd.

We liked this stand.

You could make your own stuffed animal here.

They played Plinko here.

The Father's Day flipper race!

Stephanie and the Green Monster, Reedy Rip'It.

Boiled peanuts. Yuck.

The Legends beat the Drive.

We met a lovely family. Hi to the Todds! (Hi Eduardo!)

After the game, they let everyone onto the field for a catch on Fathers' Day.

And so we went back up to North Carolina. Pretty drive after the Drive.

And we found the southern outpost of a New York pizza joint! Libretto's, on 36th and 3rd in NYC, recently opened a restaurant in Charlotte, NC. Yummy!

In the same complex, we visited Whiskey River, a bar owned by NASCAR's #88, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Unfortunately, the mechanical bull was shut down for the evening.

As we mentioned, we are glad it was the longest day of the year. We drove from NC to SC to NC to SC to NC to SC. Whew! And still hot hot hot out there. Thanks again to Roshan; the car A/C is still cranking out the cool air.

Charity of the day: American Cancer Society http://community.acsevents.org/site/TR/CommunityFundraisingPages/CFPFY09Eastern?fr_id=19023&pg=entry
They were holding their Take Your Base Walk at Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, NY. We participated in it last year but are too far away this year.

Music of the day: It's a double shot.
- The McCabes (for the green of Greenville) www.mccabesband.com
- Diesel America (for the drive of the Greenville Drive) www.myspace.com/dieselamerica

June 20, 2009 - Durham, NC to Hickory, NC

2009-06-24T09:43:00.001-04:00

OK, first things first.The air conditioner in the car was dead. The temperature was in the 90's. We needed help. Serious help.Nope. Painting happy trees wouldn't do it. We called in the professionals.Thank you Roshan! We love you Roshan! Congratulations on your status as Uncle Roshan! Now, for food.And a car baptism. I mean wash.We found a Harley shop having a party!Hey man, can I get a lift?L.P. Frans Stadium, home of the Hickory Crawdads. The Hickory Crawdads (single A for the Texas Rangers) were playing the West Virginia Power (single A for the pittsburgh Pirates).The unofficial mascotTodd looks like he could use some help.Yee-Haw!The field The emcee One of the dining options Where we ate Dirtball The Hot Dog Toss! Stephanie HAS $2.00!! This is Erik, the concessions master. He really needs to get some helmet cups.
RUN!!!

This is Ryan Kelly, pitcher for the Power. We hung out with his parents earlier at the Crawdad Cafe. Build a BBQ Sandwich Challenge! And we were there! The Crawdads beat the Power. They just plain unplugged them.
This is Mike, father of Ryan (the pitcher for the Power). Stephanie thinks he has a silly tattoo. Todd likes his tattoo.

After the game, we went to Drips Cafe in downtown Hickory. They are a coffee shop by day and a music club at night. The perfect combination! And...WE FOUND METAL!!! This is the Generation of Vipers.

And a big shout-out to Bradley Ingels! He had our names announced over the PA! And if you're ever in Hickory, NC and need a car, pay him a visit at Armstrong Ford!

Another big hello to the altakaka and his fakakta wife!

Our assessment: Hickory is the friendliest city in America!

Charity of the day: Parkinson's Disease www.michaeljfox.org
In memory of Stephanie's father on the day before Father's Day.

Music of the day: Graveyard BBQ www.myspace.com/graveyardbbq
Hickory, barbeque, you get it. These guys rock!

June 19, 2009 - Lynchburg, VA to Durham, NC

2009-06-22T09:53:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that in previous photos we were wearing jackets and long sleeves. The heat finally caught up with us and killed the A/C in Todd's car. But on we went, right past Frank Thomas and the Crue We made it past a tight squeeze. Some other Cavs did better than Stephanie's Cavs. We made it below the IHOP-Waffle House Line! It is similar to the Mason-Dixon Line, defining North and South. http://www.theonion.com/content/node/36622 Durham's ballpark is downtown, in the American Tobacco Entertainment District. There was a band under the Lucky Strike water tower. They had an exact replica, but smaller, of the ballpark under glass. Crash Davis of Bull Durham fame. Durham Bulls Ballpark. The Durham Bulls (triple A for the Tampa Bay Rays) are playing the Pawtucket Red Sox (triple A for the Boston Red Sox). Bull bikerack. Durham Bulls Athletic Park, rightfield. Durham Bulls Athletic Park, leftfield. Blue Monster. Todd is mixing his movie references. Chick-Fil-A fowl pole. Stephanie with Chick-Fil-A cow. Durham Bulls Athletic Park - Bleachers/Lawn. Back of the bull. Beer garden. Clap. Dora. Stephanie ate the whole thing. Here we are with THE Durham Bull in the back. Sumo Wrestling! Todd and Lucky the Dog! We were part of a new attendance record! This explains why we could only buy Standing Room tickets. The Durham Bull The Blue Monster The Durham Bull, in action:

Now he sort of looks like Jodie from The Amityville Horror.The Pawsox beat the D-Bulls. The hoardes of Sox fans were happy. The place was crawling with them.

Charity of the day - American Diabetes Association - www.diabetes.org

In honor of our buddies.

Music of the day - It's a double:

- Killcode www.myspace.com/killcode

- IKILLYA www.myspace.com/ikillyametal

We chose these two fantastic bands to highlight the death of the A/C, murdered cruelly by this killer heat.

June 18, 2009 - Delmarva to Lynchburg, VA

2009-06-20T10:42:00.000-04:00

Driving through the Maryland portion of the DelMarVa Peninsula, we caught a glimpse of businesses hawking the state crustacean. Yes. Maryland has a state crustacean.We drove through the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.We made it to the Lynchburg Hillcats!The team is owned by W. Calvin Falwell. He is related to Jerry Falwell.

The promotion was tattoo night! And cheap beer night! A brilliant combination.Last night was Perdue Chicken, tonight is KFC!The Lychburg Hillcats (single A for the Pirates) were playing the Kinston Indians (another single A for the Cleveland Indians). Stephanie just happened to be wearing a Kinston Indians t-shirt, which dismayed Southpaw, the Hillcats mascot.And for the photo, he made sure no one could tell it was an Indians t-shirt. I swear, no one was molested in the taking of this picture!This is the field.This is an acknowledgement of where we are. On this date and on this very site, the Battle of Lynchburg was fought in 1864. It was a victory for the Confederacy.
And this is the tattoo parlor, on site for the promotion night.

Some people got some work done that night.

Don't worry, Mom, it's temporary! I was just trying to make Priest and Syxx from The Saints of Pain (a NYC band we'll hear from later) jealous!

They mock the Yankees here! Stephanie likes Lynchburg!

Stephanie found some Indians fans! Stephanie loves Lynchburg!
This is Cory:

This is Scott:

As previously mentioned, this is Jerry Falwell's town.

pittsburgh beat Cleveland, 5-3. A field goal and a safety beating a field goal.
I mean Lynchburg beat Kinston.

But they think it's a football field, too. It says so on the trash can!

Charity of the day: NAACP - www.naacp.org

Music of the day: The Heaves - www.myspace.com/theheaves
Who knew that a buncha guys from Brooklyn would sound so perfect driving in the Blue Ridge Mountains?! They are kind of hillbillies, though. Especially Pat.

June 17, 2009 - Trenton to Delmarva

2009-06-18T23:17:00.000-04:00

We spent the night in Newark, Delaware (how many of you can say that??) and continued on to our next Diners, Drive Ins and Dives rec. On the way there, we considered pausing to raise a glass to our friend, Erin, at Sharky's Bar & Grillbut we had to get to something even more spectacular: The Blue Moon Cafe. OMG - they make french toast rolled in Captain Crunch. It is so worth the trip.We left Charm City with extraordinarily happy bellies and continued on to the Delmarva Peninsula, over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The Delmarva Peninsula is (much like Gaul) divided into 3 parts: DELaware, MARyland and VirginiA.We made it to the stadium. The stadium land and a portion of the building were donated/subsidized by Mr. Perdue of chicken fame.Someone here in Orioles territory doesn't want to acknowledge the Yankees.The Delmarva Shorebirds (single A for the Baltimore Orioles) are playing the Lake County Captains (single A for the Cleveland Indians).Here's the ballpark.Hold on, guys, I gotta get somethingI'm ba-a-a-a-ck! And a very good driver!And a pretty good dancerTa-da!They had a really nice tribute to all the armed forces just outside the ballpark.This is the first base and batting coach, Ryan Minor.You may know him as the guy who replaced Cal Ripken and ended the Ironman's streak. Todd called him the anti-Wally Pipp.Another shutout! Stephanie's Lake County Captains win!And all is well in Indians-land. Go Captains!Todd and Stephanie were happy! Especially Stephanie.This is Susan and Jim. Jim took the picture of us. Thanks Jim! And happy birthday!
Charity of the day: National Multiple Sclerosis Society - www.nationalmssociety.org
We're donating in honor of a group in Baltimore, Metal 4 M S myspace.com/poeticanarchy08 Thanks Rob!

Music of the day: Crimson Orchid - www.myspace.com/crimsonorchidband
A cool band, based in Baltimore. We know them from playing with Desolate (we'll hear from them later) at the Ace of Clubs in NYC. They metaled our drive through Maryland!

June 16, 2009 - Scranton to Trenton

2009-06-17T22:24:00.000-04:00

Tuesday morning we were entrusted with Molly's kids for about a half hour. Not such a good idea. By the time Molly got home, she found the four of us engaged in chicken fights. Charlie called them "jousts." Round 3 of 10. They also used Todd as a jungle gym.Anna's new favorite place is the top of Todd's head.Here's the lot of us: Todd, Stephanie, Charlie, Molly, Dave and Anna. And Franklin the cat.On the way down to Trenton, we drove through the Delaware Water Gap. A water gap seems to be what most people call a "river." How very land-centric!We made it to our first Diners, Drive ins and Dives restaurant: The Hightstown Diner. A true old-school diner.And then to Trenton. The Trenton Thunder are the Double A team of the Yankees. They were playing the Connecticut Defenders, the Double A team of the San Francisco Giants. Connecticut used to be part of the Yankees organization. A bit incestuous...
A big thank you to Jane and the teachers for the tickets!!!

Strike and Boomer are getting ready for a footrace with some fans.Trenton lost 4-0. This marks the first game of the trip that the Yankees team lost, but the third shut-out in a row.Todd soldiered on. Stephanie was fine with the Yankees loss. And a big thank you to the father of the winner of the 13-16 year-old pitch speed competition for the picture of us!Today's charity: Alzheimer's Association - www.alz.orgWe chose this in memory of Todd's grandparents, long-time Connecticut residents and defenders.Today's music: Hung - www.myspace.com/hungrocksLike nothing you've ever heard before. Progressive Death Metal with a violin. They also have some connections to New Jersey. And they'll own up to it.

June 15, 2009 - NYC to Scranton/Wilkes Barre

2009-06-17T16:14:00.000-04:00

After a false start and a slight detour, the "road" portion of our road trip begins! We are going to Scranton to see Stephanie's friend Molly and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. They are the Yankees' Triple A team.

Stephanie found a new friend!

Boxer-in-training...

The boxing match hit a snag, a 25 minute rain delay.

The Yankees win! The-e-e-e Ya-a-a-ankees win! (Stephanie: "sigh")

This is back-to-back shutouts for the indomitable Yankees Organization. (Stephanie: "yawn")

Today's charity: Habitat for Humanity. www.wv-hfh.org
Stephanie's friend Molly, our lovely hostess, is involved with this very worthy cause. We'll see more of her family tomorrow.

Today's Music: Grave Desire. www.myspace.com/gravedesire
They are a pittsburgh, Pennsylvania band (Stephanie: no capitalization warranted) whom we saw at a gig at our former haunt, Wild Spirits (RIP).

June 14, 2009 - Bronx, NY

2009-06-10T10:43:00.001-04:00

In case you missed the blog of our baseball trip last year, you can see it at toddandstephaniebaseballroadtrip2008.blogspot.com. Well, we're at it again!

This year, we have made a few additions:
1 - We will be donating to a charity each day, feel free to do the same!
2 - On our traveling days, we will be highlighting local bands so we don't get homesick, please check them out too!
3 - We will be visiting more restaurants recommended by Guy Fieri on "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives" (on the Food Network), chow down! www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives

We begin our trip not so much on the road as just at home. We begin in the Bronx with the rubber game of the Mets at the Yankees. Welcome to the new Yankee Stadium.
We went with Stephanie's friend Steve. We saw Bob. We didn't see representatives from Tied for Last (a local band we'll hear from later in the trip) and Stephanie was sad.It was the Army's birthday and Flag DayThe local fanatics were there too - Freddy Sez and Cow Bell Man It was a total blowout - Yankees 15 - Mets 0. Yes, 0. Z E R O. Bah (says Stephanie).

Todd was happy.

Today's charity: Disabled American Veterans: www.dav.org
In honor of Flag Day, the Army's Birthday and our fathers, who both served in the Army.