From Miami to Minneapolis

Doing the baseball trip in June rather than July was just a bit unnerving. There wasn't much of a break between school being out for the summer and departing for Florida. Thus far, I think I prefer the trip in July. It provides something to look forward to a little later in the summer and is a nice break. As it stood this year, I didn't even get into summer mode good before I had to depart.

Miami was first and though the scenery was great, the rest was pretty disappointing. We stayed across the street from an outdoor mall and there were always people milling about. Shops, kiosks, live music, and lots of people watching. It was all very blasé. The highlight was Häagen-Dazs ice cream which, admittedly, would be a highlight in many places. 

No matter, we're here for the baseball! And we were very close to being the only ones. That's hyperbole, but Marlins Park was at least half empty for Saturday's game and most of the fans seemed to be rooting for the Mets! Yikes. Sunday's game was a little better in terms of numbers, but at least 40% of the fans weren't supporting the home team and my buddy would probably say it was closer to 60%. There is no home field advantage in Miami. 

Speaking of fields, why are they playing baseball inside in Miami? A domed stadium which they keep closed something like 80% of the time. It's unnatural. Didn't look like they had turf, so at least the grass was real, but indoor baseball may be the second most grievous of all baseball sins trailing only the DH. 

We flew into Minneapolis and within ten minutes we both knew this leg of the trip would be much more enjoyable. There was just a different vibe in the air. I'm sure Miami suits many, many people just fine. And if we'd found a hole in the wall where I could have gone salsa dancing, I probably would have been ecstatic. But as it stood, Minneapolis seemed much more inviting. 

Even despite this imposing structure waiting for us when we disembarked. 

We were pretty close to the middle of downtown and could walk to take the metro anyplace we wanted to go. We took in a few local establishments, tried some food, and had a grand ol' time! Our second day there, we made our way to Minnehaha Park, not to be confused with Minnehaha Falls in Georgia. After lunch with a colleague, I was able to take a quick tour of the Metro Deaf School and chat briefly with their staff. Good group of people they have there. 

Of course, we were here for baseball and to see the Florida Marlins take on the Rochester Red Wings, um, I mean, the Minnesota Twins. A little AAA baseball humor. Rochester, dah, Minnesota pulled it off and got the win! In the battle of the stadiums, it wasn't close: Target Field trounces Marlins Park. 

I think that brings the total to 19 current parks (plus Shea Stadium and the Astrodome):

1. Citifield - NY Mets
2. Fenway - Boston 
3. Rodgers Center- Toronto
4. PNC - Pittsburgh
5. Citizens Bank - Philly
6. Comerica - Detroit
7. Great American - Cincinnati
8. Progressive Field - Cleveland
9. Turner Field - Atlanta
10. Nationals Ballpark - Washington, DC
11. Rangers Stadium - Dallas
12. Camden Yards - Baltimore
13. US Cellular Field - Chicago White Sox
14. Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs
15. Miller Park - Milwaukee
16. Busch Stadium - St. Louis
17. Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City
18. Marlins Park - Miami
19. Target Field - Minneapolis

We may put together a spreadsheet comparing the different parks, but for now, I'd say: 

• Best Looking Ballpark: PNC or Kauffman (the waterfall was awesome)
• Best Fans: Camden Yards
  
• Best All You Can Eat Food: PNC or Turner Field
  
• Best Outside Stadium Ambiance: Wrigley (with along the water in Cincinnati behind it)