Baseball Stadiums: Great American Ball Park & Fifth Third Field (Dayton)

I spent the last week in Cincinnati, Ohio, working at the AP Human Geography Reading.  This is the second year I've participated, and while I went to Great American Ball Park last season I did not post any photos of commentary about my visit.  Additionally, I saw a Dayton Dragons game at Fifth Third Field.

Great American Ball Park is sandwiched along the Ohio River, and provides a view of the Kentucky hillside as fans look past the outfield stands.  The more interesting view is the skyscrapers of downtown Cincinnati behind the stadium.  I saw the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds in two games last week.  I went to two games last season, but this year did a few different things.

First, I ate at the Riverfront Club, which is a fine dining restaurant along the right field line.  I went with some friends from the AP Human Geography Reading for our dine-out night, and we had a fantastic meal.  We opted for the buffet, which included roasted pork shoulder with bourbon sauce, catfish with pecan-encrusted glaze, chicken and dumplings, and some excellent salads.  The food was delicious and well worth the price!  If you want a unique ballpark experience, I highly recommend checking out the Riverfront Club.

Second, I went on Zoo Night and got to see a variety of animals during the first inning.  A bald eagle flew down to the field as part of the opening ceremonies, but several other animals were on display in the Fan Zone.  I don't remember all the animals on display, but I avoided the boa constrictor and enjoyed taking photos of the leopard tortoise as he attempted to make a get away.  Later that night, I got my photo taken with the Reds superfan (sorry, but I don't know his name) and Rosie Red.

Me with Rosie Red.

On Friday night, I went to Dayton with some friends to see the Dragons.  The stadium sits among some old warehouses in downtown, so the view isn't awe-inspiring, but it is cool seeing the old buildings around the park.  I did not find any really unique food item, so I had the a Chili Cheese Dog.  The Chili Cheese Dog is kind of unique to the area because of the famous Cincinnati-style chili that often accompanies hotdogs.  The Chili Cheese Dog was filling, but left me wanting something really unique to the area.

Chili cheese dog.

The most impressive part of the game as the fan experience.  The mascots (Heater and Gem) were awesome!  The costumes were great, and they did an excellent job of interacting with the fans.  The in-game promotions were great because the team stayed true to old-favorites like the mascots dancing on the dugouts but instead of the cliché dizzy bat race the contestants competed in Crazy Frog and had to leapfrog over their partner to win the race!  As a bonus, the game took only 2 hours and 32 minutes, but the final score was 14-6.

The first hometown boy in Dayton Dragon history on the mound.

Perhaps the best part about attending the Dayton Dragons' game was seeing a special welcome on the scoreboard for me and my friends!  I stumbled upon a page on the team's web site where fans could submit message requests, and took advantage.  It was so cool to see that message.

My visit to Fifth Third Field means that I have attended three Low-A games, and my first in the Midwest League.  I have also updated my map of baseball stadiums.  I have seen professional games in 25 states, 1 province, and the District of Columbia.

Baseball Stadiums: Dickey-Stephens Park & Pringles Park

For the past two summers, I have driven home to Georgia for work. Instead of driving 14 hours straight through as usual, I decided to make a few stops along the way and check out some baseball stadiums while also enjoying some of the sights.

My first stop was North Little Rock, Ark., for an Arkansas Travelers game. I had a deer dog, which is a jalapeno and cheese deer sausage made by Petit Jean Meats. I debated between the deer dog and bbq nachos, which staff at Dickey-Stephens Park said were the two most unique food items at the stadium. I opted for deer dog because I've had so many different cased meats that I felt like I had to go that route.  It was covered with grilled peppers and onions, and I added some Texas Pete hot sauce for good measure. It was delicious, and well worth it.

My Deer Dog.

Beer fans would also enjoy this ballpark, which has a host of local brews.  Diamond Bear Brewing Company supplies most of the local brews on tap.  My first selection was a Southern Blonde, which went down smoothly.  In the beer garden, I tried a New Belgium Dig, which is a spring ale.  It was flavorful, but too hoppy for my tastes.  With my deer dog, I had a Firehouse Pale Ale, which is made by Vino's Brewpub.  It was a great compliment to the deer dog, and a great cap to my beer and food exploration for the night.

My other stop was Jackson, Tenn. There's not much sightseeing to do in Jackson, but I wanted to add another ballpark to my list and figured it was a good jumping off point to visit Shiloh National Military Park.  Pringles Park is nice, but it reflects the growing trend of minor league stadiums where fans enter the ballpark on a concourse with the seating bowl below.  The stadium is right off I-40, so the view beyond the outfield is the interstate and some trees.  It's nothing special, but the atmosphere was good.

My decision to get the Deer Dog the previous night proved wise because the two specialty food items at Pringles Park according to staffers are bbq nachos and Ricoh's Burger.  The bbq nachos might be great at Dickey-Stephens Park and Pringles Park, but apparently they are not totally unique to just that one locale.  Ricoh's Burger is a 1/2-pound patty covered with grilled onions and peppers covered with cheese and bacon served on a pretzel bun.  It was tasty, but it didn't blow me out of the water especially with a bun that was dry and flavorless.  Perhaps I should've gotten the bbq nachos.

Ricoh's Burger as the field gets prepared for the game.

Prior to my journey home, I made a visit to Houston to watch my alma mater's football team take on the University of Houston in September 2011.  I went to Minute Maid Park, and saw the Colorado Rockies take on the Houston Astros.

So I have visited three more ballparks since my last update.  I added one more MLB stadium (Houston, Texas) and two AA stadiums (North Little Rock, Ark., and Jackson, Tenn.).  Here is an updated list of my ballpark tallies...

• MLB = 19
• AAA = 8
• AA = 13
• Low-A = 2
• ShortSeason-A = 6
• Independent = 5
• College = 16

Good Eats in Shiloh, Tenn.

Last week, I visited Shiloh National Military Park on my way from Oklahoma to Georgia. I had been told about Hagy's Catfish Hotel a few days prior, and made it my lunch stop after the ranger at Shiloh said, "It is awesome!"

I didn't get to eat lunch until after 1, but had a delicious catfish sandwich and honestly the best hush puppies I've ever eaten. I'm not particularly a fan of hush puppies, so I wasn't thrilled when I was told they come with every item on the menu.  I expected to eat one or two, and leave the rest because I didn't expect to enjoy them.  Well, hush my mouth these are awesome!  They were soft and flavorful, and weren't dry.

To top off my meal, I had a piece of caramel pie.  Homemade caramel pie is a favorite of mine, and this hit the spot.  It had tons of whipped cream on top, but it wasn't overdone.  I don't expect to travel through that part of Tennessee anytime soon, but if I'm in the area I will definitely be stopping at Hagy's Catfish Hotel, and you should, too!

Baseball Stadiums: 2011 Spring Training Update

After posting my updated baseball stadium map and debating about what to do with Spring Training stadiums, I found an acceptable symbol and added Spring Training sites.  I have visited 10 Spring Training stadiums; nine in Arizona and one in Florida.

All nine of the Arizona stadiums came during March 2011 while the lone Florida stadium came during March 2001. In Arizona, I have visited nine of the 10 active Spring Training ballparks.  In Florida, there are 14 active stadiums with 15 teams playing there.  Ideally, I can visit some of the Florida stadiums in the next two years.  It is much more difficult to catch all the Florida parks because the locations are more spread out instead of residing in one metro area like Arizona, where all 10 stadiums are within metropolitan Phoenix.

Just so you don't have to scroll down to an older post about my baseball stadium visits, you can conveniently find my map here.

Frommer's on South Florida Eats

Whenever I travel, I typically use two publications as guides: AAA tourbook for the place and a Frommer's guide.  I don't always follow suggestions closely for dining experiences, but on my recent trip to Miami I followed some of Frommer's recommendations.

Versailles in Little Havana received one star, but got high marks because of its historical importance to the community.  I had a classic Cuban sandwich, which was a bit short on the pork but overall lived up to expectations.  The café con leche capped deliciously capped the meal.  I probably could have one every morning and evening.  It is definitely important to the community, but the food was average.  Overall, it merits one star.

Randazzo's Little Italy in Coral Gables earned three stars (Frommer's highest rating), but fell well short of my expectations.  I ordered the fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp.  The pasta was homemade and delicious, and while the four shrimps were gigantic I would have preferred slightly smaller shrimps instead of having to cut up the jumbo shrimp into smaller bites.  The serving size was BIG, but overpriced at $32.  Sorry, but it's just pasta.  Although some folks may find the numerous flat screen TVs showing The Godfather on DVD charming, I don't think it's appropriate for children in the restaurant to see some of the gratuitous violence at 7 p.m.  The service was stellar, but the ambiance didn't charm me.  It seemed overdone and kitschy.  Overall, I'd give it maybe one and a half stars.

Burger & Beer Joint in Miami Beach garnered no stars (Frommer's lowest rating with just a listing in the guidebook).  It's removed from the hustle and bustle of South Beach, but isn't that far either.  So it's a good spot for some well-priced burgers a bit removed from the sands.  I had the Hotel California, which is a 10 oz. prime angus patty with guacamole, grilled red onion, sharp cheddar, and a sunny side up egg on a brioche bun.  It comes with sides of ranchero salsa and cilantro sour cream, which add a nice zip to the burger.  It was messy, but a delicious meal.  The parking situation (metered street spots) wasn't great, the food was excellent and the restaurant takes pride in its wide beer selection.  B&B touts 99 beers on their web site, but only 4-5 are on tap.  I had a Magic Hat #9, which went great with the burger.  It was messy to eat, but any good burger would leave you with blood and grease dripping from your fingers.  Overall, I'd give B&B at least one star if not two, especially because the recommend all burgers be cooked medium rare!

Oceanaire Seafood Room in downtown Miami received two stars.  The restaurant is located in the middle of restaurant row in downtown across from two or three spots and down the road from a few more.  So even if you can't get a seat here, you have plenty of options available.  Truth be told, Oceanaire was not the original selection for dinner that night.  I'd intended to dine at The River Seafood & Oyster Bar, but didn't make it there after confusion over its address.  So not wanting to run through a brief downpour, I ended up at Oceanaire.  I had swordfish Louie, which was excellent.  The sourdough bread was outstanding as well, but the Hollandaise asparagus was lacking.  I received oversized asparagus with Hollandaise sauce on the side, and the vegetable cooked al dente.  It may be common at upscale restaurants to have a la carte side dishes, but the asparagus was very disappointing.  Service was prompt and timely, which compensated for minor disappointment.  Overall, two stars is probably the proper rating for the restaurant.

El Toro Taco Family Restaurant in Homestead, not far from Everglades National Park's Ernest Coe Visitor Center, got three stars.  The restaurant is clearly owned and operated by a family, as I saw young kids watching TV while rolling silverware during lunchtime.  I'm not a sophisticated Mexican eater, and usually go for the staples like enchiladas, tacos, fajitas, etc.  So I got one of the lunch specials that had an enchilada and a taco.  The tortilla used for the taco was definitely homemade, and was delicious.  I wouldn't trek to Homestead JUST for this place, but it is a GREAT place to stop for lunch after exploring Everglades National Park or anywhere west of Miami.  It was probably one of the better Mexican restaurants where I have eaten, but I wouldn't rate it above one star.  It's very good food, but not worthy of Frommer's highest rating.

So over 5 days, I ate at five restaurants recommended by Frommer's.  I would eat at all of them again, except for Randazzo's Little Italy.  So I'd give Frommer's a two out of three stars for their suggestions.  Most places lived up to the expectations laid out in the guidebook.  If I had to recommend just one place out of these five, I would go with B&B Joint.  The food was great and I would gladly go back again the next time I visit Miami.

Baseball Stadiums: 2011 Update

It's been almost 3 years since I posted anything about my treks to various baseball stadiums across the country, and I have a handful of entries to add. I've kept updating my map, but have not posted anything in ages.

I've now been to 5 more MLB stadiums, adding Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Twins), Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (self-explanatory), Great American Ball Park (Reds), and Sun Life Stadium (Marlins) to the list.

I've also visited 3 more AAA parks: AT&T Bricktown Ballpark (Oklahoma City RedHawks), New Cheney Stadium (Tacoma Rainiers), and Coolray Field (Gwinnett Braves). Three more AA stadiums joined the list: Drillers Stadium (Tulsa, Okla.), Dr Pepper Ballpark (Frisco RoughRiders), and ONEOK Field (Tulsa Drillers).

My trips to independent league stadiums have also blossomed over the past few years, as I've gone to four new indy league parks. I visited Midway Stadium (St. Paul Saints), QuikTrip Park (Grand Prairie AirHogs), LaGrave Field (Ft. Worth Cats), and Champion Window Field (Florence Freedom).

Additionally, I have been to two more collegiate parks. I've been multiple times to Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, home of Oklahoma State baseball. I also saw Packard Stadium, home of the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Capping off my baseball adventures over the past few years, I went to Spring Training in Arizona this spring and saw 9 MLB games in 9 stadiums throughout metropolitan Phoenix. I have not added those stadiums to the map, but will do so once I can find an appropriate symbol.

Here is an updated list of my ballpark tallies...

• MLB = 18
• AAA = 8
• AA = 11
• Low-A = 2
• ShortSeason-A = 6
• Independent = 5
• College = 16

Although I've been to 18 MLB stadiums, only 12 of them are currently active and one will no longer be used for baseball following the 2011 season (Sun Life Stadium). So I'm still far from reaching my goal of attending a game at every active MLB stadium.