One of the nice things about a relaxing blowout performance by the A’s is that I can hunker down and get some work done while the game is going on in the background. In this case, it meant finishing the Travel Grid schedule for MLB’s 2014 season. The last two times I made the grid, it took a while to get a system down to automate much of the work. Thankfully I was able to get a copy of the league’s master schedule, which made the cut-and-paste actions extremely easy. As a result I’ve finished the 2014 edition about twice as fast as previous versions.

If you’re not familiar with the previous work, the premise is simple. I’ve taken all of the team home schedules, arranged them by region, and put them in a grid format so that you can plan baseball trips next year. Whether you’re trying to do a weekend, a week, or a 30-team tour, the Travel Grid should help you pick the best dates to attend, especially if you’re trying to fit as many games as possible into a certain window.

Sample of Travel Grid poster view

For your convenience, the schedule is available in four different formats:

• Excel spreadsheet
• PDF (one-sheet poster)
• PDF (multiple pages)
• Google Drive spreadsheet

Mid-late May looks like a good time to catch multiple teams in the Northeast. All four Rust Belt teams (Tigers, Reds, Indians, Pirates) will be at home around the Fourth of July. And if you want to follow the A’s around the state of Texas, you’ll have two chances in late April and late June. The third weeks in July and August are good for a Chicago-Milwaukee trip since all three teams will be at home, and if you want to catch all three SoCal teams in one shot you’ll have multiple chances to do that throughout the season. Hopefully the A’s will still be able to call the Coliseum home in 2014. While that gets figured out, feel free to grab a copy of the Travel Grid and start planning.

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Note: The master schedule shows a spot for a TBA game on Sunday, March 30. When that game is announced, I’ll update the grid.

Note: This is not a review of either Yankee Stadium or Citi Field. It is a set of observations made with others. Full reviews will be out shortly.

Jackie Robinson Rotunda

I had the privilege of having guides (of sorts) accompany me to games at the Mets’ Citi Field and Yankee Stadium during the current trip. For the Mets day game on Thursday, reader/commenter/blogger and Brooklyn native llpec endured my chronic lateness to join me. llpec has the unique perspective of having been to Ebbets Field, then transferring his allegiance to the Mets. On Friday and Saturday, I was accompanied by my old friend Erik, a Yankee fan since the Boogie Down era whose favorite player will always be the late Thurman Munson. Both have spent numerous games at the old Yankee Stadium and at Shea Stadium, so they were able to give me insights that can only be earned from multiple trips to these venues.

For llpec, Citi Field would be great if it wasn’t such a reflection of Fred Wilpon. He joked that anyone who complains about Lew Wolff should be a Mets fan sometime – then they’d understand what a bad owner was truly like. Given llpec’s anti-Wilpon railings I was almost ready to disregard some of his observations. But you know what? He was dead on.

When Citi opened in 2009, much was made of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the grand entrance to the stadium behind home plate. It is huge and beautiful. The problem was that Robinson was never a Met. Wilpon chose to honor his old love of the Brooklyn Dodgers and their trailblazing legend. The idea behind the Mets’ original colors was to salute the two West Coast bound teams, the Dodgers and Giants. Yet there were no tributes to the Giants to be found. And there still aren’t. The Mets Hall of Fame, a lovely room off to the side of the rotunda, didn’t open until 2010, a year after the ballpark opened. The creation of the HoF was part of a mea culpa on Wilpon’s part.

Yet there are still touches that are troublesome. Corners are cut in many places. Toilets don’t have seat covers. Elevators are small and not numerous. llpec’s visually impaired, with virtually no peripheral vision. Citi’s accessibility is poor for a modern ballpark. Most access is through stairs, either at the rotunda or in dimly lit spaces on the concourses. Escalators are present, but they require additional movement along the concourses to reach them. The single ramp in the left field corner is so far away from the normal circulation patterns that I had to point it out to llpec. At Shea, ramps were a prominent circulation method, along with escalators.

About those escalators – in the last year at Shea, a fan died from a late game escalator fall. Since then the Mets have shut down and barricaded the escalators after the seventh inning, instead of running them in reverse in the down direction. Previously they only shut down the escalators while providing access to them in stationary mode. The deadly fall may have occurred when the fan tried to slide down the rail. His widow claimed that the escalator jerked to a stop, causing the fall. There have been instances in the past involving stupid (often drunken) behavior around escalators. Still, just about every team runs them in reverse at the end of each game. Not the Mets. Wait, there was one escalator I saw running in reverse at the end of the game – the one serving the plush Sterling suite level.

Even though the stadium’s final tab ran $900 million, it sure feels a lot cheaper than that, at least in the regular fan spaces.

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On the other side of the ledger is $1.6 billion Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It’s an homage to the Yankees greatness and incredible wealth. Naturally, the only thing bigger than the tributes to the various Yankee players and teams is the tribute to late owner George Steinbrenner III. If Citi Field reflects Fred Wilpon’s cheapness, Yankee Stadium reflects Steinbrenner’s brash opulence. The oft-criticized Great Hall inside Gate 6, which is full of static and electronic signage everywhere, struck me as quite functional once I ignored all the bright lights. Access to the upper levels is easy, and the place holds many of the peripheral concessions and merchandise stands that would normally clog up the main concourses.

The big video screen inside Gate 6 looks bigger than either of the Oakland Coliseum’s DiamondVision screens. The elevators are huge and plentiful. Ramps are easy to get to, though when Erik and I were leaving via the right field ramp something smelled like a toilet (and there was no restroom nearby).

It doesn’t take much for opulence to give way to tackiness. Team stores are glassed-in, mall-like spaces. Drink rails on the lower concourse are all “reserved”. There are the ever-popular obstructed view bleacher sections in center field, blocked by a batter’s eye restaurant. The limestone facade and the back-by-request frieze hanging from the roof seem like anachronisms compared to the rather stark, modern underpinnings. There’s plenty of coated steel and mesh to offset any old touches.

We sat in the upper deck near the third base line for the Friday night game, then the left field bleachers for the Saturday afternoon game. Our upper deck seats weren’t nearly as close to the action as the old cantilevered upper deck. At the same time, it wasn’t as vertigo-inducing as the previous upper deck. The new bleachers are set back further from the field than the old ones, as the Yankees have chosen to follow the trend of expensive field level outfield seats first. Because of the Stadium’s generally hitter-friendly dimensions, the bleachers don’t seem as far from the action as I initially expected. Plus the bleacher creatures are no longer trapped there since they have access to the rest of the general concourses. The bleacher concourse is not perfect, as it requires stairs to connect to the regular field level (100) concourse. The corridor behind the outfield lower level seats is narrow and enclosed, perhaps the one place that’s most reminiscent of the old Yankee Stadium. It also lacks concessions and restrooms, requiring fans to walk to the main grandstand or up to the bleacher level to get either. The corridor provides access to Monument Park, though that only occurs only before games or during tours.

Erik and I also took a tour of Yankee Stadium. The tour is less a showcase of the stadium than it is a tour of Yankees history. Our first stop was the Yankees Museum on the main (second) level, followed by a trip to Monument Park, then some time in the visitors’ dugout. The tour felt severely rushed, as we were constantly being told not to linger for picture taking except at the designated areas. The team considers the Museum and Monument Park as separate museums within the larger museum that is Yankee Stadium. When you’ve won 27 titles, I suppose you’re entitled.

Previous Seattle posts:

• Seattle shows the safe way over train tracks
• CenturyLink Field tour

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Puget Sound, with the Port of Seattle in the foreground, Downtown Seattle to the right

I’ve been going to Utah a few times for business this summer. During one of the trips, I got to hang out with Scott White, a loyal A’s fan from the Beehive State. While we sat in some excellent seats for a River Cats-Bees game at Spring Mobile Ballpark (thanks Scott and Mrs. White!), he asked me for recommendations on a baseball weekend trip. He had been to Oakland, of course, but as a married guy in his early-mid 20’s he hadn’t done a ton of baseball travel yet. The most convenient trip, I argued, was Coors Field in Denver, a short plane trip or an 8-hour drive away. On the other hand, if he wanted to go to a more interesting city that has far and away one of the best ballparks in the world (and SF was already checked off the list), Seattle’s Safeco Field is a better choice.

Then again, I hadn’t been to Safeco for several years. It is a great ballpark, yet I had trouble conjuring memories of the last visit. So I used that as motivation to spend a weekend in Seattle, where I could stretch out and enjoy more than a few hours in SoDo. Boy, did I ever.

I don’t know that there’s a best way to approach Safeco Field. Taking light rail to the Stadium station allows for a meandering stroll to the park, where the roof dominates the landscape. The walk down 1st Avenue South from Pioneer Square and downtown is not terribly long and has little to write home about. VIPs at M’s games have their floors at an adjacent garage so they can avoid the riff-raff. The best thing to do is to walk along the west facade until you’ve reached the home plate gate, where the lovely rotunda is your entrance. An art installation made of white plastic bats called “The Tempest” hangs from the ceiling like a massive chandelier.

The Home Plate Rotunda, where The Tempest is installed

The challenge when conceiving the successor to the ill-fated Kingdome was to allow the Mariners to play games protected from Seattle’s seasonal downpours while making the overall environment feel like an open air ballpark. Of the new parks with retractable roof technology, Safeco Field has done it best. The roof retracts to the east of the stadium outside the seating bowl, so it doesn’t cause shadow issues like those suffered at Miller Park or Rogers Centre. And unlike Minute Maid Park, a similar design that opened a year after Safeco, or Marlins Park, it doesn’t feel like such a sealed off place when the roof is closed. Part of this is due to the more forgiving summer climate in the Pacific Northwest, which allowed the team and architects to forego air conditioning. Regardless, Safeco was put together with the knowledge that summer is actually pretty great in Seattle (outsiders aren’t supposed to know this), but to be safe the other seasons should be accounted for.

Edgar’s Cantina, a bar that replaced a section of bleacher seats.

If there’s one thing to take away from Safeco, it’s that the place is meant for you to have a beer and enjoy yourself. Beer stands, often with quality craft offerings, litter both concourses. The entire left field bleacher area is devoted to two bars, one that greets fans that enter the center field gate, and Edgar’s Cantina, situated atop the visiting bullpen. Where AT&T Park is known for its kids-oriented facility, Safeco feels at times like one big party deck, or Wrigley Field with better beer.

I took a tour and went to two games, a night game followed by a day game. The night game was special, as it was Ken Griffey Jr. Day. The slugger was being inducted into the M’s Hall of Fame, and it was one of those rare occasions this season where 47,000+ fans showed up. During the induction ceremony, fans listened with rapt attention as their beloved hero was feted. Commemorative Junior bobbleheads were made for the occasion, though only 20,000 fans walked away with the memento. The vast majority of fans stayed through most of the game, even as Hisashi Iwakuma gave it up in the seventh, turning a pitchers’ duel into a Brewers blowout.

The Sunday getaway day game, which attracted 25,390 to the yard, was your classic King Felix start: low-scoring and quick (the game ran only 2:11). A few hundred fans sat in the designated King’s Corner, clad in gold shirts. This was the game that really showcased Safeco as an outdoor stadium, since the roof was open and a bright sun was filling the park. My seat was in the front row of the LF bleachers, which felt great despite it being 30 feet above and recessed from the outfield fence. Speaking of those fences, they’ve been moved in a tad. They’ve already surpassed their home run total from last year, so it seems to have worked, though Raul Ibanez skews things a bit. So far the M’s haven’t done anything with the limited space. There’s enough room for a row of overpriced field level seats if they want to go that route.

A replacement scoreboard was the other major change going into 2013. Larger than a basketball court, the new scoreboard replaces the old combo board flanked by static signage. Unfortunately, most of the time the retro-themed display shows replacement ads where the old static signs used to be. The M’s have ongoing advertisement and sponsorship agreements with various companies, so this couldn’t be avoided. The graphic packages are lovely, with a lot of motion and variety. The Fenway green background used during the game is somewhat gimmicky, but the detail and sharpness are so good that you could be forgiven for thinking the board was itself static – at least from the upper deck where I sat.

New scoreboard above the CF bleachers measures 57′ x 107.5′, or slightly larger than two single family home lots back-to-back.

As one of the larger parks in MLB these days, Safeco isn’t intimate. The cantilevers aren’t aggressive, and when the smaller Sunday crowd was in there it felt too big at times. Yet somehow it isn’t cavernous, the way Chase Field tends to be when the roof is closed. It has the requisite multiple clubs, a boatload of suites, plus generous concourse space and amenities. Access is excellent and there are many places to hang out during the game, such as the aforementioned LF area or the rotunda roof behind home plate. It feels like an oasis. And when the sun sets over Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula, it’s hard to imagine a better spot in baseball. It’s even harder to imagine leaving.

Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest & Mariners Hall of Fame

The best part of Safeco Field isn’t kissed by the sun or close to the action. It’s the Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest, a carved out part of the lower third base concourse behind some concession stands. Practically hidden away, it’s a gem of a spot that frankly is the best reason for coming to a game early, better than batting practice or autographs. The Museum chronicles baseball history in the region, from the turn of the century era to the Seattle Giants to Sicks’ Stadium and the Pilots and finally the Mariners, the Kingdome, and Safeco. Included in the collection is the Mariners Hall of Fame, which has the requisite player monuments you’d expect (Big Unit, Gar, Alvin Davis, Buhner, etc.). Naturally, Junior’s monument is the newest addition. At one end of the museum are displays showcasing the various forgotten teams of the past. At the other end are family stuff, such as exhibits explaining the construction of bats, balls, and gloves, and a replica outfield wall where fans can take pictures of themselves making “leaping” catches. The piece de resistance is a craft beer bar called Power Alley, which has a dozen taps and numerous canned and bottled varieties. Whoever put this together prior to the 2007 season deserves a promotion.

While the SoDo neighborhood isn’t as lively as South Beach near AT&T Park or Blake Street near Coors Field, there are a few bars nearby. Pyramid Alehouse has an outpost across the street, which is convenient. Pioneer Square is a 15-minute walk away. I was so focused on the experience inside Safeco that everything outside it barely registered.

Baseball at the Kingdome was even more drab and gray than the Coliseum is now, thanks to the concrete everywhere you looked. It was dreary, depressing, and hopelessly artificial. The Mariners and NBBJ’s Dan Meis took a major compromise, a retractable roof, and managed to minimize it to as little as possible given its size and heft. Now that light rail runs nearby the park is even better integrated than it was when it opened. Given the circumstances, Seattle has made the biggest upward transition from old stadium to new ballpark. The team’s recent suckage has made the ballpark the biggest draw in recent years. Whatever happens next, many of the financial concerns have subsided thanks to retirement of debt two years ago. Regrets are few. That makes Safeco, in every sense, the exact opposite of the Kingdome. For that, Seattleites can rejoice.