Smashed Pennies: New York

At a travel plaza stop on the I-87 in New York on our way from Toronto to the hotel in New Jersey we found a penny smasher that had a Yankees design. I was not sure if we would find one at the Yankees, so Mik and I got one there. It turns out Yankee Stadium has some machines, but we did not spot them and they are also $1.01 per penny compared to what used to be the norm of $0.51 per penny. Mik also got a We Will Always Remember Twin Towers penny.

Game 20: Seattle Mariners 2 @ New York Yankees 4

Getting handicap tickets for this game was a pain and I never liked New York City, so this game was one I was not really looking forward to at all. It turned out to be very good, though. I guess it is not hard for them to impress me since I had rather low expectations after the ticket fiasco. Really, though, they have proved to not only be modern ballpark with conveniences for fans, but that includes consideration for accessibility that is actually followed through with.

We got to the game several hours early to avoid traffic issues being actual problems time wise. We walked around the outside of the park. We also took some photos of the still standing Old Yankee Stadium, which is really just a shell, as the insides have been stripped and put up for sale to memorabilia collectors.

Once the gates opened 3 hours before the game we went to the Monument Park, which is back behind centerfield. It was not too crowded when we went, but closer to game time it gets pretty packed. It was better than the Indians' Heritage Park, but mostly just because it was a regular elevator to get down to the park.

After Monument Park we headed to the Yankee Museum. It is rather small, especially for such a successful team. However, what it does have is worth seeing. The main focus is on their World Series Wins, but there is also seats from the different remodels and the new reincarnation of Yankee Stadium.

By the time we got done with the museum it was still two hours before game time and we could finally get to our seats on the 300 level. The seats turned out to be great ones. Best of all the experience was not ruined by fans wandering into the handicap section because the ushers were proactive on shooing them out quickly when they did sneak in. By game time there were no others trying to sneak a peek of the field by getting in our way.

Overall a great experience. I still do not like New York City and would choose Wrigley over any other ballpark besides maybe the Nats, but I would not entirely rule out going to another game st Yankee Stadium some day. Of course, the particular game we saw was part of the enjoyment.

The game was a good one played by both teams. The pitching wad pretty good, although almost all the scoring did come off homers. The coolest thing was seeing the top two active career home run leaders each hit a homer. The top leader Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 622nd and Alex Rodriguez hit his 566th, which puts him 3 away from tying the 10th career home run hitter of all time. The Yankees closer, Rivera, also got his 502nd career save. By the way he is second in the all time career saves record list.

I am too tired to get photos uploaded now. I might try and add before we leave for Boston area tomorrow, but we must hit the road early to ensure we make it to Mik's baclofen pump refill appointment on time. I really hope Internet is good at the KOA in Boston.

Sent from my iPhone

Update 7/2/09: Photos have been added. There are a lot more of the stadium and the game in the album, which you can get to be clicking here or by clicking any of the thumbnails in this post.

Car Sticker Update: Chicago White Sox

We originally had a cling sticker for the White Sox, but we lost it in the rain in Denver. In Cooperstown I found a replacement sticker at the same store I found a Reds sticker. Now the American League side is back to being up-to-date.

Smashed Penny: Doubleday Field

In the card shop near the Cooperstown Bat store we found I a smashed penny machine. Mik and I both got a Doubleday Field penny from it. It has an image of the field. It says Doubleday Field and Cooperstown, N.Y.

Car Sticker Update: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

At the National Baseball Hall of Fame we found some stickers for the back window of the car. Dad put them in the center of the back window. One is a bumper sticker that says National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, N.Y., Est. 1939. Next to that he put the National Baseball Hall of Fame logo sticker.

Car Sticker Update: Cincinnati Reds

Despite looking three different times when we were in the Cincinnati area we never could locate a Reds sticker there. In Cooperstown we went through several shops before I finally found on that had a Reds sticker. It is a baseball logo one like we have seen at a lot of other team shops including the Angels, where we got one like it. Now the National League side of the car is up-to-date with all the teams we have seen.

Mik's Mini Bat Collection: Doubleday Field

In Cooperstown there is a field called Doubleday Field that is on the site that they say Abner Doubleday basically invented baseball back in 1839. Mik wanted to find a mini bat that said Doubleday Field. At Cooperstown Bats we found a medium sized and big bat that said Doubleday Field, but no mini bat. We talked with them a little and worked out they could put part of the logo from the medium bat design on a mini bat, so Mik ended up with a special order mini bat that we picked up a half hour later as his Doubleday Field mini bat. It was not even that expensive, as it was about the same as the mini bat he got personalized at the Louisville Slugger Factory.

The mini bat has the Cooperstown Bats logo on it. The Doubleday Field logo says Doubleday Field, Cooperstown, N.Y., The Home of Baseball. There is also a C logo with a batter.