Saturday, January 7, 2012

Oh and how could I forget the giveaways!

At the Astros game we went to, we got a free fleece blanket celebrating their 50th year! Pretty neat!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Minute Maid Park

Mandi and I have previously visited Minute Maid Park for a tour in March 2011 while passing through Houston on my way to moving to Corpus Christi, TX. We had a great time and learned quite a bit about the stadium and a bit about the Astros too. We'll incorporate what we learned on the tour with the experience we had at the ballpark.

Minute Maid Park, nicknamed "The Juice Box," was originally called Enron Field (and we all know how that turned out.) In fact, you can still see some evidence of Enron at the stadium - a few of its logos are there. I'm not sure why if it is to preserve the history of the stadium or if they can't be taken down or what. If I'm Minute Maid, I wouldn't want those logos in my ballpark though! After the collapse of Enron, the Astros renamed it "Astros Field" until Minute Maid bought naming rights. One suggestion was the Ballpark at Union Station because, in a similar fashion to Petco Park, the left field is built in what was originally part of downtown Houston - the Union Station Railroad stop. The lobby in left field retains much of the original architecture and it is clear that it was once a train station there. It is quite beautiful and I'm a huge fan of how newer stadiums incorporate parts of their city's yesteryear. It makes the place feel more like home to the home fans in my mind.

While in the stadium, you feel like you must be in Houston because there are so many energy sponsorships in the stadium its borderline ridiculous. There are exhibits about energy that feel more appropriate for a museum, the Conoco Home Run Porch that keeps track of all the home runs (get it? Home runs = power = energy?!)
The Conoco Home Run Pump and Home Run Porch in left field at Minute Maid Park

The porch itself is actually over the field of play and is just one of the many nuances of the field itself that are not typically seen in baseball, the most notable of which is Tal's hill which is a 30 degree sloped hill in center field with the American flag and pole actually in play on the top of the hill (as in the pre-renovated Yankees Stadium and Tigers Stadium). It is a throwback to the left field in the old Crosley Field in Cincinatti, and from what I recall on the tour, Tal Smith's (then the team's President) little league field. Things like this are one of my favorite things about baseball - unlike any other sport, the field of play is very customizable, each field is unique and can be used as quite an advantage for the home team as there are many corners, distances, and in this case - obstacles and hills that fielders who play half of their games at become more accustomed to. Minute Maid Park was also the first time Mandi and I had seen an indoor baseball game - which I wasn't sure I would enjoy. I've got to admit, I loved the air conditioning. The left field wall is half glass when closed, which lets in plenty of sunlight still, so it certainly doesn't "feel" like a domed stadium. What made us really feel like we were in a domed stadium though, was despite the small crowd (just over 26,000), you could definitely hear all the fans, almost as if you were in a concert or at a hockey game. It was definitely a different sound. During cooler days though, the Astros play with the roof retracted, so your visit could be quite different from ours. Without question though, perhaps the most infamous part of Minute Maid park, much like the Apple at Shea Stadium and Citi Field, is the Minute Maid train full of (fake) oranges that moves throughout the game and is manned by a real train "engineer." It's... cute I guess. I'm not the biggest fan of the thing, but I am fond of the fact that it is supposed to harken the days of the railroad beneath which the locomotive currently stands. In center right, there is the second largest video board in MLB (behind Kaufmann Stadium). For those that sit under it - there is a smaller, but still large, video board across from them. The stadium itself earned a 9/10 in appearance and fan accessibility.
Left Field at Minute Maid Park, when the roof is closed.
A panoramic shot of Minute Maid Park - again note the left field glass, and the large video board above right-center field -
The Minute Maid Train

The train engineer, a cheerleader of sorts

The location itself is near downtown Houston. We stayed at The Inn at the Ballpark which I would highly recommend if you're looking for a complete "baseball weekend" (but skip the valet parking and park yourself somewhere in the city). It is a little bit of a distance from many restaurants and neighborhoods in Houston, but it was an adequate area that seems to certainly have been helped by the stadium's presence. The taxis are also reasonable in Houston. I'll give location a 5/10.

The ballpark food is pretty good. Mandi loved the hot dogs - and they had great deals - if I recall, we got 2 hot dogs, 2 sodas and 2 tickets for about $21 or something like that. The service was a little slow at the concessions - that would be my only criticism. They also have full, sit down restaurants as do many modern ballparks - probably the most noticeable is The FiveSeven Grille - a tribute to former Astros' greats Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. On the tour we learned that one of the concessions along the third base line (I can't recall the name of it) serves a hometown specialty from the opposing team (i.e.: if the Phillies are in town they might have cheese steaks or the Mets might have cheesecakes). Unfortunately, we saw a Rockies game and their "specialty" was some sort of burger. Boring. Oh well. As is the case in many new parks, there are open-air concourses which are very nice in Minute Maid Park. The entire ballpark felt extremely clean and open (perhaps because of the small crowd).

With the expanded 40-man rosters in September, and the Astros having traded away Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn earlier in the season, Mandi and I got to see many of our favorite former Hooks players including J.D. Martinez, Jimmy Paredes and Jose Altuve


It would be unfair to judge the crowd as Mandi and I went to one of the final games of the season, in a season which the Astros were the first team eliminated from playoff contention sometime in August I believe against an opponent who similarly had no chance of making the playoffs. We saw some "free baseball" in the form of 4 extra innings which saw the Rockies win 4-2. However, the crowd was pleasant and unlike many other fields, the closer I got to the stadium, the more knowledgeable about the game the people seemed to be (indicating at least some of the season ticket holders actually show up and care and don't just sell their tickets or gift them).

As far as getting to the stadium, there doesn't seem to be much mass transit to get there. Traffic doesn't seem particularly bad either, so I'll give it a 5/10.

Cost - as far as cost goes, there are many deals to be had with the Astros. Free caps, hot dogs, sodas, etc. can all be found in their deals as of the 2011 season and all indications are they will continue in 2012. For under $25 we had a great time which is tough to find these days at MLB ball parks. Cost is easily 10/10

Entertainment - it's a fun environment to watch baseball. It's not a purist's stadium by any means, but, hey, get with the times. Pre-game, any fans seemed to be allowed to get to the lower terraces to ask for autographs. We got to meet Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies and our tickets were for right center field. The fans are pleasant. The team is obviously rebuilding, so the baseball product is not the best right now. The seventh inning stretch is one of the best in baseball with "Deep In the Heart of Texas" playing and is clearly a fan favorite (and Mandi's), similar to "Sweet Caroline" in Boston. (Apparently this song is also played in the 5th inning at the Ballpark in Arlington, home of the Rangers, but I'll find out when I get there!) 

Overall, I'd say Minute Maid Park is a good 7/10, maybe 8/10. Its biggest downside is just getting there, but is balanced by a beautiful stadium and a reasonable cost for many seats - all of which have great views.

Here are some more pictures from our two trips:










First things first

It's January 2012 - a new year. A time for hope and a time for new beginnings - so cheers to that. An update on my friend Nick - he's progressively getting better and is a miracle according to the Doctors. I haven't been able to see him yet, but I'm constantly updated by our support group that seemed to build up instantly and now stands over 3,000 people on Facebook receiving updates daily about Nick from his family. Thank you for all of your prayers.

Mandi and I had a fine Christmas, visiting Baltimore and New York in the process to see our families. Mandi, her sister, her Mom and my Dad all got me some very neat baseball stuff: the book 1961* The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase by Phil Pepe (I've seen the movie and loved it, so can't wait to read the book!), Ballparks Yesterday & Today, a Yankees logo made of various Yankees over the years, some Yankees folders and notebooks (can you believe I'm turning 25 this year and still using that stuff?), and (not pictured) Yankees oven mitts. Oh, and my roommate got me a Yankees cutting board (I'll show that later). 

All in all, a great Christmas for a baseball fan. 
Up next, our review of the game we saw at Minute Maid Park! (Finally!)