The Week of Baseball

In the past few weeks, I've had a lot of experiences here in Southern California that have reinforced my decision to stay here. Whether it's the routines in Orange County for Angels games, Minor League fun in San Bernardino, or trips into LA for Dodgers games, Southern California living has opened up so many opportunities for me. No matter what I have planned for baseball, it offers a new experience every single weekend. My recent trip to San Diego delivered on every exciting experience I wanted, and then some.

I had originally planned to do the biking thing, but I scrapped it for a few reasons. First, I had done a 20-mile hike up the 11,000 foot San Gorgonio Mountain the day before, so my legs were pretty shot up. Second, I kind of wanted to see the layout of the city and the logistics of biking before embarking on an Angels game-type experience. This turned out to be a great idea as I really got a great idea of how the city is laid out and the logistics I'll have to navigate for a successful trip. Just like the Angels games, I tested out the experience and am ready to refine it to make it even better.

San Diego is about ninety minutes from here in Highland. It's an east drive on the 215 freeway due south of here. I drove to Qualcomm Stadium and parked for free there at the trolley station. From there, I bought a day pass for the trolley and took the Green Line right to Petco Park. For the record, that is the only way to do that trip, besides taking the train, of course. The day pass for the trolley was only $5, and I ended up, when everything was said and done, using the trolley quite a bit. There's just something so much more authentic about taking public transportation, whether it's the train or a trolley, to a baseball game. It just seems to make me more excited for the anticipation of it all.

After I got through the gates at Petco, I made a bee line for a special stop that I really wanted to see: the Tony Gwynn statue. Surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of bouquets of flowers and mementos, the monument to the late great Padres outfielder certainly was moving. Tony Gwynn really was the face of this franchise and represented an era of Padres baseball that was successful. Considering how much of an Ambassador he was for the game the baseball fan in me just had to pay homage to the man. So many tributes had been made this past week in honor of him, and it was an honor to be in San Diego at Petco Park while the tributes were in full swing.

After getting settled in my seat, I was confronted with another incredible experience at the ballpark. I normally don't pay much attention to the first pitch ceremonies, but on this day, I had to stand up and cheer.

On November 21, 2010, USMC Cpl. Kyle Carpenter and his unit were on defensive patrol in the Afghanistan province of Helmand. During a fight with the Taliban, an enemy grenade was thrown behind their defensive line. Without regard for his safety and well-being, Cpl. Carpenter advanced towards the live grenade and absorbed the brunt of the explosion. He suffered severe injuries to his face and right arm, but, in the process, saved the lives of dozens of his fellow troops. This past week, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Obama.

He was on hand to throw out the first pitch for the Padres, and I stood up and cheered for him. The man is a hero of the first-order and to, literally, be in the same building as the man was a true honor. In my view, I would've spent the same $20 I had for a ticket to the game just to see him throw out the first pitch. To be honest, the game that followed really seemed secondary to what I had just seen on the pitcher's mound at Petco Park. Even 24-hours later, I'm still in complete awe of the spectacle. Things like this don't happen every day and being able to witness such a special event is something I'll never forget.

The Dodgers scored two runs early to support Hyun-Jin Ryu, and got some solid relief pitching in the later innings, to beat the Padres 2-1.

Since I didn't have my bike with me, I was relegated to being a pedestrian. However, in anticipation of being bike-less, I decided to embark on a brewery tour of Downtown San Diego. I was unaware that San Diego had become such a haven for craft breweries, and it has become quite the hobby of mine to seek out new breweries and sample some authentic local brews. Instead of Bikes and Baseball, it really was Brews and Baseball!

I ended up going to three different breweries, all within the downtown area and accessible via the trolley line: Mission, Karl Strauss, and The Beer Co. They were all fantastic, but I had the most fun at The Beer Co. While there, I got acquainted with some Dodgers fans who had taken the train down from Orange County for the game that day. Granted, they were all a little tipsy, but it was fun to have a group of people to talk to and socialize with after a baseball game. That is something that is always lacking on my Baseball Road Trips, and if I weren't driving home that night, I would've stayed with them a little longer.

After my breweries and the trolley ride back to Qualcomm, I thought on the way home about how I would do things differently the next time I go to San Diego. First, I would definitely bring my bike as San Diego is a city that screams urban cycling. Second, I would take the ferry across the bay to Coronado and ride on the Silver Strand Bike Trail with a final stop at Coronado Brewing Company. Since I am driving, I have a lot more flexibility in my schedule and I am not constrained by a train timetable as I am for Angels games. This gives me the freedom to really explore a city that is fantastically beautiful and pristine.


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While driving back, I got this great idea in my head. My job search is going really well, so the opportunities to do Baseball Road Trips may becoming scarce. So, with this in mind, I have decided to devote this entire week to be the "Week of Baseball" here in Southern California. So, as a result, tomorrow night I will drive up the 15 freeway to Adelanto to see the High Desert Mavericks play. This will be a new ballpark for me.

On Wednesday, I've planned The Doubleheader. The 66ers are playing an 11am game which I will cash in a ticket for. After that, I will drive into Orange County for a late lunch with some relatives of mine. Once that's done, I'm planning on meeting up with a fellow Baseball Road Tripper from New York who I met on Facebook. He and his wife are in the midst of doing a California Road Trip and will be in Anaheim for the Twins-Angels game at the Big A on Wednesday. I said that I would meet him and his wife at the Tilted Kilt and buy them a beer. I'm really looking forward to an entire afternoon and evening of seeing family and building new relationships with people who share my hobby. Oh, I also have tickets for that night's Angels game.

Finally, on Thursday, I'll drive up to Lancaster to see the Jethawks play. It's about an hour and fifteen minutes from me up in the Antelope Valley. It is a part of Southern California that I have never been to, and it is also a new ballpark for me.

I will update the blog on Friday to recap those three days and to preview the weekend's games for the 66ers and the Dodgers. It will be a busy week, but I am so very excited to finally do a real extended road trip here in Southern California.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)