Me Gusta Béisbol

¡Hola señors y señoritas! ¿Como estàs? After this last Road Trip, I thought it would be appropriate to sprinkle in some Spanish. My recent trip to Mexicali to see the Mexican likelyc League Aguilas de Mexicali play. While this was my second time going south of the border for a game, I changed some things up and added a few new twists to the trip that really made my experience memorable. For the last Ba huge, sprawling city right on the US/Mexico border. It is asounds... two-and-a-half hour drive from Highland and the route traverses some of the most stark desert landscape that gets unbearably hot during the summer. However, in the middle of December, I enjoyed sunny skies and 72-degree temperature. 

I parked my car on that US side of the border, unloaded my bike, and rode into Mexico. I was immediately surprised at how easy it was and that Mexicali had a decent enough bike infrastructure. There were bike lanes, sharrows, and wide streets. I felt very safe riding, and I couldn't believe just how much culture and community I could experience being on the bike. 

It was about a 20-minute ride from the border down to the Mexicali Zoo. The zoo sits in a massive park that hosts a water park, train ride, and athletic fields. In the middle of the park is a large lake that had kayak and paddle boats plying the calm waters. For a very reasonable price of 20 pesos (about $1.37), got me full access to the zoo and the park.

I think the last time I incorporated a zoo and a Baseball Road Trip was Old Time Baseball in 2012 and the Portland Zoo. While the Mexicali Zoo was nowhere near as opulent and expansive as Portland, it was certainly worth the price of admission. They had lions, tigers, crocodiles, snakes, birds, hippos, llamas, and many other animals. While my favorite had to be the lions, I spent a good hour-and-a-half seeing all the animals. I guess my only disappointment was that I couldn't read the placards of information about the animals because I don't know enough Spanish.

After the zoo, it was my plan to ride to the ballpark. I had the directions up on Google Maps for the days leading up to the trip, but I was a little nervous about riding through the heart I the city and, potentially, getting lost. I noticed that certain streets weren't signed, and getting lost, combined with my broken Spanish, would have been a catastrophe. I had a general idea of where I was going, for the most part, but still I was in an unfamiliar city, and my senses were more alert than normal. However, for the roughly 35-minute ride from the zoo to the ballpark was without incident and was actually quite revealing.

I know that I have gone on this blog and espoused the virtues of biking on Baseball Road Trips. You do get a better sense of community by biking, and that is only magnified when in a foreign country. Yes, Mexicali is kind of a dumpy city and is rather rough around the edges, but it would be easy to dismiss it if you were in a car. While biking through the city, I saw and heard the life of urbanization in a different culture. The smells, the language, the businesses, the sounds...it was all about the sensory overload. It truly was remarkable.

I had been to Estadio Casas Geo last year, and was rather unimpressed. Last year, whole sections of the stadium were cordoned off becuse they were, most likely condemned. However, it seemed like the Aguilas de Mexicali club had invested into fixing the place up, and it seemed to be more safe and structurally stable. In addition , it seemed like the game was a lot more well-attended than last year. Even with the improvements, the Estadio doesn't really break ground in terms of design or impression. It's set about four miles from the border crossing in a primarily residential area. The park sits in the middle of a larger sports complex that has a track stadium, football field, and gymnasium. While pedaling up to the park, in found myself in the midst of a half-marathon, which, I guess, kind of summed up the athletic feel of the complex.

I got to the ballpark about 90-minutes before the game, so I really had the opportunity to see the park, eat some tacos, drink a Modelo beer, and get my keychain. Yes, I did sample the local flair, which, despite the ominous warnings of "Montezuma's Revenge", was fantastic. It was bbq'd carne asada and you had sort of a buffet table of veggies and sauces to put on it. To add to the experience, it was super cheap at only 20 pesos.

The Aguilas de Mexicali jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over Yaquis de Obregon plating runs in the early innings. However, Mexicali's bullpen had trouble holding on to the lead, and in the ninth, Obregon got the go-ahead run on, but left him stranded as Mexicali held on for the 4-3 victory. 

It was dark by the time the game was over, so my senses and the bike ride all jumped up to a new level. I had lights on my bike, but I wanted to get back across the border as soon as I could. From the ballpark, I pedaled as fast as I could, wove through the miles long traffic jam, and saddled up in the motorcycle lane at the border crossing. I gave the border agent my passport, he asked me where I was going, and let me through. Compared to last year and the grilling I endured from Border Patrol in the pedestrian lane, being ushered through on a bike was pretty cool.

In the days leading up to my departure, a few people expressed to me some concern about going to Mexico. Whether it was the violence or riding my bike, their concerns certainly were relevant and I definitely listened to them. However, I think that the overall sense of danger and risk that was associated with riding my bike, eating the food, seeing a baseball game in a foreign country made the experience that much better. Baseball Road Trips have always pushed the limits of conventional wisdom and the adventures I have had have made me a more complete person. This is the last Baseball Road Trip of 2014, and it was a fantastic bookend to a season that made such a positive impact on me.

My 2014 season will end this Saturday with my annual Baseball Movie Marathon. After that's done, I will pen a Final Thoughts on 2014, which will lead me to preview the first part of 2015. So, until then...

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)