A Look Back

Gosh, five days back in my old stomping grounds of Oregon was just what I needed. The weather was beautiful, and there's just something about going back to your roots that rejuvenated you. Seeing my folks, hanging with my friends, playing with my dog, seeing my old life and the experiences that went with them were fantastic. But, I'm back in California and my head is focused on some great baseball action leading into the end of May. Many people back in Oregon remarked to me just how cool it is that I get to go to all these games, and I wholeheartedly agreed with them.

While back in the 541, I drove past the old Civic Stadium on numerous occasions. While gazing in to the old grandstands, I thought it would be a good idea to look back and check-in on the old ballparks from my past that were very important to the development of Baseball Road Trips: Civic Stadium in Eugene and PGE Park in Portland.

Let's start with PGE Park. I like to think that the trips up to Portland on the train were the precursors to my, seemingly, weekly trips on the Metrolink down into Anaheim or Los Angeles. As you're all well-aware, the Portland Beavers were a Triple-A team that moved to El Paso back I'm 2010. PGE Park was set smack-dab in the middle of downtown Portland, and the road trips up there usually included a trip to Powell's and coffee at this shop right off of the MAX line in Pioneer Square. When I review my logs, I think I went to more than 30 games there, and, at one time, was a partial season ticket holder. I had the incredible opportunity to see the Beavers' last two games at PGE Park before they left and the stadium was converted into a soccer field for MLS. In what was a very tasteful and dignified ceremony, the Beavers left town in, when I look back, a very graceful fashion.

PGE Park was converted into Providence Field and, from what I have seen and heard, has become a very successful soccer venue. They're routinely selling out their games, and while I haven't been to one yet, a bunch of friends on Facebook have posted pictures of their experiences there, and it looks like fun. While I definitely would have rather see baseball stay there, I'm glad to see the venue repurposed into something constructive and useful.

Keeping on this memory train, let's talk about Civic Stadium. Unlike PGE Park, Civic has had a bit more of a rocky road heading to the present-day. The Emeralds played their last game at the old wooden park in 2009. The last game was something that was very sad, but in hindsight, I was really disappointed with how the experience ended. After the final out of the game, fans flooded the field and, in my view, looted so much of what was graceful about the park. People were digging up clods of dirt and grass, ripping down billboards, extracting seats, and essentially making a mess of the place. For a place that really held such positive memories, it was just horrible watching it unfold like that. Unfortunately, the damage was lasting as, even today, the products of that looting are clearly evident when you drive by the park.

I think what also compounded the disappointment was the new venue that the Ems moved to, PK Park. While I think it is a top-notch college facility, it doesn't even come close to stacking up against the top-tier Minor League parks I have been to. To see the Ems move from a facility that was near the top of my list in so many categories to relative obscurity amongst many others is disheartening. I think this is a reason why I haven't been to a game there in more than three years, and since the team moved there in 2010, I've watched maybe a handful of games total between the Ems and the Ducks.

All the while, the future of Civic was in constant doubt. For years, there were various plans to either tear it down and build a new YMCA, tear it down for high-end apartments and retail, or renovate it for a Minor League soccer franchise. Since the land where the stadium sits is owned by the Eugene School District, it went through what seemed like dozens of rounds of bureaucratic hurdles on what was exactly going to happen. At multiple stages, multiple entities entered the fray with millions of dollars behind them. All the while this was going on, the stadium became more and more dilapidated as nobody was performing maintenance. The outfield wall fell down, the roof developed dozens of leaks, and the box seating area was cordoned off because of it being condemned. What was really the stark reality of the situation was when I went there before moving here to California was the decrepit trailer of a caretaker and a mongrel-looking dog prowling the premises to keep vagrants out.

Putting aside the biases I have for that old park, i.e. my first baseball game, my first job, etc., it really was a classic place to watch a game. The old wooden grandstand created a different ambiance to the game that I have never felt before. Even going to a place like Wrigley Field, or even older Minor League/College parks like Blair Field, it is something I have never seen replicated. Because it was such an old park, the seats were literally on-top of the playing field as foul territory was basically non-existent. The view beyond the outfield fence of green hills and Spencer's Butte was probably one the best in Minor League Baseball I have seen. However, as the game changed and Minor League Baseball became more of a business and development process, the old girl started to show her age. The locker rooms were cramped and barely functional. The infield developed a downward slop to it which began to affect the shortstops health and well-being, and the lack of restrooms was incredibly prevalent. I understand why the Emeralds left, and I accept the decision for them to do it. However, it doesn't deny the facts that I very much enjoyed that park and everything about it.

However, just recently, the future of the old park has turned for the better. A coalition of non-profit agencies and the City of Eugene successfully negotiated a deal with the School District to not only save the iconic grandstand, but also to put in a community recreation facility. The goal is to attract a Minor League soccer franchise that would, ironically, be affiliated with the Portland MLS franchise. When I was back in Oregon this past week, I listened on the local sports radio station about the plan to save the ballpark, and I have to say that a beaming smile came across my face.

Looking back at those pictures, I see myself as such a young person. Sure, we're only talking a few years back, but it blows me away to see how much I have been through since then. I sometimes wish that when you look at the pictures of those pasts, you can talk to the people in them and let them know about how special those experiences are. But, on that same vein, look at where I am now when it comes to baseball. Those heady days in the past set me up for what I believe is a fandom that has developed into a lifestyle for me. Every pedal of the bike, every mile traveled on the Metrolink, every Dodger Dog eaten, every game watched at the Big A...whatever I hold dear now for baseball, can be traced back to those days. It is so exciting to plan trips and weekends here, but I will never forget the past of those times at PGE Park and Civic Stadium.

A full-weekend of baseball is planned for the weekend. Three 66ers games on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, and then the San Diego Road Trip 2 with my girlfriend on Sunday. It will be our first professional game together as a couple, and I am excited to show her San Diego and what is so great about that experience. As much as I would like to, we won't be bringing our bikes as I don't think she's ready for the 17-mile ride up the Silver Strand Trail...yet ;) ;) ;)

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)