MLB Reports

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Tags: ben fallon, bryce harper, Chuck Booth, danny espinosa, edwin jackson, fastest 30 ballgames, jordan zimmerman, Mike Morse, nationals, nationals park, phillies, ryan zimmerman, ryna zimmerman, stephen strasburg, virginia, washington, Wilson Ramos

An Interview with ‘Rogers Center Expert’ and “MLB reports Founder” Jonathan Hacohen

Apr 16

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Monday April 16th, 2012

Follow Chuck Booth’s streak all the through to the bitter end. Schedule is this link:

https://mlbreports.com/gwr-tracker/ or at his official website for all updates!

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and- @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)– For once the shoe is on the other foot. I asked the MLB Reports Founder and ‘Lead Columnist’ Jonathan Hacohen if I could interview him 5 months after he interviewed me. Jonathan and I came into talking by both talking to the MLB FanCave guys at the same time on twitter last June. Jonathan was really interested in My baseball book “The Fastest Thirty Ballgames” and I sent him a copy of it if he agreed to do a review. Jonathan finished the book and gave one of the most incredible reviews for my book that I have ever seen for any baseball book anywhere. Somewhere I had given up all of my creative writing energy in the process while writing this said book. Jonathan followed up with an interview later. During the World Series, he offered up a chance to do a guest article since I knew a lot about the ballparks in Texas and St. Louis. Now I am sure it was all part of his master plan: the one guest article turned into a once a week article, before I even realized it myself, I was writing 2 articles a week and craving more! I messaged Jonathan about a potential run at the record to see all 30 MLB Parks before anyone on this planet. The reason is the man loves baseball. He was just as fired up as I was! From there we have worked together as a team to provide a different kind of article series that has ever been seen by a baseball writer and website. I am happy to finally meet Jonathan today live in person for the Jays game during this record chase. Before we write about that, I had a chance to talk the man about baseball life, the MLB Reports and the Rogers Center. Here is what we discussed… Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: adam jones, adam lind, alex anthopoulos, brandon inge, brett lawrie, candlestick park, chad cordero, Chuck Booth, colby rasmus, comerica park, danny knobler, dave parker, derrek lee, derrick hall, eric thames, exhibition stadium, facebook, fastestthirtyballgames, george bell, george brett, HeeSeop Choi, john olerud, jon heyman, jonathan hacohen, jp ricciardi, juan pierre, justin verlander, kelly johnson, kijijiji, matt williams, mike napoli, pat gillick, pnc park, ricky romero, roberto alomar, rogers center, roy halladay, skydome, StubHub, tom henke, toronto blue jays, twitter, will clark, world baseball classic

An Interview With Fenway Park Expert Brian Merzbach

Apr 16

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Monday, April.16 /2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- “Brian Merzbach and I often don’t see eye to eye on a plethora of baseball issues and opinions. What I will say from this Yankees fan to a Red Sox fan, I respect Brian as a human being and as a member of the ballpark chaser community. Plus even though we have different opinions, we are both forthright in our own views and never waver from these ideals. As frustrating as the truth can be it is nice to have someone as completely honest as Brian as part of a baseball network. To fulfill the expert interview for Fenway Park we needed this diehard fan to legitimize the whole series. So all being nice aside, I recently had a chat with Brian about Fenway Park. Here is what we discussed:”

CB: Welcome to the MLB Reports Fenway Park Expert Interview Brian. Please tell us about yourself and then give us some information on your life as a Red Sox fan?”

BM: “I grew up in Amherst, MA, which is located in western Massachusetts, about 2 hours from Boston. Most of my family were Red Sox fans, so naturally I picked up on that from an early age. I don’t remember a day when I wasn’t a Red Sox fan, so I guess I was just born with Red Sox genes. Because we didn’t live closer to Boston, we usually only went to one game a year at Fenway.”

BM: “Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember the nightmare of the 1986 World Series. But being just 12 years old at the time, I expected the Red Sox would make the Series again soon. Little did I know they wouldn’t make it back for another 18 years ! Obviously winning the 2004 World Series will be something I’ll never forget.” Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: ballparkreviews.com, bobby valentine, boston, boston red sox, brian merzbach, Chuck Booth, fatsest 30 ballgames, fenway park, pedro martinez

Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – April 15th, 2012

Sunday April 15th, 2012

Jonathan Hacohen: Posted every Weekend: Your top baseball questions from the past week are answered. E-mail all questions to mlbreports@me.com, message us on Twitter and post on our Facebook Wall!

Let’s get to your top questions of the week: (there are MANY great ones this week…better jump right in!)

Q: How many triple plays were turned last year? Wayne

MLB reports: Nice way to start off ATR Wayne. Four. Can you believe it? Four triple plays turned last year. Three in 2010, five in 2009, two in 2008 and four in 2007. Surprised? Me too. I thought they were more rare! Last year’s triple plays took place as follows:

(1) Indians turned a 3P against the White Sox on April 3rd

(2) Brewers turned a 3p against the Dodgers on August 15th

(3) Red Sox turned a 3p against the Rays in the 2nd game of a DH on August 16th (a day later!)

(4) The miracle Rays came back on September 27th to turn their own 3p against the Yankees.

Q: Is it worth picking up Aroldis Chapman as a third reliever?!? William

MLB reports: Without a doubt. Yes. Are you kidding me? Grab him. Right now. Don’t wait. Now. Right now! As you can tell, I am high on Chapman. Long term, I see him as a starter. But for now, he is a reliever. I see him having some great save opportunities this year. Madson is done for the year. A ton of money is invested in Chapman and he has been nothing short of brilliant this season. In 4 games he has a 0.00 ERA. 11 strikeouts. 0 walks in 6 innings. Yes. As a third relieve, you cannot go wrong with Chapman. He has already vultured 2 wins. He can help you in so many ways. There will be ups-and-downs this year with Chapman, no doubts. But with pitchers around baseball dropping like flies, when you have a talented pitcher with huge upside, make sure he can find his way onto your team. (more…)

Posted on April 15, 2012 | Image

The Latest on the 2012 Red Sox Bullpen

Apr 15

Posted by samevans87

Sunday April 15th, 2012

Sam Evans: The Boston Red Sox are in trouble. The A.L. East looks as strong as ever with four out of the five teams talented enough to make the playoffs. The Red Sox will have problems keeping up with the rest of the East due to some crucial injuries that they’ve suffered. First, the Red Sox just lost their best outfielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, for who knows how long. Also, Carl Crawford might be out until May. Maybe longer. A shaky bullpen is suffering from the loss of Jonathan Papelbon (free agency), Daniel Bard (moved to the rotation), and Andrew Bailey (injury), which does not help the Red Sox stay in contention. Some of their relief pitchers as a result need to step it up.

Other than the abysmal Orioles, the Red Sox have the worst bullpen in the A.L. East. The majority of their relief pitchers are unproven pitchers who don’t belong in a top-tier bullpen. Currently, the Red Sox plan to have Alfredo Aceves closing out games. Aceves has been considered a long reliever for most of his career and this past offseason, the Red Sox even contemplated trying Aceves out in the rotation. Read the rest of this entry →

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What does the Factor12 Rating Really Mean? Baseball Stats 101

Apr 14

Posted by lorimartinibelieves

Saturday April 14th, 2012

Josh Robbins (Guest Writer): As previously defined, the Factor12 Rating (F12) is an analytic measurement utilizing league average performance to compare the value of all MLB pitchers on 60ft6in.com.

In basic terms, F12 is a rating that utilizes all aspects of pitching. It produces a number on a scale of 0.000-infinity (theoretically), where the average pitcher’s value is 24.000.

For example: Justin Verlander opened the season at Comerica Park last week and dominated the Boston Red Sox hitters for eight innings. 8IP/ 2H/ 0R/ 1BB/ 7K or F12 Rating: 38.907

In last week’s games: 137 pitchers appeared in a MLB game while compiling 351.67 innings pitched. As a result, the average pitcher threw 2.57 IP in the opening week of 2012 (351.67/137).

Yet, what does the 38.907 really mean?

The IP and SO-BB categories do not use a fixed range (0.001-4.000).

So, it is possible to accumulate more than 4 points.

IP	*SO-BB*
4.117	3.884
*FIP*	*WHIP*
2.913	2.995
*HR/9*	*BB/9*
4.000	2.865
*SO/9*	MBOP
2.077	3.124
*OBA*	*OOBA*
2.991	2.912
*OSLG*	*ERA*
3.030	4.000

The ten ratio statistics do use a fixed range (0.001-4.000).

**The F12 Rating is simply the twelve stats added together.

**The F12 AVG is (F12 Rating minus 24.000).

*F12 Rating*	*F12 > AVG*	*F12% > AVG*	YEAR IP	Rank
38.907	14.907	.474	8.00	3

**F12 can be viewed as the percentage difference for each pitcher above or below actual MLB league average performance (F12%>AVG).

***Josh Robbins is a Video-Journalist and Baseball Historian living in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2010, he earned a Master’s Degree in Sport Management from CSU-Long Beach. From June 16 to July 11, 2008, he watched a game in all 30 MLB stadiums in a world record 26 days by car. Please email Josh at robbinsjosh@hotmail.com or visit 60ft6in.com for more information about the Factor12 Rating.***

Please e-mail us at: mlbreports@me.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. To subscribe to our website and have the Daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.

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Tags: baseball, detroit tigers, factor12 rating, justin verlander, mlb, stats

An Interview with Target Field Expert Stephanie Caro

Apr 14

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Saturday, April.14/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-I had a lot of fun prospecting for the best interview experts amongst the friends network that I have in at http://www.ballparkchasers.com. I must say that I knew that Stephanie was a big fan of the Twins, I just didn’t know how far back her fandom went with the club. I was asking questions about the team since the Metrodome days us until now. Stephanie has been a fan since the team moved there from Washington. It was then I knew that having Stephanie as an expert for the Twins was the right decision!

CB: “Welcome to the MLB Reports Target Field Expert Interview Stephanie. Please tell us about yourself and then give us some information on your life as a Twins fan?”

SC: “I’ve been a Twins fan since I attended my very first Bat Day at Metropolitan Stadium in 1971. (With thousands of bats pounding against the old metal decks, I remember it being extremely loud!) As a kid, I would listen to the Twins game on my transistor radio after I went to bed; now, as a middle-aged woman, I keep track of the Twins via radio, TV and/or Internet.” Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: at&t park, ballpark chasers, Chuck Booth, fastest 30 ballgames, Hiwatha Line, jason kubel, joe mauer, joe nathan, justin morneau, kirby puckett, metrodome, metropolitan stadium, michael cuddyer, Minnesota, pittsburgh, pnc park, san francisco giants, stephanie caro, target field

An Interview With AT and T ‘Expert’ Tike Narry

Apr 13

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Friday, April.13/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- I will have the chance to meet Tike for the Season Opener for the San Francisco Giants. Tike knows his stuff around the bay area and it today’s featured expert for AT&T Park.

CB: “Welcome to the MLB Reports Expert Interview For AT&T Park Tike. Please tell us about yourself and then give us a bit of background information on your life as a baseball Fan?”

TN: “I’m 39 years old, and attended my first baseball game at age 10. I have been a Giants fan my whole life, and have been a Season Ticketholder at AT&T Park since its opening in 2000. I have attended 679 games Major League, regular-season games entering 2012, with a goal of reaching 1,000 by my 50th birthday, and have attended games in 32 different MLB parks (23 current).”

CB: “As one of the ballpark experts who seen virtually every park, how do you rank AT&T Park versus the rest of the home venues?”

TN: “The only park that can come close to matching the setting of AT&T is PNC Park in Pittsburgh. It is spectacular, on the waterfront in China Basin in San Francisco, with a view across to the East Bay. Seats from right field can see the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and there are very few seats with a bad sight-line in the park. My only complaint about AT&T, and it’s a minor quibble, is the width of the concourses, but that’s to be expected when building a park on just 13 acres.” Read the rest of this entry →

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An Interview with BallParkChasers.com Founder and Coors Field Expert Craig Landgren

Apr 12

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Friday April.13/2012

Follow Chuck Booth’s streak all the through to the bitter end. Schedule is this link:

https://mlbreports.com/gwr-tracker/ or at his official website for all updates!

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- I joined Craig’s baseball community website in 2008 (ballparkchasers.com.) I must say that all of us ballpark fans have a lot to thank him about. Craig launched Ballpark Chasers with the vision of connecting baseball fans around the world, especially those with the life goal of seeing all Major League ballparks. Since going live, Ballpark Chasers has doubled each year in total members and has quickly become the Internet’s largest collection of amateur ballpark images. In my honest opinion, his website has been the catalyst on so many of us upping the ante on chasing parks around the country. We are wiser fans and our pocketbooks are definitely a little heavier than they used to be with using his website here as a reference guide for all 30 MLB Parks. I am proud to call Craig a friend and can’t thank him enough for all of the support he has given to me in my baseball endeavors. I recently chatted with Craig about Coors Field. Here is what we discussed. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: ballparkchasers.com, Blue Moon Brewering, Chuck Booth, Coors Field, Craig Landgren, Denver, Denver international airport, denver nuggets, fastest 30 ballgames

You Shake, Rattle and Roll On A World Record Chase

Apr 11

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Tuesday, April.11/2012

Chuck at Dodger Stadium

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and- @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- My step-mom is a retired executive from Air Canada. Back when I was a teenager, Nancy taught me how to travel properly, by how to pack, schedule and always be able to adapt when things go awry. I am pleased to say that she had an incredible influence on me becoming a travel expert now. Her slogan was always; “You gotta learn how to shake, rattle and roll when traveling.” My dad (Tom Booth), helped teach a proper demeanor for my 3 brothers and me while on vacation that I also implement. He said to us “You guys are going to encounter several things when traveling. “If you break, lose or-your items are lost for you, just replace them immediately and don’t let it consume you. After all, why should you be miserable on vacation?” These are motto’s I live by while traveling. I perpetually move forward and don’t look back. While I am glad this trip has generated a lot interest, really the passion here is baseball and traveling. If by some chance I don’t best my own record, I will have fun watching a baseball game in every city again. “You have nothing to prove in this world other to anybody but yourself!”

I have encountered numerous ways of being delayed in chasing baseball parks. Last night was no different. I sat in the San Diego Airport ready to embark on my flight to Cleveland that was supposed to be part of a Progressive Field/Oriole Park at Camden Yards day-night doubleheader. Out of all the 10 doubleheaders that I placed to attempt during this World Record chase, this particular one I would rank the second toughest. The only doubleheader I thought was tougher was the Angel Stadium/Petco Park double header. Ironically enough, I converted that doubleheader. So when the flight was cancelled last night-(due to mechanical failure) I knew I had to think fast on my feet. The Airline was offering up help to fly on other flight, or destinations within reason. Much to my dismay, the airline was not even able to fly me into the second half of the double header n Baltimore, thus creating a plane flight domino. Adding to the severity of the pressure, was I had to think of something fast because the airline needed to help me book a morning flight out of San Diego.

Whenever I plan one of these trips, I have a depth chart for each team. I am lucky that after a few hours of placing this schedule together, I also come up with many different alternatives. Missing the game in Texas the other night for a small delay was nerve-wracking, but maybe it was all meant to be. When I expressed to the airline that I wanted to fly to Dallas, they quickly were on board with that option. The other dominoes came to me quickly. I moved Cleveland to the 25^th as part of PNC Park and Progressive Field Ground Transportation doubleheader. As part of my original streak attempt when I first dreamt up another run at this, the schedule had this exact doubleheader. Cleveland was the last team in the Majors to post their start times. When the Indians scheduled a matinee for the 11^th of April, it opened up another doubleheader attempt for me by placing the Orioles with Cleveland. All I had to do was bring Detroit into the doubleheader chance with Pittsburgh instead. Now that I am not going to Progressive Field today, I am able to re-schedule the easier to attain doubleheader. Baltimore was switched to the date left vacated by Texas on the 27^th of April. This left Detroit. I knew the team played on the 22^nd of April.

One of the reasons I went to Chase Field last Friday, was to protect myself against something like last night. That Chase Field game is now the 1^st game of the streak. I moved Detroit into their slot on the 22^nd. All the teams have a home in the streak again. What is more incredible about this: is that by shifting these cities around and shuffling transportation costs this little maneuver is going to save me $300. I was dreading having to schedule the Texas game after the streak ended, whether it was driving 17 hours or flying, it was going to be costly and time-consuming, I managed to switch out all my flights and actually have a surcharge in my favor. Since I am flying to Denver from Dallas tomorrow, it was a cheaper flight from almost anywhere when you near a travel day fare. Now I am flying to Dallas for a plane fare I spent $160 to originally go to Cleveland for. This day of plane for to Dallas would probably be in the $500-$600 area.

By re-scheduling the trip this way, it also frees up more availability should I have to make up another game or two. That Detroit game doubleheader was risky. If I was running the streak near perfect, I could have risked it and then shuffled the Tigers to the very next day and forego the Cincinnati/Chicago White Sox doubleheader on the 25^th. This was not the case and I need that 26^th doubleheader. If I kept that doubleheader and missed the Tigers, the next date they were home was April.30^th (or the 24^th day of the streak.)

Moving Detroit to Sunday the 22^nd is pretty decent too, I have a doubleheader for Chicago and Milwaukee on the day before. This is about a 7 hour drive to Michigan. Ken Lee will now attend at least 8 of my games with me for this streak. The Pittsburgh/Cleveland double dip is very doable. The Pirates game should end around 3:30. It is only a couple of hours drive to Progressive Field from there. I would give us a 80-85% chance to hit this game. If for some reason we don’t, the Indians play on the 27^th-through the 29^th. Other doubleheaders remaining are the TOR-NYY (Yankees play on the 27^th-29 in case of miss) ATL-STL (Cardinals play on the 27^th-29 in case of miss) CIN/CWS (The White Sox play a series on the 27^th-29^th). CHI/MIL (The Brewers do not play so I will need the DH). I also give us a 80-85% of making this. Finally I have the Boston/Washington DH (If I miss WSH-I can move them into the Marlins slot of the 17^th and then re-do the Marlins from the (27-29 series).

So far I have had 2 missed doubleheaders in this trip that were entirely out of my control. Now a 30-22 schedule hangs in the balance. Whatever happens throughout the rest of the trip is up in the air. The 2009 streak of 30-24 seems even more impressive now than before. In a night where I have already logged 17,000 Air Miles for this trip and running on all fumes, I was able to come up with the best viable solution I could. So whenever I have a chance, I will sleep comfortably about my performance on this trip thus far. I go into tonight’s game looking for my 8^th Ball Park in 6 days. Its been a tough 20 hrs-fighting airlines-car rentals not having cars and several doubters and haters-i made it 2 the ballpark-suitcase/briefcase and all-scoreboard says 8 gms 6 days parks 30/22 days

NEW SCHEDULE UPDATED APR 11

With a flight cancellation last night, it has caused me to reschedule several games for the streak. The Arizona D’Backs game now becomes the official game #1. If the game was changed from the original, it will be highlighted in red. I also changed the PIT/DET doubleheader to now be a PIT/CLE Doubleheader on the 25th ave. I lost one of my doubleheader attempts today, but at least I am not taking an a zero.

Game#1 Day #1 Friday April.06 Chase Field in Arizona 4:10 PM (Completed: Arizona wins 5-4)

Game # 2 Day # 2 Saturday April.07 Angels Stadium in Anaheim 1:05 PM (Completed LAA loses 6-3 to KC)

Game # 3 Day # 2 Saturday April.07 Petco Park in San Diego 5:35 PM (I Have 2 doubleheader attempts with SD as Game 2 of the day)( Completed: San Diego loses 6-5 to the LAD in 11 innings)

Game # 4 Day # 3 Sunday April.08 Minute Maid Park in Houston 1:05 PM (Completed: Houston wins 3-2)

Game # 5 Day # 4 Monday April.09 Citizens Bank Ball Park in Philadelphia 1:05 PM (Citizens Bank Ball Park Season Opener) (Completed: Philly loses 6-2 to the Miami Marlins)

Game # 6 Day # 4 Monday April.09 Citi Field in New York (NYM win 3-2 over WSH)

Game # 7 Day # 5 Tuesday April.10 Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles 1:05 PM (Dodger Stadium Season Opener) Completed: LAD wins 2-1 over Pit)

Game # 8 Day # 6 Wednesday April.11 The Ballpark in Arlington 7:05 PM

Game # 9 Day #7 Thursday April.12 Coors Field 1:05 PM

Game #10 Day # 8 Friday April.13 AT&T Park in San Francisco 1:35 PM (AT & T Park Season Opener)

Game # 11 Day # 9 Saturday April.14 Target Field in Minnesota 12:10 PM

Game # 12 Day # 10 Sunday April.15 Rogers Center in Toronto 1:07 PM

Game # 13 Day # 10 Sunday April.15 Yankees Stadium in the Bronx 8:05 PM

Game # 14 Day #11 Monday April.16 Fenway Park in Boston 11:05 AM

Game # 15 Day #11 Monday April.16 Nationals Park in Washington 7:05 PM

Game # 16 Day #12 Tuesday April.17 New Marlins Ballpark 7:05 PM

Game # 17 Day #13 WED April.18 Turner Field in Atlanta 12:10 PM

Game # 18 Day #13 WED April.18 Busch Stadium in St. Louis 7:15 PM

Game # 19 Day #14 THUR April.19 Safeco Field in Seattle 7:10 PM

Game # 20 Day # 15 Friday April.20 Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City 7:10 PM

Game # 21 Day # 16 SAT. April.21 Wrigley Field in Chicago 12:00 PM

Game # 22 Day # 16 SAT. April.21 Miller Park in Milwaukee 6:05 PM

Game # 23 Day # 17 SUN. April.22 Comerica Park in Detroit 1:05 PM

Game # 24 Day # 18 MON. April.23 O.co Coliseum in Oakland 7:05 PM

Game # 25 Day # 19 TUES April.24 Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay 7:05 PM

Game # 26 Day # 20 WED. April.25 PNC Park in Pittsburgh 12:35 PM

Game # 27 Day # 20 WED. April.25 Progressive Field in Cleveland 7:05 PM

Game # 28 Day # 21 THU. April.26 Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati 12:35 PM

Game # 29 Day # 21 THU. April.26 US Cellular Field in Chicago 7:11 PM

Game# 30 Day # 22 FRI April.27 Oriole Park at Camden Yards. 7:05 PM

***Thank you to our Lead Baseball Writer- Chuck Booth for preparing today’s feature on MLB reports. To learn more about “The Fastest 30 Ballgames” and Chuck Booth, you can follow Chuck on Twitter (@ChuckBooth3024) and you can also follow Chuck’s website for his Guinness Book of World Record Bid to see all 30 MLB Park in 23 days click here or on the 30 MLB Parks in 23 days GWR tracker at the Reports click here. To Purchase or read about “The Fastest 30 Ballgames Book, ” please click here ***

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An Interview With Progressive Field Expert Anthony Salter

Apr 11

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Wednesday April.11/2012

: Anthony Salter on the far left with his grandma

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- I first met Anthony and his family on July.24/2008 at PNC Park. A nice usher at the Pirates game talked to me for a while before telling everyone he knew that I was chasing a world record. I hung out with the 4 Salter Boys for the rest of the game. We remained in contact and they were there for me the next year when I broke the World Record in Detroit. This family has brought me good luck in my trips. Anthony and his family are the featured experts on today’s Progressive Field Article.

CB: “Welcome to the MLB Reports Progressive Field Interview Anthony. Please tell us about yourself and then give us some information on your life as a baseball fan?”

AS: “My name is Anthony Salter. I am 18 years old and I live in Flat Rock, MI, suburb of Detroit. I currently attend Wayne State University in Downtown Detroit. I grew up loving sports, both playing and watching them. I played all sports when I was younger, including baseball. Today, baseball is the one sport that I still play organizationally, as I am a member of a local recreation softball league. Growing up in Detroit, I have always loved the Tigers. They will always be my favorite team. Hopefully they will win the pennant this year with the addition of Prince Fielder.”

CB: “You are from Detroit, so tell us what the Indians will have to do in order to compete versus the Tigers this year?”

AS: “The Indians have made some minor improvements in the off-season but are still not ready to compete with the Tigers. Even bounce back years from Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Shin Shoo Choo and Ubaldo Jimenez wouldn’t be enough to catch the Tigers.”

CB: “Everybody loves the movie Major League. How many times does the park make reference to this movie throughout the game?”

AS: “Major League is a classic baseball movie that pretty much all baseball fans have seen. However, out of all the Indian games I have been to, I have never seen them reference Major League throughout the game. It’s kind of surprising since the film features the Indians, and it was filmed in Cleveland too. Who knows though, maybe I am just too young and they stopped featuring it recently, or I was too young to pay attention. (I’m always focused on the game).”

DB: “Is it hard to navigate to the ballpark from the main highways?”

AS: “Not at all. Coming from Detroit, I come right down interstate 90, and get off at Ontario Street, and the park is right there. The ballpark is located right at the intersection of interstate 90 and 71, making it super convenient to get to from just about anywhere.”

CB: “What advice would you give for somebody experiencing Progressive Field for the very first time?”

AS: “I would just purchase some cheap upper deck seats to get in. The park is pretty cool, but the view of Downtown Cleveland is great from an upper deck seat. I would also plan on getting there early to explore the park, they have some pretty interesting things going on for the kids down there. There is also a section up in the nosebleeds which sells hot dogs for 1$. That is unreal for a major league ballpark, take advantage.”

DB: “What is your favorite method of transportation to Progressive Field?

AS: “Car, its and easy drive from Detroit.”

DB: “What is the food like at Progressive Field? What is your favorite ballpark food there?”

AS: “I always favor the chicken fingers. I don’t mind the hotdogs either. Really I don’t think it rates well versus the other parks.”

: The Salters

CB: “What is your favorite all time game that you have been in attendance for at Progressive Field?”

AS: “My favorite game that I have been to at Progressive Field was vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. It was in 2008, Cliff Lee’s last season on the club. I had the honor to see Lee pitch, and he shut out the Jays, and was outstanding. That was the year he recorded a career high 22 wins, and it was just memorable to witness a part of it.”

*** A big thank you goes out to our Progressive Field Expert Anthony Salter for participating in the expert article Series. To read more about the Salters journey with Booth to the baseball parks click here ***

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Tags: Anthony Sallet, Chuck Booth, Cleveland, cliff lee, detroit, grady sizemore, pirates, pnc park, prince fielder, progressive, Seeall30.com, shin shoo choo, travis hafner, ubaldo jimenez

An Interview with Dodger Stadium Expert Josh Robbins

Apr 10

Posted by chuckbooth3023

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200910080.shtml

Tuesday April.10/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- I recently had a chance to talk with Josh Robbins about Dodger Stadium. Josh is the Land Record World Record Holder for visiting all 30 MLB Parks in 26 days during the summer of 2008. Here is what we talked about.”

CB: “Welcome to the MLB Reports Experts Interview Josh. Please tell us about yourself and then give us a bit of background information on your life as Yankees Fan?”

JR: “I am a Videographer/Journalist and Baseball Historian living in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2010, I earned a Master’s Degree in Sport Management from CSU-Long Beach. My first baseball game was July 23, 1983 at Yankee Stadium. Don Mattingly was my favorite player growing up and I saw the 1998 Yankees clinch the World Championship in person at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA.”

CB: “Josh, you attended 30 Major League Baseball games in 26 calendar days during June and July 2008. In fact we were the same game where you set your record. You own the land record for the quickest time. Looking back 4 years later, how much does this accomplishment mean to you?”

JR: The trip was a combination of all my greatest passions in life: baseball, traveling, and videography. It was the ultimate adventure combining the spirit of travel, the love of baseball, and sharing the time with friends and family members. While preparing to achieve a personal goal, an effort to share my passion for baseball emerged. Unexpectedly, I raised $2200 for the Jim Thorpe Little League in Hawthorne, California and donated the proceeds to the organization before the start of the pursuit.”

CB: “As part of that trip, what was it like being interviewed and featured on a segment of ‘This Week on Baseball?”

JR: “For the past dozen years, I have worked as a Videographer for several different television and production companies. So, I am very comfortable around reporters, cameras, and questions. I was very surprised to hear from TWIB after initially emailing them about Thirty26. It was a great experience having them cover an entire day of my road trip in New York.”

CB: “You have been to all of the ballparks Josh, how do the Dodgers fans compare to the rest of the country? It is my belief that this stadium is the loudest in MLB when the fans are rabid, what do you think?”

JR: “I enjoy watching baseball in Chavez Ravine but I would have to respectfully disagree. The most passionate and loudest fans are in the Northeast. New York, Boston, and Philadelphia crowds are into every pitch where LA fans tend to sit back and wait for the action to happen.”

CB:”The Dodgers have had recent ownership problems with the McCourts. How has this impacted the attendance?”

JR: “The attendance has declined in each of the past few seasons. Last season was the first time in the 21st century the LA Dodgers failed to draw 3 million fans. The new ownership group must restore trust with the fan base and create a more positive environment at the ballpark and community.”

CB: “What is your favorite method of transportation to and from Dodger Stadium?”

JR: “Unfortunately, there is no commuter friendly method to attend Dodger Stadium. An overwhelming majority of people drive to the stadium with limited alternatives. On a few occasions, I attempted to commute by Metro from Torrance/Redondo Beach. This system proved to be very inefficient due to the excessive changing of trains (green/blue/red/gold lines) and 1 mile walk from the nearest Metro stop to the stadium.”

CB: “What advice would you give for somebody experiencing Dodger Stadium for the very first time.”

JR: “I would tell people to give yourself enough to arrive at the game and enjoy the Southern California climate (bring sleeves for night games). If you drive, park outside the stadium on the street and save the $15-$20 for parking.”

CB: “What is the food like at Dodger Stadium? What is your favorite ballpark food there?”

JR: “My favorite food is a helmet cup filled with soft vanilla ice cream topped with colored sprinkles. However, Dodger Dogs are known for their size and taste.”

CB: “Finally, What is your favorite all time game that you have been in attendance in Dodger Stadium?”

JR: “There have been many memorable games over the 7 years living in the Los Angeles area but one ending was unforgettable. Game 2 of 2008 NLDS when Matt Holiday dropped the last out of the game and the Dodgers rallied to win.”

*** A big thank you goes out to our Dodger Stadium Expert Josh Robbins for participating in the expert article Series. Josh Robbins is a Video-Journalist and Baseball Historian living in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2010, he earned a Master’s Degree in Sport Management from CSU-Long Beach. From June 16 to July 11, 2008, he watched a game in all 30 MLB stadiums in a world record 26 days by car. Please email Josh at robbinsjosh@hotmail.com and to read more about Josh’s record baseball journey click here . Also read Josh 1st guest article at the Reports and a new Pitching grading system here ***

***Thank you to our Baseball Writer- Chuck Booth for preparing today’s feature on MLB reports. To learn more about “The Fastest 30 Ballgames” and Chuck Booth, you can follow Chuck on Twitter (@ChuckBooth3024) and you can also follow Chuck’s website for his Guinness Book of World Record Bid to see all 30 MLB Park in 23 days click here or on the 30 MLB Parks in 23 days GWR tracker at the Reports click here. To Purchase or read about “The Fastest 30 Ballgames Book, ” please click here ***

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Tags: arizona, boston, California, Chuck Booth, CSU-Long Beach, Dodgers stadium, don mattingly, fastest 30 ballgames, fenway park, Gilbert, Hawthorne, JIm Thorpe Little League, Josh Robbins, la dodgers, Los Angeles, mlb reports, new York, qualcomm stadium, Redondo Beach, San Diego, thirty26.com, This Week in Baseball, torrance, twitter, yankees

The First Five Games of The Streak

Apr 10

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Tuesday April.10/2012

Douglas “Chuck” Booth at Citi April 9th

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024)- Well, I finally get a chance to breathe for one second. Too bad it was at the expense of the events that transpired yesterday. Contrary to popular belief, this world record streak is not a walk in the park. Traveling is a hard thing to do at the best of times. I will break down the trip synopsis game by game. I am breaking down the travel games at Parks day by day. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: albert pujols, alex gordon, Amtrak, andre ethier, Angel Stadium, bobby abreu. vernon wells, brett myers, bryce harper, chase field, Chuck Booth, citi field, cole hamels, colorado rockies, daniel murphy, david wright, dfw, eric hosmer, Greyhound, Houston, iah, johan santana, jose altuve, kirk nieuwenhuis, LAX, Lori Martini, Los Angeles, luke hochevar, marlins, matt kemp, mets, mike moustakas, mike pelfrey, minute maid park, morgan ensberg, National Car Rental, nationals, new York, omar infante, petco park, philadelphia, phillies, Phoenix, phx, rangers, raul ibanez, stephen strasburg, Steve Fekete, texas, The Ball park in Arlingotn, the fastest 30 ballgames, todd helton, Torii Hunter, united airlines

Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – April 9th, 2012

Apr 9

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Monday April 9th, 2012

Let’s get to your top questions of the week:

Q: My question this week is about young pitchers. Do you see any of today’s young pitchers winning 300 games in their lifetime? Thanks in advance. Larry

MLB reports: Hello Larry! Great opening question by our #1 fan. To win 300 games in the big leagues, a pitcher needs to pitch for approximately 20 seasons and win 15 games per year. A difficult, but not impossible task. Many factors come into play. Good health. Consistent performances. Run support. Backed by a strong bullpen. If a pitcher can achieve most of these factors, 300 wins is do-able. By my count, I can only see a handful of current pitchers having a shot at the big 3-0-0-. Jamie Moyer. 33 wins away. He could go 3-4 more years with his rubber arm. If he wins 8-10 games per year…could happen. Unlikely, but he has at least a 15% chance. Roy Halladay. 189 wins with at least 5 good years left in him. He will definitely do it. Justin Verlander has 107 wins and possibly 10 more years- he could do it. C.C. Sabathia is the only other fairly sure bet that I have. 176 wins at age 31. Pitching for the Yankees and going deep into games, C.C. will do it. So yes- we will still see 300 games winners in Major League Baseball. But they will be rare occurrences. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: 300 game winners, ask the reports, atr, baseball, baseball questions, ben henry, c.c. sabathia, chicago cubs, comerica park, hickory crawdads bullpen, hunter pence, jamie moyer, john lannan, marlon byrd, mlb, new york mets, new york yankees, philadelphia phillies, roy halladay, shane victorino, washington nationals, yoenis cespedes

An Interview with Citizens Bank Ball Park Expert Kurt Smith

Apr 9

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Monday Apr.09/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Today’s expert is Kurt Smith. Kurt will be the interview subject of the following parks: Tropicana Field, Turner Field and today’s featured expert Article of Citizens Bank Ball Park. Kurt is highly respected in the ball park chaser community for his BallparkEGuides. After you are done reading this article I implore you trust in Kurt to deliver up tips and suggestive idea’s on how to make your stadium visits affordable and pleasurable. I had a chance to ask some questions of the man recently.

DB: “Welcome to the MLB Reports Experts Interview Kurt. Please tell us about yourself and then give us a bit of background information on your life as a Phillies Fan?”

KS: “For most of my life I have lived in South Jersey, which is unquestionably Philly sports country, and currently I live about a 20-minute drive from Citizens Bank Park. I grew up an Orioles fan, though, and while going to games at Veterans Stadium was fun, as a kid I absolutely lived for the two or three trips the family made to Memorial Stadium every year to see our Birds. It was much more fun being an O’s fan back then and Memorial was a great ballpark. I still miss it. But in recent years it’s been great to see the Phillies rack up division titles and a World Series championship, especially in a city that hadn’t seen a championship in 26 years. Citizens Bank Park is such a great improvement over the Vet and the Phillies and their tremendous pitching staff have become a great team to watch. I wouldn’t say I’m a Phillies fan yet, but when my daughter is old enough to go to games there she may change my mind!”

DB: “Describe the whole idea behind your website www.ballparkeguides.com?

KS: “Many baseball fans, myself included, go to ballgames and maybe don’t get a good seat, or pay too much for tickets and parking, or they aren’t aware of some of the great food items at the ballpark. The Ballpark E-Guides website gives a few pointers on seating, getting there and food, and tells you which games on the team’s schedule are likely to be low demand. And if people like what they read, I’ve thoroughly researched 14 major league ballparks to create the actual E-Guides. For $5 you can download a PDF-format illustrated guide to any of 14 major league ballparks, and I like to think you’ll easily get much more than your money’s worth with the information contained in them, from getting tickets, to seating, to getting there and all of the food items. I couldn’t believe how much I was missing out on doing the research for them!”

DB: “Citizens Bank Park has been over 102% for the last several years, tell people what they should expect about buying tickets in Philadelphia?”

KS: “Philadelphia is a city that is so weary of the Eagles underachieving in grand fashion every year that they will embrace a winning team religiously, and so every Phillies game sells out. The Phillies don’t offer a lot in the way of deals or discounts…most northeastern teams don’t, for some reason…so going through StubHub or another third-party works probably just as well. Whatever tricks you have will be helpful…probably the easiest games to get a deal on would be games against West Coast opponents, and if you go on StubHub on a really hot, muggy day you could possibly land a pretty good deal. There aren’t many bad seats at the Bank, but certain ones do have advantages; for example, seats down the third base line are closer to McFadden’s which is better for adults looking for a post-game hangout, and seats down the first base line are closer to all of the kid-friendly areas. The upper level seats can be way up there, so if you have a vertigo problem you may want to avoid them. But the view of everything from up there is tops.”

DB: “Citizens Bank Park has some of the better access entry points for the elderly and handicapped in the Majors. So how is it their park staff did not rank high? How do you rank their staff?”

KS: “Well I haven’t seen the ranking that you mentioned and the basis for it, so I can’t really speak to that. As far as accessibility in ballparks, so many of the newer ones have really gone the extra mile with it…Comerica Park in Detroit is a good example…so my guess is that if Citizens Bank Park doesn’t rank high in that area, it may just be because the competition is actually pretty strong. I can’t think of any accessibility problems, even the Phillies Hall of Fame has a ramp to access it. As far as the staff, I think they’re great, I’ve never had a problem with any of the ushers…and I can tell you that I couldn’t say that about when the team played at Veterans Stadium. Teams everywhere have really improved their customer service, and the Phillies are a great example. They’ve been very good about everything in my experience.”

DB: “I did a survey about 3 years ago when Citizens Bank Park had the best voted singular food item with a Cheesesteak at Tony Luke’s, what are your thoughts on this?”

KS: “Well the Tony Luke’s cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz is pretty good, especially considering that local items in a ballpark don’t often live up to the original location. It’s great for people who are only going to a ballgame in Philly and want to see what this cheesesteak business is all about. But as far as the best food item in any ballpark, I wouldn’t rank it that high. I don’t even consider it the best food item at Citizens Bank Park…Chickie’s and Pete’s fries, the Campo’s Heater sandwich, the Schmitter and Bull’s BBQ Bulldog are all better in my opinion. But that’s just my opinion.”

DB: “What is your favorite method of transportation to and from Citizens Bank Park?”

KS: “It depends on whether I’m going by myself or with a group of people. There’s really only two common ways to get there—you can drive your car and park or take the SEPTA Broad Street Line subway to the AT&T Sports Complex Station. From nearby PA suburbs you can use SEPTA’s Regional Rail to the subway. Both methods are fine and work equally well, but coming from South Jersey by myself I would rather pay about $8 round trip to take the PATCO high-speed line and then the Broad Street Line than pay $15 for the parking and $5 to cross the bridge, not to mention the gas and traffic getting out afterwards. If you’re going with three or four people though, driving and parking is fine. There’s plenty of parking in the complex and you can persuade everyone to chip in. You can save $5 on parking if you’re willing to walk a bit.”

DB: “What advice would you give for somebody experiencing Citizens Bank Park for the very first time?”

KS: “Get there as early as possible, for a couple of reasons. First, traffic is much easier to deal with if you’re driving, and second, you’ll want to check out Ashburn Alley before the park starts to fill up, because it gets very congested and stays crowded throughout the game. The Ashburn Alley gates open an hour before the rest of the ballpark does, and you’re definitely going to want to check out everything there. The Philadelphia baseball timeline is great, and the Phillies Hall brings back great memories for fans. Lots of interactive games for kids too. There’s a lot going on at the ballpark and a lot of things to see, but honestly, you can focus on the Phillie Phanatic all night and never stop being entertained. There is no mascot in sports so willing to cross the line of acceptable mascot behavior. And don’t worry about Philly fans. They’re not as bad as everyone says. There are some jerks but most of them are perfectly nice people.”

DB: “Other than cheesesteaks at Tony Luke’s, how is the food at CBP? What is your favorite ballpark food there?”

KS: “The food as Citizens Bank Park is all great; I’ve never gone wrong with anything I’ve tried. Bull’s BBQ may make the best turkey sandwich I’ve had at a ballgame, and I don’t require much persuasion to share a bucket of Chickie’s and Pete’s crab fries. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about the chili at Harry The K’s as well. I could go on all day. My favorite food item is the underrated Schmitter, which was actually not named after Mike Schmidt. The Schmitter is a sandwich from a local tavern called McNally’s. It’s sort of a cousin to the cheesesteak, with meat, cheese, salami, tomatoes and secret sauce on a Kaiser roll. It’s a little hard to find the Schmitter stand…it’s tucked underneath the stands near the Left Field Gate. Well worth the search though. There’s just something about tomatoes and thousand island style sauce on a steak sandwich.”

DB: “What is your favorite all time game that you have been in attendance for at Citizens Bank Park?”

KS: “Wow…I have to think about that one. You know, I’m going to go out on a limb here and actually pick a hockey game, the minor league game between the Adirondack Phantoms and the Hershey Bears, which took place after the recent Winter Classic. My sister and I lucked into tickets and braved the cold for the game; and it was really cool seeing the ballpark set up for ice hockey. The Phantoms tied the score with just 20 seconds left in the game, and then won it in overtime. One of the most exciting hockey games I’ve ever seen. The crowd just went ballistic, and it was great to hear 45,000 Philly throats going nuts. So okay, not a baseball game, but I have to say that was the best time I’ve had there.”

DB: “Thank you very much Kurt.”

***Thank you to our Citizens Bank Ball Park Expert- Kurt Smith for participating in today’s article. to learn more about Kurt Smith and his website click here***

***Thank you to our Baseball Writer Chuck Booth for preparing today’s feature on MLB reports. To learn more about “The Fastest 30 Ballgames” and Chuck Booth, you can follow Chuck on Twitter (@ChuckBooth3024) and you can also follow Chuck’s website for his Guinness Book of World Record Bid to see all 30 MLB Park in 23 days click here or on the 30 MLB Parks in 23 days GWR tracker at the Reports click here. To Purchase or read about “The Fastest 30 Ballgames Book, ” please click here ***

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An Interview With Ball Park In Arlington Expert Clint Booth

Apr 8

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Sunday April.08/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- My brother Clint picked the greatest time to live in Dallas, Texas for half of a year in 2010. He moved to the Lonestar State to witness the Rangers make it all the way to the World Series that year. I was jealous of him for every minute he spent at The Ball Park in Arlington. I had a chance to talk with him recently about that stretch of games that he was in attendance a lot for. Also, I picked his brain to help my own when I wrote my baseball book last year.

DB: “Clint, I have made it a point to say that parking at The Ball Park In Arlington is the fairest system of all if you want to walk a little extra, however that might not work for some people, what are your thoughts on parking there?

CB: I don’t think most people want to walk in the 100 degree weather so parking close to the park is”EXPENSIVE! Show up early for a decent spot and pay the extra $$ to get in early -it’s not that you are “close” to the ball park, it is GETTING OUT AFTER -best to park close to the stadium and then make your way back to I 30. If you go too far into Arlington it will take you up to an hour to crawl out after the game. Some guys I know parked across I 30 and walked in-long walk both ways. Best bet: CAR SERVICE. For $75-100 each way from Downtown Dallas and back you can ride in a luxury vehicle, save the $25-40 on parking, and drink at the game without having to worry about driving home and you’ll be dropped off right in front of the ball park. During the ALCS Championship I would drive into Arlington and get as close as I could to the ball park. Good luck finding a spot but bless the Americans as they OWN their land so a guy let me park on his lawn for $20 while everywhere else was $75-100.

: Clint Booth &
Ken Booth @
Busch Stadium

DB: “Where did you like to sit a the park?”

CB: “Best Seats: LEXUS CLUB -only level in the park where they serve hard alcohol… have a margarita there -AMAZING The Lexus Club also has the best vantage point in park for the game. The design of the stadium allows for every seat to be a great seat. Also, sit on the 1st base side as it gets bloody hot in Texas so stay out of the sun.

The Booth Boys

DB: “What about the food?”

CB: The best singular food is THE NACHOS (FULLY LOADED) in the main concourse -Texans don’t mess around when it come to TEX MEX! These are UNREAL. There are seats available in an American Classic “All you can EAT SEATS”… I never sat there but I hear it is a great deal…You can bring your own food into this park. I once sat beside a guy who used a beverage cooler to keep his 12 hot dogs warm…he killed all 12! I was pretty jealous. I took a picture of him when he was on #9.

DB: “What would you describe the park ambiance as?”

CB: It is a FAMILY PARK first and foremost-don’t call a guy a bad name (referring about a cat) for trying to bunt for a base hit. I had to learn that lesson the hard way. At Yankee Stadium ALL of the fans would have cheered me. Every time a Ranger Pitcher gets a Strike Out the Chic Fil A Cow has a picture that says “EAT MORE CHICKEN” and the “K” lights up. Funny.

DB: “In our conversations that year, you often referred to the ANTLERS/CLAWS phenomenon, can you explain this for people who may not know this?”

CB: “THE CLAW: if a player hits for POWER and reaches second or puts one-off the wall once they reach base they will lift an arm with an open hand over their head in a Monster “CLAW” motion and the players started this first and then the fans caught… One game I saw Kinsler reach first on what was supposed to be a Sac Bunt and Vlad made the kid do both the CLAW and the ANTLERS (see next). THE ANTLERS: Same deal as the CLAW but it is done when a player shows SPEED. Vlad Guerrero has long been my favorite player and I can tell you from experience that HE thinks he has ANTLERS. I told my fiance that “…I hope we get to see Vlad try to stretch out a double today…” well, we did, but it was better, he went for third and got gunned out by 6 feet. He then got up and threw his helmet in classic Vlad fashion. I was jumped out of my seat cheering and laughing sporting my Vlad Guerrero Jersey. Nobody “got” why I was so excited but I knew…

DB: What about nostalgia at the park, how do they treat the historical players of their team?

CB: “Awesome “old school” design of the park. The Front Offices sit over Center Field.Nolan Ryan goes to every game and sits behind home plate. The guy is a stud. Often you will see his good buddy George W. Bush sitting beside him. Texans love GW almost as much as Nolan Ryan. They also have big banners for any player that had significant value to the team at any point in Franchise History

DB: What can you expect for the total fan experience?”

CB: Well, you are in Texas so be prepared for it to get REALLY loud when the team is scoring or something happens like a strike ***smirk*** -Texans LOVE their teams. Great fans. All of the real estate behind Center Field is dedicated to kids… there is some really cool stuff for your little guys to do like batting cages and games so bring them with you. During the 7th inning stretch the sing “America The Beautiful” and “Deep in the Heart of Texas”. As with the National Anthem EVERYONE sings so you are best to learn the words if you don’t know them.

During the ALCS vs the Yanks in 2010 Vlads Mom cooked a goat stew for the Carribean players on the Rangers… They shared it with the Carribean players on the Yanks. Says a lot about that team’s culture , so this is a testament to Ronnie Washington…The”Kinsler/Vlad story was hilarious! They showed it on ESPN later. Also, the whole team has to “make” Michael Young do the “CLAW” because the guy is so humble.

***Thank you to our Ball Park In Arlington expert- Clint Booth for participating in today’s article. Plus thank you for being my brother, who with my other 2 brothers and family, have always had my back on these journeys, both emotionally and financially!***

Clint Booth with his fiancée Dana Patraschuck in 2010

***Thank you to our Baseball Writer- Douglas “Chuck” Booth for preparing today’s feature on MLB reports. To learn more about “The Fastest 30 Ballgames” and Chuck Booth, you can follow Chuck on Twitter (@ChuckBooth3024) and you can also follow Chuck’s website for his Guinness Book of World Record Bid to see all 30 MLB Park in 23 days click here or on the 30 MLB Parks in 23 days GWR tracker at the Reports click here. To Purchase or read about “The Fastest 30 Ballgames Book, ” please click here ***

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Tags: antlers and claws, busch stadium, Chuck Booth, clint booth, Dallas, dana patraschuck, fatsest 30 ballgames, ken booth, Ron Washington, texas, the ballpark in arlington, tom booth, Trent Booth, vlad guerrero

Minute Maid Park Review: Courtesy of Stadium Journey’s Correspondent Paul Derrick

Apr 8

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Sunday, April. 8/2012

This review is courtesy of www.stadiumjourney.com, the best source for stadium reviews and information.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Minute Maid Park

Official Review by Paul Derrick, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas. The Astros have been calling Houston home since 1962. Originally known as the Colt .45s in 1962, then after the .45s moved to the world’s first multi-purpose dome (Astrodome) they became the Astros. In 2000, the Astros made another move to their current home of Minute Maid Park, located in downtown Houston. Minute Maid Park, like its predecessor, was one of the first of its kind being one of the first retractable-roofed stadiums. This was definitely a great idea as fans are protected from Houston’s notoriously humid weather, but also allows fans to enjoy outdoor baseball during favorable weather. Minute Maid Park has the capacity to seat just under 41,000 people.

Minute Maid Park is definitely a one of a kind venue. The largest entrance to the park is inside what was once Houston’s Union Station, and the left field side of the stadium features a train as homage to the site’s history.

The train moves along a track on top of the length of the exterior wall beyond left field whenever an Astros player hits a home run, or when the Astros win a game. The engine’s tender, traditionally used to carry coal, but is usually filled with giant oranges in tribute to Minute Maid’s most famous product, orange juice.

The playing field also has a lot of neat nooks and crannies to it from the short porch in left known as the Crawford Boxes to Tal’s Hill in center. Another cool feature you will see at Minute Maid is a concourse above Tal’s Hill which features the “Conoco Home Run Porch” in left-center field that is actually over the field of play, and features a classic gasoline pump that displays the total number of Astros home runs hit since the park opened.

For fans that have attended Minute Maid in the past but not in 2011, new for the 2011 season is a large HD screen nicknamed “El Grande” replacing the original one in center field. At 54 feet high and 124 feet wide, it is the second largest scoreboard in Major League Baseball, behind Kauffman Stadium. The old screen was taken out and replaced by billboards. Additionally they added a smaller HD screen on the far left field wall. The ring of advertisement screens around the park have also been replaced in favor of HD ribbon boards in 2011.

Fan Fare Score 4.1 stars

Crowd Score 3.6 stars

What is FANFARE?

The FANFARE scale is our metric device for rating each stadium experience. It covers the following:

Food & Beverage
Atmosphere
Neighborhood
Fans
Access
Return on Investment
Extras

Each area is rated from 0 to 5 stars with 5 being the best. The overall composite score is the “FANFARE Score”.

Food & Beverage 5

No trip to the ballpark is complete without some peanuts and crackerjacks (or so the song says, anyway). Fortunately, Minute Maid Park, has a bevy of food choices for you.

I’ll start by mentioning the Astros’ Sizzling Grille located in sections 116 and 125 where you can enjoy a Texas sized mild or hot sausage with your choice of toppings on a fresh baked poppy seed roll. If your taste buds are yearning for some fresh cooked sausages then the Sizzling Grill is where you need to be.

One of my favorite spots is the FiveSeven Grille owned by two of the greatest Astros of all time, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. The FiveSeven Grille is a nice sitdown resturant that offers a variety of great options as well as to go orders for fans to enjoy in their seats. The FiveSeven Grille is located near section 156.

A couple other favorites of mine include the Goya Latin Cafe and Lefty’s BBQ at Union Station. The Goya Latin Cafe has one of the best chicken in chipotle sauce I have ever had. They offer a vast array of different products from Beef Picadillo to grilled Cuban sandwiches. The Goya even offers frozen sangrias and margaritas if that is what you are in the mood for. The Goya Cafe can be found behind home plate near section 119. My last favorite spot is Lefty’s BBQ which offers mouth watering Texas favorites like beef brisket, ribs, sausages and smoked turkey with all the great fixins. If Texas BBQ is on your mind then Lefty’s is your place.

Minute Maid definitely provides many options and are right on par with most MLB park prices, so definitely make sure you bring a big appetite and even bigger checkbook.

Atmosphere 4

The atmosphere at Minute Maid Park is unfortunately declining the worse the team gets. As of the time of this review (July 2011) the Astros are the worst team in baseball and on their way to their first 100-loss season in franchise history. So anytime you go to Minute Maid Park now you may see a more than average influx of opposing fans at games, especially when some of the big teams like the Cubs, Cardinals or Mets are in town. At times you may see a 50/50 crowd if someone like the Red Sox or Yankees are in town for inter-league play.

There are still neat things around the ballpark that provide that great baseball atmosphere, but the fans are definitely hurting this atmosphere. The Astros provide a great atmosphere for the kids as well as the diehard baseball fan. It just seems the baseball atmosphere will get worse before it gets better.

Neighborhood 4

As I mentioned earlier, Minute Maid Park is in downtown Houston so you have a variety of options. I will list a couple of my ballpark favorites. First off is the Home Plate Bar & Grill. The place is packed during every Astros home game, but it’s virtually empty in the off-season. Predictably, the decor is a stuffed-to-the-gills collection of autographed jerseys and posters of sports figures. Intent on watching the game? Sit downstairs – the mezzanine section has just two 13-inch TVs. The food wins big points, but drinks and service are somewhat lacking. The incredibly delicious crawfish po’boy is Tuesday’s standout special. Wash it down with a $2.50 Mexican beer or $1.50 well drinks.

Another option right outside the ballpark is The B.U.S. If you end up on Travis St. on the way to Minute Maid Park for an Astros game, just look for the big blob of Stros gear, Ray-Bans, and Ice Cold brew all nestled under an open warehouse-like bar right across from the stadium and you have come across the B.U.S. Inside you will find 2 main bars made out of wood, many large old school big screen TVs, projections, pool tables, darts, shuffle board, an uber amount of sports memorabilia, and a bunch of happy, fired up baseball fans having a good time whether they have tickets to the game or not. It’s not the cheapest place as far as beer prices, but overall it’s a great place to unwind, relax, and drink up before or even after the game.

Fans 3

Well, as bad as I hate to say this, Astros fans are some of the worst fair weather fans you will find in the league. Just a little over five years ago, Minute Maid Park was buzzing with fans as the Astros made their run at the World Series. Unfortunately for the ‘Stros, the fans, and Minute Maid Park it has gone down hill since then. I will say if you are still looking for some of those diehard fans you’re better off looking for them in the 300 and 400 sections rather than lower to the field. I have sat all throughout Minute Maid Park and have found the more dedicated and knowledgeable fans seem to be higher up. Unfortunately for the fans it doesn’t look like they are going to get any better any time soon, so they will just have to hope the rebuilding process doesn’t take as long as it did in Pittsburgh.

Access 4

Access to Minute Maid Park is usually not too bad. If you work downtown or are visiting, then I would highly recommend taking the Light Rail. Unfortunately, the city of Houston still has a pretty dismal public transportation system. As long as you aren’t fighting the usually brutal Houston traffic though, getting to Minute Maid can be pretty easy.

Parking will cost anywhere from $10-$20 depending on the distance from the ballpark as well as importance of the game. The concourses are wide enough to make a trip all the way around the ballpark with ease.

Bathrooms are plentiful and I have never noticed much of a line during my many visits.

Return on Investment 5

Right now (2011) is about the best return on investment you will ever find at Minute Maid Park. With plenty of promotional deals, the Astros are making a trip to Minute Maid Park quite an affordable trip for the family. The Astros offer promotions like all summer long kids are free, so I can buy a regularly priced ticket and both of my sons get in free. If you’re planning a trip to Minute Maid Park in the near future I would definitely check the promotional schedule to see when you can get the most out of your money.

Extras 4

There are a few neat extras I like about the park. One is Tal’s Hill. I think it adds that special unique aspect to Minute Maid Park. As well as it can make for some great blooper reels or SportsCenter highlights depending on how the center fielder handles the hill.

Another great extra is the Train located on tracks at the top of the stadium. It is a neat fixture and the kids love it.

One of my favorite extras is the singing of “Deep in the Heart of Texas” during the seventh inning stretch. You don’t even have to be a fan of baseball to enjoy that. Trust me, no matter what your age is you will be hard pressed from at least humming the tune during this.

My last point goes out to the great inclusion of the retractable roof which makes plenty of fans happy on those blistering hot summer days.

: Paul Derrick

***Thanks to Paul Derrick and Paul Swaney for giving us all of this great information on Minute Maid Park. Be Sure to check out their entire site for ballpark reviews. They are also coming out with an MLB Magazine shortly. sign up here for all of the latest updates at Stadium Journey.***

Paul Swaney and his son

www.stadiumjourney.com, the best source for stadium reviews and information.

Tags: astrodome, Chuck Booth, fastest 30 ballgames, Houston, kauffman stadium, magcloud, minute maid park, paul derrick, paul swaney, stadiumjourney.com

An Interview with Petco Park Expert Ken Lee

Apr 7

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Saturday April.07/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- I had the chance to talk to my fellow co-author of the “Fastest 30 Ballgames” Ken Lee recently about Petco Park. Ken has made numerous trips to San Diego to visit this newer ball yard. This is what we discussed.

DB: “Welcome to the MLB Reports Experts Interview Series Ken. Please tell us about yourself and then give us a bit of background information on your life as a baseball fan?”

KL: “My name is Ken Lee, I am a General Manager for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and I live in Marysville, WA with my wife Yvonne and our 2 pup pups, Boomer & Tilly. I am a co-writer of the book titled “The Fastest 30 Ballgames – A Ballpark Chasers World Record Story” that came out last year. I grew up playing baseball and loving every aspect of the game. I attended my first MLB game in April of 1977 @ the Kingdome in Seattle (Yankees vs Mariners). Since then I have attended about 1,000 games or so. I have seen games at 29 outta 30 current ballparks (the lone exception being the new Marlins Park – which I will pick up on May 14th & 15th) and I have seen 42 different MLB ballparks overall.”

DB: “You recently joined me in writing the book “The Fastest Thirty Ballgames”. What does having your name permanently as an author in the ‘Library of Congress’ mean to you?” Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: ac/dc, busch stadium, California, Chuck Booth, fenway park, giants, Jackson & Hewitt Tax Services, Kenneth Lee, Kingdome, Library of congress, mariners, Marysville, old town, padres, petco park, San Diego, Seeall30.com, the fastest 30 ballgames, trevor hoffman, wrigley field, yankees

An Interview With Angel Stadium Expert Chuck Booth

Apr 7

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Sunday April.07 /2012

Kenneth A. Lee (Guest Baseball Writer and co-author of the Fastest 30 Ballgames)- I guess the shoe is on the other foot for Chuck in this interview. I met Chuck online a mere few days before he went on his last streak. I had to admit it has been a new goal for me to go on a journey like Chuck is doing for the 3rd time in 5 Years. Over the course of a few days visiting in Marysville, Wa, we conducted a total of 7 combined interviews with each other. We also have Craig Landgren being an expert for Coors Field and submitting a chaser guide for Kauffman Stadium as well. Like I have said a lot in the last 3 years, we all must thank Craig Landgren for creating http://www.ballparkchasers.com so we could all meet and eventually corroborate on the book “The Fastest 30 Ballgames.” Onto today’s interview. Having been to Angel Stadium a lot myself, Chuck Booth and I talked at length about the park.

KL: “Chuck, tell us why you decided to start your record streak in Angels Stadium? Also, what are your impressions on seeing Albert Pujols in the red uniform?”

DB: “I noticed this particular game for day #1 as a possibility for the streak to match up with San Diego all the way back to last September. Each year I do a doubleheader master schedule for all possible parks that you could do 2 games in one day-whether it is by ground or air. I was not as happy when I saw that San Diego has changed their Saturday night games to 5:35 PM PST though. We will keep that for another time though. I liked Los Angeles to start also because of the weather factor. You can pretty much bank on the game being played. The next day I have a doubleheader attempt for Houston and Texas, so it is good weather for the first two days.”

KL: “You know where I am going next, I have had some run-ins with the Ball Park Staff in Orange County, what are your thoughts on the staff there?”

DB: “When In first went to this park in 2005, the staff wore the throwback cracker jack hats and were genuinely enthusiastic to see you walk in the doors. In the years I have been back since the staff seems to be very testy. I somehow think it has a direct result from when Artie Moreno didn’t make them wear those hats anymore.”

KL: “Angel Stadium didn’t rank very high in our book, would you care to explain why you think this is so?”

DB: “I think it is hard to rate KC and LAA’S parks because of all the other cities having brand new facilities. When you think of O.co Coliseum, Tropicana Field now, they are the worst with Miami and Minnesota opening the gates on new parks recently. At least Oakland it talking abut a new park. Toronto, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and LAA seem to be stuck with their parks. Really Angel Stadium is not that bad, it is just against some stiff competition from the rest of the league?”

KL: “The last time at Angel Stadium you parked for free? Where did you do this?”

DB: “I can’t even remember who told me about the spot, but it is right across from E. Orangewood Ave. Basically you drive on W. Chapman ave and take a long windy left after a Denny’s Restaurant, before finally encounter a Fire Hall. If there is no one parked on the street, you can park there for free. I tend to think it is a better option for day games and especially on the weekend. There are lots of offices. I will let the reader try to guess where. I want to park there for the game and get out of there ASAP to drive to Petco Park.”

KL: “What is the food like at Angel Stadium? What do you like there?

DB: “Man the selection is terrible, hotdogs or California Pizza Kitchen personal pizzas for $10 are the best options. You are better of to drive up W.Chapman Ave to eat Little Caesars Pizza before the game. There is also a Denny’s within a mile of the park. Eat before you get in is my honest advice. There is also a Burger King and McDonalds right near the yard as well.”

KL: “What is your favorite method of transportation to the game?”

DB: “Having that free parking spot makes driving all the worth while. I have spent a great deal of time taking the public buses in Orange County. This is an affordable option for sure. Los Angeles does charge a lot for weekday car rentals out of LAX. If you have kids and you are incorporating an Angels game with a visit to Disneyland, there is a Disney Shuttle Bus that runs out of LAX that offers you to and from your Orange County hotel (front curb service). This is the way to go if you are staying in this general area.”

KL: “What about seats? Where do you sit for the games?”

DB: “As you are aware Ken, for guys that like to watch most of the games at the concourse level, this park is not very conducive for that kind of fan experience. I sit in the upper levels anywhere. I will say that anywhere in the park gives you a great view including the waterfalls. At least the tickets are still affordable.”

KL: “Where do you think the Angels will finish up this year?

DB: “Signing Albert Pujols is a huge upgrade on the talent. Even with aging veterans such as: Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells, this team is poised to win the AL West with their starting pitching rotation. I think that Texas will have an off-year and that the Angels will take the division, however I think the Tigers or the Yankees will take them out in the playoffs before they reach the World Series.”

KL: “What advice wold give to a novice Angel Stadium Park Hopper?”

DB: “Whatever travel time you give yourself, double that to ensure you arrive at the game on time if you are coming from a long way away. The highways in the Los Angeles can be pulverizing on traffic, (including public transportation) at any given time.

KL: “Thank you for helping us out Chuck.”

Thanks to our Guest Writer Kenneth A. Lee. To find out more about him click here, otherwise you will be seeing a lot of him in these future expert interviews and post game write-ups by Chuck.

Follow Ken Lee on twitter- @seeall30

Follow Chuck Booth on twitter- @chuckbooth3024

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Tags: Allbert Pujols, Angel Stadium, Ball Park Chasers.com, Chuck Booth, Craig Landgren, Disneyland, fastest 30 ballgames, ken lee, Los Angeles, petco park, tigers, Torii Hunter, vernon wells, yankees

So the Season Opener Was sold Out- What about Game #2?

Apr 6

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Friday Apr.6/2012

(From a Greyhound Bus Ride from New York City to Boston)

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer- and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-Having just finished watching the New York Mets be victorious 1-0 over the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field in their season opener, it has me now thinking, what is the attendance going to be for Game # 2? Despite reports that the game was sold out, there were many empty seats out there. This is a problem for a lot of teams in the Majors, but it is becoming a problem to even big market teams like the Mets. A dwindling team payroll, with devastating and unfortunate injuries have not been aided by the Wilpon’s financial status either in New York. If Johan Santana can recapture any likeness to his old self, the Mets actually might be okay this year. (Kind of like when the construction workers in the movie ‘Major League’ don’t think that the team is that bad.) Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: angels, baltimore orioles, barry bonds, boston, cal ripken jr, Chuck Booth, citi field, fastest 30 ballgames, johan santana, Kansas city, kauffman stadium, Lori Martini, major league the movie, new York, oriole park at camden yards, pittsburgh, pnc park, rangers, Sid Bream, tigers, yankees

A Review of the New Marlins Ball Park By Lori Martini

Apr 4

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Wednesday, April.04/2012,

Lori Martini (Guest Baseball Writer- and @lorimartini on twitter)- I touched down in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Not only was it a little cheaper and more cost-effective to simply rent a car, but I did have a place to stay with friends which always makes a trip more enjoyable. Hotels in Miami are outrageous and I couldn’t find a reasonably priced hotel that didn’t give me anxiety of potentially having bed bugs, my biggest nightmare (at least in hotels). Driving is most certainly interesting here. I’m from NYC and I can drive anywhere, but these people are ridiculous. They either drive way too slow or excessively fast and erratic. The highways are 4 to 5 lanes of traffic and your exits sneak up on you. People don’t signal and cut across several lanes of traffic without looking, which somewhat reminds me of driving in LA. Miami during rush hour is highly congested and you can’t park anywhere. Everything is a parking garage. It’s cluttered and populated like NYC, yet spread out like LA to get anywhere. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: alex rodriguez, Aramark, astros, Believe, citi field, Fort Lauderdale, Howie Mandell, justin turner, logan morrison, Lori Martini, miami, miller park, New Marlins Ball Park Review, new york mets, Shea Stadium, Sir Pizza, Sun Life Stadium, twitter, Us celliular field, Vh1 house of consignment, white sox

The Factor12 Rating: Get to Know this Baseball Stat

Monday April 2nd, 2012

Josh Robbins (Guest Writer): The Factor12 Rating (F12) is an analytic measurement utilizing league average performance to compare the value of all MLB pitchers on 60ft6in.com.

F12 consists of the following twelve statistics incorporating every aspect of pitching:

Innings Pitched (IP); Strikeouts Minus Walks (SO-BB); Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP); Earned Run Average (ERA); Walks plus Hits per Innings Pitched (WHIP); Home Runs per 9 innings (HR/9); Walks per 9 innings (BB/9); Strikeouts per 9 innings (SO/9); Opponents Batting Average (OBA); Opponents On-Base Average (OOBA); Opponents Slugging Average (OSLG); Modified Base-Out Percentage (MBOP) has been adjusted to include wild pitches and balks.

The traditional strikeout statistic places too much value on a pitcher’s ability to retire a hitter via strikes. In fact, strikeouts minus walks differential illustrates a clearer image of a pitcher’s true dominance over hitters and mastery of the strike zone. In 1974, Nolan Ryan recorded a whopping 367 strikeouts while issuing a staggering 202 walks producing a 165 SO-BB differential. Last season, Clayton Kershaw amassed 248 strikeouts and allowed only 54 walks equaling a 194 SO-BB differential. On first glance, Ryan appears to be more dominant. However, Kershaw was far superior in controlling the strike zone. (more…)

Posted on April 2, 2012 | Image

Confessions of a Ball Park Chaser

Apr 2

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Monday Apr.2/2012

: My media picture before my 2009 trip.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- My name is Chuck Booth, and I am a baseball addict! I can try therapy all I want to, the addiction is too strong to ignore. It all started when I was an infant. My mom wheeled me in my stroller to watch my dad play windmill fastball tournaments on the weekends. She said that I watched intently and was quiet the whole time. Then I grew to a preschool kid and would play on both of my older brother’s baseball teams in addition to my own team. When I turned 9 years old, my dad was the Umpire In Chief for our town’s local Little League Baseball Association. As the top umpire, he proposed that they should build a concession stand at the main little league parks, then use the profits to pay kids to be umpires themselves. So I became a certified little league umpire by studying the rulebook for days and passing the test. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: baseball dreamin, blue jays, Chris Reitsma, Chuck Booth, Don Gordon, Fastest 30 Ball Games, indians, jim maclaren, Johnny Hunton, Kenneth A. Lee, kirk gibson, Liberty University, Lori Martini, Mike Davis, Reggie Deal, RJ Breisacher, scott brock, Sheldon Bream, Sid Bream, twitter

Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – April 1st, 2012

Apr 1

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Sunday April 1st, 2012

Let’s get to your top questions of the week:

Q: My question this week in about a prospect in the Diamondbacks system. Was reading an article about Trevor Bauer and his 10 different pitches along with his unique training program. What I want to know is how MLB Reports see his future. Will he be a number one starter on their staff one day and where will he end up when he retires? Larry

MLB reports: First question this week goes to our #1 fan, Larry! Happy April Fool’s Day by the way! No tricks today from us. Just baseball talk! Watching this kid pitch, it is hard not to get excited about him. Trevor Bauer comes with a lot of hype as a top-3 pick from last year’s MLB draft. He will definitely see time in Arizona this year, with a full rotation spot in 2012 possibly happening. Will Bauer be a #1 starter? Will he retire as a Dback? Very difficult questions, because of the complexity of the circumstances. Injuries. Performance. Financial expectations. So much goes into the equation. But if you are asking me to check the crystal ball (which I think you are), here is what I see: Yes, Bauer will become a #1 starter one day. We love his mechanics too much for him not to develop. As long as he stays healthy, works hard and keeps his nose clean. Which we all hope he does! But I cannot see him retiring as a Dback. In this day and age, it is very rare for a player to stay on the same team for his whole career. The law of baseball probability says that if Bauer becomes a stud, he will go one day to a major contender, like the Yankees or Red Sox. Even if for some reason Bauer does play the majority of his career in Arizona, he will at some point make a team change. Maybe his skills will diminish. Or a conflict with the manager. The bottom line, he will be in Arizona for the next 5+ years likely at least. So let’s enjoy his time there for now. Thanks for writing! Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: alex avila, alfonso soriano, arizona diamondbacks, ask the reports, Atlanta Braves, atr, baseball, baseball questions, catcher, cba, doubleheader, durham bulls, dustin richardson, jason heyward, kerry wood, livan hernandez, los angeles dodgers, lucas duda, matt garza, mike napoli, mlb, mlb expansion, nl west, theo epstein, trevor bauer, zack greinke

History, Baseball, Life: Connecting with the Baseball Lannings

Saturday March 31st, 2012

Paul Lanning (Guest Writer): I first learned about a pitcher named Johnny Lanning back in the early 1990s when I started “managing” a fantasy team of old-time baseball players in something called “Bill James Classic Baseball” as a hobby my buddy Steve got me into when we were both working in the front office of the Albuquerque Dukes, then the Triple A affiliate to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was before the internet, and long before social media. Like with current fantasy baseball leagues, we had a salary cap and we drafted a full roster of players. The difference was that these players were all old-timers…players dating back to the very start of Major League Baseball in the 1800s. The games were played by some computer in Illinois, and we anxiously awaited printouts in the mail each week of the prior week’s box scores and stats.

“Tobacco Chewin’ Johnny” was a journeyman hurler with the Boston Bees and Pittsburgh Pirates before heading off to WWII. He’s pictured here after returning to the majors with the Boston Braves. (more…)

Posted on March 31, 2012 | Image

An Interview with Citi Field ‘Expert’ Lori Martini

Mar 30

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Read the rest of this entry →

Friday, March.30/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer)Follow @chuckbooth3024– Last year when I applied for the MLB FanCave, I did so with mixed emotions. While the job looked like an awesome experience, it also would never be as exciting as going to the baseball games live. Due to my waiting around for MLB’s decision on the chosen winners, I failed to plan for any extensive road trips last year. I am not disappointed that I didn’t win. Mike O’ Hara and Ryan Wagner did a fantastic job and were completely qualified. What the verdict left me was a desire to prove a point that I have been trying to establish for the last 4 years. MLB’s 30 Baseball Parks provide the best marketing tool that this entity may ever want. It is my ultimate goal to show that people would rather go to the games live. Chasing down the Guinness Book of World Record for visiting all parks in the least amount of days has a plethora of emotions that run through ones body. It is both an adrenaline rush and a hyper vigilant anxiety clashing for every day I am on the road.

In my 2 minute video that I sent for the FanCave, I told them that “you either hire me or I am going to end up doing this on my own anyway!” So I intend to go on a 30 MLB Park journey every year from now until MLB decides to pay me a salary. To give our readers the kind of insight and information that make these ballparks the best fan experiences in Major League Sports, I have sought out some of the greatest experts in the field of ballpark chasing. Every park will have a Park Preview, an Expert Interview and a Post Game/Streak Synopsis. Our first expert interview is Lori Martini.

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Tags: Believe, brooklyn, Chuck Booth, citi field, david wright, fastest thirty ballgames, Flushing Meadows, jason bay, jose reyes, justin turner, Lori Martini, luis castillo, mike o'hara, mike piazza, mlb, mlb fan cave, new york mets, oliver perez, port st. lucie, ryan wagner, sandy alderson, Shea Stadium, short film caught

A Few Ways MLB can Make Stadiums More Tech-Friendly

Tuesday March 27th, 2012

Sam Evans: Major League Baseball has always been viewed as a classic American sport. In the last fifty years, the world has greatly changed… but for the most part, the game has remained the same. Today, in a modern world, baseball needs to make some simple adjustments to the fan’s experience in order to stay relevant.

Major League stadiums are just as nice, if not nicer, than NBA and NFL arenas and stadiums. In the last ten years, baseball fans have seen retractable roofs, pools in center field, and even weird dolphin home-run sculptures implemented in Major League stadiums. MLB has shown a commitment to bringing fans out to the ballpark. Despite baseball’s efforts, attendance still isn’t where it should be for THE major sport in the United States. (more…)

Posted on March 27, 2012 | Image

The 2012 Tigers may Bring first WS Title Home to Detroit Since 1984

Mar 26

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Monday, March.26/2012

Kirk Gibson celebrates with teammates during a 1984 World Series Game 1 homer, they won the series 4-1 over the San Diego Padres.

Douglas ‘Chuck’ Booth (Baseball Writer @ChuckBooth3024 on Twitter) – My dad and I were not always Yankees fans. In the past blogs I had written that my favorite teams when I first started watching baseball were the Montreal Expos(because of Gary Carter) and my American League team was the Detroit Tigers (because of Lance Parrish). As a 7-year-old kid playing baseball, our team name was the Tigers. I remember that as I took my position behind home plate, the coach called me Lance Parrish. My dad was the assistant coach that year and would whip baseball’s at me to toughen me up. I asked him too, because I wanted to learn how to block them like #13. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: alan trammel, alex avila, austin jackson, bobby higginson, Brennan Boesch, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, david ortiz, delmon young, detroit, detroit tigers, doug fister, goose gossage, jack morris, jacob turner, jose valverde, justin verlander, kansas city royals, kirk gibson, Lance Parrish, Lou Whitaker, manny ramirez, miguel cabrera, new york mets, prince fielder, rick porcello, san diego padres, twitter, Willie Hernandez

Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – March 25th, 2012

Mar 25

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Sunday March 25th, 2012

Let’s get to your top questions of the week: Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: ask the reports, atr, baseball, baseball questions, closers, joba chamberlain, milwaukee brewers, mlb, ryan braun, saves, wbc, world baseball classic, zack greinke

You Must Be Careful When Buying Through PayPal or Stub Hub!

Mar 23

Posted by chuckbooth3023