Baseball Trip 2015    Addendum

A few extras from the trip:

What we did see as very real signs of the apocalypse were six Confederate Flags. Five of which were in Illinois and Indiana. I guess the Mason Dixon Line should now be I-80.

The old man on the ferry was right: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday presented us with beautiful weather, clear skies, 80 degree temps, low humidity. We were not traveling in pools of our own sweat.

Randy sent me some pictures from his iPhone, including this one at the river that blocked any further off-road travel in Shawnee National Forest:

No more road.

Also, this is the small creek we forded where I probably picked up the rock:

Seemed harmless enough.

Randy noticed a lot of farms in Tennessee with mules running around. Someone at work passed along this info about the love affair between Tennesseans and their mules:

http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/mules/index.htm

Randy's disappearing Super 8 was turned into a Motel 6. They must be going through some sort of identity makeover, it was decorated in some kind of retro-chic, art deco motif. Notice the towel rack:

The whole room was yellow and black...hip, man.

Anyway, a few last odds and ends:

We ended up with bags of change after this trip because there were no newspaper vending machines in front of the diners where we ate breakfast. Not one in seven days. I like a newspaper at breakfast! Plus, it's a good way to get rid of those pesky coins.

You might have noticed the statue outside Louisville Slugger Field. It isn't a baseball player, It's Paul Hornung, famous Green Bay Packer football player. He was a three sport athlete in high school in Louisville, where he grew up. Here it is again:

Paul Hornung, "The Golden Boy." Only Heisman Trophy winner from a losing team. Notre Dame went 2-8 that year.

And oh yeah, Cubs traded Junior Lake while we were driving home.

Speaking of which, the moment I arrived home I received another severe storm warning from the National Weather Service, only this time it was blaring out that buzzing signal like the ones coming from the TV. Scared the pee out of me so badly that I almost drove through the back of the garage. I was instructed to get out of my damn car and get into the basement immediately. They weren't kidding...at that moment a tornado whipped through town, just four blocks north of me. Two severe warnings in one week!

 The high school's dugout roof and the landing pit for the pole vaulters blew over the top of the school (in background) and across the street into this poor lady's yard.

The skate park was shredded. This ramp blew across the street and landed near the local pool.

This is also the second time Randy and I have arrived back in Chicago on a day when local authorities have evacuated Lollapalooza. We bring joy wherever we go.

Mmmmmm......chicken fried steak! Notice the side of broccoli, apparently for the diet conscious.

And oh yeah, I stole that newspaper from the motel.

The Baseball Trip 2015   Day 7

Sunday, August 2, 2015

All right! We can still see the Indianapolis Indians because they are playing a day game this Sunday afternoon. We can watch the game and then skedaddle and get home at a decent hour! That's right, I said 'skedaddle.'

We weren't really that far from the ballpark when we rose that morning, but we were not about to take any chances. Get going. On the way we saw some weird looking buildings, a set of isosceles triangle shaped buildings off to my left. We had no idea what these things could be, but there was maybe a clue that they belonged to some tech extension of De Pauw University. Still don't know.

There's actually a series of exactly shaped buildings behind this one. What looks like a shadow is the second building. Anyone know?

A few minutes later we were at the park, Victory Field.

 Grounds Crew from center field.

Victory field was home to many famous baseball players in its time, like Roger Maris:

And our personal favorite:

Paulie Knuckles!

 Center field scoreboard.

 Left field. Marriott Hotel behind the left field wall.

 Home plate.

 Right field line.

Rowdie, the mascot. He's supposed to be a bear, but Randy and I agreed he looked more like some kind of rodent.

By the way, you may have noticed that the mascots at both Nashville and Louisville big-timed me and left right after the ballgame. I guess triple-A ball is too chi-chi for them to meet the public. Yes,I used the term chi-chi.

You're gonna do this to me? I MADE YOU, GODDAMMMIT! I MADE YOU!

Anyways, Kudos to Rowdie. Even if he does look like a drug-addled dormouse.

So even though Charlotte outhit Indianapolis 10-6, Indi won 4-2. None of our Chicago affiliates won on this road trip.

Hey! Right across the street from our parking lot is Lucas Oil Stadium. Home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team!

 Lucas Oil Stadium.

We also drove by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indi 500. Unfortunately, it was closed up tighter than a barracks sheet with hospital corners, and this is the best shot I could get:

Behind the grandstand at the final turn.

Favorite signs: Actually, we noticed a couple of very punny church marquee signs:

"Use Son screen to prevent sin burn."

"My lifeguard walks on water."

Those are funny, right?

Random observation from Randy: "These road signs probably don't mean anything. They are just there to control the populous."

Favorite Town name: Tab, IN

Exactly the moment I pulled into the garage at home, my phone blew up with emergency warning buzzers - tornado! Seek shelter!

In conclusion:

7 days

6 states

4 minor league ballgames

1 major league ballgame

2 race tracks

1 casino.

2000 or so road miles

2 National Weather Service severe weather warnings.

1-prison
2- people on golf carts not playing golf
2- women on riding mowers.

Well, hell, this was a learning experience!

The Baseball Trip 2015  Day 6

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Well, this was a wasted day.

We stopped at the Hollywood Casino for a little blackjack action before the trip into Indianapolis to see the Indians, Pittsburgh's triple-A team play - guess who - the Charlotte Knights. We get to see the Sox' minor league squad again. Is that a good thing? Sure...it's all baseball!

Random observation from Randy: "Never stop at anything named 'Hollywood.' It's always bad. Hollywood Casino, Hollywood Diner. They all are bad news."

Well I got fleeced, but Randy made out handsomely.Changing his mind about Hollywood, maybe?

Now, the bigger problem. Rte. 52 was our main thoroughfare into Indi, only it contained detours of mammoth proportions. What should have been a simple two hour drive was converted into a four hour extravaganza. Two separate detours cost us two extra hours. Because...

We had to drive down roads that are named for the towns they lead into, two lane blacktop unmarked lined by trees trying to take back nature, towns with names like Carrollton, St Peter's, Whitestown. One lane bridges, hairpin turns, walls of corn, tobacco farms, cattle farms, horse farms, alpaca farms. Oh yeah, alpacas.

They're like a cross between a goat and a moose. Weird-lookin' suckers.

I went to school with a kid named Al Paca. True story.

Of course, there was nothing but corn behind them.

St. Peter's is actually a companion town to St. Mary's. The church in St. Mary's, appropriately named St. Mary's, was right next door to the St. Mary's Tavern. I kid you not...a mere driveway separates them. My college dorm rector would have loved to take that parish.

Anyway, too late for the game. Randy's GPS says there's a Super 8 somewhere northwest of Indi, so we take the highway (the one with no more detours) to find a motel.

One lane bridge somewhere in Indiana.

We arrived at an area near the interstate that Randy's GPS told us we could find the Super 8. But it was nowhere to be found. So we checked into an alternate motel. The next morning I found out what happened to Randy's Super 8:

Favorite Town Name:  Whitestown, IN

Favorite sign: Unceremoniously dumped Super 8.

The Baseball Trip 2015 Day 5

Friday, July 31, 2015

We head east out of Louisville to Cincinnati. More country roads, more deep forest. There is nothing really different along these roads than anything we've already traveled.

We did spy another woman on a riding mower, however.

Random observation from Randy: "Organometallix, Inc. There's a business model. Let's make something that doesn't exist."

Breakfast was good; we stopped at Goose Creek Restaurant for bacon and eggs and biscuits and gravy. Here's a photo; sorry but it's so popular there were too many cars in the way.

Our next stop was Belterra Race Course and Casino outside of Cinci. Unfortunately, I gave back a small portion of my previous winnings. Ok, no problem. Playing with house money. Here's a look at this racing emporium:

Clubhouse.

Infield and tote board

The casino didn't interest us because there were no gaming tables...all slots. I can't figure slots - here's my money, oh - you lost.

So here we are in Cincinnati,The Great American Ballpark:

Entrance gate.

.

Statue of Joe Nuxhall, youngest player ever in the Major Leagues,

Due to the shortage of major league players during WWII, Nuxhall was called up to the majors just under 16 years of age. That's right, he was 15!

Home plate. We were up high.

Center field "riverboat."

Left field.

Right field.

From center field.

Boaters on the Ohio from back of field.

Favorite sign:

Apparently, some church group decided to proselytize about the sin of mankind at the Reds' game. Evidently, we are the richest nation on Earth, yet we are depressed. We are a bad people because everyone in this nation is on anti-depressants and we are all fornicators. This guy can't be twenty years old! What did his parents do to him?

Anyway, the Pirates lost to the Reds.

Favorite Town Name: Bright, OH

Random observation from Randy: "We are depressed because we are not rich. We are mostly poor."