FREE THOUGHT FRIDAY:

WITNESSING GREATNESS: I’m really unworthy of writing even a paragraph tribute to Pat Summitt. What gives me the liberty to do so -as an admitted non-follower of women’s basketball- is I can still appreciate and recognize greatness whether it occurs in my sport of choice or not. Besides calling Summitt simply a women’s basketball coach would be like referring to Jackie Robinson as just a baseball player. Summitt not only built a powerful women’s basketball program at the University of Tennessee she brought the entire sport into the nation’s consciousness and onto major college campuses throughout the country. She inspired young girls everywhere and women from all professions and if we’re willing to admit it; men as well. The tributes that have come in from all points and all walks of life from those who are power-brokers themselves in their chosen fields have been extremely impressive even for those of us privileged to witness Summitt’s greatness up close and personal. All that being said her greatest attribute is none of the above. It is the ability to achieve at levels never before seen yet remain the same person that started her career driving the team van and washing uniforms. Pat Summitt was the extremely rare combination of enormity and humility. And that was her most amazing achievement of all.

RIGHT ON TARGET: Eight years ago Fab-Five Freddy and I visited Minneapolis as a leg in our annual baseball trip. At that time the Twins played in the Metrodome which is unquestionably the worst baseball park in MLB history. So imagine my surprise upon returning to the Twin Cities that they had erected a spectacular facility that jumped into the Top-5 of ballparks I have had the pleasure to view a game in. It is a fabulous structure with every amenity a baseball fan craves sans a great variety of concessions selections.

The stadium is a perfect size, has great sightlines throughout, honors the Twins extensive history and has -as all the great venues of today- a breathtaking view of the Minneapolis skyline. What is most impressive however is the passion of the fans -even in a dreadful season- and the way the Twins management serves the true baseball fan. The scoreboard system provides the most in-depth information concerning the game’s and the season's results of any I have seen. It was without question one of the best baseball experiences in Freddy and my long-standing tour of baseball parks throughout the USA.

Below are my updated rankings of stadiums I have been blessed to visit:

FAVORITE MLB STADIUMS

1-FENWAY PARK: For a baseball purist and romantic who cares only about the game and where it’s played Fenway has no rival

2-CAMDEN YARDS: The first and -still- best of the retro designed stadiums in a great baseball town

3-TARGET FIELD: Aesthetically beautiful, great sightlines, passionate fans and the best scoreboard information dissemination in all of MLB.

4-PNC PARK: Real close to being 3-A with perfect size and setting and palpable franchise history celebrated in the facility.

5-COORS FIELD: Unique design with peaking CF bleachers and the Rocky Mountain background is breath taking.

6-YANKEE STADIUM (ORIGINAL): Lacked the amenities of the retros but the historical significance was immeasurable to a lifelong Yankee fan.

7-NATIONALS PARK: Beautiful design and though it appears money was no object in its construction simple touches like bullpen message boards make it special.

8-NEW YANKLEE STADIUM: Adequately captured the history of its predecessor and the Yankee franchise

9-US CELLULAR: Surprising in its beauty and practicality. Without question one of the best pre-Camden Yard stadiums and White Sox followers are the true baseball fans in the city.

10-WRIGLEY FIELD: It’s greatest strength is also a weakness. Too many attendees are there to see a National Treasure rather than a baseball game.

11-PETCO PARK: Beautiful park in a gorgeous city. May have ranked higher if I had attended with baseball fans rather than workmates looking for something to do on a Sunday out-of-town.

12-MEMORIAL STADIUM (Baltimore): Outstanding baseball city and facility where the greatest Oriole teams played. Doesn’t hurt that I remember countless Colt games played there

13-FULTON COUNTY STADIUM: The first MLB park I saw a game live at. More appealing than other multi-purpose stadiums due to natural grass and memories of watching Hank Aaron play there.

14-TURNER FIELD: Ranks very low compared to other post-Camden Yards stadiums I have seen. With all the carnival-like activities in the concourse it’s like attending a MLB game in Pigeon Forge. Only the attendees aren’t as passionate as those at Dollywood.

15-TROPICANA FIELD: Better than it appears on TV but it’s still indoor baseball with as indifferent a crowd as I have ever experienced.

16-GREAT AMERICAN BALLPARK: The Reds organization did a disservice to some of MLB’s greatest fans and their team’s great history by going on the cheap with this facility. Everything about it screams penny-pinching and rather than a Queen City skyline you’re looking at Kentucky. I can do that from Jellico.

17-MINUTE MAID STADIUM: The only stadium I’ve ever been in where I prefer the upper deck. The lower level is too cramped with bad sightlines.

18-RIVERFRONT STADIUM: Cookie-cutter, multi-purpose, turf-covered, monstrosity with no character or redeeming features. How could that have possibly housed one of the great teams in the history of baseball?

19-PRO PLAYERS STADIUM: This isn’t even a good football stadium but was an unquestioned disaster of a baseball facility. The fans are so bad I showed up two hours before game time and there were so few cars there I thought I had read the schedule wrong.

20-METRODOME: Tent-revival groups would thumb their nose at this atrocity. If they played a Super Bowl at this dump the Knoxville Civic Coliseum should bid for one as well.

STADIUM TOUR HIT LIST The Yankees schedule is usually the determining factor in where Freddy and I visit each season but if I could see the remaining stadiums in my order of preference this is probably how I would rank them.

1 MILLER PARK (Milwaukee)
2 KAUFFMAN STADIUM (Kansas City)
3 BUSH STADIUM (St Louis)
4 SAFECO FIELD (Seattle)
5 AT&T PARK (San Francisco)
6 PROGRESSIVE FIELD (Cleveland)
7 CITIZENS BANK PARK (Philadelphia)
8 DODGER STADIUM (Los Angeles)
9 CITI FIELD (The other New York)
10 RANGERS BALLPARK (Arlington)
11 COMERICA PARK (Detroit)
12 CHASE FIELD (Arizona)
13 ANGELS STADIUM (Anaheim)
14 MARLINS PARK (Miami)
15 OVERSTOCK.COM (Oakland)

MY ALL-STAR BALLOT: I’m sure you’ve been pacing the floors anxiously for me to reveal my selections for the Mid-Summer Classic. Well wait no more:

AL
C-Salvador Perez
1B-Miguel Cabrera
2B-Jose Altuve
SS-Xander Bogaerts
OF- Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Mark Trumbo
DH-David Ortiz

Voter’s Note: For anyone who thinks I’m not fair and balanced that’s three hated Red Sox out of 11 selections. There are also ZERO Yankees with Carlos Beltran the only position player that even warrants consideration.

NL
C-Jonathan LuCroy
1B-Paul Goldschmidt
2B-Daniel Murphy
3B-Nolan Arenado
SS-Corey Seager
OF-Carlos Gonzalez, Yeonis Cespedes, Marcell Ozuna

Voter’s Note: The only National League team that drew two votes from me was the Colorado Rockies. Though I believe Gonzalez and Arenado are both deserving, solid players I’m still not sure it doesn’t say more about the ballpark they play half their games in than it does about them individually.

MAD AGAIN 20 YEARS LATER: The recently aired 5-part, ESPN-produced, 30 for 30, Documentary on O.J. Simpson was masterfully done and somehow raised my blood pressure to the dangerously high levels it reached when the trial was actually occurring. With two decades of information-gathering and analysis provided I found myself even more livid -and at more groups- than I was in real-time. I’m mad at the LAPD for their years of bigoted brutalization of the black community. Mad at the detectives for their shoddy, half-ass, work and the prosecution team for their incompetence. Mad at the defense team for their slimy, unethical approach and disregard for justice. And found myself mad at the Civil Rights Leaders for acting as if O.J. Simpson -who’s whiter than me- was Jackie Robinson when in reality he was Jack the Ripper. If the intention of the documentary was to increase doctor visits and the sale of sphygmomanometers it certainly worked on me. Regardless of the rage it engendered in me -or maybe because of it- I found it to be excellently done, chilling and most of all riveting.

FINAL FRIDAY THOUGHT: Hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful 4th of July. God bless you and God bless America.

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