Yankee Stadium - New York Yankees

On June 4th I caught an afternoon game at NEW Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the Texas Rangers 8-6. Stay tuned for the ultimate YANKEE FANHOOD experience!

Fenway Park - Boston Red Sox

Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, is a city full of landmarks. The site of the Boston Tea Party where tea was dumped in the harbor to riot the tea tax. Where Paul Revere rode the Freedom Trail warning the patriots that the British were coming and where many of our nations founders have been laid to rest. Fenway Park, built in 1912, is one of those American landmarks. When the trend seems to be to knock old parks down to build bigger more modern venues, Fenway lives on, and still delivers. Pull up your red sox and get ready for an ultimate FANHOOD experience that even a Yankee fan will love!

Due to the size, history, and recent success of the Red Sox, tickets are hard to come by so act fast. Beware of tickets that aren't advertised as "No Limited View". You may very well end up straddling the support beam if you aren't careful. As you can see, there are many!

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/seating.jsp

Tickets are on sale the day of the game for standing room only, notice fans standing on the upper perimeter of the stadium above.

Want an ultimate Red Sox experience? Sit on the Green Monstah.

Wear red, white, and blue - America's and the Red Sox colors!

Learn the Boston language. New Englanders, specifically those from Boston tend to replace the "er" or "ar" in words with "ah". A stereotypical phrase is "pahk the cah" or "park the car". Click here for some great examples.

• http://home.earthlink.net/~lnkn/accent.htm

Go GREEN, it is the latest trend. Really, literally, go green. Take the green line T (that's Train in Boston) to Fenway to save on parking and beat traffic. Check T and bus schedules on the MBTA website.

• http://www.mbta.com/rider_tools/trip_planner/

Want to grab a bite before the game? Hit Cask 'n Flagon, voted #2 Baseball bar in America by ESPN. Have a Fenway burger or the Papelbomb, a steak sandwich named after the Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Visit my buddy Clay at Tequila Rain. Tell him FANHOOD sent you!



Take a lap around the park. Stroll down Yawkey Way. Grab some "street meat" from the numerous street vendors! I hear the Italian sausage is the way to go.



Get your picture taken with Red Sox great Ted Williams. Who knows, you may get to see him again in real life if scientists have it their way.



Walking into the park, before you even see the grass, you have to take it all in. It's like a throwback to the old days.





Grab a Fenway Frank. Hands down the best ball park hot dog I've EVER had. It's incredibly juicy and the bun is so fresh. It almost melts in your mouth. No flare needed here, in fact, mustard may actually take away from the flavor.


Take your food to your seat or enjoy it at the many tables available.



Get your photo taken with the Red Sox mascot, the Green Monstah at the Kid Zone.



Time to grab a program and a "beah" and head to your seat. Max purchase is 2 per person, so most people go ahead and grab 2! In fact, each person I went to poured two beers at a time and handed me both!



Check it out. Fenway Park. Magical. Babe Ruth pitched here. Ted Williams sent it out of the park. Scores are still tracked manually under the monster. Look for the seat painted red (rather than green) in the right field bleachers. That's the longest measurable home run hit at Fenway.




Game time. Check out the montages on the jumbotron. Sway to the music. Fenway has the best song selection I've ever heard at a ball park.



7th inning stretch. Time to solute those fighting for our country and those who lost their lives in battle with the singing of God Bless America. Take Me Out to the Ball Game follows of course!



8th inning, time for Sweet Caroline! The crowd in the bleachers really gets into it!

Game over, being a Yankee fan, I can't say I hope you're celebrating a Red Sox win, but I do hope you're capping off a great day at the ball park. After, head to the Bleacher Bar to watch the grounds crew patch up the field. Before the game, there was a line to get in, but after, there surprisingly wasn't a large crowd, just an enjoyable gathering.

Do not try to hit on your buddy's girlfriend or wife as soon as he runs to the men's room. There's a window at the urinals. He will see you. Busted.

Barhopping? Try The Baseball Bar across the street. If it's nice out, there is a great view of the stadium from the roof deck.

Whew, what a day. You just caught 9 innings in historic Fenway Park. Red Sox fan or not, I hope you felt the history of the venue, the energy of the fans, and had an ultimate FANHOOD experience.

Special thanks to Jeff Henn and Andy Menneto for making this experience happen!

As always, leave your FANHOOD experience in the comments section!

Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles, the City of Angels. Home of the rich, the famous, and Dodgers baseball. Built in 1962, Dodger Stadium sits high on a hill, overlooking the downtown LA skyline. Although it seems separate from the city, the Dodgers are the heart of Los Angeles. Get ready for the ultimate FANHOOD experience – THINK BLUE!!!

This stadium seems so big, it’s a wonder they can fill it! Tickets aren’t hard to come by unless they are playing the next door Anaheim Angels or the San Francisco Giants. For those rivalry games, purchase early.

To be a part of “The Blue Crew”, wear royal blue and white, Dodgers signature colors.

There is ample parking surrounding the stadium, it just depends on where you’re going to sit.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/downloads/y2008/general_parking.pdf

When you are walking up the hill to the stadium, turn around and check out the beautiful Los Angeles skyline.

Notice the pictures of current players as you walk up, intimidating away team fans as they walk through the gates.



You always have to stop and take a look at the field the moment you walk in. Look at that perfectly manicured green grass. Look at how big and how colorful this stadium is, each level a different color. It’s a classic!

If you get there early enough for batting practice (which LAers rarely do, rumor has it they show up after 2 innings and leave after the 7th!) go to center field and shag balls!

Why the tardiness? One word - TRAFFIC. Can you say "CONGESTION?!"


Head to your seats. If you’re in the upper levels, you may want to grab your food first, it’s a STEEP climb. I do not recommend sitting up high if you are afraid of heights! It’s a doosie!

In the Pavilion seats aka outfield bleachers? Be prepared to do THE WAVE! These fans get the crowd going.

Sitting lower level behind home plate? If so, you better pay attention to the game or wear a hard hat. There is no net overhead to capture for foul balls. But you do get your own waitstaff! If you're farther down the baseline in the premium seats, you get a table to set your drink on. All for the nice price of ~$250.

Hungry? You have to have a DODGER DOG! A foot long hotdog grilled to perfection. As you can see I opted for onions and mustard! Delicious!

Want dessert? For $5.50 get this huge bowl of ice cream and a souvenir to take home. Perfect for the little ones, or the kid at heart!

Thirsty? Bring your Dodger dollars. Large beers are up to $13. Yowzer. Careful you don’t have too many in the cheap seats, you’re liable to tumble down those steep steps!

Be on the look out for celebrity fans! I happened to spot Mario Lopez, aka AC Slater, from above. Friend and fellow Yankee fan, Carl Martinez, actually met Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Billy Crystal and Penny Marshall at the games. Pretty cool.

Complete the hike to your seats? Sit back, catch your breath, and enjoy the view of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains.

Bring your headphones to listen to Vin Scully, classic voice of the Dodgers radio broadcast. He's done it all by himself, no color commentator, since the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA. Doesn't look that old does he?!

Check out the jumbotrons - YES - that's plural - as in TRONS! One shows player pictures, facts, and stats at each at bat.

The second shows the lineup the entire game, which is convenient for a score keeper like me!

Ah, 7th inning stretch. Time to get the beach balls out! Keep in on your level or else be booooooed!

Game over. If celebrating a Blue Crew win, sway to Randy Newman's "I Love LA." If rooting for the other team, respect the loyalty of Dodger fans. This car even has shag carpet!

Win or lose I hope you enjoyed your Dodger Stadium FANHOOD experience. Here, it's not the most modern, doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but promises an enjoyable MLB experience. Did I miss anything in my 1 game visit? Feel free to add your ultimate FANHOOD experience in the comments section!

Special thanks to Hal & Kathy Harkness for treating me to this game and giving me all their Dodger FANHOOD knowledge! Credit goes to Carl Martinez for FANHOOD additions!

Where do you belong?

Stay Tuned!

The FANHOOD's soon to come!

Cellular Field - Chicago White Sox

New Yankee Stadium - New York Yankees

WVU Mountaineers

Bradley Center - Marquette University

United Center - Chicago Blackhawks

O'Brien Field - Peoria Chiefs

Want to see "how it plays in Peoria", as the famous Vaudeville slogan goes? Single A minor league baseball that is. Just head downtown to O'Brien Field and see for yourself! Grab your blankets for the berm and get ready for your FANHOOD experience!

• The Cheifs are an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs so either wear your Cubs gear or red and royal blue.


• Check the promotions calendar before hand - for throwback prom night, you may want to find that old 80's poofy dress you've been saving for just the right moment. THIS IS IT! http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/promotions/index.jsp?sid=t443
  
  

• Parking is easy. $5 for the lots surrounding the stadium.


• Tickets, you can't beat it! $10 for club seats, $9 for regular, and $6 to sit on the lawn. Mondays are half price! Walk right up to the ticket counter!


• Here's the view from the lawn. Let your kids run wild after home run balls!
• When you enter, notice the difference between a minor league and a major league park. It's homier. It's part of the neighborhood. Fans are more laid back. The concession people wave hi. Kids run around carefree. It's just another great day at the ball park.
  
• Have children? Let them play on the playground behind center field.


• Get your picture taken in the HUGE Leinenkugel's chair. It's HUGE! PS. They have Leinenkugel's on tap!
• Again, check the promotions calendar. I went on a Wednesday and mistakenly ordered a burger on free hot dog and peanuts night... oh yeah, you bet I took that hot dog anyway! Who knows, you may even get a 3 in 1!

• Sit back and enjoy the game. They're kids out there, trying to make it to the big show. You may be watching a future World Series winner, you never know!
  
• Find Homer, the Peoria Chiefs dalmatian mascot, give him a high five!
  
• Feeling like the life of the party or want to embarrass your friends? Find the promotions team and be a part of the inter-inning festivities! Dizzy bat, keg rolling, chicken dance, musical chairs... take your pick.
• What do you want to do? Fall over running? Show how much you actually learned at college? Wear a nasty yellow costume? Fight over a blow up chair for a silly t-shirt? For me, all of the above.
• If you're with a group, after the game you get to run the bases! PLAY BALL!

So, how'd it play in Peoria? Hopefully your celebrating a Chiefs victory. Either way, you must admit, what a nice relaxing time at the ball park.

Share your FANHOOD experience in the comments section!