Well, I have so much to say, and I’m not sure where to start. I guess I’ll start with Seattle.

From Seattle Sept 08

Safeco is a beautiful park. I’ll have to rank them so far, but I’d say it’s is up near the top. First thing you should know is that it’s has a top that can close. That’s just cool. Second thing you should know is that this game probably had the biggest crowd of games I’ve seen this season. What? Seattle? Near last place Seattle? Yes. Okay, they were playing the Yankees, but still.

It’s down by the water. In fact, less than one mile from the ferry, which we took across to get to the game. No worries with parking. Third thing. They take care of their field. Taking care of your field is a pet peeve of mine. Brown spots, dirt spots, uneven grass. Those things just shouldn’t happen in MLB. Fourth thing. They’re a total sell out when it comes to food. I don’t mean they sell all their food either. I mean they “jump the shark” or just plain lame in my book. Hear this: You can get sushi at this ballpark. If you read that and thought “cool!” then we cannot be baseball friends. Baseball game food is hotdogs and beer (or coke in my case). Hamburgers are acceptable. Pizza is okay. I’d even give you chicken strips. Of course the snacks as well–peanuts, cracker jack, cotton candy, pretzels, etc…but sushi? They also have fish baskets and other seafood, as well as a whole host of other things that was making my head spin. Let it be know that the folks I was with ordered seafood. I told them I was going to buy “real” baseball food and let them be. Don’t get me wrong. I understand that bringing in the local food is good for the parks and makes it unique. I also understand that Seattle is a seafood hub. But there is a line and Safeco Park crossed it completely.

As for the game itself. It was a good game. Yankees second batter (yes, Derek Jeter) hit a homerun before I even got settled into my seat. The rest of the game was similar. Lots of hits, fair amount of runs scored, and the Seattle Mariners came away with the win. It was a near perfect game day (minus the smell of seafood around me).