September 2003

One of my favorite times of the year is when the following year's baseball schedule is announced. My husband and I pour over the team schedules, deciding what city we will visit the coming season. Ideally we prefer seeing the Mets on the road, although our quest to visit every current major league ballpark has taken us to several non-Mets games as well. Starting the 2003 season with 27 out of the current 30 MLB stadiums under our belts, we decided that we would plan a driving trip to see the Mets in Cincinnati's brand new Great American Ball Park on July 4th weekend.

One of the first things I had to do was secure tickets to the games. We have learned that, when traveling to a new ballpark where tickets are in high demand, it is often easier to plan the trip with several friends and purchase tickets from the group sales department. We stuck with that strategy this year, and found a mix of friends who liked the idea of a road trip and friends in Ohio who wanted to see us -- thus, we found takers for the extra tickets and didn't have to worry about the possibility of sold out games.

After months of planning and coordinating with friends, the time had come to pack up the minivan and hit the road. Our neighbor, who is a native of Ohio and a lifelong Reds fan, suggested that we leave a day early so that we could see the Reds play the Pirates at PNC Park on Wednesday, July 2nd. PNC is one of my favorite stadiums -- not only is it well constructed with wide causeways and good sight lines, but the setting amidst the water of Pittsburgh's three rivers is unexpectedly beautiful. We paid a visit to the statue that was made from a bronze casting of Ralph Kiner's hands holding a bat, and saw the Reds come from behind to defeat the Pirates. It was a good lead-in to the main event -- seeing the Mets play in a stadium that we had never previously visited.

Thursday was a travel day, for us as well as for the Mets. We arrived in Cincinnati, settled into our hotel, and had dinner with old friends who had relocated to Ohio from New York several years ago.

July 4th finally arrived, and my family and I set off on foot from our downtown hotel to The Great American Ball Park. We weren't the only ones taking this course of action -- we saw a lot of people with Mets caps, shirts and jerseys on the street. We exchanged many "Let's Go Mets" greetings on our way to the stadium, which put us in the right mood for watching the National Pastime on a national holiday.

Having just visited PNC Park, we arrived at The Great American Ball Park with more of a critical eye than we otherwise might have had. The sightlines weren't as good as PNC, the causeways didn't allow for a view of the game while you're buying food, and who designs a stadium where the main gift shop is on the fourth level? On the brighter side, $2.50 will buy you a "Coney" hot dog with chili and cheese, or a pretty good crustless grilled cheese sandwich, plus the centerfield plaza's mist machine between the replica of a riverboat's smokestacks brings welcome relief on hot summer days.

One benefit of seeing your team on the road is that the visiting team takes batting practice last. Thus, if you arrive at the park when the gates open, you can watch batting practice and, if you're lucky, get an autograph or two before the game. Although my kids didn't get any autographs that day, Jae Weong Seo did hand a baseball to my friend's son, making him one very happy little boy.

After batting practice, we settled into our seats. Our group was an eclectic mix that included Ohio natives who had been transplanted east, New Yorkers who had been transplanted to Ohio, and New Jersey residents who didn't mind driving long distances to see the Mets on the road. We had Mets fans and Reds fans, from the avid to the casual, and non-baseball fans who simply enjoyed the company. Some of us lived and died with every pitch, while others had fun observing that the Great American Ball Park houses the Reds, whose name was once a synonym for communists, and who featured a player named Castro. The common bond was that everyone in the group enjoyed the game, which the Mets won 7-2 due in large part to Jeromy Burnitz's 444 foot, three-run homer (the longest home run hit at the Great American Ball Park to date).

The next day, after taking in some of the sights of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, we returned to the Great American Ball Park. The game was sold out, due in large part to the replica stadiums that the Reds gave out to all ticketholders that evening. We once again arrived for batting practice, and this time my son was the happy camper, getting autographs from Jason Phillips, Aaron Heilman and bullpen coach Rick Waits. Danny Graves had a no-hitter for the first six innings, but the Mets broke open the scoreless tie with four runs in the top of the seventh and went on to win 6-2. Our entire group was happy to watch the competitive game, and the Mets fans among us were ecstatic to have seen two consecutive Met victories in a season where wins have been hard to come by. There were a lot of happy people wearing blue caps leaving the game, and my kids were happy to shout out "Let's Go Mets" to each and every one of them.

Our road trip ended a day before the Mets' did. Sunday morning we woke up bright and early for the drive home. Although it was a long day in the minivan, everyone was in high spirits after the weekend with good friends and Mets baseball.

And now I'm left waiting for the 2004 schedule to come out. If I'm going to see the Mets play in San Diego's new stadium next year, I have some planning to do!

Ten Great Things About Seeing the Mets On The Road

1 - Because the visiting team takes the last batting practice, if you arrive at the park early you can watch the Mets work out;

2 - The instant camaraderie you feel with any person in another city who is wearing Mets gear;

3 - Watching road games on television in subsequent seasons and nonchalantly telling your friends, "I've been there;"

4 - Visiting parts of the country that you might not otherwise have the chance to see;

5 - Tasting Dodger Dogs, Milwaukee bratwurst, and other local delicacies in the ballparks that made them famous;

6 - Listening to sports radio in other places and learning what other teams' fans are thinking;

7 - Checking out great new restaurants;

8 - Hanging out with old friends in new places;

9 - Seeing West Coast night games without having to stay up until the wee hours of the morning; and

10 - Hearing fans chant "Let's Go Mets!" when you're nowhere near New York!