Day 8: Canton, OH and the trek home

After a wonderful hotel experience in Cleveland, we felt rested enough to head to Canton and check out the Pro Football Hall of Fame, before heading home. It was truly amazing to see the wing where all of the busts of the hall of famers are stored. After this visit, it was time to head home. Unbelievably, we didn't hit any traffic or problems, which was pretty much the case the entire trip. It was an incredible journey, over 2000 miles traveled, and well worth it! The next and final entry of the blog will be our list of best to worst of the ballparks visited.

Day 7: Cleveland

We made our way to Cleveland today and a hotel in the city with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame package. Very cool place! Really enjoyed seeing the MJ memorabilia. We went to Progressive Field, home to Cleveland's baseball team. The home team had a 2-1 lead before a big rain delay, followed by another rain delay after gaining a 3-1 lead. As I write this, I don't know the final score. We came back to relax before our long trip back to NYC. We might even hit Canton tomorrow to check out the Pro Football Gall of Fame. Can't believe this journey is almost at an end!

Day 6: Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati

OK, today was a challenge. We had to wake up at 4:30 eastern time to drive to Cincy and make a 12:30 p.m. start. You've probably figured out that we did it! Under six hours. Woo hoo! We even went across the river from Cincy to Kentucky. It was pretty hot, so we decided to avoid our seats for most of the game and walk around the stadium to find shady areas to watch the game. This proved to be a good idea. We sampled the stadium's famous Coney hot dog. Good stuff. It's a nice ballpark, with a wonderful river view. Unfortunately, the Nationals pounded the Reds, again, 7-1. This was due in part to the efforts of former Red, Adam Dunn, who homered.

Day 5: St. Louis, The Cards extend their winning streak

Day 5 was one of the few times we encountered rain. We saw some serious lightning. Serious! Despite the weather and a slight delay, we made it on time. The new Busch Stadium is a beautiful park. The faithful Cards fans always create a sea of red in the stands and it was cool to witness this in person. The place was closer to NYC in terms of prices, but C did get Hardee's, which was well worth the price. The Cards got big hits from Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday to get the win. Next stop, Cincinnati!

Day 4: Wrigley Field, Cubs win by a touchdown

Chicago was the next stop on our trek. We were able to stay with some friends and wish C's goddaughter a Happy 7th Birthday before heading to Wrigley. What can I say, our first Wrigley Field experience was fantastic! We had great seats on the cheap. (Thanks Stubhub!) The stadium is beautiful. The fans were fun. And the Cubbies played inspired ball for us, winning in a slugfest, 14-7. Aramis Ramirez hit three homers and had 7 RBI. We also saw Vince Vaughn! All in all, pure baseball perfection. We'll end by saying, "Go Cubs Go!"

Day 3: Comerica Park, Tigers go extra innings

We took our time heading to Detroit from Pittsburgh today. It was actually a lovely drive through Ohio, coming close to Canada! We even so a sign for the legendary 8 Mile area from Eminem fame. To be honest, Detroit is a little sketchy, but Comerica Park is a beautiful park, with huge Tiger statues in and around the stadium. It's literally right next door to Ford Field, where the Lions attempt to play football. We were in a higher section than the previous game at PNC, but the seats and the weather were perfect. It was a sloppy game, with some great performance by Josh Hamilton of the Rangers (4 hits) and Miguel Cabrera (2 homers). The game went extra innings, with the Tigers losing 8-6. Off to Chicago and legendary Wrigley Field. We can't wait! Oh, and Happy Birthday, Abby!

Day 2: PNC Park, Pirates win 9-0

We went to Game 1 of our trek at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. It was great to be able to attend the game with the Hicks Family, who we will also see in Chicago on Tuesday. The hometown Pirates played the Astros. We expected a tough game for the Pirates with Astro ace Roy Oswalt on the mound, but he left the game early with an injury. We had amazing seats about 12 rows from the Astro dugout. Only $12 per ticket! However, the seats were in the blazing sun, so we moved into some shade for the rest of the game. The park and the surrounding area is awesome. Right next to one of the Three Rivers! We even walked to Heinz Field and the Mr. Rogers statue. It is a very family friendly environment. Our buddy, Robb Hicks had a Primanti Bros. sandwich and lived to talk about it. The Pirates had a complete game shutout from Paul Maholm and they won 9-0! Time for some rest, before we venture to Detroit.

Day 1: Trip to Pittsburgh

We started our Baseball Odyssey today. Our plan is to go to Pittsburgh (PNC Park) to Detroit (Comerica Park) to Chicago (Wrigley, of course) to St. Louis (Busch Stadium) to Cincinnati (Great American Ballpark) to Cleveland (Progressive Field) back to Brooklyn (home) in a week, going to baseball games in each city. During our trip to Pittsburgh today, we stopped by East Stroudsburg University, where J went for undergrad. Thankfully, there was a Best Buy in town, so we could replace the cheap ass iPhone car charger we purchased on Amazon. In addition, we passed by the exit for Bucknell, C's college, and Happy Valley. With lots to talk about, two iphones, Map Quest, and Sirius satellite radio to keep us entertained, it was a lovely first day. It was made even better by the fact that we were able to see our friends, The Hicks Family on the road. We will hang out with them tomorrow and also see them Tuesday in Chicago to celebrate C's goddaughter's birthday. We even ended the night at a Pittsburgh area staple, Primanti Bros. Tomorrow is our first game at PNC Park. Excited to see the park, which looks beautiful. We'll see Roy Oswalt pitch vs. the Pirates.

J's old school

Weird statue at ESU.

Our buddies, the Hicks Family in front of us, with a beautiful view to the right.

The heavens, a view from our car!

Dinner. Even J's salad had fries.

The journey begins . . .

We hit the road tomorrow, heading to Pittsburgh for a couple of days. We'll be meeting up with the Hicks Family! It will be good to see my godaughter, Abby. Our first game is Sunday afternoon at 1:35, Pirates vs. Astros. Excited to see PNC Park and to see Roy Oswalt pitch.