Last stadium on the trip!

First, a note about the seventh inning stretch. For the most part, this is the one area where Shea, or just as much, the people attending games at Shea. Well, for one thing, Take Me Out to the Ballgame seems to be sped up at Shea, possibly to fit in Lazy Mary, a song played at every seventh inning stretch (just about every anyway) which I just learned was by Lou Monte, who apparently was known for recording Italian-themed novelty records in the 50s and 60s, which according to wikipedia "tells the tale of a coversation between a young woman who wishes to be married, and her mother. The somewhat risque song mixes English and Italian verses. The two use double entendre to compare the occupations with the sexual appetities of the various suitors." Now I may be biased because all my friends and I always sing along with Take Me Out to the Ballgame, but it at least seems like a whole lot of people are singing along. In addition, we have our own stupid tradition of, well, during the video which plays during Take Me Out the Ballgame, and shows the lyrics, every once in a while it shows a picture instead of words, like a picture of a baseball for the "ball" in ball game and a picture of the Mets logo for home team. So, copying from a friend of mine who started it, every time it shows the baseball, we say baseball instead of the right words, and mets logo instead of home team and so forth. Yes, it's stupid, but the point is it's our stupid tradition, and it's fun for us.

That said I was surprised more of the parks I visited did not have their own take on the seventh inning stretch. Looking at the wikipedia page, a number of teams have their own seventh inning traditions, but only one of the teams we saw, the Brewers, which I'll mention as I get into talking about Miller Park. I do think it is hilarious that the Rays play Fins in their seventh inning, especially as I only learned this song existed about six months ago.

Wikipedia also lists several possible myths about the origin of the seventh inning stretch, my favorite of which is the idea that President Taft got up in the seventh inning to stretch because, as wikipedia describes it, he felt sore in his backside, and everyone, seeing the president do so, decided to follow along.

One last note before I finish my seventh inning stretch diatribe. Time to stop playing God Bless America during the seventh inning of baseball games, at all. Now, I have several problems with this - but my objection right now centers on one - God Bless America is a terrible song. That's it - it's bad - we'd be far, far better off to play Woody Guthrie's response song to God Bless America, This Land is Your Land. Heed this advice, stadiums.

One last note about Wrigley as well. After the Cubs won, they played a song I had never heard before called "Go, Cubs, Go." Apparently played after Cubs victories, the song is penned by Steve Goodman, write of Arlo Guthrie's only top 40 hit City of New Orleans (Which I used to confuse with the Johnny Horton #1 Battle of New Orleans). I'm pretty much always in support of team songs, another area where the Mets can be proud, having not just one, but two - Meet the Mets, and the 1986 song Let's Go Mets Go.

Okay - Miller Park. Miller Park was unusual compared to the other parks on the trip in that it had a retractable dome. It did not rain so we didn't have a chance to see the dome in action, unfortunately - it only takes 10 minutes to close the dome, so it can be done between innings. However, just the fact that it had the retractable dome shaped the feel of the park even with the dome open, as the park felt indoors in a way the others had not - walls around every level of the deck as well as pretty high up behind the outfield. Watching from the outfield was, as at almost all of these stadiums, a pleasure, but the best vantage point found here was one that I did not see at any other stadiums - a view from right down the right field line essentially. Everything looked a little confusing, angle wise, but it was well worth it - it helped figure out what it looks like to be a right fielder. Sadly, I missed the sausage race.

Also, a quick note about the Brewers' hats - the Brewers were wearing the hat classic icon - at the game I was at, which I was very appreciative. This is one of the best subdued, un-flashy icons in all of sports, and it's good to see that even though the icon has been gone from full time use since 1994, in 2006 the Brewers brought it back as a retro alternate look. Make it full time, I say, and make the modern one the alternate.


Miller Park field view, scoreboard, walls, and all


Just the scoreboard.

New aside for today! Now, of course everyone knows that Mark Harmon (star of St. Elsewhere and NCIS) is married to Pam Dawber, Mindy from Mork and Mindy. But just learned that Mark Harmon is, or was, I suppose, brother-in-law to Ricky Nelson, and is thus the uncle to the members of Nelson. Amazing!