MEMORIAL DAY!

Yesterday, Memorial Day, I drove down to Baltimore to see the Orioles/Yankees game at Camden Yards. I have many things to say about this but first of all - there was NO traffic! I guess people really were staying home because of gas prices. I heard Pat Kiernan saying that less people would be on the road but I didn't believe it. He says a lot of things. This time, though, it was true. I hit no traffic there and back. I also paid $3.72 a gallon which, considering, I thought was pretty good.

Camden Yards is the 3rd major league ballpark that I have visited and the 2nd at which I have attended a game. I took a tour of the Blue Jays stadium in Toronto back in high school, the highlight of which was watching roadies set up for the Rolling Stones show that was going on that weekend. I won't tell you which tour it was because then I'd be dating myself. Ok fine, Steel Wheels.

The Orioles' stadium has it's plusses and minuses.
Plusses:
- It is modern, clean and well layed out. I did find myself missing the old n' dirtiness of Yankee Stadium, though. The environment just seemed a bit sterile.
- It's not nearly as big as Yankee Stadium so all the seats are pretty good.

Minuses:
- They don't have it together where refreshments are concerned. Getting a hot dog was an impossible dream. There was, maybe, one hot dog guy going around the WHOLE stadium. He showed up in my section in the 8th inning. No joke. When I went out to the concession stands I waited in a line only to get to the front and hear the grill guy say that there was a 15 minute wait for hot dogs. He was lucky he was in Baltimore at that moment. That would not fly in El Bronx. Anyway, I missed a whole inning on my hot dog quest. Not that it mattered in that game.
- Also under the refreshments umbrella - The vendor handed me my Cracker Jacks. At Yankee Stadium, even if the vendor is in the next row he will throw you the Cracker Jacks (or peanuts) because it's part of the fun. Getting handed Cracker Jacks is boring.
- Related: They didn't play Take Me Out to the Ballgame in the 7th inning stretch. What???
- Baltimore fans HATE Derek Jeter. They chanted "Overrated" everytime he went up to bat. How can you hate this guy?


I mean, seriously.

Despite the above ranting and the Yankees' loss, I am so happy to have experienced a different stadium. It was a fabulous day to be at a ballpark and I had the best time because so many awesome friends were there. I'm glad that the Orioles won because it made them happy!