Luggage Update

I wanted to give everyone an update on my dad’s luggage. Those who have read this blog were more interested in the status of my dad’s luggage than the games themselves. How boring would this trip have been without the case of the missing luggage?

The last we heard the luggage was supposed to be flown to Boston and then driven to Worcester (pronounced “Wooster” as we all learned) last Wednesday. When it wasn’t there, we attempted to contact both American and Northwest and neither had any idea where the luggage was. At one point my mother was told the file locator number we had been giving all week was not a valid number (even though every other time we called with it, they were able to find my dad’s file). We had given up hope it would ever be found and my dad filed the claim form to get reimbursed for his items. He wasn’t hopeful about that either since the form mentioned he would only be reimbursed if his flight started and ended with American.

This would be an amazing story if that were the end of it. But alas it is not. I was getting ready to leave work Wednesday night when my cell phone rang. It was Mark from the American Airlines baggage claim area at Newark. He said he had a suitcase with my dad’s name on it and was wondering what it was doing there!?!?! I explained that was now a nationally famous piece of luggage and he would become a national hero for returning it. He explained in great detail the steps it would take to get the luggage back to Minot. Unfortunately he had no control over any of it. He would tag the suitcase and send it over to Northwest baggage handling. Before it got there though it would go through 3 or 4 other people including an x-ray machine (I guess in case some disgruntled baggage claim person planted something in it). If it made it Northwest he could only hope it would be on a flight the next day to Minot. He said he would send instructions to contact me when it got to Minot. This was not the first time we had been told it would be sent somewhere so we wouldn’t believe it until we saw it.

About 11:00 that night I got a call from a woman at the Northwest baggage claim office saying my suitcase had arrived and we could pick it up. I explained that she needed to send it to Minot and she said it just arrived from Minot! I explained dad was already back home and the luggage had been in Newark since last Saturday (only 12 days prior!). She looked quickly at his file and then said that since he had arrived in Newark on American that she would have to route the bag through American. I explained again that suitcase had just come from the American baggage claim and they were the ones processing. She claimed there were no instructions on what she was supposed to do with it (apparently the instruction to call me was just a wild guess on her part). I told her to just get the suitcase back to Minot. She told me to quit telling her how to do her job. I immediately thought of Case’s suggestion to drop a “C” bomb on her but my wife was at the table. She finally said she would send the suitcase to Minot the next morning. When I asked her for her name, she hung up the phone. Apparently she didn’t want me to tell her manager what a great job she did helping me.

Even with that, there was no guarantee the suitcase would ever make it Minot. I am happy (and somewhat surprised) to report that it did make it and is currently in the possession of my dad as you can see from the picture below. All is well!! This would have been just another boring 10 day baseball tour if not for the case of the missing suitcase.

Please send a thank you to Mark at American Airlines in Newark for finally resolving the case of the missing suitcase. His e-mail address is mark.edgerton@aa.com. The more people he hears from the more he will realize how famous this suitcase is. Thank you Mark!!!

Home Again

We made it back to Indianapolis this evening. We were in no hurry to get up since we only had to drive back to Indy today. My dad was up and gone by 5:30 but we slept in until about 8:30. Dad made it home safely and for obvious reasons did not check his new Colorado Rockies duffle bag purchased in Cooperstown. BTW...we now have no idea where his luggage is. My dad is completing a claim form for the airlines to reimburse him for the contents of his suitcase.

The boys and I took the hotel shuttle to the O'Hare Hilton where Jean and Kristofer stayed. We were packed up and ready to go by about 11:00 and headed for downtown Chicago. Our favorite breakfast place in Chicago is Lou Mitchells and we were able to find it. It was another hot, muggy day in Chicago and we were all a little tired. The food was great and we hit the road for Indy. There was a lot of traffic on the Dan Ryan so it took us nearly 4 hours to get home. We rescued Lilac from the kennel and headed home to unpack and settle.

I passed out the souvenirs and played with the boys. Kristofer got an airplane/airport set I purchased while waiting for my dad at the Newark airport. Kylan got 2 new t-balls to add to his collection and broke them in tonight with some catch and hitting practice. Erik got a Yankees t-shirt and the Josh Gibson statue we got in Pittsburgh.

In hindsight, I think my favorite part of the trip was Yankee Stadium. I had been to Wrigley and Fenway before but had only driven by Yankee Stadium. There is so much history and the tour really made it special. It also helped that we were able to get better seats about halfway through the game and it was exciting with 8 Yankee home runs. It was also great to do the trip with my dad and see him experience Yankee and Fenway for the first time and also his first visit to Boston. We made due without his luggage and it made for a great story to tell as part of the trip.

Tomorrow is back to work and the regular routine. Football season is upon us and our first scrimmage is Friday night! The boys start school next Tuesday so there is no rest for the weary. I do hope to take another one of these in the future but hit other parks. The trips really are about the parks and the cities and not so much the teams. I would love to see Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC (especially when their new stadiums are done) or return to NYC when the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Stadium are done (2008).

Thank you again for reading. I hope you enjoyed your own version of the trip.

Day 9 - Wrigley Field

Today's Photos

We ended our last day by driving from Detroit to Chicago. It rained the first half of the drive but cleared up by the time we got to Chicago. It was a very hot and steamy day in the Windy City (we learned the real source of the famous Chicago nickname and it has nothing to do with wind velocity). We ended up driving up Lakeshore Drive in Chicago so we got a good view of Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago. The Bears were having an open practice at Soldier Field and Grant Park was hosting a Lalapalooza concert so downtown was packed!

We parked about 4 blocks from Wrigley and walked to the park. Dad and I walked around a little before meeting Jean and the boys near the Addison train station. We visited a little and took some pictures near at the Harry Caray statue. They headed back to the hotel and we went into Wrigley.

The seats were decent but there was a column blocking our view of home plate depending on the seat. We made due. It was a very hot, muggy night. The game was broadcast on ESPN and Tom Glavine was going for his 300th career victory. The Mets built a 5-0 lead through the top of the 6th before the Cubs got back to 5-3. They left a runner in scoring position but it felt like they were back in the game. Glavine was out and Kerry Wood made a return appearance. Unfortunately 4 of the first 5 batters for the Mets got on base in the top of the 8th and put the game away. We saw Glavine win his 300th game which was a great way to end the trip.

Erik and Kylan did pretty well. I got out a few times with them to get food and souvenirs and visit the restroom so that helped break things up. Kylan got a Derrek Lee t-shirt so he has a second favorite player (in addition to Ken Griffey, Jr.). They also both got stuffed Cubby Bears.

The other funny thing that happened at the game was seeing my friend, Mark Dittmer. Mark is also a Theta Chi from North Dakota State and lives in Indianapolis. He was at the game with a group from his church. He had been reading the blog but didn't realize we would be at this game. He recognized my dad from the pictures and ran into him on the concourse. They were sitting about 3 sections from us. What a small world!!

I think they enjoyed the bus ride to the hotel just as much as the game itself. Since the trip was originally supposed to end with a day game, there was no lodging arrangement for Sunday night. Many people made their own reservations at the O'Hare Excel Inn and had Monday morning flights. Throughout the trip, the hotels pre-assigned all the rooms and gave keys and room assignments to the hosts. As we came off the bus, we were handed our key and could go directly to our room. Since this hotel wasn't officially part of the trip, each person had to check in individually. Since three different trips ended with the game at Wrigley there were probably 50 people checking in. It took about 45 minutes of waiting in a very small lobby to get our room. It was 1:30am CT before we got settled and in bed. My dad's flight was at 7am so his wake up call was at 4:30.

It's hard to believe the trip is over and we are getting back to the real world. Although we were always on the move and got limited sleep, I had an amazing trip. If you have read and enjoyed this blog, I encourage you to consider a trip like this with Jay Buckley. There is only 1 trip with open seats yet this year. Next year's trips will probably be available in January 2008. Please let me know if you have any questions.

The Last Day

I am sitting in our hotel near the Detriot airport listening to planes fly over. Today is the last day of the trip and we are heading to Chicago about noon. We were going to have a whiffle ball game in the parking lot but it looks like it will be rained out. It's our first rain out of the trip. There is a small chance of rain in Chicago tonight but hopefully it will stay dry for us. We've had great weather so far so we feel the Gods will shine and make it a beautiful evening at Wrigley.

I hope you have enjoyed my daily blogging. I haven't heard from too many people so if you have been reading it, please add a comment using the Comment link below. This will definitely be a great journal for me to remember the trip. I highly recommend Jay Buckley tours for the person who loves baseball and wants to see a number of parks. The bus can get a little crowded and you don't always get a lot of sleep each night (there was never time to relax at a pool), but you make good friends and see a lot of baseball. Visit http://www.jaybuckley.com for more information.

We will be getting to our hotel pretty late tonight and I'll have the boys with me so I doubt I'll get a blog entry in tonight. I'll probably wait until I get back to Indy tomorrow to wrap it up. Until then, thank you and I hope you enjoyed the trip vicariously through this blog.

Day 8 - Detroit Comerica Park

Today's Photos

We are wrapping up our trip. The second to last night was in Detroit as the Tigers hosted the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers are reeling and a win by the Twins over the Indians earlier today brought them closer to the leaders. If Chicago could win this game, the Twins would be only 5 1/2 games out of first and 5 games out of the wild card.

We started the day in Pittsburgh and received a walking tour of the former Forbes Field site from a Pittsburgh native and friend of our escort. It was near our hotel on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Home plate is in the law school building and part of the original outfield wall is still intact. There are several plaques highlighting key moments in the history of Forbes Field. The tour guide attended many of the games and was a wealth of information. It was a nice bonus on the trip.

We then drove to Detroit arriving about 4:30. After a quick stop to check in at the hotel (we are very near the Detroit airport and there were several jokes from others about seeing my dad's luggage), we moved on to the old Tiger Stadium. It is in one of the worst areas of Detroit with several abandoned buildings. When they closed it a few years ago, the team left everything behind. We noticed the computer monitors and keyboards were still in the old ticket offices. We weren't able to go inside but we got some photos from the outside. There is a battle over what to do with the location but it will likely be torn down in the next year.

The bus then took us to Comerica Park, the new stadium for the Tigers. It is one of the new, beatiful stadiums built with character and amenities. It is on the edge of downtown and next to Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. We learned the Lions were having an open practice this evening so we made a quick stop there before going to the game. I was amazed at how small the football stadium appeared. It holds 60,000 but it felt much smaller. There was not a bad seat in the place.

My first impression of Comerica Park was that several sections were assigned to different designers and they did not collaborate at all. It is an odd mix of spaces that don't necessarily look like they go together. It is very a nice stadium with great detail outside the park especially. There are tigers everywhere and lots of baseball incorporated into the architecture. We caught part of batting practice before the game started. I was able to connect with Cheryl Herzog, a friend and former co-worker at EDS. She's a huge Tigers fan and attends several games each year. She sat with us the first part of the game and I joined her in the upper level for the 8th inning. They were in the second row of the upper level behind home plate. Our seats were far down the left field line but were close to the field.

Chicago scored 4 runs off Tiger ace Jeremy Bonderman in the top of the first. Every time Detroit would get a little closer, the White Sox would add an insurance run. Chicago eventually won 7-5 as Bobby Jenks shut down the Tigers in the 9th. There was a fireworks show after the game and it was more of a noise maker show than a fireworks show but I'm glad we stayed. The weather was beautiful and it was fun to catch up with Cheryl.

I'm looking forward to seeing Jean and the boys tomorrow. I talked to her tonight and she made it safely to Chicago. They had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe at Woodfield Mall. They also went to the Lego Store and the boys were each able to buy something. They are going to the Field Museum tomorrow and will then meet us at Wrigley when we arrive. Erik and Kylan will join me for the game and Jean and Kristofer will head back to their hotel. I've really enjoyed this trip but it will be good to get back into the normal routine and see my family again. Thank you Jean for a great gift!!!

Day 7 - Pittsburgh and PNC Park

Today's Photos

We returned to the stadiums today with a visit to PNC Park in Pittsburgh. It has become known as one of the best new parks and I have to agree. I was in Jacob's field so many years ago I don't remember much. I've been by Camden Yards in Baltimore and Safeco Field in Seattle but never attended a game. I will get to see Comerical tomorrow. Especially after having been at Shea, Yankee, and Fenway, we really appreciated the space and amenities at a new stadium.

We drove from Wilkes Barre this morning and arrived in Pittsburgh around 3:30. We were able to check into our hotel before heading downtown. We dropped off at a shopping plaza across from downtown and took a boat shuttle to PNC Park. My dad and I went directly to our seats and found our best seats by far. We were between home and first base about half way up the lower level. I took a walk out to the right center field area in hopes of getting a baseball. The Reds were hitting BP and nothing came close to a home run. I decided to take some pictures instead.

I then walked back around to the first base side and found an empty chair in the front row above the Reds dugout. I got a few more photos but mostly did people watching. There was a family that must have had a contact with the Reds media people because they were handing a TV guy a bunch of t-shirts and hats. When Brandon Phillips came off the field, he signed the items. Then someone else came over and threw a couple balls into the stands at these same kids. They were already getting autographed shirts!! I sat there until all the Reds players were in their dugout. As I was getting up, another ball popped up from under the dugout. I had my souvenir!!

I then sat in the top row of the farthest section from home plate. It was a great view but a horrible walk. I was able to get some good scenery photos up there. The game itself was not close as Cincinnati scored 4 in the top of the first on their way to a 13-4 victory. There were several home runs including Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn.

We play a couple games on the trip. One is the square game often used in the Super Bowl. We each put in a dollar and get a square that actually includes 2 numbers for each team. If the score at the end of the 3rd ($5), 6th ($5), and 9th ($15) inning matches your numbers, you win the associated prize. I was close Wednesday night at Fenway but Tejada hit a late home run to take the money away from me. I didn't get my numbers tonight so I have no idea if I won.

The other game is a batter selection. Each participate picks a card and that card is applied to the batter number for the team identified. For example, when I was drawing today, I was drawing for the Reds. I got number 9 which meant the number 9 spot in the order is me today. It was a National League game so that meant the pitcher would hit 9 and I would need to pray for a lot of pinch hitters. Going into the 9th, I was the only person on the Reds who did NOT have a hit. Fortunately Jeff Conine got a hit so I at least get some of the money back I would have lost. For every hit, every other player gives 25 cents to every other player for that team. Even though my guy did get a hit, every other member of the Reds had aleast two hits compared ot my 1.

We got lost in downtown Pittsburgh so we didn't get to the hotel until about 11:30. Our room keys didn't work so we had to go back downtown. We have a 10:30 start tomorrow so we can sleep in a little. We can join a walking tour down to the original Forbes Field, and I may do that.

All Photos Updated

I have updated all the photos from the entire week. There are a total of 263 photos to view. I have figured out how to modify the titles and descriptions but have not completed them all yet. You'll find them on some days but not others.

You can view the pictures from links within the individual daily blogs or go to the entire collection.

Day 6 - Cooperstown II

Today's Photos

We returned to Cooperstown today. It was a much smaller crowd and we were able to enjoy the Hall of Fame much more. There was still a pretty good crowd in this small upstate New York town. Dad and I were able to see most of the exhibits in the museum although we ran through some quickly. There was so much to read we could have been there for several days.

I have now been to all three major sports halls of fame; football, basketball, and baseball. Like most other people. The baseball hall of fame blows them away. My favorites were some of the really old equipment and stories and the more recent displays of teams and events. I thought a lot about my Grandpa Fedje today as I know he would have loved to see all the artifacts from his era.

We spent about 4 hours in the museum and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around downtown Cooperstown. Dad needed to get a new duffle bag to carry all the new t-shirts he's had to pick up. We also grabbed a quick bite to eat before gathering for a group photo at Doubleday Park. We were then back on the road and headed to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania for the night.

It was a relatively relaxing day with several hours spent on the bus. It was a nice change from the last few days of go-go-go. We had about 3¹/₂ hours to Cooperstown and then just under 3 hours to Wilkes Barre. We watched the movie, "For the Love of the Game." It was allegedly a baseball movie/chick flick to appease everyone on the bus. The general consensus from the guys in the back of the bus (now known as the bario gang) was that is was mostly a chick flick.

The trip is now over half over. It has been a great trip as expected! We are with a fun group and everyone is getting along well. Several of the people are from California and were motivated to pick this trip to see Tony Gwynn inducted. There's one family from the Portland area, 1 guy from the Ozarks in the Missouri, a couple from Rockford, Illinois, a father and son from Wisconsin, and 2 recent high school graduates from Phoenix. We have a total of 30 people on the trip.

We are getting ready to wrap up the final 3 days. Tomorrow night is Pittsburgh, Saturday night is Detroit and Sunday night is Chicago (Wrigley Field). Jean and the boys are driving to Chicago on Saturday and will do some sightseeing Sunday before joining us before the Cubs game. Since the game was changed to the ESPN game on Sunday night, a couple people are going to miss the final game. I should be able to get 2 tickets for Erik and Kylan to join us. They'll also get to ride on the bus back to the hotel.

I'm having a blast but I miss Jean and the boys and look forward to getting home. Football season starts next week and my crew has our first scrimmage Friday night.

Day 5 - Fenway Park in Boston

Today's Photos

Another day, another city, another baseball game. Today was Boston! A city I visted twice last year alone but my dad had never been. My familiarity helped as we had a limited amout of free time. We stopped on our way to the city at Northeastern University. There was a site on the campus that was the location of the first World Series in 1902. It contained a statue of Ty Cobb (who pitched in the series) and a home plate plaque that was in the location of the original plate.

The bus dropped us off near Quincy Market and we had about 3 hours to do what we wanted. Dad and I grabbed lunch at the Quincy Market (he got his clam chowdah as the locals say) and then hopped on one of the trolly tours. Our first stop was the USS Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides". We took a quick walk around the ship deck and then toured the nearby USS Caisson Young, a Navy destroyer from WWII.

We got back on the trolly and took it back into downtown and got off on the other side of Quincy Market. From there we walked through the government center to the King's Chapel and Paul Revere's grave. We realized we were already running short on time so we headed for Boston Common, Beacon Street and the famous Bull-n-Finch. You know it better as the exterior shot used in the show, Cheers. We walked through and dad got a Samual Adams and a golf ball to add to his collection.

Rather than try to rush back to Quincy Market to catch the bus to the game, we hung out in the park area and saw the swan boats and beautiful swans. We got on the Charles Street trolly stop which took us directly to Fenway Park. We got there early enough to grab a sausage sandwich at the Cask 'n Flagon. It is apparently a tough table before games but we got lucky and found one in back. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was electric.

We headed into the park about 5:30 and were able to get into the first row behind home plate during batting practice. I met one of the kids selected to be an honorary bat boy (I got his autograph!!), the wife of Red Sox manager Terry Francona's college roommate, and was near Bob Lobel, Boston Channel 4 sports director, while he did is 6:00 reports from the stadium. Our seats were OK but not great. We could see the entire field (no columns in our way) but we had to look directly in the sun for the first 2 innings and it was difficult to pick up the ball. Once the sun went down behind the stadium wall, we could see fine.

It was a great game. The Red Sox scheduled starter, Kason Gabbard, had to be scrapped since he had been traded the previous day. Julian Tavarez started in his place and struggled trough each his 5 innings. He left down 3-1. Steve Trachsel was pitching a great game for the Orioles but he started to struggle with control. He was replaced in the 6th inning and things fell apart there. The Red Sox scored 4 in the bottom of the 7th and held on for a 5-4 win. Eric Gagne was traded for and he arrived to a standing ovation when he ran out to the dugout. We also got see new Celtic, Kevin Garnett, throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

It was another great night for weather although it was a little stuffy under the upper level hangover. We are in Worcester, Mass, tonight. We get to sleep in a little before heading to Cooperstown for a casual tour. Tomorrow night we are off to Wilke's Barry. I'm hoping we get a little more hotel time so I can get pictures uploaded. Thanks!

P.S. Howard...I'm sorry your Orioles did not win. They played well although they should be a little more careful with their relief pitchers.

Day 4 - All About Yankee Stadium

Today's Photos

The highlight of today was definitely Yankee Stadium. We made 2 trips to the Bronx; 1 to tour the Stadium in the morning and 1 for the game tonight against the White Sox. On the tour we were able to see Monument Park, the press box, and the Yankees dugout. It was incredible to be standing on the same field as all the Yankee greats.

Between the two visits we returned to Manhattan. We got off the bus near Rockefeller Center and walked around the area and ended up at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. What an amazing building!! We were given about 2 hours to get dinner and tour on our own. Dad and I walked down 5th Avenue to find a legitimate electronics store to buy a charger for my camera battery. We were successful at Best Buy (familiarity isn’t always a bad thing). One of the guys that helped me was a Richmond, Indiana native!

Dad and I then walked over to Grand Central Station since he did not get there on his first visit to NYC. The main terminal was pretty quiet when we first got there but of course I had to say “this place looks like Grand Central Station!!” We grabbed some lunch in the lower level before heading back to the bus. As we walked back up to the main terminal, we noticed a large crowd. As we got closer, we realized we were having our first true celebrity sighting. Can you tell who the person below is from the fuzzy picture?

The bus then took us to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or “The Met.” It was an amazing place but we only had an hour to walk around. I particularly enjoyed the impressionist collection with Van Gogh, Monet, Gogin, and Matisse. I also stumbled across a baseball card exhibit in the American Hall. One of the cards was a Ty Cobb card.

After the museum it was back to Yankee Stadium. We arrived about an hour and a half before the game and walked around. It was a mad house with street vendors, small shops, bars, restaurants, and even a bowling alley on River Street and 161st just beyond left field. We walked around for awhile but then decided to head to our seats. We took a quick detour into the lower level seats in left field for batting practice. Jim Thome of the White Sox was hitting shots into the left field seats but they were all below us.

We then headed up to our seats which were just a few feet from the moon. Like at Shea we were 4 rows from the top but this time we were in right field. We could not see most of the right field fence so we hoped all activity would be in left field. We also had a chance to see A-Rod’s 500th career home run. The sell out crowd settled in late but those arriving on time got to see Bobbie Abreu hit a three run home run followed by Hideki Matsui hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the first. Chicago got back in the game in the top of the third with a 3 run shot of their own by Juan Uribe. From then it was all Yankees.

They set a franchise record with 8 home runs in a 16-3 victory. The amazing part was that A-Rod did not hit one of them. He was 1 of only 2 Yankees without a hit, 1 of 2 without an RBI, and the only one without a run scored!! Matsui hit 2 home runs and Jorge Posada had 4 hits and was 1 short of hitting for the cycle. Ozzie Guillen was ejected on the second batter in the bottom of the first arguing a check swing that was not called a strike. Paul Konerko was ejected later in the game for arguing balls and strikes. The plus for us is it allowed Darin Erstad to get in the last couple innings on his return from the disabled list.

Because of the late arriving crowd, we kept our eyes open for unused seats closer to home plate. After the fourth inning we noticed there were 4 seats in the upper level section behind home plate so we went for it. Nobody else claimed them so we enjoyed the last half of the game in excellent seats!! It was well worth the extra walk.

We are definitely getting our walking in! Hopefully it’s helping to offset all the nutritious food we are getting at the stadiums. I’ve behaved myself pretty well but have taken advantage of the great Nathan’s hot dogs at both Yankee and Shea. Although I would never eat 63 in one setting like the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest on Coney Island, they are definitely the best in hot dog fare.
Tonight we are in Meriden, Connecticut, and will leave late morning for Boston. We will have a couple hours in the afternoon downtown and then head out to Fenway for a game against the Orioles. It sounds like our seats are pretty horrible tomorrow night too so hopefully we can scope some better seats. I hope to get pictures uploaded from the past couple days as well.