Ford Madison Ironman for CurePSP

Hi All-

As many of you know, I'm participating in the 2012 Ford Madison Ironman in honor of my Dad on September 9th, 2012. Over the past several years, with the help of many of you, we've raised over $30,000 for CurePSP. We have made great

 strides in researching and implementing potential treatment plans for those diagnosed with this devastating disease. However, we can do more! Every little bit helps.

Please join me in supporting a great cause in hopes of creating a world free of progressive neurological disorders.

Shea Ironman Donation Site for PSP

Game 26 - Cincinnati Reds

My Mom, Dad and I made the five hour drive from Springfield, Illinois to Cincinnati, Ohio for a Monday night Reds game against the Padres. My buddy, Dave Moore, planned on taking the MegaBus from Chicago  in time for the game. This would be the first time I had been to both the city of Cincinnati, and Great American Ballpark. As Cardinals fans, we don't have a lot of love lost for the Reds. A great rivalry has developed between the two teams and former Cardinal GM Walt Jocketty has built a pretty good team.

The area surrounding the ballpark has gone through a major transformation over the past few years, and the park is lined with great restaurants, bars and apartment developments. Much to my Mom's delight, Toby Keith opened a bar just across the street. The ballpark, although a bit older than I anticipated (constructed in 2002), it showed really well. The park had great food options including the best bar-b-que I've had on the trip. Dave's friend, Kate, who lives in Cincinnati, joined us for the game. It was great to get her insight on the city and her favorite parts of the ballpark.

On a somewhat random note, Dave and I headed to my parents hotel room to help them get ready for the game. With all the hotel room numbers floating in my head throughout the trip, it's no wonder the following happened. I knocked on what I thought was their hotel room, and received no answer. For some reason, I thought that would be the perfect time to break out the Tommy Boy 'housekeeping, me want mint for pillow' spiel. Unfortunately, in mid sentence, we found out that no, it wasn't my parents room, but an Indian couple who spoke very little English. Dave immediately started laughing, and I couldn't help but laugh too and turn around and run. Another fun day on 'tour.'

Big Jim enjoyed the park, even though the Reds are currently in first place in the Central division:

Pros: River views, food and beer options, neighborhood bars.
Cons: The team is competitive and a rival to STL.

The next morning we made the short drive to Mt. Adams as I've heard great things about the area and how it had a Lincoln Park feel to it. Although much smaller, it was a very cool drive with much more topography than I would have expected in Ohio. If I lived in Cincinnati, this place would certainly be on my list.

-JJS

Game 25 - Milwaukee Brewers

It's been a busy couple of weeks, so I apologize for the brief blog posting hiatus. On July 3rd, my parents and I made our way to Milwaukee for our 25th game on the road trip, and our last in an RV. We would complete the final five games in our car over the next eight weeks.

My good buddy Dave Moore and his Dad, also Dave, would be meeting us in Milwaukee for the game. Little did we know that my girlfriend Jeanette, and our good friends Dave Matheis and Sarah Leonard surprised us at the game as well. It was a lot of fun to see so many familiar faces after spending the past eight weeks on the road.

My parents and I had been to Miller Park several times before when I lived in Milwaukee and we have always enjoyed watching the Brewers play. It was a hot day at the park, and the only way we would beat the heat was to enjoy several Leinenkugel Summer Shandy and New Glarus Spotted Cow beverages, my two favorite beers in the world.

 My Dad cooling off at Miller Park

Many of us enjoying the game in our great seats! 

The Brewers have been a great rival to the Cardinals over the past several years and they built a beautiful park to compete in. My Dad has always liked it, but after seeing so many great parks along the way, Big Jim couldn't stomach giving the park a flawless rating:

Pros: New park, dome construction, beer selection, Benny The Brewer Slide.

Cons: Food selection, ballpark shadows.

-JJS