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

Game 24 - Detroit Tigers

After our day game in Toronto, we made the five hour drive to Detroit and landed on US soil around 8 p.m. Thankfully, my Mom told my Dad to "hide the reefer' so there were no border issues (that really happened). We settled into a hotel in Southfield, Michigan and planned to visit my Mom's cousin Diane and her family in Morenci, Michigan, a town of only 2,000. We had a great time going through old year books and talking about fun times we've had on our trip. I really think the only reason my Mom went on the trip was that my Dad and I promised we would visit Morenci. It was great being in a small town again, where everyone knows everybody, and you take the time to appreciate the small things. I loved hearing George's stories about how many Morenci Homecoming Queens were in their family and how 'all the pretty girls are from Morenci.'

I also made the mistake of telling my Dad Diane made the best fried chicken from scratch. Of course, the first thing he asked when he met her was "I heard you're making fried chicken?" All in all, we had some of the best times of the trip in Morenci, talking and hearing stories of my Mom's childhood. The baseball was the catalyst for the trip, but visiting with friends and family all across the country is what has made the trip truly special. These times, and the pictures documenting those memories will be cherished by us for a very long time.

Later that evening, we headed towards Detroit for a game the following day. We were set to meet George and Diane's son Jeff, and his wife Karen at the game and were very much looking forward to it.

Poor lighting!

My Mom and Jeff hadn't seen each other in ages, and it was great for them to catch up. They were so generous with their time and spent several innings with us. Jeff is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. He is battling some medical issues of his own and we ask that you please keep him and his family in your prayers. Much like my Dad, he's as tough as they come. It's amazing the things you learn from people when you least expect it, but family and baseball tend to bring out the best in people. I know it has for me.

As for Comerica Park, we loved it! It was my Mom's favorite Stadium on the trip and I couldn't blame her. They did a great job laying out the park and making it feel historic, even though its only twelve years old. It seems to be a focal point in the city, with much development surrounding it. Detroit has taken its share of punches over the past few years, but I hope the city can rally around its baseball team because they have a good one.

Pros: Great views, car and water fall in center field, historic franchise.

Cons: Area surrounding park is a work in progress.

  

  -JJS

Game 23 - Toronto Blue Jays

We said goodbye to Jason and boarded him on a bus towards New York as we pointed the RV towards Niagara Falls. We planned to spend one night on the Canadian side, relax a bit, and check out the water falls. Oh, and let my Mom get her hair done. She kept asking about getting her hair done.

This was our first time at Niagara Falls, and it was pretty cool. Our hotel was located right across the street, and we could see the falls from the pool on the roof.

We checked out early the next morning and headed for Toronto, which was only an hour and a half drive. I wasn't expecting much from the Rogers Centre (Old SkyDome), but we were really impressed. Rogers Communications purchased the building for $25 million, or 4% of the original construction cost, in 2005 and made significant improvements to the 100 level concourses and several suites. The stadium also boasted some of the best food options we've seen on the trip. Yes, the playing surface is still astro turf, but everything else looked new. I also caught my first foul ball for my nephew, Sam Jones off the bat of Brett Lawrie in the fifth inning.

The weather was beautiful, in the high 80's, and we all enjoyed the afternoon watching Pujols and Rasmus go at it again. 

Pros: Food selection, open 100 level concourse, hotel in the outfield.
Cons: Exterior is sterile, no cell phone coverage, astro turf.

-JJS

Game 22 - Boston Red Sox

Once leaving New York, we would make our way to Boston for a day game. On the way, we found a hotel to spend the night in just outside of Boston. My parents rented a room, but Jason and I decided to sleep in the parking lot (in the RV). We had been roommates for over five years in Champaign and in Chicago, so this was the equivalent of getting the band back together. It's safe to say the RV was cleaner than our room at the Fraternity house.

The Red Sox were playing the Toronto Jays at Fenway, and I couldn't wait to heckle former Cardinal Colby Rasmus. This would be the last game on the road trip for Jason so we would make it count. I had been to Fenway once before, but this was the first time for the rest of the crew and we all really enjoyed it. Built in 1912, 2012 would mark the 100 year point for the great stadium in Boston's back bay. It's been said that you don't even have to be a baseball fan to enjoy the park, and we couldn't agree more.

Since I had visited the park last, the Red Sox have made major upgrades to the concession areas. It greatly improved the ballpark experience for the fan, and the food / beer prices were reasonable compared to many parks we visited. They even had a vending machine spitting out hot dogs, which of course Jason found:

It was a beautiful afternoon for a game, and we enjoyed the sunshine. My Dad loved the intimate feel of the park, with not a bad view in the place. Fenway is a special place, one that will never be recreated. You know where this is going...

Pros: Historic park, small, neighborhood setting, great fan support.

Cons: They swept the Cardinals in the '04 World Series. 

My parents had wanted lobster the entire trip, and what better place than Boston. After the game, we headed to Atlantic Fish to throw a bib on and see how much we could eat. Jason won.

-JJS

Game 21 - New York Yankees

On Monday night, a group of 11 of us headed to the Bronx to catch the Yankees play the Indians. Joining us would be my Uncle Mike, his fiance Karen, my buddies Jason, Derek and his friend Chris, and former co-workers and friends Dave, Rob and his wife Jackie. Unfortunately, we would all be sitting in different areas, but the positive was that all of our seats were incredible. Check out the seats my former boss got for my parents and Uncle mike and Karen. You can see my Mom in the middle of the picture next to the dugout. Before they settled into these great seats, they stuffed themselves with steak, crab legs, and dessert in the Legend Suite! My Mom also said she made eye contact with Derek Jeter in the dugout...I think nearly every woman in New York can make the same claim.

Derek, Chris, Jason and I sat up in the Delta Suite right behind home plate. A former business partner of mine was nice enough to give us his season tickets, and they were great. 

And we got great seats from the Yankees for Rob, Dave, and Jackie, 17 rows off the field, right behind the visitor dugout!

Rob, Dave, and I worked together for several years and they have become great friends. I couldn't have asked for better guys to work along side, and I really appreciated them taking the time to come to the game and visit with us. And it was great to meet Jackie, who recently completed her first marathon and is hooked!

From the outside, Yankee Stadium was as impressive as the new Marlins Park. Inside, I thought it was a bit bland, but the suite areas we were in were first class. Of course, my Dad had to give the stadium a great rating because he was sitting in seats usually reserved for Mayor Bloomberg. 

Pros: Great team, beautiful suites, friendly personnel, historic feel

Cons: Lack of color, or attractions in stadium. Bland feel.

I also wanted to take the time to thank my Uncle Mike and his fiance Karen for making the trip to New York for the game. I know it was a lot of work to fly out for such a quick trip, but my Dad really enjoyed getting to spend time with you and it is something he will never forget. I hope you guys feel the same.

-JJS