Home Run Derby

Well with the temperature at Home Run Derby headquarters currently at -7 degrees (wind chill of -29) and not expected to rise above zero for the next 27 hours … I was trying to stay warm by thinking about baseball.

Crack of the Bat, lush green grass, hot August sun, an ice cold beer, and a Kosher dog with grilled onions doused with the Stadium Mustard my brother in law sent me (hey Mike, I need more) and another ice cold beer.  That warmed me up for a while …

And then I accidentally clicked on Wrigley Field’s Webcam and saw this disturbing sight …

Singing at the Winter Classic may be all done, but it’s still winter at Wrigley.  And I got to wondering what the other MLB playgrounds look like in the snow and cold.   Let’s find out.

Staying at Wrigley, it looks like Harry Caray and Ernie Banks are keeping a quiet and chilly sentry along Addison Street.

Anyone else afraid of how cold it will be when if the Cubs do ever win the World Series? I hope I’m retired and living in Green Valley, Arizona by then.

Heading South, as in the South Side of Chicago … when last we saw US Cellular Field, it was in the midst of a “Blackout.” Now it’s in the middle of a “White-Out.”

Hmmm … I wonder if there’s anyone doing Donuts in the Parking Lot.  Well, I’ll be damned (but not shocked) … there is (NSFW language)

Let’s head up North on US 94 and check out Milwaukee’s Miller Park.

Hey … wait a minute … did some Cheesehead forget to close the roof?
Let’s check inside the park …

Really, I think I see snowmobile tracks in there.  I wonder if the Lego Miller Park works in the snow.

Let’s head out East.  I think there’s a Nor’Easter headed toward Fenway Park in Boston.

Personally, I like how someone took the time to mark out the infield and the bases.  Boston fans are hardcore. I wonder if that Red-Tailed Hawk that attacked a girl at Fenway last spring has rebuilt its nest.

Since we visited Boston, that means I have to give equal time to New York, so lets hit the next stadium demolition projects. You can watch a bunch of stadia being blown up right here.

Here’s an old shot of Yankee Stadium.  That place looks like a giant frozen bedpan. Usually it just looks like a giant bedpan.

Meanwhile, here’s Shea Stadium looking as cold as it did at the end of the last two seasons.

Except for the rats, no one will miss that place. Especially the guy who used to sit with that foul pole in his lap.

The Washington Nationals’ ballpark looks the same in winter as it does in summer. EMPTY.

Let’s go somewhere more fun. Sorry Nats fans, but if the Presidents ain’t running, I just don’t care.

Over at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, the statues are having a great time in the snow.

There’s even a snowman umpire!! He might have coal for eyes, but he still calls a better strike zone than Angel Hernandez.

Pictures copyright Ryan R Dlugosz Photography.

They might not play baseball in Montreal anymore (and it’s questionable if they ever really did), but no list is complete without an Expos reference … so here’s Le Stade Olympique dans la neige (Olympic Stadium in the snow) …

Rest in Peace, Expos.  I still love the look of that place.

Only 81 days until Opening Day.  Of course, in April it will still probably look like this outside the Metrodome in Minnesota.

That was Opening Day 2008.  And the Twins are getting an open air stadium in 2010. Have fun with that in April or October … or maybe even November.

 Pitchers and catchers report in 30 days.  I can make it that long.  Now if only my car would start.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 15th, 2009 at 11:31 am and is filed under Ballparks, Brewers, Cubs, Expos, Harry Caray, Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Red Sox, Twins, White Sox, Yankees. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.