Great American Baseball Adventure, Week 17: July 26th-August 1st, 2010

A couple nights in Vegas, the rest of the California League, and the prettiest park in all of baseball. Week 17 of the Great American Baseball Adventure, 2010:


Monday, July 26th:
Las Vegas, NV (221 miles from San Bernardino)
Las Vegas 51s (AAA Blue Jays) vs. Portland Beavers (AAA Padres)

Game #100! So the Blue Jays’ top farm team is named for a land area, has an alien for a mascot, and is 2,200 miles from Toronto. Did somebody take a wrong turn at Albuquerque? Rumors of Cashman Field adding video poker touch-screens on seat backs are untrue, but ‘Dress Like A Slot Machine’ Night would really push my buttons.


Tuesday, July 27th:
Travel day. Hmm… whatever could we do with an off day in Las Vegas?


Wednesday, July 28th:
Rancho Cucamonga, CA (224 miles from Las Vegas)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A Angels) vs. San Jose Giants (A Giants)

Only an Angels farm team would play its home games at a stadium called the City of Rancho Cucamonga Epicenter Entertainment and Sports Complex. It’s Weenie Wednesday in the ‘burbs of LA… hot dogs for a buck, but only if you order the dog using an inordinate number of words. By the way, how does a 175,000-person suburb get built ON a fault line?


Thursday, July 29th:
Bakersfield, CA (147 miles from Rancho Cucamonga)
Bakersfield Blaze (A Rangers) vs. Modesto Nuts (A Rockies)

After more than a hundred games, you’d think the stadiums would start to run together in the mind. Not so for Sam Lynn Ballpark, the only stadium in pro baseball that faces west. Yes, west… right into the setting sun, meaning the Blaze have the latest summer start times in all of baseball. And the shortest center field, at 354 feet. Weird, quirky, and refreshingly fun.


Friday, July 30th:
Lancaster, CA (87 miles from Bakersfield)
Lancaster JetHawks (A Astros) vs. Bakersfield Blaze (A Rangers)

The Blaze apparently didn’t like their quirky home stadium, since they followed us out of town to Lancaster. Since it’s two Texas teams’ farmhands dueling in SoCal, they’ll be allowed to wear boots with spurs, fire six-shooters into the air when celebrating good plays, and brand the on-deck circles with outlines of the state of Texas. The only thing missing is the Visalia Rawhide. Or an ex-president named Bush.


Saturday, July 31st:
Adelanto, CA (58 miles from Lancaster)
High Desert Mavericks (A Mariners) vs. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A Angels)

OK, we’re reaching the point where the California town names are being made up. Seriously, Adelanto? Our California League finale features a Mavs team that nearly won the league title last year. And a Quakes team that we’ve seen 3 times in a week. Except I’m still not convinced Adelanto really exists.


Sunday, August 1st:
San Diego, CA (147 miles from "Adelanto")
San Diego Padres vs. Florida Marlins

We say goodbye to Cali in style, in what I think is the nicest ballpark in the country. Petco Park is like a Mediterranean social garden on the outside; it’s hard to tell it’s a ballpark from across the street. The inside view is great, and it’ll be fun to debate if the Padres and Marlins could combine forces to field a single, competitive MLB roster.