Month: July 2017

After arriving in Key West FL. last night I couldn’t help but think about my experience at the game. Maybe more about what could become of the area surrounding the stadium(therefore bettering the game for everyone). I came up with several things that could be done to improve the experience.  Here’s the thing, It would be a challenge for sure, “but if I had the power”, (and there are people that do). (1) I would buy up every available piece of property surrounding that park .(2) I’d put a sign on every household in that neighborhood saying you were hiring,(I did this when I was trying to build my Landscaping business in Missoula MT. 35 years ago).   The difference is , I was telling people that  I was looking for work and I was giving free estimates, same difference. It worked.  (3)Hire everyone that applied. (4) Start clearing every lot that you just bought,(the tax breaks alone would be monstrous).  (5) Gut all the properties you just bought. Those people living there would be proud of their neighborhood.(which is not to say that they are not already). (6)Take the top floor of that parking garage and build restaurants up there. Its not getting a whole lot of use right now.(7) embrace the community. They deserve it, and in the end it will be a smart business move in more ways than you know.(8)Pay them cash every day on time.(that money will go right back into the hood).(9) Give the kids in the neighborhood free tickets to EVERY home game. All they have to do is show up and walk in. What a concept. (no one is using those seats anyway). That’s how you build a fan base. I did not see one hotel even remotely close to that Facility. What!! Seriously! Major Hotels would be in line to sign up. Your work force is right there waiting. I’ve worked in Hotels and restaurants. I’ve done all kinds of labor jobs before.  Its honest work. Marlins Park could be the envy of The League. Or not.  What they are doing isn’t working very well.

I am a Fan. Thanks for reading.

-John Kelly

Arrived in Key West FL. about 9p.m. on this Sunday evening the 30th day of July. Earlier in the day I was at the Miami Marlins game and thought I would be lucky to get here(in Key West) by tonight. The timing was perfect as far as missing the rain. It really does take nearly three and a half hours to go 165 miles from Miami to get here. It was a nice drive.

Earlier today when I arrived at the baseball game as in the past I’ve just walked up and asked someone if they might have a extra ticket for sale. Today the first person I asked said no, not for sale, but that he would just give me an extra one that he had. I took the ticket and said thanks. Little did I know at the time (because he had not said anything about where it was), but the ticket was the best seat in the house. Row A, Seat 6. Directly behind the Cincinnati Reds dugout. It was just me and the field in front of me. I could not have asked for a better seat. As far as going to a Major League Game, It may never get that good again. I’ve saved all my tickets from all the games but when I look at this ticket again it will make me smile just a little bit more. Cincinnati wins 6-4.

The ballpark was nice. They all are. Every Park is unique in its own way. The issue with Miami is they don’t get that many people to show up for their games. The Marlins are last in the league in attendance. Their estimated payroll is $105 million a year and every year they are dead last in attendance. Just walking around the park before I went in I could see why. Nothing! Nothing to do, no where to go, nothing to see. This is the first ballpark where there was absolutely nothing going on outside the stadium.  Its not inviting. People will never flock to a place like that. Why would they. Oh and one other thing, “they” (The Marlins) are for sale last time I checked.  $1.4 billion as of  Feb. 2017.

Thanks for reading,

-John Kelly

P.S. Thanks again for the ticket Bob H.

After spending last night in New Smyrna Beach FL. (Great conversations with relatives over a good meal and more than one beer).  It was on to Miami.  30 miles from my destination I went through the worst rain storm that I’ve ever experienced before. “THUNDER” (louder than people screamed when O.J. was acquitted). Traffic stopped on the interstate in a matter of seconds because of no visibility . Then Noah’s Ark appeared…(I was just trying to explain how much rain came down). LOL! It was a lot!!  But seriously it was something that I hadn’t experienced before. Thank god.(it ended) No pun intended. I hope I’m never in a car again when something like that happens. LOL!!  A person can see funny things when there life is about to pass in front of them.( I thought I saw a big boat with a lot of animals on it). I was just trying to see the car in front of me, it had no break lights apparently. To the side of the road I limped and got under a overpass with every car that could manage to squeeze under there. Truly frightening. So close and yet so far away from my intended destination. Then off to my left I saw it… blue sky!!. I new I would see the sun come up tomorrow. How quickly thankful I became.

Thanks for reading.

-John Kelly

Arrived in Florida an hour ago. If you ever want to buy a car this might be the place to do it. Listening to the radio after awhile can be a little monotonous. You tend to pick up on little things. In this case the never ending ads to try and sell you a car. “If you have a pulse” the commercial says “we can get you into a brand new car”. “If you can fog up a mirror, we can get you into a brand new car”. In other words, your qualified! The U.S. has an influx of brand new cars and Florida is looking to sell you one. I remember when I was a young adult. There was now way I would have been able to get a brand new car. Times change. Another thing, don’t speed in Georgia. I lost count of the highway patrol cars I saw pulling people over. Crazy! Also they still like the song “driving my Life away” by Eddie Rabbit. I heard the song 3 times in an hour and a half. Granted I was radio surfing quite a bit. Or maybe they were just trying to tell me something.  6100 miles I’ve driven since leaving Missoula Mt. twenty-four days ago.

Eleven games at 10 stadiums in 24 days.  I’m trying to keep my hotdog intake down, but there’s always pizza at the games and it always seems to taste good!(I’m smiling).

Just a side note, In the conversations I’ve had with people who work in concessions at the games I would have thought(being a kid from Montana)that they would have loved there jobs, being able to go and see a Major League baseball game for free and work at the same time in that environment. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most of them just want to get done as fast as they can and go home. When I was younger going to a big league game for me was a big deal. So much so that I remember it so well. So many great memories. That however is not the case in this day and age. Players rarely have much loyalty to cities and teams. Owners see the players as commodities to be bought and sold. Think back thirty years. How times have changed. For me the goal is still the same. To be able to see as many ballparks at the Major League level as I can. The last 10 games have also shown me that loyalty from the fans to the players is stronger than the owners to the fans or the players. Watch the movie “A Bronx Tale” sometime. Some lessons about life can be learned.

I’m learning everyday.

Thanks, John Kelly

Left Washington D.C. this morning at about 10:30am.  490 miles later I arrived in Columbia S.C.  In 1984 I went to basic training and AIT Schooling here. I always wanted to come back if only for a day to see what had become of Ft. Jackson. Tomorrow I’ll drive onto the base and look around at the piece of land that gave me such nightmares years later when in dreams I thought I had mistakenly re-enlisted. Oh its funny now!! LOL!

The next baseball stadium I hope to see is in Miami FL. on either Friday or Saturday most likely.  635 miles away. One day at a time. The Atlanta Braves are not playing at home until Tuesday August 1st.  The Tampa Bay Rays are not at home until Friday August 4th.  It would be nice to see both of those ballparks.

Thanks for reading,   – John Kelly

After seeing a small part of Washington D.C. the past two days its back to baseball tonight. The Nationals are home taking on the Brewers from Milwaukee. Game time 7:05 p.m.

I’d like to think I saw a lot of D.C., but the truth is there is so much to see. A brief summary, The White house and The Pentagon were smaller than I thought they would be. The U.S. Capitol is pretty much what I had figured.  The Lincoln Memorial and The Washington Memorial were spot on. The Watergate Buildings and The Jefferson Memorial  just happen to be there when we were  driving by and the UBER driver  pointed them out. Sometimes life works out that way. The Supreme Court Building is intimidating looking. My guess is, that’s what was intended.

Tomorrow maybe I’ll keep going south. Right now I’m heading to the game.

Till next time….

Arrived in Washington D.C. yesterday. Decided to go to the Lincoln Memorial and as I was walking to the Washington Memorial I was caught in a rain storm that bordered on biblical.  Absolutely drenched. People were trying to take shelter anywhere they could to no avail. There’s never a cab when you need one. LOL!  A hot shower never felt so good.

Woke up today and was considering how spectacular skydiving would be if I could do it over the City of D.C. Upon further investigation I found out that the closest place would be 72 miles away and that all of a sudden didn’t seem as attractive anymore. They call the place DC Skydiving Center.( Almost,Kindalikemaybejustalittlefalsehoodkindathing) if you know what I mean. Kinda:) LOL!  Having skydived in Zephyrhills Florida years back I didn’t feel the urge quite as bad the 2nd time around.

Looking forward to seeing more of Washington today. The Washington Nationals don’t play until tomorrow night.

thanks for reading, -John Kelly

P.S. I know I’m not grammatically perfect. Its O.K. 🙂

A somewhat early start out of Cleveland yesterday. I knew if I was going to get to Philadelphia for the game last night I would have to travel 455 miles to check in to my hotel and get to the game on time. As it turned out there was a slight rain delay.(The game started at 7:30 pm.) I got there just after it started and picked up a cheap ticket. When teams are struggling in the win column(Philadelphia is 33-62) the worst record in M.L.B. It usually reflects in the attendance. That was very apparent last night. No matter though. I was looking forward to seeing the game and the ball park.

Today its off to Washington D.C.  Tuesday night The Washington Nationals are hosting The Milwaukee Brewers. This trip is so much about positive momentum moving forward for me. I have no clue where I’ll be after that. I’ll just keep going. The unknown is something that can be uncomfortable some for people. On this day at this moment I seem to be O.K. with it. Heading for wild blue yonder’s and amber waves of grain. A need to see the ocean is never far from my mind either.

-John Kelly

Beautiful City. Might be the best city I’ve been in so far. The restaurants, the bars, and the experience. All cities have their night life areas by the Pro Sports Venues. Its a big part of a downtown area. If you are going to support a major sports team then you have to be able to have what people are looking for. Some cities have not been able to do this and some have said they are not willing to keep trying(i.e. San Diego)just to name one. Cleveland on the other hand has made the statement that their teams are important to them. It has worked for Cleveland.

Major League Baseball has provided them with 81 home games every year. The Cleveland Browns have 8 homes games every year. I haven’t even touched on the Cleveland Cavaliers yet. 41 regular season home games every year. I’m not even talking about playoff possibilities. Oh, and the concerts and special events that take place (all the time), and all over the downtown area. Cleveland has figured it out. They have embraced it. I almost forgot, Cleveland wins 13-3 tonight.

You may not appreciate what comes with being a major city in this country. Cleveland does. They have embraced it. I am a small town guy. I appreciate that. Sometimes however it helps to see these big cities and be able to see life from there perspective as well.

I am off to Philadelphia tomorrow…, I think.

Game time sun. is 1:35 p.m.

Glad to be in Cleveland on this Thursday afternoon. I can see the Ballpark from outside my hotel room window on the 6th floor.

I’m staying at the Radisson Hotel.  As it turns out “Queen” is in concert tomorrow night across the street at Quicken Loans Arena. So suffice to say I was very fortunate to get this room for 2 night in a row. A walk in the city tonight and a chance to relax is something I’m looking forward too.