Centerfield

You know, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It certainly wasn't nice. But I liked it better than Miami. So that's something. We decided to drive to the game from San Francisco. The BART would have been a shorter ride, and it takes you directly to the game, but my kids were wiped out from sightseeing and I figured they could use the nap in the car. Turned out ok. The mid-week crowd was pretty small, and it took less than 40 minutes from downtown SF to the Coliseum. We sat along the third base line, 10th row. Tickets were really cheap on StubHub. Food was your average stadium fare. I tried to check out what the locals were drinking, but everyone had plastic cups. Seems like there was no local beer of choice. Lots of Bud, Coors, Stellas for the fancy ones. It seems like much more of a blue-collar crowd. There was no big, central team store. Just a bunch of smaller stores scattered around the stadium, and the selection was small. We were looking around to see if maybe we could get a Familia shirsey for the kids, but they had nothing available. No Rickey shirseys either, just autographed game-worn jerseys for several hundred dollars. The crowd was great. Even though the A's fell behind early, most of them stayed and cheered. The guys sitting around us were lifers, and come to about 10 games each year. Great conversation. We exchanged Rickey stories and bonded over our hatred of the Yankees. It seems like the temperature in Oakland is typically a bit warmer than it is in SF. So overall it was a nice, pleasant night. I wrote on FaceBook that the Coliseum hosts MLB and serves beer, which makes it one of the top 30 places on Earth. I'll add that it's also an outdoor stadium, and everyone there hates the Yankees. So in my book, it moves up a few notches. The fans there seem not at all bitter about their small payroll, or their crumbling home field. They do seem excited when you talk about the new stadium, but not in a "it's about time" way, but more of a "it'll be great if it happens" type of attitude. Overall, it was a fun time. I'll go back to Oakland any day.

Excited to be making our first visit this coming Labor Day weekend. We'll be rooting for the Mets on that Saturday game. Would love any suggestions from those who have visited. I've heard great things about this ballpark and am very much looking forward to visiting.

I figured since the new ballpark is years away, the Coliseum should get its own thread. We will be there the last week of August to root for Jeurys Familia. Any tips from those who have been there? I got tickets along the third baseline. I guess, if you can all it that. I saw pictures of the ballpark and it looks like the seats are about a half mile away from the field. Gotta love those cookie cutter round stadiums.

Edgy MD wrote: That's so much better, it's stupid. Gotta allow the kids a little more initiative too. And an opportunity to be on to the plan before everybody else, but nobody listens to kids. We should have written this damn script.

In the final battle, there is a great moment where Mr. Incredible tries to help Obnoxious Man. Obnoxious Man says no thanks old man, I work alone. Mr. Incredible sighs and says "Where have I heard that before?"

I mean, as a general rule, I have an issue with sequels that pick up immediately after the first one ends. If conflict is immediately presented, then doesn't it take away from the resolution reached at the end of the original? I don't understand why sequels to super hero movies are so hard to write. My five minute suggestion: Movie picks up after super heroes are welcomed back into society. Everyone is happy. Except that there is an obnoxious Super Hero who is cocky, plays it up for the camera, and is entertaining thoughts of running for office. He's doing so well there are whispers that he is setting up his own crimes to make himself look better. But it's ok and everyone deals. Until one day Edna goes missing. The family follows clues that lead to mysterious characters, and eventually the villain's lair. Their fears are confirmed and it's apparent that Obnoxious Man is indeed setting up all of his own crimes. The family gets ready to take him down until they finally find Edna. She has transformed her cell into a posh spa, because she's Edna. She tells them that it's not Obnoxious Man, but his unassuming sidekick that has set this all up to eventually take over Obnoxious Man's role. Edna was kidnapped because she happened upon his scheme. Sidekick is carrying out the plan for Obnoxious Man's demise right now. If they hurry, they can stop him. Edna reveals that she has secretly planted a booby trap in Sidekick's uniform, but to trigger it the family must get close to him in proximity. Big explosive finale scene where they take down the Sidekick, Obnoxious Man and Mr. Incredible work side by side and bond, and the whole family saves the day. Everyone lives happily ever after.

I found it pretty disappointing. The original was one of my favorite Pixar films, and a pretty neat movie from beginning to end. This one not so much. You're right, a lot of this was the exact same movie as the first, except not nearly as well done. Badly needed an editor as some of the scenes in the middle dragged. The plot twist is evident from the very beginning, and much of the humor is slapstick and centered around the baby.

Thought it was fun. Not as good as Rogue One. Better than Last Jedi.

Also, I don't know why they stop the track during Sweet Caroline to allow the crowd to sing "ba ba ba". No need to do that at all. And stopping the track makes it sound forced.

Was cold.

Just saw this. I thought it was very good, and definitely a story that needed to be told. Without reading through this thread, I thought that the Glenn moment was a bit much too, and found myself googling immediately to fact check. Turns out the conversation was spot on, and the "Have the girl check it" was nearly word for word. Most accounts say though, that it wasn't moments before liftoff as the film would have you believe. I agree that the racism/sexism they faced in the movie was cartoonishly overt. I would guess the actual racism/sexism they faced in segregated Virginia was also cartoonishly overt. And in some cases, probably much worse than depicted in the film. Minorities/women/gays often chuckle when whites/males/straight people are shocked by prejudice. "Does this type of thing really happen?" All the time folks. All the time. But that's the challenge to a filmmaker. Make the racism subtle and you do minorities a disservice. Make it more blatant and risk scores of people writing it off as unrealistic.

THE DEFINITIVE REPORT ON GLOBE LIFE PARK IN ARLINGTON Went there with the family for the first weekend of the season. The park is just ok. It was built in the early 90's, so the seats are not angled in toward the mound like they are in the newer stadiums. We sat out along the RF line and ended up having to look over our neighbor's shoulder the whole time. If I went again, I'd sit high, but try to sit somewhere in the infield. Nothing really special about the ballpark, but it's a nice place to watch a game. The parking situation sucks when you consider there is nothing around this for miles, and it's Texas, and you figure there's all the space in the world. Go early because it will take longer to get a spot than you think. Everyone there is super friendly. Basically they hate the Yankees and Red Sox, but they're ok with Mets fans. We bought gear for the game and wore it around for the rest of our trip to Dallas. (Rule is we can do this when we visit AL Teams, NL teams are still sworn enemies). You would think there would be cool BBQ places and stuff like that, but it was just standard ballpark fare. Everyone said to get the funnel cake. It was just ok. Maybe even disappointing. This was delicious though. The locals all love it. They call it Vitamin Z. When a Ranger hits a home run, they shoot off fireworks and these girls with flags run back and forth. I guess the score doesn't count. The Rangers were down by a lot but it still didn't stop them. Ranger Captain is their mascot. Some sort of horse. He sucks. He was in our section and my kids asked for a pic. He said he'd come right back but never did. Dickhead. Cool moment. Ms. Field and Even Shorter Center made it to the Jumbotron. Forgot what song they were dancing to, but it was fun. Anyway, definitely worth a trip if you are in the area, but it won't make anyone's list of favorites.

So let's predict the demise of this franchise. Black Panther 2 will be met with initial enthusiasm and do well on its first weekend. Then crowds will thin as it becomes obvious that the plot sucks and this is a terrible movie. Debates will rage whether we have a social responsibility to support the movie anyway, or whether we should recognize it for the subpar movie it is. Black Panther 3 will have early obstacles as none of the original cast will sign on to return. The resulting movie thus becomes a prequel, and though better than 2, it will fail to live up to the success of the first one. Black Panther 4 will be a comedy. Kevin Hart is cast as the Black Panther. He now has a sidekick named "White Hippo". Played by Kevin James.

I've resigned myself to the fact that nothing good will be left alone. If a movie kicks ass, they will make sequels until you can't stand it anymore. And when the sequels run their course, they will re-boot, or re-make it. And then more sequels, etc. Look at how right they got everything with Lord of the Rings. Consolidating that massive work into three movies. Terrific job. And then they went and made a thousand Hobbit movies.

I think we need to hear more about this conference.

Thanks guys! All I know of Dealey Plaza is that it's where Kennedy was shot. Worth the trip?

We'll be seeing the World Champion Astros during their first homestand this year. Has anyone been to Minute Maid? Suggestions? Do's and Don'ts? Recommendations on the best beer?

Going to take the kids to Texas for Easter Break. Perfect time to see the Texas stadiums. We'll start with Globe Life Park in Arlington Saturday, March 31. Anyone been there? Suggestions?

Frayed Knot wrote: Meh I wonder if these responses correlate to how much a viewer falls in love with Gal Gadot.

1. Shea 2. Citi 3. YS II 4. YS III 5. Three Rivers 6. Olympic Stadium 7. Camden Yards 8. Fenway 9. Citizen's Bank 10. Marlins Park 11. Wrigley Field 12. PNC 13. Busch Stadium 14. Dodgers Stadium 15. Angels Park 16. Petco Park

Terrific write up. Agreed on almost everything. A few thoughts of my own: 1. The traffic is just so bad. We left early to try to get there on time and still didn't make first pitch. We asked our cab driver to let us off so we could walk. Getting out is also bad. 2. The yellow seats are kinda jarring on TV but more so in person. I know it's part of the classic look. But it's still strikes me as odd. 3. Was really disappointed by the Dodger dog. Wish I had read the review here first. Spent the first half of the dog thinking "WTF, it's just a hot dog". Second half "but you know, not a bad dog". Drank an Estrella Jalisco. 24 ounce can. 4. When you're sitting in those seats, you can almost hear Vin calling the game in your head.

Yeah, the only thing that sucks is the name. Suggested names that are way better: 1. Jack Murphy Stadium II 2. The Place Where Bartolo Went Deep Stadium

It's funny that as of right now, the OTRA Forum has three threads, PNC, Camden Yards, then Petco. Of all of the road stadiums I've seen, this is exactly how I would rank them.

Definitely one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, stadium in MLB. Stayed in downtown Pittsburgh. On the advice of metfairy, we walked across the bridge to get to the game. Highly recommend it. It's a terrific experience. Walk back too. All seats are great, but if you sit along the third base line, you can enjoy the skyline behind you as you watch the game. Simply breathtaking. Regretfully, we didn't leave ourselves enough time before the game, but the area surrounding the park has great food that we would have loved to have tried. The locals say that the food in the park is crap. And many echoed BG's assessment above. We drank I.C. Light. Pretty sure IC stands for Iron City. Comes in a black and yellow can. It was just ok. Nothing special, but when in Rome... I also recommend going when Jacob deGrom pitches a gem and returning hero Neil Walker hits 2 HR's. Makes the experience all the more better.

Petco is terrific. Another of these new ballparks that makes game-watching an incredible experience. We sat along the left field line and had a perfect view of the action (it's astonishing to me that it took 100 years for architects to start angling the seats toward the pitcher's mound). We walked around the field and there doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. Beautiful views of the Coronado Bridge remind you a bit of PNC. Where to Stay: the park is in downtown San Diego. If you can stay in the Gaslamp District, it's an easy walk. Area is terrific. We were there when the Dodgers were in town, so it was overrun with LA people, but it's lively and fun. Before the Game: Get there early. Go visit the park/picnic area. It's great for kids. Plenty of room to throw a ball around before the game. My son brought his glove, but I wish I had brought mine and a ball. How often can you play catch at an MLB game? There is a mini-baseball field where kids play wiffle ball, a picnic area, and lots of other fun activities for the kids. Highly recommend checking it out. Check out the Tony Gwynn statue and practice talking in his voice. What we ate: Hodad's. It's a burger joint famous in San Diego. I guess it's kinda like their version of Shake Shack. It was ok. Got the bacon burger. The bacon was too crunchy for my taste, but worth trying. The garlic fries were pretty good. What we drank: Iron Fist IPA. Pretty good. Might have drank a few of these. Had another local brew as well but can't remember what it was. One thing that is strange about the Padres. They have been so fluid with their colors that it has really diluted the spirit of comraderie between their fans. It's striking when you see waves of LA fans wearing Dodger blue. Meanwhile SD fans wear brown and yellow, navy and silver, navy and orange, camo, desert camo, and brown and orange. Pick a color SD, then stick with it. My daughter is collecting those ice cream helmets from every stadium we visit. The helmet of choice was brown and yellow.