2013 Ballpark Visits

I had the chance to visit two Major League ballparks this season, bringing my total to 29. In April, I took a trip to Miami and got to see a game at Marlins Park (above). It's the newest of all the parks and it definitely showed, although the attendance for a Friday night was paltry at best. In September of 2013, I was able to take a long-awaited journey to Portland, Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Washington and Oregon became the 40th and 41st states I have spent time in. Portland blew me away as a city, was not expecting it to be that exciting of a place. Seattle was also a great city, and Safeco Field (below) didn't stand out as much as I had hoped, but was a good place to see a game. Just one more ballpark left-- Tropicana Field, which I hope to check out in 2014! When I finish I'll be sure to rate all 30 parks here in my blog.

2012 Ballpark Visits

In 2012, I got a chance to visit 3 Major League ballparks on 2 separate trips. In April, I spent a week in Arizona and Nevada, and got a chance to see a game at Chase Field (see below).

In September of 2012, I took a trip to Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. This included a game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis (above) and Target Field in Minneapolis (below). Busch Stadium was a nice venue, but Target Field was an absolute gem, one of my top-10 favorite ballparks. I also got a chance to check out the "Field of Dreams" in Dyersville, Iowa, on this trip. It was completely worth the trip and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a remote interest in baseball or the movie.

It was St. Louis that impressed me most as a city in my travels of 2012. Along with Kansas City, it's one of the most underrated cities I've visited in the United States. Missouri as a state definitely surprised me on my two visits there, and I hope to make a return trip to Kansas City and St. Louis in the future.

2011 Ballpark Visits

 In 2011, I took a weeklong trip to Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Kansas City was one of the most underrated cities I have visited. A lot of good BBQ to try, the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, a great brewery in Boulevard, and one of my favorite ballparks in Kauffman Stadium (above).

Texas was a good time as well. I wasn't overly impressed with the Ballpark in Arlington (above) but Minute Maid Park (below) became my favorite of the retractable roof stadiums.

Dream Ride 2013

An article I wrote in August after the conclusion of Dream Ride 2013:

This past weekend, I witnessed pure joy. In one extremely kind act, I was floored by the actions of one man, and the reaction of another. If this is what Dream Ride is all about, I’m hooked. I’m getting ahead of myself though…

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For those of you that don’t know, Dream Ride is a charity event that started in 2001 as a few motorcyclists in Connecticut from Bozzuto’s riding out to raise money for Special Olympics. Bozzuto’s is an independent food distributor in the Northeastern United States. Dream Ride has turned into a huge fundraiser that brought in $520,000 for Special Olympics this year alone. It has expanded from Connecticut to include 10 states and Canada. Dream Ride is a weekend-long event held in CT featuring motorcycles, classic & exotic cars, food, music, and much more. This year was the inaugural Dream Ride Rally, which saw a group of bikers ride from West Palm Beach, FL to Farmington, CT over the course of 8 days and 10 states, leading up to Dream Ride weekend. The Rally alone raised $120,000 of the total for Dream Ride.

Enter Brandon Boterf, a 27-year-old Special Olympic athlete from Wellington, FL. Brandon has both developmental and neuromuscular disorders. This does not keep him from being one of the most knowledgeable people you will ever meet on the subject of cars. If he sees a car, it’s pretty much guaranteed he can name the make and model from memory. At the Kickoff Party for the Dream Ride Rally in West Palm Beach on August 15^th, Brandon got the chance to sit in a few different classic cars, which was so meaningful to him that he was moved to tears. http://youtu.be/4PAcyLLE8eE.

This touched “The Man” behind Dream Ride (he wishes to remain anonymous in this article) so much that he promised on camera that he would get Brandon a ride in a Ferrari. That night, “The Man” handed me the business card of Brandon’s stepfather, Ronnie Wood. He asked that I make sure the contact information got to his assistant so that the Ferrari ride could be set up. Little did I know how soon and on how big of a stage that would happen.

On a side note, Brandon works at a Publix Super Market at home in Florida, often bagging groceries. It is not uncommon for customers to roll their eyes at him, becoming impatient as he tries to do his job right. Brandon just keeps on smiling his thousand-watt smile, and keeps on doing his job. More on this later…

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“Sometimes people do things and they don’t realize the magnitude…it provides so much for these kids that people sometimes don’t even see that.” ~Beth Boterf-Wood

Flash forward six days, as the Dream Ride Rally was making its way through northeast Tennessee on up to Virginia on August 21^st. I’m sitting in the passenger seat of the Sprinter van that was following the motorcycles on their ride. We’re stopped for a minute for construction, which has the road ahead down to one lane. “The Man” behind Dream Ride pulls up alongside the van and gives me the “roll down the window” sign.

“Do you remember the kid from Florida that got emotional when we let him sit in the cars?” “The Man” asked.

“Of course,” I replied. “Brandon. I gave his stepdad’s contact info to Julie so we could set up the Ferrari ride.”

“Well, I want to bring him and his family up to Connecticut for Dream Ride weekend. Can you call him up and invite them? I’ll take care of all of it.”

“Uh… sure!”

Off went “The Man” on his bike, up went the window, and I called Ronnie Wood, Brandon’s stepfather. I left a voicemail explaining that we wanted Brandon up in Connecticut for Dream Ride in less than 2 days, and to please call me back. It was one of the best voicemails I’ve ever left. It would all only get better.

When I got a hold of Mr. Wood shortly thereafter, he seemed even more shocked than I was. He wanted to make sure he understood me correctly, and wasn’t sure that Brandon could make the trip on his own. I told him that “The Man” wasn’t just inviting Brandon; he was inviting Mr. Wood and his wife, Beth, as well. Mr. Wood didn’t know what to say, so he told me he’d check with his wife and Brandon and call me back.

Less than 5 minutes later, I was on the phone with both Mr. and Mrs. Wood, saying how excited Brandon was about the opportunity to come to Connecticut. They told me Brandon could barely speak on the phone when they told him about the invitation.

Brandon and his parents flew from West Palm Beach to Hartford, CT, two days later and were at the Farmington Marriott to welcome in the Dream Ride Rally’s arrival. The Rally group was thrilled to see Brandon, and vice versa. Still, it would all only get better.

The next night, Saturday, August 24^th, was when the magic really happened. The party planned at the Farmington Club had no idea what it was in store for. Hundreds of people filled the big tent, and “The Man” took the stage at 7pm.

“Where’s Brandon?” he boomed over the microphone.

The problem was, 10 minutes earlier Brandon and his parents were waiting for a shuttle at the Farmington Marriott to take them over to the party, which is a 12-minute ride away. Enter Darryl Thomas to the rescue. Darryl is a Bozzuto’s driver who made the trip from Florida to Connecticut and recognized the trio waiting outside the hotel for the shuttle. Darryl had heard a surprise was being planned for 7pm and thought it was going to be cutting it a little close if the group waited for the shuttle. So he had the family hop in his Hummer and sped them over to the Farmington Club. As “The Man” was asking for Brandon over the mic, he was pulling up to the tent in Darryl’s truck, just in the nick of time.

Brandon was already having a good weekend, but it was about get much better. “The Man” announced that courtesy of Peter Castellana, Brandon was going to get a ride not only in a Ferrari, but in the newest, fastest Ferrari model, an F12. Everyone in the tent moved outside to watch Brandon get this chance.

He buckled up, Mr. Castellana started the car, and then it came—pure, unadulterated joy. Brandon wept tears of unbelievable happiness. And I’ll be darned if there was a dry eye in the parking lot. It wasn’t the VIP treatment he received all weekend, it wasn’t being on stage, and it wasn’t the celebrity status that came with being a guest of honor that weekend. No, it was the simple, kind act of letting him sit in his dream car. Brandon got the dream ride of his life, and he showed his thanks without saying a word.

I’d love to show that video to every single person back in Florida and at Publix that has ever grown impatient with or rolled their eyes at Brandon. Show me anything as simply inspiring as this man getting an opportunity to have his dream ride. He smiles through your impatience and rudeness, but is moved to sobbing at the simple kind gesture of a near stranger. If only we could all be wired like that. I’d love to show that video to everyone who is obsessing over Miley Cyrus’ performance and whether Christopher Lane’s murder was racially motivated or not. We’d be worrying a lot less about those things, and a lot more about what we can do to move someone to tears of joy. Let’s not just dream about it, let’s make it happen.

Ballpark #21

I was able to see my beloved Red Sox play the Rockies at Coors Field on June 23rd and 24th, 2010. Coors Field is definitely one of the better ballparks I have been to.

Ballpark #20

On May 11th, 2010, I had a chance to go to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Ballpark #19

I visited the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, home of the Oakland Athletics, on May 7th, 2010.

Freelancing for Inside Lacrosse

Check out my article I wrote for Insidelacrosse.com on the Cornfield Classic Tournament:

Click here

Ballpark #18

I visited Comerica Park in Detroit earlier this month. It is the 18th Major League Baseball park I have been to, out of 30 total. Can't wait to hit up a few more next year.

Campaign Commercial

My first commercial!

Baldness

Yes, I am going bald. It's something that started and been's been getting worse since I graduated college at age 22. At first, I was pretty uncomfortable with it. However, I've pretty much just come to accept it. You need to be able make fun of and laugh at yourself, so I've gotten over it. Plus I just cut my hair as short as I can, or even shave my head. They say your hair genes come from your mother's father, and considering he was bald for as long as I knew him, I'm guessing they must be right. Being bald does have its interesting moments though. Sometimes, people want to put fake tattoos on my head:

My willingness to do this may have had something to do with this being at the Taste of Syracuse, where I had sampled a few wine slushies. However, as for letting people DJ on my head, I have no good excuse:

The Weekend In Review

What a great weekend for my sports teams! The Red Sox swept the Orioles, inching closer to clinching the American League Wild Card and giving themselves a slight chance to catch the Yankees in the East. You have to feel bad for the Orioles, who the Red Sox went 16-2 against this year. Interesting fact: 1956 was the last time the Red Sox won 16 games against the Orioles in one season, and it was also the year of the Orioles biggest comeback in a game in the team's history, which was against (you guessed it) the Red Sox. That is, it was their biggest comeback until (you guessed it again) this year against the Red Sox. I was at that game on June 30th in Baltimore, and it was awful, as the Red Sox led 10-1 in the middle of the seventh and lost 11-10 in nine innings. I'm hoping the Sox are within three or four games of the Yankees come Friday night when they head to the Bronx. If they are, a three-game sweep would put them right back in contention for the division title.

Also, it was a much better weekend for my football fandom. Notre Dame held on for a close victory at home over Michigan State. It was the first time since 1993 that the Irish defeated the Spartans at home. The Syracuse Orange, led by Syracuse native and quarterback Greg Paulus, earned their first victory of the season at home over Northwestern. I was at the game, and let me tell you, the home field advantage the Carrier Dome provided in the 80's and 90's is coming back. People are excited about the new coach and hometown boy playing quarterback. And today, my Buffalo Bills held on (unlike last week) for a big win at home over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It's going to be tough next week, as the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints comes to Orchard Park.

More Ballparks

Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds)

Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians)

Turner Field (Atlanta Braves)

(The New) Yankee Stadium

Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia)

Citi Field (New York Mets)

Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)

All photos by John Crisafulli.

Ballparks

AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants)

Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays)

PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Petco Field (San Diego Padres)

Dodger Stadium

All photos by John Crisafulli.

Panoramic Shots of Ballparks

I've been trying out the panoramic feature on the camera lately, and it works really well in stadiums.

Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers)

U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)

Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)

Above and below are Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Above and below are Nationals Park.

2010 Red Sox Schedule Announced

I know it's a ways off, and I still have September and hopefully playoffs in October to get through, but the 2010 Red Sox schedule was announced today. For those of you that don't know, I'm trying to go to all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, and I try to see the Red Sox when I travel to a new one. I've been to 17 of the 30 stadiums so far, with a possible 18th in Detroit in a couple weeks. 11 of those 17 trips have involved seeing the Red Sox play.

Keeping that theme in mind for next year, I am going to try to make it to Denver, Colorado for the Rockies-Red Sox series (see Coors Field in the picture above) from June 22-24, and to California for the A's-Red Sox game in Oakland on July 20th or 21st and the Angels-Red Sox game in Anaheim (see Angel Stadium of Anaheim in the picture below) on July 26th. That will also involve seeing my brother, Paulie, who lives in San Diego and whose birthday is July 23rd. Thank you Major League Baseball for such good scheduling!

Part of the reason I started this blog is because of the trip I took to California this past May. I flew out of New York City, where earlier in the day I had seen a Mets game, proceeded to San Francisco where I saw a Giants game at AT&T Park, drove down the coast to Los Angeles for a visit to Dodger Stadium and then on to San Diego for a Padres game at Petco Field. On the drive back from JFK Airport in New York to Syracuse, I caught a Yankees game at their new stadium. It was the best trip I ever took other than maybe when I went to Ireland in 2003 (I promise I did a lot more in California than go to baseball games). That trip definitely inspired me to get back to California as soon as possible to visit, and to see Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels games as well. If you've never been to California, you're missing out, and if you live there, you don't know how lucky you are. Or maybe you do.

Coors Field photo by John Maushammer, courtesy of wikipedia.org.

Anaheim Stadium Photo courtsey of vbseo.com.

Bad Football Weekend

Overall, it was a very productive weekend for my dad's campaign, but a horrible weekend for my football teams. Both Notre Dame and the Buffalo Bills blew late-game leads and lost to major rivals, the Michigan Wolverines and the New England Patriots, respectively. Oh well, shouldn't be long before Charlie Weis is fired as coach of the Irish. Tate Forcier is going to amazing for Michigan, especially if he stays around for four years. It probably won't be much longer before T.O. is complaining about not getting enough balls thrown his way in Buffalo. Maybe he shouldn't have dropped that easy pass in the first half tonight. I really thought that Bills had it wrapped up for their first win over the Patriots since 2003.

On a positive sports note, my Red Sox swept the Rays this weekend and are now 4 1/2 games up in the Wild Card race. Now if only they could catch those Yankees.

Sweet Home Chicago

From September 1-6, I was in Chicago. I had been before a few times, but that was several years ago. This time, I got the chance to go to a game at both Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field. Wrigley Field was absolutely amazing. If you're a baseball fan, it's the place to be. It's definitely right up there with, if not better than, my beloved Fenway in Boston.

While in the Windy City, I also made it to the top of the Hancock Building, took a boat tour of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, walked around Millenium and Grant Parks, spent time at some good watering holes in Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park, and ate great food. Make sure to check out Ian's Pizza in Wrigleyville and Harry Caray's Restaurant in the River North area of downtown for good eats, whether you live in Chicago or are planning a visit. Also definitely give Goose Island beer a try--- their 312 Urban Wheat is really tasty.

I also got the chance to take a trip to Milwaukee for the day when I was there. It was my first time in Wisconsin. The Lakefront Brewery's Pumpkin Ale is definitely worth a try, and Miller Park (home of the Milwaukee Brewers) is also a great destination. It was only my second baseball stadium with a retractable roof, and it definitely beats my first which was the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

On The Campaign Trail

As some of you may know, I have been working as a campaign manager the last few weeks. My father (also John Crisafulli), is running for Onondaga County Court Judge here in the Syracuse area. Check out the website at www.citizensforcrisafulli.com. You can also follow the campaign on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jscforjudge or Facebook by joining the group John Crisafulli for County Court Judge.

If you live in Onondaga County, please make sure you are registered to vote so you can do so on November 3rd. Any help with the campaign, financially or otherwise would be a great help.

These pictures are of my father--- the first with N.Y. Governor David Paterson and the second with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, both taken at the New York State Fair.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog! I figured with all of the traveling and such that I've been doing it would be a good idea to start this up. Plus it will keep me in practice of writing and posting videos and pictures. Stay tuned for more.