I didn’t think I would be following up on that Mariners trip with another one so quickly. But here I am!
I had no plans on going to another game, especially since I had crossed the stadium in the 2024 season. But there I was in 2025 with another opportunity and many hours to kill, so I went with my coworkers to watch another Mariners game. I am not one to complain about seeing more baseball. And this night was a lot of fun.
Ignore the thumb. I was taking sneaky photos of dogs!
The start it off, it was Bark at the Park night! Dogs are allowed in the stadium if you can’t infer from the title. There were a lot of cute dogs. Let me tell you!
With this added opportunity to see T-Mobile Park, I could walk around more and get better angles of the stadium.
There is a gorgeous baseball bay chandelier as you enter behind the home plate gate. It isn’t gaudy or ostentatious. It feels appropriate. They almost look like snowflakes against the stark, dark ceiling and surroundings.
This time around, I had a truly great view of the game. Not that I didn’t have a great view before, but this view offered me a new perspective. We were positioned behind the Seattle dugout, and when the lighting was just right, I could snag a shot with the city skyline over left field.
I will keep this one brief so there will be more photos and less expounding on my trip. Except when it comes to the dogs!
I was trying to snag as many dog photos as I could. There were dogs in jerseys, dogs in hats, and dogs wearing scarves. It was so damn cute.
Then they started the “Simba Cam” and I couldn’t put my phone done. If you’re unfamiliar with Simba, he’s from The Lion King, and there is a scene at the beginning of the movie where Rafiki holds up the next king – a lion cub, Simba. He shows him off to the entire animal kingdom, and it’s a fantastic scene when you couple that with the music from Hans Zimmer and Elton John. But you knew all of that. I’m now only adding words to increase my word count for this piece…even though I just said I wouldn’t write as much this time. My bad.
Here are dog photos:
Gah!! Too cute!
Once the dog-centric things subsided, it was back to baseball. The Trashtros took the lead late in the game, and Seattle could not string together hits to save their life. But save their life, they did! They scored two runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to retake the lead and closed it out in the 9th. Exciting baseball!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Salmon Run or Mariner Moose again. So, here they are in photo form:
Overall, it was another successful baseball stadium trip.
There really wasn’t any reason for me to write about Seattle again except for the dogs I saw, and I got a clear picture of Mariner Moose this time. They also had the roof closed, a first for me in a place not named Tampa or Arizona.
Seattle is a nice stadium, and I wrote about it twice.
In many ways, the fans of Seattle-based sports teams have had a fairly charmed existence. The Seahawks have won a Super Bowl in the last 15 years and have been to three this century. The Sounders have won two MLS Cups and have been to four cup finals since 2016. The Storm have won four WNBA titles in four WNBA Finals appearances. The most recent coming in 2020. The Reign have finished as NWSL runners-up three times. The Kraken has breathed new life into the PNW fan base, giving the NHL another foothold in Cascadia.
Then comes the bad stuff. Two teams share heartbreak and heartache.
The SuperSonics, the team that was ripped away from the Seattle faithful and sent to Oklahoma City, could not have been more popular, but it didn’t matter.
The Mariners. The only team in Major League Baseball to have never appeared in the World Series. If you’re not really a baseball fan, this might shock you. This means that teams like the Rockies, Rays, and Angels have all made appearances (and won, in the case of the 2002 Angels) despite their history of underperforming. Sorry to those three fan bases catching strays here. But it is what it is.
The 2001 Mariners finished with an MLB-best record of 116 wins and 46 losses. Yet when it came to the postseason, they faltered. Losing to the Yankees in the ALCS 4-1. It took them until 2022 to make it back to the postseason. They have been mired in mediocrity for the better part of two decades.
This is not to say that they have been irrelevant. Far from it. Felix Hernandez dominated on the mound. Ichiro flashed his bat and glove, wearing a Mariners jersey for over a decade. “The Kid,” aka Ken Griffey Jr., dazzled with his signature swing. Randy Johnson struck fear into the hearts of batters with his vicious fastball. Recently, Julio Rodriguez took up residence as the new superstar of the city.
On the night I was in town, so were the hated New York Yankees.
T-Mobile Park is a fairly easy ballpark to visit. You can easily reach the stadium if you hop on the Link light rail train. In fact, these directions apply to you even if you were going to see the Sounders or Seahawks play, too. T-Mobile Park is directly across the street from Lumen Field. If you time it right, you will only have to follow the throngs of other baseball fans to the stadium. No thinking is required.
Look at the sparkle on these shoes!
Arriving at the game early allowed me to walk around the stadium, where I looked for the team store to buy my obligatory pin and other merchandise. As you can see from the photos above, the Mariners are wearing their “City Connect” jerseys. This is a way for Nike to sell more jerseys and merch. That’s all it is. Boy, did it work on me. I bought a hat and a pin with the royal blue and black color scheme. Sorry, not sorry.
After making a lap around the concourse, I zeroed in on some traditional ballpark food: a dog, a beer, and a pretzel. Out of all the stadiums I’ve been to recently, I was most impressed by the food options at T-Mobile Park. I was so impressed that I went with the most pedestrian of options for a baseball game: SMDH.
The game was on its way to being a blowout by the 4th inning. The Yankees assumed control by a 6-1 margin and did not let up. They eventually won the game 11-2. The highlight, for me, came when I least expected it. The outfield gates opened during a break in the action, and four anthropomorphic fish walked onto the warning track. The Salmon Run was happening!
I have mentioned how much I love mascots, and tonight was no exception.
As it stands, there are four salmon that run the race. There is King, Sockeye, Silver, and Humpy (pictured above). This race was the most exciting thing I had seen all night. I was surrounded by Yankee fans, and their cheering grew tiresome. I wanted them to be humbled. The Salmon Run allowed me a brief bit of relief from their cheering so I could give it my all and cheer on the lovable Humpy. Like the team he supports, he did not win.
Back to the game, it was over before I knew it. The stadium is beautiful, though. The sightlines are solid. They did a nice job laying out the field and spacing the concourses. It’s a shame that the stadium’s upper deck was not more full. I can see it when the fans’ energy is palpable, and their cheering can sometimes be deafening. Seattle is known for passionate fans. The team on the field just needs to be good enough to bring them all in.
I can’t wait to go back. It’s a great stadium and fanbase that deserves to host a World Series.
I found these seats on the secondary market, and it was a deal I could not pass up.
Also, look at this view! The sun was out on this Sunday afternoon as the Pirates took on the Braves, but I was lathered up with sunscreen. Protect your skin!
Staying downtown is ideal when going to a Pirates (or Steelers or Penguins) game. The city is very walkable, and the walk to PNC Park is an experience in itself.
The city shuts down automobile traffic on the Roberto Clemente Bridge and the Andy Warhol Bridge, which extends out to the outdoor arenas. This way, you can walk on the road to the game.
PNC Park from downtown
The walk back via Roberto Clemente Bridge
I have a brother-in-law from Pittsburgh. He won’t shut up about Yuengling. I’ve had it before and enjoy it when I can. Naturally, I had a tall boy. It did not disappoint.
I don’t recall the final score, but it was not a forgettable game. Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL again. You never want to see a player get injured. You want them at their best (and then for your team to win).
This injury quieted the entire crowd. Even before he walked off the field, I could tell that it was serious. The way he writhed on the ground indicated that it was not good. Thankfully, he has recovered and should be on the field this season.
After the injury, the mood lifted a bit, and baseball was played.
I love mascots!
If you didn’t know, I was the mascot at my university. I was Bucky the Bronco at Santa Clara University from 2007 to 2009. So whenever I see one, I get excited. It’s a lot of work! Those suits are not air conditioned. At least, I don’t think that they are…
They do a lot of crowd work, and it’s under-appreciated by adults. Do you think dancing as an anthropomorphic horse, parrot, or elephant is easy??? No! Appreciate your mascots! That’s all I ask.
Bae is life
The stadium is gorgeous. The Pittsburgh skyline beyond the outfield is stunning, as is the experience of getting to the stadium. There are great sight lines, and there are ample food and drink options. It is just too bad that the organization that runs the team is the exact opposite of the stadium. Pirates fans deserve better owners and operators.
Hope springs eternal for all 30 Major League Baseball teams in 2025. I hope that one team in particular adds to their legacy.
My beloved Los Angeles Dodgers clawed back in Game 5 to beat the Bronx Bombers, the New York Yankees. It was an epic performance of resilience, grit, and determination. It also was an epic collapse.
So, I figured I’d write a post (yes, I can literally see the last time I wrote something was in March) about baseball.
This will be the first in a series that will have me look at a different stadium from around the league. I, like many other people, am trying to see them all.
Thanks to my job in the airline industry, I can visit more parks and get “paid” to do it. I put paid in quotes because it’s just a per diem at that point, so the pay is minimal.
Leading off this series is Tropicana Field. Home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
I had always read about The Trop, as it’s casually referred to, in the most dire of terms. “Dilapodated”, “Run Down”, and “Archaic” were words that were thrown around. Let me tell you, it’s not that bad! I’ve been to the Oakland Coliseum (RIP Oakland A’s- FJF), and The Trop is much more comfortable.
I ended up seeing the Rays vs the Mets. It was a tight affair, highlighted by a comeback and then a walk-off.
Admittedly, I did not have much time to explore the stadium. I showed up in the 4th inning because the stadium is a bit of a drive from the Tampa airport. Regardless, everything that I saw was well-maintained. The folks working the entry, concessions, and team store were also very kind and helpful.
After the win, I went to the team store to score some swag. I am an avid pin collector and needed a new pin to add to my collection. The Rays had worn their “City Connect” uniforms at this game. The uniform features a black background highlighted by neon blues, purples, and greens. They also have this siiiick devil ray riding a skateboard.
The idea behind this design stems from the skateboarding culture in Tampa Bay. It’s a fun image, so I bought it as a pin and magnet.
The area surrounding the stadium is fairly residential. Ingress and egress to the stadium can clog up once the game is over. I waited a hot minute for a Lyft back to my hotel because roads were blocked or rerouted to get people out of the stadium area quickly.
The entire point of this trip to New Zealand was to see some world class soccer (or football, depending on where you’re from). I think it’s time for me to revisit the second match we saw while in Auckland.
I’ll quickly recap the first game day experience (or you can click here) and then we’ll get going. We saw Japan vs Sweden play each other. Sweden jumped out to an early lead and built on it. Japan tried to come back and very nearly did. Ultimately the Japanese fell short even though they looked to be the class of the tournament. Sweden prevailed and set up a date against Spain.
Seeing Sweden beat not only the USA but also my second adopted team, Japan, made me want to see them lose even more. Funnily enough, we discovered that Sweden was also staying in our hotel. Did I walk around in my Spain jersey the day of the game hoping that one of the players might catch a glimpse? Maybe. I may be a little bit petty.
After the bao bun blunder of the first game, we decided to eat before we headed to the stadium. If you’re wondering what happened with the bao buns, I encourage you to read my previous post linked above.
It was a very easy trip to make, again, thanks to Auckland Transport. We decided to arrive earlier this time around because we wanted to see what sort of merchandise we could get and to see if we could get our faces painted.
It was a “No” to both.
We had seen most of the merchandise at the Fan Zone in downtown Auckland, so the items at the stadium were the same. The face painting stations were already full and had decent lines, so that was a nonstarter as well. Zero for two.
Eden Park was a welcoming and pretty as ever though.
The staff as we entered the stadium were excited and pleasant. The people working the concessions were equally as happy. Maybe they were excited because it was the final game to be played in New Zealand and after this, they’d be able to relax? Who can say?
Speaking of the final game, yes, this was in fact the World Cup Semifinal. This game would decide who would make it to the World Cup Final in Sydney. The loser would play in the third place game in Brisbane (my favorite Australian city).
Yes, that is a Spain jersey circa the 2008 Euro’s.
Having seen the Swedes beat our beloved USA we knew we would be supporting whoever would be going up against them. It was Japan the first time (which didn’t work out) and now our affection and support moved to the Iberian Peninsula and Spain.
Pregame introductions and anthems
I mentioned in the first New Zealand post that I had been to a couple of World Cups before this one. I had been to 2014 in Brazil and I was at the 1999 Final at the Rose Bowl. I hadn’t realized until this game that I had been to three group stage matches, a quarterfinal, a semifinal, and a World Cup Final. This leaves only the Round of 16 for me to see and I would have been to each round of a FIFA World Cup. *Makes note for 2026*
The first half was incredibly tense. Both teams had decent chances but lacked that final touch to get the ball over the line. Both teams looked reticent to concede the first goal and held shape defensively.
Then the second half started.
It was fast-paced. The teams were chasing each other up and down the pitch. Chances were had. Goalies made fantastic saves. Then, when it looked like we would be heading to a scoreless draw and extra time, Salma Paralluelo took a clean crack at goal after a deflection and sent the ball into the back of the net and the stadium ERUPTED.
Reaction after the first goal
Sweden would not go down without a fight, naturally. They struck back in the 88th minute and leveled the score at 1-1. The crowd was less enthused about Sweden scoring. It was a pro-Spain crowd that night. But then, a funny thing happened, Spain got a corner in the 89th minute. The ball was quickly put back in play and Olga Carmona took one touch to settle the ball and then fired it in. The ball careened off the bottom of the top post and into the back of the goal. I’m getting goosebumps remembering the goal. The moment. The goal. The crowd. They were all incredible.
Postgame scenes on the pitch
Spain would hold off Sweden and move on to the final. I am not going to lie, I enjoyed seeing the Swedish players heartbroken. There’s some schadenfreude involved because of how they knocked out my USA. Also, the couple sitting in front of us, wearing Minnesota Vikings(???) gear were exceptionally annoying cheering for Sweden and seeing them sad made me happy.
Spain would defeat England 1-0 to become just the 5th country to hoist the trophy since its inception in 1991. Watching Spain celebrate winning the entire tournament gave me another fun fact about myself: At each World Cup I have been to, I have seen the winner play. In 1999, it was the Final and I saw Brandi Chastain seal the deal against China at the Rose Bowl. In 2014, it was seeing Germany defeat my USA 1-0 in Recife. I think that’s pretty cool.
After the game was over, we slowly made our way through the crowd back to the train and then to our hotel. Like after the Sweden-Japan game, the Sky Tower was lit up in the colors of the winning team.
Auckland Sky Tower in Spanish Red and Yellow
The next morning, we woke up and looked out of our hotel window and saw something we didn’t expect to see: the Swedish team bus. We saw them wandering around the car park, as a team, and into the lobby of the hotel. They were getting ready to fly to Brisbane for the 3rd Place match. That’s something about a semifinal they tend to forget: the loser still has another match to play. It’s not the game they wanted to be in but they have it nonetheless.
Sweden would rebound after their loss to Spain. They beat Australia 2-0 to claim 3rd place for the FOURTH time! They now hold the record for most 3rd place finishes at a Women’s World Cup. They are nothing if not consistent. I used to say that about the US Women but this tournament really humbled them and us fans.
Having said all of that, it was an incredible semifinal with the top two ranked teams (according to FIFA) in the world. It was a fantastic game to witness live and I was excited to share another moment with my partner that we will remember forever.
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