Miami Marlins, Miami

This ball game was a bonus as we were in Miami for the World cup Friendlies against Ecuador and Honduras, so it would have been rude not to have participated in this evening local derby between the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays at Marlins Park.

I arrived a day early so volunteered to get the tickets in for the lads ($200).

The entrance is tiled in an art deco style.

The entrance to the Clevelander (a South Beach themed nightclub).

The exclusive Dugout club

The Fan shop

The roof is closed.

Billy the Marlin

The back of the Home Run structure.

The home run structure is known as the Bermuda Triangle and cost $2.5 million.

The swimming pool in the Clevelander

Seats at the Clevelander

The Half Time Mascot race.

And the party went on all night long.

Staten Island Yankees, Richmond Park

On a very hot 02 June we got the Staten Island ferry from South terminal, near Battery Park at the southernmost tip of Manhattan and travelled to St George on Staten Island. Once we got off the ferry we were instantly acquainted with the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, which was a modern complex with great vistas across New York harbour to Manhattan.

 

The Staten Island Yankees are affiliated to the New York Yankees

The ferry motors in to St George's ferry terminal, the Ballpark is just visible on the right.

Ferry terminal at Staten Island

The entrance to the Ballpark has large sails above it which gives it a nautical feel. The Ballpark has a capacity of 7,171 and opened in 2001 at a cost of $38.6 million dollars.

The scoreboard has a replica of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge mounted on top of it and the 'batter's eye is retractable so that spectators can get a great view of the Manhattan skyline.

This walk way leads to a nice path to the waterfront where there is a moving memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks (see below).

Brooklyn Cyclones, MCU Park

New York City boasts two well established Minor League Baseball teams that play in the New York Penn League. The first one that we visited was the Brooklyn Cyclones on 01 June 2012. The Brooklyn Cyclones are based in Coney Island and so we took the NY Metro from Manhattan, through Brooklyn and up to Coney Island. The journey reminded me of the film 'The Warriors', when they escape from Manhattan in the epic film from the 70's.

 The Brooklyn Cyclones are affiliated to the New York Mets.



MCU Park

Sue posing on a windy boardwalk at CI.

The Wonder Wheel.

MCU Park, the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones was opened in 2001 and has a capacity of 7,500. The original site was occupied by a former amusement park, but it became run down with crime, hence, the build of the MCU Park was part of a wider redevelopment project to clean the area up and deal with local crime.

Right Field is dominated by the famous 'Parachute Jump'. 

The Ball Park has the feel of an amusement park which is in keeping with its origins.

Just outside the Ball park is the Jackie Robinson Statue which depicts Jackie and his team Captain 'Pee Wee' Reese facing up to racist taunts from some of the crowd during their playing careers with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  

On the way back to the metro we pass Nathan's Famous and grab a portion of outstanding French Fries and an awesome Hot Dog. 

New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium

A trip to New York City is not complete without a visit to the Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Unfortunately for us, the Yankees were not at home so we had to make do with the stadium tour. So on 30 May 2012 we left Times Square and headed out to the Bronx.

Yankee Stadium is located in South Bronx and is easily accessible by metro, just get off at East 153rd Street Metro - North station.

The local neighbourhood.

On arrival at Yankee Stadium we bee line for the Yankee's very own Hard Rock Café. Its just gone midday so Sue decides to have the first pint of the day! 

The concourse at ground level resembles a hall of fame in a very windy amphitheatre.

In the museum we see a model of the new Yankee Stadium which opened in 2009 and was the 2nd most expensive stadium ever built at a cost of $1.5 Billion.

Monument Park is the ultimate memorial park for past greats that donned the famous pin striped baseball uniform.

Joe DiMaggio

Babe Ruth



.......and friends

A view from the dugout.

The view across Left Field from the dugout (note the yellow foul post)



The score board at Yankee Stadium is the largest in MLB

Sue in the dugout.

The view across Right Field.

The impressive entrance to Gate Number 4 at the Yankee Stadium.

I meet a fellow veteran, a USMC Gunnery Sergeant who runs a charity that looks after homeless NYC veterans.