Baseball Vacation 2006

White Sox vs Rangers: July 21, 2006

      We woke up in Evanston with a little time on our hands since the White Sox game was not until that evening. We took it easy in the morning, checked out of our hotel after a big brunch at La Peep, played some soccer/baseball in the afternoon, went to the American Girl store to buy dolls and clothes for my daughter ($19 just to park!), and then headed to the game. The traffic was terrible and so I finally picked a boulevard and headed south. I was fortunate in that the street went right by US Cellular Field and we got to batting practice right on time.
      US Cellular Field is a decent stadium but we could not wonder around as stadium security was tighter than normal. We went to batting practice where we ran into Ryan Koufax and his dad and Ryan and Mitchell helped each other get autographs. Mitchell managed to get Vincent Padilla and Brad Wilkerson. He already had Hank Blaylock from a game in Arlington last year plus a few other Rangers. In general visiting teams sign more than home teams since they take batting practice last, so that is a tip for the next time you go to a game.
      We both rooted for the Rangers, since the White Sox had lucked out and beat our Astros in the World Series the past October. The Rangers did not disappoint and thrashed the Sox 10-3. Like most of the players who gave Mitchell an autograph on the trip, Wilkerson had a nice game including a home run and 2 RBI. So remember that major league players; if you see a boy that looks like Mitchell you will have a good game if you give him an autograph. Just ask Carlos Beltran!
      We left the game a bit early because we had to be in Detroit the next day for a noon game and we wanted to get there for batting practice. Plus we were losing an hour due to the time zone change. So we drove around the southern tip of Lake Michigan just across the Michigan border to spend the night.

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A view from our seats in US Cellular Field, home of the White Sox.
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Another view from our seats.
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I shot this from behind home plate, while chatting with the father of "Ryan Koufax."
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Another view from up high.
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US Cellular is a relatively nice park inside the seats, but a little cramped in the seats up high.
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One more shot from our seats later in the game.
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US Cellular Field prior to the game.
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Mitchell outside the stadium before the game. The White Sox had beaten the Astros in the World Series the previous year, but Mitchell proudly wore his Astros cap anyway!
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Those Wrigley hot dogs are starting to show on dad.
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Mitchell teamed with Ryan Koufax to get some autographs before the game.
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Another pic before the game.
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Ah, there that jacket hides the hot dog effect. Time to go for another.
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