A DMB Seasons Past Baseball League

Coming soon...

2006-01-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

I have been collecting Hartland baseball player Statues. My most prized possession is an Original Eddie Mathews Statue from 1958. I've had this baby since I was 6 years old. Recently, I've purchased several more original and 2nd production Statues and I will have them on display here when I can figure out how to take pictures of these little dudes and get them on my puter.

Marc

2006-01-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

Pro Player Stadium, Miami. 105 degree Heat Index! Almost to much for this Ole' Oregonian.

Ball Park Tour... 2005

2006-01-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

I've never been to Florida so I was really looking forward to this short trip across the country.
So on August 12th of 2005 Matt and I flew from Portland to Orlando. We rented a car for a couple days and drove from Orlando to our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. The next morning we drove a short distance to Miami for a afternoon game at Pro Player Stadium (still known to many locals as Dolphins Stadium). The Giants were in town and we had great seats right behind home plate. Hey if we were going 3,000 miiles might as well pay good money for great seats. I got the chance to see a favorite young pitcher of mine who I've been looking to join the Highlanders for some time start for the Marlins, A. J. Burnett. Boy this guys got smoke! It was a good game as the Marlins won 6-0. Sadly the only thing I will remember about this game was the 105 heat index at game time. Yikes!
From Miami we set our cruise control and crossed the Everglades to Tampa. Boy is Florida flat. I think the highest elevation points in Florida beside the high rise hotels are the turnpike over passes. I can't believe just two weeks later Huricane Katrina hit in this area, boy were we lucky dudes. The Yankees were in town and our visit to Tropicana Field was very pleasant... air conditioned and 78 degrees. Hooray! The next morning we headed back to where we started, Orlando and a flight to Atlanta for the next evenings game at Turner Field. This was a wonderful Ball Park I must say. We had great seats and I'm glad we got to the Park 2 hours early because we had the chance to take our time and visit the Hall of Fame Mueseum inside the Complex of Turner Field. Plenty of pictures and autographed baseballs and storys were told but the most interesting display I saw was a actual train sleeper car from the 50's that Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn sat and slept in while traveling to other MLB Parks. Those train cars were small!
So this past years trip was short, only 3 games, but we brought back plenty of pictures and memories.
This season's trip is already planned out and we actually have tickets bought!
We will visit Coors Field, Minute Maid Park, Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Chase Field and The Glad's wrap Dome in Minnesota. Stay tuned...

2006-01-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

Matt (L) and me at SBC Park in 2004

Two Brothers Embark on MLB Ball Parks Tour

2006-01-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

In June of 2004 my brother Matthew and I embarked on our first trip and the Christening of our "MLB Ball Parks Tour". Destination... California here we come! A car drive from Portland to Oakland's Network Associates Coliseum was our first stop and we saw a barn-burner, An Inter-League contest between the A's and the Pirates. The A's won the game in the bottom of the 9th!

Next, a afternoon game the following day in Los Angeles to see the Angels play host to another NL team, the Cubs. This was our first extra inning game to see in which the Cubs finally won in 13 innings, 6-5.

After a day off at Disneyland, game 3 of our Tour was a short trip south to San Diego and a visit to the NEW Petco Park. Tampa Bay was in town and the team made its manager Lou Piniella proud by beating the home team Padres, 5-2.

A drive back to LA the following morning for a night game at The Old Chavez Ravine. We saw a pre-game Torch burning relay with Tom Cruise as Torch runner for next months 2004 Summer Olympics. By the way the Dodgers beat Rafael Palmeiro's Orioles, 4-2.

We saved the best for last, an overnight drive from LA to San Francisco for a 12-noon first pitch at the BEAUTIFUL SBC Park. A Sunny, warm clear day and seats up on the 3rd deck to see the game and view of San Francisco Bay! Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays were in town however Barry Bonds sat this one out but the Giants won anyway.

This past year Matt and I flew to Florida for two games and then it was off to Atlanta and a visit to Turner Field and also an enlightening visit inside the Braves Franchise "Hall of Fame" Museum located right inside Turner Field complex. Details of this trip later...

SPB NOW 2005....

2006-01-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

The Star of the Show

His name is Vladimir Guerrero. The 5th pick in the Inaugural SPB NOW draft in 2003. Drafted by the Rip City Highlanders. It certainly was risky business drafting Vlad, a 5- tool super star but with health questions, mainly a herinated disk in his lower back suffered in 2003 while playing in Montreal. But as it turns out it has been a very solid pick. He's healthy, happy and a solid on the field leader for the Highlanders in their two up and down seasons in SPB NOW.

With Troy Glaus healthy once again and the emergance of SPB NOW rookie draft round 2 pick in 2004, Ryan Howard, the Highlanders potentially could have one of the best 3-4-5 hitters in the League. Starting pitching has been the one glaring weakness but Rip City had 3 first round picks in this years rookie draft and went after two young pitchers, Zach Duke the number 2 overall pick in the draft and Brandon McCarthy. So things are looking up in Rip City country and with Guerrero in the saddle the trail back to the playoffs appears brighter.