Texas Rangers 19-20 August

I have featured Thomas Edison before, but this is one that I recently saw at a Baseball museum that I will discuss in detail later.
In light of some of the subjectivity that we have seen in the current Olympics, I found this quote from Sandy Koufax to be particularly appropriate. Also in light of the next few picture, it was particularly appropriate.

Inside Texas Stadium there are very few statues, however this plaza and its statue stand out significantly. As Koufax pointed out, the numbers will speak for itself in the end. Many people have played this many years so it is not unique.
Yes, many pitchers have won 324 or more games.

But no one has even came close to 12 One hitters.
Over 5000 strike outs--almost 6000 strike outs--no one has ever come close and it is unlikely that anyone ever will. As mentioned in my blog on Cooperstown, only one pitcher has his own display case for his no-hitters (all seven of them).
Nolan Ryan is a legend in Texas and he has amassed a record that is unlikely to be surpassed.
Unfortunately during game 1, the Rangers did not live up to the standard that Nolan Ryan had set. Because of poor pitching and a bush league error, the Detroit Tigers scored nine runs in the 7th inning that left the Texas Rangers unable to respond.

The next day we had the opportunity to make two tourist stops. The first one was the Legends of the Game Museum at the Texas stadium. This is the best collection of Baseball History that we have seen since we left Cooperstown. This quote was near the entry to the museum, and I found it particularly appropriate as we head into the Presidential Election.
This is the Sultans Crown--The Sultan of Swat. Below are the accompanying plaque and a picture of Babe Ruth following its presentation.


We all know about the Cy Young award. Well this is Cy Young's Cy Young award--the inaugural award. By the way, Cy was not his actual name but a nick name which is short for Cyclone--a reference to his pitch speed.

Also at the Museum is the trophy that was awarded to Lou Gehrig following his farewell speech.
Additionally, the jersey that Gehrig wore during his farewell speech is also on display.

Finally, the official score card that recorded the 5000th strike out thrown by Nolan Ryan.

The second side trip that we made was to downtown Dallas. We were accompanied by Rebecca and Clayton (a.k.a. Red). Obviously Dallas has been the cite of many significant historical events, but one really stands out. This is the plaque attached to the School Book Depository from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy. It is of interest that the plaque uses allegedly.

This is the School Book Depository from near the point that Kennedy was shot. The shot was from the 6th floor.
And this is the Grassy Knoll of legend. Note in the picture an X in the middle of the road. This is the spot where Kennedy was shot. Further down range in the picture, you see a hedge next to a white wall. This is where the conspiracy theorists believe was the point from which the "second shot" was fired.
Back to more pleasant things. We attended the second game at Texas stadium with Rebecca and Red. We were treated to quite the fireworks display. Texas scored 9 runs on 7 Home runs.

We left Dallas the next morning after parting with Rebecca and Red. We did not know how much of an odyssey this trip would be.

So, in summary of the stadiums, the first division remains the same. The second division is:

• Baltimore
• Milwaukee
• Texas
• Houston
• Cincinnati
• Toronto
• Philadelphia
• New York Yankees
• New York Mets
• Cleveland
• Washington
• Kansas City
• Chicago White Sox
• Boston
• Minnesota

Houston 16-17 August

From Detroit, we flew back to Houston where we met up with Philip and Kelly for two Houston Astros games. We had a good time both at the games and socializing.

Outside the stadium, Haliburton Plaza hosts the statue of two Astro legends. The first is Jeff Bagwell who retired a couple of years ago.

The second was Craig Biggio who we would see much more of during this visit.
The plaza also has hosts all of the pennants that the Astros have won since their inception.
The first game did not go well for the Astros. The Diamondbacks got to Brandon Backe early and they never looked back. Knowing that they would be facing Randy Johnson the following day provided little comfort.

However, the following day was very special for the Astros organization. This was the day that the Astros had set aside for retiring Number 7, the Jersey that Craig Biggio wore throughout his career with the Astros.
Biggio gave a good speech that was short enough but honored the game, the Astros organization, and his family.
As the ceremonies drew to a close, the big board at the stadium thanked Biggio for his career during which he amassed over 3000 hits and set a myriad of club records.
And finally, the Number 7 was formally retired by the club.
As would be expected, Craig Biggio was called upon to throw out the honorary first pitch prior to the game.

On the back of a brilliant pitching performance by Roy Oswalt, a two hitter through 8 innings followed by a 1-2-3 ninth inning by the Astros closer. A fitting performance following the ceremonies of the day.

So to sum up the rankings so far:

First Division:

• Wrigley Field
• PNC Park
• Turner Field
• Tiger Stadium
• St. Louis

Second Division:

• Baltimore
• Milwaukee
• Houston
• Cincinnati
• Toronto
• Philadelphia
• New York Yankees
• New York Mets
• Cleveland
• Washington
• Kansas City
• Chicago White Sox
• Boston
• Minnesota