Miles and Miles - 5/25/24 to 6/24/24

May 25 - June 24 - 6.2 miles running - 43.84 miles walking - 52.44 miles walking (Apple Health) - 0 miles cycling (using 9 miles = 30 minutes) - 91,444 meters rowing - 957 minutes elliptical - 218,577 steps

May 25 (Saturday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 380 calories; 5,728 strides) - 14:32 rowing for 3,006 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:24/500m) - 3.7 miles walking (Apple Health) - 8,679 steps

May 26 (Sunday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 381 calories; 5,758 strides) - 4.5 miles walking on Spring Creek Greenway Trail (1:07:37/15:02) - 0.8 miles walking (Apple Health) - 10,348 steps

May 27 (Monday) - 3.1 miles running in Seven Hills Running Club Memorial Day 5K (29:41.69) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 385 calories; 5,856 strides) - 24:33 rowing for 5,014 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:27/500m) - 2 miles walking (Apple Health) - 9,428 steps

May 28 (Tuesday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 385 calories; 5,826 strides) - 24:21 rowing for 5,016 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:27/500m) - 1.2 miles walking (Apple Health) - 3,026 steps

May 29 (Wednesday) - 4.19 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway (1:03:21.59 / 15:07) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 385 calories; 5,848 strides) - 14:27 rowing for 3,015 meters (27 strokes/min.; 2:19/500m) - 0.81 miles walking (Apple Health) - 9,775 steps

May 30 (Thursday) - 4.5 miles walking on Spring Creek Greenway Trail (1:07:16/14:57) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 387 calories; 5,914 strides) - 2.9 miles walking (Apple Health) - 15,397 steps

May 31 (Friday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 385 calories; 5,834 strides) - 14:26 rowing for 3,009 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:24/500m) - 1.5 miles walking (Apple Health) - 3,698 steps

June 1 (Saturday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 385 calories; 5,850 strides) - 17:04 rowing for 3,508 meters (27 strokes/min.; 2:24/500m) - 1.7 miles walking (Apple Health) - 3,998 steps - 90-second plank

June 2 (Sunday) - 4.5 miles walking on Spring Creek Greenway Trail (1:07:11/14:56) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 385 calories; 5,844 strides) - 1.2 miles walking (Apple Health) - 11,701 steps

June 3 (Monday) - 4.19 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway (1:02:46.08 / 14:59) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 386 calories; 5,868 strides) - 24:08 rowing for 5,012 meters (27 strokes/min.; 2:23/500m) - 0.81 miles walking (Apple Health) - 10,056 steps - 100-second plank

June 4 (Tuesday) - 4.5 miles walking on Spring Creek Greenway Trail (1:07:06/14:55) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 385 calories; 5,842 strides) - 120-second plank - 24:23 rowing for 5,014 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:23/500m) - 1 mile walking (Apple Health) - 10,899 steps

June 5 (Wednesday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 384 calories; 5,818 strides) - 24:24 rowing for 5,013 meters (27 strokes/min.; 2:28/500m) - 1.5 miles walking (Apple Health) - 3,673 steps

June 6 (Thursday) - 4.8 miles walking (Apple Health) - 11,483 steps

June 7 (Friday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 373 calories; 5,616 strides) - 2 miles walking (Apple Health) - 4,989 steps

June 8 (Saturday) - 4 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway (1:00:53.65 / 15:13) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 386 calories; 5,868 strides) - 3 miles walking (Apple Health) - 14,726 steps

June 9 (Sunday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 389 calories; 5,942 strides) - 18:00 rowing for 3,719 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:26/500m) - 1.1 miles walking (Apple Health) - 2,804 steps

June 10 (Monday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 390 calories; 5,946 strides) - 4.5 miles walking on Spring Creek Greenway Trail (1:07:15 / 14:57) - 1.2 miles walking (Apple Health) - 11,199 steps

June 11 (Tuesday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 391 calories; 5,960 strides) - 24:08 rowing for 5,013 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:24/500m) - 2.3 miles walking (Apple Health) - 5,466 steps

June 12 (Wednesday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 389 calories; 5,920 strides) - 4.46 miles walking on Spring Creek Greenway Trail (1:06:42 / 14:57) - 1.24 miles walking (Apple Health) - 11,356 steps

June 13 (Thursday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 392 calories; 5,974 strides) - 24:22 rowing for 5,012 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:24/500m) - 1.4 miles walking (Apple Health) - 3,568 steps

June 14 (Friday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 395 calories; 6,064 strides) - 2.4 miles walking (Apple Health) - 5,986 steps

June 15 (Saturday) - 3.1 miles running in Holland Corn Festival 5K (30:14.51) - 3.3 miles walking (Apple Health) - 12,577 steps

June 16 (Sunday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 388 calories; 5,910 strides) - 1.3 miles walking (Apple Health) - 3,379 steps

June 17 (Monday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 394 calories; 6,012 strides) - 24:09 rowing for 5,007 meters (27 strokes/min.; 2:20/500m) - 4.5 miles walking on Spring Creek Greenway Trail (1:06:46/14:50) - 0.9 miles walking (Apple Health) - 10,340 steps

June 18 (Tuesday) -  33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 390 calories; 5,944 strides) - 24:07 rowing for 5,009 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:25/500m) - 1.6 miles walking (Apple Health) - 3,693 steps

June 19 (Wednesday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 395 calories; 6,028 strides) - 23:59 rowing for 5,018 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:20/500m) - 0.73 miles walking (Apple Health) - 1,601 steps

June 20 (Thursday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 399 calories; 6,098 strides) - 24:23 rowing for 5,016 meters (27 strokes/min.; 2:27/500m) - 0.78 miles walking (Apple Health) - 1,785 steps

June 21 (Friday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 394 calories; 6,012 strides) - 24:01 rowing for 5,012 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:23/500m) - 1 mile walking (Apple Health) - 2,570 steps

June 22 (Saturday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 392 calories; 6,000 strides) - 24:20 rowing for 5,012 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:27/500m) - 2.4 miles walking (Apple Health) - 5,796 steps

June 23 (Sunday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 392 calories; 5,978 strides) - 24:45 rowing for 5,011 meters (27 strokes/min.; 2:26/500m) - 0.87 miles walking (Apple Health) - 2,017 steps

June 24 (Monday) - 33 minutes on Precor Elliptical (Weight Loss; 395 calories; 6,056 strides) - 90-second plank - 24:22 rowing for 5,008 meters (28 strokes/min.; 2:24/500m) - 1 mile walking (Apple Health) - 2,544 steps

Books Bought at Waco Half Price Books Outlet on 6/7/24 - 9 (Finished 1)

"A Coach's Influence Beyond the Game" by Grant Teaff

"America Through Baseball" by David Q. Voigt

"Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn" by Larry Colton

"I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond" by Michael Oher 

"Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns" by Jack McCallum

"Taming the Bull: The John "Bull" Bramlett Story" by John Bramlett , Tula Jeffries, et al.

"The King of Sports: Why Football Must Be Reformed" by Gregg Easterbrook  

"Triumph and Tragedy in Mudville: A Lifelong Passion for Baseball" by Stephen Jay Gould and David Halberstam

"Embedded Balls" by Peter Jacobsen and Jack Sheehan (Finished 6/23/2024)

First Baptist Churches Attended

2024

01/07/24 - Houston's First Baptist Church The5 (Greg Matte)

01/14/24 - Houston's First Baptist Church The5 (Brad Talbert)
02/04/24 - Houston's First Baptist Church The5 (Jarret Garber) 

04/28/24 - Houston's First Baptist Church The5 (Brad Talbert)

06/09/24 - Houston's First Baptist Church The5 (Brad Talbert)

06/16/24 - Houston's First Baptist Church The5 (Greg Matte)

06/23/24 - First Baptist Church Conroe (Jeff Berger)

2023

06/11/23 - First Baptist Church Victoria (Ben Rosenberger)

06/18/23 - Houston's First Baptist Church (Brian McCormack, guest speaker from Breakaway Ministries, College Station, TX)

07/02/23 - First Baptist Church of Fort Davis (Paul Harst)

07/16/23 - First Baptist Church of Denton (Dr. John Beck)

07/23/23 - First Baptist Church of Woodway (Dr. Paul Sands)

12/24/23 - Houston's First Baptist Church (Greg Matte)

2021

01/24/21 - Magnolia's First Baptist Church (Dr. Ed Seay)

2018

05/20/18 - First Baptist Church of Tulsa (Chris Mathews)

07/01/18 - First Baptist Church of El Paso (Dr. Mark Rotramel)

10/21/18 - First Baptist Church of College Station (Dr. Troy Allen)

2017

01/22/17 - First Baptist Church Waco (Mark Snowden)

07/30/17 - First Baptist Church of Texarkana (Jeff Schreve)

Books Bought at Houston Westheimer Half Price Books Outlet on 6/22/24 - 3 (Finished 0)

"24 Hours That Changed the World, Expanded Paperback Edition" by Adam Hamilton ($4)

"Elements of Grace" by Barkley S. Thompson ($2)

"The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem" by Adam Hamilton ($2)

Museums Visited - All-Time

No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum (Terrell, TX) - 7/20/19

1940 Air Terminal Museum (Houston, TX) - 5/7/22

American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum (Fort Worth, TX) - 1/4/20

Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center (Beaumont, TX) - 6/24/23

Bell County Museum (Belton, TX) - 1/25/20
Brenham Heritage Museum (Brenham, TX) - 6/14/24

Conrad N. Hilton Center & Museum (Cisco, TX) - 7/22/23
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Nashville, TN) - March 2004

Ellis County Museum (Waxahachie, TX) - 7/20/19
Ennis Railroad & Cultural Heritage Museum (Ennis, TX) - 7/20/19

Five Points Museum of Contemporary Art (Victoria, TX) - 3/27/21
Former Governors' Mansion State Historic Site (Bismarck, ND) - 7/12/16
George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum (College Station, TX) - March 2002

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum (Dallas, TX) - 1/5/20
Gone With the Wind Remembered Museum (Cleburne, TX) - 7/22/23

Henning Cultural Center (Sulphur, LA) - History of Southwest Louisiana Baseball exhibit - 6/24/23

Hill County Cell Block Museum (Hillsboro, TX) - 7/6/19
History of West Museum (West, TX) - 7/6/19
Hockey Hall of Fame (Toronto, ON) - July 2013

Horton Classic Car Museum (Nocona, TX) - 7/24/21

Humble Museum (Humble, TX) - 7/18/21
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (Boston, MA) - 6/24/18
La Grange M-K-T Depot Museum (La Grange, TX) - 5/27/23
Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame and Museum (Las Vegas, NV) - 5/6/16
The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame & Northwest Louisiana History Museum (Natchitoches, LA) - 1/9/21

Maury Wills Museum (Fargo, ND) - 7/13/16
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum (Jackson, MS) - 6/18/22

Museum of the American GI (College Station, TX) - 1/30/21

Museum of the Coastal Bend (Victoria, TX) - 3/17/21

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, MA) - August 2004

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame (Fort Worth, TX) - June 2004
National Soccer Hall of Fame (Frisco, TX) - 6/3/23
North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (Washburn, ND) - 7/12/16
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Portland, OR) - April 1999
Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame - Museum of the American Cowboy (Colorado Springs, CO) - 7/13/19
Roger Maris Museum (Fargo, ND) - 7/13/16

Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site (Cooperstown, ND) - 7/12/16

Rosenberg Railroad Museum (Rosenberg, TX) - 6/22/24
Salado College Park (Salado, TX) - 1/16/21

Spring Historical Museum (Spring, TX) - 7/17/21

The Bryan Museum (Galveston, TX) - Thursday Night Lights exhibit - 6/25/23

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (Dallas, TX) - March 2003

Tails & Trails Museum (Nocona, TX) - 7/24/21

Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum (Temple, TX) - 7/6/19

Texas Prison Museum (Huntsville, TX) - 1/30/21
Texas Sports Hall of Fame (Waco, TX) - 8/11/18
Thurber Ghost Town Museum (Mingus, TX) - 7/22/23
Van Area Oil & Historical Museum (Van, TX) - 7/20/19 (Outside only)
William J. Clinton Library and Museum (Little Rock, AR) - 3/4/06
Woody's Classic Cars & Baseball Museum (Cross Plains, TX) - 7/22/23

So Many Plans; June 22, 2024

So many plans.

Which one to decide?

It seems to be a weekly struggle for me.

Is this a part of getting older or just that I have too many interests?

It could be both.

Or that I'm not just happy with doing one thing and when I try to combine them, I can't get them all to work together.

My first thought of the weekend was to travel to TAPPS' 7-on-7 and 6-on-6 event at the Heart O' Texas Soccer Complex in Waco.  To make sure I didn't inconvenience TAPPS Associate Director Steve Prud'homme at the last minute, I put in for a credential request on Thursday ( to which he quickly filled).

I also wanted to run the Polish Pickle Run 5K in Bremond too, but I vacillated between whether to stay in Waco or College Station.  

Regardless of where I stayed it was going to be 45 minutes there and back.

If I had stayed in Waco, I didn't have good plans after.  That wasn't good.

In College Station, I would have gone to Temple, Bastrop and then Seguin for a museum, a statue (a new Harriet Tubman traveling exhibit) and a summer collegiate baseball game; however, I got past the 12 noon cutoff for online registration (which I found out after the fact), and that changed it all.

So what I was going to do Friday night before?

I decided to check out a Women's Premier Soccer League match at The Village School on the west side of Houston.

Our race director with the Legacy Capital The Woodlands Marathon, Willie Fowlkes, has been a long-time soccer coach and once explained me the different types of levels of soccer, but basically WPSL is summer collegiate soccer.

It turned out, while looking for what the admission price was going to be, that his daughter, Alexis, was playing for the home team, the Houston Aces (who destroyed the San Antonio Runners, 8-0, after beating them 3-0 two weeks ago in San Antonio).  Go figure.

I reached out to my daughter to see if she might be interested in joining me since she lived close and since she didn't have any plans, she did.  

Great conversation as always.

It turned out that there had been no admission price.  

I had eaten at Chick-Fil-A at Briar Forest and Eldridge Parkway before the match.  

And I made it home in a decent amount of time, but I stayed up a bit trying to map out my Saturday plans.

Before I went to bed I also saw that the author of a new book on Steelers head football coach Mike Tomlin was going to be signing copies at a Half Price Books store in south Austin from 12 noon - 2 p.m.

However, my main game plan was to go to Freeport for Fort Velasco Day and then hit some historical sites and museums in Brazoria County.

I woke up between 5:30 and 6, but basically it was two hours to Bremond so I would have needed to leave by 4:45 a.m.  That was out.

While the good folks who put on the two park runs here in Houston are good, sweet people, I'm not a big fan of the fuss that park run UK created with all of their data issues.

I definitely didn't feel like running three loops at Spindle Tree, but I didn't want to drive down and back to Terry Hershey even though it is an out and back and on concrete.

I made it to the gym to get my elliptical work in - 33-minute weight loss routine (basically four-minute intervals), after getting a small amount of food in me.

When I got back my original plans for Saturday vaporized as I got some things down here at the house and then I made sure that I got my 24-minute, 5,000 meter rowing workout in too.

And after that, I finally made it out of the house before 1 p.m. and my target became the Rosenberg Railroad Museum, which had a "Railroads & American Sports" exhibit.

It was small, but very, very well done.

I have a list of railroad sites to work through, much like so many other lists I have to do or see.

So aside from taking in the Wharton County Courthouse square and all of its surroundings, I made it to the Wharton Train Depot & Museum (the museum part was closed), the Needville (Long Point) Depot and the Fulshear Historic Switch House.

Trying to stay off of the cutthroat freeways, I started to manuever up Fry Road instead of getting up on the Westpark Tollway.

I took Fry all the way to Westheimer when I realized that Westheimer was the location of one of the last two remaining Half Price Books locations in the greater Houston area that I hadn't been to.

I bought a book to make it count - my normal routine, and then I traveled towards home, stopping to eat at Mike and Shelley Ludwig's Chick-Fil-A near the intersection of FM 2920 and Kuykendahl.

It all worked out.

I don't know.  Maybe instead of fretting over a bunch of driving or a long drive and/or getting in late on the return, from going to a ball game with a 7 p.m. start, maybe I should do what I did today:  get in the car and see where it goes!

Different Chick-Fil-A Restaurants (21)

2014 (2)

01/22/14 - #01215 - Spring, TX

12/24/14 - #02069 - Spring, TX

2016 (1)

01/08/16 - #02557 - Alexandria, LA

2017 (6)

02/11/17 - #00862 - Longview, TX

02/16/17 - #02484 - The Woodlands, TX

02/17/17 - #03869 - San Angelo, TX

08/29/17 - #01070 - The Woodlands, TX

10/27/17 - #03916 - Spring, TX

12/28/17 - #03366 - San Angelo, TX

2018 (3)

01/06/18 - #01484 - Covington, LA

02/17/18 - #03283 - Houston, TX

08/14/18 - #02715 - Fort Worth, TX

2019 (1)

01/17/19 - #01647 - Marlton, NJ

2020 (1)

06/27/20 - #02740 - Little Rock, AR

2022 (3)

06/10/22 - #00614 - Houston, TX (Hobby)

10/18/22 - Kingwood, TX (Northpark Drive)

10/21/22 - #01071 - The Woodlands, TX

2023 (3)

06/10/23 - #05052 - Victoria, TX
11/11/23 - #04627 - Corsicana, TX
12/18/23 - #03588 - New Caney, TX

2024 (1)
06/21/24 - #03111 - Houston, TX (Parkwy Village FSR)

NPSL / WPSL Fields Seen

National Premier Soccer League

Women's Premier Soccer League

The Village School (Houston, TX) - Houston Aces 8, San Antonio Runners 0, Friday, June 21, 2024 (Free)

Books Bought at Mansfield Half Price Books on 5/10/24 - 5 (Finished 2)

"Chamique: On Family, Focus, and Basketball" by Chamique Holdsclaw with Jennifer Frey ($5.50)

"Reaching Higher" by Billy Olson with Carlton Stowers ($5)

"The Gashouse Gang The Incredible, Madcap St. Louis Cardinals of 1934" by Robert E. Hood ($3)

"Girls of Summer: The Real Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League" by Lois Browne ($6) (Finished 5/26/2024)

"Kim Zmeskal: Determination to Win : A Biography" by Krista Quiner ($5) (Finished 6/17/2024)

Texas Summer Baseball Tour, Year Two - Stop #3, The Dell Diamond

One of the greatest things that I've been able to do over the years is to combine baseball and running.

So as I navigate a second trip here in 2024 through the ballparks in Texas which host collegiate summer baseball leagues games up to the major leagues, when I can go to a game and run a race, I feel like I've hit the lottery - even though I pay to do both!

I have a spreadsheet which has all of the dates down the first column and the teams on the first row, then all of the start times scattered for the entire season - through the end of July, some into August and a couple into September.

I also navigate two websites that specifically have race calendars and my preference is always to run in a town I never have before.

So this past Friday night, I was able to see the Round Rock Express play host to the Tacoma Rainiers at the Dell Diamond, which, by the way, is 25 years old.

It seems as if it was one of the early facilities where all of the seats were basically off the main concourse level, in a bowl.

Over time, this facility has held up well and still has a new feel to it.  

The only thing that I recall is that the walkways directly behind the seats between the basepaths is very tight - maybe, at the most, can hold three people wide.

And because of that all of the concession stands - inside the bases, point to the inside - so basically the field is to your left or right while standing in line for some form of refreshment.

Yet, I still like it.  

Plus it seems like it was one of the early of the newer ballparks at the minor league level that you could walk all the way around on the inside.

A personal note:  Probably the second race that I had ever run was the Round Rock Express 5K in April 2003.  It ran behind the ballpark in Old Settles Park, close to the grounds where Texas' public school state cross country meet is held, and it finished up the ramp coming from center field.  Before finishing, you got to take one lap around the field on the warning track.

So in the last couple of posts, I've discussed ticket pricing a litle bit and Round Rock surely doesn't disappoint.

The only place under $20 where I could stick my butt in a seat was in the Home Run Porch in left-field.  My ticket was $16 plus $3 in fees.  

And Round Rock also had started doing graduated pricing within a particular section.  

The front row was $40 while the last row was $23.

So the minor leagues want to scream "Come for entertainment," but push on to fans major league prices and policies.

For a Friday night fireworks performance, published attendance was 6,141.  

And having the benefit of finishing this post on Monday, Saturday had 8,431 with the club pushing heavily a pitching duel between Dallas Keuchel and Max Scherzer.  

(Keuchel, by the way, outdueled him going six innings without a run and seven strikeouts.)

Sunday Father's Day attendance was 5,378.

The seat that I purchased in the Home Run Porch was an aisle seat, which I like if I can get, but it was squarely behind a steel girder.  

Luckily the game wasn't well-attended as noted (the Dell Diamond's capacity is 11,631), and I moved back and over and had a whole row to myself, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I did see for the first time in memory back-to-back home runs from Jantzen Witte and Jax Biggers as the Express went up 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth.

Before I left, in the middle of the eighth with the score tied 5-all, Tacoma's Jason Vosler had tied the game with a two-run shot to right center field.

One of Round Rock's more interesting promotions on this evening was that if the Express pitcher struck out a batter in the top of the seventh inning, all hot dogs would go on sale for a $1 while supplies lasted.

Owen White took down Jake Slaughter in six pitches to send fans to the one concession stand that sold hot dogs and before the bottom of the inning the supply was gone.  (I had eaten at my 239th career Whataburger before the game, but I could have gone over my calorie count for the day.)

I left a little early - and was glad I did as the game went into the tenth inning with Tacoma winning 6-5, but in researching things to finish the post I see that MILB uses the runner on second base to start the inning too.

Honestly, I haven't stayed long enough to see that done, and I'm glad that I missed it.

Round Rock, despite the $15 to park your car (the highest in Texas outside of the major league on a ball park lot), is still a fun place to see a game at.

And, oh, I drove up the road about 45 minutes on Saturday morning to Holland, Texas and ran a 30:15 time at the Holland Corn Festival 5K.

A satisfying combination.

Behind Home Plate

From Down the Right Field Line

From Left-Center Field Walkway

From My $19 Seat in the Home Run Porch

Negro League HOFer Hilton Smith Post at Baseball Bucket List

Was planning this past weekend as I was headed to Round Rock Friday night to see the Express in a Pacific Coast League game against the Tacoma Rainiers and in searching museums in between far north Houston and Austin, I came across the Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center that said it had an exhibit on Negro Leaguer Hilton Smith.

Smith has an extensive SABR biography written about him:

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/hilton-smith/

Mistakenly I thought this was going to be for a Negro Leaguer whose grave marker I viewed in the Houston National Cemetery in the spring, Hall of Famer Willard Brown.

The exhibit featured items from his Prairie View A&M days and induction into their Hall of Fame as well as momentos from his induction into Cooperstown by the Veterans Committee in 2001 – one that he never was able to see as he had passed away in 1983. 

The exhibit said one of the town’s ballfields is named in his honor, but I didn’t take the opportunity to try and find it.

If you’re driving between Houston and Austin, it is worth a quick stop – and there’s even a Buc-ee’s in Giddings, but be forewarned: it’s one of the original smaller stores (not the mammoth centers that they continue to open across the country.)

Louisiana Summer Baseball Tour, Year One - Stop #1, Barbe High School Baseball Field

One of my Baseball Bucket List items for the 2024 season is to get to all three of the stadiums or fields used by the Louisiana teams in the Texas Collegiate League.

They include the Acadiana Cane Cutters, the Baton Rouge Rougarou and the new Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gators - and I have until the end of July to make it happen.

I noticed that the Gumbeaux Gators' opener was at the home field of McNeese State University, but upon looking at buying a ticket online before I got to Lake Charles on Saturday, I noticed that they were playing at Barbe High School.

I know very little about Louisiana high school baseball, but a high school baseball fan knows that Barbe is a state and national power.

Barbe - pronounced like the female name "Barb" - has won 12 state championships and four national crowns, presumably from USA Today.

Although the on-field game announcer made a reference during the evening to "Buccaneer Stadium", I saw nothing online that it was anything other than "Barbe High School Baseball Field".

And while they have 58 sponsors on or above the outfield wall and a slew outside on the wall supporting the third base side, nobody has given enough coin from a sinken treasure in the Gulf of Mexico to name the facility!

You can Google Barbe's baseball facility as it shows that they've done some more improvement to support one of the top teams in the country, but the basic stadium is really nice for a high school field.

Every seat is a chairback.

As so many high school fields these days, the playing surface is field turf, but it has one of the largest foul territory areas that I've seen since a few of the older major league ballparks.

You can buy a general admission ticket online for $10, and it'll be the same $11.02 with the sales tax that you'll pay by card if you just walk up to the gate.

While I'm not quite certain how many the facility actually seats, on this Saturday night, as the Gumbeaux Gators were playing host to the Victoria Generals, I would estimate that it was 35-40% full.

The ballgame itself was great.  I stayed the entire time.  Two hours and 43 minutes, but without a lot of pitching changes, as Victoria came from behind to win, 5-3, over Lake Charles.

The biggest bit of excitement came late in the game, either in the eighth or ninth inning, when the umpire called a Gumbeaux Gator out for batter interference as the catcher tried to make the throw on a runner trying to steal second.

Two coaches for Lake Charles were ejected for arguing the calls.  The second one, a big man, had to be restrained by the third base coach and even law enforcement came on to the field.  I didn't see if the batter stepped out of the box, but that is what should have triggered that call.  It looked as if the player - as I was watching the throw by the catcher falls short - was trying to plead his case that he remained in before both coaches exploded.

Summer collegiate baseball, of course, can be hit or miss sometimes, but this turned out to be a pretty good game.

Friends and families for the Victoria players made the trip - perhaps about two dozen, but they were clearly and positively vocal.

Speaking of vocal, the one saving grace for me is that the back row of the third base seating section - and probably as well as the first base side - is actually behind the main speakers behind home plate.

The main public address announcer was muted a good bit, but the on-field announcer was a screamer - who I first heard from across the street 30 minutes before the game from the track in the school football stadium.

Actually, it wasn't too over the top.

And his name is Bryce, as there were fans in the stands off to my left who called him by name loudly enough that he heard it near the first base coaching box as he was exiting the field between innings.

However, the Gumbeaux Gators have Gator Girls.  What are they you might ask?  Four cheerleaders.

They did a dance routine before the start of the game and came out in mid-inning to lead the crowd in some cheers.

A couple of other notes from the evening:  

1.) Field and the grandstands are very well lit, with an assist from the tennis courts out beyond the left-field fence; however, there are lights at the back of the grandstands.

2.) Plenty of up-close and free parking.

3.) No distance signs on the fence.

4.) And you have to get a wristband to go outside of the gate as that is where the restrooms are.

I think, given the success of LSU and Barbe High School in that area and the facility they're using, this organization has the opportunity to be a mainstay of the Texas Collegiate League for a long time to come.

Overall Baseball Parks - 171

16 - MLB (9 former, 7 current)

85 - MILB (80 overall plus 5 summer collegiate league)

34 - Texas College, University or JUCO (35 minus Constellation Field)

  7 - Other College, University or JUCO

29 - High School (16 private / 13 public)

Minor League Ballparks Visited - 59 since 2012 / 80 overall + 5 collegiate = 85

1979

Ray Winder Field (Little Rock, Arkansas)

Spring Training

Al Lang Stadium (St. Petersburg, Florida)
Charlotte County Stadium (Port Charlotte, Florida)
Jack Russell Memorial Stadium (Clearwater, Florida)
Joker Marchant Stadium (Lakeland, Florida)
Osceola County Stadium (Kissimmee, Florida)
Tinker Field (Orlando, Florida)

1991

Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (Vancouver, British Columbia - Vancouver Canadians - Pacific Coast League - AAA)

1994

Metro Bank Park (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - Harrisburg Senators - Eastern League - AA)*,**
Mike Carter Field (Tyler, Texas - Tyler Wildcatters - Independent)

* Also saw a game there when it was known as Riverside Stadium from 1987-2004 (before a $45 million renovation)
** Also saw the Eastern League All-Star Game here in 2010 with my grandfather, Wilbur F. Walk, Jr.

1996

Cohen Stadium (El Paso, Texas - El Paso Diablos - Texas League - AA)
Christensen Stadium (Midland, Texas - Texas League - AA)
Hi Corbett Field (Tucson, Arizona - Tucson Toros - Pacific Coast League - AAA)
Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium (San Antonio, Texas - San Antonio Missions - Texas League - AA)

1998

Miles Field (Medford, Oregon - Southern Oregon Timberjacks - Northwest League - A)
Smith-Wills Stadium (Jackson, Mississippi - Jackson Generals - Texas League - AA)
Volcanoes Stadium (Salem, Oregon - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes - Northwest League - A)
Zephyr Field (Metairie, Louisiana - New Orleans Zephyrs - Pacific Coast League - AAA)

Time Unknown

Dell Diamond (Round Rock, Texas - Round Rock Express - Pacific Coast League - AAA)
Dr Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, Texas - Frisco Roughriders - Texas League - AA
Medlar Field at Lubrano Park (State College, Pennsylvania - State College Spikes - New York-Penn League - A)
Peoples Natural Gas Field (Altoona, Pennsylvania - Altoona Curve - Eastern League - AA)**
Point Stadium (Johnstown, Pennsylvania - Johnstown Steal - Frontier League - Independent)
Susquehanna Bank Park at Historic Bowman Field (Williamsport, Pennsylvania - Williamsport Crosscutters - New York-Penn League - A)

** Used to be known as Blair County Ballpark

1999 (During Trip to Cooperstown)

NYSEG Stadium (Binghamton, New York - Binghamton Mets - Eastern League - AA)**
PNC Field (Moosic, Pennsylvania - Scranton-Wilkes Barre Rail Riders - International League - AAA)

** Was then known as Binghamton Municipal Stadium

2002

Dodd Stadium (Yantic, Connecticut - AA All-Star Game)

2012

Recreation Ballpark (Visalia, California - Visalia Rawhide - California League - A)
Sam Lynn Park (Bakersfield, California - Bakersfield Blaze - California League - A)

2013 

Appalachian Power Park (Charleston, West Virginia - West Virginia Power - South Atlantic League - A)
Calvin Falwell Field (Lynchburg, Virginia - Lynchburg Hillcats - Carolina League - A)
Canal Park (Akron, Ohio - Akron Rubber Ducks - Eastern League - AA)
Constellation Field (Sugar Land, Texas - Sugar Land Skeeters - Atlantic League - Independent)
Frawley Stadium (Wilmington, Delaware - Wilmington Blue Rocks - Carolina League - A)
Prince George's Stadium (Bowie, Maryland - Bowie Baysox - Eastern League - AA)

2014

BB&T Ballpark (Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Knights - International League - AAA)
BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, NC - Winston-Salem Dash - Carolina League - A)
CMC-NorthEast Stadium (Kannapolis, NC - Kannapolis Intimidators - South Atlantic League - A)
Durham Bulls Athletic Park (Durham, NC - Durham Bulls - International League - AAA)
Five County Stadium (Zebulon, NC - Carolina Mudcats - Carolina League - A)
Flour Field at the West End (Greenville, SC - Greenville Drive - South Atlantic League - A)
Hank Aaron Stadium (Mobile, AL - Mobile BayBears - Southern League - AA)
L.P. Frans Stadium (Hickory, NC - Hickory Crawdads - South Atlantic League - A)
LewisGale Field (Salem, VA - Salem Red Sox - Carolina League - A)
NewBridge Bank Park (Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Grasshoppers - South Atlantic League - A)
Nutrabolt Stadium (Bryan, TX - Brazos Valley Bombers - Texas Collegiate League)
Pensacola Community Maritime Park (Pensacola, FL - Pensacola Blue Wahoos - Southern League - AA)
Pfitzner Stadium (Woodbridge, VA - Potomac Nationals - Carolina League - A)
Regency Furniture Stadium (Waldorf, MD - Southern Maryland Blue Crabs - Atlantic League - Independent)
Riverwalk Stadium (Montgomery, AL - Montgomery Biscuits - Southern League - AA)
Security Bank Ballpark (Midland, TX - Midland Rockhounds - Texas League - AA)

2015

Fifth Third Ballpark (Comstock Park, MI - West Michigan Whitecaps - Midwest League - A)
First Energy Stadium (Reading, PA - Reading Fightin Phils - Eastern League - AA)
Huntington Park (Columbus, OH - Columbus Clippers - International League - AAA)
Jerry Uht Park (Erie, PA - Erie SeaWolves - Eastern League - AA)
Pohlman Field (Beloit, WI - Beloit Snappers - Midwest League - A)
Principal Park (Des Monies, IA - Iowa Cubs - Pacific Coast League - AAA)
Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids, IA - Cedar Rapids Kernels - Midwest League - A)
Werner Park (Papillion, NE - Omaha Storm Chasers - Pacific Coast League - AAA)

2016

Boomers Stadium (Schaumberg, IL - Schaumberg Boomers - Frontier League - Independent)
Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi, TX - Corpus Christi Hooks - Texas League - AA)

2017

State Mutual Stadium (Rome, GA - Rome Braves - South Atlantic League - A)
AT&T Field (Chattanooga, TN - Chattanooga Lookouts - Southern League - AA)
Coolray Field (Lawrenceville, GA - Gwinnett Braves - International League - AAA)

2018

Arvest Ballpark (Springdale, AR - Northwest Arkansas Naturals - Texas League - AA)
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (Oklahoma City, OK - Oklahoma City Dodgers - Pacific Coast League - AAA)
Dickey-Stephens Park (North Little Rock, AR - Arkansas Travelers - Texas League - AA)
Griggs Park (Alamogordo, NM - White Sands Pupfish - Pecos League - Independent)
Hammons Field (Springfield, MO - Springfield Cardinals - Texas League - AA)
Lawrence-Dumont Stadium (Wichita, KS - Wichita Wingnuts - American Association - Independent)
ONEOK Field (Tulsa, OK - Tulsa Drillers - Texas League - AA)
Riverside Stadium (Victoria, TX - Victoria Generals - Texas Collegiate League)
Southwest University Park (El Paso, TX - El Paso Chihuahuas - Pacific Coast League - AAA)
The Depot at Cleburne Station (Cleburne, TX - Cleburne Railroaders - American Association - Independent)

2019

Arm & Hammer Park (Trenton, NJ - Trenton Thunder - Eastern League - AA)
AutoZone Park (Memphis, TN - Memphis Redbirds - Pacific Coast League - AAA)
FirstEnergy Park (Lakewood, NJ - Lakewood Blue Claws - South Atlantic League - A)

2020

Hodgetown Stadium (Amarillo, TX - Amarillo Sod Squad - Texas Collegiate League)

2022

Kokernot Field (Alpine, TX - Alpine '06 Cowboys - Pecos League)

MGM Park (Biloxi, MS - Biloxi Shuckers - Southern League) 
Regions Field (Birmingham, AL - Birmingham Barons - Southern League)

Trustmark Park (Pearl, MS - Mississippi Braves - Southern League)

2023

Govalle Park (Austin, TX - Austin Weirdos - Pecos League)

Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park (Albuquerque, NM - Albuquerque Isotopes - Pacific Coast League)

"Smokey" Joe Williams Field (Seguin, TX - Seguin River Monsters - Texas Collegiate League)

2024

Barbe High School Baseball Field (Lake Charles, LA - Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gators - Texas Collegiate League)

Texas Summer Baseball Tour, Year Two - Stop #2, La Moderna Field

I love sports.  I love baseball.  And I always try to stay positive about them both, and life.

Hopefully, it was just a one-time instance, but I ran into some bad baseball Thursday night, June 6, at La Moderna Field in Cleburne.

The Railroaders scored 14 runs - yes, you read that right, 14 - in the bottom of the second innning en route to a 23-4 win over the Gary SouthShore Railcats.

Railcats pitchers issued 22 bases on balls.

After an hour, I couldn't sit much longer, and watched the rest of what I stayed for by walking back and forth on the concourse.

I hit my two-hour limit, after four complete innings with Cleburne up 18-4.

I wonder, however, are we getting to a limit on what is acceptable as good enough baseball in the name of entertainment.

Thing is, La Monderna Field is a great facility.  It sits in a bowl.  Most seats have great sightlines.

Maybe there were opportunities - aside from a group - that were cheaper than buying my ticket online before I made the drive from Waco to Cleburne.

Every ticket was $18.  I paid for parking - an odd $4.49 (likely to get the tax to make it $5 driving up).  Fees and taxes were $4.10.

That makes a total of $26.59 to see baseball from guys who aren't likely to make it all the way back up, even if they were at one time.

Summer collegiate ball last week at Brazos Valley was $9.78.

A high school game - Class 6A regional finals at Constellation Field (Sugar Land's home park) - two nights later was $21 - $12 plus $2 for fees and $5 plus $2 for fees for parking.

However, with a game at Sugar Land, you expect that.  I don't recall when I made my trip to all 16 last year here in Texas that Cleburne's prices caused the same heartburn it did on Thursday night.

Plus a Railroaders game is a caucophony of noise.

The announcer openly cheers.  I almost construe it as rude to the knowledgeable baseball fan, as they know when or not to cheer and not to be guided incessantly like an aninmal.

And no sooner the game announcer ends for the half inning, the on-field person takes over - and he's not annoying (and is as equally good as the Bombers' on-field guy), but they do something every single half inning.

I know, I know, it's entertainment and if you make it fun for the kids, then the parents with money will bring them back again and again.

I think if you chase ballparks, you bite the bullet on this one to see it - and then don't come back, unless you're flush with cash.

Texas Summer Baseball Tour, Year Two - Stop #1, Travis Field

Given that I'm not able to do any extensive traveling at the moment, my 2024 summer baseball goals include the following:

1.) See a game at the park of the new Pecos Bills in the independent Pecos League.

2.) See games at the parks of all three Louisiana teams, including the new Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gators, in the Texas Collegiate League.

3.) See games in the four parks of all four Texas teams of the new Mid-America Baseball League.

However, I may stretch to see all of the Texas parks again this year, which now total 20.

It was sixteen a year ago, of which I made them all, but the Austin Weirdos of the Pecos League will play all of their games on the road this season.

I've already seen 33 baseball games so far this year, with 27 of them coming in or at a new stadium, ballpark or field - and the most of them being high school.

Sunday night, June 2, I made the trip to Bryan, Texas to see the Brazos Valley Bombers host the new Gumbeaux Gators at Travis Field (or its other names that include Bombers Field or Edible Field).

Given that we've had some rains roll across the state the last few days, the contest - from a weather perspective - wasn't that unbearable, although worse days are sure to come. It's Texas.

Lake Charles staked an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a little small ball. Aaron Morgan singled, stole second and then moved to third and scored on a pair of fielder's choices.

The Gators added two and the Bombers one in the top and bottom of the third inning, respectively, in much the same fashion.

Brazos Valley cut the margin to one in the bottom of the seventh when Grant Watkins doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Nathan Hodge single to center field.

Landon Hunt scored the final run for Lake Charles when he coaxed a walk, stole both second and third and then added the final tally on a Gage Trahan sacrifice fly.

Three side notes on the trip to Travis Field.

1.) The club entices folks online with "$7 tickets". We all know where this is going. Yep, $9.78 with all of the fees.

2.) The field turf at Travis Stadium, which is also used by the Twin City Toucans FC - a men's team in the USL League Two, looks to be taking a bit of a beating.

3.) The announcer has got a great voice, but the screaming and growling during the Bombers batters' step to the plate introductions just isn't necessary.

Their managing group, Clutch Entertainment, really does a great job to deliver an excellent experience at the ballpark - and they have a sponsor for everything (not too unusual).

Maybe one new metric for this year - the number of advertising signs on the outfield fence.  Travis Field starts it off with 38!