Ultimate Baseball Road Trip (101 page)

4301 S. Bowen

www.bobbyvsports.com/

This restaurant owned by former Texas Rangers manager Bobby Valentine is distinguishable from any other restaurant in Arlington by the raised boxing ring in the middle of the dining room that allows a few select parties to eat inside the ropes. The exceptional chili comes served in a bread bowl while the Major League Burgers feature the trademark flavors of different big league cities. All of the memorabilia is a nice touch too: from the Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach mementos to the Ivan Rodriguez and A-Rod stuff.

Josh:
I sure hope Bobby V. opens a joint like this in Boston.

Kevin:
Well, if history is any indication, he soon will.

1818 Rodeo Dr., Mesquite

www.mesquiteprorodeo.com/

For a real Texas experience, drive about half an hour to Mesquite. This popular stop on the ProRodeo circuit has it all, including bull riding, bronc riding, tie-down roping, and of course, lovable rodeo clowns. But most of all, Kevin enjoyed the unique Texas music, and Josh enjoyed the hickory smoked brisket from the barbecue wagon. During baseball season the ranch is open Friday and Saturday nights. We were tempted to conduct our usual seating survey, but decided against it.

Rodeo Seating Chart:
www.mesquiteprorodeo.com/group-sales/rodeo-group-seating-chart

Inside the main entrance, the square shape of the vast entry level makes the concourse feel more like a plaza. The gated arches cast shadows across the concrete floor and give the
plaza a charming baseball feel. But the real personality of this park is down near the field. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is instantly recognizable thanks to that looming building in center and the well-manicured grass batter’s eye.

The first floor of the white-porched office building in center houses some retail shops and the Rangers box office. And the fourth floor houses the team’s executive brain trust. But floor two and three are leased to regular old companies. Each floor offers thirty-four thousand square feet of office space that leases for between $22 and $26 per square foot. Among the tenants are a custom jewelry shop named Baseball Diamonds that does a lot of business with the Rangers players, a real estate firm, and a mortgage company. Many of the office suites come with their own ballpark views, yet when the Rangers made the playoffs in 2010, MLB made those tenants wishing to stand on their office balconies to watch the games purchase standing-room tickets.

The sloped lawn batter’s eye is named after former Arlington Mayor Richard Greene. Fans gather in the bleachers on both sides during batting practice, while the players attempt to launch pregame blasts toward the knoll. When a ball strikes Greene’s Hill, a mad scramble ensues for the souvenir. Then fans politely return to the bleachers and await the next bomb. Yes, Josh scrambled onto the hill, but he was beaten out by a gangly thirteen-year-old bully.

At various times the trademark Rangers “T” has been painted onto the lawn. And flag-waving young ladies have taken to the Hill after home runs to lead the crowd in a college-football-style celebration.

Even once the game begins, fans are allowed to leave the seating area and take to the hill whenever a homerun ball plops down. The Texas scramble is one of the most unique homer traditions in baseball and we love it.

Named after former Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff, who was integral to bringing the Rangers to Texas in the first place, then to seeing to it that they got a shiny new ballpark, the plaza between the office building and the center-field berm is a festive spot to visit before or during the game. It is an interactive sports area, where kids can play Wiffle Ball, toss a few at the speed-pitch meter, or take a few hacks in the tee-ball cages. History minded chaps can also pay tribute to a regal statue of the local car salesman, turned politician, turned big-league recruiter. There is also a statue of a business-suit–attired Vandergriff at Arlington City Hall and during the 2010 post-season it was dressed up in a red Rangers jersey and cap.

A statue honoring Nolan Ryan also stands in Vandergriff Plaza. It depicts Ryan raising his cap in salute to the Texas fans after whiffing Roberto Alomar to complete his record seventh no-hitter with a 3-0 whitewashing of the Blue Jays on May 1, 1991. Ryan’s No. 34 hangs on the façade of the left-field upper deck, along with Jackie Robinson’s universally retired No. 42 and manager Johnny Oates’s No. 26.

Ryan is the answer to an interesting trivia question, by the way. Besides Robinson, he is the only player to have his number retired by three different teams. Well, we should say his numbers. The first team to honor Ryan was the Angels, who retired his No. 30 in 1992. Then, the Rangers retired the No. 34 he wore for them in September 1996, and just two weeks later, the Astros retired No. 34. Ryan’s plaque in Cooperstown, by the way, depicts him in a Rangers cap, even though he only notched 51 of his 324 career wins with them.

The double-decked grandstand section in right field is one of the signature features of this ballpark. The pillars that support the upper deck and roof give the outfield the distinctive look of a classic park. This may make the ballpark look old-timey, but in reality the seats aren’t anything to write home about. Even if you’re sitting elsewhere, though, it’s worth visiting the porch during your pregame stroll, just to take in the old-time effect before returning to your unobstructed field-level seat.

Overhead electric fans hang from the roof of the Home Run Porch, cooling folks seated in these sections on hot days.

Josh:
These remind me of the heaters in Minneapolis.

Kevin:
What a difference a thousand miles can make, eh?

Josh:
It’s too cold. It’s too hot. Baseball fans are a finicky bunch.

Kevin:
Not just baseball. Here in the football capital of the south the Cowboys used to have a partial dome that covered the fans but not the playing field.

Josh:
Given the blustery winters in East Texas, that seems forgivable.

Kevin:
I know some Packers fans who wouldn’t agree.

Perhaps the only things from old Arlington Stadium worth saving were the foul poles. Other than the bleachers in center field, all of the other features that resemble the old Stadium were re-created, such as the State of Texas cutout between the American and Texas flags in center. But they transported the big yellow poles.

From 2004 to 2006 there was a giant bell situated in Section 201 and whenever a member of the Rangers homered it would toll. This neat effect was actually a tribute to then-stadium-namesake Ameriquest. It had a big company logo smack dab on its base. When the mortgage behemoth was broken into different companies and dissolved, the naming-rights deal ended and the Rangers discreetly removed the bell. As it turned out, in the end the bell tolled for thee, Ameriquest.

The home bullpen is located in right-center field and causes the outfield wall to jut back toward the infield, creating difficult angles for center fielders. We like this design. Not so well done is the visiting bullpen. With the seats for the pitchers located underneath the outfield grandstands in left-center, hurlers must walk behind the scoreboard to get to the throwing area. The visitors warm up, throwing perpendicular to the outfield wall, rather than parallel to it as is the case in the home pen. While this asymmetry might be acceptable, the pen itself is oddly shaped, such that it gives the impression of being an afterthought. While we realize that dissing the opposing team is part of the game, this just looks shoddy.

In a small portion of the space previously occupied by the Legends of the Game Baseball Museum, the Rangers honor their franchise icons like Ryan, Ferguson Jenkins, Charlie Hough, Jim Sundberg, Buddy Bell, and Tom Grieve with plaques and mementos from their careers. This right-field gallery is open to ticket holders on game day.

Rangers Ballpark offers the basics, with a few delightful South-western twists. Upon our return to Arlington, we observed a far beefier menu than we encountered during our first visit, which was a pleasant development as far as our taste buds were concerned, but maybe less so for our arteries.

Introduced midway through the 2010 season, this steaming slop of juicy meat comes courtesy of Rick’s Barbecue, which can be found behind Section 327 where an actual hickory wood smoker is set on the concourse. This is Texas barbecue, so it’s beef not pork, but the brisket is pretty much shredded (technically chopped) so the consistency is nice and soft. Rick also offers bacon-wrapped hot dogs topped with sautéed onions.

When we visited in 2003, we were disappointed by the limp and lifeless Decker Dog and we let the Rangers know it. As a direct result of our criticism, no doubt, one of Nolan Ryan’s first priorities upon taking the Rangers’ reins was to replace those Decker Dogs with his own brand of bursting-with-flavor all-beef franks. And he got around to it right after he revamped the team’s pitching philosophy. So now Rangers fans get to enjoy a nice firm ballpark dog while they watch their Texas starters throw 130 pitches before walking off the mound limp-armed. Seriously, though, it’s a much better dog.

We also were impressed by the
Texas Steak Sandwich.
It came on a nice fresh roll, topped with salsa. The
Nachos
Supreme
at the TexMex Express come loaded with jalapeño peppers, taco meat, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, and black olives. Not too shabby. The
Taco Salad
is also a big seller, and the lines for these stands are the longest in the park.

The smoked
Turkey Leg
at the Red River Stand on the first level concourse is quite good. We enjoyed our
Jalapeño Sausage
but it could have had even more pepper in it as far as we were concerned. It was close to a toss-up but in the end we decided that we liked
Nolan Ryan’s All-Beef Hickory Sausage
just a little bit more. The last bite convinced us.

We didn’t weigh the
Three-Pound Pretzel
to check its authenticity in labeling but we can verify that it is a hefty twisted loaf of dough that comes served in a pizza box. It comes with three different dipping sauces: nacho cheese, marinara, and honey mustard, and is said to check in at 3,700 calories! If you can handle that many carbs, go for it. The
Cajun Fries
and
Garlic Fries
came in portions more our size and were a tick better than decent.

On a hot day (gee, do you think?) try the
Big Kahuna Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich.

Most beer stands have Bud, Miller, and Coors products while there are also Beers of the World stands on all three levels that serve a range of familiar brews for the more refined palate. In addition there are two Beers of Texas stands—behind Sections 121 and 209—that serve some Lone Star State favorites. Kevin tried the Saint Arnold Lawnmower, a golden beer, and liked it a lot. The Shiner Bock is also a popular local choice. Another big seller in Texas, where it’s always scorching, is the foot-long
Frozen Margarita.
It may seem like a girlie-drink but if you can find a guy or two in your section with one—preferably a macho-looking dude with a cowboy hat on his head—then you can probably pull it off too.

Texans are a vocal bunch. We came to this conclusion after observing folks yelling like East Coasters during our first visit, sparing no one, not the players, umps, or batboys. So we thought we’d found another baseball mecca, an oasis in the desert of football and NASCAR. But we were wrong. With the game tied and going into the top of the seventh inning, fans began to leave. And not just a few, in droves.

Kevin:
The game was tied before you got here!

Josh:
Yeah, why bother coming out? The food was not
that
good.

We expected this dynamic to have changed upon our return trip in 2011. After the team’s amazing run in 2010, we assumed the fan base would have solidified into one that took the game just a bit more seriously. And yet, as is often the case, we were proven wrong again. In a one-run game a third of the place had cleared out by the top of the eighth inning.