T! (IV)

YouTube can be a bizarre and frustrating experience. Plus with the video joiner having gone nuts, the clip from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington was not uploaded as planned. Instead, here are all of the clips in one channel. Of course, you can enjoy the other bizarre videos that make this Scribe laugh, cry, smile and throw things in frustration.

Oh, and the surprise mentioned in the introduction video? Not much of one really since you've already seen it in the slideshow. It's the new Cowboys stadium being erected a few blocks away. It'll open next season and will host Super Bowl XLV (2011).

Excuse the language, but it's friggin' ginomous!

T! (III)

While it was a great time at The Ballpark, the videos are still a work in progress as I want to edit a few things. In the meantime, here's a clip.

T! (II)

Video will come tomorrow because I'm not in the mood to fight with it tonight. In the meantime, here's a slideshow of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Many thanks to 'D-cubed' for the company.

You'll notice an old school feel to this park. This is because it was modeled to incorporate several aspects of older ballparks.

Oh, and guess who was one of several people responsible to put this park together?

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T! (I)

So today, you'll get a look at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. While the views may not be as close as they were for PNC Park, I'll do the absolute best I can to give the best look into what's supposed to be a pretty cool park. This will be the last game before most of the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox take an All-Star break tomorrow through Wednesday.



It had been a rather long day yesterday from leaving the crib at 5:30AM to woofing down a bacon cheeseburger somewhere along the George Bush Highway to passing out in Plano at some undetermined time. Yet, by Monday morning, you'll be treated to something great out of this foray into that bandbox Milton Bradley and Josh Hamilton call home.



In the meanwhile, a few recommended articles. Some from the usual suspects, some born from taking a layover in Minneapolis/St. Paul and being here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

• Alan Schwartz's (New York Times) piece about the aforementioned Rangers headed to The Bronx for the All-Star Game


• USA Today tells you how phenomenally pricey the ASG gatherings are this year


• Also from USA Today, you can debate if these truly are the faces of the thirty MLB franchises


• Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) has some recommended summer reading in this 'slow' sports period (and slow is quoted for those who follow just the major North American sports)


• Everyone's favorite Cowboys head coach is back! Well, at least mine, anyway. Did someone just throw a bobblehead at me?


• Since it's closing in on training camp time, if you didn't think that there wouldn't be a spin on the latest Brett Favre saga for one of Green Bay's rivals, you're a bit off.

Oh, and go see Hellboy II. I do recall seeing that last night. I also recall that when I landed in DFW that it was 100 degrees. Not... cool.

Next...

So where will Scribe head to next?

It's a place where "chicks dig the long ball" and pitchers...



Pitchers...



Well, they're at least on the mound.

Outside of a layover in Houston during the 2005 NLCS, this is the first voyage to Texas; more specifically, the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Just as Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia in April and PNC Park in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, Scribe will give an in-depth look into Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the bandbox that Josh Hamilton, Milton Bradley and Michael Young call home. It will be the last series before the All-Star Break in the Bronx and they will take on the Chicago White Sox. Expect to see the camera eye follow a lot of home run balls.

It's possible that you'll get a bonus: a look at Dr Pepper Ballpark, the home of the Rangers' Double-A affiliate Frisco Roughriders. Built in time for the 2001 Texas League season, this 10,000-seat facility was called the best new ballpark by baseballparks.com in 2003.



When this trip was planned a few months ago, I had promised to not work. Um... oops. And while this won't be the last ballpark you'll see on this blog this year, this is one that garners the most personal excitement. So much has been said about the Texas-style architecture and the passion for sports in the state. It's about time to experience it all upclose while catching up with a longtime friend.



Guess I'll see you in Texas!