No game today: Just canceled flights at CVG

 A week ago today, Thursday, June 16, was the last day I did not go to a professional baseball game. It feels like months ago. I don't know how I'll handle returning to society. But the baseball part of the trip is over. Seven games, six days, four parks. The voyage started last Friday by car, took an expectant mode of transportation when I got on a bus at 3:40 Wednesday morning and today it ends (let's hope) with a Delta flight from the Greater Cincinnati Airport in Covington, Ky., (a k a CVG) to LaGuardia in Queens (a k a LGA).

I am exhausted. But the trip exceeded expectations. Other than catching a foul ball or being invited to throw out the first pitch.

The doubleheader was a blast. Great to see the Reds pick up the nightcap. Great seats behind first base dugout. Made some new friends from Columbus and N. Kentucky. Last night's game was the first without a hot dog for me. I think I'll be able to go the rest of the year without eating another hotdog. Plus, I don't think any hot dogs can compare to Great American Ball Park's Big Red dogs.

The Originals: The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Base Ball Club, the first professional baseball team.

While I was hoping to catch an Amtrak train home so I could focus on writing about the trip, it was sold out. Apparently the next train comes through Cincinnati on Wednesday. Weird. But at least I got a full-body scan when I arrived here — just after finding out my original flight was canceled. But U.S. Airways got me on a direct flight through Delta. I would have been in the air already and headed to Charlotte before flying to LGA. This new flight leaves nearly four hours later but is due to get in just about 45 minutes later. I'll take it.

The Greatest: The starting eight of the Big Red Machine, baseball's best lineup from 1-8, in history. Not too shabby in the field either.

More to come. I hope. But now that I'm thirsty, I have to pack up all my stuff to walk 30 feet to the Starbucks. Does Delta offer free Wi-Fi on their planes?

Day 6: Let's play two

After that lovely bus ride that seemed to take forever, I arrived back in downtown Cincinnati. My room wasn't ready at the hotel. But by sitting in the lobby I struck up a conversation with a man from Toledo. He liked my Mr. Redlegs hat and he gave me his box seats, around 30th row, behind the first base dugout. I've always said that some of the most generous people in Ohio come from Toledo.

He was on his way to Omaha for the College World Series. I was on my way to my sixth straight day of attending a professional baseball game — my third at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. And it was about 14 hours after we saw the Pirates beat the Orioles in Pittsburgh.

I'm tired. I maybe put together three hours of sleep on the Greyhound trip, which included an hour layover in Columbus. I used to take a bus from that same Columbus depot to Athens when I went to Ohio University. It looked and felt the same as it did over a decade ago. But I didn't see anyone selling drugs in the men's room. That was a first.

I sat again in the Moon/Sundeck at the stadium for the first five innings. I believe this is first time I've attended a Major League game alone. Let me tell you: It was a hell of a lot better than attending with Brian and Nick.

Not really. It was just different. I spent the later innings wandering around the stadium trying to check it all — the artwork (which features a cool Big Red Machine mural made of tiles and a tribute to the original Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869, the first professional baseball team) and the different views of the game. From the upper deck to the right field stands and all along the concourses behind the infield seats, you have a good view of the action.

There is a carnival-like atmosphere at Great American. There's a woman on stilts, a juggler, jazz quartets, a 50/50 raffle that benefits the Reds Community Fund, which really does some cool things around the area for kids. There are a bunch of games — many of which I think would have been cool to have at Riverfront Stadium. 

The fans are some of the friendliest in baseball. Yankee fans have been telling me that. While I've never seen a game in St. Louis, I can't imagine a better group of fans to watch a game with. There is no consistent swearing like you hear in New York. And most people are rather courteous and laid back. You do, like at every baseball game we've attended, hear louder people talking and complaining about the game in such a way that they show they don't understand it enough to criticize batters' swings at off speed pitches. I don't understand enough myself, which is why I try to keep quieter.

But enough of this. Next game is in about two hours. I have plans.

Sitting in the Pittsburgh bus depot

I'm surrounded by napping travelers lying along the floor of the Greyhound Bus terminal in downtown Pittsburgh. I have my ticket to Cincinnati in hand. Millennium Hotel booked downtown. I just don't have a ticket to either of the games tomorrow/today/in about nine hours. But I will deal with that when I'm back in Cincinnati.

We visited PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, this evening. They clobbered the Orioles in front of a large Bucs crowd. The stadium is gorgeous. We were sitting in section 115, behind home plate. It was a good view of the action. It really is a breathtaking park. There appeared to be dozens of standing-room nooks throughout the stadium for you to catch some of the action. But having that view of the Pittsburgh skyline and bridges — at least from our seats — really gives the stadium a cavernous, yet open feel. Leave it to Pittsburgh.

The Pirates were honoring the 1971 team, which is the second most recent Bucs team to win the World Series. The players looked sharp in throw back jerseys. Both teams sported those '70s pull-over jeserys and belt-less pants. There weren't enough stirrups, however, for them to truly be throwbacks.

Thanks to the pregame ceremony we made it inside in time for the first pitch. We watched the top of the first from the deck beyond the left field wall. By midway through the game, we could see that area and the spiral ramps behind it full of fans leaning on the railings, watching baseball.

At the suggestion of a family friend back in Connecticut, we grabbed a Primanti sandwich. The line was long for the roast beef, steak or capiola fried up and thrown on freshly baked white bread with french fries and coleslaw (I hope I'm not forgetting something). The sandwich was pretty good. It was sure a lot of stuff between bread. I would like to try it some time at an actual restaurant than at the ball game. The worst part was, where our line was we had no TVs to keep up the action during the game. There were six lines for these sandwiches on three sides of a square-like building on the first base side that houses the Pitt delicacy. If you are going to have to wait at least a half inning to get food, it would be nice to be able to see some of the game.

If I had any complaint of the park, it's that there is not enough monitors to see the action when you are out of site — but still still — to the game.

This was supposed to the official end to the baseball road trip — with some options open for games elsewhere if schedules and budgets allowed it. Going back to Cincinnati was certainly not in the plans. But the double header later today was just too much to pass up. Now I just need to find some tickets.

Since I started writing this, we've loaded onto the bus, made room for all the passengers and the lights are off while some people sleep and college kids trade traveling war stories. I'm typing at my laptop while I have some power. We are scheduled to arrive in Columbus at 7 this morning. Then I change for Cincinnati while this bus continues on to Indianapolis and St. Louis.

What the hell. I'm going back for a couple more.

With the Reds-Yankees game rained out Tuesday night, they're playing a day/night double-header Wednesday. I've decided I can't pass up a chance to go to both games. Nick and Brian both have to get back to New York. Nick is flying early in the morning. Brian is driving later in the morning. And, as Nick just said to me: "Josh, you are getting on a bus in three hours. Ha ha ha. I'm jealous."

Next stop: 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati, Ohio.

I haven't ridden aboard a Greyhound bus since I was a student at Ohio University. But it was just $35 to buy a ticket online. And Hotwire offered a great deal on a downtown 3.5-star hotel. And I still have the rest of the week off.

I'll worry about how I am going to get back later. I can no longer imagine a day without going to a baseball game. And we did never see a day game.

By the way, PNC Park is second only to Wrigley — and probably Fenway — as the most beautiful place I've seen a baseball game. And it was a night to celebrate the 1971 championship team. The Bucs and the Orioles wore throwback jerseys. The Pirates caps were light brown/golden with a black classic Pirates P and a black brim. I grabbed one for myself.

Now I have to figure how to pack for a trip I'm already on.

Return to Cincinnati: Montgomery Inn Boathouse

The last time I had ribs within the greater Cincinnati area, a players strike was looming in Major League baseball. It was August 1994 and my parents had driven the family out to Cincinnati for a visit. We saw a couple Reds-Dodgers games, the last series for the Redlegs that season. Montgomery Inn is a local institution, founded by the late Ted Gregory, a k a The Ribs King. I went to Montgomery Elementary School, just down the Montgomery Ave. from the Inn.

The Gregories now have four locations, including the downtown Montgomery Inn Boathouse. A circular building that looks out onto the Ohio River and the banks of Kentucky. We were lucky enough to get get a seat right against the large glass windows on the first floor. That picture above is of a riverboat making its way down the river. This picture is of the Boathouse. A place that did not disappoint.

We had seen a great game on Sunday. The Reds held of the Blue Jays, 2-1. Brian and Nick were offended when Fransisco Cordero, the Reds closer, entered the game in the 9th to "Enter Sandman" — Mariano Rivera's entrance music at Yankee Stadium. But they got over it by the time we got some drinks and fresh, hot Saratoga chips with hot Montgomery Inn barbecue sauce for dipping.

We told the waiter, Jerry, that we've been traveling for days and this was our first real chance to sit down for a good meal. He told us to take our time, brought us some Greek meatballs for another appetizer and said we could order our main meal whenever we'd like.

When we finally got around to it, Jerry brought us some excellent barbecued pork. I went with a slab of ribs. Nick and Brian got a combinations of ribs and pork chops. All were pleased. You can see in the pictured that I first had to have a rib before I could take a picture of it. Brian enjoyed, this trip, making fun of Nick and me for taking so many pictures of our food. But Cincinnati has some food you just can't get many other places.

My mom should be proud of me finishing all the ribs in one setting. I'm fairly sure she never allowed my brother or I from ordering a full slab when we were kids. And rightly so. Even though Shelby, my brother, and I were convinced we could do it.

One of the fun things about the Montgomery Inn is all the sports memorabilia on the walls. I wonder if the original Montgomery Inn still has that statue of Pete Rose when you walk in.

The Boathouse does have this great picture of Pete and Hulk Hogan. The picture was in a dark corner and I had lighten it a lot. I always took Pete for more a Macho Man guy. But I'm sure he and the Hulk had a few things in common.

After the meal, we polished it all off with some coffee and Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip ice cream. That meal right there crossed a few things off the Queen City to-do list.

Below are a couple more shots of the Ohio River and banks of Kentucky. But we saved that state for the next night. Also is some Ken Griffey Jr. memorabilia.

We're rolling through some traffic just outside Pittsburgh. But we're at our exit. Hoping to be at PNC Park by 6ish.

If you can't get enough of this, I'll do some more updates on Twitter from the game. Keep up to date by clicking here.

Back home then Pittsburgh-bound

We passed the 1,000 mile mark some time after driving back around Columbus. We're on Interstate 70 East, a couple hours outside Pittsburgh. Apparently there is Jimmy Buffet concert in Pittsburgh tonight. There are only about five hotel rooms left in the city. But we changed our reservation for a hotel on the east side of the city to one west of the city.

Tonight will be the fifth night in row we've gone to a baseball game. It's becoming a bit surreal. In a good way.

Cincinnati was a great time. The ballpark was amazing to finally see. I only wish I'd moved around more during the game to check it all out. But I really didn't want to miss a pitch. We finished up the visit this morning with a trip to Symmes for a swing through the old neighborhood and lunch in Montgomery, near my old elementary school, which was razed years ago.

I'm back in the back seat — or Josh's Cubical as Nick called it. Hoping to catch up with some posts about Cincinnati, Great American Ball Park, Montgomery Road, the Rose Garden, Kentucky Gold Stars and the Moon Deck.

The old house. I remember when that tree was planted.

Welcome to Cincinnati, now home of a bunch of Yankees fans from Indiana

After traveling some 700 miles from home, where every other person (and sometimes me) wears Yankees hat, Cincinnati is full of Yankee fans. Most of them seem to be from Indiana and Kentucky. I wonder if they have an Indiana cheer.

Unlike the three previous days, there has been little down time. Thus less blogging. But I have been trying to make some updates at http://Twitter.com/Fishjer.

We saw the Reds beat the Blue Jays, 2-1, in a good pitching duel. Bronson Arroyo's flowing locks and leg kick was as mesmerizing as it was the last three times I saw the Reds. Tonight we see Johnny Cueto, who's been pitching like an ace, take on the team I see the most back home: The New York Yankees. It's going to be fun to see my "home team" play my favorite team in my old home.

Speaking of old homes, finally making it into Great American Ball Park felt like coming home. I grew up going to Riverfront Stadium and there were some fitting nods to that park that hosted some amazing games and champions. But Great American is great. We were in the 28th row just to left of home plate, still behind the screen. I didn't get a chance to check out much of the park, as we arrived in the top of first right after checking into the downtown hotel — a 10 minute walk to the park. But once I sat down, I didn't want to get up.

The Big Red Hot Dog was delicious. Best hot dog of the trip. It came right off the grill into a steamed bun and they threw on hot sauerkraut, which was cooking along peppers on the grill. There was some tasty brown mustard also. The dog was flavorful, hot and made me want two. It gets 5 stars. I held off on a second dog, knowing there was slab of Montgomery Inn ribs in my future.

The Reds do a great job of celebrating their history and their current players. From the statues and pictures around the park to the stadium p.a. and scoreboard, it makes the game fun. What I like least about the new Yankee Stadium is it is so loud with advertisements, bad crowd games and often awful music between innings. (That Cotton Eye Joe thing is so stupid, I get embarrassed for the greatest sports franchise in the world. They should be better than that. I could write a book about why the Yankees grounds crew doing the YMCA while raking the field is the cause of the 2008 stock market crash.) Maybe the Yankees can pick up some tips from the Reds tonight. Both teams have a great history and have played in a couple good World Series against each other.

We're yet to be in our seats by the first pitch. That ends tonight. Look for us on TV tonight. It's on ESPN nationally, YES back home and FSO out here.

More on everything else when I get a chance. From Reds to Montgomery Inn to Skyline to Graeter's to the Reds Hall of Fame to Maddona's Bar, the Queen City has kept us entertained.