For the first time in over three years, I was finally able to escape the hideous clutches of The Man and take a vacation. Well, to be honest, I didn't really "take" a vacation. That would be a lot like "taking" a dump. To be perfectly correct, I went on vacation.
Anyway, I went to Memphis. Why Memphis? Because I am big music fan and Memphis has one of America's biggest live music scenes. It is also the birthplace of rock 'n' roll.
As part of my expedition I took in a ballgame at Memphis's Autozone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds, triple-A team to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The first thing I noticed about Autozone Park was the location. Whereas most of the games I have attended throughout Florida have been located out in fields, suburbs, or generally open areas, Autozone Park was in the middle of downtown Memphis. This made for a really nice backdrop. That's not something you get that much of in Florida, land of highways, strip malls, and urban sprawl.
(Interesting side note: A few hours before the game I had a great discussion with the head of security at AutoZone Park. Among the things he said was that the ballpark was one of the centerpieces for the Memphis urban revival movement of the early 1990s. Apparently, much of downtown Memphis was in bad shape before things like the ballpark and the FedEx Forum were built. The head of security also told me that although he wouldn't have paid much for the land back then, the ballpark is now regarded as one of the best in the country.)
Anyway, as for the game itself, it was pretty good. Although the Redbirds had nine guys I never heard of, pitching for the visiting Omaha Royals on a rehab assignment was Kansas City Royals starter Gil Meche. If you remember my Pedro sighting a few weeks ago, that makes the second major league pitcher I have seen get work in down at the minor league level. I guess I tend to have a knack for seeing rehab starts lately.
Like Pedro, Gil Meche did not impress me at all. Although he didn't allow any hits, he walked 5 in the 3.2 innings I saw him pitch. Then for whatever reason in the bottom of the 4th, Meche came out of the game. Whether he was hurt or hit a pitch count, I am not sure.
After Meche's departure, the Omaha Royals paraded a series of probably-never-will-be's out to the pitcher's mound. This collection of mediocre moundsmen allowed the Redbirds to strike early and often, scoring a bunch of runs and defeating the Royals quite soundly.
Back to my experience at the park, however. Since I am not a big Redbirds fan, I spent most of the middle innings exploring. In summary, I don't think I have ever been to a more family-friendly ballpark in my life. AutoZone Park had so much for the kids to do it was amazing. The ballpark could almost be considered its own amusement park, even without considering the baseball game in progress. There was a swing set, jungle gym, and other city park-like props, as well as a batting cage, basketball hoop, and pitching/speed gun challenge. One of the other nice features was the concourse platform that circled the stadium, allowing for the ability to take pictures of the game, the stadium, and the surrounding city at every angle.
To sum up my experience, I had a great time. Memphis is not only a fantastic city for live music, good beer, and outstanding bbq, but also is one hell of a place to catch a ballgame. So if you are ever in Memphis and swing through AutoZone Park, tell 'em Jordi sent ya.
