Frankie and Eric's Adventure, Volume 2

Written on day 3 of the trip, on a train going from Milwaukee to Chicago at 8 am, on about 3 hours of sleep.

We've conquered Milwaukee. Conquered may be used in the loosest definition of the term. But, we did make it out of there alive. Miller Park is a gorgeous facility. Their bratwurst are absolutely delicious. Especially with kraut. As the first park on our journey, it definitely lived up to all it's deserved billing. It was the first time I've seen a game indoors, and I have to say the experience was very pleasant. Almost too pleasant. But, we did get to see a Giants victory and a pretty amazing sausage race, so Milwaukee get's my seal of approval.

Miller Park is built on the spot of the old stadium, so not very close to downtown. But, Milwaukee is small enough that getting there is not too hard. The field itself is pretty. The scoreboard very legible, the sight lines fantastic, and there are some pretty sweet concessions and features, like a giant slide As I sit here on the train to Chicago Frankie keeps yelling at me for making fun of the accents of the people around me. They have the greatest accents ever. Like hardcore. I don't know if that describes them accurately. It does for me. You all will just have to imagine it. The woman behind me just said "handicapped parking", and I couldn't contain myself. I'm a terrible person.

Things learned in Milwaukee:

1. Be careful saying the word "kite".
2. Underground Pakistani food is always a good decision.
3. Women from Wiwona, Minnesota are bad news. Never trust them. They are awful people. Awful. I cannot stress this enough. Seriously. I hate them. I hate them so much. Even if they're Giants fans. They're the worst women on the planet.
4. The music being played from the Milwaukee Art Museum at noon was perhaps the greatest thing I've ever heard. I wish I could adequately put this into writing. It was like the chimes of Big Ben, except more Van Haleny. They lasted for about 45 seconds. It was unreal. So Frank and I are standing at the Veterans Memorial (side note: Milwaukeeans love their veterans/POWs. I haven't seen more memorials/monuments to soldiers anywhere else except DC. This is not a bad thing, just an observation.) But yes, we're standing at the memorial building on Lake Michigan at noon, and suddenly the most epic music ever begins to play. This is the only way to describe it. Think Fantasmic meets Panama meets Call of Duty theme meets Revelations meets Like A G-Men meets Star Wars. (The woman behind me just said "copy" and "office". Again, I couldn't contain myself.) Boom. You now know how my conciousness works. But yes, Frankie an I never did find out who chose to play this music and why they chose to play it. We just know that whoever it was made the best decision we've ever been privy to. We want to shake his hand and be more like him.
5. Miller Brewery is very, very cool. They make a lot of beer. It is all delicious.

So, all that said, this is still a sports blog.... The A's are the absolute worst, and I say that with all the love my heart has to give. It's a ton. They need to stay on the field. I can't stress enough how happy this early season success has made me, but if they can't stay on the field, it's going to be short lived, and that will make me most unhappy. Inge needs to get healthy. Cespedes needs to get healthy. McCarthy needs to get healthy. ManRam needs to stop juicing. It's going to be a long summer unless a few things start going Oakland's way.

As for the Giants, they have hope. Brandon Crawford looks like a decent hitter in the two hole. Hector Sanchez hit that home run Monday night, and his bat being productive would be huge. Angel Pagan, while not the most approachable player (Frankie and I saw him coming out of the team hotel, totally randomly, and he did not want to give us the time of day), is swinging a hot bat. The point is, with the Dodgers' injury woes, there's no reason to believe that this team won't be competing for something meaningful come September. If I had internet access right now, I'd quote you some stats and notes, but I can't, because Amtrak hates me. Tonight Frankie and I get to see the great Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox take on the great Scott Diamond of the Minnesota Twins. It should be a matchup for the ages. HAR. Let's Go Oakland!

Quote of the Day: Frank, go to bed.