"A Dandy Time in Dallas" by Blake L.Blake writes a sports-related article for The Brazosport Facts every other week. He wrote about their trip to Dallas and told it much better than I could. Not since my picture was in The Brazosport Facts as a fifth grader for making & wearing a t-shirt as a book report have I received so much publicity!!"A Dandy Time in Dallas"
By Blake L. The Facts
Published August 21, 2007
"A couple articles ago, I said I was going to go see a Frisco Rough Riders and Texas Rangers game. Last week my family vacationed up to Dallas and saw these two fun-filled games. It was a great way to conclude our summer vacation.
My family planned this trip to Dallas months in advance, and I couldn’t wait till we’d go. We left at 6 o’clock in the morning on a Friday. I was very tired but ready to make the long 41/2-hour drive to Dallas. Our friends, the Reeds, came with us.
The drive seemed like it would take forever, but the constant conversation and sharing of stories made the 41/2-hour drive go by faster. I never had been to Dallas before, so I was amazed at the skyline of the city. It seemed a little like Houston.
We stayed at the house of my mom’s high school friend, Kayvonne Campbell, in Plano. It was about 30 minutes from Dallas. A few hours later, we headed to a Frisco Rough Rider baseball game. The stadium was just 15 minutes from Campbell’s house.
We arrived at the stadium, and I noticed the name of the stadium was Dr Pepper Ballpark. That is a neat name for a ballpark. We entered the stadium, and I noticed the announcer’s booth and suites, behind home plate, looked just like houses. Our seats were on the first-base side, but they were in the sun.
We decided to sit on a snack table on the shaded third-base side near the Rough Rider bullpen. I saw the starter, Vicente Padilla, warm up. I also saw a former Houston Astro, Brandon Puffer, in the bullpen. After a couple innings, we went to our seats down the first-base line. The seats were seven rows from the field. It was a cool view. I felt like I was a part of the action. Every inning, there would be a form of entertainment on the field. The mascot, Deuce, and chosen fans would participate in funny games. The Rough Riders won the game, and ended a very enjoyable day.
The next morning we rode on a train from Plano to downtown Dallas and visited the Sixth Floor Museum. It also was known as the Texas Book Depository. This is from where Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President Kennedy. The museum not only was historic but educational as well.
That evening we attended a Texas Ranger game. We walked up to The Ballpark in Arlington, and I immediately knew we were not going to have the air-conditioning Minute Maid Park has. We bought tickets at the gate, and we were going to be in the nose-bleeds, down the first-base line. From the top ramp, we could see the construction of the new Dallas Cowboys football stadium. We had quite a view. The game progressed quickly because the Rangers were not hitting the ball very well. Before you knew it, it was the seventh.
It disappointed me that “Deep in the Heart of Texas” was not played. We left during the ninth inning, with the game out of reach. As we walked out, we saw a nice fireworks show.
I attended a minor league and a major league game, and I have to say I enjoyed the minor league baseball game more.They have a laid-back atmosphere and at times better baseball.The games are more fun, and the ticket prices are less expensive."
Blake’s youth column appears every other Tuesday in The Facts. Blake....Garrett....Scott - At the Frisco Rough Riders game
The Sixth Floor Museum
At the DART train station; I can't wait for the crew to come back!!
1979 - the last time I was newsworthy and made "The Facts"
As a side note, I took this newspaper clipping from an old photo album. It was actually "scrapbooked". You can sort of see the paper edges where I double mounted it on green & pink paper. Too bad I wasn't the one who marketed scrapbooking. I never knew one of my long time hobbies could become a million dollar business and a career. Meanwhile......off to the hospitals I go.....
