Day two of the World Baseball Classic trip is now complete. A scheduled off-day from baseball turned me into a local yokel of Marin County. It turns out that these 'off-days' really aren't applicable to the baseball road trip as there is always someplace to go and something to do.
After sleeping in until after 9am, I proceeded to do some City Council stuff via telephone. It was kind of a drag to have to do this while I am technically on vacation, but it's just part of the life of an elected official. I'm so glad my hosts were kind enough to realize the importance of my work and not get angry at me for neglecting them.
At around noon, my buddy had to go to his fitness class in San Rafael. I decided to go with him not to workout, but explore the city of Sam Rafael, specifically Mission San Rafael. I had been there before about two years ago on a non-baseball related trip, so I was eager to see it again.
Unlike the other California Missions I have been to on baseball road trips, Mission San Rafael is rather small and not very expansive. No original structures remain, so the mission complex has been rebuilt using original evidence. As a result, the only part of the mission recreated is the chapel and padres quarters to the left of the building housing the gift shop and a small museum. Compared to San Juan Capistrano, this mission was tiny.
Mission San Rafael was originally built as a hospital mission for the San Francisco mission. The climate within San Francisco was thought to be contributing to the higher than normal death rates amongst the Native American neophytes there. San Rafael had warmer temperatures and less rain, so it became a reliever mission. It was eventually elevated to full mission status.
I am, by no means, a catholic, but I am attracted to the missions because of the history surrounding them. Mission San Rafael. may have been small and unimpressive when compared to her mission counterparts, but when you are there, you can't help but feel whisked back in time.
After the mission, I met back up with my friend at the fitness center. Even though baseball was supposed to take an off-day, I wanted to go and check out the home of the independent league San Rafael Pacifics, Albert Park. Even though it was only five minutes from his house, my buddy had never been to a game, so he was also eager to check it out.
Albert Park is very fascinating. It is a tiny stadium built in the 1950s. I would venture to say that it seats only about 750 people. Despite her size, you really can feel the nostalgia of the park. It felt like baseball was her pure self once again, meaning a small home town team playing in a small park unencumbered by jumbotrons, luxury suites, inflatable bounce houses.
I would love to come back down for a game. I know the league the Pacifics are in is shaky, at best, so hopefully they can stay afloat long enough for me to see a game. I hope the Pacifics realize the gem of a stadium they have and not ruin it with gimmicks or anything of the sort. I know it's a small stadium, but sometimes that is the draw for a fan like me.
After getting some lunch, my buddy and I decided to visit San Rafael city hall. With my interest in government, I was looking forward to see how this city, which is still bigger than Creswell does business. I was surprised that the Mayor of San Rafael was in his office and offered to take us on a tour. What also struck me as unique is the language we used in communicating with each other. I guess us small town elected officials form a sort of fraternal order. When we ask each other questions, we have a tacit level of trust and understanding. The analyst who was assisting the Mayor in giving us the tour mentioned this in passing and it made me stop and ponder.
When planning this trip, I really wanted to do some community service. This is something that I want to do more of as it separates me from the average tourist. A lot of the communities that I have been to have been very kind to me, and I want to be able to give something back to them. As was the case, I helped out my buddy coach the high jumpers for his old high school track team. I felt that my community service could be passing on the knowledge I had gained of the sport to the youth of the community.
Bottom line, community service of this nature was a ton of fun. The kids were very kind and eager to learn. What was rewarding was seeing marked improvement in their skills during my time there. I had coached high jump before back in Oregon before time and life got in the way. After this, I really would like to get back into it and help out my community in this fashion.
After we finished practice, we went back to my buddy's house to relax for a few hours. We hit up In N Out Burger for dinner, which hit the spot. The Double-Double with fries and a strawberry shake were fantastic. Yes, I am talking about fast food. I just wonder when they are going to crack the market and make their way to Oregon?
After dinner, we met up with a few of my buddy's friends for a drink at a watering hole in San Rafael called the Mayflower. We stayed, had some beers, and chatted until the establishment closed down. We, in fact, helped the bartender clean the facility by stacking stools and emptying the garbage. I guess this was another form of community service.
So, the plan for today...I know this is a BASEBALL road trip, but sometimes you have to be willing to encompass all sports into the concept. On Sunday, I learned that my alma mater, the Oregon Ducks, had made it to the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Their first game is in San Jose against Oklahoma State. I went on StubHub, bought a ticket, amended my train reservation, and made plans to stay an extra day. I'm currently on the way to San Jose to see the game.
This is another once-in-a-lifetime event that I am going to be a part of. I can't believe the incredible experiences that I have had over these past 48 hours, and to cap it off with seeing March Madness in person? Let me say I challenge anyone to come up with a trip that has more excitement, experiences, and unique events than any Baseball Road Trip.
Until tomorrow...
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment