Texas Rangers and the Cotton Eyed Joe

April 19, 2016

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
(Penny's perspective)

Randy and I, accompanied on this trip by Texas musician (and my stepdaughter) Kelli Coleman, headed to Arlington to see the Rangers and my favorite team, the Orioles.

We got to Arlington with enough time to grab a bite to eat. Kelli suggested Mariano's, home to the first frozen Margarita. It is close to the park, the service was quick and the food was good.

There was a lot to like in this park. If you are a fan of amusement parks, you'll be happy to know Six Flags over Texas is just next door. You can also see AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys, to the west.

You might be able to tell from this picture that the park is below street level due to wind. 

The Nolan Ryan statue on Vandergriff Plaza. He is the only player to have his number retired by three different teams (Angels #30, Rangers #34 , and Astros #34)  http://baseballhall.org/hof/ryan-nolan

Can you tell it is our first time here?

And I thought I'd go hungry in Texas!

Shannon Stone died when he lost his balance catching a ball for his son. He fell headfirst 20 feet. He was a firefighter and loved the game of baseball. More on his story can be found here:

http://www.nbcdfw.com/blogs/red-fever/Fan-Falls-Out-of-Stands-at-Rangers-Ballpark-125190279.html

Most parks now have a race and this one is no exception. In the middle of the sixth inning there is a dot race. I have no idea why dots, but there they were. I understand sometimes there is a legends race with prominent Texans.  

I'm going out on a limb here and saying the Rangers have the creepiest mascot I've seen. He walked down our aisle and I'm sure I got a better picture but can't find it. 

Before we started on this baseball journey, I never realized that the seventh-inning stretch was going to be such a big deal everywhere. In Arlington, after Take Me Out to the Ballgame, I loved dancing to the Cotton Eyed Joe. I actually sang, even though it was the traditional version. The crowd loved it, and so did we!

One thing I especially liked was that we weren't constantly bombarded with games and announcements between plays. (Hello Pittsburgh!)

I was happy to see the Orioles play outside Camden Yards. I had to sing "J-J-Hardy" all by myself - to the chagrin of the little girl siting in front of me. We also got to see former Nat Ian Desmond, a player I like who is now playing for the Rangers. Unfortunately, the O's couldn't pull off a win, with a final score of 6-3, Rangers.

Thumbs up
Park atmosphere
food selection
Scoreboard
easy access in and out

Thumbs down 
Ushers allowed fans and vendors in aisles during play
creepy mascot

Overall, this was a great experience and a fun park!